(week 145) 9 October 2014 12-step Study Big Book workshop

Step 3 12 x 12 Page 35. Start of second paragraph:’Maybe this all sounds mysterious…’

until page 37 end of paragraph: ‘One good look in the mirror ought to be answer enough for any alcoholic.

www.AA.org This has the Big Book and AA Reflections read at the Friday noontime

Trust & Rely meeting.

12stepstudyworkshop.com has all the handouts and accumulated knowledge of Stephanie’s studies of the Big Book.

Please send donations to support the website to:

Stephanie Whiting

P O Box 531

North Pembroke MA 02358

Stephanie has three groups running on this same number: 712 432 8816 and pin no.: 32450#

and with the same callback number: 641 715-3900

(1)Tuesday 8am EST Dr. Bob and the Good Old Timers pin 298913#

(2) Thursday 8am EST Big Book 12 Step Study Workshop pin 95666# (All Addictions)

(3) Friday 12noon EST Trust and Rely Workshop pin 91904#

Soul work

Serenity Prayer:

God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference. Thy will not mine be done. Amen.

“Go to quiet time and ask God ‘what do You want me to do about this issue?’ Do the third step prayer, write about it, then share with another person.â€

Look up: wisdom. The wisdom to know what to expect and what to change.

Q1 Examine your areas of dependence.

Q2. Look at your idea of this dependence. They are different.

Q3. Have an action plan to go to God with for next week asking God: ‘I know I have a dependency I am asking you to give me a conscious contact with myself on where I have unconscious dependence.’ It will shock you. When you sincerely ask God in Quiet Time to give you something you will get it.

[Remember the truth will set you free but first it will make you very angry.

Pick your accountability people very, very carefully. Be selective. You do not want to be isolated with your own thoughts. Don’t dismiss anyone. Get phone numbers of those who are saying recovered things. They can really give you unbiased recovered God-honouring feedback. We never tell each other what to do but we can give each other feedback.]

Q4 Lets get out of our own little world and think about our brothers and sisters in other countries and their dependences. Different from America. Living in such a wonderful country we really don’t have to worry about things.‘Concerned’ is a better word. Concerned about others. A beautiful way to live. If you worry why pray?

But the moment our mental or emotional dependence is in question how differently we behave. How persistently we claim the right to decide all by ourselves just what we shall think and just how we shall act. Oh yes, we’ll weigh the pros and cons of very problem. We’ll listen politely to those who would advise us, but all the decisions are to be ours alone. Nobody is going to meddle with our personal independence in such matters. Besides, we think there is no one we can surely trust. We are certain that our intelligence, backed by will power, can rightly control our inner lives and guarantee us success in the world we live in. This brave philosophy, wherein each man plays God, sounds good in the speaking, but it still has to be meet the acid test how well does it actually work? One good look in the mirror ought to be answer enough for any alcoholic.

Q5. Can you claim the right to decide all by yourself how you should act?

b) How did it work for you?

Q6. Inventory yourself.

a) How are you making a decision to think and act?

b) Are you self-willed?

c) Are you asking God to use your will and align it with His will so you are making decisions with what you know your Higher Power wants you to do and then having an Action Plan using your will with the plan?

That is Stephanie’s understanding of step 3: “It can all be boiled down to that.â€

Q7. That’s the Third Step. Are you there?

If not come to Tuesdays Dr Bob and the Good Old timers and after the meeting and you can ask any questions you want.

Step Four:

To write Step Four you will need to be Honest Open and Willing. It takes an iron-clad self-will to sit down and write a fourth step. We are going to be answering hard questions such as where are you selfish? What did you want from this person? We don’t look at this very often. It is very pointed and doesn’t beat around the bush. Then you have to talk about what you want and dig even deeper and find out why you wanted it. This is not the normal way of looking at decisions in our culture.

ENDS

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