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      ONE DAY AT A TIME

      Discovering the Freedom of 12-Step Spirituality

      © 2007 by Trevor Hudson. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information, write:

      Upper Room Books, 1908 Grand Avenue, Nashville, TN 37212.

      Upper Room®, Upper Room Books®, and design logos are trademarks owned by The Upper Room®, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.

      Upper Room Books website: upperroombooks.com

      This book was originally published in 2005 by Struik Christian Media (Pty) Ltd. under the title One Day at a Time. Published by permission of Three Streams Publishers © Struik Christian Media and Trevor Hudson.

      Scripture quotations not otherwise identified are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible © 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

      The Twelve Steps and a brief excerpt from the book, Alcoholics Anonymous are reprinted with permission of Alcoholics Anonymous World Services, Inc. (“AAWS”). Permission to reprint a brief excerpt from the book, Alcoholics Anonymous the Twelve Steps does not mean that AAWS has reviewed or approved the contents of this publication, or that AAWS necessarily agrees with the views expressed herein. A.A. is a program of recovery from alcoholism only—use of the Twelve Steps in connection with programs and activities which are patterned after A.A., but which address other problems, or in any other non-A.A. context, does not imply otherwise. Additionally, while A.A. is a spiritual program, A.A. is not a religious program. Thus, A.A. is not affiliated or allied with any sect, denomination, or specific religious belief.

       Page 142 constitutes an extension of this copyright page.

      Cover design: Bruce Gore/GoreStudio

      Cover illustration: Nicholas Wilton/Stock Illustration Source

      LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

      Hudson, Trevor, 1951–

      One day at a time: discovering the freedom of 12-step spirituality / Trevor Hudson.

      p. cm.

      Originally published: Cape Town. South Africa: Struik Christian Books, 2005.

      ISBN 978-0-8358-9913-0

      1. Twelve-step programs—Religious aspects—Christianity. 2. Spirituality. I. Title

      BV4596.T88H83 2007

      248.8'629—dc22

      2007030100

      To Debbie, Joni, and Mark—special gifts from God

      and

      to Bill Meaker—patient encourager in all my writing efforts

       CONTENTS

      Preface: Finding the power to live for a change

      Acknowledgments

      Introduction: Mapping our journey

       Step Two: Hope for change

       Step Three: Decision time

       Step Four: Daring to face ourselves

       Step Five: Coming clean

       Step Six: Ready and willing

       Step Seven: The quest for humility

       Step Eight: Reflecting on our relationships

       Step Nine: Restitution

       Step Ten: Maintaining progress

       Step Eleven: Finding God’s will

       Step Twelve: Sharing the message

       Bibliography

       Notes

       PREFACE

       FINDING THE POWER TO LIVE FOR A CHANGE

      This book has been written for those who want to change. It is for men and women who feel the need to deepen their lives, to live more freely, to be happier. If you are not sure whether this includes you, let me be a little more specific: One Day at a Time has been written especially for those

      •who worry too much—whose waking hours are plagued by all kinds of fears (about the future, about their relationships, about their children, about their health, about their finances) and who sometimes waken in the middle of the night with an anxious knot in their stomach and cannot get back to sleep.

      •who struggle with some form of compulsive and addictive behavior—perhaps an addiction to a substance like alcohol, drugs, or tranquilizers; or perhaps to activities like making money, gambling, working too hard, watching TV soaps, online chats, computer games, shopping, sex, or even going to church every night of the week.

      •who battle with increasing levels of stress and tension—those who feel that they cannot cope with the demands being made upon them, who feel that their energy resources have been depleted and that they cannot handle any more pressure.

      •who sabotage their relationships with destructive patterns of behavior—things like trying to control others too much, withdrawing into sulky silences, blowing up in anger, always trying to “fix” those around them, or getting stuck in the mud of their resentments.

      •who feel trapped by feelings of self-condemnation, guilt, and regret—who are weighed down by secret sins and baggage from the past; who constantly hear in their heads those inner, shaming voices, saying, “You are no good! You are not acceptable! You will never amount to anything! You are beyond redemption!”

      •who may worship on a regular basis but somehow feel that their faith has become bogged down in pious clichés and empty ritual—those who long for a living and vital spiritu­ality that leads toward the transformation of their personal lives and the environments in which they live, work, and play.

      If you can identify with any of these descriptions, take heart. There is hope. There are others like you, and many of them are discovering a new depth and freedom and joy in their daily lives. How they are finding this power to live for a change is what this book is all about.

      THE POWER DILEMMA

      When we look around today, we see that in spite of all the self-help books and self-fulfillment techniques flooding the market human misery abounds. There remain in our midst in ever-increasing numbers sad incidents of despair, suicide, addiction, violence, corruption, and personal emptiness, and what seems to be a tragic inability to get along even with those we say we love. Massive social changes, even those for the better, seem unable to transform the hearts of men and women. Clearly, when it comes to inner change, human resources alone are not sufficient. We need a power from beyond ourselves.

      There is good news! Those who wrote God’s Good Book were unanimous about one thing: There is available to all of us as human beings a Power greater than ourselves—a power that can inwardly change us, that can set us free from life-spoiling

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