STAY DESPERATE You don’t have to stay in crisis to keep the desperation that helped you surrender. Desperation gets a bad reputation. We usually associate it with the worst moments of our lives—the phone call, the consequence, the relationship falling apart, the moment when there is nowhere left to hide. But desperation can also be one of the greatest gifts we receive. Because when I was desperate, surrender became easier. I remember getting my first speeding ticket when I was sixteen. There...

The Art of Letting Go Have you ever seen the picture of the little girl holding a teddy bear? She’s clutching this small teddy bear against her chest while Jesus stands in front of her with His hand out, asking her to give it to Him. What she can't see is that Jesus is hiding a much bigger teddy bear behind His back. She doesn't want to give hers up. Why would she? She loves that teddy bear. It’s hers. And she has no idea what He is holding behind His back. What We Know I see this with my own...

Recovery Is a Gift I don’t know how many people walk into treatment with a smile on their face, but I did. Not because everything was okay. There was a lot that wasn’t. I had a wife and two young children at home. I had responsibilities I could no longer keep carrying the way I had been. I was stepping away from a business that other people had trusted me to build. I resigned from my position as a head high school basketball coach. My wife was left holding everything together while I went...