​Let Your Praying Friend Help!
​We have the best recommendations for February 14th!
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"Picture" it - you and your hubby set up your easel, you pick out a cute picture to paint, you have a few snacks and drinks readily available and you spend some quality time creating something special together. This idea is something straight out of a hallmark movie. I almost can't imagine anything more adorable! 

What better way to utilize this special day than to open up lines of healthy communication? Valentine's Day is a great opportunity to talk about your love, marriage and future together. We know that bringing up working on your marriage isn't always the most comfortable topic of conversation so don't let this opportunity slip by! This couples journal is a simple, non-intimidating way to improve communication in your marriage. 

We Can Help!

Every year millions of cards are shared around the world. While you spend your precious time searching for just the right design, picking up one card after another, battling the lady in the aisle that separates you from the card you want and weaving in and out of the way of others until ultimately you settle for one that seems to portray your heart (decently enough). 

To present a card that will be appreciated for approximately 30 seconds. We all know the recipient will likely only take a moment to read it just to be polite. And ultimately the sad reality remains that nearly all of the cards you gift this season will end up in a drawer or trash can, even if you just sent out the run of the mill "buy it by the box" set of cards. It's down right wasteful! ​

This adorable nativity scene notebook (found here) is the perfect way to ensure that we keep Jesus at the center of our celebration, while also giving a practical gift that will be useful and visible, as opposed to the drawer of hidden cards (we all have at least one). And if you don't have one we know where you put yours! 

In honor of Thanksgiving we want to share with you the newest addition to our Christian resource line up:
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​This is not your average gratitude journal. This Christian journal is specifically designed to keep our focus on where our blessings come from - God!
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​Each page features a place for the date, verse of the day, prayer of the day, a blessings list, and space for reflection. In the top left corner you'll see a cute design "Attitude of Gratitude" detailing the cross in place of the second T in gratitude. ​

We highly recommend following Your Praying Friend on Instagram where a verse of the day is posted each morning. Follow Here. Another helpful resource is the You Version Bible App. Download wherever you get your apps. The Bible app provides a verse for the day or simply open your Bible and let the Lord speak to you!
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We're Growing!

As many of you know, Your Praying Friend was created by a Christian Substance Abuse Counselor in hopes of helping others find healing through Christ and community. 

Since the beginning that has been our goal and mission. Well, in order to continue to provide support and encouragement to those in need (free of charge) we are expanding our services! We have always had grand ideas of creating devotionals, workbooks, journals, and helpful resource materials.
​Recently, we discovered a way to make our dreams a reality!

​“You will lose someone you can’t live without,and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.” 
― Anne Lamott
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When exploring sobriety it can be helpful to ask ourselves questions. Drugs and alcohol have damaged our brain's ability to naturally think rational thoughts. Essentially our brains have been hijacked and reprogrammed to aggressively seek out artificial rushes of dopamine. So instead of trusting our initial reaction or judgement it may be beneficial to take a moment and evaluate whether something is helpful or unhelpful to our recovery. This is the practice of being mindful of our thoughts and the choices we make. 
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​There is so much emphasis put on helping and celebrating those in early addiction recovery. Think about the out pour of support and encouragement when loved ones see that you are serious this time. Or the great amount of effort put into welcoming you (the "new comer") at the meetings. And of course the new awakening within your soul that recognizes the importance and necessity of fighting to stay sober each and every day. This is beautiful and an extremely beneficial part of the recovery journey. 

​But what happens when the newness starts to wear off? What happens when you've achieved 2-5 years of sobriety and your loved ones are no longer checking on you daily/weekly? What happens when you are no longer the new comer, but instead you're the sponsor? You're the one that others look up to, the one that inspires the group, the one that "made it." A lot of pressure can be felt at this stage of recovery. The every day stresses of responsible adult life can sometimes still be too much for a person in this stage of recovery. Guess what? That's okay. You're human. You have good days and bad days. You still have struggles and short comings. You are still very much a work in progress. It's wonderful that 2-5 years into recovery you have all the knowledge and tools necessary to be abstinent forever, but like any other human (especially one with an addiction history) your mind still sometimes whispers unhelpful and even harmful words of discouragement and temptation. Remember how you evicted those thoughts in the beginning. You can't let them live in your mind rent free now!

​Furthermore, it is important to point out that while 2-5 years of sobriety is a significant period of time - it is still considered the maintenance stage of recovery. In this stage an individual still has to work very hard to prevent relapse. They must maintain the healthy lifestyle changes they've implemented such as getting adequate sleep, exercise, and nutrition. They must continue to place a priority on sober recreational activities, growing their relationship with God, maintaining healthy relationships with friends and family and avoiding toxic relationships. While they do not feel the urge to relapse as often as they once did, they are not out of the woods, per say. A high risk situation, a lapse in judgement, an emotional day, a particularly stressful event, or any combination of a multitude of possible circumstances can lead to a person with years of recovery choosing to relapse.
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Today is a special day in American History. 
When we look at how and why America has been such a successful nation among all others it is evident that our founding fathers had the divine inspiration of God guiding them.
They read their Bibles and formed societal structures based on what they read. 
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​In today's society it is controversial to say that you are proud to be an American. 
Picking apart our nation's flaws is much more popular these days. 
For those that prefer to criticize- we challenge you to take a moment and consider what kind of nation you would have created if you were given a blank slate some 200 years ago. 
Or what other country in the world do you feel has a better system in place today?
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Our Declaration of Independence and Constitution far surpass any other forms of government that have been tried throughout history. ​
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Here at Your Praying Friend we are
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​Take a listen to a true historian share how special America really is:
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