Spirit of Recovery

If you want what we have, you have to do what we did. 12-step addiction recovery is a program of action based on spiritual principles. The ideas are nice, and anyone can read the steps and see that perhaps they “make sense,” but nothing happens if we don’t take action. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on putting spiritual principles to work through a program of action, and the amazing changes that take place as a result. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path.” Thus opens the chapter in the Big Book titled “How It Works.” Although the book goes on to describe the 12 steps in some detail, what might it all look like if we zoom out a bit and talk about “how it works” in a broad sense? Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on working a successful 12-step program and the wonderful things that happen when we do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For some of us new to recovery, the whole “God thing” can be a real barrier. We may be carrying old ideas of God that don’t make sense to us. We may not realize that we don’t need to accept someone else’s understanding of God—we can find our own. In fact, we don’t even have to use the word “God” if we don’t want to! Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on making peace with the whole “God thing” on our own terms. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us in active addiction were not looking for a way out of our way of living. But then things got really bad, and we became willing to find a new path forward. We moved from complacently accepting our addiction to actively seeking to move beyond it. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on forging a new path forward with hope, commitment, and focus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addiction, many of us became down, even perhaps deeply depressed. Now that we’re in recovery, how can we create a new life of vitality and purpose? A life that repairs body and soul and becomes truly satisfying? Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on creating a new life in recovery, a life worth living! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us in addiction recovery are all too familiar with the feeling of fear. Fear of the future, fear of change, fear of pain—you can probably add to the list. The good news is that in recovery, we can learn to manage and transform our fear, moving instead into a life rooted in faith. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on moving from fear to faith using the power of release. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many of us enter addiction recovery with an excess of energy, not always knowing what to do with it. We can exhaust ourselves overcommitting, trying to make up for lost time, or just generally running ourselves ragged. This has been called “frantic sobriety.” Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on using our recovery energy to create a life of purpose, right here and right now, one day at a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we first get clean and sober, it is not unusual to feel like the whole world has been turned upside down. It can feel like chaos has taken over our lives! Fortunately, if we are willing to do the work, the recovery journey includes the gift of balance and peace. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on moving from chaos to peace using the power of order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we were in active addiction, sometimes we made bad decisions. Our minds were fogged, but we didn't know it. Our thinking was warped, but it made perfect sense to us! Once we had been on a recovery journey for a while, we began to get our minds back, and our ability to make sound decisions improved. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on moving from bad decisions to wisdom using the power of will. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Murphy’s Law seems operable in the life of many addicts—whatever can go wrong will go wrong. Beaten into submission by the school of hard knocks, we wonder, Do we have to learn everything the hard way? I don't understand why this always happens! Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on learning to unlock a new way of experiencing life through the spiritual power of understanding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we first get into addiction recovery, it can be hard to imagine a life without a drink or a drug. It may seem like our life is over and we'll never have fun again. But nothing could be further from the truth! We soon begin to learn that there is a new way of being in the world that is far better than our old habits. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on moving from a dull existence to the life you want to live through the spiritual power of imagination. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Twelve-step wisdom teaches that we are powerless—powerless over our addiction. But does that mean we are powerless over everything? Certainly over the behavior or substance that brought us into recovery, but what about the rest of life? Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on practical ways you can move from powerlessness to balanced living through the spiritual power of dominion. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The "Serenity Prayer" tells us to be open to wisdom so we can discern what is ours to do—and what is not. Many of us in recovery have experienced the results of questionable decisions we have made, sometimes even made repeatedly! Fortunately, we grew tired of living that way. But how do we move away from bad decisions, bad relationships, and bad situations? Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on practical ways we can do just that and experience new levels of joy and freedom in our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How many times have we found ourselves doing the same things repeatedly and expecting different results? We enter recovery and learn a new way of thinking and being in the world—and yet the same old thought habits can still drive us crazy. What’s going on? How do we change this? Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on breaking old patterns of thought and discovering new levels of freedom, happiness, and joy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"Go confidently in the direction of your dreams!" This sounds like great advice though many of us begin the recovery journey feeling quite the opposite: stuck and limited. Sometimes even after years of being clean and sober, we can find ourselves feeling aimless. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on practical ways you can find your true purpose in life and advance confidently toward making it a reality! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we take action in our lives, powerful and positive changes begin to happen. In fact, action is essential to addiction recovery and spiritual growth. In Scripture, we read, "Faith without works is dead," and many of us have experienced apathy and detachment when we don't move our feet on the recovery path. