Do any of these statements fit?
You feel out of control. What began as an escape from the hassles of life has become hazardous. Something--drugs, alcohol, gambling, food, sex--is taking over. You feel like its slave.- You still love your addiction, but it's no longer friendly. You think it's time for a change, but you're not sure how to change.
- Someone told you you'd better change.
- You're already off and running, already leaving your addiction behind.
If so, Parkside has a ministry that we'd like to invite you to be part of. Finding Freedom is a 12-week discussion group for anyone who feels out of control or who wants to make needed changes in his or her life, but feels unable to do so. The group is designed not only to help people experience freedom from harmful and addictive choices and patterns, but to help people experience true satisfaction for their deepest longings.
The main philosophy of the group is that the habit or addiction itself is not the problem but rather a failed solution. Take alcohol, for example. The abuse of alcohol is not the primary problem. It may ruin lives and have devastating effects, but the primary problem is the unfulfilled longings that drove the person to drink. Therefore, the solution is not sobriety but fulfilling those underlying longings of the soul. In the group, we discuss how God created us to be in relationship with him and that he is what will fulfill our longings.
The group meets every Tuesday at 7pm in room 202. After some time to casually meet and greet others over a cup of coffee and a cookie, the meeting starts with a brief prayer. We then have a group discussion about a a principle from the workbook entitled Crossroads written by Ed Welch, PhD. After the discussion, there is an opportunity for anyone who is interested to talk about their particular struggle or how the evening’s topic relates to them. At the close of each meeting, prayer requests are shared and prayed for. The leaders strive to keep the official meeting to one hour in length, but many individuals stay after to catch up and encourage one another.
If you would like to know more about Finding Freedom, please contact Dan Larison at dlarison@parksidechurch.com or 440.543.1212.
