AA Book Club

  Thoughts for the week: January 31 I believe that all sacrifice and all suffering are of value to me. When I am in pain, I am being tested. Can I trust God, no matter how low I feel? Can I say, "Thy will be done," no matter how much I am distressed? If I can, my faith is real and practical. It works in bad times as well as in good times. The Divine Will is working in a way that is beyond my finite mind to understand, but I can still trust in it. 24 Hours a Day February 2  Our Father It is a cosmic law that like begets like. It is not possible that a rosebush should produce lilies, or that a cow should give birth to a colt. The offspring must be of the same nature as the parent; and so, since God is divine spirit, man must essentially be divine spirit too, whatever appearances may say to the contrary... If only you could realize to some extent that Omnipotent Wisdom is your living, loving father, most of your fears would go. If you could realize it completely, every negative

  This week's Saturday speaker link is to a talk by Father John Doe (Ralph Pfau, the first Catholic priest to get sober in A.A., and author of the Golden Book series, which were widely read in early A.A.): https://www.recoveryspeakers.com/fr-john-doe-the-lords-prayer-will-of-god/ ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **

  This week's A.A. history link - Sister Ignatia speaking in 1947: ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **

  Today's spiritual literature link is to a 1930's translation of The Little Flowers of St Francis, which was given to Bill W when he was in the hospital. St Francis was believed to be the author of the famous "St Francis Prayer," which Bill later used in the Twelve and Twelve:    https://groups.io/g/AAHistoryLovers/files/Books/The%20Little%20Flowers%20of%20St.%20Francis%20%281930%27s%20translation%29.pdf ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **

 Thoughts for the week: January 23 The law Of Substitution One of the great mental laws is the Law of Substitution. This means that the only way to get rid of a certain thought is to substitute another one for it. You cannot dismiss a thougth directly. You can only do so by substituting another one for it... When negative thoughts come to you, do not fight them, but think of something positive. Around the Year with Emmet Fox (Excerpt) January 24 The law Of Relaxation Another of the great mental laws is the Law of Relaxation. In all mental working effort defeats itself. This is just the opposite of what we find on the physical plane, but it will not surprise us because we know that in many cases the laws of mind are the reverse of the laws of matter... Any attempt at mental pressure is foredoomed to failure because the moment tension begins, the mind stops working creatively. When you try to force things mentally, when you try to hurry mentally, you simply stop your creative power. In a

 Saturday speaker link - Gloria D, "Me, a Drinking Problem?":   ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **

 This week's A.A. history link - Sam Shoemaker and Bill W in 1960:   ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **

 Bill W's original Grapevine article introducing Tradition One:      Tradition One                   Our whole AA program is securely founded on the principle of                    humility -- that is to say, perspective. Which implies, among                    other things, that we relate ourselves rightly to God and to                    our fellows; that we each see ourselves as we really are -- "a                    small part of a great whole". Seeing our fellows thus, we                    shall enjoy group harmony. That is why AA Tradition can                    confidently state, "Our common welfare comes first."                   "Does this mean," some will ask, "that in AA the individual                    doesn't count too much? Is he to be swallowed up, dominated by                    the group?"                   No, it doesn't seem to work out that way. Perhaps there is no                    society on earth more solicit

 Thoughts for the week: January 16 God Is Soul You are really an individuation of God. Only God can individualize Himself in an infinite number of units of consciousness, and yet not be in any way separate because God is spirit. Matter cannot be individualized. It can only be divided. So your real self,... the spiritual man, the I AM, or the divine spark as it is variously called, is an individualization of God. You are the presence of God at the point where you are. Around the Year with Emmet Fox (Excerpt) January 17 God Is Spirit The sixth main aspect of God is Spirit... Spirit is that which cannot be destroyed or damaged. It is the opposite of matter. Matter wears out, but Spirit does not because Spirit is substance... You are Spirit. Spirit cannot die and was never born. Your true self was never born and will never die. You are eternal, divine, unchanging Spirit, in your true nature. The whole universe is a spiritual creation but we see it in a limited way. Around the Year with Emm

 This week's Speaker link, Joe H on Step One: https://www.recoveryaudio.org/aa-speaker-tapes/1-lack-of-power-step-1 ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **

 This weeks history link - Joe and Charlie on the Oxford Group: https://www.recoveryaudio.org/aa-speaker-tapes/joe-charlies-big-book-study-2 ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **

 Today's literature link is to a presentation on The Doctor's Opinion from the Big Book:    https://www.recoveryspeakers.com/dr-silkworth-and-the-doctors-opinion-presented-by-dave-mcd-9-10-2021/ ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **

 Thoughts for the week: January 13 I believe that my life is being refined like gold in a crucible. Gold does not stay in the crucible, only until it is refined. I will never despair or be despondent. I now have friends who long for me to conquer. If I should err or fail, it would cause pain and disappontment to them. I will keep trying to live a better life.  24 Hours a Day January 14 I will learn to overcome myself, because every blow to selfishness is used to shape the real, eternal, unperishable me. As I overcome myself, I gain that power which God releases in my soul. And I too will be victorious. It is not the difficulties of life that I have to conquer, so much as my own selfishness. 24 Hours a Day  January 14 God Is Love The third main aspect of God is Love. God is not loving but Love itself, and it would probably be true to say that of all of the seven main aspects this is the most important one for us to practice. There is no condition that enough Love will not heal... Where

 Saturday speaker link:   Jack G, "From Fear to Faith"   ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **

Nell Wing was A.A.'s first archivist - talks about New York A.A. in the 1940's: Nell Wing speaking about AA during the 1940's - New York City - 8/17/1992 - Recovery Speakers ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **

An analysis of the Big Book, Chapter One, from our   AA Book Club   online study guide: Chapter One - Bill's Story (aabookclub.org) ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **

  Thoughts for the week: January 2 You are made that you can only carry the weight of twenty-four hours, no more. If you weigh yourself down with the years behind and the days ahead, your back breaks. God has promised the help with the burden of the day only. If you are foolish enough to gather again that burden of the past and carry it, then indeed you cannot expect God to help you bear it. So forget that which lies behind you and breathe in the blessing of each new day.  24 Hours a Day January 6 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 mightly power when it is used in the right way. 24 Hours a Day January 7 Your Lord A great deal of confusion seems to exist in many minds concerning the precise avenue through which realization and harmony are to

Frank B, Riegelville PA 2009   This week's speaker link: Frank B, Riegelville, PA 2009:   ** If you like this post, please consider following AA Book Club Blog by clicking the icon in the upper left corner of the homepage, then clicking the blue 'follow' button. We feature new posts every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and will never have ads or give out user info. Check out our AA literature guide at AABookClub.org **