CRA Christians in Recovery (anonymous)

[calibob]

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Thank you. That's Step 1! And now a daily meditation from our neighbors up north. Partners in Hope, Vancouver BC.

MONDAY, JANUARY 6, 2020 - PLANNING AHEAD
Audio for PLANNING AHEAD
Planning gives us peace in our hearts knowing that we have reviewed the specifics of how to get to where we are going and what we need to get there. For instance, when we plan a hike, we decide the place we want to visit and determine whether the terrain is suitable to our physical fitness. We want to ensure we are wearing the right footwear and clothes for the journey and have informed someone where we are going. It is also wise when we are travelling to a place for the first time to consult with a person that has been that way before and has some knowledge of what lies ahead.

Plans fail without good advice. But they succeed when there are many advisers. (Proverbs 15:22 NIRV)

When we are travelling the road to recovery, we also need to make plans for those things that will get us to our destination. We need to work hard to be spiritually fit to navigate the road ahead. We need to seek advise on how to avoid the pitfalls of temptation. It is helpful to have a sponsor who knows the road ahead and can advise us on what is likely to happen.

Let us act as we should, like people living in the daytime. Have nothing to do with wild parties, and don’t get drunk. Don’t take part in sexual sins or evil conduct. Don’t fight with each other or be jealous of anyone. Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ as if he were your clothing. Don’t think about how to satisfy sinful desires. (Romans 13:13-14 NIRV)


It is wise to plan ahead and determine what we will do when we are challenged in our journey. Sinful desires and overwhelming obsessions may war against our mind and our body, but if we seek Jesus to help us, He will act on our behalf.

But because Jesus lives forever, his priesthood lasts forever. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. (Hebrews 7:24-25 NLT)



Prayer: Lord Jesus, I know my flesh is weak therefore, I ask You to help me plan for victory when I am tempted to give up. Amen

©2020 Partners in Hope

 

[Bingo]

 

[Magenta]

January 07, 2020 . . . Recovery . . Page 7

"Narcotics Anonymous offers addicts a program of recovery that is more than just a life without drugs. Not only is this way of life better than the hell we lived, it is better than any life that we have ever known." . . Basic Text, p.107

Few of us have any interest in "recovering" what we had before we started using. Many of us suffered severely from physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. Getting high and staying high seemed like the only possible way to cope with such abuse. Others suffered in less noticeable but equally painful ways before addiction took hold. We lacked direction and purpose. We were spiritually empty. We felt isolated, unable to empathize with others. We had none of the things that give life its sense and value. We took drugs in a vain attempt to fill the emptiness inside ourselves. Most of us wouldn't want to "recover" what we used to have.

Ultimately, the recovery we find in NA is something different: a chance at a new life. We've been given tools to clear the wreckage from our lives. We've been given support in courageously setting forth on a new path. And we've been given the gift of conscious contact with a Power greater than ourselves, providing us with the inner strength and direction we so sorely lacked in the past.

Recovering? Yes, in every way. We're recovering a whole new life, better than anything we ever dreamed possible. We are grateful.

Just for Today: I've recovered something I never had, something I never imagined possible: the life of a recovering addict. Thank you, Higher Power, in more than words can say.

 

[Magenta]

January 08, 2020 . . . Growing up . . Page 8

"Our spiritual condition is the basis for a successful recovery that offers unlimited growth."
Basic Text, p. 44

When our members celebrate their recovery anniversaries, they often say that they've "grown up" in NA. Well, then, we think, what does that mean? We start to wonder if we're grown-ups yet. We check our lives and yes, all the trappings of adulthood are there: the checkbook, the children, the job, the responsibilities. On the inside, though, we often feel like children. We're still confused by life much of the time. We don't always know how to act. We sometimes wonder whether we're really grown-ups at all, or whether we're children who've somehow been put into adult bodies and given adult responsibilities.

Growth is not best measured by physical age or levels of responsibility. Our best measure of growth is our spiritual condition, the basis of our recovery. If we're still depending on people, places, and things to provide our inner satisfaction, like a child depending on its parents for everything, we do indeed have some growing to do. But if we stand secure on the foundation of our spiritual condition, considering its maintenance our most important responsibility, we can claim maturity. Upon that foundation, our opportunities for growth are limitless.

Just for Today: The measure of my maturity is the extent to which I take responsibility for the maintenance of my spiritual condition. Today, this will be my highest priority.

 

[Magenta]

January 11, 2020 . . . Faith . . Page 11

"As we develop faith in our daily lives, we find that our Higher Power
supplies us with the strength and guidance that we need." . . Basic Text, p. 94

Some of us come into recovery very frightened and insecure. We feel weak and alone. We are uncertain of our direction and don't know where to go for answers. We are told that if we find some faith in a Power greater than ourselves, we will find security and guidance. We want that feeling of safety and strength. But faith doesn't come overnight. It takes time and effort to grow.

