Jan. 28, 2015 - Step by Step

The Serenity Prayer

Step by Step

Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015 

Today, at day's end, I will look back on the day and know by the grace of God that I did the best I could in all my affairs. If in prayer and meditation I find that I have not fully surrendered to my Higher Power some problem or character defect, I will know I have asked my HP for the wisdom and humility to surrender it once and for all and that, if there is a tomorrow for me, I may be one day closer to that total surrender. I will not have reason, at day's end, to regret some communication with someone else because I was either cruel or indifferent to their needs or feelings. I will be grateful that, throughout this day, I did not have a "temptation" to take the first drink that always leads to disaster, and I will go to sleep tonight with the comfort that my Higher Power blessed me with the words, "Well done, my child." And our common journey continues. Step by step. - Chris M., 2015

Jan. 28, 2015 - Twenty-Four Hours a Day

The Serenity Prayer

Twenty-Four Hours a Day
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015
 
AA Thought for the Day
What a load hangovers put on your shoulders! What terrible physical punishment we've all been through. The pounding headaches and jumpy nerves, the shakes and the jitters, the hot and cold sweats! When you come into AA and stop drinking, that terrible load of hangovers falls off your shoulders. What a load remorse puts on your shoulders! That terrible mental punishment we've all been through. Ashamed of the things you've said and done. Afraid to face people because of what they might think of you. Afraid of the consequences of what you did when you were drunk. What an awful beating the mind takes! When you come into AA, that terrible load of remorse falls off your shoulders.

Have I got rid of these loads of hangovers and remorse?

Meditation for the Day
When you seek to follow the way of the spirit, it frequently means a complete reversal of the way of the world which you had previously followed. But it is a reversal that leads to happiness and peace. Do the aims and ambitions that a person usually strives for bring peace? Do the world's awards bring heart-rest and happiness? Or do they turn to ashes in the mouth?

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may not be weary, disillusioned or disappointed. I pray that I may not put my trust in the ways of the world, but in the way of the Spirit.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 28, 2015 - A Day at a Time

The Serenity Prayer

A Day at a Time
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015
 
Reflection for the Day
Now that I am in The Program, I am no longer enslaved by alcohol and other drugs. Free, free at last from the morning-after tremors, the dry heaves, the three-day beard, the misplaced eyelashes. Free, free at last from working out the alibis and hoping they won't unravel; free from blackouts; free from watching the clock so that I can somehow get that desperately needed "first one."

Do I treasure my freedom from chemical enslavement?

Today I Pray
Praise God that I am free of chemicals. This is my first freedom, from which other freedoms will develop - freedom to appraise my behavior sanely and constructively, freedom to grow as a person, freedom to maintain relationships with others on a sound basis. I will never cease to thank my Higher Power for leading me away from enslavement.

Today I Will Remember
Praise God for my freedom.

Hazelden Foundation

Jan. 28, 2015 - The Eye Opener

The Serenity Prayer

The Eye Opener
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2015
 
Man was created in the image of God. We are told that the heart of man is the Temple of the Holy Ghost. A realization of this fact makes the desecration of the body as sacrilegious as the desecration of any church.

We alcoholics have a lot of mess to clean up in our Temples in order to make them a fit place for communion with the God in us.

If we really want God to work in and through us in the rehabilitation of other alcoholics, we must provide Him at least a clean workshop.

Hazelden Foundation

Video: Male victims of campus sexual assault take it to the public

Huffington Post: Jan. 27, 2015 - Video: <center>Male Victims Of Campus Sexual Assault Speak Out<br><small>‘We're Up Against A System That's Not Designed To Help Us'</small></center>

The real Learning Channel: A straight spouse of a gay husband goes on the record

Huffington Post: Jan. 27, 2015 - The Real Learning Channel: A Straight Spouse Of A Gay Husband Speaks Out | Emily F. Reese

Joan Rivers' daughter suing clinic where mother died

Joan (l) and daughter Melissa Rivers

Gay Star News: Jan. 27, 2015 - Daughter of Joan Rivers suing 'incompetent' NYC endoscopy clinic where her mother stopped breathing | Gay Star News

Gay and out Broadway actor-singer Kyle Dean Massey lands recurring role on TV's 'Nashville'

Actor-singer Kyle Dean Massey

Gay Star News: Jan. 27, 2014 - Kyle Dean Massey joins Nashville as gay country singer | Gay Star News

Video: Louisiana governor calls for constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage

Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA)

Advocate.com: Jan. 27, 2015 - WATCH: Bobby Jindal Wants a Federal Marriage Amendment Too | Advocate.com

Band Dropkick Murphys wants Wisconsin governor to stop playing its music

Dropkick Murphys doesn't want Scott Walker playing its music

The New Civil Rights Movement: Jan. 27, 2015 - Band To GOP Gov. Scott Walker: 'Please Stop Using Our Music...We Literally Hate You !!!' - The New Civil Rights Movement

'Easy chemistry' between James Franco, Zachary Quinto in ‘I am Michael’

James Franco and Zachary Quinto in a scene from “I am Michael.”

Associated Press: Jan. 27, 2015 - Easy chemistry between James Franco, Zachary Quinto in ‘I am Michael’

Some California judges with ties to Boy Scouts question high court ban

Associated Press: Jan. 27, 2015 - Some California judges with ties to Boy Scouts question ban

At Auschwitz, a nightmare revisited

Johnny Pekats, looking at a historical photo recalls what he felt and what he saw as the trains pulled into Auschwitz. (Courtesy of Todd Pekats)

Washington Post: Jan. 27, 2015 - At Auschwitz, a nightmare revisited - The Washington Post

Editorial: Stop the inhumane charade that executions are pain-free

New York Times: Jan. 27, 2015 - The Humane Death Penalty Charade - NYTimes.com

Jan. 27, 2015 - Today's Gift from Hazelden

The Serenity Prayer

Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015

Today's thought from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation is:

Where is God?

AA members have always had a difficult time explaining the "God business." We didn't want to be considered religious, but at the same time we've always believed some contact with a Higher Power is necessary for real personal growth.

There's nothing wrong – for our purposes – in simply visualizing God as a Higher Power that has always been within us and around us. "Before they call, I will answer," goes an old saying, and that was true even in our darkest days. Many of us can look back to realize that a certain force was moving us toward recovery long before we knew we needed any recovery. Many of us also believe that a Higher Power helped bring AA into being and move it along to become a worldwide force for good.

But God works in ways that can seem to come from chance or coincidence. Quite often, we'll find that little events had far-reaching results in our lives. When we review how such things happened, we should not conclude that this happens only to certain "special" people. All human beings are part of God's creation and can avail themselves of guidance and direction. The more serious problem is that guidance and direction are sometimes ignored or rejected.

I'll go about my affairs today with the knowledge that my Higher Power is making the important decisions in my life. I'll come out about where God wants me to be.

You are reading from the book:

Walk in Dry Places by Mel B.

Walk in Dry Places by Mel B. © 1996 by Hazelden Foundation