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Music Kingdom Radio LLC 570-703-9170 5677 Route 115 #563 Blakeslee, PA. 18610 info@musickingdomradio.com FB@MusicKingdomRadio TW@MusicKingdomRadio musickingdomradio.com
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From Rocky Road to Recovery Festivals – A Life to be Celebrated. . ...............7 A Living Hope. . ............................... 10 The StarFish Factor......................... 11
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Live Life Now (Not later) The Life Recipe. . .......................................... 13 Self-Care........................................ 14 AM I AN ADDICT? A QUESTION WORTH ANSWERING................................... 15
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The Winter Garden......................... 16 Lessons Every Christian Can Learn From the 12 Steps Steps 5-8: When the Rubber Meets the Road. . ................ 17
OUR MISSION: Welcome!
Music Kingdom Radio is a multi-cultural lifestyles-based live stream radio production, podcast and magazine featuring current news and interviews with artists, authors, and health experts, along with music (old and new), musical reviews, and live music. Our mission is to educate and support people about health and wellness issues through the lens of current news topics while staying neutral, providing people from different walks of life a place to share their views of love, respect, strength, positive change and hope - something this world needs more of. I so believe the following to be true: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Thomas Jefferson The Declaration of Independence Second Continental Congress Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MKR helps to heal and shine a light of love and respect of others’ opinions and creativity. I feel we can accomplish this by talking with each other, instead of about each other, by talking to our fellow human beings and not at them. Everyone has an opinion and has the right to speak it and open a discussion. I hope you enjoy our multi-media approach and feel free to engage in a friendly way. John Hollis Founder - Music Kingdom Radio
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Music Kingdom Radio LLC 570-703-9170 5677 Route 115 #563 Blakeslee, PA. 18610 info@musickingdomradio.com FB@MusicKingdomRadio TW@MusicKingdomRadio musickingdomradio.com Owner/Founder/VP John Hollis Sr. Owner/MKR Printer Keith McManus Owner/Co-founder Gail Hollis Layout and Graphics Philip Salvagni Editor In Chief Becky Barnett Contributors Rev. Steven Grey Author Gail Hollis Author Becky Barnett Author Keith Bayard Author Lena Argot Author Cynthia Bellino Author Kaylene Argot Author Ricky Byrd Photography Contributors Becky Barnett Nancy Agnew
Radio Station Sponsorship Opportunities Available CONTACT
Email: info@musickingdomradio.com Phone: 570-703-9170 Web: musickingdomradio.com MKR Magazine March 2024 5
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FROM ROCKY ROAD TO RECOVERY FESTIVALS – A LIFE TO BE CELEBRATED BY CAROL HARBLIN
Communities of like-mindedness, especially in recovery, are daily celebrations amongst each other. Once people are into recovery there is an enlightenment shift that allows them to see just how life really is precious. Music concerts, parties, or even coffee or dinner with a few friends after a meeting are all celebrations of life, because we made it another day. There is a newfound zest for fun and life among people in recovery. There aren’t any more days of living with invincibility. When people think they can use substances and continue to do so without thinking there are any repercussions, isn’t a life where they fully embrace all that encompasses living. Rockers In Recovery (RIR) once again will bring together musicians, camaraderie, and entertainment to CB Smith Park in Pembroke, Florida on February 24, 2024 – free to public. The recovery music festival is a harvest of all those who are friends of Bill W and Doctor Bob. This is a celebratory event where we find the light and fun in life and ourselves and with other likeminded people at RIR’s music festival to share, engage, and just live clean and sober. Yes, it is possible to have even more fun at a sober Woodstock, or “Soberstock,” because it is more memorable with more to celebrate. Keith McManus, President of Music Kingdom and Clear Channel Magazine, non-profit multimedia mediums also works with RIR to spread the message of hope. “The recovery festival is a message of hope and to enjoy recovery together in a ‘clean community’ to have fun with music,” McManus said, “and align the head to the heart.” To encourage and help those in recovery so they can reach their dreams, donate to https//www.cash.app/$rockersinrecovery. A disease overtakes the mind, body, and family; can-
