by Mark Shaw | Jan 17, 2022 | TAC Blog
God’s Word says: “Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass.” – Joshua 21:45 ESV [1] What an awesome thought! Every single one of God’s good promises is kept as opposed to...
by Mark Shaw | Jan 10, 2022 | Addiction, TAC Blog, Uncategorized
Have you heard of the “Dry January” concept? Dry January is the world’s idea of abstaining from alcohol for the first month of the year to help evaluate or break some unhealthy habits. The hope is that you start the new year alcohol free for a time of self-evaluation...
by Mark Shaw | Jan 2, 2022 | Uncategorized
The Cross is central to the message of the Gospel. The Addiction Connection (TAC) logo is a symbol intended to start conversations about “The Hope of the Gospel for the Heart of Addiction.” Jude Gavin, son of Dan Gavin of Addictions Victorious, developed the original...
by Mark Shaw | Dec 31, 2021 | Uncategorized
1. We Gathered What a blessing to gather with 130 like-minded women and men at our 5th Annual TAC Leadership Summit to learn from, encourage, and connect with each other this year! To watch the sessions from past Summits, click here! SAVE THE DATE for next year:...
by Mark Shaw | Dec 24, 2021 | TAC Blog
It’s Christmas Eve and yet I cannot get over the fact that fentanyl is reportedly the #1 killer for people ages 18-45 according to the CDC. People seek their usual drug of choice only to discover too late that it was fentanyl laced—that’s what is killing...
by Mark Shaw | Dec 10, 2021 | Uncategorized
Advent: Meditations for Addicts by Mark Shaw & Shirley Crowder – Read for Free with Kindle Unlimited! “In one very factual way, encouraging one another to keep Christ central in Christmas is rather naive. CHRIST is central in CHRISTmas! Christmas is totally...
by Mark Shaw | Dec 8, 2021 | Addiction, Missions, TAC Blog
Guest Post by Josh Brunk, Executive Director of Village Mercy Ministries “Addicts make the best evangelists.” This was my introduction to Dr. Mark Shaw when he visited The Mission House in Port Orchard, Washington. He spoke this to encourage those of us in the...
by Mark Shaw | Nov 8, 2021 | Current Events, Events, Ministry News, TAC Blog
Hey Friends, Wow! “Best Summit yet!” is what we heard often and we agree. Jesus was glorified, relationships were forged, and we renewed our enthusiasm for reaching the lost with the hope of the gospel. Long-time friends of TAC had the opportunity to meet...
by Mark Shaw | Jul 17, 2021 | TAC Blog, Uncategorized
Which statement alarms you more? 1) More and more people are dying each year to drug overdoses. 2) More and more people are dying from drug overdoses, and they don’t know Jesus Christ as their Savior! If you are a Christ-follower, I hope statement #2 moves you...
by Mark Shaw | May 6, 2021 | Uncategorized
As you may have heard in today’s podcast, we are thrilled to announce the launch of Addictions Counseling Specialization: Education Phase online course, created in collaboration with the Association of Certified Biblical Counselors (ACBC) and Grace Counseling...
by Mark Shaw | Apr 22, 2021 | TAC Blog
Needle exchange programs are often celebrated as “reducing harm” but that terminology is deceptive. Recently, I was interviewed in this WORLD Magazine article related to recent legislation in the state of West Virginia that is hindering efforts at “harm...
by Mark Shaw | Apr 7, 2021 | Substance Abuse, TAC Blog, Vs. Psychology
By Dr. Mark E. Shaw Summary: In this blog post, Dr. Mark Shaw discusses the implications of an article published about 5 years ago, entitled “Concept Creep: Psychology’s Expanding Concepts of Harm and Pathology” published in Psychological Inquiry...
by Mark Shaw | Mar 10, 2021 | TAC Blog
By Mary Shaw, with Mark Shaw and Tim Brown Is harm reduction really reducing harm and saving lives? What are the benefits of the harm reduction programs where needles are exchanged and free Narcan is distributed? Tim Brown of His Steps Ministries and Dr. Mark E. Shaw...
by Mark Shaw | Feb 9, 2021 | Uncategorized
Guest post by Mary Shaw “Because it feels like an island sometimes…” We often hear people on the front lines of ministry to those struggling with addiction say they definitely are in need of help and especially encouragement. If you are committed to a genuinely...
by Mark Shaw | Feb 1, 2021 | Disciple-Making, podcast, TAC Blog
Pastor Steve Covington of Through the Gate, a women’s residential addiction program, joins Dr. Mark E. Shaw on The Addiction Connection’s first podcast of the year. (Listen now!) 2 Corinthians 5:17 states: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a...
by Mark Shaw | Jan 29, 2021 | Uncategorized
By Mark Shaw There were many takeaways and life lessons from 2020 but I want to highlight 3 of them now: 1. We’ve Deceived Ourselves Into Believing that We Can Control the World Around Us I read a secular training program that was offering “skills for living in...
by Mark Shaw | Aug 29, 2020 | TAC Blog
So, whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. 10:31 For years Mark has been asked by countless people, “When are you going to do a group study for addiction that is consistent with the Bible?” He would always answer, “I’m...
by Mark Shaw | Mar 25, 2020 | Disciple-Making, TAC Blog
Ecclesiastes 3:1 For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven… When we launched Truth in Love Ministries in 2007, the world was a messy place. Not much has changed in 2020. Some might argue the world is even messier! We’ve not had a...
by Mark Shaw | Mar 1, 2021 | Media, Uncategorized
As I started researching the recent event of Bruce Springsteen’s November 2020 charges related to drinking alcohol, I was struck by reading the headlines from popular news sources. If I had just read the headlines and not fully read all the articles, I would have been...
by Mark Shaw | Feb 24, 2021 | Uncategorized
Post by Dr. Mark E. Shaw (with Mary Shaw) Bad company When you hear the term, “Bad Company,” are you flashing back to the band and the 80’s song? (Paul Rodgers) [1] Or are you thinking about the Western by the same title? Whatever you might...
by Mark Shaw | Feb 15, 2021 | Uncategorized
Guest post by Mary Shaw The Refuge & The Cellar More than just a Coffee Shop…Meet an Ordinary Couple God is Using in Extraordinary Ways, for His Glory “It’s not easy. It takes commitment. But men come [to us] from all over the U.S. …and God has been extremely...
by Mark Shaw | Feb 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
Guest post by Dr. Cindy L. Jones, CABC Recently the Lord took me back to Proverbs 4:23 which says, Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life. As I pondered this scripture my thoughts turned toward one of the promises Jesus made. The...
by Mark Shaw | Feb 5, 2021 | Uncategorized
By Mark Shaw During the past year of 2020, I observed an unusual irony: people ran from a physical illness while running to mental illnesses of all types. The Coronavirus, which caused a very real physical illness called COVID-19, gave most of us great concern in...
