The Collection of Connected Speakers

The Collection

This collection includes an overview of each person mentioned in the sponsorship lineage and if available, a collection of their talks, workshops, and writings. They also include additional details to the events described above. Persons that were either involved or mentioned during the talks are also included. The narratives on this page were gleaned from listening to the talks on this collection.

Joe Hawk AA of Santa Monica CA (1952-2007)

Joe grew up in Battle Creek, Michigan. When he was 12 years old, he discovered that alcohol made him feel like he belonged. At 14, his family sent him to a Military School in Boston due to his behavior. After returning to Michigan, he had multiple run-ins with the law related to drug charges, but his father was able to have the charges dropped. At the age of 19, he was arrested for armed robbery and forgery and served two years in the Michigan Penitentiary. Upon release at 21, he traveled around and worked in various places, including as a blackjack dealer in Las Vegas. During this time, he also worked in chemical dependency but continued to struggle with his substance abuse. He then moved to Key West, where his drinking and drug use continued for six years. After visiting an old friend in Denver, he checked himself into a rehab facility and eventually got sober in 1982 at the age of 30. He started attending meetings and asked Don Pritts to become his sponsor after six months. Don was also sponsoring Mark Houston at the time. Joe spent five more years in Denver. On a trip to Santa Monica, California, to make amends with an ex-wife, he decided to move there. Here he became involved in AA and sponsoring. One of the men he sponsored was Dan Sherman. He began to partner with Mark Houston, presenting weekend Big Book Seminars nationwide. He eventually was asked to move to India, where he assisted in establishing drug and alcohol treatment programs for the Tibetan government. After five years overseas, he returned to Santa Monica. He later moved to Brazil, where he lived the last two years of his life. In 2007, Joe passed away in his sleep due to a massive heart attack in Brazil. Another speaker listed on this site that worked with Joe Hawk is Kurt Z.

The history of the "Set Aside Prayer".
The prayer initially came about as a comment from Don Pritts to Joe. Don made the comment because Joe had worked many years as a professional addictions. Don suggested Joe pray for Divine assistance to set aside his extensive knowledge of the subject of alcoholism in order to be given a fresh experience. Joe shared the story of the prayer in the first tape of the Taos BB Workshop and credited Don Pritts for the suggestion when he spoke in Nashville in 1990. In the 2002 FOTS New York Workshop, Joe and Don Pritts expressed concerns about the changing wording of the prayer and how it had become ritualized, with people simply reciting the words. Joe also mentioned that he didn't like the word "enable" in the prayer as it implied that he could set aside thoughts with some assistance from a Higher Power. In the 2nd tape of his 2004 "The Work" series, Joe emphasized that the prayer should not be written down and read but should be prayed each time it is used.

"God set aside everything I think I know about ... for a new experience of You." - Joe Hawk

"The only time you can trust God is right now" - Joe Hawk

"Studying the Big Book will not produce a spiritual experience, unless there is action, you have wasted your time" - Joe Hawk
"The only time you can trust God is right now" - Joe Hawk

Mark Houston (AA) of Austin TX (1946-2010)

Mark was born in 1946 in Iowa and raised on the family farm. He started drinking as a teenager. He began college, working towards a teaching degree, all while struggling with alcohol. Over the next 6 years, he attended three colleges without completing his degree. Upon being drafted, Mark served in Vietnam, and his alcoholism worsened. After returning, he got married, worked for an insurance company in San Francisco, then moved to Portland, Oregon, and later to Seattle and Anchorage. Things took a turn for the worse in Anchorage where he was fired for his behavior. Mark then moved to Denver to live with his family and got married again. However, he continued to struggle with alcoholism. He eventually sought help and became sober in 1982 after checking himself into a rehab center and attending AA meetings in Denver. Mark then became a sales manager, and with the help of his sponsor, Don Pritts, started working through the Big Book, eventually changing for the better.

Despite being sober for seven years, Mark still had to deal with PTSD issues and entered treatment. He went on to help others through their recovery journey in Houston before working in the chemical dependency field in Hunt and Dallas, Texas. In 2006, Mark founded the Mark Houston Recovery Center in Manor, Texas, focusing on helping men struggling with long-term sobriety and later establishing a similar facility for women. His impact extended beyond Texas, as he was a popular speaker giving Big Book Seminars across the country. Mark passed away on February 19, 2010, but his legacy lives on through the many lives he changed.