cer, autoimmune, or chemical addiction are all similar, life-altering diseases that shake up the entire world of the individual, family, and friends. Recovering from alcoholism and/or drugs is much like being in remission from cancer. Imagine if someone’s cancer came back and people judged them the same way they judge someone who relapsed from alcohol. Listen to the hypothetical conversation: “I’m not in remission anymore…my cancer is back.” “…again? Geez, how many times have you done this already? Can’t you get this cancer thing straight? How hard is it to stay cancer-free?” “I have to restart my treatments again and start over.” “Why? What happened? What did you do wrong?” Absolutely nothing. They did nothing wrong! Whichever disease a person has it’s not a choice and both face tremendous adversities. Cancer and addiction are both life-threatening. Matthew Perry could have died in 2020 when his intestines exploded. He could have died during the FRIENDS series. The first words in his autobiography read, “Hi, my name is Matthew although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.” It’s scary to fall into a relapse or out of remission. Nobody deserves negative talk or to feel isolated and alienated. Everyone is doing the best they can at the level of consciousness and awareness they’re at in life. Life is a book of learning experiences with multiple chapters and volumes. There are no failures, and nobody should be treated as though they are a failure. A low spot in life is a test of strength to see how we cope. Why we need faith and hope when fighting these battles. Why we need to celebrate life while in remission and recovery, because only those people who are truly in recovery and remisMKR Magazine March 2024 7
sion know the value of each day. It is at that time when a person begins to truly understand the meaning of, “Today is the first day of the rest of your life.” The disease of chemical addiction is not cancer, but it does attack the physical and mental aspects of a person as well as the person’s lifestyle in a similar way. Just like cancer, it also affects family and friends, too. In some cases, people have died trying to recover and detox from the chemicals. People with addiction still face death and mortality just as those with cancer. People will counter back with statements like, “Well people with cancer never asked for it and they didn’t choose to get it,” but people with addiction didn’t wake up one morning and declare they wanted to use either. Addiction doesn’t discriminate. It’s not a chosen path and the addict doesn’t aspire to have it either. In Eric Charles May’s novel Bedrock Faith is about a man who was released from prison after fourteen years. While in prison he found Jesus and became a Christian. He read the Bible daily and turned over a new leaf. He was given a second chance in life, and he was reborn. It wasn’t that easy though; his neighbors around him were suspicious and skeptical. They thought “once a criminal, always a criminal,” but he had truly turned his life over to Jesus. He lived one day at a time and continued to live his new recovered life. After a while people began to see him for his new self. It wasn’t an easy road at all. There were always a few people who thought he was just the same criminal, but the few steadfast people who stood by him (including Jesus) was all he needed to maintain that bedrock faith. Second chances are important because to err is human; life is meant to live, learn from lessons, and grow into the next phase of life. People evolve from their former selves. Bedrock Faith is an all too familiar story line that is very relatable. It takes us along the hero’s journey as we follow him through challenges, setbacks, awakenings, and transformations. We all have a hero within us, too.
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People come around with time. Time is also the same key ingredient that helps someone to get “undrunk.” It’s not coffee or a cold shower, it’s time. In a world where everything is instantly handed to us from fast food to instant Internet connection, we are not mentally equipped to understand the words: “It takes time.” Everything that is worth it takes time; food takes time to cook and marinate, relationships take time to grow and flourish, plants take time to grow and harvest, healing takes time, and even grieving takes time. Nothing should be expected to be instantaneous. Instant gratification is not realistic, it’s childish. Only small children must have everything now because they are still learning patience and life. The two-year-old child doesn’t understand the nature of patience or waiting yet. When someone walks with truth and faith there will always be against them. Jesus had his close circle of people around him, but there were so many against him. He had to continue walking his walk and maintain his focus of why he was there. Jesus walked his unwavering journey with his eyes on God. He was tempted by Satan, he was whipped and abused by people all around him, but he never stopped his truth and his faith. Being nonjudgmental toward those who relapse needs to be normalized. It’s not an easy road. Matthew Perry was off and on recovery many times before it stuck in 2020. What cinched his recovery at long last was his fiftieth year of life when his intestines exploded. Wearing a colostomy bag was his rock bottom that he needed to make him get back on track to his recovery again. Before his untimely death in October 2023, he wanted to create sober living houses. Recovery was his vision and his life. He wanted to help whoever needed it. He was grateful for the years spent on the TV show FRIENDS; though he enjoyed the associations of Chandler Bing, he hoped people would learn to associate him with helping people with recovery.
