Sunday, March 10, 2013

Advocating Truth About A.A. History and the A.A. Fellowship


Advocating Truth about Alcoholics Anonymous History and the A.A. Fellowship

 

Dick B.

© 2013 Anonymous. All rights reserved

 

           I have a dream – a plan that will challenge us all, glorify God, serve others, and stop a recognizable, secular flow toward idolatry, half-truth, myths, and shop-worn failures.

 

1.         In the simplest form, recovered Christian recovery leaders and workers will learn the elements that made recovery with God’s help effective, permanent, and worthy of our efforts.

 

2.         In a sense, we can unite in the idea that recovery—albeit A.A., Twelve Steps, or Christian fellowships and programs—needs an historical overhaul and return to four founding ideas: (a) We don’t drink or use no matter what. (b) We need God’s help to resist the drugs, resist the devil, resist temptation, and seek the power which He alone makes available. (c) Without more knowledge about God, His Son, and His Word, we will have little assurance of progress and truth. (d) The end product of our efforts is our own dedication to helping those who still suffer.

 

In brief, (a) Quit for good. (b) Look only to God. (c) Humbly learn. (d) Help others.

 

3.         We can and should draw on the ample supply of present-day official literature that supports and always has supported reliance on God. We’ll give examples.

 

4.         We can and should memorize in simplest form the facts about how the early AAs did exactly what we have described and where we can find those facts. We’ll point to a pamphlet, a First Edition of the Big Book, a summary of today’s language, and the evidence in two of our books which draw on DR. BOB and the Good Old-timers, the 4th edition of the Big Book, the Personal stories of the pioneers, and long recognized and successful First Century Christianity practices underlying our founding.

 

Ken and I, primarily as reporters and content providers, have several specific approaches we would like to have you consider.

 

1.         Begin thinking of ourselves as a Fellowship of workers for truth about recovery

 

2.         Work regionally to meet, network, encourage, inform, and promote growth

 

3.         Launch a new focus on short, structured, instructed, informative beginners groups

 

4.         Use your own programs, talents, ideas, resources, and experience to work with us at the

 launching stage.

 

5.         Develop appealing and attracting presentation methods with the following: (a) Short classes. (b) Short audios. (c) Short videos. (d) Short plays. (e) Short radio programs. (f) (g) Short YouTubes, (h) Simple pamphlets for free distribution. (i) Workshops and conferences if needed. (j) Dedicated speakers. (k) Specified Fellowship meetings that resemble present-day study groups, prayer groups, Bible groups, Conference-approved literature groups, Eleventh Step groups, Origins and roots groups, and Big Book—Sponsor, History, Spiritual, Bible, Step groups. (l) Purposeful blogs, forums, Facebook, Twitter, chats, area seminars and webinars.

 

6.         Stress tolerance of diversity rather than inclusiveness that seeks to reduce ideas to levels of mediocrity, compromise, and rigidity.

 

Four resources that pave the way:

 

The Co-Founders of Alcoholics Anonymous: Biographical Sketches Their Last Major Talks

 

Alcoholics Anonymous “The Big Book” The Original 1939 Edition: Bill W. With a New Introduction by Dick B. (Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 2011)

 

Stick with the Winners! http://mcaf.ee/s50mq (Available in paperback and Kindle formats through Amazon.com)

 

Pioneer Stories in Alcoholics Anonymous http://mcaf.ee/gj7iw (Available in paperback and Kindle formats through Amazon.com

 

 

Contact Dick B., 808 874 4876; dickb@dickb.com

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