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#2103

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Fri Nov 27, 2009 6:37 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/28

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Daily Spiritual Meditations
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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.

November 28, 2009

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

To Grow Up, p. 330

Those adolescent urges that so many of us have for complete approval,
utter security, and perfect romance--urges quite appropriate to age
seventeen--prove to be an impossible way of life at forty-seven or
fifty-seven.

Since A.A. began, I've taken huge wallops in all these areas because of
my failure to grow up, emotionally and spiritually.

<< << << >> >> >>

As we grow spiritually, we find that our old attitudes toward instinctual
drives need to undergo drastic revisions. Our demands for emotional
security and wealth, for personal prestige and power all have to be
tempered and redirected.

We learn that the full satisfaction of these demands cannot be the sole
end and aim of our lives. We cannot place the cart before the horse, or
we shall be pulled backward into disillusionment. But when we are
willing to place spiritual growth first--then and only then do we have a
real chance to grow in healthy awareness and mature love.

1. Grapevine, January 1958
2. 12 & 12, p. 114

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

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

Chapter 10 - To Employers

This is not to say that all alcoholics are honest and upright when not drinking. Of course that isn’t so, and such people may often impose on you. Seeing your attempt to understand and help, some men will try to take advantage of your kindness. If you are sure your man does not want to stop, he may as well be discharged, the sooner the better. You are not doing him a favor by keeping him on. Firing such an individual may prove a blessing to him. It may be just the jolt he needs. I know, in my own particular case, that nothing my company could have done would have stopped me for, so long as I was able to hold my position, I could not possible realize how serious my situation was. Had they fired me first, and had they then taken steps to see that I was presented with the solution contained in this book, I might have returned to them six months later, a well man.

p. 141

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Ten - "Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy."

As by some deep instinct, we A.A.'s have known from the very beginning that we must never, no matter what the provocation, publicly take sides in any fight, even a worthy one. All history affords us the spectacle of striving nations and groups finally torn asunder because they were designed for, or tempted into, controversy. Others fell apart because of sheer self-righteousness while trying to enforce upon the rest of mankind some millennium of their own specification. In our own times, we have seen millions die in political and economic wars often spurred by religious and racial difference. We live in the imminent possibility of a fresh holocaust to determine how men shall be governed, and how the products of nature and toil shall be divided among them. That is the spiritual climate in which A.A. was born, and by God's grace has nevertheless flourished.

pp. 176-177

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

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.

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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#2102

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Thu Nov 26, 2009 6:09 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/27

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 27, 2009

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

Do It Our Way?, p. 329

In praying, our immediate temptation will be to ask for specific
solutions to specific problems, and for the ability to help other people
as we have already thought they should be helped. In that case, we
are asking God to do it our way. Therefore, we ought to consider
each request carefully to see what its real merit is.

Even so, when making specific requests, it will be well to add to each
one of them this qualification: ". . . if it be Thy will."

12 & 12, p. 102

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

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

Chapter 10 - To Employers

Your man has probably been trying to conceal a number of scrapes, perhaps pretty messy ones. They may be disgusting. You may be at a loss to understand how such a seemingly above-board chap could be so involved. But these scrapes can generally be charged, no matter how bad, to the abnormal action of alcohol on his mind. When drinking, or getting over a bout, an alcoholic, sometimes the model of honesty when normal, will do incredible things. Afterward, his revulsion will be terrible. Nearly always, these antics indicate nothing more than temporary conditions.

pp. 140-141

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Ten - "Alcoholics Anonymous has no opinion on outside issues; hence the A.A. name ought never be drawn into public controversy."

NEVER since it began has Alcoholics Anonymous been divided by a major controversial issue. Nor has our Fellowship ever publicly taken sides on any question in an embattled world. This, however, has been no earned virtue. It could almost be said that we were born with it, for, as one old-timer recently declared, "Practically never have I heard a heated religious, political, or reform argument among A.A. members. So long as we don't argue these matters privately, it's a cinch we never shall publicly."

p. 176

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

"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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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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#2101

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Wed Nov 25, 2009 9:53 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/26

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 26, 2009

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

A New-Found Providence, p. 328

When dealing with a prospect of agnostic or atheistic bent, you had
better use everyday language to describe spiritual principles. There is
no use arousing any prejudice he may have against certain theological
terms and conceptions, about which he may already be confused.
Don't raise such issues, no matter what your own convictions are.

<< << << >> >> >>

Every man and woman who has joined A.A. and intends to stick has,
without realizing it, made a beginning on Step Three. Isn't it true that,
in all matters touching upon alcohol, each of them has decided to turn
his or her life over to the care, protection, and guidance of A.A.?

Already a willingness has been achieved to cast out one's own will and
one's own ideas about the alcohol problem in favor of those suggested
by A.A. Now if this is not turning one's will and life over to a
new-found "Providence," then what is it?

1. Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 93
2. 12 & 12, p. 35

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

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

Chapter 10 - To Employers

I well remember the shock I received when a prominent doctor in Chicago told me of cases where pressure of the spinal fluid actually ruptured the brain. No wonder an alcoholic is strangely irrational. Who wouldn’t be, with such a fevered brain? Normal drinkers are not so affected, nor can they understand the aberrations of the alcoholic.

p. 140

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Nine - "A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."

A.A. has to function, but at the same time it must avoid those dangers of great wealth, prestige, and entrenched power which necessarily tempt other societies. Though Tradition Nine at first sight seems to deal with a purely practical matter, in its actual operation it discloses a society without organization, animated only by the spirit of service--a true fellowship.

p. 175

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

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.

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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#2100

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Tue Nov 24, 2009 8:14 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/25

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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 25, 2009

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

Three Choices, p. 327

The immediate object of our quest is sobriety--freedom from alcohol
and from all its baleful consequences. Without this freedom, we have
nothing at all.

Paradoxically, though, we can achieve no liberation from the alcohol
obsession until we become willing to deal with those character defects
which have landed us in that helpless condition. In this freedom quest,
we are always given three choices.

A rebellious refusal to work upon our glaring defects can be an almost
certain ticket to destruction. Or, perhaps for a time, we can stay
sober with a minimum of self-improvement and settle ourselves into a
comfortable but often dangerous mediocrity. Or, finally, we can
continuously try hard for those sterling qualities that can add up to
fineness of spirit and action--true and lasting freedom under God.

Grapevine, November 1960

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

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

Chapter 10 - To Employers

Can you discard the feeling that you are dealing only with habit, with stubbornness, or a weak will? If this presents difficulty, re-reading chapters two and three, where alcoholic sickness is discussed at length might be worth while. You, as a business man, want to know the necessities before considering the result. If you concede that your employee is ill, can he be forgiven for what he has done in the past? Can his past absurdities be forgotten? Can it be appreciated that he has been a victim of crooked thinking, directly caused by the action of alcohol on his brain?

p. 140

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Nine - "A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."

Just as the aim of each A.A. member is personal sobriety, the aim of our services is to bring sobriety within reach of all who want it. If nobody does the group's chores, if the area's telephone rings unanswered, if we do not reply to our mail, then A.A. as we know it would stop. Our communications lines with those who need our help would be broken.

p. 175

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

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.

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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#2099

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Mon Nov 23, 2009 5:07 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/24

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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 24, 2009

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

Welcome Criticism, p. 326

"Thanks much for your letter of criticism: I'm certain that had it not
been for its strong critics, A.A. would have made slower progress.

"For myself, I have come to set a high value on the people who have
criticized me, whether they have seemed reasonable critics or
unreasonable ones. Both have often restrained me from doing much
worse than I actually have done. The unreasonable ones have taught
me, I hope, a little patience. But the reasonable ones have always
done a great job for all of A.A. and have taught me many a valuable
lesson."

Letter, 1955

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

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

Chapter 10 - To Employers

A look at the alcoholic in your organization is many times illuminating. Is he not usually brilliant, fast-thinking, imaginative and likable? When sober, does he not work hard and have a knack of getting things done? If he had these qualities and did not drink would he be worth retaining? Should he have the same consideration as other ailing employees? Is he worth salvaging? If your decision is yes, whether the reason be humanitarian or business or both, then the following suggestions may be helpful.

pp. 139-140

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Nine - "A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."

It is clear now that we ought never to name boards to govern us, but it is equally clear that we shall always need to authorize workers to serve us. It is the difference between the spirit of vested authority and the spirit of service, two concepts which are sometimes poles apart. It is in this spirit of service that we elect the A.A. group's informal rotating committee, the intergroup association for the area, and the General Service Conferences of Alcoholics Anonymous for A.A. as a whole. Even our Foundation, once an independent board, is today directly accountable to our Fellowship. Its trustees are the caretakers and expediters of our world services.

pp. 174-175

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

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.

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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#2098

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Mon Nov 23, 2009 4:08 pm
Subject: Thank You

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Hi Everyone, I just wanted to say thank you to all who made donations to
help out with the running expenses of the recovery sites.  It was very
much appreciated.

I still need a little bit more to be able to cover hosting expenses for
the sites which will be coming dued soon.  If anyone is interested in
helping with this please contact me by replying to this email.  If you
can't help that is ok also.

Thank you all for your help and support over the years!  Have a great
Thanksgiving!  :-)

Love,
Tammy

--
May God Bless You and Keep You!
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#2097

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Mon Nov 23, 2009 4:01 pm
Subject: Weekly Spiritual Readings - 11/27

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Weekly Spiritual Readings
November 27, 2009

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Christian Recovery Support Forums
The Recovery Internet Fellowship
Recovery Gifts Store
More Daily Recovery Readings
Daily Spiritual Meditations
Online AA Meetings - Held daily at 9:30 PM EDT

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

"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
I am bringing a conclusion to various aspects of your circumstances, but be aware that getting to the final result will continue for a time to be a process. There are still things that need to be dealt with before the final summation. Move through this process with faith and confidence that I am doing a good work and the results will be well pleasing to you and to Me, says the Lord. Let Me move you in this conclusive flow. Colossians 1:9-12 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

The way is clear, and the door is open for you to proceed. Go forth with confidence and assurance, for I am with you, says the Lord. It is time for you to possess all that has been prepared for you. Do not be afraid or doubt that you have been set aside for My purposes at this time and for this season. If you will yield to the moving of My Spirit, I will cause you to actualize your kingdom potential. Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."

Beloved, refuse to allow the voice of the enemy to bring discouragement and keep you from fulfilling your destiny in Me, says the Lord. I have called and chosen you to manifest My kingdom in this time and in this generation. You live in a critical age where darkness abounds, but My grace and truth abound even more. I will empower you to do the impossible, because with Me all things are possible. Only believe! Matthew 19:26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
The Lord says to you today, have you heard My Word? Have you heard My exhortation? Rise up My people. Gather yourselves up and dig for the waters of this season. Dig for the anointing that you have lost. Dig new wells of great and strong anointing, for indeed the anointing will bring the glory and the presence of My kingdom upon your life. Dig and drink. Sing to the well. Dig and drink. Dig and do not stop. Are you thirsty? Then dig. Are you thirsty? Then take a drink. For you will find that there is a river of life that flows through My kingdom where trees are planted. Therein lies the mystery and the secret of the promise of My living water. So I say today let all dryness be gone. You have walked through the valley of the shadow of death; you have walked through the wilderness; you have walked through the dry places, but now you are coming to the place of living water where springs bubble up out of the depth of My kingdom. Therefore, I say unto you, dig and drink. As you drink, life will again enter in to your temple. As you drink, wellness will again come. As you drink the powers of darkness will leave. As you drink the glory of the kingdom will manifest in you, and you will become strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. So, I say, drink. It is the season for the digging of the wells in the pattern and the type of those that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob dug. Use your faith as a shovel and dig and drink, says the Lord.

