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Saturday, January 07, 2006

You are not alone
Paul tells this story in to the people in Corinth were this fella gets drawn up into the third heaven and is given a thorn in the flesh. Sounds like a pious guy because he begs God to remove the thorn three times, and all three times God says no. The purpose of the thorn we find is to keep him from becoming conceited. If I were to stop the story there, I don’t think I would care to know much of this God. But being as conceited as I am I read on. God says to the fella, my grace is sufficient, my power is made perfect in weakness.

Paul then chooses to boast in his weakness. Weakness is not often something I choose to boast in. In all honesty I wake up every morning in fear of no measuring up. It is a comfort to me that Paul boasted in his weakness. Ok, so maybe it isn’t so bad to admit I can’t do everything, or even simply the things I commit to. God teaches me to rely on the community of faith.

  • Step one: We admitted we were powerless over whatever
  • Step two: Came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity
  • Step three: Made a decision to turn our will and lives over to the care of God as we understood him
I think one is a good example of the other. God never meant us to do anything alone.

The twelve steps have been adapted to more than alcohol and drugs, to gambling, to eating disorder, over eating, uncontrolled emotion, toxic sexuality, toxic sin. I am a firm believer in the Bible and in the 12 steps.

If you need help, no matter the malady remember that YOU ARE NOT ALONE. God never meant us to live outside of community or to work outside of it.
Alcohol
Drugs
Food or here
Gambling
Relationships
Nicotine
Cosufferers

You are not alone

Monday, January 02, 2006

reflections at 3:00

Currently Listening: Queen A Night at the Opera
Date: January 2. 2006
Time: 3:00 AM

I can’t sleep, thus has been the case the last few nights… I’m okay with that, I don’t have a lot going on currently. I think I am just in a little rest time… It is a new year and it is three in the morning…

Last year at this time I was still cleaning up after this huge New Years party I had thrown with my partner in crime Jeremy Garmen, that party was second in greatness only to my Halloween Murder Mystery Witch Hunt.

I enjoyed 2005. I grew a lot in that year and found places I still need to grow. I dropped some vices picked up a few… you know… give and take. I spent this New Years with my friends Paul and Julie. I like those two. We prayed for each other around 11 on the 31st then they were tuckered out so I went home, I prayed from 11:45 to midnight with my rosary. Set my alarm to go off at Midnight, then filled my pipe and smoked amongst the firecrackers of the new year.

I remember a few years ago… well more than a few I guess, After a shot of Whisky I counted down the New Years and stood in the middle of the street in West Liberty West Virginia (It is a small country town with a small country college) I stood there waiting. Waiting for the plains to fall, the computers to crash, and WWIII to start. None of those things happened surprisingly. I remember being filled with this feeling of smallness, standing on that road… it was pretty dead there… a small college town I am sure many others had drank much more than my one shot of whisky, and were going no where… it is the kind of place you can hear a car come a mile away. I was in college at that time I guess.

It is now the year of our Lord 2006, 2002 years since the birth of our lord and 1, 969 years since he was put to death, as the HGTTG puts its, “for telling people it would be great if they just started being nice to one another.” (if the numbers don’t seem to add up ignore it I am going with the birth of Christ at 4 BC)

What is to come in the next year? I have my opinions others have theirs. What do you think? Is this the year the aliens will make contact publicly? Is this the year Christ returns? Is this the year people realize that no one likes it and no one thinks its funny? I just know my stomach feels empty, I think I will have some chocolate milk… mm mm does a body good.