Thoughts from a Freed Mason
The pathway to hell is enticing, secret only regards the destination.
(Check out jahbulon and freemasonry Google search.)
If Jesus was not Lord of Freemasonry then there was only one other candidate, Satan.
The worship of Satan as master was ultimate objective of the "Craft".
Freemasonry is demonic at source and one needs to be completely cleansed - delivered from this satanic influence over their life. Burn it all.
The last petition of the Lord's Prayer is "Deliver us from the Evil one."
Jesus is still the same today "The Deliverer".
Darkness visible: meaning that it is quite evident it is Satan.
The Masonic ritual now appeared in quite different light, sinister, threatening…
Man is his own salvation; this is what the first 3 degrees in freemasonry lead us to conclude.
The fundamental idea of freemasonry is that, in the final analysis, man and man alone is sufficient.
Freemason royal arch degree god: jahbulon, they put God of the Israelites on the same level as gods of the Syrians and of Egypt.
Exodus 20:3 Thou shalt not have strange gods before Me (besides Me!).
Isaiah 44:6-8 I am the First and the Last, and there is no other God besides Me.
The obligations, oaths of each degree is horrific.
Satan opposed Jesus during his earthly ministry.
Jesus referred to the devil as his opponent.
Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.
Through death He (Jesus) might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is the devil; and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.
1John3:8 The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Freemasons will often say they get more from going to the Lodge than they do from attending church so they compare their lodge meetings with church!
Follow your own devices and you land in trouble.
The Craft is corrupt, it is of Satan.
Jesus called him the father of all lies which accounts for it having such an insidious craftiness that many well meaning men are entangled in its meshes. Man cannot achieve his own salvation. Jesus was sent by the Father and He allowed Himself to be crucified.
John 15:6 Apart from Me (Jesus) you can do nothing.
Jesus is always ready to save us, if we allow Him.
Jesus is not within the context of freemasonry except if He is called upon to rescue a sinner out of it.
Freemasons want to become better viewed by other men, so more people are attracted to join them. The point here is that God desires that we should become acceptable to Him, to be obedient to His precepts.
The appraisal of oneself or one another is utterly and totally irrelevant.
We are to be conformed to God the Father's standards and His alone.
Man could never achieve it himself, the Father sent His Son for us to be the way back to Himself.
Suspicions against freemasonry are well founded. There are lifelines being extended to freemasons to rescue them from their appalling fate.
Spending time in the Lodge is not harmless, they need the truth as God is showing it through the Catholic Church and our Protestant brothers who also have seen the truth about freemasonry.
In the 1600's freemasonry went Protestant, prior to this freemasonry was a guild of craftsmen in the middle ages in service to the Catholic Church.
1717 the Masonic order severed its connection once and for all with any church, sect, or party creed.
Freemasonry wants to be a center of union among people of all religions and/or beliefs (which can include Satanism and the occult).
1813 the universal religious character of the order was affirmed, the Masonic obligation is an offering to Satan…
It explains to some extent why it is that whole families are affected by the man's membership of a demonically based organization. Isn't it a piece of superb trickery and cunning to exhort the newly initiated and obligated freemason to make it (the Bible) the rule of your faith? Certain Satan isn't above using such a subterfuge for he presumed to quote the scriptures to Jesus during his temptations in the wilderness (Matthew 4:6).
Jesus refuted Satan with further quotations from the Old Testament. Only with the power of the Holy Spirit from the Father through Jesus Christ can anyone be rescued from freemasonry.
In the Bible Jesus says "He (Jesus) is the only Way."
Freemasonry claims they are right, and everyone else is out of step. Jesus states that His sheep know his voice and follow Him. Yet all references to Him by name are excluded from all Lodge meetings, rituals and discussions. It is surely permissible to wonder whether all of the freemasonic ritual is simply fiction. The Craft does not acknowledge Jesus as Lord and Saviour. So where is freemasonry leading its protagonists? Unless Satan has blinded the eyes and minds of freemasons, the facts are there for everyone to see. There are appalling dangers in freemasonry, but are the members ready to listen and see?
There isn't the slightest hint in freemasonry of the saving grace of Jesus or the Day of Judgment. What does Revelation 20:11-15 tell us? …"They were judged… according to their deeds… anyone's name not found written in the Book of Life,… was thrown into the lake of fire. While freemasonry feels the Bible is supreme, Jesus repeatedly stressed his uniqueness was the only way to the Father, see 2 Corinthians 6:14.
"Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?"
Christians are not to honour other beliefs nor other books of faith.
Christianity is an exclusive faith. God is a jealous God, He is Love and Loves everyone who responds to His call in the Beloved in Jesus. For the Christian, the Lord has conquered death, the truth of the Bible is that God desires man to return to Him.
He provided the way, and it is the only way possible, in and through belief in His Beloved Son. (John 3:16) Both freemasonry and Christianity cannot be right, only one of them. Freemasonry membership requires a belief in a Supreme Being, is open to any religion, it expects the men to follow their own faith, does not allow religion discussion at its meetings.
A freemason is encouraged to do his duty to his god (by whatever name he is known) through his faith and religious practice.
Freemasonry demands belief in a Supreme Being, as a necessary qualification yet it asserts that it is not a religion.
What do they mean by the term Supreme Being? What is religion in their view? Words mean what they want them to convey? No one can receive eternal life, the Kingdom of God, without the mediation of Jesus.
Ephesians 5:11 And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness but instead, even expose them.
Freemasonry does not accept the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Freemasonry is satanic in essence, the Brotherhood could be part of the preparation of the way for the worldwide church of the anti-christ. It is a mainly a modern movement.
Why did freemasonry ever develop? Why in these days?
A freemason is encouraged to do his duty first to his god (by whatever name he is known through his faith and religious practice).
God is a jealous God who is particular about His name. "I AM THAT I AM", the ever eternal Presence. We are not to take His name in vain, Jesus gave his permission to his followers to use His Name with his full authority. There is no other name given among men whereby we must be saved.
Freemasonry? From where does it come?
It cannot be from the God of the Holy Bible who sent his only Son Jesus to pay the debts of the sins of all mankind.
By whose standards are they to be good and true and moral by?
In the lodge while constituted… paid due reverence to your master, wardens and fellows, and put them to worship… within the door of the lodge… we being only, as masons, of the universal religion above mentioned (of the lodge?)… strangers not to discover or find out… not to let your family, friends, neighbours, know the concerns of the lodge… All these changes you are to observe… as all true masons have done from the beginning of the world, and will do to the end of time.
Jesus told his disciples that the overriding commandment is to love God with all heart, mind, soul and strength.
Freemasonry is not straightforward. As for setting himself apart for the service of God, the Craft does not even begin to achieve this objective. Even Jesus Himself, when addressed as "good" Master, said that only God was good. This is not a deniable fact about Him being God, but that He too was doing what the Father in Heaven instructed Him to do.
Freemasons presumably see themselves as above the need for redemption.
From the context of the use of "Lord" and is "a Lord's work", it is obviously they are not talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. What other is it they are selecting? Demons? This is an appalling conclusion, but it fits with some members and ex-members experiences of the Craft. Jesus was truly loving as is the Father, with all His children, family, brethren, but freemasonry is told "particularly not to let your family, friends and neighbours, know the concerns of the lodge".
Freemasonry separates the member from his family, this is not compatible with Almighty God. They are to prefer a brother that is a good man and true before any other poor people in the same circumstances. How is that "love your neighbour as yourself" ? (Matthew Chapters 5, 6 & 7)
…Masonry… from the beginning of the world,… to the end of time? Is this rhetoric or are they serious?
Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God…
Friday, June 22, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Tea is Healthy
Tea 'healthier' drink than water
Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers.
The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates.
Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found. Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health.
Healthy cuppa
These polyphenol antioxidants are found in many foods and plants, including tea leaves, and have been shown to help prevent cell damage. Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London, looked at published studies on the health effects of tea consumption.
They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack. Some studies suggested tea consumption protected against cancer, although this effect was less clear-cut. Other health benefits seen included protection against tooth plaque and potentially tooth decay, plus bone strengthening.
Dr Ruxton said: "Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it's got two things going for it."
Rehydrating
She said it was an urban myth that tea is dehydrating. "Studies on caffeine have found very high doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate. But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid.
"Also, a cup of tea contains fluoride, which is good for the teeth," she added. There was no evidence that tea consumption was harmful to health. However, research suggests that tea can impair the body's ability to absorb iron from food, meaning people at risk of anaemia should avoid drinking tea around mealtimes.
Dr Ruxton's team found average tea consumption was just under three cups per day. She said the increasing popularity of soft drinks meant many people were not drinking as much tea as before. "Tea drinking is most common in older people, the 40 plus age range. In older people, tea sometimes made up about 70% of fluid intake so it is a really important contributor," she said.
Claire Williamson of the British Nutrition Foundation said: "Studies in the laboratory have shown potential health benefits. "The evidence in humans is not as strong and more studies need to be done. But there are definite potential health benefits from the polyphenols in terms of reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancers. "In terms of fluid intake, we recommend 1.5-2 litres per day and that can include tea. Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink."
The Tea Council provided funding for the work. Dr Ruxton stressed that the work was independent.
Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers.
The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates.
Tea not only rehydrates as well as water does, but it can also protect against heart disease and some cancers, UK nutritionists found. Experts believe flavonoids are the key ingredient in tea that promote health.
Healthy cuppa
These polyphenol antioxidants are found in many foods and plants, including tea leaves, and have been shown to help prevent cell damage. Public health nutritionist Dr Carrie Ruxton, and colleagues at Kings College London, looked at published studies on the health effects of tea consumption.
They found clear evidence that drinking three to four cups of tea a day can cut the chances of having a heart attack. Some studies suggested tea consumption protected against cancer, although this effect was less clear-cut. Other health benefits seen included protection against tooth plaque and potentially tooth decay, plus bone strengthening.
Dr Ruxton said: "Drinking tea is actually better for you than drinking water. Water is essentially replacing fluid. Tea replaces fluids and contains antioxidants so it's got two things going for it."
Rehydrating
She said it was an urban myth that tea is dehydrating. "Studies on caffeine have found very high doses dehydrate and everyone assumes that caffeine-containing beverages dehydrate. But even if you had a really, really strong cup of tea or coffee, which is quite hard to make, you would still have a net gain of fluid.
"Also, a cup of tea contains fluoride, which is good for the teeth," she added. There was no evidence that tea consumption was harmful to health. However, research suggests that tea can impair the body's ability to absorb iron from food, meaning people at risk of anaemia should avoid drinking tea around mealtimes.
Dr Ruxton's team found average tea consumption was just under three cups per day. She said the increasing popularity of soft drinks meant many people were not drinking as much tea as before. "Tea drinking is most common in older people, the 40 plus age range. In older people, tea sometimes made up about 70% of fluid intake so it is a really important contributor," she said.
Claire Williamson of the British Nutrition Foundation said: "Studies in the laboratory have shown potential health benefits. "The evidence in humans is not as strong and more studies need to be done. But there are definite potential health benefits from the polyphenols in terms of reducing the risk of diseases such as heart disease and cancers. "In terms of fluid intake, we recommend 1.5-2 litres per day and that can include tea. Tea is not dehydrating. It is a healthy drink."
The Tea Council provided funding for the work. Dr Ruxton stressed that the work was independent.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Weightlifting and Supplements
Introduction to Wieghtlifting and SupplementsDo you remember what it was like when you first began lifting weights? Do you remember looking for info in all the wrong places? Or reading the entire body of weightlifting mags and looking for some clarity, hoping someone or something would say, "Here is the way to physical perfection"? No such luck, right? There was about as much chance of finding a common thread of knowledge in the bodybuilding mags as there was that Jerry Falwell would be caught dirty dancing with Bob Paris.
People in the gym weren't much help, either, were they? You might have gravitated to the biggest guy http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=147
http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=147in the gym for advice, the guy who looked like he just walked off the set of "Quest for Fire", but most of his progress was the result of pharmaceutical experiments so radical they'd make Mr. Hyde run screaming into the streets of London.
As the years passed, you learned a lot through trial and error, and you probably made progress, despite all the conflicting messages in the mags and on the street. We like to think that with the birth of Muscle Media 2000, some of that confusion went away and that the heavy oak door of confusion had been pushed open wide enough to at least let a beam of light come shining through
Sill, with so many conflicting messages from so many different sources - people arguing about what the best supplements, training programs, best everything are - you, along with all the other consumers, probably got more confused than ever before! Although there are a lot of things about building muscle size and strength that remain unknown, there are a number of very important things we do know. That's the intent and purpose of this Muscle Media 2000 special report - to avoid the speculation and the wildhaired theories and to tell you the facts you need to know to build muscle size and strength. If God had handed out an owner's manual with the human body, the chapter on building muscle would contain much of the same information as is included in this report.
This report contains 10 bodybuilding truths. Your initial reaction to some of the steps might be that they're simplistic, but sometimes you've got to go back to the basics to regain some clarity and get back on track.
1. Thou Shalt Lift Weights.
Okay, before you smack your forehead with your palm and mockingly say, "Damn, why didn't I think of that?" keep reading. We all know that weightlifting works, but what's the best way.
Muscle hypertrophy has to do with the breakdown of muscle proteins, creating conditions for the enhanced synthesis of contractile proteins during rest periods. The more breakdown of proteins— the more damage done to the muscle during work — the bigger the muscle will be when it heals (providing all other factors, like adequate rest and nutrition, are optimum). In endurance training, the intensities imposed on the muscle cells are very low, and since tensions are very low, fiber damage is small, and fiber hypertrophy is small. With weightlifting, more fibers are recruited, and tension levels are very high. Hence, fiber damage is high, and as a result, through biochemical sequences too complicated to even attempt to describe here, fibers hypertrophy and strength increases.
Along the same lines, too small a number of reps has a limited ability to induce hypertrophy. Too small a number of reps represents a minor amount of mechanical work, and the amount of degraded contractile proteins is small. In other words, one rep, even if it's done with a weight equivalent to the http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=50
http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=50rear axle of a Hum-Vee, isn't going to do the trick.
The question then remains: what's the optimal amount of reps to do? Of course, this is determined by weight. Studies have shown that the maximum amount of motor-unit recruitment occurs between four and six reps, and consequently, the total amount of degraded protein also reaches maximal levels in this same rep range. But there are different types of fibers in a muscle, and they're recruited systematically — the low-endurance fibers being I recruited immediately for high-tension (high-weight) lifts, and the higher endurance fibers being recruited later, long after the four- to six-rep set is done. These high-endurance fibers come into play when rep ranges of 8 to 12 are used, so ideally, and generally, both types of rep schemes should be used in a workout program. So, if you train with heavy weights in rep schemes of 4 to 12 reps, you can't go wrong!
Furthermore, the age-old controversy regarding free weights and machines (and the merits of each) still resurfaces periodically. Which is best? Both are. Nowadays, very few great physiques were built by free weights alone, and I venture to say that none were built by machines alone. The modern bodybuilder uses both to attain his/her physique goals.
Beyond that, if you focus on fundamental exercises like the bench press shoulder press, squat, and deadlift, you will get stronger bigger.
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2. Thou Shalt Not Work Out Too Often.
Easy to say, but what exactly is working out too often ? Well, you can measure blood levels of 3-methyl histidine and creatine kinase (two biochemical markers of muscle damage), but that isn't exactly practical, is it? The logical assumption is that we should work a particular body part when it's regained its pre-workout capacity. Again, easier said than done. Would we have been better off had we waited an extra day?
There are as many theories on muscle recovery rates as there are groupies outside Shawn Ray's hotel room door. Why is it so darned complicated? Well, largely because it's so individualistic. People vary in this regard as widely as they do in hair color, height, or any other trait that is regarded as genetic. And, to boot, there are countless other factors that fit into the equation. What's the subject's age? How much rest did he or she get? What's the subject's nutritional or hormonal status?
Lab studies show that some individual muscle groups recover more quickly than others. Calves supposedly recover overnight, whereas forearms could theoretically be trained twice a day. Larger muscle groups like the chest or back theoretically need 48 hours, whereas still larger muscle groups like the legs may need several days.
Barring any number of complicated blood tests, there's one way to determine how long it takes you to recover—soreness. If you're scheduled to work chest today but your chest still hurts from the previous workout, take an extra day off. Although working a body part when it's still sore is occasionally permissible, it will eventually catch up with you; i.e., you will tear down muscle tissue and regress instead of progress. Muscles adapt and become stronger during rest periods, not during exercise itself. Accept this fact, or you'll be caught in the revolving door of bodybuilding—moving a whole lot but not going anywhere.
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3. Thou Shalt Eat Frequently
Ever talk to some of these guys who skip breakfast — don't eat anything till noon — and complain that they can't put on any muscle? Or maybe some of those guys who eat great one day and then let their eating habits go to hell the next? Hey baby, you've go to give the mason some bricks if you want your house built! Eating your entire day's allotment of calories in one, glorious, pig-like sitting isn't going to cut it, either. There's a lot of evidence to suggest that your body will only assimilate a certain amount of calories per sitting; any more will quickly be put in the First National Bank of Flab-onia where there is a substantial penalty for early withdrawal. What's more, research has shown that with optimal protein intake, nitrogen balance varies directly with the number of feedings; i.e., there is greater nitrogen retention with more frequent feedings. In addition, when taking in fewer feedings, the body has the tendency to show adaptive changes like rapid intestinal absorption of glucose and fat, increased synthesis of glucose, increased lipogenesis, and higher serum cholesterol (Young, et al., 1976). In short, infrequent feedings bad; frequent feedings good.
Nutritionist Keith Klein has bellyached about this small but important fact for years. He has seen, time and time again, cases where bodybuilders were eating only four times a day stopped making progress as quickly as your grandma carrying a football and shuffling for a first down against the defensive line of the Dallas Cowboys. Likewise, these same bodybuilders made dramatic improvements when they started eating six times a day.
