Where are the other nine?

Jesus asked, "Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine?" Luke 17:17

With-in the book of Luke in the Bible there exists a parable in which 10 people afflicted with leprosy are healed or made clean by Jesus. After such point nine of them leave without expressing the deep gratitude they should have for their lives being spared...one remains and for that is rewarded.

Regardless of your faith, one cannot help but draw a parallel between this story and similar ones in Alcoholics Anonymous. 

Much like the like the lepers of the time, active alcoholics are often cast out of society, deemed unclean and cast aside to die drunk. We are delivered through divine intervention to the rooms of AA where we are, through in immeasurable act of mercy, spared from the certain death of alcoholism. Our sobreity is contingent upon the the maintenance of our spiritual program which includes but is not limited to giving back to our fellowship through service, acts of mercy, charity, and the constant display of gratitude. 

However, as with the parable, AA is often stricken  with a case of the "other nines". Those alcoholics who, having found the solution, set off on their own selfish path to satisfy their own whims and desires. Soon they are too busy with life, to comfortable in sobreity, too tired, too sick, too warm or too cold to get out and carry the message. Soon they begin to suffer, the internal condition returns...and a drink looks appealing.

As for the one, "Rise and go; your faith has made you well.". We are called to remain in service, ours is a daily reprieve, and we must continue to diligently carry our message in order to assure that we remain free.

Up next? The Internal Condition!

Take a moment to check out our sponsor: The Token Shop

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Posted in alcoholic, alcoholics anonymous, faith, God, gratitude, message, service, sobriety, solution, spiritual

I am responsible....

"When anyone, anywhere reaches out for help, I want the hand of AA to be there"

I seem to spend a great deal of time attacking the cliches that many in AA cling to as if they were the life lines from which they dangled above a sea of liquor.  This one, is quite the opposite. I hold steadfast to the idea that our common calling, our primary purpose and for some the only reason our lives were spared, is to bear witness and testament to the power of God and of Our Program of Recovery.

In order for us to be witnesses we must, we absolutely must, remain on the firing lines, we have to get in the trenches, we can't spend our days lounging in the meetings with the fancy coffee, the expensive chairs and valet parking, hoping that the newcomer will take a taxi to the suburbs to have the message delivered to them. 

The problem in our fellowship today stems from the fact that too many of us, and yes I said us, because I include myself in this group occasionally, are convinced that someone else must be going to do it, and if they are going to do it, then I don't have to bother with it. After all I come to meetings to make sure that I get "my" problems resolved so that I can stay sober today! Please note the very thick sarcasm here.

Folks, the Big Book is very clear on this subject. 

“Selfishness, self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles."

Alcoholics Anonymous pg 62

How then am I too be rid of this most horrible defect? The answer is right here, around us in this world are all manner of people in need, some are sick and dying, some hungry, some poor, and then there are those to whom we are particularly well equipped to help....the alcoholic. They, like us, will come desperate and dying and seeking the solution, and if we are to stay sober ourselves we must be willing, able, ready, and available to carry our message to them. We have to be where they are, when they show...that means the detox centers, the half-way houses, the recovery homes, the shelters and jails, that means the club with the smoke stains yesterday's coffee still cooking in the pot...we all have one...It means that when the phone rings, and it's late in the fourth quarter, we answer it and leave the room. It means that sometimes we are a taxi, and sometimes we are a warm meal, a bed, a shower and shave. It means that sometime, to someone other than ourselves we have to be home....

 For that I am Responsible...are you?

Please take a moment to visit our sponsor: The Token Shop 

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Posted in AA, meetings, message, Recovery, sober

Envy...I suffer....

Spared from the obsession to drink it is unfortunate how quick most alcoholics are to want something more. Once sober we begin to reflect:

• Those things we once had and lost
• Those opportunities lost
• Those things we could have had but missed the boat
• Those things others have and don't deserve

 Feeling Guilty? I do, I have found myself longing for the cars, the jobs, the houses of those around me in sobriety. I have pined for their emotional state of being or the solidarity of their spiritual life.

