Steps to the Spirit
by Chuck Lutz
Steps to the spirit is about my search for, discovery of, and use of the Spirit to live my life according to the wishes and plans of God. I also call them gifts from God because I believe He has given us these tools to enable us to find a closer relationship with Him. I invite you to join me in this quest that is at times both difficult and extremely fulfilling. I will try to explain how and why it became necessary to surrender, thus enabling me to begin to live according to God's plan.I will post additional info on my blog: http://www.StepsToTheSpirit.com/blog To contact me, please use: [email protected]
Episodes
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My Spirit and God – Teenage Days (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail I said at the end of the last episode that I would be speaking about after I made the transition from grammar school to high school on what happened to my religious or spiritual beliefs. I thought about that a lot since last week and I realized that I was trying to just hang onto...
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My Spirit and God – Teenage Days (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode I'll continue with my spiritual growth, or should I say lack of spiritual growth. I wanted talk mostly about my teenage years and what seemed to be a complete abolishment of any spirituality that I once had, including my religion. By the time I was in the seventh…
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My Spirit and God – Early Days (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail Wherever you are, sitting at your desktop or laptop, going from your daily run, or just sitting in the place where you like to be quiet or left, alone; God is with you. I don't remember where, when, or reset it to me, but I remember hearing it. I believe it was sometime when I...
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My Spirit and God – Early Days(Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail For six years now I have tried to keep all of these podcast episodes on the subject of the 12 step program. Of course, it has been more than that. It has not been just about the 12-steps. It has been about viewing the 12 step program through the eyes of our Spirit. I have…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 12 (Part 6)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode I want to speak about the final phrase in step 12 which is, in all our affairs. To be consistent, here is the step with the underlined phrase that we will be speaking about: Having had a spiritual experience as a result of this course of action, we try to carry…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 12 (Part 7)
Send us Fan Mail For this episode, I'm not going to be putting much here in the way of description. This is mostly because this episode is going to be a rehash and overall talk about step number 12. This part seven (I can't believe I'm writing that) of step number 12. I never thought I would be...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 12 (Part 5)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode I will continue to speak about the 12th step. This is the fifth part or episode about the 12th step and there will be one more part. I have never done six parts to any topic in the past, so I am thinking that this 12th step has become very important to me. The…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 12 (Part 4)
Send us Fan Mail In this fourth part of my discussion about step number 12, I would like to focus on the phrase “to others”. As a reminder step number 12: Having had a spiritual experience as a result of this course of action, we try to carry this message to others, and to practice these…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 12 (Part 3)
Send us Fan Mail In part number three of this 12th step, I will be speaking about the phrase “carry the message”. In order to help some of you, here is the 12th step in its entirety: Having had a spiritual experience as a result of this course of action, we try to carry this message to others…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 12 (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode I will be speaking about one of my favorite steps. I have been doing step 12 for many years, first as I was a part of the 12 step program, and now just about all of my 12-step work is done via my podcast and my writing. It is certainly not quite as fulfilling as...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 11 (Part 3)
Send us Fan Mail As a reminder, step 11 is: I sought through prayer and meditation to improve my contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for me and the power to carry that out. Well that was quick So, today I want to talk about the part of the 11th step that I’ve underlined. The...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 11 (Part 2
Send us Fan Mail Today I would like to talk about step 11, and what I would call the second part. What I consider to be the second part is: praying only for knowledge of His will for us. Next episode we will deal with part three which is, you guessed it, the power to carry that out. So, last week…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 11 (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail As a reminder, this step 11: I seek through prayer and meditation to improve my contact with God, praying only for knowledge of His will for me on the power to carry that out. I guess I have had my ups and downs with this step. In my early days, when I was really using this...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 10 (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode I’ll continue with step number 10 and talk about the second part of that step. As a reminder, this step is: I continue to take personal inventory and when I was wrong promptly admitted it. I have underlined today’s subject. I suppose I would consider this the most...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 10 (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode I’ll begin step number 10. As a reminder, step number 10 is: I continue to take personal inventory and when I was wrong promptly admitted it. This is a step that I use almost every day as part of my recovery program. I must admit I don’t really think of it…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 9 (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail So, this episode will be about the last part of step nine. As a refresher, number nine is: I made direct amends to such persons wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. This episode is about the last part of step nine (the underlined part). This part…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 9 (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode I will speak about the first part of step number nine: I made direct amends to such persons wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others. Now that I’ve made my list, I’m ready to start actually going through the list and seeking out those...