Illinois Illinois CREDO Recovery BROKEN CHAINS NEWSLETTER Breaking the chains of addiction one day at a time! APRIL 2014 UPCOMING EVENTS LOCAL WEEKENDS WOMEN’S CREDO #10 June 26-29, 2014 MEN’S CREDO # 16 July 10 –13, 2014 ABUNDANT LIFE TRES DIAS MEN’S WEEKEND #30 April 24-27,2014 Inspiration Center Walworth, Wisconsin WOMEN’S WEEKEND #30 May 1-4, 2014 Inspiration Center Walworth, Wisconsin CREDO BOARD MEETING ARE HELD THE THIRD TUESDAY OF THE MONTH AT P.A. PETERSON 1311 Parkview Avenue Rockford, IL 61107 FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT Dear CREDO Community, It has been a long winter but, I think God is finally giving us a touch of Spring. Praise God! Spring is such a wonderful time. You begin to look for all the signs. How many people have seen Robins, or Red- Winged Blackbirds? My husband says it is really Spring when you see Red-Winged Blackbirds. Or has anyone seen any crocus peeking through the ground yet? How about the lawns turning green? These are all signs of Spring. We truly look forward to them every year. We get a lift in life when we see this new growth in nature. It telling us that we made it through the winter and now we can grow again. How is this like our faith? Have you had a dry spell and you are looking for some new growth? Maybe you have had some tough times and you don’t think these days will ever end. What you need to do is start looking for some of those signs of Spring. Start with reading your Bible. You may say I don’t know where to start. If you have a concordance in your bible why not look up words that make you think of spring. One of these words may be Birds. Here are some passages that God has used birds in: Prov. 27:8, Luke 9:58, Isa 40:31 and Psalms 103:5 How about Blossoms: Isa 35:1 tells about that. Living on a farm and being a farm wife, I think of fields in the spring and there are many passages about fields. Here are a few: Lev. 19:19, Isa 40:6, Mt 6:28, Mt. 6:30, Mt. 13:44, 1 Co. 3:9 and 1 Pt. 1:24. When I get into reading some of these passages it makes me see that God has taken care of us in the past and I know he will take care of us in the future, if we trust him in all things. These are just a few ideas. See what God puts on your heart. He may be speaking to you in other areas. When we trust God completely with our lives we become that blooming flower we see in the Summer, bright and glowing and dancing in the wind. I just want to thank everyone that was able to make it to our first New Beginnings celebration on March 7 th . We will be having another one in May, so watch for the exact date in the next Broken Chains Newsletter. Also, men don’t forget you can join the “Credo Men’s Gathering” every Monday night at Calvary Lutheran Church 7:00 to 9:00. And women, “Girlfriends Night Out” is on 2 nd Friday at Alpine Lutheran Church. These are both great way to stay in touch with Godly People. God Bless you all and Have a Very Blessed Easter. Lynn
Transcript
Illinois
Illinois CREDO Recovery
BROKEN CHAINS NEWSLETTER Breaking the chains of addiction one day at a time!
APRIL 2014
UPCOMING EVENTS
LOCAL WEEKENDS
WOMEN’S CREDO #10 June 26-29, 2014
MEN’S CREDO # 16
July 10 –13, 2014
ABUNDANT LIFE TRES DIAS
MEN’S WEEKEND #30
April 24-27,2014
Inspiration Center
Walworth, Wisconsin
WOMEN’S WEEKEND #30
May 1-4, 2014
Inspiration Center
Walworth, Wisconsin
CREDO BOARD MEETING ARE
HELD THE THIRD TUESDAY
OF THE MONTH AT
P.A. PETERSON
1311 Parkview Avenue
Rockford, IL 61107
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT
Dear CREDO Community,
It has been a long winter but, I think God is finally giving us a touch of Spring. Praise God!
