CIR KBs

Christians in Recovery Knowledge Base article

When We Wrestle with Ourselves

It’s really hard to keep remembering that my fight isn’t against those around me who oppose me, but rather is about whether or not I can stand in the will of God. Sometimes, I think, that the devil, he is me, that when I look into the mirror, my worst enemy is my own desires. I simply have a hard time waiting and waiting is what I need to do to allow God to work in the lives of those around me to do His will for me.

Ephesians 6:11-12 NKJV

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What was Surrender in Early AA?

What Was a Surrender in Early A.A.?

In the original A.A. “Christian fellowship” program founded in Akron in June 1935, pioneer newcomers had a very clear idea of A.A.’s requirement that they surrender.

The Surrender at Akron City Hospital

First, at the close of the usually-required, initial hospitalization in Akron City Hospital, there was a ceremony that involved only A.A. cofounder Dr. Bob and the newcomer with whom he had been working. It soon involved two events:
(1) The question Dr. Bob asked the newcomer:

    “Young feller, do you believe in God? Not a God, but God!”1 [emphasis in original]

(2) Then the requirement that the newcomer get out of bed, get down on his knees, and pray — with Dr. Bob leading the prayer.2

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Studying the 12 Steps

What is it you want to study?

There are many ways to study the Twelve Steps.

One is to memorize their language. Another is to note that the “published” 12 Steps are not themselves the “steps we took.” Hence, you can and should study the instructions as to “how” to take the Steps; and only when you have followed the instructions successfully, can you say that you have “taken” a Step-i.e. made an inventory, made amends.

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The Quandary of Faith

I’m not one who talks much about “faith” because the word comes from a Greek root that can be defined either as “faith” or “belief.” And I prefer the position that A.A.’s Dr. Bob took and required of all the early AAs he helped. It really came from the Book of Hebrews:

    Heb 11:6 (KJV): But without faith, it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

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Dr. Bob’s Bible -The “Good Book” in A.A.

The “Good Book” Is the Bible

As I have reported before-and will show again below-Alcoholics Anonymous cofounder Dr. Bob is often seen referring to the Bible as “the Good Book” in A.A. General Service Conference-approved literature. A well-known Christian couple who condemn A.A. have questioned whether Dr. Bob was a Christian because he called the Bible “the Good Book” rather than “the very Word of God”; which, they claim, “is what a true Christian would do.” [See: Martin and Deidre Bobgan, “Dr. Bob Smith: A Christian ‘Root’ of AA?” in PsychoHeresy Awareness Letter (PAL), Jan-Feb ’03 – V11N1, http://www.psychoheresy-aware.org/bobs11_1.html; accessed 5/21/10.]

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Detach with Love from the Alcoholic

To detach with love from the alcoholic means to not allow what they do while drinking harm your emotional and or spiritual well being.
Detaching with love is something learned that over time becomes a habit-a good habit actually.

To understand how detaching with love works, we must first understand what not detaching is, and what it does to us, as well as the alcoholic you live with. When we don’t detach we get angry, resentful, and sometimes fearful over the behaviors of the alcoholic. This happens because we are “too” consumed with the behaviors of the alcoholic or better known as the symptoms of the drinking.

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God Waits for Us to Draw Near to Him

When all the fighting and protesting is done, God waits for me to draw near to Him. I think that I make more trouble for myself than my own circumstances ever do. I try to control, to manipulate, to manage. And all that is so painful because I am working in a realm where I have no ability and certainly no talent. When I’m honest (which I’m finding isn’t nearly as often as I’d like it to be), I can admit that I’m really not very good at decisions. Many of the ones I’ve made have been simply horrible with drastic results. But when I wait on God and allow Him to make the decisions, things work out so much better. He’s really so much better at decisions than I am, and rightly so, because He sees the future and knows what’s best for me.

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Stand Firm when Emotionally and Physically Exhausted

Our pastor shared this scripture with us yesterday. It was God’s timing (which is always amazing to me) because this year I have felt burdened excessively. It’s been one of those years when there wasn’t one burden, one tragedy, one suffering, but rather one after another after another after another until I’ve felt that I could barely breathe. I certainly have become rather gun shy, wondering what possibly could happen next and knowing that, in all likelihood, what will happen next will be painful, unpleasant at best.

2 Corinthians 1:8-10 NASB

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Where Are You Going?

I once knew a guy who went on a road trip with the express purpose of traveling rather than arriving. He was determined not to be driven by a destination, so whenever there was a choice of which way to go he turned left. I suspect it was a politically motivated scheme, but he had a pretty interesting trip anyway. He probably missed some interesting sights, but he also saw some things he might have otherwise passed up.

This week our pastor (Jeff Lucas) talked about “the God of the journey.” He observed that God is always about moving, going somewhere, and that He doesn’t just sit back and point like a celestial traffic cop. In Jesus He actually journeys with us.

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