rage-filled conversation with the absent God. “You have let me down. You have put me through hell this week and uncovered a lot of buried conflict. I felt led to Our Lady of Vladimir—and for what? The retreat is over tomorrow, and I have no sign that I can trust you.” I curse God for forty-five minutes. “Lord, I have just lost my faith in you! That means that my job as a priest goes with it, and much of the rest of my life. You bastard, trickster-God, you phony, non-existent thug! You are not even real
prevent some from seeking alcohol treatment. If anyone knows about using blame, as alcoholics we have it in our repertoire in spades. We frequently blamed other people (the crazy spouse, the awful kids, the nutjob boss) for making us drink. It was phony, and it didn't get us anywhere. There's a valuable lesson in there for non-alcoholics, too. Chapter Four When people rely on surface appearances and false stereotypes, rather than in-depth knowledge of others at the level of the heart, mind and