"Recovery touches all aspects of our lives, body, soul and spirit. We are interconnected beings that do not come to life in compartments within ourselves but awaken by the ripples of concentric circles like pond water invaded by stones. Grace enters us in different places, but it moves through us regardless of the many obstructions that are present within us.

One of these stones in the pond of recovering from death and all its manifestations is the power of nature.  

Addictions impact our relationships, first and foremost with ourselves. We…are addicts. Our lives, and more particularly our bodies, are the epicenter of this war. To recover is always a physical journey that wraps around all the other aspects of restoration.

We lose connections with so many God designed parts of a whole and meaningful life when we give ourselves to our destructions.

That is why repentance and forgiveness always starts with God and ourselves, then extends outward to others. Our sins destroy us and this devastation is profoundly personal, touching our very flesh, our sexual experiences and the core sense of our self. Who we are, our identity, our consciousness, our understanding and compassion for the gift of our lives needs to be recovered too.

Self harm is a reality because as Jesus bluntly said “murder” has been the intention of evil since the beginning (John 8:44). This hatred is always manifesting in some way or another. To be “saved” is a far deeper and broader word than it’s often understood in religious circles that narrowly talk of it. To end the war on yourself is one of the most beautiful aspects of a recovering life. Finding peace with yourself is woven into peace with God and peace with others.Our bodies resonate with the various elements of the natural World. Everything emerged from the waters of chaos and our Creator fashioned us from dirt and wind.

In returning to our natural we encounter God’s Divine attributes:

“For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world,  being understood through what he has made.  As a result, people are without excuse.” -Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭20‬ ‭

Encountering the power of God is part of the recovery of life. We need resurrection, we must be born from above. To be recreated by God is a spiritual journey of many experiences. Regeneration is a joyful returning as much therapeutic as it is theological. To be remade is a gift that reunites us with our own bodies too.

You come to celebrate your cleansed and sanctified selves. To be holy isn’t a censure, but a celebration. Retuning to Eden isn’t a puritanical covering up of our created selves, but an unclothing of our blessed nakedness. A removal of remorse and shame and an entrance back into quiet and un-pressured communion.                  Being set free is a returning and recovery that only God can accomplish for us and within us.

It leaves us with silence and song as we feast on the many delicious fruits God has granted us in His bountiful garden. To know Him is to come to know ourselves again. To follow Him is to reduce our pace, to stop racing, rushing and being driven or pushed, but to simply walk.

The addicted are compelled, the free ones are invited. Recovering life is tough, but it isn’t a yoke that rubs you raw.

“Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life.” -Jesus (Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬-‭30‬)