God's Promises

Do you know the promises God has made to us? In order to know them we have to read our bible. Where is your bible right now? Is it still laying where you left it after you got home from church on Sunday morning, or from CR last Tuesday? Or maybe it has a particular spot in which you keep it. Wherever it is, do you use it every day or does it collect dust until the next time you need it for church?
You see, we all want the promises of God, but sometimes we want to attain them our own way. It won't work. God has a plan for every single one of us. We can't expect to fulfill that plan if we don't know what God's word says. What is God's plan for you? When was the last time you thought about it? Without God's direction and guidance we are much like a fish out of water. We simply don't know what it is we are supposed to do and are unable to attain the happiness and prosperity that God wants us to have.
There are no quick fixes to the things we come up against in our lives. But God has a plan. First we have to let go and let God.....then as we learn to apply His Word to our lives, we can come to understand and enjoy the promises God has for us.
Standing on the promises,
Laura S.

April 06

We have 2 awesome speakers this month. We invite you to come as they share about the hurts, habits, and hang-ups they have dealt with in their lives. Your heart will be touched as you hear how God has brought them to victory.
Don't forget, we have a meal at 6:00 p.m. at no charge. Dick and Velma Wood are our chefs, and our meals are fantastic.
Uncomfortable coming alone? Bring a friend and give them the gift of God's richness and glory.
April 4rth - Dan Luskey -- Testimony
April 11th - Special Music - Shannon Wesson
Laura Schonlau -- Teaching (Victim Mentality)
April 18th - Scott Trower -- Speaker/Testimony
April 25th - Laura Schonlau -- Teaching (Strongholds)
Look forward to seeing all of you. Every Tuesday evening beginning at 7:00 p.m.
First Assembly of God 905 N. Oakwood Enid, Ok.
Only with God's power,
Laura S.

Do you have a testimony?

I hope the answer to that question was yes. God has done marvelous works in each one of our lives. Everyone has something God has done that they can testify to. There is no such thing as an insignificant testimony. There is always someone, somewhere that can relate to it. It may be something they are currently going through and you would be a shining light and hope in their life; or maybe they can relate to how God brought them through that time in their life also. That's what we are about at Celebrate Recovery. We celebrate the awesome things God is doing in each one of our lives. Each week, we have a testimony, teaching, or guest speaker. It gives hope to those that are at a point, they feel they have no hope left; or sometimes feel as though no one could ever understand what they are going through. That's the really cool part of CR. Everyone is a hope and a light to someone that hasn't experienced the miracles of God in their own life. Every one of us have something to offer to one another. We just have to be big enough to admit we actually have shortcomings. The truth of the matter is we are all sinners that fall short of the Glory of God.
At CR, we're simply willing to admit the we (and our lives) are not perfect, and we work together, one day at time/one step at a time, learning to live our lives for God every single day, in every single moment.
God Bless,
Laura S.

Radical Reconstruction

The sermon on the mount......what Jesus promises isn't a gimmick to give you goose bumps, nor a mental attitude that has to be pumped up at pep rallies. Matthew 5 describes God's radical reconstruction of the heart: 1st - Recognize we are in need (poor in spirit) 2nd - repent of our own self-sufficiency (mourn) 3rd - Quit calling the shots & surrender control to God (meek) 4rth - So grateful are we for His presence, we want more (hunger & thirst) 5th - As we grow, we become more like Him (merciful) 6th - We change our outlook (pure in heart) 7th - We love others (peacemakers) 8th - we endure injustice (persecution)
You see, it's not a casual shift of attitude. It's a demolition of the old structure and a creation of the new. The more radical the change, the greater the joy.
My change was extremely radical. Yours can be too.....you just have to be willing to be willing!
Have a marvelous day! In God's love,
Laura S.

Step Studies

We are beginning new step study classes on Monday nights for men and Thursday nights for women. If you are interested, these classes are held at the church and begin at 7 p.m. Anyone can participate in these classes.
The curriculum consists of the Celebrate Recovery Bible and Celebrate Recovery Workbooks. The 4 key qualities of this curriculum are: 1) God's Word is the central focus. 2) It applies to all areas in which you need recovery. 3) Keeps it simple.
4) Creates and encourages forward movement.
"For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
Romans 15:4 (NIV)
God Bless,
Laura S.

CR is for WHO???

CR is for anyone humble enough to admit that their life is not perfect.
Wow! What an incredible way to explain it.
For the past 2 years, this has been the toughest question to answer. CR covers every area that anyone could possibly experience in life. Until now, the answer to this question has been rather lenghthy. When our Pastor has been asked this question he refers to the Armour Hot Dogs commercial. Do you remember it? When they would sing "What kind of kids love Armour Hot Dogs? Fat kids, skinny kids, kids who climb on rocks; tough kids, sissy kids, even kids with chicken pox." It was telling us they ALL loved the hot dogs. CR is for everyone!!
The response to this new answer has been very interesting. Some have thought it was great. Others have commented it was a great answer but not one they liked to admit to or think about. Ask yourself why that would be? Answer - it takes more courage to be humble than proud. Talk about stepping out in faith!!!
Now that I have you humming or singing the Armour Hot Dog song.......
Have a blessed week.
Laura S.

