New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Growing Up ^*^*^ September 1

~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~    /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^Growing Up"As we grow spiritually, we find that our old attitudes toward our instincts need to undergo drastic revisions. Our desires for emotional security and wealth, for personal prestige and power, for romance, and for family satisfactions - all these have to be tempered and redirected. We have learned that the satisfaction of instincts cannot be the sole end and aim of our lives. If we place instincts first, we have got the cart before the horse; we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment. But when we are willing to place spiritual growth first - then and only then do we have a real chance." Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, p. 114, Copyright  1952 A.A.W.S. Inc. Thought to Consider . . . The program has helped me grow up enough to be a kid again. *~*AACRONYMS*~*C H A N G E = Choosing Honesty Allows New Growth Every day.*~*^Just For Today!^*~* Not Theorizing From: "How It Works"   Suppose we fall short of the chosen ideal and stumble? Does this mean we are going to get drunk? Some people tell us so. But this is only a half-truth. It depends on us and on our motives. If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our conduct continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink. We are not theorizing. These are facts out of our experience. 2001 AAWS Inc.Alcoholics Anonymous, page 70 *^Daily Reflections^*WILLINGNESS TO GROW "If more gifts are to be received, our awakening has to go on." AS BILL SEES IT, p. 8 Sobriety fills the painful "hole in the soul" that my alcoholism created.  Often I feel so physically well that I believe my work is done.  However, joy is not just the absence of pain; it is the gift of continued spiritual awakening.  Joy comes from ongoing and active study, as well as application of the principles of recovery in my everyday life, and from sharing that experience with others.  My Higher Power presents many opportunities for deeper spiritual awakening.  I need only to bring into my recovery the willingness to grow.  Today I am ready to grow.Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*Toward Maturity Many oldsters who have put our A.A. "booze cure" to severe but successful tests still find they often lack emotional sobriety. To attain this, we must develop real maturity and balance (which is to say, humility) in our relations with ourselves, with our fellows, and with God. <<< >>> Let A.A. never be a closed corporation; let us never deny our experience, for whatever it may be worth, to the world around us. Let our individual members heed the call to every field of human endeavor. Let them carry the experience and spirit of A.A. into all these affairs, for whatever good they may accomplish. For not only has God saved us from alcoholism; the world has received us back into its citizenship. 1. GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 19582. A.A. COMES OF AGE, pp. 232-233 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~*"...with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely grave. We found that it is fatal. For when harboring such feelings we shut ourselves off from the sunlight of the Spirit. The insanity of alcohol returns and we drink again. And with us, to drink is to die."Alcoholics Anonymous 4th EditionHow It Works, pg. 66*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the Day "Be careful not to brand new prospects as alcoholics. Let them draw their own conclusion. But talk to them about the hopelessness of alcoholism. Tell them exactly what happened to you and how you recovered. Stress the spiritual feature freely. If they are agnostics or atheists, make it emphatic that they do not have to agree with your conception of God. They can choose any conception they like, provided it makes sense to them. The main thing is that they be willing to believe in a Power greater than themselves and that they live by spiritual principles." Do I hold back too much in speaking of the spiritual principles of the program? Meditation for the Day "I will never leave nor forsake Thee." Down through the centuries, thousands have believed in God's constancy, untiringness, and unfailing love. God has love. Then forever you are sure of His love. God has power. Then forever you are sure, in every difficulty and temptation, of His strength. God has patience. Then always there is One who can never tire. God has understanding. Then always you will understand and be understood. Unless you want Him to go, God will never leave you. He is always ready with power. Prayer for the DayI pray that I may feel that God's love will never fail. I pray that I may have confidence in His unfailing power.Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways: 1. Sign up at http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com wit 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily Devotions are posted Daily via Email, Facebook and Twitter! -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 8/31/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Sharing feelingsMany of us just did what other people did. We took drugs. But we felt so different from "normal" people. Why? Because of the way we did drugs and because drugs were so unfulfilling for us. It's a joke among us recovering addicts that we tried so hard to look normal. Non-addicts didn't know our torment, didn't know that we lived in another world. While high, we felt moments of euphoria and false well being. When the drugs wore off, we suffered centuries of misery. Both are feelings that "normal" people did not experience. In the fellowship, however, we share all our feelings because we know that we are among friends, we know that we are finally home. Do I share my true feelings with others?Higher Power, I pray for the willingness to see my true feelings more clearly and to share myself with my fellow addicts. You are reading from the book: Day by Day - Second Edition by Anonymous Day by Day © 1974, 1998 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~A New World ^*^*^ August 31

~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~    /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^A New World "We have entered the world of the Spirit.  Our next function is to grow in understanding and effectiveness.  This is not an overnight matter.  It should continue for our lifetime.  Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear.  When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them.  We discuss them with someone immediately and make amends quickly if we have harmed anyone.  Then we resolutely turn our thoughts to someone we can help." 1976 AAWS Alcoholics Anonymous p. 84 Thought to Consider . . . Within our wonderful new world, we have found freedom from our fatal obsession. *~*AACRONYMS*~*F I T  =  Faith, Intuition, and Trust*~*^Just For Today!^*~* Pathway From "He Had Been Listening": "In thinking all this over, it finally became obvious to me that the God I thought had judged and damned me had done nothing of the sort. He had been listening, and in His own good time His answer came. His answer was threefold: the opportunity for a life of sobriety; Twelve Steps to practice, in order to attain and maintain that life of sobriety; fellowship within the program, ever ready to sustain and help me each twenty-four- hour day."St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada1973 AAWS Inc.Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 11 *^Daily Reflections^*A UNIQUE PROGRAM"Alcoholics Anonymous will never have a professional class. We  have gained some understanding of the ancient words "Freely ye have received, freely give." We have discovered that at the point of professionalism, money and spirituality do not mix. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 166 I believe that Alcoholics Anonymous stands alone in the treatment of alcoholism because it is based solely on the principle of one alcoholic sharing with another alcoholic. This is what makes the program unique.  When I decided that I wanted to stay sober, I called a woman who I knew was a sober member of A.A., and she carried the message of Alcoholics Anonymous to me.  She received no monetary compensation, but rather was paid by staying sober another day herself.  Today I could ask for no payment other than another day free from alcohol, so in that respect, I am generously paid for my labor.Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*Morning Thoughts Many newcomers, having experienced little but constant deflation, feel a growing conviction that human will is of no value whatever. They have become persuaded, sometimes rightly so, that many problems besides alcohol will not yield to a headlong assault powered only by the individual's will. However, there are certain things which the individual alone can do. All by himself, and in the light of his own circumstances, he needs to develop the quality of willingness. When he acquires willingness, he is the only one who can then make the decision to exert himself along spiritual lines. Trying to do this is actually an act of his own will. It is a right use of this faculty. Indeed, all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps require our sustained and personal exertion to conform to their principles and so, we trust, to God's will. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 40 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~*"Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the past. 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. Remember it was agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol."Alcoholics Anonymous 4th EditionInto Action, pg.76*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the Day "Call on new prospects while they are still jittery. They may be more receptive when depressed. See them alone if possible. Tell them enough about your drinking habits and experiences to encourage them to speak of  themselves. if they wish to talk, let them do so. If they are not communicative, talk about the troubles liquor has caused you, being careful not to moralize or lecture. When they see you know all about the drinking game, commence to describe yourself as an alcoholic and tell them how you learned you were sick." Am I ready to talk about myself to new prospects? Meditation for the Day Try not to give way to criticism, blame, scorn, or judgment of others when you are trying to help them. Effectiveness in helping others depends on controlling yourself. You may be swept away by a temporary natural urge to criticize or blame, unless you keep a tight rein on your emotions. You should have a firm foundation of spiritual living which makes you truly humble, if you are going to really help other people. Go easy on them and be hard on yourself. That is the way you can be used most to uplift a despairing spirit. And seek no personal recognition for what you are used by God to accomplish. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may try to avoid judgment and criticism. I pray that I may always try to build up others instead of tearing them down.Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways: 1. Sign up at http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com wit 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily Devotions are posted Daily via Email, Facebook and Twitter! -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 8/30/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:My relationship with nature and plants is almost like religion with me.--Monty CralleyFeeling connected to something outside of ourselves is important to our perception of life. And being alive assures us of many new situations. Maybe it's a move to a smaller residence or our recovery from the death of a dear friend. Having to give up cherished possessions is a decision we all have to make at some point, too. But handling any of these circumstances is easier when we have a connection to the world around us; nature, for example, can always provide us with a sense of solace and familiarity. The natural world comforts many of us. Just noting the cycle of life in the trees and plants helps us to remember that everything changes. Everything is transformed, but life and beauty are still present if we look for it. When we're feeling lonely, it helps to remember that God is still present and evident in the miracle of the natural world. It doesn't matter how we define God or if we do at all. God may speak to us through the swaying tree branches or through people. Or we may get a glimmer of God in a passage in a book. That we do sense something larger and external to ourselves is what matters at the end of the day. I will continue nurturing my spiritual side today.This will comfort me. You are reading from the book: Keepers of the Wisdom by Karen Casey Keepers of the Wisdom © 1996 by Karen Casey. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Fear ^*^*^ August 30

