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Tag Archives: recovery
Blessed are the Grateful
Hydrangeas outside the Hayes Conference Centre in Swanwick, Derbyshire, England. A friend asked me if I would write a post with what advice I’d give the me from 20 years ago. I suspect he is 20 years younger than my … Continue reading
All the Time
God is at work, all the time. I’ve been thinking about this concept a lot in the last few years, I mention it in my writing and preaching, and more and more it rings true. God is at work, all … Continue reading
A Gift Worth Giving
Recently I’ve read Rich in Years: Finding Peace and Purpose in a Long Life, by Johann Christoph Arnold. It’s a Plough Publishing book, and I recommend it and anything published by Plough, including the beautiful and thoughtful quarterly magazine of … Continue reading
What Do You Think I Should….
Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn us, that he may heal us; he has struck us down, and he will bind us up. After two days he will revive us; on the third day he … Continue reading
Born Again
Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3, ESV) This is such an odd saying, and for many of us we have grown up with … Continue reading
Abide
Since God has so generously let us in on what he is doing, we’re not about to throw up our hands and walk off the job just because we run into occasional hard times. We refuse to wear masks and … Continue reading
Mission
The 12th Step of Alcoholics Anonymous is: Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs. I’m going to continue with … Continue reading
The Mercy of the Fallen
The photo today is something I took after Tropical Storm Imelda flooded our parsonage in 2019. Such events pull people together, and that’s part of what I’m writing about today. I received a wonderful letter this week from a friend … Continue reading
Our Primary Purpose
In the preamble for Alcoholics Anonymous, read at every meeting I’ve ever attended, we hear again that “our primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics to achieve sobriety.” The preamble builds up to this by stating that … Continue reading
Hearing the Voice of God
I joined Alcoholics Anonymous a little over 33 years ago, deciding I needed to make a change. It wasn’t my first time to AA by any means; I had grown up occasionally attending the smoky rooms in Pasadena with or … Continue reading
The Unforced Rhythms of Grace -- Frank Coats 