Celebrate Recovery's Purpose

The purpose of Celebrate Recovery is to encourage fellowship and to celebrate God's healing power in our lives as we work our way along the road to recovery. We are changed by our experiences, strengths, and hopes with one another. In addition, we become willing to accept God's grace and forgiveness in solving our life's problems.
By working through the principles, we grow spiritually, and we are freed from the trials in our lives. This freedom creates peace, serenity, joy, and most importantly, a stronger personal relationship with Jesus Christ and others.

Recovery Chips?

What in the world are recovery chips? At CR, we offer recovery chips. The first chip offered is a surrender chip. This chip is given to anyone that has identified an area in their life they want to surrender over to Christ. Once you've realized it is something you can't manage on your own, you come up when this is offered. The surrender date is written on the chip to remember it. Or perhaps you've had a relapse. The most important thing to remember is 'there is no shame in coming back'!
Every one of us know what it feels like to give a problem over to God; then the next thing we know, we have picked that problem back up and are trying to solve it ourselves, again. This folks, is a relapse. For some reason, most don't look at the big picture. We only see relapse for those who suffer with eating disorders, drugs, or alcohol.
Some have asked for these chips after service. These are only handed out during the service. When I say no, it isn't to be cruel. If you won't stand up for Christ in the midst of all of us who love you and want to see your life flourish into everything God meant for it to be; you wont stand up for Him outside the church. That's a thought for you to ponder.
Every one of us have felt the fear that has held us back from walking up to that altar. The fear that wonders what people are going to think, or worse, what they might say!! I want to take this opportunity to tell you...I have been there, gripped with that fear. It's okay. I just want you to know that when you turn loose of that fear, what we are going to say is "hallelujah"! And then, the best is yet to come. We break into small groups and you have the chance to talk about 'why' you took the chip. You don't have to talk about it, but remember this; when you verbalize what you're dealing with, it removes the power it has over you. It decreases in size, AND, you're going to be in a group that will have someone there that is going through the same thing or has before! You find real hope in that group because you also see that you're not alone!
After the surrender chip we offer 30, 60, & 90 day, 6 month and 1 year chips for you to be able to celebrate your perpetual motion of moving forward with Christ at the wheel.
Come and join us. And bring a friend! All of us deal with or unable to let go of something.
God Bless You One & All!
Laura Schonlau

Unconditional Love

Unconditional love --- isn't that what all of us want? Someone to love us just exactly as we are. To be free to be who we are? That's what God does. I find it absolutely amazing that no matter what we've done, or where we've been, God accepts us right where we're at. He loves us, exactly as we are. There are times I find myself just standing in the awe of His unconditional love for me. It should be obvious for us to see how natural that is to God. After all, He created each one of us, beautiful and marvelous in our own unique way. We were hand crafted in the image of God. The next time you look in a mirror, remind yourself that you are the Prince/Princess of the Most High God. Go ahead, do it now. Then remind yourself regularly just how special you are.
God Bless You!
Laura Schonlau

Advertising

Today I was looking over cover letters to some people about advertisement for CR. As I was considering a plan for handing out flyers with CR information, somehow it struck me rather odd. When stores have sales and run ads, people flock to those stores to get the good deals offered. Have you ever been to the sale the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas? All those people lined up out in the cold to get just the right gift!! (I've done it to.) Have you ever stopped to wonder why people don't do that with all the cool stuff churches have to offer? That's what struck me odd. Is it because what we have to offer - the free gift of God's love/salvation - is free? Does that just make it sound too good to be true? Most people believe churches and preachers only want your money. CR isn't about money at all. It's simply about you and God. Living your life to the fullest with all the blessings God has in store for you. The catch? What catch? To live a life where we are nice to one another, helping a person who is in need, and treating others the way we want to be treated? All of these things are simply aspects of living like Christ did. No one expects you to be perfect. We're all sinners. The bible tells us that. If we had to be perfect, I couldn't attend either. Every one of us fall short of the Glory of God, but praise God for His forgiveness.
What is your advertisement? What do others see in you by the way you live?
Praising God for each one of you!
Laura A Schonlau

Forgiveness

If you weren't able to attend CR last night, you missed out. We had a great night!
We topped our evening off with a birthday/anniversary party.
Our teaching was on forgiveness. Sounds easy enough, but true forgiveness is very difficult. Forgiveness is a beautiful idea until we actually have to put it into practice! We learned 3 kinds of forgiveness. The first and most important is forgiveness extended from God to us. When thinking about this one, I just have to ask you.....Have you accepted God's forgiveness? The second kind is extended from us to others. For this one you must be willing to let go of the pain of past harm, hurt, and abuse caused by others. Until you release it, you are a prisoner of war. The third kind of forgiveness is of ourselves. No matter what you feel deep inside about yourself, the most important thing to remember here is that God loves you. You may feel there is something in your past that is just too much to forgive. Your feelings about yourself do not change God's love for you one bit. When you forgive yourself, you don't change the past, but you sure do change the future!
I look forward to seeing you next Tuesday night! Pastor Terry will be speaking. You won't want to miss it!
God bless each and every one of you.
Laura Schonlau