Blog

25 Mar 2016

Faith in the Recovery Season

Faith in the Recovery Season By Stan Bumgarner M. Div., Counselor The daffodils are here, so the long wait is almost over. The cold, short days of winter are giving way to warm daylight lasting way past quitting time.  These are also days of transition. Powerful storms rattle with thunder across...

Cumberland Heights Beautiful River Road Campus
17 Mar 2016

I Was Hopeless

I Was Hopeless By Rich J., Cumberland Heights Alumnus At the table was a small piece of paper that read, 'Everything is going to be OK.' But I wasn’t OK, not yet.Still Waters is a 12-Step immersion program where AA and NA principles of recovery are taught using approved literature, fellowship, group...

9 Mar 2016

Fear of Missing Out

Fear of Missing Out By Jamie J., Cumberland Heights Alumna One of my biggest fears about getting sober was that it would be horribly boring. I wouldn’t see my friends or participate in my favorite things like dressing up on Halloween or going to see live music. I thought I’d be...

6 Mar 2016

Sunday Sermon: Grace Comes First

"Grace comes first. God meets us where we are and longs to be in relationship with us. When we can allow ourselves to be loved by God and experience God’s grace, that grace can so astonish us that all we can do is change course. Once we’ve experienced grace...

28 Feb 2016

Sunday Sermon: We Don’t Always Know

"We don’t always know why things happen in our lives. We don’t always know. Sometimes misfortune is of our own making and sometimes it’s tragically unlucky. But we can take those occasions to wake up and pay attention to our own lives. In some cases we have the opportunity...

19 Feb 2016

Say, Yes

Say, Yes By Stan Bumgarner M. Div., Counselor Last Sunday we celebrated Valentine's Day — the holiday of love, flowers and candy. I couldn’t help but remember back to elementary school and those pastel, heart-shaped candies that read: Be Mine, Call Me, XO and Love You. Love is an amazing emotion to...

1 Feb 2016

Learn from the Past, Look to the Future

Learn from the Past, Look to the Future By Stan Bumgarner M. Div., Counselor The Roman god Janus is depicted as a head with two faces. One face looks backward, the other forward. He is the god of doors, gates, beginnings and endings. He represents change. He sits in the present,...

21 Jan 2016

A Life Unmanageable

A Life Unmanageable By Nick S., Cumberland Heights Alumni Step 1: We admitted we were powerless over our addiction – that our lives had become unmanageable. When I relapsed after treatment I realized I was powerless over my addiction. I had just spent 30 days at Cumberland Heights, and was clean for a...

10 Jan 2016

Caught Between Our Joy and Our Fear

Sunday Sermon: Caught Between Our Joy and Our Fear "We all know what it's like to be caught between our joy and our fear. Those moments where this life in recovery feels pretty good and then something happens and our fear kicks in. The Magi found themselves caught between their...

22 Dec 2015

The Gift of Receiving

The Gift of Receiving By Stan Bumgarner M. Div., Counselor When my twins were four years old, I decided they were mature enough to grasp Christmas was about more than just getting presents from Santa and family. So I took them to a local discount store with the idea of helping...

20 Dec 2015

God is Not Looking for Perfection

Sunday Sermon: When God Reaches out for us, God is not Looking for Perfection "God finds ways to disrupt our lives to remind us that there is something more for our lives. The good news is that when God reaches out for us, God is not looking for perfection. God...

13 Dec 2015

We All Have the Choice of What We Maximize

Sunday Sermon: We All Have the Choice of What We Maximize "In those difficult situations in life, we all have the choice of what we maximize and what we will minimize. The person who has learned to choose gratitude for the positive in the midst of the negative is far...