There are many sober living houses, respite living, and half-way houses all around the United States. Unfortunately, there needs to be more. People need to relearn how to go through their daily routine, to know how to react and cope with what life hands them without resorting to numbing out from feelings. Rick Riccardi, Founder of Fellowship Living is respite living doing just that in Broward County, Florida. There are programs to help people in recovery get back to work and manage the curve balls of life. A relapse doesn’t mean the person doesn’t take their recovery seriously, it just means they need to prioritize recovery more; instead of meetings or reading the literature three times a week perhaps they need to increase it to five to seven times a week – or twenty times a day. What does Matthew Perry, Zac Efron, Chevy Chase, Bill W, Dr. Bob, Anthony Hopkins, David Easterling, C4, and Steven Tyler (and so many more) have in common? They walk the path that isn’t as well-traveled. Sometimes the path that is the most popular, well-traveled, and safest isn’t the wisest road to take. The most common road appears to be the safest, but really it is the most dangerous. If it is the most used, then a lot of people will be on that same path which means it will be easier to lose thyself. When someone steps into the rooms, it doesn’t take long before they realize hope is more than a word; HOPE also stands for “Hang on, pain ends.” Hope and faith, no matter small, is all a person needs, just like that little mustard seed. As that faith is nurtured it grows greater than the imagination could ever fathom. It will grow far greater than any other plant on earth. It just needs time, nurturing, and love. Hope requires faith. The Rockers In Recovery (RIR) music festival on February 24 at CB Smith Park, Pembroke, Florida is all about enjoying music and being in a clean community to just have fun with music. There’s a great line up of musicians for the festival, it’s not just a one-performer concert, but many musicians to perform the stage; C4 and David Easterling to name a few. All are welcome to celebrate life at the festival who genuinely want to be part of RIR’s sober Woodstock, RIR’s very own “Soberstock.” Merchandise is available on the RIR website or their Facebook page. It will be the first music festival without Paul Stephen Wilson, who was the director of acoustics (the unplugged portion of the festival). John Hollis, founder of RIR, is more inspired and motivated to pursue this year’s music festival to commemorate Paul and for everything he has done for him, “I will always be grateful and thankful for the friendship, and at times stewardship. Thank you, Paul, for being a Rocker In Recovery and spanning the globe with our
message. I’m going to miss you so much at this Festival! Over the years we’ve learned what to do next for each other without anybody even asking. When we were on the road doing shows, up and down the east coast, you were amazing and the times that your beautiful wife Pat was with you just made it all the more fun. I look forward to seeing you on the other side, my friend,” reflects Hollis, about his dear friend Paul, “…and I hope you built the stage already!” There are always good people and new experiences though; this year’s festival is not without an acoustics director. Meet C4, who is now directing the acoustics portion at the Rockers In Recovery (RIR) Festival. She fills the shoes Paul Stephen Wilson, who recently passed away. Anyone is invited to tour along with C4 and David Easterling as they journey down to Pembroke to the festival and then back to Tennessee. Bookers BBQ in Alabama is just one venue they will stop at on February 20 enroute to Pembroke. C4 brings her love and passion of everything music to the stage as well as her twenty-four years of recovery. One meaningful song she plans to sing is “Silver Spoon” which is a prayer. Prayers are an important contribution to recovery because just as she prays for a current addict, she knows there was someone who prayed for her. Her song, “Silver Spoon,” is one of her singing prayer tributes to anyone who needs that hope in their recovery process. Music is her dream that she is now living, thanks to God and her recovery. Music is a way of living her dream and riding the wave while she shares her musical stylings and vocals with other people. One of C4’s takeaways in recovery from early on is that the disease will not take her, and to never give up the sobriety she gained. Sobriety gave her the greatest gift and rekindled her amazing relationship with God; without God she would be lost. David Easterling, singer and songwriter from Oakridge, Tennessee, brings many inspiring recovery songs within his playlist to the RIR Music Festival, too. Songs such as “The Old Me,” “Picture Window,” and “My Soul to Keep,” support the theme of hope, courage, and strength of recovery. He joins C4 on their musical tour down to Pembroke, Florida for the RIR Festival. Easterling’s lyrics are musical stories that share a recovery process or a struggle where he describes how he emerged from those ashes and rose above like the Phoenix. Where there is darkness, there will be light. John Hollis’s RIR’s Music Festival, “Soberstock” is the light at the end of the tunnel – or the month of February. It’s the hope that winter is ending, and that spring is soon approaching. Spring rise, us, too, and on the rise; we are coming back to life. See you soon, this February 24, 2024 at CB Smith Park in Pembroke, Florida! MKR Magazine March 2024 9
