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Daily Recovery Readings

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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.

December 2, 2008

Daily Reflections

SERENITY

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, . . .
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 106

As I continued to go to meetings and work the Steps, something began to happen to me. I
felt confused because I wasn't sure what it was that I was feeling, and then I realized I
was experiencing serenity. It was a good feeling, but where had it come from? Then I
realized it had come ". . .as the result of these steps." The program may not always be
easy to practice, but I had to acknowledge that my serenity had come to me after working
the Steps. As I work the Steps in everything I do, practicing these principles in all my
affairs, now I find that I am awake to God, to others, and to myself. The spiritual
awakening I have enjoyed as the result of working the Steps is the awareness that I am
no longer alone.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

The thoughts that come before having a slip seem to be partly subconscious. And yet it is
likely that at least part of these thoughts get into our consciousness. An idle thought
connected with drinking casually pops into our mind. That is the crucial moment. Will I
harbor that thought even for one minute or will I banish it from my mind at once? If I let it
stay, it may develop into a daydream. I may begin to see a cool glass of beer or a
Manhattan cocktail in my mind's eye. If I allow the daydream to stay in my mind, it
may lead to a decision, however unconscious, to take a drink. Then I am headed for a
slip. Do I let myself daydream?

Meditation For The Day

Many of us have a sort of vision of the kind of person God wants us to be. We must be
true to that vision, whatever it is, and we must try to live up to it, by living the way we
believe we should live. We can all believe that God has a vision of what He wants us to be
like. In all people there is a good person whom God sees in us, the person we could be
and that God would like us to be. But many a person fails to fulfill that promise and God's
disappointments must be many.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may strive to be the kind of a person that God would have me be. I pray that
I may try to fulfill God's vision of what I could be.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

"POWERLESS OVER ALCOHOL", p.283

I had gone steadily downhill, and on that day in 1934 I lay upstairs
in the hospital, knowing for the first time that I was utterly
hopeless.

Lois was downstairs, and Dr. Silkworth was trying in his gentle way to
tell her what was wrong with me and that I was hopeless. "But Bill has
a tremendous amount of will power," she said. "He has tried
desperately to get well. We have tried everything. Doctor, why can't
he stop?"

He explained that my drinking, once a habit, had become an obsession,
a true insanity that condemned me to drink against my will.

********************************

"In the late stages of our drinking, the will to resist has fled. Yet
when we admit complete defeat and when we become entirely ready
to try A.A. principles, our obsession leaves us and we enter a new
dimension-freedom under God as we understand Him."

1. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 52
2. LETTER, 1966

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

Bringing Projects to Completion.
Fortitude
Starting projects without completing them can be part of our alcoholic nature. It's related to immaturity and a tendency to become bored and discouraged quickly.
The 12 Step program can help us overcome this problem. First, we realize and admit to such tendencies, fearlessly facing what has really been a very bad habit. Then we become honest about our motives. We realize that we didn't actually have the abiding interest that would have helped us complete some projects. In such cases, the projects never should have been started... and in the future we'll take are not to embark on similar projects.
When something does need to be completed, the program will help us stay with it until it's done. We will always find that the satisfaction of completing a necessary project will be part of sober living. We'll also know that we're growing in the program.
I'll take the necessary steps today to move any project toward completion. This will also help with future projects.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

...we tried to carry this message to alcoholics...--Second part of Step 12.
In this part of Step 12, we carry the message of hope. But it's not up to us if anyone accepts the message or not. This keeps us from playing God. We just gently deliver the message. We don't force the program down people's throats. In general, Step Twelve tells us, “Be helpful to those we can help.” When a neighbor is sick, mow her lawn. When a friend is in the hospital, visit him. Step Twelve reminds us that we make a difference. We have hope to give the world. And hope is what we stand for to the addict who still suffers. Hope is what we stand for to the addict's family. How beautiful to stand for hope! Remember when our lives stood for despair?? What a change!
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me shine brightly as a symbol of Your hope.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll help someone in need. It may be an alcoholic or other drug addict, or just someone in need. I'll help make the world a better place.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

THERE IS A SOLUTION

WE, OF ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS know thousands of men and women who were once just as hopeless as Bill. Nearly all have recovered. They have solved the drink problem.
We are average Americans. All sections of this country and many of its occupations are represented, as well as many political, economic, social, and religious backgrounds. We are people who normally would not mix. But there exists among us a fellowship, a friendliness, and an understanding which is indescribably wonderful. We are like the passengers of a great liner the moment after rescue from shipwreck when camaraderie, joyousness and democracy pervade the vessel from steerage to Captain's table. Unlike the feelings of the ships passengers, however, our joy in escape from disaster does not subside as we go our individual ways. The feeling of having shared in a common peril is one element in the powerful cement which binds us. But that in itself would never have held us together as we are now joined.

p. 17

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Foreword

Alcoholics Anonymous is a worldwide fellowship of more than one hundred thousand* alcoholic men and women who are banded together to solve their common problems and to help fellow sufferers in recovery from that age-old, baffling malady, alcoholism.

*In 1998, it is estimated that nearly two million have recovered through A.A.

p. 15

***********************************************************

Destroying pride -- man becomes endearing;
Destroying anger -- man gets rid of sorrow;
Destroying desire -- man acquires peace;
Destroying greed -- man achieves happiness.
--Satya Sai Baba

Whoever seeks God . . . has already found God.
--unknown

It's never too late to begin making an effort.
--unknown

When you find yourself rundown from life, pace yourself and take a refreshing break.
--unknown

BIG BOOK – Believing In God Beats Our Old Knowledge

WILLING – When I Live Life, I Need God

***********************************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

PROBLEMS

"The certainties of one age are
the problems of the next."
-- R. H. Tawney

Life is a process of change that inevitably produces problems; the fear of the new, the
discomfort of old values being seen to be wrong, the confusion that so often accompanies
growth. Problems are part of life and we can only escape them in death. (Even then
nobody can be sure we will be free of problems!)

As an alcoholic I tried to run away from my problems by drinking. But the next day the
old problems were still there and my drinking had usually brought new problems. Alcohol
only produced a momentary escape but reality always returned.

Today, with the acceptance of my alcoholism and my decision not to "pick up the first
drink", I face my problems. I deal with my problems. I live with the problems of life.

Teach me to accept joyously the problems that life and growth inevitably bring.

***********************************************************

"But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear."
Matthew 13:16

"Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have,
because God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.'"
Hebrews 13:5

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

Life will be so much easier if you can accept that things don't always go as planned and see that these are often magnificent opportunities. Lord, help me learn from the occurences of today that seem to go awry and show me how to make the situation better through my own flexibility and creativity.

Enthusiasm keeps the mind young and the spirit growing. Lord, may I always see wonder in the ordinary happenings of my day.

Ask and you shall receive,
Seek and ye shall find,
Knock and it shall be opened unto you.
Matthew 7:7

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#1575

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sun Nov 30, 2008 6:12 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 12/1

bluidkiti

Offline

Daily Recovery Readings

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.

December 1, 2008

Daily Reflections

"SUGGESTED" STEPS

Our Twelfth Step also says that as a result of practicing
all the Steps, we have each found something called a
spiritual awakening. . . . A.A.'s manner of making ready
to receive this gift lies in the practice of the Twelve
Steps in our program."
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 106-07

I remember my sponsor's answer when I told him that the
Steps were "suggested." He replied that they are
"suggested" in the same way that, if you were to jump
out of a airplane with a parachute, it is "suggested"
that you pull the ripcord to save your life. He pointed
out that it was "suggested" I practice the Twelve Steps,
if I wanted to save my life. So I try to remember daily
that I have a whole program of recovery based on all
Twelve of the "suggested" Steps.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

The thoughts that come before having a slip are often
largely subconscious. It is a question whether or not
our subconscious minds ever become entirely free from
alcoholic thoughts as long as we live. For instance,
some of us dream about being drunk when we are asleep,
even after several years of sobriety in A.A. During the
period of our drinking days, our subconscious minds have
been thoroughly conditioned by our alcoholic way of
thinking and it is doubtful that they ever become
entirely free of such thoughts during our lifetime. But
when our conscious minds are fully conditioned against
drinking, we can stay sober and our subconscious minds
do not often bother us. Am I still conditioning my conscious
mind?

Meditation For The Day

Having sympathy and compassion for all who are in
temptation, a condition which we are sometimes in, we
have a responsibility towards them. Sympathy always
includes responsibility. Pity is useless because it does
not have a remedy for the need. But wherever our sympathy
goes, our responsibility goes too. When we are moved with
compassion, we should go to the one in need and bind up
his wounds as best we can.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may have sympathy for those in temptation.
I pray that I may have compassion for others' trials.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

FAITH-A BLUEPRINT-AND WORK, p. 284

"The idea of 'twenty-four-hour living' applies primarily to the
emotional life of the individual. Emotionally speaking, we must not live
in yesterday, nor in tomorrow.

"But I have never been able to see that this means the individual, the
group, or A.A. as a whole should give no thought whatever to how to
function tomorrow or even in the more distant future. Faith alone
never constructed the house you live in. There had to be a blueprint
and a lot of work to bring it into reality.

"Nothing is truer for us of A.A. than the Biblical saying 'Faith without
works is dead.' A.A.'s services, all designed to make more and better
Twelfth Step work possible, are the 'works' that insure our life and
growth by preventing anarchy or stagnation."

LETTER, 1954

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

Why do bad things happen?
Understanding life
No one has been able to explain why pain and misfortune must be part of the human condition. Bad things can and do happen to everybody, and sometimes there's no way to explain it.
Even in sobriety, AA members have misfortunes---times when it appears that God is hiding. We even hear members share such experiences at meetings.
Many of us have found ways to use misfortunes constructively, however, by seeing how the program helps us deal with it. In some cases---but not all---we even learn that a misfortune was a disguised blessing.
Most important, by using the program, we are eliminating the drinking that has been the cause of many misfortunes in our lives. That alone makes our immediate world a much better place for everyone.
My life today can be both easy and hard. It gives me great comfort to know that I am not making conditions worse for myself and others.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps---First part of Step Twelve.
We are awake! Our spirits are alive. We are part of the world. Our addiction no longer clouds our vision. How? Step
Twelve answers this.
The beauty of Step Twelve is that if we feel our spirits starting to go dead, we know how to awaken them. It's simple. Turn to the Steps. After all, working the Steps has awakened our spirits. The hope and serenity we feel are gifts given to us through the Steps of our program. And the more we turn to the Steps for help, the more life we'll feel. The Steps are what feed and heal our souls. Prayer for the Day
Higher Power: Thank you for the Steps. If I start to believe it is I who keeps me sober, remind me of my life before the Twelve Steps.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll read the Twelve Steps. I'll think of how each Step helped awaken my spirit.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

An alcoholic in his cups is an unlovely creature. Our struggles with them are variously strenuous, comic, and tragic. One poor chap committed suicide in my home. He could not, or would not, see our way of life.
There is, however, a vast amount of fun about it all. I suppose some would be shocked at our seeming worldliness and levity. But just underneath there is deadly earnestness. Faith has to work twenty-four hours a day in and through us, or we perish.
Most of us feel we need look no further for Utopia. We have it with us right here and now. Each day my friend's simple talk in our kitchen multiplies itself in a widening circle of peace on earth and good will to men.

Bill W., co-founder of A.A.,
died January 24,1971.

p. 16

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

These experiences taught us that anonymity is real humility at work. It is an all-pervading spiritual quality which today keynotes A.A. life everywhere. Moved by the spirit of anonymity, we try to give up our natural desires for personal distinction as A.A. members both among fellow alcoholics and before the general public. As we lay aside these very human aspirations, we believe that each of us takes part in the weaving of a protective mantle which covers our whole Society and under which we may grow and work in unity.
We are sure that humility, expressed by anonymity, is the greatest safeguard that Alcoholics Anonymous can ever have.

p. 187

***********************************************************

"Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship."
--Benjamin Franklin

"There are no gains without pains."
--Benjamin Franklin

Kindness is more than deeds. It is an attitude, an expression, a look, a touch. It is
anything that lifts another person.
--C. Neil Strait

Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.
--Blaise Pascal

"It is a sign of strength, not of weakness, to admit that you don't know all the answers."
--John P. Loughrane

"What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity."
--Joseph Addison

***********************************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

GOSSIP

"Great minds discuss ideas,
average minds discuss wants,
small minds discuss people."
-- Laurence J. Peter

Gossip is ultimately a form of malicious cowardice. It is a "blasphemy" because it
seeks to denigrate the human being that God has made in His image.

As a practicing alcoholic I was a gossip. I exaggerated and manipulated the truth with
my gossip. I made up stories against those people I had a resentment towards;
innocent people were abused and victimized by my gossip.

Also I loved listening to gossip. The listener plays an important role in the life of
"gossip" because without the listener it could not exist. It takes two to gossip!

Today gossip is unacceptable behavior in my program.

***********************************************************

But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds,
and I will show you my faith by what I do.
James 2:18

"If I say I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression and smile."
Job 9:27

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

Accept yourself for who you are because who you are has a purpose and an important reason for being. Lord, Your love for me makes me special and lovable.

Take care of yourself so that you may give care to others. Lord, may I never totally ignore myself and my feelings for the sake of others and fit in time daily to refresh my spirit.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
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#1574

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:06 am
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

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--
May God Bless You and Keep You!
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Good Sunday Morning

My friends

Day Thirty/10:00 PM:

Although the difference between someone sober for only a few 24 hours and many many 24 hours is usually obvious, we do not all grow at the same rate. The only valid comparison is yourself to yourself over time.

It does not matter how slowly I grow as long as I do not stop.

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

People

If you always understand that the people in your life

Are there for a reason,

You will never be angry.

FREE Animations for your email - by IncrediMail! Click Here!

#1573

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sun Nov 30, 2008 2:01 am
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/30

bluidkiti

Offline

Daily Recovery Readings

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.

November 30, 2008

Daily Reflections

PROTECTION FOR ALL

At the personal level, anonymity provides protection for
all members from identification as alcoholics, a safeguard
often of special importance to newcomers. At the level of
press, radio, TV, and films, anonymity stresses the
equality in the Fellowship of all members by putting the
brake on those who might otherwise exploit their A.A.
affiliation to achieve recognition, power, or personal
gain.
"UNDERSTANDING ANONYMITY," p. 5

Attraction is the main force in the Fellowship of A.A. The
miracle of continuous sobriety of alcoholics within A.A.
confirms this fact every day. It would be harmful if the
Fellowship promoted itself by publicizing, through the
media of radio and TV, the sobriety of well-known public
personalities who became members of A.A. If these
personalities happened to have slips, outsiders would think
our movement is not strong and they might question the
veracity of the miracle of the century. Alcoholics Anonymous
is not anonymous, but its members should be.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

We have slips in A.A. It has been said these are not slips
but premeditated drunks, because we have to think about
taking a drink before we actually take one. The thought always
comes before the act. It has been suggested that people
should always get in touch with an A.A. before taking that
first drink. The failure to do so makes it probable that
they decided to take the drink anyway. And yet the thoughts
that come before taking a drink are often largely
subconscious. People usually don't know consciously what
made them do it. Therefore, the common practice is to call
these things slips. Am I on guard against wrong thinking?

Meditation For The Day

"The eternal God is thy refuge." He is a sanctuary, a refuge
from the cares of life. You can get away from the
misunderstanding of others by retiring into your own place of
meditation. But from yourself, from your sense of failure,
your weakness, your shortcomings, whither can you flee? Only
to the eternal God, your refuge, until the immensity of His
spirit envelopes your spirit and it loses its smallness and
weakness and comes into harmony again with His.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may lose my limitations in the immensity of
God's love. I pray that my spirit may be in harmony with
His spirit.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

FALSE PRIDE, p. 285

The alarming thing about pride-blindness is the ease with which it is
justified. But we need not look far to see that self-justification is a
universal destroyer of harmony and of love. It sets man against man,
nation against nation. By it, every form of folly and violence can be
made to look right, and even respectable.

*******************************

It would be a product of false pride to claim that A.A. is a cure-all,
even for alcoholism.

1. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1961
2. A.A. COMES OF AGE, p. 232

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

Spiritual pride
Seeking humility
Those of us who have found a Higher Power in our lives can feel truly blessed. We know we're on the right path by witnessing the wonderful changes that continue to come into our lives.
One pitfall in this, however, is the risk of becoming "spiritually proud." We sometimes feel that our beliefs are so superior that others should accept them as well. We even become critical of the beliefs of others.
If this happens, we actually will be severing our own conscious contact with our higher power. False pride is a new form will be back in charge. Others will sense this too, and may withdraw from us.
Our best safeguard against this trap of spiritual pride is a reminder that we don't have all the answers. We can share our understanding with others, but we should never imply that we know what's best for them. Spiritual growth should being humility, not more of the pride that was destroying us.
I can leave all outcomes in God's hands today, knowing that everything is being controlled in a spiritual way.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

The purpose of freedom is to create it for others.---Bernard Malamud
Sobriety is freedom. With this freedom, we have a responsibility to help other addicts who still suffer. The program tells us this in Step Twelve. We do this by telling our stories and offering hope.
We must be ready to care, to give ourselves. This is what spirituality is about. When we help others, we prepare the road for those who enter the program after us.
Tradition Five of the Twelve Traditions says, “Each group has but one primary purpose---to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” It means we get better by helping others.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me create more freedom. Bring me to where I’m needed. Help me carry the message well.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think of ways I can help the addict who still suffers. Then I’ll chose one way I can be of help. I’ll talk with my sponsor about it, and I’ll follow through with my plan.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

We commenced to make many fast friends and a fellowship has grown up among us of which it is a wonderful thing to feel a part. The joy of living we really have, even under pressure and difficulty. I have seen hundreds of families set their feet in the path that really goes somewhere; have seen the most impossible domestic situations righted; feuds and bitterness of all sorts wiped out. I have seen men come out of asylums and resume a vital place in the lives of their families and communities. Business and professional men have regained their standing. There is scarcely any form of trouble and misery which has not been overcome among us. In one western city and its environs there are one thousand of us and our families. We meet frequently so that newcomers may find the fellowship they seek. At these informal gatherings one may often see from 50 to 200 persons. We are growing in numbers and power.*

* In 1993, A.A. is composed of approximately 96,000 groups.

pp. 15-16

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

As this tide offering top public approval swept in, we realized that it could do us incalculable good or great harm. Everything would depend upon how it was channeled. We simply couldn't afford to take the chance of letting self-appointed members present themselves as messiahs representing A.A. before the whole public. The promoter instinct in us might be our undoing. If even one publicly got drunk, or was lured into using A.A.'s name for his own purposes, the damage might be irreparable. At this altitude (press, radio, films, and television), anonymity--100 percent anonymity--was the only possible answer. Here, principles would have to come before personalities, without exception.

p. 187

***********************************************************

A loving heart is the truest wisdom.
--Charles Dickens

"Learn from the mistakes of others. You can't live long enough to make them all
yourself."
--unknown

He is rich or poor according to what he is, not according to what he has.
--Henry Ward Beecher

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson

"To love another person is to see the face of God."
--Victor Hugo

***********************************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

FATE

"I am the master of my fate; I
am the captain of my soul."
-- William E. Henley

Things do not just happen, we make them happen. For years I thought that my getting
well was dependent upon my family getting well. I rooted my recovery in the recovery
of others. I was the typical co-dependent.

Then somebody said, "Why don't you start taking responsibility for your own life?" I
thought about that remark for weeks. I spent nights dwelling on the implications of
those words. I am sure that I had heard similar sentiments a hundred times but that
night, that special night, I was ready to hear them. A spiritual moment.

Today I believe that such spiritual moments produce a spiritual process that I must
keep alive. I am the deciding factor in what happens to me and what I can achieve.
God has created me to be involved in my recovery.

May I always steer my life in the direction of truth and love.

