A police captain once told about certain cases he had come across in his police work. The cause of the tragedy in each case was drunkenness. He told his audience about a man who got into an argument with his wife while he was drunk and beat her to death. Then he went out and drank some more. The police captain also told about a man who got too near the edge of an old quarry hole when he was drunk and fell one hundred and fifty feet to his death. When I read or hear these stories, do I think about our motto: "But for the grace of God"?
Meditation for the Day
I must keep balance by keeping spiritual things at the center of my life. God will give me this poise and balance if I pray for it. This poise will give me power in dealing with the lives of others. This balance will manifest itself more and more in my own life. I should keep material things in their proper place and keep spiritual things at the center of my life. Then I will be at peace amid the distractions of everyday living.
Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may dwell with God at the center of my life. I pray that I may keep that inner peace at the center of my being.
Havent seen THAT book around in 20 years...Many moons ago it was used by groups on a regular basis...but somewhere along the line..New York took it off the recognized AA material... because of religious content.
Thank you - that was a great read! I especially identify with this: God must touch me with his spirit for me to know him
So how can I have any kind of knowledge of God at all, or contact with him? Richmond Walker says that I must start by blocking off the world of external sense perceptions: I must begin by remembering that God is not a physical object out there in the external material world. I cannot measure his length, weigh his mass, describe his color or shape, or draw a picture of him. What I feel when his spirit touches mine can therefore only be described in metaphors or analogies or symbolic language
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Thanks for everything. Peace and Love on your journey.
Thanks for posting this. I agree across the board, but found the police stories particularly poignant. It's a deeply jolting reality that there are lots of people who are serving time in prison for crimes they don't remember committing. As someone who has woken up confused and scared after blacking out, I cannot even begin to imagine waking up the same way and being told by police that you did something terrible. The shame and the guilt and the nightmarish fear, and the hoards of people who are going to call you a monster. All because of alcohol. But by the grace of God indeed. Makes me want to hug everyone on this board. Ha. Thanks again for the post.
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When every situation which life can offer is turned to the profit of spiritual growth, no situation can really be a bad one.-Paul Brunton