A LIVING HOPE BY BECKY BARNETT
There’s a lot of fear in the world today. For many, COVID cracked open the truth of how vulnerable and out of control we actually are. It’s been two years since the pandemic began; but anxiety, depression, and substance abuse are still on the rise. According to the CDC, before COVID, eleven percent of adults in the US reported symptoms of anxiety and depression. Currently, forty-two percent of us are battling these intense manifestations of fear. It can feel pretty bleak. So, what is the antidote? In The Hunger Games, the villain, President Snow, makes the statement “Hope is the only thing stronger than fear.” If there’s something out there stronger than fear, I’d imagine we all want a double portion of it. The Bible has this to say: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead…” (1 Peter 1:3). This is a form of hope with substance. A living hope, based upon the power of someone with the authority to rise from death. Biblical hope is alive. It is a hope that does something in our hearts because it is based firmly on the promises of God. It is something we are invested in, and it changes us. Hebrews 6:19 describes it as “an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast” Two foundational truths make living hope so secure and encompassing. First is the promise of salvation for all who believe, and second is the sovereignty of God over all things. Scripture, in its entirety, tells us the story of redemption for God’s people. This central theme is what each story, prophecy, and psalm is wrapped around. The whole Bible is about Jesus, and what God has done through Him to save His people for His own glory. Jesus made a way for us to be accepted by God and live in loving relationship with Him, now and forever. This promise fills the pages of our Bibles! What greater hope could we have? When this life comes to an end, if we have trusted Jesus and followed Him, we will enter paradise and be in His perfect presence for all eternity. But, what about daily life in the broken world we now live? This is where the second part of our foundation for 10 MKR Magazine March 2024
living hope comes in; God’s sovereignty. God’s purposes come to pass and are never thwarted. What God ordains is what will happen. This is good news if you know The Lord! He is in control of every single moment of our lives. We see only a minuscule portion of His great plan, what might look to us like only defeat and darkness is part of something far bigger. While writing this article my Great Uncle Paul passed away and I saw biblical hope in practical action. Uncle Paul was a wonderful man who loved Jesus, and there were few dry eyes in the church on the day of his service. But amidst the tears, there was something powerful— there was immense hope and great joy in the middle of mourning. As Uncle Paul breathed his last breath on this earth, what looked to us like an ending, was a glorious new beginning. In an instant Uncle Paul saw the splendor of The Lord, he met Jesus face to face. He is reunited with believing family and friends who he had not seen in decades. The tears we cry are for us, not for Uncle Paul. We know that Uncle Paul has stepped into an eternity of unspeakable joy alongside The Lord, and one day we will see him again! Life on this earth is not the end of the story. In 1 Thessalonians 5:8 we read about putting on “as a helmet the hope of salvation.” Just as helmets protect our brains from physical forces, the hope of salvation protects our minds from spiritual forces. We need to keep in mind the end of the story to avoid being overcome by the storms of life along the way. As we slip into another new year, keep your heart focused on what is coming! Think about Heaven every day, think about the promises of God. Practice walking through life with a living hope and watch as fear is forced to flee. “Say to those who have an anxious heart, “Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water; in the haunt of jackals, where they lie down, the grass shall become reeds and rushes…And the ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isaiah 35:5-8; 10 ESV
THE STARFISH FACTOR BY GAIL HOLLIS
