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04-20-2008, 01:42 PM
Daily Reflections
CULTIVATING FAITH
"I don't think we can do anything very well in this world
unless we practice it. And I don't believe we do A.A. too
well unless we practice it. . . . We should practice . . .
acquiring the spirit of service. We should attempt to
acquire some faith, which isn't easily done, especially
for the person who has always been very materialistic,
following the standards of society today. But I think
faith can be acquired; it can be acquired slowly; it has
to be cultivated. That was not easy for me, and I assume
that it is difficult for everyone else . . . . "
DR. BOB AND THE GOOD OLDTIMERS, pp. 307-08
Fear is often the force that prevents me from acquiring
and cultivating the power of faith. Fear blocks my
appreciation of beauty, tolerance, forgiveness, service,
and serenity.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
After we've been in A.A. for a while, we find out that if
we're going to stay sober, we have to be humble people. The
men and women in A.A. who have achieved sobriety are all
humble people. When I stop to think that but for the grace
of God I might be drunk right now, I can't help feeling
humble. Gratitude to God for His grace makes me humble. When
I think of the kind of person I was not so long ago, when I
think of the person I left behind me, I have nothing to be
proud of. Am I grateful and humble?
Meditation For The Day
I must arise from the death of sin and selfishness and put
on a new life of integrity. All the old sins and temptations
must be laid in the grave and a new existence rise from the
ashes. Yesterday is gone. All my sins are forgiven if I am
honestly trying to do God's will today. Today is here, the
time of resurrection and renewal. I must start now, today,
to build a new life of complete faith and trust in God and
a determination to do His will in all things.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may share in making the world a better place
to live in. I pray that I may do what I can to bring
goodness a little nearer to the earth.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Accepting God's Gifts, p. 168
"Though many theologians hold that sudden spiritual experiences amount to a special
distinction, if not a divine appointment of some sort, I question this view. Every
human being, no matter what his attributes for good or evil, is a part of the divine
spiritual economy. Therefore, each of us has his place, and I cannot see that God
intends to exalt one another.
"So it is necessary for all of us to accept whatever positive gifts we receive with a
deep humility, always bearing in mind that our negative attitudes were first necessary
as a means of reducing us to such a state of that we would be ready for a gift of the
positive ones via the conversion experience. Your own alcoholism and the
immense deflation that finally resulted are indeed the foundation upon which your
spiritual experience rests."
Letter, 1964
************************************************** *********
Walk in Dry Places
The Good that I do____ Action
Why do we hold back when we're offered the opportunity to help others or to do something unusually kind? Why is it that many people are reluctant to give of themselves unless rewarded with recognition or praise?
We may hold back because we do not understand that any good action always brings its own reward. Despite Shakespeare's timeless saying, the good we do is not "interred with our bones"… it does survive, now and in the future.
We've learned in Twelve Step programs that it's not really satisfying to work only for recognition and praise. There also has to be a confident feeling that our efforts are contributing to a large good with a worthwhile purpose. That's what makes AA so special to people who are completely devoted to it… we know that anything done for AA makes the world a better place.
We should also know that those who can help others are fortunate, well-favored people. Others may want to help, but lack the tools. We have the tools to give the help that changes lives---- and the world.
The good that I do today is a treasure I'll always possess. I need not fear the act of letting my higher self take over and guide me.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
One of the most important parts of the AA program is to give our drinking problem to God honestly and fully… Twenty-Four Hour a Day, March 1
We don’t handle our drinking or other drug problem. We don’t take care of this problem by ourselves. We turn our problem over to God as we understand Him. We need to be very clear about this. We can’t handle our drinking or other drug problem! Our Higher Power keeps us sober through the Steps and the fellowship of the program.
Our job is to hand over our problem to our Higher Power. We do this daily by acting like sober people.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I know I can’t handle drinking and using other drugs. I turn my problem over to you. Please take from me the urge to drink or use.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll remember why I can’t handle or take care of my problem with alcohol or other drugs. And I’ll remember why my Higher Power can.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
ANOTHER CHANCE - Poor, black, totally ruled by alcohol, she felt shut away from any life worth living. But when she began a prison sentence, a door opened.
By the grace of God, I only served three years. It was there that I really found out what A.A. was. I had rejected A.A. on the outside, but now it came to me in prison. Today I thank my Higher Power for giving me another chance at life and A.A. and being able to try and help some other alcoholic. I have been home for a year and have not taken a drink in four years.
p. 533
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Eight - "Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all."
