Anchor Recovery Ministry

06/22/2026

As I was praying today, I thought of the needs of the people and how the Lord loves them so. I wished I could bring a word of comfort and healing. I see broken people all around. Lord, the people need a Word. Lord, the people need comfort. Lord, the people need healing; they need You. We cry out to You from the porch to the altar, we cry out.

We love You Lord, but more important, You love us. Yes, us, such that we are, imperfect, wounded and broken. You love us, oh how You love us and that will get us through the day. It's Monday the day we pray for families and a great day to think of 10,000 reasons to bless the Lord. Start with just one, even that you were able to get out of bed this morning. Thank Him for a place to lay your head at night. Thank Him for the smallest of things and you will remember more as the day goes by. We can even thank Him for the pain of life because it has strengthened us and molded us to become stronger in the Lord. Praying for the family member on the fringes of hope and with the small desire to find their purpose.

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06/11/2026

Pam Jones Lanhart says, “Recovery is about moving towards things that serve our health and wellbeing, not about moving away from “bad” things. It’s always about addition, not subtraction.”

I was reading a quote about how everyone is just trying to do the best they can. May we never look at others, judging how we think they should do it. We don’t know the exact makeup of their life experiences, DNA, anxieties or pain. I’m grateful the Lord has put my past behind me, as I strive by His grace to do better each day. Many days I fail. But each new day is a day to try again. As we pray for those in recovery today may we be gentle in our thoughts.

About amends from an NA book:
Basic Text, p. 41 ––––=–––– “As long as we still owe amends, our spirits are cluttered with things we don’t need. We’re carrying the extra load of an apology owed, a resentment held, or unexpressed remorse. It’s like having a messy house. We could leave so we don’t have to see the mess, or maybe just step over the piles of debris and pretend they aren’t there. But ignoring the disorder won’t make it disappear. In the end, the dirty dishes, the crumb-filled carpet, and the overflowing wastebaskets are still there, waiting to be cleaned up. A cluttered spirit is just as hard to live with as a messy home. We always seem to be tripping over yesterday’s leavings. Every time we turn around and try to go somewhere, there is something blocking our path. The more we neglect our responsibility to make amends, the more cluttered our spirits become. And we can’t even hire someone to clean up. We have to do the work ourselves. We gain a deep sense of satisfaction from making our own amends. Just as we would feel after we’ve cleaned our homes and have time to enjoy a bit of sunshine through sparkling windows, so will our spirits rejoice at our freedom to truly enjoy our recovery. And once the big mess is cleaned up, all we have to do is pick up after ourselves as we go along.”

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06/06/2026

THIS THING IS NOT GONNA BREAK YOU!
Feeling overwhelmed? God has got it covered. Call; his line is never busy and He won't put you on hold:

Jeremiah 33:3 (AMP) "You can't do it on your own. Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand)."

On Saturday, when we pray for those who grieve, we ask for help, strength and comfort. We ask for those who grieve for loved ones to be able to just do the next best thing, take that next step and to press on. For those who grieve the death of a dream, or marriage we ask for help and hope to live. I’m thinking of those who have had a recent loss today, especially a dear sister/mom/wife. Lord, please wrap arms of comfort around those who grieve.

Some of us are in times of transition and questioning why our loved ones go through what they are going through. Some need help for grief, some need provision and jobs. There are times and seasons for all things, and our seasons are in the hands of the Lord.

The morning prayer comes from Cecil Murphey: “Ever-wise and ever-loving God, thank You for not letting me choose the season. If I had my choice, I’d learn only the easy lessons. Remind me that there are difficult and painful things I need for my growth. You know what I need long before I figure it out. You choose so that I’ll become more Christlike and loving. Amen.”

