The Complexity and Shame of Addiction

Compiled by Cindy Goad from materials edited by David Sper, written by Tim Jackson and Jeff Olson, "When We Just Can't Stop: Overcoming Addiction"

Addictions raise many questions. Are they moral weaknesses, diseases, habits, or sins? Are they physical dependencies, or complicated spiritual cycles? What’s needed for change? Is it medical treatment, family intervention, daily group accountability, or spiritual transformation? Can behaviors be changed quickly, or will recovery be the process of a lifetime? The answer to these questions are anything but simple. Honesty demands that we acknowledge the complexity of addiction. Defining Addiction: An addiction is an enslaving, destructive dependency… “the state of being enslaved to a habit or practice or to something that is psychologically or physically habit-forming, to such an extent that its cessation causes severe trauma.”

Because a person can be physically predisposed to an addiction, and because of the likelihood of medical complications, addictions are often viewed as a disease. It would be a mistake, however, to think only in terms of the physical dimensions. Most addictions are rooted in moral choices and spiritual needs. 

What is most important is not whether we are predisposed to an enslaving habit, but whether we are willing to do whatever it takes to bring this predisposed “diseased body,” habit or idol under the control of reason and faith. Addictions are not just diversions of choice. We see them as lifeboats necessary for our survival. Addictions give us something we believe we must have in order to live. They provide predictable relief and power in an unpredictable and painful world.  Our addictions provide a remedy that helps us to forget the pain--at least for a little while.  In time, they become worse than the pain we were trying to relieve. Now we find ourselves needing relief not only from our inescapable losses but also from the shame of our own foolishness. We feel shame for an addictive behavior that made our problems worse. 

Shame, however, is also a deceiver. In the beginning, pleasure holds us in the addiction.
In time, shame has the same effect. 

With shame, unless you first identify the problem, you will pass by the many treatments in Scripture without ever seeing or hearing them. Shame. You feel worthless, rejected, dirty and exposed. Sometimes you feel it because of what you have done, in which case your badness must exceed community standards. Shame attaches itself to our sins and does indeed have many faces. It seems to be everywhere and yet still be elusive. Maybe that’s why we can’t do anything with it until we put words on it. But God puts words on it, so we should too. That itself can be hopeful. It can also leave us wanting more. If you want more right away, just watch Jesus. He goes out of his way to meet, touch, bless and restore the shamed and addicted. 

At this crossroads of invitation, there is an opportunity for change. It is an opportunity to discover life through a process of admitting our addiction, acknowledging our pain, accepting responsibility for the damage we've done, pleading for mercy, choosing surrender, and caring for others. Here at this crossroads, our hearts can come alive in the presence of One who, while knowing everything about us, still wants to come into us and be the God and Friend we've been looking for. It will become clear that we need undeserved help and forgiveness. Mercy will become our new found joy. Mercy invites us to a change of heart, a repentance, that will cause us to gladly turn from our idolatrous obsessions. With failure behind us, mercy now calls us to a new dependence on God. For the first time, we will have more than momentary pleasure. Now we will have reason to destroy the idol and break all ties with it.

In our reflective moments we will always have to admit that the pleasure of our addiction doesn't deserve to be compared to the mercies of God. 

Titus 2:11-14 

“For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

--Cindy Chapple | Leader of Overcoming through Christ at Advance Memphis | cgoad@advancememphis.org

A Volunteer's Experience with Advance

Jay Webb, pictured at center, above, has volunteered at Advance Memphis for over a year. Below are the notes he wrote before presenting to a meeting of his church members about his experiences at Advance. We were encouraged to read about his perspective on the Lord's work in 38126. Read his notes, below. 

What is Advance Memphis:

For me, the transformative statement of Advance Memphis is that is a relational example of the Lord’s work and intent. The program is serves individuals that have been lost in the abyss of apathy, neglect and/or self-induced pain.

 I will borrow from the programs mission statement: Advance intends to empower members of their specific community (Claiborne –Foote, the 38126 zip code) to recognize their specific skills and value as unique and gifted individuals - children of a Father, who created all of us to find joy and meaning in work. Advance has 3 distinct initiatives:

1.       The nationally recognized Jobs for Life program - candidates encounter a 6 week soft skills training program for those who are unemployed or under employed.  It begins with simple elements of work place conduct and is finished off with literacy and GED certification.  Jobs are then assigned with the cooperative partners.

2.       Faith and Finance – while working the candidate attends an 11 week program of financial literacy skills which is required for the 3^rd part of the distinct program.

3.       Individual Development Account (IDA) – graduates are incentive to save with a $2 match to $1 dollar saving program. These funds are used to assist in the essentials of obtaining transportation, housing or additional education.

