Aaron Reddin onLife, Liberty, and Pursuit of Jesusness

If you write, blog, or create anything at all then you understand writer’s block. Maybe. I thought I did. I thought it was much like anything else. Seasonal. At times you’ve “got it” and others you don’t.

I realized yesterday that my attitude has been nothing but crap lately. I’m not going to feed you a bunch of excuses. I’ve just had a crappy attitude. Toward others, toward myself, and toward God.

I noticed also that I haven’t been able to write anything worth $0.02 during this same time. Time for a gut check wouldn’t you say?

I know God gave me writing. Whether I’m good at it or not, I don’t care. I love it.

I know God gave me the ability to determine how I would respond to people and circumstances as well. Good….or crappy.

I know that I can’t write anything of value, or have an incredible attitude without seeking Him. I’m nothing. I’m just a dude. I can be rude, crude, and socially unacceptable.

Yesterday I saw my attitude. I don’t know how or why. But I saw it and it was so ugly. I realized that I had chosen to respond to things in inappropriate ways and that I was just trying to go through my days on my own strength (which isn’t much, regardless of what you may have thought). ;)

So, with all of that being admitted, I’m on my way home. I want to get there and let God deal with me as He sees fit, which is currently to chizzle more crap off of my stoney heart.

Sometimes it can just be said better with a song. So here’s my today for you in a song. I’m on my way home. I hope to write something today when I get there.

This idea began last year as we found that many homeless would not come into shelters due to their geographic location. If they are near their work or resources it makes no sense to go to a shelter several miles away.

BUT, when asked if we provided them a free bicycle, would that decision change…..without hesitation the answer was yes.

This spring as many will be cleaning their garages and patios, there are THOUSANDS of bikes that will either get thrown out or just sit there for another wasted year. Why not donate it and give a homeless or even impoverished person a more effective mode of transportation?

I am currently seeking partners, sponsors, volunteers and other organizations that would like to get in on this magnificent effort with me.

If you would like to be a part in any way, please contact me at aaron@aaronreddin.com.

Big point:  Even when presenting the Word in regards to Christian drug/alcohol recovery, it’s a fine line between attacking the church and fighting for her. 

I’ve openly admitted my anger and at times disgust with the way that the Church (broad statement) has handled addiction ministry.  It’s no secret.  It’s also no secret that many people disagree with what I have to say about this topic, and even the way that I present it. 

A very dear and wise friend of mine told me just the other day that the more people know of me and read/hear the message that I’m bringing, the more I will have critics and nay-sayers.  I’ve found this to be very true.  I don’t mind.  I’m teachable.  At least I think I am.  And if someone has a well thought out and factual argument to correct me, I am all ears. 

What drives me is spreading the right message.  The last thing I want to do is spread the wrong one.  I believe that’s the problem I’m trying to combat. 

When I make statements about secular recovery programs, they are mostly blanket statements that would cover the literature and methods of the likes of AA or NA.

When I make statements regarding Christian recovery programs, they are not blanket statements.  They are not generalized.  There are some that are doing AMAZING work and find their power in Jesus alone.   That’s their core, and they know that God is bigger than any addiction. 

It’s the Christian groups who know the Word, yet breed a culture that is contrary that makes me feel like this guy. 

They make me angry.  I may be direct when addressing them.  I may even be overly direct. 

I don’t mind, because I don’t feel that there is enough time to wait for a baited hook to draw in a crowd that will listen.  I will openly put the Word to them and receive whatever response they offer. 

Life change should be the #1 priority.  Not group growth.  Not good fellowship.  Not good music. 

Life change.

So, for those who do think that I’m an addiction tyrant who wants to blast the Church as a whole, you’re wrong.  I want to end the bondage that’s being bred into MOST Christian recovery circles.  Not all of them have this problem.  There are some that are doing some amazing work and ushering in the presence of the Holy Spirit to radically change the lives of men and women. 

My goal is not to attack the Church as a whole.  My goal is to fight a battle against man-made ideas, traditions, customs, and even cultures in Christian recovery circles that are holding people in more and more bondage and ultimately decreasing the amount of faith that people put in our living and POWERFUL God. 

