“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Colossians 3:16

I was reading Richard Rhor’s “Daily Meditation” last week when I came across his message about giving up control as a gateway for a deeper spiritual relationship with God. He quoted Dr. Gerald May on willingness vs willfulness: “Willingness implies a surrendering of one’s self-separateness, an entering-into, an immersion in the deepest processes of life itself. It is a realization that one already is a part of some ultimate cosmic process and it is a commitment to participation in that process. In contrast, willfulness is a setting of oneself apart from the fundamental essence of life in an attempt to master, direct, control, or otherwise manipulate existence. [1] Rohr goes on to say: “For many of us, this may be the first time in our lives that we have felt so little control over our own destiny and the destiny of those we love. This lack of control initially feels like a loss, a humiliation, a stepping backward, an undesired vulnerability. However, recognizing our lack of control is a universal starting point for a serious spiritual walk towards wisdom and truth.” In recovery we repeat the process of surrendering our willfulness as a vital step in our spiritual growth. We practice this in Step 11: “We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” As a side note, I first read Dr. May in his book “Addiction and Grace” some 30 years ago during a Serenity Retreat League weekend in Sedalia Colorado (I attended this for several years in recovery). It’s one of the best books I have ever read about addiction and spiritual recovery. I pulled it from my library over the weekend and started thumbing through it, which is to say I need to reread it, and I thank Richard Rohr for jogging my memory. Dana Cramer Celebrate Recovery // Crossroads Church If you would like someone to reach out to you, text us your E-mail and name to 970-645-6109 and we will have someone from within CR reach out to you. CELEBRATE RECOVERY/CROSSROADS CHURCH UPDATES/REMINDERS:

1. We will not be hosting CR Friday Night Live this Friday.  Crossroads Church will be streaming their Good Friday service at 6:30pm.  Feel free to tune into that or if you are part of another church community, tune into any Good Friday Service they may be streaming.  Watch Crossroad’s Good Friday Service Here
2. We will be hosting a Women’s Open Share Group on Wednesday and Friday this week.  Sign-up Links will be posted on our Facebook page and blogsite tomorrow.  https://crossroadscr.blogspot.CR Blogsite/ Celebrate Recovery at Crossroads Church Facebook Page
3. We will also be hosting a men’s open share group this coming Friday after the Good Friday Service.  We will be posting the sign-up link tomorrow.