Why am I involved:

In preparation to speak with you, I had to search, why am I involved? There are dozens of reasons why and most of them are selfish in nature. Does that sound strange? No, because most of you serve and or volunteer. Don’t we get more than we give, when we serve?  Serving the specific community of 38126; one of the poorest zip codes in the U.S., and walking in the doors of Advance you are connected with some of the most ambitious folks you will ever encounter. Overwhelmingly, the filter of the front door brings the true players, the truly ambitious, those who have prayed for change. Those most motivated, walk through that door and in to the fold of its director, Steve Nash and the Advance staff. You are not working with “lost folk” (as Rocky use to say) inside Advance. Within that door you find relationships that are built on love, mercy, grace and acceptance. That is not to say, that you avoid the installation and foundational components of accountability and discipline! The key emphasis; and this is very important, the message and treatment is delivered with human dignity and compassion for another human.  The result of this environment is tremendous! If you want to witness the impact of Christ spirit and visitation, come with me and attend the graduation day. You will be washed in the joy of accomplishment; you invariably will witness the testimony of a candidate or see the new or refreshed commitment to Christ! The energy of the room is amazing, the dull room takes on new dimensions, and people are changing their life’s direction!

This summer, our ministers have been repeating the message of redemption.  Barton Kimbro’s delivery of the meeting of Jesus and the lowly tax collector Zacharias, Mitchell’s sermon, Jesus acceptance and validation of the Samarian women. Dan Brown, he probably thought I wasn’t listening while he discounted his abilities, but the delivery of the idea - God accepts me, but in an insecure moment – you think, will your neighbor accept you, will he/she forgive me, will they recognized your redemption? Can I have the second chance?

 Second chances and recognition of redemption is the strike zone of Advance. It isn’t genius on their behalf; they simply follow Christ teachings and methodology!   We/they serve the individuals who fell off the assembly line of education as teenagers and woke up to find themselves in their early 20’s without work skills , unfinished educational and most often, a criminal record for various destructive reasons. We all know the national statistics of crime rate in our youth between the ages of 13 to 21 years of age. When you add the lack of education on to the equation, the multiples jump.

Closing:

 I have had all the chances one person can be given. That said, I am an advantage immigrant, a product of a father in the military, whose marriage dissolved with my Mother when I was young living in my Mothers native country. As an ace in my hand, my mother was incredibly strong willed and devoted. Additionally, I have been fortunate to have had mentors that served as role models and nurtured me with good habits and emphasized the value of education.  I can’t say that - I found them or they found me! The reality is that mentors were always provided. Wonder, how that happens? Do you think someone was in their ear, like I and our churches are in your ears? I was very fortunate to have had these mentors and most of all they been grounded the Lords grace and capabilities.   

Our Lords acceptance of me is paramount, His gifts have been plentiful, my family the greatest gift of all. I am at Advance, developing relationships and delivering the message of redemption, education or re-education, because it is my responsibility!  It is my responsibility to serve others and nurture those who God loves and who love him.  Who in here has never had adversity? Show me hand! The rest of you are qualified to serve.

How can you get involved?

Contact Advance on Vance Avenue, up the street from Streets Ministry.  Call or write Steve Nash, the Director.  Go to advancememphis.org. Look for a staff member in this room. Grab me.

Other notes:

 It personifies everything that is right n the Memphis community. Let me say, there is a lot going on in Memphis that is good and just. This church, our churches, its members, its leadership and objectives are energized and gaining momentum.  Advance is a component of that energy and momentum! Using Christ example and scriptural mandate, we are accepted and worthy of redemption. My favorite poet wrote, “We are one, we are not the same, yet - we must carry each other”. I identify with that statement. It was written for a different occasion, but it is as true a statement in regards to our community as any other statement that can be made. 

Bus Route Cuts

Did you vote in local elections last fall? If so, you either voted for or against a proposed one cent gas tax that would have helped fund the MATA bus system. Only 38% of voters approved this tax. It failed, and now dozens of routes are being drastically changed or eliminated. Some Advance alumni are losing their transportation to or from work. In the poorest metropolitan city in the nation, can we afford to cut services to the working poor? 

In both Old and New Testaments, the Bible testifies to two central economic convictions:

·         God created people to work, and

·         the faith community is responsible personally and corporately to make sure that work WORKS for those who work.

OT laws like the Jubilee and gleaning laws testify to the great sacrifices Israelite society was to make in order to ensure that people could earn their own living (see: http://tinyurl.com/lszg7nv ), and James’ words condemn those who employ workers but don’t pay them enough to provide for themselves (James 5:4-5).

Last week, we found out from a concerned neighbor that MATA plans to make serious reductions to bus service beginning next month. The vast majority of our graduates use the bus service to get to work, and one of our biggest staffing customers, WM Barr, will no longer have any bus service on President’s Island. Already, low-income Memphians have seen a 30% reduction in bus service over the last 5 years. Furthermore, with the elimination of big public housing projects, poor Memphians are being relocated further and further from downtown services AND workplaces. This means we need more bus service, not less.

