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October 27 – Passing Hope Along · The Daily Ripples Podcast

• 0:06
  Welcome back to the Daily Ripples podcast.
• 0:09
  Today is Tuesday, October the 27th, and our devotional entry is titled Passing Hope Along.
• 0:18
  The Stone.
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  Hope grows stronger when it is shared with someone who still needs it.
• 0:23
  Ripple one practical.
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  Today, I will look for an opportunity to encourage someone who is struggling.
• 0:29
  I do not need all the answers to make a difference.
• 0:31
  A listening ear, a kind word or honest story of God's faithfulness may be exactly what another person needs today.
• 0:38
  Ripple 2 is spiritual.
• 0:40
  As I follow Christ's example of serving others with compassion, the Holy Spirit uses my experiences to bring hope in ways I may never fully see.
• 0:49
  The father multiplies every act of faithfulness allowing his grace to reach far beyond anything I could accomplish alone.
• 0:56
  It tells me in the big book, 1st of all, you know, in page 89, that, you know, as a result of seeking steps, work in this program, working with others, especially, it says life will take on new meaning, to watch people recover, to see them help others, to watch loneliness vanish, to see a fellowship grow up about you, to have a host of friends.
• 1:19
  This is an experience you must not miss.
• 1:22
  You know, that's, I think, on the opening page of the chapter working with others, you know, and it is talking right along this line of, you know, hope being passed along and hope multiplying, you know, from one person to the next.
• 1:36
  And that was certainly my experience.
• 1:38
  You know, it continues to be my experience, honestly, but it was the strongest experience.
• 1:43
  You know, when I 1st came in, you know, to these rooms 13 years ago.
• 1:46
  Yeah, because my life, before recovery and after recovery, or night and day, you know, before recovery, I was a stay at home drinker, you know, that was like my vocation, my advocation, you might say, you know.
• 2:03
  And I was at one of these, you know, party animals out, you know, running the streets all night, you know, things of that nature.
• 2:10
  You know, I was telling myself I was doing it the safer way.
• 2:12
  But of course, and also, you know, told myself time and time again, the only person I was hurting was myself.
• 2:17
  But that's not true because I see even now, looking back, that I'm sure that in some ways, my experience, strength and hope in sharing with other men in the recovery community has helped someone in some way.
• 2:30
  And so when I'm drinking, and I'm not doing those things.
• 2:33
  I'm hurting someone else by omission, by not giving my presence, not giving my hope, not passing that hope along, you know, and even today, you know, if I came in and decided for some strange reason that, you know, I had arrived, that I had accomplished sobriety, you know, that I had nothing left to do. Well, before too long, my wife would go back to being, you know, hopeless, boring, and glum, you know, it would not be the life that I have today.
• 3:01
  And the life that I have today is, you know, I have ample opportunities to experience hope to pass it along to, you know, talk to other men and women, you know, about the struggles that they're going through, you know, whether it's in recovery or whether it's, you know, in the in the pastor role that I have.
• 3:20
  But I wouldn't want it to be any other way today, you know, because I've experienced the promises that we have, you know, both in scripture and in the big book, you know, the promises of a life that is, for me today, in abundant life.
• 3:35
  You know, it's not a life of struggle and sorrow that it once was.
• 3:39
  You know, um, I was listening to, uh, man, I don't know what I was listening to the other day.
• 3:46
  I think it was Sandy B.
• 3:47
  Sandy B's big speaker in the rooms.
• 3:51
  He's passed away now, but thanks anyways, but he was talking about like a charcoal on a fire.
• 3:58
  It was talking about how like, man, no, it wasn't Sandy.
• 4:03
  It doesn't matter who it was.
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  It had nothing to do with this stuff, but it was talking about how like, man, like a charcoal and a fire, right?
• 4:12
  when it's in around like a group of charcoals, it stays lit.
• 4:16
  But, you know, if a charcoal is let, if a charcoal is left out, you know, by itself, it dim the fades, right?
• 4:22
  And so I think that when I when I think about that, that's important and I was talking to a dude the other day about this and I said, you know, I was talking about how important. And what, you know, people say like, stay in the middle of the herd.
• 4:36
  I don't even think they know what that means.
• 4:37
  Because when I think about that today.
• 4:39
  I think about that. I sponsor.
• 4:42
  I have a sponsor.
• 4:43
  I sponsor me, that sponsor me.
• 4:46
  And when I think about that attitude, I'm within the middle of that herd.
• 4:50
  Um, it's not, you know, just hang around these people and maybe it rubs off because there's a lot of action that comes into that work and what that looks like.
• 4:59
  Um, and I want to be in the middle of that.
• 5:02
  Because, you know, at the same time, I'm accountable to these men.
• 5:05
  And I, and man, if I'm not accountable to anybody, man, I'm just running reckless out here.
• 5:11
  And I think that's important and, you know, turning it back to, you know, it says hope grows stronger when it's shared with someone who still needs. And yeah, that goes into the common problem, common solution.
• 5:23
  Common problem is someone that needs what they don't want it, though, right?
