,​We wear these words out in the ATL for our Falcons, it is a proud call for our birds to fly above and soar over the competition. Lately we have been doing much more soaring and a lot less being grounded (except for that slight loss of flight in the Super Bowl). But as birds do fly, bad weather often causes misdirection in our flight plan.

We also know from this beautiful book of life, the Bible, that God wants us to soar on the wings of eagles, even when we stumble and fall. In plain language, when we fail, get up, shake the dust of failure off and take flight again, don't ever stop trying to soar. Certainly an Eagle is much more magnificent than a Falcon, but they are both majestic while in flight, and whether we are an Eagle or a Falcon, rich or poor, black, white, brown or yellow, male or female, we can all fly the same in God's eyes.

Trouble is the climate in our country is stormy, and extended to the climate in the world it is confusing. But through it all, one of the main things we can do is keep trying to soar above the turbulence. To do that we have to ignore those who say we can't, those who put us down, and those who bully us around to glorify themselves. In God's eyes we are all Eagles ready to take flight!

So we must Rise Up and always extend faith into the situations that come to us as mighty clouds of doubt. If the devil can take Job to the limit, he can certainly make us grow tired and weary of it all. We Rise Up to not grow weary, not be faint of heart, and to renew our strength through the power of the Holy Spirit who is our pilot.

We cannot let anyone or anything stop us from being the shining stars that God wants us to be, and we cannot let ourselves be grounded by the issues that will take us down. Feel them, deal with them, but do so in a manner that Jesus taught us to do, pray about them, and if they cause anguish, turn it over to the will of God, as Jesus did, He is our air traffic controller!

Now, about those Falcons........

 An Awesome God

Last night went one way, and then it took a turn, as it often does when we get people together who have differing levels of faith. The topic was "Chasing Fantasies" and soon became about the God of our understanding, which book is more appropriate for recovery, the Big Book or the Good Book, and then drifted into a road map for behavior and what happens when a man who was saved commits suicide?

Just normal questions for a normal night right? I love it, God is so awesome. Here we are speaking about recovery and up comes everything about God from a group of folks who are searching to find their way and have many questions. The great news is that they ask, the more difficult part is that we are so inadequate to define all the ways of God and what answer there is that He would give to these questions.

But I have some. And I start with this, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" and then "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."

These pretty much cover priorities, behavior and judgmental attitudes. What is open is how do we get to God, not who do we get to, but how does one so far away get back home to their creator. This my friends covers many differing paths toward that end. I have seen AA and NA do better spiritual work on an individual than a church, and I have seen different churches come to believe in the importance of every human soul where all are welcome, and then bring those folks who were ready to a personal relationship with Christ.

I have read the Big Book, the AA 12 and 12, the Bible and countless other self help and recovery books and they are all good, all point to the same God they just go about it in different ways and words. Which is more important? It varies as to how far you are on your journey, which one helps lead you to the truth. To the heroin addict after coming down from the side effects of a binge, the chair in a room of a meeting may be the only God he or she can see at that moment because it offers comfort, safety and structure.

Where are you in the journey is the question and whether or not on the journey toward a spiritual awakening someone offers the words that compel you to change? It can happen anywhere at any time in any place because the God we serve is omnipresent, and the time you are ready is when you are ready. 

Whatever that is, however you get there, there is but one conclusion, He is An Awesome God!  

PS.....On Wednesday night, October 11 at 8 PM during our meeting we will have an open Q & A session about these questions and you are welcome to join us, especially those of you who have a great knowledge of scripture and those who are great lovers of those who are lost. Should be a very interesting night!