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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

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

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

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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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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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
Deuteronomy 7
A Chosen People
1 “When the LORD your God brings you into the land which you go to possess, and has cast out many nations before you, the Hittites and the Girgashites and the Amorites and the Canaanites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, seven nations greater and mightier than you, 2 and when the LORD your God delivers them over to you, you shall conquer them and utterly destroy them. You shall make no covenant with them nor show mercy to them. 3 Nor shall you make marriages with them. You shall not give your daughter to their son, nor take their daughter for your son. 4 For they will turn your sons away from following Me, to serve other gods; so the anger of the LORD will be aroused against you and destroy you suddenly. 5 But thus you shall deal with them: you shall destroy their altars, and break down their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images,[a] and burn their carved images with fire. 6 “For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth. 7 The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; 8 but because the LORD loves you, and because He would keep the oath which He swore to your fathers, the LORD has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.
9 “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; 10 and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face. 11 Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them.
Blessings of Obedience
12 “Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the LORD your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers. 13 And He will love you and bless you and multiply you; He will also bless the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your land, your grain and your new wine and your oil, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flock, in the land of which He swore to your fathers to give you. 14 You shall be blessed above all peoples; there shall not be a male or female barren among you or among your livestock. 15 And the LORD will take away from you all sickness, and will afflict you with none of the terrible diseases of Egypt which you have known, but will lay them on all those who hate you. 16 Also you shall destroy all the peoples whom the LORD your God delivers over to you; your eye shall have no pity on them; nor shall you serve their gods, for that will be a snare to you. 17 “If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’— 18 you shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt: 19 the great trials which your eyes saw, the signs and the wonders, the mighty hand and the outstretched arm, by which the LORD your God brought you out. So shall the LORD your God do to all the peoples of whom you are afraid. 20 Moreover the LORD your God will send the hornet among them until those who are left, who hide themselves from you, are destroyed. 21 You shall not be terrified of them; for the LORD your God, the great and awesome God, is among you. 22 And the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you little by little; you will be unable to destroy them at once, lest the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. 23 But the LORD your God will deliver them over to you, and will inflict defeat upon them until they are destroyed. 24 And He will deliver their kings into your hand, and you will destroy their name from under heaven; no one shall be able to stand against you until you have destroyed them. 25 You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire; you shall not covet the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it for yourselves, lest you be snared by it; for it is an abomination to the LORD your God. 26 Nor shall you bring an abomination into your house, lest you be doomed to destruction like it. You shall utterly detest it and utterly abhor it, for it is an accursed thing.

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

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.christianrecoverysupport.com/forums/index.php?/topic/112-how-to-ask-jesus-into-your-life/ .
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#2096

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sun Nov 22, 2009 8:52 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/23

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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 23, 2009

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

Humility Brings Hope, p. 325

Now that we no longer patronize bars and bordellos, now that we bring
home the pay checks, now that we are so very active in A.A., and now
that people congratulate us on these signs of progress--well, we
naturally proceed to congratulate ourselves. Of course, we are not
yet within hailing distance of humility.

<< << << >> >> >>

We ought to be willing to try humility in seeking the removal of our
other shortcomings, just as we did when we admitted that we were
powerless over alcohol, and came to believe that a Power greater than
ourselves could restore us to sanity.

If humility could enable us to find the grace by which the deadly
alcohol obsession could be banished, then there must be hope of the
same result respecting any other problem we can possibly have.

1. Grapevine, June 1961
2. 12 & 12, p. 76

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

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

Chapter 10 - To Employers

When dealing with an alcoholic, there may be a natural annoyance that a man could be so weak, stupid and irresponsible. Even when you understand the malady better, you may feel this feeling rising.

p. 139

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Nine - "A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."

The same stern threat applies to the group itself. Unless there is approximate conformity to A.A.'s Twelve Traditions, the group, too, can deteriorate and die. So we of A.A. do obey spiritual principles, first because we must, and ultimately because we love the kind of life such obedience brings. Great suffering and great love are A.A.'s disciplinarians; we need no others.

p. 174

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

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.

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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#2095

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sat Nov 21, 2009 11:01 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/22

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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 22, 2009

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

Spirituality and Money, p. 324

Some of us still ask, "Just what is this Third Legacy business anyhow?
And just how much territory does "service" take in?"

Let's begin with my own sponsor, Ebby. When Ebby heard how serious
my drinking was, he resolved to visit me. He was in New York; I was in
Brooklyn. His resolve was not enough; he had to take action and he had
to spend money.

He called me on the phone and then got into the subway; total cost, ten
cents. At the level of the telephone booth and subway turnstile,
spirituality and money began to mix. One without the other would have
amounted to nothing at all.

Right then and there, Ebby established the principle that A.A. in action
calls for the sacrifice of much time and a little money.

A.A. Comes Of Age, pp. 140-141

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

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

Chapter 10 - To Employers

If you desire to help it might be well to disregard your own drinking, or lack of it. Whether you are a hard drinker, a moderate drinker or a teetotaler, you may have some pretty strong opinions, perhaps prejudices. Those who drink moderately may be more annoyed with an alcoholic than a total abstainer would be. Drinking occasionally, and understanding your own reactions, it is possible for you to become quite sure of many things which, so far as the alcoholic is concerned, are not always so. As a moderate drinker, you can take your liquor or leave it alone. Whenever you want to, you control your drinking. Of an evening, you can go on a mild bender, get up in the morning, shake your head and go to business. To you, liquor is no real problem. You cannot see why it should be to anyone else, save the spineless and stupid.

p. 139

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Nine - "A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."

At this juncture, we can hear a churchman exclaim, "They are making disobedience a virtue!" He is joined by a psychiatrist who says, "Defiant brats! They won't grow up and conform to social usage!" The man in the street say, "I don't understand it. They must be nuts!" But all these observers have overlooked something unique in Alcoholics Anonymous. Unless each A.A. member follows to the best of his ability our suggested Twelve Steps to recovery, he almost certainly signs his own death warrant. His drunkenness and dissolution are not penalties inflicted by people in authority; they result from his personal disobedience to spiritual principles.

p. 174

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

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.

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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#2094

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Fri Nov 20, 2009 7:38 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/21

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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 21, 2009

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

Groping Toward God, p. 323

"More than most people, I think, alcoholics want to know who they
are, what this life is about, whether they have a divine origin and an
appointed destiny, and whether there is a system of cosmic justice and
love.

"It is the experience of many of us in the early stages of drinking to
feel that we have had glimpses of the Absolute and a heightened
feeling of identification with the cosmos. While these glimpses and
feelings doubtless have a validity, they are deformed and finally swept
away in the chemical, spiritual, and emotional damage wrought by the
alcohol itself.

"In A.A., and in many religious approaches, alcoholics find a great deal
more of what they merely glimpse and felt while trying to grope their
way toward God in alcohol."

Letter, 1960

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

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

Chapter 10 - To Employers

Presently the man did slip and was fired. Following his discharge, we contacted him. Without much ado, he accepted the principles and procedure that had helped us. To me, this incident illustrates lack of understanding as to what really ails the alcoholic, and lack of knowledge as to what part employers might profitably take in salvaging their sick employees.

p. 139

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Nine - "A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."

You might think A.A.'s headquarters in New York would be an exception. Surely, the people there would have to have some authority. But long ago, trustees and staff members alike found they could do no more than make suggestions, and very mild ones at that. They even had to coin a couple of sentences which still go into half the letters they write: "Of course, you are at perfect liberty to handle this matter any way you please. But the majority experience in A.A. does seem to suggest . . . " Now, that attitude is far removed from central government, isn't it? We recognize that alcoholics can't be dictated to--individually or collectively.

pp. 173-174

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

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.

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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#2093

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Thu Nov 19, 2009 10:31 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/20

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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 20, 2009

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

Easy Does It--But Do It, p. 322

Procrastination is really sloth in five syllables.

<< << << >> >> >>

"My observation is that some people can get by with a certain amount of
postponement, but few can live with outright rebellion."

<< << << >> >> >>

"We have succeeded in confronting many a problem drinker with that
awful alternative, 'This we A.A.'s do, or we die.' Once this much is
firmly in his mind, more drinking only turns the coil tighter.

"As many an alcoholic has said, 'I came to the place where it was either
into A.A. or out the window. So here I am!"

1. 12 & 12, p. 67
2. Letter, 1952

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

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

Chapter 10 - To Employers

I wanted to throw up my hands in discouragement, for I saw that I had failed to help my banker friend understand. He simply could not believe that his brother-executive suffered from a serious illness. There was nothing to do but wait.

pp. 138-139

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Nine - "A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."

Yet Alcoholics Anonymous is an exception. It does not conform to this pattern. Neither its General Service Conference, its Foundation Board,* nor the humblest group committee can issue a single directive to an A.A. member and make it stick, let alone mete out any punishment. We've tried it lots of times, but utter failure is always the result. Groups have tried to expel members, but the banished have come back to sit in the meeting place, saying "This is life for us; you can't keep us out." Committees have instructed many an A.A. to stop working on a chronic backslider, only to be told: "How I do my Twelfth Step work is my business. Who are you to judge?" This doesn't mean an A.A. won't take advice or suggestions from more experienced members, but he surely won't take orders. Who is more unpopular than the old-time A.A., full of wisdom, who moves to another area and tries to tell the group there how to run its business? He and all like him who "view with alarm for the good of A.A." meet the most stubborn resistance or, worse still, laughter.

*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.

p. 173

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

"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.

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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#2092

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Thu Nov 19, 2009 3:31 pm
Subject: Weekly Spiritual Readings - 11/20

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Weekly Spiritual Readings
November 20, 2009

Christian Recovery Support Forums
The Recovery Internet Fellowship
Recovery Gifts Store
More Daily Recovery Readings
Daily Spiritual Meditations
Online AA Meetings - Held daily at 9:30 PM EDT

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

God invites us to use what we have for the good of others.

God's strength comes to us one day at a time.

God never forgets us.

God uses us in the way God needs us.

God most often shows His love for us through others.

God’s help is only a prayer away.

God never changes.

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

Learning From the Hard Times by Stan Mitchell
What is the first thing we usually say when hard times strike? Be honest! We usually ask, "God, why did you do this to me?"
Right?
Well, sometimes, God did do it to you. Surprised?
When the book of Proverbs speaks of hard times, it usually refers to the kind that is self-imposed. "Whoever despises [instruction]," Solomon declares, "brings destruction on himself" (Proverbs 13:13).
Laziness brings about poverty, mean-spiritedness and resentment. Moreover, a failure to listen to God's instructions brings sorrow.
But not all suffering is the result of our own foolishness. Sometimes it comes from the loving, but disciplining hand of God. And far from God's abandonment, it is a sign of our relationship with him.
"My son, do not despise the Lord's discipline or be weary of his reproof, for the Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights" (Proverbs 3:11,12, ESV).
When hard times come, don't automatically assume that God has abandoned you, human as that conclusion might be. Ask yourself if it's not a sign of his love, and begin to look for the lessons you can learn from the
situation!

