tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55756481164085160112024-03-13T10:08:23.681-07:00RaySolutionIlluminate and learn to be your authentic self.RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.comBlogger370125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-76016463819821267932015-08-03T14:40:00.000-07:002015-08-03T15:05:08.486-07:00Annuit Coeptis<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F6oFrHzZTyc/Vb_f_BZ4W_I/AAAAAAAADEg/YQ1CbGJ3180/s1600/one%2Bdolar%2Bbill.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F6oFrHzZTyc/Vb_f_BZ4W_I/AAAAAAAADEg/YQ1CbGJ3180/s320/one%2Bdolar%2Bbill.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
purpose of the seminar was not to give a history lesson; rather to find a
deeper relationship with our Heavenly Parent, God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During one of the session, our presenter,
Ron Pappalardo, directed our attention toward some unknown events of the history
of America and how the founders of our country have been depending on the input
of <a href="http://greatseal.com/mottoes/providence.html">Divine Providence.</a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In formulating the constitution of the United
States and some other resolutions, the founders made sure that they gave honor
and praise to God with emphasis on the great spirit rather than any particular
religion; <span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">with focus on principles of nature </span>and separation of powers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">That’s
why in 1782, Charles Thomson as the secretary of the Continental Congress,
suggested the motto <em>Annuit Coeptis</em> which he took from writings of Virgil, the
Roman writer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">At
one point Ron asked us to take out a one dollar bill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all learned something about the Latin
words printed on the bill and gained a deeper respect for our founding Fathers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QaQYE0HljJE" style="height: 160px; width: 304px;" width="560"></iframe> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://greatseal.com/mottoes/coeptis.html">Annuit Coeptis</a> </span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Motto Above the Eye of Providence on the Great Seal, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Thomson">Charles Thomson</a>
(1729-1824) </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Patriot leader during
the American Revolution<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here
is the best translation of these ancient words:<br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“He has favored (blessed) our endeavors
(activities).”<o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">That
was only one titbits we learned about this weekend in the seminar conducted by
<a href="http://www.reconciledbythelight.com/">Ron Pappalardo.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He teaches about connections with the spiritual world and how we can all access
a closer relationship with the Divine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>His approach requires humility and diligence seeking out our Heavenly
Parent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here
is a link to one other presentation Ron gave:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bsDLOL11zzg" width="420"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
was very moved by Ron’s incredible enthusiasm and passion to communicate with
God and find answers to some of the deepest human secrets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-25399868190045236882015-07-06T17:35:00.000-07:002015-07-09T04:38:27.039-07:00I am the Beloved<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fjwcLB7NMb8/VZxv2PTGZgI/AAAAAAAADD8/-Xz4QWYg_O8/s1600/beloved.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fjwcLB7NMb8/VZxv2PTGZgI/AAAAAAAADD8/-Xz4QWYg_O8/s320/beloved.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Beloved, let us love
one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and
knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.openbible.info/topics/beloved"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~1 John 4:7-8</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">According
to the dictionary the meaning of “beloved” is being cherished, treasured and
dearly-loved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It takes a relationship to
be the ‘beloved.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">From
the moment we are born on this earth we have the need to be loved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is hard-wired into our human existence to
be loved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Babies who are not experiencing
being cared for beyond their physical needs such as being cuddled and touched often
grow into uncaring and selfish adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As humans we find ourselves challenged to find the balance between our
physical (external) and spiritual (internal) needs. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are very much aware of our five physical
senses but only claim the “6<sup>th</sup> sense” as a tool for intuition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We know now that there are equally spiritual
senses corresponding to the five physical senses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More and more people have ESP (extra sensory
perception) experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And that is
nothing to laugh about because even science has recognized the “other” invisible
world as real and measureable. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
a book called <a href="http://www.ronscolastico.com/doorway-to-the-soul-paperback.html">“Doorway to the Soul”</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Ron Scolastico
discusses the deep hunger for love, connection, and spiritual experience we may
feel at a certain time in our life. Some people may get restless, frustrated,
or even depressed because they cannot find fulfillment in their physical
activities only.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Our greatest
fulfillment lies in giving ourselves to others.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~Henri
J.M. Nouwen, Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World</span> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/v8U4V4aaNWk" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">All
other creatures just have to grow, taking in the sun, water, food, etc. and
they fulfill their given purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
humans we have one added (often overlooked) aim and that can only be achieved
when we use our free will.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To become
fully aware of this faculty of our mind we have to discover our true
identity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were created in the image
of God, our heavenly parent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To learn
that we are children of the all-powerful, all-knowing, and eternal Creator of
this infinite universe is a lot to digest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>For many of us we cannot fathom that we have infinite beauty, goodness,
and love hidden inside of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It may be
a tremendous challenge to take off the many filters of our own perspective,
taught beliefs, and adapted opinions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
takes a lot of effort and good intentions to find the deeper realities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Could changing our attitude about our true
identity be the missing link to internal peace?</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
</o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“It is easy to hate and
it is difficult to love. This is how the whole scheme of things works. All good
things are difficult to achieve; and bad things are very easy to get.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Confucius</span></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
takes humility to discover that blessedness and being the “beloved.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One place to start is to be grateful for life
itself, for what we have, where we live and whom we come in contact with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Becoming aware of God’s presence takes
practice; the rewards are infinite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Practicing consideration and kindness to others takes the focus away
from ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paying attention to those
connections we discover infinite power, power to change and to grow ourselves
spiritually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the right intention
comes even greater fulfillment.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-40880910442384287762015-05-11T21:00:00.000-07:002015-05-14T21:03:08.605-07:00What is Mercy?