~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~    /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^Fear "When, with God's help, we calmly accepted our lot, then we found we could live at peace with ourselves and show others who still suffered the same fears that they could get over them, too. We found that freedom from fear was more important than freedom from want." 1952 AAWS, Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions,  p. 122 Thought to Consider . . . Courage is the willingness to accept fear and act anyway. *~*AACRONYMS*~*F E A R  =  Face Everything And Recover*~*^Just For Today!^*~* Others From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous": "A group of laymen whose combined religious training and experience had been small indeed had produced a volume which described release from alcoholism by spiritual means. What would our Catholic friends think? We had not the slightest inkling. "Then the good news came. By messenger we had sent the book Alcoholics Anonymous to the Catholic Committee on Publications in the New York Archdiocese. Our messenger was Morgan R., released only a few weeks before from Greystone asylum and himself the first Catholic to put in an appearance in New York [A.A.].  Not long after he returned with wonderful things to tell us. "The Committee, he said, had nothing but the best to say of our efforts. From their point of view the book was perfectly all right "2001 AAWS Inc.Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 168-69 *^Daily Reflections^*THE ONLY REQUIREMENT. . . "At one time. . .every A.A. group had many membership rules.  Everybody was scared witless that something or somebody would capsize the boat. . .The total list was a mile long.  If all those rules had been in effect everywhere, nobody could have possibly joined A.A. at all. . ." TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS  p. 139-140 I'm grateful that the Third Tradition only requires of me a desire to stop drinking.  I had been breaking promises for years.  In the Fellowship I didn't have to make promises, I didn't have to concentrate.  It only required my attending one meeting, in a foggy condition, to know I was home.  I didn't have to pledge undying love.  Here, strangers hugged me.  "It gets better," they said, and "One day at a time, you can do it."  They were no longer strangers, but caring friends.  I ask God to help me to reach out to people desiring sobriety, and to, please keep me grateful!Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~* Let Go Absolutely After failure on my part to dry up any drunks, Dr. Silkworth reminded me of Professor William James's observation that truly transforming spiritual experiences are nearly always rounded on calamity and collapse. "Stop preaching at them," Dr. Silkworth said, "and give them the hard medical facts first. This may soften them up at depth so that they will be willing to do anything to get well. Then they may accept those spiritual ideas of yours, and even a Higher Power." <<< >>>We beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas, and the result was nil -- until we let go absolutely. 1. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 132. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 58 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~*"...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."Alcoholics Anonymous 4th EditionBill's Story, pg. 13*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the Day"Practical experience shows that nothing will so much ensure immunity from drinking as extensive work with other alcoholics. Carry the message to other alcoholics. You can help when no one else can. You can secure their confidence when others fail. Life will take on a new meaning for you. To watch people recover, to see them help others in turn, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow about you, to have a host of friends, this is an experience you must not miss." Am I always ready and willing to help other alcoholics? Meditation for the Day One secret of abundant living is the art of giving. The paradox of life is that the more you give, the more you have. If you lose your life in the service of others, you will save it. You can give abundantly and so live abundantly. You are rich in one respect-you have a spirit that is inexhaustible. Let no mean or selfish thought keep you from sharing this spirit. Of love, of help, of understanding, and of sympathy, give and keep giving. Give your personal ease and comfort, your time, your money, and most of all, yourself. And you will be living abundantly. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may live to give. I pray that I may learn this secret of abundant living. Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways: 1. Sign up at http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com wit 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily Devotions are posted Daily via Email, Facebook and Twitter! -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 8/29/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Man can live his truth, his deepest truth, but cannot speak it.--Archibald. MacLeishMany of us have lived double lives. There were public selves whom others knew, and private selves whom no one met. It was a compulsive world, and both sides were false. Many of us grew up in addicted families and learned this double life early by hiding from outsiders what life was really like at home. In this program we learn to live our truth before we can speak it. It is more in our actions than in what we say. We may never know the words for this truth because we do not consciously invent it. It comes to us quietly over time and slowly merges all our parts. Gradually we begin to feel whole again as we surrender our double lives for single, truthful ones.Let me have the trust to give myself to the work of recovery and follow it where it takes me. You are reading from the book: Touchstones by Anonymous Touchstones ©1986, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Step One ^*^*^ August 29