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

We want to be spiritually grown, but we don't like growing because growing hurts.
Growing can be painful. For example, some children have "growing pains" because of their rapid growth.
This can also be true spiritually. Specifically, God may stretch you by putting uncomfortable circumstances in your life. Why? He uses the hard times to stretch your faith, your patience, and your love. This stretching is what causes growth: "For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Corinthians 4:17).
In other words, God uses the difficult circumstances in your life to cause you to grow closer to Him. If you look back over your life, you'll probably notice that the times you grew the most spiritually were often the times that were the most difficult.
If, however, you fight against the hard circumstances in your life, then you will never fully grow up. So, instead of fighting against life, take the advice of James 1:2-4: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Decide to press on and go through so that your faith may grow. Go through the hard times in life trusting God, and then you will grow to be "mature and complete, not lacking anything." Weekly Wisdom

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

The type of seed you sow determines the type of harvest you'll reap.
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously (2 Corinthians 9:6). This verse clearly states that whatever seed you sow determines the harvest you'll reap. In other words, you can't expect to reap good rewards if you sow bad seeds.
Proverbs 11:18 says, The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward. Likewise, he who sows wickedness reaps trouble (Proverbs 22:8).
Even when things may appear to be going poorly and it doesn't look like you'll ever reap a good harvest, this principle of sowing and reaping remains true. If you Sow for yourselves righteousness, then you will reap the fruit of unfailing love (Hosea 10:12).
You may have to wait a bit to reap that harvest; in fact, you may even need to wait a long time -- maybe many, many years -- for a harvest. As Galatians 6:7-8 says, you will reap what you sow: Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.
This Biblical principle of sowing and reaping is nicely summarized by Obadiah 1:15: As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head.
Therefore, sow good seeds; then, after you wait upon the Lord, you will reap a far better harvest. Author Unknown

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

SOME THROUGH THE FIRE AND SOME THROUGH THE FLOOD By Lillian Wolff
The Bible has a lot to say about fire and water. In fact, I heard on the news a few weeks back that there were more than 90 forest fires burning at the same time. Many of them are in California. Beautiful and expensive homes have been destroyed throughout the years because of the fires. Having lived in California, I understand just how that could happen. Especially in the southern area, it is very dry there. There is a song that says, “It never rains in California but….”. It doesn’t rain often, but I do recall that when it does rain it pours.
In other parts of our country beautiful homes are often destroyed because of rain and flooding. Many of our possessions are destroyed because there is no vegetation to hold the water back. These two elements, fire and water, are extremely dangerous and are not to be taken lightly.
When God began to describe the trials of the saints he likened them unto fiery trials and raging floods. Psalm 66:12 -- “We went through the fire and through water, but thou brought us out into a wealthy place.” Isn’t that a comforting scripture? Most of us know what the experiences of going through the fire and the floods are like. Sometimes when the fire subsides, we then go through the flood and we feel that we will surely be either reduced to spiritual ashes or drown in the waters of sorrow. But it is good to know that God is going to bring His children through and when He does he is going to set us in a wealthy place.
Does that mean we might win the lottery or have some big windfall of unexpected money? No, my friend, most of us will never be wealthy as far as money is concerned. But there are more things that denote wealth other than money. There is a wealthy place in the Lord. What about a satisfied mind, filled with peace? That is more valuable than gold. What about health and healing? They are priceless. What about the ability to think and comprehend? What about that precious book of promises called the Word of God? What about the ability to come before the Lord in prayer? All of these are wealthy things that the Lord has provided for us. And these are just a few.
I would like to point out that the word says “through”. We are not meant to stay in the fire or the flood always. God has brought us through or he is in the process of bringing us through. It will be for His glory and honor. So as I said in a previous devotional have “hupomone”! Endurance!!

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

Overcoming the Obstacles
How would you describe somebody who was an accomplished pianist at ten, a professional organist at 11, had compositions published at 13, and was a member of the royal court musical staff at 14? Privileged? Born with a silver spoon in his mouth? Hardly! Ludwig van Beethoven was a black-haired, swarthy-complexioned, pockmarked boy who endured taunts and name calling in his hometown along the Rhine River, an area of mostly blond, fair-skinned children. His alcoholic father decided that Ludwig would support him, so he made him a slave to the keyboard. Looking back, Beethoven couldn't recall a single moment of childhood happiness. His life was comprised of work, tears, beatings and angry tirades.
In his twenties he encountered another more insidious enemy: deafness. When he could no longer play publicly he put all his energies into composing. His years of deafness were his most prolific. Although at the time his works weren't well received, he influenced many of the great composers like Brahms, Wagner and Schubert. Nearing death and recognizing that the world had never fully understood or appreciated him and his music, he said with a smile, "I shall hear in Heaven."
When life knocks you down don't stay down, bounce back! Everybody stumbles or gets knocked off their feet from time to time; the winners are just the ones who keep getting back up! That's what Paul meant when he said, "In all these things we are more than conquerors." (Romans 8:37) If you pray and look hard enough, you'll find the seed of good in every adversity (See Genesis 50:20). The difference between winners and losers is their ability to turn stumbling blocks into stepping stones. Author Unknown

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

The HERMIT CRAB by David Wilkerson.
King David, the author of so many Psalms, grew weary of his struggles. He was so tired in soul, so embattled and beset by troubles, all he wanted was to escape to a place of peace and safety: "My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me... And I said, Oh that I had wings like a dove! For then would I fly away, and be at rest... I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest" (Psalm 55:4-8).
A lesson from nature reveals what happens when we trade the good fight for an easier way and walk away from our struggle. I recently read a biologist's study on crabs, creatures that live in a rough, dangerous environment among jagged rocks. Crabs are dashed about daily by waves and attacked on every side by creatures from deeper waters. They battle continually to protect themselves, and over time they develop a strong shell and powerful instincts for survival.
Amazingly, some in the crab family give up the struggle for life. Searching for a safe haven, they take up residence in the cast-off shells of other ocean creature. These crabs are known as hermit crabs. Settling for safety, they retreat from the battle and escape into secondhand houses that are ready-made.
But hermit crabs' "safe houses" prove to be costly and ruinous. Through their lack of struggle, crucial parts of their bodies deteriorate. Even their organs wither due to lack of use. Over time the hermit crab loses all power of motion, as well as vital parts needed for escape. These limbs simply fall off, leaving the crab out of danger but useless to do anything except exist.
Meanwhile, crabs that continued the struggle grow and flourish. Their five pairs of legs become meaty and strong from resisting the powerful tides. And they learn to hide from their predators by skillfully scuttling under rock formations.
This law of nature, too, illustrates the law of the Spirit. As believers, we get tossed and pounded by wave after wave of difficulties. We face vicious predators in Satan's principalities and powers. But as we fight on, we grow stronger. And we come to recognize the devil's wiles when he employs them against us. We discover our true refuge, the "cleft in the rock," by trusting in Jesus. Only then are we truly safe in the midst of our battle.

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

What is Forgiveness?
Forgiveness—it is something we all know we need. When God forgives us, He removes our sins as far as the east is from the west—never to be remembered against us again (Psalm 103:12). Jesus helps us understand that if we really grasped the depth of God’s forgiveness, we would forgive others (Matthew 18:21-35). He even tells us that if we don’t forgive those who have offended us, our Father in Heaven won’t forgive us (Matthew 6:14,15). But what does it look like for you and me to forgive those who have hurt us?
Many wrong ideas influence our thoughts about forgiveness; ideas like:
* I don’t have to forgive if the person who has hurt me doesn’t ask for forgiveness.
* If I forgive them, it will condone their sinful behavior.
* Forgiveness means that the relationship is restored and trust is rebuilt.
* Forgiveness means that I don’t remember the pain or have any negative feelings about the person who has hurt me.
Have you ever been confused by these ideas, or by your feelings? I know I have. Several years ago, someone hurt our family. I knew I needed to forgive them and I prayed fervently for the Lord to help me. But I wasn’t sure how to know if I had really forgiven them. When I saw them, I would get an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach. Those feelings would cause me to question if I had actually forgiven them.
Rick Warren describes forgiveness in a very tangible way, in the 40 Days of Love* videos. He says forgiveness is three things:
* relinquishing my rights to get even,
* responding to evil with good, and
* repeating those two things as many times as necessary.
Warren also helps us to understand that forgiveness happens in a moment, but trust must be rebuilt over time. And in order for there to be a healthy relationship, the offender must also make some changes.
I have come to understand that the choice to forgive says a great deal about the spiritual condition of the person. George Wood in his newest book, Living in the Spirit, says it this way: “When you ‘bump’ a genuinely Spirit-filled person, you will get love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, and self-control. But when you ‘bump’ a person who professes to be Spirit-filled but doesn’t have the evidence, out will come meanness, nastiness, bitterness, and hostility.”
Understanding these truths about forgiveness is helpful. These choices have nothing to do with our feelings. Of course we will remember the pain of hurtful situations. And human relationships change when a person intentionally hurts us. But we can be obedient to the command to forgive. Remember, when you choose to give up your rights to get even, you are forgiving. When you are depending upon the Holy Spirit to respond to evil with His goodness, you are obeying Jesus’ command to forgive.
Be encouraged—when you choose to obey, your feelings will eventually come around. Someone recently said to me, “You can never feel your way into right behavior, but you can behave your way into right feelings.” Author Unknown

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

Keep Preparing Yourself
I have seen a son of Jesse... who is skillful... 1 Samuel 16:18 NKJV
David didn't suddenly become an expert marksman with a slingshot when Goliath showed up, or a master harpist when King Saul invited him to the palace. He took the long, slow, disciplined route. David had no idea what his future held, he simply found joy and fulfillment in discovering and developing his gifts. Your greatest obstacle to personal growth isn't ignorance; it's the illusion of knowledge. It's in believing you've 'arrived.' When that happens you're done growing, which means you're done! Which zone do you live in? The challenge zone: 'I attempt to do what I haven't done before.' The comfort zone: 'I only do what I already know I can do.' The coasting zone: 'I don't even do what I've done before.' Phillips Brooks said, 'Sad is the day for any man when he becomes absolutely satisfied with the life he is living, the thoughts he is thinking, and the things he is doing; when there ceases to be forever beating at the doors of his soul a desire to do something larger which he seeks and knows he was meant and intended to do.'
David's brothers knew his skills, yet none of them told King Saul about him. Be encouraged; you'll get there without them! 'Then one of [Saul's] servants… said, "Look, I have seen a son of Jesse… who is skilful in playing, a mighty man of valour… "' (1 Samuel 16:18 NKJV)David didn't compete with his brothers or complain about his status as a sheepherder. He just kept developing his relationship with God and sharpening his skills, and when the time was right God promoted him. So, keep preparing yourself. The Vine

