"It's So Boring"

I remember one encounter that I had with a bum on the street in Redondo Beach, California.

He was one of those "repeat" thirty-day chip types.

He would go to a meeting, get sober for thirty days, then go out and drink again.

I remember sitting down with him and sharing with him what I knew about the program, what I knew about the program, how it works, all that other stuff.

"Yeah, I know about all that stuff," he told me.

"I was able to stay sober for about two months sometimes, but then it got boring."

It was boring to him, the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. It was a strange thought to me.

"Yeah, it's so boring, and I want to have fun!"

I offered him a piece of fruit from lunch, but then he blew me off.

"Is it organic? Has it been washed?"

I could not believe how prissy this guy was about a piece of fruit, but he had no problem drinking himself to death.

I never really let that issue sink into my mind at the time, but isn't that what everyone is looking for? Life and that more abundantly?

Alcoholics Anonymous cannot give a man what he really needs -- life.

We are dead in our trespasses, and without Christ and Him Crucified, a man will go from the bottle to the ashtray or to the doughnut box or to some other harmful yet legal and less deviant addiction!

I was recalling that bum on the street on Redondo Beach. He signalled loud and clear that the program does not work, and "working it" only makes it worse!