Spring is such a wonderful time. You begin to look for all the signs. How many people have seen Robins, or Red- Winged Blackbirds? My husband says it is really Spring when you see Red-Winged Blackbirds. Or has anyone seen any crocus peeking through the ground yet? How about the lawns turning green? These are all signs of Spring. We truly look forward to them every year. We get a lift in life when we see this new growth in nature. It telling us that we made it through the winter and now we can grow again.
How is this like our faith? Have you had a dry spell and you are looking for some new growth? Maybe you have had some tough times and you don’t think these days will ever end. What you need to do is start looking for some of those signs of Spring. Start with reading your Bible.
You may say I don’t know where to start. If you have a concordance in your bible why not look up words that make you think of spring. One of these words may be Birds. Here are some passages that God has used birds in: Prov. 27:8, Luke 9:58, Isa 40:31 and Psalms 103:5
How about Blossoms: Isa 35:1 tells about that. Living on a farm and being a farm wife, I think of fields in the spring and there are many passages about fields. Here are a few: Lev. 19:19, Isa 40:6, Mt 6:28, Mt. 6:30, Mt. 13:44, 1 Co. 3:9 and 1 Pt. 1:24.
When I get into reading some of these passages it makes me see that God has taken care of us in the past and I know he will take care of us in the future, if we trust him in all things.
These are just a few ideas. See what God puts on your heart. He may be speaking to you in other areas.
When we trust God completely with our lives we become that blooming flower we see in the Summer, bright and glowing and dancing in the wind.
I just want to thank everyone that was able to make it to our first New Beginnings celebration on March 7th. We will be having another one in May, so watch for the exact date in the next Broken Chains Newsletter.
Also, men don’t forget you can join the “Credo Men’s Gathering” every Monday night at Calvary Lutheran Church 7:00 to 9:00. And women, “Girlfriends Night Out” is on 2nd Friday at Alpine Lutheran Church. These are both great way to stay in touch with Godly People.
God Bless you all and Have a Very Blessed Easter. Lynn
Illinois CREDO Recovery
BROKEN CHAINS NEWSLETTER Breaking the chains of addiction one day at a time!
FROM THE SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.
And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.
Mark 1:9-13 In my faith tradition, during the forty days (excluding Sundays) before Easter we
observed the season of Lent. Some try to trivialize the season by only emphasizing the giving up of something we like: chocolate, TV, the internet, etc. But, the season of Lent is so much more than that. It is a time of examination, evaluation, and transformation.
The number forty has special significance in the Bible. It is often associated with a season of trial and struggle. After being recognized by God as the only righteous man left, Noah spent forty days and forty nights in the ark during the time of the great flood, before entering God’s new creation. After being called by God to free God’s chosen people, Moses and the people of Israel spent forty years in the wilderness, before they entered the Promised Land. After his baptism when God declared him to be God’s beloved child, Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan, before he began his ministry.
When we encounter times of trouble and trial we often believe that God is punishing us. But, in fact, our times of trial might be a time of preparation because God has chosen us for something significant. God lifted us out of the life of destruction in addiction. God chose us to be God’s beloved children. Now the Holy Spirit is working with and through us to make us the people God created us to be. These times of trial can be difficult, wilderness experiences. We can imagine that Noah, Moses, and even Jesus struggled during their “forty” period. Satan was working mightily to bring confusion and doubt into their hearts and minds. Satan’s goal for this time of testing was to make them feel like they were all alone, that their faith wasn’t strong enough, that they weren’t going to make it. God’s goal for this time of testing was to help them realize that they feel like they were alone, God was always with them; that while their faith may be weak, God’s faithfulness is strong; that while the struggle might be great, God would bring them through to victory.