***********************************************************

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the
body is weak."
Matthew 26:41

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

You cannot really listen to someone and do something else at the same time. Lord, teach me to truly pay attention when someone speaks to me because it is in listening that I will gain wisdom.

God doesn't always end the storm, but He will calm your spirit and give you the courage you need. Lord, I have come to know and believe in the love You have for me.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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#1572

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sun Nov 30, 2008 1:59 am
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/30

bluidkiti

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-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
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#1571

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:50 am
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

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Day Twenty-nine/4:00 AM:

Bernie Seagal said that everyone in life is broken, only some of us are stronger in the broken places. Ask yourself what makes you stronger?

When I pray for strength, my Spiritual Source sends
Me burdens so that I may build strength.

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

Stability

Amidst the earthquakes of unexpected situations,

The hurricanes of unreasonable behaviour,

When fortune strikes against me,

I will remain unmoved,

Knowing that finally all will be well.

#1570

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:44 am
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/29

bluidkiti

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Daily Recovery Readings

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.

November 29, 2008

Daily Reflections

ACTIVE GUARDIANS

To us, however, it represents far more than a sound
public relations policy. It is more than a denial of
self-seeking. This Tradition is a constant and practical
reminder that personal ambition has no place in A.A.
In it, each member becomes an active guardian of our
Fellowship.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 183

The basic concept of humility is expressed in the
Eleventh Tradition: it allows me to participate
completely in the program in such a simple, yet profound,
manner; it fulfills my need to be an integral part of a
significant whole. Humility brings me closer to the
actual spirit of togetherness and oneness, without which
I could not stay sober. In remembering that every member
is an example of sobriety, each one living the Eleventh
Tradition, I am able to experience freedom because each
one of us is anonymous.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

The A.A. way is the way of sobriety, and yet there are
slips. Why do these slips occur? Why don't we all accept
A.A. and stay sober from then on? There are many reasons,
but it has been proven without exception that once we have
become alcoholics we can never drink successfully again.
This has never been disproved by any case we know of. Many
alcoholics have tried drinking after a period of sobriety
from a few days to a few years and no one that we know of
has been successful in becoming a normal drinker. Could I be
the only exception to this rule?

Meditation For The Day

"We are gathered together in Thy name." First, we are
gathered together, bound by a common loyalty to God and
to each other. Then, when this condition has been fulfilled,
God is present with us. Then, when God is there and one
with us, we voice a common prayer. Then it follows that our
prayer will be answered according to God's will. Then, when
our prayer is answered, we are bound together in a lasting
brotherhood of the spirit.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may be loyal to God and my fellow men. I pray
that my life today may be lived close to His and theirs.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

MASTERING RESENTMENTS, p. 286

We began to see that the world and its people had really
dominated us. Under that unhappy condition, the wrongdoing of
others, fancied or real, had power to actually kill us, because we
could be driven back to drink through resentment. We saw that
these resentments must be mastered, but how? We could not wish
them away.

This was our course: We realized that the people who wronged us
were perhaps spiritually sick. So we asked God to help us show
them the same tolerance, pity, and patience that we would
cheerfully grant a sick friend.

Today, we avoid retaliation or argument. We cannot treat sick
people that way. If we do, we destroy our chance of being helpful.
We cannot be helpful to all people, but at least God will show us
how to take a kindly and tolerant view of each and every one.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, pp. 66-67

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

None are obligated to us.
Service
Service is considered an essential part of AA. As Dr. Bob said, AA is really love and service.
If this service is delivered in the right spirit..... the true AA spirit.... no sense of obligation is crated. If others feel they are incurring an obligation, they will resent us in time. Moreover, our carrying of the message will be flawed.
The proper way to look at service is to see it as something we perform for our own benefit. While we hope that it will benefit others, that does not have to happen in order for us to benefit. Our good comes from the giving of SERVICE, not the measurement of its results for others. No one is obligated to us; nor does anyone have the right to complain if our services did not help. We serve entirely for our own benefit.
For my own good, I'll give service today. I want to be effective for others, but I realize my real purpose is to help myself.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

One is happy as the result of one's own efforts.--- George Sand
Happiness is not an accident. It comes from following the spiritual voice found in each of us.
This isn't always easy. Sometimes, the voice tells us to do things we're afraid of. For Example, if we're lonely and the voice tells us to call someone on our phone list, we may make excuses to not do it. Again, the voice may say, "Just make the call. It will be okay." If we follow the
voice, we will find happiness. The spiritual voice inside us speaks of care and love. It will never tell us to hurt others or ourselves. It's our Higher Power's voice . It's what Step Eleven calls "conscious contact." If we follow this guiding voice, it will lead us to happiness.
Prayer for the Day: I pray that I'll come to know my Higher Power by listening to the spiritual voice in me.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll meditate and listen to my higher power gentle voice within.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

My wife and I abandoned ourselves with enthusiasm to the idea of helping other alcoholics to a solution of their problems. It was fortunate, for my old business associates remained skeptical for a year and a half, during which I found little work. I was not to well at the time, and was plagued by waves of self-pity and resentment. This sometimes nearly drove me back to drink, but I soon found that when all other measures failed, work with another alcoholic would save the day. Many times I have gone to my old hospital in despair. On talking to a man there, I would be amazingly lifted up and set on my feet. It is a design for living that works in rough going.

p. 15

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

Then came our first few excursions into major publicity, which were breathtaking. Cleveland's Plain Dealer articles about us ran that town's membership from a few into hundreds overnight. The news stories of Mr. Rockefeller's dinner for Alcoholics Anonymous helped double our total membership in a year's time. Jack Alexander's famous Saturday Evening Post piece made A.A. a national institution. Such tributes as these brought opportunities for still more recognition. Other newspapers and magazines wanted A.A. stories. Film companies wanted to photograph us. Radio, and finally television, besieged us with requests for appearances. What should we do?

pp. 186-187

***********************************************************

Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.
--Mother Teresa

I let go of shame, as it will hold me prisoner to myself.
--Shelley

What you are is God's gift to you; what you make of yourself is your gift to God.
--unknown

God will not look you over for medals, degrees, or diplomas, but for scars.
--Elbert Hubbard

I work the steps and practice the principles because when I was out
there I drank away my principles and my values.
--unknown

Today I have choices. I can stay in a bad mood, I can stay in a bad
moment. Or, I can let them pass me by.
--unknown

***********************************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

TRUST

"Men become civilized, not in
proportion to their willingness
to believe, but in their readiness
to doubt."
-- H. L. Mencken

A civilized nation is essentially a spiritual nation. A civilized person is one who seeks
the truth and is willing to grow with change.

Sobriety is adventuresome because it is bigger than simply "not drinking"; it seeks
to address all areas of life and all situations. An example is trust. When I was
drinking, I trusted no one because I felt that everybody was like me out for
themselves! Today I know that the real enemy in my life is me; I am the one who
brings pain into my life. I am beginning to love myself by my decision not to drink. I
can trust today. I am beginning to trust myself and others.

O God, who trusted man with freedom, help me to freely trust.

***********************************************************

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me, for in you my soul takes refuge. I will
take refuge in the shadow of your wings until the disaster has passed.
Psalms 57:1

Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be
compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with
blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
"Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips
from deceitful speech. He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it.
1 Peter 3:8-11

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

Praise others when they do right and speak positive things and you will find it hard not to relax and rejoice in a new found source of peace. Lord, may I care less what others think of me and more and more what You think.

Gossip betrays trust. The harm done is often irreparable. Lord, may I never be responsible for hurting anyone through my conversations.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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#1569

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:12 am
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

bluidkiti

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Day Twenty-eight/1:00 PM:

What lies ahead of you and what lies behind you is insignificant compared to what lies within you.

The thing that's so great about recovery today is that
No matter where I am, I'm here.

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

Truly Precious

More valuable than the things we give to each other are the gifts of virtues we pass on quietly to others through our selfless and noble actions.

These gifts are truly precious because they are imperishable and they multiply the more we share them

#1568

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:53 pm
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

bluidkiti

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May God Bless You and Keep You!
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Happy Thanksgiving

Everyone

Day Twenty-seven/12:00 AM:

"Imagine if at every moment we each embraced the world as the gift it is: An apple is a gift; the color pink is a gift; the blue sky is a gift; the scent of honeysuckle is a gift. Hidden in every experience is a gift," ~Marcia Prager, The Path of Blessing: Experiencing the Energy and Abundance of the Divine

What is my gift right now?

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books
Ation Books

First Change

There is no greater teacher than one's own practical example.

To be really benevolent therefore means that I must first change, then I have the power, the knowledge and the experience of thinking and doing for the ultimate benefit of all.

#1567

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Thu Nov 27, 2008 3:12 am
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/28

bluidkiti

Offline

Daily Recovery Readings

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.

November 28, 2008

Daily Reflections

ATTRACTION, NOT PROMOTION

Through many painful experiences, we think we have arrived
at what that policy ought to be. It is the opposite in many
ways of usual promotional practice. We found that we had to
rely upon the principle of attraction rather than promotion.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 180-81

While I was drinking I reacted with anger, self-pity and
defiance against anyone who wanted to change me. All I wanted
then was to be accepted by another human simply as I was and,
curiously, that is what I found in A.A. I became the custodian
of this concept of attraction, which is the principle of our
Fellowship's public relations. It is by attraction that I can
best reach the alcoholic who still suffers. I thank God for
having given me the attraction of a well-planned and
established program of Steps and Traditions. Through humility
and the support of my fellow sober members, I have been able
to practice the A.A. way of life through attraction, not
promotion.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

The A.A. way is the way of sobriety. A.A. is known everywhere
as a method that has been successful with alcoholics. Doctors,
psychiatrists and clergymen have had some success. Some men
and women have got sober all by themselves. We believe that A.A.
is the most successful and happiest way to sobriety. And yet
A.A. is not wholly successful. Some are unable to achieve
sobriety and some slip back into alcoholism after they have had
some measure of sobriety. Am I deeply grateful to have found A.A.?

Meditation For The Day

Gratitude to God is the theme of Thanksgiving Day. The pilgrims
gathered to give thanks to God for their harvest, which was
pitifully small. When we look around us at all the things we
have today, how can we help being grateful to God? Our families,
our homes, our friends, our A.A. fellowship; all these things
are free gifts of God to us. "But for the grace of God," we would
not have them.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may be very grateful today. I pray that I may
not forget where I might be but for the grace of God.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

ASPECTS OF SPIRITUALITY, p. 287

"Among A.A.'s there is still a vast amount of mix-up respecting
what is material and what is spiritual. I prefer to believe that it is all
a matter of motive. If we use our worldly possessions too selfishly,
then we are materialists. But if we share these possessions in
helpfulness to others, then the material aids the spiritual."

********************************

"The idea keeps persisting that the instincts are primarily bad and
are the roadblocks before which all spirituality falters. I believe that
the difference between good and evil is not the difference
between spiritual and instinctual man; it is the difference between
proper and improper use of the instinctual. Recognition and right
channeling of the instinctual are the essence of achieving
wholeness."

1. LETTER, 1958
2. LETTER, 1954

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

Spaces in Togetherness
Friendship
One of the beautiful aspects of AA is the bonding that develops among members. We truly do achieve a closeness with some people that is unlike anything we ever had before.
The danger in such friendships is that we may become too close in some ways. Without realizing it, we may be making too many demands on others' time. This can become suffocating to them and eventually detrimental to the friendship.
In such situations, we need to remember the words of Kahlil Gibran; "Let there be spaces in your togetherness." However, close we feel to others, we must allow them their space.
We should also remember to respect others' privacy as well as their anonymity. AA should give us close friendships, but not to the point of suffocation.
I'll remember today not to overstep my boundaries in any friendship. There must be spaces in our togetherness.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

The purpose of freedom is to create it for others.---Bernard Malamud
Sobriety is freedom. With this freedom, we have a responsibility to help other addicts who still suffer. The program tells us this in Step Twelve. We do this by telling our stories and offering hope.
We must be ready to care, to give ourselves. This is what spirituality is about. When we help others, we prepare the road for those who enter the program after us.
Tradition Five of the Twelve Traditions says, “Each group has but one primary purpose---to carry its message to the alcoholic who still suffers.” It means we get better by helping others.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me create more freedom. Bring me to where I’m needed. Help me carry the message well.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think of ways I can help the addict who still suffers. Then I’ll chose one way I can be of help. I’ll talk with my sponsor about it, and I’ll follow through with my plan.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

While I lay in the hospital the thought came that there were thousands of hopeless alcoholics who might be glad to have what had been so freely given me. Perhaps I could help some of them. They in turn might work with others.
My friend had emphasized the absolute necessity of demonstrating these principles in all my affairs. Particularly was it imperative to work with others as he had worked with me. Faith without works was dead, he said. And how appallingly true for the alcoholic! For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead. If he did not work, he would surely drink again, and if he drank, he would surely die. Then faith would be dead indeed. With us it is just like that.

pp. 14-15

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

But it became apparent that the word-of-mouth method was too limited. Our work, as such, needed to be publicized. The A.A. groups would have to reach quickly as many despairing alcoholics as they could. Consequently, many groups began to hold meetings which were open to interested friends and the public, so that the average citizen could see for himself just what A.A. was all about. The response to these meetings was warmly sympathetic. Soon, groups began to receive requests for A.A. speakers to appear before civic organizations, church groups, and medical societies. Provided anonymity was maintained on these platforms, and reporters present were cautioned against the use of names or pictures, the result was fine.

p. 186

***********************************************************

Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for the other person to die.
--Cindy Clabough

"It's what you learn after you know it all that counts."
--Jean Rostand

"The first step to knowledge is to know that we are ignorant."
--Lord David Cecil

Correction does much, but encouragement does more.
--Goethe

He who knows the precepts by heart, but fails to practice them,
Is like unto one who lights a lamp and then shuts his eyes.
--Nagarjuna

The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk.
--Joseph Joubert

***********************************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

CERTAINTY

"The certainties of one age are
the problems of next."
-- R. H. Tawney

I was a religious bigot. I did not know that I was a bigot, but now I see how closed and
narrow my thinking was. I craved for certainty because I felt it would give me security
and happiness but it never did. I argued dogmas that I did not believe; the plight of the
unhappy hypocrite!

Today I live only in the certainty of the day. Today I know that what worked for me
yesterday will work for me today if I am open to love, truth, honesty and change.
Change is not necessarily "difference" if I see it as part of a process rather than an
event. Yesterday is linked to today, and together they forge tomorrow. The one thing
of which I can be certain is change. The God of Truth is revealed in the change;
the acceptance of this fact is spirituality.

May I continue to grow in the spiritual life by my continued desire to change and be
tolerant.

***********************************************************

"But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with
Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been
saved."
Ephesians 2:4-5

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my
yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

Tranquility lies in self-improvement. Lord, help me to worry less about the faults of others and use my energy to enhance my own strengths and eliminate my weaknesses.

If you have more than you need, but still feel it isn't enough, then you are poor. Lord, may I take time to recognize and enjoy my blessings.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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http://www.onlinebiblerecovery.com/

#1566

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Wed Nov 26, 2008 10:11 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/27

bluidkiti

Offline

Daily Recovery Readings

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.

November 27, 2008

Daily Reflections

THE PERILS OF THE LIMELIGHT

In the beginning, the press could not understand our
refusal of all personal publicity. They were genuinely
baffled by our insistence upon anonymity. Then they got
the point. Here was something rare in the world -- a
society which said it wished to publicize its principles
and its work, but not its individual members. The press
was delighted with this attitude. Ever since, these
friends have reported A.A. with an enthusiasm which the
most ardent members would find hard to match.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 182

It is essential for my personal survival and that of the
Fellowship that I not use A.A. to put myself in the
limelight. Anonymity is a way for me to work on my humility.
Since pride is one of my most dangerous shortcomings, practicing
humility is one of the best ways to overcome it. The Fellowship of A.A.
gains worldwide recognition by its various methods of publicizing its
principles and its work, not by its individual members advertising
themselves. The attraction created by my changing attitudes and my
altruism contributes much more to the welfare of A.A. than
self-promotion.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

The way of A.A. is the way of sobriety, fellowship, service
and faith. Let us take up each one of these things and see if
our feet are truly on the way. The first and greatest to us
is sobriety. The others are built on sobriety as a foundation.
We could not have the others if we did not have sobriety. We
all come to A.A. to get sober, and we stay to help others get
sober. We are looking for sobriety first, last and all the
time. We cannot build any kind of decent life unless we stay
sober. Am I on the A.A. way?

Meditation For The Day

To truly desire to do God's will, therein lies happiness for
a human being. We start out wanting our own way. We want our
wills to be satisfied. We take and we do not give. Gradually
we find that we are not happy when we are selfish, so we begin
to make allowances for other peoples' wills. But this again
does not give us full happiness, and we begin to see that the
only way to be truly happy is to try to do God's will. In these
times of meditation, we seek to get guidance so that we can
find God's will for us.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may subordinate my will to the will of God.
I pray that I may be guided today to find His will for me.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

EMOTIONAL SOBRIETY, p. 288

If we examine every disturbance we have, great or small, we will
find at the root of it some unhealthy dependency and its
consequent unhealthy demand. Let us, with God's help,
continually surrender these hobbling liabilities.

Then we can be set free to live and love; we may then be able to
twelfth-step ourselves, as well as others, into emotional sobriety.

GRAPEVINE, JANUARY 1958

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

Nobody "OD's" on AA.
Balance
Do people really need daily AA meetings, perhaps even two or three a day? Frequent meeting attendance is usually considered beneficial in AA, but non-members may frown on the practice, especially if a person is neglecting other responsibilities in the meantime.
One thing to remember is that nobody can really "OD" on AA. The worst that can happen from attending so many meetings would be eventual boredom from too much of the same thing. But no harm can come form too much of what is essentially a good practice.
If a person is attending lots of meetings, this schedule may eventually be cut back to allow time for other activities. It's better, especially in early recovery, to attend too many meetings than too few. We also have to let each person decide how many meetings are required at any stage in his or her recovery.
I know that everyone needs a balanced life, but that cannot happen without secure recovery. Meetings are may best way of staying active in the fellowship.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

Keep It Simple
Life is not lost by dying; life is lost by minute, day by day, in all the thousands, small, uncaring ways.--- Stephen V. Benet
Our Twelve Step program promises us a new way of life. But most of us won’t just wake up one day with a new attitude. We only gain this new way of life if we get involved.
The Twelve Step are tools to build a new life. The more we use a tool, the easier it is to use. The same goes for the Twelve Steps, just as carpenters depend on their tools. If we only wait for the new way of life, it’ll never come. The quicker we get involved, the quicker we’ll get fixed.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me get involved. Help me build a new way of life.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll look for ways to use the Twelve Steps. If I have a problem, I’ll first stop and think of how the Twelve Steps can help me solve it.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

For a moment I was alarmed, and called my friend, the doctor, to ask if I were still sane. He listened in wonder as I talked.
Finally he shook his head saying, "Something has happened to you I don't understand. But you had better hang on to it. Anything is better than the way you were." The good doctor now sees many men who have such experiences. He knows that they are real.

p. 14

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

As a rule, the average newcomer wanted his family to know immediately what he was trying to do. He also wanted to tell others who had tried to help him--his doctor, his minister, and close friends. As he gained confidence, he felt it right to explain his new way of life to his employer and business associates. When opportunities to be helpful came along, he found he could talk easily about A.A. to almost anyone. These quiet disclosures helped him to lose his fear of the alcoholic stigma, and spread the news of A.A.'s existence in his community. Many a new man and woman came to A.A. because of such conversations. Though not in the strict letter of anonymity, such communications were well within its spirit.

pp. 185-186

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"Each day is a new life. Seize it. Live it."
--David Guy Powers

No man or woman of the humblest sort can really be strong, gentle and good, without
the world being better for it, without somebody being helped and comforted by the
very existence of that goodness.
--Alan Alda

"What appears to be your biggest problem in life may disguise your greatest
opportunity."
--Brian Tracy

Money is not required to buy one necessity of the soul.
--Henry David Thoreau

"Take your problems to God, then take God to your problems."
--unknown

"Nothing changes if nothing changes."
--unknown

"Attitudes are contagious. Is yours worth catching?"
--unknown

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Father Leo's Daily Meditation

PREVARICATION

"Whenever science makes a
discovery, the devil grabs it
while the angels are debating
the best way to use it."
-- Alan Valentine

Sometimes we can spend so long deciding what to do that we miss an opportunity. We
can prevaricate to the point of impotence. Nowhere is this more true than in the
science of relationships. We see somebody that we like and we go home thinking
about what we could have said or done. We create happenings in our mind that
never happened in fact. We miss the spiritual opportunity of risk.