So, before you see me as an enemy of the church, realize that I am indeed fighting, but I’m not fighting the Church.  I’m fighting the enemy that is creeping into our people’s hearts and uprooting the truth of scripture and replacing it with man’s ideas. 

Try to see me as this guy, not fighting the Church, but fighting the enemy.  Then search out the scriptures that address bondage and strongholds.  Even healing.  Then read more of what I have written about addictions and you will see that you too may have a passion to roll up your sleeves and attack the enemy that is now breaking through our gates.  It’s time to stop him.  Jesus fights for this every single day.  I will also. 

Christians don’t have to live in bondage to addiction, groups, shame, blame, failure, guilt or anything else.  It is for FREEDOM that Christ has already set us FREE.  Are we going to walk in it?  Are we going to make sure that others know how to walk in it?  Or do we let the enemy continually advance into our friends and family and sell them on the belief that this is as good as it’s going to get? 

Not me.  I’m fighting.  Say what you want.  I’m fighting.

I have no clue where I found this, so unfortunately I am unable to give credit to anyone.  If it’s yours, tell me so I can give you mad gangsta props homie…..

Far too often I have an agenda.  I wake up and my agenda for the day is all that matters. 

I’m shallow.  I’m vain.  But if you could cut my heart open, you’d see that I so desperately want to give every single second to God.  I want to be consumed with his presence.  I secretly hate the way that I prioritize my life, then notice the priorities are out of whack.  But what do I do to change it?  Nothing.  I stay in my mess.  The status quo. 

I once heard (not sure if it’s true) that the definition of “status quo” is “the mess we’re in”.  We stay in it.  It’s what we know.  It’s comfortable.  Yet when our little bubbles get popped we run to daddy for that real quick refresher.  We run down the isle.  We feel better, but make no lasting changes. 

Jesus doesn’t do one-night stands.  It’s not his style.  It’s not his way.  Yet it’s mine, and some of yours’. 

I don’t want to be a whore anymore.  Watch this video and see what I mean.

God, EXPLODE in my life today. I don’t want to act like whore, or treat you like one either. Please manifest your Holy Spirit in my being today as I seek you out in all that I do. I want to do everyday, for you. In Jesus’ name….

Confession:  I am angry.  I really am.  I am so angered by the culture and the hopelessness that is being pushed into and bred throughout the church in recovery groups.  I’m pissed.  There I said it. 

In having lunch yesterday with a local pastor, I learned a lot about what drives my passion on these topics. 

He is a pastor who doesn’t even try to pretend to be “Mr. Pastor”.  He knows that he doesn’t know everything.  That was so freakin’ refreshing to me.  But what boosted my respect for him through the roof was the fact that after YEARS in full-time church ministry, he is still hungry to learn how to practically minister to people who he can’t personally relate to.  That’s HUGE. 

Not many pastors will invite a big-mouth little pee-on like me to lunch, just so he can pick his brain to understand how he can minister to people “in recovery”. 

Ok, so on to the point.  I realized at some point in our discussion that a lot of what I have a problem with comes from the “faith placement” of the people in Christian recovery groups. 

Some of them get very defensive and even hostile if you even insinuate that God is greater than their group.  For some reason, they want God, but they don’t want to buy into his SUPREME power. 

Recovery groups are becoming idols.  You may disagree, and the comment section below is a great place to do so. 

If you are quick to defend your “group” over your “god” then you have a serious problem there.  That’s where I find a serious problem. 

Most groups have amazing literature.  Amazing processes.  Amazing love and acceptance.  Amazing support.  A truck load of great intentions.

The problem lies in the heart and culture which silently spreads the message that “Recovery Group > God”……

Sometimes in life you encounter things that simply have no valid explanation.  You can’t explain where they come/came from.  How they are so incredible, and why you are powerless over them. 

The only explanation that I can find sometimes is that Jesus makes things by hand and sends them down to earth just for our pleasure. 

I’ve began compiling a list of these things.  Feel free to comment and add anything that you think Jesus hand makes.  Or tell me how stupid I am, whatever…. Here’s the list, in no particular order…..

