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The Way of Love
Father Bill W.
Morehouse Publishing
Jul/2025, 224 Pages, Paperback, 5.5 x 8.5
ISBN: 9781640657991
A tool for those in addiction recovery, and anyone seeking spiritual growth, that explains how to listen to God who has a message for each person to become who they are meant to be.
Two way prayer is an extension of the 11th step of AA to use prayer and meditation to improve a connection with God on the journey to sobriety. The practice has emerged as a valuable part of the addiction recovery process and has been validated in scientific studies. Priest and recovering alcoholic, Fr. Bill W. offers detailed, step-by-step instructions as well as sample writings that demonstrate how practical, intimate, and transforming this type of prayer can be. At the heart of the practice, there is dedicated morning devotion and quiet time, where a person asks for spiritual guidance, pauses and listens for the answer, and begins writing down the guidance that is received. It is this practical approach to prayer through listening and writing that provides a spiritual awakening, since any guidance received must be carried into action as a way to be of service. Readers will be shown how the practice can be shared and how it will comfort and guide them one day at a time as they embark on a deeper and more transformative phase of their recovery journey.
Father Bill W. is an Episcopal priest who has been in recovery since 1972. He has served as a counselor and administrator of several nationally recognized addiction treatment centers, including Sacred Heart Rehabilitation Center in Detroit, Baton Rouge General Hospital Chemical Dependency Unit, and Cottonwood Treatment Centers. He has taught as adjunct faculty lecturing on addiction and spirituality at the University of Texas School of Social Work, The Episcopal Seminary of the Southwest, and Austin Presbyterian Seminary. He was a Fellow in Residence at the Hope and Healing Institute in Houston, Texas. He hosts the Fr. Bill W. podcast and workshops on meaningful recovery. He lives near Austin, Texas.
“What we find in these pages reminds me that the arc of lifelong recovery is a journey demanding commitment, faith, and practical wisdom; thanks to Fr. Bill for showing fellow travelers like me how it works and how to work it along our way.”—William Cope Moyers, author of Broken, My Story of Addiction and Redemption, and VP Public Affairs & Community Relations, Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
“This book is the most detailed and extensive ‘deep dive’ into Step Eleven I have ever read. It explains how Step Eleven was practiced during the early days of the Twelve Step movement when we had a 50-75% recovery rate from alcoholism.”—Wally P., author of Back to Basics and Listening to God
“Father Bill W.’s book is a wonderful description of a piece of AA history that I didn’t know. I highly recommend this book as a supplement to what we already know about recovery practice and therapy.”—Linda Farris Kurtz, author of Recovery Groups: A Guide to Creating, Leading, and Working with Groups for Addictions and Mental Health Conditions, Professor Emeritus, Eastern Michigan University
“The practice of Two Way Prayer is a pearl of great price. I’m grateful to Fr. Bill W. for unearthing this treasure and sharing it so generously. It has expanded my prayer life exponentially.” —Jeff Jay, CIP and author of Love First
“A must-read for all members of Twelve-Step programs and indeed all who are on a spiritual journey and seeking a deeper relationship with their true Self!”—Ian Mc Cabe, Ph.D., Psy.D. author of Carl Jung and Alcoholics Anonymous
