Today on Issues and Answers
we are going to be talking about
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taking a personal inventory
and then prayer and meditation
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and carrying the
message forward. Please join us.
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Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn
and we're very glad that your
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joining us today
on Issues and Answers.
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If you have been
following the last few programs
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you know we've been talking
about the 12 Step Program
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of Alcoholics Anonymous.
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Now let me make one
thing perfectly clear,
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we believe that there
are far more people who are
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overcome alcoholism in
church, than actually do in
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Alcoholics Anonymous
because we just know by the
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sheer numbers in statistics.
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Yet, we also believe very
strongly that it's a wonderful
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program because it is
based on Christian principles
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and it is the last house
on the block, so to speak
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for people who may not
be able to go to a church
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because they have
been offended or wounded,
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or they don't
believe in the Lord.
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And the interesting thing is,
once they begin to participate
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in this 12 step program,
they almost always end up
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knowing God as their father.
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Now, what we are going to
do today, our guest is in the
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shadows. His name is
Bob and he is joining us,
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he is a member of AA, so we
are respecting his anonymity,
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but I want to make it
perfectly clear that he is not a
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spokesperson for
AA, and they have none.
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But what we are going to do
now...let me just very briefly..
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I want to...First Bob, welcome.
Thank you, it's nice to be here.
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Thank you so
much for being here.
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Let me go over the
first nine steps that we've
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already covered. And I am
reading this directly from
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the alcoholics
anonymous book, and it says:
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First, admit you are powerless
over alcohol and the your life
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has become unmanageable.
Come to believe that a power
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greater than yourself
can restore you to sanity.
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Make a decision to turn
your will and lives' over to,
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here's the name
of the higher power.
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To the care of God
as we understand Him.
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Make a searching and fearless
moral inventory of yourself.
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Admit to God, to yourself,
and to other human beings
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the exact nature of your wrongs.
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Talk about...or be ready,
let's see, ready entirely,
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to have God remove all
these defects of character.
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Boy, it sounds like this
is something all Christians
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need to do.
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Humbly ask Him to
remove your short comings.
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Make a list of all
the persons you've harmed.
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Become willing to
make amends to them,
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and willingness is first.
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And this is a step that
also involves forgiveness,
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we discussed this last time.
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And then make direct amends to
such people wherever possible,
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except when to do so
would injure them or others.
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That is a
Biblical principle as well.
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The idea of
restitution for wrongs.
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And it brings great
freedom of guilt, condemnation,
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it's a very
freeing step isn't it.
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That's right!
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Alright, so once
you've gone through those and
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worked through
those first nine steps...
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Bob, you've been an AA
member, you have been sober for
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26 years. Correct!
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Praise God!
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That's one day at a time.
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Sure! Wonderful!
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So let's talk
about step number 10.
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Ok. Step 10 continued
to take personal inventory
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and when we were
wrong, promptly admitted it.
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This is a step the is difficult.
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Most of us don't like to
admit it when we are wrong,
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and certainly no alcoholic
is real keen on doing that.
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But, we've learned by experience
that if we allow something
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to fester for very long, it
causes a much bigger problem.
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For example, if I
hang on to a resentment...
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What I've learned
about resentments is,
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they grow roots overnight.
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And, you know the Bible calls
it "the root of bitterness'.
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And we cannot
let that take hold.
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If I don't deal with my
resentment that very day,
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if I don't get rid
of it that very day,
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it will be like a dandelion.
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Anybody that's ever
tried to pull out dandelion's
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knows full well that
pulling them out just seems to
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multiply them and especially
since they seem to be able
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to flower and put out their
seeds in a very short period
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of time, and the
more I yank the seeds out,
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they are going to fly
everywhere and they are
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just going to multiply.
Um, The root of a dandelion
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goes very deep and the
more I try to dig it out,
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the less I get anywhere because
all I do is I just stir it up
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and it seems like I can never
get to the root of that problem.