Through the time of struggle and trial, they were being transformed into the people God needed them to be for the new life God had in store for them. Whether we are observing the season of Lent or going through our own personal wilderness period be assured that we are not alone. God is with us. And through this time of searching, self-examination, and yes, even trial, we are being prepared for the task God has called us to do. We have been blessed and we are being trained up to be a blessing. The road might be difficult, but the promise is assured. We are God’s beloved children and with us God is well pleased. In everything we do, we do it…
All for Jesus,
Dr. Anita Stuart-Steva, Co-community Spiritual Director
And the Directors This month we are featuring the Credo President
Lynn Lott
WHAT MAKES A SERVANT LIKE YOU?
Your name, church, city, and family: My name is Lynn Lott, I grew up as Lynn Schadewaldt and when I got married I told Larry (my Husband) it would be easier to add 4 more letters than to drop 7. I have lived on a farm most of my life. I was raised near Dakota, IL. with my 2 brothers. We also were blessed to have our Grandparents live on the other side of the house. I remember telling my Grandmother that I was marrying Larry and she said now you can never look back or you will turn into a pillar of salt. (Lot’s Wife!) I meet Larry at a Rural Youth Picnic. He came with a friend and a month later he decided to call and see if I would go out with him. I did and 9 months later we were married. After 10 years of marriage and living in Freeport, Larry decided he wanted to go back into farming. So we went to Pearl City where he grew up and started to farm with his brother. After 3 years we started on our own.
Ebenezer Salem UCC Pearl City is where we attend church. Larry and I will be married 34 yrs. on May 24. We have 3 children, Stephanie and Nick Granno with their children Dominic 8, Lawrence 6, Layla 2. We have a son Craig that is not married and a handicapped daughter Janet, who lives in a group home. What was your first paying job, and what did you learn from it? My first job was in the booking department at a local bank. I learned how to encode checks, Do the return checks and also how to open new accounts. The biggest challenge was the night work. We did computer work for 23 area banks and each night they sent their work into our bank. We had to get it ready to run and then balance it all before we sent it to the Federal Reserve Bank. Some nights it was a real challenge to get it all done before the carrier came to get the checks. As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? How did that turn out for you? I don’t think I had any big plans when I grew up. I know I played with my dolls a lot so, maybe I was to be a mother.
If you had a $10,000 gift card for travel, where would you go and what would you do there? I think I would go to see Layla a lot more. But besides that I think I would give Larry the Gift of sending him to the Holy Land. He has always wanted to go there. Favorite genre of music? I like to listen to Christian Music. Hidden talent? I have done most all of the Stay at home Mom talents. Cooking, baking, canning, Sewing , Knitting, Crocheting, and flower arranging . One year at the Stephenson Co. Fair the news paper wrote an article about me. It said I was the biggest exhibitor at the fair. I use to take about 400 items. 95 were jar of canned goods. Today the only thing I can is some meat sometimes and lots of Jellies.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
THE FOLLOWING EVENT DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
DON’T MISS AN EVENT READ THE NEWS LETTER EACH MONTH
Credo weekend Conducted at Bishop Lane Retreat Center = blue
Credo weekend Conducted at SA Adult Rehab Center(ARC) = red
NITD Weekends = brown
ALTD EVENTS = purple
Credo Special Events = green
CREDO WEEKENDS
Women’s #10
Rectora Terri Parrish
Head Cha Renee Deinett
June 26-29, 2014
Men’s #16
Rector John Rosenbalm
Head cha
July 10-13, 2014
CONFIRMED INFORMATION ON THE NEXT TWO WEEKENDS
NITD WEEKENDS #43
Men's Weekend #43: March 13 – 16, 2014
Women's Weekend #43: March 20 – 23, 2014
ALTD WEEKENDS #30
MEN’S WEEKEND #30 April 24 – 27, 2014
SEND-OFF – Thursday April 24 – 7:45 PM at Inspiration Center in Walworth Wisconsin
SERENADE – Saturday April 26– 6:45 PM at Inspiration Center in Walworth Wisconsin
CLOSURA – Sunday April 27– 4:30 PM at Inspiration Center in Walworth Wisconsin
WOMEN’S WEEKEND #30 May 1 – 4, 2014
SEND-OFF – Thursday May 1- 7:45 PM at Inspiration Center in Walworth Wisconsin
SERENADE – Saturday May 3- 6:45 PM at Inspiration Center in Walworth Wisconsin
CLOSURA – Sunday May 4- 4:30 PM at Inspiration Center in Walworth Wisconsin
That is the first step in the Discipleship process. We have between 25 and 30 men coming
out every Monday night to engage in fun, food, fellowship, worship, teaching and prayer. Men,
come and join us.
