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Post by susala on Aug 11, 2011 18:39:36 GMT -5
roy and skysmom,
I sent my friend an e-mail last night telling her that I hope she's doing well and that I was praying for her. I received a pretty cold response to the effect that she was fine and that she absolutely understood my position. I'm pretty sure she's still in the "I've been unfairly attacked mode". I sent her another e-mail acknowledging that my intervention letter was probably imperfect, reiterating that we had been good friends for many years and that I did not want that to change. l'm going to wait to see how that goes.
Unfortunately, our pastor has only been with us for a little more than a month. Although, he's been to visit my friend in the hospital, neither of us really has a relationship with him. I wouldn't feel comfortable asking him for help in mediating this at this point.
I really appreciate your advice and your prayers.
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Post by skysmom on Aug 11, 2011 22:25:41 GMT -5
Hi susala!
I'm glad to hear that you reached out to your friend again to let her know you meant well and don't want to lose the friendship. Her response was probably distant in an effort to avoid the subject at hand. When us alkies are in active addiction we tend to dodge the subject because we hate to face the reality of our predicament.
I understand not wanting to approach your pastor considering you don't really know him well. This is tough stuff and there's no absolute right & wrong really...ultimately, nothing will work unless your friend has a real desire to get sober.
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Post by skysmom on Aug 12, 2011 7:40:04 GMT -5
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROY!
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moxie
Not so new Crapster
SF Shades of Blues
Posts: 205
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Post by moxie on Aug 12, 2011 15:11:16 GMT -5
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Post by skysmom on Aug 12, 2011 20:01:14 GMT -5
A.A. Thoughts For The DaySelf-Restraint "We enjoy certain inherent advantages which should make our task of self-restraint relatively easy. There is no really good reason for anyone to object if a great many drunks get sober. Nearly everyone can agree that this is a good thing. If, in the process, we are forced to develop a certain amount of honesty, humility, and tolerance, who is going to kick about that? If we recognize that religion is the province of the clergy and the practice of medicine is for doctors, we can helpfully cooperate with both. Certainly there is little basis for controversy in these areas. It is a fact that AA has not the slightest reform or political complexion. We try to pay our own expenses, and we strictly mind our single purpose." - Bill W.
Thought to Consider . . . We are not living just to be sober; we are living to learn, to serve, and to love.
So Touchy From: "We Agnostics" Besides a seeming inability to accept much on faith, we often found ourselves handicapped by obstinacy, sensitiveness, and unreasoning prejudice. Many of us have been so touchy that even casual reference to spiritual things made us bristle with antagonism. This sort of thinking had to be abandoned. Though some of us resisted, we found no great difficulty in casting aside such feelings. Faced with alcoholic destruction, we soon became as open minded on spiritual matters as we had tried to be on other questions. In this respect alcohol was a great persuader. It finally beat us into a state of reasonableness. Sometimes this was a tedious process; we hope no one else will be prejudiced for as long as some of us were.
REMOVING "THE GROUND GLASS" The moral inventory is a cool examination of the damages that occurred to us during life and a sincere effort to look at them in a true perspective. This has the effect of taking the ground glass out of us, the emotional substance that still cuts and inhibits.
My Eighth Step list used to drag me into a whirlpool of resentment. After four years of sobriety, I was blocked by denial connected with an ongoing abusive relationship. The argument between fear and pride eased as the words of the Step moved from my head to my heart. For the first time in years I opened my box of paints and poured out an honest rage, an explosion of reds and blacks and yellows. As I looked at the drawing, tears of joy and relief flowed down my cheeks. In my disease, I had given up my art, a self-inflicted punishment far greater than any imposed from outside. In my recovery, I learned that the pain of my defects is the very substance God uses to cleanse my character and to set me free.
One Fellowship - Many Faiths As a society we must never become so vain as to suppose that we are authors and inventors of a new religion. We will humbly reflect that every one of A.A.'s principles has been borrowed from ancient sources.