Now, eating by the clock is hard because it requires a great deal of discipline, perhaps more discipline than working out! It doesn't matter if you're hungry or not, if you're out with friends, or if you're on the road — when it's time to eat, you should eat. If you skip meals, eat irregularly, or try to make up for missed meals by having a Caligula-style Roman feast, you're throwing a lug wrench in the machinery of anabolism.
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4. Thou Shalt Eat a High-Protein Diet.
The average old-school nutritionists love to talk about protein. They like nothing better than corner the neophyte bodybuilder and assail him or her with the cold protein logic of the 1950's: "Listen, what's the most muscle you could build in one day? A few grams here and there? And what's the amount of protein the body typically needs in one day? About 70 grams, right? So, in order to build muscle, you only need 70 grams, plus the few that will go directly to the muscle growth you've elicited through your workouts. Any more will be wasted!"
Ahh, too bad it isn't that easy. If growth and metabolism were as two-dimensional as the old-school nutritionists claim, then all you'd need every day would be a few extra grams of protein to build muscle. Unfortunately, the body isn't two-dimensional; it's three- or even four-dimensional. Granted, the average sedentary shoe salesman body needs about 70 grams of protein a day to repair the damage caused by everyday wear and tear, including the occasional bruised-from-having-a-high-heeled-shoe-step-on-it toe. Bodybuilders, however, need more protein. A lot more.
Muscles grow because of net protein synthesis — the difference between protein degradation and synthesis. In the average person, this net difference is zip — he or she isn't incurring any damage, so protein needs remain largely unchanged day to day. However, in the bodybuilder, there's so much muscle fiber disruption occurring every day that a microscopic tour of a muscle would look like Poland after the Germans blasted through in World War II. Bodybuilders need extra protein to repair all this damage. What's more, they need it at very specific intervals. In fact, timing of protein intake is just as important as quantity. The only trouble is, it's almost impossible to say exactly when in the muscle-building process we should turn the hose on. Instead, it's safer to give the body large, regular amounts of protein, so we aren't caught with our muscle-building pants down when we need extra protein.
There's evidence that we need extra protein right after a workout. There's evidence that we need extra protein about 30 hours after a workout, when muscle resynthesis is at its highest. There's evidence we need it before bedtime, to keep cortisol levels low, GH high, and to provide enough amino acids throughout the eight-hour fast we commonly call sleep. See what we're getting at? The bodybuilder needs protein throughout the day and night. Here's a short list of the times we appear to need extra protein:
1. Going to sleep means not eating, and not eating means that the body runs out of protein and insulin about halfway through the night, so you, in effect, stop synthesizing the protein you need for growth and repair. This compounds itself if your last meal was at 6:00 p.m.
2. Strenuous workouts compound the problem. Damaged muscles need more protein and more insulin to "carry" that protein to the muscle cells.
3. Strenuous workouts also cause a decrease in GH levels and an increase in cortisol levels, making it even harder to build muscle.
4. Muscle protein synthesis is elevated for a relatively long time after a workout, proving that additional protein is imperative.
The question that remains is, how much protein? There's some evidence that extremely high levels of protein can elicit muscle growth above and beyond what you might normally achieve. One particular study involving Romanian weightlifters showed that their lean body mass increased approximately 6% when they increased their protein intake from 275% to 438% of the US government recommended levels. This, however, may constitute overkill. Get at least one gram of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. For instance, if you weigh 200 lbs and have a bodyfat percentage of about 10%, you need at least 180 grams of protein per day, taken in divided doses (ideally 6 divided doses).
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5. Thou Shalt Seek Pain
Don't run right out and try to pick up a Dominatrix on Sixth Avenue who wants you to lick her 1 boots...that's not what we mean. You've all heard about intensity, but trying to explain it is as difficult as trying to explain why some people spend hours and hours downloading semi-naked pictures of Claudia Schiffer off the Internet (hey, I gotta have a hobby, don't l?). Intensity is probably the most important aspect of bodybuilding. After all, if you don't damage muscle fibers, you won't break down protein, and you won't cause the body to respond by rebuilding that muscle fiber bigger and stronger. There's an old saying in the coaching business: "Do as may reps as you can, and then do three more." There's no way to say it more succinctly.
Try this. The next time you're doing an exercise, say, dumbbell bench presses, do as many as you can, but wait! Don't put the dumbbells down. Merely let them rest for a moment in the down position while you regroup your thoughts, channel your concentration, and do another one. You can do it. It's amazing, but there's a certain point when the body gives up. Call it a self-preservation thing or whatever, but remember, the body doesn't have the final say in these matters. If it did, you'd either be eating, sleeping, or having sex—not working out. Tell yourself you will do another rep. It's during this extra rep when Mr. Pain will introduce himself: "Excuse me? I'm Mr. Pain, and if you don't stop doing the equivalent of poking me with a stick, I will make you regret it." Tell Mr. Pain to kiss off, because it's exactly at this point in bodybuilding time that you're exposing the body to the most muscle-fiber recruitment, the most metabolic and hormonal stress, and muscles will respond over time by becoming bigger. Hey, remember, no one ever said this sport was for sissies.
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6. Thou Shalt Use Creatine Monohydrate
HMB, CLA, DHEA, Co-Enzyme Friggin' Q-10, Endo make-me-stand-up-and-say-howdy Pro: all of these supplements are at the howling center of a great supplement tornado. I say Supplement A works. You question my parenthood. Magazine X devotes an entire issue to Supplement Z. I lose my lunch. The truth is, some of these supplements may indeed work. There is ample evidence to suggest that a couple of them, namely HMB and CLA, may help you increase muscle mass. There's also evidence that DHEA may help people over the age of 30 lose fat and gain some muscle. HOWEVER, the feelings are hardly unanimous.
There is one supplement, though, that is virtually universally accepted as being effective in promoting lean body mass and strength — creatine monohydrate. Creatine monohydrate is a naturally occurring chemical that's one of muscles' main energy sources. Luckily for us, it's possible to supersaturate muscles with this compound by ingesting it. And, if our muscles are chock-full of creatine, our muscle cells are stronger, and they recover faster. Creatine also has a "cell-volumizing" effect. In other words, it causes the muscles to hold more intracellular fluid, and it's theorized that this promotes protein synthesis and inhibits protein breakdown.
What creatine will do is help you gain mass, quickly. It also makes you stronger. And, if recent studies are correct, creatine, more specifically, Phosphagen HP, may even improve speed (over a 100-meter run) and reduce fat!
Best results are obtained when creatine is "loaded" for a period of five days. The usual loading dosage is between 20 and 30 grams per day, followed by a maintenance dosage of 10 grams or so.
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7. Thou Shalt Gorge Your Body With Protein and Carbohydrates After a Workout
After you're done working out, don't hang out by the Stairmasters and watch the "Thong-Butt Goddesses," à la Dan Duchaine. Granted, it may be intensely pleasurable, but it's not conducive to muscle growth. Go straight home and mix yourself a high-glycemic-index (Gl) carb and protein drink. There's strong scientific evidence that right after you get done training, your body needs nutrients. It stands to reason that the most important time to elicit positive adaptations in muscle tissue is right after an intense workout. And, from what we know about insulin, carbohydrate, protein, and muscle synthesis rates, it would be downright amazing if the post-workout drink didn't, over the long run, help you build muscle. A post-workout drink, made with the right ingredients, may lower cortisol levels, increase glycogen levels, and supply muscles with the protein they need to recover from the damage you've no doubt incurred.
Here's what a good post-workout drink should contain:
• Around 50-100 grams of carbohydrate (a mixture of high Gl and low Gl)
• About 40 grams of protein
• Five grams of creating monohydrate
This can be accomplished rather easily by mixing a meal-replacement powder in 12 to 14 oz of juice and adding a heaping teaspoon of Phosphagen (or Phosphagen HP to increase the carb dose).
Although some people might argue that this isn't a surefire way to put on muscle, we'd argue right back. We know this kind of drink is effective as we've seen its positive effects over and over again.
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8. Thou Shalt Be Consistent
Hey, if you want to play the game, you have to take the field. In bodybuilding, the gym in your playing field, and if you continually ride the bench, you're not going to make progress. In other words, if you go to the gym religiously for two weeks and then take two weeks off, you're not going to make much progress; it's more likely that inactivity will cancel out the activity, and the people who don't know your name in the gym will always refer to you as "you know, that guy who always looks the same, year in and year out."
Okay, that's pretty obvious, but along with consistency comes a methodical approach. Over time your workouts need to progress. As the weeks and months go by, you must gradually increase the workload so that your muscles are forced to adapt. It's called the overload principle, and it means that the stress placed on the muscle today must be greater than the stress placed on the muscle the workout before.
There are other ways to increase the overload principle, too. As Charles Poliquin pointed out in the July '96 issue of MM2K, there are 3 ways to incorporate progressive load increase:
Increased volume: more sets, more repetitions, more workouts.
Increased intensity: more resistance, more eccentric work.
Increased density: shorter rest intervals between sets, exercises, or workouts.
You must expose the muscles to a greater and greater work load, so they're forced to adapt by becoming stronger. In order to keep track of greater and greater work loads, you must keep a training journal. Carry it with you, and record every set and rep you do. Prior to your next workout, look over the numbers from your previous workout. Your goal is to beat those numbers. Instinctive training doesn't work unless you're so chemically enhanced that the mere act of sitting on the toilet will cause growth in your quads, hams, and glutes.
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9. Thou Shalt Change Your Training Routine Often.
Remember when you first started working out? You picked up some lame routine out of Men's Fitness and practiced it—without making a single change—for about a year, and you still made progress. Anything you did in the gym caused muscle growth. Too bad it's not that simple anymore. Experienced weight trainers need to change their routines often. You may be a creature of habit, but in the wild, creatures of habit get eaten by the big, slobbery-mouthed wolf that sits by the creek, knowing you'll be walking your very habitual sorry ass to the stream at 5:00 p.m. to get a drink. Change is good, particularly in bodybuilding. As you become more and more advanced, your body becomes more and more efficient in adapting to routines. In fact, many athletes adapt to the point of staleness in as little as three weeks.
Variety can be introduced in several ways. Short-term variations that can be added or deleted over successive three-week periods include rep ranges, type of contraction used, speed of contraction, range of motion, and the actual exercises themselves. These short-term variations are useful in that, done correctly and methodically, they exercise a muscle in all possible ways and that's what's necessary for full development of a muscle.
Long-term variations, adopted perhaps a couple times a year, include descending sets, super sets, eccentric training (i.e., taking six seconds to lower the weight), and pre-exhaustion. All of these can be incorporated rather easily if you keep a log and take one hour every three weeks to map out your next mini training cycle.
Here's an example of how you might alter a chest workout: weeks one through three, begin with five sets of bench press (four to six reps), raising the bar to a count of two and lowering it to a count of four. Afterwards, you may do 3 supersets of incline dumbbell presses and incline dumbbell flyes (each for 8 to 12 reps), lifted to a count of 1 and lowered to a count of 3. Three weeks later, you might begin your chest workout with three sets of weighted dips as a pre-exhaustion movement, and then immediately move on to three descending sets of incline barbell bench presses.
Let's look at another example using the leg press. From mini-cycle to mini-cycle, you could change the starting foot position— high or low on the platform, feet narrow or wide—the angle of the back rest, and the actual tempo of the movement (lowering the platform to a count of four one cycle, and then lowering it to a count of eight another). In each issue of Muscle Media 2000 we give you fresh new training ideas to spice up your workouts!
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10. Thou Shalt Concentrate On Eccentric Movements.
Eccentric training is the opposite of concentric training. It means lengthening a muscle as opposed to shortening it. In other words, eccentric training on the bench press means deliberately slowing the descent of the bar. It's been shown to cause more muscle cell damage. Why? No one really knows for sure. It even puzzles muscle physiologists. After all, why should lengthening a muscle—the very act for which it was designed—cause damage? Nevertheless, it does, and that's why every workout should incorporate an eccentric component. Most novices in the gym train like the old ball and paddle game—they slap the weight up using a quick movement, ensuring lots of momentum, and watch as the weight flies up and then falls back, courtesy of gravity. Most novices just try to make sure it doesn't fly back and hit them in the face. The faster they go, the more intense they think they're working out. Pathetic.
The upward and downward portion of every movement must be slow and deliberate, and there are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, research has shown that the lifting portion of a movement recruits the most muscle fibers when it's performed slowly. This translates to about two seconds for most movements. The eccentric portion of the movement should be even slower, occurring optimally over four seconds. This takes into consideration the fact that eccentric movements are easier anyhow, since they have the added advantage of having both friction and gravity to help them. Secondly, slow strength training provides more time to activate both muscle fiber types—fast and slow—resulting in greater force production. And thirdly, eccentric motor activities produce two to three times the force of concentric activities. Therefore, they cause more muscle damage and in turn provide the cellular signal to degenerate and regenerate a new fiber. Given that all other conditions are favorable, the muscle cell will grow back bigger and stronger.
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Conclusion
To recap, here are the ten surefire ways to build muscle:
1. Lift weights! Do heavy sets of between 4 and 12 reps.
2. If a particular body part is sore, don't work it until it's not sore.
3. Eat six, evenly spaced meals a day
4. Eat at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight each day.
5. Do as many reps as you can, and then do three more.
6. If you're going to use one supplement, use creatine monohydrate.
7. Drink a high-carb, high-protein drink immediately after an intense workout.
8. Keep a training log, and try to constantly "one-up" yourself.
9. Use variety in your workouts.
10. Concentrate on using eccentric movements in your workouts.
Granted, there are other ways to make muscles grow, but the things described in this special report constitute a "unified bodybuilding theory." Eight out of ten coaches, gurus, and self-proclaimed experts will agree with them. If you follow the items laid out in this special report, you will grow, no doubt about it!
References:Mark Albert, Eccentric Muscle Training in Sports and Orthopedics, Churchill Livingstone: New York, New York, 1991 .
Richard Lieber, Skeletal Muscle Structure and Function, Williams and Wilkins: Baltimore, 1992.
Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky, Science and Practice of Strength Training, Human Kinetics Books: Pennsylvania State University, 1995.
People in the gym weren't much help, either, were they? You might have gravitated to the biggest guy http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=147
http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=147in the gym for advice, the guy who looked like he just walked off the set of "Quest for Fire", but most of his progress was the result of pharmaceutical experiments so radical they'd make Mr. Hyde run screaming into the streets of London.
As the years passed, you learned a lot through trial and error, and you probably made progress, despite all the conflicting messages in the mags and on the street. We like to think that with the birth of Muscle Media 2000, some of that confusion went away and that the heavy oak door of confusion had been pushed open wide enough to at least let a beam of light come shining through
Sill, with so many conflicting messages from so many different sources - people arguing about what the best supplements, training programs, best everything are - you, along with all the other consumers, probably got more confused than ever before! Although there are a lot of things about building muscle size and strength that remain unknown, there are a number of very important things we do know. That's the intent and purpose of this Muscle Media 2000 special report - to avoid the speculation and the wildhaired theories and to tell you the facts you need to know to build muscle size and strength. If God had handed out an owner's manual with the human body, the chapter on building muscle would contain much of the same information as is included in this report.
This report contains 10 bodybuilding truths. Your initial reaction to some of the steps might be that they're simplistic, but sometimes you've got to go back to the basics to regain some clarity and get back on track.
1. Thou Shalt Lift Weights.
Okay, before you smack your forehead with your palm and mockingly say, "Damn, why didn't I think of that?" keep reading. We all know that weightlifting works, but what's the best way.
Muscle hypertrophy has to do with the breakdown of muscle proteins, creating conditions for the enhanced synthesis of contractile proteins during rest periods. The more breakdown of proteins— the more damage done to the muscle during work — the bigger the muscle will be when it heals (providing all other factors, like adequate rest and nutrition, are optimum). In endurance training, the intensities imposed on the muscle cells are very low, and since tensions are very low, fiber damage is small, and fiber hypertrophy is small. With weightlifting, more fibers are recruited, and tension levels are very high. Hence, fiber damage is high, and as a result, through biochemical sequences too complicated to even attempt to describe here, fibers hypertrophy and strength increases.
Along the same lines, too small a number of reps has a limited ability to induce hypertrophy. Too small a number of reps represents a minor amount of mechanical work, and the amount of degraded contractile proteins is small. In other words, one rep, even if it's done with a weight equivalent to the http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=50
http://www.zupplements.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=50rear axle of a Hum-Vee, isn't going to do the trick.
The question then remains: what's the optimal amount of reps to do? Of course, this is determined by weight. Studies have shown that the maximum amount of motor-unit recruitment occurs between four and six reps, and consequently, the total amount of degraded protein also reaches maximal levels in this same rep range. But there are different types of fibers in a muscle, and they're recruited systematically — the low-endurance fibers being I recruited immediately for high-tension (high-weight) lifts, and the higher endurance fibers being recruited later, long after the four- to six-rep set is done. These high-endurance fibers come into play when rep ranges of 8 to 12 are used, so ideally, and generally, both types of rep schemes should be used in a workout program. So, if you train with heavy weights in rep schemes of 4 to 12 reps, you can't go wrong!
Furthermore, the age-old controversy regarding free weights and machines (and the merits of each) still resurfaces periodically. Which is best? Both are. Nowadays, very few great physiques were built by free weights alone, and I venture to say that none were built by machines alone. The modern bodybuilder uses both to attain his/her physique goals.
Beyond that, if you focus on fundamental exercises like the bench press shoulder press, squat, and deadlift, you will get stronger bigger.
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2. Thou Shalt Not Work Out Too Often.
Easy to say, but what exactly is working out too often ? Well, you can measure blood levels of 3-methyl histidine and creatine kinase (two biochemical markers of muscle damage), but that isn't exactly practical, is it? The logical assumption is that we should work a particular body part when it's regained its pre-workout capacity. Again, easier said than done. Would we have been better off had we waited an extra day?