I am, however, today a firm believer in the idea that from struggle comes strength, and out of pain rises love for God. I once heard, "If you want 5 years of sobriety overnight, you have to be willing to take the 5 years worth of pain with it".

We so easily lose track of the miracle of sobriety that has encompassed us, in doing so we lose touch with the power of God's will in our lives and rather than learning to be comfortable and humble  in what we have we began to long for more. Now God, has provided for us, not only life, but a sober life, and has in doing so granted us mercy, most alcoholics are destined to die drunk, undeserved of the gift of our entrance to the fellowship we snub our noses at the grace and mercy God shows us when he places us in the rooms to recover. Yet recovery is not enough, we want more and we want it in abundance.

Don't get me wrong, God wants us to do amazing things, we have been called to save lives and to be productive members of society, but we have been asked to reach out to the most desolate and weak, and we must trust that where we are socio-economically is just where he intends us to be to continue to be of maximum service to he and our fellows.

Don't compare your insides to their outsides, your sober journey is uniquely yours, it has been crafted for you, your spiritual path is your and yours alone to walk. While you can accept certain role models in your life it is important imitate their acts while expecting God's results.

Be happy with what you have!

Please take a moment to visit our sponsor - The Token Shop 

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Expectations...Yet another character defect!

"God Expects you to stay sober!"
I remember my sponsor saying early in my sober life, miffed at the idea and confounded by the reasoning, I stayed sober until I understood. 

Recently I was party to a discussion on the pitfalls of expectations especially for the sober alcoholic. Several people were quick to point out that they had unreasonable expectations of not only themselves but of others as well, and that these demands negatively effected their level of serenity. While I will not challenge the validity of this, I will say that there is a thin line between apathy and cutting oneself some slack. 


It becomes very easy for the sober alcoholic to fall into a routine of apathetic behavior, because it is far easier to set the bar with-in easy reach and never fail or suffer disappointment than it is to strive for greatness and learn from your shortcomings. I have expectations, of myself, my family and children, of those in society, I am surrounded by expectations, our world thrives on them. When was the last time you asked if you could examine the money you have "stored" in your bank account? You can see it on paper, read about it on a computer screen and thus expect that is is there. 
 
The trouble we as sober alcoholics get into is that we seem to believe we have an accurate picture of ourselves. Our powers of self-appraisal for the most part non-existent early on yet we expect we should be less angry, more patient, more willing, less complacent, etc...we also expect that after a few years of sobriety we should also be in a particular spot and berate our selves for falling short of the mark. This is where sponsorship plays such a key role, if we are not surrounded by people who can evaluate us and understand our motives, we will certainly fail to see where we truly are.

Now with that said there is a certain amount of peace that comes from ceasing to expect.  With that said I will leave with this:

"When you cease to expect, you have everything."

Please take a moment to visit our sponsor-The Token Shop

 

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Pride...one of many Defects of Character....

"Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall." Proverb's 16:18

I have had a spiritual awaking that has come from a series of profound spiritual experiences. I place all spiritual experiences into the category of profound because in hindsight they are often far more powerful and life changing than they seem in the moment.

As a sober member of our fellowship I am granted on a daily basis not only a reprieve from drinking, but also the opportunity to grow closer to God. In order to become closer though we must be rid of those things which hinder us from his message, which block us from the sunlight of the spirit, those things we cling to with claw marks and gashes, blood dripping....

But we must be free from it, these character defects that embody the very essence of self centeredness, that keep us from being of service to God and our fellow man...

I will for the next several posts be focusing on character defects, the good the bad and the ugly of our persona and why it must change, why sometimes it doesn't despite us wishing it would...The first entry in line and one that sits close to my heart is Pride...Stay tuned for it in the coming days!