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06/06/2026

The Power of One Day
We all say it.
“If I could have just one more day with you, I’d give anything.”
We whisper it through tears at funerals, type it under old photos, scream it in the silence of an empty room. One more day. One more chance to hold them, to really see them, to say the things we left unsaid. But the brutal truth is this: we had thousands of days with them. And we wasted so many.
I’m standing at my son Evan’s grave right now. The grass is still new over where we laid him on May 13th. Twenty years old. Gone far too soon. And as the wind moves through the trees, all I can think is… one more day.
One more day to watch him tear through the house like a whirlwind, laughing that big laugh of his. One more day to go hunting or work on a fast car together. One more day to sit across from him, look him in the eyes, and tell him how proud I am—not just of the victories, but of the fight, the heart, the way he kept getting back up. One more day to pray with him, to dream with him about that sober living house he wanted to build, to simply be with him without the weight of tomorrow pressing in.
But I can’t have it. None of us can.
We waste days assuming there will always be more. We scroll instead of speaking. We argue over stupid things instead of embracing. We let busyness steal the moments that matter most. We say “I love you” in passing but forget to show it in the thousand small ways that actually build a life worth remembering. Then one day the chair is empty, the phone stops ringing, and the photos become sacred. And we’re left with this ache that no words can fix—the regret of days we treated as ordinary when they were priceless.
Evan taught me this in his absence more powerfully than he ever could in his presence. Grief has a way of stripping everything down to what’s real. Life is a v***r (James 4:14). Our days are numbered (Psalm 90:12). The enemy wants us distracted, divided, and delayed. But the Holy Spirit is calling us to wake up.
So here’s my challenge to you today: Stop waiting for the crisis to cherish the people God has given you. Call your son. Hug your daughter. Forgive your spouse. Sit with your parents and ask them their stories. Put the phone down and look into their eyes. Make memories that hell itself cannot steal. Love fiercely, speak truthfully, and live like this day might be the one they remember forever—or the one you’ll wish you had back.
Because one day you won’t get “one more day.”
You’ll only have today.
Make it count for eternity.
I’m standing here at this grave with tears in my eyes, but also with fire in my bones. The same fire I’m asking the Lord to ignite in you right now. Don’t waste another day. Love like heaven is watching. Because it is.
Who are you going to love well today?
— Pastor Greg Locke
In memory of my son, Evan Roberts Locke (August 25, 2005 – May 8, 2026)

06/04/2026

It’s finally happened. That prayer that you prayed that your loved one would go in-house to treatment has occurred. But when they leave that cocoon of treatment, they come back to the real world which includes their family of origin. In reality the whole family needs treatment or recovery to be able to help their loved one stay in a recovery mindset and walk.

It’s Thursday and someone can't save themselves today, but it's a great day for recovery in the state of Florida. Go to a meeting, spread some love and hope and work your program! You can't save yourself, but Jesus can and a recovery program can make life easier to live.

Addiction of any kind is a hard yoke that demands everything from its servants that have been enslaved. Learning to have compassion is hard for many of us, yet required from us by our Lord, if we are to claim to walk in His ways. From years of living my eyes have seen much pain and heartache in families. I’ve always asked the Lord to help me to remember the days and ways He has brought me through that I might have compassion and love. It may not always look like that to some, and sometimes my countenance may look disheartened but still I pray, still I hope and still I press towards whatever the Lord has planned for my destiny.

The tears that fall may not be for me and mine, but I feel them drench my prayers for you and yours, too.

You may be a mother with a family member that you don't think will ever get out of the pit they are in. Don't give up. Find a verse and cling to it. All your children will be taught of the Lord and great will be the peace of your children. Praying every day, in every way for you.

Adding prayers that those who wrestle with mental health issues will find more resources opening up for them, especially in times of crisis.

05/26/2026

“You may be standing in a desperate situation in the battle of a lifetime. You may feel that you are in the darkest storm of your life. It seems that everything in your world is out of your control. Good news! It is! But God is still in control. El Roi, the God who sees, knows it all and has a plan that he is working out.” Sylvia Gunter

On the day we pray for families of prisoners and especially the Kent family, I thought this reading from many years back would give encouragement. It would be a beautiful addition to a letter to a prisoner from a family member. Lord, we ask that You begin a miracle work in prisons across the nation. And give grace to the parents who suffer along with their incarcerated child in Jesus’ name.

PRISONS HOLD GOD'S TREASURES by Bill Yount 1997
It was late and I was tired, wanting to go to sleep, but God wanted to talk; It was about midnight, but it dawned on me that God does not sleep. His question made me restless. "Bill, where on earth does man keep his most priceless treasures and valuables?"
I said, "Lord, usually these treasures like gold, silver, diamonds and precious jewels are kept locked up somewhere out of sight with usually guards and security to keep them under lock and key." God spoke. “Like man, My most valuable treasures on earth are also locked up."

I then saw Jesus standing in front of seemingly thousands of prisons and jails. The Lord said, "These have almost been destroyed by the enemy, but these ones have the greatest potential to be used and to bring forth glory to my name. Tell MY people, I am going this hour to the prisons to activate the gifts and callings that lie dormant in these lives that were given before the foundation of the earth. Out from these walls will come forth an Army of Spiritual who will have power to literally kick down the gates of Hell and overcome satanic powers that are holding many of My own people bound in My own house.

Tell my people that great treasure is behind these walls in these forgotten vessels. My people must come forth and touch these ones, for a mighty anointing will be unleashed upon these for future victory in My kingdom. THEY MUST BE RESTORED." Bill Yount

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05/24/2026

Happy Sunday to all and a great day to rest in the Lord. He is in the still small voice and He also in the thunder. May the Lord go before each one of you and minister to your heart in the most special way today. Thank you all already for so many birthday blessings and I thank the Lord for being with me always through my journey of 75 years. He alone, has been my strength, song, deliverer and love and to Him I give all my devotion and praise. I really couldn't sing loud enough to tell Him of His greatness to me.