A minister in Thailand wrote, "We took A.A.'s Twelve Steps to the largest Buddhist monastery in this province, and the head priest said, 'Why, these Steps are fine! For us as Buddhists, it might be slightly more acceptable if you had inserted the word 'good' in your Steps instead of 'God.' Nevertheless, you say that it is God as you understand Him, and that must certainly include the good. Yes, A.A.'s Twelve Steps will surely be accepted by the Buddhists around here."
St. Louis oldtimers recall how Father Edward Dowling helped start their group; it turned out to be largely Protestant, but this fazed him not a bit.
Big Book Quote Outsiders are sometimes shocked when we burst into merriment over a seemingly tragic experience out of the past. But why shouldn't we laugh? We have recovered, and have been given the power to help others."
A.A. Thought for the Day "While alcoholics keep strictly away from drink, they react to life much like other people. But the first drink sets the terrible cycle in motion. Alcoholics usually have no idea why they take the first drink. Some drinkers have excuses with which they are satisfied, but in their hearts they really do not know why they do it. The truth is that at some point in their drinking they have passed into a state where the most powerful desire to stop drinking is of no avail." Am I satisfied that I have passed my tolerance point for alcohol?
Meditation for the Day He who made the ordered world out of chaos and set the stars in their courses and made each plant to know its season, He can bring peace and order out of your private chaos if you will let Him. God is watching over you, too, to bless you and care for you. Out of the darkness He is leading you to light, out of unrest to rest, out of disorder to order, out of faults and failure to success. You belong to God and your affairs are His affairs and can be ordered by Him if you are willing.
Prayer for the Day I pray that I may be led out of disorder into order. I pray that I may be led out of failure into success.
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Post by skysmom on Aug 12, 2011 20:07:49 GMT -5
A.A. Thoughts For The Day Growing Pains "How to translate a right mental conviction into a right emotional result, and so into easy, happy, and good living - well, that's not only the neurotic's problem, it's the problem of life itself for all of us who have got to the point of real willingness to hew to right principles. Even then, as we hew away, peace and joy may still elude us. That's the place so many of us AA oldsters have come to. And it's a hell of a spot, literally." - Bill W.
Thought to Consider . . . Minds are like parachutes - they won't work unless they're open.
Reactions to Money Tradition Seven: Every A.A. group ought to be fully self-supporting, declining outside contributions. Alcoholics are certainly all-or-nothing people. Our reactions to money prove this. As A.A. emerged from its infancy into adolescence, we swung from the idea that we needed vast sums of money to the notion that A.A. shouldn't have any. On every lip were the words You can't mix A.A. and money. We shall have to separate the spiritual from the material. We took this violent new tack because here and there members had tried to make money out of their A.A. connections, and we feared we'd be exploited. Now and then, grateful benefactors had endowed clubhouses, and as a result there was sometimes outside interference in our affairs. We had been presented with a hospital, and almost immediately the donor's son became its principal patient and would-be manager. One A.A. group was given five thousand dollars to do with what it would. The hassle over that chunk of money played havoc for years. Frightened by these complications, some groups refused to have a cent in their treasuries.
A LOOK BACKWARD First, we take a look backward and try to discover where we have been at fault; next we make a vigorous attempt to repair the damage we have done; . . .
As a traveler on a fresh and exciting A.A. journey of recovery, I experienced a newfound peace of mind and the horizon appeared clear and bright, rather than obscure and dim. Reviewing my life to discover where I had been at fault seemed to be such an arduous and dangerous task. It was painful to pause and look backward. I was afraid I might stumble! Couldn't I put the past out of my mind and just live in my new golden present? I realized that those in the past whom I had harmed stood between me and my desire to continue my movement toward serenity. I had to ask for courage to face those persons from my life who still lived in my conscience, to recognize and deal with the guilt that their presence produced in me. I had to look at the damage I had done, and become willing to make amends. Only then could my journey of the spirit resume.
