I was thinking of this blog that I posted about a year ago.  I think it’s still relevant, so here is the re-post…

As I drove toward my home on Wednesday evening from the Mission a news item was coming across my radio talking about a closure on the Narrows Bridge.

 A “distraught” woman smashed her car into the guard railing and stopped in the middle of the immense span of the bridge, jumped out of her car and ran toward the edge of the bridge to the railing, purposing to jump more than 300 feet to the dark and cold waters below.  Four people immediately stopped and reacted, preventing the woman from jumping.  The woman was held in the arms of these citizens for 20 minutes until police could arrive.  She is experiencing a foreclosure, and kept repeating, “I’m just a mom”.

So… this woman has been on my mind since Wednesday.  These four people have been on my mind since Wednesday.  And I try to feel what is going on.  When I consider the state of mind of a person who reaches a depth of helplessness that would cause them to consider suicide as an only option, and then follow through, it grieves me through and through.  I have experienced this up close and personal twice in my immediate family.  So my reaction to suicide is always a deeply sad one. 

But… there is something in this story that speaks to me.  Now, as I close my eyes I can think of the traffic –all at a standstill.  I can imagine the thoughts of some of us who are perturbed at the “inconvenience” of some poor soul including us in their desire and attempt to end their life.  Possibly some are even beyond annoyed and wishing that the mother would have jumped.  That is one part of the world in which we live. 

It is the four people who intervened in this drama that I am dwelling upon now.  It is their “convergence” upon this scene and their part in the prevention of “just another American tragedy” that prevails upon my thoughts.  You see, I am a Jesus-person.  I worship and serve the Creator of this universe – the incomparable One spoken of in the first chapter of Colossians, specifically verses 16 and 17, “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things have been created through Him and for Him.  He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together”.  I no longer believe in coincidence.  I like to think that this intervention is Providential and that hope can be instilled in this woman through the grace of God working through people reaching out.

Here at the [Tacoma] Rescue mission we see a constant “convergence” of people who care for one another.  They come from all walks of life, each with a different set of gifts and skills that lend to an infusion of hope into people in need and many times desperate.  There are people on this planet in the midst of trials that, in reality, can be dealt with but, through circumstances, may be overwhelmed to the point of throwing in the towel.  

Let me extend a holiday wish for the Joy of the Lord to be upon you and yours.  Let me also extend an invitation to visit us here at the Mission on South Tacoma Way.  I would love to show you around.  You can be part of the “convergence”, part of the solution.  Praise Jesus!  Thanks for listening, thanks for caring…  Les

I have been at the Rescue Mission located in Tacoma for over two years now.  It is amazing how I can be involved in such a ministry as this.  This is a place where worlds collide – stagnation, hopelessness, hunger, homelessness, and addiction meet head on with the truth of the transformational healing power of Jesus Christ.

This is a place of repetition yet constant change.  The repetitiveness is born out of the chronic need by lost souls and the consistent response in addressing their needs by the New Life Program’s pursuit of transformation.  And change happens as men and women and families commit their lives to faith in Jesus.  We call it recovery. 

The needs at the Mission are great.  It is my hope that you will join with us as we continue to be agents of change for the Kingdom.  We feed and shelter every day, but we are also teaching people to become fishermen.  I pray your holiday is a wonderful time of thanksgiving and fellowship.  God Bless You… 

Les Doyle

A Moment with Marlene: 

We can learn a lot from an unknown hero named Jabez, found in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10. Life started badly for Jabez because his name means “pain”…ouch!! Poor kid! But he knew he was better than that, and the scriptures tell us that he was more honorable than his brothers. He wanted to be more and do more for God and he desperately needed to crawl out from under this label that identified him a loser!  

So one day, he simply cried out an unusual one sentence prayer to God in faith: 

“Oh that you would bless me indeed,

and enlarge my territory,

that your hand would be with me,

and that you would

keep me from evil,

that I may not cause pain.” 

The amazing words at the close of this verse are…“So God granted him what he requested.” That’s it!!!! Things ended extraordinarily well, don’t you think? Something about Jabez’s simple, direct request to God changed his life and left a permanent mark on the history books of Israel. 

Maybe you can identify with his longing to not be known as the guy who caused pain…with surely more pain to come. No, he wanted to be a man of integrity and live beyond the limits set in his life. And his prayer is not a selfish give me give me request…it was reaching for God’s best for his life. He wanted a New Life!!! He wanted to make that life count!! 

God’s nature is to bless. God’s bounty is limited only by us! Jabez was blessed because he would not settle for being the loser or failure of the family! He wanted to rise above and become a great man with God’s anointed blessing. He refused to let any obstacle, person, or opinion loom larger than God’s nature. 

Friends, this is a powerful prayer for recovery. Read it again through the eyes of your personal pain and your past. I would like to suggest that you write this prayer out and pray it every single day. Pray it through eyes of faith as you are clinging to His goodness, stepping into new territory free from old behavior, protected from evil, that your life would be a blessing under the mighty hand of God. Wow! 

