HIGHWAY 61?

[sunlight]

I was going to post this under the "quotes & sayings heard in meetings" topic, cuz it's along the same vein as the current thread, but it didn't seem to belong there.

I'd like some feedback on a situation that occurred today & has me confused.

I sent in an application for clearance to bring meetings & sponsorship in the women's prison.

Today I get notice that I was denied clearance. I call & they told me that I neglected to put down a time when I was in jail in Wichita in 1974! I said I'd forgotten all about that & I only spent the night in jail & the charges were dismissed. They said no, that it says in the records that I spent 60 days in jail! I said that wasn't true, that I would remember 60 days in paradise. (ok, I didn't use my NY sarcasm!) I was told to re-apply & explain it further. I asked how do I prove that I didn't spend 60 days in jail 34 years ago & was told "I dunna know".

Called my sponsor & she said to just try the jail not prison. It's easier.

But I've had many things happen like this - where I THINK I'm following God's directives & then it all falls apart. Most of the times it's been things I really didn't want to do, but felt God wanted it & I'm relieved! It was like God wanted my willingness & then I didn't have to do it!

Is it time to check my motives? My conscious contact? My two brain cells?

The book talks about spiritual make believe. Am I in la la land?

Anyone remember the song "Highway 61" by Bob Dylan? Here goes:

God said to Abraham, "Kill me a son."
Abe said, "Man you must be puttin me on."
God said, "No."
Abe said, "What?!"
God said, "You can do what you want Abe, but
the next time you see me comin' you better run."
Abe said, "Where you want this killin' done?"
God said, "Out on highway 61."

Thanks for letting me share.

[Dallas]

Thanks for the Dylan, tune!!

But I've had many things happen like this - where I THINK I'm following God's directives & then it all falls apart. Most of the times it's been things I really didn't want to do, but felt God wanted it & I'm relieved! It was like God wanted my willingness & then I didn't have to do it!

Sometimes, we really are following God's directives -- and then we start questioning ourselves or doing Monday morning quarter-backing it.

I think we often do that -- when the results that we were expecting didn't show up. The results are less than they would be "If we were God." So, we figure that we pulled another blooper in our "following the direction that we're getting."

Don't worry about the results. Just take the actions to follow the directions... and don't look back. Sometimes, down the road we see why something worked out the way it did and sometimes we see nothing. We just keep putting one foot in front of the other -- doing the best that we can do -- and, we leave it at that.

Perhaps, the person in the prison needed a reminder of something they did in 1974 Maybe it was about God getting their attention -- and not yours.

Dallas

[garden variety]

Don't worry about the results. Just take the actions to follow the directions... and don't look back. Sometimes, down the road we see why something worked out the way it did and sometimes we see nothing. We just keep putting one foot in front of the other -- doing the best that we can do -- and, we leave it at that.

Oh now that's beautiful! And SIMPLE! What a perfect way to say it. Here it goes again: CONSTRUCTIVE ACTION NEVER FAILS!!!

And so much so with my "beliefs" too. Big Brother here used to drive me nuts about how his beliefs about God could be wrong, but if he took "action, and more action" everything would work out right. That sucker even had the nerve to tell me that for him, his actions defined his beliefs about God! That was PREPOSTEROUS! Dallas just kept on saying that maybe it was OK for my beliefs to define my actions, but for him that was a risk he wasn't willing to take. For some reason, I stewed about that for a while, and I thought Dallas must be some kind of "weird California brand" of AA.

One day it hit me real hard. Dallas was right all along. If I take the right actions as suggested, there would be no doubting "God's will". His will would just "happen" in spite of what I believed - even about Him! I don't know what I was looking for in the book, but it didn't have anything to do with this "action defines beliefs" thing. I accidentally came across this passage in the book - it was one I don't think Dallas even knew was there, yet he was LIVING it out - and I was arguing with him against it. It's on page 93:

"To be vital, faith must be accompanied by self sacrifice and unselfish constructive action."

It was those first 3 words "To be vital" that pulled me to that passage like a magnet. I knew that means "to be ALIVE". The only way faith comes to life is through "self sacrifice and unselfish constructive action". Then the light went on. That's just what Dallas does! But before I "surrendered" to that fact, I had to test this out. Let me tell you what - I've been "testing" this out every day since then. It was true. It is true. Now you'd think I was the one to come up with taking action I say it so much:

CONSTRUCTIVE ACTION NEVER FAILS!!!

Action is everything. My beliefs can be shaky or wrong, or I can wonder "was it God's will, really?" But I'll always have faith that is "vital" and alive if I remember those four words.

Simple and beautiful. Thanks Dallas. You're what big brothers are there for.

[sunlight]

Thank you!!!!!

I love it when my thoughts are in this gnarled up, complicated, tangled ball of yarn & another alcoholic comes along & whacks me on the head with simplicity. It's beautiful.

It's proof again to me that when I get the garbage out, the Sanitation Engineer comes & removes it.

I think I'm going to have fun "testing" this!

[Dallas]

Thanks, Paul, for your kind comments.
I appreciate you and all that you do here. You help me to stay the course.

Dallas