Our tricky minds… Sometimes when I let my mind wander, it tries to take me down the path of doubt. If I permit this “stinkin’ thinkin’” to continue then the path widens to include worry, fear, and ultimately negativity all fueled from my own self-will. What helps me during these times is to remember that the answers are not in my head and that I am no longer in charge of me. When I made the life changing decision to turn my will and my life over to God, HE became not only my

Don’t turn a bad moment into a bad day…. Have you ever noticed that what you focus on influences how you feel and act? For instance, playing with children can make some older folks feel young and more alive. How about the feeling of accomplishment after completing a workout at the gym? What about the uncomfortable and unpleasant parts of our day that we all have? Have you ever noticed what happens when we focus on that? It tends to drag us into the negative mindset and bring

Where are your thoughts coming from?.. Ever have those thoughts that just won’t go away? Some are good, some can be not so good, and then there are the pesky / funny thoughts like Peyton Manning humming the Nationwide jingle that is still floating around in my head! Luckily for me and those around me I have not allowed this thought, as well as a few others to control my actions and attitudes. We eventually become what we think. It’s part of our human condition as well as a sp

What is your power source?.. Red Bull, coffee, Protein shakes, Power Bars, and all sorts of other products promise us energy. Many other products promise to enhance our power. Bodybuilders and folks into fitness and exercise routines gain physical strength and stamina, but, …. Where do we really get our POWER from? We see stories from time to time about folks doing superhuman feats to save another or help someone in danger. I bet if you take a look at the events of your lifet

Picking our battles… Perhaps it’s different for you but every now and then when I am alone with my thoughts, the quiet thought that has been with me for most of my life tries to remind me that not only am I a loser but also I am not worthy of others. Now thankfully I have enough Jesus in my heart and step work from over 30 years of sobriety to remind me quickly that this thought is not mine, it is from my disease; get it? DIS-EASE… The disease of addiction capitalizes on this

He sees everything… I love watching people. I learn so much from others. It’s interesting to me to watch folks as they interact with others. My experience has been that different situations bring different actions and behaviors. For instance, at the fast-food drive-through, the focus is on the order, as both the attendant and the customer are centered on the purchase of a pre-established menu item, pretty much a no-brainer. Then there is the grocery store and the need to be i

Trying to fill that hole in our hearts… Have you ever noticed that in certain times of trial or stress, no matter how much thought, effort, and will you give it, it just doesn’t seem enough? Or perhaps you are struggling with that empty feeling and no matter what you attempt to do or use to overcome it, the hole remains. That hole is in our hearts and no amount of food, relationships, material things, booze, drugs, or any other man-made solution will fill it. That is Jesus kn

Consider the source…. It’s pretty easy these days to learn just about anything on the internet. What is interesting to me is that our whole culture seems to be adapting to this form or information gathering. While this is helpful to have instant access, it can also be harmful at times if we don’t consider the source. Most information is fueled by a person or host site. Depending on what their preferences and opinions are, it seems the facts can be twisted to carry the message

Our own autopilot…. As we start each day, most of us have certain things in place to get us up and running as well as habits to keep us on schedule. Alarm clocks, calendars, and various routines keep us moving and in sync with our day. Autopilot is a great tool for morning routines and repetitive things in our lives. We have the same opportunity with our spiritual lives as well. When we make the daily decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God, our day go

What’s on your agenda?.. We are busy folks and we rely on schedules, calendars, appointments, and other tools to keep us on track and on time. It’s a part of our lives and culture. Have you ever taken a moment to consider who or what drives our need to have these daily, weekly, and monthly agendas? Sure, I get it, we need to stay organized and we all are juggling many balls in order to make this life thing work. But wouldn’t it be nice if instead of just our yearly vacations,

Take off your shoes… Years ago when I was on staff at Salvation Army as a counselor, I taught a class for the men in the Adult Recovery Center in Sacramento. One of the more popular lessons I taught was called “Take off your shoes” I would post a sign outside of the chapel that served as our classroom asking all who entered to. take off their shoes. Everyone complied and no one ever had a serious problem with the request. I would then share with the men how we are always will

Power Aid… Power is the thing that we all crave and seek in one another. The problem is our minds get twisted by the illusions of the material world and lead us to seek the wrong type of power. We have the willpower that is part of our human makeup. It will never go away, but we can learn to harness our willpower and align it with a Power greater than ourselves. Hopefully, we have learned that the best Power to align our will with is the power of God, and not s

Some loaves and a few fish... Sometimes when worldly needs and demands pile up we can begin to feel overwhelmed with responsibilities and requests that our minds have a hard time wrapping our heads around. When our heads do the math, it doesn’t always add up causing fear and anxiety. Just remember, if it is God’s will, it will happen, perhaps not the way we imagine, but it will happen. Just look at the 4000 Jesus fed with 7 loaves and few fish! … "Our ideas did not work, but

Another type of "Book Learnin'"... We go to school for 12 or more years to get our education. Most of us get some sort of on-the-job training from our employers. A lot of us get many educational lessons from the school of hard knocks. And a few of us get ongoing education from our Big Book and its daily 12 Step practices. But what about Spiritual learning? I have yet to see it on any applications in the working world. The lessons I am finally learning in life come from the Bi

Hang on help is on the way….. One of the most freeing experiences for me is to help another person. It frees me from the burden of self and puts perspective onto my self-centered perceptions of my challenges and problems. Now maybe it’s different for you, but when I can place my focus on helping another, my heart gets filled with not only a refreshing humility from the service, but also, I gain a fresh perspective when I re-visit my issue or challenge and it no longer appears

Maybe it's different for you, but I can honestly say that I do not enjoy pain of any kind in any form. I don't intentionally go looking for it but I have learned that when I do find myself in pain, there is either a lesson to be learned or an experience to grow from, IF I LOOK with a willing heart and open mind. Staying spiritually fit is hard work but the benefits are immense. Sobriety and Abstinence is not easy but the pains from gaining and maintaining it have brought me b

Don't drink the Kool-Aid, just drink the water... We buy products based on our experience. I have learned the hard way that a pretty package can be misleading. It's what's inside that counts. We look for the quick fix and instant gratification because that is our cultural norm these days, but do we get the long term and permanent results? Perhaps it’s different for you, but I have only found that through seeking spiritual growth daily and working on me and my attitudes and ha

Hearing check… Our hearing comes in all forms. Did you know that along with the ears attached to our head we also have other ears? We have mental ears that allow our human instincts to silently hear the world around us. We also have spiritual ears that allow our hearts to hear the Holy Spirit. While we use the ears attached to our heads to hear the normal everyday stuff life brings along with our “selective hearing” of only what we want to hear, our instinctual ears hear that

How many "memberships" do you have? I have a few. There’s my Amazon Prime, PayPal, AARP, (hold the wise cracks, I have a point to make) Triple A, AA, SCAA, my church, the gym, and... oh yeah ... the SPIRITUAL GYM! I hope you have a membership to the last one too. It's free, but the dues are paid daily through being in the Word, prayer, and service. Are you an active member? Check your experience. ... "What we really have is a daily reprieve contingent on the maintenance of ou

Have you ever noticed that you are drawn to certain types of people naturally? Maybe it's different for you but I tend to gravitate towards folks who are naturally positive and open. I have learned over the years that this is a subconscious act we have within us. In my case it's because I want the positivity that they have. I am seeking the Holy Spirit that is shining through them. What type of person do you find yourself drawn to? ... Check your experience… "... for deep dow