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Charlene Stevens Jenkins

Thank you for your time! I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the Veterans Health Administration, and I am the Ministry Leader of Celebrate Recovery (CR) at Live Oak Church in Hinesville GA. I’m inviting you to read all of my blogs and I believe you will find them encouraging.


In my last blog, I let you know that there is hope and it’s found in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.


In this blog, I will cover Principle 3 of CR, which states 'Consciously choose to commit all my life and will to Christ’s care and control.' Step 3: We made a decision to turn our lives and our wills over to the care of God. Turn is Lesson 5 in the CR program. Maybe you’re wondering how you can just turn your life over to Jesus. Let me explain it like this.


Have you ever driven down a street and suddenly realized you needed to go in the opposite direction? You could have made a U turn or somehow, you turned around and managed to change your direction. You were relieved when you you were now traveling the right way. Well, I need you to take a moment to reflect on where you are spiritually. How is your relationship with God? Are you going in the wrong direction? Do you feel like you need a change? Where would you go if you died today? Yes, these are some difficult questions. They must be answered at some point. The best time is now, while you still have breath in your body.


The same way you can make a U turn on the road, you can turn your life over to Jesus. It’s not complicated. All you have to do is trust Him. He has already done the work. The price for every one of our sins has been paid with His blood. In fact, that’s why we celebrate Easter. More specifically, Resurrection Day because Jesus is no longer in the grave. He arose with the power to help you overcome whatever has you feeling empty, lost, hurt, and searching for meaning. Why not allow Him to give you a new life?



This Easter season can be your turnaround. If no one has invited you to attend a church service on Resurrection Sunday, April 9, I’m inviting you to Live Oak Church, 296 Live Oak Church Rd, Hinesville GA at 9:00 am and 11:00 am. (The usual service time is at 10:30 am.) You don’t have to wait until then, though. You can repent right where you are and God will hear you. You can connect with a spiritual leader at a local church. Call, email or DM me. Let’s communicate. I’m still here to inspire, encourage and motivate. I’m praying for you.


I’m also praying for unsaved loved ones and for our nation to turn…as I leave you with 2 Chronicles 7:14 NKJV If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and I will heal their land. #turnaround #turn #resurrection #EasterSunday

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Charlene Stevens Jenkins

Maybe you’re reading my blog for the first time. Welcome! I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with the Veterans Administration, and I volunteer as the Celebrate Recovery (CR) Ministry Leader at Live Oak Church in Hinesville, GA. I’ve been blogging each month for a few years, all to help and encourage you.


I’m so proud to be a social worker! March is National Social Work Month, and a perfect time to celebrate our work. The 2023 theme is Social Work Breaks Barriers, #SocialWorkMonth. Congratulations to my fellow social workers as we continue to make a difference in the lives of the people we serve and our colleagues.


In my most recent blog, I talked about denial. If we are honest, each of have had to work through denial at some point in our lives—maybe you’re working through denial right now. Whether a past struggle or more recent, there is hope. There is hope and you don’t have to struggle alone because there are solid principles and support to help.



Speaking of hope, I’ll continue with our CR principles as I did last month. Principle 2 of CR states: ‘Earnestly believe that God exists, and He has the power to help me recover.’ Matthew 5:4 reads, ‘Happy are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.’ In Principle 1 (Denial), we admit we are powerless after we stepped out of denial. Now in the second principle, we come to believe that God exists, that we are important to Him, and that we are able to receive God’s power to help us recover. It’s in the second step that we find HOPE!


I can talk about why people sometimes feel hopeless and how it is a symptom of many behavioral and mental health issues, but for the sake of time I will focus on getting beyond the point of hopelessness. There are options available to us. Please stop pretending you’re ok, like I used to do. Take advantage of talking to a trusted spiritual leader, (a pastor, chaplain, friend, a mentor) go to therapy, join a support group, come to CR. Our group meets on Mondays from 7-9 pm, and you can locate a CR near you at

celebraterecovery.com. Do something that will help you learn, grow, and get better physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. I don’t know anything about your personal situation. It doesn’t matter what happened, what you did or failed to do, what someone did or said to you, it IS possible to receive healing, to move forward, and to

recover. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and Jesus is that light…the Light of the world. I first heard this statement during a Celebrate Recovery One Day Seminar or at a Summit, and it’s featured in Bill Bright Quotes, by Bill Bright: “With God life is an endless hope. Without God, life is a hopeless end.” Do you believe that? When we REALLY believe this, it will change the way we look at every one of our future issues and negative situations from now on. For the next few minutes, I want to encourage you to take your mind off the problem(s) and focus on the Problem Solver. I’ve learned that whenever I magnify the

problems, God looks so small in comparison, but whenever I magnify the God of the universe, my problems look so small! We all need a change of perspective at times.


Where are you? Is there anything you want me to focus on in my next blog? Would you like to talk more about how CR can help you or someone you care about? Do you need prayer?


Call me, email, or DM. I’m here to encourage, inspire and motivate. I’m praying for you!


Grab a copy of my book, WHEN I WAS 40: Overcame Some Challenges, Still Learning and Growing and read my other blogs at charlenestevensjenkins.com.




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Charlene Stevens Jenkins

As I shared last month, Celebrate Recovery (CR) is a Christ-centered 12-Step Program with 8 Recovery Principles from the Bible. CR is for everyone—people bound by addictions to drugs or alcohol, and again for everyone. It’s in more than 35,000 churches around the world. Our Higher Power is Jesus and He has the power to help us deal with every single one of our hurts, hang ups, habits, issues, problems, or whatever. No matter what you may be dealing with, you don’t have to struggle alone. We have an amazing support group.

At the beginning of the year, we always start with Principle One and Step 1, which are based on Matthew 5:3, Happy are those who know they are spiritually poor, and Romans 7:18, For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. Our first Lesson is Denial, which is defined as the action of declaring something true to be untrue. We discuss denial at the beginning of the year because it can hinder us from making progress and moving forward. Denial can have us stuck in cycles of addictive and compulsive behaviors because we don’t want to admit that we have a problem and that we need help. I was there.

There was a time when I didn’t want anyone to know that I wasn’t doing so well. I write about it in my book WHEN I WAS 40: Overcame Some Challenges, Still Learning and Growing. One day I realized that I had to put my pride aside because it was keeping me from receiving the help that I needed. This is how I found that help.

After I fell in love with my job as a Substance Abuse Counselor, God opened the door for Celebrate Recovery at Live Oak Church. Our goal was not to conduct counseling, but to start a support group for them. I remember it so clearly even now that while I prepared for our first study of the 12 Steps, I realized I am one of them. I recognized I had problems and issues that I needed to allow God to work on in me. I admitted to myself that I needed healing, then I greatly benefited from being a participant-leader. My transparency was liberating for me and others in the group. So many of us in our local CR, and millions worldwide, have been set free and delivered since the program started back in 1991.


Is it possible that you or someone you know may need to connect with a local CR? If you think you cannot learn anything from CR, it’s possible you may be in denial. Why? Because Romans 3:23 says For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. If we look around our homes, neighborhoods, jobs, and places of worship, we will see that people are hurting. Jesus is the answer for every addiction, anxiety, challenge, fear. You name it, Jesus can handle it. He died and rose again with the power over death, hell, and the grave. Tell yourself or someone else it’s time to step out of the denial. Find a group by visiting celebraterecovery.com and select ‘Locator.’ You can read all of my blogs and order my book at charlenestevensjenkins.com. Call me, email or DM. Let’s communicate. I’m still here to encourage, inspire and motivate. I’m praying for you.

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