As Bill Sees It Leadership in A.A. No society can function well without able leadership at all its levels, and A.A. can be no exception. But we A.A.'s sometimes cherish the thought that we can do without much personal leadership at all. We are apt to warp the traditional idea of "principles before personalities" around to such a point that there would be no "personality" in leadership whatever. This would imply rather faceless robots trying to please everybody. A leader in A.A. service is a man (or woman) who can personally put principles, plans, and policies into such dedicated and effective action that the rest of us naturally want to back him up and help him with his job. When a leader powerdrives us badly, we rebel; but when he too meekly becomes an order-taker and he exercises no judgment of his own -- well, he really isn't a leader at all.
Big Book Quote "The fact is that most alcoholics, for reasons yet obscure, have lost the power of choice in drink. Our so-called will power becomes practically nonexistent. We are unable, at certain times, to bring into our consciousness with sufficient force the memory of the suffering and humiliation of even a week or a month ago. We are without defense against the first drink."
A.A. Thought for the Day "There was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet by Alcoholics Anonymous. By doing so, we have a spiritual experience which revolutionizes our whole attitude toward life, toward others, and toward God's universe. The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives there in a way that is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us that we could never do for ourselves." Have I let God come into my life?
Meditation for the Day The moment a thing seems wrong to you or a person's actions to be not what you think they should be, at that moment begins your obligation and responsibility to pray for those wrongs to be righted or that person to be changed. What is wrong in your surroundings or in the people you know? Think about these things and make these matters your responsibility. Not to interfere or be a busybody, but to pray that a change may come through your influence. You may see lives altered and evils banished in time. You can become a force for good wherever you are.
Prayer for the Day I pray that I may be a co-worker with God. I pray that I may help people by my example.
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Post by roygrip on Aug 12, 2011 23:23:16 GMT -5
roy and skysmom,
I sent my friend an e-mail last night telling her that I hope she's doing well and that I was praying for her. I received a pretty cold response to the effect that she was fine and that she absolutely understood my position. I'm pretty sure she's still in the "I've been unfairly attacked mode". I sent her another e-mail acknowledging that my intervention letter was probably imperfect, reiterating that we had been good friends for many years and that I did not want that to change. l'm going to wait to see how that goes.
Unfortunately, our pastor has only been with us for a little more than a month. Although, he's been to visit my friend in the hospital, neither of us really has a relationship with him. I wouldn't feel comfortable asking him for help in mediating this at this point.
I really appreciate your advice and your prayers.
Well Susala, you done the right thing, I understand the position with the Pastor, it takes time to build a relationship, and feel comfortable. The best you can do, is the wait and see, and the continued prayers. Until she "gets it" for herself, you will be the "bad guy" and she will see herself as the victim. I realize now how hard it was for those who care to stand by and watch us hurt ourselves and those around us. You and she are in our prayers. Roy
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Post by roygrip on Aug 12, 2011 23:24:52 GMT -5
Thanks Sky and Mox for my birtday wishes, I worked 12.5 hrs to celebrate! LOL!
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Post by skysmom on Aug 13, 2011 13:34:34 GMT -5
Thanks Sky and Mox for my birtday wishes, I worked 12.5 hrs to celebrate! LOL! Sorry you had to work Roy! Mine falls on a Wednesday this year...Aug. 31 & I'll have 7 kids all day. But, like you, I enjoy what I do so it'll still be a great day! The way I see it...ALL days are wonderful as long as I'm sober!
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Post by skysmom on Aug 13, 2011 23:10:14 GMT -5
A.A. Thoughts For The Day Reprieve "It is easy to let up on the spiritual program of action and rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do, for alcohol is a subtle foe. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition. Every day is a day when we must carry the vision of God's will into all of our activities."
Thought to Consider . . . This is a program of limitless expansion. The gate is wide but the road is narrow.
Just For Today! Not for Nothing From: "Empty on the Inside" When I was two weeks sober, a man's nine-year-old daughter was killed by a drunk driver, and three days later he was at a meeting saying he had to believe it wasn't for nothing. That maybe one alcoholic would get sober because of it. As I left that day, I found myself wondering what would have happened if that had been my kids, or me? What would they remember about me? A feeling came over me (I know now it was gratitude), and I realized that I could call my children right then and tell them I loved them. That I could show up when I said I would. That my word could be worth something to them. That even though I might always just be "mom who comes over on the weekends," I could be a good weekend mom. I had a chance to move forward with them, forging a relationship built on a foundation of God and Alcoholics Anonymous, rather than always trying to make up for the past. One year later I was able to share with that man that maybe it hadn't been for nothing, because my life changed that day.
