Posted 1 month ago

I wrote a blog post recently about a local story that captured my attention. To recap, here’s what happened: last week calls poured into the local police department in Arlington County Virginia. The reason was unexpected. The local Cheesecake Factory was giving away 40,000 slices of their signature cheesecake to celebrate their 50th anniversary. The promotion clogged roads, which is saying something considering how congested the roads are in Northern Virginia. Fistfights broke out. One person was hospitalized and another charged with disorderly conduct. All for a free piece of cheesecake.

I thought about all those folks braving traffic, coming to blows, getting arrested – these folks were committed! Their commitment was not to an entire cake, mind you, but a single slice. I asked myself the question: what do I show up for? What compels me to get up and get moving?

My musings turned into a mini-inventory until eventually I became curious and wondered what other people, not necessarily completely committed to cheesecake, are willing to pour their life into, even lay it down for a friend. The answer was swift and compelling: the most sacrificial people I know pour their life into recovery. Their recovery? Yes. But they also work on behalf of the recovery of others too. In fact, you cannot separate the two works – the give and take of sharing experience, strength and hope with one another.

When I was younger and more naïve I assumed the world would support recovery. The need is so great, the work so hard, the epidemic proportions of the problem are so overwhelming, who wouldn’t be willing to lean their shoulder into the plow and work the fields that are ripe for the harvest?

I turns out that most of us in this ministry field do not experience a ton of support in the work, particularly within the local church. Our rooms are in the basement; our smoking section is a problem. Our budget is slim, often barely covering the cost of coffee for the meetings. This is the nature of the beast. The NACR understands that this is our reality and we try to provide resources for the intrepid souls who work so diligently to bring accessible and affordable recovery to their local communities through their church.

We could use your support in providing those resources. Our dilemma is that the servant leaders who need our materials the most are often the least able to afford them. Can you help us out? A donation to the NACR helps us carry on, doing what we feel so passionately about: helping the helpers. Thanks for considering. You can donate by going to our website (www.nacr.org) and clicking the donate button at the bottom of the home screen.

Blessings, Teresa McBean
Executive Director
National Association for Christian Recovery ... See MoreSee Less