GraceLife Recovery

04/24/2026

04/22/2026

Coming soon to AMAZON - the brand new title by Davis - Author's Page 📖

04/21/2026

Monday Morning Reflections w/ Lori Griffith

Pastor Joe’s mid-week sermon preview: Sometimes the most powerful version of grace is the one that restrains you.


I wasn’t sure what to make of this when I first read it on Wednesday, so I decided to quiet my overthinking and just wait for Sunday, especially with the mini-series we’re in.

Lately, I’ve found myself writing week after week about what I heard, how I was spiritually fed, how it applies to my life… and then going right back to the same old habits.

But this week was different.

I actually applied it and I want to check in.

Last week, I talked about the lack of spiritual principles in my life, how it’s affected me, and what I was going to do about it. Well, guess what?! I put my words into action, and I had an amazing week.

I was slow to anger and quick to love. I checked my attitude. I lived like a woman of grace and dignity practicing faith, hope, and trust. I turned my will over to God. I prayed out loud every morning with my husband and I surrendered daily.

Today we learned more about Nabal the fool and his wife Abigail. What I took home is this: through God’s strength, and through His grace and mercy, we can help save people. And with tough love sometimes.

When Pastor Keith was sitting on the steps with the GraceLife kids, teaching them about tough love, I couldn’t help but picture 16-year-old Lori hearing that same message, but at 16… Lori wasn’t listening. Back then, Lori was a Nabal.

When my family kicked me out, I lost friends, jobs, literally everything I thought I had. I ended up on the streets addicted and ashamed. Rinse and repeat that story about 4 more times. God orchestrated it everytime and it eventually saved my life.

I know it must have been incredibly hard for my family to make those decisions, but thank God they did. What felt like rejection was actually protection. What felt like loss was actually love. I know it was hard for everyone involved but it saved my life.

Now God can use me to help save others. Now I get to be an Abigail. I can speak up when someone is slipping or falling back into old behaviors. I can reach out when I don’t see them at church or in a meeting. And I can do it all with love, support, kindness, and grace just like Jesus would.

This verse came up again near the end of the message: Proverbs 12:15, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

Hearing this verse 2 weeks in a row reminded me of something a professor once said at the beginning of a semester:
“If you hear me say, ‘Write this down,’ it will most likely be on the test.”

Now when I hear Pastor Joe say, “Listen, church!” or when he repeats a verse week after week I pay attention. That’s my cue. Highlight it. Write it down. Take a picture of the big screen. Lean in. Share it!

Because that might be exactly what I need to pass the test I’m walking through right now.

I'm grateful for all the Jonathans and Abigails in my life. 🙌 God keeps adding the right people to my toolbox. People I need, people I’m learning from, and people I strive to be like.

And don’t be a Nabal. 👎

04/11/2026

3,000 DAYS! With Lori Griffith.

3,000 days is known as a powerful window of transformation. In a child’s life, it’s the foundation for everything that follows. It’s also a reminder of how short and meaningful time really is. It’s a call to live intentionally and not let life pass you by.

In Acts 2:41, 3,000 people experienced a life-changing transformation in a single day. 3,000 people gladly received Peter’s message about Jesus and were baptized. This also ties into the sermon we heard on Easter Sunday at Grace Life Sarasota Church. Pastor Joe shared a picture on the big screen of the steps at the Temple Mount in Israel. The place where the first Christian sermon was given.

The number 3,000 is personal to me too because 3,000 days ago, my life began to change. My transformation began. I surrendered, and I was saved from active addiction. Jesus guided me to detox, then to the Salvation Army CRP program, then to Purpose House, and then to Narcotics Anonymous. I needed a clear mind, body, and spirit to find my way back to Him. I’ll continue to show my gratitude for this incredible life of mine by showing up.

This life is far from perfect, and sometimes it isn’t easy. But all 3,000 days have been worth it. Every lesson, every struggle, every step forward has built something stronger than I ever thought possible.

3,000 days of surrendering.
3,000 days of growth.
3,000 days of showing up.
3,000 days… one day at a time. Just for today.