Even in times of tight budgets, Christians must fight for robust public transportation because this is the only way that work can be a viable option for the poor. Saving on our city budget by making it harder for the poor to get and keep jobs is like sawing off the tree branch you’re sitting on. Many of our residents don’t have cars because they don’t have money; if they can’t get a job because of reduced bus service, what are they supposed to do? Old Testament saints made the edges of their agro-businesses available for the poor to glean from; must we not fight to keep access to work places available for our low-income neighbors? If the faith community does not take responsibility for making work WORK, then we should not be surprised if organized crime flourishes; if people can’t get to work, they’ll take what work they can find nearby, legal or otherwise.

The time to act is NOW! Here are some action steps you can take in the next 3 days. They won’t take much time, and each one will put pressure on our elected officials!

1. Call your council representative. You can use this website to get their emails, or send an email to all of them (http://www.cityofmemphis.org/Government/CityCouncil/CouncilMembers.aspx). To find out who yours is, you can use this one: http://www.cityofmemphis.org/Portals/0/pdf_forms/2011_Redistricting_Maps.pdf. If you know yours already, a list of all council email addresses is here. 

2. Email your thoughts before Friday at 5 p.m. to publiccomments@matatransit.com 

3. Go to one of two public meetings. These are on Tuesday and Thursday, 5:30-7:30 pm. Info here: http://www.matatransit.com/newsandalerts/public-meetings/

Thrift Store Survey: Help Us Complete Research for Co-ops

These interns are hard at work doing biz dev research to support our investigation into the feasibility of beginning worker owner cooperative businesses here in 38126. Support them in their efforts! Read below to see how you can help them by completing a brief survey. 

Why did God give Israel laws requiring His people to share ASSETS among the poor as well as INCOME (Leviticus 25)? In God's economy, the poor are given access to more than hand-outs or even wages; through the Year of Jubilee they also receive access to ownership! 

Advance Memphis is exploring ways to help our South Memphis neighbors live into God's economy through empowering local entrepreneurs and launching worker-owned cooperative businesses. 

You can help us with the early stages of this research by taking our brief survey on RESALE STORES (thrift, consignment, antique shops, etc). Here's the link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CLHZYQZ. 

Join us as we not only try to teach folks to fish, but just as importantly, make sure that every fisherman has access to the pond. 

Thanks!

The Advance Memphis Co-Op Research Team

News from Employment Support

The Restore and Renew program was developed as an additional rung on Advance Memphis's employment ladder -- one that gives a second chance to graduates who had been terminated from employment in our Staffing Program. Below is an email from Employment Support Specialist Juanita Johnson, reporting to our staff team on the success of that program and other efforts of that department. Be encouraged!

Dear team,

Twelve graduates started Restore & Renew six weeks ago and all twelve successfully completed the class on yesterday!  Thanks to Michael for seeing my vision for this class and helping to bring it to fruition two years ago, and to Walter [pictured above left, Walter teaches this class] for his patience, love, mentoring and leadership.  We have seen a 90% success rate with R&R grads returning to work and staying in active status for at least 90-days.  

Additionally, I would like to let everyone know why you are seeing [student] and [student] in the building so much recently. Walter has taken these two young men under his wings and is mentoring and monitoring them as they work through specific goals that once complete, will allow them to be more mature, committed, and trustworthy gentlemen.  

I am asking that you will please continue to pray for the Employment Support program as we continue to develop and expand to allow more time for mentoring and relationship repairing as outlined above.  

Thanks and be blessed!

Juanita Johnson

Resurrection Church

In the corner of the body of Christ where I hang out, most folks seem to understand pretty clearly that we are saved “not by works, so that no man can boast,” but solely by the free and gracious gift of Christ’s death. But lately I've noticed that when we talk about the church, we sometimes make a subtle shift towards an us-centered effort. Maybe we’re told that the church has the “potential” to change the world, or maybe we’re hearing about how the church’s failure has resulted in some or other of the world’s ills. 

And of course this is all true . . . to a point. As we self-assess how we, as this eye or that toe of the body of Christ, are being faithful to Jesus, it is right and good for us to be prophetically rigorous in naming our racism, greed, classism, lust, individualism, nationalism, or downright apathy, and even to name how our failures have been failures to Jesus, the Head, to the rest of His body, the church, and to our neighbors throughout the world.

Nevertheless, I think that some of our talk about the church can make a grave error: speaking as if the church’s mission is up for grabs, as if the church might stand, and change the world, or fall, and destroy it. But it is Jesus himself who promised to build His church on the rock of Peter’s confession that Jesus is the King of the entire world. And that promise to build the church was tied to another: “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” We often picture this as a promise that the church will survive hell’s onslaught, when really it’s actually the opposite. Gates aren't offensive weapons like swords or nuclear bombs, they’re defensive weapons, like moats, ramparts, or missile shields. So the promise isn't that the church will survive hell’s onslaught, the promise is that hell will be demolished by the church’s attack.