One of the lives he greatly impacted was Tyla C of San Diego. Tyla became aware of Mark after she was given his set of Glass House talks. Mark had given the talks in 2001 at the Glass House Group in Ft Worth. Tyla wanted what Mark had and asked him to show her how to get it. She arranged for him to speak at a woman's retreat, which she organized for the occasion. Mark became Tyla's mentor, introducing her to the Big Book Awakening Workbook. Eventually Mark and Tyla became instrumental in the establishment of the Big Book Awakening Community in San Diego. Other individuals on this website who were either mentored or sponsored by Mark include Charlie Parker, Chris R, and Tyla C.

Dan Sherman (AA) of Los Angeles CA (1954-2016)

Dan grew up in England and Battle Creek, Michigan, moving to California for his teen years. He started drinking in his early teens. His alcoholism eventually progressed and caused the loss of his marriage, friends, and business. In AA, Dan started working with his sponsor, Joe Hawk. Dan misunderstood Joe's instructions to write down his questions and instead started writing his questions directly in his Big Book. Joe never said anything to Dan, which seemed to work for him. This method evolved into turning Big Book statements into questions. Dan started taking a group of those he sponsored as a group to work the steps together through the Big Book. Trying to assist one struggling group member, he transcribed the notes he had written in his Big Book and shared them with the group. The group refined the notes as they proceeded through the book. Over time, the notes evolved and eventually were printed and put in book format. Joe Hawk and Mark Houston began to take Dan's printed notes to the workshops they gave. The notes were a set of copied sheets stapled together. The event taper bound the pages with a plastic spline, which changed them into a more usable format. Eventually, as its popularity increased, they were published as a soft copy guidebook. These were offered to the participants at the seminars to assist them through the process after the speaking events. The intent of the workbook is not a replacement for the Big Book but used only to guide the process. Dan facilitated his own Big Book Awakening Workshops worldwide. Dan was also involved with the Fellowship of the Spirit Conferences. Dan was the creator of the Jaywalker Website, which is still maintained today by his friends. Dan was a mentor to Tyla C, helping to establish the Big Book Awakening Community in San Diego. Unfortunately on April 14, 2016, Dan lost his 4-year battle with cancer.
 "It's not about me getting more of God, it's about God getting more of me." - Dan Sherman

More information on the BBA Workbook and Workshops.

Mike S (AA) of Denver CO

Mike was raised in Madison, WI, in a home of drinkers. As a teenager, he was placed into a home for boys due to his family's drinking. He went to Ohio State to play football but lost his scholarship after being dropped from the team for his alcoholic behavior. Mike was drafted into the Army and did a tour in Vietnam. His drinking increased, and when discharged, he settled in San Francisco and became a bartender. Mike married a woman who worked at the same bar. They moved to Denver when she became pregnant to be near her family. Nearing his bottom in Denver, he went to his first AA meeting. A lady at that meeting told him he should go to the 1311 York Street AA Club. There, he met "Big" Frank McKibben, who became his sponsor. Mike was part of Frank's group that met weekly and did a line-by-line study through the Big Book.

Clint Hodges of Woodland Hills CA (1937-2007)

Clint's drinking started early in life and eventually caused him to lose everything. He had been a captain in the Marines, and after college and repeated losses he became sober in 1966. He was sponsored by Clancy I, and was a long time member of the Pacific AA Group. After a few years of sobriety he attended law school and became a Los Angeles trial lawyer. Clint became a popular circuit speaker. While speaking at the 1990 Music City Roundup, in Nashville, Clint met Don Pritts. Also speaking at that conference was Joe Hawk, who was sponsored by Don Pritts. The message Clint heard in Joe’s talk reverberated in Clint. At 23 years of sobriety, he acknowledged his wheels were falling off. That night Clint spoke with Don and Joe and he wanted more. From the discussion he realized had a decision to make, either continue to try to blot out his “bedevilments” to the bitter end on his own power or ask for spiritual help. Joe Hawk was then in the process of moving to the Santa Monica. Once he arrived he started meeting regularly with Clint, working through the Big Book, line by line. Clint now fully armed with this remarkable life changing experience, set out to share with others what had been freely given to him. As a result Clint organized a step meeting for those he sponsored, and together as a group they worked through the steps again. This meeting became the West LA Men's Stag Group. The meeting adopted a distinct element, a format uncommon to most AA meetings: The leader reads, “Each one of us is very aware of his personal responsibility to see to it that what is said here remains here. We each know that it is inconsistent with that responsibility to repeat what is heard here to another just because that person is a sponsor, a spouse or good friend. Our experience also makes it clear that even a general reference to what is said in the meeting quickly becomes specific and serves no good purpose. This is true even if the person you’re speaking to was also at the meeting. Can we all agree to make no general or specific reference outside the meeting to anything said here?” The Secretary reiterates at the close of the meeting, “One of the hallmarks of this meeting is the vow we declare to keep confidential all that is said here in the meeting. We do not discuss anything said in the meeting with your sponsor, spouse or friends.” Clint passed on September 2 2007, and the group he established continues to change lives.

