Vintage D.T.Y.T.S.

A while back an individual posted online that I needed medical help, based solely on my blog picture viewed on their mobile device. Pretty insightful. So, I immediately headed to the ER for help. The staff was waiting for me (since the government now reads all posts and follows everyone with drones) and I was rushed into a state-of-the-art diagnostic suite where I was subjected to a battery of tests of which I just received the results, in a tweet, on Snapchat, Instagram and Pinterest.

The Prognosis: first, I am terminal. It has been determined I am going to die, they just don’t know when or of what, but it is a certainty. Bummer. However, there was good news, my levels of D.T.Y.T.S. are all exceedingly high for a man my vintage. (You know, D.T.Y.T.S.: Don’t Take Yourself Too Seriously).

So, a prescription was forwarded, by e-mail of course, that I just filled at Walmart. The directions read: Laugh at yourself daily, for you are the funniest person you know. Every time you walk into a room and forget why you are there, laugh. When the coffee cup, eyeglass, car keys gremlin moves them from the last place you are certain you left them, laugh. When you find yourself at the grocery store opening the glass doors in the frozen food section to “see” what is on the shelves, laugh. When you find yourself waiting for the light to change at a stop sign, laugh. And most importantly laugh when some know nothing self-important chucklehead chooses to point out your shortcomings and character defects uninvited. And then say a silent prayer for them.
Miracles Of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids

Today’s Gift and The Presence

When we find ourselves drifting out of the present moment, dwelling either in the past or projecting into the future, we open the door to morbid reflection. When thinking about the past what usually surfaces? Is it the overwhelming number of times when things went well, when we did the right thing or the times when we were less than our best, made a mistake or were treated poorly? When considering the future do we ponder along the lines of how great life will be, or do we drift into negative projections? Living on the Spiritual Basis alters our focus so instead of seeing only the carnal and secular, the finite, our vision is lengthened and broadened as we have begun to comprehend the infinite.

But Fear is a powerful adversary, forever trying to steer us from the light, with morbid reflection one of its’ favorite tools. When we reflect morbidly on the past depression becomes our traveling companion while reflecting morbidly into the future, we invite anxiety along for the ride. When used constructively our past is an asset, becoming a resource for instruction for those seeking a way out of the Fear driven life, demonstrating what life was like before and after choosing to Live on the Spiritual Basis. Our future is a promise, chapters unwritten, our lives the paper, faith the ink, the pen in our hand guided by a Power Greater Than Ourselves, if we but ask. God does not dictate the script, for of all creation we alone have free will in Spirit, so remember, He is a gentleman and will only be our partner if we ask. So:

The only time we can stand in the presence of God, the only time we can be present for God, the only time God can act in our lives is in the present moment. Living on the Spiritual Basis we now have a history of God’s love and direction in our lives, the past an asset, the future a promise, today the gift.

Miracles Of Recovery 


© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved
Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids

Living The Consecrated Life

When we turn our will and life over to the care of God, we embark on living a consecrated life. Having taken this path by choice, our job now is to see the Presence of God everywhere, in everything and everyone, expressing our current understanding of spiritual principles to the best of our ability. Remember, we are forever growing and learning, and this new way of living is Simple but not easy, a price has to be paid and that price is the surrender of self. The equation is straightforward: the more time we spend thinking about ourselves, the less comfortable we become, opening the door to restlessness, irritability and discontentment. Conversely, the more time we spend focusing on the Presence of God, practicing the principles we have come to know and believe the more comfortable, at peace we become. Living this consecrated life is the true path of serenity, providing the peace of heart and mind we all truly crave.

Miracles Of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids

Optimism Requires Commitment

“Cheap optimism is never spiritual.” We should never be satisfied or resign ourselves to live with anything less than the full expression of God’s love in our life. Never settle for any condition in your life that expresses lack or limitation. Divine Life wants all to be happy, joyous and free, so be honest about your circumstances, freedom from the bondage of self comes when we wholeheartedly, without reservation, believe God not only will, but wants to provide for our needs, His love all encompassing. By practicing the Presence of God and Divine Healing through prayer, meditation and selfless service, in our lives daily, remarkable things happen, amazing and unforeseen avenues of source and support appear, regardless of the secular condition of the world about us and we shall know peace and begin to comprehend serenity.
Miracles Of Recovery

© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids

The Universe Moved

Do you pray expecting to receive or with trepidation? When we pray with doubt, believing secretly in our heart of hearts that God is too busy or we are insignificant or since our hands are not perfectly clean our prayers will not be answered, we are praying with two minds, wanting our prayer answered but not believing it will be. Is it then any surprise we fail to demonstrate?
No one among us is perfect, yet none of us are insignificant to God, remember, time is a human construct that has no bearing on God, and He is never too busy for His children. We live in a state of grace, His love unconditional, we place arbitrary conditions on His love and availability out of fear. Please do not misunderstand, fear is a powerful, relentless, pitiless foe. Consider: Media in all forms bombards us daily with stories of doom and gloom. Coming economic disaster, sickness and disease ever lurking, wars and rumors of war abound, terror attacks, global climactic failure imminent, the end is nigh unless we act, or we are doomed even if we do! Is it really any wonder fear-based thinking is so hard to displace?

