God among us...

I sat in a meeting tonight with lots of newcomers.  The topic was from page 24 and 25.  You know first the bad news and then the good news.

I watched the eyes of those people some glazed over yet a spark of hope in some of them.

This is the Power of God as I know it.  We don't save or harm these people.  We create an environment of love and tolerance.  We share the clear message of Hope from the book and then God shows up and takes care of the rest. 

A few people left our meeting with sponsors tonight and/or phone numbers.  All that wanted one left with a book.  Some will come back, some will do the work and ALL of them that do it will have a spiritual awakening, recover and have the Power to help others.

This is how God operates in and among us.  This is our experience.  This is what life is about. This my friends, is how we roll...

If you are not experiencing this then please, get that book in your hand and in your heart.  Take the actions.

"Thus we grow. And so can you, though you be but one man with this book in your hand. We believe and hope it contains all you need to begin.  We now what you are thinking. You are saying to yourself: "I'm jittery and alone I just couldn't do that." But you can. You forget that you have just now tapped a source of power much greater than yourself. To duplicate, with such backing what we have accomplished is only a matter of willingness, patience and labor." (page 163 AA big book)

Peace

Please help!!!

I see people everyday who are living in a "recovered state".  They are happy, joyous and free, helping other people and enjoying life... They are changing the world one person at a time.

And then I see the others... Struggling, fighting one day at a time to stay strong.  I see them losing the battle.  I have watched them die.  I see the pain and suffering created by their disease, not only for themselves but for their families and employers and anyone who cares about them.

What is the difference between these two sets of people?  Doing the real work that is our spiritual program of action or not doing the work...

You can candy coat all of this if you want to, but the fact is that a real alcoholic needs a spiritual awakening, a complete psychic change in order to survive.

Watering down the message to make it attractive will not help... Telling people what our sponsor said will not help...  Going through the Big Book and working with our newcomers, one on one, will change the world.  When we connect with the Creator everything changes.  Nothing else works!!

If you have had this experience then please help us,  WE NEED YOU!!! 

"Abandon yourself to God as you understand God. Admit your faults to Him and your fellows. Clear away the wreckage of your past and join us..."

Get Real

"We of Alcoholics Anonymous, are more than one hundred men and women who have recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. To show other alcoholics precisely how we have recovered is the main purpose of this book" Foreword to the First Edition Alcoholics Anonymous----

If you are fighting this disease, if you are trying not to drink one day at a stupid time... Then you have not completed the first 9 steps of our program or have quit working the last three... ...Period! 
 

We have personally seen hundreds of people recover, we have seen miracles... Do not believe the delusion that you are different. Do not believe that it doesn't work just the way it used to.

The problem is that in our egotistical thinking some of us have set ourselves up to be super sponsors. All knowing answer men!!!

Some of us give our sponsees our opinions when asked a question... The answer to every question is in the book. "Let's see what the book says about that" This is what I say and do with these guys...

We have strayed so far in so many of our meetings... AA is not therapy, AA is not therapy, I don't care what you think or what "they told you" AA is spiritual program of action designed to connect you to the Creator... Period...

We don't know what you should do about your ex or about your taxes or your kitty cat... But we can help you get connected to God, who will solve all your problems...

Get a sponsor who sticks to the book, the Big Book, and work the steps from that...

You want to read the 12 and 12... Rock on, just remember the Big Book went through the group conscience of the first 100 recovered alcoholics... The 12 and 12 was written while Bill was under the care of a psychiatrist.... Huge difference... One is opinion, the other inspired by the Creator...

I love you all... But if some of us don't get real, a lot more people are going to die!!!

Jerry

Life today

God continues to reveal Himself to me all the time.  I have never been so humbled and been so blessed as I have the past few days...  God's Power is so real and so strong.  I see It in my brothers and sisters around me.  I hear It come flowing through the speakers at the podium, I see It in the eyes of sincere young men and women who are doing this work...  I feel It in the hugs of old timers and new comers...




Now will I be this aware and sensitive to it everyday, no probably not...  But this program has taught me that my actions need to remain the same, through good times and not so good, because they are all God's time.  I am blessed beyond belief...




God's Grace is sufficient, His Power is unstoppable, His presence is undeniable.




"The Great Fact is just this, and nothing less: That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences that have revolutionized our whole attitude towards life, toward our fellows, and toward God's universe.  The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous.  He has commenced to do those things for us that we could never do for ourselves"  BB pg 25






Peace,


Jerry

Just do it...

Taking the actions "suggested" in the Big Book works.  Every time!!! If this is our experience then why do so many fail to take them on a regular basis?  It is because the true awareness of step one does not remain with us.  When we are driven into the rooms, a lot of us are desperate...  We are willing to do anything to relieve the pain of this disease... But as the pain goes away, the ego rebuilds and we become convinced we are doing a great job at staying sober...


The instant that happens whether 2 weeks in or 2 years in or 20 years in, we try to take back control, demand to have our own way, and the relapse has begun.


The only way I have found to continue to have the step one experience is to work with other alcoholics. It refreshes our step one experience...


I was as recovered on week 3 of this deal as I am today... God removed the obsession to drink and use!!! But I am not cured!!!  The book is very clear on this.  I must help other people I must go out everyday and help God's kids for free and for fun.


It doesn't matter how I feel, what I think, or what I believe... What matters is that I get off of my self centered butt and take some action...


Peace


Jerry

Unchanged

I have been going through some ups and down lately... Nothing major, just changes... Mindy reminds me all of the time, no matter what the problem is the answer is always the same... And it is...


The Solution to my problems big or small, is that conscious contact with God.  It is the absolute certainty we have that our Creator has entered our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous...


The only way I know of to keep that vital connection is take the actions laid out in the Big Book... If we are not doing that on a daily basis then we are not taking care of the maintenance of our spiritual condition and that will result in the loss of our connection to the Creator, our brain will start leading, instead of our God and we will be in real trouble.


Are we doing the "do" things? Stop, pause, turn, ask, help, pray...  If not then why not?  I am recovered from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body... But I am not cured... If I don't take the action the alcoholism will lead me back to those selfish self centered thoughts, the dishonesty, the fear, the resentments and ultimately chaos and doom...


Life can be challenging, but it is never, NEVER bigger than our God...

Trudging...

This spiritual journey has some valleys at times.  Usually, when I am trying to judge the value of something or someone by human standards... By my own will, with my own ego... Sometimes when we won't let go of something it gets pulled away from us...


This is often a painful experience.  The question is what is my reaction going to be.  Will I slip into self pity and remorse, or will I continue to trust my God.


People say that when one door shuts another opens... I don't know if I believe that, but I do know that nothing absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake... I do know that my only choice, my only chance, my only job is to take the actions and keep trudging this road of Happy Destiny...


I have a purpose, it was given to me by the Creator of the Universe.  "Keep on stepping" as a dear friend of mine says....


Just do it...

Control

Just got to go on a great trip...  So glad to be back home...  Came home and immediately, without a thought, started trying to "fix" every one's problems.  I had to hit the pause button... I looked in the book, guess what it said? It opened to page 95 and it said "If he is to find God, the desire must come from within" 


And guess what if we are going to grow and expand our spiritual life, that desire must come from within as well.  I can't make anyone do anything... I need to remember that more... Me trying to control any situation and determine its outcome doesn't work, even though my motives are good...


Seems like I remember that from step 3...  I produce confusion not harmony... Thank you God for showing me that, one more time...


And now I am home, and I am ready to jump in with both feet and be of service to some folks, or do what ever else God wants me to do... Not what I think needs to be done...