For years I used to be like this. I always thought that I was not good enough, not
important, less than other people: the syndrome of low self-esteem.

Today it is getting better. Part of my spiritual growth is reaching out to other people.
Today I make a point of saying "hello". Today I will ask for a telephone number,
invite people to dinner, risk a relationship.

Let me not debate myself into sickness and isolation.

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Set me free from my prison that I may praise your Name. Then the righteous will
gather around me, because of Your goodness to me.
Psalm 142:7

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering
produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does
not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
whom he has given us.
Romans 3:3-5

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that
no one should boast.
Ephesians 2:8-9

Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the
LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
Isaiah 30:18

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Daily Inspiration

To be truly successful, put your heart and soul into even the smallest of your tasks. Lord, help me live my life in different ways and by different means, but always with enthusiasm and commitment.

We are the only ones who can change how we think or how we act. Lord, help me make positive decisions so that life doesn't just happen to me.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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#1565

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Wed Nov 26, 2008 1:35 pm
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

bluidkiti

Offline

--
May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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http://www.cyberrecovery.net/RecoveryGifts.html
http://www.onlinebiblerecovery.com/

Good Morning my friends

Day Twenty-six/1:00 PM:

Positive clean thoughts of ourselves are a must. Picture yourself speaking at meetings, greeting newcomers, laughing, sponsoring others, and holding your head high. Clean and sober thoughts help counter years of drunk and dirty thoughts.

I picture myself laughing and sharing with others.

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

Silence

It is when we silence the chattering of our mind that we can truly hear what is in our heart and find the still, clear purity that lies within the soul.

Spiritual love carries us into the silence of our original state of being.

This silence contains the power to create harmony in all relationships and the sweetness to sustain them.

#1564

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:46 am
Subject: Weekly Readings - 11/28

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Weekly Spiritual Readings
November 28, 2008

Happy Thanksgiving!

Christians In Recovery
Daily Spiritual Meditations
Daily Bible Reading
Daily Recovery Readings
Ask Jesus Into Your Life
Online Bible

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THANK YOU
If the only prayer you say in your whole life is "thank you", that would suffice. --Meister Eckhart

God is the only one who can make the valley of trouble a door of hope. --Catherine Marshall

There are men who hate me; Let me love them. There are men I have wronged; Let them forgive me. --Saying Of The Dinka Tribe

Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level. --Max L. Forman

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step. --Martin Luther King Jr

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds you plant." --Robert Louis Stevenson

Seeing our Father in everything makes life one long thanksgiving and gives a rest of heart. --Hannah Whitall Smith

The unthankful heart... discovers no mercies; but the thankful heart... will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessing. --Henry Ward Beecher

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The Hand
Thanksgiving Day was near. The first grade teacher gave her class a fun assignment -- to draw a picture of something for which they were thankful.
Most of the class might be considered economically disadvantaged, but still many would celebrate the holiday with turkey and other traditional goodies of the season. These, the teacher thought, would be the subjects of most of her student's art. And they were.
But Douglas made a different kind of picture. Douglas was a different kind of boy. He was the teacher's true child of misery, frail and unhappy. As other children played at recess, Douglas was likely to stand close by her side. One could only guess at the pain Douglas felt behind those sad eyes.
Yes, his picture was different. When asked to draw a picture of something for which he was thankful, he drew a hand. Nothing else. Just an empty hand.
His abstract image captured the imagination of his peers. Whose hand could it be? One child guessed it was the hand of a farmer, because farmers raise turkeys. Another suggested a police officer, because the police protect and care for people. Still others guessed it was the hand of God, for God feeds us. And so the discussion went -- until the teacher almost forgot the young artist himself.
When the children had gone on to other assignments, she paused at Douglas' desk, bent down, and asked him whose hand it was.
The little boy looked away and murmured, "It's yours, teacher."
She recalled the times she had taken his hand and walked with him here or there, as she had the other students. How often had she said, "Take my hand, Douglas, we'll go outside." Or, "Let me show you how to hold your pencil." Or, "Let's do this together." Douglas was most thankful for his teacher's hand.
Brushing aside a tear, she went on with her work.
The story speaks of more than thankfulness. It says something about teachers teaching and parents parenting and friends showing friendship, and how much it means to the Douglases of the world. They might not always say thanks, but they'll remember the hand that reaches out.
"Though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand. Psalm 37:24
"My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:8
This Thanksgiving, thank God for all of the "hands" that have "touched" your life. Then, allow the Hand of God to reach out through your hands and touch the lives of others. --Author Unknown

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A THANKSGIVING STORY
It was the day before Thanksgiving - the first one my three children and I would be spending without their father, who had left several months before. Now the two older children were very sick with the flu, and the eldest had just been prescribed bed rest for a week.
It was a cool, gray day outside, and a light rain was falling. I grew wearier as I scurried around, trying to care for each child: thermometers, juice, diapers. And I was fast running out of liquids for the children. But when I checked my purse, all I found was about $2.50 - and this was supposed to last me until the end of the month. That's when I heard the phone ring.
It was the secretary from our former church, and she told me that they had been thinking about us and had something to give us from the congregation. I told her that I was going out to pick up some more juice and soup for the children, and I would drop by the church on my way to the market.
I arrived at the church just before lunch. The church secretary met me at the door and handed me a special gift envelope. "We think of you and the kids often," she said, "and you are in our hearts and prayers. We love you." When I opened the envelope, I found two grocery certificates inside. Each was worth $20. I was so touched and moved, I broke down and cried.
"Thank you very much," I said, as we hugged each other. "Please give our love and thanks to the church." Then I drove to a store near our home and purchased some much-needed items for the children.
At the check-out counter I had a little over $14.00 worth of groceries, and I handed the cashier one of the gift certificates. She took it, then turned her back for what seemed like a very long time. I thought something might be wrong. Finally I said, "This gift certificate is a real blessing. Our former church gave it to our family, knowing I'm a single parent trying to make ends meet."
The cashier then turned around, with tears in her loving eyes, and replied, "Honey, that's wonderful! Do you have a turkey?"
"No. It's okay because my children are sick anyway."
She then asked, "Do you have anything else for Thanksgiving dinner?"
Again I replied, "No."
After handing me the change from the certificate, she looked at my face and said, "Honey, I can't tell you exactly why right now, but I want you to go back into the store and buy a turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie or anything else you need for a Thanksgiving dinner."
I was shocked, and humbled to tears. "Are you sure?" I asked.
"Yes! Get whatever you want. And get some Gatorade for the kids."
I felt awkward as I went back to do more shopping, but I selected a fresh turkey, a few yams and potatoes, and some juices for the children. Then I wheeled the shopping cart up to the same cashier as before. As I placed my groceries on the counter, she looked at me once more with giant tears in her kind eyes and began to speak.
"Now I can tell you. This morning I prayed that I could help someone today, and you walked through my line." She reached under the counter for her purse and took out a $20 bill. She paid for my groceries and then handed me the change. Once more I was moved to tears.
The sweet cashier then said, "I am a Christian. Here is my phone number if you ever need anything." She then took my head in her hands, kissed my cheek and said, "God bless you, honey."
As I walked to my car, I was overwhelmed by this stranger's love and by the realization that God loves my family too, and shows us his love through this stranger's and my church's kind deeds. The children were supposed to have spent Thanksgiving with their father that year, but because of the flu they were home with me, for a very special Thanksgiving Day.
They were feeling better, and we all ate the goodness of the Lord's bounty - and our community's love. Our hearts were truly filled with thanks. --Andrea Nannette Mejia (c) 1995

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Pay It Forward
But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 115:18
In the movie "Pay It Forward," the concept of paying someone back for a good deed done was replaced with the idea of passing the blessing on to another person instead, creating an endless chain of giving to others what was given to you. The thought was that, in time, people everywhere would look for ways to pay it forward and the world would become a better place.
As Christians, we have the opportunity every day to pay it forward to those who are lost in this world by giving them a glimpse of Christ through our kindness. We were each given a gift when Jesus hung on the cross and died for our sins, and every time we demonstrate His love to someone, we not only bless them, we also bless our Lord and Savior.
The Bible tells us that when we stand before our Maker to account for our time on earth, what we have done for "the least of these" will be as if we did it unto God Himself. So, let's eagerly search for ways to bless those that God places in ourpath with the ultimate aim of glorifying our Heavenly Father.
All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition, that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors. --John Calvin

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Thanksgiving, by Phil Ware
Wilbur was a sweet man with a serious countenance -- those who didn't know him would call him dour or crusty. But, his heart was good and generous and kind. His young grandson, who was four or five at the time, came to stay with his grandparents for a week. On weekdays, they had the typical southern breakfast -- eggs, bacon, toast, orange juice, and coffee. On Saturday, however, Wilbur and Willie Maude usually had cereal and coffee or juice. They sat down at the breakfast table and Wilbur asked his young grandson to say the blessing. The little guy hesitated for a minute, and then prayed, "Dear God, we thank you for this breakfast ... even though it's small. In Jesus' name. Amen."
Wilbur cracked up with laughter.
We do have so many things for which we can be thankful. However, if we are not careful, the challenges of our moment in time can wilt the joy right out of our Thanksgiving. Like many of you, I've lost 1/3 of my retirement over the last year. I know folks on fixed incomes who are seriously hurting now financially. I opened an email this morning from a friend who will have no job this week. A family that I love is deep in grief during what is supposed to be a special and blessed time of the year.
These concerns easily give way to fear. With the negative orientation our news and gossip magazines take, our hearts can be seized with anxiety and dread. Our prayers soon become laundry lists of things for God to fix -- listen to our words: "Give me!" "Help me!" "Heal me!" "Rescue me!"
Certainly we are to turn to God honestly and openly about the burdens of our hearts to "receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Hebrews 4:16 TNIV). But with our cries for help, we must not forget the importance of being thankful for the incredible blessings we have in Jesus (Colossians 4:2).
God isn't asking us for false or forced thanksgiving or some kind of simplistic relabeling of bad stuff. We are called back to the deep spiritual wells of grace we have in Jesus. From prison, Paul writes: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:4-7).
The liturgy of our lives is thanksgiving.
Because we have Jesus, and because he has us, our future is secure. Our relationships in Christ are eternal. All partings and every agony we face here are temporary. With this hope, we are to reframe all of life /in a chorus song of thanksgiving: Cultivate thankfulness. ... Let every detail in your lives -- words, actions, whatever -- be done in the name of the Master, Jesus, thanking God the Father every step of the way (Colossians 3:16-17 MSG).
In Jesus, the liturgy of our lives is thanksgiving -- not just one day a year, but every day until we are lost in the thankful wonder of His presence, at home with Him forever.
Yes, dear God, we do thank you for all the ways you have blessed us, for they are indeed, NOT small!

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There's Always Almost Meatloaf, by Russ Lawson
I know that this is a difficult time of the year for some people. It seems that the subject of every conversation includes something about the Thanksgiving holiday.
It's difficult for some people, because they really don't feel that they have anything for which to be thankful.
For most it is a time of gathering and celebration with family, yet for some they have no family or perhaps they are separated by great distances from their family.
It may be that you have just lost a loved one -- a spouse or a parent, your job or your investments and this holiday is not something to which you are looking forward to celebrating.
In fact, it may be difficult for you to try to find anything for which to be thankful.
Scottish minister Alexander Whyte was known for his uplifting prayers in the pulpit. He always found something for which to be grateful. One Sunday morning the weather was so gloomy that one church member thought to himself, "Certainly the preacher won't think of anything for which to thank the Lord on a wretched day like this." Much to his surprise, however, Whyte began by praying, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this" (Daily Bread, 1989).
Don't you wish that you could have that kind of spirit, that kind of faith? Wouldn't it be great if you had the kind of relationship to God that would allow you to look for the positive, to see the hope for the future and His power in the present? You see that's what it takes to be able to truly celebrate and give thanks not just at this holiday season, but also throughout all of the year.
Let me suggest that rather than dwelling upon all of the bad things in your life that you start offering the prayer of Alexander Whyte and say, "We thank Thee, O God, that it is not always like this!"
Almost 40 years ago I was a preaching student in Lubbock, Texas. Melody and I had moved from the beautiful, lush, gently rolling hills of Ohio to flat, hot, dusty Texas. While living there we became acquainted with horny toads, tarantulas, rattle snakes, grass spurs, dust storms, and the occasional tornado just to name a few of our new experiences.
To say we were poor may be exaggerating, because even though sometimes we didn't know where the next meal was coming from or how we would pay the rent, we always managed.
Almost always we managed because of the kindness of others. I don't know how many times the mail would arrive and there would be two dollars stuck in an envelope by some friend back up in the North. Sometimes we might even get a five-dollar bill and we might get some special treat. We never asked for that money, yet it always came in just in time to save us from going hungry or to help pay some bill. Now two or five dollars may not sound like much to you, but to put things in perspective gas was selling for 23 cents a gallon and a pound of
hamburger about the same.
We would never have been able to make it if it were not for the kindness of others. You learned the importance of friends and family as they came through with some unexpected help time and time again.
It is a lesson in trusting God to provide.
About a year after we moved to Texas my brother-in-law decided that he wanted to train for the ministry also. He and the family moved down to Lubbock and lived not far from us.
They were in the same financial boat as we were, so there were times we shared what little we had with one another.
One particular time has stuck with me for all of these years. It was near the end of the month, and both of our families had practically nothing. We got together, four adults and three children, to share what little we had -- which I remember as one of us having 1/2 pound of hamburger and the other a box of oatmeal. We had nothing else to put with it other than some powdered eggs we had picked up somewhere and a quarter bottle of ketchup. It was all mixed together and put into th oven. When it came out, we put it on the table and offered thanks for what we had when others in the world had nothing. I remember very distinctly that "almost" meatloaf being so hard and dry that you could hardly eat it, but we did anyway. We didn't have any other choice.
I have thought of that meatloaf many times in the past 37 years. God has taken us all over the world, from the riches of America to the slums, ghettos and villages of Africa.
We have shared with some people who have a lot and some who have nothing, but they all have something in common. They all have love and are willing to share whatever it is they have. Although sometimes we might be a little hungrier than others, we always have had enough to sustain us.
I am reminded of Psalms 37:23-25: The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD. He delights in their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the LORD holds them by the hand. Once I was young, and now I am old, yet I have never seen the godly forsaken, nor seen their children begging for bread (NLT).
So, we gave thanks for the "almost meatloaf" -- and still do -- because it is a lesson in trusting God to provide. Maybe it's time for you to REALLY count your blessings and remember what you do have to be thankful for. Maybe there is a lesson in trusting God more that you have just overlooked.
By the way, the next day we got a letter in the mail with a five-dollar bill in it! As Paul said, "Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice!"

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GIVE THANKS TO THE LORD
“I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” – Psalm 7:17
The Scottish novelist, poet, and travel writer Robert Louis Stevenson is best remembered for his novel “Treasure Island.” But one of his lesser know works is a poem/prayer entitled “We Thank Thee.” Here is Stevenson’s poem:
“Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank Thee for this place in which we dwell;
for the love that unites us;
for the peace accorded us this day;
for the hope with which we expect the morrow;
for the health, the work, the food, and the bright skies,
that make our lives delightful;
and for our friends in all parts of the earth.
Let peace abound in our small company.
Purge out of every heart the lurking grudge.
Give us grace and strength to forbear and to persevere.
Give us the grace to accept and to forgive offenders.
Forgetful ourselves, help us to bear cheerfully the forgetfulness of others.
Give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind.
Spare to us our friends, soften to us our enemies.
Bless us, if it may be, in all our innocent endeavors.
If it may not, give us the strength to encounter that which is to come,
that we be brave in peril, constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath,
and in all changes of fortune, and, down to the gates of death,
loyal and loving one to another.
When we stop and think of all that is happening in our lives, we cannot help but to thank the Lord. Today in prayer, thank the Lord for all that He has blessed you.
“God has two dwellings: one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart.” – Izaak Walton
God’s Word: “that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.” – Psalm 30:12 --Peter Kennedy

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Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
You are beginning to emerge into a new level of experience and, at the same time, you will be aware that your are being suddenly and strangely distanced from the past. This will be a very short time of transition, but you will need to keep moving forward regardless of how awkward or difficult it seems. Take one day at a time and one step at a time until you achieve a place of confidence and comfort. Know that I will guide you in these unknown places, says the Lord. Psalms 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.

Beloved, you have been aware of a great deal of shaking, but this shaking has been for the purpose of bringing every aspect of your life into order so that everything that hinders your spiritual vitality will be removed. You are once again in a season of sorting, sifting, and purging. Yield to this process, for it will most certainly bring change that will ultimately strengthen you, says the Lord. Do not be afraid. Hebrews 12:25-29 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven." Now this, "Yet once more," indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire.

Be still and be sensitive to the moving of My Spirit, says the Lord. For, it is only by the Spirit that you will know whether to intercede in prayer or make declarations and decree a thing. It is only by the Spirit that you will discern attacks against you and to know when and how to fight the enemy. It is only by the Spirit that you will know when to worship and when to be silent and listen. You have many resources at your disposal -- all that you need to understand, overcome, and break through every situation and circumstance. But, you need to be aware and yield to the moving of My Spirit. Have ears to hear, and listen, says the Lord. Matthew 11:15 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear!"

You are in the process of a reorganization in many areas of your life. Do not resist this course of change, for in the not-to-distant future you will be able to look back at this time and know that these alterations were absolutely necessary to your well-being both in the natural realm and in the spiritual realm as well. Never fear, because I will lead you every step of the way as you yield to My direction, says the Lord. Isaiah 58:11 The LORD will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.

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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
Come, My people, and establish yourselves before Me, for indeed these are the days of My power. These are the days in which I will establish in you the power of the kingdom that shall flow out of you. You are a covenant people who will walk in kingdom power. I have much to accomplish yet in the earth. I have many enemies that will become My footstool, and you will become My battle axes that will bring them under My authority. Come with faith, believing that those things that you submit to Me will be undertaken on your behalf. If you will submit your purposes to Me, your will and your life to Me, then I will orchestrate the outcome and bring you into the fullness of your destiny in these days of My power, and the release of My power shall impact the world before I return. That impact will come through you as I empower you to pray, to prophesy and to bind the things that must be bound on the earth. Come with faith and expectation; come and adventure with Me for these are days of extreme ups and downs, but within those extremes, you will find Me as you move with all purpose into the fullness of My kingdom. I am indeed shaking all things, and this shaking will cause the kingdoms of the world to become My kingdoms, says the Lord.

