You may listen to Dick B. interview Christian recovery
leader Tim K. on the March 16, 2013, episode of the "Christian Recovery
Radio with Dick B." show here:
or here:
Episodes of the
"Christian Recovery Radio with Dick B." show are archived at:
Dick B.
© 2013 Anonymous. All rights reserved
Special comment about
today’s speaker Tim K. I learned in
the interview today what Tim is doing in the Colorado Springs area to serve
alcoholics and addicts who want God’s help. Tim has worked with the Clarence
Snyder retreat in Western Wisconsin (www.Cametobelieve.org);
but when he became a shepherd for the Colorado retreat, he
set about growth, growth, growth, and follow-through that is really feeding the
sheep in a number of ways. I have long felt that, though most of us enjoy and
learn from retreats and conferences, the game is not over when the gathering
concludes. It is what the leaders and those in attendance are challenged to do
for others thereafter that counts! At the event, they can learn how to “come to
believe.” They can learn how to take people through the Twelve Steps in the
manner that A.A. old-timer Clarence Snyder did. They can listen to excellent
speakers. And they can give testimony on the last morning as to the change that
has occurred in their lives—the vital religious experience. But it is what they
do afterward that has the real impact as they return from the event to their
groups, meetings, and newcomers and there foster service, study, sponsorship,
meetings, and instruction. And, as you will see here and find out from Tim’s
talk, he not only leads the Colorado
retreats, but he established a Saturday night A.A. meeting in Colorado Springs.
And just today, his group met in a steering committee meeting to organize five
additional A.A. meetings—one each night—in addition to the Saturday meeting.
Thereby the members and newcomers can fellowship together daily, be supported
by the group daily, and pass the message on daily as was done by the First
Century Christians, followed in the original Akron AA Christian Fellowship, and
recorded many years ago in the Book of Acts. This broadening of service in
addition to a retreat or conference provides a very much needed continuity and
profit from the retreat or conference itself.
___________________________________________________________________________
Introduction
Our guest today is Tim K. from Colorado Springs, Colorado.
In just the short time we've known him, he's clearly been a dynamic and
productive Christian leader. Tim will tell you about his family, education,
religious background, job, 12 Step fellowship experience, and plans for the
future. We particularly look forward to hearing what Tim has done and is doing
with the "Came to Believe" (Clarence Snyder) retreat in his Colorado
area.
We met Time when Ken and I were speaking in Leesburg,
Florida, at the Snyder Life Enrichment Retreat there in November 2012. Many
attending told us how active Tim had been in moving the retreat forward in his Colorado
area. And we would like to hear more. In fact, we hope he will be gathering
Christian recovery leaders and workers in his area, and arranging conferences
and meetings that will enable them to learn and pass along the roles God, His
Son Jesus Christ, and the Bible have played in recovery and can play today.
In addition, we would like to hear more of Tim's interest in
several A.A. historical treasures of ours that we hope to see acquired,
studied, and made accessible to a good location and Christian steward. The
treasures include a complete photocopy of the pre-publication manuscript of DR. BOB and the Good Oldtimers with no
chapters, with editing and change notations, and the full names of the AAs
involved. They also include Anne Smith's personal journal (1933-1939), and the
manuscripts I found at Stepping Stones and which contain so many of Bill W.'s
writings before the Big Book was published. The latter are scarcely known or
researched. Tim has expressed an interest in this project.
And now we look forward to hearing this dedicated,
recovered, Christian A.A. leader, and are delighted he is a participant in the
International Christian Recovery Coalition. Take it away, Tim!
Synopsis of Interview
Tim was raised in
St. Paul. His mother and dad stayed together.
He attended a small school and a Lutheran Church, and went to high
school. But then he found friends in the party crowd. For 20 years, he was in
and out of alcohol and drugs, treatment, and Alcoholics Anonymous.
Then Tim went to a Snyder
retreat in the Western end of Wisconsin. He had a vital religious experience.
He recovered immediately and was cured supernaturally. The date was May 5,
2007. He helped in Minnesota. Then he went to a small Bible college in
Colorado; and was told by God how to establish the September 4th
annual Colorado retreats. He used our book Stick
with the Winners! as a guide to setting meetings with Conference-approved
literature and according to Traditions. (http://mcaf.ee/s50mq). His group wanted to play by the rules and
registered its name as the “First Forty.” And now the group was to meet Monday
through Friday as well as at its Saturday Night Meeting. Not surprisingly in
these days, when the Steering Committee decided to teach from the Bible and DR BOB and the Good Oldtimers, the
powers that be tried to get them voted out. But the victory went to the First
Forty Group.
In his early
sobriety, Tim had taken the Steps. He had decided to turn his will and his life
over to the meetings. He believed that they were a power greater than himself.
He felt the Group was his “higher power” during his confused dry weeks. Then it
became clear to him that the “power”
ended with the end of the meeting. He recognized the accuracy of the Big Book admonition
that, by every form of self-deception and experimentation, the alcoholic will
try to prove himself different—the exception to the rule. But the delusion
about the meeting as a power greater than himself and the group as an higher
power gave way to clear thinking and common sense.
When asked what the
format of the new series of daily
meetings would be, Tim and his Committee have these plans under consideration:
(1) To use the Dick B. books (2) To avail itself of the format and wisdom in
the book Our A.A. Legacy to the Faith
Community: A Twelve-Step Guide for Those Who Want to Believe, by Three
Clarence Snyder Sponsee Old-timers and Their Wives, Compiled and Edited by Dick
B. (3) To study the history of early
A.A. and its program, principles, and practices. (4) To use some of the
articles and pamphlets popular in earlier A.A. days—such as “The Devil and Bill
W.” and “Alcoholics and God.”
In concluding, Tim
recommended listeners go to the Came to Believe website (www.CametoBelieve.org) and find the locations of the Colorado
retreat and the growing number of other retreats being held around the world in
United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and Russia.
Gloria
Deo
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