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and I need to get it before
it grows deep into my heart.
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That's just a little... I
think in pictures, so for me
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that works.
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In the scriptures that
come into my mind is too...
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It says: "In your
anger, do not sin."
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Also "Do not let the
sun go down on your anger."
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That's right. So this is some-
thing about the daily inventory
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so that you don't
develop that deep root.
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That's right. And once it's
there, then only God Almighty
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can do anything about it
because if I think I can get
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rid of my resentments,
I am sorely mistaken.
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You know, I hear people talk
about their character defects
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and they say, I
really need to work on this,
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and I have to smile
and think to myself,
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let me know how
that works for you?
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Because it really doesn't.
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The more I try to change
myself, the worse it gets.
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And so, in step 10, we watch
specifically for dishonesty,
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we watch for selfishness,
we watch for self-seeking,
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trying to get our
way, manipulating people
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to get our way
and we look for fear.
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And when these crop up,
the step asks up immediately
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to ask God for forgiveness,
and then go and make things
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right with the
people that we have harmed.
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If we do this on a daily
basis, we can sleep in peace.
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One of the things I noticed
when I started working this
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step is how much
better I felt, and suddenly
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I made the connection.
The fact is that today
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when I go to sleep, I
am asleep in a few minutes.
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That didn't use to be the
case, I would toss and turn,
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I would play thing over in
my mind over and over again.
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The people I was angry about,
how dare they do this to me,
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how come so and so
is acting this way?
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All these things would
just roll around in my mind.
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When my side of
the street is swept,
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when my side of the
street is clean, I go to sleep
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very quickly. Wonderful!
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This, and again, it
amazes me as we have been going
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through these steps
Bob, how much they apply
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to all of our lives. We
all should be taking a daily
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inventory and going
through this same process.
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If you don't mind, I would
like to talk about step 11...
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Yes. This is a big step sought
through prayer and mediation
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to increase our
conscious contact with God as we
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understood Him, praying only
for knowledge of His will for us
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and the power to carry that out.
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Most alcoholics have learned
to pray early on because we
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know our power
comes from the Lord.
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There is no other source of
help for us, no human resource
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can keep us from drinking.
No human being can help us
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stay sober in those
moments where can't reach them,
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so we need to rely on a
power greater than ourselves.
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At this point, it is important
to increase our conscious
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contact with Him. It
brings to mind the Bible texts
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that say pray without
ceasing, in all things.
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You know in prayer and
supplication, talk to the Lord.
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Make Him your best friend,
talk to Him about everything
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that is going on at
every moment of your life
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and step 11 reminds us to
do that through prayer and
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through meditation.
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Now the whole concept of prayer
and meditation came from the
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original group that
spawned Alcoholics Anonymous...
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We didn't get into this but
it was called the Oxford Groups,
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and it was a group of people
who got together and tried to
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practice early
Christian principles basically,
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they studied the Bible, they
found the principles that they
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believed would help
them practice that heartfelt
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Christianity in the early
days of the Christian Church
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and there were always
periods of prayer and meditation
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that were done not only
as a group, but encouraged
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every morning to
spend quiet time with God.
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And the Oxford Groups
used the Bible, in fact AA
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used the Bible for a long
long time in the beginning
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because they had
no other literature.
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They would...especially
they enjoyed reading
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The Sermon on the
Mount, the chapters about the
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sermon on the mount,
and the other big favorite
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was the book of James, which
you will find AA principles
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all over that, or should
I say the other way around.
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AA has those principles
that James talks about.
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For example:
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Not to set yourself
higher than anyone else.
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Not to esteem
yourself above anyone else.
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Not to treat people differently.
In AA there is this amazing
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equality. Every member
has every right to say or do
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whatever they want.
There are no controls in AA but
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yet there are controls
that constrain us and that is
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alcoholism. We are forced to
toe a line, because if we stray
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off that path for very
far, we end up getting drunk.
