The process of recovery is a thing of beauty. Addiction, no matter what form it takes, is idolatry, a sin that leads to the pit. Watching God lift a person out of the muck and mire of addiction is a truly powerful experience, both for the person being lifted and those observing their restoration.
The process of recovery is so much more than ending an addiction. There’s an element of deep spiritual restoration involved in the process, and the result of a believer experiencing recovery is often a vibrant faith that’s a joy to those who have the pleasure of being with the recovered person. Recognizing the pit God’s love has lifted you from results in an authenticity that’s absolutely refreshing in today’s world. Seeing broken ones restored is a visceral reminder of just how good God is. That is God’s business, after all: restoration, and He offers restoration to all who seek it.
Scripture tells us that God is making all things new (Isaiah 43:19). Throughout history, God has been about restoring the perfection of Eden as we move toward the new heavens and the new earth. And through the cross of Christ, He’s able to make each one of us new, too. That is the beginning of the Christian life. As Paul writes, “if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV).
Restoration by Water’s Edge: The Spiritual Gift of Recovery is a documentation of just such a journey in the form of poetry. Written by Tony Caico, this work encompasses the reflections of one who proclaims just how good God is after being lifted from his own pit of addiction to recovery in Christ. Each poem resounds with deep spiritual truth accompanied by provokingly lovely photography and leads the reader to walk alongside Tony on his journey to recovery.
If you find yourself in the depths of your own pit, you’ll be encouraged to accept the restoration Jesus offers as you read Tony’s journey of doing the same. Read the stories. Read the poems. Contemplate the Scriptures. Choose Jesus. Choose restoration.
If you find yourself to be one who has avoided your own pit, restored by the grace of Jesus, rejoice with Tony in his recovery. Celebrate what God has done as it’s memorialized in these poems.
This is what we at Kingdom Winds strive to do: give voice to stories declaring the goodness of God. For He is undeniably good, and we desire to make His name known. Tony’s story is one of restoration, recovery, and redemption. What’s your story? What proclamation can you make of God’s goodness? If you’d care to share, we’d love to help you with that. Tell us your stories of God’s goodness.
Written by Codi Ribitzki
RESTORATION BY WATER’S EDGE
THE GIFT OF SPIRITUAL RECOVERY
POETRY AND IMAGERY TO INSPIRE, ENCOURAGE, AND HEAL!