All Things New, Pt. 1 (Cornerstone Sermon Podcast 02-26-12)

Don't have a lot of time to write about it, but I love this new series so far. All things new... Life changes, hard work, surrender, and faith. Thanks for the message, Rusty!

Gotta be at work soon, but I'll write again tonight. Until then, enjoy the sermon. Here's the link...

All Things New, Pt. 1

Gluttony and Mushroom Recipes

Got up this morning just before Dad and Teresa got to Jeremy and Lacie's. We all went to church together. It's a new fellowship they found called Cornerstone. I really enjoyed the service. Even went to the website to find the transcript of the sermon, but it isn't posted yet.

The sermon was the first in a series called Old Habits Die Hard- The Seven Deadly Sins. The sin du jour was gluttony. Very relevant to my recovery. In many ways gluttony and addiction go hand in hand. Over-indulgence to the point where you are no longer in control of what you are consuming. I sat glued the entire time to what was being said. As soon as the sermon is posted, I'll share it. We all thought it was funny that, at the end, the first thing everyone started talking about was what restaurant they were going to... including us.

Ended up grabbing some stuff for lunch at Kroger. Pizza, salad, mushrooms... I bought some baby portabella mushroom caps and sauteed them in a half inch of olive oil, minced garlic, pepper, Tony Chachere's seasoning, then topped them with grated parmesan. People seemed to really like it, so I thought I'd share. ;)

We all said our goodbyes, and off I went to Georgia with Dad and Teresa. Slept most of the way. Now everyone's settled in for the night... Looking forward to tomorrow and helping out around the house.

Until then, goodnight and God bless!

Horseback Riding and Butt Jokes

Well that was an arduous journey, but well worth it! Had a wonderful time with Jeremy, Lacie, and the girls! We went and did some of their jobs through the day, had lunch at CiCi's pizza, went with Avery to her first horseback riding lesson (she's a natural), and then had dinner at Hardee's. Yeah. It was a menu of junk food all day long, but it was good and the company was great!

I'm having an awesome time connecting with my family so far.... and today was only the first day. We're watching A Christmas Carol right now, and the girls are already passed out. I discovered that my niece, Ella, is quite the extrovert and has an affinity for butt jokes too.

We'll have most of the day tomorrow and Sunday. Dad and Teresa come out Sunday morning, and church is on the agenda as well. Then on Sunday evening we head to north Georgia for the week!

Well. I've been literally falling asleep where I sit all day. It's about to happen now. Here's the meditation from 24 Hours...

I will discipline myself. I will do this disciplining now. I will turn out all useless thoughts. I know that the goodness of my life is a necessary foundation for its usefulness. I will welcome this training, for without it, God cannot give me His power. I believe that this power is a mighty power when it is used in the right way.

Interesting note- I did fall asleep while writing this. Bout to head to bed now. Good night!

You Talkin' To Me?

I was helping some people tonight and one of them made it a point to tell me, "You are a very patient person. You must be in a good mood." I looked around. No one was standing behind me. A little dazed I replied, "Well thank you. Thank you very much." Some say that others usually notice differences in you before you do. It's been a long time since I've heard something like that.

Another thing that occurred to me today was that, until recently, I've never gone to church alone. Not once in 38 years. That's certainly not a bad thing. Just different. It's nice seeing all the families there, though. Gives me something to aim for. ;)

Not much else to write about really. Have to be up very early for work. Got a couple of job interviews this week. Oh.... and the Saints beat the Titans today. WHO DAT?!

Have a good night and a great tomorrow!

On to Step 8

Can't write much... The coffee shops are packed and my laptop is running out of juice. I wanted to share about the first part of my day, though.

I decided to do Step 7 during the confessional prayer at church today. It was an awesome, cleansing experience. I turned all my defects of character over to God. It was an earnest and heartfelt prayer. Doesn't mean that they are all automatically erased. Faith takes action. I meet with my sponsor this week to start the next steps in my recovery... 8 and 9.

Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

and

Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

I already have a list from step 4, I just need to add some names to it. This is going to be interesting to say the least. Some folks will be glad to hear from me, some may tell me to go to hell. Either way, I eagerly anticipate the opportunity to make right the wrongs I've committed over the years. Not only for me, but for those I've hurt. It may give some of them peace too.

Enjoyed the service immensely. We had a guest rabbi deliver the sermon. It's an episcopal church, but it partners with a synagogue down the street. He was a spectacular speaker and I hope to hear more from him.

Wont be able to make a meeting tonight... Gotta work til 10:30. About to have to go in actually. Going to grab a sandwich first.

Sorry if the post is a bit scattered. I'll write more later tonight when I can sit down and tie some coherent thoughts together, LOL.

Have a great day and Go Saints!

Church, Meetings, and Fellowship

Homegroup tonight! Woot! Business meeting before. That'll be an hour of people talking over one another, but I love it. I'd never treated AA as a real fellowship back when I wasn't working a real, proper recovery. Now I have folks who actually seek me out to say "Hello". It's a good feeling to be an active member of that community. They really are some of the best people in the world.

Back in the day, when I was ruled by self-will and arrogance, I'd get to a meeting a few minutes late, watch the clock, maybe share some BS story, and leave a few minutes early. Now I like to get there early and help set up. I enjoy listening to what is said, sharing something meaningful, and staying and chatting a few minutes afterward. It's such an integral part of my recovery. I can be totally down in the dumps on the way to a group, then leave feeling so much better. I thank God for that.

Church is great too. Most of the churches I've been to have had such a positive energy. Church of the Nations, my parents church, my brother's, or Trinity Episcopal. These days I get an automatic sense of serenity before I'm even within 20 feet of the door. That's my Higher Power at work as well. Since I, and I'm quoting here, "Let go and let God", spirituality and church have taken on an all new meaning.

When I was shackled by the disease of alcoholism... or when I was sober but not recovering... pride, arrogance, self-will, egotism, hell even fear kept me from opening up to God, the program, and, certainly not least, growing and connecting with the ones I love. Now I can do those things and the world is a brighter place for it.

Blue Jeans and Church

Got up, showered, shaved, and went to church this morning. As I approached the front steps a feeling of serenity swept over me. Forgetting the fact that I was in jeans and tennis shoes, I actually smiled a little bit. The folks I shook hands with on the way in seemed a bit shocked, but I wasn't there to impress them. Hey. I was wearing a nice shirt....

I really like Trinity Episcopal. It's always a beautiful service. I'm not looking to join, though. That's a decision I'll make with you know who when and if she feels ready. But for now, I will continue where I'm at. I've found that going to just about any church in the past weeks has served to calm my soul, center me spiritually, and help me reconnect with God. I tend to take something from every sermon too. Things that help enrich me in everyday living. It's something that has helped not only in my life, but also in my recovery. I've finally started opening up to things that I'd desperately and obstinately avoided before. I'll be writing about openness and willingness soon. It's made me a happier person.

So what did I learn today? The sermon centered around the Parable of the Talents. (Oddly, so did the one at Dad and Teresa's church.) Now I took something a bit different from the story than I'm sure everyone else did. Reaping and sowing.... or more in the correct order, sowing and reaping. We all know that we reap what we sow. We get back just as much as we give. Common knowledge, but not everyone adheres to it. Myself included for such a long time. Something else that occurred to me during the service was that we can't reap what we don't sow. I sowed alot of nothing for years. And hurt alot of people. It's never too late, though, and now I'm working that garden like I never have before.

Okey doke. Bout to call my sponsor and see if we're going to that meeting tonight. If not, I'll just go to my usual one. I'll post again sometime this evening.

I guess I wasn't dressed too badly.