Motorola Droid Razr M - Developer Edition - Android AT&T Blue Z221 GoPhone Prepaid Cellular Phone - Z221 (Google Affiliate Ad)Smartphone (Google Affiliate Ad)

Living Free Every Day®

Moving On

Today's Scripture   JANUARY 25 2013

"I don't mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us." - Philippians 3:12-14 NLT

Thoughts for Today

As we come to Jesus and begin to understand who we are in him, it is time to learn from the past, put it behind and move on ahead. Paul makes it clear in today's scripture that he is on a journey. He knows he is not perfect, but he determines to forget the past and reach forward—to become all Jesus wants him to be. He is moving the right direction—toward Jesus—and he is not turning back.

That's where we need to be too. On a journey to Jesus, to accomplishing his purpose for us. If we try to drag the hurts and mistakes of the past along with us on the journey, our progress will be slowed … or come to a stop altogether. We need to give all that baggage to Jesus and receive his healing and forgiveness. We need to keep our eyes on him and run forward.

Consider this …

Are you dragging baggage along as you try to move ahead with Jesus? Painful memories of abuse or other hurts. Unforgiveness. Condemnation. If you have made Jesus Lord of your life, it is time to put all those things behind. You have been made right in God's sight. You are his child. You are his masterpiece, designed for a purpose.

Join the apostle Paul in putting the past behind and moving forward along the marvelous path God has set before you. He has a good plan for you. Press on!

Prayer

Father, thank you for your healing and forgiveness. Help me to truly leave my hurts and failures in the past and keep my eyes on Jesus as I move forward along the path you have for me. In Jesus' name …

These thoughts were drawn from …

Restoring Families: Overcoming Abusive Relationships through Christ by Janet M. Lerner, D.S.W. This study helps to minister to families caught in the cycle of abusive relationships. The curriculum deals with overcoming these abusive relationships through Christ and is recommended for use in support groups and Christian counseling.

• Ministers to families from abusive relationships
• Ministers to victims of family violence
• Deals with wounded emotions
• Deals with control and intimacy issues
• Presents a strong message of Christ as healer of abusive relationships

Note: This curriculum was written especially for small groups, and we encourage people to use it that way. However, it can also be used effectively as a personal study for individuals or couples.

Would you like to have these devotions appear daily on your church or ministry website? Learn More

 

 

PO Box 22127 ~ Chattanooga, Tennessee 37421 ~ 423-899-4770
© Living Free 2007. Living Free is a registered trademark. Living Free Every Day devotionals may be reproduced for personal use. When reproduced to share with others, please acknowledge the source as Living Free, Chattanooga, TN. Must have written permission to use in any format to be sold. Permission may be requested by sending e-mail to info@LivingFree.org.

Navy Blood-Alcohol Tests to Start in February

By Join Together Staff | January 24, 2013 | 1 Comment | Filed in Alcohol, Military & Prevention

The U.S. Navy will begin conducting random blood-alcohol tests on sailors in the United States in February, the Associated Press reports. The Navy will use the tests, which were announced earlier this year, to determine whether a sailor is fit for duty, or may need counseling.

Sailors whose blood-alcohol level is .04 or higher when they report for duty will not be allowed to work. A reading of .02 or higher will not be used to punish sailors, but could be used to refer them to a substance abuse treatment program.

The Navy will begin distributing hand-held alcohol detection devices (ADD) to Navy commands in February. The devices should distributed throughout the Navy by the end of May.

“Deterring irresponsible use of alcohol is essential to the readiness of our fleet and ensuring the health and safety of our service members and units,” Admiral Bill Gortney, Commander of U.S. Fleet Forces, said in a statement. “Fleet Forces, in partnership with Pacific Fleet, will remain engaged in providing service members the tools and resources to make these responsible choices. The ADD is one of many tools commanders have to educate service members.”

The Marines will carry out their own random alcohol screening, according to the AP.