The seed is planted when we ask our Higher Power for help and then acknowledge the source of our help when it comes. We nurture the tiny seed of faith with the sunlight of our prayers each day. Our faith grows, a reward for living life on its own terms. One day we realize our faith has become like a huge spreading tree; it doesn't stop the storms of life, but we know that we are safe in its shelter.

Just for Today: I know that faith in my Higher Power will not calm the storms
of life, but it will calm my heart. I will let my faith shelter me in times of trouble.

Bob hopes to be back online sometime this weekend

 

[Magenta]

January 17, 2020 . . . Forgiveness . . Page 17

"As we realize our need to be forgiven, we tend to be more forgiving. At least we know that we are no longer intentionally making life miserable for people." . . Basic Text, pp. 39-40

In our addiction we often treated others badly, sometimes deliberately finding ways to make their lives miserable. In our recovery, we may still have a tendency to pass judgment on others' actions because we think we know how that person should behave. But as we progress in our recovery we often find that, to accept ourselves, we must accept those around us.

It may be difficult to watch as someone's insanity manifests itself. But if we detach ourselves from the problem, we can start living in the solution. And if we feel affected by another's actions, we can extend the principle of forgiveness.

Just for Today: I will strive to forgive rather than be forgiven. I will try to act in such a way that I feel worthy of self-love.

 

[Magenta]

January 23, 2020 Serenity check Page 23

"Lack of daily maintenance can show up in many ways." Basic Text, p. 95

Ever had a perfect stranger remark about how great the weather was, only to reply "It stinks"? When this happens, we are probably suffering from a lack of daily maintenance in our program.

In recovery, life can get pretty hectic. Maybe those added responsibilities at work have got you hopping. Maybe you haven't been to a meeting for awhile. Perhaps you've been too busy to meditate, or haven't been eating regularly or sleeping well. Whatever the reason, your serenity is slipping.

When this happens, it is crucial that we take action. We can't afford to let one "bad day" complete with a bad attitude, slip into two days, four days, or a week. Our recovery depends on our daily maintenance program. No matter what is happening in our lives, we can't afford to neglect the principles that have saved our lives.

There are many ways to recover our serenity. We can go to a meeting, phone our sponsor, meet another recovering addict for lunch, or try to carry the message to a newcomer. We can pray. We can take a moment to ask ourselves what simple things we haven't been doing. When our attitudes head downhill, we can avert a crash with simple solutions.

Just for Today: I will examine the maintenance of my daily program of recovery.

 

[Magenta]

January 29, 2020 . . . The First Step - an action step . . Page 29

"Do we understand that we have no real control over drugs?" Basic Text, p. 18

At first, many of us may have thought the First Step required no action -
we just surrender and go on to Step Two. But Step One does require action!

The action we take in the First Step will be evident in the way we live, even from our first day clean. If we truly believe that we are powerless over our addiction, we will not choose to be around drugs. To continue to live with or associate with practicing addicts may indicate a reservation in our program. An absolute belief that the First Step applies to us will insure that we clear our homes of all drugs and paraphernalia.

As time goes on, we'll not only continue with the basics but add new actions to our First Step repertoire. We'll learn to feel our feelings rather than trying to control them. We'll stop trying to be our own and only guides on our recovery journey; self-sponsorship will cease. We'll begin looking to a Power greater than ourselves more and more for spiritual satisfaction rather than trying to fill that void with something else.

Surrender is only the beginning. Once we surrender, we need to learn how to live in the peace we have found.

Just for Today: I will take all the action necessary to practice the First Step. I truly believe it applies to me.

 

[Magenta]

February 13, 2020 The ties that bind Page 45

"As long as the ties that bind us together are stronger than those that would tear us apart, all will be well." Basic Text, p. 60

Many of us feel that without NA we would surely have died from our disease. Hence, its existence is our very lifeline. However, disunity is an occasional fact of life in Narcotics Anonymous; we must learn to respond in a constructive way to the destructive influences that sometimes arise in our fellowship. If we decide to be part of the solution instead of the problem, we are headed in the right direction.

Our personal recovery and the growth of NA is contingent upon maintaining an atmosphere of recovery in our meetings. Are we willing to help our group deal constructively with conflict? As group members, do we strive to work out difficulties openly, honestly, and fairly? Do we seek to promote the common welfare of all our members rather than our own agenda? And, as trusted servants, do we take into consideration the effect our actions might have on newcomers?

