Dear brothers and sisters, if another believer is overcome by some sin, you who are godly should gently and humbly help that person back onto the right path. And be careful not to fall into the same temptation yourself. -Galatians 6:1 (NLT) What Paul writes about has been done for me more than once. I am under obligation to do the same for others. More than an obligation, it should be viewed as a privilege and a pleasure to do so. If I don't, I am doomed to fall back into the same life I lived before. Remember, you can be saved but still be miserable. Also, as James so clearly said, "faith without works is dead." If you want to keep it, give it away.
Last week I made a decision to attend more meetings. Over the past few years, I have slowly migrated away from them and taken on more church-related activities. In fact, I had actually got down to pretty much one meeting a week. While that may be OK for some people, I know I need more. I love my Church and it is an important part of my life --and an obvious "next step" in sobriety, but I cannot allow it to replace regular attendance in the fellowship I got sober in. I think that programs like Celebrate Recovery are a great addition to anyone's "spiritual portfolio," but they do not replace more specific 12-step fellowships that focus on one issue.
One of the meetings I went back to was a men's meeting I had been a part of for many years. There were still several familiar faces and it felt like I had come home, to some degree. The only thing that really bothered me about it was the excessive use of profanity. As my original sponsor used to say, "if you don't hang out in bars any more, don't talk like you do." Last night I attended a decent step meeting and will likely make that a part of my routine for the foreseeable future.
Last week I made a decision to attend more meetings. Over the past few years, I have slowly migrated away from them and taken on more church-related activities. In fact, I had actually got down to pretty much one meeting a week. While that may be OK for some people, I know I need more. I love my Church and it is an important part of my life --and an obvious "next step" in sobriety, but I cannot allow it to replace regular attendance in the fellowship I got sober in. I think that programs like Celebrate Recovery are a great addition to anyone's "spiritual portfolio," but they do not replace more specific 12-step fellowships that focus on one issue.
One of the meetings I went back to was a men's meeting I had been a part of for many years. There were still several familiar faces and it felt like I had come home, to some degree. The only thing that really bothered me about it was the excessive use of profanity. As my original sponsor used to say, "if you don't hang out in bars any more, don't talk like you do." Last night I attended a decent step meeting and will likely make that a part of my routine for the foreseeable future.
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