The Twelve Steps And The Sacraments

Winner of a 2018 Catholic Press Association Award: Sacraments. (Second Place). In the first book to directly integrate the Twelve Steps with the practice of Catholicism, Scott Weeman, founder and director of Catholic in Recovery, pairs his personal story with compassionate straight talk to show Catholics how to bridge the commonly felt gap between the Higher Power of twelve-step programs and the merciful God that he rediscovered in the heart of the sacraments. Weeman entered sobriety from alcohol and drugs on October 10, 2011, and he's made it his full-time ministry to help others who struggle with various types of addiction to find spiritual wholeness through Catholic in Recovery, an organization he founded and directs. In The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments, Weeman candidly tackles the struggle he and other addicts have with getting to know intimately the unnamed Higher Power of recovery. He shares stories of his compulsion to find a personal relationship with God and how his tentative steps back to the Catholic Church opened new doors of healing and brought him surprising joy as he came to know Christ in the sacraments. Catholics in recovery and those moving toward it, as well as the people who love them will recognize Weeman's story and his spiritual struggle to personally encounter God. He tells us how: Baptism helps you admit powerlessness over an unmanageable problem, face your desperate need for God, and choose to believe in and submit to God’s mercy. Reconciliation affirms and strengthens the hard work of examining your life, admitting wrongs, and making amends. The Eucharist provides ongoing sustenance and draws you to the healing power of Christ. The graces of Confirmation strengthen each person to keep moving forward and to share the good news of recovery and new life in Christ. Weeman's words are boldly challenging and brimming with compassion and through them you will discover inspiration, hope, sage advice, and refreshingly practical help.

The Catholic in Recovery Workbook is the first step-by-step guide for working through the Twelve Steps of recovery from a Catholic perspective. If you struggle with addiction,dependency, or unhealthy attachments—or love someone who does—this book will help you discover the life-changing mercy of Jesus Christ through Church tradition and the grace of the sacraments. The workbook includes an overview of the Twelve Steps and insights from well-known recovery resources; relevant excerpts from the Catechism of the Catholic Church; the wisdom of saints and teachings of theologians; powerful prayers and inspiring testimonials; and practical tools such as discussion questions, journaling prompts, personal inventories, and reflection exercises. The Twelve Steps and the sacraments have the power to set you free, no matter what your addiction or unhealthy attachment, and this workbook offers the steps, insights, and practices that can lead you to healing and recovery. The Catholic in Recovery Workbook can be used with person, or in a group. This book can stand alone or alongside Weeman’s award-winning book The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments.

The twelve step addiction recovery process often comes in many variations and interpretations; while each variation may focus on different aspects of recovery, they all stem from the groundbreaking work of Bill W. and Dr. Bob Smith, the founders of the organization known as Alcoholics Anonymous. Twelve Steps to Spiritual Freedom: Understanding the Christian Roots of Twelve Step Programs aligns this 20th century construct with its roots in centuries old practices. This sensible approach brings together the deep spiritual tradition of Christianity to complement and support the hands-on, daily work of twelve-step programs. Interspersed with personal experiences, Understanding the Christian Roots of Twelve Step Programs identifies and contextualizes the natural connections between Christian mysticism and the wisdom of twelve step programs and makes this information usable for readers. With her intelligent and pragmatic approach, author Joanna Thyer speaks to those who struggle within twelve step programs and to the counselors, therapists, social workers, and family and friends who support their recovery efforts. Knowing the origins can make the journey through addiction recovery grounded, personal, and rooted in faith.

Building upon his best-selling A 12-Step Approach to the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, Father Harbaugh now applies his extensive recovery wisdom to crafting insightful meditations based upon the weekend scriptural readings of the Common Lectionary. Readers familiar with the 12-Steps can now more effectively employ the readings they encounter at Sunday worship to consciously connect with their higher power. People of prayer that may not be familiar with the 12-Steps will surely benefit by this fresh and enlightening perspective.