Having carefully surveyed this whole area of human relations, and having decided exactly what personality traits in us injured and disturbed others, we can now commence to ransack memory for the people to whom we have given offense. To put a finger on the nearby and most deeply damaged ones shouldn't be hard to do. Then, as year by year we walk back through our lives as far as memory will reach, we shall be bound to construct a long list of people who have, to some extent or other, been affected. We should, of course, ponder and weigh each instance carefully. We shall want to hold ourselves to the course of admitting the things we have done, meanwhile forgiving the wrongs done us, real or fancied. We should avoid extreme judgments, both of ourselves and of others involved. We must not exaggerate our defects or theirs. A quiet, objective view will be our steadfast aim.
pp. 81- 82
************************************************** *********
The only thing you get from sitting on the pity pot is a ring around
your butt and nobody to show it to!
--Anonymous
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
--John Wooden
"Simmering resentment saps energy."
--Nido Qubein
"Pain is an experience. Suffering is a choice."
--Jeff Alexander
Open to a larger, more abundant source. That source is God. And
God's supply is the universe. When we look to God and the universe, we
open ourselves to a never-ending supply of what we need--love, energy,
teaching, support, information, guidance, and nurturing. Certain people
and places may help us along the way, but God is our source for love.
--Melody Beattie
************************************************** *********
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
VALUES
"A man who dares to waste one
hour of time has not discovered
the value of life."
--Charles Darwin
Life is not to be wasted. Time is not to be wasted. Friends, relationships,
opportunities are not to be wasted. Why? Because as vulnerable human
beings we do not have the ultimate control of our lives and none of us
know when our lives will end, when we shall die, when time and
opportunity will be no more! Life is too precious to waste.
During my years as an addict I did not value my life. I did not value time.
I did not value friends and relationships. Nothing was valued except the
alcohol! Life was meaningless. God was absent and I felt nothing - just a
"dullness" at the center of my being. Today this is not the case. Through
my pain I have found the value of life and I have discovered a God as I
understand Him.
God, let me value what I have while I have it.
************************************************** *********
"Without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes
to Him must believe that He exists, and that he rewards those who
earnestly seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift
you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for
you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Don't allow the difficult people around you to get you down. Lord, may I not make other people's problems my own and take on things that I can't do anything about anyway.
There is light behind every shadow. Lord, You are the light of the world. May I never forget to turn to You when my life fills with shadows.
CULTIVATING FAITH
"I don't think we can do anything very well in this world
unless we practice it. And I don't believe we do A.A. too
well unless we practice it. . . . We should practice . . .
acquiring the spirit of service. We should attempt to
acquire some faith, which isn't easily done, especially
for the person who has always been very materialistic,
following the standards of society today. But I think
faith can be acquired; it can be acquired slowly; it has
to be cultivated. That was not easy for me, and I assume
that it is difficult for everyone else . . . . "
DR. BOB AND THE GOOD OLDTIMERS, pp. 307-08
Fear is often the force that prevents me from acquiring
and cultivating the power of faith. Fear blocks my
appreciation of beauty, tolerance, forgiveness, service,
and serenity.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
After we've been in A.A. for a while, we find out that if
we're going to stay sober, we have to be humble people. The
men and women in A.A. who have achieved sobriety are all
humble people. When I stop to think that but for the grace
of God I might be drunk right now, I can't help feeling
humble. Gratitude to God for His grace makes me humble. When
I think of the kind of person I was not so long ago, when I
think of the person I left behind me, I have nothing to be
proud of. Am I grateful and humble?
Meditation For The Day
I must arise from the death of sin and selfishness and put
on a new life of integrity. All the old sins and temptations
must be laid in the grave and a new existence rise from the
ashes. Yesterday is gone. All my sins are forgiven if I am
honestly trying to do God's will today. Today is here, the
time of resurrection and renewal. I must start now, today,
to build a new life of complete faith and trust in God and
a determination to do His will in all things.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may share in making the world a better place
to live in. I pray that I may do what I can to bring
goodness a little nearer to the earth.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Accepting God's Gifts, p. 168
"Though many theologians hold that sudden spiritual experiences amount to a special
distinction, if not a divine appointment of some sort, I question this view. Every
human being, no matter what his attributes for good or evil, is a part of the divine
spiritual economy. Therefore, each of us has his place, and I cannot see that God
intends to exalt one another.
"So it is necessary for all of us to accept whatever positive gifts we receive with a
deep humility, always bearing in mind that our negative attitudes were first necessary
as a means of reducing us to such a state of that we would be ready for a gift of the
positive ones via the conversion experience. Your own alcoholism and the
immense deflation that finally resulted are indeed the foundation upon which your
spiritual experience rests."
