Stephen Arterburn
". . . an exciting and in-depth program . . . Celebrate Recovery is fulfilling the purpose of the church in assisting people in the spiritual transformation of their lives."


Dr. John Townsend
". . . provides all the tools that leaders need to bring hope and change to the hurting. I strongly endorse it."


Book Description
Celebrate Recovery is designed to assist churches of any size in starting one or more recovery groups, by providing the tools for those who will lead them.


From the Publisher
This first-ever distinctively Christian, biblically-based 12-month curriculum is specially designed to help churches of all sizes conduct successful recovery groups based on the 12-step plan.


From the Author
John Baker helped develop the Celebrate Recovery ministry at Saddleback Church and is currently serving as pastor of ministries, overseeing the entire Class 301 process, staffing ministries, and helping start new ministries. He earned his MBA from St. Louis University and is currently enrolled in the Master of Divinity program at Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary


From the Back Cover
Congratulations on making one of the most rewarding choices of your life! Your decision to lead the Celebrate Recovery program affords you the matchless experience of seeing broken people transformed by the power of Christ. As a leader, you are about to make a difference in thee most direct way possible -- helping others discover hope and change they'd thought was beyond their reach. Your own life, too, will never be the same, as you see your investment of time and care returned in ways you've never imagined. This Leader's Guide gives you everything you need to facilitate the life-changing Celebrate Recovery lessons. We've done our best to simplify your job. The clear, easy-to-follow format minimizes your preparation time and virtually walks you through each meeting. Besides the ability to follow basic instructions, a willing heart is all you need to successfully conduct this proven, life-changing program.


About the Author
John Baker developed the Celebrate Recovery ministry at Saddleback Church. He is currently serving as pastor of ministries, overseeing the entire C.L.A.S.S. 31 process, staffing the 150 ministries, and helping start new ministries.


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Lesson 1
Principle 1: Realize Im not God. I admit that I am powerless to control my tendency to do the wrong thing and that my life is unmanageable.
Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor.
Denial
Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over our addictions and compulsive behaviors, that our lives had become unmanageable.
I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I
have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
Romans 7:18
Introduction
Tonight we begin a journey together, a journey down the road of recovery.
This journey begins with Principle 1, where we admit that we are powerless
to control our tendency to do the wrong thing and that our lives have
become unmanageable, out of control. But before we begin this exciting
journey together, we need to ask ourselves two questions:
Am I going to let my past failures prevent me from taking this journey?
Am I afraid to change? Or, what are my fears of the future?
Failures from the Past
Lets look at Hebrews 12:1 (TLB):
Since we have such a huge crowd of men of faith watching us from the grandstands,
let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially
those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up;
and let us run with patience the particular race that God has set before us.
There are two things I would like to point out in this verse. First, God
has a particular race, a unique plan, for each of us. A plan for good, not a life
full of dependencies, addictions, and obsessions.
The second thing is that we need to be willing to get rid of all the unnecessary baggage, the past failures, in our lives that keep us stuck. Again, it says,
Let us strip off anything that slows us down or holds us back, and especially those sins that wrap themselves so tightly around our feet and trip us up.
For many of us, our past hurts, hang-ups, and habits hold us back, trip
us up! Many of us are stuck in bitterness over what someone has done to
us. We continue to hold on to the hurt and we refuse to forgive the ones who
had hurt us.
You may have been hurt deeply. Perhaps you were abused as a child, or
maybe you were or are in a marriage where your spouse committed adultery.
I want you to know that I hurt for you. Im truly sorry for you, sorry that
you had to go through that hurt. But holding on to that hurt and not being
willing to forgive the person who hurt you in the past is allowing them to
continue to hurt you today, in the present.
Working this Christ-centered recovery program will, with Gods power,
allow you to find the courage and strength to forgive them. Now dont get
all stressed out. You dont have to forgive them tonight! But as you travel
down your road to recovery, God will help you find the willingness to for-give them and be free of their hold on your life.
Some of you are bound by guilt. You keep beating yourself up over some
past failure. Youre trapped, stuck in your guilt. You think that no one any-where is as bad as you are, that no one could love the real you, and that no
one could ever forgive you for the terrible things that you have done.
Youre wrong. God can. Thats why Jesus went to the cross, for our sins.
He knows everything youve ever done and everything youve ever experienced.
And there are many here tonight that have faced similar failures and hurts in
their life and have accepted Christs forgiveness. They are here to encourage
and support you.
The apostle Paul had a lot to regret about his past. He even participated in
Stephens murder. Yet in Philippians 3:13 (TLB) he tells us, No, dear brothers, I am still not all I should be but I am bringing all my energies to bear on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.
Heres the bottom line if you want to be free from your past hurts, hang-ups,
and habits: You need to deal with your past bitterness and guilt once
and for all. You need to do as Isaiah 43:18 tells us, Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. That doesnt mean ignore the past. You need to learn from your past, offer forgiveness, make amends, and then release it. Only then can you be free from your guilt, grudges, and grief!
Lets face it, we have all stumbled over a hurt, hang-up, or habit. But
the race isnt over yet. God isnt interested in how we started, but how we
finish the race.
Fears for the Future
You may worry about your future and are afraid to change. We all worry
about things that we do not have any control over and do not have the power
to change. And we all know worrying is a lack of trust in God.
The truth is, we can say without any doubt or fear, The Lord is my
Helper and I am not afraid of anything that mere man can do to me
(Hebrews 13:6 TLB).
You may have been in your hurt, habit, or hang-up for so long that it
has become your identity. You may be thinking, What will happen if I really give recovery a chance? Will I change? If I give up my old hurts, hang-ups, and habits, what will I become? Who will I be?
You may have been abusing alcohol, prescription drugs, or food. Youre
afraid of what you will do without your substance of choice.
You may have been enabling someone in a dysfunctional relationship for
years. Perhaps you wonder, What if I change and my alcoholic husband gets mad at me?

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Congratulations on making one of the most rewarding choices of your life! Your decision to lead the Celebrate Recovery program affords you the matchless experience of seeing broken people transformed by the power of Christ. As a leader, you are about to make a difference in thee most direct way possible -- helping others discover hope and change they'd thought was beyond their reach. Your own life, too, will never be the same, as you see your investment of time and care returned in ways you've never imagined. This Leader's Guide gives you everything you need to facilitate the life-changing Celebrate Recovery lessons. We've done our best to simplify your job. The clear, easy-to-follow format minimizes your preparation time and virtually walks you through each meeting. Besides the ability to follow basic instructions, a willing heart is all you need to successfully conduct this proven, life-changing program.

Author Biography: John Baker developed the Celebrate Recovery ministry at Saddlebak Church. He is currently serving as pastor of ministries, overseeing the entire C.L.A.S.S. 31 process, staffing the 150 ministries, and helping start new ministries.

SYNOPSIS