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July 1 - Faithful Today · The Daily Ripples Podcast

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Today's July 1st, Faithful Today.
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The stone, progress is not about perfection.
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It is about doing what is right today and trusting that it is enough.
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Ripple One Practical.
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Today I will focus on doing my best and what is in front of me.
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I will not be overwhelmed by everything left undone.
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Faithfulness and small daily actions build a meaningful life over time.
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The Father is at work in my life, shaping me with care and purpose.
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As I follow Christ, the Holy Spirit forms me step by step.
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I do not need to see the finished result.
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I need to trust the one who is shaping me.
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Today's faithfulness is part of a greater work.
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But, you know, it says progress is not about perfection.
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And, man, you know, I'm going to kind of go on a little rant, but that's okay.
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On page 60, it says, we claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.
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Man, and I've heard a lot of things in different rooms of people being like, well, you know, I'm an alcoholic, so progress over perfection.
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And go on screwing up, screwing over people and being, you know, havocs to people in their life.
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And, you know, I say people and that was me at one time in my life.
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But, you know, I think, you know, we claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection because this work is spiritual.
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And, yeah, you know, I'm not going to be perfect.
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But, you know, just because I am, you know, I have a problem when I drink and I have a problem when I drink too much, you know, oh, my goodness, I don't want to go against anybody's thoughts or opinions.
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But, you know, I don't agree that because I was, you know, I got a problem drinking when I drink too much or after a sort of point of time after that, that gives me a right to hurt other people.
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Or that gives me a checkmark to say, oh, well, you know, I'm an alcoholic.
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This is why I do it.
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But I'll make amends.
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You know, that's not how this works.
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You know, like, you know, man, I don't think it's right.
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Because, you know, I'm not blaming anybody anymore.
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You know, I've been the problem my whole life.
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And when I go through this work, you know, it's just crazy.
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Because when I go through this work, it says, so our troubles we think are basically of our own making.
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That's a lot simpler than making it everybody else's problem.
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And blaming it on a fact of the matter that when I drink, I want more.
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And a spiritual thing, because there's literal, there's work to be done.
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And, you know, my sponsor talks to me a lot about, you know, where I practice this.
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And I talk to other dudes about this, where I practice this.
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This is my home first, my occupation and my affairs in that order.
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You know, my significant other goes and does something every Tuesday night and then, you know, does other things, you know, through the week.
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And I have little bits and times that I get to have that I get to do this.
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I get to work with others.
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I get to go to the here gym.
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And I'm so grateful for that, that I'm allowed.
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Well, you know, when people ask me if I can do something, I'm like, hey, I got to talk to my manager first.
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But, you know, because I need to be there for them.
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That's my primary thing.
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And I don't get to treat her badly because, you know, I have a spiritual malady.
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Because I have steps in order to get me through that spiritual malady and steps.
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And if I'm not doing those steps and I'm just blaming it on this, man, and throwing out progress over perfection, I do not agree with that.
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You know, but it says in the Ripple One Practical, today I'll focus on doing my best.
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What is in front of me all?
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I will not be overwhelmed by everything left undone.
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And so I used to do this practice, and I probably should start doing it again.
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On page 86, there's some things that it tells me to do at night because it says when we retire at night, we constructively review our day.
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And it tells me all the things to look at.
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And I used to do this and, you know, because like one of the things it tells me to do is what we could pack into the stream of life.
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That's one of the questions.
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What could I have packed into the stream of life?
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And there's some other things in there.
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And I'll be like, man, I could have done more.
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I could have done more.
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But it's important the next sentence after that, it says,
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we must be careful not to drift into remorse or morbid reflection,
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because that would diminish our usefulness to others.
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Because if I'm all in my feelings and all upset,
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I'm not going to be of use to my family.
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I'm not going to be of use at work.
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I'm not going to be used to the people that I can serve.
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The people I can serve is with this book and with this message.
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And, but I found, you know, I really like Colossians 3, 23 through 4.
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And Colossians 3, 23 says,
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Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
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since you know that all you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.
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It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
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Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.
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You know, that's kind of, that's deep.
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But you know, when I read this, whatever you do, work at it with all your heart as working for the Lord,
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and I was talking to my son the other day
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and I was like, you know, man, we're all God's kids.
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You, your mom, me, other people in your life
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are all God's kids.
