Real Power

There I was sitting at one of those dumb old noon meetings. Did not want to go, went anyway. That's how we roll in my AA lineage.. (Thank God) One of the guys comes in with a few months. Now you have to picture this. This guy is a big, scary, addict/alcoholic, ex drug dealer, very macho dude. He starts sharing with us. He tells how he shattered this guys jaw and really screwed him up about 10 years ago, then terrorized the guys and his family for months. Had restraining orders the whole bit. Just roared through these peoples lives like a tornado.

Any way he is eating lunch in a restaurant with his family after church last Sunday. And this other guy comes in with his family and sits down. They look across the room and see our friend. Instantly the tension fills the room so thick, it could be cut with a knife. Our friend sits there and starts sweating and becoming agitated. Then he stands up, his family is looking at him thinking, not again. He walks over to the table and tells the other guy "don't freak out I just want to tell you that what I did to you was wrong and I'm sorry!"

Our friend starts to break up. He is standing there towering over the other guy with tears running down his cheeks making amends. The other guys breaks up. The mothers of these two start to cry and it all went great.

As he is telling us this story and I am experiencing the Power of God. There are tears in my eyes and once again I stand amazed at the Power of God in people's lives. This ain't history book or fairy tale stuff. This is real and happening right now.

I have a friend who tells me I can't live off of a spiritual experience from the past, I must take action and live this way of life daily. I do and I am.

To borrow a line from Charlie P. If loving the fellowship of AA, if studying and applying the Big Book, and if loving my God with all my heart and soul makes me an AA fundamentalist. Then I am one.

I know what it does make me. A very grateful recovered alcoholic/addict... Happy, joyous, and free....

Security

I just finished reading "A New Pair of Glasses" again. I am overwhelmed by the demonstration of God's Power in peoples lives. Security does not come from money in the bank, from relationships with other people, from things, from human power. It comes from my own relationship with my own God. And not just security, but peace and contentment as well. I thank my God for my alcoholism daily. Without this disease, I would have never needed nor known what real joy, real peace and serenity are.

This all culminates and comes to fruition every time I sit down, one on one with another alcoholic. It isn't because I am some great person, it isn't because I'm a nice guy. It is because that is what my God wants me to do and I'm doing it. It is that simple.

I try not to judge the middle of the road people any longer. Love and tolerance is our code. I would only say "Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and to your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past. Give freely of what you find and join us."

This is where the theory stops and reality begins. This is where peace and contentment live.
I would not trade this life for anything. Unless God told me to. :)