Joe McQ and Charlie P met in 1973 when Joe introduced Charlie as the AA speaker at an ALAnon convention. Joe had wondered if Charlie P might be the country singer Charlie Pride. "he wasn't even the right color," Joe laments.
In 1977, some AA members met in a Tulsa, Oklahoma hotel room for a discussion on The Big Book. One member asked Joe and Charlie to come to his home group to present a program on The Big Book. A taping of that presentation was made and called "The Big Book Study".
At the Alcoholics Anonymous International Convention in New Orleans in 1980, Wesley P, gave away 100 Joe & Charlie tape sets as door prizes. Invitations exploded, and within a couple of years Joe & Charlie were presenting about 36 seminars a year worldwide. The original Joe, Joe McQ, has had to cut back his traveling in recent years. Oddly enough, another Joe - Joe McC (who was active in the study group since the beginning) has been able to pick up the slack. "where God guides, God provides", as some members say.
They start at the chapter - The Doctors Opinion, and over the course of the next 2 days take us all the way through to the final words of the chapter - A Vision for You - "We shall be with you in the Fellowship of the Spirit, and you will surely meet some of us as you trudge the Road of Happy Destiny. May God bless you and keep you - until then." (Page 164).
In between they show us how simple and uncomplicated it can be to complete a Fourth Step Inventory, as well as allowing us to hear the experience, strength, and hope that they have been fortunate to enjoy in many, many years of spiritual sobriety. They both showed all of us that It works - It really works ! all we have to do is follow the directions given to us by the first 68 members of AA who spent time with Bill Wilson and gave the world Alcoholics Anonymous (Big Book) in 1939.
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