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Refuse To Be Afraid
Live each moment by faith and refuse to be afraid.
As wars continue around the world, we must remember our true battles are not against flesh and blood - not against terrorism or deceptive governments, nor an oppressive boss or unappreciative spouse - but "against the spiritual forces of evil in the Heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:12). The true battles occur in a world which is real, but unseen; and yet, the battles we see and hear everywhere we turn are the ones which tend to consume our thoughts and cause us to become angry...and to fear.
As Jesus was teaching and healing around the Sea of Galilee, large crowds of people began to come out to Him. One evening, Jesus decided to leave the crowds behind and sail with His disciples to the other side of the sea. As Jesus slept in the back of the boat, a terrible storm soon developed. The disciples woke Jesus and cried out in fear, "Teacher, don't You care if we drown?" (Mark 4:38).
Mark 4:39-40 "He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to His disciples, 'Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?'"
The disciples had seen Jesus cure a man with leprosy, heal a paralytic, and teach with the authority of Almighty God; but now they thought Jesus didn't care. When Jesus rose, He rebuked the storm as well as His disciples. These men who were chosen to walk with the Son of God were now accused by Jesus of being afraid and living without faith.
This same event occurs in our life today. Jesus climbs into our boat and directs us to a distant shore. We've heard about His miracles so we joyfully cast off, expecting a smooth sail. Suddenly, the wind begins to blow and the waves turn white - this is probably not the voyage we had in mind. No longer able to see the shore, we begin to wonder why we ever set sail. Did we really hear His voice? And in our desperation we pathetically cry out, "Don't You care if we drown?" ... Is our faith really so weak?
In the midst of our fears, we must remember that He is the same God who created the Heavens and the earth, sent His Son to die for our sins, and gave us His Spirit "with whom we were sealed for the day of redemption" (Ephesians 4:30). He is the same God who chose us to walk by His side!
Jesus is still committed to our journey, and still in complete control. In His perfect timing He will calm ALL the wind and waves - ALL the roaring seas. When doubts begin to surface, we must draw even closer, hold on even tighter, and trust Him even deeper. No matter what battles we see with our eyes and hear with our ears, we must be determined to live each moment by faith and refuse to be afraid. Have a Christ Centered Day! Steve Troxel

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Small Straws In A Soft Wind by Marsha Burns
You are now sensing and know in your spirit and soul that there has been a well-defined change from the past that has been in process over the past months. I already made you aware that I am doing a new thing in your life and the lives of My people, and you accepted that word by faith. But now, you can actually discern the change and see it with your eyes. Expect to have a short break or lull, but be aware that if you don't understand what this is or why it is happening, you may feel disoriented. This is a time to draw close to Me, says the Lord, put your faith in Me and rest. Romans 14:22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God.

Every deterrent is being blown away by the wind of My Spirit. And, in this new season you will begin to see and experience My presence in a more powerful way. As you allow distractions to be swept away and your focus on Me to be uninterrupted, you will enter this time of spiritual vitality and growth. There is an air of expectancy in the realm of the spirit. Go forth with a sense of purpose and boldness, says the Lord. Psalms 138:3 In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul.

As, I waited in the presence of the Lord, I found myself craving routine and a sense of stability in circumstances. But, the Lord broke in and said, "I am still shaking many of your places of comfort because they represent areas where you have become stale and religious. I want to bring a fresh wind that will stir renewed interest and excitement in the work that I am doing as opposed to what you are doing! Too many of My people have taken great pride in believing they possess special knowledge, which they use to elevate themselves in the Kingdom. But, I'm looking for those with humble, open, and hungry hearts. They are the ones I will use mightily in this next season. Let My wind blow and let go of thoughts of routine and comfort. Arise to a new level of adventure and expectation."
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.

Beloved, because of your faithful prayers and strong stand against the wiles of the devil, the pall of oppression is lifting. The light of righteousness is piercing the thick gloom of darkness. I call you forth into healing, restoration, and renewal. It is time for you to emerge from the caves and shadows where you have hidden yourselves, and come into the light of a new day, says the Lord. Romans 13:12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

The enemy has launched an attack against you, My people, to cause confusion, misunderstandings, miscommunication and hindrances. You must rise up in the spirit realm and shut the door on this attack and call forth a clearing of the air ways. And, I will give you clarity and open the door and clear the way for you to proceed unhindered, says the Lord. Be diligent to wage a good warfare. Victory is assured. 1 Timothy 1:18 This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare.

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The Trumpet by Bill Burns
"Set the trumpet to your mouth!" Hosea 8:1
I'm the Lord who watches over you. Do not forget it, for I have spoken in My word that I would be with you always. Even though the enemy would try to convince you otherwise, I say to you that I am here and I am with you and I will walk with you. I will produce in you the water of life, the water that flows out of your innermost being. So come and walk with me. Dare to believe that those things that you have heard in these days shall come to pass in your life. Dare to believe what I have called you to be. Walk in the power of My Spirit. For each season has its own power and each season has its own anointing, says the Lord. Walk in the power of this season where a greater flow of My spirit will come forth. John 7:38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

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Love And Compassion
Lord help me to show your love to others
just as you have shown your love for me;
Help me reach out to those who are lost and hurting
and lift them up to you lovingly.
Help me not to turn away from one
who needs a helping hand;
To be there for those who are tired and weary
and show them I care and understand.
To be an example of you my Lord
and reach out in compassion and in love;
Helping them to see that they too can receive,
when they give themselves willingly to their Father above.
Help me oh Lord that I'll never
be guilty of biasness or bigotry;
That I'll not forget where I came from
and what a great price you paid for me.
Helen Johnson

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

Today
A new day is dawning,
the sun's coming out,
while I'm sitting here wondering
what my life's all about.
Have I made a difference,
have I done all I should?
Or is there something more, I
could do if I would?
Have I made someone happy
just being there?
Have I shown it in action
telling them that I care!
Have I shown someone kindness,
with a touch or a smile,
Taken time to listen for
just a little while?
Have I said that I love you
to someone today,
and taken some time
to kneel down and pray?
Have I reached out to others
with a helping hand
just letting them know that
I understand?
Lord, help me to make
the most of each day
By helping others who
pass my way!
Don't let my self pride
come between you and me
or keep me from listening
and following thee.
You have given to me
this lovely new day;
Help me make the most of it,
for this Lord, I pray!
Helen Johnson

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

And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18

I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name. 1 John 2:12

The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward. Proverbs 11:18

Do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

The Lord says, "I will come to you and save you." Jeremiah 30:11

We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

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

On Living Simply
“Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil” (Proverbs 15:16, NIV).
Ask any rich person, and he or she will tell you that money won’t make you happy. As a matter of fact, the stress and anxiety of keeping all that money and maintaining all that stuff can easily steal what joy you had in the first place. But we don’t really want to hear that. We think if we could just have bigger house or a car that doesn’t always break down or a family vacation to Disney World, then we’d be satisfied. In reality, there will always be more stuff to want. The only thing that will truly satisfy is a personal relationship with the One who created us. If we have that, we’ll be satisfied with very little—or, perhaps even more when we have a whole lot.
God, open my eyes to see all of Your blessings around me. Give me a grateful heart, and make me a person who thanks You and praises You often. Teach me to be content in any situation, knowing that all I really need is You. Reprinted from The Busy Mom’s Guide to Wisdom by Lisa Whelchel

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

Words To Live By
The glory of old men is... [wisdom and experience]. Proverbs 20:29 AMP
The Bible says: "The glory of old men is… wisdom and experience," so listen up! An elderly man gives us words to live by: "Time has a way of catching you unawares. It seems like yesterday I was young, just married and embarking on my new life. Where did the years go? I know I've lived them all, and I get 'glimpses' of how it was back then… my hopes and dreams. But here it is… the winter of my life… How did I get here so fast? I remember seeing older people and thinking winter was so far off I couldn't fathom or imagine it. But here it is… my friends are retired and getting grey… they move slower… I see great changes. I remember when they were young and vibrant, now we're the 'old folks' we never thought we'd become. Each day I find that taking a shower is a real target, and taking a nap isn't a treat anymore, it's mandatory, otherwise I fall asleep where I'm sitting! I'm unprepared for the aches, pains, and the loss of strength and ability to do the things I wish I'd done and didn't. Winter's here and I'm not sure how long it will last. If you're not there yet, let me remind you it'll be here faster than you think. Whatever you'd like to accomplish in your life… do it today. Don't put it off, because you can never be sure if this is your winter. There's no guarantee you'll see every season of life, so say all the things you want your loved ones to remember. Your life is a gift from God, how you live it is your gift to Him and ensuing generations." The Word For Today

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Tenth Step Prayer
God, I pray I may continue: To grow in understanding and effectiveness; To take daily spot check inventories of myself; To correct mistakes when I make them; To take responsibility for my actions; To be ever aware of my negative and Self-defeating attitudes & behaviors; To keep my willfulness in check; To always remember I need Your help; To keep love & tolerance of others as my code; and To continue in daily prayer how I can best serve You.

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Read Through The Bible
Deuteronomy 6
The Greatest Commandment
1 “Now this is the commandment, and these are the statutes and judgments which the LORD your God has commanded to teach you, that you may observe them in the land which you are crossing over to possess, 2 that you may fear the LORD your God, to keep all His statutes and His commandments which I command you, you and your son and your grandson, all the days of your life, and that your days may be prolonged. 3 Therefore hear, O Israel, and be careful to observe it, that it may be well with you, and that you may multiply greatly as the LORD God of your fathers has promised you—‘a land flowing with milk and honey.’ 4 “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5 You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Caution Against Disobedience
10 “So it shall be, when the LORD your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, 11 houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— 12 then beware, lest you forget the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage. 13 You shall fear the LORD your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name. 14 You shall not go after other gods, the gods of the peoples who are all around you 15 (for the LORD your God is a jealous God among you), lest the anger of the LORD your God be aroused against you and destroy you from the face of the earth. 16 “You shall not tempt the LORD your God as you tempted Him in Massah. 17 You shall diligently keep the commandments of the LORD your God, His testimonies, and His statutes which He has commanded you. 18 And you shall do what is right and good in the sight of the LORD, that it may be well with you, and that you may go in and possess the good land of which the LORD swore to your fathers, 19 to cast out all your enemies from before you, as the LORD has spoken.
20 “When your son asks you in time to come, saying, ‘What is the meaning of the testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments which the LORD our God has commanded you?’ 21 then you shall say to your son: ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, and the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand; 22 and the LORD showed signs and wonders before our eyes, great and severe, against Egypt, Pharaoh, and all his household. 23 Then He brought us out from there, that He might bring us in, to give us the land of which He swore to our fathers. 24 And the LORD commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that He might preserve us alive, as it is this day. 25 Then it will be righteousness for us, if we are careful to observe all these commandments before the LORD our God, as He has commanded us.’

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Eleventh Step Prayer
God. I pray to keep my connection with You Open and clear from the confusion of daily life. Through my prayers & meditation I ask especially for Freedom from self-will, rationalization, & wishful thinking. I pray for the guidance of correct thought and positive action. Your will God, not mine, be done.

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.christianrecoverysupport.com/forums/index.php?/topic/112-how-to-ask-jesus-into-your-life/ .
Jesus is calling you to live a life that matters.

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#2091

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Wed Nov 18, 2009 9:44 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/19

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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 19, 2009

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

Results of Prayer, p. 321

As the doubter tries the process of prayer, he should begin to add up
the results. If he persists, he will most surely find more serenity, more
tolerance, less fear, and less anger. He will acquire a quiet courage,
the kind that isn't tension-ridden. He can look at "failure" and
"success" for what these really are. Problems and calamity will begin
to mean his instruction, instead of his destruction. He will feel freer
and saner.

