Responding in Love vs. Reacting in Fear

Codependence has always been a fuzzy word for me. That’s why I really like the “street definition” we use at the mission (see left). Today is Saturday, and I just finished meeting with about 12 men in recovery where we talked about this and more. Instead of reacting in fear, we are free to respond in love. Easier said than done sometimes, but it is worth making the journey. Recovery requires us to address “root issues” in our lives. This requires us to be honest about what we fear. There is no fear in love. Pray we would live this out, as we invite men to do the same.

Trusting God for a Job

Arthur is one of the men I am mentoring at Open Door Mission. In addition to visiting over a meal, we have shared time at outreach dinners, in small groups, and one on one at our recent weekend event. Arthur is now a “yellow badge”, which means he will be graduating soon. It has been a long time since Arthur had a job, but he has decided to embrace this as a next step! Please pray as I help Arthur reconstruct his work history while encouraging him to rest and trust God.

“Families Reunited”

One day after a group meeting, Charles asked if I would be his mentor. I am always impressed when men reject passivity and take action. Since then we have built a lot of relationship talking at outreach dinners and group meetings where Charles has even helped me lead at times. At our recent weekend event we spent a lot of one-on-one time doing the deeper personal work involved in working the “steps” to recovery. Thank you for helping make all this possible.