Take a Look Around- The Token Shop.com

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All who wish to recover!

Our third tradition and what it means to you, to the person next to you and the other guy in the corner.  I want to point out the differences and lack of similarities between our short and long forms of this tradition. Prior to doing so though I must say that I consider it a privilege to be a member of our fellowship, I also believe that this is a matter of life and death and that we are in the grips of a profound spiritual battle, and while what is contained here may come across as crass or unjust, I will make no apologies for this, for it is for the greater good that I call this to attention.

The Short Form:
 3.) The only requirement for A.A. membership is a desire to stop drinking.

The short form of our 3rd Tradition, is rather broad, leaving the front door, the back door and all of the windows to the meeting hall standing wide open. While the term membership is not clearly defined we are left to assume that you are welcome in closed AA meetings as soon as you have a desire (common belief is for "that" moment) to stop drinking. AA is a permanent solution, our effectiveness stems from our ability to provide a way out for good and for all. Imagine the hopelessness of our program of recovery, if our solution was guaranteed to be short-term?


The Long Form:

3.) Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover. Nor ought A.A. membership ever depend upon money or conformity. Any two or three alcoholics gathered together for sobriety may call themselves an A.A. Group, provided that, as a group, they have no other affiliation. 

Here is where we get them, perhaps you have heard one of the following comments made flippantly at a Closed meeting of AA:

• All you have to say is you don't want to drink today
• Our door is always open
• You don't have the right to tell someone they aren't allowed here

Most of you have probably heard something along these lines at some point or another, followed immediately by a reference to our 3rd tradition (short form) which has alot of holes. However, I wish to pull the long form apart into 3 separate sections so we can better discuss it.
The first part:
Our membership ought to include all who suffer from alcoholism. Hence we may refuse none who wish to recover.
 Down to the first sentence we are claiming that membership in AA ought or should include all people who suffer from Alcoholism, now that also says that while all should be included, not all will be. It also states who is eligible and who is not. Unlike the short form, it asks that we do some more qualification, more than just a desire to not drink today, we ask that prospective members be "real" alcoholics. Being a real alcoholic is the first requirement for membership, the second is that you must wish to recover. You must wish to be rid of the obsession for good.

The rest of the tradition focuses mostly on non-exclusivity, the premise that we cannot exclude anyone from our fellowship who meet our only 2 "real" requirements.

We need remember this when someone in a meeting wishes to allow anyone in for informational purposes, our traditions are there to keep AA pure at a group level, they are there to maintain our message and protect our members, without Unity there is nothing. Be bold, defend our traditions, and never forget that while it may seem we are planting a seed, there is a "real" alcoholic quietly dying in the corner of the room wishing he/she could share their pain.

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Broken Toys

Broken Toys

As children bring their broken toys,

With tears for us to mend;

I brought my broken dreams to God

Because he was my friend.

But then instead of leaving him in peace to work alone,

I hung around and tried to help, with ways that were my own.

At last I snatched them back and cried

"How could you be so slow?"

"My child," He said, "What could I do?

You never did let go..."

author unknown

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Dare to dream...

Dare to dream, but remember to keep your feet firmly planted in reality. It's been over a week since I announced my plans to change course..and what a wonderful week it has been. I have had the inspiration to set forth on the following plan.

It has always been a dream of mine to sail, not just on a pond during the weekend, but passage making, no land in site, live aboard sailing. The migrant nature of that life is very appealing to me, but it is not without sacrifice and risk. I also believe, and please don't judge this, that it can be a wonderful environment  to raise children. They would be sheltered from the world's wickedness, they would learn responsibility and accountability in a real word setting and they would have the opportunity to see the world while being home schooled.

It would be irrational to think that I could put a "Everything for sale" sign in my yard, wait for the last of it to go and depart...Careful planning must happen, there will be lessons, a long term financial plan, boat shopping, gear acquisition and the need for a long term sustainable income source.