Keep in mind we live in eternity NOW, this flesh, even the stars finite; our consciousness, our soul, eternal.  Passing conditions are just that, passing. It is vital we turn our consciousness, gently through prayer and meditation, away from the negative and to the love and guidance of the Miraculous. In so doing, not only does our life improve, but the whole world as well, volcanoes, recessions/depressions, war, comet/asteroid strikes, extinctions, terrorism, pandemics and global climatic changes all placed in their proper perspective.

So we take whatever secular actions are indicated, but then we place all our fears, great and small in His hands and pray expecting God to act, for nothing so moves the universe as a heartfelt prayer.
Miracles Of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids

Saint Peter Cried

We lay “claim” to things daily, usually without a thought. Whenever we start a statement with “My”, we claim ownership. Having ruminated on this over the years, I think I am finally getting it. Although I may have a headache or a flair up of arthritis, do I really want to “own” them? No. I want them to go away. Nevertheless, when I refer to them as “My” I assert ownership. Today instead of commenting on or talking about the negative things in “My” life I take whatever secular action is indicated, aspirin, heating pad, ice pack etc. followed by a short prayer thanking God for knowing Him better. Today I claim all the gifts and blessings God has not only for me but for you as well, that all I desire in “My” life comes to you as well. Years ago, I came upon this piece on blessings which touched me deeply:

A man found himself standing at the gates to heaven. He was upset and relieved at the same time. Upset that he passed but relieved he was standing at the Gates of Heaven. Saint Peter greeted him and motioned for him to come forward. As he walked through the gates, he was struck speechless by the beauty and peace that greeted him. Saint Peter ushered him around showing him the wonders of Heaven. In turn, they came upon a rather plain looking building, its plainness a stark contrast compared to the beauty of all the others. Turning to Saint Peter he asked, “What is that building?” Saint Peter replied, “All of Heaven is open to you but I beseech you to leave this structure be.” The man nodded, for who would question a Saint? But try as he might he could not get that one building out of his mind and after a time asked, “You said all of Heaven is open to me, so if I wished to visit any building I could?” With a look of resignation, Saint Peter nodded for he knew of which building the man was thinking. As they walked, Saint Peter waited for the request which always followed. Soon the man turned to him and said, “I would like to go back to the plain building.” With sadness and a pass of his hand Saint Peter deposited them on the doorstep. “I urge you again not to go in” but he would not be swayed. As the doors opened the man was greeted with row upon row of seeming endless shelves on which rested exquisite boxes each inscribed with a name. He turned, excited, to Saint Peter and asked if there was a box with his name on it. Saint Peter replied yes but again urged him to leave the building. Undeterred the man ran down the aisles until he found the box with his name on it. As he took it down from the shelf, he turned to see tears in Saint Peter’s eyes, but he could not stop himself, so he removed the lid. As he looked in the box his heart fell for the box contained all the blessings God had gifted him that had been left unclaimed. He then knew and they wept together.

In prayer claim all of God’s blessings today and if you don’t know what they are, ask and He will make them plain for you and countless others.


Miracles Of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids

Why God?

We are actively engaged in daily prayer, meditation and service yet areas of our life seemingly are not improving, and new troubles seem to keep appearing, why? We have come to believe that God is all-powerful, all knowledge and intelligence, the one true source of all abundance, immanent, yet our pleadings are seemingly falling on deaf ears, why? Through demonstration and adherence to spiritual principles our consciousness has risen, we have experienced the joy of standing in the light, seen the light begin to shine in our life and the lives of others, yet we are struggling, why?
Time is a curious thing. Einstein proved it is in fact, flexible, affected by both gravity and speed, relative to the observer’s point of view. God though is unaffected by our relationship with time, its effect on us. The passing of the seasons, the marking of birthdays are human constructs, our time line of remembrance, not God’s.

When we are in emotional or physical pain or just struggling with some difficulty, we desire relief, answers now. The universe does not answer to our time line. Faith requires the willingness to trust that the miraculous is working, unseen, to address the issues of our lives. I am reminded again of the hen and her eggs. The miracle of creation is happening inside the egg, the hen’s job to have faith and care for the unborn chick, trusting in the unseen to do the work, in its good time.

So we answer the question of why by trusting in faith, trusting in the unseen. Remembering that this day is a single day in a very long existence, the spark of the Divine within us eternal, having never been born, will never die, not limited by flesh, having always been and will always be, we strive to live beyond the present by being present in the moment for Our Father and our fellows. The past is written, the future the ink in the pen, becoming reality as it moves across the pages of our lives. So be present for the story of your life, standing firm in faith and in His good “time,” why evaporates.