There are as many theories on muscle recovery rates as there are groupies outside Shawn Ray's hotel room door. Why is it so darned complicated? Well, largely because it's so individualistic. People vary in this regard as widely as they do in hair color, height, or any other trait that is regarded as genetic. And, to boot, there are countless other factors that fit into the equation. What's the subject's age? How much rest did he or she get? What's the subject's nutritional or hormonal status?
Lab studies show that some individual muscle groups recover more quickly than others. Calves supposedly recover overnight, whereas forearms could theoretically be trained twice a day. Larger muscle groups like the chest or back theoretically need 48 hours, whereas still larger muscle groups like the legs may need several days.
Barring any number of complicated blood tests, there's one way to determine how long it takes you to recover—soreness. If you're scheduled to work chest today but your chest still hurts from the previous workout, take an extra day off. Although working a body part when it's still sore is occasionally permissible, it will eventually catch up with you; i.e., you will tear down muscle tissue and regress instead of progress. Muscles adapt and become stronger during rest periods, not during exercise itself. Accept this fact, or you'll be caught in the revolving door of bodybuilding—moving a whole lot but not going anywhere.
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3. Thou Shalt Eat Frequently
Ever talk to some of these guys who skip breakfast — don't eat anything till noon — and complain that they can't put on any muscle? Or maybe some of those guys who eat great one day and then let their eating habits go to hell the next? Hey baby, you've go to give the mason some bricks if you want your house built! Eating your entire day's allotment of calories in one, glorious, pig-like sitting isn't going to cut it, either. There's a lot of evidence to suggest that your body will only assimilate a certain amount of calories per sitting; any more will quickly be put in the First National Bank of Flab-onia where there is a substantial penalty for early withdrawal. What's more, research has shown that with optimal protein intake, nitrogen balance varies directly with the number of feedings; i.e., there is greater nitrogen retention with more frequent feedings. In addition, when taking in fewer feedings, the body has the tendency to show adaptive changes like rapid intestinal absorption of glucose and fat, increased synthesis of glucose, increased lipogenesis, and higher serum cholesterol (Young, et al., 1976). In short, infrequent feedings bad; frequent feedings good.
Nutritionist Keith Klein has bellyached about this small but important fact for years. He has seen, time and time again, cases where bodybuilders were eating only four times a day stopped making progress as quickly as your grandma carrying a football and shuffling for a first down against the defensive line of the Dallas Cowboys. Likewise, these same bodybuilders made dramatic improvements when they started eating six times a day.
Now, eating by the clock is hard because it requires a great deal of discipline, perhaps more discipline than working out! It doesn't matter if you're hungry or not, if you're out with friends, or if you're on the road — when it's time to eat, you should eat. If you skip meals, eat irregularly, or try to make up for missed meals by having a Caligula-style Roman feast, you're throwing a lug wrench in the machinery of anabolism.
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4. Thou Shalt Eat a High-Protein Diet.
The average old-school nutritionists love to talk about protein. They like nothing better than corner the neophyte bodybuilder and assail him or her with the cold protein logic of the 1950's: "Listen, what's the most muscle you could build in one day? A few grams here and there? And what's the amount of protein the body typically needs in one day? About 70 grams, right? So, in order to build muscle, you only need 70 grams, plus the few that will go directly to the muscle growth you've elicited through your workouts. Any more will be wasted!"
Ahh, too bad it isn't that easy. If growth and metabolism were as two-dimensional as the old-school nutritionists claim, then all you'd need every day would be a few extra grams of protein to build muscle. Unfortunately, the body isn't two-dimensional; it's three- or even four-dimensional. Granted, the average sedentary shoe salesman body needs about 70 grams of protein a day to repair the damage caused by everyday wear and tear, including the occasional bruised-from-having-a-high-heeled-shoe-step-on-it toe. Bodybuilders, however, need more protein. A lot more.
Muscles grow because of net protein synthesis — the difference between protein degradation and synthesis. In the average person, this net difference is zip — he or she isn't incurring any damage, so protein needs remain largely unchanged day to day. However, in the bodybuilder, there's so much muscle fiber disruption occurring every day that a microscopic tour of a muscle would look like Poland after the Germans blasted through in World War II. Bodybuilders need extra protein to repair all this damage. What's more, they need it at very specific intervals. In fact, timing of protein intake is just as important as quantity. The only trouble is, it's almost impossible to say exactly when in the muscle-building process we should turn the hose on. Instead, it's safer to give the body large, regular amounts of protein, so we aren't caught with our muscle-building pants down when we need extra protein.
There's evidence that we need extra protein right after a workout. There's evidence that we need extra protein about 30 hours after a workout, when muscle resynthesis is at its highest. There's evidence we need it before bedtime, to keep cortisol levels low, GH high, and to provide enough amino acids throughout the eight-hour fast we commonly call sleep. See what we're getting at? The bodybuilder needs protein throughout the day and night. Here's a short list of the times we appear to need extra protein:
1. Going to sleep means not eating, and not eating means that the body runs out of protein and insulin about halfway through the night, so you, in effect, stop synthesizing the protein you need for growth and repair. This compounds itself if your last meal was at 6:00 p.m.
2. Strenuous workouts compound the problem. Damaged muscles need more protein and more insulin to "carry" that protein to the muscle cells.
3. Strenuous workouts also cause a decrease in GH levels and an increase in cortisol levels, making it even harder to build muscle.
4. Muscle protein synthesis is elevated for a relatively long time after a workout, proving that additional protein is imperative.
The question that remains is, how much protein? There's some evidence that extremely high levels of protein can elicit muscle growth above and beyond what you might normally achieve. One particular study involving Romanian weightlifters showed that their lean body mass increased approximately 6% when they increased their protein intake from 275% to 438% of the US government recommended levels. This, however, may constitute overkill. Get at least one gram of protein per pound of lean bodyweight. For instance, if you weigh 200 lbs and have a bodyfat percentage of about 10%, you need at least 180 grams of protein per day, taken in divided doses (ideally 6 divided doses).
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5. Thou Shalt Seek Pain
Don't run right out and try to pick up a Dominatrix on Sixth Avenue who wants you to lick her 1 boots...that's not what we mean. You've all heard about intensity, but trying to explain it is as difficult as trying to explain why some people spend hours and hours downloading semi-naked pictures of Claudia Schiffer off the Internet (hey, I gotta have a hobby, don't l?). Intensity is probably the most important aspect of bodybuilding. After all, if you don't damage muscle fibers, you won't break down protein, and you won't cause the body to respond by rebuilding that muscle fiber bigger and stronger. There's an old saying in the coaching business: "Do as may reps as you can, and then do three more." There's no way to say it more succinctly.
Try this. The next time you're doing an exercise, say, dumbbell bench presses, do as many as you can, but wait! Don't put the dumbbells down. Merely let them rest for a moment in the down position while you regroup your thoughts, channel your concentration, and do another one. You can do it. It's amazing, but there's a certain point when the body gives up. Call it a self-preservation thing or whatever, but remember, the body doesn't have the final say in these matters. If it did, you'd either be eating, sleeping, or having sex—not working out. Tell yourself you will do another rep. It's during this extra rep when Mr. Pain will introduce himself: "Excuse me? I'm Mr. Pain, and if you don't stop doing the equivalent of poking me with a stick, I will make you regret it." Tell Mr. Pain to kiss off, because it's exactly at this point in bodybuilding time that you're exposing the body to the most muscle-fiber recruitment, the most metabolic and hormonal stress, and muscles will respond over time by becoming bigger. Hey, remember, no one ever said this sport was for sissies.
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6. Thou Shalt Use Creatine Monohydrate
HMB, CLA, DHEA, Co-Enzyme Friggin' Q-10, Endo make-me-stand-up-and-say-howdy Pro: all of these supplements are at the howling center of a great supplement tornado. I say Supplement A works. You question my parenthood. Magazine X devotes an entire issue to Supplement Z. I lose my lunch. The truth is, some of these supplements may indeed work. There is ample evidence to suggest that a couple of them, namely HMB and CLA, may help you increase muscle mass. There's also evidence that DHEA may help people over the age of 30 lose fat and gain some muscle. HOWEVER, the feelings are hardly unanimous.
There is one supplement, though, that is virtually universally accepted as being effective in promoting lean body mass and strength — creatine monohydrate. Creatine monohydrate is a naturally occurring chemical that's one of muscles' main energy sources. Luckily for us, it's possible to supersaturate muscles with this compound by ingesting it. And, if our muscles are chock-full of creatine, our muscle cells are stronger, and they recover faster. Creatine also has a "cell-volumizing" effect. In other words, it causes the muscles to hold more intracellular fluid, and it's theorized that this promotes protein synthesis and inhibits protein breakdown.
What creatine will do is help you gain mass, quickly. It also makes you stronger. And, if recent studies are correct, creatine, more specifically, Phosphagen HP, may even improve speed (over a 100-meter run) and reduce fat!
Best results are obtained when creatine is "loaded" for a period of five days. The usual loading dosage is between 20 and 30 grams per day, followed by a maintenance dosage of 10 grams or so.
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7. Thou Shalt Gorge Your Body With Protein and Carbohydrates After a Workout
After you're done working out, don't hang out by the Stairmasters and watch the "Thong-Butt Goddesses," à la Dan Duchaine. Granted, it may be intensely pleasurable, but it's not conducive to muscle growth. Go straight home and mix yourself a high-glycemic-index (Gl) carb and protein drink. There's strong scientific evidence that right after you get done training, your body needs nutrients. It stands to reason that the most important time to elicit positive adaptations in muscle tissue is right after an intense workout. And, from what we know about insulin, carbohydrate, protein, and muscle synthesis rates, it would be downright amazing if the post-workout drink didn't, over the long run, help you build muscle. A post-workout drink, made with the right ingredients, may lower cortisol levels, increase glycogen levels, and supply muscles with the protein they need to recover from the damage you've no doubt incurred.
Here's what a good post-workout drink should contain:
• Around 50-100 grams of carbohydrate (a mixture of high Gl and low Gl)
• About 40 grams of protein
• Five grams of creating monohydrate
This can be accomplished rather easily by mixing a meal-replacement powder in 12 to 14 oz of juice and adding a heaping teaspoon of Phosphagen (or Phosphagen HP to increase the carb dose).
Although some people might argue that this isn't a surefire way to put on muscle, we'd argue right back. We know this kind of drink is effective as we've seen its positive effects over and over again.
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8. Thou Shalt Be Consistent
Hey, if you want to play the game, you have to take the field. In bodybuilding, the gym in your playing field, and if you continually ride the bench, you're not going to make progress. In other words, if you go to the gym religiously for two weeks and then take two weeks off, you're not going to make much progress; it's more likely that inactivity will cancel out the activity, and the people who don't know your name in the gym will always refer to you as "you know, that guy who always looks the same, year in and year out."
Okay, that's pretty obvious, but along with consistency comes a methodical approach. Over time your workouts need to progress. As the weeks and months go by, you must gradually increase the workload so that your muscles are forced to adapt. It's called the overload principle, and it means that the stress placed on the muscle today must be greater than the stress placed on the muscle the workout before.
There are other ways to increase the overload principle, too. As Charles Poliquin pointed out in the July '96 issue of MM2K, there are 3 ways to incorporate progressive load increase:
Increased volume: more sets, more repetitions, more workouts.
Increased intensity: more resistance, more eccentric work.
Increased density: shorter rest intervals between sets, exercises, or workouts.
You must expose the muscles to a greater and greater work load, so they're forced to adapt by becoming stronger. In order to keep track of greater and greater work loads, you must keep a training journal. Carry it with you, and record every set and rep you do. Prior to your next workout, look over the numbers from your previous workout. Your goal is to beat those numbers. Instinctive training doesn't work unless you're so chemically enhanced that the mere act of sitting on the toilet will cause growth in your quads, hams, and glutes.
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9. Thou Shalt Change Your Training Routine Often.
Remember when you first started working out? You picked up some lame routine out of Men's Fitness and practiced it—without making a single change—for about a year, and you still made progress. Anything you did in the gym caused muscle growth. Too bad it's not that simple anymore. Experienced weight trainers need to change their routines often. You may be a creature of habit, but in the wild, creatures of habit get eaten by the big, slobbery-mouthed wolf that sits by the creek, knowing you'll be walking your very habitual sorry ass to the stream at 5:00 p.m. to get a drink. Change is good, particularly in bodybuilding. As you become more and more advanced, your body becomes more and more efficient in adapting to routines. In fact, many athletes adapt to the point of staleness in as little as three weeks.
Variety can be introduced in several ways. Short-term variations that can be added or deleted over successive three-week periods include rep ranges, type of contraction used, speed of contraction, range of motion, and the actual exercises themselves. These short-term variations are useful in that, done correctly and methodically, they exercise a muscle in all possible ways and that's what's necessary for full development of a muscle.
Long-term variations, adopted perhaps a couple times a year, include descending sets, super sets, eccentric training (i.e., taking six seconds to lower the weight), and pre-exhaustion. All of these can be incorporated rather easily if you keep a log and take one hour every three weeks to map out your next mini training cycle.
Here's an example of how you might alter a chest workout: weeks one through three, begin with five sets of bench press (four to six reps), raising the bar to a count of two and lowering it to a count of four. Afterwards, you may do 3 supersets of incline dumbbell presses and incline dumbbell flyes (each for 8 to 12 reps), lifted to a count of 1 and lowered to a count of 3. Three weeks later, you might begin your chest workout with three sets of weighted dips as a pre-exhaustion movement, and then immediately move on to three descending sets of incline barbell bench presses.
Let's look at another example using the leg press. From mini-cycle to mini-cycle, you could change the starting foot position— high or low on the platform, feet narrow or wide—the angle of the back rest, and the actual tempo of the movement (lowering the platform to a count of four one cycle, and then lowering it to a count of eight another). In each issue of Muscle Media 2000 we give you fresh new training ideas to spice up your workouts!
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10. Thou Shalt Concentrate On Eccentric Movements.
Eccentric training is the opposite of concentric training. It means lengthening a muscle as opposed to shortening it. In other words, eccentric training on the bench press means deliberately slowing the descent of the bar. It's been shown to cause more muscle cell damage. Why? No one really knows for sure. It even puzzles muscle physiologists. After all, why should lengthening a muscle—the very act for which it was designed—cause damage? Nevertheless, it does, and that's why every workout should incorporate an eccentric component. Most novices in the gym train like the old ball and paddle game—they slap the weight up using a quick movement, ensuring lots of momentum, and watch as the weight flies up and then falls back, courtesy of gravity. Most novices just try to make sure it doesn't fly back and hit them in the face. The faster they go, the more intense they think they're working out. Pathetic.
The upward and downward portion of every movement must be slow and deliberate, and there are a couple of reasons for this. First of all, research has shown that the lifting portion of a movement recruits the most muscle fibers when it's performed slowly. This translates to about two seconds for most movements. The eccentric portion of the movement should be even slower, occurring optimally over four seconds. This takes into consideration the fact that eccentric movements are easier anyhow, since they have the added advantage of having both friction and gravity to help them. Secondly, slow strength training provides more time to activate both muscle fiber types—fast and slow—resulting in greater force production. And thirdly, eccentric motor activities produce two to three times the force of concentric activities. Therefore, they cause more muscle damage and in turn provide the cellular signal to degenerate and regenerate a new fiber. Given that all other conditions are favorable, the muscle cell will grow back bigger and stronger.
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Conclusion
To recap, here are the ten surefire ways to build muscle:
1. Lift weights! Do heavy sets of between 4 and 12 reps.
2. If a particular body part is sore, don't work it until it's not sore.
3. Eat six, evenly spaced meals a day
4. Eat at least one gram of protein per pound of body weight each day.
5. Do as many reps as you can, and then do three more.
6. If you're going to use one supplement, use creatine monohydrate.
7. Drink a high-carb, high-protein drink immediately after an intense workout.
8. Keep a training log, and try to constantly "one-up" yourself.
9. Use variety in your workouts.
10. Concentrate on using eccentric movements in your workouts.
Granted, there are other ways to make muscles grow, but the things described in this special report constitute a "unified bodybuilding theory." Eight out of ten coaches, gurus, and self-proclaimed experts will agree with them. If you follow the items laid out in this special report, you will grow, no doubt about it!
References:Mark Albert, Eccentric Muscle Training in Sports and Orthopedics, Churchill Livingstone: New York, New York, 1991 .
Richard Lieber, Skeletal Muscle Structure and Function, Williams and Wilkins: Baltimore, 1992.
Vladimir M. Zatsiorsky, Science and Practice of Strength Training, Human Kinetics Books: Pennsylvania State University, 1995.
Ten Commandments of Bodybuilding
The Ten Commandments of Bodybuilding
1. Thou Shalt Lift Weights.2. Thou Shalt Not Work Out Too Often.3. Thou Shalt Eat Frequently4. Thou Shalt Eat a High-Protein Diet.5. Thou Shalt Seek Pain.6. Thou Shalt Use Creatine Monohydrate7. Thou Shalt Gorge Your Body With Protein and Carbohydrates After a Workout.8. Thou Shalt Be Consistent.9. Thou Shalt Change Your Training Routine Often.10. Thou Shalt Concentrate On Eccentric Movements.
1. Thou Shalt Lift Weights.2. Thou Shalt Not Work Out Too Often.3. Thou Shalt Eat Frequently4. Thou Shalt Eat a High-Protein Diet.5. Thou Shalt Seek Pain.6. Thou Shalt Use Creatine Monohydrate7. Thou Shalt Gorge Your Body With Protein and Carbohydrates After a Workout.8. Thou Shalt Be Consistent.9. Thou Shalt Change Your Training Routine Often.10. Thou Shalt Concentrate On Eccentric Movements.
A.A.'s Eleventh Step: Prayer and Meditation
A.A.’s Eleventh Step Prayer and Meditation
The Opportunity, The Reward, A Guide
Dick B. © 2005
The Opportunity to Communicate with our Creator and Know His Will
God either is, or He isn’t.
In its basic text, Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson wrote:
When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is, or He isn’t. What was our choice to be? (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed. NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001, p. 53, bold face added).
