Tom Adams
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We need each other. We need to believe in something other than our own intellect and ability. These are two of the fundamental beliefs that allowed Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon Family Groups and other Twelve Step programs to grow and flourish. These two concepts...
It may be a stretch to feel grateful this Thanksgiving. 2020 abounds with emotional pain for most of us. Economic and physical suffering or even death are touching so many of us. In the “divine economy,” our suffering can be louder than our gratitude. In my quiet...
Gratefully, one kind of noise has stopped – the endless commentary and worry about who is ahead in the polls and who might win the Presidential election. Fortunately, the noise of congratulations for President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris can...
I don’t think I am alone in feeling a heaviness and weariness on Election Day 2020. No matter which way the election goes and how soon we know the results, the road forward is not clear. No one has the answers. The acrimony and divisiveness that is present in...
The Scripture passage “Love your neighbor as yourself” has been haunting me lately. You may be more familiar with its cousin: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” How are love of others and self-love connected and possible in such divisive times? This...
Rose Mary Dougherty, in her days leading groups at Shalem, had a favorite parable she came back to often. With her charming Irish smile, she would ask: “Why do the antelope walk side by side in the jungle?” And after letting that settle for a short moment, she would...
More precisely, who is God for me? That is the question that has haunted me for many years. Well, perhaps haunt is a little strong. It is more like recurring dreams that come and go. Sometimes the dream is pleasant and fills me up. I am at a beach with people I love...
At lunch at the Gerald May seminar, Compassion of the Mystics, I was at a table where 12-Step meetings and recovery were being discussed. Having been a student and beneficiary of 12-Step groups for over 30 years, my ears perked up. A lunch table friend was describing...
I was eager to attend the Gerald May Seminar on the Compassion of the Mystics with Bernard McGinn. Since embracing the practice of centering prayer a couple of years ago, my interest in love and how love grows has been front and center. I figured compassion and love...
There is no deeper intimacy than hearts united in a desire to be with God and each other in prayer. Group spiritual direction is for me a unique and no-fail opportunity to experience that intimacy and to grow in love. The love that develops among strangers in group...
Tom Adams writes and speaks on topics vital to the intersection of our personal lives with our community and global lives. He has for decades been engaged in and written about nonprofit leadership and transitions, spirituality and spiritual growth, how we each contribute to a more just and equitable world and recovery from addictions and the Twelve Step recovery movement.