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To God, I'm Thankful
I’m thankful for each strand of hair
That grows upon my head
I’m thankful for the clothes I wear
And for a nice warm bed.
I’m thankful for the caring friends
Who make me feel so glad
I’m thankful for a doctor’s care
When I am feeling bad.
I’m thankful for my family
Who cheer me when I’m blue
I’m thankful for the U.S.A.
And for our soldiers too.
I’m thankful for the gentle rains
That fall upon the earth
I’m thankful for the life it brings
And for a baby’s birth.
I’m thankful for a sky of red
In early morning light
I’m thankful for the setting sun
And for the stars at night.
I’m thankful for a place to pray
And for the books I read
I’m thankful for a loving God
Who meets my every need.
Marilyn Ferguson 2005

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“I Thank Thee
O Thou whose bounty fills my cup,
With every blessing meet!
I give Thee thanks for every drop—
The bitter and the sweet.
I praise Thee for the desert road,
And for the riverside;
For all Thy goodness hath bestowed,
And all Thy grace denied.
I thank Thee for both smile and frown,
And for the gain and loss;
I praise Thee for the future crown
And for the present cross.
I thank Thee for both wings of love
Which stirred my worldly nest;
And for the stormy clouds which drove
Me, trembling, to Thy breast.
I bless Thee for the glad increase,
And for the waning joy;
And for this strange, this settled peace
Which nothing can destroy.”
--Jane Crewden

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A Time of Thanks
“Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced” – 1 Chronicles 16:8-12

“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” – 1 Chronicles 16:34

“Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.” – 1 Chronicles 29:13

“I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.” – Psalm 7:17

“The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.” – Psalm 28:7

”...that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.” – Psalm 30:12

“We give thanks to you, O God, we give thanks, for your Name is near; men tell of your wonderful deeds. – Psalm 75:1

“Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.” – Psalm 106:47

“I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation.” – Psalm 118:21

“You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you.” – Psalm 118:28

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All Because of Jesus by Fee
Giver of every breath I breathe
Author of all eternity
Giver of every perfect thing
To you be the glory
Walk down the magazine isle of your local grocery store and you will see headlines shouting offers to make you into a better you: “Get 6-pack Abs in 3 Weeks!” “Lose 25 Pounds in 6 Weeks!” “How to Get a Better Home/Mate/Job!” It seems that the world around us is constantly telling us that we are not good enough or happy enough. Our life could be better if . . .
But God is pleased with the way he created you. He designed you from the inside out. He provides the air you breathe to maintain life in that amazingly complex body. Rather than turning to the next magazine article to find out how to make yourself better, read God’s word and absorb the fact that you are already a masterful creation. Ephesians 1:4
Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.

***********************************************************

For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." --1 Corinthians 11:23-24
THOUGHT: Remember Jesus! Remember his great sacrifice. Remember his incomparable love for each of us! Remember him through his Supper! Remember Jesus! Remember! PRAYER: O Father, thank you so much for Jesus! Thank you for blessing me with a spiritual meal which reminds me and proclaims again that Jesus died, offering his body and blood as the atoning sacrifice for my sins. Thank you for giving me the day of his resurrection as the day I can powerfully remember this great sacrifice and anticipate the great day of reunion that his resurrection has secured for your children. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. --Heartlight

***********************************************************

I Cannot Do This Alone
O God, early in the morning I cry to you.
Help me to pray
And to concentrate my thoughts on you:
I cannot do this alone.
In me there is darkness,
But with you there is light;
I am lonely, but you do not leave me;
I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;
I am restless, but with you there is peace.
In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;
I do not understand your ways,
But you know the way for me…
Restore me to liberty,
And enable me to live now
That I may answer before you and before me.
Lord, whatever this day may bring,
Your name be praised.
--Dietrich Bonhoeffer

***********************************************************

Read Through The Bible
Leviticus 20
Punishments for Sin
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Say to the Israelites: 'Any Israelite or any alien living in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech must be put to death. The people of the community are to stone him. 3 I will set my face against that man and I will cut him off from his people; for by giving his children to Molech, he has defiled my sanctuary and profaned my holy name. 4 If the people of the community close their eyes when that man gives one of his children to Molech and they fail to put him to death, 5 I will set my face against that man and his family and will cut off from their people both him and all who follow him in prostituting themselves to Molech. 6 " 'I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people. 7 " 'Consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am the LORD your God. 8 Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the LORD, who makes you holy. 9 " 'If anyone curses his father or mother, he must be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother, and his blood will be on his own head. 10 " 'If a man commits adultery with another man's wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress must be put to death. 11 " 'If a man sleeps with his father's wife, he has dishonored his father. Both the man and the woman must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. 12 " 'If a man sleeps with his daughter-in-law, both of them must be put to death. What they have done is a perversion; their blood will be on their own heads. 13 " 'If a man lies with a man as one lies with a woman, both of them have done what is detestable. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. 14 " 'If a man marries both a woman and her mother, it is wicked. Both he and they must be burned in the fire, so that no wickedness will be among you. 15 " 'If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he must be put to death, and you must kill the animal. 16 " 'If a woman approaches an animal to have sexual relations with it, kill both the woman and the animal. They must be put to death; their blood will be on their own heads. 17 " 'If a man marries his sister, the daughter of either his father or his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off before the eyes of their people. He has dishonored his sister and will be held responsible. 18 " 'If a man lies with a woman during her monthly period and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has also uncovered it. Both of them must be cut off from their people. 19 " 'Do not have sexual relations with the sister of either your mother or your father, for that would dishonor a close relative; both of you would be held responsible. 20 " 'If a man sleeps with his aunt, he has dishonored his uncle. They will be held responsible; they will die childless. 21 " 'If a man marries his brother's wife, it is an act of impurity; he has dishonored his brother. They will be childless. 22 " 'Keep all my decrees and laws and follow them, so that the land where I am bringing you to live may not vomit you out. 23 You must not live according to the customs of the nations I am going to drive out before you. Because they did all these things, I abhorred them. 24 But I said to you, "You will possess their land; I will give it to you as an inheritance, a land flowing with milk and honey." I am the LORD your God, who has set you apart from the nations. 25 " 'You must therefore make a distinction between clean and unclean animals and between unclean and clean birds. Do not defile yourselves by any animal or bird or anything that moves along the ground—those which I have set apart as unclean for you. 26 You are to be holy to me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own. 27 " 'A man or woman who is a medium or spiritist among you must be put to death. You are to stone them; their blood will be on their own heads.' "

***********************************************************

Dear Lord, I thank you today for the many blessings and gifts you have graced me with. I ask that you reveal to me how I may use these to be of service to you and to others. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen

Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. If you do not have Jesus in your life and wish to ask Jesus into your life please go to this link now to do so: http://www.christianrecoveryministries.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22 . Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.

-- 
May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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Reply | Forward | Messages in this Topic (1)

#1563

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Tue Nov 25, 2008 9:09 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/26

bluidkiti

Offline

Daily Recovery Readings

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.

November 26, 2008

Daily Reflections

THE HAZARDS OF PUBLICITY

People who symbolize causes and ideas fill a deep human
need. We of A.A. do not question that. But we do have to
soberly face the fact that being in the public eye is
hazardous, especially for us.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 181

As a recovered alcoholic I must make an effort to put
into practice the principles of the A.A. program, which
are founded on honesty, truth and humility. While I was
drinking I was constantly trying to be in the limelight.
Now that I am conscious of my mistakes and of my former
lack of integrity, it would not be honest to seek
prestige, even for the justifiable purpose of promoting
the A.A. message of recovery. Is the publicity that
centers around the A.A. Fellowship and the miracles it
produces not worth much more? Why not let the people
around us appreciate by themselves the changes that A.A.
has brought in us, for that will be a far better
recommendation for the Fellowship than any I could make.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Continuing our thoughts about the rewards that have come
to us as a result of our new way of living: We have found
that we have got rid of many of our fears, resentments,
inferiority complexes, negative points of view,
self-centeredness, inner conflicts, the habits of
procrastination, undisciplined sex, wasting money,
boredom, false perfectionism, and jealousy and envy of
others. We are glad to be rid of our drinking, and we
are also very glad to be rid of these other things. We
can now go forward in the new way of life, as shown us by
A.A. Am I ready to go forward in the new life?

Meditation For The Day

"He that has eyes to see, let him see." To the seeing eye,
the world is good. Pray for a seeing eye, to see the purpose
of God in everything good. Pray for enough faith to see God's
care in His dealings with you. Try to see how He has brought
you safely through your past life so that now you can be of
use in the world. With the eyes of faith you can see God's
care and purpose everywhere.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may have a seeing eye. I pray that with the
eye of faith I may see God's purpose everywhere.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

WHEN CONFLICTS MOUNT, p. 289

Sometimes I would be forced to look at situations where I was
doing badly. Right away, the search for excuses would become
frantic.

"These," I would exclaim, "are really a good man's faults." When
that pet gadget broke apart, I would think, "Well, if those people
would only treat me right, I wouldn't have to behave the way I
do." Next was this: "God well knows that I do have awful
compulsions. I just can't get over this one. So He will have to
release me." At last came the time when I would shout, "This, I
positively will not do! I won't even try."

Of course, my conflicts went right on mounting, because I was
simply loaded with excuses, refusals, and outright rebellion.

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

What ought to work-- but doesn't
Understanding Alcoholism
One of the old theories about alcoholism was that we drink because we had deep psychological problems. It followed that if we could clear up these problems, we would no longer need to drink excessively.
Another theory was that staying dry for a long period of time would dislodge one's alcoholic tendencies. After a certain length of sobriety, we would be able to return to normal drinking. (NOT)
Both theories sound plausible, but in practice neither has worked. Many of us came to grief trying to make these ideas work.
What we eventually learn about psychological problems is that they may intensify our troubles, but they are not the real cause of our alcoholism. The cause may be rooted in some physical problem that enables us to achieve unusual highs from drinking. We also know that one drink acts as a trigger for more drinking--- at least for us.
Our answer has been, first and foremost, to eliminate the first drink. Even if it doesn't square with theories, it works.
No matter how long I've been sober, one drink would be deadly to me. Accepting that fact enabled me to get sober after finding that theories about my problem weren't working.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

Love is the reward of love.---Johann von Schiller
When we used alcohol and other drugs, we shared little as possible. There was little love in our hearts. We had become selfish. This caused us to be lonely.
Then something happened to change all of that. Remember the first time you walked into a meeting? You were met by people who shared. Maybe they shared a smile, their story, or just a cup of coffee with you. The sharing that goes on in a Twelve Step program is great. We learn that the more we give, the more we get. We get well by giving to others. Helping others is a great way to hold on to sobriety. Love is the reward of love.
Prayer for the Day: I pray that I will be there when others need me. I pray that service will become a big part of my program.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think of friends who could use my help. I’ll talk to them and offer to be there for them.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

My friend promised when these things were done I would enter upon a new relationship with my Creator; that I would have the elements of a way of living which answered all my problems. Belief in the power of God, plus enough willingness, honesty and humility to establish and maintain the new order of things, were the essential requirements.
Simple, but not easy; a price had to be paid. It meant destruction of self-centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all.
These were revolutionary and drastic proposals, but the moment i fully accepted them, the effect was electric. There was a sense of victory, followed by such a peace and serenity as I had ever known. There was utter confidence. I felt lifted up, as though the great clean wind of a mountain top blew through and through. God comes to most men gradually, but His impact on me was sudden and profound.

pp. 13-14

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

This phenomenon of contrast really set us thinking. Squarely before us was the question "How anonymous should an A.A. member be?" Our growth made it plain that we couldn't be a secret society, but it was equally plain that we couldn't be a vaudeville circuit, either. The charting of a safe path between these extremes took a long time.

p. 185

***********************************************************

If you wake up one day and feel like you are heading down the wrong
path, don't go back the way you came, make a new course instead.
--unknown

I immediately release everything I am struggling with today. I release everything to my
Higher Power, knowing that I am getting all the help that I need today.
--Ruth Fishel

If you want to leave footprints in the sands of time, don't drag your feet.
--Annot L. Sheppard

Today I am thinking about all the things I have to be grateful for and will write them
down. I will make a gratitude list, adding to it every time I think of something new. By
doing this I will be more aware of the things I have to be grateful for and will always have
something about which I can feel good, no matter what is going on in my life.
--Ruth Fishel

He who has never tasted what is bitter does not know what is sweet.
--German Proverb

Love is a fruit in season at all times, and in reach of every hand.
--Mother Teresa

"God will heal your broken heart if you give Him all the pieces."
--unknown

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

RECOVERY

"There is a destiny that makes
us brothers, none goes his way
alone. All that we send into the
lives of others come back into
our own."
-- Edwin Markham

I can remember when I felt so isolated and alone. I used to look at people talking
with their friends, families playing in the park, lovers holding hands, and I felt so
different and awkward. I always looked at life from the outside. I was the guy without
an invitation to the party. The symptoms of addiction!

Today I know that my actions and behavior around alcohol reinforced these negative
and destructive feelings. By my drinking I was perpetuating the painful disease in my
life.

Sobriety led me into fellowship with others; it brought me into the family of
recovering people. Today I am not alone. I have over a million brothers and sisters
living a day at a time in a spiritual program. I have countless thousands finding joy,
peace and serenity in sister programs. Today I belong in this world.

O God, thank You for giving me the need to give so that I might receive.

***********************************************************

I will exalt you, my God the King; I will praise your name for ever and ever. Every day I
will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most
worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom. One generation will commend your
works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. They will speak of the glorious splendor
of your majesty, and I will meditate on your wonderful works. They will tell of the power
of your awesome works, and I will proclaim your great deeds. They will celebrate your
abundant goodness and joyfully sing of your righteousness. The LORD is gracious
and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all;
he has compassion on all he has made. All you have made will praise you, O LORD; your
saints will extol you. They will tell of the glory of your kingdom and speak of your might,
so that all men may know of your mighty acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all
generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made.
The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all
look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. You open your hand and
satisfy the desires of every living thing. The LORD is righteous in all his ways
and loving toward all he has made. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who
call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and
saves them. The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.
My mouth will speak in praise of the LORD. Let every creature praise his holy name
for ever and ever.
Psalm 145

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

If you look for happiness outside of yourself you will never find it. Lord, help me turn inward and realize that the source of my happiness has been there all along.

Learn to be peaceful in all situations and trust that through all stages of our lives, God has a plan. Lord, may I have the wisdom to be able to turn my stumbling blocks into building blocks.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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http://www.anythingboard.com/
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http://www.christianrecoveryministries.com/weekly.html
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http://www.onlinebiblerecovery.com/

#1562

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Tue Nov 25, 2008 10:41 am
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

bluidkiti

Offline

--
May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
http://www.cyberrecovery.net/
http://www.cyberrecovery.net/forums/ - Message Board
http://www.christianrecoveryministries.com/forums/ - Message Board
http://www.anythingboard.com/
http://www.ipass.net/a1idpirat/readings.html
http://www.christianrecoveryministries.com/weekly.html
http://www.cyberrecovery.net/RecoveryGifts.html
http://www.onlinebiblerecovery.com/

Day Twenty-five/4:00 AM:

There is no completion for the circle of recovery. A circle has no beginning and no end. It is suggested that recovery begins when you have learned enough from those before you and pass it along to those behind. Love is the process that keeps the circle moving.

Standing hand in hand or arm in arm after a meeting I
Absorb the love that travels our circle of recovery.

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

Quote of the Week

"I'm in the action business, and God is in the results business."

I was at my local Starbucks last week, and I ran into a friend who is in the program. He asked me how I was doing and I told him how overwhelmed and scared I felt, and that's when he reminded me that there are some things I can control, and some things I can't. As soon as he said this, I felt a great relief because I realized at once that I had been trying to control everything again.

Before recovery that's how I lived my life. I planned everything, took massive action, and then I tried to control the results. It was exhausting living that way, but without a Higher Power in my life, I didn't dare let go of anything. What a gift (and relief!) it was to learn that my real role in life is to suit up and show up and then turn the results over to God.

As we kept talking, he told me that all I had to do was take the next indicated action and then turn it over. When I looked at it this way, I was comforted because I knew I could control setting the next appointment or taking the next test, and as I released the results I released the tension and worry as well.

Today, I remind myself that I am in the action business, and God is in the results business.

___________________________________

Wisdom Books Volumes One and Two Now Available.

Click Here to read more about it.

Want to subscribe? Visit: http://www.theWisdomoftheRooms.com to sign up for FREE.

#1561

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Mon Nov 24, 2008 11:32 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/25

bluidkiti

Offline

Daily Recovery Readings

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.

November 25, 2008

Daily Reflections

A POWERFUL TRADITION

In the years before the publication of the book "Alcoholics
Anonymous," we had no name. . .by a narrow majority the verdict
was for naming our book "The Way Out." . . .One of our early lone
members. . . found exactly twelve books already titled "The Way
Out.". . . So "Alcoholics Anonymous" became first choice. That's
how we got a name for our book of experience, a name for our
movement and, as we are now beginning to see, a tradition of the
greatest spiritual import.
"A.A. TRADITION: HOW IT DEVELOPED." pp. 35-36

Beginning with Bill's momentous decision in Akron to make a
telephone call rather than a visit to the hotel bar, how often has a
Higher Power made itself felt at crucial moments in our history! The
eventual importance that the principle of anonymity would acquire
was but dimly perceived, if at all, in those early days. There seems to
have been an element of chance even in the choice of a name for our
Fellowship.
God is no stranger to anonymity and often appears in human affairs
in the guises of "luck", "chance," or "coincidence." If anonymity,
somewhat fortuitously, became the spiritual basis for all of our
Traditions, perhaps God was acting anonymously on our behalf.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I am not so envious of other people, nor am I so jealous of other people's possessions
and talents. When I was drinking, I was secretly full of jealousy and envy of those
people who could drink normally, who had the love and respect of their families, who
lived a normal life and were accepted as equals by their friends. I pretended to
myself that I was as good as they were, but I knew it wasn't so. Now I don't have
to be envious any more. I try not to want what I don't deserve. I'm content to live with
what I have earned by my efforts to live the right way. More power to those who
have what I have not. At least, I'm trying. Have I got rid of the poison of envy?

Meditation For The Day

"My soul is restless till it finds its rest in Thee." A river flows on, until it loses itself
in the sea. Our spirits long for rest in the Spirit of God. We yearn to realize a peace,
a rest, a satisfaction that we have never found in the world or its pursuits. Some are
not conscious of their need, and shut down the doors of their spirits against the
spirit of God. They are unable to have true peace.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may feel the divine unrest. I pray that my soul may find its rest in God.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

TIME VERSUS MONEY, p. 290

Our attitude toward the giving of time when compared with our
attitude toward giving money presents an interesting contrast. We
give a lot of our time to A.A. activities for our own protection and
growth, but also for the sake of our groups, our areas, A.A. as a
whole, and, above all, the newcomer. Translated into terms of money,
these collective sacrifices would add up to a huge sum.

But when it comes to the actual spending of cash, particularly for
A.A. service overhead, many of us are apt to turn a bit reluctant. We
think of the loss of all that earning power in our drinking years, of
those sums we might have laid by for emergencies or for education
of the kids.

In recent years, this attitude is everywhere on the decline; it
quickly disappears when the real need for a given A.A. service
becomes clear. Donors can seldom see what the exact result has
been. They well know, however, that countless thousands of other
alcoholics and their families are being helped.

