Slogan Commentary Corner - A Progressive Work...

"You're only as sick as your secrets."

-Secrets protect shame from being dismantled.  Shame's best weapon and defense is secrecy.  Operating from this refuge made by secrecy, shame easily reinforces the "need" for these toxic secrets.  This in turn creates the perfect incubator for toxic shame's authority being in full operation, cunningly being disguised as an ally in life.

In contrast, self-disclosure through honest confession opens the potential to neutralize the sting of shame by exchanging it for empathy and compassion, from invited insiders.  Self-disclosure in the beginning phases of recovery and healing is best when not done before a captive audience made up of people who have no accountability with what they do with your personal information.  Usually the best people to first practice vulnerable self-disclosure with have either been in your position of vulnerability, or authentically respect it.  The ideal candidate for being your invited insider to practicing pre-meditated self-disclosure with will often carry experiences of themselves having to carefully select people in their own life for this purpose.  The result often leads to the disarming of shame by applying the antidote of empathy and compassion.  If the candidate does not carry this experience themself, they value the practice and principles of this essential part of healing and recovery and fully support YOU.

"Recovery is for those who want it, not need it."

The key to powerful personal transformation in recovery/discipleship is neediness willingness, and lots of it, one day at a time.  Often, the admission ticket into gaining willingness is received after opening the circumstantial gift of desperation, which leads to either despair or hope.  People have to hit bottom before willingness is powerfully present, but our bottom can vary in how low it has to go, depending on many factors.  When I bring my willingness to the table, God's power manifests in amazing ways, from the ordinary to the extraordinary.  My hope and prayer for me and my loved ones is that God will raise the bottom, and I've witnessed it.  Complete catastrophe isn't a pre-requisite for change to be sought, though it won't go in vain if it was what launched willingness to into action.



...more coming soon....