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And so, we use the
disease as a tool if you will,
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to keep us on track, and
we are grateful for that tool.
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I have to believe I would
probably not be sitting here
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on a Christian program,
were it not for the fact
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that God knew that alcoholism
would make me toe the line.
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I know that today the worst
thing that happened in my mind
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turned out to be the
best thing that happened
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because it really helps
me stay close to the Lord.
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I know my need. Sometimes
I'm saddened when I go in church
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because it feels like
many of the people in church
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have no idea how
much they need God.
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And yet, you go
in to an AA meeting
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and they know, they
know, because they can't stray
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very far before
it's so obvious to them
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that their lives are falling
apart. What a precious thought.
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You know the
idea that Romans 8:28,
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"That all thing work together
for good, for those who love
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the Lord and are called
according to His purpose."
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And that being that He
predestined to conform us
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to the image of Jesus Christ.
But what a precious thought.
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That you can now, in
all things give thanks,
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the Bible tells us, that
you can give thanks for this
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condition of alcoholism, because
it is what brought you to your
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recognition of your need
of God and total dependence
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and please hear
what I am saying,
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if there is anything we
need to learn, it is this.
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God's plan of salvation
is total dependence upon Him.
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The Old Testament
and the New Testament
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both say that
salvation belongs to God.
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There is nothing that
we can do to save ourself.
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Now, we believe that
as God is working in us
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to change our will
and line it up with His
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and then He works is us
to do His good pleasure.
00:12:06.25\00:12:09.96
Of course there are
certain standards and principles
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we follow because it's the
guidance of the Holy Spirit,
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but that is not
obeying His commandments.
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It's not what saves us,
we obey because we are saved
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and because He is working
in us, but that's exciting.
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One of the things that
you talk a lot about in AA is
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lining up our will
with God's will. Amen.
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Which I was actually quite
interested in the fact that
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so much of the language
that's in our books, lines up so
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much with another author
that wrote along those lines
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along that time and
that was Ellen White.
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For example, the
term "character defects".
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You don't hear that
in every day language.
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You don't read
that in other books,
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but those words, specific
words, "character defects",
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are prominent in
Ellen White's writings,
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and they are
prominent in AA's writings.
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The man who wrote the
book, one of our co-founders
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Bill W., was almost a
Contemporary, actually he was,
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they were alive at the same
time and I have every reason
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to believe that he read some
of Ellen White's books because
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the ideas are way too
obvious, and they are worded
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specifically. The other idea
of lining up our will with God's
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will, she writes
about that quite a bit.
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I'm a visual guy, so I think of
for example, moving sidewalks.
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I go to the airport and I
love walking back and forth
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on the moving sidewalks.
And one day as I was doing this,
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it dawned on me that that's
what it is like to step onto
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God's will, to line up
my will with God's will.
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I'm still walking the walk,
but I am going five times faster
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than I have a right to because
I am lining up with God...
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I'm doing...if there is
an easier, softer way it is
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to do God's will.
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So in step 11 when it says,
asking for knowledge of His will
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for us and the power to carry
that out, we can't go wrong
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if we are asking God to show
us His will and to give us the
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power to step onto
that sidewalk, so to speak.
00:14:12.25\00:14:15.95
Um, we're going places,
we're growing spiritually
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and to me, that's important.
00:14:19.95\00:14:21.96
The other aspect of step 11
that is talked about quite a bit
00:14:21.99\00:14:25.96
is the idea that we pray
only for knowledge of His will
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for us. A lot of us have
spent a lot of time trying to
00:14:29.56\00:14:34.20
figure out what is
best for everybody else,
00:14:34.24\00:14:36.00
and sometimes we pray
wrongly. In AA they talk about
00:14:36.04\00:14:41.01
selfish prayer don't get us
anywhere, and you can see why.
00:14:41.04\00:14:44.98
God's not going to do for
us, give us selfish things
00:14:45.01\00:14:49.12
that we ask for selfishly.
