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Post Info TOPIC: Why We Were Chosen
John


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Why We Were Chosen
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Why We Were Chosen
 



God in HIS wisdom has selected this group of men and women to be the purveyors of His Goodness. In selecting them through whom to bring about this phenomenon, He went not to the proud, the mighty, the famous or the brilliant. He went to the humble, to the sick, to the unfortunate - He went to the drunkard, the so-called weakling of the world.

Well might he have said to us - into your weak and feable hands I have entrusted a power beyond estimate. To you has been given that which had been denied the most learned of your fellows. Not to scientists or statesmen, not to wives or mothers, not even to my priests or ministers have I given this gift of healing other alcoholics which I entrust to you.

It must be used unselfishly. It carries with it grave responsibility. No day can be too long, no demands upon your time can be too urgent, no case too pitiable, no task too hard, no effort too great. It must be used with tolerance for I have restricted its application to no race, no creed and no denomination. Personal criticism you must expect, lack of appreciation will be common, ridicule will be your lot - your motives will be misjudged. Success will not always attend your efforts in your work with other alcoholics. You must be prepared for adversity, for what men call adversity is the ladder you must use to ascend the rungs toward spiritual perfection. And remember, in the exercise of this power I shall not exact of you beyond your capabilities.

You are not selected because of exceptional talents, and be careful always if success attends your efforts, not to ascribe to personal superiority, that to which you can lay claim only by virtue of MY gift.

If I had wanted learned men to accomplish this mission, the power would have been entrusted to the physician and the scientist. If I had wanted eloquent men, there would have been many anxious for the assignment, for talk is the easiest used of all talents with which I have endowed mankind. If I had wanted scholarly men, the world is filled with better qualified men than you who would have been available.

You were selected because you have been the outcasts of the world, and your long experience as drunkards has made, or should make you humbly alert to the cries of distress that come from the lonely hearts of alcoholics everywhere.  Keep ever in mind the admission you have made on the day of your entrance into AA, namely, that you are powerless and that it was only with your willingness to turn your life and will into My keeping, that relief came to you...



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pjb235


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Thx John for the posting. I have a copy of this reading downstairs & it certainly reminds me each time of how much our HP loves us & to always credit our success in working with other alcoholics to His benevolent ways & graces. Truly an inspiring reading. Thx, - Pat B

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Nic


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Far out... I got goosebumps.


That's very intense stuff. Just rings so very true, by the end of it... I was imagining the heavens opening up and the big dude pointing down at me saying,


"Yes you, you nincompoop! Go on now....get to work!"


I'm going to print that out and next time someone tries the "Why me?" routine, I can get on with making coffee while they read it.


 



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inthebook164


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Does anyone know where this originated???? 



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Phil Metz
Frodo


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I've never seen that before. Powerful stuff.

Thanks for the bump, inthebook.

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Fyne Spirit


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Thanks John,

Thought provoking.

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SteveP


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Aye, thanks for the bump. I'd not seen this before. Helps to give a whole new perspective on the gift that we have to keep giving away in order to keep it.

Thanks John.

Steve

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Polly


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Thanks John, Just what I needed.

'' You were selected because you have been the outcasts of the world, and your long experience as drunkards has made, or should make you humbly alert to the cries of distress that come from the lonely hearts of alcoholics everywhere. Keep ever in mind the admission you have made on the day of your entrance into AA, namely, that you are powerless and that it was only with your willingness to turn your life and will into My keeping, that relief came to you...''

Polly.X

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PhyllisS


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An often seen piece of AA literature is a small pamphlet called "Why We Were Chosen". The source of this pamphlet is a speech given by Judge John T. on the 4th Anniversary of the Chicago Group in 1943.   



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Pythonpappy


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Welcome to MIP Phyllis, ... I always loved this article ... one of my faves ...


thanks and God Bless,
Pappy



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Mr_David


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Wow, indeed. I could not have framed it better, even from an agnostic point of view.

Ever since the dawn of creation, people from all walks of life have been debating the concept of a higher power, whether real or imaginary.  Alcoholics have been debating this same concept since 1935. The story of creation is nothing new, either the accounts are real or just a figment of someone's imagination. It has become a thorn of discomfort for atheists and agnostics alike. The popular opinion in and around A.A. should, to some degree, reflect our own spiritual values and not just a select few. Yet in some unique way it leads us back to the same old conclusion, what came first the hen or the egg.

My version of spirituality is both real and reflective. It combines the A.A. trademark of unity, service and recovery with the tenets of spiritual enlightenment. When you combine two schools of thought, whether it's Christianity, Buddhism, spirituality or agnosticism, you are bound to piss someone off. However, and as John recently pointed out it in this wonderful essay -so eloquently I may add- its only because of "Gods unique wisdom" that alcoholics from different walks of life can share a bond that few will ever replicate. Amen, to that. And it's only through this unique bond that the A.A. program continues to flourish.

Discussions on spirituality often convey a message of hope, but in some strange way it can also create a divisive attitude. So I adopted a new position regarding debates and debating circles in general. I try to disengage entirely from that circle of thought, worry less about the labeling, and focus simply on consequences - to remember instances of pain, regret, shame, or worse that would not have occurred if drinking was not a factor. It's become incredibly powerful to scan through that roadmap of time, line by line in plain English, and conclude that I would literally do anything not to repeat those same mistakes again, and the same should be said about A.A. If we do not come up with a viable solution that can satisfy both sides of the isle or at the very least develop some sort of compromise, then history can only repeat itself. I hope that never happens, but it is A.A. you know and not a museum of perfect people. I hope that sentiment continues. Onward 



-- Edited by Mr_David on Tuesday 8th of March 2016 11:49:28 PM

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MarcLacroix


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inthebook164 wrote:

Does anyone know where this originated???? 

 SomeWhere in Here :)

http://www.weekendwinnerworkshop.org/PurpleBase/Chosen/Chosen.html

Marc

 



-- Edited by MarcLacroix on Wednesday 9th of March 2016 12:17:11 AM

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Jakamo


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Welcome PhyllisS, you must really be reading through the forums to bring back a topic originally written over 11 years ago. This is good.

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Toad


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Needed reminder. Thank you PhyllisS

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CecilR


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I found your site when I needed to share this at a meeting tonight. I still am unable to read it out loud without tears of gratitude. I found the origin of this was a speaker at the Chicago group's 4th anniversary in 1943. I first encountered it as an AA pamphlet in 1981 at my first meetings in Tokyo and Yokosuka Japan. Silkworth.net has the whole speech. http://silkworth.net/aahistory/why_chosen.html

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Cecil R
Pythonpappy


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Thank you Cecil and Welcome to MIP ... glad you're here ... I NEVER get tired of reading this ... 


Love ya man and God Bless,
Pappy



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Goofyman


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Are you kidding me?!

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PatriciaPhilips


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In the wake of perusing this I kwon that A frequently seen piece of AA writing is a little flyer called "Why We Were Chosen and is mspy safe we likewise sharing data about Our new safety efforts are pointed toward keeping your record hidden and your information safe. Great many dynamic records in 2022 should assist with affirming mSpy to be a dependable and safe application.



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