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CWCH7rONtvU/VVVvP86xcBI/AAAAAAAADCI/wdXTIUtKj7c/s1600/mercy%2Bdove.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CWCH7rONtvU/VVVvP86xcBI/AAAAAAAADCI/wdXTIUtKj7c/s1600/mercy%2Bdove.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Mercy is the ability
to see through and beyond that which appears, to that which is eternal and
never changes.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Michele Longo O’Donnell<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">According
to the dictionary mercy is a form of compassion or forgiveness shown towards
someone whom it is within one's power to punish or harm.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
her book <em>“The God That We’ve Created”</em> Michele Longo says that mercy is not
compassion; compassion is compassion; mercy is not forgiveness; forgiveness is
forgiveness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She builds her insight on
the words of James:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“For he shall have
judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against
judgment.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
James 2:13</span> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">She
says that mercy is from a higher atmosphere of thought.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mercy excels over judgement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is more desired than judgement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mercy is the judgement of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God sees all his creation, especially his
children, with mercy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When mercy touches
our hearts … we are changed forever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
see ourselves as new creatures, we can change our lives and can even be healed.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Because
God sees us as we truly are: our core true, innocent nature, we are governed by
his love and truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traditional
teachings tell us that God judges us according to our sins.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That would make us fear God because judgement
is governed by fear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Michele suggests
that we are governed by mercy with love and truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-48123553477537796392015-05-04T20:36:00.000-07:002015-05-07T20:38:05.578-07:00Lift Your Face toward the Sun<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hiCsJpqW6P4/VUwtuQ2Ko2I/AAAAAAAADBo/vqWqcsx95Js/s1600/face%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bsun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hiCsJpqW6P4/VUwtuQ2Ko2I/AAAAAAAADBo/vqWqcsx95Js/s1600/face%2Bto%2Bthe%2Bsun.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">During
this past Sunday Service pastor Mike used the phrase: “Lift your face toward
the sun rather than looking down to the ground.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is not to get a nice sun tan or to appear
arrogant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He used it to encourage us to
have a positive attitude and to be optimistic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He also referred to Matthew 5:44-45:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“But I tell you, love
your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of
your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and
sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus
here talked about how God being unbiased, sends the sun and the rain on all of
us equally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We don’t have to qualify
with our behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I found some other
quotes which support this understanding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Why not get the sun when it is so abundantly available?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Keep your face to the
sun and you will never see the shadows.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Helen Keller<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">“For
the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good
thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #fff2cc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Psalm 84:11<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Turn
your face toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~ Maori Proverb<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.corsinet.com/trivia/irish.html"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">IrishBlessings</span></a><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May the road rise to meet you.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May the wind be always at your back.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May the sun shine warm upon your face.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And rains fall soft upon your fields.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And until we meet again,<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May God hold you in the hollow of His hand… .<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Turn
your face to the sun.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There
is goodness in the world that even the river of tears cannot erase.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.inspirationpeak.com/cgi-bin/poetry.cgi?record=163"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~ Maithri Goonetilleke</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">May experience many moments this week where you can turn
your face to the sun both literally and symbolically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May you always be aware of the choices we
have: look up or look down.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-37069414540237315092015-04-27T19:08:00.001-07:002015-04-27T19:18:31.392-07:00The Lion and the Mouse Fable <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dbBOeOmCPE4/VT7pF6YNy2I/AAAAAAAADA8/K-vDssCZLEM/s1600/lion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dbBOeOmCPE4/VT7pF6YNy2I/AAAAAAAADA8/K-vDssCZLEM/s1600/lion.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A
lion lay asleep in the forest, his great head resting on his paws.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A timid little mouse came upon him
unexpectedly, and in her fright and haste to get away, ran across the lion's
nose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Woken from his nap, the lion laid
his huge paw angrily on the tiny creature to kill her.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Spare
me!" begged the poor mouse. "Please let me go and someday I will
surely repay you." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
lion was so amused at the idea of the little mouse being able to help the King
of Beasts that he lifted up his paw and let her go.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Some
weeks later, the lion was caught in a net.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The hunters, who desired to carry the lion alive to their King, tied him
to a tree while they went in search of a wagon to carry him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just
then the little mouse happened to pass by, and seeing the lion's sad plight,
went up to him and soon gnawed away the ropes of the net, freeing the lion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"You
have helped me and now I have returned the favor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Was I not right - even a mouse can help a
lion!" said the little mouse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><strong><span style="background-color: #cfe2f3;">The
Moral of the story: No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.<o:p></o:p></span></strong></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TzyvmC1FAt0" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This
story has been told in many variations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
is part of a collection called the Aesop Fables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The morals of the story are timeless and can
be enjoyed by children as well as adults.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Because the characters are represented by animals, we cannot be offended
by the message.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">As the great English
writer G. K. Chesterton pointed out:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“They
have no choice, they cannot be anything but themselves.”<o:p></o:p></span></em></span>RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-74408874603125889762015-02-23T11:06:00.000-08:002017-12-25T03:23:55.794-08:00Cast Down Your Bucket Where You Are <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tusOEUcwxzU/VQsQlwQjx-I/AAAAAAAADAc/12BoxrYhGXg/s1600/booker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tusOEUcwxzU/VQsQlwQjx-I/AAAAAAAADAc/12BoxrYhGXg/s1600/booker.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The
only thing I knew about </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booker_T._Washington"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Booker T. Washington</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">was that he found many
ways of using peanuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the process of
my research I learned that he wasn’t a farmer after all rather than a teacher
and educator who became a leader of the newly emancipated African-Americans
after being liberated from slavery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>George Washington Carver who was a student of his school in Tuskegee,
Alabama was the one who experimented with growing better yields of peanuts,
sweet potatoes and pecans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
was very much moved when I read Booker Washington’s biography <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Up From Slavery.</i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I was mostly impressed by his humble and grateful
attitude regarding his upbringing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
never blamed anybody for his circumstances or was resentful for his life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even after being freed his family was very
poor and had little to eat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even young
children had to work from morning till night in the salt mine, coal mine or the
mill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But because of his determination
to make something of himself he found a way to learn, adopt and even go to
school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His desire to learn was so
strong that he eventually was accepted at the </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hampton_University"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Hampton School in Virginia.</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was so motivated to learn that he started
out with night classes at Hampton’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He
spend the whole day working for a white family doing basic homemaking
chores.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because he wanted to do a good
job, he excelled in all his doings which not only gave him the confidence of
his employer but also helped him eventually to work at the school in the same
way, while going to classes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He became
an exemplary student and showed many of the new pupils how to learn physical
skills while also absorbing the book knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“I have learned that
success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in
life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">~
Booker T. Washington (1856-1905), Up From Slavery: An Autobiography<o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In
time, his supervisor, </span><a href="http://www.hamptonu.edu/about/armstrong.cfm"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">General Samuel C. Armstrong</span></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">chose Booker to open
a new school in Tuskegee, Alabama, to further the education of the children of
the freed slaves in the south.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all
his doing Prof. Washington encouraged the students to apply their physical skills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, the whole curriculum of the school
was designed so that the students worked half a day and the other half was for
studying and recreation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Washington
saw the Tuskegee school as his life’s work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He invested himself completely and won the support not only of his own
people but also the influential white folks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He traveled all over the country presenting his work with the students at
Tuskegee which resulted in the financial support of many of the former slave holders
as well the generosity of Northern businesses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During that time he became a well-spoken public orator which gained him
even greater funding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His address known
as the<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> <a href="http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/39/">Atlanta Compromise Speech</a> </i>
in 1895 brought him more fame and requests for presentations and appearances to
benefit the cause of the black people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<em><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others.”</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">After
some 18 years of total dedication to the education of the black population of the
south, some of his supporters decided that he needed a break.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of his Northern benefactors got together
to plan a trip to Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr. Washington
in his humility didn’t want to accept at first the expenses for the fare across
the Atlantic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None-the-less, he
benefitted greatly, not only from the rest and relaxation the voyage provided
for him and his wife, but also from the many new contacts he made while
overseas.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<em><span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">“Character, not circumstance, makes the person.”</span></em><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">He
often reflected on how far he had come ‘up from slavery’ meeting with
presidents, royalties and high society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He always went back to his own roots deeply planted in his faith in the
greatest benefactor, God. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
involvement was never political: rather, he proposed education and raising the
standard of living for his own people.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To
say the least, I was very moved reading the accounts of Dr. Booker T.