The idea that he may have been hypnotizing himself by autosuggestion
will become laughable. His sense of purpose and of direction will
increase. His anxieties will commence to fade. His physical health will
be likely to improve. Wonderful and unaccountable things will start to
happen. Twisted relations in his family and on the outside will improve
surprisingly.

Grapevine, June 1958

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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.

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Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 10 - To Employers

The only answer I could make was that if the man followed the usual pattern, he would go on a bigger bust than ever. I felt this was inevitable and wondered if the bank was doing the man an injustice. Why not bring him into contact with some of our alcoholic crowd? He might have a chance. I pointed out that I had had nothing to drink whatever for three years, and this in the face of difficulties that would have made nine out of ten men drink their heads off. Why not at least afford him an opportunity to hear my story? “Oh no,” said my friend, “this chap is either through with liquor, or he is minus a job. If he has your will power and guts, he will make the grade.”

p. 138

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Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Nine - "A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."

Well, let's see. Did anyone ever hear of a nation, a church, a political party, even a benevolent association that had no membership rules? Did anyone ever hear of a society which couldn't somehow discipline its members and enforce obedience to necessary rules and regulations? Doesn't nearly every society on earth give authority to some of its members to impose obedience upon the rest and to punish or expel offenders? Therefore, every nation, in fact every form of society, has to be a government administered by human beings. Power to direct or govern is the essence of organization everywhere.

p. 172

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

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

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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.

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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#2090

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Tue Nov 17, 2009 9:41 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/18

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 18, 2009

Daily Reflections

A SAFETY NET

Occasionally. . . 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.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 105

Sometimes I scream, stomp my feet, and turn my back on my Higher
Power. Then my disease tells me that I am a failure, and that if I stay
angry I'll surely get drunk. In those moments of self-will it's as if I've
slipped over a cliff and am hanging by one hand. The above passage
is my safety net, in that it urges me to try some new behavior, such as
being kind and patient with myself. It assures me that my Higher
Power will wait until I am willing once again to risk letting go, to land
in the net, and to pray.

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

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I have got over my procrastination. I was always putting
things off till tomorrow and as a result that never got
done. "There is always another day" was my motto instead
of "Do it now." Under the influence of alcohol, I had
grandiose plans. When I was sober I was too busy getting
over my drunk to start anything. "Some day I'll do that"
-- but I never did it. In A.A. I have learned it's better
to make a mistake once in a while than to never do
anything at all. We learn by trial and error. But we must
act now and not put it off until tomorrow. Have I learned
to do it now?

Meditation For The Day

"Do not hide your light under a bushel. Arise and shine,
for the light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen
in thee." The glory of the Lord shines in the beauty of a
man's character. It is risen in you, even though you can
realize it only in part. "Now you see as in a glass darkly,
but later you will see face to face." The glory of the Lord
is too dazzling for mortals to see fully on earth. But some
of this glory is risen in you when you try to reflect that
light in your life.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may try to be a reflection of the Divine Light.
I pray that some of its rays may shine in my life.

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

As Bill Sees It

Running The Whole Show, p. 320

Most people try to live by self-propulsion. Each person is like an actor
who wants to run the whole show and is forever trying to arrange the
lights, the scenery, and the rest of the players in his own way. If his
arrangements would only stay put, if only people would do as he
wished, the show would be great.

What usually happens? The show doesn't come off very well.
Admitting he may be somewhat at fault, he is sure that other people
are more to blame. He becomes angry, indignant, self-pitying.

Is he not really a self-seeker even when trying to be useful? Is he not
a victim of the delusion that he can wrest satisfaction and happiness
out of this world if he only manages well?

Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 60-61

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

Walk In Dry Places

The old friends who dropped us.
Personal relations.
As our drinking progressed, most of us lost old friends. Sometimes it was our behavior that drove them away; at other times, it was because they didn't want to associate with "losers."
In sobriety, some of our old friendships have been restored. These are real friendships based on trust and true affection.
But sobriety can also give us a deeper and finer understanding of friendships. We may acquire a new set of values on this subject. We may find that some of those whom we considered friends were only fair-weather drinking acquaintances.
Drinking acquaintances will probably ease away from us if we really means business in staying sober. This need not bother us if we're thinking rightly.
The great news in all of this is that in the fellowship, we'll be making some of the best friends we can ever have. We'll also learn how to be great friends with ourselves.
In my thinking about friendship today, I'll seek people I trust and like, not people I can use.

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

Keep It Simple

Life is short: live it up. Nikita
We won't stay sober long unless it's more fun than using chemicals.
The truth is, using chemicals wasn't fun anymore. It was work. We just
told ourselves it was still fun.
So live it up! Try new things. Meet new friends. Try new foods. Taking
risks and having adventures are a basic human need. So go for it.
Sobriety is fun. Living a spiritual life is fun. Get out there and live!
Prayer for the day: Higher Power ,teach me to play. Teach me to have fun. Teach me to live!
Action for the day: Today is for fun. I'll try something new. I'll see how many people
I can get to smile. And I'll celebrate the fact that I'm sober.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 10 - To Employers

Here, for instance, is a typical example: An officer of one of the largest banking institutions in America knows I no longer drink. One day he told me about an executive of the same bank who, from his description, was undoubtedly alcoholic. This seemed to me like an opportunity to be helpful, so I spent two hours talking about alcoholism, the malady, and described the symptoms and results as well as I could. His comment was, "Very interesting. But I'm sure this man is done drinking. He has just returned from a three-months leave of absence, has taken a cure, looks fine, and to clinch the
matter, the board of directors told him this was his last chance."

p. 138

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Nine - "A.A., as such, ought never be organized; but we may create service boards or committees directly responsible to those they serve."

WHEN Tradition Nine was first written, it said that "Alcoholics Anonymous needs that least possible organization." In years since then, we have changed our minds about that. Today, we are able to say with assurance that Alcoholics Anonymous--A.A. as a whole--should never be organized at all. Then, in seeming contradiction, we proceed to create special service boards and committees which in themselves are organized. How, then, can we have an unorganized movement which can and does create a service organization for itself? Scanning this puzzler, people say, "What do they mean, no organization?"

p. 172

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

"What makes humility so desirable is the marvelous thing it does to us; it creates in
us a capacity for the closest possible intimacy with God."
--Monica Baldwin

What you are is God's gift to you,
What you do with yourself is your gift to God.
--White Buffalo Calf Woman

Remember that your children are not your own, but are lent to you by the Creator.
--Native American Proverb

A baby is God's opinion that the world should go on.
--Carl Sandburg

Honesty is the best way to gain the trust of others. By being honest,
feelings may or may not be hurt. Whichever the case you will end up
respecting yourself more for it.
--unknown

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

STRENGTH

"All cruelty springs from weakness."
-- Seneca

My spiritual recovery means that I confront my disease and remember sick attitudes
and behavior patterns. I would rather not talk about my disease because it is
embarrassing and shameful particularly my cruelty to people and animals. My
alcoholism made me lash out at the weak; yes, my weakness inflicted pain and
cruelty on others.

I remember this only to rejoice in today's strength that allows vulnerability. My past
weaknesses made me act strong. Today my strength allows me to be weak.

God, the recognition of my past cruelties enables me to forgive and
understand others.

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

Set a guard over my mouth ,O Lord; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:3

"You heavens above, rain down righteousness; let the clouds shower it down. Let the
earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it; I, the LORD, have
created it.
Isaiah 45:8

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful,
who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will
provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13

Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.
Proverbs 19:18

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

Daily Inspiration

Your life is yours to live as you choose with the results that you want. Lord, help me to be full of life, full of energy and greet my opportunities with a peaceful smile and a gentle gratitude.

Faith grows by speaking daily with God. Lord, You teach me Your promises when times are good so that I will be able to trust in You when times are hard.

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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#2089

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Mon Nov 16, 2009 9:37 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/17

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 17, 2009

Daily Reflections

OVERCOMING LONELINESS

Almost without exception, alcoholics are tortured by
loneliness. Even before our drinking got bad and people
began to cut us off, nearly all of us suffered the
feeling that we didn't quite belong.
AS BILL SEES IT, p. 90

The agonies and the void that I often felt inside occur
less and less frequently in my life today. I have
learned to cope with solitude. It is only when I am
alone and calm that I am able to communicate with God,
for He cannot reach me when I am in turmoil. It is good
to maintain contact with God at all times, but it is
absolutely essential that, when everything seems to go
wrong, I maintain that contact through prayer and
meditation.

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

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Everyone has two personalities, a good and a bad. We
are all dual personalities to some extent. When we were
drinking, the bad personality was in control. We did
things when we were drunk that we would never do when
we were sober. When we sober up, we are different people.
Then we wonder how we could have done the things we did.
But we drink again, and again our bad side comes out.
So we are back and forth, always in conflict with our
other selves, always in a stew. This division of our
selves is not good; we must somehow become unified. We
do this by giving ourselves wholeheartedly to A.A. and
to sobriety. Have I become unified?

Meditation For The Day

"Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter into
the joy of Thy Lord." These words are for many ordinary
people whom the world may pass by, unrecognizing. Not
to the world-famed, the proud, the wealthy, are these
words spoken, but to the quiet followers who serve God
unobtrusively yet faithfully, who bear their crosses
bravely and put a smiling face to the world. "Enter into
the joy of Thy Lord." Pass into that fuller spiritual
life, which is a life of joy and peace.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may not desire the world's applause.
I pray that I may not seek rewards for doing what I
believe is right.

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

As Bill Sees It

Two Authorities, p. 319

Many people wonder how A.A. can function under a seeming anarchy.
Other societies have to have law and force and sanction and
punishment, administered by authorized people. Happily for us, we
found that we need no human authority whatever. We have two
authorities which are far more effective. One is benign, the other
malign.

There is God, our Father, who very simply says, "I am waiting for you
to do my will." The other authority is named John Barleycorn, and he
says, "You had better do God's will or I will kill you."

<< << << >> >> >>

The A.A. Traditions are neither rules, regulations, nor laws. We obey
them willingly because we ought to and because we want to. Perhaps
the secret of their power lies in the fact that these life-giving
communications spring out of living experience and are rooted in love.

1. A.A. Comes Of Age, p. 105
2. A.A. Today, p. 11

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

Walk In Dry Places

Are we doing well enough?
Success
Sometimes we can get off the track by mixing AA with the world's ideas of success.
In AA, success means staying sober while using the AA principles in our daily affairs. We can be successful people in all walks of life.
We should never think that a person is unsuccessful merely because he or she holds a low-paying job or has not regained any business or professional stature that has been lost. One of our members, for example, had once been the senior member of a lucrative law partnership before drinking himself into the gutter. In his sober years, he found great satisfaction in a relatively low- paying judgeship. In worldly terms, he could be seen as less successful. In AA terms, however, this period was the truly successful part of his life.
Our Higher Power will show us where our place in life should be. That should be success enough for any of us.
I'll do my best today in whatever job I have, grateful for the sobriety that helps me stay self-supporting and happy.