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on learning how to take effective action and building a vibrant life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Am I alone in the universe? I'm supposed to pray, but how, for what, and to whom? I prayed as a child with seemingly no results—what's different now? Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on finding effective ways to understand and make conscious contact with God, and seeing concrete, positive results in your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It has been said that if we change our thoughts, we change our lives. And if we direct our thoughts with integrity, our lives come together beautifully. We can move from negativity to hope and joy by making just such a shift. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on learning how the power of our thoughts can lead us to hope and a new experience of joy in our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we first get clean and sober, we may be overwhelmed by a sense of lost identity. Who am I if I don't drink, use, or fix others? The recovery journey offers an opportunity to heal this dismay and grow into an entirely new sense of ourselves. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on finding out who we really are, and how our new identity can bring deep meaning to our lives and our life’s work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Does God exist or not? Many of us denied the existence of God—after all, how could my life be like this if there were a God? But then again, perhaps we've had a nagging feeling that there’s more to life than just flesh and circumstances. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on finding an understanding of a power greater than ourselves that can help us move from questioning to faith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anonymity is a central tenet of 12-step recovery. Many who are new don't want people to know they are in recovery, which is totally understandable. But as we grow in spirit, anonymity becomes far more than a simple desire not to be known. We realize that anonymity is, in fact, humility at work in our lives. With it we can move from fear to serenity. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on growing in spirit through a deepening relationship with anonymity. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we first get clean and sober, we may be tempted to broadcast our newfound life to everyone around us, to shout it from the mountaintops. But as we persist on our recovery path, we learn that a quiet approach is often better. We learn to let our example be the message rather than trying to promote our new way of living to others. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on living the principle of attraction rather than promotion in our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nothing will rob us of our sobriety faster than getting wrapped up in what someone else is or isn't doing, what other people should or should not be doing. Just as our recovery groups avoid public controversy, we as individuals need to keep our eyes on our own yoga mats, so to speak. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope in avoiding outside entanglements and focusing on recovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we answer the call to assist another alcoholic or addict on their recovery path, we do so with generosity and gratitude. We do not pay our sponsors or expect payment from our sponsees. Recovery must be free from commerce if we are to be successful. Yes, there may be medical professionals involved in our recovery at first, and we certainly "render unto Caesar" as appropriate at that time. But we do not buy or sell recovery. We give freely and receive freely in gratitude. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope in giving and receiving freely and the joys that accompany it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nobody else is responsible for our sobriety. We are the ones who direct, live, and own our sober experience. In this sense, we are "fully self-supporting" just as the seventh tradition guides our recovery groups to be. But in active addiction, we often tried to put our responsibilities onto others. "If work weren't so stressful, I wouldn't drink so much." Excuses like this will never keep us sober, so we learn to be true to our own selves and to be self-supporting in our sobriety. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope on owning our sobriety, one day at a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The lure of prestige has been the downfall of many on the recovery journey. We can get to feeling so good about ourselves that we fall into that old trap of wanting to be seen as the number one man or woman in the eyes of others. How can we remain true to our purpose and avoid the trap of pride? Can we practice humility without feeling humiliated? Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope in staying in integrity on the recovery journey and avoiding the desire to look good doing it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The fifth tradition of AA tells us, “Each group has but one primary purpose—to carry its message to the alcoholic (addict) who still suffers.” When we first get into recovery, we learn we need to focus on ourselves in order to heal and grow. However, we quickly find that being of service to others is an essential part of our own healing. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope in balancing self and others in a healthy way as an ongoing part of a successful recovery journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we first get clean and sober, we quickly learn that success requires a strong focus on walking the recovery path. There are many potential distractions and excuses that can derail us. It is all too easy to get stuck in the weeds rather than move ahead unencumbered. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope in staying focused on recovery in a world of distractions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nobody has ever stopped drinking or drugging if they didn’t want to. The motivation and commitment to get clean and sober are essential for success. Even though those of us walking a recovery path know that this alone is not enough, we also know it is foundational for living a life of freedom. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share their experience, strength, and hope in finding and sustaining the motivation and commitment to sober living. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It has been said that nobody can do our inner work for us, but we cannot do it alone. We need the company of others on the recovery path in order to truly thrive. This can be challenging to many who are new to addiction recovery because we can be used to doing things our way only! But if we are willing to become one of the bunch, we will discover that the group has a profound influence on our healing. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share a path to freedom and peace through the power of community. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In addiction recovery, we learn that not only do we need a higher power in our lives, but we need to make conscious contact with that power. For many who are new to a spiritual way of living, this can feel like an insurmountable task! What if I don’t believe in God? And even if I do, how is it possible to be in contact with God consciously? Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share a path to peace through prayer and the experience of God in their lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the old song tells us, sometimes we need to hold on to things and sometimes we need to let go. Fortunately for us in addiction recovery, we make a spiritual practice of taking personal inventory as a way of life. If we find we are wrong, we promptly admit it. If we persevere in this practice, we find true freedom. Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they share “when to hold ‘em” and “when to fold ‘em” on the path to clean living. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sure, we want to do the next right thing, but what is it? When we get into addiction recovery, we learn to be mindful of our actions. We hear, “Do the next right thing,” and that seems like a really good idea! But what does that mean exactly? Join Rev. Dan and Rev. Michelle as they explore finding and acting on the next right thing as a way of life that leads to joy and happiness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many gifts of addiction recovery come to us when we are willing to work for them. We must “do the work”—but how do we go about doing this work? Join Rev. Dan and a special guest cohost as they share how the power of love has helped them find their way from complacency to freedom—and how it can help you find your way, too. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we first get into recovery, we learn we need a higher power in order to grow and change. But once we have found something that works for us (even temporarily), we must learn how to rely on and be guided by this power. Join Rev. Dan and a special guest cohost as they share their experience in finding and learning to trust a higher power in all things. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As we grow through our addiction recovery journey, we often come face-to-face with old habits that are hard to break! How can we let go of our old ways and open the door to a new way of being? Join Rev. Dan and a special guest cohost as they walk with you into your new life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It takes integrity to walk the path of addiction recovery. We must move forward with principled honesty, which may not be easy given our often not-so-pretty pasts! But if we are willing to show up and get real, we can do it—and grow in Spirit along the way. Join Rev. Dan and a special guest cohost as they illuminate a path through the shadow into the light of a new day. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It takes courage to walk an addiction recovery path. We are moving toward a new freedom and a new happiness, but to get there we must walk through the wreckage of our past. Listen to Rev. Dan as he shares how to find and use courage to face the past and walk from misery to happiness. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When we become willing to try a new way of living, a path to freedom opens up. This path is rooted in faith. When we can truly “Let Go and Let God,” we are well on our way to a new life. Discover with Rev. Dan how to let go, trust a higher power, and walk the path to freedom. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New beginnings bring hope into our lives. While there is work to be done, the good news is that we don’t have to do it alone. We come to believe in a presence and a power greater than our addiction to provide the direction we need. Learn with Rev. Dan how to find the power to change and a new hope in your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the beginning of recovery, all we know is don't drink/use and go to meetings. However, for many of us, this new information and way of living can rapidly become overwhelming. How do we keep it simple and yet still practice these principles in all our affairs? Join Rev. Lonnie Vanderslice and Rev. Dan Beckett as they share the way to the recovery path that’s just right for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fellowship, or spiritual community, is a necessary part of recovery. However, many may wonder why they should go to meetings, why can't they just go to church, and what to do if they belong to another community of faith. Join Rev. Lonnie Vanderslice and Rev. Dan Beckett to learn about the power of community and how it fits best into your recovery journey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Codependency is an insidious condition that can sabotage our efforts to help others. How can we help others in a healthy way? How can we maintain our own recovery and truly be helpful to others? Join Rev. Lonnie Vanderslice and Rev. Dan Beckett as they share the path to healthy helping. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is gratitude? We are told an attitude of gratitude will go a long way toward smoothing out the bumps in the road of recovery. How do we find gratitude? Join Rev. Lonnie Vanderslice and Rev. Dan Beckett as they share their path to gratitude and joy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

"God as I understand God" is the wide spiritual doorway through which we enter recovery. How do you understand the workings of this mysterious thing called God? Join Rev. Lonnie Vanderslice and Rev. Dan Beckett for an exploration of methods for attaining conscious contact and connection to a guiding force in your life. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Insanity has been defined as doing the same thing repeatedly but expecting different results. This applies to thinking patterns as well. Join Rev. Lonnie Vanderslice and Rev. Dan Beckett for practical suggestions for identifying and controlling these patterns in our lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A group of famous psychiatrists noted that addicts are often childish and grandiose, which are both egoic manifestations that cause untold misery to the afflicted. Join Rev. Lonnie Vanderslice and Rev. Dan Beckett for a deep dive into emotional and spiritual growth and the joys it brings. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recovery can be challenging! Yet we have the ability to persevere, no matter what life gives us. Join Rev. Lonnie Vanderslice and Rev. Dan Beckett as they share tools and spiritual principles that keep our feet on the path to recovery. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most recovering addicts can attest to the effects of the racing mind. Once we get clean and sober, it seems our brain is attacking us with millions of disquieting and uncomfortable thoughts. How do we get control? Join Rev. Lonnie Vanderslice and Rev. Dan Beckett as they share what worked for them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Terror, bewilderment, frustration, and despair are known in recovery circles as “the hideous four horsemen.” It is a common condition when moving from active addiction into a life of recovery. Join Revs. Lonnie and Dan as they share spiritual tools and what worked for them to banish these horsemen from their lives. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices