Gratitude Lessons

Earlier this month, I taught the Celebrate Recovery Lesson 22 Gratitude, which just happened to take place in the month that we celebrate Thanksgiving. In case you did not know, CR is a Christ-centered 12 Step Program. We are now on Step 11: We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge o His will for us and power to carry that out.

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly.” (Colossians 3:16). We also have 8 Recovery Principles, taken from the Beatitudes in the Bible. We are now on Principle 7: Reserve a daily time with God for prayer, self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will. It is through prayer, meditation and reserving a daily time with God that I have the awesome privilege of spending time in worship and praise to Him.

As I reflect on the Gratitude lesson, I have to ask…Do you know why gratitude is so important? There are so many reasons and I will focus on this. Psalm 150:6 NIV says, Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. So, as long as we are alive, we are expected to give God praise. Not because of what He does for us or whenever He always gives us what we ask for, but because of Who He is. Let us not forget that He is the Creator of the universe, the Maker of all mankind, the Beginning and the Ending. Just that fact takes me to another verse that prompts me to worship, Revelation 4:11 NKJV You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created. Since God is worthy, He deserves our praise. So guess what? I say we should celebrate Thanksgiving every day! Psalms 107:1 reads Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. How often should we give thanks? Psalm 34:1 NKJV answers that question and states I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. I have to return to Psalm 150:6 but the MSG says this Let every living, breathing creature praise God! Hallelujah! If you are reading this, that includes you.

I found myself singing the chorus of Great Are You Lord, a few days ago and these are the words: It’s your breath in our lungs, so we pour out our praise, we pour out to You only. I imagined a container that is filled. As long as there’s something inside of it, it’s possible to pour out into another. OK, we are containers or vessels. Every time we wake up and we are able to breathe, we have the ability to pour out our praise to God. that praise has absolutely nothing to do with the current circumstances. (Look at Job.) It has absolutely nothing to do with whether or not things are going my way. (Look at David, Joseph). So I’m glad that Thanksgiving is here, because some need to be reminded to give thanks, not only to our heavenly father, but to people in our lives that we are grateful for. For the sake of this blog, Let’s focus on pouring out our praise to the ONE who gives us our breath EVERY SINGLE DAY! Whenever we open our eyes, we have an opportunity to pour out praise to Him. Keep that in mind. If we do, we would live and operate in continuous praise! Oh how much different life would be if we all kept God at the forefront of our thoughts and minds every day! I wish I had the time to expound upon that…

THANK YOU for reading and sharing my blogs. Check them all at www.charlenestevensjenkins.com. If you have any questions, DM me. Let’s communicate. I’m here to encourage, inspire and motivate. I’m praying for you.

Courage

Every October, I look forward to participating in events to promote Breast Cancer Awareness. This year, I had so many wonderful experiences and as I reflect on everything, the one word that comes to mind is 'courage.' Courage is necessary at every age and season, for every challenge we face. Courage is vital.

At the beginning of the month, I was honored at the Paint Liberty Pink Proclamation at the Liberty County (GA) County Commissioner’s Office at the request of Mrs. Kathy McCalla Villafane (Thank you again!).

At the end of week two, I spoke to the Live Oak Church Warriors With Wisdom (ages 50 and above) group. The main theme was Resiliency: Body, Soul and Mind, and I shared about the mind from the perspective as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and also as a Ministry Leader of Celebrate Recovery (CR). I emphasized that when we are mentally healthy, we’re able to cope with the ups, downs, and stresses of life. It is so much easier to adapt to change and we are less likely to become overwhelmed. One of the Scriptures I shared was Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV}, “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You because he trusts in You. Trust in the Lord forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength.” Whatever you are going through, find courage in God.

The following week, I joined other survivors on stage at Pink Out the Market, in Hinesville’s Bradwell Park. I felt so blessed as I stood with them and felt their courage too.

That weekend, I was one of eleven Celebrate Recovery leaders and volunteers attending Advanced Leadership Training in Tennessee. Our Global Executive Director, Pastor Johnny Baker, said “the two friends of leadership are curiosity and community, and the two foes of leadership are doubt and pride.” He truly deposited some powerful nuggets into us, reminding us that it takes courage to lead effectively. He also reminded us to take time off to take care of ourselves and remember that God will use the pain in our lives for His glory.