Letter, 1964
************************************************** *********
Walk in Dry Places
The Good that I do____ Action
Why do we hold back when we're offered the opportunity to help others or to do something unusually kind? Why is it that many people are reluctant to give of themselves unless rewarded with recognition or praise?
We may hold back because we do not understand that any good action always brings its own reward. Despite Shakespeare's timeless saying, the good we do is not "interred with our bones"… it does survive, now and in the future.
We've learned in Twelve Step programs that it's not really satisfying to work only for recognition and praise. There also has to be a confident feeling that our efforts are contributing to a large good with a worthwhile purpose. That's what makes AA so special to people who are completely devoted to it… we know that anything done for AA makes the world a better place.
We should also know that those who can help others are fortunate, well-favored people. Others may want to help, but lack the tools. We have the tools to give the help that changes lives---- and the world.
The good that I do today is a treasure I'll always possess. I need not fear the act of letting my higher self take over and guide me.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
One of the most important parts of the AA program is to give our drinking problem to God honestly and fully… Twenty-Four Hour a Day, March 1
We don’t handle our drinking or other drug problem. We don’t take care of this problem by ourselves. We turn our problem over to God as we understand Him. We need to be very clear about this. We can’t handle our drinking or other drug problem! Our Higher Power keeps us sober through the Steps and the fellowship of the program.
Our job is to hand over our problem to our Higher Power. We do this daily by acting like sober people.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I know I can’t handle drinking and using other drugs. I turn my problem over to you. Please take from me the urge to drink or use.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll remember why I can’t handle or take care of my problem with alcohol or other drugs. And I’ll remember why my Higher Power can.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
ANOTHER CHANCE - Poor, black, totally ruled by alcohol, she felt shut away from any life worth living. But when she began a prison sentence, a door opened.
By the grace of God, I only served three years. It was there that I really found out what A.A. was. I had rejected A.A. on the outside, but now it came to me in prison. Today I thank my Higher Power for giving me another chance at life and A.A. and being able to try and help some other alcoholic. I have been home for a year and have not taken a drink in four years.
p. 533
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Step Eight - "Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all."
Having carefully surveyed this whole area of human relations, and having decided exactly what personality traits in us injured and disturbed others, we can now commence to ransack memory for the people to whom we have given offense. To put a finger on the nearby and most deeply damaged ones shouldn't be hard to do. Then, as year by year we walk back through our lives as far as memory will reach, we shall be bound to construct a long list of people who have, to some extent or other, been affected. We should, of course, ponder and weigh each instance carefully. We shall want to hold ourselves to the course of admitting the things we have done, meanwhile forgiving the wrongs done us, real or fancied. We should avoid extreme judgments, both of ourselves and of others involved. We must not exaggerate our defects or theirs. A quiet, objective view will be our steadfast aim.
pp. 81- 82
************************************************** *********
The only thing you get from sitting on the pity pot is a ring around
your butt and nobody to show it to!
--Anonymous
"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
--John Wooden
"Simmering resentment saps energy."
--Nido Qubein
"Pain is an experience. Suffering is a choice."
--Jeff Alexander
Open to a larger, more abundant source. That source is God. And
God's supply is the universe. When we look to God and the universe, we
open ourselves to a never-ending supply of what we need--love, energy,
teaching, support, information, guidance, and nurturing. Certain people
and places may help us along the way, but God is our source for love.
--Melody Beattie
************************************************** *********
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
VALUES
"A man who dares to waste one
hour of time has not discovered
the value of life."
--Charles Darwin
Life is not to be wasted. Time is not to be wasted. Friends, relationships,
opportunities are not to be wasted. Why? Because as vulnerable human
beings we do not have the ultimate control of our lives and none of us
know when our lives will end, when we shall die, when time and
opportunity will be no more! Life is too precious to waste.
During my years as an addict I did not value my life. I did not value time.
I did not value friends and relationships. Nothing was valued except the
alcohol! Life was meaningless. God was absent and I felt nothing - just a
"dullness" at the center of my being. Today this is not the case. Through
my pain I have found the value of life and I have discovered a God as I
understand Him.
God, let me value what I have while I have it.
************************************************** *********
"Without faith it is impossible to please God because anyone who comes
to Him must believe that He exists, and that he rewards those who
earnestly seek Him."
Hebrews 11:6
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift
you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for
you.
1 Peter 5:6-7
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
Don't allow the difficult people around you to get you down. Lord, may I not make other people's problems my own and take on things that I can't do anything about anyway.
There is light behind every shadow. Lord, You are the light of the world. May I never forget to turn to You when my life fills with shadows.