Mickey M (AA) of Denver CO

Mickey started drinking at age five and continued until he was 27. His alcoholism flourished while working in the advertising industry. He went to the York Street AA Group in Denver. Mickey was in the same home group as Don Pritts, who would send him on speaking engagements to tell his story. Eventually, Mickey became a custom boot maker in Denver. Mickey and his wife Marie, Gary B, Mike L, and Don Pritts started a conference in 1993 in Breckenridge, Colorado. Mickey and Don put up the money to rent the venue in Breckenridge. The conference was intended to be smaller to enhance attendees' fellowship and included AA and Al-Anon participation. Afternoon step workshops were included at Don Pritts' insistence. The name for the 1st conference was the Breckenridge Conference, with the theme "Fellowship of the Spirit." The theme of the first conference stuck as the name and is now called Fellowship of the Spirit or FOTS. During their speaking engagements, Don Pritts & Joe Hawk started announcing that first conference, which resulted in 225 people from 25 different states attending that first year. As word spread of the conference, people from all over the US and internationally began to attend. Since that first conference, others have cloned the format worldwide. More information on the Fellowship of the Spirit Conferences

Mike L (AA) of Indianapolis IN

Mike took his first drink at 12 years of age. Sober in 1985. He is a member of the Dignitary Sympathy AA Group in Indianapolis, the same home group as Gary B. Mike was involved in starting the first Fellowship of the Spirit Conference in Breckenridge, Colorado.

Don C (AA) of Colorado Springs

Don is a Mohican Indian born and raised on the Stockbridge-Munsee Reservation in Wisconsin. Don discovered alcohol two weeks before he graduated from high school. While growing up, he always wanted to become an engineer. The high school guidance counselor at the all-white school tried to discourage him from trying, saying he was better off working on cars. His grandfather refused to sign the papers for the trade school; instead, he took him to the university. Don finished college and became an engineer. In 1978, he started working for a major computer company. Living in Colorado Springs, his alcoholism impacted his career and family. He tells how his home life changed for the worse for him after his wife started attending Al-Anon and learning how to deal with an active alcoholic. Hitting his bottom, Don joined AA for help. In August 1978, he attended his first AA meeting in Colorado Springs. Taken aback by the majority of white people, Don was uncomfortable, but their honesty and laughter made him feel like this was the answer for him. Don C asked Big Frank McKibben to be his sponsor; Don refers to Frank as his head sponsor. Don started working on the program, going to many meetings each week. In his early sobriety, Don heard Don Pritts speaking in Estes Park, Colorado, who shared a story of how fighting alcoholism is like a boxing match. Don repeats this story almost every time he shares. Don C and Don Pritts became friends for life. Later, he asked Don Pritts to be his second sponsor. Don's third sponsor was a Lakota Sioux gentleman named Johnny L. Johnny would meet with Don in his backyard, where he would draw figures in the dirt when they talked. In earlier talks, Don would say that AA was a white man's program. Johnny confronted Don about his belief and told him if he continued this prejudiced thinking, it would cause trouble in his life in the future. Johnny related the steps to the medicine wheel to help Don see the spiritual principles of AA. Johnny had Don put the steps in a circle. Steps 1-3 are placed to the East, where you find your relationship to a Higher Power. To the South are steps 4-6, where you find your relationship with yourself. Steps 7-9 are to the West, the direction where you reestablish your relations with your family and community. In the North are steps 10-12, the direction of the Wisdom of the Elders, where you find harmony with Mother Earth. The Tribal Elders tasked Don to bring this message of recovery to their people. Don eventually left his corporate career and began working in alcohol and addiction recovery among Native Americans. He is the founder and president of White Bison, a non-profit charitable organization devoted to assisting Native Americans affected by substance use disorders. In 1994, Don started the Wellbriety Movement, which aims to reduce substance abuse among Native Americans. Don C worked with Joe Hawk, taking him through the Steps the White Bison organization developed. Joe speaks fondly of Don C in his talks. Another speaker listed on this site that worked with Don is Kurt Z. God thank you for what you have given me, thank you for what you have taken from me, and God thank you for what you have left me" - Don C