TWELVE CONCEPTS, pp. 63-64

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

What ought to work-- but doesn't
Understanding Alcoholism
One of the old theories about alcoholism was that we drink because we had deep psychological problems. It followed that if we could clear up these problems, we would no longer need to drink excessively.
Another theory was that staying dry for a long period of time would dislodge one's alcoholic tendencies. After a certain length of sobriety, we would be able to return to normal drinking. (NOT)
Both theories sound plausible, but in practice neither has worked. Many of us came to grief trying to make these ideas work.
What we eventually learn about psychological problems is that they may intensify our troubles, but they are not the real cause of our alcoholism. The cause may be rooted in some physical problem that enables us to achieve unusual highs from drinking. We also know that one drink acts as a trigger for more drinking--- at least for us.
Our answer has been, first and foremost, to eliminate the first drink. Even if it doesn't square with theories, it works.
No matter how long I've been sober, one drink would be deadly to me. Accepting that fact enabled me to get sober after finding that theories about my problem weren't working.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

Love is the reward of love.---Johann von Schiller
When we used alcohol and other drugs, we shared little as possible. There was little love in our hearts. We had become selfish. This caused us to be lonely.
Then something happened to change all of that. Remember the first time you walked into a meeting? You were met by people who shared. Maybe they shared a smile, their story, or just a cup of coffee with you. The sharing that goes on in a Twelve Step program is great. We learn that the more we give, the more we get. We get well by giving to others. Helping others is a great way to hold on to sobriety. Love is the reward of love.
Prayer for the Day: I pray that I will be there when others need me. I pray that service will become a big part of my program.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll think of friends who could use my help. I’ll talk to them and offer to be there for them.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

I was to test my thinking by the new God-consciousness within. Common sense would thus become uncommon sense. I was to sit quietly when in doubt, asking only for direction and strength to meet my problems as He would have me. Never was I to pray for myself, except as my requests bore on my usefulness to others. Then only might I expect to receive. But that would be in great measure.

p. 13

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

With characteristic intemperance, however, some of our newcomers cared not at all for secrecy. They wanted to shout A.A. from the housetops, and did. Alcoholics barely dry rushed about bright-eyed, buttonholing anyone who would listen to their stories. Others hurried to place themselves before microphones and cameras. Sometimes, they got distressingly drunk and let their groups down with a bang. They had changed from A.A. members into A.A. show-offs.

p. 185

***********************************************************

A recovering alcoholic without a sponsor is much like a ship without a rudder.
--unknown

"A positive attitude is like a fire: Unless you continue to add fuel, it goes out."
--Alexander Lockhart

We're all going to have winds and waves in our lives but nothing that
happens can destroy your life unless you allow it to destroy what's in you. Work on
building conscious contact with God that is stronger than anything in the world, so you
don't look to the world as your guidance.
Look within and you will find the power and love of God.
--Mary Manin Morrissey

"The sweetest of all sounds is praise."
--Xenophon

Start living now.
Stop saving the good china for that special occasion.
Stop withholding your love until that special person materializes.
Every day you are alive is a special occasion.
Every minute, every breath, is a gift from God.
--Mary Manin Morrissey

"If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans for the day."
--unknown

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

IDEALISM

"I am an idealist. I don't know
where I am going but I'm on my
way."
-- Carl Sandburg

Today I am on the move. I feel an energy in my life that gets excited each day. New
people, new places, new ideas all give me "a spiritual charge" that help me enjoy my
life.

I don't have all the answers and sometimes I am confused but today I can live with this
and enjoy it. God seems to reveal Himself more in the questions rather than the
answers; it is the problems that produce the growth.

The journey of my life is an adventure that is free and unchartered, even the pain and
problems produce a benefit that can be used for my recovery. Nothing need be wasted.

I am the Way. I am the Truth. I am the Light.

***********************************************************

“Your heart will be where your treasure is.”
Luke 12:34

A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger.
The wise person makes learning a joy; fools spout only
foolishness. The LORD is watching everywhere, keeping his eye
on both the evil and the good. Gentle words bring life and health;
a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit. Only a fool despises a
parent's discipline; whoever learns from correction is wise.
Proverbs 15:1-5

Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith,
we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord
has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into
this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we
confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.
Romans 5:1-2

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

If you worry a little each day, it eventually will add up to years. Lord, without Your strength it is so easy to let circumstances rob me of my joy.

God is calling us to experience peace, satisfaction and joy as we have never experienced. Lord, I will follow You as You lift me to new levels of living.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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#1560

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Mon Nov 24, 2008 4:54 pm
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

bluidkiti

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--
May God Bless You and Keep You!
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Day Twenty-four/1:00 PM:

Which "isms" affect you? Alcoholism: Incredibly Short Memory. Egoism: I, Self, and Me. Recidivism: I Sponsor Myself. Narcissism: InSide Me. Pessimism: I Sabotage Myself. Optimism: Incredibly Spiritual Moments.

Which "ism"do I adopt for my life?

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

Complete Everything

A task left undone remains undone in two places - at the actual location of the task, and inside your head.

Incomplete tasks in your head consume the energy of your attention as they gnaw at your conscience.

They syphon off a little more of your personal power every time you delay.

No need to be a perfectionist, that's debilitating in an imperfect world, but it's good to be a 'completionist'.

If you start it, finish it...or forget it.

Do it - or dump it!
www.relax7.com

#1559

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sun Nov 23, 2008 6:25 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/24

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Daily Reflections

A UNIVERSAL SEARCH

Be quick to see where religious people are right.
Make use of what they offer.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 87

I do not claim to have all the answers in spiritual
matters, any more than I claim to have all the
answers about alcoholism. There are others who are
also engaged in a spiritual search. If I keep an
open mind about what others have to say, I have much
to gain. My sobriety is greatly enriched, and my
practice of the Eleventh Step more fruitful, when I
use both the literature and practices of my
Judeo-Christian tradition, and the resources of other
religions. Thus, I receive support from many sources
in staying away from the first drink.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Instead of being pretended perfectionists, in A.A. we
are content if we are making progress. The main thing
is to be growing. We realize that perfectionism is
only a result of false pride and an excuse to save our
faces. In A.A. we are willing to make mistakes and to
stumble, provided we are always stumbling forward. We
are not so interested in what we are as in what we are
becoming. We are on the way, not at the goal. And we
will be on the way as long as we live. No A.A. has ever
"arrived." But we are getting better. Am I making
progress?

Meditation For The Day

Each new day brings an opportunity to do some little
thing that will help to make a better world, that will
bring God's kingdom a little nearer to being realized
on earth. Take each day's happenings as opportunities
for something you can do for God. In that spirit, a
blessing will attend all that you do. Offering this
day's service to God, you are sharing in His work. You
do not have to do great things.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that today I may do the next thing, the unselfish thing,
the loving thing. I pray that I may be content with doing
small things as long as they are right.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

Pain-Killer----or Pain-Healer, p. 291

"I believe that when we were active alcoholics we drank mostly to
kill pain of one kind or another--physical or emotional or psychic.
Of course, everybody has a cracking point, and I suppose you
reached yours--hence, the resort once more to the bottle.

"If I were you, I wouldn't heap devastating blame on myself for
this; on the other hand, the experience should redouble your
conviction that alcohol has no permanent value as a pain-killer."

*********************************

In every A.A. story, pain has been the price of admission into a
new life. But this admission price purchased more than we
expected. It led us to a measure of humility, which we soon discovered
to be a healer of pain. We began to fear pain less, and desire humility
more than ever.

1. LETTER, 1959
2. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 75

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

Are there better paths to sobriety?
Self-honesty
Now that alcoholism recovery has been well established, alternatives to the AA program are being developed. These are designed to appeal to those who either will not or cannot accept AA.
Nobody in AA should feel threatened by these new programs. We should, in fact, be delighted if ways are found to reach those whom we are unable to help. The need is so great that we should welcome anything that helps alcoholics.
The only real test for any program is that it works. More important, it must work for us. No program is useful to us if we cannot apply it in our own lives.
If we have found sobriety in AA, we have no need to look further. If AA was able to help us in our hour of desperate need, it can help us as the days unfold into the future.
I'll be thankful today for the sobriety AA has given me. I'll also remember that my need for help in maintaining sobriety will never end.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

Freedom is not enough.---Lyndon B. Johnson
We are free of alcohol and other drugs. We’ve been given a second chance or third chance.
For that, we thank our Higher Power. We’ve started a new life. But to keep this life, we need to change. We need new friends. We need to let a Higher Power guide our hearts, minds, and bodies. We need new friends. We need to let a Higher Power guide our hearts, and bodies. We need to learn new values and how to stand up for them. We need to learn how to give and receive.
Freedom from dependence is not enough. We also want to be happy, and to do something with our lives. So each day we keep learning, we keep growing. Each day without alcohol or other drugs is a gift, a gift from God.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, You set me free. Now teach me to stay free. Guide me, for keeping my freedom is a big task
Action for the Day: I will meditate on my freedom. I will take time to list all the ways I am now free.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

My schoolmate visited me, and I fully acquainted him with my problems and deficiencies. We made a list of people I had hurt or toward whom I felt resentment. I expressed my entire willingness to approach these individuals, admitting my wrong. Never was I to be critical of them. I was to right all such matters to the utmost of my ability.

p. 13

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

As the A.A. groups multiplied, so did anonymity problems. Enthusiastic over the spectacular recovery of a brother alcoholic, we'd sometimes discuss those intimate and harrowing aspects of his case meant for his sponsor's ear alone. The aggrieved victim would then rightly declare that his trust had been broken. When such stories got into circulation outside of A.A., the loss of confidence in our anonymity promise was severe. It frequently turned people from us. Clearly, every A.A. member's name--and story, too---had to be confidential, if he wished. This was our first lesson in the practical application of anonymity.

p. 185

***********************************************************

You cannot do a kindness too soon, because you never know how soon it will be too late.
--Cited in The Best of BITS & PIECES

A light heart lives long.
--Irish Proverb

People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but
when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within.
--Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

There is no cosmetic for beauty like happiness.
--Marguerite Gardiner Blessington

Seven days without a meeting makes one weak.
--unknown

It takes only a moment to be kind, but the result can last a lifetime.
--unknown

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

SHAME

"If we are not ashamed to think
it, we should not be ashamed to
say it."
-- Marcus Tullius Cicero

I was afraid to tell you what I was thinking. I was afraid to speak or be noticed. I sat for
hours silent and at times I wished I could vanish into the furniture. I was afraid of my
shadow.

This reveals not only my lack of confidence but my low self-esteem. I did not think I
had anything to say, anything to offer, anything that might be considered interesting.
I would laugh at stupid things to please people.

Today I speak out. I do not hide what I am thinking. I believe I have something to
offer in the celebration of life. And it feels good. My spiritual growth is proportionate
to my willingness to let you know who I am and what I think.

I celebrate my joy in living by sharing it.

***********************************************************

Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful; it is not arrogant or rude. Love
does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong,
but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things. Love never ends...
I Corinthians 13

"Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory
to your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:16

"For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through
all generations."
Psalm 100:5

"Walk in love, as Christ also has loved us."
Ephesians 5:2

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

Much time is spent fearing that which isn't really there in the first place. Lord, help me conquer my fears and overcome my difficulties as they happen rather than giving up and letting my difficulties overcome me.

Our thoughts have a powerful effect on our bodies. Lord, may my thoughts be wholesome and loving and bear good results on me and my life.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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#1558

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sun Nov 23, 2008 2:30 pm
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

bluidkiti

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--
May God Bless You and Keep You!
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Good Morning

My friends

Day Twenty-three/2:00 AM:

The reason people blame other people is because there is only one alternative.

I do not point a finger at another because there are
Always three pointing back at me.

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

Silence

Talking comes by nature,

Silence by wisdom.

#1557

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sat Nov 22, 2008 10:13 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/23

bluidkiti

Offline

Daily Recovery Readings

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.

November 23, 2008

Daily Reflections

HOLD YOUR FACE TO THE LIGHT

Believe more deeply. Hold your face up to the
Light, even though for the moment you do not see.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 3

One Sunday in October, during my morning meditation,
I glanced out the window at the ash tree in our
front yard. At once I was overwhelmed by its
magnificent, golden color! As I stared in awe at
God's work of art, the leaves began to fall and,
within minutes, the branches were bare. Sadness
came over me as I thought of the winter months
ahead, but just as I was reflecting on autumn's
annual process, God's message came through. Like
the trees, stripped of their leaves in the fall,
sprout new blossoms in the spring, I had had my
compulsive, selfish ways removed by God in order
for me to blossom into a sober, joyful member of
A.A. Thank you, God, for the changing seasons and
for my ever-changing life.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I no longer refuse to do anything because I cannot
do it to perfection. Many of us alcoholics use the
excuse of not being able to do something perfectly
to enable us to do nothing at all. We pretend to be
perfectionists. We are good at telling people how a
thing should be done, but when we come to the effort
of doing it ourselves, we balk. We say to ourselves:
I might make a mistake, so I'd better let the whole
thing slide. In A.A. we set our goals high, but that
does not prevent us from trying. The mere fact that
we will never fully reach these goals does not
prevent us from doing the best we can. Have I stopped
hiding behind the smoke-screen of perfectionism?

Meditation For The Day

"In the world ye shall have tribulation. But be of
good cheer. I have overcome the world." Keep an
undaunted spirit. Keep your spirit free and unconquered.
You can be undefeated and untouched by failure and all
its power, by letting your spirit overcome the world;
rise above the earth's turmoil into the secret chamber
of perfect peace and confidence. When a challenge comes
to you, remember that you have God's help and nothing
can wholly defeat you.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may have confidence and be of good cheer.
I pray that I may not fear the power of failure.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

Toward Partnership, p. 292

When the distortion of family life through alcohol has been great, a
long period of patient striving may be necessary. After the husband
joins A.A., the wife may become discontented, even highly resentful
that A.A. has done the very thing that all her years of devotion had
failed to do. Her husband may become so wrapped up in A.A. and his
new friends that he is inconsiderately away from home more than
when he drank. Each then blames the other.

But eventually the alcoholic, now fully understanding how much he did
to hurt his wife and children, nearly always takes up his marriage
responsibilities with a willingness to repair what he can and accept
what he can't. He persistently tries all of A.A.'s Twelve Steps in his
home, often with fine results. He firmly but lovingly commences to
behave like a partner instead of like a bad boy.

12 & 12, pp. 118-119

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

The only reason to drink
Staying sober
"There's only one real reason I can ever have for taking a drink, and that's because I want to."
This remark at a meeting sums up AA's position on why we drink. We never really drink because of pressures and troubles. We drink because we want to, because we feel like taking a drink.
It's true that a serious crisis, like going into bankruptcy, may make us conscious of an urger to drink. But we know that we're also likely to have such urges in the face of good fortune. The alcoholic who would drink over a bankruptcy would also probably get drunk if he or she won the lottery.
By refusing to accept all of these alleged "reasons" for drinking, AA simplified our problem so we can deal with it. We either want to drink or we don't want to drink, period. Even if we want to drink... and some members do.. AA can show us how to stay sober and eventually lose such desires.
Nothing has the power to make me drink today. It is only my own willingness that can destroy my sobriety.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

Let me listen to me and not to them. ---Gertrude Stein
Often we try to please everyone around us. But this may not make us happy, and so we get angry.
We feel taken advantage of.
We may be kind to others, but first we must love ourselves. How? By learning to listen to ourselves. To our dreams. To our higher power. By doing this we’ll be more happy. And those around us will probably be more happy too.
As our AA medallions say, “To Thine Own Self Be True.”
Prayer for the Day: I pray that I’ll listen to that gentle, loving voice inside me. Higher Power, help me make me make my “conscious contact” with You better.
Action for the Day: I will write down why I need to be true to myself.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

At the hospital I was separated from alcohol for the last time. Treatment seemed wise, for I showed signs of delirium tremens.
There 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. I have not had a drink since.

p. 13

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

When the Big Book appeared in 1939, we called it "Alcoholics Anonymous." Its foreword mad this revealing statement: "It is important that we remain anonymous because are too few, at present, to handle the overwhelming number of personal appeals which may result from this publication. Being mostly business or professional folk, we could not well carry on our occupations in such an event." Between these lines, it is easy to read our fear that large numbers of incoming people might break our anonymity wide open.

pp. 184-185

***********************************************************

Silence is also a form of speech.
--West Africa Proverb

Each day comes bearing its own gifts.
Untie the ribbons.
--Ruth Ann Schabacker

Gratitude is our most direct line to God and the angels. If we take the time, no matter
how crazy and troubled we feel, we can find something to be thankful for. The more we
seek gratitude, the more reason the angels will give us for gratitude and joy to exist in
our lives.
--Terry Lynn Taylor

"Our personal dispositions are as windowpanes through which we see the world either as
rosy or dull. The way we color the glasses we wear is the way the world seems to us."
--Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

"Develop an attitude of gratitude, and give thanks for everything that happens to you,
knowing that every step forward is a step toward achieving something bigger and better
than your current situation."
--Brian Tracy

You will get nothing out of life unless you make the decision to go after it. Persistence is
the key to winning.
--unknown

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

MEMORIES

"History is the seed bed of the
future."
-- Leo Booth

I talk about my drinking history, remembering the incidents and losses, because I
believe "there is no gain without pain." To enjoy my sobriety I must share, on a
daily basis, the reality of my disease. My pain is rooted in my history. I must live with
my disease on a daily basis. I need to be aware of the disease process in my life.

This awareness requires a "rigorously honest" inventory of my past attitudes and
behaviors; ignorance is bliss for the disease of addiction! The acceptance and
awareness of my past is my treatment for today. The more I understand about my
yesterdays the better my recovery will be today. My life has a history and my spiritual
program demands that I understand it.

Teach me to face my past so that I can realistically live in my today.

***********************************************************

"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him."
Lamentations 3:25

"And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through him."
Colossians 3:17

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our distress. For we don't even know what we should pray
for, nor how we should pray. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot
be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is
saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God's own will.
Romans 8:26 -27

Fools think they need no advice, but the wise listen to others. A fool is quick-tempered,
but a wise person stays calm when insulted. An honest witness tells the truth; a false
witness tells lies. Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring
healing. Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed. Deceit fills hearts that are
plotting evil; joy fills hearts that are planning peace!
Proverbs 12:15-20

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

One of life's greatest pleasures is meeting and conquering our most difficult moments. Lord, teach me to trust myself and trust that You will never abandon me or my needs.

See opportunity in your difficulties, not difficulty in your opportunities. Lord, I will focus on the goodness today brings to me and look for the many reasons I have to feel joy.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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#1556

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sat Nov 22, 2008 7:50 pm
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

bluidkiti

Offline

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May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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Have a great week-end

My wonderful friends

Day Twenty-two/2:00 PM:

It is important for us to think in the positive. It doesn't help to think "I don't want to dink, I don't want to lose," because we end up thinking of what we don't want. We energize that very thing. If we think, "I like having a clear mind; I like remembering; I like growing," we have positive thoughts directed away from our disease.

My thoughts focus on what I'm working toward,
Not what I'm escaping from.

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

Humility Is Greatness

Just as a tree that is full of fruit bows down for others to take the fruit,

One who is humble will always live in self respect and treat others with respect.

#1555

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sat Nov 22, 2008 3:22 am
Subject: Weekly Readings - 11/21

bluidkiti

Offline

Weekly Spiritual Readings
November 21, 2008

Christians In Recovery
Daily Spiritual Meditations
Daily Bible Reading
Daily Recovery Readings
Ask Jesus Into Your Life
Online Bible

"Count your blessings, name them one by one. And it will surprise you what the Lord has done."

God's giving deserves our thanksgiving. Thanking the Lord in adversity changes burdens into blessings.

Like a babe born to a family, or bud on a stem, God brought me forth into His family. Thank You, Lord, for choosing me, for drawing me irresistibly, to be Your child. --Paul E. Murrell

No matter where we work, we can serve God and others with joy.

Jesus is a friend who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

"Happiness is the realization of God in the heart. Happiness is the result of praise and thanksgiving, of faith, of acceptance; a quiet tranquil realization of the love of God."

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving." --W. T. Purkiser

"He who thanks but with the lips Thanks but in part; The full, the true Thanksgiving Comes from the heart."

