And Hang-Ups - Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional

Very good devotional. If you've ever joined a Celebrate Recovery group, you'll appreciate the daily reminders concerning the program and its usefulness to those who are recovering from bondages and other addictions! Even if you haven't been through Celebrate Recovery, the daily devotions will acquaint you with the program and, perhaps, be a catalyst to encouraging you to join, or start, a group where you live!

This daily devo is filled with great insight, application and stories that connect life events & instances with the Christian recovery principles outlined via the Celebrate Recovery program, as well as a prayer to tie it all together. If you are looking to find healing from life's many hurts, hang-ups & habits (that pretty much covers anything we can go through in this life!), then this daily devotional will help shine some healing light, keep your focus on your recovery and most importantly, deepen your walk with Jesus Christ. It is a valuable tool in my recovery tool box. I have it on hardback and Kindle =)

Practical application and thoughtful. Real life experiences keeping in theme with sharing personal stories. Nice thick pages. Great way to "get to the world before it gets to you". Recommend to everyone!

I love Celebrate Recovery and the devotional is great. I have a mission in life, not only to share the good news of Christ, but also sharing my testimony from being in Celebrate Recovery. Although CR is a recovery ministry it's not just for people with drugs and alcohol it is much more than that. It's for any sin that may separate you from Christ.

I bought this devotional to help me deal with the death of my son.
The devotional book is a great addition to the rest of the Celebrate Recovery series.
I am still working thru both my son's death and the devotional.
The series is similar to the AA 12 steps but John Baker writes using the Beatitudes taken from the bible.
I

Good reading, a christian alternative of 12 step meditation tools. It's biblical and tied to scripture. I dont care for rick warren and saddleback stuff. Really not better than what's already in market unless you must have "christian" ones.

I love that it gives simple insights to recovery. It is beautifully written and easy to read very thought provoking. Celebrate Recovery is the best program that addresses the things that caused addictive behavior and recovering from the cause rather trying to control the effects.

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.

Celebrate Recovery is a Bible-based ministry that helps people overcome their hurts, habits, and hang-ups. Celebrate Recovery 365 Daily Devotional is a companion volume to this program, which aims to support folks in giving up their addictions. I wanted to read this devotional because I, like many, have some destructive habits that I would like to break.

Written by Celebrate Recovery founder, John Baker, along with Johnny Baker and Mac Owen, this book contains 365 short, one page devotionals, consisting of a 1-3 verse snippet of scripture, a 2-3 paragraph meditation, and a 1-2 sentence prayer. Each page takes just a couple of minutes to read.

As promised, the book is definitely geared toward recovery from addiction. The devotions easy to read. They are hopeful and true. As with any devotional, the power comes from connecting, daily, with God's word. The pages of this book do a great job reminding readers that nothing is impossible for God, even overcoming deep seated addictions.

I wasn't able to connect to the readings the way I thought I would, however. I think it's probably because of the male perspective and tone of the writing. All three of the authors are male, so while readers do get slightly different perspectives, they are all still male.

Bottom line: This is an excellent resource for keeping Christians on track with their recovery, especially those who are going through the Celebrate Recovery program, but it would have benefitted from a female perspective.

I received this book for free from the publisher through Book Look Bloggers in exchange for my honest review.

Sometimes, we all need a little encouragement to start the day. Especially when we’re on a journey toward healing from “hurts, habits, and hang-ups.” And, truthfully, aren’t we all on that journey? Though this daily devotional is geared for participants in a Celebrate Recovery program, anybody will find encouragement in its pages throughout the year.

Each of the devotionals are just that: words of encouragement to continue on your path of healing from whatever addiction, anxiety, or abandonment you face. Each day is light, accessible, and a good reminder that in Christ you’re not on this journey alone (with a few written reminders to also journey with friends, family, or other supporters along the way). There’s a daily Bible verse to start and a suggested prayer to finish each reading.

On a brief aesthetic note, what I love about this volume is offset by what I don’t. It’s a beautifully bound hardcover, printed with luxurious paper inside. Unfortunately, Zondervan opted for a color combo that I find more than a minor annoyance. The blue font with orange highlights is flat out difficult to read. Zondervan needs to eliminate this trend from their books. (3 of 5 stars)

Update: I'm revising my original rating of 3 to 4. I was really harsh about the whole blue font thing. Content-wise, I'd say 4.5 as far as the devotionals go, but since I can't rate a 4.5, I'll drop half a star for the font issue.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the Book Look Bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review; the opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

ohnny Baker MacOwen & John Baker take ordinary things in our everyday lives to bring about short stories and lessons to help on the addicts way to recovery. Statistic's show only a 6% success rate of complete turn arounds. Understanding the minds of addicts of self-deprevation and doubt these auhors prove with scripture; the Love God has for all His children and how He desires to walk and heal His children. They highlight Jesus Christ for going to the cross for everyone's sins. This sincere devotional offers stepping stones for the reader to find success in their new lives. This 25th Aniversary Edition contains the tools for the prodigal returning home who needs a strong spiritual base. I am honored to have reviewed this book in exchange for my thoughts by Book Look Blogger's. It will enhance the lives of addict's seeking comfort and growth. I highly recommend.