And to some extent, to look around and say, “It sure doesn't look like we’re pulling down the gates of hell,” is to look in the wrong direction. Because the gates of hell have already fallen before the Risen Christ. He has already defeated hell through his resurrection, and it is this risen body of Jesus which every Christian is grafted into. To be the church is to be part of the people united with the risen Lord.

Eugene Peterson calls the church a “colony of heaven in the kingdom of death.” And what I’m saying is that this colony is backed by an enormous super power, the Empire of God, which has already taken out the capital of Death’s kingdom. The church’s work in the world is founded upon the resurrection and carried out in the power of the resurrection. Our work is from life to life. Just as our personal salvation is sure, so also is the church’s victory through its union with the victorious Christ.

Of course there is a longing, a waiting, a deep gasping for breath before all of this is finally consummated and completed, when the Risen Lord comes to resurrect us. And what that means is that the way that we live out our life in the Risen Head as we wait to become fully the risen toes, feet, and fingers, is that we expect to travel the way of the cross. I needed the reminder of resurrection this week, because recently the brokenness of my neighborhood, family, life, and world has been overwhelming (remember Andrew’s post about failure?). And that feeling can and has fueled cynicism, burnout, bigotry, and despair in my life and the lives of many of us. But if Jesus really rose from the dead, all the pain of the world is the pain of the cross, and it should simply fuel wonder that this, this too, will be raised from the dead. May we always speak of the bride with the confidence that the cross is the sure means and the resurrection the sure end by which Christ has saved, is saving, and will save the world.

Michael Rhodes

mrhodes@advancememphis.org

Lessons from Jawbreakers

Dear Friends,

Why do I need winter, a garage, a cat, Jawbreakers, and a friend to help me to learn contentment and joy? Isn’t reading God’s word and going to church enough? Well, it’s NOT for this writer.

Sermons at church about joy and contentment prick my heart from time to time. But when those lessons are coupled with relationships that show me the contrast between what I SHOULD do and what I AM doing—then things get moving. Change happens. We all know that God's word says to imitate Jesus. To do that, we must be constantly changing. If I'm imitating Him, then I'm always repenting of my sin and seeking His design. My friend Jane is helping me to do that in a mighty way. 

Jane asks me, “How can I heat the garage I’m living in with a space heater and not drive up the owner’s utility bill?” I admit my ignorance and then begin to brainstorm with her.  She is not bitter about her living situation—quite the opposite. In fact, I actually notice her contentment and her gratitude to the family letting her live in their garage.

WOW, that is in STARK contrast to the 

way that I respond to all I have.

Now we get to the part about Jane’s cat—I really don’t like cats. Jane has four cats, and she loves them. So where does my friend find her joy? She is elated to be on our computers at Advance learning how to use email so that she can communicate with an agency that will help take care of her cats for free. As I am talking to her, she asks me a question about email. Eventually she sends off her request for help, delighted that she has found a way to help her cats.

Then Jane’s Champion (mentor) arrives. Jane jumps up—thrilled—and says “I love this lady!” You see, Jane had been asking for a Champion for months (she went through Jobs for Life before we offered mentoring). Advance began to pray and ask friends if they would be this woman’s Champion. God has answered that prayer and Jane is studying God’s word with her Champion. This mentor knew it was my friend’s birthday and brought a cake to celebrate! Now Jane's joy was overflowing; her delight over cats being helped for free, having a friend to study the Bible with her, and having a birthday cake. I have more friends and invitations to study the Bible than I can possibly accept, plus birthday cake options every year. Again, God is using her joy and contentment to convict my heart. 

Now let’s deal with this box of candy. A couple of weeks ago Jane was in the office and shared her Jawbreakers with me.  Today she asks me to close my eyes because she has a surprise for me. We all know the game and I was happy to play. Her hands are behind her back. I’m told to pick a hand. I pick left and am given a box of Jawbreakers! I’m thrilled with the gift and my heart is now in tension.

Friends, this woman joyfully lives in a garage and has planned this purchase and gift for me—JAWBREAKERS. Why don’t I have more joy, contentment, and generosity in my life? Oh, the reasons are many; maybe my environment is too sterile (church, neighborhood, school) or maybe I’m just “too busy” to plan a thoughtful gift or listen to God or reflect on a sermon.

I know I'm not the only one who benefits from seeing this contrast. Won't you come get involved in a personal relationship and begin to embrace cats, candy, and garages? God will continue to use His word and many other things—Jawbreakers!—to move us toward being more joyful, content, and generous. Please bring your time, talents, and resources. Let’s build His kingdom and embrace reciprocal learning!

Sincerely,

Steve