So in the short term I will do this, I will work, I will learn and I will dream. We are headed in a direction now, and for the once directionless, this is a new thing. I have been empowered, encouraged and inspired by you and this blog to dream and reach out, to achieve those things I once thought impossible.

What does any of this have to do with staying sober? It is this...You will be amazed before you are half way through...Today I amazed at the places my sober life has taken me, the people it has put in my path, and the dreams once distant that now seem to be attainable.

 Want to help with the dream and save money on tokens? Spread the word!

Visit The Token Shop 

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Not Distracted

So here is what happens when you aren't distracted...

The Token Shop

In just 2 weeks I have built a e-commerce site to bring you all the best tokens you could ever want at absolutely unbeatable prices. This is a niche market and one in which every penny back to the group helps! So I have cut out the middle man, I have slashed over head, I have made this a hobby rather than a career, and I am passing the savings on to you....Book mark us...


24 Hour Tokens for a Quarter?
Sure thing...
24 Hour Tokens

Every dime spent on advertising is money I have to charge for the Tokens, so help me get the word out...become an affiliate, share the news, e-mail me for business cards to hand out at your local meetings...

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Distractions...

So here I am, a month into the blog writing, and I have learned alot. I have learned that there are many things in my life that are preventing me from doing the things that I really want to do. I spend more and more of my time distracted by the things that get in the way of my true dreams and aspirations.

While playing around with this blog I realized that it could become an income stream, (I have made a whopping 3 dollars), but that got me to thinking, I want to be truly self sufficient. I want a stable income stream that can be supplied from anywhere, while I do what it is I really want to be doing.

Sounds to me like I need to learn a trade or set up a company that can run itself...So I began looking at the options..I could...Learn to do something that is in high demand, that I can do where ever I am for as long as I chose, or I could work on setting up a sustainable business model that would allow me to be location free...

Now that is the easy part, I can work...that is not a problem. The problem is the small, tiny time robbing distractions that cost me hours of my day, I turn on the computer to write a blog post but have to spend 30 mins scanning Facebook...you know the drill...so with that said this blog is changing channels...

There will be fewer posts, but they should be more interesting, and they will be focused on applying our principles and my life skills into chasing my dreams. I will promote less and interact even less and I will be asking for you the reader to help spread the word. I will update with how this is coming, the hurdles and challenges that seem to get in the way, and I will do it as often as I can without letting this become a distraction.

I spent alot of time trying to figure out where I wanted to be 5 years from now...

Hans Christian 43' Cruising the Caribbean with my wife and kids...now to get the stuff out of the way that is making it hard to realize that dream. I am not rich, so this is more complicated than just selling the house and going. It will mean making sacrifices and changes, starting companies, selling things...including the companies I start...

God wants us to do extraordinary things...so Hans 43' here we come!!!

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Courage....

"we will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us"  
 The Anonymous Press Study Edition of Alcoholics Anonymous

This blog started as small experiment, I began writing to quiet the tiny voice in my head who was growing in intensity. As the days went on the topics became more intense, the promotion was wider and a deep longing swelled inside. I wanted to leave a mark, no matter how small, and I saw this as a way to do so. Having you come here and read this was extraordinary. I have long struggled with a feeling of inferiority, I have felt that while I have big dreams and ambition, I am for the most part unable to follow through, trapped in life I have created, bound and destined for mediocrity. It wasn't until visitors kept coming that I saw that perhaps, just maybe, things could be different.

I set to work on my next project, the bridge if you would, between my current life position and the ultimate prize. I was able to see it to fruition today, thank you all for the courage to see my dreams through.

For those who are curious, here it is:
The Token Shop

I was here one night reading a blog post about how to find your niche. Someone put it very simple, look around and see what you do, then find people like you that are doing the same thing. There is your niche.
So I decided to do what others already were, just cheaper!

Thanks for your support, and for helping me to have the courage to follow my dreams!

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