“Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first, I didn’t think of it as a gift, and I begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me, My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness. Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 (MSG)

Paul’s words from 2 Corinthians provide the key verses for Celebrate Recovery as we come to grips with our struggles. We gain victories through God over situations and setbacks we once thought impossible to overcome. And yet, as Paul states we all have a thorn in our side, something that we just can’t overcome no matter how hard we try or how much we pray, the thorn remains. I was reminded of this recently as I talked with a friend about an ongoing problem in their life that refuses to yield. We talked about Apostle Paul’s limitation, the thorn in his side and the solution he found. But his was not just any solution; it was more like a seismic shift in thinking and believing as Paul gives us a new way of looking at our imperfections – quit focusing on the handicap and begin appreciating the gift. The gift is God’s GRACE found in the middle of our weakness. When we tap into grace, we admit our weakness and start relying on God’s power to change our attitude and our lives. When we learn to be comfortable in our own skin, we worry less about our imperfections as we focus more on what God would have us do. That seismic transformative gift that Paul talks about is to see our weakness as a gift that invites God into our lives in the most powerful way – a perfect God, madly in love with imperfect people. God loves you, Jesus died for you, His spirit lives in you! Say Yes to Jesus! Dana Cramer Celebrate Recovery // Crossroads Church CELEBRATE RECOVERY/CROSSROADS CHURCH UPDATES/REMINDERS:

1. I wanted to give you all a heads up that we are beginning to plan for transitioning back to having CR Friday Nights in person. Right now, we are targeting July 24th as the first night back in person. I can’t wait to see you all. Please stay tuned for more information. We will be posting it in these emails, as well as the Facebook page. Have a wonderful day!