Listening to Rick Warren on his webcast for the Celebrate Recovery Summit, he mentioned this.
- CR is based on the actual words of Jesus, the beatitudes. The truth sets us free, and R. Warren said, “I wish he’d told us the other other part. It hurts first!”
- CR is forward looking. Jesus did not dwell or wallow in the past. It’s there. Deal with it but MOVE ON.
- CR puts a strong emphasis on personal recovery and responsibility. Stop being a Blamer, B-LAME. Every time you blame, you are being lame. You are as close to God as you want to be. It’s ME, ME, ME…not my mother, father, sister, etc.
- CR calls for spiritual and specific commitment to Jesus Christ. I need more than a higher power; I need Jesus. Thus it makes it different automatically. It’s not turning over a new leaf (that’s rotten on the other side). I don’t need a new leaf, I need a new life (2 Cor 5:17)
- CR emphasizes growth and healing in the context of small group. God has wired us to need others. We cannot break that compulsion, that idea, or anything by ourselves. Why? Because of pride. We need each other. Revealing your feeling is the beginning of your healing (James 5:16). “God gives grace to the humble and resists the proud.” Your arms are too short to box with God. When I own up to my hurts, habits, and hang-ups. We cannot do this alone. If you could you would, but since you can’t you won’t. The very thing we want is the very thing we are afraid of it. We need people. We grow in the context of community because of love. We cannot love as a hermit. We can only love in community. CR is a small group factory. “When someone is in a group, I don’t worry about them.” 58x, the Bible speaks about “one another.” It happens in a community.
- CR is a leadership factory. More leaders at Saddleback come from CR than any where else. If you haven’t had a major hurt, you cannot relate to people who are hurting. Every one has a major hurt. Every one needs recovery.