"When thou has truly thanked the Lord for every blessing sent, But little time will then remain for murmur or lament."
--Hannah Moore

***********************************************************

FAITH IS:
Forsaking
all
I
Trust
HIM

***********************************************************

Improving Your Family Get-Togethers
Family clashes come out more strongly during the holidays than at other times. Here's how to make the most of the season.
As a psychologist who helps people deal with their more difficult relatives, I've found that at holiday time these stresses and personality clashes with certain family members come out more strongly than at other times of the year. To make sure your family gatherings are more harmonious this year than in the past, there are specific--and spiritual--things you can do.
1. Say a silent prayer or meditate silently right at the moment when your family is acting up. The prayer can be, "Please God (or Spirit), give me strength to be patient with the difficult members of my family and open me up to the possibility that I will have a few sacred moments of connection with those family I love and whom I don't get to see often enough." Or, humorously, it can be, "Thank you God (or Spirit) that I don't have to see these people 24/7."
2. Choose to bless your most troubled or difficult family member rather than cursing this person. In most spiritual traditions there are blessings you can say to regain your peace of mind and your ability to speak respectfully to even the most unpleasant individuals. For example, if you silently say to yourself, "May God bless and keep this person," it gives you an extra 10 seconds of impulse control so that you can negotiate calmly with this difficult individual rather than erupting in anger or insults. Instead of provoking a war with this person, you can silently bless him or her and then say respectfully out loud, "Let's work together to figure out how to improve the way we interact at these holiday gatherings. You go first, and I'll listen to your ideas. Then I'll go second, and I hope you'll listen to my ideas, too."
3. Look for the wounded soul that is often hidden deeply under this person's toxic comments and personality traits. You may need to do some informal research ahead of the next visit to find out from aunts, uncles, cousins, or others when and how this difficult family member changed from being a kind soul into an angry or self-absorbed individual. That doesn't mean you need to whitewash or minimize the hurtful things he or she does, but rather it will give you the compassion and perspective to realize this person's woundedness is old and deep, having nothing to do with you.
4. Experience gratitude for each small grain of progress. Rather than hoping your difficult relative will become perfect or stress-free, you can seek to notice each small moment of connection or decency that occurs between you. If last year you could only stand this person for 5 minutes and this year you successfully enjoyed 10 quality minutes with this troubled individual, that is a huge improvement.
5. Recognize the growth that this person stirs up in you. In the 23rd Psalm, there is a mysterious statement that "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies." Some spiritual teachers suggest that just as an oyster needs sand to irritate, polish and create a fine pearl, so does life give us difficult relatives who force us to grow and learn more about patience, compassion, kindness, limit-setting, strength, and the release of expectations. If it weren't for your difficult relatives, would you have ever been forced to work so hard at becoming the kind of person you are today? If it weren't for the unpleasant ways you were treated by certain members of your family, would you have known to be so careful so as not to mistreat your spouse, your kids, your friends, or your co-workers? Rather than dreading your encounters with your toughest or most insensitive relatives, you can view each current and future interaction as another chance to be tested and see how far you have come on your personal journey. You don't need to be perfect, but you can remind yourself to stay open to what each stressful situation with your family is trying to teach you.
6. When you're feeling trapped, call a "lifeline." You can regain your sense of humor and your inner strength by phoning a supportive friend and saying, "Could you please remind me if I'm a worthwhile human being...I'm with my relatives right now and I've completely forgotten." Just that one sentence of ironic humor can snap you out of the feelings of victimization and aloneness that could cause you to shut down, overeat, or drink too much at family gatherings. --Leonard Felder, Ph.D.

***********************************************************

Thankful For The Thorns
Sandra felt as low as the heels of her Birkenstocks when she pulled open the florist shop door, against a November gust of wind. Her life had been as sweet as a spring breeze and then, in the fourth month of her second pregnancy, a "minor" automobile accident stole her joy. This was Thanksgiving week and the time she should have delivered their infant son. She grieved over their loss. Troubles had multiplied. Her husband's company "threatened" to transfer his job to a new location.
Her sister had called to say that she could not come for her long awaited holiday visit. What's worse, Sandra's friend suggested that Sandra's grief was a God-given path to maturity that would allow her to empathize with others who suffer. "She has no idea what I'm feeling," thought Sandra with a shudder. "Thanksgiving? Thankful for what?" she wondered. "For a careless driver whose truck was hardly scratched when he rear-ended her? For an airbag that saved her life, but took her child's?"
"Good afternoon, can I help you?" Sandra was startled by the approach of the shop clerk.
"I.... I need an arrangement," stammered Sandra.
"For Thanksgiving? Do you want the beautiful but ordinary, or would you like to challenge the day with a customer favorite I call the 'Thanksgiving Special'? I'm convinced that flowers tell stories," she continued. "Are you looking for something that conveys 'gratitude' this Thanksgiving?"
"Not exactly!" Sandra blurted out. "In the last five months, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong." Sandra regretted her outburst, and was surprised when the clerk said, "I have the perfect arrangement for you."
Then the bell on the door rang, and the clerk greeted the new customer, "Hi, Barbara...let me get your order.&quo t; She excused herself and walked back to a small workroom, then quickly reappeared, carrying an arrangement of greenery, bows, and what appeared to be long-stemmed thorny roses. Except the ends of the rose stems were neatly snipped: there were no flowers.
"Do you want these in a box?" asked the clerk. Sandra watched for the customer's response. Was this a joke? Who would want rose stems with no flowers! She waited for laughter, but neither woman laughed. "Yes, please," Barbara replied with an appreciative smile. "You'd think after three years of getting the special, I wouldn't be so moved by its significance, but I can feel it right here, all over again." She said, as she gently tapped her chest.
Sandra stammered, "Ah, that lady just left with, uh.... she left with no flowers!"
"That's right, said the clerk. "I cut off the flowers. That's the 'Special'. I call it the Thanksgiving Thorns Bouquet."
"Oh, come on! You can't tell me someone is willing to pay for that!" exclaimed Sandra.
"Barbara came into the shop three years ago, feeling much as you do, today," explained the clerk. "She thought she had very little to be thankful for. She had just lost her father to cancer; the family business was failing; her son had gotten into drugs; and she was facing major surgery."
"That same year I had lost my husband," continued the clerk. "For the first time in my life, I had to spend the holidays alone. I had no children, no husband, no family nearby, and too much debt to allow any travel."
"So what did you do?" asked Sandra.
"I learned to be thankful for thorns," answered the clerk quietly. "I've always thanked God for the good things in my life and I NEVER questioned Him why those GOOD things happened to me, but when the bad stuff hit, I cried out, "WHY? WHY Me?!" It took time for me to learn th at the dark times are important to our faith! I have always enjoyed the 'flowers' of my life, but it took the thorns to show me the beauty of God's comfort! You know, the Bible says that God comforts us when we're afflicted, and from His consolation we learn to comfort others."
Sandra sucked in her breath, as she thought about the thought that her friend had tried to tell her. "I guess the truth is, I don't want comfort. I've lost a baby and I'm angry with God."
Just then someone else walked in the shop. "Hey, Phil!" the clerk greeted the balding, rotund man. "My wife sent me in to get our usual Thanksgiving arrangement... twelve thorny, long-stemmed stems!" laughed Phil as the clerk handed him a tissue wrapped arrangement from the refrigerator.
"Those are for your wife?" asked Sandra incredulously. "Do you mind telling me why she wants a bouquet that looks like that?"
"No... I'm glad you asked," Phil replied. "Four years ago, my wife and I nearly divorced. After forty years, we were in a real mess, but with the Lord's grace and guidance, we trudged through problem after problem. The Lord rescued our marriage. Jenny, here (the clerk) told me she kept a vase of rose stems to remind her of what she had learned from "thorny" times. That was good enough for me. I took home some of those stems. My wife and I decided to label each one for a specific "problem" and give thanks for what that problem taught us." As Phil paid the clerk, he said to Sandra, "I highly recommend the Special!"
"I don't know if I can be thankful for the thorns in my life." Sandra said to the clerk. "It's all too... fresh."
"Well," the clerk replied carefully, "my experience has shown me that the thorns make the roses more precious. We treasure God's providential care more during trouble than at any other time. Remember that it was a crow n of thorns that Jesus wore so we might know His love. Don't resent the thorns."
Tears rolled down Sandra's cheeks. For the first time since the accident, she loosened her grip on her resentment. "I'll take those twelve long-stemmed thorns, please," she managed to choke out.
"I hoped you would," said the clerk gently. "I'll have them ready in a minute."
"Thank you. What do I owe you?"
"Nothing. Nothing but a promise to allow God to heal your heart. The first year's arrangement is always on me." The clerk smiled and handed a card to Sandra. "I'll attach this card to your arrangement, but maybe you would like to read it first."
It read: My God, I have never thanked You for my thorns. I have thanked You a thousand times for my roses, but never once for my thorns. Teach me the glory of the cross I bear; teach me the value of my thorns. Show me that I have climbed closer to You along the path of pain. Show me that, through my tears, the colors of Your rainbow look much more brilliant."
Praise Him for the roses; thank Him for the thorns. --David Langerfeld

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A "EVERYDAY THANKSGIVING" REFLECTION
Even though I huddle in my bed and put off rising, thank you Lord, that I have the strength to rise. There are many who are bedridden.
Even though the first hour of my day is hectic, when socks are lost, toast is burned, and tempers are short, my children are so loud, thank you, Lord, for my family. There are many who are lonely.
Even though our breakfast table never looks like the pictures in magazines and the menu is at times unbalanced, thank you, Lord, for the food we have. There are many who are hungry.
Even though the routine of my job is often monotonous, thank you, Lord, for the opportunity to work. There are many who have no job.
Even though I grumble and bemoan my fate from day to day and wish my circumstances were not so modest, thank you, Lord, for life itself. --Author Unknown

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Counting Blessings
Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
THE week before Thanksgiving, my family participates in a tradition we started several years ago. My husband, two young daughters, and I find times during the week to write on slips of paper some of the things we're thankful for. We put the papers in a jar, and on Thanksgiving morning we read them.
"I'm thankful for my friends and my sister," writes my nine-year-old. "Thank you for my cat," says my five-year-old. My husband writes, "I'm thankful for my church family." "I'm thankful for our family's health" is one of the messages I write. We read about more and more of our blessings: good food, books, living in a free country, football, missionaries, a warm home.
The Bible tells us to be joyful and thankful at all times and in all circumstances. We can be especially thankful for God's greatest blessing: the amazing grace we see in Jesus Christ. Any time of the year is a perfect time to express our thanks for Christ.
--Cheryl Sloan Wray
Dear God, thank you for all the blessings you have given us. Amen.

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What Has God Done?
I want to borrow one sentence from David’s 66th Psalm, “Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me” (vs. 16).
He has shown me that dreams do come true and prayers are answered.
He has shown me that there is always hope, even in the most hopeless situations.
He has shown me that there is joy in being at home with my family.
He has shown me that people are longing for a living relationship with Jesus Christ.
He has shown me that whether your team wins or loses life goes on and life is good.
He has shown me that beauty is found in my wife, in my children, in my friends, and in the ordinary events of a day.
He has shown me that interruptions often lead to the most rewarding events of the day.
He has shown me that days filled with sunshine, warm air, and blue skies are gifts from the Lord.
He has shown me that days filled with dark clouds, cold air and rain are gifts from the Lord.
He has shown me that marriage is proof that God was thinking of me when He created the World.
He has shown me that children are sometimes the wisest people on earth.
He has shown me that words can encourage or words can discourage, and that words that encourage are better.
He has shown me that the change of the season’s remind us of life is always changing and God is always active.
He has shown me that the ocean can soothe the soul and refresh a weary spirit.
He has shown me that mountains are a place of reflection, meditation, and renewal.
He has shown me that He wants to have a relationship with me, and that He wants my life to full and abundant.
He has shown me that a full and abundant life is possible when I spend time reflecting on the things that God has shown me.
What has God done for you? --Tom

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BE THANKFUL
Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire. If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something, for it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times. During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations, because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge, because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes. They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary, because it means you've made a difference.
It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.
--Author unknown

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Recount Your Blessings--with Your ABCs!
Now, if YOU are the Thanksgiving chef, I know you have alot more to do today than sit here and practice your recounting and reciting skills...but let's all pause for a moment and thank God for the bountiful blessings. It's not about houses and lands, money and material things--it's about the treasures of heaven that money can't buy. So get out your calculator and your old alphabet book (and don't forget the 2000 election memories!)...and let's RECOUNT our blessings and our ABCs!
Let us be thankful for:
Assurance of salvation
Blessed Hope of the Church
Christian faith
Divine providence of God
Everlasting life
Family of God
God's Word
Holy Spirit
Intercessory prayer
Jesus
Knowing Christ personally
Love of God
Mercy
New life in Christ
Overwhelming Evidence of God in Creation
Peace of God
Quiet stillness of God's presence
Redemption
Salvation
Trustworthiness of God
Undivided attention God gives His children
Victory in Jesus
Word of God
'Xtravagant grace of God!
Zzzzzzzzzzzzz--and we can sleep in heavenly peace because God is watching over us all!
Now wake up--and consider doing this devotional activity with your family. Before--or after--everyone gets STUFFED with turkey and all the trimmings, gather your family around for a recount/recite time of God's blessings. Begin with the letter "A" and go around the family circle, each one reciting a "thankful point." Conclude with a great family "Zzzzzzzz" silly snore--and a thankful prayer for God's goodness and grace in your family this year.
Option: Preschoolers who love to "make and do" can have fun using WASHABLE markers to draw and decorate each letter on posterboard. Use blunt-ended scissors to cut out each letter. Play a game of hide-and-seek: hide the letters all over the house; place the "T" inside the COLD oven, for fun!
Now, turn ON the oven (take OUT the fake TURKEY first!), go get that REAL turkey stuffed and place it therein--the fowl, please, not your favorite spouse or kid--grin--Happy Thanksgiving to all!
--Peggie Bohanon

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Recipe for a Grateful Heart
My ability in writing books is not matched by my ability to read a cookbook. My wife and three daughters will attest to that. Except for popping corn and blending chocolate milkshakes, most of my efforts in the kitchen taste like mistakes.
But, don't be too quick to label me as a liability when it comes to preparing for the family Thanksgiving feast. In the five decades of life in which I've had the opportunity to digest my share of what the Lord has served up in my life, I've discovered a fail-proof recipe for a grateful heart.
First, crush a bunch of sour grapes for all the times you've felt someone else got credit for something you deserved. Drizzle in a drop of spilled milk for every remembrance you have of something you wish you could undo (no need to cry over it). Even though you may be tempted to, refrain from adding the "whine" you keep in the cellar for those pity parties you occasionally throw for yourself.
To this rather unattractive concoction, sift in some flavorful thoughts that come to mind of times when God was kind and bailed you out. You know the times I mean: when you were in real hot water and had real doubts if you could stand up to the heat.
Then, while this mixture is sitting at room temperature, take some "thyme" alone and thoroughly measure out your blessings. Make sure you add in the plain vanilla ones (like health, shelter, employment, family, enough to eat and a good night's sleep).
Don't forget to spoon up some sweet remembrances of happy days gone by. With your honey at your side, go to a quiet part of the house and pour out what's on your mind. If necessary, ask for forgiveness.
While bringing the ingredients to a boil, combine a cup full of contentment, all the while skimming off any envy or greed that surfaces. Blend well.
Let the aforementioned batter rise until it occupies a place of prominence in your thinking. Preheat your heart to the point where it takes on a pliable consistency. While your will is warming to the idea of thanking God (instead of blaming him) for where you are at this time in your life, sprinkle the mixture in question with a dash of determination to do whatever it takes to honor God with your attitude.
Then bake the combined ingredients until they are well done. While it is still warm, serve yourself the "peace" you've anticipated, all the while chewing on God's goodness while swallowing your pride.
Well, there you have it. Even though you haven't seen this recipe demonstrated on the Food Network, it's a keeper. A grateful heart is guaranteed.
You don't need to be a Galloping Gourmet in order to serve up an aroma that will be pleasing to the Lord. All that is required is that you dismount from your high horse of self-centeredness and sit in the presence of the One from whom all blessings flow. As Israel's greatest king is credited with having said, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." (Psalm 34:8) --Greg Asimakoupoulos, November 28, 2002

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Thanksgiving Blessings --Vickie Lambdin
T - Is for the Tons of Blessings that I receive each day.
H - Stands for these Hands that fold, when I begin to pray.
A - Means all the Awesome powers our Lord has from above.
N - Stands for His Never ending patience and His Love.
K - Is for the Kindness and forgiveness He has shown.
S - Stands for the Sweetest gift of love we've ever known.
G - Means the Amazing Grace that God bestowed on me.
I - Says I can't imagine, without His love, just where I'd be.
V - Is for (Victory in Jesus), just like that song of old.
I - Means I'll do my best, to lead lost sheep into His fold.
N - Is for the nails driven through our Savior's hands.
G - Stands for God's Greatest Gift, His Son's life for mortal man.
Many Blessings and Happy Thanksgiving to all!

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Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
Beloved, a restricting spirit has been released against you. This restriction will manifest in various ways and significantly put a damper on your hope for the future as well as your spiritual vision and creativity. You are likely to feel boxed in so that recognizing your options or opportunities with require extraordinary effort. But, I say to you, push back against this restraining force. Resist this devil and break free from its influence, says the Lord. 1 Peter 5:8-9 Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.

You are in a time of unexpected and rapid change as I move you into the next phase of life experience. This is a fast track, and how you respond to this time of transition will determine its level of difficulty. The most beneficial response is to maintain flexibility and to go with the flow and to roll with the punches. If you resist change or try to maintain status quo, circumstances will only become more chaotic and challenging. Now is the time to deliberately relax and be at peace by putting your trust in Me, says the Lord. Psalm 9:9-10 The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.

The Spirit of the Lord broke in on me and brought someone to mind that has been a reliable prophet, and I believe this person is symbolic of the prophetic church. I had a sense that this person had feelings of being disassociated, lost, disillusioned, and hopeless. There was a disappointment that expectations haven't been met, and a sense of dread or even fear that what had been worked for and hoped for had all been in vain. I believe the enemy is doing all he can to shut the mouths of the prophets again and to keep God's people from exercising their faith. Romans 1:17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."

I am calling you to awaken to a fresh sense of purpose and destiny, for I speak to many who have become disillusioned and have drawn back into silence and solace. This is a new day. There is much to be done to establish the reality of My kingdom. Rise up in the Spirit, and I will manifest in wondrous ways to move you forward in divine progression, says the Lord. 1 Timothy 4:14-15 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.

Beloved, as long as your focus is on things that you have no personal control over you will be subject to regret, disappointment and accusation. But, I would have you release what you cannot control and to put your faith and trust in Me. Only then will you be able to see that I am doing a very great and powerful work in your midst, My people, as I establish My kingdom in, around and through you. Expect change, and resolve to be flexible enough to move with grace, says the Lord. Romans 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Arise to new hope. I have not forsaken you, and I invite you to come up here and see with spiritual eyes what I desire to reveal to you. Your days of mourning are numbered, and you will arise from the dead ashes of the past and remove your sackcloth (garments of mourning), and put on rejoicing. If you will truly look for Me, says the Lord, I will be found by you and restore the joy of your heart. Isaiah 61:1-4 "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified. And they shall rebuild the old ruins, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations."

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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
The instruction to the Church at this time is to get past unbelief. This is a new era, and we must get over disappointment. There is a prevailing sense of unbelief because of disappointment and unanswered prayer. Things that many of us expected to happen didn't. This unbelief must be dealt with before we can receive the rain of this season. God wants us to interact on a new level; not just prayer, but spiritual interaction. The invitation is to move to a new spiritual plateau. The Lord will show us the prophetic implications of the times and seasons. Everything we've been taught was for the purpose of bringing us to prophetic reality, and the anointing will come to produce that prophetic reality in us.