~A.A. Thought  For The Day~^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~    /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^Step One "No other kind of bankruptcy is like this one. Alcohol, now become the rapacious creditor, bleeds us all of self-sufficiency and all will to resist its demands. Once this stark fact is accepted, our bankruptcy as going human concerns is complete. But upon entering AA we soon take quite another view of this absolute humiliation. We perceive that only through utter defeat are we able to take our first steps toward liberation and strength. Our admissions of personal powerlessness finally turn out to be firm bedrock upon which happy and purposeful lives may be built." 1952AAWSTwelve Steps and Twelve Traditions p. 21 Thought to Consider . . . Once we clear a hurdle, it doesn't seem so high. *~*AACRONYMS*~*S T E P S   =   Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety*~*^Just For Today!^*~*   Reality I Had Feared From: "No Man Is An Island"   I was spiritually bankrupt long before AA entered my life and long before alcoholism took over like a parasite under my skin. I had nothing, no faith at all to cling to. I had no faith in man, because along with my drinking I had lost faith in myself. I trusted no one, for others were but a mere reflection of my own self, and I could not trust me.  I got sober in AA, and, like a miracle, the warm flood of reality I had feared for so long flowed over me, and I was no longer afraid. I began to wonder why. Along with sobriety, something new had come into my life. I began to have concern for others. This word concern, along with its sister consideration, was an alien thing to me. I had believed myself capable of falling in love; I had thought myself a loving mother; but these emotions, I now perceive, had been reflections of my own self-interest. Nothing penetrated beyond my self. I began, in early sobriety, to feel compassion for other drunks, then for my children, then for my ex-husband. This compassion, a feeling accompanied later by love, opened the door to a huge fortress within me which had been forever locked.  1973 AAWS Inc.Came to Believe, pages 118-119. *^Daily Reflections^*I CHOOSE ANONYMITY We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity, is the greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous can ever have. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 187 Since there are no rules in A.A. I place myself where I want to be, and so I choose anonymity.   I want my God to use me, humbly, as one of His tools in this program.   Sacrifice is the art of giving of myself freely, allowing humility to replace my ego.   With sobriety, I suppress that urge to cry out to the world,   "I am a member of A.A." and I experience inner joy and peace.   I let people see the changes in me and hope they will ask what happened to me.   I place the principles of spirituality ahead of judging, fault-finding, and criticism.   I want love and caring in my group, so I can grow.Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*Middle of the Road "In some sections of A.A., anonymity is carried to the point of real absurdity. Members are on such a poor basis of communication that they don't even know each other's last names or where each lives. It's like the cell of an underground. "In other sections, we see exactly the reverse. It is difficult to restrain A.A.'s from shouting too much before the whole public, by going on spectacular 'lecture tours' to play the big shot. "However, I know that from these extremes we slowly pull ourselves onto a middle ground. Most lecture-giving members do not last too long, and the super anonymous people are apt to come out of hiding respecting their A.A. friends, business associates, and the like. I think the long-time trend is toward the middle of the road - which is probably where we should be." LETTER, 1959 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~* "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."Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 87*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the Day "We cannot get along without prayer and meditation. 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. Our thought lives will be placed on a much higher plane when we start the day with prayer and meditation. We conclude this period of meditation with a prayer that we will be shown through the day what our next step is to be. The basis of all our prayers is: Thy will be done in me and through me today." Am I sincere in my desire to do God's will today? Meditation for the Day Breathe in the inspiration of goodness and truth. It is the spirit of honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love. It is readily available if we are willing to accept it wholeheartedly. God has given us two things-His spirit and the power of choice-to accept or not, as we will. We have the gift of free will. When we choose the path of selfishness and greed and pride, we are refusing to accept God's spirit. When we choose the path of love and service, we accept God's spirit and it flows into us and makes all things new. Prayer for the DayI pray that I may choose the right way. I pray that I may try to follow it to the end.Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways: 1. Sign up at http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com wit 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily Devotions are posted Daily via Email, Facebook and Twitter! -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 8/28/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Grief and crisis. . . accept it as a wise teacher.A couple has a child whom they would go to great lengths to protect, yet the child falls ill and lies near death. A woman devotes years to a career; then the economy shifts, leaving her unemployed. Addiction diverts a man from his path, and he loses everything he cares about. Life brings trial and defeat as part of its package. We would never choose defeat and we cannot avoid its pain, but we can accept it as a wise teacher. Out of defeat is born new strength.We need wisdom to deal with defeat and grief. We will face them together more than once. The false comforts of self-pity and blame may tempt us in our pain, but they take much more from us than they give back. Through crisis we see clearly what truly counts in our lives, and we are better prepared to relish the pleasures when they arrive. You are reading from the book: The More We Find In Each Other by Merle Fossum and Mavis Fossum The More We Find in Each Other by Merle Fossum and Mavis Fossum. © 1992 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Self-appraisal ^*^*^ August 28

To Donate Go http://ift.tt/2brw2lg. Thoughts For The Day~^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~    /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^Self-appraisal "I used to be a champ at unrealistic self-appraisal. I wanted to look only at the part of my life which seemed good. Then I would greatly exaggerate whatever virtues I supposed I had attained. Next I would congratulate myself on the grand job I was doing. So my unconscious self-deception never failed to turn my few good assets into serious liabilities. This astonishing process was always a pleasant one. . . I was falling straight back into the pattern of my drinking days. . . I shall forever regret the damage I did to people around me. Indeed, I still tremble when I realize what I might have done to AA and to its future." Bill W., June 1961 1988AAGrapevine, The Language of the Heart,  pp. 256-7 Thought to Consider . . . When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. *~*AACRONYMS*~*A A  =  Altered Attitudes*~*^Just For Today!^*~*  Tornado Technique From: "When AA Came of Age" Still another famous early itinerant was Irwin M., a Cleveland AA who had become a champion salesman of Venetian blinds to department stores in the deep South. He used to range a territory bounded by Atlanta and Jacksonville on one side and Indianapolis, Birmingham, and New Orleans on the other. Irwin weighed 250 pounds and was full of energy and gusto. The prospect of Irwin, as a missionary, scared us rather badly. At the New York Headquarters we had on file a long list of topers in many a Southern city and town, people who had not been personally visited. Irwin had long since broken all the rules of caution and discreet approach to newcomers, so it was with reluctance that we gave him the list. Then we waited - but not for long. Irwin ran them down, every single one, with his home-crashing tornado technique. Day and night, besides, he wrote letters to his prospects and got them to writing each other.   Stunned but happy Southerners began to send their thanks to Headquarters. As Irwin himself reported, many a first family of the South had been an easy pushover. He had cracked the territory wide open and had started or stimulated many an original group.1985 AAWS Inc.Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, page 25 *^Daily Reflections^*LIGHTENING THE BURDEN showing others who suffer how we were given help is the very thing which makes life seem so worth while to us now. . . . the dark past is . . . the key to life and happiness for others. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 124 Since I have been sober, I have been healed of many pains: deceiving my partner, deserting my best friend, and spoiling my mother's hopes for my life.   In each case someone in the program told me of a similar problem, and I was able to share what happened to me.   When my story was told, both of us got up with lighter hearts.Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*Hard on Ourselves, Considerate of Others We cannot disclose anything to our wives or our parents which will hurt them and make them unhappy. We have no right to save our own skins at their expense. Such damaging parts of our story we tell to someone else who will understand, yet be unaffected. The rule is, we must be hard on ourselves, but always considerate of others. <<< >>>Good judgment will suggest that we ought to take our time in making amends to our families. It may be unwise at first to rehash certain harrowing episodes. While we may be quite willing to reveal the very worst, we must be sure to remember that we cannot buy our own peace of mind at the expense of others. 1. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS p. 742. TWELVE AND TWELVE p. 84*~*^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."Alcoholics Anonymous 4th EditionThe Family Afterward, pg. 132*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the Day"We must continue to take personal inventory and continue to set right any new mistakes as we go along. We should grow in understanding and effectiveness. This is not an overnight matter; it should continue for our lifetime. Continue to watch for selfishness, dishonesty, resentment, and fear. When these crop up, we ask God at once to remove them. We must not rest on our laurels. We are headed for trouble if we do. We are not cured of alcoholism. What we really have is a daily reprieve, contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual condition." Am I checking my spiritual condition daily? Meditation for the Day Happiness cannot be sought directly; it is a byproduct of love and service. Service is a law of our being. With love in your heart, there is always some service to other people. A life of power and joy and satisfaction is built on love and service. Persons who hate or are selfish are going against the law of their own being. They are cutting themselves off from God and other people. little acts of love and encouragement, of service and help, erase the rough places of life and help to make the path smooth. If we do these things, we cannot help having our share of happiness. Prayer for the DayI pray that I may give my share of love and service. I pray that I may not grow weary in my attempts to do the right thing.Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways: 1. Sign up at http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com wit 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily Devotions are posted Daily via Email, Facebook and Twitter! -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 8/27/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Anything forced into manifestation through personal will is always "ill got" and has "ever bad success."--Florence Scovel ShinnThe main thrust of our recovery is to attune ourselves to God's will, struggling no longer to impose our own. The pain we've endured in past years was often of our own making. We controlled situations until we managed to force the outcome we desired, only to realize it didn't offer happiness. It was, instead, a bitter ending to the struggle. When we want something or someone to play by our rules, we can expect barriers. And when the barriers don't give way with a gentle push, we should consider it a clue that we are off course. When we want what God wants for us, the barriers, if any, will fall away. What God wants for us at every moment is growth and happiness. When we step away from our ego and develop a selfless posture toward life, we'll find serenity in the midst of any turmoil. Serenity is God's promise. When we get in line with God's will, we'll find peace.I will know God's will if I will listen to my inner voice. I will do what feels right, and peace will be my reward. You are reading from the book: Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey. © 1982, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Vision ^*^*^ August 27