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

Keep It Simple

Mishaps are like knives that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle.
---Herman Melville
We have hung on in hard times. We made it through our addiction. Some of us have lived through abuse. We’ve felt like our hearts were broken. But we’ve proven we are survivors. Now we’re learning that we can heal.
Being recovery doesn’t mean things will be easy. But we have a Higher Power to help us. We have friends who listen to us, care for us, and help us through the pain. Because of our recovery program, we’re able to keep hope and love in our lives---One Day at a Time.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, help me through the hard times. Help me trust in Your love and care.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll plan ahead with my sponsor. What will I do now so that I’ll have strong support when hard times come?

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 10 - To Employers

Nearly every modern employer feels a moral responsibility for the well-being of his help, and he tries to meet these responsibilities. That he has not always done so for the alcoholic is easily understood. To him the alcoholic has often seemed a fool of the first magnitude. Because of the employee’s special ability, or of his own strong personal attachment to him, the employer has sometimes kept such a man at work long beyond a reasonable period. Some employers have tried every known remedy. In only a few instances has there been a lack of patience and tolerance. And we, who have imposed on the best of employers, can scarcely blame them if they have been short with us.

pp. 137-138

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Eight - "Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers."

This is the exciting welter of events which has finally cast up A.A.'s Tradition of nonprofessionalism. Our Twelfth Step is never to be paid for, but those who labor in service for us are worthy of their hire.

p. 171

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

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked
with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a
grand thing.
--Agatha Christie

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

The source of love is deep in us, and we can help others realize a lot of happiness. One
word, one action, one thought can reduce another person's suffering and bring that person
joy.
--Thich Nhat Hanh

Never let the word "impossible" stop you from pursuing what your heart and spirit urge
you to do. Impossible things come true every day.
--Robert K. Cooper

Nothing is impossible to the willing heart.
--Thomas Heywood

H O P E = Happy Our Program Exists.

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

EXPERIENCE

"Experience is not what happens
to a man. It is what a man does
with what happens to him."
-- Aldous Huxley

Today I experience the joy of sobriety. Today I experience God in my world. Today I
experience the peace and serenity that for years eluded me.

Experience is the key. It locates all that is in my life. Experience allows me to
appreciate what living is all about.

Love is to be felt. Forgiveness is to be experienced. Humility is to be lived in action.
Hope is to be recognized in the brightness of the eye.

Life is to be experienced. That is spirituality.

May the God that I experience be reflected in daily life.

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

"God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Revelation 7:17

"I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry."
Psalm 40:1

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth
in Thee.
Isaiah 26:3

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving,
considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
James 3:17

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

Daily Inspiration

You will not create a new life by simply forgetting the old one. Lord, help me create new values and new goals so that I will become a peaceful spirit which will bring newness and freshness to my life and allow me to greet the day with enthusiasm.

Never underestimate the power of your presence nor your ability to comfort and encourage. Lord, thank You for my opportunities to do Your work.

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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#2088

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sun Nov 15, 2009 6:32 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/16

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 16, 2009

Daily Reflections

A DAILY REPRIEVE

What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of our spiritual
condition.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 85

Maintaining my spiritual condition is like working out every day, planning for the
marathon, swimming laps, jogging. It's staying in good shape spiritually, and that requires
prayer and meditation. The single most important way for me to improve my conscious
contact with a Higher Power is to pray and meditate. I am as powerless over alcohol as I
am to turn back the waves of the sea; no human force had the power to overcome my
alcoholism. Now I am able to breathe the air of joy, happiness and wisdom. I have the
power to love and react to events around me with the eyes of a faith in things that are not
readily apparent. My daily reprieve means that, no matter how difficult or painful
things appear today, I can draw on the power of the program to stay liberated from my
cunning, baffling and powerful illness.

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

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I have got rid of most of my inner conflicts. I was always at war with myself. I was doing
things that I did not want to do. I was waking up in strange places and wondering how I
got there. I was full of recklessness when I was drunk and full of remorse when I was
sober. My life didn't make sense. It was full of broken resolves and frustrated hopes and
plans. I was getting nowhere fast. No wonder my nerves were all shot. I was bumping up
against a blank wall and I was dizzy from it. A.A. taught me how to get organized and to
stop fighting against myself. Have I got rid of inner conflicts?

Meditation For The Day

"When two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them."
The spirit of God comes upon His followers when they are all together at one time, in one
place, and with one accord. When two or three consecrated souls are together at a
meeting place, the spirit of God is there to help and guide them. Where any sincere group
of people are together, reverently seeking the help of God, His power and His spirit are
there to inspire them.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may be in accord with the members of my group.
I pray that I may feel the strength of a consecrated group.

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

As Bill Sees It

Forgiveness, p. 318

Through the vital Fifth Step, we began to get the feeling that we could
be forgiven, no matter what we had thought or done.

Often it was while working on this Step with our sponsors or spiritual
advisers that we first felt truly able to forgive others, no matter how
deeply we felt they had wronged us.

Our moral inventory had persuaded us that all-round forgiveness was
desirable, but it was only when we resolutely tackled Step Five that
we inwardly knew we'd be able to receive forgiveness and give it, too.

12 & 12, pp. 57-58

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

Walk In Dry Places

Continuing to follow
A child learning to ride a bicycle discovers that it only take gentle pedaling to keep the bike in motion. The more difficult task was getting on the bike and maintaining a straight course in the right direction.
Staying sober in AA seems to be the same kind of thing. It may take a lot of effort and self-honesty to establish sobriety, but a routine of simple steps can keep it going on a daily basis. For most people, daily meditations and regular attendance at meetings are enough to maintain a straight course in the right direction.
The danger comes when people become too lazy or careless to take even these simple steps. Then, like a bike losing forward momentum, they can wobble and fall.
Even at the point of wobbling, one can get a bike up to speed again and gain stability. This is something to remember if we find our own sobriety becoming wobbly.
Nothing can be so important today that it keeps me from doing the simple things needed for continuous sobriety. I'll remember the bike.

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

Keep It Simple

Pray for powers equal to your task.---Phillips Brooks
Our task is to stay sober and to help others who still suffer from addiction. We will need patience and understanding. We will need much love. Most of all, we’ll need to work a strong program.
Pray that you come to know the Steps well. Pray that you’ll want to help others---always. Pray for these things, and you’ll have a strong program. In the program, we learn that prayer works. We see prayer change our lives and the lives of those around us. We came to know the power of prayer.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, I pray for knowledge of Your will for me and the power to carry it out.
Action for the Day: Today, I’ll admit my needs by praying for help from my Higher Power.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 10 - To Employers

Here were three exceptional men lost to this world because I did not understand alcoholism as I do now. What irony—I became an alcoholic myself! And but for the intervention of an understanding person, I might have followed in their footsteps. My downfall cost the business community unknown thousands of dollars, for it takes real money to train a man for an executive position. This kind of waste goes on unabated. We think the business fabric is shot through with a situation which might be helped by better understanding all around.

p. 137

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Eight - "Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers."

It is significant, now that almost no A.A. in our Fellowship breaks anonymity at the public level, that nearly all these fears have subsided. We see that we have no right or need to discourage A.A.'s who wish to work as individuals in these wider fields. It would be actually antisocial were we to forbid them. We cannot declare A.A. such a closed corporation that we keep our knowledge and experience top secret. If an A.A. member acting as a citizen can become a better researcher, educator, personnel officer, then why not? Everybody gains, and we have lost nothing. True, some of the projects to which A.A.'s have attached themselves have been ill-conceived, but that makes not the slightest difference with the principle involved.

p. 171

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

Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love
what you are doing, you will be successful.
--Dr. Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)

If I have the opportunity to help one person today, I'll have done something
worthwhile if I've helped at least one person today.
--RJabo3

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

Joy isn't the absence of pain -- it's the presence of God.
--unknown

A B C = Acceptance, Belief, Change.

"If you were walking back from a well, carrying a bucket of water & someone jostled you,
there could be spilled from the bucket only that which it contained. As you walk along the
way of life, people are constantly bumping into you. If your heart is full of ill nature, bad
temper, and ugly disposition, only those things will be spilled from it. On the other hand, if
it is full of love, you will spill a smile or pleasant remark. You can spill from your bucket
only that which it contains."
--Author Unknown

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

FRIENDSHIP

"True friendship comes when
silence between two people is
comfortable."
-- Dave Tyson Gentry

Part of the spiritual life that awakens serenity is silence or stillness. "Be still and
know that I am God." I believe that true friendship is divine. It is a special love that
binds two hearts as one. It is a comfortableness that is the opposite of dis-ease.
Friendship is necessary to recovery and it involves the sharing of feelings. Often
the feelings are silent; unspoken emotions; cherished moments that exist in
"word-less-ness".

As a recovering alcoholic, I have a thousand friends who attest to the silent witness of
love by simply being there.

Thank You for the joy of friendship that grows in silence.

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

"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end."
Lamentations 3:22

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God.
2 Corinthians 5:21

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness,
peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Romans 14:17

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

Daily Inspiration

Life is a challenge so accept it for what it truly is. Lord, help me face what today brings with energy, determination and a joy that allows me to take control.

Pray about every task that you take on today and don't take on those tasks which you have no time to pray about. Lord, tonight I will rest well because today You and I will accomplish many things. Thank You for Your constant blessings in my life.

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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#2087

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Sat Nov 14, 2009 6:52 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/15

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 15, 2009

Daily Reflections

VITAL SUSTENANCE

Those of us who have come to make regular use of prayer would no more do without
it than we would refuse air, food, sunshine. And for the same reason. When we refuse
air, light or food, the body suffers. And when we turn away from meditation and prayer,
we likewise deprive our minds, our emotions, and our intuitions of vitally needed
support.
TWELVE STEPS AND TWELVE TRADITIONS, p. 97

Step Eleven doesn't have to overwhelm me. Conscious contact with God can be as
simple, and as profound, as conscious contact with another human being. I can smile.
I can listen. I can forgive. Every encounter with another is an opportunity for prayer,
for acknowledging God's presence within me. Today I can bring myself a little closer to
my Higher Power. The more I choose to seek the beauty of God's work in other people,
the more certain of His presence I will become.

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

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

I am less sensitive and my feelings are less easily hurt. I no longer take myself so
seriously. It didn't use to take much to insult me, to feel that I had been slighted or
left on the outside. What happens to me now is not so important. One cause of our
drinking was because we couldn't take it, so we escaped the unpleasant situation. We
have learned to take it on the chin if necessary and smile. When I am all wrapped
up in A.A., I do not notice the personal slights so much. They do not seem to matter so
much. I have learned to laugh at self-pity, because it's so childish. Am I less sensitive?

Meditation For The Day

God's miracle-working power is as manifest today as it was in the past. It still works
miracles of change in lives and miracles of healing in twisted minds. When a person
trusts wholly in God and leaves to Him the choosing of the day and hour, there is
God's miracle-working power becoming manifest in that person's life. So we can
trust in God and have boundless faith in His power to make us whole again,
whenever He chooses.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may be sure that there is nothing that God cannot accomplish in
changing my life. I pray that I may have faith in His miracle-working power.

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

As Bill Sees It

Vision Beyond Today, p. 317

Vision is, I think the ability to make good estimates, both for the
immediate and for the more distant future. Some might feel this sort
of striving to be heresy against "One day at a time." But that
valuable principle really refers to our mental and emotional lives and
means chiefly that we are not foolishly to repine over the past nor
wishfully to daydream about the future.