Bill said that Rev. Sam Shoemaker, Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church, was the well spring of A.A. ideas, was a co-founder of A.A., and that almost every one of the Twelve Step ideas came directly from the teaching of Shoemaker (Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age. NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1957, pp. 38-40; The Language of the Heart. NY: The AA Grapevine, Inc., 1988, pp 297-298). And, in fact, Sam’s influence was so great that we have the eye-witness account by Rev. Garrett Stearly (friend of both Shoemaker and Wilson) that Shoemaker told him (Stearly) that Bill Wilson asked Sam to write the Twelve Steps, but Shoemaker declined – saying they should be written by an alcoholic, namely Bill (See Dick B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A., 2d ed. Kihei HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1999, p. 374).
Students of A.A. history must therefore look closely at what Sam Shoemaker said and wrote over a period of some fifteen years before Bill Wilson ever took pen to paper. In 1932, Sam Shoemaker published his book Confident Faith. A copy was owned by Dr. Bob, was tucked into the copy of Anne Smith’s Journal that I found at Stepping Stones, and had language which seems to have found its way into page 53 of Bill’s Big Book – almost verbatim. Sam wrote:
Faith is not sight; it is a high gamble. There are only two alternatives here. God is, or He isn’t. You leap one way or the other. It is a risk to take to bet everything you have on God. So it is a risk not to (Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr., Confident Faith. NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1932, p. 187; Extraordinary Living for Ordinary Men. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1965, pp. 20-21, bold face added)
Long before these books were published, Sam was quoting Hebrews 11:6:
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 (bold face added. See Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr., Religion That Works. New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1928, p. 88; The Gospel According to You. NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1934, p. 47.
That God is our Creator, Yahweh—God as He specifically names Himself in the Bible
Start with Genesis 1:1—the first verse in the Good Book, as early AAs described the Bible:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The Bible repeatedly speaks of God as our Creator. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible translates Isaiah 40:28:
Did you not know? Had you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, he created the remotest parts of the earth. He does not grow tired or weary, his understanding is beyond fathoming.
And Ecclesiastes 12:1:
Remember your Creator while you are still young, before the bad days come, before the years come which, you will say, give you no pleasure.
Though hardly a Bible student, Bill Wilson explicitly refers to God as “Creator” twelve times (Big Book, pp. 13, 25, 28, 56, 68, 72, 75, 76, 80, 83, 158, 161).
And only a fool could read the Big Book, discover its over 400 references to God as Creator, Maker, Father of Light, Heavenly Father, and God, and still conclude that A.A.’s Eleventh Step discussion suggests praying to some mysterious god of one’s own making, rather than Yahweh, the Creator, Maker, Father of Light, God of our fathers, and Heavenly Father, to which Bill and Bob so often referred.
The references were clearly to Yahweh, the God of the Bible, as they understood Him—as they sooner or later came to Him through Jesus Christ
Bill Wilson and Sam Shoemaker both spoke of a surrender to Yahweh our Creator. They indicated that, for a start, you need only surrender as much of yourself as you understood to as much of God as you understood. They said this long before the Eleventh Step was written.
In his own personal story in the first chapter of A.A.’s Big Book, Bill wrote of his surrender:
There I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me as he would. I placed myself unreservedly under his care and direction (Big Book, p. 13, bold face added).
Explaining that he (Bill) was then following the instructions that his sponsor Edwin Thacher (Ebby) had received from his Oxford Group friends, Bill told his distinguished audience at the Yale Summer School of Alcohol Studies:
Ebby said, “Where does the religion come in?” And his friends went on to say, “Ebby, it is our experience that no one can carry out such a program with enough thoroughness and enough continuity on pure self-sufficiency. One must have help. Now we are willing to help you, as individuals, but we think you ought to call upon a power greater than yourself, for your dilemma is well-nigh insurmountable. So call on God as you understand God. Try prayer” (Lecture 29, The Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. W.W. Alcohol, Science and Society: Twenty-nine Lectures with Discussion as given at the Yale Summer School of Alcohol Studies. New Haven: Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1945, p. 463)
Thus instructed by Ebby, and though he told the following details in varying ways, Bill, the conservative atheist (as he then called himself), said in his 1954 autobiographical tape:
“But what of the Great Physician? For a brief moment, I suppose, the last trace of my obstinacy was crushed out as the abyss yawned. I remember saying to myself, “I’ll do anything, anything at all. If there be a Great Physician, I’ll call on him.” Then, with neither faith nor hope, I cried out, “If there be a God, let him show himself.” The effect was instant, electric. Suddenly my room blazed with an indescribably white light. . . .Then came the blazing thought, “You are a free man”. . . . “This,” I thought, “must be the great reality. The God of the preachers” . . . . I’d been incapable of faith and so, God’s help. . . . Yet, out of no faith, faith had suddenly appeared. No blind faith either, for it was fortified by the consciousness of the presence of God. . . . For sure I’d been born again (Bill W. My First 40 Years: An Autobiography by the Co-Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2000, pp. 145-147).
Many forget that only a few days before his Towns Hospital appeal to our Creator, as Bill then understood Him, Bill had gone to Calvary Rescue Mission, the rescue mission run by Sam Shoemaker’s Episcopal Church. There Bill made a decision for Christ at the altar or, as his wife Lois put it, “He gave his life to Christ.” And that trip to Calvary was made as the result of Ebby’s first declaration to Bill that it was there at the Mission that he (Ebby) had “got religion.” It was from that event at Calvary Mission that Ebby was able to declare to Bill that God had done for him what he could not do for himself. And this challenge was what propelled Bill to the altar at Calvary.
After his Calvary Mission conversion, Bill wandered around drunk. But he made his way to Towns Hospital where Dr. William D. Silkworth met him in the hall. Bill shouted: “At last, Doc, I’ve found something!” (Bill W., My First 40 Years, supra, pp. 137-140). And it was at Towns Hospital that Bill, with coaching there by Ebby, made—as a follow-through appeal of a newly born again Christian (as Bill then thought of himself)—to the Great Physician. That Physician, as Jesus referred to himself in Luke 4:23 (“Physician, heal thyself”) and Luke 5:31 (“They that are whole need not a physician: but they that are sick”). This was the Great Physician, whose treatment Dr. William Duncan Silkworth prescribed for Charles, his alcoholic patient (Norman Vincent Peale, The Positive Power of Jesus Christ: Life Changing Adventures in Faith (Pauling, NY: Foundation for Christian Living, 1980, pp 59-63). This was the Great Physician of whom Old-timer Clarence Snyder spoke to the men he sponsored (Mitchell K., How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder. NY: A.A. Big Book Study Group, 1997, p. 6). This was the Great Physician spoken of by Earle M. in his Big Book story when he said “I couldn’t practice medicine without the Great Physician” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd ed. NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1976, p. 351).
Bill’s spiritual mentor, Rev. Sam Shoemaker, had taught, since his first important title, that the spiritually miserable person needed to have a vital religious experience, needed to find God, and needed Jesus Christ. In Realizing Religion, Sam wrote:
What you want is simply a vital religious experience. You need to find God. You need Jesus Christ (Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr., Realizing Religion. NY: Association Press, 1929, p. 9)
Could the emerging Twelve Step path be any more obvious, even considering Bill’s scanty religious exposure and his own lack of faith?
1. Bill Wilson had characterized himself as a conservative atheist. He had no faith.
2. His friend Ebby Thacher told Bill plainly of the Oxford Group’s Christian program, of how he had “got” religion through them and his surrender to Jesus Christ at the altar at Sam Shoemaker’s Calvary Rescue Mission, and of Carl Jung’s advice to Rowland Hazard that there would be no cure without conversion – a religious experience as that of which Shoemaker spoke.
3. Convinced, Bill sallied forth to Calvary Rescue Mission as his first stop on the way to a conversion and getting the religion that Ebby said he had “got.”
4. There at the Rescue Mission altar, Bill seems to have achieved salvation by thus declaring his belief in God’s only begotten son, the Great Physician, Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:1-7; Romans 10:9-13)
5. Lois Wilson reports what really happened there: Well, people got up and went to the altar and gave themselves to Christ. And the leader of the meeting asked if there was anybody that wanted to come up. And Bill started up. . . . And he went up to the front, and really, in very great sincerity, did hand his life to Christ (Record of Lois Wilson’s June 29, 1973 talk in Dallas, Texas).
6. Mrs. Samuel Shoemaker told me personally on the telephone that she was present at the Rescue Mission and that Bill there made his “decision for Christ.” And that, of course, was precisely the intended purpose of the altar calls. Though some might dispute the new birth, and though only Yahweh knows for certain, Bill wrote, said, and concluded: “For sure, I had been born again” (Bill W., My First 40 Years, supra, p. 147).
7. But the Oxford Group had taught that still more was involved in the new design for living and being changed, through the “vital religious experience” of which Shoemaker was speaking. They believed and taught that it was necessary to cut out or clean out sin by their “soul surgery” process of inventory, and the Five C’s - Confidence, Confession, Conviction, Conversion, and Continuance. And that aspect was involved in the coaching from Ebby at Towns Hospital (See Big Book, pp. 12-15).
8. Having been indoctrinated in the life-change requirement, then the born again Bill believed it was time to “find” God through an actual experience. And he underwent the experience by crying out to the Great Physician and asking that, if he existed, he then and there show himself. It was at that point that Bill said he actually experienced his “hot flash” and believed he had gone through the requisite vital religious experience (the kind he felt he quickly validated through the findings of Professor William James). Bill’s conclusion: “So this is the God of the Preachers.” He had, he believed, “found God” (Bill W., My First 40 Years, supra, pp. 145-147). And, in finding Him, been cured of his alcoholism (Big Book, p. 191). Hence in his famous Big Book Chapter Five, Bill expressed the need for all to find God and urged: “May you find Him now!” (Big Book, p. 59).
9. Jung had taught that a conversion was necessary. Bill received that at the Rescue Mission. Shoemaker had taught that one needed a “vital religious experience.” To receive that, you needed Jesus Christ, taught Shoemaker. If you became born again of God’s spirit by accepting Christ, you would then have the power to change by cutting out sin, making restitution, and continuing your relationship with the Creator you had found. That process of “finding God” and “continuing” the relationship through the practice of Steps Ten, Eleven, and Twelve is the heart of the program of recovery Bill fashioned and suggested in the Big Book.
There is nothing that establishes that Bill had given his life to a radiator, a light bulb, a group, a chair, a table, or Santa Claus—as many have since chosen to characterize their “higher power.”
Bill had been a conservative atheist. Yet his grandfather had been an alcoholic who had been relieved of his alcoholism in a mountain-top experience much like that which Bill was to have many years later. Bill had never studied the Bible. He had not been a church member. He quite simply did not believe in God. But as Ebby witnessed to him and told him what he (Ebby) had done, and Bill perceived what he felt was a cure, Bill became willing to believe and to act. This, of course, is what Sam Shoemaker was teaching and writing in his oft-quoted and favorite verse, John 7:17 (See references in Dick B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A., 2d ed. Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1999, p. 89). It is what Bill was seeking. And there is not a scintilla of evidence that suggests Bill thought he went to Calvary Mission to surrender to a radiator; nor to Towns Hospital to find a light bulb, nor that he ever believed Ebby had surrendered to a chair; nor that Santa Claus was in any way involved.
No!
Consider Bill’s plain language as he wrote the Big Book. He spoke of the Creator. He spoke of his Maker. He spoke of the Father of Light. He spoke of God. Never, ever, did the strange concepts that emerged in A.A. in later years appear during the formative A.A. events of 1934 to 1939. No Big Book talk about making the “group” your god. No Oxford Group talk about humbly surrendering to chairs or radiators. No Bible endorsement of “other gods” or idolatry. No Shoemaker teachings intended to establish an understanding of light bulbs or Santa Claus. Not even talk of a “higher power” until perhaps Bill heard the expression later on from or through the teachings of Emmet Fox.
Shoemaker explicitly suggested that one could “surrender as much of himself as he understood to as much of God as he understood”—the very God of the Bible about whom Shoemaker regularly and consistently taught.
In 1936, Sam Shoemaker published National Awakening (NY: Harper and Brothers, 1936), where he spelled out some critical ideas that must have been part of what Bill and Lois Wilson heard. Sam wrote:
One argument in religion is about as good as another; but an experience beats an argument. Men run from your arguments about God, they will not listen to your elaborate explanations; but when you tell them what it is with Him, their hearts, as John Wesley said, are “strangely warmed,” and their minds are strangely persuaded . . . . Jesus gave His answer to John. . . . He just gathered up in a cascade of living words the living deeds He and they had been seeing, and said, “Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard: how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” It was proof by evidence (p. 28)
Speaking of real security, Sam added:
And where is it? It lies in a faith in God which includes an experiment. It lies in believing that God is, that He has a plan, and that He will reveal that plan to us. It lies in fitting in with that plan ourselves, and finding that God will take care of us when we dare to make that experiment (p. 40).
Further:
We hear him saying to us (about Psalm 46:10), “Give in, admit that God is, and that He is the great Answer to your life, and that your life never is nor will be complete without Him.. . . .” We want God because He created the hunger within us for Him. We want Him from dependence, from fear, from loneliness, from the craving for perfection in our souls. We want Him from bewilderment, confusion, and darkness. We want Him from innate love for Him, for insatiable preoccupation with the invisible Reality of the world (p. 47)
Finally:
A man is born again when the control of his life, its center and its direction pass from himself to God. You can go to church for years without having that happen. . . . We shall begin by knowing the need of a new birth when we begin knowing that it is the sins of people like you and me that have made the world into the hell it is today. And the thing to do with sin is to do what Nicodemus did: go and search out someone with whom we can talk privately and frankly. Tell them of these things, and, with them as witness, give these sins and our old selves to God. . . . I said I was going to do that for years, but it never happened until I let a human witness come in on my decision. That is the “how” of getting rid of sin if you are in earnest about doing it at all: face it, share it, surrender it. Hate it, forsake it, confess it, and restore for it (pp. 57-58)
You can find this obvious “12 Step” material in the first few pages of the Big Book. They describe what Ebby Thacher had done and experienced. They describe how he had sought out Bill. They describe how Ebby proclaimed his victory. And they describe the facing, sharing, surrendering, forsaking, and restitution that Ebby said were required for Bill to make what AAs were later to call a “real” surrender. Bill said:
My friend (Ebby) promised when these things were done I would enter upon a new relationship with my Creator, that I would have the elements of a way of living which answered all my problems. . . . It meant destruction of self-centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all (Big Book, pp. 13-14)
When Bill was telling his story, whenever and wherever, whether in the Big Book, or at Yale, or in his 1954 taping, or at St. Louis, you can be sure he was talking about Yahweh, our Creator, “the Father of Light who presides over us all.”
Just God as Bill understood Him
This talk of God as we understood Him was as old as the teachings of Rev. Sam Shoemaker in the 1920’s, and of many before him.
Sam published Children of the Second Birth (NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1927), and elaborated on a well-known Oxford Group idea that even Anne Smith included in her spiritual journal (Dick B., Anne Smith’s Journal, 1933-1939, 3rd ed., Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998, pp. 24-29; Stephen Foot, Life Began Yesterday. NY: Harper and Brothers, 1935, pp. 12-13, 175; James D. Newton, Uncommon Friends. NY Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1953, p. 72).
That idea was to “surrender as much of yourself as you know to as much of God as you know.”
Sam phrased it this way in Children of the Second Birth. He described sin as “anything , and the only thing, that walled men away from God.” And see Dick B. The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 130-133.
In Children, Sam told of a man that, at the beginning of his surrender, he simply needed to “surrender as much of himself as he could, to as much of Christ as he understood” (p. 25). Of the man, Shoemaker said he knelt in prayer and dedicated his life not only to belief in Jesus Christ, but also to His life and work. The man recorded in his diary: “I do feel reborn, born of the Spirit” (Children, pp. 33-34). Telling in another story of a group which had prayed together to help a man find the man find the “Power,” Shoemaker said they prayed as follows:
Opening their minds to as much of God as he [the man] understood, removing first the hindrance of self-will allowing the Spirit to focus an impression upon the mind, like light upon a camera exposed (p. 47)
Shoemaker reported that the man lifted his own life to God; the everlasting miracle of second birth happened; and the man experienced a sense of liberty, of peace, an inward glow, and a sense of rightness.
Compare the Big Book’s description of what happened when the early AAs took their Third Step:
As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn (p. 63)
Quite plainly, neither Sam Shoemaker nor Bill Wilson was talking about a surrender to some illusory chair or table. They were talking about a new birth that comes from belief in God and what His Son accomplished (John 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:1-7; Romans 10:9). For these same ideas and verses were quoted by Shoemaker himself.
For more information on the roots of Big Book prayer and meditation, see Dick B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A., supra.
The Reward: A Rebirth and New Life
Bill opened his Eleventh Step discussion in the Big Book by insisting on the importance of prayer and meditation. First, he mentioned the Oxford Group idea that his program of recovery was a “design for living” (p. 81) He was discussing the Ninth Step and the last phase of clearing away the wreckage of the past. He then promised that if AAs were painstaking about this phase of their development, they would know a new freedom and a new happiness. They would realize “that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves” (pp. 83-84)—using a phrase that Ebby had used in his witness to Bill. After discussing the Tenth Step, Bill turned to the action he said was required to receive strength, inspiration, and direction from God “who has all knowledge and power” (p. 85).
Bill said we shouldn’t be shy on the matter of prayer. He said it works if we have the proper attitude and work at it. And then he lays out what I call the four parts of the Eleventh Step: (1) What you constructively review on retiring at night—how well you practiced the Tenth Step. (2) How to ask God for direction in the twenty-four hours ahead. (3) He then turns to the actual dealing with the day. He speaks of prayer and meditation, suggesting that there are many helpful books, which may be obtained from one’s priest, minister, or rabbi. He adds: “Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer” (4) Finally, he covers the means of dealing with agitation and doubt.
And what is the purpose of all this “conscious contact” with God? Bill does not really dive into the subject, but rather turns to “working with others” as his presentation of the Twelfth Step.
