12 Steps

God Speaks in Six Great Ways

God speaks in six great ways: in nature and creation; in the moral law; in
the Scriptures; in Jesus Christ; in human conscience; and in history. All
these things are, of course, forever imperishably true. And all of us know
them to be true, and have known it for years; yet many of us believe no more
now in the practical Voice of God than when we first heard them.

We cannot carry on a conversation with God through nature, or the moral law.
We find God’s general will in the Scriptures. We find God still more
directly in Jesus Christ. But human conscience is no perfect reflector of
God, and history only points to His existence and His general will. We want
something much more direct.

We want to know that God can and does speak directly to the human heart. The

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How is Your Relationship with God?

Why are some people afraid to get close to God or have a meaningful relationship with him? I think it is because when we sin, or when we commit habitual sin in our lives, we feel guilty over it. God has equipped every one of us with a conscience for this very reason. A guilty conscience is a warning signal that goes off in the mind, letting us know that we have done wrong. The problem is people try to eradicate those guilty feelings without eradicating the cause of it. But this is like taking painkillers instead of treating the disease.

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I Confess My Sins. Why Don’t They Go Away?

It seems like I am always confessing my sins and yet they never go away. What am I doing wrong?

This is a really loaded question, especially since we are not perfect individuals and we are all sinners. We will always have sin in our life and we will sin. But this certainly doesn’t mean that some of us are not good people. It means that we don’t understand the logistics of sin and how it all works in our life.

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A.A. Bible Refresher: Steps 8 and 9

The making of amends and restoring for things wrongfully taken are rooted in the Bible. And there are particular verses from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, from the Gospel of Luke, and from the Book of Numbers that provided what Dr. Bob was later to state were the basic ideas studied by A.A. co-founders long before the Steps were written and the Big Book was published.1

Making Amends and Restitution Is a Vital Part of Recovery Fellowships

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Types of Recovery Support Group Ministries

Every day, recovering people meet at a variety of locations—churches, homes and community centers. No pre-registration is required for these meetings. Interested individuals simply locate a group that focuses on their particular problem and then attend the meeting. Group participants remain essentially anonymous; they need not reveal any personal information except their first names. During the meetings, they are free to speak openly and honestly about current issues in their lives or to remain silent and listen to others. In this environment, participants don’t have to pretend their lives are perfect and free of problems.

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AA: A “Christian Program”

If you have known anyone in Alcoholics Anonymous, you may have been struck by the rapidity with which men and women catch on to what they often call “The Program.” A new person will come into a meeting and listen to two or three talks by alcoholics who tell about what life was like before they met AA, what happened to them through AA, and what life is like now. As one hears several such talks, it emerges that there is a kind of program which seems to consist of knowledge and experience.

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Twelve Steps to Power

Note: This is one of Sam Shoemaker’s most helpful articles which shows how “the program” so effective for alcoholics can work for all of us.

One of the most remarkable phenomena of our time is the growth of the movement called Alcoholics Anonymous. My interest in it is personal as well as objective, for the men who set it in motion first found the spiritual experience which changed their lives in my own church, though the first actual group of Alcoholics Anonymous was formed in Akron, Ohio.

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Higher Power: Alcoholics Anonymous Basics

Some of us have spent a lot of time puzzling over the question “What is a Higher Power?”

Sometimes we hear that it is, “Something.” Sometimes, the answer is that it is,”Somebody.” Sometimes the answer is “Anything that keeps me from drinking.” Many have said, “it” is a light bulb, a radiator, a chair, the Big Dipper, a rock, “Her,” a tree, the Big Dipper, Ralph, a rainbow, or “nothing at all.” I have personally read, heard, and recorded all of these strange characterizations. One compilation is in my book, God and Alcoholism. But whatever we hear, such answers have sounded pretty screwy to some of us. And they certainly are.

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