• 5:27
  Because it says that and it says, are you willing to go to any link?
• 5:31
  And like, if they're willing to?
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  Yes, they got the same thing.
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  And in the 12 and 12 on page 130
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  It says, it talks about, um, more of refunds.
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  You cannot keep this priceless gift unless he gives it away.
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  So I can't keep it anyways.
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  Um, it says neither he nor anybody else can survive unless he carries the AA message.
• 5:54
  And man, I don't know about you, but I found myself, if I'm not doing, it kind of takes away my purpose, right?
• 6:01
  You know, if I don't have a purpose, then what am I doing aimlessly just running around here?
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  And I think when I stay grounded in that purpose, man, it's so cool because I can stay with what I'm doing, where I'm at, and I can grow in that.
• 6:15
  And, you know, where it talks about, uh, And, you know, it's in, this is cool.
• 6:21
  I don't know if you know this, but it says a Bible verse 3 times in the 12 and 12.
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  Freely you have received, freely give.
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  And But I think you got to receive something to give it too.
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  How many times does it say faith without works is dead?
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  Right.
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  And it says three.
• 6:41
  That's where I thought you were going when you said 3 hours.
• 6:43
  I thought that was the same.
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  So it says faith without works 3 times in the big book, and, you know, it says freely, you see freely, you give, 3 times in the 12 and 12.
• 6:51
  Got it, yeah.
• 6:52
  And, um, it also says, like, shoemaker, stick to thy last.
• 6:55
  It's better to do one thing supremely well than a whole bunch of others badly.
• 7:00
  And you know, man, like, so I better do one thing good.
• 7:05
  And what is that?
• 7:05
  Oh, well, Bill, let me be of service to others.
• 7:08
  And I think we're not talking about, though, is, you know, where do I really need to be of service?
• 7:13
  I need to be a service right here in my house.
• 7:15
  You know, then I need to be in my occupation because that owner of that occupation.
• 7:19
  He also.
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  he's a child of God.
• 7:23
  Do I not want to treat all childs of God like just the same way, not just because they send them a check?
• 7:28
  Yeah. Um, and then, you know, with my affairs and, you know, the people that I hang around the most are in my affairs.
• 7:37
  And that's cool because I think they kind of like flip-flopping between 3 and one because like a lot of my little people close to my wife are like family to me.
• 7:45
  And so I don't know.
• 7:46
  So that's where I was thinking.
• 7:48
  Well, for me, the problem.
• 7:51
  And hopefully we're not getting too far off track of what our actual devotion is today, but for me, the problem with me started young, you know, I grew up in a house with, you know, a dad who worked a lot, you know, so he was there, you know, in the evenings as to come in and be authoritarian and all that good stuff, you know?
• 8:12
  And, uh, But for the most part, you know, I was, especially, you know, early in life, I was home alone with Ma.
• 8:20
  And, Then I had, you know, over time, 3 sisters.
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  And so I was the only boy in the house, you know, I was home alone with mom.
• 8:30
  I was, uh, the only boy in the house.
• 8:33
  So that automatically made me from day one special.
• 8:37
  You know, everything that I saw around me was telling me that I was special.
• 8:41
  you know?
• 8:42
  And so everything that I did from, and it started with mom, you know, as a mother would do, everything I did, whether it was singing, you know, in the church from a young age, whether it was drawing or doing artwork, you know, whatever I would do, it was always the best thing ever.
• 9:01
  You know, at least in terms of what my mom was telling me, right?
• 9:05
  And, you know, when I would hear her talk about me to others, I was always, you know, the good boy, the good son, you know, I did what I was supposed to do, you know, all those kinds of things.
• 9:15
  And the, the pressure of that, I'm sure somewhat, you know, led me to kind of rebel against all of that, you know, whenever I was in early adulthood, you know, with my life and what have you.
• 9:27
  But that part about, you know, doing one thing and and doing it well, is something that I had to learn because I'll try to do a lot of different things, you know, like I started out in college and I was going to be a music teacher and then I switched over and decided I needed to earn a decent living, so I became an accountant, you know, but through all that process, I was also doing, I've always done like creative writing.
• 9:47
  I've always done, you know, art as an outlet, you know, whether it's painting or sketching or drawing.
• 9:52
  I've always enjoyed, you know, singing, you know, in front of others.
• 9:56
  And, But that's a lot of stuff, you know?
• 10:00
  But the one thing that I've learned over time that I can do consistently, and that I can do well, and that is basically of God and not of me and trying to get attention for me or notoriety for me, is to be there for other people, right? You know?
• 10:17
  And my experiences that I've had in life, become tools in the toolkit of being able to, sometimes just by my presence or my share in a meeting, offering hope to somebody else.
• 10:30
  You know, that's where it comes back to our devotional for today.
• 10:33
  You know, because if I can go through all the things that I've gone through and then sit here today, steady, calm, at relative peace most of the time, and reach out and help others when they need it.
• 10:47
  That's a message that I'm carrying, and it's not a message of me.