And yet, the bonus, the prize, the fruit of practicing the new design for living is a solid and rewarding relationship with God. One that needs continuing study, prayer, nurture, fellowship, and witness. Fortunately, the Bible—with which Bill had little familiarity—points up the purposes. And most certainly Dr. Bob, his wife Anne, and the Akron pioneers pointed up the Biblical points quite well.
Bob said that the oldtimers felt that the answer to all their problems was in the Bible. He suggested that the Book of James, the Sermon on the Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13 contained the absolute essentials. Anne Smith said the Bible was the main source book of all and that not a day should pass without reading it. Bob, Anne, and many old timers pointed to the Four Absolute Standards of Jesus that the Oxford Group had appropriated from two books: (1) Robert E. Speer’s The Principles of Jesus. (2) Henry B. Wright. The Will of God and a Man’s Life Work.
The standards, known in A.A. usually as the “Four Absolutes,” were Absolute Honesty, Absolute Purity, Absolute Unselfishness, and Absolute Love. And these absolute standards could, they seemed strongly to believe, provide the guide to obedience to God and His Will.
The reward?
First, there was the assurance of Jesus Christ that he had come that believers might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
Second, there was the assurance that those who were born again of the Spirit of God would be saved, have everlasting life, and be free from condemnation (John 3:1-8,16-17; Romans 8:1; 1 Peter 1:23-25)
Third, there were—among many others—four Biblical assurances that captured the enthusiasm and repetitive statements of Dr. Bob, Anne Smith, and Cleveland Old-timer Clarence Snyder. They were:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33) – First things first, as explained by Dr. Bob.
“And now abideth, faith, hope, charity [love]; but the greatest of these is charity” [love] (1 Corinthians 13:13). The entire chapter on love is the subject of Drummond’s widely read The Greatest Thing in the World—a book strongly recommended by Dr. Bob.
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2) – a verse that especially captivated the interest of Dr.Bob’s wife and is quoted in Anne Smith’s Journal, 1933-1939. See Dick B., Anne Smith’s Journal “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17) – a verse that was specifically recommended by A.A. pioneer Bill Van Horn and became a favorite quote and tool used by A.A. pioneer Clarence Snyder. See Our A.A. Legacy to the Faith Community by Three Clarence Snyder Sponsee Old-timer and Their Wives, Compiled and Edited by Dick B. FL: Came To Believe Publications, 2005, p. 28; Dick B., That Amazing Grace: The Role of Clarence and Grace S. in Alcoholics Anonymous. San Rafael, CA: Paradise Research Publications, 1996, pp. 33-34.
Fourth, the alcoholic was given the specific instruction to obey, do, and conform requests for help to, the will of God:
“Not every one that saith unto me [Jesus], Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).
“And this is the confidence that we have in him [God], that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14-15)
As a prelude to embarking on the Eleventh Step, a newcomer who had “found” God and become one of God’s kids, could know he or she was a new creature in Christ, assured of eternal life; and assured, in the latter case, of an abundant, healthy, and prosperous life, conditioned upon doing the will of the Father, and walking in love. To this end, the Eleventh Step is the most profound, continuing duty of members of the fellowship. It’s one thing to “find God.” It’s another to learn about, understand, and obey God—a process that the Eleventh Step lays out.
You cannot read about pioneer A.A. without realizing what the drunks—long despairing, lonely, selfish, frightened, confused, and at the bottom of the well—were expecting. They didn’t want to be just dry. They didn’t want to be just “sober”—whatever that means. They didn’t want to be perpetual members of a sick society. They wanted a new life, a design for living, and a purpose that conformed to God’s will, not their own.
That is why the Eleventh Step opportunity is so challenging. Take God out of A.A., and you have nothing but good deeds and congenial meetings. Take God out of the Eleventh Step and you merely have a plan for “doing good.” Take God out of the primary purpose of the Twelve Steps (which was to enable you to find God and establish a relationship with Him), and you merely have what Bill was later to call “a personality change sufficient to overcome the disease of alcoholism.” But none of these holds a candle to Dr. Bob’s promise to those who really trusted in God, cleaned house, and helped others: “Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!” (Big Book, p. 181). Never! Ever!
A Guide to Eleventh Step Prayer and Meditation the “Old School” Way
There is plenty of authority in the Bible for what some have called “the Morning Watch.” On the back cover of my prayer and meditation history title, I’ve listed some helpful sources: (1) In the morning, we will direct our prayers to God—Psalm 5:1-3. (2) We can meditate in God’s Word (the Bible) day and night—Psalm 1:2. (3) Study to show yourself approved of God—2 Timothy 2:15. (4) We must look to God to teach us His will—Psalm 143:10. (5) When we trust God, rely not merely on our own understanding, and acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths—Proverbs 3:5-6. See Dick B. Good Morning! Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A., 2d ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998.
How simply it can be described:
1. Heed God’s commands, and it will go well with you: “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you” (Jeremiah 7:23).
2. God our Saviour wants you to become His kids and know learn His ways “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4)
3. The prophet Samuel got the message: Tell God to speak, and that you are listening:
“And the Lord [Yahweh] came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak: for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:10)
4. Saul, later to be Apostle Paul, heard Jesus and asked what Jesus wanted him to do:
“And he [Saul] trembling and astonished said, Lord [Jesus], what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:6)
5. In a morning worship, George Washington thanked the Creator for His many mercies, asked a blessing on the house, and concluded his prayer as follows::
“Grant the petition of Thy servant for the sake of Him whom Thou has called Thy Beloved Son; nevertheless, not by will, but Thine be done. Amen” (William J. Johnson, George Washington the Christian. TX: Accelerated Christian Education, Inc., 1986, p. 127)
6. In the middle of confused debate, Benjamin Franklin suggested asking God for light:
“humbly applying to the Father of Lights to illuminate our understandings” (Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr., Freedom and Faith, NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1949, pp. 70, 71)
7. Oxford Group writer Victor Kitchen told how very very simple it could be:
“Where I used to plan the day, making a list of all the jobs I thought I had to finish, all the people I thought I had to see, all ‘phone calls I thought I had to make and all the letters I thought I had to write, I now simply ask God’s guidance for the day (Victor C. Kitchen, I Was a Pagan. NY: Harper and Brothers, 1934, p. 122).
8. In his very first radio broadcast, Sam Shoemaker explained laying out the day:
“May I tell you what we do in our house? When my wife and I get up, the first thing we reach for is our Bible—not a cigarette, nor a drink, nor the morning paper—but our Bibles. We read a chapter or two. Then we get quiet and spend some time in prayer. . . . In quietness we pray for the people, the causes, the immediate responsibilities of the day, and ask God to direct us. . . . We ask Him for direction. . . . Bring the family and business problems before Him, ask Him about them, and trust Him to tell you” (Dick B., Good Morning, supra, p. 3).
9. Nan Robertson summarized the simple, take it or leave it approach by Dr. Bob:
“Beginning in 1935, Dr. Bob quickly became an extraordinarily effective worker with active alcoholics. He was tough. He was inflexible. He told his prospects: “Do you want to surrender to God? Take it or leave it” Soon, carloads of drunks were coming to Akron from as far away as Cleveland to meet in his house. Recently, Young Bob tried to explain why his father had been so successful at “fixing” drunks: . . . . “He knew that a drunk coming out of an alcoholic haze would be absolutely overwhelmed by anything but a straightforward program that anyone could understand. It wasn’t aimed at college grads—he kept it simple so that anyone was capable of grasping it.” The doctor was authoritative, and he was impressive” Nan Robertson, Getting Better Inside Alcoholics Anonymous. NY: Fawcett Crest, 1988, p. 48)
10. And Dr. Bob practiced the very simplicity he “preached” when it came to Quiet Time:
“Prayer, of course, was an important part of Dr. Bob’s faith. According to Paul S., ‘Dr. Bob’s morning devotion consisted of a short prayer, a 20-minutes study of a familiar verse from the Bible, and a quiet period of waiting for directions as to where he, that day, should find use for his talent. Having heard, he would religiously go about his Father’s business, as he put it’.” ( DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers. NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., p. 314)
“Elgie R. recalled, ‘Doc told me that when he had an operation and wasn’t sure, he would pray before he started. He said, ‘When I operated under those conditions, I never made a move that wasn’t right’.” (DR. BOB, supra, p. 314)
There have been many approaches within the A.A. umbrella:
1. Anne Smith conducted a Quiet Time at the Smith home every single morning at the crack of dawn. Alcoholics and family members gathered for what some joshingly called “spiritual pablum.” But the meetings were simple. First, came the Bible reading then came a discussion from Anne’s own spiritual journal or from a devotional like the Upper Room. Coffee and stale doughnuts were part of the scene.
2. Oxford Group people often described a more elaborate process for their Quiet Times. There was Bible. There was prayer. But the main emphasis was on “listening” and “writing down thoughts” and then “checking them.” “Journaling,” as some liked to call it was the focus. “The palest ink is better than the strongest memory,” they often suggested. First came “listening.” Then came the flood of thoughts with every item being “journaled” or written down. It was conceded that not all thoughts had come from God. Therefore “checking” was the next step. You checked to see if the thoughts conformed to Scripture. You checked to see if they conformed to the teachings of Jesus Christ and to the “Four Absolutes.” You checked “circumstances.” And you frequently checked with other Oxford Group people for their view. There were also topical discussions if there was a group. And some devotionals like My Utmost for His Highest were read as well.
3. As time went by, still more elaborate guides became popular. There were a host of devotionals in use. There were a host of prayer books in use. There were a host of Quiet Time guides in use—guides that elaborated on “two-way” prayer, on “how to listen to God,” on how to study the Bible, and on “meditation.” In the latter case, the comment of one observer seems right: There are not only many meditation books. There are too many. Nonetheless, when A.A. left the Bible and the Oxford Group and Sam Shoemaker and Anne Smith behind, meditation became a wandering field of confusion. Bill Wilson said that considerable study was required for “guidance” to be effective. Several Roman Catholic critics said that lay people were ill-equipped to receive guidance without the assistance of clergy and without the infallible guidance of the Church. And then the publishers joined the game. The Twenty Four Hour book was widely sold and used. It was often given to everyone who entered a treatment program. But apparently not content with the vast number of Hazelden meditation efforts, A.A. itself finally published Daily Reflections which contains a wild assortment of opinions and statements that were allegedly the result of the combined views of AAs.
4. How, then, could one “take” and continue to “practice” the Eleventh Step? One method was to take Bill’s self-made set of instructions at Big Book pages 85 to 88 and follow them. They amount to four ideas: (a) Before you retire at night, take a look at your day, see how well you practiced the Tenth Step, and ask for forgiveness and corrective measures where there was failure. That’s not Biblical, but it has merit and simplicity. (b) When you awake in the morning, tender your day and plans to God for guidance. Here the language is not Biblical; and some of the theology is just plan wild – with talk of “inspiration,” “intuitive thought.” a “hunch,” “absurd actions and ideas.” Nonetheless the Shoemaker idea of laying out your day before God and asking direction seems at the heart. (c) Growth factors which might be achieved through religious bodies, a few set prayers, and “helpful books.” No mention of the Bible or of any of the early literature. Just a bow to “one’s priest, minister, or rabbi.” Here can be seen Bill’s efforts to secularize and universalize his program. Certainly a far cry from Dr. Bob’s take it or leave it approach. Yet probably a mouthful that even a tenacious believer can swallow by going to church, reading the Bible, consulting with clergy, and absorbing religious literature. Essentially, that’s what I did—much to the displeasure of my sponsor, and his sponsor! (d) The idea of dealing with agitation and doubt by proclaiming that God is in charge also has merit. But it is small advice when compared to what one can gain from the early Christian concepts of healing, forgiveness, kindness, tolerance, peace, revelation, deliverance, and a renewed mind that casts out negatives and replaces them with the word of God.
How can you use the Eleventh Step as an A.A. today and still further your fellowship with Yahweh, our Creator?
The first suggestion is that you learn the Big Book and the Twelve Steps, get instruction from teachers or seminars, steep yourself in our real religious history, and recognize that the Big Book is not the Bible, nor is it even a book that incorporated the Biblical ideas or the principles and practices of the early A.A. Christian Fellowship in Akron. When in Rome, do what the Romans do!
The second suggestion is that you make up your mind to brave the storm, stay the course, hold your nose, and keep your mouth shut when the atheists, intimidators, pseudo-control people, and purported “Tradition” proponents make their remarks against God, the Bible, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Church, and religion. You have a choice. You can fight them or ignore them. And, though it’s hard to ignore an engine putting out hot air and steam, it may seem very wise to move away and go about your own business. But not to surrender your beliefs and practices!
Any AA today has as much right as the next person to believe what he or she wants, to read what he or she wants, and to say what he or she wants. Though it may look like it at times, there are no A.A. police, no sergeants-at-arms, no kangaroo courts, no censors, and no governors who have any right or opportunity to change your views. Hold your A.A. membership high. Wave your A.A. banner, and don’t shrink under fire. Believe in God if you want to. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour if you want to. Read the Bible all you wish. Read any religious literature you choose to read if you like. Rely on the gift of the Holy Spirit to the utmost if you want to. Go to a Bible fellowship, a church, or a religious meeting any time you want to. And accept the fact that whether A.A. is “spiritual” or “religious” doesn’t matter a fig to you.
A.A. today is what it is. It isn’t what it was. But it can be what it can be—an immeasurably valuable support factor if you decide to quit drinking for good, to abstain, to resist temptation, to accept the helping hands of other AAs, to learn and apply the principles of the Steps, and to help others at every opportunity. Practicing the Eleventh Step is your privilege and your own business. It’s not subject to the dictated interpretation of some bigot, nor to someone else’s mandate. The Big Book was written to guide you. By its own statement, its contents are meant to be suggestive only. It should not be the vehicle that drives you away from A.A., your church, your Bible, or Almighty God, our Creator. And how you practice it can most assuredly be based on your belief in Almighty God, in the accomplishments of His son Jesus Christ, in the truth of the Bible, in your personal religious convictions, in your church or Bible fellowship’s position, and in the religious literature of your choice. Bill Wilson wrote in connection with the Tenth Step that “love and tolerance” is our code. Dr. Bob said in his final address to AAs that the whole show could be simmered to “love and service.” Both expressions bring to mind the basic Biblical ideas A.A. borrowed from the Sermon on the Mount, the Book of James, and 1 Corinthians 13. And I can’t think of any greater application of the A.A. Biblical principles than to adhere to God’s commandments that you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:26-40).
And for a Biblical perspective on Quiet Time, Morning Watch, and Meditation as they relate to Alcoholics Anonymous and its program of recovery and spiritual history, I strongly recommend you obtain and read the details in my title, Good Morning! Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A., supra. See the description on http://www.dickb.com/goodmorn.shtml.
In case the reader might ask, What do you do? The answers are that I am a long-time active, sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous. I haven’t left, and I’m not going to. I read and study the Big Book and Twelve Steps very very often. I believe they have helped me to emphasize love instead of anger, trust instead of fear, honesty in place of deceit, unselfishness in place of self-centered living, and Godly thinking and actions in place of transgressions against God’s will. I believe in Almighty God, Yahweh our Creator. I am born again of His spirit by reason of believing in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I try to read the Bible or listen to Bible tapes every single day. I try to pray to God every single day—offering thanksgiving, praise, petitions, requests for forgiveness and guidance, requests for protection, strength, and healing, and requests for His care of me, my family, others, my possessions, and activities. I ask Him for revelation and frequently receive it as and when He chooses to provide it. I know that He is my refuge and my fortress and in Him I should place my trust. I also know that obedience to His will is sometimes the most difficult challenge of all, yet an indispensable part of fellowship with Him as one of His loving sons. All these I do to His glory in the name of Jesus Christ.
Dick B., PO Box 837, Kihei, HI 96753-0837; 808 874 4876; dickb@dickb.com; http://www.dickb.com/index.shtml; http://www.dickb-blog.com
END
The Opportunity, The Reward, A Guide
Dick B. © 2005
The Opportunity to Communicate with our Creator and Know His Will
God either is, or He isn’t.
In its basic text, Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill Wilson wrote:
When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is, or He isn’t. What was our choice to be? (Alcoholics Anonymous, 4th ed. NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 2001, p. 53, bold face added).
Bill said that Rev. Sam Shoemaker, Rector of Calvary Episcopal Church, was the well spring of A.A. ideas, was a co-founder of A.A., and that almost every one of the Twelve Step ideas came directly from the teaching of Shoemaker (Alcoholics Anonymous Comes of Age. NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1957, pp. 38-40; The Language of the Heart. NY: The AA Grapevine, Inc., 1988, pp 297-298). And, in fact, Sam’s influence was so great that we have the eye-witness account by Rev. Garrett Stearly (friend of both Shoemaker and Wilson) that Shoemaker told him (Stearly) that Bill Wilson asked Sam to write the Twelve Steps, but Shoemaker declined – saying they should be written by an alcoholic, namely Bill (See Dick B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A., 2d ed. Kihei HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1999, p. 374).
Students of A.A. history must therefore look closely at what Sam Shoemaker said and wrote over a period of some fifteen years before Bill Wilson ever took pen to paper. In 1932, Sam Shoemaker published his book Confident Faith. A copy was owned by Dr. Bob, was tucked into the copy of Anne Smith’s Journal that I found at Stepping Stones, and had language which seems to have found its way into page 53 of Bill’s Big Book – almost verbatim. Sam wrote:
Faith is not sight; it is a high gamble. There are only two alternatives here. God is, or He isn’t. You leap one way or the other. It is a risk to take to bet everything you have on God. So it is a risk not to (Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr., Confident Faith. NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1932, p. 187; Extraordinary Living for Ordinary Men. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1965, pp. 20-21, bold face added)
Long before these books were published, Sam was quoting Hebrews 11:6:
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 (bold face added. See Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr., Religion That Works. New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1928, p. 88; The Gospel According to You. NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1934, p. 47.