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 8 (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail In today’s episode, I will be finishing up on the 8th step. The 8th step is, “I made a list of all persons I is harmed and became willing to make amends to them all.” The last portion, the one I will be discussing today, is, “became willing to make amends to them all.” This part…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 8 (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail Here we are at the second part of step number eight. The words I would like to talk about our, “and became willing to make amends to them all”. I know that it can be much easier to sit and write a list of all those persons. I know because I did it. Writing the list was easy...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 8 (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail Let’s begin by saying what step eight is: I made a list of all persons I had harmed and became willing to make complete amends to them all. Now, don’t forget that these are the original 12 steps from the first edition of the book Alcoholics Anonymous not to mention that I’ve...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 7
Send us Fan Mail the 12-step program, and yet I wasn’t participating at all. Sure I worded the s I did all of the actions that seem to be required of me teps and for anyone who was looking, (and I thought everyone was looking), I did all of the actions that made me look good if not feel-good…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 6 (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail So , my friends, the six step has always been a little bit weird for me. Once again, it says that I was entirely ready to have God remove always defects character. Let me tell you now, that when I finally was honest enough to do the steps in earnest, I was not, in any way shape…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 6 (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail Step number six is the step I am talking about in this episode. Number six is: “I was entirely ready to have God remove all of these defects of character.” So, some of you may have read my book entitled, Gifts From God, and the gift that I associated this step is the gift of...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 5 (Part 6)
Send us Fan Mail This is the last episode motel talk about step number five. Again, to remind you, this step is: admitted to God to myself and to another human being the exact nature of my wrongs. For many of us, the fourth step is the place for us to really examine our life so far especially…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 5 (Part 5)
Send us Fan Mail So now we are going to talk about the next part of this fifth step. Again, to remind you, this step is: admitted to God to myself and to another human being the exact nature of my wrongs. In this episode we will be talking about that “other human being”. I believe that the most...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 5 (Part 4)
Send us Fan Mail For part four of the discussion of step five, I would like to speak about admitting the exact nature of our wrongs to ourselves. Once again, I recall asking myself why this was necessary. After all, did not just do ¼ step that went over all of the gory details that I thought were...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 5 (Part 3)
Send us Fan Mail In this third part of the topic of step number five, I would like to speak about how I admit to God the exact nature of my wrongs. On first blush, my thought was, “this is crazy, God already knows everything about what I’ve been what I am and what I’m going to be. Why do I need…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 5 (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail To begin, I would like to make a short detour in order to mention the first words of this step”, admitted”. In Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), "admitted" means to confess, recognize, and accept the reality of one’s alcoholism, powerlessness over alcohol, and the unmanageability of…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 5 (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail Step number five is the second step of our action steps. I have to admit that the first few times that I did step four, I did it with the expectation of doing step number five. In other words step five was kind of hanging over me as I thought of which of the things I had done…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 4 (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail So here we are at the ( sometimes dreaded) fourth step. Once again, please allow me to remind you of what the fourth step is: I made a searching and fearless moral inventory of myself. I have italicized what I consider to be the most important words in this fourth step. I know…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 4 (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail I would like to start by reminding you of a couple of things. First, I am telling you about working the steps from the points of view that I believe is the way the original program was meant to be. That original program, and the 12 steps were designed as a way of life that works...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 3 (Part 3)
Send us Fan Mail In our last podcast I ended with speaking about duality and how it is now considered to be passé in both sciences and philosophy. I truly do not understand how educated people can look at our makeup and decide that we are ultimately of one substance. The so-called hard problem of...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 3 (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail Let’s imagine for a moment, leaving the place that we live in the morning, soon after having breakfast. Our breakfast may have been cornflakes, a bowl of grits, French toast, or what we could call the “Full Monty” of bacon and sausage eggs and home fries. What we decided to have...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 3 (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail As a reminder, the third step is: (my version) I made its decision to turn my will and my life over to the care of God, as I understand God For me, this is arguably the most important step in this program. From a purely psychological aspect, one could argue that the first step,...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 2 (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail In this second part of step two, I want to talk about a crucial ingredient that was necessary for me to be successful with this 12 step program. Last episode I spoke about our individual belief in either a higher power (God) or the police in the possibility of the existence of a...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 2 (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail This episode begin to our look at the second step of the 12 step program. To refresh your memory the second step is: I came to believe that a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity. When I was first dubbing around you with the 12 step program, I pretty much skipped...