And it also cautions us to be
00:14:49.15\00:14:52.79
careful not to assume
that we know what God's will is
00:14:52.82\00:14:56.09
for another person.
00:14:56.12\00:14:57.49
Specifically it talks
about people who are sick,
00:14:57.53\00:15:00.43
we don't know if it is their
best interest for them to be
00:15:00.46\00:15:05.37
healed, we
cannot demand anything.
00:15:05.40\00:15:08.17
What we ask for is God's
will to be done in that person's
00:15:08.20\00:15:11.87
life and we learn to trust
that God knows what is best.
00:15:11.91\00:15:16.01
And a lot of that step helps us
growing not only closer to God
00:15:16.04\00:15:20.42
but also to trust Him more.
00:15:20.45\00:15:23.89
One little prayer that I say
quite often and I try to say it
00:15:23.92\00:15:27.36
every day...I'm not sure I
could say I do it perfectly,
00:15:27.39\00:15:29.82
but I ask God to remind me
all day long that He is there
00:15:29.86\00:15:34.10
with me. My prayer is God,
00:15:34.20\00:15:36.73
tap me on my shoulder, let
me know that you are there,
00:15:36.77\00:15:39.70
and every time I think of
You, my promise to you is I will
00:15:39.73\00:15:44.07
acknowledge you. I
will speak with you,
00:15:44.11\00:15:46.68
and you know what, those
are the best days of my life.
00:15:46.74\00:15:48.71
Because we are talking all
day long, we are dialoging.
00:15:48.74\00:15:52.75
I'm praising Him all day long,
I'm thanking Him, I'm searching
00:15:52.78\00:15:58.35
for Him all day long and He
is there all over the place.
00:15:58.39\00:16:01.26
And I also...The way I word
it is a little differently but
00:16:01.29\00:16:04.79
I just...I have Him
tap me on the shoulder.
00:16:04.83\00:16:07.13
I just pray Lord, give me
a divine awareness of your
00:16:07.13\00:16:10.90
presence within. Because He
is always with us and there are
00:16:11.00\00:16:14.47
times... Have you ever found
this Bob that there are times in
00:16:14.50\00:16:17.91
the day you can get
so involved in your work,
00:16:17.94\00:16:21.01
that it's kind of like you
come up for a breath of air,
00:16:21.04\00:16:24.48
and all of a sudden you
realize, I've been ignoring you
00:16:24.51\00:16:27.72
Lord. You could've
probably helped me through this
00:16:27.75\00:16:30.19
a little bit. It could have been
easier if I had really included
00:16:30.22\00:16:33.96
You and it is amazing how
It's like you can be sitting
00:16:33.99\00:16:37.96
and talking with Him
almost, if you were...
00:16:37.99\00:16:40.20
You know, like you were
talking in an earlier program,
00:16:40.23\00:16:41.96
like if He were in this
chair and you were here.
00:16:42.00\00:16:44.37
You can have that prayer
or conversation with Him,
00:16:44.40\00:16:48.17
start off right, but
then things start happening
00:16:48.20\00:16:51.07
and it's kind of like
you just giving Him the
00:16:51.11\00:16:53.34
silent treatment, put
Him over there and forget
00:16:53.38\00:16:55.48
He's right there
with you. That's good.
00:16:55.51\00:16:58.91
If I can, I want to make
sure and spend a little time
00:16:58.95\00:17:02.02
on step 12. Sure!
00:17:02.05\00:17:03.82
And that is having had a
spiritual awakening as a result
00:17:03.85\00:17:07.49
of these steps. We
try to carry this message
00:17:07.52\00:17:11.49
to other alcoholics and
to practice these principles
00:17:11.53\00:17:14.13
in all our affairs.
00:17:14.20\00:17:15.53
This is the
culmination of those 12 steps.
