Author Archives: brocke

Recovery Clock Schedule

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⇒⇒⇒⇒⇒Lifestyle Behavior Checklist updated⇐⇐⇐⇐⇐

At Timberline we had the opportunity to take a class called Leisure Education.  The instructor joked at the beginning about people thinking the idea of learning about leisure was a little out there; but as she continued it made sense.  How do we spend our free time?  Is it intentional?  When someone comes to a treatment center like TK, working to manage an addiction, they now find they have time on their hands that they previously spent drinking, eating, taking drugs, exercising – whatever activity they couldn’t stop doing.  Those that came for other reasons, such as anxiety or depression, concentrated on being intentional with their schedule so they didn’t find themselves sitting in a chair doing nothing.  (It’s so easy when you’re depressed to sit and stare out the window for hours at a time; the mind is busy, but the body is forgotten or paralyzed.  Sometimes the mind is disengaged too.)

 

 

The instructor had us
fill in a 24 hour clock
with all the activities we
normally did before
coming there. Then we
filled in one that showed
how we wanted to live
with intention. This way
when we slipped in
whatever our struggle
was, we could look at
that schedule and get
back on track.

 

 

Here are examples.
The first is an extreme
example of an addict.
When an addict only
cares about their next fix,
according to those that
spoke at TK, they will
spend the day seeking
that and using.  They
may realize in the evening
that they haven’t eaten
yet or maybe not.
Hygiene is not a high
priority and in extreme
cases, employment
is impossible to maintain.

 

The second example is similar to what we worked on at TK.  We talked about the importance for regular meals, hygiene, exercise, and a sleep schedule that allows one to lead a productive life.
We brainstormed ideas what we could do with free time.  If one is trying to overcome an addiction,
they will need
intentional thought
put into what to do
with their time, or
the cravings will take
over in their anxiety
or boredom.

 

 

 

What would your
schedule look like?

 

Snippets from the Conference

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We’re back home today from the
Brotherhood Conference in Gridley.
We had such a blessed time as elders’
wives together, and the conference on
Fri was both inspiring and convicting. I’d
like to share a few snippets from my notes.

 

2018 General Brotherhood Conference in Gridley, IL.

  • The Gospel is only about GOD – Jesus died, shed his blood, and rose again (I Cor 15:1-4)
      •   The Gospel is not the Ten Commandments.
      •   The Gospel is not “God helps those who help themselves.”
      •   The Gospel is not God wants us to be happy.
      •   The Gospel is not the two greatest commandments.
      •   The Gospel is not “let go and let God.”
      •   The Gospel is not repentance. (that’s our response to the gospel)
  • Faith is a noun, Trust is a verb – Faith we hold and in Trust, we act.
  • We need to remember where we came from…
    • We were born in sin. (Psalm 51:5)
    • Our hearts are desperately wicked. (Jeremiah 17:9)
    • None are righteous, all have sinned. (Romans 3:23)
    • The wages of sin is death. (Romans 8:6)
    • Out of the heart proceeds all manner of evil. (Matthew 15:18-20)
  • Christ died when we were still sinners. (Romans 5:6)
  • We were adopted into the family of God. (Ephesians 1:4-6)
  • Christ is our ONLY HOPE.
  • Justification is an Event, an Acquittal, and happens at the time we believe in our heart and confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord of our life and repent of the sin we were born into and the sin we committed.
    • Getting justification wrong leads to drifting from the simplicity that’s in Christ into legalism or license.
    • Getting justification right leads to seeing God in the right perspective, and peace, service, and growth flow out of love instead of fear.
    • Justification is not a lullaby to put us to sleep, but a battle cry to lead us forward into a life of faith.
  • Sanctification is a Process, is lifelong, and happens as we cooperate with God in the work he wants to do in us.
    • Sanctification is  the process of making us holy and is only accomplished by the grace of God.
    • It’s purpose is to bring God glory and make us ready to be used by him.
    • Sanctification is prohibited by pride and by not spending time in relationship with God through prayer, reading the word, and seeking to know him.
  • Justification without Sanctification is Fruitless.
  • Sanctification without Justification is Pointless.
  • As a child of God we are not whitewashed, we are washed white.
  • We are saints, a part of the family of God, and should represent the family well wherever we go. (Ephesians)
  • We can do nothing without him (John 15:5) AND we can do all things through him. (Philippians 4:13)
  • “The task ahead of you is not bigger than the power behind you.”
  • Have Faith only in Christ – not in what we do, what we think, what we believe, what we feel.
  • Everything will fail us, except God – God can do anything but fail.
  • As we ground ourselves on the solid rock and then push off to climb up or rappel down to the work God has for us, are we giving God the permission to hold our rope for us?

This is longer than I planned on, but what should I expect out of a full day’s teaching?!!
During the day on Fri, I was so moved by some of the teachings shared that I wrote in my notebook right then.  I’ve posted the song that resulted – My Only Hope.

 

Important, Urgent, or Not?

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I’ve been writing about a balanced meaningful life – one where we do the things that need to be done and the things we’d like to do. But how to fit it all in?  I know for me, when I’m discouraged or depressed, it’s so easy for me to forget about the important things and spend time on things that don’t matter.  When life feels disappointing or even pointless, it’s easy to just wait for time to pass.  How about for you?

My therapist at ACCFS showed me a video about doing the important things in life first.  Here is a link to a similar video. (Feel free to watch on mute if you aren’t fond of the annoying music!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_N_uvq41Pg

 

This visual shows one way
to divide up tasks to figure
out where to spend our time.
It’s easy to read, it’s pretty,
AND it’s so difficult to do!

 

 

I’m not planning to write much else here, but I found a lot of quotes about being busy, focusing on what’s important, and stress.  Feel free to let me know if any of these strike close to home for you!