Washington’s experiences following his way with strong determination, hard work
and deep faith.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His motto never changed:
cast down your bucket where you are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This is a great lesson for all of us, be grateful for what you have and
where you are, but follow a greater vision with passion and persistence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-74469689997597433832015-02-09T17:33:00.000-08:002015-02-17T07:38:54.115-08:00Where is Common Sense Today?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GGZIEzWQjZ8/VONcS5tz3KI/AAAAAAAAC-4/vaSgsM9gy_c/s1600/common%2Bsense.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GGZIEzWQjZ8/VONcS5tz3KI/AAAAAAAAC-4/vaSgsM9gy_c/s1600/common%2Bsense.png" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sense">Common sense</a> </span><span class="MsoHyperlink"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u><span style="color: #0563c1;">
</span></u></span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">means
different things to different people. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
seems that in many ways what was right before is now wrong, and what was wrong
is now right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">According
to Wiki ‘common sense’ is the basic ability to perceive, understand and judge
things by most people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all know that
in our diversified society that very rarely brings us to a mutual result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, what is really our collective denominator?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that the only way that we can find
a shared ‘sense’ is that we take God’s point of view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“In my opinion, if we
have not achieved peace, it is because people forget its most fundamental
aspect. Before we talk about peace among nations, we must settle our peace with
God.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
</span><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Myung_Moon">Sun Myung Moon </a>(1920-2012), Korean Spiritual Leader</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Without</span>
getting into a religious discussion, we can all agree that we were born as men
and women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all have a mind which
allows us to think, feel and make decisions and a body through which we fulfill
that which the mind directs us to do.<o:p></o:p></div>
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i7O0pCWUrdA/VONcfI9XnWI/AAAAAAAAC_M/yUUWZY_cbXs/s1600/common%2BMaslowsHierarchyOfNeeds_svg.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i7O0pCWUrdA/VONcfI9XnWI/AAAAAAAAC_M/yUUWZY_cbXs/s1600/common%2BMaslowsHierarchyOfNeeds_svg.png" height="226" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs">Abraham Maslow</a> (1908-1970) was an American psychologist who put together a hierarchy of needs which
describes the human needs in priority and ultimately culminates in self-actualization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He suggested to focus on the positive
qualities in people rather than treating them as ‘bag of symptoms.’ <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">"The cause of
America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have it in our power to begin the world
over again."<o:p></o:p></span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>~ Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rZ_HP1TDEXA/VONcjq16DiI/AAAAAAAAC_U/mtbkvOh7Nro/s1600/Commonsense.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rZ_HP1TDEXA/VONcjq16DiI/AAAAAAAAC_U/mtbkvOh7Nro/s1600/Commonsense.jpg" height="320" width="203" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
I was looking for more common sense connections I came across a site which refers
to a pamphlet written by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine">Thomas Paine</a> (1737-1809) called: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense_(pamphlet)">Common Sense.</a>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The content of this document became the
inspiration for the people of the 13 colonies to declare independence in 1776.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Most
people have maybe never heard of this document.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It spread like wildfire through the colonies and became the argument for
freedom from the British rule.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thomas
Paine published the work at first anonymously because he wanted it to be
focused on the content and the ideas rather than make a name for himself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He wrote the article in a style which was
understood by the <a href="http://www.ushistory.org/paine/commonsense/singlehtml.htm">common people.</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today
is Thomas Paine’s birthday according to some accounts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>February 9<sup>th</sup> is recorded in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">‘new style’</a>
birth records.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">"A body of men,
holding themselves accountable to nobody, ought not to be trusted by
anybody." <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Thomas Paine<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ztf4gflvMLo/VONcarbYmuI/AAAAAAAAC_E/dMRMBxX3Chg/s1600/common.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ztf4gflvMLo/VONcarbYmuI/AAAAAAAAC_E/dMRMBxX3Chg/s1600/common.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">That
brings me back to my suggesting to use a common denominator in the
picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unless we find our shared roots
mankind can never find the solutions we are so desperately looking for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let us be accountable to the one God who
created us all and who is waiting eagerly for us to have ‘common sense.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-56687509053063657082015-02-02T17:35:00.000-08:002015-03-06T20:22:42.576-08:00The Bible Is A Coded Message
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BRfTfcKbvTs/VPp7n4PgWeI/AAAAAAAADAM/umCTB7AcCBQ/s1600/bible.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BRfTfcKbvTs/VPp7n4PgWeI/AAAAAAAADAM/umCTB7AcCBQ/s1600/bible.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You
may have wondered why there are so many different interpretation to
the Holy Scriptures.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1974, <a href="http://www.unification.org/rev_mrs_moon.html">Rev. SunMyung Moon</a>
gave a message which helped me to understand some of the coded messages in the Bible:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
is the Bible, more precisely? The Bible has been a book of mystery. However,
the Bible contains God's message to you and me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Bible does not use plain language, but is written in symbols and parables. Do
you know why God has presented the Bible in symbols and parables? Why did He
not speak the truth clearly? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">God
has had to deal with the world of evil. Throughout the ages, God has hand-picked
His workers, or champions, out of this evil world. Abraham was such a champion.
Noah was such a champion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">And
God's champions were always in the utter minority in the evil world. If God
revealed His strategy too openly or plainly, the enemy would use that
information against God's champions. Thus, the Bible was written as a coded
message, so that only God's agents or champions could decipher it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let
me make an analogy. To protect her security, America sends out many agents
overseas to collect vital information concerning potential enemies. When the
home headquarters is communicating with these agents overseas, particularly in
enemy territory, would they communicate openly and plainly? No. No one would be
that naive. They would communicate in coded messages — secret messages — so
that the enemy could not decipher them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Throughout
history, righteous people have faced nothing but suffering on this earth,
simply because they were in enemy territory, and Satan did not want to have
God's agents prosper. Whenever Satan's forces discovered God's representatives,
they tried to destroy them. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We
must realize that God has had to give His instructions in coded messages. Thus
the Bible is written in symbols and parables. In a sense, the Bible is intended
to be mysterious. Then how can we know the true meaning of those symbols and
parables? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
is simple, in a way. If you are an agent dispatched by your headquarters, and
you want to decipher a coded message, then you must either have a code book, or
communicate directly with your home headquarters. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">By
the same token, the meaning of the symbols and parables in the Bible can only
be clear when we communicate with our "home headquarters" — God. This
is truly the only sure way we can know the ultimate meaning of the Bible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Two
thousand years ago our Lord Jesus Christ brought the blueprint for the Kingdom
of Heaven on earth. However, he could not speak plainly about his plan even to
his own disciples. Jesus spoke in figures and parables. Why? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus
knew the adverse circumstances in which he had to work. There was political
pressure from the Roman Empire. There was the ruling monarchy, who opposed any
change. And there was a strong religious system and tradition. These could all
be directed against the building of the Kingdom of God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus
came to kindle the fire of revolution in people, which would in due course
change the structure and the life of the entire nation. But he could not speak
plainly of any of this even to his own disciples. Instead, he had to speak in
