471- Mark Houston and Dave F - Fellowship of the Spirit, Part 7471- Mark Houston and Dave F - Fellowship of the Spirit, Part 7
Sober Speak- Alcoholics Anonymous Recovery Interviews
Mark Houston and Dave F break down how they approach inventory, fear, and steel on steel accountability in a detailed AA workshop recorded in 2001. Host John M frames the session with personal updates and positions it as a practical, spiritually focused “meeting between meetings” for those working the 12 steps.
1:09:10•23 Oct 2026
Sharpening the Spirit: Mark Houston & Dave F on Inventory, Fear and Steel on Steel
Episode Overview
- Set up inventory with a specific prayer, asking God to remove fear and show what needs to come out on the page.
- Write inventory in columns and keep it simple at first, using short forms so newcomers don’t burn out on hundreds of resentments.
- Recognise that fear often signals reliance on self instead of God, and treat it as a decision that can be changed.
- Use steel on steel as a structured, loving way to hold each other accountable for meetings, prayer, meditation, finances, relationships, and honesty.
- Avoid turning AA meetings into first-step confessions or therapy sessions by saving detailed problem talk for one-on-one conversations and focused work.
“Fear is a conscious decision… I’m making the decision to rely on myself rather than to rely on God where my ultimate power comes from.”
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey?
This episode of Sober Speak drops you right into a high-octane AA workshop with the late Mark Houston and Dave F, recorded back in 2001, shortly after they’d worked the steps together and felt, as Dave says, “as spiritually awake as they could get.” It’s Part 7 of the much-loved “Fellowship of the Spirit” series, and it’s aimed squarely at people who want more than slogans and coffee chatter – especially those hungry for practical guidance on the 12 steps.
Host John M kicks things off from “Studio AA, deep in the heart of Texas,” sharing honestly about a rough week of health issues and how he’s “kind of faking my energy right now” just to keep this Friday episode going.
Dave walks through exactly how he sets up inventory, including using a set-aside prayer: “I ask God to remove my fear of what I’m going to see about myself, and I ask God to show me what I need to see.” He explains columns, short forms versus long forms, and why self-resentments sometimes just get a giant X and the instruction, “Forgive yourself and move on.” Mark expands on “steel on steel” – a tough-love, God-centred accountability practice where, as he puts it, “there isn’t any secrets in your life.” They talk about strict disciplines of prayer, meditation, meetings, sponsorship, and brutally honest feedback, all done “in the spirit of love.” If you’ve been stuck in step work, or living in “self-delusion in sobriety,” this one might hit closer to home than you expect.
You’ll hear his trademark warmth as he calls Sober Speak “your meeting between meetings” and reminds everyone to “take what you want and leave the rest at the curb for the trash man to pick up.” Then Mark and Dave go deep into the mechanics of fourth and fifth step work. So, are you ready to sharpen your inventory skills and maybe your honesty too?
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