Many of us have heard the story of the man on the beach saving StarFish. He would go to the beach everyday, and would see starfish trapped on the sand after the tide deposited them there. He would take each one and toss them back into the churning sea, to give them another chance to flourish in the depths . One day another man comes along, as he is helping these stars of the sea, and questions why he is bothering to try and save them at all. “ It won’t make a difference, they will just get washed ashore again” he says. The first man, quietly bends and lifts yet another glistening creature, looks at it with gleaming eyes of hope and tosses him/her into the salty drink. He says to the second man, “ I Believe that it makes a Difference to this One”. We can’t usually see what difference we make in the world, when we are going about our daily schedule. We question whether what we do really does make a difference. This reminds me of the time that John was broadcasting at an event at a sober living house. Hours of broadcasting live, podcasting, and interviewing behind him, he started to question God if he was making a difference. He got his answer only moments later, when a young man approached him. He asked if he was John Hollis and after learning he was, said that he had listened to him for a length of time while staying in County for a “visit”. He said that he listened to the messages and insights every Sunday night. His “hosts” would put John’s program on, for everyone to listen to and that is where he learned about this particular sober living house. Circumstances of Life, Personal Choices and Uncontrollable Conditions all play a part of where we are in life at any given moment. We might be floundering on the sands, riding out a storm, leading a school of guppies, or floating and enjoying the waves and sunshine, no matter where we are , we can encourage others on THEIR Journey in Life. Everyone has their own path, we are different as the grains of sand, but relatable to each other as we ALLOW ourselves to be.
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Rockers in Recovery Magazine
LIVE LIFE NOW (NOT LATER) THE LIFE RECIPE BY CAROL HARBLIN
Overview Live Life Now (Not Later) The Life Recipe is a book of discovery and awareness as unique individuals who carry our own blueprints to our own health. The Life Recipe is a step-wise list of ingredients that will help us to reconnect to our own body so that we become aware of our energy in our body. We all have the ingredients inside us to maintain balance and health but with all the mixed messages that are received by the media, doctors, and other outside influences then our natural ingredients become murky and our end-result does not get nurtured to a delicious creation. This life recipe guides us how to effectively combine and knead our ingredients so we can create the best product possible - a healthier mindset and lifestyle. Once we open the door to self-awareness and realign ourselves with our consciousness then we begin to recognize our value and our own individual needs. We are only given one body and we have the ingredients to maintain our bodies by listening to the ways it reacts. By embracing our bodies and becoming more aware of ourselves we choose to stay in the present and LIVE LIFE NOW, not later. Purchase online at: barnesandnoble.com/w/live-life-now-carol-harblin/1123325708 MKR Magazine March 2024 13
SELF-CARE BY GAIL HOLLIS
What are the first things that you think of when you hear the term “self-care”? Throughout my life I have learned the importance of self-care; but at first, I thought that it was actually something selfish. I pictured someone who sat around brushing her long hair all day long, getting facials, manicures and pedicures. Experience in life, with God helping me learn who I am and my self-worth, I now realize that self-care is so much more than pink polish. It is an important part of acknowledging that we are worthy of care, taking care of the temple that God has given us to dwell in. I relate it to when I flew South West one particular time. The stewardess was hysterical in her delivery of the safety precautions on flying with them, the flotation devices and such. When she explained that we should definitely put the oxygen mask on ourselves first, before “him” (meaning our spouses) or anyone else, because “God knows girl, he won’t help you first!” Yes, it sounds funny, but it is true. If you don’t help yourself in some instances, no one else is going to do it for you, and you
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won’t be able to help anyone else in return. As a woman, I have found that we tend to put others first all of our lives. Trying to fill others with an empty cup is futile. There are many ways that we can revive our soul, body and mental fitness. I have found that selfcare can include simple things. Things that don’t cost an arm and a leg and are worth the effort of time that they take. Things like stretching, breathing with intent, taking a walk or making a new healthy recipe can bring forth self-awareness. Taking time to be quiet and listen to a new artist, or maybe read a good book can stimulate creativity. Resting in the presence of The Lord can bring peace. Learning what works for you to grow as person is an endless journey. Doing something for yourself that lets you rest and renew is important. Humans are wired with a need to rest. Acknowledge to yourself that you are worth the time and effort to be the best you. Then you can continue to fill others with joy and love.