When: Monday Nights 7:00p.m.Till 9:00p.m. Where: Calvary Lutheran Church
1715 9th St., Rockford, IL 61101 Come as you are. The only requirement is that you are a man.
No prior weekend experience needed.
Come out and welcome the new Pescadores.
Ed Caputo Your Fourth Day Connection
For the men at the Salvation Army Adult Rehab Center (ARC) Stop in on Thursday for chapel at five thirty ... or for dinner at four thirty ... if you would like to encourage these men… write a note or send a card. The address is:
ARC – Rockford
Attn: their name
1706 18th Ave. Rockford, IL 61104
February ~ 2014 Newsletter
Join us at GIRLFRIENDS NIGHT OUT
(Our IL Women’s Credo Recovery Fellowship & Support Group)
WHEN: Every 2nd Friday of the Month, 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, next gathering- April 11th WHERE: Alpine Lutheran Church basement, Rockford, IL dinner at 6:00 PM followed by fellowship
WHAT: Join us for a potluck meal, Christian fellowship & sharing, worship & prayer, sometimes
games or videos, much laughter, and good encouraging & supporting friendships.
For Rides or Questions call-- Kate E @ 815-315-3898 or Coleen M at 815-871-1353 ~ Hope to see you soon, Girlfriend! ~
Based on a passage from Tom Miller's Encouragement Journal
It was one of those weekend church conventions where camper enthusiasts pull their vehicles into a large campground and enjoy cookouts and conversation before the event. Tom struck up a conversation with the husband and wife in the camper next to his and learned that they were from a small town not far from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Tom said he didn't know the area, but had once stopped to attend a church service in that area, about 12 years ago, on his drive back to Fort Riley, Kansas.
The husband and wife exchanged curious looks, first to each other, and then to Tom and began to ask questions. What was the church like? Do you remember the sermon? Did you talk with anyone? Tom couldn't recall.
Then, as he and the couple were walking back from the evening service, memories gradually returned. He recalled how he had been sent to Fort Riley on Army business, which was fortunate, because it gave him opportunity to visit his cousin in Tulsa, who was facing a terminal illness. The cousin had a one-day remission and he and Tom reminisced about their childhood.
"On my way back," he told the couple, "I saw a sign, First Church of God--which is my denomination-- and I also saw that there would be a service at 7:00. p.m. Well, I looked at my watch, and that's what time it was! So I hit the brakes and turned into the parking lot, tires almost squealing. During the service, I wrote a message on the bulletin that said, I was driving by and saw you sign, First Church of God, and would not be worshiping here if it had not been for that sign, and dropped the bulletin in the collection plate."
"Yes, it's him!" the wife shouted. She explained that the congregation had been deeply divided over the name of the church, and just as the quarrel was about to boil over, with half of the congregation ready to leave, a stranger wrote a message on a bulletin and dropped it in the collection plate.
"Well, we still have that bulletin," she said. "Over the years, the story has been told--and people have come to believe--that an angel dropped by one evening and left the note, telling us to keep the name. That note kept the church from splitting." Then, after a moment, she added. "That should encourage you, Tom."
The next morning, Tom woke up early to tell the couple how much the story meant to him. But their camper was gone. "Now, who is the angel?" he wondered.
Articles and Photos to put a smile on your face
We will be featuring a cartoon from Jeff Larson in the months to come. He has given us permission.
This Christian cartoon features the bible verse in James exhorting us all to be active both physically and spiritually
