Deceiving Ourselves
Many years ago, a man said one of the smartest things I have ever heard: “We are transparent to everyone but ourselves.” We spend a lot of our lives fooling ourselves. We convince ourselves that no one will ever figure out our dark, little secrets. We also assure ourselves that a “little” sin is acceptable. It won’t harm or destroy us, because we have it under control.
The Slow Fade
There is a great song by Casting Crowns, called “Slow Fade,” that addresses this very thing. You can listen to the song by clicking the video below.
Verse 2 says:
Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray
It is the little “slips” that lead us astray. The things we hear, say, or think that begins a terrible pathway toward “giving our life away.”
The problem is that we often convince ourselves that we can handle it. It’s just one look. It’s one drink. It’s one conversation. Nothing bad can happen from that. That is the lie we say to ourselves, and it is always a lie that leads to a terrible path.
In John 8:31-32, Jesus said “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
So, what is the truth? In this case, the truth is that the slow fade always leads to compromised thinking (black and white turned to gray). The truth is that there is no such thing as a “little” sin. When we break one part of God’s Law, we break it all (James 2:10), because a little sin always leads to more. It leads us to convince ourselves that we can handle it. We never can.
Believing the Lie
This is what happened to Braedon Bonnell. Our brother had gone to treatment for a meth addiction and had successfully overcome that. However, he had convinced himself that it was acceptable to keep drinking because meth was his problem.
This was a terrible lie that led our brother to make some very bad choices. That included drinking and driving, which led to his arrest.
That was not the end of the story, however. Braedon went to treatment and then reached out to enter Hope CDA. He no longer wanted to live in the gray but be truly transparent about the pathway he wanted for himself – God’s pathway.
On April 2, Braedon passed the seven-month mark in the program and he has been doing amazingly well. He has greatly strengthened his relationship with God and has become an active member at FaithLife Church. Braedon is also doing an amazing job servicing as one of our House Captains.
Braedon has rebuilt his relationship with his daughter and his mom. He talks with his daughter every day and was with her to celebrate her most recent birthday, and he and his mom have restored their relationship as well.
The slow fade had Braedon believing that he could still live in part of his past life, but he has changed that way of thinking. He has realized that he must be fully transparent to himself and that has led to dramatic changes in his life. It has also led to dramatic changes for his daughter and her mom.
Assist Our Brothers
Next weekend, April 16-19, Braedon Bonnell and Quinton Edwards will travel to Michigan with Pastor Roger Grandia for the Pilgrimage Retreat. This is an amazing opportunity for them to grow in their faith and draw closer to God. Two of our men have gone on this retreat before and it was truly life altering for them.
The weekend is made even more special when they receive a lot of encouragement. So, we are looking for people to write notes of encouragement that are shared with them as the weekend progresses. If you would like to provide a note or two, or more, you can do so by either emailing them to Dr. Pannier, who will print and send them with Pastor Grandia, or you can bring a card and drop it at the office. They are leaving Wednesday afternoon, so you have to have your note(s) turned into Dr. Pannier by Tuesday afternoon to give to Pastor Grandia.
This will be an amazing weekend, so thank you for taking the time to make it even more special.
Hope Graduation
On Monday, April 20, we will celebrate the graduation of Kaleb Duerre. This will be an amazing night to honor Kaleb for his achievement. Please come and join us at Mission of Hope at 6:00 p.m.
Hope Wants to Help
Megan Mango has done a great job helping our men to improve their health and nutrition habits. She has helped to teach classes on Friday and to develop curriculum to help our men.
Recently, Megan lost her home to a fire. Megan and her daughter lost everything, and she is looking for help. The flyer below lists ways you can help the two. If you can, please assist our sister and her daughter.
Get Your Spring Detail at Divine Shine
Less than three weeks left on the Spring special at Divine Shine. If you make your appointment before April 30, you can get a full detail for $150 and an external detail for $75. Call today because spots are going fast! 319-929-3084.
Volunteer Opportunities
We will send a volunteer newsletter each week that will provide opportunities to assist our men in their progress. This week we focus on four teams. Please contact Tahsha Jones (Tahsha.J@HopeCDAcr.org) for more information.
Prayers for the Week
We ask you to join in prayer for these things:
- For Megan and her daughter. May our community rally around and help them during this time.
- For Kaleb as he nears graduation. May this be just the first step in a life of defeating drug addiction while drawing closer to God.
- For all of our participants. May they see freedom in Jesus, resisting the slow fade.
- For a group of volunteers to fill these needs that Hope has. May God lead an amazing group of men and women who will help our men on their life journey.
Tuesday Night of Encouragement
This Tuesday, April 14, Gary Thompson will be at Hope CDA to speak. No one brings a message of encouragement like Gary, so please join us. The dinner will be at 5:30 with Gary speaking about 6:00.
On Tuesday, April 21, Pastor Paul Hennings from FaithLife Church returns to deliver the message. Paul breaks down the Bible in amazing ways, so come and join us for a great evening.
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