Last Saturday, I was the speaker at the Chi Pi Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.’s Walk for the Cause at James Brown Park, Hinesville (GA). My topic was Don’t Let Your Fears Paralyze You. The topic is personal for me because this time last year I needed a biopsy after my annual mammogram. I was almost paralyzed by fear. I am a breast cancer survivor, and the thought of reliving this horror was daunting. When I went in for the biopsy, I had people praying with me, but I needed to be medicated to prepare myself for the procedure. Why? When I had the very first biopsy, the numbing medication did NOT work, and I felt the stabbing pain of the needle. Honestly, I cringe every time I remember how painful the experience was. I made it through the biopsy in October 2022, continued to trust God, and it was benign. Praise God! I’m scheduled for a mammogram next week, and I’m not nervous at all. This year, I will not give in to fear.

At the end of my speech, Don't Let Your Fears Paralyze You, a young man asked how to overcome fears. I, along with several others, told him that it’s possible by depending on God, reading, and believing His Word, and communicating with positive, encouraging, and supportive people. I'm glad he had the courage to ask the question.

As I close, I see how the courage to overcome fears leads right into our current Celebrate Recovery (CR) Principle 7: Reserve a daily time with God for self-examination, Bible reading, and prayer in order to know God and His will for my life and to gain the power to follow His will; and Step 10: We continue to take personal inventory and when we are wrong, promptly admit it.

October was busy, and I wish I had time to share more details of every event I attended. I'm

grateful for the wonderful people I met and thankful for each person who left with a copy of my book!

Every time I have the opportunity to speak or take my books, I also have CR flyers. In my opinion, Celebrate Recovery is the best 12-step program because it’s not just about drugs or alcohol, but has 8 Principles from the Bible. Jesus is our Higher Power and He has the power to help us overcome our hurts, habits, hang-ups, shortcomings, and any sin imaginable. There’s absolutely NOTHING too hard for our God! Take courage.

As we say at CR, ‘Thank you for letting me share.’ Check out all my blogs at charlenestevensjenkins.com. Call or DM any questions, and let’s communicate. I’m here to encourage, inspire, and motivate. I’m praying for you.

Let's Talk about Suicide Prevention

September is National Suicide Prevention and Awareness Month.

It’s ok to start a conversation, to provide support, and to offer help to someone who needs it. Let me put this information upfront: Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support. You can call or text 988 and even Chat at 988lifeline.org. It’s free, available 24/7 and confidential.

I’m Charlene Stevens Jenkins, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the Veterans Health Administration and Ministry Leader of Celebrate Recovery (CR) at Live Oak Church in Hinesville.

If you know someone who is struggling, please let them know they are not alone. Here are a few things we all can do to help prevent suicides: 1. Reach out; 2. Listen and 3. Seek help. If you’re struggling, reach out to a sponsor, accountability partner or someone you trust. If you aren’t struggling, let someone know you care and that you’re willing to be there for them.

One of the most important things for us to do is to stay connected with other people and not isolate if they’re not doing ok. If you ARE ok, check on someone else. We need each other.

My challenge to you TODAY…is to first determine where you are. Be completely honest. Stop acting like nothing is wrong. If you’ve been thinking about hurting yourself or if you just wish you weren’t alive anymore, tell someone. Call someone. Dial 988.

Maybe that’s not you. Maybe you’re just fine, but you may know someone who isn’t doing so well. I challenge to you to reach out to that person either by a phone call, text, visit, DM, or other creative ways. And if someone DOES reach out you for help, please stop what you’re doing and make the time to listen.

It’s a serious matter, and it takes courage to reach out for help. We want to be there for them. You don’t have to have all of the answers. You don’t have to be able to solve all of their problems. Be a listening ear. You will show them that you care and you can help point them in the right direction, if needed. Connect them with available resources like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255.

At some point, you may go online to find support groups available in the area. Also, find a Celebrate Recovery near you at www.celebraterecovery.com. Click on Locator and enter your address. If you’re in the Liberty or Long County areas, we meet on Mondays from 7-9 at Live Oak Church, 296 Live Oak Church Rd, Hinesville GA 31313.

Thank you so much for your time. For all of my previous blogs, visit charlenestevensjenkins.com