Paul Kiebler (AA) of Manchester MO (1908-1989)

Paul grew up in an affluent home in an affluent area of Missouri. While growing up, Paul was heavily involved in athletics (baseball and golf). In college, he discovered alcohol. Divorce and losing the family occurred when alcoholism became his chronic way of living. He ran through his money, lived on the streets, and ended up in a hotel room provided to him even though he had no money. The hotel owner contacted members of the Akron AA group. The men who came to see him explained alcoholism and his powerlessness over it. They agreed to take him with them if he agreed to do anything they instructed. He agreed, and his life started over. These men were Dr Bob Smith's group members, then meeting at the Kings Hill School. Dr Bob was still actively involved with the group. There, Paul Stanley became his sponsor. He gives many details of how Paul Stanley took him through the steps. At the time, the Akron group was still using the 4 Absolutes which they used as the criteria for the 4th step. The Four Absolutes from the Oxford Group are Honesty, Purity, Unselfishness, and Love. The group required members to do their 5th step with someone not in AA. In some of his talks, Paul describes in detail what the Akron meetings were like. They had no closed meetings; you were not allowed to talk until you had taken the 3rd step. The entire family, including the children, would attend as they believed the whole family was affected. Paul knew the local members of the Oxford Group and early Akron AA founders. He married Kaye, another member of the Akron group, and together they started a family. After some years, even though still heavily involved in AA, he realized something was wrong with his life. Facing the issue, he discovered that gradually, over time, he had not maintained his conscious contact with the Higher Power. He learned this is something you cannot do by yourself. He died a few years after his wife Kaye, with 48 years of sobriety. Together as a couple, they had almost 100 years of sober living between them. Paul is mentioned in the talks of other speakers on this page.

Tyla C (AA, BBA) of San Diego CA

Tyla's journey began with early drinking, followed by a career in fashion design, dating celebrities, and selling drugs. However, she eventually lost everything and ended up living on the streets. Tyla then committed herself to sobriety and diligently worked her AA program for 10 years. Despite this, she felt a deep yearning for more. A sponsor provided her with a set of talks by Mark Houston, now referred to as the "Glass House" talks. These had a profound impact on her. She reached out to Mark and organized a women's retreat where he spoke, ultimately becoming her mentor and introducing her to the Big Book Awakening method of working the steps. This pivotal moment transformed Tyla's life. Over the years Tyla was mentored by both Mark Houston and Dan Sherman. Together, Mark, Dan, and Tyla played significant roles in establishing the Big Book Awakening Community in San Diego. You can find more of Tyla's talks at BBAWorks.com.

"This is not a program about justice - it's a program about mercy." - Tyla C

Pat T (AA, BBA) of San Diego CA

Pat began drinking at the age of 14. Living in Colorado, he found his life had become unmanageable as he experienced the loss of wives, family, and jobs. His therapist recommended that he attend an AA group where he found sobriety and continued to pursue personal growth. Pat now resides in San Diego, where he is an active member of the BBA community. He is a highly respected BBA speaker who freely shares his love for others and the spiritual solution to living a life of freedom.

Jimmy Williams (AA) of Aledo TX (died Jan 1999)

Jimmy grew up in a Southern Baptist home in a dry county in the Texas Panhandle. During his high school years, he began sneaking off to the closest honky-tonk, located in the nearest wet county. There, he discovered the magic that alcohol could provide. After high school, he joined the Air Force and was stationed in China. Alcohol took over his life and led to destruction. He became sober in AA in 1967. Jim was a popular circuit speaker nationwide in the 80s and 90s. Jimmy was one of the founders of the Glass House AA Group in Fort Worth. Joe Hawk often quotes Jimmy Williams in some of his talks. His main message is that the Big Book gives you the directions to find your solution; you only need to follow the directions.
"I am never going to understand God, but I can know God" - Jimmy Williams.

More Information on the Big Book Awakening Workbook and Workshops

The workbook is available for those wishing to use it in their step work at bigbookawakening.com.
Workshops, using the workbook, are held both live and on-line worldwide. These workshops and meetings are not intended to replace 12-step home groups or organizations. They are intended to assist those in 12-step programs to re-work the steps and have a new experience with the God of their Understanding.

• BBAworks Americas
• recoveredfrom.com
• BBAworks Europe
• BBAworks-Australia