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Preparing to Blend is an initiative aimed at helping couples who are considering engagement or already preparing for marriage, especially when one or both partners have children from previous relationships. It's a mentoring program where experienced couples like Hilary and Jeff offer their wisdom and guidance to aspiring blended families through premarital material created by Ron L. Deal.
The program intends to help these couples understand and prepare for their impending responsibilities and potential challenges, thereby setting a strong foundation for their family's future. By addressing potential issues before they arise, couples are better prepared to handle the challenges of becoming a blended family.
Celebrate Recovery is a decades-old ministry that came out of Saddleback Church. (Recovery from: alcoholism, divorce, sexual abuse, codependency, domestic violence, drug addiction, sexual addiction, food addiction, gambling addiction). I recommend this ministry to everyone because it’s literally for everyone; for people who struggle to overcome “hurts, hang ups and habits”. I went through the Step Study in 2015 while I was going through divorce and struggling with anger, co-dependency, depression and anxiety.Being part of a close knit supportive community is actually biblical. If you want to be forgiven Jesus will do that in a moment. If we want to be healed, we need each other. In CR I was loved, encouraged, prayed for, supported, and taught. I experienced many more of the “one another’s” found in scripture. We were not created to go through our struggles alone and that is why I go to CR; for myself and for the sake of others.
Reconciliation Resources has made a huge impact in my life. The small groups are led by people that are or have gone through the same things as you. Being part of a small group is important to me because of the safety, encouragement, and advice you can only find in a settings small groups provide.The Bible talks a lot about being part of a community so you can learn and grow together; even Jesus had his disciples. We cannot heal and grow being by ourselves we need people who understand and have experienced similar things as us, it doesn’t matter how hard you try and how many people you have supporting you – forgiveness and healing only come from the grace of God.
