Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
7 Pillars of a Freedom Palace
by Graham Bufford Director of Aftercare/CLCC “Wisdom has built a palace supported on seven pillars.” – Proverbs 9:1 TLB Long term and sustained recovery is more than possible! It’s actually very likely if one practices wisdom and remains committed to God’s principles and processes. The following are seven pillars on which to build a healthy
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Never Settle
by Macy – a Foundry Program Participant My name is Macy. I was born in ’91 in Jacksonville, Florida. I grew up in the church, and I knew of God, but I never knew him. Had I known of His great love for me, I never would’ve gone looking and settling for unhealthy love. Settling
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Speak Life
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” When I was a little girl, my sister and I used to play a silly little game, where we would call each other food names as insults. For example, Cabbage was a very hurtful food name. The more unappealing the food, the
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Blanket of Hope
by Dana Chavers Director of Social Services I arrived at work at 6:30am, as I usually do, when I noticed a green hump the size of a human in the corridor against the wall beneath the entry keypad. Doing a double take, I realized the hump was a person huddled under a jacket. I nervously
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Sacrificial Living
So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
The Long Term Investment of Encouragement
by Graham Bufford “Encourage one another and build each other up.” – 1 Thessalonians 5:11 HCSB Ever heard of a book named Leaves of Grass or its author Walt Whitman? Yeah, most people weren’t familiar with either when that book was first published in 1855. Major publishers wouldn’t touch it, leaving Whitman to invest his
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
10 Ways to Survive the Holidays
by Julia Charleston It’s mid-September, which means the holidays are just around the corner. Thanksgiving sneaks up on me every year and catches me off guard. Then, six short weeks later, it’s CHRISTMAS! And year after year, I become so overwhelmed I barely have time to breathe, let alone enjoy the festivities. Rather than run
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Stay The Course
by Julia Charleston When I was in high school I lived in Seminole, Florida, which was on the west coast just below Tampa. Seminole is located on the mainland, but if you go down the block and over the bridge, you could be at the Gulf of Mexico in 10 minutes. My friend, Cathy, lived
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Dazzling Light
by Graham Bufford Director of After Care “Moses said, ‘The LORD has commanded you to do all this, so that the dazzling light of his presence can appear to you.’” –Leviticus 9:6 GNT Be assured that there is purpose to everything the Lord does. Even if it began as something evil, the Lord can still
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Repairing the Broken
by Larisa Lambert Mills I go back to it time and again. It’s become a reliable guide and encouragement through my day-to-day work and the way my relationship with the Lord connects with that work. It’s real. And relatable. Here is a blessing from it for you: “… If we would do what he told
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Coin in the Mouth of the Fish
Silently, I prayed for guidance to do the right thing. My heart wanted to help him out, but my logic was trying to overrule. My husband had been unemployed for 8 months. I really didn’t need any financial burden, no matter how minor. I reasoned that if I gave the guy sitting in my office
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Alarms of Life
by Julia Charleston A few years ago, for no apparent reason, every single smoke alarm in my house started beeping. It began in the living room, and soon all six alarms were screaming at me that there was trouble. Searching the house I found no smoke, yet the alarms disagreed. Grabbing the ladder from the
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
got mentors?
by A Program Participant I never imagined myself having to spend 12 months in a recovery program. How did I find myself here? Life happened. I left home when I graduated high school and met my soul mate. We got married and had three children. They grew up, got married and now I have three
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Throw Off Your Cloak
by Julia Charleston “Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means ‘son of Timaeus’), was sitting by the roadside begging. When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Hungry For More
The point when we think we know all that there is to know is usually when we are in the most desperate need of spiritual growth. During times like these, it’s healthy to do a self-inventory. An important item to check off of our list is unending hunger for God and the things of God.
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
Holy of Holies
by Rick Todd Chief Logistics Officer/Assistant Pastor In biblical times, only Levitical Priests were permitted to enter the sacred space called the Holy of Holies. As he opened the curtain and stepped into the chamber just outside the room to perform his priestly duties, I wonder what his thoughts were knowing God Almighty was just
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
The Greatest Blessing
I’ve never been in an actual prison cell, but I do remember all too well the prison of hopelessness while living outside of God’s will. Because of this, I may have a special affection for the men in The Foundry’s Prison ReEntry program, who are transitioning from prison to productive living in our community. I
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
The Best is Yet to Come!
Sis Dixon Director of The Foundry Resource Center I was walking through our thrift store on a cold, rainy winter day and this picture caught my attention. I couldn’t help but grin when I saw this precious child. Who doesn’t love a smiling baby?! Because of the dreariness of the day, I reflected on the
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
The Triumphant Entry
by Julia Charleston “Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey-riding on a donkey’s colt.” Zechariah 9:9 [NLT] There are many contrasting elements to Jesus’ triumphant entry. He was a king who came as a lowly servant on the back of a donkey
Addiction, Encouragement, Recovery
By Ourselves, But Not Alone
by Julia Charleston “Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, ‘Sit here while I go over there to pray.'” Matthew 26:36 [NLT] Our strength comes from community; we’re most powerful where two or more are gathered. Jesus and his disciples were strongest when they were together. Their power