Addictions and struggles with the passions are rampant in our culture, and often in our families. Fr. Meletios Webber, a popular Orthodox priest with a doctorate in counseling, helps us to explore and understand an answer to overcoming addiction, through the Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous, as he clearly and skillfully explains the Twelve Steps. Fr. Mel takes a unique approach, and capably correlates the 12 Steps with basic Orthodox theology. The 12 Steps can be a valuable resource for our own spiritual journey, as Fr. Mel identifies implications for Orthodox, and all Christians, using examples from the life of the Orthodox Church. A unique and valuable book for everyone.

Twelve Step Christianity teaches Christians in recovery to connect their faith with their program--and shows any Christian a clear path to a more intimate relationship with Christ. Genuine Christianity is more than a set of beliefs--it is a relationship with Jesus Christ that involves hearing His voice and following His directions. But how does one do this? What tools or spiritual disciplines enable Christians to live out their lives in dynamic submission to God's will? Perhaps no set of principles is better suited to help Christians hear God's voice and submit to His will than the Twelve Steps. As a Christian who practices the Steps, Saul Selby knows them to be an invaluable tool for living out the Christian faith. Selby brings his knowledge to bear in Twelve Step Christianity, which teaches Christians in recovery to connect their faith with their program--and shows any Christian a clear path to a more intimate relationship with Christ. Laid out in a workbook format, with room for readers to write answers and track their progress, Twelve Step Christianity explores the roots of Twelve Step spirituality, Examines the connections and distinctions between Christianity and Twelve Step programs and offers readers a deeper and broader understanding of the myriad powerful reasons for applying the Twelve Steps to their lives.

Follow the Path of the Greatest Leader of All Time Each of us is not only called to be a leader, but we are all leaders by default -- whether we like it or not. How effective are you at making a positive impact on the people around you? Discover the power of Christ's personal and practical example, and make a measurable difference in the lives of those around you -- at home, at work, in the community, or in your parish. Transform your leadership style in light of Jesus' compelling combination of servant, steward, shepherd. Whom do you influence in big or small ways? How will you be remembered? What is your legacy? What is the source of true power and influence over others? How do you fit into Christ's mission and message for the world? "Its purpose is not to revise the principles we present in the Lead Like Jesus movement, but only to enhance them for a particular audience. I am pleased that we have found a member of the Lead Like Jesus movement who is a Catholic family man to step up and take on this task." -- Ken Blanchard, entrepreneur, speaker, and co-author of Lead Like Jesus and The One-Minute Manager

God gave women the ability to create and nurture life. During pregnancy, a woman makes room in her mind, body, and heart for another person-one who requires love and support to survive. While these are noble qualities, giving too much can have negative effects. In A Catholic Woman's Guide to Recovery from Codependence, Brenda Daly, PhD, LCSW, explores the dark side of a woman's natural tendency to nurture and support: a soul sickness known as codependence. In caring for an alcoholic partner, for example, a woman may shift imperceptibly from caregiver to enabler. Just as her partner comes to depend on alcohol, so can a woman depend on supporting her sick partner, forming a codependent relationship that benefits no one. Daly writes that codependence often arises from a woman's low self-esteem-an obsession with external forces and a diminishment of the self. In her book, Daly uses scripture and meditations to help women escape the spiritual prison of codependence and turn their great capacity for love toward God-for to love God is to love oneself.

An exploration of the Twelve Steps and their unique benefits for Christians.

When Sr. Miriam James Heidland’s life as a successful college athlete proved unfulfilling, she went searching for something deeper and ended up falling in love with Jesus. By charting her own journey toward wholeness, Heidland invites young Catholics to pursue their own relationship with Jesus. Although originally full of athletic ambition and goals for a career in sports news, Heidland was transformed in a very slow but deep way during her undergraduate years, moving from party girl to bride of Christ. In Loved as I Am: An Invitation to Conversion, Healing, and Freedom through Jesus, Heidland helps readers learn from her experience of seeking love in the wrong places and instead finding it in Christ. She shares her struggles—learning she was adopted, battling alcoholism, and healing from childhood sexual abuse—as signs of hope that anyone who desires to know Christ can find him and be loved intimately by him in return. By bringing readers into Heidland’s healing process, Loved as I Am provides a gentle and subtle template for finding peace and freedom in Jesus.