*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 23, 2019* *Faith and Action* But he will be curious to learn why his own convictions have not worked and why yours seem to work so well. He may be an example of the truth that faith alone is insufficient. To be vital, faith must be accompanied by self sacrifice and unselfish, constructive action. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (Working With Others) p. 93 Thought to Ponder Faith is mighty. Action with faith is mightier. AA-related 'Alconym' *H O W*  =  * ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 22, 2019* *Fear* Sometimes we think fear ought to be classed with stealing. It seems to cause more trouble. We reviewed our fears thoroughly. We put them on paper, even though we had no resentment in connection with them. We asked ourselves why we had them. Wasn’t it because self-reliance failed us? Self-reliance was good as far as it went, but it didn’t go far enough. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (How It Works) pp. 67 - 68 Thought to Ponder Breathe in faith, br ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 21, 2019* *Belief* We needed to ask ourselves but one short question. "Do I now believe, or am I even willing to believe, that there is a Power greater than myself?" As soon as a man can say that he does believe, or is willing to believe, we emphatically assure him that he is on his way. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (We Agnostics) p. 47 Thought to Ponder Spirituality is not based on logic, it is faith-driven. AA-related 'Alconym' *W I L L I N G*  ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 20, 2019* *Dealing With Sobriety* God willing, we members of A.A. may never again have to deal with drinking, but we have to deal with sobriety every day. How do we do it? By learning—through practicing the Twelve Steps and through sharing at meetings—how to cope with the problems that we looked to booze to solve, back in our drinking days. - Alcoholics Anonymous, (To Handle Sobriety) pp. 558 - 559 Thought to Ponder The Twelve Steps; a manuscript for r ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 19, 2019* *Pride and Guilt* In pride I could say, "Look at me, I am wonderful." In guilt I would moan, "I'm awful." Therefore guilt is really the reverse side of the coin of pride. Guilt aims at self-destruction and Pride aims at the destruction of others. This is why I see humility for today as that safe and secure stance midway between these violent emotional extremes.  - AA Grapevine, June 1961 (Humility for Today, Bill W) Though ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 18, 2019* *Foundation For Life* There is a direct linkage among self-examination, meditation, and prayer. Taken separately, these practices can bring much relief and benefit. But when they are logically related and interwoven, the result is an unshakable foundation for life. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Eleven) p. 98 Thought to Ponder AA is not something we join; it's a way of life. AA-related 'Alconym' *P U S H*  =  *P*ray *U*ntil ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 17, 2019* *Prayer* Prayer, as commonly understood, is a petition to God. Having opened our channel as best we can, we try to ask for those right things of which we and others are in the greatest need. And we think that the whole range of our needs is well defined by that part of Step Eleven which says: “. . . knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.” A request for this fits in any part of our day. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (S ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 16, 2019* *Singleness of Purpose* "Singleness of purpose" is essential to the effective treatment of alcoholism. The reason for such exaggerated focus is to overcome denial. The denial associated with alcoholism is cunning, baffling, and powerful and affects the patient, helper, and the community. Unless alcoholism is kept relentlessly in the foreground, other issues will usurp everybody’s attention. - A.A. World Services, Inc.,(About AA, F-13 Fall ...Continue Reading

AA Thought for the Day (courtesy AA-Alive.net) September 15, 2019 ~ Scroll Down for Share ~ *The Keynotes* Courtesy, kindness, justice, and love are the keynotes by which we may come into harmony with practically anybody. When in doubt we can always pause, saying, "Not my will, but Thine, be done." And we can often ask ourselves, "Am I doing to others as I would have them do to me—today?"  - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Ten) p. 93  Thought to Ponder We are prisoners of our ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 14, 2019* *Knowledge* He had much knowledge about himself as an alcoholic. Yet all reasons for not drinking were easily pushed aside in favor of the foolish idea that he could take whiskey if only he mixed it with milk! Whatever the precise definition of the word may be, we call this plain insanity.  How can such a lack of proportion, of the ability to think straight, be called anything else? - Alcoholics Anonymous, (More About Alcoholism) pp. ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 13, 2019* *Freedom* Returning home we find a place where we can be quiet for an hour, carefully reviewing what we have done. We thank God from the bottom of our heart that we know Him better. Taking this book down from our shelf we turn to the page which contains the twelve steps. Carefully reading the first five proposals we ask if we have omitted anything, for we are building an arch through which we shall walk a free man at last. - Alcoholics Anonymous, ( ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 12, 2019* *Meaningful Sobriety* Many an A.A., once agnostic or atheistic, tells us that it was during this stage of Step Five that he first actually felt the presence of God. And even those who had faith already often become conscious of God as they never were before. This feeling of being at one with God and man, this emerging from isolation through the open and honest sharing of our terrible burden of guilt, brings us to a resting place where we may prepar ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 11, 2019* *Our Intelligence* We are certain that our intelligence, backed by willpower, can rightly control our inner lives and guarantee us success in the world we live in. This brave philosophy, wherein each man plays God, sounds good in the speaking, but it still has to meet the acid test: how well does it actually work? One good look in the mirror ought to be answer enough for any alcoholic. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (Step Three) p. 37 Thoug ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 10, 2019* *Ghosts of Yesterday* If we have swept the searchlight of Step Four back and forth over our careers, and it has revealed in stark relief those experiences we'd rather not remember, if we have come to know how wrong thinking and action have hurt us and others, then the need to quit living by ourselves with those tormenting ghosts of yesterday gets more urgent than ever. We have to talk to somebody about them. - Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, (S ...Continue Reading

*AA Thought for the Day* (courtesy AA-Alive.net) *September 9, 2019* *Human Will* If there was a Devil, he seemed the Boss Universal, and he certainly had me. But my friend sat before me, and he made the point-blank declaration that God had done for him what he could not do for himself. His human will had failed. Doctors had pronounced him incurable. Society was about to lock him up. Like myself, he had admitted complete defeat. Then he had, in effect, been raised from the dead, suddenly taken from the scrap heap to ...Continue Reading