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I AM THANKFUL FOR ...
the partner who hogs the covers every night,
because he is not out with someone else.
the child who is not cleaning his room, but is watching tv,
because that means he is at home and not on the streets.
for the taxes that i pay,
because it means that i am employed.
for the mess to clean after a party,
because it means that i have been surrounded by friends.
for the clothes that fit a little too snug,
because it means i have enough to eat.
for my shadow that watches me work,
because it means i am in the sunshine.
for a lawn that needs mowing,
windows that need cleaning,
and gutters that need fixing,
because it means i have a home.
for all the complaints i hear about the government,
because it means that we have freedom of speech.
for the parking spot i find at the far end of the parking lot,
because it means i am capable of walking and that i have been blessed with transportation.
for my huge heating bill,
because it means i am warm.
for the lady behind me in church that sings off key,
because it means that i can hear.
for the pile of laundry and ironing,
because it means i have clothes to wear.
for weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day,
because it means i have been capable of working hard.
for the alarm that goes off in the early morning hours,
because it means that i am alive.
and finally.......
for too much e-mail,
because it means i have friends who are thinking of me.
--Author unknown

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Give Thanks
Give thanks with a grateful heart
Give thanks to the Holy One
Give thanks because He's given Jesus Christ, His Son
And now, Let the weak say "I am strong"
Let the poor say "I am rich"
Because of what the Lord has done for us
Give thanks.
--Author Unkown

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"Thank You, O Lord"
Thank You, O Lord
For Your tender mercies You have graced me
For Your gentle kindness You have shown me
For Your unconditional love You have embraced me
O Lord, as I bow on bended knee
My heart so full of gratitude
I make only one request from You
That You reveal to me Your will for me
That is my one desire, Lord
That I may live each day for You
To give praise and thanks to You
For the many blessings and gifts you have graced me with
Only asking that You reveal to me
How I may use these blessings and gifts to be of service to You
Thank You, O Lord
For loving me
For never giving up on me
For my life that You have given me today
For the hope and promise of eternal life
Thank You, O Lord
I love You
Written By: Tammy B. 6/28/02

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A psalm. For giving thanks.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100

"It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord." Psalm 92:1

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced. . . 1 Chronicles 16:8-12

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name. 1 Chronicles 29:13

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. Colossians 4:2

I will praise God's name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Colossians 3:15

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28-29

Praise be to the LORD forever! Amen and Amen. Psalm 89:52

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A Thankful Child!
It's Thanksgiving time again, and time to thank the best Father of all for His love to us. Forget the grocery list for next week, and let's list our blessings from the ONE who really fills our life with good things!
I'm accepted!
Thank You, Father, for accepting me--just the way I am. Some days I'm not very nice; some days I'm rather impatient, unkind, ungrateful--and just plain selfish. And yet You love me--You constantly show me in so many ways that it's ok to be me. Now You don't tolerate my sin - I know that - but You help me grow--You make me BETTER. And all the while, You let me know deep within my heart that I am "accepted in the beloved." Thank You, Heavenly Father!
I'm approved!
Thank You, Father, for approving me--for whatever service I do for You. You've given me gifts and talents; I've given them back to You. You use them--and You overwhelm me with Your divine blessings. You let me know, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant." Lord, I need that, especially on the days when I feel unappreciated, overworked, or just plain "weary in well doing." I need that approval when I make mistakes and when I fail. You never scowl nor scorn me--You love me. Your smile of approval is warm and welcoming, however I feel and whatever I do--when I've done it for You. Thank You, Heavenly Father!
I'm amazed!
Thank You, Father, for overwhelming me with Your wondrous joy, Your unfailing love, Your amazing grace! You shower me with goodness and glory--You love me in such a unique, individual way--and what is so amazing is that You love everyone else in the whole world the same way! Your plans for my life are beyond my comprehension--I look back in wonder, I stand in awe, I look forward with a secure heart--for You plan nothing but the best for my life. Sometimes it's pain, and I grow. Sometimes it's pleasure, and I delight! But it's always the best. YOU'RE the best, Lord, and I love You. Thank You, Heavenly Father!
Our Almighty, all-wise, all-loving Father knows that a child needs acceptance and approval. Sometimes earthly fathers fail, and kids never receive the important qualities of security they need in early childhood. They spend a lifetime looking for them--in all the wrong places. If that's you, then receive God's amazing grace today--and know His acceptance and approval, as no earthly father can give. If you've been fortunate enough to know the love of a wonderful earthly dad, thank God for that blessing. But remember Your Heavenly Father IS the best--and He gives the best to His kids. It's yours--reach out and receive all the acceptance, approval and love you need today--there's enough for us ALL!
His Healing Words
"...Behold , what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the children of God...(1 John 3:1 KJV)."
"Lord, I come to You as a child, needing Your acceptance, Your approval and Your love. Help me to know and to feel the true, unfailing love of my Heavenly Father this week. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
--Peggy Bohanon

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We thank you, Lord, for all you give;
The food we eat, the lives we live;
And to our loved ones far away,
Please send your blessings, Lord, we pray.
And help us all to live our days
With thankful hearts and loving ways.
Amen.

Thank you for the blessings that you give to us each day;
For friends and family we hold dear, for all you send our way.
We ask that you will guide us well, in everything we do,
And pray we never will forget these blessings came from you.
Amen.

God bless the food we eat this day.
We thank you for it; and we pray
For all our loved ones, far and near,
And every person gathered here.
We ask your blessings on each one,
And claim them by your holy Son.
Amen.

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Read Through The Bible
Leviticus 19
Various Laws
1 The LORD said to Moses, 2 "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: 'Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy. 3 " 'Each of you must respect his mother and father, and you must observe my Sabbaths. I am the LORD your God. 4 " 'Do not turn to idols or make gods of cast metal for yourselves. I am the LORD your God. 5 " 'When you sacrifice a fellowship offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf. 6 It shall be eaten on the day you sacrifice it or on the next day; anything left over until the third day must be burned up. 7 If any of it is eaten on the third day, it is impure and will not be accepted. 8 Whoever eats it will be held responsible because he has desecrated what is holy to the LORD; that person must be cut off from his people. 9 " 'When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. 10 Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them for the poor and the alien. I am the LORD your God. 11 " 'Do not steal. " 'Do not lie. " 'Do not deceive one another. 12 " 'Do not swear falsely by my name and so profane the name of your God. I am the LORD. 13 " 'Do not defraud your neighbor or rob him. " 'Do not hold back the wages of a hired man overnight. 14 " 'Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the LORD. 15 " 'Do not pervert justice; do not show partiality to the poor or favoritism to the great, but judge your neighbor fairly. 16 " 'Do not go about spreading slander among your people. " 'Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor's life. I am the LORD. 17 " 'Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. 18 " 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. 19 " 'Keep my decrees. " 'Do not mate different kinds of animals. " 'Do not plant your field with two kinds of seed. " 'Do not wear clothing woven of two kinds of material. 20 " 'If a man sleeps with a woman who is a slave girl promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. 21 The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting for a guilt offering to the LORD. 22 With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the LORD for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven. 23 " 'When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden ; it must not be eaten. 24 In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the LORD. 25 But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the LORD your God. 26 " 'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it." 'Do not practice divination or sorcery. 27 " 'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard. 28 " 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD. 29 " 'Do not degrade your daughter by making her a prostitute, or the land will turn to prostitution and be filled with wickedness. 30 " 'Observe my Sabbaths and have reverence for my sanctuary. I am the LORD. 31 " 'Do not turn to mediums or seek out spiritists, for you will be defiled by them. I am the LORD your God. 32 " 'Rise in the presence of the aged, show respect for the elderly and revere your God. I am the LORD. 33 " 'When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him. 34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God. 35 " 'Do not use dishonest standards when measuring length, weight or quantity. 36 Use honest scales and honest weights, an honest ephah and an honest hin. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt. 37 " 'Keep all my decrees and all my laws and follow them. I am the LORD.' "

***********************************************************

Praising God at Mealtime
Be present at our table, Lord,
Be here and everywhere adored.
Thy creatures bless, and grant that we
May feast in paradise with thee.
--John Wesley

Blessing for Mealtime
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us! Lord, cleanse us from our sins! Master, pardon our transgressions! Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name's sake.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy! (3 times)
O Christ God, bless the food and drink of Thy servants, for Thou art holy, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages.
--Traditional

Child's Grace
God is great and God is good,
And we thank him for our food;
By his hand we must be fed,
Give us Lord, our daily bread. Amen.
--Traditional

Child's Prayer of Thanks
Thank you for the world so sweet. Thank you for the things we eat. Thank you for the birds that sing. Thank you, God, for everything.

Child's Grace
O Lord my God, I bless thy holy name for this mercy, which I have now received from thy bounty and goodness. Feed now my soul with thy grace, that I may make it my meat and drink to do thy gracious will, through Jesus Christ my Saviour. Amen.
John Wesley

An Evening Family Prayer
Lord, behold our family here assembled.
We thank you for this place in which we dwell,
for the love that unites us,
for the peace accorded to us this day,
for the hope with which we expect the morrow;
for the health, the work, the food and the bright skies
that make our lives delightful;
for our friends in all parts of the earth. Amen.
Robert Louis Stevenson

Grace Before Meals
Lord bless this food to our use and us to Thy service, and make us ever mindful of the needs of others. Amen.

Blessing for Mealtime
O Christ God, bless the food and drink of Thy servants, for Thou art holy, always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. --Traditional

Table Blessing
Bless us O Lord, and these thy gifts,
Which we are about to receive, from thy bounty,
Through Christ, Our Lord.
Amen.
--Traditional

Table Blessing
God is great! God is good!
Let us thank Him for our food.
Amen.

Gratitude for Happy Hearts
We thank Thee Lord, for happy hearts,
For rain and sunny weather.
We thank Thee, Lord, for this our food,
And that we are together.

Wherever you are in life, whatever you've done, you can begin again. If you do not have Jesus in your life and wish to ask Jesus into your life please go to this link now to do so: http://www.christianrecoveryministries.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22 . Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.

-- 
May God Bless You and Keep You!
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#1554

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:20 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/22

bluidkiti

Offline

Daily Recovery Readings

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.

November 22, 2008

Daily Reflections

ONLY TWO SINS

. . . . there are only two sins; the first is to
interfere with the growth of another human being,
and the second is to interfere with one's own growth.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 542

Happiness is such an elusive state. How often do my
"prayers" for others involve "hidden" prayers for my
own agenda? How often is my search for happiness a
boulder in the path of growth for another, or even
myself? Seeking growth through humility and acceptance
brings things that appear to be anything but good,
wholesome and vital. Yet in looking back, I can see
that pain, struggles and setbacks have all contributed
eventually to serenity through growth in the program.
I ask my Higher Power to help me not cause another's
lack of growth today - or my own.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I have got rid of most of my boredom. One of the
hardest things that a new member of A.A. has to
understand is how he can stay sober and not be bored.
Drinking was always the answer to all kinds of boring
people and boring situations. But once you have taken
up the interest of A.A., once you have given it your
time and enthusiasm, boredom should not be a problem
to you. A new life opens up before you that can be
always interesting. Sobriety should give you so many
new interests in life that you shouldn't have time
to be bored. Have I got rid of the fear of being bored?

Meditation For The Day

"If I have not charity, I am become as sounding brass or
a tinkling cymbal." Charity means to care enough about
your fellow man to really want to do something for
him. A smile, a word of encouragement, a word of love,
goes winged on its way, simple enough it may seem,
while the mighty words of an orator fall on deaf ears.
Use up the odd moments of your day in trying to do
some little thing to cheer up your fellow man.
Boredom comes from thinking too much about yourself.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that my day may be brightened by some little
act of charity. I pray that I may try today to overcome
the self-centeredness that makes me bored.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

Rebellion Or Acceptance, p.293

All of us pass through the times when we can pray only with the
greatest exertion. Occasionally we go even further than this. We
are seized with a rebellion so sickening that we simply won't pray.
When these things happen, we should not think too ill of ourselves.
We should simply resume prayer as soon as we can, doing what we
know to be good for us.

********************************

A man who persists in prayer finds himself in possession of great
gifts. When he has to deal with hard circumstances, he finds he can
face them. He can accept himself and the world around him.

He can do this because he now accepts a God who is All--and who
loves all. When he says, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be
Thy name," he deeply and humbly means it. When in good
meditation and thus freed from the clamors of the world, he knows
that he's in God's hands, that his own ultimate destiny is really
secure, here and hereafter, come what may.

1. TWELVE AND TWELVE, p. 105
2. GRAPEVINE, JUNE 1958

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

Too smart to stay sober
Humility
"I've never seen anybody who's too dumb to stay sober. But I've met a few people who were too smart." These wise words by an older member sum up what we sometimes see.... people who feel turned off by the program because it seems to simple and involves so many people of ordinary education and backgrounds.
Alcoholism is much like other diseases in the way it strikes all people. Diabetes, for example, victimizes people of all intelligence and education levels. We could never believe that being smart would give us an advantage in dealing with such an illness.
In the same way, the very smart person, has no edge over others in gaining sobriety. In fact, pride in such gifts can be a stumbling block. It can be a barrier to the simple acceptance and surrender needed for success in the 12 Step Program.
We do have many very smart people in AA. They are also wise enough to know that nobody can outsmart John Barleycorn.
We can feel grateful for mental abilities and education that halp us get along in the world. Our sobriety, however, is a separate type of gift that we did not create.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

We are healed of a suffering only be experiencing it in full. ---Marcel Proust
We must never forget our past. We need to remember the power that our illness has over us. Why? So we can remember how our recovery began. So we can remember we’re not cured. So we can tell our stories.
We must remember how we acted. Why? So we don’t act and think like addicts. Most of us had a poor relationships with friends, family, and ourselves. We need to remember how lonely we felt. That way, we’ll make recovery grow stronger One Day at a Time.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me always remember how my illness almost destroyed me. Help me face the pain of these memories.
Action for the Day: I will talk about my past life with those who support my recovery. I will tell them what it is that I must remember about my past.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

Thus was I convinced that God is concerned with us humans when we want Him enough. At long last I saw, I felt, I believed. Scales of pride and prejudice fell from my eyes. A new world came into view.

p. 12

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

But in the beginning, anonymity was not born of confidence; it was the child of our early fears. Our first nameless groups of alcoholics were secret societies. New prospects could find us only through a few trusted friends. The bare hint of publicity, even for our work, shocked us. Though ex-drinkers, we still thought we had to hide from public distrust and contempt.

p. 184

***********************************************************

A day of worry is more exhausting than a week of work.
--Cited in The Best of BITS & PIECES

We all have ability. The difference is how we use it.
--Stevie Wonder

Forgive yourself for your faults and your mistakes and move on.
--Les Brown

It is in the silence of the heart that God speaks.
--Mother Teresa

Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who
make our souls blossom.
--Marcel Proust

Gratitude is the heart's memory.
--French proverb

Real thanksgiving is thanks-living.
--unknown

We don't need more to be thankful for, we need to be more thankful.
--unknown

Life's little duties should never come before love. Make time for those you care about.
--unknown

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

OBESITY

"Obesity is really widespread."
-- Joseph O. Kern II

To be fat is to be lost. It is a self-imposed isolation that keeps people sad. The fat is
the result of an addiction to a series of chemicals in food that society finds
acceptable; the disease of bulimia is widespread.

But it can be changed. People can and do get well from a compulsion around food by
surrendering to the reality of their compulsion. The people-pleasing must be seen.
The mask must be removed. The pain in the family must be talked about. Feelings
that have been buried behind the food for years should be expressed. Feelings are to
be felt!

We need not remain fat, and recovery begins when we begin to have hope; we begin to
love ourselves; we begin to believe in ourselves.

O Lord, You hear the prayer of all Your children help me to hear my prayers, too!

***********************************************************

"I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart."
Psalm 9:1

"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to
him and bless his name."
Psalm 100:4

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

Make it your goal to be someone that you would like to spend the rest of your life with. Lord, help me approach my day interested in everything that happens so that my life will truly be an adventure.

Through the power of God within me, I am stronger than any of my circumstances. Lord, I seek, I knock and I ask and You are always there and ready to give me the miracles that I need.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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#1553

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Fri Nov 21, 2008 10:25 am
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

bluidkiti

Offline

--
May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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http://www.onlinebiblerecovery.com/

To all my friends

Day Twenty-one/1:00 AM:

To a practicing addict who lives wholly in the sensations of the body, the recovery state is one of utter boredom. But as we learn to live balanced in body, mind, and soul, we wonder why we ever thought the state of addiction exciting.

Sometimes I get rebellious. Sometimes I get bored.
But I just don't pick up.

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

Manage Emotions

When the energy of our consciousness is out of our control - the mind is agitated.

We are being emotional.

The solution is to detach from the inner storms, stand back and observe the hurricane pass.

Detached observation withdraws the energy which your emotions require to sustain themselves.

When you watch your own anger, it dies.

If you don't detach from it, and observe it ...it will be your master.

#1552

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Fri Nov 21, 2008 12:24 am
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/21

bluidkiti

Offline

Daily Recovery Readings

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.

November 21, 2008

Daily Reflections

A CLASSIC PRAYER

Lord, make me a channel for thy peace - that where
there is hatred, I may bring love - that where there
is wrong. I may bring the spirit of forgiveness -
that where there is discord, I may bring harmony -
that where there is error, I may bring truth -
that where there is doubt, I may bring faith -
that where there is despair, I may bring hope -
that where there are shadows, I may bring light -
that where there is sadness, I may bring joy.
Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than
to be comforted - to understand, than to be
understood - to love, than to be loved. For it is
by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by
forgiving that one is forgiven. It is by dying
that one awakens to Eternal Life.
Amen.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 99

No matter where I am in my spiritual growth, the
St. Francis prayer helps me improve my conscious
contact with the God of my understanding. I think
that one of the great advantages of my faith in
God is that I do not understand Him, or Her, or
It. It may be that my relationship with my Higher
Power is so fruitful that I do not have to understand.
All that I am certain of is that if I work the
Eleventh Step regularly, as best I can, I will
continue to improve my conscious contact, I will
know His will for me, and I will have the power to
carry it out.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I no longer waste money, but try to put it to good
use. Like all of us, when I was drunk, I threw money
around "like a drunken sailor." It gave me a feeling
of importance--a millionaire for a day. But the
morning after, with an empty wallet and perhaps some
undecipherable checks to boot, was a sad awakening.
One of the hardest things to face is the fact of
wasted money. How could I have been such a fool? How
will I ever make it up? Thoughts like these get you
down. When we are sober, we spend our hard earned
money as it should be spent. Although some of us
could be more generous in our A.A. giving, at least
we do not throw it away. Am I making good use of my
money?

Meditation For The Day

You were meant to be at home and comfortable in the
world. Yet some people live a life of quiet
desperation. This is the opposite of being at home
and at peace with the world. Let your peace of mind
be evident to those around you. Men should see that
you are comfortable, and seeing it, know that it
springs from your trust in a higher power. The dull,
hard way of resignation is not God's way. Faith
takes the sting out of the winds of adversity and
brings peace even in the midst of struggle.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may be more comfortable in my way
of living. I pray that I may feel more at home and
at peace with myself.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

Praying Rightly, p.295

We thought we had been deeply serious about religious practices.
However, upon honest appraisal we found that we had been most
superficial. Or sometimes, going to extremes, we had wallowed in
emotionalism and had also mistaken this for true religious feeling.
In both cases, we had been asking something for nothing.

We had not prayed rightly. We had always said, "Grant me my
wishes," instead of "Thy will be done." The love of God and man
we understood not at all. Therefore, we remained self-deceived,
and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity.

12 & 12, p. 32

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

Alcoholism in the workplace
Employment
Most of the personal stories in AA include troubles in the workplace. This is not surprising, because the disease itself almost guarantees that an active alcoholic is likely to make more mistakes, have higher absenteeism, and get into trouble with bosses and/or fellow employees. Who really wants a practicing alcoholic on the payroll? Who would want such a person as a manager or employer? Who wants to be treated by a doctor who is drunk or badly hung over.
If our alcoholism created problems in the workplace, we have no moral right to blame others who held us accountable for this. Far from blaming others who were critical of us, we owe personal amends for any harm we caused employers or fellow workers.
The good news is that recovery makes it possible for us to perform up to acceptable standards at work and carry out our responsibilities. In sobriety, we can write a new chapter and establish a good work history.
In my work today, I'll keep in mind the wonderful advantages I have as a result of knowing and practicing the AA principles. As a recovering alcoholic, I can be a positive force in an organization.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

To love others, we must first learn to love ourselves.---Anonymous
Sometimes we think our life would be fine if that dream person showed up. But loving someone isn’t easy. Our bad habits cause problems. We have to change. Sometimes we aren’t ready to have on especial person. We have to have a group of people---our recovery group---to love and help us get healthy. We must learn to trust, to be honest, to give help, and to love others. The truth is, no one person can make our life wonderful---except us. We hold happiness inside of us. It’s in our spirit. Look no further.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me love myself
Action for the Day: I’ll list five ways I will love myself today.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

My friend suggested what then seemed a novel idea. He said, "Why don't you choose your own conception of God?"
That statement hit me hard. It melted the icy intellectual mountain in whose shadow I had lived and shivered many years. I stood in the sunlight at last.
It was only a matter of being willing to believe in a power greater than myself. Nothing more was required of me to make my beginning. I saw that growth could start from that point. Upon a foundation of complete willingness I might build what I saw in my friend. Would I have it? Of course I would!

p. 12

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Twelve - "Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities."