As individuals and as a fellowship, we shall surely suffer if we cast the
whole job of planning for tomorrow onto a fatuous idea of providence.
God's real providence has endowed us human beings with a
considerable capability for foresight, and He evidently expects us to
use it. Of course, we shall often miscalculate the future in whole or in
part, but that is better than to refuse to think at all.

Twelve Concepts, p. 40

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

Walk In Dry Places

The loss of choice
Freedom
Many alcoholics are vigorous defenders of free choice. We have to concede, however, that our choices are not always limited by the tyranny of others. Our own actions can take away from freedom of choice.
Recovering people in AA have learned that taking even one drink will result in the loss of choice, and it is not just a temporary loss of sobriety that one faces. It's always possible that the person who drinks again may never recovery sobriety.
In the same way, other actions represent loss of choice in our lives. other actions represent loss of choice in our lives. A person who cheats, for example, may learn that he or she has no choice over the unpleasant outcomes that follow.
We can protect our freedom of choice by deciding only to take actions that will strengthen such freedom in the future. At no time should we make any choices that rob us of our precious right to choose.
Every action I take today must help me keep favorable options open in the future. My right to choose was restored by AA, and I must help protect it.

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

Keep It Simple

The best way to know God is to love many things.---Vincent Van Gogh
Now that we’re in recovery, we’re learning to love people. We’re learning to love nature.
We’re learning to love new ideas about life. The result? We love the way we feel now that we’re taking care of ourselves.
Is our Higher Power really so close? Can we really find our Higher Power just by loving many things? Yes! When we love, we wake up that part of us that is part of all creation---our spirit. We really come to life when we love!
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, remind me that You are near when I love someone or something. The energy of love come from You.
Action for the Day: I will list three things I love that help me know my Higher Power is near me.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 10 - To Employers

Still another experience: A woman’s voice came faintly over long distance from Virginia. She wanted to know if her husband’s company insurance was still in force. Four days before he had hanged himself in his woodshed. I had been obliged to discharge him for drinking, though he was brilliant, alert, and one of the best organizers I have ever known.

p. 137

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Eight - "Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers."

We think the answer is "No. Members who select such full-time careers do not professionalize A.A.'s Twelfth Step." The road to this conclusion was long and rocky. At first, we couldn't see the real issue involved. In former days, the moment an A.A. hired out to such enterprises, he was immediately tempted to use the name Alcoholics Anonymous for publicity or money-raising purposes. Drunk farms, educational ventures, state legislatures, and commissions advertised the fact that A.A. members served them. Unthinkingly, A.A.'s so employed recklessly broke anonymity to thump the tub for their pet enterprise. For this reason, some very good causes and all connected with them suffered unjust criticism from A.A. groups. More often than not, these onslaughts were spearheaded by the cry "Professionalism! That guy is making money out of A.A.'s Twelfth Step work. The violation in these instances was not professionalism at all; it was breaking anonymity. A.A.'s sole purpose was being compromised, and the name of Alcoholics Anonymous was being misused.

p. 170

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

"Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at
someone else; you are the one who gets burned."
--Buddha

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new
eyes.
--Marcel Proust

Today I am learning to think and act in a positive way that is healthy for my mind, body
and spirit.
--Ruth Fishel

"The wisest person is not the one who has the fewest failures but the one who turns
failures to best account."
--Richard R. Grant

"I don't stay clean on yesterday's recovery."
--unknown

"We either make ourselves miserable, or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work
is the same."
--Carlos Castenada

"It may be that one reason a dog is a good friend is his tail wags and not his tongue."
--unknown

Remember that God values you for who you are, not what you do.
--unknown

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

COMFORT

"No man knows of what stuff he
is made until prosperity and
ease try him."
-- A. P. Gouthey

I must be careful that I do not get too comfortable and self-confident. I must be careful
that I do not plateau at this stage of my journey into sobriety and relax in past
achievements. Sometimes I hear the disease of addiction saying to me, "You've done all
you need now relax; take it easy."

Sometimes the sick voice says, "Listen to the stupidity of these newly recovering
people: avoid them!" "You don't need meeting now just sit and talk with your
friends." Historically I know that when things are going well for me, that is when I
need to be careful. A complacent and indulgent sobriety is dangerous. It leads to the
disarming slip of arrogance and false pride.

I need to remember the pain of my yesterdays; I need to hear the newly recovering; I
need to hear the pain if I am to continue to gain. My disease will forever speak, but
will I listen?

Teach me to embrace a humility that enables me to enjoy a realistic sobriety.

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

"You hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel."
Psalm 73:23-24

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my
thoughts than your thoughts."
Isaiah 55:9

"Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone
who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man, who looks at his face in
a mirror and after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks
like.
James 1:22-24

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

Daily Inspiration

If you give up and let things just happen to you, you will open the door to a helpless, passive existence and bring on needless sorrow. Lord, open my eyes to see that You and I can determine the outcome of my day and the direction of my life and that the result of refusing to let my environment control me is a tremendous inner strength , a joyful spirit and a constant reason to smile.

Often times that which we find difficult is that which teaches. Lord, may I always be able to see the good that comes from even my trials.

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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#2086

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 9:15 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/14

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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 14, 2009

Daily Reflections

INTUITION AND INSPIRATION

. . . . we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision. We relax and take it
easy. We don't struggle.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 86

I invest my time in what I truly love. Step Eleven is a discipline that allows me and my
Higher Power to be together, reminding me that, with God's help, intuition and inspiration
are possible. Practice of the Step brings on self-love. In a consistent attempt to improve
my conscious contact with a Higher Power, I am subtly reminded of my unhealthy past,
with its patterns of grandiose thinking and false feeling of omnipotence. When I ask for
the power to carry out God's will for me, I am made aware of my powerlessness. Humility
and a healthy self-love are compatible, a direct result of working Step Eleven.

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

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

A better way than judging people is to look for all the good you can find in them. If you
look hard enough and long enough, you ought to be able to find some good somewhere in
every person. In A.A. I learned that my job was to try to bring out the good, not criticize
the bad. Every alcoholic is used to being judged and criticized. That has never helped
anyone get sober. In A.A. we tell people they can change. We try to bring out the best in
them. We encourage their good points and ignore their bad points as much as possible.
People are not converted by criticism. Do I look for the good in people?

Meditation For The Day

There must be a design for the world in the mind of God. We can believe that His design
for the world is a universal brotherhood of men and women under the fatherhood of God.
The plan for your life must also be in the mind of God. In times of quiet meditation you
can seek for God's guidance, for the revealing of God's plan for your day. Then you can
live this day according to that guidance. Many people are not making of their lives what
God meant them to be, and so they are unhappy. They have missed the design for their
lives.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may try to follow God's design for today. I pray that I may have the sense of
Divine Intent in what I do today.

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

As Bill Sees It

Our Protective Mantle, p. 316

Almost every newspaper reporter who covers A.A. complains, at first,
of the difficulty of writing his story without names. But he quickly
forgets this difficulty when he realizes that here is a group of people
who care nothing for acclaim.

Probably this is the first time in his life he has ever reported on an
organization that wants no personalized publicity. Cynic though he
may be, this obvious sincerity quickly transforms him into a friend of
A.A.

<< << << >> >> >>

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.

1. Grapevine, March 1946
2. 12 & 12, p. 187

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

Walk In Dry Places

No Respecter of People
Carrying the message
As human beings, we have to realize that some people are more attractive to us than others. Even in AA, we will likely be more interested in a person who has qualities we admire than one who annoys and repels us.
This is a snobbish attitude that we ridicule when we see it practiced by others, but we may be practicing it in our own way by seeking out only those members we find interesting and attractive. Without realizing it, we can be making AA a popularity contest, which it's not supposed to be.
We can compensate for such tendencies by making a special effort to express friendship to everyone at the meeting. This can even become a spiritual exercise. It doesn't hurt to admit that one has snobbish tendencies that can violate the spirit of AA.
Just as alcohol is no respecter of people, so it is that the program should be open to all. Today, I'll try to make AA a welcoming haven for everyone.

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

Keep It Simple

Make it a point to do something every day that you don’t want to do---Mark Twain
Self-discipline is a key part of living sober life. We need it t get to our meetings regularly. We need it to understand the Steps. We need it to work the Steps.
And we get much in return. With self-discipline, we learn to trust ourselves. We learn to do what is most loving and caring for ourselves. What a great relief! One of the worst parts of our illness was that we couldn’t count on ourselves. We didn’t know what we’d do next. Self-discipline heals this part of our illness.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, You have given me much. It’s only right that I give You part of my day. I will pray and meditate on Your wonders.
Action for the Day: I will list areas of my program where I lack self-discipline. I will share the list with my group and sponsor, and I’ll let them know in a month how I’m doing.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 10 - To Employers

Another time, as I opened a letter which lay on my desk, a newspaper clipping fell out. It was the obituary of one of the best salesmen I ever had. After two weeks of drinking, he had placed his toe on the trigger of a loaded shotgun—the barrel was in his mouth. I had discharged him for drinking six weeks before.

pp. 136-137

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Eight - "Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers."

No individuals have been more buffeted by such emotional gusts than those A.A.'s bold enough to accept employment with outside agencies dealing with the alcohol problem. A university wanted an A.A. member to educate the public on alcoholism. A corporation wanted a personnel man familiar with the subject. A state drunk farm wanted a manager who could really handle inebriates. A city wanted an experienced social worker who understood what alcohol could do to a family. A state alcohol commission wanted a paid researcher. These are only a few of the jobs which A.A. members as individuals have been asked to fill. Now and then, A.A. members have bought farms or rest homes where badly beat-up topers could find needed care. The question was--and sometimes still is--are such activities to be branded as professionalism under A.A. tradition?

pp. 169-170

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

"The door of opportunity won't open unless you do some pushing."
--Anonymous

Just when I have learned the way to live, life changes.
--Hugh Prather

I AM MORE
I am more than happy, I am JOYFUL.
I am more than healthy, I am WHOLE.
I am more than alive, I am RADIANT.
I am more than successful, I am FREE.
I am more than caring, I am LOVING.
I am more than tranquil, I am PEACEFUL.
I am more than interested, I am INVOLVED.
I am more than adequate, I am TRIUMPHANT.
I am more than fortunate, I am PROSPEROUS.
I am more than human, I am a CHILD OF GOD.
--William Arthur

Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out.
--Art Linkletter

Life is available to anyone no matter what age. All you have to do is grab it.
--Art Carney

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

LEISURE

"It is seldom that an American
retires from business to enjoy
his fortune in comfort . . . He
works because he has always
worked, and knows no other
way."
-- Thomas Nichols

For years I rushed around being busy and I missed me. I spent years trying to please
people by doing things and I missed me. I was a workaholic, my value was seen only
in what I could achieve and I missed me.

Today I can relax in my sobriety; indeed sobriety has enabled me to relax. I can sit
and do nothing and it is okay. Life is about "being" and not "doing". Spirituality is
about taking time out for me because I am worth it. "Be still and know that I am God,"
said the psalmist. In the silence of self I have discovered the meaning of life and I
have found God.

Thank You, Lord, for creating the feelings of peace that come from leisure.

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

Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.
2 John, 1:3

"May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine upon us."
Psalm 67:1

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

Daily Inspiration

When you choose to fight, be sure it is only for that which is right and fair. Lord, help me to see clearly when goodness is being violated and guide me in helping those who need my help.