A CLEAN SWEEP . . . and third, having thus cleared away the debris of the past, we consider how, with our newfound knowledge of ourselves, we may develop the best possible relations with every human being we know.
As I faced the Eighth Step, everything that was required for successful completion of the previous seven Steps came together: courage, honesty, sincerity, willingness and thoroughness. I could not muster the strength required for this task at the beginning, which is why this Step reads "Became willing. . ."
I needed to develop the courage to begin, the honesty to see where I was wrong, a sincere desire to set things right, thoroughness in making a list, and willingness to take the risks required for true humility. With the help of my Higher Power in developing these virtues, I completed this Step and continued to move forward in my quest for spiritual growth.
As Bill Sees It The Answer in the Mirror While drinking, we were certain that our intelligence, backed by will power, could rightly control our inner lives and guarantee us success in the world around us. This brave philosophy, wherein each man played God, sounded good in the speaking, but it still had to meet the acid test: How well did it actually work? One good look in the mirror was answer enough. My spiritual awakening was electrically sudden and absolutely convincing. At once I became a part - if only a tiny part - of a cosmos that was ruled by justice and love in the person of God. No matter what had been the consequences of my own willfulness and ignorance, or those of my fellow travelers on earth, this was still the truth. Such was the new and positive assurance, and this has never left me.
Big Book Quote "Everybody knows that those in bad health, and those who seldom play, do not laugh much. So let each family play together or separately as much as their circumstances warrant. We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous, and free."
A.A. Thought for the Day "We had but two alternatives; one was to go on to the bitter end, blotting out the consciousness of our intolerable situation as best we could, and the other was to accept spiritual help. We became willing to maintain a certain simple attitude toward life. What seemed at first a flimsy reed has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God. A new life has been given us, a design for living that really works. All of us establish in our own individual way our personal relationship with God." Have I established my own relationship with God?
Meditation for the Day Make it a daily practice to review your character. Take your character in relation to your daily life, to your dear ones, your friends, your acquaintances, and your work. Each day try to see where God wants you to change. Plan how best each fault can be eradicated or each mistake be corrected. Never be satisfied with a comparison with those around you. Strive toward a better life as your ultimate goal. God is your helper through weakness to power, through danger to security, through fear and worry to peace and serenity.
Prayer for the Day I pray that I may make real progress toward a better life. I pray that I may never be satisfied with my present state
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Post by roygrip on Aug 14, 2011 9:22:24 GMT -5
Thanks Sky and Mox for my birtday wishes, I worked 12.5 hrs to celebrate! LOL! Sorry you had to work Roy! Mine falls on a Wednesday this year...Aug. 31 & I'll have 7 kids all day. But, like you, I enjoy what I do so it'll still be a great day! The way I see it...ALL days are wonderful as long as I'm sober!
Geeze, ain't dat da truff! Conflict resolution sure goes smother, LMAO!
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moxie
Not so new Crapster
SF Shades of Blues
Posts: 205
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Post by moxie on Aug 14, 2011 20:35:20 GMT -5
!!!! Happy Birthday, Tipsy !!!!
Roy gave up drinking about nine years ago and I don't think he would appreciate being called "Tipsy." His birthday was several days ago anyways! lol ;D j/k Roy, FS!!
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Post by roygrip on Aug 15, 2011 7:57:53 GMT -5
!!!! Happy Birthday, Tipsy !!!! Roy gave up drinking about nine years ago and I don't think he would appreciate being called "Tipsy." His birthday was several days ago anyways! lol ;D j/k Roy, FS!!
10 yrs Mox, and LOL Tipsy is a UK poster named "PG TIPSY", Tipsy for short. Thanks Moxie ;D
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Post by skysmom on Aug 15, 2011 10:14:39 GMT -5
Wisdom of the Rooms ~ Quote of the Week "How do you know when you've hit bottom? When you stop digging."