04/02/2026

✨You need to watch this!✨

One of our very own, Kimberly Stockstad, sat down with the FaithFire Podcast and Laurie Swink—Co‑founder and Consulting Program Director of Selah Freedom—to share her powerful story of survival.

This conversation is a real, unfiltered window into the reality of human trafficking… and the hope of restoration. You’ll hear firsthand how God is rescuing, rebuilding, and redeeming lives that the enemy tried to destroy.

Kimberly’s testimony is a reminder that freedom is possible, healing is real, and God is still in the business of setting captives free.

If you want to learn more about the incredible work Selah Freedom is doing, visit their website: 👉 https://selahfreedom.org/

This Saturday on the FaithFire Podcast, I’ll be joined by Laurie Swink, Co-founder and Consulting Program Director of Selah Freedom, along with Kimberly, a c...

03/23/2026

❤️‍🔥

03/18/2026

Learning to Wait by Samantha Spiegel

I showed up to church on Sunday—just kinda there.

People went out of their way to say hello to me. When asked how I was, I complained about being tired and said I had a rough week. When asked about the new job, I complained about the training I “had to go through.”

When worship started, I went to the altar, placed my hands on the stage, and bowed my head. Even then, I struggled to focus on God. Even that was not as powerful as it usually is. So I went back to my seat and waited.

Then God showed up. Not that He wasn’t already there, but as Pastor Joe began preaching, it was, as usual, exactly what I needed to hear.

I am so quick to become ungrateful. So quick to start complaining and comparing. It’s usually in those moments that I hear exactly what I need to know.

Because the truth is, I’m not ready.
The truth is, He is at work.
The truth is, if I had everything I wanted, I’d probably lose it because I wouldn’t know what to do with it.

The truth is, as I sit in the back of the cave, I am much more like those men who were telling David to kill Saul:
“He’s right there! He’s vulnerable! He’s alone!”

And being like them is not who God wants me to be.

It’s easy to forget where I was almost two years ago when I first walked into GraceLife. It’s easy to get lost in the world and be tempted. Because had David killed Saul, he would have been giving in to sin.

But being called is worth far more than anything the world has to offer.

So I will wait.
I will listen.
I will seek God before I seek anything else.

I will try to see waiting not as punishment, as I have been doing, but as instruction.

03/17/2026

Ways of Dealing with Urges to Drink / Use Drugs

1. Decision Delay:
Recognize that you have an urge; but wait at least 15 minutes to decide what you will do about it. It may go away by this time. This is the day at a time deal.

2. Do Something to Distract Yourself:
Urges do not last forever. Distracting activities should be things that you can do immediately, that don’t require planning, that don’t depend on other people, and that are almost always available. Some examples are: listening to music, going for a walk or bike ride, TV calling a friend, reading a book, going to a movie, a shower

3. Think About What You Have to Gain:
Consider avoiding alcohol and drugs and the positive consequences of avoiding a drink or drugs.

4. Think About What You Have to Loose:
Think about your reasons for wanting to avoid drinking and using drugs, and the negative consequences of continuing to drink or use drugs. Remind yourself of your own personal reasons for this decision.

5. Leave the situation:
It may be that you are in a situation that is bringing back strong memories of using or is making you feel something that reminds you of using. Leave the situation.

6. Talk to yourself:
What you tell yourself about your ability to handle an urge can make a difference

Negative Statement:

The urge is going to keep getting stronger and stronger until I blow up or drink.

Positive statement:

I feel pretty bad right now, but I know it will go away if I don’t drink. It will only get stronger if I choose to give in to it.

7. Avoid certain situations that will likely lead to an urge:

Drinking or using any type of drug, being around other users, hanging out where you used to drink or use drugs, or being involved in an activity that you associate with drinking or using drugs.

03/19/2025

https://bettertogetherus.org/venue/gracelife-sarasota/

March 20 @ 10:00 am - 1:00 pm Sarasota, FL Pop Up Job Fair – Supported by GraceLife Sarasota GraceLife Sarasota 1801 N Lockwood Ridge Rd, Sarasota, FL, United States Are you looking for a new job? We have good news! There is a Pop Up Job Fair planned for YOU on March 20 in Sarasota, FL. This job f...