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So we want to treat each other equally
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on that standpoint and with love.
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Not, you know, and I'm not saying
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he's not treating other kids good, bad,
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but I'm saying like, if I look at it in that manner
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and like, even like, you know, my home,
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Play my occupation, right?
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There'll be times that I'm like, man.
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And, you know, I'm not working in that occupation just to take their money.
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I mean, you know, I like the paycheck.
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But, you know, I need to treat everybody as God's kids as well, even the owner, even the
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dudes I work with.
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And have, you know, have some, I guess, you know, some quality of work as well and care
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about what I'm doing.
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Because I think, you know, when I look at it in that standpoint, and we're all God's kids, you know, it makes me look at life a little differently.
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And then the last part, it says, anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there's no favoritism.
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And that's like a, that's a little bit of a, it's like almost a, yeah, that's a promise too.
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It looks like, I mean, if it was, if there was a promise in the Bible, I would imagine that's a promise.
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And then in the Ripple thing, it says,
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the Father is at work in my life, shaping with care and purpose.
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And, you know, when I read that, it took me to page 77 when I was thinking about it,
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because our real purpose is to fit ourselves to be a maximum of service to God and the people about us.
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And so when I go to there and I think about, so, and this might be a little bit much,
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And, you know, if you're tired of me reading about literature, that's the only thing I know.
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So that's okay.
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But so when I think about how that works, and me and my sponsor were talking about this the other day, because on page 75, it tells me, and this is a fifth step promise.
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It tells me the feeling that the drink problem has disappeared will often come strongly.
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we feel we are on the broad highway,
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walking hand in hand with the spirit of the universe.
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And also above that,
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but now we begin to have a spiritual experience.
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So I'm beginning to have a spiritual experience
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on page 75 after the fifth step.
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I think that's an important part of this whole piece.
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And that's a big promise too for someone like me
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that the drink problem has disappeared.
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That's crazy because that's why I came
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into the rooms I came into
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because I couldn't stop drinking
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because I couldn't stop hurting people.
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And that's an important promise, right?
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Because that's the whole reason I'm here.
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So to me, and I couldn't see this probably
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because I couldn't see when I couldn't see anyways,
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but like that means I need to get to step five, right?
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That means I need to get through this work.
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And so when I think about that,
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and I think about what's on page 76,
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and we were talking about this and it says,
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Can he now take them all?
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It's all about the things that are objectionable.
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And I think you can sum up the objectionable things by my selfishness, my dishonesty, my
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resentments, and my fears.
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Can he now take them all?
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Everyone, if we still cling to something, we will not let go.
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We ask God to help us be willing.
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Well, in the 12 and 12, on page 64, and this is on step six.
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So this is coming out of step five into step six.
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And this clarifies what we're doing as well.
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It says, having been granted a perfect release from alcoholism.
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And that's what I was doing there, right?
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Why then should we be able to achieve by the same means a perfect release from every other
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difficulty or defect?
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So when I look at that and I think I'll be willing, and then the ripple says, shaping
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me with care and purpose.
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Well, you know, that's crazy because the seven-step prayer says, my creator.
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And I think about how, and I heard this, so this is not our original thought.
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My creator.
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So, like, my creator, because he's recreating my life.
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I'm now willing that you should have all of me, good and bad.
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Because, man, you know, the way I was explaining it, I'm going to have to explain this now, and I'm sorry.
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But good and bad, because when I came in, I thought my biggest defect was because I drank.
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and that has become my biggest asset to help another dude that is broken as I was.
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So, and then, you know, so it goes good and bad.
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I pray that you remove from me every single defect of character
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which stands in the way of my usefulness to you and my fellows.
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Not so I can make, you know, and I think this is the best representation.
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Not so I can make this, you know, because I got to imagine like a video game, right?
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And I'm making a character on this video game.
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Well, I'm able to put the stats in there.
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Like I want to be a little bit humble.
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I want to be a little bit honest.
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I want to look like this.
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No, it's not for me to do that.
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That's God's job.
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Because I don't know what I'm supposed to do anyways.
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And that's a God thing.
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So when I hear today, oh, I'm just working on my character defects.
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Well, on page 62, it says, neither could we reduce our self-centeredness by wishing or trying on our own power.
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We had to have God's help.
