Transition From Step 5 to Step 7 – Dallas Workshop – Part 1 of 2 – Audrey C.

It's interesting. How long is an hour? Sixty minutes. Why would I spend that hour? Because Audrey made a great point. I go in it as I see it. Then I'm exposed to the truth sitting there with that three-legged stool. I've got in front of God and another human being I get to see the exact nature the exact nature of my wrongs and then it asks me for an hour go sit with God and carefully review what we have just done and I get right back to an hour is an hour my directions to the people I carry them through if I'm with them I'll be back in an hour or if we meet up I'll been expecting your call in an our from now you're not going anywhere from here now these are your directions if they can't follow those directions guess where we're at we're right back to them running the show and these promises are awesome but they're as dangerous as it can be because for an alcoholic all of a sudden they start happening to them and they think this is the end-all be-all and that's the most frightening spot is because if this was just it it would say the end but it's not because it's asking us is our work solid so far And if it is, we're not done yet. See, this fifth step, we're going to be doing a lot of work. Mine was a Saturday morning. A lot like today. And in that morning, I went in with the fourth step in my hand and I worked what we will see as steps 5, 6, 7, and 8 in that setting. And that's where it starts getting confusing to a lot of rooms all over the country is how can you get someone through this stuff? Well, if you follow the directions on page 76, it says if we can answer to our satisfaction, then we look at step six. It doesn't say go home and have a good week. It says after your hour, and you can answer everything is in place. Our work is solid so far. if we can answer to our satisfaction, yes, we haven't left anything out. I do understand the exact nature of my wrongs. We are looking at step six right here, right now. Not tomorrow, not next week, not this month. Not next month. Otherwise, remember they told us they were going to show us precisely how we have recovered at the main purpose of this book in the foreword to the first edition. Precise instructions. So it says, we then look at step 6. we've emphasized willingness as being indispensable. I love that word willingness, but I'll take desperation any day of the week. It's like willingness to the exponential. It says we have emphasized willingness as being indispensable. Are we now ready to let God remove from us all these things which we admitted are objectionable? Underline that. Highlight it. Circle it. me coming out of my fifth step and seeing my truth that moment in time I'm going to find all of the exact natures of my wrongs the most objectionable as every second that clicks off that clock right there from that moment forward they become less and less objectionable and if I wait come tomorrow Oh, yeah, I was bad, but I start becoming my biggest fan in a short period of time. I go from coming into that fifth step as my biggest fan to someone that makes my own stomach turn. And in a shot period of time, that pendulum starts swinging backwards and the ejectability goes away. It wears off. So how do I prevent this? I sit down with that individual quickly after that fifth step and go. So, how are you liking yourself so far? Do you find what you see objectionable? Is this who you intended on being when you're eight years old and going, I can't wait to become that, what I just saw? And if I admit they are objectionable, am I ready to let God remove all of it? Can he have them all, everyone? And sometimes we forget what a scary question that is. Because for a guy like me, the only tools in my shed were selfishness, dishonesty, inconsideration, fear, self-seeking. That's how I lived for years. Those were my life skills and now you're asking me to give them all to God. It's a scary proposition. It leaves my tool shed empty. But it gets back to, thank God I'm coming right out of that fifth step because I don't like what I see. And I'm willing to do whatever it takes to not be that person today. And if I'm not willing to let God have them all, you know what it says? You better start praying. Because you as a sponsor are not going to be able to give that individual the willingness. Anybody try to get someone willing? Did it work? No. For such a short little paragraph in this book, I love the 12 and 12 on this. This is the step that separates the men from the boys. Because here's where I am going all in or I'm not. See, I'm asking God to do for me what I cannot do for myself. take away my selfishness, my dishonesty, all of my character defects. Have you ever heard in these rooms I'm just working on my character effects today? Put a helmet on if I ever utter that. You're all about to get hurt. Bad things are about to happen. Throwing more of me at my selfishiness just is what? Selfishness times two. Have you every tried to be more honest? How'd it work? Have you tried to be more considerate? I can't do it. I try, but I can' t do it." So while God is taking care of all those things that I can''t take care of for myself, that's when my sponsor cornered me and said, what are you going to do? What are you willing to do Are you willing to not only become a student of this book, but a practitioner of this books? have you ever known someone who knows this book inside and out but can't stay sober it's very doable you say a sentence they'll tell you what page and paragraph drunk they can be drunk and tell you see it's not only knowing it but doing it I loved how my sponsor cornered me and he said you know what are you willing to do some of those things you really don't want to do and are you willing not to do some of those things you really want to do? Are you willing to find a home group support it? Are you ready to commit up to work step eight, nine like your life depends on