THE spiritual substance of anonymity is sacrifice. Because A.A.'s Twelve Traditions repeatedly ask us to give up personal desires for the common good, we realize that the sacrificial spirit--well symbolized by anonymity--is the foundation of them all. It is A.A.'s proved willingness to make these sacrifices that gives people their high confidence in our future.

p. 184

***********************************************************

Life does not have to be perfect to be wonderful.
--Annette Funicello

Happiness is an inside job.
--unknown

"People are lonely because they build walls instead of bridges."
--Joseph Fort Newton

AA is not something you join, it's a way of life.
--unknown

I trust God's plan for me today.
I know that I am being guided at all times.
I know all I need to know in any given moment.
--Ruth Fishel

Don't stare at the steps of success - step up the stairs.
--American Proverb

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

HEROES

"Self-trust is the essence of
heroism."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

In my recovery I have become my hero. It sounds egotistical but it is part of my
program of self-love. I have many other heroes but today I respect myself. Today I
believe that God is involved in my life; an aspect of divinity exists within me. I trust
me with my life, and I am proud of the daily choices I make for my sobriety.

Spirituality allows me to be my hero today because it is with my respect of self that I
can truly respect others; the awareness of my dignity affords dignity to others; my
personal healing brings healing to others.

Today I am the center of my universe.

Thank You for the awareness of the achievements and successes in my life; today I am
my own winner.

***********************************************************

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give
glory to your Father who is in Heaven."
Matthew 5:16

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us."
Psalm 103:12

And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the
beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
2 John 1:6

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Psalm 34:17-18

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

Don't spoil what you already have by using up your time wanting what you don't have. Lord, may I live with gratitude and take back my life because my life is not and never will be in the hands of fate.

When you feel anger, allow yourself no more than 5 minutes because after that, anger is self-indulging and turns quickly to hatred and rage. Lord, You are a forgiving God. Heal my hurts.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
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http://www.onlinebiblerecovery.com/

#1551

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Thu Nov 20, 2008 1:23 pm
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

bluidkiti

Offline

--
May God Bless You and Keep You!
Havagrt24! bluidkiti=^-^=
http://www.cyberrecovery.net/
http://www.cyberrecovery.net/forums/ - Message Board
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http://www.onlinebiblerecovery.com/

Good Morning

Family

Day Twenty/6:00 PM:

They say our character defects are like an onion. They come off in layers and make us cry as they peel away. For each shortcoming we address, new realizations and perceptions bring us new layers and levels.

New Level, New Devil.

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

Contentment

Contentment is a great virtue, though it may not attract one's attention at first.

Those who are truly content are usually quiet about it.

It is a pleasure to be in their company, because they are full, peaceful, and generous.

#1550

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Wed Nov 19, 2008 9:33 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/20

bluidkiti

Offline

Daily Recovery Readings

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.

November 20, 2008

Daily Reflections

"THY WILL, NOT MINE"

. . . when making specific requests, it will be well
to add to each one of them this qualification. ." . . .
if it be Thy will."
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, pp. 102-03

I ask simply that throughout the day God place in me the
best understanding of His will that I can have for that
day, and that I be given the grace by which I may carry
it out. As the day goes on, I can pause when facing
situations that must be met and decisions that must be
made, and renew the simple request: "Thy will, not mine,
be done." I must always keep in mind that in every
situation I am responsible for the effort and God is
responsible for the outcome. I can "Let Go and Let God"
by humbly repeating: "Thy will, not mine, be done."
Patience and persistence in seeking His will for me will
free me from the pain of selfish expectations.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I no longer try to escape life through alcoholism. Drinking
built up an unreal world for me and I tried to live in it.
But in the morning light the real world was back again and
facing it was harder than ever, because I had less resources
with which to meet it. Each attempt at escape weakened my
personality by the very attempt. Everyone knows that alcohol,
by relaxing inhibitions, permits a flight from reality.
Alcohol deadens the brain cells that preside over our highest
faculties and we are off to the unreal world of drunkenness.
A.A. taught me not to run away, but to face reality. Have I
given up trying to escape life?

Meditation For The Day

In these times of quiet meditation, try more and more to set
your hopes on the grace of God. Know that whatever the future
may hold, it will hold more and more of good. Do not set all
your hopes and desires on material things. There is weariness
in an abundance of things. Set your hopes on spiritual things
so that you may grow spiritually. Learn to rely on God's power
more and more and in that reliance you will have an insight
into the greater value of things of the spirit.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may not be overwhelmed by material things.
I pray that I may realize the higher value of spiritual things.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

Daily Inventory, p. 296

Often, as we review each day, only the closest scrutiny will reveal
what our true motives were. There are cases where our ancient
enemy rationalization has stepped in and has justified conduct which
was really wrong. The temptation here is to imagine that we had
good motives and reasons when we really hadn't.

We "constructively criticized" someone who needed it, when our
real motive was to win a useless argument. Or, the person concerned
not being present, we thought we were helping others to
understand him, when in actuality our true motive was to feel
superior by pulling him down.

We hurt those we loved because they needed to be "taught a
lesson," but we really wanted to punish. We were depressed and
complained we felt bad, when in fact we were mainly asking for
sympathy and attention.

12 & 12, p. 94

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

Estrangements
Amends
A number of alcoholics become estranged from members of their family. Sometimes these estrangements continue into sobriety and fester as a source of resentment.
Where estrangements have occurred, we are always responsible for any wrongs on our part. We need to check carefully to make sure that pride and bitterness on our part aren't prolonging the estrangement.
But some of these estrangements have been chosen by others. We need to accept them if we've done everything possible to correct the problem.
Honesty will be our guide as we look carefully at any estrangements in our lives. All that's ever necessary is that we use our best principles in dealing with any estrangements.
If I find today that an estrangement is bothering me or others in the program, I'll examine it carefully with the thought that either making amends or acceptance might be required.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

A man is too apt to forget that in this world he cannot have everything. A choice is all that is left him.---H. Mathews.
Sobriety is about choice. Each day we choose to stay sober, we teach ourselves how
to make better choices.
Life is about choice. To be spiritual people, we must make spiritual choices. Honesty is a spiritual choice. And working the Steps is a spiritual choice.
Our life is the sum total of our choices. We owe it to ourselves to choose wisely. We can do that now, thanks to the program.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me choose a spiritual way of life. Help me to see choice as my way to a better relationship with you.
Action for the Day: Today, I'll be aware of the many choices I make. At the end of the day, I'll think about all the choices I've made. Am I proud of my choices?

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

I saw that my friend was much more than inwardly reorganized. He was on a different footing. His roots grasped a new soil.
Despite the living example of my friend there remained in me the vestiges of my old prejudice. The word God still aroused a certain antipathy. When the thought expressed that there might be a God personal to me this feeling was intensified. I didn't like the idea. I could go for such conceptions as Creative Intelligence, Universal Mind or Spirit of Nature but I resisted the thought of a Czar of the Heavens, however loving His sway might be. I have since talked with scores of men who felt the same way.

pp. 11-12

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Eleven - "Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films."

This, in brief, in the process by which A.A.'s Tradition Eleven was constructed. To us, however, it represents far more than a sound public relations policy. It is more than a denial of self-seeking. This Tradition is a constant and practical reminder that personal ambition has no place in A.A. In it, each member becomes an active guardian of our Fellowship.

p. 183

***********************************************************

"Life's under no obligation to give us what we expect."
--Margaret Mitchell

"Faith is the only known cure for fear."
--Lena K. Sadler

The more anger towards the past you carry in your heart, the less capable you are of loving
in the present.
--Barbara De Angelis

Love is the master key which opens the gates of happiness.
--Oliver Wendell Holmes

Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we forget to count our blessings.
--unknown

The right word spoken at the right time sometimes achieves miracles.
--unknown

Love is the only thing you get more of by giving it away.
--Tom Wilson

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

YESTERDAYS

"When I want to understand
what is happening today or try
to decide what will happen
tomorrow, I look back."
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.

The writing is on the wall! My writing is on my wall and it is to be found in my life.
My history of my life teaches me about my alcoholism. Alcoholism is a personal
disease; it affects others through self.

Sometimes I am tempted to forget the past. Why live in yesterday? Because the
events of my yesterdays affect my today. The future is forged from the recognition of
my past. My disease grew strong in my denial. My recovery began with the acceptance
of reality my reality.

Today does not exist in a vacuum and my tomorrows are determined by the decisions I
make today. I also know and believe that my recovering life demands a true
recognition of my yesterdays.

Thank You for the historical progressiveness of my recovery.

***********************************************************

He who guards his mouth preserves his life, but he who opens wide his lips shall have
destruction.
Proverbs 13:3

"This is the day the Lord has made; I will rejoice and be glad in it."
Psalm 118:24

Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do:
Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal
to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:13-14

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due
time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6-7

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

Time is yours to use or lose. Lord, teach me to avoid all upsetting thoughts and create a heart that glories in my time as a peaceful gift from You.

Begin each day with the certainty that today is the best day of your life and watch what happens. Lord, I celebrate my life and give thanks for everything because for everything there is a reason.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
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#1549

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Wed Nov 19, 2008 12:49 pm
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

bluidkiti

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--
May God Bless You and Keep You!
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Day Nineteen/5:00 AM:

Your life works FOR you. It hones you, teaches you, and makes you a better person. Nothing in your life happens to you, but for you.

This isn't happening to me, but for me.

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

Surrender Gracefully

We are surrounded by graceful surrender.

The geese surrender to the first autumn chills, and think of flying south.

The flower surrenders to the night and shuts up shop as the setting sun surrenders to the horizon of another day.

A mother surrenders to the needs of her baby, and the child surrenders to the wisdom of the father.

These kinds of surrender are sweet and natural.

They are graceful movements in a dance to the subtle symphony of life.

While we may find moments to surrender to such grace and beauty, if we are not careful, we also tend to allow ourselves to surrender to our appetites, to envy, to greed and then to self centred lifestyles in which we serve only ourselves.

No grace there - only the disgrace of self-inflicted slavery.

Whatever we surrender our minds to, will eventually shape our character and define the quality of our life.

Be careful what you surrender your mind to, even if it's only for a day, or an hour.
www.relax7.com

#1548

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Tue Nov 18, 2008 7:23 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/19

bluidkiti

Offline

Daily Recovery Readings

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.

November 19, 2008

Daily Reflections

"I WAS SLIPPING FAST"

We A.A.'s are active folk, enjoying the satisfactions
of dealing with the realities of life, . . . . So it
isn't surprising that we often tend to slight serious
meditation and prayer as something not really necessary.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 96

I had been slipping away from the program for some time,
but it took a death threat from a terminal disease to
bring me back, and particularly to the practice of the
Eleventh Step of our blessed Fellowship. Although I had
fifteen years of sobriety and was still very active in
the program, I knew that the quality of my sobriety had
slipped badly. Eighteen months later, a checkup revealed
a malignant tumor and a prognosis of certain death
within six months. Despair settled in when I enrolled in
a rehab program, after which I suffered two small strokes
which revealed two large brain tumors. As I kept hitting
new bottoms I had to ask myself why this was happening to
me. God allowed me to recognize my dishonesty and to
become teachable again. Miracles began to happen. But
primarily I relearned the whole meaning of the Eleventh
Step. My physical condition has improved dramatically, but
my illness is minor compared to what I almost lost
completely.

***********************************************************

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

In A.A. we do not speak much of sex. And yet putting sex
in its proper place in our lives is one of the rewards that
has come to us as a result of our new way of living. The big
book says that many of us needed an overhauling there. It
also says that we subjected each sex relation to this test
-- was it selfish or not? "We remembered always that our sex
powers were God-given and therefore good, neither to be used
lightly or selfishly, nor to be despised or loathed." We can
ask God to mold our ideals and to help us to live up to them.
We can act accordingly. Have I got my sex life under proper
control?

Meditation For The Day

"I will lift up my eyes unto the heights whence cometh my
help." Try to raise your thoughts from the depths of the
sordid and mean and impure things of the earth to the heights
of goodness and decency and beauty. Train your insight by
trying to take the higher view. Train it more and more until
distant heights become more familiar. The heights of the Lord,
whence cometh your help, will become nearer and dearer and
the false values of the earth will seem farther away.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may not keep my eyes forever downcast.
I pray that I may set my sights on higher things.

***********************************************************

As Bill Sees It

A VISION OF THE WHOLE, p. 297

"Though many of us have had to struggle for sobriety, never yet
has this Fellowship had to struggle for lost unity. Consequently,
we sometimes take this one great gift for granted. We forget that,
should we lose our unity, the millions of alcoholics who still 'do not
know' might never get their chance.

********************************

"We used to be skeptical about large A.A. gatherings like conventions,
thinking they might prove too exhibitionistic. But, on balance, their
benefit is huge. While each A.A.'s interest should center principally in
those about him and upon his own group, it is both necessary and
desirable that we all get a larger vision of the whole.

"The General Service Conference in New York also produces this
effect upon those who attend. It is a vision-stretching process."

1. Letter, 1949
2. Letter, 1956

***********************************************************

Walk In Dry Places

Is there bondage in attending meetings?
Sharing
A few critics have noted scornfully that AA members can be as enslaved by the need for meetings as we were by the bottle. are we compulsively addicted to meetings.
When we hear such remarks, we must remember that our survival insobriety is always the main issue. We might be going to more meetings that seems necessary , but we are the judges of our own needs.
In addition, meeting attendance is a constructive activity, while drinking was destructive... at least for us. If we're gong to overdo something, at least it's an activity that helps us.
We should never consider meeting attendance a form of bondage. There are many activities in life that are required for our peace and freedom. Meeting attendance is one of these things. We can be grateful for the opportunities meetings provide for sharing our personal experiences. No criticism should be allowed to intrude on this.
I'll not let outside criticism interfere with any AA activity that is benefiting me and maintaining my sobriety.

***********************************************************

Keep It Simple

What we don't live, we cannot teach others.---Day By Day
Remember - we don't carry the message to others until we get to Step
Twelve. We must first learn to live in a sober way. Sobriety takes time.
We have to stop using alcohol and other drugs, but this is only the start.
Just as it takes time to build a home, it takes time to build a new way of
life. We talk with friends and sponsors about the Steps. We try using them in out lives. Then we talk about how the Steps work for us. We talk about where we get stuck with the Steps.
All this takes time. We aren't in a hurry. We have a lifetime ahead of us.
Remember-the better we live our program, the better we help others.
Prayer for the day: Higher Power, You'll let me know when I'm to carry the message. Until then, be with me as I build a new way of life, a spiritual way of life.
Action for the day: I'll take time to think over where I'm with my program. I'll talk about it with a friend.

***********************************************************

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

BILL'S STORY

Had this power originated in him? Obviously it had not. There had been no more power in him than there was in me at that minute; and this was none at all.
That floored me. It began to look as though religious people were right after all. Here was something at work in a human heart which had done the impossible. My ideas about miracles were drastically revised right then. Never mind the musty past; here sat a miracle directly across the kitchen table. He shouted great tidings.

p. 11

***********************************************************

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Eleven - "Our public relations policy is based on attraction rather than promotion; we need always maintain personal anonymity at the level of press, radio, and films."

The Foundation* wrote letters to practically every news outlet in North America, setting forth our public relations policy of attraction rather than promotion, and emphasizing personal anonymity as A.A.'s greatest protection. Since that time, editors and rewrite men have repeatedly deleted names and pictures of members from A.A. copy; frequently, they have reminded ambitious individuals of A.A.'s anonymity policy. They have even sacrificed good stories to this end. The force of their cooperation has certainly helped. Only a few A.A. members are left who deliberately break anonymity at the public level.

*In 1954, the name of the Alcoholic Foundation, Inc., was changed to the General Service Board of Alcoholics Anonymous, Inc., and the Foundation office is now the General Service Office.

pp. 182-183

***********************************************************

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
--Helen Keller

I believe in God -- this is a fine, praiseworthy thing to say, but to acknowledge God
wherever and however he manifest Himself, that in truth is heavenly bliss on earth.
--Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Maximize your productive time by focusing on positive outcomes.
--unknown

Perseverance can tip the scales from failure to success.
--unknown

If you always do what you've always done, you will always be where you've always been.
--unknown

H O W = Honest, Open, Willing

***********************************************

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

FORGIVING

"He that cannot forgive others
breaks the bridge over which he
must pass himself. For every
man has need to be forgiven."
-- Thomas Fuller

My failings as an alcoholic help me to live with others today. The fact that I made and
make mistakes helps me to have creative relationships today. Because I know what
it is to fail, I can understand the failings of others. My weaknesses are a bridge
to understanding my fellow man.

By contrast when I was drinking, I thought I was perfect, always right and this led to
judgments, arguments and a self-imposed alienation.

Alcohol fed my arrogance and pride; sobriety helps develop humility and
understanding.

God, I understand that even my failings can be made to work for me in sobriety.

***********************************************************

"The measure you give will be the measure you get back."
Luke 6:38

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you
will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Matthew 7:1-2

In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free.
Psalm 118:5

Let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose
heart."
Galatians 6:9

"But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with
wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not grow faint."
Isaiah 40:31

***********************************************************

Daily Inspiration

Listen to hear and learn. Lord, help me to practice listening without judgment and interruption so that I fully benefit and truly comprehend the nature of what is being shared with me.

Learn to be peaceful in all situations and trust that through all stages of our lives, God has a plan. Lord, may I have the wisdom to be able to turn my stumbling blocks into building blocks.

-- May God Bless You and Keep You!
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#1547

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Tue Nov 18, 2008 10:58 am
Subject: The Pocket Sponsor 24/7 "Back to the Basics"

bluidkiti

Offline

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May God Bless You and Keep You!
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Day Eighteen/6:00 PM:

In light of your recovery, when dealing with family and friends, you may have to make some unpopular decisions and enforce them. Be open to moving toward the middle of issues that don't com-promise your principles and going to any length for those that do.

My recovery is Twelve Steps past any lengths.

Excerpt from the Pocket Sponsor, By The
Hazelden author of ' Day By Day' & other Meditation Books

Quote of the Week

"Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake."

Lately, things haven't been going my way. Both small things as well as big, scary health related issues have come up that are definitely not what I wanted and can't be good for me. As I climbed up on my pity pot and started collecting even more evidence why and how the world had it in for me, I heard today's quote and things began to shift.

In the past, poor me, poor me soon led to pour me another drink. In recovery, however, I'm able to shift my perception to what God's will is for me, and that almost always leads me to ask how what I'm going through can benefit or help another. No matter how far I've fallen or how rough my road has been, each experience I've had enables me to help another.

As I looked at my current set of challenges through the lens of service, I suddenly felt lighter. I realized I wasn't alone, and that by involving others I could benefit from their experience, strength and hope. I also realized that together we would grow from this experience and we would learn new ways to help others through common difficulties. As I reframed what was going on in my life as opportunities for growth, I realized the wisdom in the saying:

Nothing, absolutely nothing happens in God's world by mistake.

___________________________________

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