1. Faith Imperatives in Steps to Recovery Charles Luke, Ed.D.Tarrant County Spiritual Care Network www.tarrantscn.org

2. How Has Faith Affected You? Pair up with a partner and discussan event in your life where your or another persons faith affected you deeply. (5 minutes) Share your experience. Choose one word that would express how you felt at that time. (5 - 10 minutes). Record the words on a sheet of paper. 3. When our hearts turn to Him, that is opening thedoor to Him, that is holding up our mirror to Him; then He comes in, not by our thought only, not in our idea only, but He comes Himself, and of His own will. Thus the Lord, the Spirit, becomes the soul of our souls, becomes spiritually what He always was creatively; and as our spirit informs, gives shape to our bodies, in like manner His soul informs, gives shape to our souls. - From Creation in Christ by George MacDonald 4. Objectives for Today Determine connections between strongpersonal faith and the 12 steps to recovery. Learn concrete steps to include faith-based approaches in the prevention/recovery processes within the confines of the establishment clause (separation of church and state). Understand how post-residential involvement in communities of faith can provide strong 5. 12 Steps Road to Strong Personal Faith Step 1 - We admitted we were powerless over our addiction - that our lives had become unmanageable Faith Imperative Acknowledge Personal Sin For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. - Romans 3:23 For I know my transgressions and my sin is always before me. Psalm 51:3 6. 12 Steps Road to Strong Personal Faith Step 2 - Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity Faith Imperative: - Belief in Gods Redemption Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble and He saved them from their 7. 12 Steps Road to Strong Personal Faith Step 3 - Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God. Faith Imperative Personal Redemption And without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him. - Hebrews 11:6 8. 12 Steps Road to Strong Personal Faith Step 4 - Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves. Faith Imperative Self Awareness Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord. (Lam. 3:40) 9. Kohlbergs Moral Development 10. 12 Steps Road to Strong Personal Faith Step 5 - Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. Faith Imperative Confession/Accountability Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. (James 5:16a) 11. 12 Steps Road to Strong Personal Faith Step 6 We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. Step 7 - Humbly ask Him to remove our shortcomings. Faith Imperative - Humility Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up. James 4:10 12. 12 Steps Road to Strong Personal Faith Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all. Faith Imperative Recompense Do to others as you would have them do to you. - Luke 6:31. 13. 12 Steps Road to Strong Personal Faith Step 9 - Made direct amends to such people wherever possible except when to do so would injure them or others. Faith Imperative - Reconciliation Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Matt. 5:23-24 14. 12 Steps Road to Strong Personal Faith Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. Faith Imperative Growth and Spiritual AwarenessSo if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you dont fall. - 1 Cor. 10:12 15. 12 Steps Road to Strong Personal FaithStep 11 - Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out. Faith Imperative Intimacy/Conformity/Transformation For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. Romans 8:29 Do not be conformed to this world but be 16. 12 Steps Road to Strong Personal Faith Step 12 - Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. Faith Imperative Discipleship Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you may also be tempted. - Gal. 6:1 17. Implementing Faith-Based Recovery Why Consider It? DSPs with strong faith are perceived by clients as more dedicated and better at their jobs (Dilulio, 2000). Programmatic faith is a useful concept that can connect belief and values with implementation. (DeJong & Horn, 2008). Faith-focused programs have been estimated to reduce recidivism rates in prisons and re-entry facilities by as much as 50-60%. (McKean & Ransford, 2004). 18. 2012 Governors Criminal Justice Volunteer AwardDoris Zercher receives award for her work with TDCJ Parole Office for her faith-based Substance Abuse classes taught to parolees. 19. Implementing Faith-Based Recovery Engaging Faith-Base Partners: Identify Need and Opportunity (Dont do it just to do it.) Identify the Faith-based Partner that Best Fits Your Needs Engage in Discourse Establish Credibility Background Checks, etc. Collaboratively Develop a Program Approve Curriculum Create Written Documentation (MOU) - Set 20. Implementing Faith-Based Recovery Engaging Faith-Based Partners Continued: Provide appropriate training - Practical andregulatory. Ensure Consistent Monitoring Provide Ongoing Reports 21. Implementing Faith-Based Recovery Using Faith-Based Partners to Extend the COC: Residential clients connect with Faith-Based Volunteer and provide location of release. Volunteer identifies and connects with a willing, capable faith-community in that location that fits the clients profile. Faith-community provides client support after release. Volunteer consistently connects with faithcommunity and client for one year after release. Data collected on recovery becomes useful as 22. Implementing Faith-Based Recovery What It Looks Like @ Tarrant County Spiritual Care Network: Volunteer provides group facilitation and individual spiritual counseling 1-2 times per week. Volunteer obtains and keeps records and permissions related to individual post-release information (to connect them with post-release support). Volunteer reports via telephone or in writing bi-weekly to TCSCN. 23. Value Proposition There are multiple key faith-imperativesembedded in the 12 steps. Faith-based recovery can improve both relapse and recidivism rates. Partnering with a faith-community for faithbased recovery approaches is do-able. The right program can extend the continuum of care. 24. ConclusionHuman greatness does not lie in our ability to remake the world. That is the myth of the atomic age. Our greatness lies in our ability to remake ourselves. Mohandis K. Ghandi 25. Contact Tarrant County Spiritual Care Network Office: Mail: 3800 S. Hulen, Suite 230 3131 Sanguinet Fort Worth, Texas 76107 Fort Worth, Texas 76107 Charles Luke, Ed.D. Executive DirectorO: 817-510-2525 8594F: 817-510-2585C: 940-768- 26. References DeJong, F.J. & Horn, C (2008). Opening the black box of faith-based services: Measuring program components and treatment dose. The Center for FaithBased and Community Initiatives: Washington, D.C., p. 160.Dilulio, J. (2002). The three faith factors. The Public Interest, 129(4), 50-64. McKean, L. & Ransford, C. (2004). Current strategies for reducing recidivism. Center for Impact Research: Chicago, Il.