Life Recovery Devotional: Thirty Meditations from Scripture for Each Step in Recovery

This book is a great devotional for anyone with hurts, hangups, or habits. It is refreshing and helps me to refocus when I forget to take one day at a time.

I am not sure what the previous reviewer (Mona Lisa) was reviewing this book or 12 step programs in general. I have to agree with one facet of what she said, namely that there is really no such thing as a secular 12 step program. AA started out by unabashedly Christian; the steps reflect the Biblical model of repentance, confession, forgivenss and service. For this reason, the premise of the first 3 steps is that recovery depends on creating and maintaining a close relationship to God. Attempts to use the steps together with a non-Christian philosophy start by renaming God as "my Higher Power." After that the syncretism starts in earnest: the steps are blended with classical Buddhism, New Age, agnosticism and a huge dose of pop psychology ("healing your inner child"). I don't think the resulting collage of ideas can really heal anyone. It would be much more honest and probably more therapeutic if the originators of the many, many 12 step spinoff groups (SLAA, LA, NA, OA etc.) and AA itself would be honest to themselves and their group members and speak the truth in love: the 12 steps are religious by their nature. Since I am a committed evangelical Christian the inescapably religious nature of the 12 steps doesn't bother me at all--for me, the more religious (really Christian) content the better. I believe that the Holy Spirit heals in response to genuine faith as expressed in humility, trust in God and genuine love for others. For that reason, this book was (literally) a godsend for me. It meant that I could couple solid Biblical doctrine with practical tools and rebuild my life "one day at a time." If you are not a Christian, this isn't the meditation book for you. I suggest you shop carefully a choose one that matches your mindset. If you are a Christian struggling with habitual sin or caught in an addiction cycle it is invaluable--like sitting down for an hour every day for a therapy session with the Apostle Paul.