That God is our Creator, Yahweh—God as He specifically names Himself in the Bible
Start with Genesis 1:1—the first verse in the Good Book, as early AAs described the Bible:
In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
The Bible repeatedly speaks of God as our Creator. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible translates Isaiah 40:28:
Did you not know? Had you not heard? Yahweh is the everlasting God, he created the remotest parts of the earth. He does not grow tired or weary, his understanding is beyond fathoming.
And Ecclesiastes 12:1:
Remember your Creator while you are still young, before the bad days come, before the years come which, you will say, give you no pleasure.
Though hardly a Bible student, Bill Wilson explicitly refers to God as “Creator” twelve times (Big Book, pp. 13, 25, 28, 56, 68, 72, 75, 76, 80, 83, 158, 161).
And only a fool could read the Big Book, discover its over 400 references to God as Creator, Maker, Father of Light, Heavenly Father, and God, and still conclude that A.A.’s Eleventh Step discussion suggests praying to some mysterious god of one’s own making, rather than Yahweh, the Creator, Maker, Father of Light, God of our fathers, and Heavenly Father, to which Bill and Bob so often referred.
The references were clearly to Yahweh, the God of the Bible, as they understood Him—as they sooner or later came to Him through Jesus Christ
Bill Wilson and Sam Shoemaker both spoke of a surrender to Yahweh our Creator. They indicated that, for a start, you need only surrender as much of yourself as you understood to as much of God as you understood. They said this long before the Eleventh Step was written.
In his own personal story in the first chapter of A.A.’s Big Book, Bill wrote of his surrender:
There I humbly offered myself to God, as I then understood Him, to do with me as he would. I placed myself unreservedly under his care and direction (Big Book, p. 13, bold face added).
Explaining that he (Bill) was then following the instructions that his sponsor Edwin Thacher (Ebby) had received from his Oxford Group friends, Bill told his distinguished audience at the Yale Summer School of Alcohol Studies:
Ebby said, “Where does the religion come in?” And his friends went on to say, “Ebby, it is our experience that no one can carry out such a program with enough thoroughness and enough continuity on pure self-sufficiency. One must have help. Now we are willing to help you, as individuals, but we think you ought to call upon a power greater than yourself, for your dilemma is well-nigh insurmountable. So call on God as you understand God. Try prayer” (Lecture 29, The Fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous. W.W. Alcohol, Science and Society: Twenty-nine Lectures with Discussion as given at the Yale Summer School of Alcohol Studies. New Haven: Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, 1945, p. 463)
Thus instructed by Ebby, and though he told the following details in varying ways, Bill, the conservative atheist (as he then called himself), said in his 1954 autobiographical tape:
“But what of the Great Physician? For a brief moment, I suppose, the last trace of my obstinacy was crushed out as the abyss yawned. I remember saying to myself, “I’ll do anything, anything at all. If there be a Great Physician, I’ll call on him.” Then, with neither faith nor hope, I cried out, “If there be a God, let him show himself.” The effect was instant, electric. Suddenly my room blazed with an indescribably white light. . . .Then came the blazing thought, “You are a free man”. . . . “This,” I thought, “must be the great reality. The God of the preachers” . . . . I’d been incapable of faith and so, God’s help. . . . Yet, out of no faith, faith had suddenly appeared. No blind faith either, for it was fortified by the consciousness of the presence of God. . . . For sure I’d been born again (Bill W. My First 40 Years: An Autobiography by the Co-Founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Center City, MN: Hazelden, 2000, pp. 145-147).
Many forget that only a few days before his Towns Hospital appeal to our Creator, as Bill then understood Him, Bill had gone to Calvary Rescue Mission, the rescue mission run by Sam Shoemaker’s Episcopal Church. There Bill made a decision for Christ at the altar or, as his wife Lois put it, “He gave his life to Christ.” And that trip to Calvary was made as the result of Ebby’s first declaration to Bill that it was there at the Mission that he (Ebby) had “got religion.” It was from that event at Calvary Mission that Ebby was able to declare to Bill that God had done for him what he could not do for himself. And this challenge was what propelled Bill to the altar at Calvary.
After his Calvary Mission conversion, Bill wandered around drunk. But he made his way to Towns Hospital where Dr. William D. Silkworth met him in the hall. Bill shouted: “At last, Doc, I’ve found something!” (Bill W., My First 40 Years, supra, pp. 137-140). And it was at Towns Hospital that Bill, with coaching there by Ebby, made—as a follow-through appeal of a newly born again Christian (as Bill then thought of himself)—to the Great Physician. That Physician, as Jesus referred to himself in Luke 4:23 (“Physician, heal thyself”) and Luke 5:31 (“They that are whole need not a physician: but they that are sick”). This was the Great Physician, whose treatment Dr. William Duncan Silkworth prescribed for Charles, his alcoholic patient (Norman Vincent Peale, The Positive Power of Jesus Christ: Life Changing Adventures in Faith (Pauling, NY: Foundation for Christian Living, 1980, pp 59-63). This was the Great Physician of whom Old-timer Clarence Snyder spoke to the men he sponsored (Mitchell K., How It Worked: The Story of Clarence H. Snyder. NY: A.A. Big Book Study Group, 1997, p. 6). This was the Great Physician spoken of by Earle M. in his Big Book story when he said “I couldn’t practice medicine without the Great Physician” (Alcoholics Anonymous, 3rd ed. NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., 1976, p. 351).
Bill’s spiritual mentor, Rev. Sam Shoemaker, had taught, since his first important title, that the spiritually miserable person needed to have a vital religious experience, needed to find God, and needed Jesus Christ. In Realizing Religion, Sam wrote:
What you want is simply a vital religious experience. You need to find God. You need Jesus Christ (Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr., Realizing Religion. NY: Association Press, 1929, p. 9)
Could the emerging Twelve Step path be any more obvious, even considering Bill’s scanty religious exposure and his own lack of faith?
1. Bill Wilson had characterized himself as a conservative atheist. He had no faith.
2. His friend Ebby Thacher told Bill plainly of the Oxford Group’s Christian program, of how he had “got” religion through them and his surrender to Jesus Christ at the altar at Sam Shoemaker’s Calvary Rescue Mission, and of Carl Jung’s advice to Rowland Hazard that there would be no cure without conversion – a religious experience as that of which Shoemaker spoke.
3. Convinced, Bill sallied forth to Calvary Rescue Mission as his first stop on the way to a conversion and getting the religion that Ebby said he had “got.”
4. There at the Rescue Mission altar, Bill seems to have achieved salvation by thus declaring his belief in God’s only begotten son, the Great Physician, Jesus Christ (John 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:1-7; Romans 10:9-13)
5. Lois Wilson reports what really happened there: Well, people got up and went to the altar and gave themselves to Christ. And the leader of the meeting asked if there was anybody that wanted to come up. And Bill started up. . . . And he went up to the front, and really, in very great sincerity, did hand his life to Christ (Record of Lois Wilson’s June 29, 1973 talk in Dallas, Texas).
6. Mrs. Samuel Shoemaker told me personally on the telephone that she was present at the Rescue Mission and that Bill there made his “decision for Christ.” And that, of course, was precisely the intended purpose of the altar calls. Though some might dispute the new birth, and though only Yahweh knows for certain, Bill wrote, said, and concluded: “For sure, I had been born again” (Bill W., My First 40 Years, supra, p. 147).
7. But the Oxford Group had taught that still more was involved in the new design for living and being changed, through the “vital religious experience” of which Shoemaker was speaking. They believed and taught that it was necessary to cut out or clean out sin by their “soul surgery” process of inventory, and the Five C’s - Confidence, Confession, Conviction, Conversion, and Continuance. And that aspect was involved in the coaching from Ebby at Towns Hospital (See Big Book, pp. 12-15).
8. Having been indoctrinated in the life-change requirement, then the born again Bill believed it was time to “find” God through an actual experience. And he underwent the experience by crying out to the Great Physician and asking that, if he existed, he then and there show himself. It was at that point that Bill said he actually experienced his “hot flash” and believed he had gone through the requisite vital religious experience (the kind he felt he quickly validated through the findings of Professor William James). Bill’s conclusion: “So this is the God of the Preachers.” He had, he believed, “found God” (Bill W., My First 40 Years, supra, pp. 145-147). And, in finding Him, been cured of his alcoholism (Big Book, p. 191). Hence in his famous Big Book Chapter Five, Bill expressed the need for all to find God and urged: “May you find Him now!” (Big Book, p. 59).
9. Jung had taught that a conversion was necessary. Bill received that at the Rescue Mission. Shoemaker had taught that one needed a “vital religious experience.” To receive that, you needed Jesus Christ, taught Shoemaker. If you became born again of God’s spirit by accepting Christ, you would then have the power to change by cutting out sin, making restitution, and continuing your relationship with the Creator you had found. That process of “finding God” and “continuing” the relationship through the practice of Steps Ten, Eleven, and Twelve is the heart of the program of recovery Bill fashioned and suggested in the Big Book.
There is nothing that establishes that Bill had given his life to a radiator, a light bulb, a group, a chair, a table, or Santa Claus—as many have since chosen to characterize their “higher power.”
Bill had been a conservative atheist. Yet his grandfather had been an alcoholic who had been relieved of his alcoholism in a mountain-top experience much like that which Bill was to have many years later. Bill had never studied the Bible. He had not been a church member. He quite simply did not believe in God. But as Ebby witnessed to him and told him what he (Ebby) had done, and Bill perceived what he felt was a cure, Bill became willing to believe and to act. This, of course, is what Sam Shoemaker was teaching and writing in his oft-quoted and favorite verse, John 7:17 (See references in Dick B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A., 2d ed. Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1999, p. 89). It is what Bill was seeking. And there is not a scintilla of evidence that suggests Bill thought he went to Calvary Mission to surrender to a radiator; nor to Towns Hospital to find a light bulb, nor that he ever believed Ebby had surrendered to a chair; nor that Santa Claus was in any way involved.
No!
Consider Bill’s plain language as he wrote the Big Book. He spoke of the Creator. He spoke of his Maker. He spoke of the Father of Light. He spoke of God. Never, ever, did the strange concepts that emerged in A.A. in later years appear during the formative A.A. events of 1934 to 1939. No Big Book talk about making the “group” your god. No Oxford Group talk about humbly surrendering to chairs or radiators. No Bible endorsement of “other gods” or idolatry. No Shoemaker teachings intended to establish an understanding of light bulbs or Santa Claus. Not even talk of a “higher power” until perhaps Bill heard the expression later on from or through the teachings of Emmet Fox.
Shoemaker explicitly suggested that one could “surrender as much of himself as he understood to as much of God as he understood”—the very God of the Bible about whom Shoemaker regularly and consistently taught.
In 1936, Sam Shoemaker published National Awakening (NY: Harper and Brothers, 1936), where he spelled out some critical ideas that must have been part of what Bill and Lois Wilson heard. Sam wrote:
One argument in religion is about as good as another; but an experience beats an argument. Men run from your arguments about God, they will not listen to your elaborate explanations; but when you tell them what it is with Him, their hearts, as John Wesley said, are “strangely warmed,” and their minds are strangely persuaded . . . . Jesus gave His answer to John. . . . He just gathered up in a cascade of living words the living deeds He and they had been seeing, and said, “Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard: how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.” It was proof by evidence (p. 28)
Speaking of real security, Sam added:
And where is it? It lies in a faith in God which includes an experiment. It lies in believing that God is, that He has a plan, and that He will reveal that plan to us. It lies in fitting in with that plan ourselves, and finding that God will take care of us when we dare to make that experiment (p. 40).
Further:
We hear him saying to us (about Psalm 46:10), “Give in, admit that God is, and that He is the great Answer to your life, and that your life never is nor will be complete without Him.. . . .” We want God because He created the hunger within us for Him. We want Him from dependence, from fear, from loneliness, from the craving for perfection in our souls. We want Him from bewilderment, confusion, and darkness. We want Him from innate love for Him, for insatiable preoccupation with the invisible Reality of the world (p. 47)
Finally:
A man is born again when the control of his life, its center and its direction pass from himself to God. You can go to church for years without having that happen. . . . We shall begin by knowing the need of a new birth when we begin knowing that it is the sins of people like you and me that have made the world into the hell it is today. And the thing to do with sin is to do what Nicodemus did: go and search out someone with whom we can talk privately and frankly. Tell them of these things, and, with them as witness, give these sins and our old selves to God. . . . I said I was going to do that for years, but it never happened until I let a human witness come in on my decision. That is the “how” of getting rid of sin if you are in earnest about doing it at all: face it, share it, surrender it. Hate it, forsake it, confess it, and restore for it (pp. 57-58)
You can find this obvious “12 Step” material in the first few pages of the Big Book. They describe what Ebby Thacher had done and experienced. They describe how he had sought out Bill. They describe how Ebby proclaimed his victory. And they describe the facing, sharing, surrendering, forsaking, and restitution that Ebby said were required for Bill to make what AAs were later to call a “real” surrender. Bill said:
My friend (Ebby) promised when these things were done I would enter upon a new relationship with my Creator, that I would have the elements of a way of living which answered all my problems. . . . It meant destruction of self-centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all (Big Book, pp. 13-14)
When Bill was telling his story, whenever and wherever, whether in the Big Book, or at Yale, or in his 1954 taping, or at St. Louis, you can be sure he was talking about Yahweh, our Creator, “the Father of Light who presides over us all.”
Just God as Bill understood Him
This talk of God as we understood Him was as old as the teachings of Rev. Sam Shoemaker in the 1920’s, and of many before him.
Sam published Children of the Second Birth (NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1927), and elaborated on a well-known Oxford Group idea that even Anne Smith included in her spiritual journal (Dick B., Anne Smith’s Journal, 1933-1939, 3rd ed., Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998, pp. 24-29; Stephen Foot, Life Began Yesterday. NY: Harper and Brothers, 1935, pp. 12-13, 175; James D. Newton, Uncommon Friends. NY Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1953, p. 72).
That idea was to “surrender as much of yourself as you know to as much of God as you know.”
Sam phrased it this way in Children of the Second Birth. He described sin as “anything , and the only thing, that walled men away from God.” And see Dick B. The Oxford Group and Alcoholics Anonymous, pp. 130-133.
In Children, Sam told of a man that, at the beginning of his surrender, he simply needed to “surrender as much of himself as he could, to as much of Christ as he understood” (p. 25). Of the man, Shoemaker said he knelt in prayer and dedicated his life not only to belief in Jesus Christ, but also to His life and work. The man recorded in his diary: “I do feel reborn, born of the Spirit” (Children, pp. 33-34). Telling in another story of a group which had prayed together to help a man find the man find the “Power,” Shoemaker said they prayed as follows:
Opening their minds to as much of God as he [the man] understood, removing first the hindrance of self-will allowing the Spirit to focus an impression upon the mind, like light upon a camera exposed (p. 47)
Shoemaker reported that the man lifted his own life to God; the everlasting miracle of second birth happened; and the man experienced a sense of liberty, of peace, an inward glow, and a sense of rightness.
Compare the Big Book’s description of what happened when the early AAs took their Third Step:
As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn (p. 63)
Quite plainly, neither Sam Shoemaker nor Bill Wilson was talking about a surrender to some illusory chair or table. They were talking about a new birth that comes from belief in God and what His Son accomplished (John 3:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:1-7; Romans 10:9). For these same ideas and verses were quoted by Shoemaker himself.
For more information on the roots of Big Book prayer and meditation, see Dick B., New Light on Alcoholism: God, Sam Shoemaker, and A.A., supra.
The Reward: A Rebirth and New Life
Bill opened his Eleventh Step discussion in the Big Book by insisting on the importance of prayer and meditation. First, he mentioned the Oxford Group idea that his program of recovery was a “design for living” (p. 81) He was discussing the Ninth Step and the last phase of clearing away the wreckage of the past. He then promised that if AAs were painstaking about this phase of their development, they would know a new freedom and a new happiness. They would realize “that God is doing for us what we could not do for ourselves” (pp. 83-84)—using a phrase that Ebby had used in his witness to Bill. After discussing the Tenth Step, Bill turned to the action he said was required to receive strength, inspiration, and direction from God “who has all knowledge and power” (p. 85).
Bill said we shouldn’t be shy on the matter of prayer. He said it works if we have the proper attitude and work at it. And then he lays out what I call the four parts of the Eleventh Step: (1) What you constructively review on retiring at night—how well you practiced the Tenth Step. (2) How to ask God for direction in the twenty-four hours ahead. (3) He then turns to the actual dealing with the day. He speaks of prayer and meditation, suggesting that there are many helpful books, which may be obtained from one’s priest, minister, or rabbi. He adds: “Be quick to see where religious people are right. Make use of what they offer” (4) Finally, he covers the means of dealing with agitation and doubt.
And what is the purpose of all this “conscious contact” with God? Bill does not really dive into the subject, but rather turns to “working with others” as his presentation of the Twelfth Step.
And yet, the bonus, the prize, the fruit of practicing the new design for living is a solid and rewarding relationship with God. One that needs continuing study, prayer, nurture, fellowship, and witness. Fortunately, the Bible—with which Bill had little familiarity—points up the purposes. And most certainly Dr. Bob, his wife Anne, and the Akron pioneers pointed up the Biblical points quite well.
Bob said that the oldtimers felt that the answer to all their problems was in the Bible. He suggested that the Book of James, the Sermon on the Mount, and 1 Corinthians 13 contained the absolute essentials. Anne Smith said the Bible was the main source book of all and that not a day should pass without reading it. Bob, Anne, and many old timers pointed to the Four Absolute Standards of Jesus that the Oxford Group had appropriated from two books: (1) Robert E. Speer’s The Principles of Jesus. (2) Henry B. Wright. The Will of God and a Man’s Life Work.
The standards, known in A.A. usually as the “Four Absolutes,” were Absolute Honesty, Absolute Purity, Absolute Unselfishness, and Absolute Love. And these absolute standards could, they seemed strongly to believe, provide the guide to obedience to God and His Will.