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The 12 Step Program - Step 1 (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail So in step one I personally admitted, finally, that I could not handle alcohol. Alcohol was the substance that I found I could use to escape life and basically, escape myself. That is what I really hated so much I hated me. I did not want to be close to anyone nor did I want…
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The 12 Step Program - Step 1 (Part 1
Send us Fan Mail Step one can be thought of in three ways. With me remind you that my version of step one is as follows: “We I admitted we were I am powerless over alcohol everything, that our lives my life has become unmanageable.” I have indicated the original words and cross them out. My new...
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The 12-Step Program – Overview (Part 2)
Send us Fan Mail So, last time I started to touch on the Oxford Groups influence on the beginnings of the 12-step program, or more accurately, Bill Wilson. Bill already had the foundations for the 12 step program etched into his mind from the Oxford Group. However, in 1935 he had the luck to...
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The 12-Step Program – Overview (Part 1)
Send us Fan Mail This episode, and possibly the next I am dedicating to the formation of the 12 step program. If any of you have been listening to this podcast for a while, then you will know how much importance I put on the Oxford Group. I would go so far as to say that every one of the steps in...
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Podcast Overview & Spiritual Goals
Send us Fan Mail From time to time, I like to talk to you about why I felt a need to start this podcast, why this podcast continues to exist, and, basically, what it is all about. I know some of you are old-time listeners, and really are kind of in sync with my line of thinking, certainly no what…
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Happy New Year!
Send us Fan Mail Let me start by wishing you all very happy new year. In my estimation, 2025 seem to be becoming a little better towards the end of the year. In addition, it seems to me that the year 2026 will continue to be a better one for most of humanity. Of course, I am talking from the…
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My Christmas Message
Send us Fan Mail I don’t have much in the way of the description for this episode. It is my last episode of the year, as well as what I am calling my Christmas message. I know that some of you are not Christian, but after all is said and done I would still refer to myself as a Christian. The…
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The Oxford Group’s 6 Basic Assumptions (part 7)
Send us Fan Mail This episode will be the end, or last, episode of the six basic assumptions. As a reminder the sixth assumption is: 6. Those who have been “changed” must “change others”. There are couple of words in this assumption that are a little surprising, and that would never be found in…
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The Oxford Group’s 6 Basic Assumptions (part 6)
Send us Fan Mail This episode brings us to the end of the Oxford group’s six basic assumptions. The sixth: basic assumption is 6. Those who have been “changed” must “change others”. Any of you who are familiar with the 12-step program will recognize basic assumption as being directly related to...
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The Oxford Group’s 6 Basic Assumptions (part 5)
Send us Fan Mail This episode is a continuation of the six basic assumptions of the Oxford Group, specifically, assumption number five which is: 5. The ‘Age of Miracles has returned. These lists were made at the beginning of the existence of the Oxford Group. I am not really familiar with what...
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The Oxford Group’s 6 Basic Assumptions (part 4)
Send us Fan Mail I don’t know how I missed episode number 48! Maybe my old age of 81 (January 16), is catching up with me. Anyway, to my regular listeners, I’m sorry I missed it. Here it is now. This episode is about the fourth of the six basic assumptions that are found in the Oxford Group. It…
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The Oxford Group’s 6 Basic Assumptions (part 3)
Send us Fan Mail This episode is a continuation of our look at six basic assumptions. Once again, I am including a list of these assumptions. They are: The 6 Basic Assumptions: 1. Men are sinners. 2. Men can be changed. 3. Confession is prerequisite to change. 4. The changed soul has direct…
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The Oxford Group’s 6 Basic Assumptions (part 2)
Send us Fan Mail We are now at the second of the six basic assumptions. That second assumption is, “Men can be changed.” As a reminder, we saw in the first assumption that men are sinners. And I think in our present day language, that that assumption means because of our humanity and our free…
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The Oxford Group’s 6 Basic Assumptions (part 1)
Send us Fan Mail In this episode will begin the last of the Oxford Groups lists that we will be looking at in this podcast. This would just called: The Six Basic Assumptions. I am including this list (as it was written), below. The 6 Basic Assumptions: 1. Men are sinners. 2. Men can be changed.…
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About this show
Steps to the spirit is about my search for, discovery of, and use of the Spirit to live my life according to the wishes and plans of God. I also call them gifts from God because I believe He has given us these tools to enable us to find a closer relationship with Him. I invite you to join me in this quest that is at times both difficult and extremely fulfilling. I will try to explain how and why it became necessary to surrender, thus enabling me to begin to live according to God's plan.I will post additional info on my blog: http://www.StepsToTheSpirit.com/blog To contact me, please use: [email protected]
Hosted by
Chuck Lutz
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