AM I AN ADDICT? A QUESTION WORTH ANSWERING BY ROBIN BRIGHT
My struggle with addiction lasted about ten years. I didn’t wake up one morning addicted to alcohol, it happened gradually. I drank socially, I drank alone, I drank to cope with bad days, I drank to make good days better, I drank to numb the pain of losing people I loved, I drank to escape an abusive relationship, and then I drank to stop the trembles. In the beginning I could always rationalize my drinking. I would ask myself if I was drinking too much, and in the same moment assure myself I wasn’t. I just wanted to relax. But I was addicted, and I had been on a path leading to addiction for a long time. Why didn’t I do anything to stop it? I don’t know. To this day I don’t have an answer to that question. But if I could go back and stop myself, I would. To get those ten years with my children back, I would. My journey to recovery wasn’t easy. I detoxed, I lived in sobriety, I relapsed. I detoxed, I lived in sobriety, I relapsed. I relapsed. I relapsed. I relapsed. But I didn’t give up. I didn’t forget about the old Robin that loved her life, and her children, and her friends. Finally, I succeeded. I am currently living in success. In recovery. I share my story all the time, because I wish someone would have shared theirs with me. I didn’t need to hear about some celebrity who disappeared to a magical island, where recovery works, and came back a different person. I needed to hear about a mom, some lady from church, my neighbor, someone I could relate to. Maybe it’s because I’m relatable, maybe it’s because I’m candid, I don’t know really; but in sharing my story so openly, I have had countless encounters with men and women, teens and adults, all looking to share the truth about their addiction with me. One of the most common things I’ve heard is, “Do you think I’m an addict?” Maybe you’re not really asking me if you’re an addict. Maybe you already you are. Maybe you’re just asking
me if the same thing that worked for me, will work for you. It’s hard to come to the conclusion that you have an issue. To admit a weakness, a flaw in the essence of you. If you’re looking for confirmation either way, here are a few signs, as defined by Medical News Today, that you may be struggling with addiction. Have you tried to stop using, but found it to be extremely difficult and eventually gave up? • When you tried to stop using, did you experience intense cravings, mood swings, depression, etc.? Did you experience other physical changes such as trembling, nausea, or hallucinations? • Are you aware of the negative health impact using may cause, or already has caused, to your body but continue using regardless? • Do you decide against hanging out with friends or participating in other activities where using won’t be an option? • Is it more important to have a good supply of drugs or alcohol than it is to have food or electricity in the home? • Do you use in secret? The signs of addiction go on and on. Do you relate to any, or most, of these queues? If so, it’s time to get help. Don’t allow years, or decades waste away in the name of addiction. Maybe you’ve already tried to stop using before, and maybe you feel like you failed, but it’s not failure until you stop trying. Are you looking for help for yourself or a loved one dealing with addiction? Please contact The Shores Treatment and Recovery at (888) 775-9377. I found sobriety at The Shores, and I will be forever grateful for the care I received from the individuals at this facility. If you aren’t sure whether treatment is right for you, feel free to call us with your questions. We have a caring staff that will be looking forward to your call. Don’t let another day slip away without making a change. MKR Magazine March 2024 15
THE WINTER GARDEN BY KAYLENE ARGOT
Hi! It’s your gardening friend back again! I’ve been considering recently what lessons in faith the garden can teach us through winter. At first glance you may wonder what can be found in a winter garden except death, remnants of what was once beautiful? Yet it’s from the winter garden that the spring garden bursts, and through winter energy is stored to sustain the plants into the summer and fall! Have you ever considered the seasons you walk through in your faith and applied the lessons that can be seen in a physical garden to the garden of your heart? I’m a busy person. I love working and it brings me great joy to be able to help others. Although these aren’t bad things, it is something I’m having to confront after a long time of skipping “winter,” or skimming over it as if it were something to simply get out of the way. Can you see the problem? Although I never questioned that my strength came from the root, from being found in Christ, I was skimming over the times to build upon that root and wondered why I wasn’t blooming like I wanted. Friends, learn from my journey, as winter is critical to the health of a garden, rest is critical to the health of a heart that is rooted in Christ. The bible talks about the necessity of rest so many times in verses like Psalm 62:1, Psalm 37:7, 1 Peter 5:7, Isaiah 30:15, Isaiah 40:29-31 and in Mark 6:31 where Jesus cares for his disciples