The Driving Spirit

Published as "In Recovery" in significantly different form Wed. April 30 in Tulare County's Foothills Sun-Gazette


     On Saturday, May 3rd, the Lindsay United Methodist Church will be hosting a concert to "Celebrate Lindsay's Recovery Community."  The concert will feature Spirit Driven Band, a duo of Jesse McCuin of Lindsay and Dennis Harrison of Tulare.  The concert will run from 7:00-8:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.


     To some, the idea of a "recovery community" will seem odd; to others, improbable that one exists in Lindsay.  But from the moment I arrived here two decades ago, I encountered people who were or had been in recovery.  Many told me how Lindsay's AA meeting, which has been located in the Methodist Church for more than 40 years, had helped restore them and/or their family members to life.  Some became life-long participants, helping others.


     What struck me in these people was their quiet honesty about themselves and their commitment to life.  And they were people from every level of society.  One town leader who often grieved me had earned their respect for the way he cared for his addicted brother.  One of my favorite mechanics had reclaimed his life through another AA meeting.  What struck me about all of them, however, was they seemed to have real spiritual depth and they actively, purposefully cared for others, including me.


     The benefits of recovery programs have been felt throughout the community, most often invisibly:  families and friends, employers and organizations, schools and churches all have been helped by those who have participated in recovery programs, even people who've never been afflicted by addictions themselves.  The driving spirit in most recovery programs, particularly AA, is the critical need to re-size one's self to our real place in the universe, to re-place one's body and mind run amok under the guidance of heart and soul, reconnecting with whatever "higher power" a person has experienced.


     Saturday night's concert will be specifically Christian, however.  Most of the songs are rock songs spanning the decades from the 1960's to the mid-1990's, with creatively re-written lyrics.  The music of Spirit Driven is Christ's message of redemption to people who suffer from various addictions, and they take this message to Teen Challenges, rescue missions and prisons across the state.


     The program for Saturday night includes music from the Beatles and the Rolling Stones to Red Hot Chili Peppers' "Under the Bridge" and Green Day's "When I Come Around."  It also includes a few original songs written by the pair, and will open with Kris Kristofferson's "Sunday Morning Comin' Down."


     So that's what we'll be celebrating Saturday night, May 3rd.  If you've ever been able to thank God for the restoration of a friend or relative - or yourself - we hope you'll join us in this joyous event.  The Methodist Church is located on the corner of Honolulu and Gale Hill, due east of City Hall.  To find out more about AA meetings, call the Tulare Co. Central office at 592-6999 or visit www.aa-tulareco.org.
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Trudy Wischemann is a writer who loves music.  You can send her your recovery stories c/o P.O. Box 1374, Lindsay CA 93247 or leave a comment below.