Everything Fades In Time...It's True

August 24 th , 2018. This date might not mean anything to you, but for me, it was the day my world changed. Over 5 years ago, I drank my final sip of alcohol. This is the longest that I have been sober in my life since the age of 16.  33+ years of abusing alcohol has taken its toll on me physically, relationally, and mentally. I found out recently that this is apparently an inherited trait, as my father was also an alcoholic. The ironic part of this revelation is that I didn't even grow up with my father. I don't know the man. I couldn't pick him out of a police lineup (ironically, he was part of quite a few of those). When I was in middle school, my mother took me to meet him. I don't think she wanted us to get to know each other. I think she wanted me to see that I wasn't missing out on much not having him be a part of my life. It's funny how we can take inherit the characteristics of relatives that aren't even part of our lives, like twins that are se...

Whether it's drugs, alcohol, pornography, or anything else, addiction affects so many people in our world today. Regardless of the vice or level of addiction, the reality is that addiction is a destructive force that can rip families apart and tear apart an individual's life.  But the good news is, there is hope. In Isaiah 61:1, the prophet says that God has anointed us to "comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed." This means that no matter how deep our addiction may be, no matter how long we have struggled with it, God is able to set us free.  However, in order to experience that freedom, we must first acknowledge our addiction and the hold that it has on us. We must confront the areas of our lives that are not in alignment with God's will and allow him to heal and restore us. This may require us to seek help from support groups, or professionals, but it also requires us to surrender our addiction to Go...