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09-19-2008, 03:54 PM
Daily Reflections
H.P. AS GUIDE
See to it that your relationship with Him is right,
and great events will come to pass for you and
countless others. This is the Great Fact for us.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 164
Having a right relationship with God seemed to be
an impossible order. My chaotic past had left me
filled with guilt and remorse and I wondered how
this "God business" could work. A.A. told me that
I must turn my will and my life life over to the
care of God, as I understand Him. With nowhere else
to turn, I went down on my knees and cried, "God, I
can't do this. Please help me!" It was when I
admitted my powerlessness that a glimmer of light
began to touch my soul, and then a willingness
emerged to let God control my life. With Him as my
guide, great events began to happen, and I found the
beginning of sobriety.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Step Four is, "Made a searching and fearless moral
inventory of ourselves." Step Five is, " Admitted to
God to ourselves and to another human being the exact
nature of our wrongs." Step Six is, "Were entirely
ready to have God remove all these defects of
character." Step Seven is, "Humbly asked Him to remove
our shortcomings." Step Ten is, "Continued to take
personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly
admitted it." In taking a personal inventory, we have
to be absolutely honest with ourselves and with
other people. Have I taken an honest inventory of myself?
Meditation For The Day
God is good. You can often tell whether or not a thing
is of God. If it is of God, it must be good. Honesty,
purity, unselfishness, and love are all good, unselfish
helpfulness is good, and these things all lead to the
abundant life. Leave in God's hands the present
and the future, knowing only that He is good. The hand
that veils the future is the hand of God. He can bring
order out of chaos, good out of evil, and peace out of
turmoil. We can believe that everything really good comes
from God and that He shares His goodness with us.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may reach out for the good.
I pray that I may try to choose the best in life.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Never Again!, p. 16
"Most people feel more secure on the twenty-four-hour basis than
they do in the resolution that they will never drink again. Most of
them have broken too many resolutions. It's really a matter of
personal choice; every A.A. has the privilege of interpreting the
program as he likes.
"Personally, I take the attitude that I intend never to drink again.
This is somewhat different from saying, 'I will never drink again.' The
latter attitude sometimes gets people in trouble because it is
undertaking on a personal basis to do what we alcoholics never could
do. It is too much an act of will and leaves too little room for the idea
that God will release us from the drink obsession provided we follow
the A.A. program."
Letter, 1949
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
All we need to know.
Maintaining
Seen from today's perspective, the early AA members had rather narrow attitudes toward the study of alcoholism. They became restless and fidgety if member started discussing psychological aspects of the problem or gave other indications that they were trying to learn more about the disease.
While we don't need to hold such narrow attitudes today, we should at least concede that we don't need complex information to stay sober. All we have to know is that we have a very compulsive problem that can be arrested by eliminating the first drink.
Even today, nobody fully knows why the first drink is so deadly for people like us. Our experience and the experience of others tells us that it is. That knowledge alone can be an important building block in finding and maintaining sobriety.
While being open-minded to new information, I'll remember today that a fairly simple idea.... that I'm an alcoholic and can't live with alcohol.... Is the main thing I need to know.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.
---Mark Twain
Sometimes it does no good to try to “deal” with your feelings. For the moment, we’re stuck. We can only see things one way. No matter what anyone says, we’re closed up. For the moment. But this puts our sobriety at risk.
How do we stop self-pity? Focus on someone else. When we really want to help someone else be happy, we'll ask our Higher Power’s help. Then things start to change, because our good deeds come back to us. Remember, service will always keep us sober.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, sometimes I get stuck in my old ways. Help me change my focus at those times. Help me stay sober.
Action for the Day: I will think of a time when I was stuck in bad feelings. How did I get out of that spot.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
Foreward To Third Edition
BY March 1976, when this edition went to the printer, the total worldwide membership of Alcoholics Anonymous was conservatively estimated at more than 1,000,000, with almost 28,000 groups meeting in over 90 countries.
p. xxii
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Five - "Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry it's message to the alcoholic who still suffers."