figures and parables, saying, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">'He who has ears to
hear, let him hear.'</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+14:35">Luke 14:35</a> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If
you attempt to interpret the Bible literally, word for word, letter for letter,
without understanding the nature of the coded message of the Bible, you are
liable to make a big mistake. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Therefore,
in this day, at this hour, what the Christian world needs is a revelation from
God. God must reveal to us His plan; He must tell us His timetable, and give us
instructions as to what to do at this time. God indeed promised that by saying,
in Amos, <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">'Surely the Lord God
does nothing, without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets.'</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span lang="ES-PE" style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: ES-PE;">~ <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Amos+3%3A7&version=KJV">Amos 3:7</a>
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tonight
I am standing here at Madison Square Garden not according to my own will, but
in obedience to the divine will of God. God has called me as His instrument, to
reveal His message for His present day dispensation, so that there may be a
people prepared for the day of the Lord. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tonight
I am going to concentrate on the divine revelation concerning the coming of the
Lord of the Second Advent — the vital issue of the Second Advent — the most
important question of our time. And in order to understand this more clearly,
we must first know the circumstances of the coming of Jesus Christ 2,000 years
ago.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Excerpted
from <a href="http://www.unification.net/gww/gww-17.html"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The New Future of Christianity</i>,</a> September
18, 1974--Rev. Sun Myung Moon--New York, New York<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Even
the Jewish people believe that the Scriptures cannot be completely understood until
the Messiah comes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he comes, he
will not only interpret each of the passages for us, but will interpret every
word and especially the meaning of the spaces between the letters.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Think not that I am
come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfil.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">For verily I say unto
you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass
from the law, till all be fulfilled.”<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5%3A17-18&version=KJV">Matthew 5:17-18:</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We
are living now in a special time of human history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>May we have the right spirit to understand
the messages in the Bible and even be willing to look for deeper meanings
through our living relationship with God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-87958508652336794072015-01-19T19:09:00.000-08:002015-01-22T19:18:05.701-08:00Honor another Peace-Maker: Martin Luther King
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rtvx0fAV0YI/VMG8Nr2DdII/AAAAAAAAC-k/V70PZJY-0K4/s1600/king.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rtvx0fAV0YI/VMG8Nr2DdII/AAAAAAAAC-k/V70PZJY-0K4/s1600/king.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
an earlier <a href="http://raysolution.blogspot.com/2015/01/who-are-peace-maker.html">blog </a>I wrote about peace makers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Since
today is a national holiday, where we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s
birthday, it is appropriate to write about his contribution to peace making. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is the link to his Nobel Peace acceptance
speech: <a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/peace/laureates/1964/king-lecture.html">The Nobel Peace Prize 1964.</a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We all have heard about Dr. King’s famous “I have a dream” speech and are
touched by his determination to fight for that dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. King’s greatest contribution to
peacemaking is portraited in the recent release movie: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://selma./">Selma.</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In Selma we witness a chronicle of
Martin Luther King's campaign to secure equal voting rights via an epic march
from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
the story goes, from January to March of 1965 Dr. King along with hundreds and
thousands of fellow African-Americans as well as some white folks from the northern
states participated in marches between <a href="http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_selma_to_montgomery_march/">Selma</a>
and Montgomery, the capital of Alabama.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even
though the demonstrations were peaceful several protesters were injured and
some even died.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their demands?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The equal rights of American citizens to
vote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, in August, President
Johnson signed the <a href="http://mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_voting_rights_act_1965/">Voting Rights Act.</a> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
like to finish my tribute to Dr. King with a quote by the late Rev. Sun Myung
Moon who considered MLK “The Greatest American Citizen of the 20th Century.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“On the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial, we recall Martin Luther King’s stirring ‘I Have A Dream’
speech which captivated and inspired all of us to put an end to racial
injustice and bigotry. We have before us the responsibility of fulfilling that
dream. Whether the coming future will bring war or peace depends largely upon
our efforts today.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~ Reverend
<a href="http://www.dplife.info/blog/view/the-greatest-american-citizen-of-the-20th-century/4#.VMFCmxt0zX7">Sun Myung Moon<o:p></o:p></a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-74794956218613798362015-01-12T08:33:00.001-08:002015-01-20T19:57:33.463-08:00You Reap as You Sow
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-shgEQCU__HM/VL8itdW9-EI/AAAAAAAAC-U/1zCXSq63GQA/s1600/hope.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-shgEQCU__HM/VL8itdW9-EI/AAAAAAAAC-U/1zCXSq63GQA/s1600/hope.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus
Christ's teachings hit the very core of this fundamental truth. The more you
give the more you receive. God rewards total giving with total love, and total
sacrifice with total life. Giving creates room for God's love to enter. The
more room and the greater the vacuum created by your giving, the faster you
will be filled by the flow of God's love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">To
be treated well you must first treat others well. You reap as you sow. Sow evil
to reap evil; sow goodness to reap goodness. Your concern should be how to
give, and how to give well. As for the return to you, you must trust in God. He
will take care of it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let
us take an illustration of a good man and a bad man. Let us say there is one
man who has ten friends. Day in and day out this man is unselfishly serving his
ten friends. People cannot help but love this man. He can become the very best
friend to-ten people. Then his influence will spread to the relatives and
friends of those first ten people. By giving and serving unselfishly this man
becomes prosperous. He is a center of harmony and unity because he lives God's
principle. Unselfishness brings prosperity. Here is a-good man. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">But
suppose, on the contrary, this man said to his friends, "You ten, bring
everything to me; you are here to serve me." Before he spoke this way to
his friends three times, everyone would end all connection with him. They would
want to have nothing at all to do with him. So he would be left all alone.
Isn't that true, even in our society? It is universally true. A self-centered
doctrine, a self-centered philosophy, a self-centered way of life will fling
you head over heels down the tragic road of self-destruction. But if you live
your life in service to others, you will find prosperity. It may seem that such
a route would lead you to ruin, but it will not. The only reason it may not
always bring prosperity to you is because you do not give to the very end. In
the middle you suddenly become skeptical. You change your heart or pity
yourself and thus shrink from God's law of total giving. The good result never
materializes. Total giving is the way of prosperity because it is the way of
God. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If
any individual sacrifices himself for another individual, he becomes a hero to
others. If one family is sacrificial for the well-being of another family, then
that family becomes a heroic family among all families. Peoples and nations who
sacrifice themselves for the benefit of others become champions of nations. A
man who gives his life for his parents is a pious son. A man who gives his life
for his king is a loyal subject. And a man who gives his life for all mankind
is a saint. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus
Christ proclaimed this very truth you are hearing tonight. He strove for the
fulfillment of God's truth on earth. He came not to satisfy his nation's selfish
purpose, but to achieve salvation for the entire world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">God
intended the chosen people of Israel to serve as the prepared instrument of the
Messiah for his mission of world salvation. The people of Israel did not know
this. They conceived of the coming Messiah as an invincible military conqueror
who would restore the political empire of King David for the glory of the Jews.
How wrong they were! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">God's
purpose is not the salvation of any particular man, church, or nation. God's
purpose is to save the whole world. Therefore, the true church would give
itself as a sacrifice for the benefit of the world. Yes, true Christians must
be willing to sacrifice their own lives for the salvation of the world and all
mankind. However, Christian teachings today are self-centered. Christians are
seeking their own personal salvation. Christians are crying out for "my
salvation" and "my heaven.'' This is contrary to God's truth and
contrary to God's ideal. We must steadfastly give, love, sacrifice, and live for
the sake of others. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We
must all work for the ideal way of life. I exist for my family, my family
exists for our society, our society exists for our nation, our nation exists
for the world, all the world exists for God, and God exists for you and me, for
all mankind. In this great circle of give and take there is harmony, there is
unity, and there is an eternal process of increasing prosperity. Furthermore,
since in this circuit all existence will fulfill its purpose of creation, there
is abundant and profound joy. This is the Kingdom of Heaven, in which feelings
of happiness overflow. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
this world, selfishness ruins everything. Selfishness in the family causes
disharmony, which then erupts into bitterness and strife. Everyone wants to be
served instead of serving others. Wives tell their husbands what to do and then
seek to be served. Husbands want to be served by their wives. Parents expect
service from their children and the children take their parents for granted.
This is demonstrated in our families, in our societies, and in our nations. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
this world today the nations are existing solely for their own national
interests. They plot, connive, cheat, and lie. They destroy other nations for
their own national benefit. Is there even one nation on earth which pledges to
God, <em>"God, you may use this nation as your sacrifice and as your altar, if
that is the way you can save the world?"</em> Tell me, where is such a nation?
Where? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
is a recognized fact that when America demonstrated the spirit of service and
sacrificial duty in the world, and went out of her way to help others in their
need-when America gave lives, money, and a helping hand-she enjoyed a golden
age. But now America has a selfish attitude. The domestic problems today are
very difficult. America's situation is chaotic. Today there are greater
divisions, more corruption, and graver problems choking this land. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
am not criticizing any people or nation. I am merely proclaiming the heavenly
truth that all mankind is seeking. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
started the Unification Church. If this Unification Church exists solely for
the benefit of the welfare of the Unification Church itself, then it is doomed
to perish. I founded the Church so that I could give my life, my heart, and my
soul for the advancement of the salvation of the world. Among this audience
there are many members of the Unification Church. Their great desire, their
only motivation is to serve others, to save this nation and the world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus
did not teach his disciples laws of retaliation. He told them, <em>"... if
anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; ... and if
anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles."</em> (Matt 5:39-41)
You never have to retaliate; all you have to do is completely and totally give,
and then God will return to you more and more abundantly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
Jesus was crucified, Roman soldiers pierced him. And Jesus prayed for his
enemies: <em>"Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."</em> (Luke
23:34) Even at the moment of death on the cross, Jesus was so earnest in
forgiving. His very last act was motivated by his love for his enemies. He was
the supreme form of giving--a paragon of love. The example of Jesus Christ is
the absolute standard for all mankind. Just imagine an entire nation composed
of Jesus-like men. What would you call it? The Kingdom of Heaven on earth: it
could be nothing less. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus
Christ was lord over all life because of his unparalleled form of loving,
giving, and sacrifice. He will remain the Lord forever. In the same way, no one
in this universe surpasses the total giving and loving of God. So God is God
forever. He reigns over all creation. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Look
at the decline of Rome. The entire Roman Empire collapsed in front of an army
with no weapons, the army of Jesus Christ. By what means did the Christians
conquer Rome? They conquered by love, sacrifice, and total giving, up to the
cost of their very lives. History is a witness that no empire can withstand the
army of sacrificial love. And this history shall be repeated. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Up
to now in our lives we did not know clearly the definition of good and evil. We
could not be certain where to commit ourselves, when to act, what to serve.
This has been the source of the greatest confusion in human lives. We must not
become the Christians who merely crave their own well-being. As Christians, we
must live the life of Jesus and give ourselves totally for the benefit of
others, so that others might have life. This is God's way. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This
present world is evoking the wrath of God. It truly deserves His uncompromising
judgment. But God is love, and He is long-suffering. God is suppressing His
anger because He wants to save us. He is giving us a chance to change. He is
waiting. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
know that Western culture is characterized by individualism. However, selfish
individualism is doomed. Sacrificial individualism will blossom. Individuality
in itself is good. God gave each one of us a unique way to serve. But
individualism without God can only build castles on the sands of decay.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Rev.
Dr. Sun Myung Moon: <a href="http://www.unification.net/gww/gww-13.html">God’s Hope for Man</a>
– Lisner Auditorium, Washington, D.C., October 20, 1973<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-24220123164739082862015-01-05T19:01:00.000-08:002015-01-12T20:09:40.372-08:00Who are the Peace Makers? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f9TvGZVDl8E/VLSWD9KOyfI/AAAAAAAAC90/WJy-UdVfmUA/s1600/peace%2Baround%2Bthe%2Bworld.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-f9TvGZVDl8E/VLSWD9KOyfI/AAAAAAAAC90/WJy-UdVfmUA/s1600/peace%2Baround%2Bthe%2Bworld.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last
month I wrote about "<a href="http://raysolution.blogspot.com/2014/12/peace-by-any-other-name.html.">peace by any other name</a>." </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time I want to elaborate some more on
the nature of peace makers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Making peace
is an action; it is not just enough to love peace or declare peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an ongoing task to bring reconciliation
among all people and show them a common denominator (ideal).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"Blessed are the
peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God." </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+5:9">~Matthew 5:9</a> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
is the Nature of a Peacemaker?<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Acts as a servant
leader<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Adopts the discipline
of the parent/leader<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Becomes a mediator
between the physical and the spiritual realms<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Brings reconciliation
among all religions<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Empathetic to others,
and willing to help<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Encourages
compassion/communication<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Exercises spiritual
muscles<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Has the innocence of a
child<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lives in the present
moment/the NOW<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Lives by the heavenly
rules and values<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Opposes violence<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Practices obedience to
God, the parent<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Resolves conflict among
followers<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Speaks the truth<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Takes responsibility
for mistakes<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Teaches atonement <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Understands human
nature </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus
is a Peacemaker<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
words from the Beatitudes by Jesus show us the essence of the New
Testament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus taught us that God is
our Heavenly Parent, who can unite all His children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jesus was not only a great teacher but he was
the utmost example of a Son of God by demonstrating how to live and how to
love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With His compassion He took upon
himself the role of a peacemaker, calling all of us to follow his standard. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Throughout
the ages there were many who called upon the goodness in mankind and
demonstrated a better way of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
made an important contribution and brought us through the dark ages to a time
of greater tolerance and unity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here are
some people who made a great impact for peace in their country and with that
for the larger good:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Women are, in my view,
natural peacemakers. As givers and nurturers of life, through their focus on
human relationships and their engagement with the demanding work of raising
children and protecting family life, they develop a deep sense of empathy that
cuts through to underlying human realities.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~ <a href="http://www.daisakuikeda.org/">Daisaku Ikeda</a> (1928), </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Japanese Author on
Buddhism and leader of Soka Gakkai.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Peace will not come