00:17:15.56\00:17:19.37
This is where we have
become fully aware of God
00:17:19.40\00:17:25.04
moving in our lives. We have
had what they call a spiritual
00:17:25.07\00:17:29.04
awakening. All along the way
we've had spiritual experiences
00:17:29.08\00:17:33.92
as AA puts it, but at
this point we are fully awake.
00:17:33.95\00:17:37.42
We are aware of God moving
in our lives and we are aware
00:17:37.49\00:17:41.46
of the people He is
putting in our path,
00:17:41.49\00:17:43.63
not only to help
us, but for us to help.
00:17:43.66\00:17:46.46
And there is an element
of actively seeking another
00:17:46.49\00:17:50.47
alcoholic to help.
One of the saddest things
00:17:50.53\00:17:53.10
I've ever seen in my life,
are Christians who have been
00:17:53.13\00:17:57.27
delivered from
alcoholism for example,
00:17:57.31\00:17:59.01
and they come up to me and
very quietly whisper to me,
00:17:59.04\00:18:03.58
I used to have a
drinking problem,
00:18:03.61\00:18:05.38
I used to be an alcoholic,
I have not had a drink
00:18:05.41\00:18:09.12
for so many years, but I
don't want anyone to know.
00:18:09.15\00:18:12.02
And I don't say usually
anything to them except I think
00:18:12.05\00:18:16.32
to myself, how sad that
you have been forgiven so much,
00:18:16.36\00:18:19.49
and yet, you will not
give your witness for the Lord.
00:18:19.53\00:18:23.03
You are uniquely qualified
to help another alcoholic
00:18:23.06\00:18:27.44
and you choose not to. I
think that makes God's heart
00:18:27.47\00:18:30.91
very sad, and for
me, it's incredible.
00:18:30.94\00:18:34.08
You know one of the
things we learn in AA is that
00:18:34.11\00:18:38.65
strenuous work one alcoholic
with another is vital to
00:18:38.68\00:18:42.05
permanent recovery.
I need to give it away,
00:18:42.08\00:18:45.25
if it stays inside
of me, it rots, it dies.
00:18:45.29\00:18:48.16
I become self-centered
and selfish all over again
00:18:48.19\00:18:51.29
and it's just a very sad thing.
00:18:51.33\00:18:52.96
You know, it's shame
based fear, is why people
00:18:52.99\00:18:58.43
don't want to share.
00:18:58.47\00:18:59.87
For so long in my life, I didn't
talk about the dysfunction
00:18:59.90\00:19:06.34
of my upbringing. I didn't
talk about the family problems
00:19:06.37\00:19:10.08
or my sister's problems,
or my mother's problems
00:19:10.11\00:19:12.25
or anybody's problems,
I didn't talk about mine.
00:19:12.28\00:19:14.62
And when I came
into full time ministry,
00:19:14.65\00:19:18.49
the Lord impressed upon
my heart that I had to share
00:19:18.52\00:19:22.46
from a gut level. Now I will
say, I don't always talk about..
00:19:22.49\00:19:26.16
I talk about BC days, before
Christ, but I don't' go into
00:19:26.19\00:19:30.37
great detail to give
the glory to the devil.
00:19:30.40\00:19:33.07
But I think that we all
need to...So many people...
00:19:33.10\00:19:37.21
You look, and maybe you
see somebody on television
00:19:37.24\00:19:40.28
and you think, oh,
they are just perfect,
00:19:40.31\00:19:42.38
and you put them on a pedestal,
and we are all in the same boat.
00:19:42.41\00:19:46.38
We all have the same problems,
we have the same challenges,
00:19:46.41\00:19:51.49
we have to overcome this flesh
day by day, moment by moment.