​​​Click here now to check out our list of Recovery Podcasts! ~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~ ^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~    /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^Vision "Vision is, I think, the ability to make good estimates, both for the immediate and for the more distant future. Some might feel this sort of striving to be a sort of heresy, because we AA's are constantly telling ourselves, 'One day at a time.' But that valuable principle really refers to our mental and emotional lives and means chiefly that we are not foolishly to repine over the past nor wishfully to day-dream about the future. . . Vision is therefore the very essence of prudence, an essential virtue if ever there was one." Bill W., 1962 1962AAWS Twelve Concepts for World Service, 26th Printing, p. 40 Thought to Consider . . . The road to recovery is always under construction.*~*AACRONYMS*~*O D A A T  =  One Day At A Time*~*^Just For Today!^*~* All I Could Think Of From: "A Vision of Recovery"   While in a juvenile detention center about 500 miles from my home, I received word that my mother was dying of cancer. I was able to get a pass and return home to spend time with her. One evening my family asked me if I would stay home with my mother and give her the medicine she was required to take. I had already had a few drinks and was anxious to get out and party with my friends, but I reluctantly agreed to stay. Self-pity set in, and all I could think of was the good time I could have been having. I got very impatient with my mother, and when she refused to take her medicine, I almost forced it into her mouth; then I left to join my friends. The next morning I woke up in county jail, about 100 miles from home. I had attempted a break-and-enter, and was caught by the police. That very evening, as I sat in jail, my mother died.2001 AAWS Inc.Alcoholics Anonymous, page 495-496 *^Daily Reflections^*CENTERING OUR THOUGHTS When World War II broke out, our A.A. dependence on a Higher Power had its first major test.   A.A.'s entered the services and were scattered all over the world.   Would they be able to take the discipline, stand up under fire, and endure . . . ? AS BILL SEES IT, p. 200 I will center my thoughts on a Higher Power.   I will surrender all to this power within me. I will become a soldier for this power, feeling the might of the spiritual army as it exists in my life today.   I will allow a wave of spiritual union to connect me through my gratitude, obedience and discipline to this Higher Power.   Let me allow this power to lead me through the orders of the day.   May the steps I take today strengthen my words and deeds, may I know that the message I carry is mine to share, given freely by this power greater than myself.Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*When and How to Give Men who cry for money and shelter as a condition of their sobriety are on the wrong track. Yet we sometimes do provide a new prospect with these very things -- when it becomes clear that he is willing to place his recovery first. It is not whether we shall give that is the question, but when and how to give. Whenever we put our work on a material plane, the alcoholic commences to rely upon alms rather than upon a Higher Power and the AA group. He continues to insist that he cannot master alcohol until his material needs are cared for. Nonsense! Some of us have taken very hard knocks to learn this truth: that, job or no job, wife or no wife, we simply do not stop drinking so long as we place material dependence upon other people ahead of dependence on God. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 98*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks, drinks which they see others taking with impunity."Alcoholics Anonymous 4th EditionThe Doctor's Opinion, pg. xxviii*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the Day "We must be willing to make amends to all the people we have harmed. We must do the best we can to repair the damage done in the past. When we make amends, when we say: 'I'm sorry,' the person is sure at least to be impressed by our sincere desire to set right the wrong. Sometimes people we are making amends to admit there own fault, so feuds of long standing melt away. Our most ruthless creditors win sometimes surprise us. in general, we must be willing to do the right thing, no matter what the consequences may be for us." Have I made a sincere effort to make amends to the people I have harmed? Meditation for the Day The grace of God cures disharmony and disorder in human relationships. Directly you put your affairs, with their confusion and their difficulties, into God's hands. He begins to effect a cure of all the disharmony and disorder. You can believe that He will cause you no more pain in the doing of it than a physician who knows how to effect a cure would cause a patient. You can have faith that God will do all that is necessary as painlessly as possible. But you must be willing to submit to His treatment, even if you cannot now see the meaning or purpose of it. Prayer for the DayI pray that I may willingly submit to whatever spiritual discipline is necessary. I pray that I may accept whatever it takes to live a better Me.Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways: 1. Sign up at http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com wit 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily Devotions are posted Daily via Email, Facebook and Twitter! -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 8/26/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Letting goIf addiction is about control, recovery is about letting go. If addiction is about denial, recovery is about accepting what is.As we spend time in the program, we learn something unexpected and amazing. Life is so full of twists and turns, it's easier to follow along than to try to straighten them out. It's easier to have fewer expectations because, after all, we have no control over the future or the present. Can I practice letting go?Higher Power, help me to be open, flexible, and accepting in my recovery. You are reading from the book: Day by Day - Second Edition by Anonymous Day by Day © 1974, 1998 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Change ^*^*^ August 26