The reward?
First, there was the assurance of Jesus Christ that he had come that believers might have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
Second, there was the assurance that those who were born again of the Spirit of God would be saved, have everlasting life, and be free from condemnation (John 3:1-8,16-17; Romans 8:1; 1 Peter 1:23-25)
Third, there were—among many others—four Biblical assurances that captured the enthusiasm and repetitive statements of Dr. Bob, Anne Smith, and Cleveland Old-timer Clarence Snyder. They were:
“But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33) – First things first, as explained by Dr. Bob.
“And now abideth, faith, hope, charity [love]; but the greatest of these is charity” [love] (1 Corinthians 13:13). The entire chapter on love is the subject of Drummond’s widely read The Greatest Thing in the World—a book strongly recommended by Dr. Bob.
“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3 John 2) – a verse that especially captivated the interest of Dr.Bob’s wife and is quoted in Anne Smith’s Journal, 1933-1939. See Dick B., Anne Smith’s Journal “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17) – a verse that was specifically recommended by A.A. pioneer Bill Van Horn and became a favorite quote and tool used by A.A. pioneer Clarence Snyder. See Our A.A. Legacy to the Faith Community by Three Clarence Snyder Sponsee Old-timer and Their Wives, Compiled and Edited by Dick B. FL: Came To Believe Publications, 2005, p. 28; Dick B., That Amazing Grace: The Role of Clarence and Grace S. in Alcoholics Anonymous. San Rafael, CA: Paradise Research Publications, 1996, pp. 33-34.
Fourth, the alcoholic was given the specific instruction to obey, do, and conform requests for help to, the will of God:
“Not every one that saith unto me [Jesus], Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22).
“And this is the confidence that we have in him [God], that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him” (1 John 5:14-15)
As a prelude to embarking on the Eleventh Step, a newcomer who had “found” God and become one of God’s kids, could know he or she was a new creature in Christ, assured of eternal life; and assured, in the latter case, of an abundant, healthy, and prosperous life, conditioned upon doing the will of the Father, and walking in love. To this end, the Eleventh Step is the most profound, continuing duty of members of the fellowship. It’s one thing to “find God.” It’s another to learn about, understand, and obey God—a process that the Eleventh Step lays out.
You cannot read about pioneer A.A. without realizing what the drunks—long despairing, lonely, selfish, frightened, confused, and at the bottom of the well—were expecting. They didn’t want to be just dry. They didn’t want to be just “sober”—whatever that means. They didn’t want to be perpetual members of a sick society. They wanted a new life, a design for living, and a purpose that conformed to God’s will, not their own.
That is why the Eleventh Step opportunity is so challenging. Take God out of A.A., and you have nothing but good deeds and congenial meetings. Take God out of the Eleventh Step and you merely have a plan for “doing good.” Take God out of the primary purpose of the Twelve Steps (which was to enable you to find God and establish a relationship with Him), and you merely have what Bill was later to call “a personality change sufficient to overcome the disease of alcoholism.” But none of these holds a candle to Dr. Bob’s promise to those who really trusted in God, cleaned house, and helped others: “Your Heavenly Father will never let you down!” (Big Book, p. 181). Never! Ever!
A Guide to Eleventh Step Prayer and Meditation the “Old School” Way
There is plenty of authority in the Bible for what some have called “the Morning Watch.” On the back cover of my prayer and meditation history title, I’ve listed some helpful sources: (1) In the morning, we will direct our prayers to God—Psalm 5:1-3. (2) We can meditate in God’s Word (the Bible) day and night—Psalm 1:2. (3) Study to show yourself approved of God—2 Timothy 2:15. (4) We must look to God to teach us His will—Psalm 143:10. (5) When we trust God, rely not merely on our own understanding, and acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths—Proverbs 3:5-6. See Dick B. Good Morning! Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A., 2d ed. (Kihei, HI: Paradise Research Publications, Inc., 1998.
How simply it can be described:
1. Heed God’s commands, and it will go well with you: “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you” (Jeremiah 7:23).
2. God our Saviour wants you to become His kids and know learn His ways “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4)
3. The prophet Samuel got the message: Tell God to speak, and that you are listening:
“And the Lord [Yahweh] came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak: for thy servant heareth” (1 Samuel 3:10)
4. Saul, later to be Apostle Paul, heard Jesus and asked what Jesus wanted him to do:
“And he [Saul] trembling and astonished said, Lord [Jesus], what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do” (Acts 9:6)
5. In a morning worship, George Washington thanked the Creator for His many mercies, asked a blessing on the house, and concluded his prayer as follows::
“Grant the petition of Thy servant for the sake of Him whom Thou has called Thy Beloved Son; nevertheless, not by will, but Thine be done. Amen” (William J. Johnson, George Washington the Christian. TX: Accelerated Christian Education, Inc., 1986, p. 127)
6. In the middle of confused debate, Benjamin Franklin suggested asking God for light:
“humbly applying to the Father of Lights to illuminate our understandings” (Samuel M. Shoemaker, Jr., Freedom and Faith, NY: Fleming H. Revell, 1949, pp. 70, 71)
7. Oxford Group writer Victor Kitchen told how very very simple it could be:
“Where I used to plan the day, making a list of all the jobs I thought I had to finish, all the people I thought I had to see, all ‘phone calls I thought I had to make and all the letters I thought I had to write, I now simply ask God’s guidance for the day (Victor C. Kitchen, I Was a Pagan. NY: Harper and Brothers, 1934, p. 122).
8. In his very first radio broadcast, Sam Shoemaker explained laying out the day:
“May I tell you what we do in our house? When my wife and I get up, the first thing we reach for is our Bible—not a cigarette, nor a drink, nor the morning paper—but our Bibles. We read a chapter or two. Then we get quiet and spend some time in prayer. . . . In quietness we pray for the people, the causes, the immediate responsibilities of the day, and ask God to direct us. . . . We ask Him for direction. . . . Bring the family and business problems before Him, ask Him about them, and trust Him to tell you” (Dick B., Good Morning, supra, p. 3).
9. Nan Robertson summarized the simple, take it or leave it approach by Dr. Bob:
“Beginning in 1935, Dr. Bob quickly became an extraordinarily effective worker with active alcoholics. He was tough. He was inflexible. He told his prospects: “Do you want to surrender to God? Take it or leave it” Soon, carloads of drunks were coming to Akron from as far away as Cleveland to meet in his house. Recently, Young Bob tried to explain why his father had been so successful at “fixing” drunks: . . . . “He knew that a drunk coming out of an alcoholic haze would be absolutely overwhelmed by anything but a straightforward program that anyone could understand. It wasn’t aimed at college grads—he kept it simple so that anyone was capable of grasping it.” The doctor was authoritative, and he was impressive” Nan Robertson, Getting Better Inside Alcoholics Anonymous. NY: Fawcett Crest, 1988, p. 48)
10. And Dr. Bob practiced the very simplicity he “preached” when it came to Quiet Time:
“Prayer, of course, was an important part of Dr. Bob’s faith. According to Paul S., ‘Dr. Bob’s morning devotion consisted of a short prayer, a 20-minutes study of a familiar verse from the Bible, and a quiet period of waiting for directions as to where he, that day, should find use for his talent. Having heard, he would religiously go about his Father’s business, as he put it’.” ( DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers. NY: Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc., p. 314)
“Elgie R. recalled, ‘Doc told me that when he had an operation and wasn’t sure, he would pray before he started. He said, ‘When I operated under those conditions, I never made a move that wasn’t right’.” (DR. BOB, supra, p. 314)
There have been many approaches within the A.A. umbrella:
1. Anne Smith conducted a Quiet Time at the Smith home every single morning at the crack of dawn. Alcoholics and family members gathered for what some joshingly called “spiritual pablum.” But the meetings were simple. First, came the Bible reading then came a discussion from Anne’s own spiritual journal or from a devotional like the Upper Room. Coffee and stale doughnuts were part of the scene.
2. Oxford Group people often described a more elaborate process for their Quiet Times. There was Bible. There was prayer. But the main emphasis was on “listening” and “writing down thoughts” and then “checking them.” “Journaling,” as some liked to call it was the focus. “The palest ink is better than the strongest memory,” they often suggested. First came “listening.” Then came the flood of thoughts with every item being “journaled” or written down. It was conceded that not all thoughts had come from God. Therefore “checking” was the next step. You checked to see if the thoughts conformed to Scripture. You checked to see if they conformed to the teachings of Jesus Christ and to the “Four Absolutes.” You checked “circumstances.” And you frequently checked with other Oxford Group people for their view. There were also topical discussions if there was a group. And some devotionals like My Utmost for His Highest were read as well.
3. As time went by, still more elaborate guides became popular. There were a host of devotionals in use. There were a host of prayer books in use. There were a host of Quiet Time guides in use—guides that elaborated on “two-way” prayer, on “how to listen to God,” on how to study the Bible, and on “meditation.” In the latter case, the comment of one observer seems right: There are not only many meditation books. There are too many. Nonetheless, when A.A. left the Bible and the Oxford Group and Sam Shoemaker and Anne Smith behind, meditation became a wandering field of confusion. Bill Wilson said that considerable study was required for “guidance” to be effective. Several Roman Catholic critics said that lay people were ill-equipped to receive guidance without the assistance of clergy and without the infallible guidance of the Church. And then the publishers joined the game. The Twenty Four Hour book was widely sold and used. It was often given to everyone who entered a treatment program. But apparently not content with the vast number of Hazelden meditation efforts, A.A. itself finally published Daily Reflections which contains a wild assortment of opinions and statements that were allegedly the result of the combined views of AAs.
4. How, then, could one “take” and continue to “practice” the Eleventh Step? One method was to take Bill’s self-made set of instructions at Big Book pages 85 to 88 and follow them. They amount to four ideas: (a) Before you retire at night, take a look at your day, see how well you practiced the Tenth Step, and ask for forgiveness and corrective measures where there was failure. That’s not Biblical, but it has merit and simplicity. (b) When you awake in the morning, tender your day and plans to God for guidance. Here the language is not Biblical; and some of the theology is just plan wild – with talk of “inspiration,” “intuitive thought.” a “hunch,” “absurd actions and ideas.” Nonetheless the Shoemaker idea of laying out your day before God and asking direction seems at the heart. (c) Growth factors which might be achieved through religious bodies, a few set prayers, and “helpful books.” No mention of the Bible or of any of the early literature. Just a bow to “one’s priest, minister, or rabbi.” Here can be seen Bill’s efforts to secularize and universalize his program. Certainly a far cry from Dr. Bob’s take it or leave it approach. Yet probably a mouthful that even a tenacious believer can swallow by going to church, reading the Bible, consulting with clergy, and absorbing religious literature. Essentially, that’s what I did—much to the displeasure of my sponsor, and his sponsor! (d) The idea of dealing with agitation and doubt by proclaiming that God is in charge also has merit. But it is small advice when compared to what one can gain from the early Christian concepts of healing, forgiveness, kindness, tolerance, peace, revelation, deliverance, and a renewed mind that casts out negatives and replaces them with the word of God.
How can you use the Eleventh Step as an A.A. today and still further your fellowship with Yahweh, our Creator?
The first suggestion is that you learn the Big Book and the Twelve Steps, get instruction from teachers or seminars, steep yourself in our real religious history, and recognize that the Big Book is not the Bible, nor is it even a book that incorporated the Biblical ideas or the principles and practices of the early A.A. Christian Fellowship in Akron. When in Rome, do what the Romans do!
The second suggestion is that you make up your mind to brave the storm, stay the course, hold your nose, and keep your mouth shut when the atheists, intimidators, pseudo-control people, and purported “Tradition” proponents make their remarks against God, the Bible, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, Church, and religion. You have a choice. You can fight them or ignore them. And, though it’s hard to ignore an engine putting out hot air and steam, it may seem very wise to move away and go about your own business. But not to surrender your beliefs and practices!
Any AA today has as much right as the next person to believe what he or she wants, to read what he or she wants, and to say what he or she wants. Though it may look like it at times, there are no A.A. police, no sergeants-at-arms, no kangaroo courts, no censors, and no governors who have any right or opportunity to change your views. Hold your A.A. membership high. Wave your A.A. banner, and don’t shrink under fire. Believe in God if you want to. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour if you want to. Read the Bible all you wish. Read any religious literature you choose to read if you like. Rely on the gift of the Holy Spirit to the utmost if you want to. Go to a Bible fellowship, a church, or a religious meeting any time you want to. And accept the fact that whether A.A. is “spiritual” or “religious” doesn’t matter a fig to you.
A.A. today is what it is. It isn’t what it was. But it can be what it can be—an immeasurably valuable support factor if you decide to quit drinking for good, to abstain, to resist temptation, to accept the helping hands of other AAs, to learn and apply the principles of the Steps, and to help others at every opportunity. Practicing the Eleventh Step is your privilege and your own business. It’s not subject to the dictated interpretation of some bigot, nor to someone else’s mandate. The Big Book was written to guide you. By its own statement, its contents are meant to be suggestive only. It should not be the vehicle that drives you away from A.A., your church, your Bible, or Almighty God, our Creator. And how you practice it can most assuredly be based on your belief in Almighty God, in the accomplishments of His son Jesus Christ, in the truth of the Bible, in your personal religious convictions, in your church or Bible fellowship’s position, and in the religious literature of your choice. Bill Wilson wrote in connection with the Tenth Step that “love and tolerance” is our code. Dr. Bob said in his final address to AAs that the whole show could be simmered to “love and service.” Both expressions bring to mind the basic Biblical ideas A.A. borrowed from the Sermon on the Mount, the Book of James, and 1 Corinthians 13. And I can’t think of any greater application of the A.A. Biblical principles than to adhere to God’s commandments that you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:26-40).
And for a Biblical perspective on Quiet Time, Morning Watch, and Meditation as they relate to Alcoholics Anonymous and its program of recovery and spiritual history, I strongly recommend you obtain and read the details in my title, Good Morning! Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A., supra. See the description on http://www.dickb.com/goodmorn.shtml.
In case the reader might ask, What do you do? The answers are that I am a long-time active, sober member of Alcoholics Anonymous. I haven’t left, and I’m not going to. I read and study the Big Book and Twelve Steps very very often. I believe they have helped me to emphasize love instead of anger, trust instead of fear, honesty in place of deceit, unselfishness in place of self-centered living, and Godly thinking and actions in place of transgressions against God’s will. I believe in Almighty God, Yahweh our Creator. I am born again of His spirit by reason of believing in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. I try to read the Bible or listen to Bible tapes every single day. I try to pray to God every single day—offering thanksgiving, praise, petitions, requests for forgiveness and guidance, requests for protection, strength, and healing, and requests for His care of me, my family, others, my possessions, and activities. I ask Him for revelation and frequently receive it as and when He chooses to provide it. I know that He is my refuge and my fortress and in Him I should place my trust. I also know that obedience to His will is sometimes the most difficult challenge of all, yet an indispensable part of fellowship with Him as one of His loving sons. All these I do to His glory in the name of Jesus Christ.
Dick B., PO Box 837, Kihei, HI 96753-0837; 808 874 4876; dickb@dickb.com; http://www.dickb.com/index.shtml; http://www.dickb-blog.com
END
Five Rules to Happiness
Five simple rules to being happy:
1. Free your heart from hatred.2. Free your mind from worries.3. Live simply.4. Give more.5. Expect less.
1. Free your heart from hatred.2. Free your mind from worries.3. Live simply.4. Give more.5. Expect less.
What Does "Amen" Mean
Amen, Amen - Really?
by: Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio
Pentecostal preachers shout it. Monks chant it. Most Christians end every prayer with it. But what does “Amen” really mean? Is it just a pious way to “log off” our dialogue with God?
Actually, most of us have never heard the origins of this word that we use so glibly. But we need to examine it now, since its significance strikes at the heart of what God is saying to us through this Sunday’s readings.
Amen is not originally an English word, or even a Greek word, though it appears frequently in the Greek New Testament. It is a Hebrew term, and is associated with a very particular image in that language. Amen is related to the Hebrew word for “rock.” It does not so much mean “I agree” but rather “it is firm, like a rock.” In other words, “it is reliable, it is sure, it is solid, and I can stand on it.” The “It” of course, is God Himself, who is often called a Rock in the Old Testament (see Psalms 18 and 144) and a cornerstone in the New. But the “It” is also whatever He has said, whatever He has revealed. His truth is reliable; we can and must stand on it.
This implies, of course, that we are not just to accept God’s truth intellectually, but to build our life around it, to let our future depend on it, to make sure our actions flow from it. It implies that true biblical faith involves placing our trust in God and committing ourselves to living out what we claim to be our convictions.
That is precisely the point made by the epistle of James. It is not that you have to add works to faith to be saved. It is that faith that fails to issue in changed lives is not true faith at all. It is, in fact, bogus faith–an illusion. If you say “Good luck, God bless, I’m praying for you!” to someone and do nothing more to meet that person’s urgent bodily needs, your words are phony. If you talk the talk of faith and fail to walk the walk, what you are about is not faith but religious posturing. That is precisely Jesus’ assessment of the Pharisees.
At Caesarea Philippi, Peter blurts out that Jesus is the Messiah. What happens next in the story proves that what he said flowed from a special inspiration (as Matthew 16 notes), not from his own rock-solid faith. For no sooner does Peter confess Jesus as Messiah than he proceeds to tell Jesus what sort of Messiah he ought to be. In other words, Jesus’ revelation of Himself as a suffering servant, a Messiah who would save his people by laying down his life for them, did not quite suit Peter. The consequences of being the chief disciple of an executed criminal might not be especially pleasant. So he disputes the words of the one he had just called Messiah, God’s anointed representative. So his profession was accurate, but did not spring from solid faith. He did not say to Jesus, “you words are certain–I can and will stake my life on them” but rather, “Come on Lord, you must be joking.”
How does Jesus respond? The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 50 “sets his face like flint.” His sights are set on Calvary and his purpose is rock-solid–nothing will deter him. And Peter? You know what happens when the cock crows.
