A Christian Recovery Package That All Can Use

A Christian Recovery Package That All Can Use

By Dick B.
© 2012 Anonymous. All rights reserved

The Present, Diverse Approaches That Leave Many Christians Baffled

There are many fine approaches that help Christians recover from alcoholism, addiction, and other life-controlling problems. The problem is that almost all lack long-term or life-long, and certainly not sustainable, recovery efforts. Almost all operate independently of other effective Christian recovery efforts. They are frequently uncoordinated, lacking in an agreed solution, and resting on varied subjective theories—rather than a solid biblical foundation.

And almost all modern approaches fail to provide a simple package of Christian Recovery tools that will answer the endless queries we receive daily from newcomers, from families, from church-affiliated recovery workers, from those who have wandered into independent programs that are proliferating, and from those who just plain want to get back to the First Century Christianity approaches that worked so well from the 1850’s forward. Approaches with which many were acquainted during the boyhood of A.A.’s cofounders, Bill W. and Dr. Bob. Approaches attracting hundreds of thousands to the revivals and conversion meetings of famous evangelists. Approaches that were honed to produce effective results through the techniques of Young Men’s Christian Association lay brethren, the rescue missions, the Salvation Army, and the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor. Even many of the approaches of “A First Century Christian Fellowship”—also known as “the Oxford Group”—in its early days, the organization in which its founder, Dr. Frank Buchman, and the American Episcopal Rector Samuel M. Shoemaker labored in the 1920’s and 1930’s.

Our simple aim is to provide approaches patterned after First Century Christianity as found in the Book of Acts. These approaches are easily recognizable, and were and highly effective, in the initial, “old-school” Akron A.A. “Christian fellowship” founded by Bill W. and Dr. Bob in June of 1935. Approaches that incorporate many of the principles and practices of the Apostles as reported in the Book of Acts. They stem from a divine source and have proven results.

Why is there such diversity among most modern, Christian-oriented recovery approaches? It lies not necessarily in doctrinal, denominational, or religious differences. It lies rather in the wide variety of stop-gap programs that have grown up in the face of shortcomings. Instead of a single solution based on the power of God, they emerged from the “broad highway” inadequacies of the dozens of 12 Step, Anonymous, Mutual Support, Self-help, medical model, behavior-oriented schools of thought that are so prevalent today.

What are the most prominent of these efforts that operate almost independently of one another?

They include treatment programs labeling themselves as Christian treatment programs. Christian-Track programs that try to combine secular and faith-based plans under one roof.
Christian counseling, life-coaching, peer plans, and therapy groups that often battle the difficult requirements of government licensing and secular ownerships which oppose “religious” practitioners. They include a wide variety Christian recovery fellowships, church-sponsored recovery programs, and independent Christian organizations like Celebrate Recovery, Teen Challenge, the Salvation Army, and the Gospel rescue missions. They also include interventionists, detox specialists, emergency specialists, and managers of transitional and sober living housing.

Our Suggestion Is That There Is but One Common Denominator
upon Which All Concerned Christians Can Agree, and That Still Needs to Be Added

Our experiences with churches, Bible fellowships, Twelve Step programs, Christian fellowships, Christian counseling organizations, interventionists, psychological treatment groups, research organizations, and medical-scientific groups strongly suggest that almost all may leave the puzzled “wet drunk,” “practicing addict,” secretive “pill dependent” individual, concerned family or other helper no clear cut starting point for Christian recovery. Christian recovery that is founded on the successes of earlier organizations who relied primarily on the power of God. Christian recovery that emanated from the simple healing and witnessing fellowships of the First Century Christians. And affordable Christian recovery that seeks to meet three fundamental needs that will help the addicted and afflicted folks who don’t know where to begin, where to go, and whom to follow in order to: (1) rely on the Creator—coming to Him through His Son Jesus Christ; (2) achieve immediate, long-term, life-long relief from the ravages and destruction that have brought them all to their knees in desperation; and (3) become a new person in Christ—delivered from the power of darkness, translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son, and assured of both everlasting life and the opportunity available to those in Christ who choose to walk by the spirit of God.

We Recommend to Those Seeking God’s Help and Long-term Victory
a Five-Item Package Containing the Following Items:

Dick B. and Ken B., The Dick B. Christian Recovery Guide, 4th ed. (2012)

Dick B. with Ken B., The Dick B. Handbook for Christian Recovery Resource Centers Worldwide (2011)

Dick B., The Good Book and The Big Book: A.A.’s Roots in the Bible

Dick B., The James Club and the Original A.A. Program’s Absolute Essentials

Dick B. and Ken B., How to Conduct “Old-School” 12-Step Recovery Meetings Using Conference-approved Literature (New! 2012)

What Dick B. and Ken B. Are Available to Do:

• Train the trainers by providing the foregoing resources, meeting and speaking with those trainers, and helping them establish meetings to effectuate “old-school” recovery.

• Appear at conferences, make information available on the Internet, and write introductions for those who already conduct Christian recovery programs and want a “First Century Christianity” element—as seen in early A.A.—in those efforts.

• Consult with Christian leaders and workers in the recovery arena who want to start programs, groups, or resource centers incorporating the “old-school” values and successes.

• Meet in person with any and all of the foregoing, either at one of our locations in Maui, Hawaii, or elsewhere during events where travel, meals, and lodging expenses are covered.

Dick B. and Ken B. have been engaged in this research and providing of content for 22 years; and there are now 43 published titles and over 800 articles filling in the details.

Dick B.

PO Box 837, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii 96753-0837
1-808-874-4876
DickB@DickB.com
www.DickB.com

Gloria Deo