Bill Orthwein

Coach

Bill Orthwein is the Director/Recovery Coach for Greener Pastures Recovery (GPR), a 501c3 Public Charity whose main purpose is to fund and run 12 step Christ-centered recovery programming inside prisons/jails/rehabs, and to assist inmates/patients on the inside and individuals on the outside break free from the bondage of addictive behavior.

MY STORY

After 5 unsuccessful alcohol/drug rehabs, and 6+ unsuccessful surgeries to eradicate the “incurable” bone infection in my left hip, I decided I would retire to my farm in Costa Rica to learn to “drink responsibly”. 

Blood oozed with each step out of a boil the size of a coconut from my left infected hip. 

I was a dead man hobbling. 

I found bottom after a 4-day party spree with no sleep, in a head over heels fall, off a 50-foot waterfall, alone, in the middle of the jungle.  I have no recollection of the fall, but what I do remember vividly was the violent splash of water, and the brilliant yellow and blue flash of light as I regained consciousness.

Baptized, into a foot and a half of water, with a full on back-buster, from well over 30 feet.

Miraculously, I was unhurt.

I knew clearly God had just saved my life. 

Desperate, hopeless, in shock, I prayed.  I thanked God for saving my life. I told Him that if He would get me thru my 51st birthday, the same year in life that my mom had quit drinking, that I would try to lay the party life down and serve Him the rest of my life.  I was 50 at the time.

Doctors in Costa Rica estimated my chance of death from the infection at 70%, amputation was assumed. 

But God.

Out of nowhere, my mega successful friend and mentor Jamie heard I was going to die from my addictions, or the hip infection.  He flew down, extricated me from Costa Rica, and arranged medical treatment in Dallas.  My determining, final surgery was "coincidentally" scheduled on my 51st birthday.

My mentor’s son Jay, a good friend from high school and a disciple of Jesus Christ, dropped by my hospital room a week before surgery to give me a Bible, and pray for me.  He prayed that the obsession for alcohol and drugs would be replaced with a passion for God, and that my leg would be healed.  I said, “Jay, how exactly is that going to work? I have had 5 unsuccessful alcohol/drug rehabs, 6 new metal hips, lost three inches of left leg length, and the infection is still there.  How is that supposed to work?" My friend said, “With God all things are possible". I told him I would need to see that for myself.  Jay left me with this, “Bill if you don’t find Jesus in all of this you might as well keep on drinking". That stuck with me.

I woke up from surgery on my 51st birthday, looked down to see my left leg intact, and smiled at my doctor, who was smiling at me.  He told me that the infection that had ravaged my body for the last seven years was gone, that he had given me a new hip, and that I would soon be able to walk out of the hospital. I attended my 6th and final rehab at i360 in Dallas under the expert tutelage of Dr. Kevin Gilliland.

I was planning on returning to Costa Rica, but my mentor warned me that "it's difficult to be a new man, in an old place".  He suggested moving to Basalt, Colorado and that "moving forward I should try making different mistakes".

I relocated and began attending AA faithfully and reading the Big Book.  A pivotal passage read, "When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing.  God either is, or He isn't.  What was our choice to be?" 

It suddenly dawned on me that opening my heart and mind to God was my lesson in all of this.

I immediately visited the non-denominational church across the street from my house, Cornerstone Christian Center in Basalt.  Pastor Jim Tarr was pivotal in opening my heart and mind to Jesus, and the reality of God’s love for me.

By Godwink, there was a Bible Study starting the next week, so I began to read the Bible for the first time in my life. I thought there was nothing in there for me until I ran across Jacob, who after sending his earthly possessions across the river, found himself wrestling all night with God.  That God had touched Jacob’s hip to get his attention, just like He had done for me. 

But what stopped me in my tracks was Proverbs 23:29-35:

“Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has bitter disagreements? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes? Those who linger over wine, who go to sample bowls of mixed wine.  Do not gaze at wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup, when it goes down smoothly!  In the end it bites like a snake, and poisons like a viper.  Your eyes will see strange sights, and your mind will imagine confusing things.  You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging.  “They hit me,” you will say, “but I’m not hurt!  They beat me, but I don’t feel it!  When will I wake up so I can find another drink?”

That hit me like a ton of bricks because all of that had been exactly my experience.

Then it occurred to me, what if the rest of the Bible was that true as well, and what those implications might be?  Those readings piqued my curiosity, opened my heart and mind to want to know more.

In summary: 20+ years of chronic addiction, an incurable leg infection, and a fall off a waterfall led me to AA.  AA led me to Church and reading The Bible, which led me to Celebrate Recovery.  AA/Church/The Bible/CR led me to Service Work.  Service Work led me to becoming the Salvation Army Red Kettle Captain for the last 13 years where I have watched God accumulate almost $200,000 for those in need, mostly in $1 bills.  At my Church I was blessed to have become the Celebrate Recovery Assimilation Coach, Training Coach,  Encourager Coach, Ministry Leader, then move into Prison/Jail Ministry with CR Inside. From there I have been blessed to be be the Colorado State Representative for Celebrate Recovery Inside in our state prisons, jails, and rehabs for the last 7 years and have had the pleasure of sharing my story and working with thousands of inmates, rehab patients and individuals across Colorado.  Recently, I have become the Director of Greener Pastures Recovery, a non-profit 501c3 Public Charity whose main purpose is to fund and run Celebrate Recovery Christ centered 12 Step programming in our prisons/jails/rehabs, and to to assist inmates/patients on the inside and individuals on the outside break free from the bondage of addictive behavior. I teach people how to Journal their Journey, am a Public Speaker, a Recovery Coach (CCAR), and hope soon to be a published author.

God is good. I could not walk without excruciating pain for 10 years prior to my last surgery, but by God’s grace I have been blessed to ski pain free over 600 times over the last 12 years.  If you would like to pray for me, pray that I get off the beginners slopes, it's getting embarrassing.

I  don't climb waterfalls anymore.

Here are the reasons you can depend on Bill Orthwein to help you gain traction anywhere on the continuum from addiction/rehab/relapse to lasting recovery:

• REPUTABLE – Bill Orthwein has been around since 2015, a respected leader in his field and community.
  
• EXPERIENCED – Our proudest accomplishment are the large number of long term clients and satisfied customers who put their trust in us year after year.
• INTEGRITY – Building a reputation of integrity takes years, but it takes only a second to lose. We don’t believe in cutting corners. The foundation of our reputation is our commitment to do the right thing at all times, regardless of whether anyone is watching.
• RESOURCES – We offer a wide variety of development and training programs built on timeless principles that get results.
• CUSTOMIZABLE – All of our curriculum can be customized to specifically address your individual and organizational needs.
• 100% SATISFACTION GUARANTEE – We want you to be completely satisfied with our services. We will do whatever it takes to make you happy. No hassles, no problems.

Download your FREE eBook NOW!

Journal Your Journey...Tips for Rewiring, Retraining Your Brain to Live the Life You Want to Live 

This eBook is one of Bill Orthwein's most popular publications available as a free download. Inside of this ebook, you will learn:

• How to Journal Your Journey to less stress and chaos, improved mood, more motivation, clarity, direction, organization, and accountability.
• How Journaling Your Journey can help transform your subconscious from self-destructive beast to powerful ally thru Neuroplasticity, the rewiring, retraining of your brain.
• How Journaling Your Journey can create a Life Map of your past, present, and desired future while increasing peace, happiness, productivity, health, and gratitude.