12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee like me

[nonotone (24.211.177.206)]

From John Fischer's latest book: "12 Steps for the Recovering Pharisee (like me)"

Please see: http://www.fischtank.com/book/12step.cfm

The 12 Steps

1. We admit that our single most unmitigated pleasure is to judge other people.

2. Have come to believe that our means of obtaining greatness is to make everyone lower than ourselves in our own mind.

3. Realize that we detest mercy being given to those who, unlike us, haven't worked for it and don't deserve it.

4. Have decided that we don't want to get what we deserve after all, and we don't want anyone else to either.

5. Will cease all attempts to apply teaching and rebuke to anyone but ourselves.

6. Are ready to have God remove all these defects of attitude and character.

7. Embrace the belief that we are, and will always be, experts at sinning.

8. Are looking closely at the lives of famous men and women of the Bible who turned out to be ordinary sinners like us.

9. Are seeking through prayer and meditation to make a conscious effort to consider other better than ourselves.

10. Embrace the state of astonishment as a permanent and glorious reality.

11. Choose to rid ourselves of any attitude that is not bathed in gratitude.

12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we will try to carry this message to others who think that Christians are better than everyone else.

Copyright © 2000, John Fischer
Published by Bethany House Publishers
ISBN 0?7642?2202?3

[Anonymous (64.12.117.20)]

Thanks nonotone for sharing that with us. While I was reading this excerpt I was thinking of several on here this would pertain to. Then it hit me. I was acting the same way in regards to those same people. OMG! I guess we all that same tendency in us. What an awakening that is for sure. I think I just might look for this book and read more about it.

[Anonymous (69.242.21.100)]

my prayer: Purify my heart lord renew a right spirit within me.

[Anonymous (205.188.117.20)]

Thanks, Nonotone.

[Anonymous (151.203.157.69)]

.

[Anonymous (67.249.224.241)]

amen

[Anonymous (24.58.114.87)]

sounds like everyone on this site!

[jim_kennedy (jim_kennedy)]

Would have never gotten to this if the board wasn't all fetched up...

I think the 2nd most important issue after the cross in Jesus' ministry is the Pharisees. The gospels devote chapters to it. He had nothing nice to say to those guys. "How will you escape the damnation of hell?" The scary thing is they had the scriptures, they kept the law. His dialogue with them has always been relevant, it certainly is today. The warning of the New Testament is clear: avoid these guys and avoid being like them.

Exercising sound judgement, trying the spirits, and speaking out against wrong doesn't make you a Pharisee. I do think one of the symptoms is thinking you're always right, that your interpretation is always the correct one. Compulsion to punish wrong doing. We all have sins, those who seem to lean toward lasciviousness and those who lean toward legalism. But speaking out against cultic abuses or injustice doesn't make you a Pharisee. Was Martin Luther King Jr. a Pharisee? Maybe he should have let God handle it...

I saw a comedian on Comedy Central, Lewis Burns? He acts like he's ****ed off about everything. He was commenting on how he saw Jerry Falwell saying that God was judging sinners on 9/11. Falwell had commented that God had shown him this. Lewis' next comment cracked me up: "We'll God talked to me 12 hours ago and He said it's guys like you He doesn't like." He has a point, the Pharisaical attitudes of christianity in the media are really a poor testimony to those who need God.

Jim

[jim_kennedy (jim_kennedy)]

Seeing if this moves up...

[buggin (buggin)]

Jim_Kennedy,

That was Louis Black from the Daily Show.
He also does stand up on Comedy Central on occasion.
I saw his act a number of times, (one of my favorite comedians)
And I agree his comments about Falwell were right on.

[servantforgod (servantforgod)]

Hey, I think this is a very good program. Our whole country needs these 12 steps. We Christians need to all embrace these steps and take them seriously. Thanks for sharing. God Bless.

[louise_connolly (louise_connolly)]

Buggin,

I am glad you corrected Jim on Lewis Black's name. He is a favorite at our house. My adult son has made each family member go with him to one of Lewis's comedy shows when Lewis has been in our area. My turn was at the Hampton Beach casino.