Wow.  You folks really have it going on!

By God's grace, I've ceased fighting today and can't think of recasting the original conversation (from the "a case in point" thread) without seeming (being?) defensive so, I'd like to let that drop.  Seems like I got way more back from y'all than I'd ever dreamed.

I've learned a lot from the past thread but I would like to take it just a teeny bit further (for my understanding)...

Given:

"The AA Message" = "To show other alcoholics PRECISELY HOW WE HAVE RECOVERED is the main purpose of ..." ("this book" is how it is written but, I think the implication from the conversations is that we substitute "meeting" or "relationship" or "conversation" and extend to "the whole of AA")

How that works is (no particular order):

• meetings and other gatherings that are solution focused and have a clear sense of purpose aligned with our message
  
• guidance by those who have had the experience of our path to recovery (some people call these "sponsors")
  
• individuals who are motivated to not drink (we don't supply that initial motivation), work a program of recovery carefully hidden in our Big Book in a chapter of the name of this post
• in the course of that program, they clean up their past and live differently henceforth
• as a part of that program, they learn of a way of life that includes "love and service"
• as a result of that program, they accomplish a spiritual awakening which orients them toward living by new principles in the world and places them in service to carry "the message" (see above)
  
• one of the many promises in our basic text is that, if people follow this program of recovery, they will become useful  - this is to be encouraged above all else (being useful to God and our fellows)
  
• we come to appreciate and apply the principles of the steps, traditions and, concepts as AA's 3 legacies of recovery, unity and service
• while our steps and traditions are relatively sacrosanct (requires a vote of 75% of the registered groups to change them), only our 12th concept (the warranties) are thus protected so, if necessary (as members acting as the conscience of AA as a whole), we could reorganize AA or significantly alter any of the other 11 concepts, charter or any other way of doing business in a single General Service Conference.

OK - sorry, I had to throw a ringer in there .

Anyway - thoughts?

Thanx again for great insights thus far.  I think this might be headed somewhere.  I hope so.

Ed