For Twelve Steppers...

For if an alcoholic failed to perfect and enlarge his spiritual life through work and self-sacrifice for others, he could not survive the certain trials and low spots ahead.

  - Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, Bill's Story, pg.14

It is not uncommon for members of the twelve step community to find themselves in a season of struggle with hearing from God, or are unable to gain ground in releasing and overcoming character defects, or just have some unanswered questions about their spiritual journey.  They are doing what they have been taught, but for some reason feel like they are spinning their wheels.

Both Books can help you in re-connecting or improving your conscious contact with God as you understand Him, and develop a deeper and more-effective daily walk.  The Life Recovery Bible is part of the meetings along with the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous.  As we walk together through both of these books in each of the twelve steps, we are able to let God demonstrate through us what He can do.

Think of Both Books as a way to get next level training to more fully apply the twelve steps in your every day life.  Your breakthrough in to a greater level of light is just ahead!

Both Books uses the Life Recovery Bible in combination with the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous in its meetings and activities. The Bible is considered Holy and has served humanity like no other book for thousands of years. Indeed, it is more than a book…it is the voice of God, living and vital in followers worldwide. The Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous is historically based upon the Holy
Bible and outlines how the early members of AA found their God-consciousness to enable them to overcome their addiction. The Big Book provides the testimony of the early 100 or so members of AA and is of great value for those with similar needs for guidance and wisdom. Both Books believes that this combination of the living word of the Bible, and the testimony of followers in the Big Book, provides a path to living fully free and victorious.

“And they have defeated him by the blood of the Lamb and by their testimony.” 

  - Revelation 12:11

Both Books utilizes the Life Recovery Bible's version of the Twelve Steps for general discussions, while also encouraging Twelve Steppers to utilize the specific versions in their communities (i.e. Alcoholics Anonymous, Al-Anon, etc.) when working the steps in those programs.  Here are the Twelve Steps used in the Life Recovery Bible.  Step 1 generalizes to 'our problems' rather than a specific addition or behavior issue.  Step 12 changes from 'alcoholics' to 'others' in keeping with our joint community of people with a variety of addictions and behavior issues.

1. We admitted that we were powerless over our problems – that our lives had become unmanageable.

2. We came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3. We made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God.

4. We made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5. We admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6. We were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7. We humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.

8. We made a list of all persons we had harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.

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

10. We continued to take personal inventory, and when we were wrong, promptly admitted it.

11. We sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

In the Life Recovery Bible version of the Twelve Steps, Steps 3 and 11 remove the 'as we understood Him' that is in the original Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.  This has been done in response to some confusion that has taken hold in some fellowships of Twelve Step communities.  

It has become common for members to propose that a person can choose anything they like to serve as their 'Higher Power' or 'Power Greater than themselves'.  If we are able to do this, then we are effectively 'creating' God instead of recognizing and getting honest about our current 'understanding' of God.  These are two entirely different world-views, one in which we effectively ARE God and we are creating a 'god' that is whatever we choose, and one in which there IS A God and we are taking time to seek and determine our personal understanding of that true God.  The Twelve Step program of Alcoholics Anonymous has always rested solidly in the context of the One-True-God framework of the Holy Bible.  There are many historical accounts to support this truth, and a very good reading is found in the Life Recovery Bible in the section on 'An Early History of Life Recovery' (page A11).  This reading begins with the early history of AA and explains the reasons for the 'as we understood Him' terminology.

This variation to the Twelve Steps in no way invalidates that everyone will have a relationship with God that is unique, specific, and personal.  To the contrary, if it was not unique, specific, and personal then it would limit our ability to experience God fully as unique creations.  This is merely to clarify some of the confusion that has crept in to some Twelve Step fellowships over time.

Consider that each of us has a unique relationship with each and every person in our lives.  If you asked your friends, co-workers, and family members each to describe you, there are certain to be some attributes that would be common among the descriptions, but there would also be unique attributes given by each person.  This is because the nature and purpose of each relationship is unique and has its own 'flavor' so-to-say.  So would any of the descriptions of how these people describe you be wrong?  Of course not!  In fact, those people would probably learn more about you if they compared notes and shared stories with each other!  Yet, there is still only one you!  If we extend this to how each of us relates to God, and how we understand Him, then it is easy to see how AA actually intended 'God as we understood Him' to be interpreted.

Both Books does not wish to engage in any controversy here, but is also able to provide a list of additional resources.  Reach out and contact us if you would like to do so.