1.  Chocolate Molten Lava Cakes at Chili’s

2.  iPhones – no explanation needed

3.  The Arkansas Times (joking)

4.  Coffee.  I don’t care if it’s Starbucks or the crap you get at a Love’s truck stop.  Jesus makes that stuff by hand.  Coffee is of the Lord.  Just remember that decaf is from the devil.

5.  Flip-Flops.  This one requires no thought.  Do you really think He had those super fly multi-color high-tops outside of Footlocker in the mall?

6.  Recliners – every man must have one.

7.  Charcoal grills.  Gas grills come from that other place. 

8.  Dogs.  Jesus hand makes puppies.  Satan makes kittens.  (I know I just lost some readers but sometimes you just have to speak the truth lol)

9.  Toyota Yaris’.  It’s like the only one that hasn’t been recalled.  I have one and love it!!  Totally of the Lord!!

10.  Pearl Jam albums.  No, I don’t care if you call me a total heretic now.  There are few greater creations on the planet than a good Pearl Jam album. 

There you have it.  My top ten list of things that Jesus makes by hand.  Leave me a comment and tell me what you think he’s making up there right now….

No, not that kind of bullhorn.....

I love to blog, but I will openly admit that I have NO clue what I’m doing most of the time. 

I do it mostly because I want people to hear the crap that is bouncing around in my head.  Since I don’t have a bullhorn, this is how I do it. 

The thing is, there is more to having a quality blog than just writing crap.  What little I know, I’ve had to teach myself over the last 2 years and I find that I’m still about 2 years behind all the cool bloggers.  Anyway….

I started using a plug-in called WP Super Cache that helps speed up load time for your readers.  Well, I want you all to be happy when you come here so it was a no brainer. 

Then I found another one called WPtouch.  It makes checking out the blog on your mobile device 1,000 times easier.  Again, no brainer. 

But here’s the brainer…..the two wouldn’t work right together and I was about to flip out!!  People on a computer were seing the mobile version and people on a mobile device where seeing the regular version.  WAY over my head.  I happened to Tweet about it and VERY quickly got a response from @bravenewcode telling me how to make these things work like a clock….or a windmill…or a car…(unless it’s a Toyota HA!!)

So, here are these awesome plug-ins for you along with a demo video to show you how to simply make them make you look like you know what the crap you’re doing…..

WP Super Cache and WPtouch

It was a long night last night.  As you can see in the previous post, my little cousin has been having some severe health concerns. 

After time in AR Children’s Hospital, then seeing my neurosurgeon, and 3 trips to the ER…..all within about 4 days…..a doctor at UAMS was finally able to figure out what is going on. 

He says that Mikey has Occipital Neuralgia.  This is what is causing his seizures and extreme headaches.  He is treating it with medicine for a couple of weeks to see how it responds.  If it does not respond well, they will try doing steroid injections into the nerves.  I know from experience that those are NO fun.  Praying the meds will do their job.

The fact remains that he does still have the mass on the pineal gland of his brain.  This doctor says that it is not obstructing or causing any damage right now, but must be checked again in 6 months. 

Though it is a HUGE relief to finally know what’s really going on with him, he is still in need of our prayers that God would move in his life like nothing he’s ever seen before.  I pray that God would destroy that mass and any ill-effects that could have potentially been causing.  I pray for complete restoration from the Occipital Neuralgia as well. 

You all have been amazingly supportive and your faith and prayers are so greatly appreciated!!  Please keep Mikey on the list!  Thanks again!

My little cousin, Michael Reddin, (who isn’t so little anymore) has been informed that he has a mass in the center of his brain in the pineal gland. 

Mikey is only 17 years old and you can imagine what this must be like for him. 

This week he was admitted to AR Children’s Hospital and had all the tests and junk ran on him for having extreme headaches, seizures, and loss of feeling in parts of his body.  They told him he had severe migraines and were preparing to discharge him, when they came back into the room to notify them that the MRI showed a mass on the brain. 

They discharged him with only instructions to follow up with a neurosurgeon or neurologist and that was that. 

Last night it happened again and he was in the ER until about 3AM this morning.  Then again today it happened yet again and he has been in the hospital most of the afternoon.  They are now transporting him to UAMS, where hopefully someone can give some answers as to what is going on. 