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So that's crazy for me to be working on my defects or working on a resentment or working on this stuff.
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God's doing it.
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And that's a huge piece of this, right?
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So it says, characters, we're saying the way my usefulness to you and my fellows,
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grant me strength as I go out here to do your bidding.
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So doing your bidding.
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Man, I say the seven-step prayer on my knees every morning because to me what it means.
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And this is truth for me today.
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And I think truth is interesting because, so truth can be something at different points
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because truth moves around or some things do.
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So truth, you know, at one point was flat earth.
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Today, the truth is not flat earth.
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So truth has changed.
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So to me today, what truth is and what this means to me is grant me strength as I go out
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here to do your bidding.
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So the bidding is, that's the seventh step prayer.
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and then the next words
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says we have completed step seven.
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Now we need more action
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without which we find
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that faith without works is dead.
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All right, so I know
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I'm getting in a rant now,
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but that's okay
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because if you're headed to work
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or doing something,
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just listening,
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this is cool stuff.
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So faith without works is dead
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is on this page
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and this is talking about amends.
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Writing our amends,
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step eight and nine
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and doing amends.
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So that says faith without works is dead
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on this page
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And so on page 88, it says going into chapter working with others.
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So faith without works is also working with others.
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And then if we rewind to page 14 and 15, it says faith without works is dead as well.
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And that isn't talking about self-sacrifice and helping others.
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So I think it's an interesting thing because that, to me, kind of talks about the work.
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And then it goes to say, let's look at steps eight and nine.
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So we're looking at that, and then on page, so I think this connection is cool, though, because from 75, it says we begin to have a spiritual experience, to 79.
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79 tells me, although these reparations take innumerable forms, it's talking about amends.
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There are some good general principles which we find guiding.
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And this is where it tells reminding ourselves that we have decided to go to any length to find a spiritual experience.
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And I wonder if they're talking about a spiritual experience is through the amends.
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So that's crazy because like, you know, so 75 through 79, amends.
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And faith without works is dead, is the work.
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So we got 8, 9, 12.
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I mean, I would even argue, because it says on page 84, we've vigorously commenced this way of living as we cleaned up the past, right?
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And then on page 66, I think, yeah, it says,
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But with the alcoholic, whose hope is the maintenance and growth of a spiritual experience, this business of resentment is infinitely raised.
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Well, I think that in the business of not just resentment, I think there's more than that, because on page 145, it tells me the greatest enemies of an alcoholic are resentment, jealousy, envy, frustration, and fear.
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I think I can put that back into selfishness, this honesty, resentment, and fear.
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But I think all that's really cool because when I go through this work, God forms me step-by-step.
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Just how this ripple says, I do not need to see the finished result.
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I don't.
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Because, man, at this point in my life, I'm trusting and relying on God.
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My life is something that I can never explain.
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And then it goes, today's faithfulness is a part of a greater work.
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And, you know, I, yeah, man, that's, it's a cool deal being able to talk about this literature in a way that, well, that makes sense to, I mean, I hope, I don't know if it makes sense to other people, but it kind of aligns in a way in my head.
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And maybe there's other people that think it aligns with them too.
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You know, I hope it does.
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And, you know, if anybody ever wants to talk about this, we do have like an email.
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And, you know, I think I love talking about the literature.
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I found a lot of hope.
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I see what to do in here.
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You know, on page 29, it says,
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Further on, clear-cut directions are given to show us how we were covered.
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The word recovered in this book is in there 27 times.
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I think attitudes is in there 24.
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And that means it's pretty important.
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Anyways, I'm going to end it with this.
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This paragraph is pretty important,
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especially talking about the literature.
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It says, we in our turn sought the same escape
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with all the desperation of drowning men.
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What seemed at first a flimsy reed
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has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God.
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A new life has been given us,
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or if you prefer a design for living that really works.
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Thank you, God, and I'll end this with a prayer.
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Father, help me be faithful in this day.
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Through your Spirit, guide my actions and shape my life
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according to your purpose, through your Son.
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Amen.
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Thank you, God, for letting me rant, talk, and giving me the opportunity.
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Like I said, man, I don't want to come off on like a spiritual high place.
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I'm just trying to, you know, I think carrying this message, which this message is to me in this book and this literature.
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And I'd like to, you know, help people that are interested in that.
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So thank you again.
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Have a good day.