Hurting? There’s help available

You have seen the violence and you heard the violence.  However, do we really understand the violence that is going on inside each one of us?  In recent news, there have been a lot of self-inflicted violence (suicides) and hostage situations.  In light of it all, did these people ever know that they were loved?  If you are hurting, you do not have to go through it alone.  You can talk to a family member, friend, co-worker, or even a church member.   You can join a 12-step support group like Celebrate Recovery.  I have listed a few places locally where you find help.    

Sunday Nights:

Tampa Baptist Church, 300 E. Sligh Ave, Tampa, FL (813) 238-5673.  Meets at 5:00 PM 

Monday Nights:

Bell Shoals Baptist Church, 2102 Bell Shoals Rd., Brandon, FL (813) 689-4229 x432.  Meets at 6:00 PM

 Temple Terrace United Methodist Church, 5030 E. Busch Blvd., Tampa, FL (813) 988-4141.  Meets at 6:30 PM 

Idlewild Baptist Church, N. Dale Mabry Hwy, Lutz, FL (813) 264-8767.  Meets at 6:30 PM 

The Crossings Baptist Church, 10130 Causeway Blvd, Tampa, FL (813) 626-0783.  Meets at 7:00 PM 

Wednesday Nights

Heritage Baptist Church, 18201 E. Meadows Rd., Tampa, FL (813) 986-2588.   Meets at 7 PM 

RSS Reader information

In my intro post I talked about using a RSS reader.  Well here are the details on how to get going using a free, popular RSS reader from Google–the Google Reader and best of all it is free.  Thanks to Ed Jordan, who kindly submitted this information.

1. Open your Web browser and go to reader.Google.com.
2. If you have a Google account already, just type your email and password and click “Sign In.”
3. If you don’t have a Google account yet, do the following…
   A. Click “Create an account now”
   B. On the next screen, type in your email address and choose a password
   C. Complete the form on this page and click the “I accept. Create my account” button.
   D. Google will send a confirmation email to the email address that you supplied. When you receive Google’s email, click the link in it to confirm your address.
   E. In your Web browser, go to reader.Google.com again if necessary and sign in using the email address and password you supplied to them when you signed up.
4. On your Google Reader home page, click the “Add Subscription” button in the left column.
5. In the edit box that pops up, type the Web address of the blog that you want to subscribe to (in this case, “ttumccelebratesrecovery.wordpress.com” without the quotation marks).

Now, whenever you’re using the Internet, open a Web browser window that is pointed at reader.Google.com and you’ll be notified when  TTUMC Celebrates Recovery has been updated. You can read the blog entry in Google Reader, or you can click a link and visit the actual blog to leave a comment.

Use Google reader to subscribe to other blogs as well. In fact, while you’re at it, here are a few at my church that you can subscribe to:

 News from Pastor Jerry – Pastor Jerry Johnson 

News from the communications team – Clearly TTUMC

News about what’s going on at TTUMC – EPIC Conversations

News from the Caring Team -Effective Christlike Caring

News from the youth director – Erica Ares

Hello world!

Welcome to TTUMC Celebrate Recovery blog.  This site is for anyone dealing with habits, hurts and hangups; and especially those going through Celebrate Recovery or a similar program. 

I started this blog as a place where people can feel comfortable to share their experiences and give their feedback.  I know sometimes we don’t always say what we want or need to say at a meeting because of time.  However, what is said here should not compromise the confidentiality of your small group. 

Occasionally, I will list prayer requests (and you can do the same), inspirations to help you get through the day (or week) or things going on in the recovery world.  Subscribe to the site by using an RSS reader, so you will get automatic updates.  I have also included the link to Celebrate Recovery site where you can check out their new blogs.