"Thank heaven I came up with the right answer for that one. It was based foursquare on the single purpose of A.A. `You have faith,' I said. `Perhaps far deeper faith than mine. No doubt you're better taught in religious matters than I. So I can't tell you anything about religion. I don't even want to try. I'll bet, too, that you could give me a letter-perfect definition of humility. But from what you've told me about yourself and your problems and how you propose to lick them, I think I know what's wrong.'
"`Okay,' he said. `Give me the business.'
"`Well,' I said, `I think you're just a conceited Irishman who thinks he can run the whole show.'
"This really rocked him. But as he calmed down, he began to listen while I tried to show him that humility was the main key to sobriety. Finally, he saw that I wasn't attempting to change his religious views, that I wanted him to find the grace in his own religion that would aid his recovery. From there on we got along fine.
"Now," concludes the oldtimer, "suppose I'd been obliged to talk to this man on religious grounds? Suppose my answer had to be that A.A. needed a lot of money; that A.A. went in for education, hospital, and rehabilitation? Suppose I'd suggested that I'd take a hand in his domestic and business affairs? Where would we have wound up? No place, of course."
Years later, this tough Irish customer liked to say, "my sponsor sold me one idea, and that was sobriety. At the time, I couldn't have bought anything else."
pp. 153-154
************************************************** *********
Those who created yesterday's pain do not control tomorrow's
potential.
--unknown
The devil brings devastation; God offers restoration.
--unknown
"I do service in Alcoholics Anonymous because it reminds me of where
I came from . . . it keeps me green. And green things grow!"
--unknown
Most people's confusion comes in the area of their desires, not their
needs. Giving can be one of the greatest ways to receiving. If you
want more love, give love. If you want more joy, be joyful. Look for
the good in all things and situations, and you may be surprised at what
you see.
--John-Roger
All we need to do is allow more joy and love into our experience. We
need to really choose it, to allow ourselves to feel it, paying attention,
choosing to be alive and to be kind; allowing ourselves to feel and to
be nurtured by the natural order of the Spirit of God. When we choose
and allow it, the dramas fall away and dissolve.
--Patricia Sun
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it
takes to sit down and listen.
--Winston Churchill
"Fear less, hope more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more;
Hate less, love more; And all good things are yours."
--Swedish Proverb
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
SHARING
"The mass of men lead lives of
quiet desperation."
-- Henry David Thoreau
I thought that I was the only one who felt like I did. Nobody could
possibly understand. I was different from everybody and needed
to keep my life -- my true life -- a secret. I was living a life of
quiet desperation! Then I went to a meeting for recovering
alcoholics and heard somebody share my pain, my loneliness, my
confusion, my addiction -- my life.
I was lonely because I kept myself separate from people. I saw
them as being different from myself, and so I remained the lonely
and isolated victim. Strange how similar we are when we begin to
share. When we get beneath culture, class and creed, we discover
sensitive human beings trying to make sense of their lives. We need
each other.
May I risk rejection in my spiritual need to share and be known.
************************************************** *********
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor
and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will
pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. Better the little
that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power
of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their
inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not
wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. But the wicked will
perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they
will vanish--vanish like smoke.
Psalm 37:14-20
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as
the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be
afraid."
John 14:27
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
You make a difference every time you smile, speak kindly or give of yourself. Lord, You ask for nothing but goodness of me. What peace it brings to my soul.
Listen carefully to the things you say. The advice we give to others is often the best advice for us to follow. Lord, help me to follow that which I know is right even when it is difficult.
H.P. AS GUIDE
See to it that your relationship with Him is right,
and great events will come to pass for you and
countless others. This is the Great Fact for us.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 164
Having a right relationship with God seemed to be
an impossible order. My chaotic past had left me
filled with guilt and remorse and I wondered how
this "God business" could work. A.A. told me that
I must turn my will and my life life over to the
care of God, as I understand Him. With nowhere else
to turn, I went down on my knees and cried, "God, I
can't do this. Please help me!" It was when I
admitted my powerlessness that a glimmer of light
began to touch my soul, and then a willingness
emerged to let God control my life. With Him as my
guide, great events began to happen, and I found the
beginning of sobriety.
