Now that demolition of our original 1029 East Baltimore Street building has begun, we have 60 fewer beds that we used to have. Consequently we had been reducing numbers by attrition for a few months and did not bring any new clients into our 12-month Spiritual Recovery Program for 5 weeks. Just now we have started bringing in new guys and I am really enjoying our class times.
These guys are not any different from those who have come before – averaging 23 years of active addiction, almost 3 years of incarceration and 1 out of 3 without his high school diploma. But this group does seem to have a little more openness to what we are saying and to what God might want to do in their lives.
While I know people are finding recovery all over the city, I often hear that the way we do it here is unique. Our focus is really quite simple – sit still and listen to God. He will talk to you. In fact, He has been talking to you, but you have not sat still long enough to hear Him for quite a while.
So sit still here and just listen. Once you hear what He says, then you have to decide what you want to do about it. Why not decide to try and do what He says – and then just see what will happen. He will meet you right where you and take you to the next level of both your recovery and spiritual life.
Sit still and listen to God. It is such a simple thing, but in our present busy world, it seems so hard to get around to it. Yet, if we don’t finally stop and listen, He will do what it takes to shut us down for a while and make it such that we have few other options.
So please pray for our guys to sit still and listen to God, and then to do what He says. It might also be good for you to just take some time and do the same.
Sincerely,
Pastor Gary Byers
Spiritual Life Director