00:19:51.52\00:19:55.39
And so I think it's good for us
to, at least in my experience,
00:19:55.42\00:20:00.90
it was very healing for me
to come forward and talk about
00:20:00.93\00:20:05.57
the problems, the
spiritual problems I had,
00:20:05.60\00:20:08.94
because every teaching
that I share, is how God led me
00:20:08.97\00:20:12.44
out of that, so it's
something that it is not theory,
00:20:12.47\00:20:17.21
it's what you've walked
through, and you know the power.
00:20:17.25\00:20:20.68
And just when someone
has been healed of something,
00:20:20.72\00:20:23.99
it is sad to me that they
are not using their testimony
00:20:24.05\00:20:27.79
as a witness to God,
it should be something to
00:20:27.82\00:20:29.99
celebrate, rather
than be ashamed of.
00:20:30.03\00:20:32.83
Shelley, one of the...you know,
I spend a lot of time chasing
00:20:32.86\00:20:37.33
a high through alcohol, through
drugs, through other things,
00:20:37.40\00:20:41.37
but the truth is, there is
no better high in this world
00:20:41.40\00:20:44.91
than to listen to
somebody's first prayer.
00:20:44.94\00:20:48.98
Than to share your
experience and see the hope come
00:20:49.01\00:20:53.65
into their eyes, to watch
them recover, to watch them help
00:20:53.68\00:20:57.15
other people, and know that
I've had a small part of that.
00:20:57.22\00:21:01.32
I can't get anybody sober,
I can't get anybody drunk,
00:21:01.36\00:21:05.26
that's not something I take on.
00:21:05.29\00:21:07.96
I don't worry about something
I say or do is going to get you
00:21:08.00\00:21:11.30
drunk. It's impossible.
00:21:11.33\00:21:12.87
If an alcoholic chooses to
drink, it's because they've
00:21:12.90\00:21:16.44
let go of God's hand.
00:21:16.47\00:21:17.87
You know in AA we
talk about slips sometimes,
00:21:17.91\00:21:20.98
you know, so and so
slipped, and everybody knows
00:21:21.01\00:21:24.25
what that means, but they
don't know where that came from.
00:21:24.28\00:21:26.88
It came from our other
co- founder Dr. Bob Smith
00:21:26.92\00:21:30.35
who many many years ago
started talking about slipping
00:21:30.39\00:21:34.79
and they asked him,
what do you mean by a slip?
00:21:34.82\00:21:39.53
He said, they've
slipped from the grace of God.
00:21:39.56\00:21:42.60
God could not hold on the
them if they are not hanging
00:21:42.63\00:21:47.90
on to Him, and so at
some point that happens.
00:21:47.94\00:21:52.24
So once I recognize that I
can not do or say anything that
00:21:52.27\00:21:59.41
will get anybody
sober or get anybody drunk,
00:21:59.45\00:22:01.75
I thought, what is my part?
00:22:01.78\00:22:04.42
My part is to be a channel,
my part is to be the conduit
00:22:04.45\00:22:08.22
of God's grace and God's love.
To give somebody the answer
00:22:08.26\00:22:11.89
that I found it the
greatest joy in my life.
00:22:11.93\00:22:15.03
In fact, you know, I
can't keep quiet about it,
00:22:15.06\00:22:17.83
I don't have to broadcast it.
00:22:17.87\00:22:19.30
In fact, this is the first
program where I've actually
00:22:19.33\00:22:22.74
talked about this and
as you know, I'm doing this
00:22:22.77\00:22:26.11
anonymously
because it is not about me.
00:22:26.14\00:22:28.91
It's about the Lord.
But I cannot be silent,
00:22:28.94\00:22:32.25
if I'm given the opportunity,
I need to share that,
00:22:32.28\00:22:35.42
especially one on one, one
on one is what it's all about.
00:22:35.45\00:22:40.16
Alcoholics Anonymous
said it's core is simple,
00:22:40.22\00:22:42.76
it's just one alcoholic
speaking with another one
00:22:42.79\00:22:46.23
and sharing their
experience, strength, and hope,
00:22:46.26\00:22:48.46
believing that that person
will can and will get sober if
00:22:48.50\00:22:51.93
they try what we've done,
they will get the same results.