************************************************** *********
Twenty-Four Hours A Day
A.A. Thought For The Day
Step Four is, "Made a searching and fearless moral
inventory of ourselves." Step Five is, " Admitted to
God to ourselves and to another human being the exact
nature of our wrongs." Step Six is, "Were entirely
ready to have God remove all these defects of
character." Step Seven is, "Humbly asked Him to remove
our shortcomings." Step Ten is, "Continued to take
personal inventory and when we were wrong, promptly
admitted it." In taking a personal inventory, we have
to be absolutely honest with ourselves and with
other people. Have I taken an honest inventory of myself?
Meditation For The Day
God is good. You can often tell whether or not a thing
is of God. If it is of God, it must be good. Honesty,
purity, unselfishness, and love are all good, unselfish
helpfulness is good, and these things all lead to the
abundant life. Leave in God's hands the present
and the future, knowing only that He is good. The hand
that veils the future is the hand of God. He can bring
order out of chaos, good out of evil, and peace out of
turmoil. We can believe that everything really good comes
from God and that He shares His goodness with us.
Prayer For The Day
I pray that I may reach out for the good.
I pray that I may try to choose the best in life.
************************************************** *********
As Bill Sees It
Never Again!, p. 16
"Most people feel more secure on the twenty-four-hour basis than
they do in the resolution that they will never drink again. Most of
them have broken too many resolutions. It's really a matter of
personal choice; every A.A. has the privilege of interpreting the
program as he likes.
"Personally, I take the attitude that I intend never to drink again.
This is somewhat different from saying, 'I will never drink again.' The
latter attitude sometimes gets people in trouble because it is
undertaking on a personal basis to do what we alcoholics never could
do. It is too much an act of will and leaves too little room for the idea
that God will release us from the drink obsession provided we follow
the A.A. program."
Letter, 1949
************************************************** *********
Walk In Dry Places
All we need to know.
Maintaining
Seen from today's perspective, the early AA members had rather narrow attitudes toward the study of alcoholism. They became restless and fidgety if member started discussing psychological aspects of the problem or gave other indications that they were trying to learn more about the disease.
While we don't need to hold such narrow attitudes today, we should at least concede that we don't need complex information to stay sober. All we have to know is that we have a very compulsive problem that can be arrested by eliminating the first drink.
Even today, nobody fully knows why the first drink is so deadly for people like us. Our experience and the experience of others tells us that it is. That knowledge alone can be an important building block in finding and maintaining sobriety.
While being open-minded to new information, I'll remember today that a fairly simple idea.... that I'm an alcoholic and can't live with alcohol.... Is the main thing I need to know.
************************************************** *********
Keep It Simple
The best way to cheer yourself up is to try to cheer somebody else up.
---Mark Twain
Sometimes it does no good to try to “deal” with your feelings. For the moment, we’re stuck. We can only see things one way. No matter what anyone says, we’re closed up. For the moment. But this puts our sobriety at risk.
How do we stop self-pity? Focus on someone else. When we really want to help someone else be happy, we'll ask our Higher Power’s help. Then things start to change, because our good deeds come back to us. Remember, service will always keep us sober.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, sometimes I get stuck in my old ways. Help me change my focus at those times. Help me stay sober.
Action for the Day: I will think of a time when I was stuck in bad feelings. How did I get out of that spot.
************************************************** *********
Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition
Foreward To Third Edition
BY March 1976, when this edition went to the printer, the total worldwide membership of Alcoholics Anonymous was conservatively estimated at more than 1,000,000, with almost 28,000 groups meeting in over 90 countries.
p. xxii
************************************************** *********
Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions
Tradition Five - "Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry it's message to the alcoholic who still suffers."