~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~    /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^Change "How many of us would presume to declare, 'Well, I'm sober and I'm happy.  What more can I want or do? I'm fine the way I am.' We know that the price of such self-satisfaction is an inevitable backslide, punctuated at some point by a very rude awakening. We have to grow or else deteriorate. For us, the status quo can only be for today, never for tomorrow. Change we must; we cannot stand still." Bill W., AA Grapevine, February 1961 As Bill Sees It, p. 25 Thought to Consider . . . There is no progress without change. *~*AACRONYMS*~*P A C E  =  Positive Attitudes Change Everything*~*^Just For Today!^*~* Didn't Look Good Tradition Five: Each group has but one primary purpose - to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers. I was soon sitting beside a big hulk of a man. Decidedly unfriendly, he stared at me out of eyes which were slits in his red and swollen face. I had to agree with the doctor - he certainly didn't look good. But I told him my own story. I explained what a wonderful Fellowship we had, how well we understood each other. I bore down hard on the hopelessness of the drunk's dilemma. I insisted that few drunks could ever get well on their own steam, but that in our groups we could do together what we could not do separately. He interrupted to scoff at this and asserted he'd fix his wife, his partner, and his alcoholism by himself.1981 AAWS Inc.Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, page 152 *^Daily Reflections^*GIVING IT AWAY Though they know they must help other alcoholics if they would remain sober, that motive became secondary.   It was transcended by the happiness they found in giving themselves to others.ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 159Those words, for me, refer to a transference of power, through which God, as I understand Him, enters my life.   Through prayer and meditation, I open channels, then I establish and improve my conscious contact with God.   Through action I then receive the power I need to maintain my sobriety each day.   By maintaining my spiritual condition, by giving away what has been so freely given to me, I am granted a daily reprieve.Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~* Maudlin Martyrdom "Self-pity is one of the most unhappy and consuming defects that we know. It is a bar to all spiritual progress and can cut off all effective communication with our fellows because of its inordinate demands for attention and sympathy. It is a maudlin form of martyrdom, which we can ill afford. "The remedy? Well, let's have a hard look at ourselves, and a still harder one at A.A.'s Twelve Steps to recovery. When we see how many of our fellow A.A.'s have used the Steps to transcend great pain and adversity, we shall be inspired to try these life-giving principles for ourselves." LETTER, 1966 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~* "For the type of alcoholic who is able and willing to get well, little charity, in the ordinary sense of the word, is needed or wanted. The men who cry for money and shelter before conquering alcohol, are on the wrong track."~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Working With Others, pg. 97~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the Day "If we are still clinging to something that we will not let go, we must sincerely ask God to help us to be willing to let even that go, too. We cannot divide our lives into compartments and keep some for ourselves. We must give all the compartments to God. We must say: '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 friends."' Am I still clinging to something that I will not let go? Meditation for the Day The laws of nature cannot be changed and must be obeyed if you are to stay healthy. No exceptions will be made in your case. Submit to the laws of nature or they will finally break you. And in the realm of the spirit, in all human relationships, submit to the moral laws and to the will of God. If you continue to break the laws of honesty, purity, unselfishness, and love, you will be broken to some extent yourself. The moral and spiritual laws of God, like the laws of nature, are unbreakable without some disaster. if you are dishonest, impure, selfish, and unloving, you will not be living according to the laws of the spirit and you will suffer the consequences. Prayer for the DayI pray that I may submit to the laws of nature and to the laws of God. I pray that I may live in harmony with all the laws of life.Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways: 1. Sign up at http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com wit 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily Devotions are posted Daily via Email, Facebook and Twitter! -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 8/25/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:How many ways can you brush your teeth?Our habits save time, and some of the good ones, such as abstinence, can also save our lives. A fine line separates useful habits from ruts; however, the former, we wish to cultivate, and the latter, we'd just as soon avoid. How about trying a new route to work? It might take a little longer, but you'd also have different scenery to view. How about doing some relaxing, stretching, unwinding exercises before dinner? Introducing novelty into the details of our existence makes us aware that today is a new day and that we can alter our responses. Habits are our servants, not our masters. When we see how easy it is to change the color of our toothbrush and start with the bottom teeth instead of the top, we can branch out to other, more significant activities. We can make changes in our behavior that will change our lives in positive ways. What would you like to do differently today? What specific action can you take to begin to climb out of an uncomfortable rut?I will identify an unproductive habit today and turn it upside down. You are reading from the book: Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L. This book is now out of print and no longer available to purchase. Inner Harvest by Elisabeth L. © 1990 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Peace of Mind ^*^*^ August 25

~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~    /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^Peace of Mind "AA has taught me that I will have peace of mind in exact proportion to the peace of mind I bring into the lives of other people, and it has taught me the true meaning of the admonition 'happy are ye who know these things and do them.' For the only problems I have now are those I create when I break out in a rash of self-will." 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 551 Thought to Consider . . . I never imagined that the greatest achievement of my life would be peace of mind. *~*AACRONYMS*~*P E A C E  =  Providing Experienced Attitude Changes Every day.*~*^Just For Today!^*~* Agreed at the Beginning From: "Into Action"   Now we need more action, without which we find that Faith without works is dead. Let's look at Steps Eight and Nine. We have a list of all persons we have harmed and to whom we are willing to make amends. We made it when we took our inventory. We subjected ourselves to a drastic self-appraisal. Now we go out to our fellows and repair the damage done in the past. 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. Remember it was agreed at the beginning we would go to any lengths for victory over alcohol.2001, AAWS Inc.Alcoholics Anonymous, page 76 *^Daily Reflections^*THE GIFT OF BONDING Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 63 Many times in my alcoholic state, I drank to establish a bond between myself and others, but I succeeded only in establishing the bondage of alcoholic loneliness. Through the A. A. way of life, I have received the gift of bonding - with those who were there before me, with those who are there now, and with those yet to come. For this gracious gift from God, I am forever grateful.Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC. *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*No Orders IssuedNeither the A.A. General Service Conference, its Board of Trustees, nor the humblest group committee can issue a single directive to an A.A. member and make it stick, let alone mete out any punishment. We've tried this lots of times, but utter failure is always the result. Groups have sometimes tried to expel members, but the banished have come back to sit in the meeting place, saying, "This is life for us; you can't keep us out." Committees have instructed many an A.A. to stop working on a chronic backslider, only to be told: "How I do my Twelfth Step work is my business. Who are you to judge?" This doesn't mean that an A.A. won't take good advice or suggestions from more experienced members. He simply objects to taking orders. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 173 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~* "If we were to live, we had to be free of anger. The grouch and the brainstorm were not for us. They may be the dubious luxury of normal men, but for alcoholics these things are poison."Alcoholics Anonymous 4th EditionHow It Works, pg. 66*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the Day"Unless we discuss our defects with another person, we do not acquire enough humility, fearlessness, and honesty to really get the program. We must be entirely honest with somebody, if we expect to live happily in this world. We must be hard on ourselves, but always considerate of others. We pocket our pride and go to it, illuminating every twist of character and every dark cranny of the past. Once we have taken this step, withholding nothing, we can look the world in the eyes." Have I discussed all my defects with another person? Meditation for the Day Never yield to weariness of the spirit. At times, the worlds cares and distractions will intrude and the spirit will become weak. At times like this, carry on and soon the spirit will become strong again. God's spirit is always with you, to replenish and renew. None ever sincerely sought God's help in vain. Physical weariness and exhaustion make a time of rest and communion with God more necessary. When you are overcome by temporary conditions that you cannot control, keep quiet and wait for the power of the spirit to flow back. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may not speak or act in the midst of emotional upheaval. I pray that I may wait until the tempest is past.Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways: 1. Sign up at http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com wit 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily Devotions are posted Daily via Email, Facebook and Twitter! -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 8/24/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.--Sir Winston ChurchillHow many times today will we think or say, "I wish I knew what was going to happen"? We can find contentment in the knowledge that God will take care of us, regardless of the outcome of any situation. And even more importantly, God already knows the outcome, and we'll know it too when the time is right. We never need to worry; all is well. We're given the knowledge and direction we need when we're ready for it. If we had known two or three or ten or twenty years ago that we'd be sharing our current journey with non-using, non-drinking men and women, we'd likely have expressed horror and disbelief. And yet we're here, gratefully so, living more peace-filled moments than we would have ever imagined possible. We got here, little by little, with God's care. We'll get where we're supposed to be in the same loving manner.I will trust each moment of my life to God's loving care. You are reading from the book: In God's Care by Karen Casey In God's Care by Karen Casey. © 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Jittery ^*^*^ August 24

