A non--AA recently posted a comment favorably talking about A.A. and its morning meetings. I was prompted to reply with the following comment:
Congratulations on your "morning" emphasis. Early Akron AAs--both the alcoholics and their families--went to the home of Dr. Bob and Anne Smith each morning for "Quiet Time." Anne Smith would open with prayer, then some reading from the Bible, then group seeking God's guidance, then sharing from the journal she kept (www.dickb.com/annesm.shtml, then discussion, then closing. Sometimes they would use the "Upper Room"--the Methodist Quarterly that Mother G. would freely distribute to those present. This focus on "morning meditation" long pre-dated A.A. The Young Men's Christian Association called it "Morning Watch." Young People's Society of Christian Endeavor called it "Quiet Hour." Sam Shoemaker and the Oxford Group people usually called it "Quiet Time" and wrote lots of literature on how to observe it. Bill Wilson shifted the description to "Morning Meditation" and said he believed A.A. had lost a great deal when it ceased emphasizing it, as the Akron AA Christian Fellowship did. Then--though many AAs don't know it today --the substance of A.A.'s Eleventh Step incorporates many of the ideas. See www.dickb.com/goodmorn.shtml. Little by little this important history and the successes achieved by its application are being covered on Christian Recovery Radio. Almost daily, we are interviewing Christian Recovery Leaders around the world who explain how they are applying those "old school" First Century Christianity ideas in 12 Step groups today. www.ChristianRecoveryRadio.com.
Dick B., Executive Director, International Christian Recovery Coalition, dickb@dickb.com
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