One of my favorite writers is David Brooks, who writes a column for the New York Times. He normally writes about politics, government, and public affairs. I was surprised to find a column last month about faith. His title was “The Shock of Faith, It’s Nothing Like I Thought It Would Be.” It was published on December 19, 2024, and if you have access to the New York Times website, you can read it there.
I started going to recovery meetings when I was 15. I heard in the meetings, “What the hell are you doing here? I lost my wife, my kids and my job because of my drinking. What the hell did you ever lose?
When I was growing up, I learned about Chicken Little who ran around telling everyone that the “Sky is Falling!” The point of the story was to teach young children not to put too much stock in absurd beliefs*. I was reminded of this story when I read all the social media chatter about the new Plain Language Big Book that has been approved for publishing by AA World Services.
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“If only you believed in miracles” – Marty Balin
Recently I was discussing the topic of miracles with some friends. We read pages 188-189 in the Big Book (Alcoholics Anonymous). The section described AA number three and how he came into the fellowship. The topic and story resonated with all of us. It truly is a miraculous story.
The 12th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous says, “Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these Steps…” So, what is this “spiritual awakening” and why is it so crucial to long-term recovery?
Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 6, 2022, at 2:00 A.M. On Saturday night, clocks are set back one hour (i.e., gaining one hour). This has come to be known as “Fall Back." This event has become part of the fall routine and one which sleep deprived individuals like this blogger look forward to very much.
What does it mean to abandon ourselves to God? On page 164 of the book Alcoholics Anonymous we find this explanation.
Chapter seven of the book, Alcoholics Anonymous, is devoted entirely to working with others. You get a clue from the author of the “Big Book”, how important certain steps are by the amount of space he devotes to them. When the author has devoted an entire chapter to working with others, i.e., Step 12, it must be important.
