For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He even gave up His only begotten Door Knob, so that whoever believes in, trusts in, clings to, relies on the Door Knob shall not perish or come to destruction but have eternal everlasting life.
Did I read that right?
Door knob?
Well, some would have you believe that in following the twelve steps, you get to pick your higher power. If you can't find anything or anyone to call your higher power, then use a door knob or a coffee cup until you do.
In the beginning of A.A. there was no question as to the identify of who the Higher Power was...It was God. Bill Wilson was changed by an encounter with God. Given up as hopeless drunk, Bill found sobriety as he cried out to God and simply gave up. There in his hospital room, Bill was suddenly bathed in a warmth and presence that forever changed him. He no longer had the desire to drink.
Next year will be the 80th anniversary of A.A. and like I said, things have changed. In an effort to appease some, the focus has been watered down. Before I go any farther, I would like to point out that from the very beginning, A.A. has never been nor will it be a religious organization. It was never intended to be a place where deep theology is discussed, or doctrine practiced. It was, and continues to be a fellowship of people who have found a common purpose....to pursue a state of sobriety that had escaped them in the past. The only qualification to be a member of A.A. is a desire to stop drinking/ using. But make no mistake...the Higher Power mentioned in the big book IS God.
This past week, for me, has been a celebration of what God has done in the lives of a number of people who have escaped the bondage of addiction.
Got a call from a person who is chasing after Jesus. Been out there for a while and grew tired of the struggle. Monday, he got a call for a job interview. Good job with benefits. He went for the interview and now is employed. He is doing all the little things necessary to keep his sobriety.
Another person called, filled with gratitude for the meeting they are attending. God has surrounded this individual with good people who are like minded in their pursuit of Jesus. They have gotten a taste of what real life is all about, and they want more. This man has found the truth of the twelve steps. You get to keep your sobriety when you give it away to others.
Calls about family being brought together and united for the first time in a long time. Calls to simply thank me (like I had anything to do with it) for showing them the way out . Last but certainly not least happened last night.
One of the men at Rapha found a baby duck that had been abandoned. I mean this little fellow had just hatched. He was injured and without some sort of intervention, would wind up a meal for some other animal. This duck, who has been christened "HENRY", was fixed up in a box with grass, straw, some water and food, But the new keeper of the duck was concerned that it would die. He kept coming back to check on it. He would pick it up and hold it, talking to it in an effort to quiet it. I was getting ready to leave last night when the new owner and the duck, along with several others showed up. "Brother Mike, we don't know what to do, so we thought we'd ask you to pray for Henry." I explained to them that God is concerned with all His creation and even knows when a sparrow falls to earth. So there in that room, we gathered around that box and we prayed for Henry. This may seem like a silly thing to some, but to these men it was a big deal. The realized that they were powerless to help Henry and needed a power greater than themselves that could bring healing. Sounds kind of like the twelve steps, doesn't it? I think maybe what we had there in this encounter with an abandoned baby duck and a group of me in treatment, was a little show-and-tell from God about the state of their own lives.
So, if you would....
Throw up a prayer for Henry.
God on you..
mb
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