Celebrating New Life Together,

Marlene

A Moment with Marlene: 

There is no way to receive what God has for your life without fighting the obstacles and challenges before you. Successful recovery is the reward that God gives to the diligent soldier who marches forth and fights! Through the grace of Jesus and your perseverance the battle can be won and the promise enjoyed!

 How strong is your desire and determination for recovery? It takes floor walking, devil stomping, tenacity to break down the heavy cement blocks of false beliefs. It takes a brave vulnerability to knock down the walls of protection to face nakedness and finally trust. Trust God! Trust your mentors! Trust yourself! It takes a mountain of self control to change old habits and behaviors! It takes continual practice every single day to live your New Life! It takes a quiet resolve to walk in peace. Friends, it takes time! A lift time! 

“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course, I have kept the faith.” 2 Timothy 4:7 

Your success is only possible through your greatest struggles. The day you wake up and decide it’s not worth the fight…is the day you lose the battle! Are you ready to fight for what you believe? Are you ready to fight for your dreams? Is there hope in your eyes and fire in your belly? Believe me, successful recovery is not for the faint of heart. 

And I’ve got news for you! The days you feel the weakest….His grace is sufficient! You can’t do it on your own anyways, so why try? That would be called dry relapse. Your battle is for the promise of full recovery and the abundance of New Life. 

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 

Celebrating New Life Together,

Marlene

A life in addiction is born out of idolatry.  It breeds self-pity, anger, defeat, and powerlessness.  What happens when we come to the familiar fork in the road that requires a decision?  Do we continue in this lifestyle or pursue sobriety through recovery? 

I say the fork is a familiar one because most who struggle in addiction have recognized their bondage and attempted to get out of it.  They choose the path to recovery they are familiar with and say, “This time it will be different.  This time I will not succumb to the THINGS that cause me to stumble and fall.  This time I will be strong.  THINGS that attack me will change”.  Well – guess what?  THINGS never change unless by change you mean get worse.  The world is not going to change – you have to be the one who changes, the one who responds in a healthy way to life’s trials and tribulations.   

Many of the men and women who come into the New Life Program (NLP) at The Mission indicate that they have sought recovery numerous times – both independently and through secular treatment programs.  I often ask what prompted them to apply to the NLP.  Some are attracted by the financial cost – there is no monetary charge (but it is soon discovered that recovery is NEVER free).  Some know men who are currently in the program, and our approach appeals to them.  Some have tried everything else, and feel drawn to us because of our foundational Christian and Biblical approach to recovery. 

Whatever the reason, we know the Answer – and it is not a secret.  The answer is Jesus – a true relationship with the One Who created you.  The world is still there and waiting for you.  Just remember what Jesus says in John 16:33b – “In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world”.   

A Moment with Marlene;

Let’s talk about TEMPTATION today. Are you being tempted??? Well….of course you are! All we have to do is open our eyes and it’s everywhere…right? Or even without walking out our door….it’s in the dark chambers of our mind! Sometime temptation seems so harmless it sneaks in silently under the radar and begins to spin its sticky web of destruction. At first glance it glistens beautifully in the moonlight with a rare design that looks fascinating! Sound familiar? But ahhhhh….it is a TRAP! 

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it!” Corinthians 10:13 

All we need to remember is that God will never let you down; he’ll never let you be pushed past your limit; hell always be there to help you come through it! IF you resist! IF you reach out in truth! IF you remove yourself from the situation! IF you cry out to Jesus! 

In other words, step out of denial and into the light! IF you continually hang out with your temptation….what happens??? Yep….every time!!  

I once heard this example you may relate to; imagine for a minute that you are standing in front of your door in the shadows of the night. You see a stranger coming up your street or down the hall. He’s a shady character for sure…lurking for names. Something doesn’t feel right and it is a creepy moment so you try to duck out of sight. He sneaks around to your door and knocks. But then, you experience something remarkable! You watch as Jesus opens your door, replying… “My friend has asked me to guard the door. You are not welcome here!” The stranger scowls as he turns away back into the shadows looking for someone else’s door to lure his dirty little secrets. 

I can assure you, temptations do not like to be caught in the glare of truth! They run back into the dark, whimpering. THEN you see these allurements for what they really are! Puny! Pathetic! Sent to obstruct and damage! 

Do you understand how God will help you in temptation? In fact, more than HELP you! PROTECT you! More that protect you…open the way for you to ESCAPE! 

Jesus Christ has already faced this temptation for you! He paid the price to set you FREE! “The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations.” 2 Peter 2:9

 Don’t be surprised when temptation smacks you…BE PREPARED! 

Celebrating New Life Together, 

Marlene

When we make and keep promises we are most of all like the God whose name is “I am he who will be there with you.” Among all the dimensions of the mature person in Christ, none comes closer to the character of our Lord than the daring to make a promise and the courage to keep the promises we make.

When we make and keep a promise we are acting in the power that sets people free. If to be free in Christ is to be free indeed, then to be free indeed is to be free to limit our freedom by promising to be there with the people who trust us.