Peter (the name means “rock”) eventually comes around. At Pentecost he receives the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and his wavering belief is transformed into the virtue of authentic faith. He sent his face like flint towards his own Calvary, a hill in Rome where Nero amused himself through the suffering of others, a hill called the Vatican.
We’ve already received that same power in baptism and confirmation, and it is renewed in every Eucharist. So when we say “Amen,” do we mean it?
by: Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio
Pentecostal preachers shout it. Monks chant it. Most Christians end every prayer with it. But what does “Amen” really mean? Is it just a pious way to “log off” our dialogue with God?
Actually, most of us have never heard the origins of this word that we use so glibly. But we need to examine it now, since its significance strikes at the heart of what God is saying to us through this Sunday’s readings.
Amen is not originally an English word, or even a Greek word, though it appears frequently in the Greek New Testament. It is a Hebrew term, and is associated with a very particular image in that language. Amen is related to the Hebrew word for “rock.” It does not so much mean “I agree” but rather “it is firm, like a rock.” In other words, “it is reliable, it is sure, it is solid, and I can stand on it.” The “It” of course, is God Himself, who is often called a Rock in the Old Testament (see Psalms 18 and 144) and a cornerstone in the New. But the “It” is also whatever He has said, whatever He has revealed. His truth is reliable; we can and must stand on it.
This implies, of course, that we are not just to accept God’s truth intellectually, but to build our life around it, to let our future depend on it, to make sure our actions flow from it. It implies that true biblical faith involves placing our trust in God and committing ourselves to living out what we claim to be our convictions.
That is precisely the point made by the epistle of James. It is not that you have to add works to faith to be saved. It is that faith that fails to issue in changed lives is not true faith at all. It is, in fact, bogus faith–an illusion. If you say “Good luck, God bless, I’m praying for you!” to someone and do nothing more to meet that person’s urgent bodily needs, your words are phony. If you talk the talk of faith and fail to walk the walk, what you are about is not faith but religious posturing. That is precisely Jesus’ assessment of the Pharisees.
At Caesarea Philippi, Peter blurts out that Jesus is the Messiah. What happens next in the story proves that what he said flowed from a special inspiration (as Matthew 16 notes), not from his own rock-solid faith. For no sooner does Peter confess Jesus as Messiah than he proceeds to tell Jesus what sort of Messiah he ought to be. In other words, Jesus’ revelation of Himself as a suffering servant, a Messiah who would save his people by laying down his life for them, did not quite suit Peter. The consequences of being the chief disciple of an executed criminal might not be especially pleasant. So he disputes the words of the one he had just called Messiah, God’s anointed representative. So his profession was accurate, but did not spring from solid faith. He did not say to Jesus, “you words are certain–I can and will stake my life on them” but rather, “Come on Lord, you must be joking.”
How does Jesus respond? The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 50 “sets his face like flint.” His sights are set on Calvary and his purpose is rock-solid–nothing will deter him. And Peter? You know what happens when the cock crows.
Peter (the name means “rock”) eventually comes around. At Pentecost he receives the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit and his wavering belief is transformed into the virtue of authentic faith. He sent his face like flint towards his own Calvary, a hill in Rome where Nero amused himself through the suffering of others, a hill called the Vatican.
We’ve already received that same power in baptism and confirmation, and it is renewed in every Eucharist. So when we say “Amen,” do we mean it?
We See Kindness in Our Lord
Kindness
What is the Forgotten Virtue?
By the late Father Kilian McGowan, C.P. Used with permission, from the Passionist Priests, to help spiritually guide the layman.
The poet Wordsworth once wrote that the "best portion of a good man's life" is "his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love." In his famous Canticle of Charity (Corinthians, Chapter 13) Saint Paul named it as one of the foremost daughters of charity: "Charity...is kind," he wrote.
Kindness is like a beautiful jewel carefully and beautifully wrapped. For to the gem of charity it adds a most attractive packaging of gentleness and considerateness. Kindness is, therefore, an overflow of a thoughtful and selfless love into a realm of speech and action. It is indeed a God-like quality.
Volumes could be written on the exquisite kindness that our Blessed Lord showed toward everyone. While He always placed the primary accent on the spiritual, He never overlooked the physical and emotional needs of others. Remember the time He resurrected the sick child from the dead. Immediately, He insisted that she be given something to eat. He was casual about the tremendous miracle, and concerned about the youngster's hunger.
You'll never have to look far for opportunities to practice the Godlike quality of kindness. Think of all the people you know in spiritual, physical, or emotional need. Just look about you and note all the forgotten, neglected, and lonely people that are starving for little acts of kindness. And when you start looking, always start in you own home.
Impulsive little acts of kindness can be very touching...and effective, too. But true kindness is not simply the overflow of ta feeling of well-being or a sudden burst of good humor. It is a stable disposition of one's heart that should be carefully cultivated and constantly practiced. There is always a predictable consistency to a truly kind person.
To cultivate this Godlike virtue, start being kind in thought. Think out ways of being kind to others...in the home and away from it. Keynote in your thinking the good qualities of others, rather than their more obvious failings. This will make it easier for you to think kindly of others, and will even increase your peace of soul.
Make your acts of kindness personal. As kindness always implies a certain giving of one's self, don't be afraid to be yourself. Don't worry about being awkward, misunderstood, or unappreciated in your efforts at kindness. Kindness is so universally appreciated that it will never be wasted.
Kindness has a certain timeliness to it. It's at its beautiful best when it caters to an urgent need of the moment. It's simple, too-just as ordinary as sunshine, and just as necessary. A thoughtful letter...a brief visit...a word of encouragement or congratulations...a small or thoughtful gift...or just one's silent presence can bring instant joy to the recipient.
The tongue is one of the greatest instruments of kindness. The tongue gives birth to the kindness one has conceived in his heart. An unkind thought can be concealed...an unkind impulse can be smothered...but once an unkind word has been spoken, the damage is done. If you are perfectly kind in your speech, you are possessed of an exquisite kindness.
Only kindness that flows from intimate friendship with Our Lord can conquer selfishness. Close personal contact with Christ has such a transforming effect. To plunge often into this infinite ocean of kindness, gradually washes away our innate egotism and unkindness.
What was more reassuring attractive in our Lord than His kindness? In Him, Titus wrote "the goodness and kindness of God our Savior, appeared." (3:4) This dominant quality of the Heart of the Savior proved irresistible even to the most hardened of sinners.
From the Heart of the Savior, kindness will increasingly pour itself into the lives of those who maintain a daily contact with Him. This outpouring brings benevolence and forbearance, compassion and consideration, sensitiveness to others needs, and a merciful overlooking of their failures.
No good, it is true, can be accomplished in the home or out of it, without sincere love. We resist any kind of force, but we surrender to kindness. This attractive virtue never humiliates, and always comforts. It shows its face in an habitual, sensitive, unself-centered concern for all others and their needs.
Yes, kindness is one of the greatest gifts you can give the world. It sweetens sorrow and lessens pain. It inspires hope in faint hearts and discovers beauties in every human person. It lightens burdens and gives uplift to the unfortunate. It lessens the bitterness of failure and it enkindles love and gratitude. It is so Christlike. Why not be and Apostle of kindness?
What is the Forgotten Virtue?
By the late Father Kilian McGowan, C.P. Used with permission, from the Passionist Priests, to help spiritually guide the layman.
The poet Wordsworth once wrote that the "best portion of a good man's life" is "his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love." In his famous Canticle of Charity (Corinthians, Chapter 13) Saint Paul named it as one of the foremost daughters of charity: "Charity...is kind," he wrote.
Kindness is like a beautiful jewel carefully and beautifully wrapped. For to the gem of charity it adds a most attractive packaging of gentleness and considerateness. Kindness is, therefore, an overflow of a thoughtful and selfless love into a realm of speech and action. It is indeed a God-like quality.
Volumes could be written on the exquisite kindness that our Blessed Lord showed toward everyone. While He always placed the primary accent on the spiritual, He never overlooked the physical and emotional needs of others. Remember the time He resurrected the sick child from the dead. Immediately, He insisted that she be given something to eat. He was casual about the tremendous miracle, and concerned about the youngster's hunger.
You'll never have to look far for opportunities to practice the Godlike quality of kindness. Think of all the people you know in spiritual, physical, or emotional need. Just look about you and note all the forgotten, neglected, and lonely people that are starving for little acts of kindness. And when you start looking, always start in you own home.
Impulsive little acts of kindness can be very touching...and effective, too. But true kindness is not simply the overflow of ta feeling of well-being or a sudden burst of good humor. It is a stable disposition of one's heart that should be carefully cultivated and constantly practiced. There is always a predictable consistency to a truly kind person.
To cultivate this Godlike virtue, start being kind in thought. Think out ways of being kind to others...in the home and away from it. Keynote in your thinking the good qualities of others, rather than their more obvious failings. This will make it easier for you to think kindly of others, and will even increase your peace of soul.
Make your acts of kindness personal. As kindness always implies a certain giving of one's self, don't be afraid to be yourself. Don't worry about being awkward, misunderstood, or unappreciated in your efforts at kindness. Kindness is so universally appreciated that it will never be wasted.
Kindness has a certain timeliness to it. It's at its beautiful best when it caters to an urgent need of the moment. It's simple, too-just as ordinary as sunshine, and just as necessary. A thoughtful letter...a brief visit...a word of encouragement or congratulations...a small or thoughtful gift...or just one's silent presence can bring instant joy to the recipient.
The tongue is one of the greatest instruments of kindness. The tongue gives birth to the kindness one has conceived in his heart. An unkind thought can be concealed...an unkind impulse can be smothered...but once an unkind word has been spoken, the damage is done. If you are perfectly kind in your speech, you are possessed of an exquisite kindness.
Only kindness that flows from intimate friendship with Our Lord can conquer selfishness. Close personal contact with Christ has such a transforming effect. To plunge often into this infinite ocean of kindness, gradually washes away our innate egotism and unkindness.
What was more reassuring attractive in our Lord than His kindness? In Him, Titus wrote "the goodness and kindness of God our Savior, appeared." (3:4) This dominant quality of the Heart of the Savior proved irresistible even to the most hardened of sinners.
From the Heart of the Savior, kindness will increasingly pour itself into the lives of those who maintain a daily contact with Him. This outpouring brings benevolence and forbearance, compassion and consideration, sensitiveness to others needs, and a merciful overlooking of their failures.
No good, it is true, can be accomplished in the home or out of it, without sincere love. We resist any kind of force, but we surrender to kindness. This attractive virtue never humiliates, and always comforts. It shows its face in an habitual, sensitive, unself-centered concern for all others and their needs.
Yes, kindness is one of the greatest gifts you can give the world. It sweetens sorrow and lessens pain. It inspires hope in faint hearts and discovers beauties in every human person. It lightens burdens and gives uplift to the unfortunate. It lessens the bitterness of failure and it enkindles love and gratitude. It is so Christlike. Why not be and Apostle of kindness?
You Are Creating Your Future Now
YOU ARE CREATING YOUR FUTURE NOW
October 25, 2005
It is a marvelous thing to see the change that can be brought about in the lives of those who try the Alcoholics Anonymous Program. There is no real secret, it has been built upon the fundamental principles common to most religions, but in particular Christianity. If you get to know the New Testament Bible you will see where a lot of the Big Book and stories in the 3rd Edition came from. In Alcoholics Anonymous the same thought or teaching is repeated in many similar ways that we are to love God, and love our neighbor, as we think so it will be, be renewed by the renewing of your mind, we are born again. Nothing can be done by force but only through willingness. Judge not less you be judged. Love is the strongest force in the world. Alcoholics Anonymous combined with where it was derived from Religion, is a mighty force of God.
We learn to “live one day at a time” in both religion and A.A. in religion we practice the sacrament of the moment of the now. In A.A. we take things one day at a time, each moment at a time if necessary to stay clean and sober. The great fact is yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is the present to open and see what it brings. Living in the past usually gets us to dwell on regrets, living in the future usually brings on fears. Living in today in the presence of God can usually result in peace of mind, for we have all we need today. What we choose to do now, is what will eventually make up your life. Life is a succession of choices in the now. Each moment is given us by the grace of God to do something wonderful with. We can work at continuing to overcome ourselves, persistently preparing our minds for action in God’s service and use our moments so that we don’t fall into nor choose the Seven Deadly Sins. Better to use each moment seeking the Will of God for our life. We can at least try and make the effort of working the Twelve Steps and conquering the self-life, the ego driven life and seek daily more and more to obtain God’s Kingdom.
Take a lot around and see the beauty of God’s creation, it is constantly moving and changing. We are changed through God’s love for us, His love in our life profoundly and positively affects our attitude and outlook. What we treat others with, we treat ourselves with as well. God is love and He sends out love and love is returned, when we love our neighbor as ourselves it can’t help but be positively returned to us in some way. For most of our alcoholism and the temptation to drink can be traced back to a lack of love for our fellow man. Page 507 A.A. Big Book 3rd Edition; …temptation …began with my desire for material success becoming greater than my interest in the welfare of my fellow man. Page 549; I had lived with no sense of social obligation nor had I known the meaning of moral responsibility to my fellow man.
Each positive response I give to another changes us more into the likeness and image of God. The beauty of a loving posture is that it calls forth love in response. The more we give, the more we receive. Love conquers fear, love opens the way to God, which assures us of the love, power, wisdom and strength we need for each day. God loves us unconditional it is true, but at the same time He expects us to help ourselves and our neighbor. Give love away, and let love change you. Our past was full of harm and hurt, we failed to live to our potential. Through the Program and confession, admitting our wrongs, making amends (which can be a charitable donation if direct amends is not possible), we have been forgiven, and now have the opportunity to do our best. Through God’s love, His establishments and the sacrament of forgiveness, we are free, we have experienced God’s pardon and mercy. The Bible gives us examples that we are to do likewise to our fellows who have ever harmed us. We can live a life with a clear conscience and help others to do the same, forgive even before anyone ever asks., forgive all things, bless and pray for all people. Look forward to the day ahead with peace and confidence. Your day will be like a spiritual retreat in each moment. These spiritual moments will pull you deeper in love with God and nourish your soul and add serenity to your life. We will grow as we learn to carry the Twelve Steps and our Lord’s Commandments into each moment of our day. In our willingness we simply will not miss out on opportunities to love people and admire the beauty of sobriety and recovery and the world around us. We will let God nourish our minds with the A.A. Literature and His Holy Word in the New Testament Bible. We will reflect the beauty of these to the world around us.
October 25, 2005
It is a marvelous thing to see the change that can be brought about in the lives of those who try the Alcoholics Anonymous Program. There is no real secret, it has been built upon the fundamental principles common to most religions, but in particular Christianity. If you get to know the New Testament Bible you will see where a lot of the Big Book and stories in the 3rd Edition came from. In Alcoholics Anonymous the same thought or teaching is repeated in many similar ways that we are to love God, and love our neighbor, as we think so it will be, be renewed by the renewing of your mind, we are born again. Nothing can be done by force but only through willingness. Judge not less you be judged. Love is the strongest force in the world. Alcoholics Anonymous combined with where it was derived from Religion, is a mighty force of God.
We learn to “live one day at a time” in both religion and A.A. in religion we practice the sacrament of the moment of the now. In A.A. we take things one day at a time, each moment at a time if necessary to stay clean and sober. The great fact is yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery and today is the present to open and see what it brings. Living in the past usually gets us to dwell on regrets, living in the future usually brings on fears. Living in today in the presence of God can usually result in peace of mind, for we have all we need today. What we choose to do now, is what will eventually make up your life. Life is a succession of choices in the now. Each moment is given us by the grace of God to do something wonderful with. We can work at continuing to overcome ourselves, persistently preparing our minds for action in God’s service and use our moments so that we don’t fall into nor choose the Seven Deadly Sins. Better to use each moment seeking the Will of God for our life. We can at least try and make the effort of working the Twelve Steps and conquering the self-life, the ego driven life and seek daily more and more to obtain God’s Kingdom.
Take a lot around and see the beauty of God’s creation, it is constantly moving and changing. We are changed through God’s love for us, His love in our life profoundly and positively affects our attitude and outlook. What we treat others with, we treat ourselves with as well. God is love and He sends out love and love is returned, when we love our neighbor as ourselves it can’t help but be positively returned to us in some way. For most of our alcoholism and the temptation to drink can be traced back to a lack of love for our fellow man. Page 507 A.A. Big Book 3rd Edition; …temptation …began with my desire for material success becoming greater than my interest in the welfare of my fellow man. Page 549; I had lived with no sense of social obligation nor had I known the meaning of moral responsibility to my fellow man.
Each positive response I give to another changes us more into the likeness and image of God. The beauty of a loving posture is that it calls forth love in response. The more we give, the more we receive. Love conquers fear, love opens the way to God, which assures us of the love, power, wisdom and strength we need for each day. God loves us unconditional it is true, but at the same time He expects us to help ourselves and our neighbor. Give love away, and let love change you. Our past was full of harm and hurt, we failed to live to our potential. Through the Program and confession, admitting our wrongs, making amends (which can be a charitable donation if direct amends is not possible), we have been forgiven, and now have the opportunity to do our best. Through God’s love, His establishments and the sacrament of forgiveness, we are free, we have experienced God’s pardon and mercy. The Bible gives us examples that we are to do likewise to our fellows who have ever harmed us. We can live a life with a clear conscience and help others to do the same, forgive even before anyone ever asks., forgive all things, bless and pray for all people. Look forward to the day ahead with peace and confidence. Your day will be like a spiritual retreat in each moment. These spiritual moments will pull you deeper in love with God and nourish your soul and add serenity to your life. We will grow as we learn to carry the Twelve Steps and our Lord’s Commandments into each moment of our day. In our willingness we simply will not miss out on opportunities to love people and admire the beauty of sobriety and recovery and the world around us. We will let God nourish our minds with the A.A. Literature and His Holy Word in the New Testament Bible. We will reflect the beauty of these to the world around us.
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