• 10:52
  It's a message of God because God has led me to the place where I enable to live out my purpose and to live out the one thing that I can do well, which is to use your language, help God's kids.
• 11:03
  Do you ever think that, um,
• 11:07
  Because, you know, uh, I think about this actually a lot, but, you know, so it talks about in the big book, and you hear it all around the rooms, and I do think to a degree we might have gotten a little overboard on it.
• 11:20
  You know, when I share my experience because like when I'm sharing my experience, I'm also giving the follow-up to my solution.
• 11:28
  Sometimes I can get too far into that hole and I'm taking away the other person's experience.
• 11:36
  You know what I mean?
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  Because they're going to have to go through what they're going to have to go through to an extent for them to come to a point of finding a solution.
• 11:44
  And maybe sometimes I, because I do this on multiple occasions, I'll be like, well, this is my experience and this is my solution.
• 11:55
  This is my experience, this is my solution.
• 11:56
  Well, what, man, like they're going to have a, everybody's going to have a different experience going through it.
• 12:02
  Like, you know, and maybe, uh, and I don't know the right, the right approach to somebody, but, you know, some, maybe it's like, well, hey, you know, instead of sharing for me, I think about this right now.
• 12:16
  Maybe it's just sharing the solution.
• 12:19
  So if I get away from the experience, because read a book, one time and it had to do with, uh, um, grief, um, a person gave the book to me and for grief, grief, whatever, but it was talking about like, so if someone dies, um, you know, things not to say.
• 12:38
  Yeah.
• 12:40
  Yeah.
• 12:40
  Yeah.
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  And it's like, well, you know, because like if, so say someone dies and, um, you know, the other person to, to great, gain that common bond is like, well, you know, my dad, this happened to me, and this happened to me, and it's almost like discrediting what's going on in there.
• 12:59
  Yeah. Um, and so, but maybe it's just like, like you do very well at and I'm starting to get better at is just listening.
• 13:10
  Uh, because my experience is this and they're going to go through whatever they experience and just showing them a solution instead of discrediting their experience.
• 13:21
  I don't know
• 13:23
  Well, it's like what I was talking about yesterday, you know, about, and even some on the day before on Sunday.
• 13:29
  It's the power of listening to your to your point that you were making is that someone is able to get all of those negative thoughts and emotions out, or if they're going through all the stuff that's circling in their head, they can get it out.
• 13:44
  Uh, but I also think, you know, like even, even with you and the example that you gave of sharing somebody and saying, well, this is what I went through and then this is what I did about it kind of thing.
• 13:53
  That's totally different than standing up in front of another man and saying, you know what?
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  I know exactly what you should do.
• 14:02
  Write this down.
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  Do X, Y, Z, and then you'll be healed because that assumes that you have all the answers, right?
• 14:08
  That assumes you've taken on the role of God.
• 14:10
  But the way to share your experience and hope is just like what you said, and that is, you always start with, well, in my experience or from my perspective, or that way, you're kind of giving somebody an out, kind of like, that's kind of like you're take it or leave it, you know, kind of message, because you can't control or force anybody to do anything or go through anything exactly the way that you did.
• 14:31
  You know, there's different ways to approach everybody, but the connection to yesterday is it always has to be led by our spiritual fitness, our connection with God, by, you know, the Holy Spirit guiding our thoughts and our directions and what we even say.
• 14:46
  And so as long as we stay connected with God, then, you know, God's grace works in the midst of those conversations, even the ones that we look back on and say, well, maybe I shouldn't have said that.
• 14:58
  Because they're either going to learn from you what to do or what not to do.
• 15:01
  So you're always teaching a lesson.
• 15:03
  Maybe the answer is right here.
• 15:05
  It's on 86 and 87 because it says, here we ask God for inspiration, intuitive thought or decision, right?
• 15:12
  And I think, you know, one of the biggest things, and we do this before we even start this podcast every time we pray.
• 15:18
  some directions, some guidance, because then the promise of that right on 87 says, nevertheless, we we find that our thinking, well, as time passes, be more and more on the plane of inspiration.
• 15:29
  We come to rely upon it.
• 15:31
  And you know, but I need, you know, I think the most important part of that factor is, you know, before I meet with the dude, before I read with a guy, before I'm helping somebody, before I walk in my house, I ask God for direction.
• 15:42
  Because, man, like, you know, and if I'm, and you know, I come to, I come to a more structured sense for me is, for me at least, on that because of, man, like, I might as well, if I'm going into a situation, ask God for direction in this.
• 16:00
  And when I'm doing that, I can more rely that it is God versus my thought and my design for this other person.
• 16:09
  Yeah.
• 16:09
  I don't know.
• 16:10
  Yeah, that's good.
• 16:12
  Well, let's talk to God now or prayer for the day.
• 16:15
  Father God, help me become a faithful messenger of the hope you have given me.
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  Through your Holy Spirit.
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  lead me to those who need encouragement today.
• 16:24
  Shape me through the example of Jesus.
• 16:27
  Amen.
• 16:27
  Amen.