For years I was driven by an obsession to drink. In the beginning I tried to control it, but after a while it had complete control of me. Alcoholism took me to a deep emotional, spiritual and physical bottom, and only when I surrendered to this program did I begin to recover. In sobriety I've found that the obsessive thinking of this disease is still with me, and there have been other areas in which I've hit a bottom. In early recovery the obsessive thinking often took me down, and when I finally did let go there were usually deep claw marks in whatever it was that I was releasing. One of the gifts of my recovery is that I've learned that I have the choice of when to stop digging. When my obsessive thinking starts, I now have tools I can use to be restored to sanity. By turning my thinking over to my Higher Power, sharing my thoughts in meetings, with my sponsor or others, I avoid the old bottoms and can live a much freer life. How do I know when I've hit bottom today? When I choose to stop digging!
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Post by roygrip on Aug 15, 2011 17:56:26 GMT -5
If I can endure for this minute
Whatever is happening to me,
No matter how heavy my heart is
Or how dark the moment may be-
If I can remain calm and quiet
With all the world crashing about me,
Secure in the knowledge God loves me
When everyone else seems to doubt me-
If I can but keep on believing
What I know in my heart to be true,
That darkness will fade with the morning
And that this will pass away, too-
Then nothing in life can defeat me
For as long as this knowledge remains
I can suffer whatever is happening
For I know God will break all of the chains
That are binding me tight in the darkness
And trying to fill me with fear-
For there is no night without dawning
And I know that my morning is near.
...Helen Steiner Rice
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Post by roygrip on Aug 16, 2011 17:57:52 GMT -5
PRAYERS OF THE STEPS
1ST STEP
God, Creative Intelligence, Universal Mind, Spirit of Nature or Spirit of the Universe my name is ______, And I'm a real alcoholic ... and I need your help today. (pg.. 10-2, 46, & Chp. 3 BB)
2nd STEP
God, I'm standing at the turning point right now. Give me your protection and care as I abandon myself to you and give up my old ways and my old ideas just for today. AMEN (p. 59 BB)
3rd STEP
"God, I offer myself to Thee—to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of life. May I do Thy will always!" (p. 63 BB) God, Take my will and my life. Guide me in my recovery. Show me how to live. AMEN (the step on p. 59 BB)
4th STEP
WHEN IN DOUBT "I was to sit quietly when in doubt, asking only for direction and strength to meet my problems as He would have me. Never was I to pray for myself, except as my requests bore on my usefulness to others. Then only might I expect to receive. But that would be in great measure." (p.13)
WHEN I AM DISTURBED BY THE CONDUCT (SYMPTOMS) OF OTHERS "This is a sick man. How can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done." (p. 67 BB)
God help me to show this person the same tolerance, pity and patience that I would Cheerfully grant a sick friend. This is a sick person, how can I be helpful to him? God save me from being angry. Thy will be done. (see above and p. 141 of 12&12)
WHEN I AM AFRAID "We ask Him to remove our fear and direct our attention to what He would have us be." (p. 68 BB)
God, relieve me of this fear and direct my attention to what you would have me be. AMEN (see above)
WHEN I AM AWARE OF MY OWN DEFECTS AND SEEKING GOD'S HELP TO CHANGE "We asked God to mold our ideals and help us to live up to them. . . we ask God what we should do about each specific matter." (p. 69 BB)
God mold my ideals in this particular area of my life and help me to live up to them. What should I do in each specific matter? Guide me God and give me strength to do right. AMEN (see above)
5th STEP
God I thank you from the bottom of my heart that I know you better. Help me become aware of anything I have omitted discussing with another person. Help me to do what is necessary to walk a free man at last. AMEN (p. 75 BB)
6th STEP
God help me become willing to let go of all the things to which I still cling. Help me to be ready to let You remove all of these defects, that Your will and purpose may take their place. AMEN (p. 76 BB)
7th STEP
"I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me as He would. I placed myself unreservedly under His care and direction. I admitted for the first time that of myself I was nothing; that without Him I was lost. I ruthlessly faced my sins and became willing to have my new-found Friend take them away, root and branch." (p. 13)
"My Creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows. Grant me strength, as I go out from here, to do your bidding. Amen." (p. 76 BB)
8th STEP
