Good Morning!: Quiet Time, Morning Watch, Meditation, and Early A.A. (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Prayer, meditation, and the use of meditation books in the Twelve Step and recovery programs of today do not remotely resemble the Quiet Time practices..." (more)
Key Phrases: Oxford Group, New York, Big Book (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

AAs and those in most recovery programs are urged to involve themselves in "prayer and meditation." But what does that mean? Does it mean acquiring and taking a look at the hundreds of "meditation" books that have been marketed over the past decade or so? Does it mean looking at a verse or a thought for the day or a packaged prayer? Those questions are best answered in this book about how early AAs observed what they then called "Quiet Time." This idea had been popular in the 1800's, the YMCA, United Christian Endeavor, among evangelists, and later in the Oxford Group. It took on different names--Morning Watch, Quiet Hour, Quiet Time. But not "meditation." This phrase appeared on the scene in the 1939 A.A. program. And the Big Book provides few materials that tell one how to "pray" or how to "meditate." Some have opined that prayer is talking to God, while meditation is listening to God. But this self-made religious idea neither squares with early A.A. practices nor with the Bible. Instead, Quiet Hour had some well-defined suggestions about how to observe the time. First, it was clear that the time was meant to involve Bible study, prayer, seeking God's guidance, reading of religious literature, and then obeying God's directions. Second, there were suggestions as to how and where this was to be done. There were suggestions about relaxing, getting a quiet place, setting aside a specific time, and so on. This practice was not embedded in concrete. For people observed a Quiet Time when it seemed appropriate or convenient. Dr. Bob had observed it while in Christian Endeavor as a youngster. When A.A. began, Dr. Bob would retire upstairs three times a day for about 20 minutes. At that time, he would study a favorite Bible segment, pray, ask for God's guidance, and then "go about his Father's business," as he put it. Dr. Bob's wife Anne Smith conducted a morning quiet time each day at the Smith Home in Akron. She gathered AAs and their families in the early morning hours. She would open the session with prayer, then would read from the Bible, and join the group in prayer or seeking guidance. This was often followed by her sharing from her spiritual journal and conducting a discussion about it. On the East Coast, Rev. Sam Shoemaker had frequently spelled out how he observed Quiet Time. He recommended several books that told how to have a quiet time. Oxford Group writers did likewise. This book pulls it all together. It provides an excellent guide for you to do a quiet time that comes close to the principals and practices that produced such early A.A. success rates and cures. It will suggest where, how, and when. It will suggest the early A.A. devotionals and guides that were used. It will highlight the importance of the Bible and prayer. It will cover "guidance." And it will provide you with a number of practical suggestions. It is a healthy and welcome alternative to the many secular "meditation" and "reflection" books still in circulation, but which provide little help to those who are seeking, in early terms, to "practice the presence of God." This book is a simple, authoritative guide for individuals and groups to use in establishing and observing a special time with God each day. And on Christian terms!

About the Author

Dick B. is an active, recovered A.A. member, a retired attorney, and a Bible student. He has sponsored more than eighty men in their recovery. In 1990, he began researching, traveling, interviewing, and reading thousands of pages of the books early AAs read as they were developing their program. He has now written thirty-two titles on all facets of A.A. "spirituality." In early A.A., spirituality meant dependence upon God, the Creator. A.A. was a Christian fellowship. Its pioneers studied the Bible, prayed together, listened for guidance together, listened to the teachings of Dr. Bob's wife (Anne Ripley Smith), and utilized devotionals such as The Upper Room. From this, the author has learned and written about A.A.'s six major roots: the Bible, Quiet Time, the teachings of Sam Shoemaker, the life-changing program of the Oxford Group, Anne Smith's Journal, and Quiet Time. Dick has been called "A.A.'s unofficial historian" by reviewers and by one distinguished pastoral counselor who has written many books on Twelve Step programs and the ministry. Dick's aim has been to bring back for review and, where desired, the adoption of the Bible principles and practices of the 1930's when A.A. was highly successful, had a 75 to 93% success rate, and relied upon the power of God for help.

Product Details

• Paperback: 156 pages
• Publisher: Paradise Research Publications, Inc.; 2nd edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1885803222
• ISBN-13: 978-1885803221
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #757,970 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A real help for my Quiet Time, December 6, 2000

By A Customer

Those of us who observe a morning quiet time (that means Bible study, prayer, thanks to God, asking for His guidance, and sometimes the use of collateral materials)welcome this nifty review of quiet time and the morning watch through the ages. It shows the real biblical roots of morning prayer and "meditation" and provides an excellent guide, not only as to what early AAs did, but what we can do today. It is a guide for morning watch and also for seeking God's help throughout the day, followed by a hefty vote of thanks to Him at night.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Authentic, Historical Guide to Recovery Morning Devotions, March 27, 2008

By	Daxton Lyon (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA) - See all my reviews

AAs seem to crave "meditation" books, "reflection" books, devotional "guide books," and the like. Consequently, there are hundreds of books, pamphlets, and guides published in the last couple of decades. Yet there has been none suited to the AAs' taste for what the founders did. Dick set about gathering the precise books--like the Upper Room, The Runner's Bible, The Greatest Thing in The World, As a Man Thinketh, The Soul's Sincere Desire, My Utmost for His Highest, and many others--that were used by the pioneers. In fact, their quiet times were a must. They were required. And Bill Wilson remarked that he always felt something was lost in the program when the quiet time periods were abandoned. Well, they are not abandoned now. This book has been used by many of my friends as a real assist in their fellowship with God. It describes what a real quiet time was. It tells who did what, how, and why. And it provides an excellent resource for those who set aside time each day to read their Bibles, pray to God, ask the Creator's guidance, and study further.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent guide for 12 Step prayer, meditation, reading, guidance, November 17, 2006

By	John Albert Hill Jr. "Bible student in recovery" (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A Key Work on Morning Meditation and Prayer
Early on, Dick B. discovered that there were plenty of meditation and prayer books, but practically none that showed what early AAs were doing with their Quiet Times. This is an excellent help to me in following the sequence of 'meditation' events: a new birth, Bible study, prayer, seeking God's guidance, studying a devotional like The Upper Room, The Runner's Bible, and My Utmost for His Highest. It's actually a guide in my own daily prayer life, and can be for anyone who wants to be in touch with God each day - just as AA pioneers were

Also recommended: The Akron Genesis of Alcoholics Anonymous by Dick B. New Light on Alcoholism by Dick B. That Amazing Grace by Dick B.