Posts by: Rick W.

Recovered vs. Cured

Recovered vs. Cured

As I’ve shared before, I’m  part of a morning text conversation with about 15 men in the Fellowship, and this morning, one of the men shared this: “Good morning y’all ☀️ Reading in How It Works this morning this sentence struck me, “He provided what we needed, if we kept close to Him and performed …

Growing in Understanding and Effectiveness

Growing in Understanding and Effectiveness

I was sitting in a speaker meeting a few nights ago and heard the speaker say this phrase (the title of this post).  I’ve heard it a million times and know that it’s where Step Ten starts in the chapter “Into Action” in the Big Book.  When I got home that night, I opened my …

CHANGE? No, Thank You!

CHANGE? No, Thank You!

It’s a well-known fact that alcoholics, generally, are resistant to change. If your experience is anything like mine, when a new idea is presented to you, and IF it’s a drastic departure from what you’ve become comfortable with or are used to… as it says in our literature, “rebellion dogs our every step.” Why is …

A Servants Heart

A Servants Heart

In the chapter, We Agnostics, we’ve all read about the bedevilments. I was reading that passage again recently with a new sponsee that I’m taking through the Steps and one of the eight (8) bedevilments listed, “we couldn’t seem to be of real help to other people,” really stood out to me. I was reminded …

Do Words Matter?

Do Words Matter?

A friend of mine in the Fellowship who loves our literature often says, “Thank God they wrote it down.” Truer words could not have been spoken. I continue to be grateful that A.A. co-founders (and others) wrote down their experience of our action-based program in the beginning days of Alcoholics Anonymous. In 1942, our co-founder …

Someone Else

Someone Else

I know that all of you were saddened to learn this week of the death of one of our Alcoholics Anonymous’s most valuable members, Someone Else. Someone Else’s passing created a vacancy that will be difficult to fill. They had been with us for many years, and for every one of those years, Someone Else …

The Most Boring Story I’ve Ever Read

The Most Boring Story I’ve Ever Read

When I first came into the Fellowship and finally made the decision to get a sponsor (cuz’ ya’ll kept talking about that ad nasueum…LOL), I asked a man to be my “temporary sponsor” (which I loved because in my addled brain, there was very little commitment there). His name was Benny. I know you don’t …

Anonymity: Then & Now

Anonymity: Then & Now

In the Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Tradition Twelve states, “Anonymity is the spiritual foundation of all our traditions, ever reminding us to place principles before personalities.”  It goes on to say, “THE spiritual substance of anonymity is sacrifice. Because A.A.’s Twelve Traditions repeatedly ask us to give up personal desires for the common good, …