"Thank heaven I came up with the right answer for that one. It was based foursquare on the single purpose of A.A. `You have faith,' I said. `Perhaps far deeper faith than mine. No doubt you're better taught in religious matters than I. So I can't tell you anything about religion. I don't even want to try. I'll bet, too, that you could give me a letter-perfect definition of humility. But from what you've told me about yourself and your problems and how you propose to lick them, I think I know what's wrong.'
"`Okay,' he said. `Give me the business.'
"`Well,' I said, `I think you're just a conceited Irishman who thinks he can run the whole show.'
"This really rocked him. But as he calmed down, he began to listen while I tried to show him that humility was the main key to sobriety. Finally, he saw that I wasn't attempting to change his religious views, that I wanted him to find the grace in his own religion that would aid his recovery. From there on we got along fine.
"Now," concludes the oldtimer, "suppose I'd been obliged to talk to this man on religious grounds? Suppose my answer had to be that A.A. needed a lot of money; that A.A. went in for education, hospital, and rehabilitation? Suppose I'd suggested that I'd take a hand in his domestic and business affairs? Where would we have wound up? No place, of course."
Years later, this tough Irish customer liked to say, "my sponsor sold me one idea, and that was sobriety. At the time, I couldn't have bought anything else."
pp. 153-154
************************************************** *********
Those who created yesterday's pain do not control tomorrow's
potential.
--unknown
The devil brings devastation; God offers restoration.
--unknown
"I do service in Alcoholics Anonymous because it reminds me of where
I came from . . . it keeps me green. And green things grow!"
--unknown
Most people's confusion comes in the area of their desires, not their
needs. Giving can be one of the greatest ways to receiving. If you
want more love, give love. If you want more joy, be joyful. Look for
the good in all things and situations, and you may be surprised at what
you see.
--John-Roger
All we need to do is allow more joy and love into our experience. We
need to really choose it, to allow ourselves to feel it, paying attention,
choosing to be alive and to be kind; allowing ourselves to feel and to
be nurtured by the natural order of the Spirit of God. When we choose
and allow it, the dramas fall away and dissolve.
--Patricia Sun
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it
takes to sit down and listen.
--Winston Churchill
"Fear less, hope more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more;
Hate less, love more; And all good things are yours."
--Swedish Proverb
***********************************************
Father Leo's Daily Meditation
SHARING
"The mass of men lead lives of
quiet desperation."
-- Henry David Thoreau
I thought that I was the only one who felt like I did. Nobody could
possibly understand. I was different from everybody and needed
to keep my life -- my true life -- a secret. I was living a life of
quiet desperation! Then I went to a meeting for recovering
alcoholics and heard somebody share my pain, my loneliness, my
confusion, my addiction -- my life.
I was lonely because I kept myself separate from people. I saw
them as being different from myself, and so I remained the lonely
and isolated victim. Strange how similar we are when we begin to
share. When we get beneath culture, class and creed, we discover
sensitive human beings trying to make sense of their lives. We need
each other.
May I risk rejection in my spiritual need to share and be known.
************************************************** *********
The wicked draw the sword and bend the bow to bring down the poor
and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright. But their swords will
pierce their own hearts, and their bows will be broken. Better the little
that the righteous have than the wealth of many wicked; for the power
of the wicked will be broken, but the LORD upholds the righteous.
The days of the blameless are known to the LORD, and their
inheritance will endure forever. In times of disaster they will not
wither; in days of famine they will enjoy plenty. But the wicked will
perish: The LORD's enemies will be like the beauty of the fields, they
will vanish--vanish like smoke.
Psalm 37:14-20
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as
the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be
afraid."
John 14:27
************************************************** *********
Daily Inspiration
You make a difference every time you smile, speak kindly or give of yourself. Lord, You ask for nothing but goodness of me. What peace it brings to my soul.
Listen carefully to the things you say. The advice we give to others is often the best advice for us to follow. Lord, help me to follow that which I know is right even when it is difficult.