YOU WON'T FOLLOW DIRECTIONS.....

A friend of mine says that to people who are new in recovery and they talk of their drinking and drugging. He tells them Drinking and Drugging are not the problem. The problem is not following directions! I also believe that. If someone with Cancer and has little time to live is given a book and told to read it and follow all the directions in it, and they will not die. They will probably memorize it and follow all the directions. Us on the other hand are told the same thing and we may or may not read the book, and only work the steps we think might help us. We are a strange bunch, aren't we? If millions of people, who have recovered, did all the work necessary to recover, and we can see those results, why do we hesitate? Bill W. said, "we have to be sold". Boy, is that the truth. That's why we need a good Sponsor and meetings to keep us working the steps. If you leave me to my own devices, I won't follow directions. I have 37 years of proof! But, if I am amongst a group of people who are the same as me. I stand a better chance, and so do they. We do this together. Time for a cup of coffee, see ya later. Bob

A God of OUR understanding....

When I was newly sober I told my Sponsor, "I thought we have to make something up." He took me to the Book and showed me what the step says, "God as WE understood Him". He stated that picking a God of your own understanding came from Bill's Story, where Ebby (never was a member of AA) who was from the Oxford Group, told him to make one up. I now understand that. But, my sponsor told me to go out and find out what WE understand. So I went on a mission, asking every one I could, "what do you understand?" I kept a list and when my sponsor asked me to show him the list. We reviewed it and came to an understanding that the general concensus was; God is typically Loving Caring Understanding Forgiving, and on and on. So I looked into my own life and saw that this is what my Mother taught me as a child. So I just needed to reintroduce myself to the God I grew up with. Boy was that easy! Time for a cup of coffee. See ya later! Bob