Fortress Press

Addiction is an ‘equal opportunity’ illness, having no regard for our customary categories of religion, race, or culture. It impacts the totality of life—physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually.
Martha Postlethwaite has provided a unique account of her pilgrimage using both her professional experience as the pastor of the Recovery Church and her own personal experience to elucidate the dynamics of addiction and recovery. The book features a rich intermingling of the biblical tradition, her theology, the arts, the centrality of story, and the healing power of community.
The reader is not only led on this expedition but is encouraged to participate by reflecting on what has been written and writing one’s own story as suggested by the exercises at the end of each chapter.

"This book is gift. Postlethwaite invites the reader to a pilgrimage journey of healing from (and through) addiction. The reader is given practices to sustain sobriety and soul. There is truth, humanity, and resurrection woven through these pages. Through poetry and lyrical prose, Postlethwaite invites those dealing with the chronic brain disorder of addiction to know that ‘there are things no one should bear alone.’ Addiction and Recovery: A Spiritual Pilgrimage invites us to come into the community of those in recovery, to come home to our God-beloved selves."

This is an important book for an audience interested in placing addiction and recovery within a context of the radical hospitality of the twelve steps, Jesus, and the Gospels. Martha guides us gently along this journey, or pilgrimage as she prefers, using stories of members of her beloved community the Recovery Church, where she serves as pastor. She also includes her own experiences, poetry, wisdom texts, and Scripture to reveal how a person who is addicted can break free through surrender, admission of powerlessness, and the essential step of reaching out for help. Throughout the book runs the thread of hope for the hopeless, possibility for those in despair, and the transformative power of love, both human and divine.
Most attractive, perhaps, is the ability this author has of making spiritual matters quite practical. Each chapter concludes with questions for reflection and discussion and an invitation to a different spiritual practice. In language both precise and inviting, Postlethwaite’s expertise and experience shines through as she encourages readers to stretch into the possibilities of a life lived free from addictive habits and substances.

Martha Postlethwaite and the Recovery Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota, heard Jesus say to Peter 'feed my sheep,' not 'feed my church.' The Recovery Church may operate on a precarious shoestring budget, but it draws people who are raw with pain, and people whose pain is already being healed. The church has a sermon and a personal recovery story every Sunday. We have communion every Sunday because we know we need it. I often see new people weeping openly at the altar after communion because they finally have experienced God in person and know for an absolute fact that God loves them, and that we do, too.

Reading this book is a spiritual pilgrimage in and of itself. Written as a resource for people who are facing issues of addiction (themselves or with a loved one), this book speaks to anyone who has struggled with temptations, control needs, forgiveness, and a multitude of other conditions of being human. It is beautifully written, accessible, and engaging. Postlethwaite weaves together powerful stories of addiction, hope, and recovery with reflection on the power of community, the richness of spiritual resources, and the variety of pilgrimage paths through the recovery process. She also offers helpful reflection questions and ideas for spiritual practices at the end of each chapter. I highly recommend this book to churches, to families where addiction is at work, and to all who want to know more about the power of both addiction and recovery.