Service can bring out both the best and the worst in us. But it is often through service that we begin to get in touch with some of our more pressing defects of character Do we shrink from service commitments rather than face what we might find out about ourselves? If we bear in mind the strength of the ties that bind us together-our recovery from active addiction-all will be well.

Just for Today: I will strive to be of service to our fellowship. I will be unafraid to discover who I am.

 

[calibob]

Hi everybody, I'm back. This time in recovery for congestive heart failure, pneumonia, COPD, Stage 3 hypertension, and a hit and run driver. Things are looking up. God is good all of the time!

 

[JesusLives]

Hi everybody, I'm back. This time in recovery for congestive heart failure, pneumonia, COPD, Stage 3 hypertension, and a hit and run driver. Things are looking up. God is good all of the time!

Sorry to hear you have had such a rough go of it and to be hit by a run away driver on top of it that's terrible. Thank God you survived it all and you have returned glad to see that you are back calibob.... Was asking Jerry about you a few days ago. He will also be glad that you are back.

 

[tourist]

Sorry to hear you have had such a rough go of it and to be hit by a run away driver on top of it that's terrible. Thank God you survived it all and you have returned glad to see that you are back calibob.... Was asking Jerry about you a few days ago. He will also be glad that you are back.

Yes, it is great to have him back. He sure hit a rough patch of road, that's for sure.

 

[Bingo]

"The little black book has been a daily reader of mine for several years,
as each morning it is my 'first' to start the day. It is firmly believed, the
inspiration from these 'readings' can and will lend encouragement and
spiritual growth within the life of whosoever absorbs the thoughts put forth,
each day of the year...believe it!.....
And, make no mistake...one does not need to claim an addiction, to be in dire
need of spiritual encouragement, God's 'inspiration' is of profound significance
within the little black book...Twenty-Four Hours A Day."
'Praise God'

 

[Bingo]

"Lord, allow your 'presence' to be upon our friend, @calibob, to heal and comfort
him in his needs, whatever that may be. May he have hope, strength, courage and
to know he is loved and missed within these pages."
'Amen'
Praise God'

"Let us be reminded, our friend @calibob was the inspiration that brought this thread
about. I for one am grateful for his insight and inspiration. Let us keep him in our prayers!
And, it is with hope that those struggling with an alcohol problem, find their way
to this thread, and to know there is love and support within these pages."
ODAAT
'Praise God'

 

[Deade]

"Lord, allow your 'presence' to be upon our friend, @calibob, to heal and comfort
him in his needs, whatever that may be. May he have hope, strength, courage and
to know he is loved and missed within these pages."
'Amen'
Praise God'
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"Let us be reminded, our friend @calibob was the inspiration that brought this thread
about. I for one am grateful for his insight and inspiration. Let us keep him in our prayers!
And, it is with hope that those struggling with an alcohol problem, find their way
to this thread, and to know there is love and support within these pages."
ODAAT
'Praise God'

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I'll give a hearty amen to your prayer there, Bingo. And I will add, if there are alcoholics or addicts here wanting to talk, someone will. I am around and I am sure Bingo and Magenta are available too.

 

[Bingo]

"Thanks to each one that stops by, and I feel within these CRA pages there
is obviously a better sense of encouraging support for those struggling, not
only with an addiction, but also other areas of life struggles. Thank God, some
of us that have been able to get our life back on a more stable 'well being' by
learning we had to and made a decision we needed to change our ways, and
that God was our best choice to help us.....'Praise God'.
And, for myself, 'hitting bottom' is a fearful place...believe it!
It is with hope that others make the decision to turn to God, because waiting
too long, one too, may come to know of an ominous fear...not a place to be!

 

[Caprice84]

"Lord, allow your 'presence' to be upon our friend, @calibob, to heal and comfort
him in his needs, whatever that may be. May he have hope, strength, courage and
to know he is loved and missed within these pages."
'Amen'
Praise God'
View attachment 216940
"Let us be reminded, our friend @calibob was the inspiration that brought this thread
about. I for one am grateful for his insight and inspiration. Let us keep him in our prayers!
And, it is with hope that those struggling with an alcohol problem, find their way
to this thread, and to know there is love and support within these pages."
ODAAT
'Praise God'

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Amen to that 🙏🏻

 

[Bingo]

Amen to that 🙏🏻

 

[Caprice84]

I'll give a hearty amen to your prayer there, Bingo. And I will add, if there are alcoholics or addicts here wanting to talk, someone will. I am around and I am sure Bingo and Magenta are available too. View attachment 216947

I love this, that’s fantastic... as humans we can be so quick to judge. It’s so good to see there are incredible people like yourselves still out there. Well done, our god would be proud 🙏🏻

 

[Bingo]