Steps 6 and 7 at a sponsorship and 12 Step workshop in Dallas, TX

We talked about six or seven.

It's interesting. How long is an hour? All right,

60 minutes

eternal.

But 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 asked me for an hour go sit with God

and carefully review what we have just done.

And I get right back to

in hours, 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 be expecting your call in an hour 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 there's dangerous as it can be because for an alcoholic, all 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.

He's the last page. 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 a four step in my hand and I worked. What we will see is steps four or five or steps 567 and eight

in that setting.

And that's where it starts getting confusing to

a lot of rooms all over the country is in. How can you get someone through this stuff? Well, if you follow the next follow the directions on page 7676, it says if we can answer to our satisfaction, then we look at step six. It doesn't say go home, have a good week.

It says after your hour and you can answer your 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 6 right here, right now. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month.

Otherwise, remember, they told us they were going to give us precise show us precisely how we have recovered the main purpose of this book in the forward to the 1st edition. Precise instruction, 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. You know it. 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 our objectionable? Underline that, highlight it, circle it.

Me coming out of my fist. Step

in seeing my truth.

That moment in time, I'm going to find all of the exact nature 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, it was bad. But I 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 in. In a short period of time, that pendulum starts swinging backwards in the ejection ability

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 you liking yourself so far?

Do you find what you see objectionable? Is this who you intended on being when you're 8 years old and going? I can't wait to become that what I just saw

and if I admit their 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 the mall, 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

now

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 dishonest, all of my character defects

you ever heard in these rooms. I'm just working on my character defects 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 selfishness just is what selfishness times 2.

Have you ever 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 book? 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 in paragraph drunk.

They can be drunk and tell you

see, it's not only knowing it,

but doing it.

And I loved how my sponsor corner 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

8-9 likely your life depends on our you're willing to make amends. Are you willing 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 that can help you with all those things that you can't do for yourself? Are you willing to work on the most precious relationship that you have going on in your life today through step 11? Are you willing to get off your butt and carry this message? Like

carried it to you and helped somebody who was 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 steps 7. 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 7 says when we are ready, we say something like this. My crater, 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 got to find God and OK, 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 lousy job. And

it was like carrying the trash out. You know it's Wednesday morning, take the trash 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 Maine, the good and the bad.

What does my what does God want with my alcoholism anyway? Have you ever thought about that? Like he really has a need for my alcoholism.

Am I willing to go all in?

It says. I pray that you now remove from me every single defect a 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?

No, no, see,

we must be rid of the selfishness we must or it kills us. So I'm praying, I now pray that your move for me, every single defective character which stands in my way of my usefulness to you, God, into the people about me

cramp 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 be in me. Grant me strength as I go out from here to do your bidding. Amen.

I've sat in rooms where they tried to talk an hour about step 7.

It says we have then completed step 7:00. AM I willing in step 6 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, it expired. He's like, are you willing to do all this? And I, yes, I am. All right, go say the prayer. He didn't want to say it with me. Guess who I'm saying this prayer to now? Guess who I'm recommitting up in step 7?

God. I'm saying to God, I am 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 of and I'm 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've done this. We're moving on to 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 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 6. Is this 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 OK, because this is the one where either you see your truth and you're going to do something different, you're all in, or you're not, and there is no faking it until you make it. Because alcohol is cunning, baffling and powerful, and it lays in weight to ensnare

in 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 Odd is about to talk about.

Got busy and making my 8th step. We didn't burn my four step because

and they primed the pump the whole way.

And if Step 9 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 9th 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 all. We made a decision in step three. And if you ever notice Step 3, there's no Amen on the prayer. We began a prayer and we got busy doing some work and guess what we just did? And step seven, We finished the prayer we started in Step 3.

If you ever take a chance, take step three prayer and throw 7 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 were praying about while you were crying saying a third step prayer? I'm shaking and baking and baby barely able to complete sentences

in a short period of time. The truth was sitting right in front of me

and it wasn't the bottle of booze that was that did me in.

Break. Do you take a break? You do a quick break, come back and do 9 and 10. OK.