Aug. 3, 2015 - HBO to premier documentary on gay Olympic diver Greg Louganis Tuesday
Aug. 3, 2015 - What does 'ex-gay' really mean?
Aug. 3, 2015 - My Christianity and same-sex marriage
Aug. 3, 2015 - Readings in Recovery: Today's Gift from Hazelden
Monday, Aug. 3, 2015
Today's thought from Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:
Successful Living
A speaker told us one day that people who can't manage their time also have difficulty handling their money. We have even heard that "time is money."
Without becoming misers or scrooges, we have a responsibility to use time wisely - other people's time as well as our own. Many people who believe they are moral and upright are so careless about keeping appointments and dates that they force others to wait. This is essentially stealing another's time.
Being prompt and managing all of our time well is part of mature living. It's part of being a responsible, grown-up, caring person. If we've been guilty of poor management of our own time, we've probably been wasting other people's time as well.
I'll be careful and prompt in all appointments today. I'll not waste others' time by being late.
Successful Living
A speaker told us one day that people who can't manage their time also have difficulty handling their money. We have even heard that "time is money."
Without becoming misers or scrooges, we have a responsibility to use time wisely - other people's time as well as our own. Many people who believe they are moral and upright are so careless about keeping appointments and dates that they force others to wait. This is essentially stealing another's time.
Being prompt and managing all of our time well is part of mature living. It's part of being a responsible, grown-up, caring person. If we've been guilty of poor management of our own time, we've probably been wasting other people's time as well.
I'll be careful and prompt in all appointments today. I'll not waste others' time by being late.
You are reading from the book:
Walk in Dry Places by Mel B. © 1996 by Hazelden Foundation
Aug. 3, 2015 - Readings in Recovery: Step by Step
Monday, Aug. 3, 2015
Today, I'm fed up - filled to the rim with those self-destructive, self-absorbed character defects like anger, self-pity and anxiety about what's been said and done, and what's ahead. And, today, I'm sick of carrying the garbage, the excess baggage that I acquired in my drinking days and may still be toting even without the booze. I want what AA promises - if I work for it. That means, finally, getting out from under the ponderous weight of that chip on my shoulder, and letting go means letting God and working the program so as not to take that weight back. Even if in sobriety I can rationalize or justify whatever resentment and any other ill feeling I harbor for someone or something, it has no role in my recovery and, in fact, can derail it like a super-train jumping its track at 200 mph. The predictable outcome? Total self-destruction. I didn't come this far this long to fall apart or to implode because of whatever self-destructive trap I have set. Today, I want to feel free of anger, self-pity, worry and resentment and, today, I'm fed up enough to get with the program. And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2015
Aug. 2, 2015 - Readings in Recovery: Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Monday, Aug. 3, 2015
Monday, Aug. 3, 2015
AA Thought for the Day
We in AA must remember that we are offering something intangible. We are offering a psychological and spiritual program. We are not offering a medical program. If people need medical treatment, we call in a doctor. If they need a medical prescription, we let the doctor prescribe for them. If they need hospital treatment, we let the hospital take care of them. Our vital AA work begins when a person is physically able to receive it.
Am I willing to leave medical care to the doctors?
Meditation for the Day
Each moment of your day which you devote to this new way of life is a gift to God. The gift of the moments. Even when your desire to serve God is sincere, it is not an easy thing to give Him many of these moments: the daily things you had planned to do, given up gladly so that you can perform a good service or say a kind word. If you can see God's purpose in many situations, it will be easier to give Him many moments of your day. Every situation has two interpretations - your own and God's. Try to handle each situation in the way you believe God would have it handled.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may make my day count somewhat for God. I pray that I may not spend it all selfishly.
Hazelden Foundation
We in AA must remember that we are offering something intangible. We are offering a psychological and spiritual program. We are not offering a medical program. If people need medical treatment, we call in a doctor. If they need a medical prescription, we let the doctor prescribe for them. If they need hospital treatment, we let the hospital take care of them. Our vital AA work begins when a person is physically able to receive it.
Am I willing to leave medical care to the doctors?
Meditation for the Day
Each moment of your day which you devote to this new way of life is a gift to God. The gift of the moments. Even when your desire to serve God is sincere, it is not an easy thing to give Him many of these moments: the daily things you had planned to do, given up gladly so that you can perform a good service or say a kind word. If you can see God's purpose in many situations, it will be easier to give Him many moments of your day. Every situation has two interpretations - your own and God's. Try to handle each situation in the way you believe God would have it handled.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may make my day count somewhat for God. I pray that I may not spend it all selfishly.
Hazelden Foundation
Aug. 3, 2015 - Readings in Recovery: A Day at a Time
A Day at a Time
Monday, Aug. 3, 2015
Monday, Aug. 3, 2015
Reflection for the Day
The Twelve Steps were designed specifically for people like us - as a shortcut to God. The Steps are very much like strong medicine which can heal us of the sickness of despair, frustration and self-pity. Yet we're sometimes unwilling to use The Steps. Why? Perhaps because we have a deep-down desire for martyrdom. Consciously and intellectually, we think we want help; on a gut level, though, some hidden sense of guilt makes us crave punishment more than relief from our ills.
Can I try to be cheerful when everything seems to be leading me to despair? Do I realize that despair is very often a mask for self-pity?
Today I Pray
May I pull out the secret guilt inside that makes me want to punish myself. May I probe my despair and discover whether it is really an impostor - self-pity with a mask on. Now that I know that the Twelve Steps can bring relief, may I please use them instead of wallowing in my discomforts.
Today I Will Remember
The Twelve Steps are God's stairway.
Hazelden Foundation
Aug. 3, 2015 - Readings in Recovery: The Eye Opener
Monday, Aug. 3, 2015
The educated person knows things, but the wise man knows people. It is not possible to know life without knowing the individuals that make up the world.
A man is not a thing - he's a combination of certain good and bad traits that make him distinctive among his fellow men. Each one is an influence for good or evil, whether we realize it or not. When we rub elbows with our associates, we exchange some of our characteristics with them. Watch, therefore, your companions for, if they are unclean, they are sure to soil your clothes.
Hazelden Foundation
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