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Celebrate Recovery






Celebrate Recovery: 365 Daily Devotional by John Baker, Johnny Baker and Mac Owen

Signaling the 25th anniversary of the Celebrate Recovery program used in countless churches and other venues, the group has issued a devotional that is for those dealing with hurt, habit, and hang-ups.  With the beginning of Celebrate Recovery, started in 1991 by John Baker, who instilled his vision in a thirteen page single spaced outline, the movement grew from a small network of groups to all over the country.  In this devotional, you will find pictures of grace seasoned throughout the days, but also you will note some real honest talk regarding relationships, sin, addiction, and a path toward recovery.

If I were to sum up the gravity of this book in a simple phrase, it would be life-giving.  People banter around the phrase ‘life changing’ without really understanding its fully orbed meaning, but life-giving is a phrase that brings together the vision of this book.  How is this devotional life-giving?  First, it centers the process of recovery around the presence of the Triune God.  They write, “…we need a present-tense God who is to guide us in our everyday lives…We need a past-tense God who was there from the beginning and who created us in his own image…We must have a future-tense God…who is to come and make good on his promises to us (39).”  Secondly, the recovery journey is founded upon (90) “a searching and fearless inventory of ourselves.”  Secrets, half-truths will not do, but facing uncomfortable truths with a band of brothers or sisters will help us recover. 

This devotional is quite simple in that it focuses on one key theme or story at a time, brings together the power of the Scriptures, and gives us a thought to chew on.  The part on Scripture memory had some tips as to highlight a meaningful passage, write them on notecards, and carry them with you during the day.  All these very practical tips bring the Scripture to our minds throughout the entire day.

I hope you will enjoy this devotional as I am.


Thanks to BookLook Bloggers for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

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