Anchor Recovery Ministry

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

Send a message to learn more

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

Send a message to learn more

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~

Send a message to learn more

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.

Send a message to learn more

05/10/2026

I’ve prayed for many mothers over the years and this morning several of you came to my heart as I was praying early morning. The Lord has not forgotten you or your labor of love to your children. Thinking of a special woman, thinking of a special daughter, thinking of you.

Keeping Mama in mind; Fiesty, funny and loved, my Mama. We will always miss you.
Wish I'd wrote this quote:
"To describe my mother would be to write about a hurricane in its perfect power. Or the climbing, falling colors of a rainbow." MAYA ANGELOU

Lord, please heal and help my many friends and family who struggle this Mother’s Day. I know I have so many blessings, but many times, wish it was just off the calendar, because of those I care about. How can any of us not be touched with that Mother’s pain, when they’ve lost their child, lost their newborn, lost the right to raise their child or any combination of those scenarios? Even older women, such as I am, still wish their mother was alive, and that we could shower them with love, gifts and affection.

I think of the old song that said something like, “If you can’t be with the one you love, then love the one you’re with.” Sometimes, just giving your daughters the freedom to just have their needs met, and have their own best Mother’s Day, will make the day a success for me. I don’t have to be celebrated. Or I don’t have to have it done on the day designated by Hallmark.

As I near 75-years-old, I find within myself and my Lord, the ability to make my day good, on my own. His words of love, hope and strength are what gets me through each day, anyway. He has always been a faithful Father (more on that on Father’s Day) and wooed me from a young girl to seek Him, read His word and lean on Him, when the pain of this earth tries to tear me down.

I can’t help though, sometimes thinking when so many of you are hurting that I wish I could write your story over with the happy ending that you want. But I know we only see the pattern from here below, not the majestic masterpiece that is woven in heaven.

So, as always, my final answer is just say, “Jesus!” Say it, until the pain is bearable, and the smile comes deep from your heart once again. His name is a balm. His name is for the good days, too. May you have many of those. Praying for days of peace and love on this beautiful Sunday morning.

05/04/2026

On Mondays, we pray for our families and extended family. Lord, You know all the needs, and desires within our families. You know where they hurt, where they need help and where they need extra encouragement. For those who grieve, we ask that You comfort, for those who are in financial troubles, we ask that You bring provision. If some have gone astray, lead them back. Give us a vision of what living and loving for You is all about and then help us to walk out this journey, one day at a time as people who are exploding with Your spirit. You know the unspoken prayer requests we feel we can't share and be with that one who is hurting the most right now and every day in every way. We ask these things in Jesus’ powerful, mighty name, the name above all names.

I love part of this devo by Max Lucado: "We can't control how our family responds to us. When it comes to the behavior of others towards us, our hands are tied. We have to move beyond the naive expectation that if we do good, people will treat us right. The fact is, they may or they may not---we cannot control how people respond to us.

Let God give you what your family doesn't. If your earthly father doesn't affirm you, then let your heavenly Father take his place....and don't lose heart. God still changes families." And,
“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6:18

04/29/2026

Be blessed this Wednesday and pray for those who seem unlovable. They are asking for your love even when they are swearing with their actions that they don’t need or want you.
“May you never be the reason why someone who loved to sing, doesn't anymore. Or why someone who dressed so uniquely, now wears plain clothing. Or why someone who always spoke so excitedly about their dreams, is now silent about them.”
Joyce Meyer said, “In my own life I finally had to stop taking an inventory of what I had lost and begin to count up what I had left. In the beginning it did not seem like very much, but I made the choice to give it to God. It is amazing what God can do with a few fragments. He has more than paid me back for the hurt and pain in my past and given me a wonderful life that is bearing good fruit.”
Let’s give God our fragments on the day we pray for single parents and their children. Praying that the Lord please be with all family members as they process their pain, making changes to their lives, regardless of the situation. Give them a new dream and a new way to live this journey called life.
"When God breaks your heart, He makes you useful; but He also props open the door of your heart. You become very sensitive to people around you who are hurting. You don’t even have to open the door to encounter one who is hurting…it automatically opens and you become a walking valuable vessel and tool in the hand of God." Charles Stanley
“In a world where you can be anything be kind” Quote by Sharouk Mustafa Ibrahim

Send a message to learn more

04/26/2026

Some thoughts on this beautiful Sunday. Maybe you can relate, if you are not perfect and do not have the perfect (pick one): career, family or children then this one’s for you! Hang on to the Lord. We are in His Waiting Room sometimes. You have captured our hearts and His.

He is there all along, He is there in the pain, and He is there in the shame. He is there when we feel like we can make it and He is there when we feel like we can't go on. He is there! He will not forsake you, He remembers the sweet little girl, and He formed you, created every fiber of your body and soul. He loves you.

Don’t give up on the brink of the rainbow and it probably is true; it is darkest before the dawn. Let the Morning Star rise in your heart today, dear child of the King. Only faith will get you through and our Hope has a name; Jesus!

04/18/2026

Today as we pray for the many who are grieving, we read from Max Lucado in Grace for the Moment:
In the Arms of God
We don’t like to say good-bye to those whom we love. Whether it be at school or at the cemetery, separation is tough. It is right for us to weep, but there is no need for us to despair. They had pain here; they have no pain there. They struggled here. They have no struggles there. You and I might wonder why God took them home. But they don’t. They understand. They are, at this moment, at peace in the presence of God……When it is cold on earth we can take comfort in knowing that our loved ones are in the warm arms of God. And when Christ comes, we will hold them too.
Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never ever die New Living Translation (©2007).
Lord, please go before us this day and remind us that we will see our beautiful loved ones again.

Send a message to learn more

04/14/2026

Helen Keller said, “We would never learn to be brave and patient if there were only joy in the world,” This is so true. May we look on the goodness of the Lord today despite the pain that is in so many of our lives.

It’s Tuesday and we’re continuing to pray for Carol and Gene Kent’s son, Jason, and many of your own family who are incarcerated. Lord, we ask that You will redeem the time lost because of mistakes and help prisoners to use their time wisely. Remind them to write to their family. Thy will be done, in Jesus’ name.

This is a beautiful reading, I'm not sure where I found it, but am using it today to bring encouragement to anyone who may need it.
"To those who don’t have a dad I am your father, to those who have needs I know them before you ask, to those who hurt I hear your prayers, to those who mourn I hear your cries, to those I love, I discipline, to those who are weary I give strength, to those who are alone I comfort, to those who need forgiveness I forgive, to those who run away, I go after, to those who don’t feel accepted, I welcome, to those who have been abandoned, I take in, for those who need stability, I am the rock, for those who are self-conscious, you are the work of my hands, to those who feel like their future is wrecked, you are an heir and a son or daughter, to those who feel trapped he gives you freedom, to those who feel like their life is a wreck, he gives peace, and finally to those who think they are worthless because of what they have done, He makes you pure and shine like stars."
-GOD (anon or hand of God)
Lord, let us take these words deep into our hearts as there is definitely something for everyone within that paragraph. Show us how to live for You, today.