Dick B.
interviews Christian Recovery leader Gary Agnew on the July 30, 2013, episode
of the "Christian Recovery Radio with Dick B." show
On
Dick
B.
© 2013
Anonymous. All rights reserved
You
Can Hear This Radio Show Right Now
_____________________________________________________________________________
You
may hear Dick B. interview Christian Recovery leader Gary Agnew on the July 30,
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:
______________________________________________________________________________
Introduction
Over my years of travel, research, and talks, I have met
many experienced AAs and Christian recovery leaders and workers; and featuring
these folks on radio is a top priority. Today's guest is Gary Agnew of
Columbia, Connecticut. Gary is now retired, but his resume is long and
admirable. He is the author of two books and of a power point
presentation on the history of A.A. He is a participant in the
International Christian Recovery Coalition, and will be attending "The
First International Alcoholics Anonymous History Conference" in Portland,
Maine, September 6-7, 2013. Gary is acutely aware that there is a Christian
Recovery Movement afoot and is certainly a part of it. He handled a ministry at
My Father's House for 5 1/2 years. He has been a supervisor for the staff of
counselors at a Veterans Administration facility. He currently does
outreach work in the prison system; and that is his passion now that
he is retired. For many years now, Gary has been in touch with me, has
purchased and read all of my books, has actively shared his viewpoints on
Christian recovery from alcoholism and addiction, and has supported our efforts
to disseminate the facts about the role of God, His Son Jesus Christ, and the
Bible in early A.A.'s astonishing successes, and the role they can play
today for those who want and need God's help. It will be a pleasure to
hear Gary tell us the facts. Take it away, Gary.
Synopsis
of Gary’s Interview – “Stick with the Winners!”
Gary is 30 years sober, and has been in the treatment field
for 22 years. As to God’s Word, Gary has freely used 12-Step Bible study in
facilities where he has worked. He’s noticed that clients—if they refuse to
participate—returned from their drinking sprees sooner; and those who
participated, had toted up the longest sobriety ever.
Gary worked for a time in My Father’s House and there conducted
Bible study. He is the author of two books: (1) God’s Word and 12 Steps ,
covering religion and A.A. history—particularly Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount,
the Book of James, and St. Paul’s 1 Corinthians 13. The title is “Watch What He
Does With This”—portraying a sense of Jesus’s place in life. (2) “Spiritual
Journal Guide to Recovery.” And. as he goes through each of the Twelve Steps,
he asks three questions: (a) What have you done? (b) What are you doing? (c)
What will you do?
Gary has carried the spiritual message to the Veterans
Administration and to prisons. He was a superintendent of counselors at the
Veterans Administration, and did much outreach to those in prison. His work in
that realm centered around Brooklyn, Connecticut.
At The First International Alcoholics Anonymous History
Conference in Portland, Maine, September 6 and 7, 2013, Gary will be attending
and a participant. He will be presenting an hour and ten minutes “History of
Alcoholics Anonymous” power point production with music. His book is handed out
with notes and discussions. And he points to the fact that there is not just
one clear way to recovery.
Two significant questions about the frequent objections in
present-day A.A. and 12-Step meetings when there is mention of God, Jesus
Christ, and the Bible. These two issues were tendered to Gary for a statement
of his experience and how he handles such attempted objections and
intimidations:
(1) As to
the astonishing, documented 93% success rates achieved in the early Cleveland
A.A. program, Gary simply asks “Why would you want to deviate from a program
like that!”
(Cleveland AAs, of course,
brought with them from the early Akron A.A. Christian Fellowship the Big Book,
the Twelve Steps, the Oxford Group “Four Absolutes,” the Bible, and “most of
the old program”—hospitalization, giving your life to God, obeying God, growing
in understanding of Him and His Son through prayer, Bible study, Quiet Time, reading
Christian literature; and then helping others get straightened out with the
same Christian technique.)
(2) What
about head-turning, and voiced rejections of Christian remarks in meetings?
Gary simply points out that even the Apostles were not always accepted with
open arms. How would you handle the rejections of your religious statements?
His answer? Accept them! For the reason that you can say to yourself and
others: “I have a life.” And I “Stick with the Winners!” (alluding to the new
book by Dick B. and Ken B., Stick with
the Winners! How to Conduct More Effective 12-Step Recovery Meetings Using
Conference-Approved Literature: A Dick B. Guide for Christian Leaders and
Workers in the Recovery Arena) http://mcaf.ee/s50mq.
And the winners, of course, were the
Akron A.A. Christian fellowship pioneers—Bill W., Dr. Bob, Dr. Bob’s wife,
Henrietta Seiberling, T. Henry and Clarace Williams, Cleveland founder Clarence
H. Snyder, and Sister Ignatia of St. Thomas Hospital
No comments:
Post a Comment