by calling them away to rest. Jesus himself was recorded many times going away to secluded places to rest and pray. Every garden has weeds, even the most immaculately cared for ones. In my experience when winter comes around and the busyness dies down, the weeds become more easily seen. There are three ways to deal with this, one, you can avoid the garden, if you’re not in it you can’t see the weeds! Two, you can go through quickly and pluck off the tops of all the weeds so you can’t see them anymore. Quick fix, you’ll deal with it later. Or three, you can get down on your knees, embrace the dirt and maybe even get some friends to help you dig up each nasty weed, roots and all! Although this is practical and true for a garden, it’s also another wonderful analogy for challenges we face when 16 MKR Magazine March 2024
we enter “winter” in our spiritual life. The weeds are there, even in the most immaculately cared for people. These weeds are the hidden struggles and temptations we overlook or ignore and may be able to hide with busyness. Sometimes we know they are there, and sometimes it takes entering “winter” to recognize how much soil they are claiming. If rest brings attention to the weeds, many people would much rather keep on working. Others seek the quick fix, only to reap the consequences when the weed comes back with extra vigor. I’ve traveled both these paths and can say that neither is helping your garden. Truly the only solution is to get into the garden and get on your knees. Pray and call out to the God who sees you; to the One who knows you inside and out and loves you not for what you do, but because you are His child. You’ll probably have to get dirty along the way, sin is messy and there are situations and struggles that can’t be tied up neatly. But when you finish you will be satisfied and through God’s grace you will have peace. Remember though, when you feel discouraged by the depth of the roots on your weeds or when the garden just seems overrun, there is absolutely no shame in seeking the help of others. In my physical garden I work alongside an awesome group of gardeners who are ready and willing to help when I need a hand. The same has proven absolutely true for the garden of my heart. Not everyone has the expertise needed to work in your garden, but there are those who do! When, by prayer, God shows you who they are, be sure that you unlatch your garden gate and lend them a pair of gloves. Whatever season you are in right now, I pray you will remember that the winter garden is in fact a garden overflowing with God’s grace. It is by grace that you have been called, by grace you are saved, and through grace that God continues to draw you closer to Himself. So, this winter don’t give up on showing up in the garden. When you get there, be still and let God help you take inventory of your weeds, allow others to come alongside you as you draw them up from the root. Rest in God’s grace and the promise that God sees you, God knows you, and God loves you.
LESSONS EVERY CHRISTIAN CAN LEARN FROM THE 12 STEPS STEPS 5-8: WHEN THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD BY REVEREND STEPHEN GRAY We are continuing our look at the 12-step program used by AA and other recovery organizations. AA was founded as a way to lead people to God. However, AA did not put Jesus right out there, for fear people would walk away without giving the program a chance to work. As people came to work the step program in AA, they would learn to connect with Jesus. Today we look at steps 5-8. They are the steps that really challenge. This is where the rubber meets the road for the recovering addicts or alcoholics. These same steps would bring us to a much closer walk with Christ, if as Christians, we would follow them. Step 5: Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. “Confession is good for the soul” the old saying goes. And it’s true. There is something about sharing our struggles with a confidant that strengthens us. To know
that someone accepts us even when we have messed up. To get good sound advice and help moving forward. To know that you really aren’t any worse than anyone else. What do you struggle most with? We all seem to have one pet sin that keeps rearing its head. Maybe it’s lying, or cheating, or stealing ketchup packets. For many there seems to be one area of sin that comes up over and over. James 5:16 “Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” The three people you have to make confession to: God, yourself, a trustworthy friend. In AA members sponsor one another. The sponsorship isn’t just for the new person, it’s also for the teacher. If you are telling someone to live a certain way, it reminds you that you must also. If you are teaching others, you are reminding yourself of these principles too.
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What if Christians sponsored others? We do, it’s called discipleship. Unfortunately, I have never seen any church do it well. Yet, this is a critical step both for the new Christian and for the old Christian. God didn’t give you all that you know so that you could just sit on it. God wants us training others in the Word and in the Walk.