"We attempt to sweep away the debris which has accumulated out of our effort to live on self-will and run the show ourselves. If we haven’t the will to do this, we ask until it comes." (p. 76 BB)
God help me to become willing to sweep away the debris of self will and self reliant living. Thy will be done for this person as well as for me. AMEN (see above)
9th STEP
God give me the strength and direction to do the right thing no matter what the consequences may be. Help me to consider others and not harm them in any way. Help me to consult with others before I take any actions that would cause me to be sorry. Help me to not repeat such behaviors. Show me the way of Patience, Tolerance, Kindliness, and Love and help me live the spiritual life. AMEN (p. 78-80 BB)
10th STEP
God remove the Selfishness, dishonesty, resentment and fear that has cropped up in my life right now. Help me to discuss this with someone immediately and make amends quickly if I have harmed anyone. Help me to cease fight anything and anyone. Show me where I may be helpful to someone else. Help me react sanely; not cocky or afraid. How can I best serve You - Your will, not mine be done. AMEN (p. 84-5 BB)
"How can I best serve Thee—Thy will (not mine) be done." (p. 85 BB)
11th STEP
"As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day 'Thy will be done.' " (p. 87-8 BB)
God, I'm agitated and doubtful right now. Help me to stop and remember that I've made a decision to let You be my God. Give me the right thoughts and actions. God save me from fear, anger, worry, self-pity or foolish decisions that Your will not mine be done. AMEN
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Post by roygrip on Aug 16, 2011 17:59:39 GMT -5
SOUGHT THROUGH PRAYER AND MEDITATION TO IMPROVE OUR CONSCIOUS CONTACT WITH GOD ... PRAYING ONLY FOR HIS WILL AND THE POWER TO CARRY THAT OUT. HAVING HAD A SPIRITUAL AWAKENING ... WE TRIED TO PRACTICE THESE PRINCIPLES IN ALL OUR AFFAIRS.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MORNING PRAYER God direct my thinking today so that it be divorced of self pity, dishonesty, self-will, self-seeking and fear. God inspire my thinking, decisions and intuitions. Help me to relax and take it easy. Free me from doubt and indecision. Guide me through this day and show me my next step. God give me what I need to take care of any problems. I ask all these things that I may be of maximum service to you and my fellow man in the name of the Steps I pray. AMEN (p. 86 BB) AA MORNINGS On awakening let us think about the twenty-four hours ahead. We consider our plans for the day. Before we begin, we ask God to direct our thinking, especially asking that it be divorced from self-pity, dishonest or self-seeking motives. Under these conditions we can employ our mental faculties with assurance, for after all God gave us brains to use. Our thought-life will be placed on a much higher plane when our thinking is cleared of wrong motives. In thinking about our day we may face indecision. We may not be able to determine which course to take. Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. we relax and take it easy. We don’t struggle. We are often surprised how the right answers come after we have tried this for a while.
What used to be the hunch or the occasional inspiration gradually becomes a working part of the mind. Being still inexperienced and having just made conscious contact with God, it is not probable that we are going to be inspired at all times. We might pay for this presumption in all sorts of absurd actions and ideas. Nevertheless, we find that our thinking will, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration. We come to rely upon it.
We usually conclude the period of meditation with a prayer that we be shown all through the day what our next step is to be, that we be given whatever we need to take care of such problems. We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no request for ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. We are careful never to pray for our own selfish ends. Many of us have wasted a lot of time doing that and it doesn't work. You can easily see why.
If circumstances warrant, we ask our wives or friends to join us in morning meditation. If we belong to a religious denomination which requires a definite morning devotion, we attend to that also. If not members of religious bodies, we sometimes select and memorize a few set prayers which emphasize the principles we have been discussing. There are many helpful books also. Suggestions about these may be obtained from one’s priest, minister, or rabbi. Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer.
As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action. We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day “Thy will be done.” We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity, or foolish decisions. We become much more efficient. We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.