~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~    /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^Jittery "We believe and hope this book contains all you will need to begin. We know what you are thinking. You are saying to yourself: 'I'm jittery and alone.  I 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." 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 163 Thought to Consider . . . It's kind of fun to do the impossible. *~*AACRONYMS*~*W H O M E ?  =  Willingness, Honesty, Open mindedness, Must Exist *~*^Just For Today!^*~* HP From "The Three Legacies of Alcoholics Anonymous": "We were still arguing about the Twelve Steps. All this time I had refused to budge on these steps. I would not change a word of the original draft, in which  I had consistently used the word 'God,' and in one place the expression 'on our knees' was used. Praying to God on one's knees was still a big affront to Henry.  He was positive we would scare off alcoholics by the thousands when they read those Twelve Steps.  Though at first I would have none of it, we finally began to talk about the possibility of compromise. Who first suggested the actual compromise words I do not know, but they are words well known throughout the length and breadth of A.A. today: In Step Two we decided to describe God as a 'Power greater than ourselves.' In Steps Three and Eleven we inserted the words 'God as we understood Him.' From Step Seven we deleted the expression 'on our knees.' And, as a lead-in sentence to all the steps we wrote these words: 'Here are the steps we took which are suggested as a Program of Recovery.' A.A.'s Twelve Steps were to be suggestions only."2001 AAWS, Inc.Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age, pgs. 166-67 *^Daily Reflections^*A RIDDLE THAT WORKS It may be possible to find explanations of spiritual experiences such as ours, but I have often tried to explain my own and have succeeded only in giving the story of it. I know the feeling it gave me and the results it has brought, but I realize I may never fully understand its deeper why and how. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 313 I had a profound spiritual experience during an open A. A. meeting, which led me to blurt out. "I'm an alcoholic!" I have not had a drink since that day. I can tell you the words I heard just prior to my admission, and how those words affected me, but as to why it happened, I do not know. I believe a power greater than myself chose me to recover, yet I do not know why. I try not to worry or wonder about what I do not yet know; instead, I trust that if I continue to work the Steps, practice the A. A. principles in my life, and share my story, I will be guided lovingly toward a deep and mature spirituality in which more will be revealed to me. For the time being, it is a gift for me to trust God, work the Steps and help others. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*Perfection - Only the Objective There can be no absolute humility for us humans. At best, we can merely glimpse the meaning and splendor of such a perfect ideal. Only God himself can manifest in the absolute; we human beings must needs live and grow in the domain of the relative. So we seek progress in humility for today. <<< >>> Few of us can quickly or easily become ready even to look at spiritual and moral perfection; we want to settle for only as much development as may get us by in life, according, of course, to our various and sundry ideas of what will get us by. Mistakenly, we strive for a self-determined objective, rather than for the perfect objective which is of God. 1. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 19612. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 68*~*^Big Book Quote^*~*"If we are sorry for what we have done, and have the honest desire to let God take us to better things, we believe we will be forgiven and will have learned our lesson. If we are not sorry, and our conduct continues to harm others, we are quite sure to drink. We are not theorizing. These are facts out of our experience."Alcoholics Anonymous 4th EditionHow It Works, pg. 70*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*AA Thought for the Day "When we saw our faults, we listed them. We placed them before us in black and white. We admitted our wrongs honestly and we were willing to set these matters straight. We reviewed our fears thoroughly. We asked God to remove our fears and we commenced to outgrow fear. Many of us needed an overhauling in regard to sex. We came to believe that sex powers were God-given and therefore good, if used properly. Sex is never to be used lightly or selfishly, nor is it to be despised or loathed. If sex is troublesome, we throw ourselves the harder into helping others, and so take our minds off ourselves." Am I facing my sex problems in the proper way? Meditation for the Day Cling to the belief that all things are possible with God. If this belief is truly accepted, it is the ladder upon which a human soul can climb from the lowest pit of despair to the sublime heights of peace of mind. It is possible for God to change your way of living. When you see the change in another person through the grace of God, you cannot doubt that all things are possible in the lives of people through the strength that comes from faith in Him who rules us all. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may live expectantly. I pray that I may believe deeply that all things are possible with God.Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways: 1. Sign up at http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com wit 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily Devotions are posted Daily via Email, Facebook and Twitter! -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 8/23/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Reflection for the DaySomeone once defined the ego as "the sum total of false ideas about myself." Persistent reworking of the Twelve Steps enables me to gradually strip away my false ideas about myself. This permits nearly imperceptible but steady growth in my understanding of the truth about myself. And this, in turn, leads to a growing understanding of other human beings and God . Do I strive for self-honesty, promptly admitting when I'm wrong?Today I PrayGod, teach me understanding; teach me to know truth when I meet it; teach me the importance of self-honesty, so that I may be able to say, sincerely, "I was wrong," along with, "I am sorry." Teach me that there is such a thing as a "healthy ego" which does not require that feelings be medicated by mood-alterers. May I slowly, on my tightrope, move toward the ideal of balance, so I can do away with the nets of falsehood and compulsion.Today I Will RememberTo keep my balance. You are reading from the book: A Day at a Time (Softcover) by Anonymous A Day at a Time © 1989 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Solution ^*^*^ August 23