out of a clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in
the face of odds.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahatma_Gandhi,">Mahatma Gandhi</a> (1869-1948)</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Leader of the Indian
Independence Movement<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“<em>You
cannot shake hands with a clenched fist.”<o:p></o:p></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi">Indira Gandhi</a>, prime minister of India (1917-1984) </span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"One day we must
come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but that it
is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends
through peaceful means." <o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.">Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King,</a> Jr (1928-1968), </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> American Pastor and
Civil Rights Leader <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"When
you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at
peace with others." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sl3oUD7lEKM/VLSYWwP_jBI/AAAAAAAAC-A/RBpnYzCXwlU/s1600/peace%2Btraining%2Bmind.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sl3oUD7lEKM/VLSYWwP_jBI/AAAAAAAAC-A/RBpnYzCXwlU/s1600/peace%2Btraining%2Bmind.jpg" height="216" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Pilgrim">Peace Pilgrim</a> (1908-1981) </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> American Peace
Activist<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“People respond in
accordance to how you relate to them. If you approach them on the basis of
violence, that's how they'll react. But if you say, 'We want peace, we want
stability,' we can then do a lot of things that will contribute towards the
progress of our society.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nelson_Mandela">Nelson Mandela</a> (1918-2013),</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">South African Apartheid Leader and President
of South Africa<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Forgiving is not
forgetting; it’s actually remembering--remembering and not using your right to
hit back. It’s a second chance for a new beginning. And the remembering part is
particularly important. Especially if you don’t want to repeat what happened.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Tutu">Desmond Tutu</a> promoting Ubuntu. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu">Ubuntu </a>(philosophy) is an ancient African word meaning 'humanity to others.'<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"The order of
existence in the universe is rooted in acting for the sake of others. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The world of true
peace, true love and the true ideal is both the ideal of God's creation and the
desire of humankind. <o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Therefore, the origin
of happiness and peace lies in living for the sake of others."<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="http://www.tparents.org/Moon-Books/SM-Peace/SMM-PhilosophyOfPeace-1a.htm">Sun Myung Moon,</a> (1920-1992), Korean Religious leader, author of Philosophy of Peace <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sun
Myung Moon is a Peacemaker<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_Myung_Moon">Rev.Moon</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">has lived his whole
life promoting peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been his
deepest desire to teach mankind that we are God’s sons and daughters and as
such are meant to live together as one family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>He has revealed to us the heart of God which is broken because of the
way we live: fighting wars, living in strive, killing and conquering each
other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has inspired members and
leaders around the world to overcome differences in religious beliefs, cultural
traditions, political opinions and scientific viewpoints to find the common
denominator through his conferences and rallies.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
following <a href="http://vimeo.com/36603098">video</a> was recorded in 2012 and portraits the life and works of Rev.
Moon. </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Rev. Moon has emerged
as a great peacemaker and unifier on the world stage. He is a leading force for
interreligious dialogue and understanding between people of all backgrounds,
and for global peace and security.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Haig">Alexander Haig,</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(1924-1990) former Secretary of State (59th)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Our
greatest challenge today is to resolve the conflicts among people of different
opinions and viewpoints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not just
enough to fight wars with weapons, overpower another country with strategies or
battle the enemy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By recognizing the spiritual
nature of man, we need to develop that spiritual quality and absorb each other’s
resentment and ill feelings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We can
exercise our spiritual muscles with forgiveness and tolerance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By accepting each other for who we are and
seeing the “Christ-consciousness” in each other peace can be a way of
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can only be possible when we
see each other from God’s point of view, the view of the parent looking down on
His children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the world scene
politics have taken the upper hand over religious practices.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or religious opinions have taken the liberty
to dominate other’s beliefs rather than demonstrating the mastery of their
principles by manifesting acceptance, forgiveness, kindness, tolerance, and
other forms of love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Even
science has now confirmed that we are <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/06/05/science-explains-why-our-brains-may-be-hardwired-for-god/">hard-wired</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">to have a relationship with God, the
creator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That connection lays in the
foundation for internal unity between mind and body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even those who are not looking for a
spiritual experience like artists, athletes and inventors have had profound
‘aha’ moments where they could encounter an internal peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For most of us these kind of ephemeral
moments come and go.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here
is an historical example of how enemies can make peace:</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6KHoVBK2EVE" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u></u></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u>I
like to finish with the words of the song by John Lennon:</u> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">IMAGINE<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Imagine there's no
country, <o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It isn't hard to do.<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Nothing to kill or die
for<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">And no religion, too.<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Imagine all the people<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Living life in peace.”<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">–
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon">John Lennon,</a> British
musician (1940-1980)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-56580104362125408792014-12-29T20:38:00.000-08:002015-01-05T18:24:09.987-08:00Default NO More <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UeFO94JImzA/VKdt2mQAj1I/AAAAAAAAC84/2xOYuwymIPM/s1600/default%2Blife%2Bis%2Bgood%2B(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UeFO94JImzA/VKdt2mQAj1I/AAAAAAAAC84/2xOYuwymIPM/s1600/default%2Blife%2Bis%2Bgood%2B(2).jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have
you ever wondered why life seems complicated, difficult and full of
struggle?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Does that mean we are looking
at life from a victim aspect, an attitude of scarcity, or being triggered by
negative memories? Rather than focusing on feeling we are duped, let’s look at
it from a different angle.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">From
the moment of our conception which is a purposeful event where sperm and egg
unite with so much intention, instinct and force, we are destined to succeed in
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once the process of fertilization
has taken place the natural principles continue the development of
cell-division and growth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From that same
perspective it seems that everything in creation has a specific purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It only seems that when we are “trying” to do
things that it is hard to achieve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why
not applying some <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_psychology">reverse psychology?</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Could we get unstuck
by just BEING rather than trying by willpower?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Just
being” does not mean being laid back or being inactive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
is rather a:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Being
pro-active<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Choosing
to live by design<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Choosing
to live with purpose<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Preferring
one way over the other<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How
do we get out of the auto-pilot mode?<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Create awareness<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Make up own mind,
rather than act on what society or culture dictates<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Change ineffective habits<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Find a passion<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Repetitive practice
(musical instrument, athletic training, public speaking, theatre performance,
communication)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Enhancing and refining
new skills<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“To be nobody but
myself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody
else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and
never stop fighting.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">–
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._E._Cummings">E.E. Cummings, </a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">poet (1894-1962)<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Greatness
in not inherited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be achieved by
endless practice and repetition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has
been said that talent is not a guaranty for great achievement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the time it is plain hard work and
persistence. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Science has proven now that
greatness is NOT programed into our DNA.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is not an inevitable outcome, unless we decide to make it happen.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Health
is not inherited either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The DNA is the
“blue-print” of life itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact,
from a medical point of view it is now proven that heredity is only in a small
part responsible for making us healthy or sick.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A recent study at the <a href="http://www.heartmath.org/">HearthMath Institute</a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> has shown that we can reprogram our DNA.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Everyone has talent,
but ability takes hard work.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">--
Michael Jordan (1963) American Professional Basket Player<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
same kind of research has been done by scientist <a href="https://www.brucelipton.com/">Bruce Lipton</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">and his work of
<a href="http://epigenetics./">epigenetics.</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Some of these
scientists suggest that we can reprogram our DNA in as little as 2
minutes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What they are saying is that
our beliefs, our behavior, our environment, and our experiences throughout life
have a greater influence on us than our inherited genes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IeOAlrUMXGo/VKdx_jqAaaI/AAAAAAAAC9U/EPsOjCGtjaU/s1600/default%2Bchoice%2B(2).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IeOAlrUMXGo/VKdx_jqAaaI/AAAAAAAAC9U/EPsOjCGtjaU/s1600/default%2Bchoice%2B(2).jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This
may be the first scientific evidence of the long-held theory that emotion
greatly affects our health and quality of life. This is positive proof that DNA
and health are related, and that we can communicate with and "program" our
DNA through emotion — and thus, change the very blueprint of our health and our
life. If we can influence the behavior of DNA and health in a test tube, what
untold health benefits might we experience by changing the DNA in our bodies?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“The basic difference
between an ordinary man and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a
challenge while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Castaneda">Carlos Castaneda</a> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">(1925-1988), American
author and anthropologist</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How
do we get rid of limiting beliefs, fears and self-destructive habits?<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We
have to understand once and for all that we are NOT our thoughts, feelings, or
circumstances. Here is a link to how to <a href="http://themindunleashed.org/2014/06/stop-absorbing-peoples-emotions.html">shield yourself</a> from other’s emotions.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
read that the thoughts and feelings are like the <a href="http://raysolution.blogspot.com/2014/08/covered-by-clouds.html">clouds </a>blocking the sun which is our true,
essential self. Our true self is very powerful and radiant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were born beautiful, happy, stress free,
confident, and productive. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Positive and negative
emotions cannot occupy the mind at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One or the other must dominate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is your responsibility to make sure that
positive emotions constitute the dominating influence of your mind.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="http://www.naphill.org/">Napoleon Hill</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(1883-1990) American
author and self-help guru<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
we let go of undesired beliefs and fears, along with self-destructive habits we
can enter once again into the realm of the Source energy or God where we are
connected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The emergence of the ego has
given us our false identity with illusionary ideas of who we are, and what we
are to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is this ego which keeps us
separated from the Divine and holds us back from the infinite energy and power
which we all long for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
that Divine presence formless ideas can become substantial because we are not
allowing the ego to think and manipulate us rather we are transcending the ego,
and letting go of our own desires, becoming one with the frequency of the
Divine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By staying in harmony with that
energy field our ultimate good will come to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By focusing on positive thoughts and feelings the manifestation of our
desires will come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">These
ideas are not new.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_attraction">Law of Attraction</a>
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (this law obeys the
laws of physics by attracting the universal energy that one vibrates at) and
<a href="http://www.beliefsecret.com/">The Magic of Believing</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">by Claude Bristol have
shed some light on the background of manifesting ideas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What they don’t talk about is how to clear
away the unwanted “baggage” we all have been carrying with us, emotional and
mental memories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have used several
methods like <a href="http://www.healerslibrary.com/what-is-the-emotion-code/">The Emotion Code</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">by Dr. Bradley Nelson
and other healing seminars to overcome undesired emotions and negative
experiences. <a href="http://communicate.eckharttolle.com/news/2014/12/30/carrying-the-past-a-thought-for-the-new-year/">Eckhart Tolle</a> calls this baggage the “pain body.” </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> He also relates to us
a simple way of how to get rid of is by symbolically “flapping our wings.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nx4sok_sBJg/VKduXJ7X44I/AAAAAAAAC9I/O-chrpXY6c4/s1600/default%2B-%2Byou%2Bare%2Bno%2Baccident.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Nx4sok_sBJg/VKduXJ7X44I/AAAAAAAAC9I/O-chrpXY6c4/s1600/default%2B-%2Byou%2Bare%2Bno%2Baccident.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“When you make a
decision and a commitment to do something good for yourself, it is like
dropping a pebble in a pond. It has a rippling effect. The firmer the decision,
the stronger the frequency and wider the range of things that will be reached.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Iyanla Vanzant (1953) American New Age teacher<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why
not try some good-old-fashioned repentance?<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">To
reach the infinite field and the presence of God, we have to clear away “the
clouds” as I mentioned above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sin is
nothing other than separation from God.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Prayer
of <a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Repent">repentance</a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> seems a simple
solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we feel sorry for what we
did wrong, we can expand it to a larger scale and repent for our society, and
nation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God is a God for all people, we
can repent for all mankind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all
separated from God because this world is certainly not a reflection of a
peaceful world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Repentance
very simply clears away what we don’t want and makes room for what we want and
need for daily living.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Part
of repentance prayer is also to be grateful for what we have.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God loves to hear us praising His beautiful
creation, being thankful for even the smallest things like food, shelter,
relationships, etc. Once we establish a true relationship with the creator, and
we tune into the presence of God, we can tell Him everything, trusting Him like
a child trusts His parent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">But
in our culture of entitlement, gratitude is underappreciated. Dr. Robert A.
Emmons of the University of California, Davis talks about the benefits of cultivating
gratitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He says that it can make you happier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">According
to Dr. Emmons, people who actively practice gratitude: <o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Have stronger immune systems and are
sick less frequently<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Exercise more and take better care of
their health<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sleep longer and feel more refreshed
upon waking<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Feel more alert, alive, and awake<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Experience more joy and pleasure<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Are more optimistic<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Are more forgiving and compassionate<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Feel less loneliness and
isolation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why
is the active practice of gratitude so effective? Dr. Rick Hanson tells us it
has to do with the negativity bias of the brain. "Our brains are like
Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones," he says.