Nothing is ever quite as bad as it seems. Call on God and then practice expectancy and optimism and things will turn out better than you expect. Lord, thank You for tomorrow.

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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#2085

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Fri Nov 13, 2009 9:13 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/14

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 14, 2009

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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#2084

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Thu Nov 12, 2009 7:58 pm
Subject: Daily Readings - 11/13

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 13, 2009

Daily Reflections

LOOKING OUTWARD

We ask especially for freedom from self-will, and are careful to make no requests for
ourselves only. We may ask for ourselves, however, if others will be helped. We are
careful never to pray for our own selfish ends.
ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, p. 87

As an active alcoholic, I allowed selfishness to run rampant in my life. I was so attached
to my drinking and other selfish habits that people and moral principles came second.
Now, when I pray for the good of others rather than my "own selfish ends," I practice a
discipline in letting go of selfish attachments, caring for my fellows and preparing for the
day when I will be required to let go of all earthly attachments.

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

Twenty-Four Hours A Day

A.A. Thought For The Day

Who am I to judge other people? Have I proved by my great success in life that I know
all the answers? Exactly the opposite. Until I came into A.A., my life could be called a
failure. I made all the mistakes a man could make. I took all the wrong roads there
were to take. On the basis of my record, am I a fit person to be a judge of my fellow
men? Hardly. In A.A. I have learned not to judge people. I am so often wrong. Let the
results of what they do judge them. It's not up to me. Am I less harsh in my judgment of
people?

Meditation For The Day

In our time of meditation, we again seem to hear: "Come unto me, all ye that are weary
and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Again and again we seem to hear God saying
this to us. "Come unto me" for the solution of every problem, for the overcoming of
every temptation, for the calming of every fear, for all our need, physical, mental or
spiritual, but mostly "come unto me" for the strength we need to live with peace of mind
and the power to be useful and effective.

Prayer For The Day

I pray that I may go to God today for those things which I need to help me live. I pray
that I may find real peace of mind.

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

As Bill Sees It

Greater Than Ourselves, p. 315

If a mere code of morals or a better philosophy of life were sufficient
to overcome alcoholism, many of us would have recovered long ago.
But we found that such code and philosophies did not save us, no
matter how much we tried. We could wish to be moral, we could wish
to be philosophically comforted, in fact, we could will these things with
all our might, but the power needed for change wasn't there. Our
human resources, as marshaled by the will, were not sufficient; they
failed utterly.

Lack of power: That was our dilemma. We had to find a power by
which we could live--and it had to be a Power greater than ourselves.

Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 44-45

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

Walk In Dry Places

The Boredom battle
Acceptance and Patience.
All of us have times when we don't enjoy our sobriety as much as we feel we should. Thought we're still grateful, we sometimes feel bored and depressed.
What we have to remember at such times is our bleak history of using alcohol as a quick fix for boredom. However ruinous and false it proved to be, alcohol did temporarily bring the miraculous change we sought.
We thought of alcohol as a means of uplifting our mood. We were very surprised to learn that it's really a depressant. Maybe it lifted us up by depressing our self-doubt and self-criticism.
Whatever the nature of our drinking, we need to stay sober while fighting our battles with boredom. We can do that by accepting a bit of boredom without succumbing to it. Meanwhile, we can look for ways of easing boredom that don't get us into trouble or lead back to the bottle.
I'll not feel guilty or unworthy if boredom strikes me now and then. Today I'll help manage my long-term boredom tendencies by practicing acceptance and patience for twenty-four hours.

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

Keep It Simple

Write down the advice of him who loves you, though you like it not at present.
---Anonymous
We addicts often learn things the hard way. In the past, we found it very hard to take advice from anyone. It’s still hard to take advice, but it’s getting easier every day. We know now that we can’t handle everything in life by ourselves. We’ve come to believe there is help of us. And we’re learning to ask for help and advice.
Sometimes we don’t like the advice we get. We don’t have to use it. But if it comes from people who love and understand us, we can try to listen. Write it down. Think about it. It may make sense another day.
Prayer for the Day: Higher Power, please work through people who love me. I need your advice. Help me listen to it.
Action for the Day: I will make notes to myself, writing down things that seem important. I will read them once in a while.

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

Alcoholics Anonymous - Fourth Edition

Chapter 10 - To Employers

My secretary returned to say that it was Mr. B—— on the phone; it was Mr. B——’s brother, and he wished to give me a message. I still expected a plea for clemency, but these words came through the receiver: “I just wanted to tell you Paul jumped from a hotel window in Hartford last Saturday. He left us a note saying you were the best boss he ever had, and that you were not to blame in any way.”

p. 136

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

Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions

Tradition Eight - "Alcoholics Anonymous should remain forever nonprofessional, but our service centers may employ special workers."

Perhaps the fear will always lurk in every A.A. heart that one day our name will be exploited by somebody for real cash. Even the suggestion of such a thing never fails to whip up a hurricane, and we have discovered that hurricanes have a way of mauling with equal severity both the just and the unjust. They are always unreasonable.

p. 169

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

Friendship is like a bank account. You can't continue to draw on it without making
deposits.
--Cited in The Best of BITS & PIECES

"Sometimes the most important thing in a whole day is the rest we take between two
deep breaths, or the turning inwards in prayer for five short minutes."
--Etty Hillesum

You take people as far as they will go, not as far as you would like them to go.
--Jeanette Rankin

"There are no mistakes. The events we bring upon ourselves, no matter how unpleasant,
are necessary in order to learn what we need to learn; whatever steps we take, they're
necessary to reach the places we've chosen to go."
--Richard Bach

Don't mess up an amends with an excuse.
--unknown

S T E P S = Solutions To Every Problem in Sobriety.

"Spirituality is an individual matter. I can tell you what it means to me, but it might be
different for you."
--Jake T.

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

Father Leo's Daily Meditation

MONEY

"Money doesn't always bring
happiness. People with ten million
dollars are no happier than
people with nine million dollars."
-- Hobart Brown

Today I understand that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with money. Wealth is
not good or bad in itself it is what we do with it. As a famous comedian once said, "I've
been rich and I've been poor and rich is better!"

But in what sense is rich better? I suppose in the freedom that it affords us, not only to
travel and buy comfortable "things" but also in the way we can help and contribute to
the lives and well-being of others. But to hoard money, be "stingy" with yourself and
others, make a "god" of possessions or become compulsive about the "making of
money" produces the same pain as any other addiction.

Money is to be used. It is usually one of the benefits of sobriety, part of what it means to
say "it gets better". Why? Because we are more responsible and creative as sober
people and this brings its rewards.

Help me to be a responsible steward of the possessions You entrusted to me.

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

I call on the LORD in my distress, and he answers me.
Psalm 120:1

My sheep recognize my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life,
and they will never perish. No one will snatch them away from me, for my Father has
given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. So no one can take them
from me. The Father and I are one."
John 10:27-30

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

Daily Inspiration

Refuse to be one of the many who go through life never knowing the limits of their abilities. Lord, You have blessed me with all that I need, but also with the ability to achieve all that I want. Help me to continue to strive and become all that I can.

Forget the useless and unhealthy things of your past that clutter your mind so that you can live a life that is alive and vibrant. Lord, help me to discard all that clouds my day so that I am able to live the life that You intend me to live.

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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#2083

From: bluidkiti <bluidkiti@...>
Date: Thu Nov 12, 2009 11:35 am
Subject: Weekly Spiritual Readings - 11/13

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Weekly Spiritual Readings
November 13, 2009

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The interruptions in our lives may be God calling us to serve.

God can use even tragic situations and circumstances for divine purposes.

These days, I remember that no matter what God gives me to do in life, I can "do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col. 3:17, niv).

God may calm the storm around us but more often He’ll calm the storm within us.

God’s answer to prayer may come as a result of our asking others for assistance.

God may use dramatic methods to work in our lives, or He may speak in gentle whispers, we must wait patiently and always listen.

God’s answers to our prayers often exceed our expectations.

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God has given us peace so that we can be stable even in the midst of hard times. In John 14:27, Jesus says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives."
In this verse, Jesus tells us that He has left us his peace. Jesus' peace, however, isn't like the world's peace, which depends on your circumstances; rather, God's peace is internal. God's peace allows believers to be stable even in the midst of hard circumstances, difficult trials, and uncertain times.
It's no wonder Paul said that he could be content, i.e. stable, in all circumstances: "I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." (Philippians 4:11-12). What was Paul's "secret"? "I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (Philippians 4:13).
The key to contentment and stability is living in, through, and with God in everything. Weekly Wisdom

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Don't Discard Your Tomorrows!
Tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you. Joshua 3:5 NAS
Your yesterdays have made you what you are today, but your tomorrows can make you what God always intended you to become. Joshua was talking to a nation whose yesterdays were a long list of repeated failures and rebellion against God. They had been convicted, judged, punished and reinstated frequently by the God they'd flagrantly sinned against. Surely, they ought to have been cut off from Him, stripped of any future blessing. But "Joshua said to the people, 'consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you'" (Joshua 3:5 NAS).
Consecrate yourself, realign yourself with God's plans and watch Him begin to work in your life. Just when the enemy has you convinced that with your past God couldn't possibly have a future for you, He calls you to prepare yourself so He can bless you. God is fully aware of your yesterdays, but He's much more focused on your tomorrows. Why do we discard our tomorrows when we so desperately need them? When Jesus cried, "It is finished!" (John 19:30 NKJV), His disciples misunderstood and concluded it was all over. So they slipped away to contemplate the tomorrow they thought would never be. But with God, every ending is a new beginning, and three mornings later the angel announced the resurrection and the new tomorrow that would guarantee the future for all believers. 'It (your yesterday) is finished!'
Don't give up your tomorrows by building monuments to your past failures. Acknowledge, confess and release your yesterdays to the crucified Christ. 'Consecrate yourselves, for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.' The Vine

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Our lives are like icebergs. Only 15 percent is visible; that's reputation. The rest, our character, is below the surface, hidden. Character is what we think but never share. It's what we do when no one's watching. It's how we react to everyday aggravations. It's how we handle failure – and success. The thing that has made us what we are is our choices.
At the end of a successful career, Joshua challenges the people of Israel: "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve... But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15) So the choice is yours!
French writer Francois de la Rochefoucauld asserted, "Almost all our faults are more pardonable than the methods we think up to hide them." Ever notice that people with the weakest character tend to place blame on their circumstances? They talk a lot about poor upbringing, financial difficulties, the unkindness of others, or other circumstances that have made them victims.
Your circumstances may be beyond your control but your character is not. You can no more blame your character on your circumstances than you can blame the mirror for your looks. Developing character is always your choice. Every time you make a character-based decision you take another step forward in your spiritual growth.
Take a moment and jot down times when you have faced temptation and adversity. Next to each, note your choice: escape, excuses, capitulation, avoidance, perseverance, or victory. What problem areas do you see? How will you learn to do better? If many of the things you list are due to circumstances beyond your control, then choose to take greater control of your life.
Live for God, on purpose, making choices each day that honor the Lord. First Impressions

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Are You Ready for Bigger Things?
“You... enlarged me when I was in distress.” – Psalms 4:1 AMP
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