~*~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~*~^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~  /)(   \ (AA)/   )(_   /AA\ _)  /AA\^*^*^*^*^Solution ^*^*^ "There is a solution. Almost none of us liked the self-searching, the leveling of our pride, the confessions of shortcomings which the process requires for its successful consummation. But we saw that it really worked in others, and we had come to believe in the hopelessness and futility of life as we had been living it. When, therefore, we were approached by those in whom the problem had been solved, there was nothing left for us but to pick up the simple kit of spiritual tools laid at our feet. We have found much of heaven and we have been rocketed into a fourth dimension of existence of which we had not even dreamed." 1976AAWS, Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 25 ^*^*^*^*^* Thought to Consider . . . The solution is simple. The solution is spiritual.*~*AACRONYMS*~*H O P E  =  Heart Open; Please Enter.*~*^Just For Today!^*~* Serenity From "Happiness": "The second tenet of the Serenity Prayer is too frequently slurred over. I am constantly amazed at the number of so-called obstacles I have overcome after giving them a second look, mustering what meager resources I have, then taking the hoe in hand. "Serenity to me, therefore, is the absence of insoluble conflict. And it is up to me first to determine whether, after an honest look at myself, I can cope with the problem, then to decide whether it is to be tackled, passed over to another day, or dismissed forever. "New Hartford, New York, USA"1973 AAWS, Inc.; Came to Believe, 30th printing 2004, pg. 111 *~*^Daily Reflections^*~*BRINGING THE MESSAGE HOME Can we bring the same spirit of love and tolerance into our sometimes deranged family lives that we bring to our A. A. group? TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 111 -112 My family members suffer from the effects of my disease. Loving and accepting them as they are -- just as I love and accept A. A. members -- fosters a return of love, tolerance and harmony to my life. Using common courtesy and respecting other's personal boundaries are necessary practices for all areas of my life. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*Looking for Lost Faith Any number of A.A.'s can say, "We were diverted from our childhood faith. As material success began to come, we felt we were winning at the game of life. This was exhilarating, and it made us happy. "Why should we be bothered with theological abstractions and religious duties, or with the state of our souls, here or hereafter? The will to win should carry us through. "But then alcohol began to have its way with us. Finally, when all our score cards read 'zero,' and we saw that one more strike would put us out of the game forever, we had to look for our lost faith. It was in A.A. that we rediscovered it." TWELVE AND TWELVE, pp. 28-29 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~*"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."~Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th Edition, Into Action, pg. 86~*~*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*~*A.A. Thought for the Day "We who have accepted the A.A. principles have been faced with the necessity for a thorough personal housecleaning. We must face and be rid of the things in ourselves that have been blocking us. We therefore take a personal inventory. We take stock honestly. We search out the flaws in our make-up that caused our failure. Resentment is the number-one offender. Life that includes deep resentment leads only to futility and unhappiness. If we are to live, we must be free of anger." Am I free of resentment and anger? Meditation for the Day Keep in mind the goal you are striving for, the good life you are trying to attain. Do not let little things divert you from the path. Do not be overcome by the small trials and vexations of each day. Try to see the purpose and plan to which all is leading. if, when climbing a mountain, you keep your eyes on each stony or difficult place, how weary is your climb. But if you think of each step as leading to the summit of achievement from which a glorious landscape will open out before you, then your climb will be endurable and you will achieve your goal. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may realize that life without a goal is futile. I pray that I may find the good life worth striving for. Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 8/22/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Some people regard discipline as a chore. For me, it is a kind of order that sets me free to fly.--Julie AndrewsIf we think of the word discipline, we might visualize forms of punishment or reprimand from teachers, parents, or bosses. Yet discipline doesn't have to be negative or an effort in blood, sweat, and tears. Discipline can be the structure we need in order to achieve our goals. Within the program are disciplines to follow to achieve our goal of a renewed outlook on life. The Steps are probably the greatest discipline, for they provide a framework to formulate more positive beliefs about ourselves and our lives. Going to meetings is another discipline that helps keep us on track as we learn and grow. There are other disciplines, too - sharing with others, reading literature, becoming committed to a group, and practicing the program's principles in all our affairs. All these disciplines keep us focused on our ultimate goal -- freedom from all past obsessions and negativity. With the discipline of the program, we can learn to fly.I can discipline myself to remain focused on the program. I know the benefits of such discipline. You are reading from the book: Night Light by Amy E. Dean Night Light by Amy E. Dean. © 1986, 1992 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Guidance ^*^*^ August 22

~A.A. Thoughts For The Day~^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~    /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^Guidance"I am a firm believer in both guidance and prayer. But I am fully aware, and humble enough, I hope, to see there may be nothing infallible about my guidance. The minute I figure I have got a perfectly clear pipeline to God, I have become egotistical enough to get into real trouble. Nobody can cause more needless grief than a power-driver who thinks he's got it straight from God." Bill W. Letter 1950 1967AAWS As Bill Sees It p. 38  Thought to Consider . . . It's not making a mistake that will kill me.  It's defending it that does the damage. *~*AACRONYMS*~*A S A P  =  Always Say A Prayer*~*^Just For Today!^*~*  Only One Tool From: "Availing yourself of a sponsor"   An AA sponsor is not a professional caseworker or counselor of any sort. A sponsor is not someone to borrow money from, nor get clothes, jobs, or food from. A sponsor is not a medical expert, nor qualified to give religious, legal, domestic or psychiatric advice, although a good sponsor is usually willing to discuss such matters confidentially, and often can suggest where the appropriate professional assistance can be obtained.   A sponsor is simply a sober alcoholic who can help solve only one problem: how to stay sober. And the sponsor has only one tool to use - personal experience, not scientific wisdom.   Sponsors have been there, and often have more concern, hope, compassion, and confidence for us than we have for ourselves. They certainly have had more experience. Remembering their own condition, they reach out to help, not down.1998 AAWS Inc.Living Sober page 27 *^Daily Reflections^*SEEKING EMOTIONAL STABILITY When we developed still more, we discovered the best possible source of emotional stability to be God Himself. We found that dependence upon His perfect justice, forgiveness, and love was healthy, and that it would work where nothing else would. If we really depended upon God, we couldn't very well play God to our fellows nor would we feel the urge wholly to rely on human protection and care. TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS p. 116 All my life I depended on people for my emotional needs and security, but today I cannot live that way anymore. By the grace of God, I have admitted my powerlessness over people, places and things. I had been a real "people addict"; wherever I went there had to be someone who would pay some kind of attention to me. It was the kind of attitude that could only get worse, because the more I depended on others and demanded attention, the less I received. I have given up believing that any human power can relieve me of that empty feeling. Although I remain a fragile human being who needs to work A. A. Steps to keep this particular principle before my personality, it is only a loving God who can give me inner peace and emotional stability. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES INC. *~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*Freed PrisonersLetter to a prison group: "Every A.A. has been, in a sense, a prisoner. Each of us has walled himself out of society; each has known social stigma. The lot of you folks has been even more difficult: In your case, society has also built a wall around you. But there isn't any really essential difference, a fact that practically all A.A.'s now know. "Therefore, when you members come into the world of A.A. on the outside, you can be sure that no one will care a fig that you have done time. What you are trying to be -- not what you were -- is all that counts with us." <<< >>> "Mental and emotional difficulties are sometimes very hard to take while we are trying to maintain sobriety. Yet we do see, in the long run, that transcendence over such problems is the real test of the A.A. way of living. Adversity gives us more opportunity to grow than does comfort or success." 1. LETTER 19492. LETTER 1964*~*^Big Book Quote^*~* "Let no alcoholic say he cannot recover unless he has his family back. This just isn't so. In some cases the wife will never come back for one reason or another. Remind the prospect that his recovery is not dependent upon people. It is dependent upon his relationship with God. We have seen men get well whose families have not returned at all. We have seen others slip when the family came back too soon."Alcoholics Anonymous 4th EditionWorking With Others pg. 99*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the Day "Those who do not recover are people who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault. They seem to be born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living that demands rigorous honesty. Their changes are less than average. There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover, if they have the capacity to be honest." Am I completely honest with myself and with other people? Meditation for the Day You can make use of your mistakes, failures, losses, and sufferings. It is not what happens to you so much as what use you make of it. Take your sufferings, difficulties, and hardships and make use of them to help some unfortunate soul who is faced with the same troubles. Then something good will come out of your suffering and the world will be a better place because of it. The good you do each day will live on, after the trouble and distress have gone, after the difficulty and the pain have passed away. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may make good use of my mistakes and failures. I pray that some good may result from my painful experiences.Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways: 1. Sign up at http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com wit 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily Devotions are posted Daily via Email, Facebook and Twitter! -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Today's Gift - 8/21/2016