Promises summon the sort of social integrity that lays the ground floor for all the body. Life together survives as a human togetherness, not on a diet of warm feelings, but on the tough fibers of promise keeping. It is not easy. There are times when the inner logic and deserving needs of self-fulfillment seduce us to opt for self-maximizing even if to maximize ourselves we need to break promises to others. Promising—and keeping promises—is the toughest social duty of our time but, down the pike, it is the only human, the only redemptive way. (I use redemptive not in terms of our souls).

In the previous piece on the power of forgiving and in this one on promising, I have been captivated by a two-directional power of grace in our living. As I search the pages of redemptive history for the moral essence of God’s character, what comes to me is this: God is excellence, in the character he reveals, the One who creates for us a new past and a new future by forgiving and promising. And as I read the pages of human experience, I think I see here and there mere men and women sharing in God’s life to this creative extent: they create a new past for themselves by forgiving people who have hurt them and they create a future for others by making promises to people who need them. As I see it, there are subtle miracles of human freedom. The neglect of them in our time may hasten disaster. Renewal of our power to practice them may yet save us.

Marty Lee Herrick

martyh@trm.org

Prov. 27:17

Here at the Rescue Mission Downtown sobriety is crucial – it is the beginning not the end at the New Life Program.  We begin with a commitment to become sober, and remain sober.  But our focus does not linger solely upon sobriety.  It is about change that can only come from engaging in something that most addicts have such a severe aversion to – a true, meaningful, and intimate relationship.  And the One who we need to have that intimate relationship with is Jesus Christ.

Think about this – the Creator of the universe cares for His creatures.  He desires us to seek Him and His righteousness first (Matthew 6:33).  When we humbly come before The Lord and ask Him to direct our life, this surrender initiates the release of dark things that have caused our spirit to atrophy and starts an awakening that is supernatural.

The Lord says in Matthew 11:29 that when we come to Him, we will find, “Rest for our souls”.  Can’t take the rumor being spread about you?  Come to Him.  Another rejection result for a job application?  Come to Him.  Kids still do not want to speak to you?  Come to Him.  See what can happen from a holy response rather than another descent into a mind-numbing and spirit-killing drug.  Come to Him…

A Moment with Marlene; 

Do you understand that God is that good, and that He not only loves you….He likes you? That’s right….He likes YOU! He wants to answer your big, life changing prayers and He longs to meet your most intimate, personal desires too! He is waiting for your time and attention and longs to have you be obedient so you can experience His best! 

Do we consider how God provides the very air we breathe, the trees that reach into the blue sky, the sun that shines, the rain that replenishes and the moon that brightens the darkest night? Sometimes we barely notice the extraordinary goodness that surrounds us and dwells in us don’t we? It is so easy to take all this for granted because even on our worst day….it’s always there! God is always good! 

“And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.” Exodus 33:19 

I am reminding us today that in order to continue reaching for the larger life God is bringing us and growing us into…we must be continually open and aware of His goodness. We should be looking to be surprised…even shocked by His lavish generosity of goodness toward us. We must have an expectant heart in order to even recognize His amazing goodness at work in our lives.

When we can recognize His lavish goodness in multiple ways every day, we set ourselves up for the miracles to begin flowing in our lives because we become expectant of more! We realize we have only caught a glimpse of His goodness as we continue to call upon His name and allow Him room to flourish in our lives. A New Life walking in complete healing and recovery is possible!

“For you Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon you.” Psalm 86:5 

For the next few moments, I am going to sit back, close my eyes and rejoice in Gods goodness. I am going to praise Him for a surprise He has waiting for me….just me! I am going to resolve to obey His whispering and follow His calling, because I do not want to miss out on ANYTHING He has for ME! 

Please join me in this empowering moment of worship. I not only enjoy spending this time with you, Jesus loves this time with YOU! 

Celebrating New Life Together,

Marlene

A family is a community created by the promise of two people who care for persons they bring into the world until those persons are able to care for themselves. Parents are people of promise. They remember their promise even when the family is a hotbed of anger, grief, and pain—as families tend sometimes to be. The psalmist said that the man who has a quiver full of children is the happiest fellow. I suspect he said it before his own children had reached adolescence. But no matter. A family is created and kept together, not because parenting is so much fun, but because two people dared to make and dared to keep their promise.

The power of promise making is easily perverted. Like drugs, promises can be put to silly and sinister uses. Besides, life gets so complicated, and we get so muddle-headed, that to keep one promise sometimes requires us to break another. We foul the lines, which is no surprise. To say that we ought to be careful when we make our promises only underscores the truth our generation has almost forgotten: a promise is a Godlike thing, and it is the only human hold we have on our future.

I do not pretend to understand all the psychic dynamics of promise making. And I know I need the grace and power of God to make promises these days. But I submit that the community of faith will do well to put the nurturing of promise-making and promise-keeping people high on its list of goals for the coming decade

Marty lee Herrick

martyh@trm.org

Prov. 27:17