it? Are you're willing to make amends? Are you going are you going to continue to take this inventory on a daily basis until you die? Are you willing to spend time and develop that relationship with God, the One that's going to save you, the One who can help you with all those things that you can't do for yourself? Are you will to work on the most precious relationship that you have going on in your life today through step 11? Are you able to get off your butt and carry this message like I carried it to you and help somebody who is dying just like you? are you willing to practice these principles in all your affairs not only in these rooms but at home on the road at work and if you are you're ready to take step seven but if you're not you better start praying and he looked at me and he said there's only one way to get this will and it's maybe God will bless it to you or you're just going to have to drink some more period and that's why they say this is the step that separates the men from the boys because it's step seven. When we are ready, we say something like this, my creator, I am now willing that you should have all of me, the good and the bad. Anybody treat God like a trash collector other than me? The moments where everyone's telling me I've got to find God and okay, I'll pray to God. I don't even know if He exists, but God, please take my alcoholism and take this lousy relationship and this lousey job. It was like carrying the trash out. You know, it's Wednesday morning. Take the trash outside. Take the garbage out to the curb. Am I the only one in this room that treated God like that? What a unique prayer. Now I'm praying that God should have all of me, the good and the bad. What does God want with my alcoholism anyway? Have you ever thought about that? Like He really has a need for my alcohol. Am I willing to go all in? It says, I pray that you now remove from me every single defect of character which stands in my way of my having a really good day. One of these times it's got to be about me, isn't it? Nope. No. See? We must be rid of this selfishness. We must or it kills us. So I'm praying I now pray that You remove from Me every single effect of character which stands my way of my usefulness to You God and to the people about me. Grant me strength. You know why? Because there's going to be days I don't want to do this. Period. It just is not going to happen. It's not going to be in me. Grant me strength as I go out from here to do your bidding. Amen. I've sat in rooms where they try to talk an hour about step seven. It says, we have then completed step seven Am I willing in step six to commit up to all these things that are being asked of me? And if I am, I say the prayer and I'm done. Do you see how this Saturday morning went by very quickly after my hour had expired? He's like, are you willing to do all this? And yes, I am. Alright. Go say the Prayer. He didn't want to say it with me. Guess who I'm saying this prayer to now? Guess who am I recommitting up in step seven? God. I'm going to continue to work the rest of these steps like my life depends on it and you're going to take care of all these things that I can't take care off and I'm doing this for you. I'm not going to get busy. What's the title of this chapter? Into Action. It doesn't say, now rest. Everything in this chapter is next, next, next, next. Now we've done this, we're moving on to this. Now we're done this. We're moving onto this. Are you willing? Yes, I am. Say the prayer. Get busy. Now show God that you actually meant it. And the only way I can back this up... And if I drink after that, guess what? I've backed out of my commitment and I'm back to managing, trying to manage the decision on my own and run the show myself. And it all leads back and that's why I love how they talk about step six. This is the one that separates the men from the boys. How many people have you sponsored that have got to this point and then disappeared quickly? It separates them in a hurry. Don't be distraught. It's okay. Because this is the one where either you see your truth and you're going to do something different and you are all in or you are not. And there is no faking it until you make it. Because alcohol is cunning, baffling, and powerful and it lays in wait to ensnare. And either I do this or I don't and I get busy. And once we got done this, I said my little prayer and guess what? We did that Saturday. It wasn't now go have a great weekend. it was to the next paragraph. And before I know it, we're laying out what Aud is about to talk about. Got busy in making my eighth step. We didn't burn my fourth step because... And they primed the pump the whole way. And if step nine scared you away, It's because you haven't got to where we've got here yet. And so often we want to look ahead. And if you haven'T done a fifth step, there's no worrying about the ninth step. You're not there. And God gets you to the spot you need to be each step of the way. And all of this is preparing you to turn your thoughts and your actions over to God. And that's how we made a decision in step three. And ifyou ever notice step three, there's no amen on the prayer. We began a prayer and we got busy doing some work and guess what we just did in step seven? We finished the prayer we started in step three. If you ever take a chance, take the step three prayer and throw seven underneath it and you'll be amazed at what a great prayer that is. They tricked you. It's one prayer. We just got you busy in the middle. so you understood what you were actually praying about because did any of you really have a clue about what you're praying about while you were crying and saying a third step prayer? I'm shaking and baking and barely able to complete sentences. And in a short period of time, the truth was sitting right in front of me. And it wasn't the bottle of booze that did me in. Break? Can you take a break? This is a quick break. Come back and do 9 and 10.