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:Anything forced into manifestation through personal will is always "ill got" and has "ever bad success."--Florence Scovel ShinnThe main thrust of our recovery is to attune ourselves to God's will, struggling no longer to impose our own. The pain we've endured in past years was often of our own making. We controlled situations until we managed to force the outcome we desired, only to realize it didn't offer happiness. It was, instead, a bitter ending to the struggle. When we want something or someone to play by our rules, we can expect barriers. And when the barriers don't give way with a gentle push, we should consider it a clue that we are off course. When we want what God wants for us, the barriers, if any, will fall away. What God wants for us at every moment is growth and happiness. When we step away from our ego and develop a selfless posture toward life, we'll find serenity in the midst of any turmoil. Serenity is God's promise. When we get in line with God's will, we'll find peace.I will know God's will if I will listen to my inner voice. I will do what feels right, and peace will be my reward. You are reading from the book: Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey Each Day a New Beginning by Karen Casey. © 1982, 1991 by Hazelden Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any manner without the permission of Hazelden. Online daily inspirationsRead a Thought for the Day from six of our most popular daily meditations books. They're posted online, every day, at hazeldenbettyford.org.                   Managing your email subscriptionsHave an account on hazelden.org?  Sign in now to manage your preferences. Can't sign in? Send us an email to Change your email address.   Unsubscribe from Today's Gift. Stop all Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation email. To send us feedback, please email todaysgift@hazeldenbettyford.org Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, 15251 Pleasant Valley Rd., P.O. Box 11, RW19, Center City, MN 55012-0011, 800-257-7810 Please feel free to forward this email to a friend.Subscribe to Today's Gift emails Have our emails been recommended to you Sign up today to receive them at no charge.  They're our daily gift to you.    

from Gmail
via IFTTT

New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! Thoughts For The Day~*~Fear ^*^*^ August 21

To Donate Go http://ift.tt/2brw2lg. Thoughts For The Day~ ^*^*^*^*^(\    ~~    /)(     \(AA)/     )(_ /AA\ _)/AA\^*^*^*^*^ Fear"The practice of AA's Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions in our personal lives also brought incredible releases from fear of every description, despite the wide prevalence of formidable personal problems. When fear did persist, we knew it for what it was, and under God's grace we became able to handle it. We began to see each adversity as a God-given opportunity to develop the kind of courage which is born of humility, rather than bravado. Thus we were enabled to accept ourselves, our circumstances, and our fellows." Bill W., January 1962 1988AAGrapevineThe Language of the Heart, p. 268 Thought to Consider . . . Courage is the willingness to accept fear and act anyway. *~*AACRONYMS*~*F E A R  =  Fools Every Alcoholic Repeatedly*~*^Just For Today!^*~*  Bill's Adolescent Depression From: "Chapter One"   With the onset of depression, his academic performance dropped. The upshot was that I failed German and, for that reason, could not graduate. Here I was, president of my senior class  and they wouldn't give me a diploma! My mother arrived, extremely angry, from Boston. A stormy scene took place in the principal's office. Still, I didn't get that diploma.   He failed to graduate with his class (although school records now list him with the group). Following a summer of agonizing depression, he went to live with his mother near Boston and completed makeup work that qualified him for college.   What had caused Bill to change from high achiever to a helpless depressive? As he saw it, the major problem was that he could no longer be Number One. I could not be anybody at all. I could not win, because the adversary was death. So my life, I thought, had ended then and there.1984 AAWS Inc. Pass It On The story of Bill Wilson and how the AA message reached the world, pages 36-37 *^Daily Reflections^*WE JUST TRY My stability came out of trying to give, not out of demanding that I receive. THE BEST OF BILL, p. 46-47 As long as I try, with all my heart and soul, to pass along to others what has been passed along to me, and do not demand anything in return, life is good to me. Before entering this program of Alcoholics Anonymous I was never able to give without demanding something in return. Little did I know that, once I began to give freely of myself, I would begin to receive, without ever expecting or demanding anything at all. What I receive today is the gift of "stability", as Bill did; stability in my A.A. program; within myself; but most of all, in my relationship with my Higher Power, whom I choose to call God. Copyright 1990 ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS WORLD SERVICES, INC.*~*^As Bill Sees It^*~*Everyday Living The A.A. emphasis on personal inventory is heavy because a great many of us have never really acquired the habit of accurate self-appraisal. Once this healthy practice has become a habit, it will prove so interesting and profitable that the time it takes won't be missed. For these minutes and often hours spent in self-examination are bound to make all the other hours of our day better and happier. At length, our inventories become a necessity of everyday living, rather than something unusual or set apart. TWELVE AND TWELVE pp. 89-90 *~*^Big Book Quote^*~*"In dealing with resentments, we set them on paper. We listed people, institutions or principles with whom we were angry. We asked ourselves why we were angry. In most cases it was found that our self-esteem, our pocketbooks, our ambitions, our personal relationships,(including sex) were hurt or threatened."Alcoholics Anonymous 4th EditionHow It Works, pg. 64*^Twenty Four Hours A Day^*A.A. Thought for the Day "Who are you to say there is no God? This challenge comes to all of us. Are we capable of denying that there is a design and purpose in all of life as we know it? Or are we willing to admit that faith in some kind of Divine Principle is a part of our make-up, just as much as the feeling we have for a friend? We find a great Reality deep down within us, if we face ourselves as we really are. In the last analysis, it is only there that God may be found. When we find this Reality within us, we are restored to our right minds." Have I found the great Reality? Meditation for the Day "Behold, I make all things new." When you change to a new way of life, you leave many things behind you. It is only the earth-bound spirit that cannot soar. Loosen somewhat the strands that tie you to the earth. It is only the earthly desires that bind you. Your new freedom will depend on your ability to rise above earthly things. Clipped wings can grow again. Broken wings can regain a strength and beauty unknown before. if you will, you can be released and free. Prayer for the Day I pray that I may be freed from things that hold me down. I pray that my spirit may soar in freedom.Hazelden Foundation PO Box 176 Center City, MN 55012 You can now receive Transitions Daily 3 ways: 1. Sign up at http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt - To subscribe now send an email to TransitionsDaily@gmail.com wit 3.  Follow Transitions Daily on Twitter https://twitter.com/transdaily Devotions are posted Daily via Email, Facebook and Twitter! -- To Donate Go to: http://ift.tt/1LFEb4b   For more Information about this distribution go to http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt.   The members of this group are anonymous with no sale or disclosure of membership to other members or the redistribution of emails of any kind. Once you have been added, you will receive a confirmation email. Please allow 24 48 hours for entry.   Feel free to share http://ift.tt/1MBbjVt in meetings, with friends, sponsors, and especially your sponsees in recovery! You can also download the Transitions Daily Flyer by clicking on this link http://ift.tt/1MBbjVv to use in your service work!

from Gmail
via IFTTT