This is a step of complete surrender. God doesn’t want to just fix your problem. He wants to fix your life. We have to be able to surrender it all to God. When we don’t surrender, it’s like loaning a friend your car without the steering wheel. God needs all of us so that he can fix us all the way through.
Discipleship is powerful. It helps the new person realize they aren’t so horrible, other people sinned the way they did. It helps them realize that Christians aren’t perfect, just forgiven. It helps them see that they don’t have to be righteous right away, that they grow into it. And it helps the teacher reinforce the principles they are being taught in their own life. It is a beautiful opportunity to train new Christians in the basics of the faith and to refresh yourself with God’s simple truths.
Hebrews 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.
Step 6: We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. This is one of those attitudes of our will. We have to want this. Notice it says “entirely ready.” For the Alcoholic this is a big step. It requires going back, possibly to childhood, to look at our flaws and defects. It can be very painful. For the Christian, we don’t do this enough. We need to take time to go back and look at ourselves. Psalm 139:23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. When we are asking God to work in our lives it can make us anxious. What will God ask of me? Was I too bad for him to want to work with? What sacrifices will I have to make to please him? What if I can’t do it? Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
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Jesus understands. There isn’t one area of life that Jesus doesn’t know about and understand. He lived life as a human being. God, who sits in heaven on his throne, seems so far off and bigger than us. His perfection startles us. Yet Jesus, lived on earth. He was fully human; He knows our struggles and all the temptations that we face. AA has a great prayer for step six, it goes like this: “My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character, which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here to do your bidding. Amen.” That prayer is perfect for us too. We need complete surrender. A desire to be cleansed and made new. A desire to be useful and helpful to God’s kingdom. And the awareness that we need God’s strength to do it. Step 7: Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings This step isn’t a one-shot deal for the person in AA, many of these steps are things that are done daily.
There is a constant effort to keep focused on recovery. There is a constant awareness of failing and falling away if the steps are not followed. As Christians, many of the difficult faith times for us have to do with us NOT keeping up with God. Look at when you are down and compare it to how much you are reading the Bible. Look at the times you are struggling and look at the health of your prayer life. Often, we are down because we allow our connection with God to get distant. That is why we encourage a prayer time daily. Even multiple times a day. That is why we encourage you to read your Bible daily. Our daily acts of focusing on God helps us to get past our failures. Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord... Repent means to “change y o u r mind.” When we confess our sin, and put it before God, what happens? Times of refreshing come from the Lord. Our efforts to overcome our past are painful. Sin is hard to look at. But when we have conquered our past with the Lord’s help, we are refreshed. The dragon that plagued us is dead. The burden that weighed us down is no longer there. We are better people for taking the time to deal with our struggles. Psalm 30:2-3 Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead; you spared me from going down to the pit. This verse speaks of the degree to which God wants to help you. He Heals. He Brings back from the Dead. He Pulls you from the Pit. He defeats those struggles we keep buried, if we just surrender and allow Him to deal with them.
Step 8: Made a list of all person we have harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Making Amends is healing. For AA this is a constant process. The list is ongoing. If you ever remember somethings, you are expected to deal with it. God has called Christians to do the same thing. Numbers 5:6-7 “Say to the Israelites: ‘Any man or woman who wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the Lord is guilty and must confess the sin they have committed. They must make full restitution for the wrong they have done, add a fifth of the value to it and give it all to the person they have wronged. Why must I make restitution? Because God told you too. And It’s freeing. God has called me to go back and take care of some issues that I had. It was hard to swallow my pride. I had letters to write to people I had not seen or spoken to in years. It was painful to say what I had done. But when you get a letter back and you find forgiveness, it is so freeing. I have even saved those letters because of the peace they have given me. We run from things like this, yet this can be one of our greatest sources of encouragement We have all hurt others. God home today and make a list. Is there something you have been too prideful to face up to? We need to face the issues that we have created, because it frees us. I used to remember those things I had done with embarrassment and pain. Now I am forgiven and I can look at those things and know I am free of them. If you need to make amends. Just do it! Don’t put it off.
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