Miracles Of Recovery

© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids

Divine Love Banishes Fear

Everyday planes depart in the rain. The aircraft pulls away from the gate and takes its place in line for takeoff. Soon the engines spool up, the brakes released, the craft quickly gains speed, the passengers pushed back in their seats by the acceleration. The nose lifts as the cabin windows are obscured by driving rain, then everything turns white as the plane enters the clouds. A few seconds pass and then it happens, bright sunshine bursts into the cabin, momentarily blinding in its intensity. The rain, darkness and shadows replaced with brilliance. In truth the sunshine was always there, it was merely obscured by a temporary condition.

When we find ourselves in the midst of a difficulty, clouds of fear placing us in shadow, the sunshine of God’s love in truth has never ceased. By raising our consciousness through prayer, meditation and selfless service we demonstrate over fear, raising ourselves above the clouds, standing in the light and love that was always there. Fear exposed for what it truly is, a shadow, Divine Love the light banishing it from our heart.

Miracles Of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids

When We Change The Way We Look At Things….

“We are sure God wants us to be happy, joyous and free. We cannot subscribe to the belief that this life is a vale of tears, though it was just that for many of us. But it is clear that we made our own misery. God didn’t do it. Avoid then the deliberate manufacture of misery, but if trouble comes, cheerfully capitalize it as an opportunity to demonstrate His omnipotence” (Alcoholics Anonymous pg. 133).

The only power which can hold us back, regardless of the challenge, is fear. Living on the Spiritual Basis does not mean life’s challenges no longer exist or are any less painful in the moment, but instead of allowing ourselves to drift into sorrow and morbid reflection (fear’s children), we turn to Him who has all knowledge and power for strength and direction, demonstrating over fear. Circumstances in our lives are not spiritual impediments, just different paths of enlightenment. This truth sets us free: We are not this flesh. We are eternal spirit, existing in this form for only a moment, our lives a series of moments in eternity, truly children of the Most High. Living on the Spiritual Basis affirms our connection to the Miraculous, putting all things in their proper place and it is from this perspective we triumph over fear.


Miracles Of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids  

Justified Anger and Living on the Spiritual Basis

We cannot have our indignation or “justified” anger and live on the spiritual basis. If we wish to comprehend serenity and know peace, we must choose our basis for living: carnal or spiritual. There are many things in life where we can be lukewarm, wishy washy, kinda in and kinda out, take it or leave it, Spiritual Living is not one of them; it requires a wholehearted commitment on our part.

Living on the Spiritual Basis requires:

1) Turning our will and life over to the care and direction of a Power Greater Than Ourselves, as we understand it.

2) Study and work to develop a clear understanding of what this Power is and isn‘t, but at its minimum this power must be loving, intelligent and available. Begin to clear away the debris from living on the carnal basis; learning to value the welfare of others and the power of selfless service, of course this is a lifetime endeavor.

 3) Give all power to your new friend, God for lack of a better name, in every sense, for every area of our existence is under His purview, nothing hidden, all secrets revealed.

4) Turn to the Miraculous in prayer, holding fast to the belief that prayer can accomplish anything.

5) Destroy with prayer any negative thoughts as they surface, refusing to allow them purchase in your consciousness. Remembering no one does this perfectly, so we do not berate ourselves if a wolf in sheep’s clothing sneaks in, we just address it in prayer upon becoming aware.

6) Understanding “reaping and sowing.” That not only do our actions have consequence, habitual negative thinking does as well, what we focus on, we bring into our lives. So, to be free, we must focus on the positive.

7) We practice the Presence of God, to the best of your current ability, in everything and with everyone, always, but especially with those you disagree with or dislike. To be clear: Seeing God in everyone and everything does not mean we cannot or should not hold strong opinions or points of view, but instead of engaging in negative prattle and thinking, we seek the higher ground Living on the Spiritual Basis provides. For in truth, “there is a little bit of bad in the best of us and a little bit of good in the worst,” such is being human.

8) We book end our days in meditation, starting each day asking to be shown the way of patience, tolerance, kindness and love, that our motives throughout the day be devoid of selfishness and self-seeking. Ending our day with constructive meditation on the day’s events, refusing to allow morbid reflection to infect this time in spirit.

In time, with practice, this way of life will become second nature, its benefits concrete, becoming readily evident as we face seeming calamity with serenity, no longer driven or dominated by anger and its soulmate, fear.

Miracles Of Recovery

© Vincent Lee Jones All Rights Reserved

Miracles Of Recovery, Overdose Death, Alcoholism, Wayne Dyer, Drug Addiction, Zen, Emmet Fox, Opioids, Heroin, Einstein, AA, Healing Path Recovery, Drug Rehab, #Drug Addiction, #Drug Rehab, #Healing Path Recovery, #Heroin, #Opioids