Recovery is all about breaking old habits. The longer we wait, the more difficult the task. St. Augustine was right: “A habit, if it is not resisted, soon becomes a necessity.” Jeremiah warned of the process of bad habits. “And like their bow, they have bent their tongues for lies. They are not valiant for…
On this date in 1842, anesthesia was used for the first time, in an operation by American surgeon Dr. Crawford Long. But he did not publish his success for seven years, so the world didn’t know what he had done until 1849. Imagine living in the “good old days.” Days without electricity, running water, cars,…
In 1992, a lady in western Maryland by the name of Ellen Kelly bought an old piano for $25. Twenty-seven years later, she found 110 old baseball cards in it. Among the cards was a Babe Ruth rookie card, which she sold for $130,000. That old piano was pretty worthless on its own. The wood,…
From the “big book” of Alcoholics Anonymous we read these words: “I realize what it is to be in the presence of God right in my own home and I realize it deeply when I am at church. For when a man is truly trying to do God’s will, instead of his own, he is…
There have been some pretty remarkable inventions that have changed the world through the years. That list includes: And the battery. Don’t forget the battery. The first battery dates back to 1800, when Italian physicist Alessandro Volta wrapped a stack of copper and zinc discs in a cloth, submerged it in salty water and discovered…
Nick was tired of being picked on. When the neighborhood bullies persisted, Nick pulled out his phone. He warned the other boys, “All I have to do is press a few buttons on my phone, and my Dad will walk out of our house, and come to my rescue.” The boy’s father was Terry Bollea.…
Global navigation used to be a difficult endeavor. Compasses, maps, marine chronometers, and the stars helped humans populate almost every corner of Earth, but these methods are not particularly useful for precisely navigating an aircraft or unknown landscape on foot. Enter the Global Positioning System (GPS), a network of satellites that constantly transmit signals that…
I was about seven years old when I decided I’d had enough of my father’s rules. I decided I could make it on my own, so I ran away from home. I got about two blocks away when I realized I was hungry, so I returned home. Did Dad notice my insurrection? I suspect that…
You have been tested, tempted, and trampled. Paul said, “We are hard pressed on every side, but we are not crushed” (2 Corinthians 4:8). John Quincy Adams said, “Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.” Long-term sobriety is all about perseverance. Let me suggest a few keys to…
Until 1956, the Air Force plane carrying the president was referred to as Air Force 8610. Something happened that changed everything. One day, the presidential aircraft was cleared to land at a local airport, about the same time as an Eastern Airlines flight, also number 8610. The confusion demanded a change. So from that day…