WILD LIFE PARCs Art Thought for Sunday 12.4.2022: "She looks like a Wilderbeast!"

POPE FRANCIS:

Early Christians were allergic to duplicity [hypocrisy, pretense, saying one thing but doing another]. Like them, I turn to God and judge myself and my own likeness -- not others' likeness -- to Christ.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS December 04

A.A. is more than a set of principles; it is a society of alcoholics in action. We must carry the message, else we ourselves can wither and those who haven't been given the truth may die. AS BILL SEES IT, p. 13. I desperately wanted to live, but if I was to succeed, I had to become active in our God-given program. I joined what became my group, where I opened the hall, made coffee, and cleaned up. I had been sober about three months when an oldtimer told me I was doing Twelfth-Step work. What a satisfying realization that was! I felt I was really accomplishing something. God had given me a second chance, A.A. had shown me the way, and these gifts were not only free—they were also priceless! Now the joy of seeing newcomers grow reminds me of where I have come from, where I am now, and the limitless possibilities that lie ahead. I need to attend meetings because they recharge my batteries so that I have light when it's needed. I'm still a beginner in service work, but already I am receiving more than I'm giving. I can't keep it unless I give it away. I am responsible when another reaches out for help. I want to be there—sober.

NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS

God's will, not ours, Page 354 "We know that if we pray for God's will we will receive what is best for us, regardless of what we think." Basic Text, p. 46

By the time we came to NA, our inner voices had become unreliable and self-destructive. Addiction had warped our desires, our interests, our sense of what was best for ourselves. That's why it's been so important in recovery to develop our belief in a Power greater than ourselves, something that could provide saner, more reliable guidance than our own. We've begun learning how to rely on this Power's care and to trust the inner direction it provides us. As with all learning processes, it takes practice to "pray only for knowledge of God's will for us and the power to carry that out." The selfish, ego-driven attitudes we developed in our addiction are not cast off overnight. Those attitudes may affect the way we pray. We may even find ourselves praying something like, "Relieve me of this character defect so I can look good." The more straightforward we are about our own ideas and desires, the easier it will be to distinguish between our own will and our Higher Power's will. "Just for your information, God" we might pray, "here's what I want in this situation. Nonetheless, I ask that your will, not mine, be done." Once we do this, we are prepared to recognize and accept our Higher Power's guidance. Just for Today: Higher Power, I've learned to trust your guidance, yet I still have my own ideas about how I want to live my life. Let me share those ideas with you, and then let me clearly understand your will for me. In the end, let your will, not mine, be done.

WILD LIFE PARCs DAY OF REST TEMPLATE: Sunday September 4, 2022 (gnarcans.com) (Islamic Prayer Times Change Each Day so Times Below Aren't Correct for Today):

24/7 JEWISH Prayer & Meditation https://thekotel.org/en/western-wall/cameras-prayer-plaza/# 24/7 ISLAMIC (App with Good Sound for Call to Daily Prayer Times) Prayer & Meditation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgq7kMgnAG0 24/7 SPIRITUAL Instruction & Meditation