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Month: January 2019

Bumper Sticker Faith and Recovery

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 As addicts, new to recovery, we tend to oversimplify things, clinging to passages that we find comforting or helpful, while ignoring the…
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The Scarlet Letter

But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel . . . Micah 5:2 The addict, new to recovery, often finds crippling shame. As the haze of the addiction fades, he begins to see more…
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Curling, Labor Pains, and the Daily Battle

Writhe and groan, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in labor . . . Micah 4:10 This winter, a buddy and I, along with our sons, formed a curling team and signed up for weekly curling league. We naively hoped that we would be naturals and hopefuls for the 2022 Olympics. Reality has since set…
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Conflict is Hard to Get Right

They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore. Micah 4:3 As a Christian addict, living in recovery, I spend a lot of time thinking about right and wrong. Of course, I’m egocentric enough to think that…
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Who’s the Doctor?

Is not the Lord in the midst of us? No disaster shall come upon us. Micah 3:11 Often, while engaged in a discussion at home that I feel isn’t going my way, whether it’s regarding house paint or gardening, I pull out this conversation stopper: Who’s the Doctor? It’s supposed to remind whoever I’m arguing with…
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Real Friends Don’t Eat Each Other

You who hate the good and love the evil . . . who eat the flesh of my people . . . and chop them up like meat in a pot, like flesh in a cauldron. Micah 3:2-3 In his destructive behavior, the addict inflicts tremendous misery, not only on himself, but on those around him.…
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Tough Love

Does the Lord become inpatient? Does he do such things? Micah 2:7 (NIV) Looking back, I can see that anytime I encountered leniency and mercy in my addiction, it didn’t motivate me to change, but rather, only encouraged my behavior. When I was first forced to address my problem, I wanted transformation, but because I suffered…
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Ax-Murderers and Other Really Bad People

Thus says the Lord: behold, against this family I am devising disaster, from which you cannot remove your necks, and you shall not walk haughtily, for it will be a time of disaster. Micah 2:3 It’s become a satirical inside joke in our family. When I ask the kids if they understand why I’m concerned about some…
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Beer Church

If a man should go about and utter wind and lies, saying, “I will preach to you of wine and strong drink,” he would be the preacher for this people! Micah 2:11 When I went through medical training, nearly 20 years ago, we were taught to be quite liberal with opiate pain medications. Studies had supposedly…
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The Vile Song of Addiction

Woe to those who devise wickedness and work evil on their beds! When the morning dawns, they perform it, because it is in the power of their hand. Micah 2:1 Admittedly, I have an obsessive personality. When an idea takes hold in my mind, it’s tough to get out. When I find an activity I enjoy,…
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