I know he is scared.  I know his parents, my aunt and uncle, are just as scared.  I know his big sister Kayla is probably freakin’ out too. 

I’m going to go down to UAMS to pray with him shortly and I just ask that you would join in agreement and prayer for Mikey’s situation.  God is BIG and does BIG things and now we are crying out to Him to do what He does best. 

Thank you all so much!!

This song gets into my head and gets stuck there at least 7-8 times per month.  It never gets old.  If you think it does, that means you are!!  Turn it up!!!

I’ve been inundated with questions the last few days about my back and my return to my position as the Director of Men’s Ministries for drug/alcohol recovery at the Union Rescue Mission. Though I have tried to refrain from posting about my personal life, I felt this one was appropriate.

I became unable to work at the beginning of December, and I wasn’t able to have my 3rd major back surgery until January 14th. I had a fusion which included 4 screws and 2 rods. Recovery time varies with each individual. Mine seems to be taking it’s time.

This past Friday I saw my surgeon for some followup X-rays and to see why I was having some extremely sharp pain in my spine. Long story short, my back simply has to have more downtime to heal.

The Union Rescue Mission had given me until Feb 15th to return, or I would be terminated. My surgeon said that he wanted me off work a minimum of six more weeks. So, after 2+ years of ministry at the URM, I was terminated.

I have many mixed feelings about the situation, and the decision making of the leadership of the organization. Most of those feelings are better kept private.  I will not rant on here about the situation, I just wanted to share with you all what has happened. 

I grew a lot and learned a lot during my time there, and had the chance to point many people to Jesus. I pray that they keep looking at him!

So what’s next for me? I don’t have a clue. I can’t go get another job because the surgeon says no work. It’s my understanding that I can’t draw unemployment since the URM is a non-profit. And disability takes centuries to get approved. So the future is uncertain.

What I do know is that God has some things working now that have removed me from a place where I could not be who he created me to be, and is moving me in directions that will allow me to live in more freedom as I point to Jesus.

Please pray for me and my wife as we persevere through a season of uncertainty. Please pray for my men in the recovery program there, that they will hold fast to Galatians 5:16.

I love you all and hope to continue serving the hurting alongside you in our area. My personal contact info can be found on the “contact” page. No brainer, I know. Please feel free to contact me for anything regarding outreach, recovery, consulting, writing, or whatever!  My life focus will still be on outreach and I will still be very involved in the efforts taking place in this city. 

In stepping into this beautiful new season of my life and ministry, I will close this post with my hearts most sincere prayer:

“God, I don’t have great faith, but I can be faithful. My belief in you may be seasonal, but my faithfulness will not. I will follow in the way of Christ. I will act as though my life and the lives of others matter. I will love. I have no greater gift to offer than my life. Take it. In Jesus’ name” – Unknown

A couple of weeks ago I set out to do what proved to be the impossible for me. I determined to abstain from all social media while I spent 2 weeks slaving over my manuscript in hopes of sending it to some publishers this spring. See my failed plan HERE.

I failed, miserably!!  In a sense though, I’m glad I failed.  Not because I want to fail at getting my book published, that’s my lifelong dream and I’m going after it with all I’ve got! 

But here are a couple reasons that I’m glad I failed:

1.  There is no way to stay sane while spending two weeks doing nothing but writing.  What was I thinking? 

2.  There is no way I would have had enough inspiration to pop out a couple thousand more words without the joy of interacting with friends.

3.  How about inspiration?  It doesn’t just come from your noggin’.  Seeing and hearing what people are going through is what pushes me on and drives me to rake the scriptures over for the truth of God’s power in their circumstances. 

4.  I just love y’all….that simple.  (and maybe I’m just a media addict, which is totally contrary to what I’m trying to accomplish) 

So, you get the point.  I blew it.  I opened my big fat mouth and didn’t have the discipline (or desire) to follow through.  For that I apologize. 

Still not writing a lot of blog posts yet.  That’s why you’ve been inundated with videos!  :) 

Thanks for hanging out and reading the blog, even when the posts are crap!  Once you get the book, you’ll understand and then make everyone you know go and buy a copy right then!!  Ok, that’s just a wish….