It works - it really does.
We alcoholics are undisciplined. So we let God discipline us in the simple way we have just outlined. But this is not all. There is action and more action. “Faith without works is dead.” (from "Alcoholics Anonymous pg. 86-88)
NIGHT PRAYER God forgive me where I have been resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid today. Help me to not keep anything to myself but to discuss it all openly with another person - show me where I owe an apology and help me make it. Help me to be kind and loving to all people. Use me in the mainstream of life God. Remove worry, remorse or morbid (sick) reflections that I may be of usefulness to others. AMEN (p. 86 BB) AA NIGHTS When we retire at night, we constructively review our day. Were we resentful, selfish, dishonest or afraid? Do we owe an apology? Have we kept something to ourselves which should be discussed with another person at once? Were we kind and loving toward all? What could we have done better? Were we thinking of ourselves most of the time? Or were we thinking of what we could do for others, of what we could pack into the stream of life? But we must be careful not to drift into worry, remorse or morbid reflection, for that would diminish our usefulness to others. After making our review we ask God's forgiveness and inquire what corrective measures should be taken. (from "Alcoholics Anonymous pg. 86)
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Post by skysmom on Aug 17, 2011 20:17:44 GMT -5
"What if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?" ~Romans 3:3, KJV
People often allow the opinions of others to hold them back. But, we have to realize that there will always be critics and naysayers in life. One of the most important things you can learn is that other people don't have to believe in you in order for you to believe in you. Other people don't set the limits for your life - you do! It's not what others say about you that affects your life, but what you say and believe about yourself. When God puts a promise in your heart, it's not up to other people to bring it to pass, it's up to you!
In today's verse, the apostle Paul is saying, "It doesn't matter if other people don't believe. Their unbelief is not going to keep me from believing." In other words, you don't need everyone else to validate you. You only have to follow the voice of God for yourself.
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Post by skysmom on Aug 18, 2011 6:32:00 GMT -5
Anyway....[glow=blue,2,300] God Mornin All!! [/glow] Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary. -Steve JobsDogma~ 1. an official system of principles or tenets concerning faith, morals, behavior, etc., as of a church. Synonyms: doctrine, teachings, set of beliefs, philosophy. 2. a specific tenet or doctrine authoritatively laid down, as by a church: the dogma of the Assumption; the recently defined dogma of papal infallibility. Synonyms: tenet, canon, law. 3. prescribed doctrine proclaimed as unquestionably true by a particular group: the difficulty of resisting political dogma. 4. a settled or established opinion, belief, or principle: the classic dogma of objectivity in scientific observation. Synonyms: conviction, certainty. I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Mean people suck." On one level, I agree. But look closer. Mean people live in deep unconsciousness. They need to get angry and lash out at people, many times somebody else who "needs" to get angry, too. When bad stuff comes their way or they are mistreated, their angry world view stays in place. But, when they are dealt with kindly, their world view is challenged. Don't let mean people suck the kindness out of you. Be nice... or at least don't be mean back. Now back to preparing my peeps...think I'll get a good marinade!
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Post by skysmom on Aug 18, 2011 6:53:02 GMT -5
Today's thought from Hazelden is:
Nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so. --Shakespeare
Look for the Good
Life is an interpretive experience. What happens is less important than how we respond to our circumstances. An intense stimulus that some people report as pain others report as pleasure. It is we who decide what the interpretation will be.
Are you a "good finder"? A recent study of the country's millionaires showed that the most common trait they all shared was the ability to discover good in any situation. This trait is also common in "triumphant survivors" - those individuals who overcome adversity and emerge strengthened and renewed.
A sincere spiritual seeker suffering from a chronic illness wondered, "Why haven't my prayers been answered?" One day, in deep meditation the reply came: "Look for the good in your situation and you will see that the answer has already been provided." Suddenly this woman realized that her crisis provided a wonderful opportunity. She embarked on a program of nutrition, exercise, and yoga, which led to a dramatic improvement in the quality of her life.
Abraham Lincoln once said, "Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Your state of mind is up to you. Choose now to look for the good.
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