00:22:51.97\00:22:55.17
Once again, this idea
of sponsorship and sharing,
00:22:55.20\00:23:00.08
it's a Christian
principle, this is discipleship.
00:23:00.11\00:23:03.75
I mean we are all to be if
you were, Christian sponsors,
00:23:03.78\00:23:08.32
for people, other sinners like
ourselves and to encourage them
00:23:08.35\00:23:13.86
to share the good news.
So it's actually or partly...
00:23:13.89\00:23:18.59
well, I mean in part,
we all are fulfilling the
00:23:18.63\00:23:22.10
Great Commission and
that's what you are doing here.
00:23:22.13\00:23:24.03
Go and tell! Yes! Let
me ask you this question.
00:23:24.07\00:23:26.53
We have just a few
minutes left. Sure.
00:23:26.57\00:23:28.24
In these 12 steps
absolutely changed your life.
00:23:28.27\00:23:33.58
Yes. Working. Excuse me.
God working through the 12 steps
00:23:33.64\00:23:38.08
changed your life.
00:23:38.11\00:23:39.45
It's interesting to me,
I knew very little about AA
00:23:39.48\00:23:44.49
but I had heard various things.
Some people don't think AA
00:23:44.52\00:23:49.42
really acknowledges God as God.
We had an engineer who worked
00:23:49.46\00:23:53.56
for us who...and I may
have shared this on an earlier
00:23:53.60\00:23:58.43
program, I don't recall,
but he did not believe in God,
00:23:58.47\00:24:03.41
he was an atheist and so
he called on a higher power
00:24:03.44\00:24:06.71
or kneeling at a tree one day
praying, he heard a voice say
00:24:06.78\00:24:11.88
to him, my name is Jesus Christ
and I am your higher power,
00:24:11.91\00:24:17.02
and he became a
very devout Christian.
00:24:17.09\00:24:19.49
But where has...sometimes
I think AA gets a bad wrap
00:24:19.52\00:24:24.16
from Christians, like
it's somehow denying the power
00:24:24.23\00:24:28.43
of God if you have to to
through a 12 step program, so...
00:24:28.46\00:24:32.83
it's very much...especially
I know in your group,
00:24:32.87\00:24:37.41
it's very much Christ
oriented, God oriented, so...
00:24:37.47\00:24:42.58
There's no doubt, anyone
who believes that we deny the
00:24:42.61\00:24:45.98
power of God has not been to a
meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous.
00:24:46.01\00:24:49.35
They will hear God
mentioned from every corner,
00:24:49.38\00:24:51.99
from people, and this is
another miracle is watching
00:24:52.02\00:24:55.76
people who come in who
have only used the word God
00:24:55.79\00:24:58.43
in a swear word,
suddenly within days and weeks
00:24:58.46\00:25:03.37
they are talking
about God in loving terms
00:25:03.40\00:25:05.53
and the
transformation is amazing.
00:25:05.57\00:25:07.87
You know there is way too
much evidence, even if they sit
00:25:07.90\00:25:11.07
silently in AA meetings,
they see the changes happening
00:25:11.11\00:25:15.04
day to day, week to week, and
they hear the acknowledgement
00:25:15.08\00:25:18.98
constantly that God is
doing for us, what we cannot do
00:25:19.01\00:25:21.68
for ourselves. The results
of prayer, the results of doing
00:25:21.72\00:25:25.55
the right thing because
you know it's the right thing
00:25:25.59\00:25:27.76
and because God
empowers you to do that.
00:25:27.79\00:25:29.86
There is a lot of mis-
understanding, that's true,
00:25:29.89\00:25:33.80
but AA says keep your hand
to the plow, do what you know
00:25:33.83\00:25:38.43
to do. Don't worry about
what other people think of you,
00:25:38.83\00:25:40.90
worry about what
God thinks about you.
