New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! [aarecoveryreadings] Daily Readings - September 18

  ***Just wanted to let you all know that I live where our state is predicted to be hit by Hurricane Florence.  If I should go missing for several days then you will know why.  Please keep us in your prayers. Daily Recovery Readings Bluidkiti's Recovery Forums Daily Recovery Readings and Meditations Recovery Links More Recovery Readings NA Just For Today Daily Spiritual Meditations Daily Prayers Disclaimer Click here to make a Donation God grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change; Courage to change the things I can; and Wisdom to know the difference. Thy will, not mine, be done. September 18 Daily Reflections LOVED BACK TO RECOVERY Our whole treasured philosophy of self-sufficiency had to be cast aside. This had not been done with old-fashioned willpower; it was instead a matter of developing the willingness to accept these new facts of living. We neither ran nor fought. But accept we did. And then we were free. BEST OF THE GRAPEVINE, Vol. I, p. 198 I can be free of my old enslaving self. After a while I recognize, and believe in, the good within myself. I see that I have been loved back to recovery by my Higher Power, who envelops me. My Higher Power becomes that source of love and strength that is performing a continuing miracle in me. I am sober . . . . and I am grateful. *********************************************************** Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day Step Two is: "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity." Step Three is: "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him." Step Eleven is: "Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, as we understood Him, praying only for the knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out." The fundamental basis of A.A. is the belief in a Power greater than ourselves. Let us not water this down. We cannot get the program without this venture of belief. Have I made the venture of belief in a Power greater than my own? Meditation For The Day "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Dwell for a moment each day in a secret place, the place of communion with God, apart from the world, and thence receive strength to face the world. Material things cannot intrude upon this secret place, they cannot ever find it, because it is outside the realm of material things. When you abide in this secret place, you are under the shadow of the Almighty. God is close to you in this quiet place of communion. Each day, dwell for a while in this secret place. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may renew my strength in quietness. I pray that I may find rest in quiet communion with God. *********************************************************** As Bill Sees It Inward Reality, p.260 It is being constantly revealed, as mankind studies the material world, that its outward appearance is not inward reality at all. The prosaic steel girder is a mass of electrons whirling around each other at incredible speed, and these tiny bodies are governed by precise laws. Science tells us so. We have no reason to doubt it. When, however, the perfectly logic assumption is suggested that, infinitely beyond the material world as we see it, there is an all powerful, guiding, creative Intelligence, our perverse streak comes to the surface and we set out to convince ourselves that this isn't so. Were our contention true, it would follow that life originated out of nothing, means nothing, and proceeds nowhere. *********************************************************** Walk In Dry Places   The role of humor Attitudes There's a lot of humor among recovery groups, which probably came out of the bizarre drinking stories told by speakers.  It's also a reflection of our real personalities. The right kind of humor helps us achieve balance and not take ourselves too seriously. Meetings can be terribly suffocating when they have neither lightness or gaiety. There is also a wrong kind of humor that should be avoided.  It's very easy to let joking and good-natured ribbing take the place of the honest discussions all of us need.  It's too easy in AA for a member to become known and liked as a charming jokester, even though he or she may be quietly feeling lots of inner pain.  People are often surprised when such a person runs into trouble, because they had accepted the humorous surface personality without knowing the real person.  In such a case, humor can send the wrong message. Most of the time, however, humor helps keep us on the right track. Let's keep it in our picture, but also in the proper focus. I'll not be afraid to laugh at myself or about myself today.   Perhaps my right-spirited laughter also reflects the laughter of God. *********************************************************** Keep It Simple   We feel that the elimination of our drinking is but a beginning

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