New Post on The Official Blog of The Way Out Podcast! [aarecoveryreadings] Daily Readings - 7/27

  Daily Recovery ReadingsBluidkiti's Recovery ForumsDaily Recovery Readings and MeditationsRecovery LinksMore Recovery ReadingsNA Just For TodayDaily Spiritual MeditationsDaily PrayersDisclaimerClick 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.July 27 Daily Reflections GIVING FREELY We will make every personal sacrifice necessary to insure the unity of Alcoholics Anonymous. We will do this because we have learned to love God and one another. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 234 To be self-supporting through my own contributions was never a strong characteristic during my days as a practicing alcoholic. The giving of time or money always demanded a price tag. As a newcomer I was told "we have to give it away in order to keep it." As I began to adopt the principals of Alcoholics Anonymous in my life, I soon found it was a privilege to give to the Fellowship as an expression of the gratitude felt in my heart. My love of God and of others became the motivating factor in my life, with no thought of return. I realize now that giving freely is God's way of expressing Himself through me.************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ** Twenty-Four Hours A Day A.A. Thought For The Day To paraphrase the psalm: "We alcoholics declare the power of liquor and drunkenness showeth its handiwork. Day unto day uttereth hangovers and night unto night showeth suffering. The law of A.A. is perfect, converting the drunk. The testimony of A.A. is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of A.A. are right, rejoicing the heart. The program of A.A. is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the first drink is clean, enduring forever." Have I any doubt about the power of liquor? Meditation For The Day "Walk humbly with thy Lord." Walking with God means practicing the presence of God in your daily affairs. It means asking God for strength to face each new day. It means turning to Him often during the day in prayer for yourself and for other people. It means thanking Him at night for the blessings you have received during the day. Nothing can seriously upset you if you are "walking with God." You can believe that He is beside you in spirit, to help you and to guide you on your way. Prayer For The Day I pray that I may try to walk humbly with God. I pray that I may turn to Him often as to a close friend. ************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* ** As Bill Sees ItReason--a Bridge to Faith, p. 208 We were squarely confronted with the question of faith.  We couldn't duck the issue.  Some of us had already walked along the bridge of reason toward the desired shore of faith, where friendly hands stretched out in welcome.  We were grateful that reason had brought us so far.  Perhaps we had been relying too heavily on reason that last mile, and we did not like to lose our support. Yet, without knowing it, had we not been brought to where we stood  by a certain kind of faith?  For did we not believe in our own reasoning?  Did we not have confidence in our ability to think?  What was that but a sort of faith?  Yes, we had been faithful to the god of reason.  So, in one way or another, we discovered that faith had been involved all the time! Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 53-54************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* **Walk In Dry Places  No tap dancing around problems. Inventory Our program calls for a "searching and fearless" moral inventory, not only in the beginning, but as we continue to follow our new way of life. What this means is complete honesty about who and what we really are. We should not tap-dance around our problems in order to evade responsibility. This willnot bring the cleansing we need for real sober living.  We need deep changes, not mere surface ones. Difficult as it is to be fully honest, it's made easier when we remind ourselves that it's all for our own recovery. We benefit in proportion to the amount of honesty we bring to our inventory. If it's searching and fearless, the results will be far-reaching and substantial. I will not shirk from facing the truth about myself as I go through the day. What I need for self-improvement will be revealed to me.************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* **Keep It Simple  To enjoy freedom, we have to con troll ourselves. Virginia Woolf Freedom is a funny thing, in a way, it makes life harder. We are free to do what we want but every choice makes a difference in our lives. Some choices make us happy and some bring trouble. We can make good choices. We can control our actions. We can start by having control in little ways: follow the law, pay the rent, and make the bed every day. These choices put order in our lives. Eat right, exercise, and get enough sleep. These choices make us strong enough to live each day to the fullest. These kinds of choices set us free. Prayer for the day: Higher Power, I was drinking and drugging. I couldn't enjoy my freedom. I had no control over the little things in my life. Help me stay sober today. Action for the day: Today, I'll be grateful  for having some control. I will list five way I am more free because I can control my actions.