00:25:40.94\00:25:42.34
Yes. And if you know what God
thinks of you, you know He is
00:25:42.37\00:25:45.31
crazy about you. Amen!
This is Christian principle.
00:25:45.34\00:25:48.71
Absolutely. We don't
worry too much about that,
00:25:48.74\00:25:51.71
we don't do
sensational advertising, we have
00:25:51.75\00:25:54.65
12 traditions which
could be a whole nother series
00:25:54.68\00:25:56.65
which are also
Christian principles, amazingly
00:25:56.69\00:25:59.32
in that we hold our groups
together this way with our
00:25:59.35\00:26:04.36
12 traditions,
and they are easily...
00:26:04.39\00:26:06.96
you can locate these
easily on the internet.
00:26:07.03\00:26:10.27
There is a lot of
misinformation, sadly there are
00:26:10.30\00:26:13.47
a lot of people that believe
that they can cure alcoholism
00:26:13.54\00:26:18.54
in other ways. We believe
it's a disease that is incurable
00:26:18.57\00:26:21.44
on this earth, on this
earth in the new world of course
00:26:21.48\00:26:25.11
it won't be, but that it's
fatal, that it's progressive
00:26:25.15\00:26:29.05
that it's incurable. But being a
mental, physical, and spiritual
00:26:29.08\00:26:33.39
disease, there is only one
solution and that's a spiritual
00:26:33.46\00:26:37.43
remedy connecting to God who
gives us the power to not only
00:26:37.46\00:26:41.70
to stay sober, but to
help others and live happy
00:26:41.73\00:26:45.27
productive, wonderful lives.
00:26:45.30\00:26:46.90
There are many people I know
who come to AA who eventually
00:26:46.94\00:26:51.11
make their way to church, AA
does not push them to church,
00:26:51.14\00:26:54.88
but they are connected
to God and God draws them
00:26:54.91\00:26:59.85
to where they need
to be and that's fun.
00:26:59.88\00:27:03.05
Several people in my
group have become Seventh-day
00:27:03.08\00:27:05.99
Adventists because of it,
and I think that is wonderful.
00:27:06.02\00:27:09.69
Amen! Amen! Well, what
occurs to me once more is that
00:27:09.72\00:27:13.93
as we have gone through these
12 steps, that these are steps
00:27:13.96\00:27:18.60
we can all use for whatever
we're trying to overcome...
00:27:18.63\00:27:22.97
If there is something
that's been holding you back
00:27:23.00\00:27:25.67
you've got to admit that
you are powerless over it,
00:27:25.71\00:27:29.18
that only by God's
power can you overcome,
00:27:29.21\00:27:32.45
you need to turn
your will over to the Lord
00:27:32.48\00:27:35.62
admit to God, to yourself,
to others the exact nature
00:27:35.65\00:27:40.46
of your wrong, be ready to
have God remove your character
00:27:40.49\00:27:45.49
defects, humbly ask Him to
remove our short comings...
00:27:45.53\00:27:49.50
Make a list of those
we've harmed, make restitution
00:27:49.53\00:27:52.00
to those and then take
that personal daily inventory...
00:27:52.03\00:27:56.20
Seek God through
daily prayer and meditation,
00:27:56.24\00:27:59.64
and then as God
re-awakens you spiritually,
00:27:59.67\00:28:03.11
go out and share the
good news of the power of God.
00:28:03.14\00:28:07.55
Bob, thank you so
much for being with us,
00:28:07.58\00:28:10.52
this has been a
pleasure to have you here,
00:28:10.55\00:28:13.39
and it's been a real
joy and very educational.
00:28:13.42\00:28:16.29
For those of you at home
thank you for joining in.
00:28:16.32\00:28:18.96
Share these programs with some-
one who really needs to know,
00:28:18.99\00:28:22.56
there is HOPE in God.
00:28:22.60\00:28:24.97