weekly topic sept 30-oct 6 2007

[eve3]

i my self have trouble coming up with a topic,which i think is feasible...when i just left the tc program back 5 yrs ago before i went back in jail i was attending this aa mtg down the road from where i live mostly older men...this 1 man came up 2 me and gave me an aa book,the next week he gave me another book,living sober...i remeber reading in that book (which i passed on) 2 parts of the program the religious part is for the addict who does not want 2 go 2 hell,wants 2 go 2 heaven and the spiruial part for the addict whos been thru hell and dosnt want 2 go back....my thought on, spiruiallity is being respectful,reaching out having a highpower,thinking of others,instead of me all the time,helping newcomers and sharing e s h...and so on i just want 2 hear everyones elses take on spiriuality if u care 2 share....1 time we had a women and she said she wasnt feeling spiruial or the god thing and i said well beleive that i beleive because im not doing this alone gods carring me thru the major termoils...i also suggested if shes involved in service work, helping newcomer,this is part of spiriuallity thanks all of you and god bless and keep u safe eve

[eve3]

and i though i share part of this mornings read god is watching..... thought from Hazelden is:

...praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
-- Second half of Step Eleven

Step Eleven teaches us how to pray. We pray for God's will to replace ours. Our will got us in trouble. God's will guides us to simple serenity. We pray for power to live a spiritual life. This is important, for it takes much strength and courage to live a spiritual life.

The sober path is not always easy. It takes self-discipline. We have to say no to our self-will. We follow God's will for us. The rewards are great. We get sobriety. We get serenity. We get friendship. We regain our family. We get a deep, loving relationship with a Higher Power who wants peace and joy for us and for the world.

Prayer for the Day

Dear Higher Power, I pray the words of Step Eleven. I pray to know Your will for me. And I pray that I have the power to carry out Your will.

Action for the Day

I will examine my life. I will look to see how my will gets in the way of God's will

[snugsnug]

this is a great topic eve, just for me and just for today, this topic does not get discussed enough, and folks are getting spiritual mixed up with copping out.
you know for me, recovery is an active change in my attitude and my behaviors, all of them not just the ones that i think need to be changed, and to me spiritual is all the good things that i do, if i am going to claim that i am spiritual how can i go around cussing and tricking and so on, i just do not understand how folks in the rooms can share the happy spiritual stuff but on the way out the door they are cussing at you for asking them to put the chairs up.
if i hang out at the barber shop long enough i am going to get my hair cut, plain and simple.
thanks for letting me share
sterling

[craig]

Thanks Eve, My take on spirituality is that alone ,even not drinking ethyl alcohol ,I am a miserable,restless,irritable and discontent alcoholic. I am also an ego maniacal,arrogant,pompous and bombastic person suffering from the pangs of taking all of life's short cuts down green pastures with the least resistance. I enjoyed the magic elixir as it eradicated and killed my spirits; as I deeply felt shame and humiliation. I have a gorge of a soul sickness. I need to be totally brain washed and reeducated. My best thinking was of a pretzel logic nature. For close to a decade,my HP was all the good sober folks in the rooms of AA. Imperceptibly, transforming my HP from a tiny "mustard seed" to a belief and lastly to a total faith in God that he will not give to me,for 24 hours,anything that with his help I can not handle. This is a fundamental miracle and truth in the fellowship of AA. However,I do not get a free ride. I must admit and accept I am powerless,insane when it comes trying to do battle with an alcoholic spirit that wants to destroy me. I must understand I have a spirtual solution to my spiritual problem. I must turn my life and care over to God,as I understand him.

[janbear]

For me spirituality is about my relationship with God. The 12-step fellowship showed me how me how to have a spiritual relationsip with God as i understnad Him. I started to work the steps, pray again and meditate in my own way, read the literature and yes, even read my bible again. Additionally, i do go to meetings, do some service work, help others. Living this spiritual program a day at a time keeps me clean and sober. I am extremely grateful for the program and how it renewed my faith in my God. Thanks for letting me share.

[eve3]

wow thanx sterling...craig,and jan..i had that committe seeping in on me saying maybe the topic wasnt right i know for me i had 2 change the person i brought in or i would be that person again evil..eve...i work the steps pray read reading do lots of service work show up and grow up...god carries me when i cant carry my self...i found this reading this am.....From "A Vision for You":

"Next day found the prospect more receptive. He had
been thinking it over. 'Maybe you're right,' he said. 'God
ought to be able to do anything.' Then he added, 'He sure
didn't do much for me when I was trying to fight this booze
racket alone.'
"On the third day the lawyer gave his life to the care and
direction of his Creator, and said he was perfectly willing
to do anything necessary. … He had begun to have a
spiritual experience.
"That afternoon he put on his clothes and walked from the
hospital a free man. … [H]e had found God – and in finding
God had found himself."
© 2001 AAWS, Inc., Fourth Edition;
Alcoholics Anonymous, pg. 158

[mellotripp]

Religion helps us find God from ouside ourselves, Spirituality helps us find God from within. Living life in the spirit has always been being honest with myself and what I am willing to do to stay sober, not what I can get away with and still stay sober.