************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* **Each Day a New Beginning To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it.  --Mother Teresa Our spiritual nature must be nurtured. Prayer and meditation lovingly kindle the flame that guides us from within. Because we're human, we often let the flame flicker and perhaps go out. And then we sense the dreaded aloneness. Fortunately, some time away, perhaps even a few moments in quiet communion with God, rekindles the flame. For most of us, the flame burned low, or not at all, for many years. The flickering we may feel today, or tomorrow, or felt yesterday, will not last, so we may put away our fears. We can listen to the voice of our higher power in others. We can listen, too, as we carry the message. Prayer surrounds us every moment. We can fuel our inner flame with the messages received from others. We can let our spirit spring forth, let it warm our hearts and the hearts of others. We each have a friend whose flame may be flickering today. I will help her and thus myself. A steady flame can rekindle one that's flickering.************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* **Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth EditionMORE ABOUT ALCOHOLISM Our behavior is as absurd and incomprehensible with respect to the first drink as that of an individual with a passion, say, for jay-walking. He gets a thrill out of skipping in front of fast-moving vehicles. He enjoys himself for a few years in spite of friendly warnings. Up to this point you would label him as a foolish chap having queer ideas of fun. Luck then deserts him and he is slightly injured several times in succession. You would expect him, if he were normal, to cut it out. Presently he is hit again and this time has a fractured skull. Within a week after leaving the hospital a fast-moving trolley car breaks his arm. He tells you he has decided to stop jay-walking for good, but in a few weeks he breaks both legs. pp. 37-38************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* **Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition StoriesWINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY - This young alcoholic stepped out a second-story window and into A.A. After some time I called my sponsor to report my progress.  He stopped me short with a simple question.  "These people who aren't doing right, are they staying sober?"  I admitted that, despite their failings, they were staying sober.  "Good," he said.  "You have told them what A.A. is.  Now it's time for you to listen to figure out how they are staying sober."  I followed that suggestion and began to listen.  Slowly but surely, some wisdom and humility began to creep in.  I became more teachable.  I found God working all around me where previously I was sure I had been alone.  When I opened my eyes enough to see the miracle, I found that it was right in front of my face.  I was growing in God's love. p. 430************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* **Twelve Steps and Twelve TraditionsStep Four - "Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves." Suppose that financial insecurity constantly arouses these same feelings. I can ask myself to what extent have my own mistakes fed my gnawing anxieties. And if the actions of others are part of the cause, what can I do about that? If I am unable to change the present state of affairs, am I willing to take the measures necessary to shape my life to conditions as they are? Questions like these, more of which will come to mind easily in each individual case, will help turn up the root causes. pp. 52-53************ ********* ********* ********* ********* ********* **Today, I will focus on practicing one recovery behavior on one of my issues, trusting that this practice will move me forward. I will remember that acceptance, gratitude, and detachment are a good place to begin. --Melody Beattie "God gives us abundance in all things, that we might use it on behalf of the healing of the world." --Marianne Williamson "We find comfort among those who agree with us - growth among those who don't." --Frank A. Clark "The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change." --Carl Rogers He that gives should never remember, he that receives should never forget. --Talmud "With every prayer and every thought of love, we release the light that will cast out darkness. One light alone seems small and weak, but no one's light is ever alone, for all our lights are part of God." --Marianne Williamson All time spent angry is time lost being happy. -- Mexican Proverb Progress comes from caring more about what needs to be done than about who gets the credit. --Dorothy Height************ ********* ********* ********* ********Father Leo's Daily MeditationIDEAS "Ideas shape the course of history." --John Maynard Keynes I get so excited about my sobriety because it has given me ideas. Today I can think, ponder and create. God is such a big idea today

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