THE BIBLE. Read it again as if it is the very first time. I am.
From Romans 8: The case is closed…

But hope means that we must trust and wait for what is still unseen. For why would we need to hope for something we already have? 25So because our hope is set on what is yet to be seen, we patiently keep on waiting for its fulfillment.
And in a similar way, the Holy Spirit takes hold of us in our human frailty to empower us in our weakness. For example, at times we don’t even know how to pray, or know the best things to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words.
God, the searcher of the heart, knows fully our longings, yet he also understands the desires of the Spirit, because the Holy Spirit passionately pleads before God for us, his holy ones, in perfect harmony with God’s plan and our destiny.
So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose. For he knew all about us before we were born and he destined us from the beginning to share the likeness of his Son. This means the Son is the oldest among a vast family of brothers and sisters who will become just like him.
Having determined our destiny ahead of time, he called us to himself and transferred his perfect righteousness to everyone he called. And those who possess his perfect righteousness he co-glorified with his Son! From Romans 8 The Passion Translation

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05/23/2026

We pray that all will feel Your presence today, Lord and listen to Your voice.
It’s Saturday and the day we focus on those families who’ve lost loved ones, maybe recently, maybe it’s been a while, but grief has its own timetable. We pray for strength for the journey, comfort from the Lord and His people and for love to surround you through the numbness of coping with what must be dealt with. Jesus, lover of my soul, bind our wounds and make us whole.
Be more in us today. Show us how to live, one day at a time, giving You glory. Your love never fails, though sometime our faith does.

This was on a recent post concerning the loss of a loved one; it is really beautiful:

You can shed tears that she is gone
or you can smile because she has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that she'll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all she's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see her
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember her or only that she is gone
or you can cherish her memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
or you can do what she'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.~Author Unknown~

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05/14/2026

I pray today especially for the parents who have been hurt by the addictions of their children. I know each parent is praying for God to have mercy on their child or grandchild and we will stand in agreement with them that this pain will end one day. Praying for peace for the day, strength and mercy to just do the next best thing, go to the next support meeting or prayer group and have the grace to forgive one more time. As long as there is breath within them there is Hope.

It’s Thursday and we are focusing on a recovery walk, today.
Many among us have lost their children already and for them I say an extra prayer.
Love, hope and prayers always every day in every way.

I found this on Beliefnet and it is pretty awesome for Recovery:
23rd Psalm for those Recovering
The Lord is my sponsor, I shall not want.
He makes me to go to many meetings.
He leads me to sit back, relax, and listen with an open mind, He restores my soul, my sanity, and my health.
He leads me in the path of sobriety, serenity, and fellowship for my own sake.
He teaches me to think, to take it easy, to live and let live, and do first things first.
He makes me more humble and grateful.
He teaches me to accept the things I cannot change, to change the things I can, and gives me the wisdom to know the difference.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of despair, frustration, guilt, and remorse, I will fear no evil.
For Thou are with me, your program, your way of life, your twelve steps, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies: rationalization, fear, anxiety, self-pity, resentment.
You anoint my confused mind and jangled nerves with knowledge, understanding, and hope.
No longer am I alone, neither am I afraid, nor sickened, nor helpless, nor hopeless.
My cups runs over,
Surely sobriety and serenity shall follow me every day of my life, one day at a time, twenty-four hours at a time.
As I surrender my will to You and carry Your message to others, I will dwell in the house of Higher Power, as I understand him, one day at a time, forever and ever.
Amen

05/12/2026

On the day we pray for prisoners and their families, I’m posting some thoughts from “Streams in the Desert.”
“God may send you, dear friends, some costly packages. Do not worry if they are done up in rough wrappings. You may be sure there are treasures of love, and kindness, and wisdom hidden within. If we take what He sends, and trust Him for the goodness in it, even in the dark, we shall learn the meaning of the secrets of Providence."
--A. B. Simpson
Not until each loom is silent,
And the shuttles cease to fly,
Will God unroll the pattern
And explain the reason why
The dark threads are as needful
In the Weaver's skillful hand,
As the threads of gold and silver
For the pattern which He planned.
"He that is mastered by Christ is the master of every circumstance. Does the circumstance press hard against you? Do not push it away. It is the Potter's hand. Your mastery will come, not by arresting its progress, but by enduring its discipline, for it is not only shaping you into a vessel of beauty and honor, but it is making your resources available.”
Lord, help us not to push away these hard circumstances but learn to embrace our sorrows.
Carol, Gene and Jason Kent are awesome examples of people doing this. All these years I have never heard a complaining word from them. That is one reason why I continue to pray that Jason will be granted clemency. We pray also for your loved one and for victims of crime, also that they have restoration.
We give this day to You, Lord and ask for help in Jesus’ name.

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