Missouri a National Leader in Drug Courts: State’s Top Judge

By Join Together Staff | January 24, 2013 | Leave a comment | Filed in Community Related, Drugs, Legal & Treatment

Missouri’s drug courts have more than 12,000 graduates who have successfully completed treatment court programs, according to the state’s top judge. “Missouri has become a national leader in drug courts,” Chief Justice Richard Teitelman said in an address to the state legislature this week.

The courts were established in Missouri two decades ago, according to the Associated Press. They are designed to divert nonviolent offenders who struggle with substance abuse to judicially supervised treatment programs, instead of prisons, the article notes. Missouri has drug courts in all but two of its 45 judicial circuits.

Almost 600 drug-free babies have been born to treatment court participants, Justice Teitelman said. More than half of participants successfully complete the program.

The report states that 7.1 percent of adults who complete drug court programs commit additional crimes within the next 30 months, compared with 15 percent for those who do not go through the programs.

Dear Joseph, Did you know that over 85 million people in the U.S. say they have been affected by addiction? Whether it is family, friends, or loved ones, the impact of addiction is far-reaching. But, imagine if everyone came forward to share a story of recovery or a message of support. It would mean 85 million reasons to have hope. That's why we've launched The Hope Share. At The Partnership we believe that together we can dispel the stigma of feeling alone and helpless because of addiction, and that we can give hope by sharing the stories of others. Share your story of hope now: http://my.drugfree.org/the-hope-share The Hope Share is a campaign that lets those affected by drug and alcohol addiction know they are not alone, that there is hope and the possibility of recovery. Feeling that recovery is possible is one of the first steps for taking action and finding the way back. One story sent to us from Cathie, a loving mother, has stayed in our minds: For 10 years I was asking, "Why us?" We had tried so hard to be the best parents. ... I didn't know if I would get a call that he was in jail, in the hospital or dead. Finally he reached his bottom and it is amazing that he survived. His abuse could have so easily killed him. I have learned so much about addiction. ... In one week I am going to visit him to celebrate three years of sobriety! He tells me that it is statistically a major milestone. I am so lucky today! Share your message of hope -- or one the many other stories we've received -- and help change the ending of someone else's story: http://my.drugfree.org/the-hope-share Together we can dispel the stigma. We can give hope to the hopeless. Thank you, Steve Pasierb President and CEO The Partnership at Drugfree.org

PRIME ADVERTISING AVAILABLE

PRIME ADVERTISING AVAILABLE

RECOVERY CONNECTIONS!                                              JOIN THE MOVEMENT!
People who could not find or get the help they needed are getting it.  Peoples lives are being transformed because Recovery Connections empowers people to overcome there fears, gives them courage to step up out of the chains which entrapped them for most of their lives and take that first step toward freedom. Recovery Connections comes along side the one struggling  for a lifetime of support if need be!  Recovery Connections is our mission and helping hurting people is our passion!  WE ARE REACHING  PEOPLE AROUND THE WORLD!

We’re building a movement, one community at a time.
And we’re doing it to help radically greater numbers of people get well.

We not only let the world know about your organization, we PROMOTE it:

By removing stigma and shame, and
By improving the accessibility to resources of care available to people in recovery.

1. Awareness.
We’re proliferating a world-class, research-based awareness and education program to shatter the stigma and shame around substance use disorder to empower more people to enter recovery.

2. Transformation.
We’re facilitating system transformation to reach more people and provide greatly improved recovery care. This includes helping communities:

Mobilize all community sectors—public and private—in system transformation;
Extend the community of recovery into the workplace through strategic employer partnerships;
Engage the private sector to create a financially sustainable recovery model; and
Foster the development of a holistic service network that reflects the chronic nature of substance use disorder.

Ads on Recovery Connections are priced as follows:
Full page on top...........................................................$40.00 per day
Banner ad on top (4 vertical inches).......................$25.00 per day
News Column ad...................$15.00 per insertion (up to 5 inches)
                               ................$20.00 per insertion (up to 10 inches)
(News column ads scroll off the page in a few days.)
Blue sidebar....................................$2.00 per vertical inch per day
Red sidebar.....................................$1.00 per vertical inch per day

We can host many types of ads, photo, etc.

For more info e-mail us recoveryfriends@gmail.com