"Given that, it takes an active effort to internalize positive experiences
and heal negative ones. When you tilt toward what's positive, you're actually
righting a neurological imbalance."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Benefits
of repentance<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Avoid
future regret<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Become
honest with oneself<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Cleanse
body with tears<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Connect
with God<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Creates
awareness of what’s “wrong” with us<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Experience
new-found freedom<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Finding
our true identity<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Focus
on important things<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Get
in touch with our heart<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Get
to know our authentic self<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Get
rid of a scarcity mindset<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let
go of ego<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Letting
go of resistance to goals<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Overcome
intellectual arrogance<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This
being the end of 2014, is a good time to do some reflecting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also the best time to start the New
Year by being more pro-active with deliberate and purpose-driven actions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Happy
New Year 2015!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
</div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-23610637924871948282014-12-22T05:34:00.001-08:002014-12-24T10:51:41.332-08:00Wassail<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uw0yx9dwpbU/VJoRF5FdB9I/AAAAAAAAC8g/wYykWIBnwq4/s1600/wassail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uw0yx9dwpbU/VJoRF5FdB9I/AAAAAAAAC8g/wYykWIBnwq4/s1600/wassail.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We
had a Christmas party at church yesterday, and I learned about a cider punch
which is popular for the Christmas Season and/or to celebrate the Winter
Solstice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was traditionally prepared
as a drink to give to carolers or outdoor activities during the winter
season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has a very warming effect on
the body because of the included spices. When I drank it, I could feel my whole body getting warm all the way to my toes.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here
is one recipe:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
4 cups hot black tea <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">4 cups cranberry juice <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">4 cups apple juice <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">2
cups orange juice <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">1/2
cup sugar <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">3/4
cup fresh lemon juice </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">4 inches fresh ginger root, chopped<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">12
whole cloves <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">4
cinnamon sticks <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Put
all in a large pot and bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Stir. Lower heat and let
simmer or put in a crock pot on low.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">There
are many variations to the drink, some of them including alcohol such as brandy,
rum or whiskey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">History
of Wassail<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
the old days, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wassailing">wassail</a> was customary to be served at Christmas time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tradition going back to England
where groups get together to wish each other “good health.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is still popular for parties to add
warmth, spice and fruitiness. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
original addition of spices was introduced when sailors returned from India to
England and called it <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_(drink)">“punch,”</a> which comes from the Sanskrit ‘panc,’ which means "five."<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The drink originally was made of five
ingredients: alcohol, sugar, lemon, water, and tea or spices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">If
you have plans for a party or just want to share something different to toast
the New Year, try wassail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here
are some more recipes:</span></u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.aspicyperspective.com/2013/09/wassail-recipe.html">Slow Cooker Cider Wassail</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://allrecipes.com/recipe/wassail-punch/">Wassail Punch</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="http://www.cooks.com/recipe/xa0u94cu/christmas-wassail.html">CHRISTMAS WASSAIL</a> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span><br />RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-35218187239089051692014-12-15T19:21:00.001-08:002015-01-03T18:48:47.467-08:00Jesus Christ And His Country
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B89zWEO9rQ0/VKiozB9n8pI/AAAAAAAAC9k/gBHCyXMBgSU/s1600/christ%2Bconsciousness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-B89zWEO9rQ0/VKiozB9n8pI/AAAAAAAAC9k/gBHCyXMBgSU/s1600/christ%2Bconsciousness.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This
being the Christmas season I like to introduce a passage from a talk given by
the Reverend Sun Myung Moon: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://www.tparents.org/moon-books/wu2/WU2-8-1.htm">God's Providence And Search For The Ideal Country</a></span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A people living in a
country without sovereignty are pitiful people. Therefore, Jesus said "Do
not worry, saying, what shall we eat? Or what shall we drink? Or what shall we
wear? For the pagans run after all these things, and your Heavenly Father knows
that you need them."<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What did Jesus say? To
save your son or to save your country? He told you to save the country; God is
looking for that. God's providence to find the ideal country can only be
accomplished through a human being, and not through breaking off human beings
and creation. It will be accomplished through the assimilation of God and
creation through truthful human beings. That is why God sent Jesus to the
fallen people of this earth as a substitute for God and as a person who could
represent the Heavenly lineage. That is, Jesus was the first one who came to
this earth to accomplish God's historic purpose.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After four thousand
years, it was Jesus who was sent to the earth as a descendant of Joseph's
family centering upon Judaism. At that time, Satan's side had already
established a country that attacked the heavenly side. Heaven's side had no
ideal country. That is why God worked so hard for four thousand years to
organize one country. Based on God's hard work and achievement, the Israelite
people were supposed to accept Jesus and secure a stepping stone to accomplish
the worldwide salvation on this earth where God and Jesus could be the center.
However, because of Jesus' death only the spiritual side of this was
accomplished.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">During Jesus' three
years of public ministry, centering upon Judaism, he desperately attempted to
restore through indemnity everything that had been lost. But he failed due to
his crucifixion. That is why Israel, which had been established as God's
stepping stone on this earth, perished. Through Jesus' death Christianity could
only keep the spiritual foundation for the ideal country. The Israelites lost
their country and were in a miserable situation wandering from place to place.
They became the laughing stock of Satan's world. Therefore, today, the Lord of
the Second Advent must restore through indemnity all that had been lost due to
the distrust of the Israelites who were ignorant of God's four thousand years
of preparation for their country.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus came to this
earth to search for his country, to establish one country for God. However, he
could not establish the country with both his body and soul but was able only
to establish a spiritual foundation. That explains why today's Christians do
not have an ideal country as an entity. It means that God cannot call any
country or any people on this earth His country and His people. It also means
that no foundation has yet been established for the Kingdom of Heaven on this
earth. If Israel had become one centering upon Jesus, then God could have been
able to restore the whole world with Israel as its center. However, since the
foundation to unite body and soul together on this earth was lost due to the
death of Jesus, only spiritual restoration had been possible.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Therefore, till today,
Christians have been in a similar position of being a people without country
and sovereignty, and have been martyred wherever they went. Christianity grew
to its prosperity only through the bloody death of religious martyrs. Why?
Because it was the way Christianity was born. Without the bloody sacrifice of
the Christians, Christianity would not have prospered. Now the period of
persecution and bloody sacrifice has ended, yet, based on the spiritual
foundation of Christianity the search for the lost country continued as had the
anticipation of the Second Coming of Christ.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Jesus is still waiting
in Paradise. You have to know that Jesus could not proceed to the heavenly
royal throne. Jesus should have established the country that had the authority
to communicate directly from Earth to Heaven. Nevertheless, since Jesus could
not establish the country God desired, Jesus could not stand in front of God.
That means that Paradise is a waiting room to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
Yes, a waiting room! Also, no individual, alone, can enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven. If Adam and Eve had not fallen, their family could have gone into the
Kingdom of Heaven. Isn't that right? Sons and daughters should come together.
Otherwise, we cannot enter Heaven.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">To restore through
indemnity the past two thousand years until now, Christianity had to fight to
establish the groundwork to unite the world. Who is going to succeed in
establishing this foundation on the earth where no true country is available?
To make this happen, God prepared a new religious movement centering on
Christianity and other conscientious people.<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">We are living at a very providential time in history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>2,000 year ago we changed the calendar to A.D.
(from B.C. before) because the birth of Jesus had such a dramatic impact on the whole
world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even though he could not
establish a country as Rev. Moon was talking about, his birth mattered because
he came to unfreeze this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His
teaching was so revolutionary, his way of living and loving so dramatic that it
shook the whole universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He showed us
what love truly is: <strong>to express the heart of God as our parent.</strong> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also came to expose the enemy of love with
his self-centered ways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was and is
truly revolutionary; that’s why he had so many enemies and eventually had to
die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None-the-less, the Christ
Consciousness is with us today and forever, and it is up to us to manifest it
in our everyday life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Merry Christmas!<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-24198070978969074242014-12-08T13:29:00.001-08:002014-12-15T20:01:53.796-08:00Peace by any Other Name<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LcLdSctnjB8/VI-ru8i8xgI/AAAAAAAAC8U/VIQDtw3Mi-A/s1600/peace.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LcLdSctnjB8/VI-ru8i8xgI/AAAAAAAAC8U/VIQDtw3Mi-A/s1600/peace.png" height="151" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">During
this Christmas season, we send cards with the slogan Peace on Earth, or we
remind ourselves of the ‘wish for world peace,’ ‘let there be peace on earth,’ ‘give
peace a chance,’ ‘peace brings the world together,’ ‘peace is possible,’ ‘peace
is our gift to each other,’ ‘peace is the way for a better day,’ ‘peaceful
resolution is the best solution,’ ‘where there is love there is peace,’ ‘war is
expensive, peace is priceless,’ ‘let’s have peace,’ etc.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u>If
that’s the wish of all people why has peace still evaded us?<o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
once read a book called the <a href="https://arbinger.com/product/the-anatomy-of-peace/">“Anatomy of Peace”</a> by the Arbinger Institute where
the authors ask some very profound questions: What if conflicts at home,
conflicts at work, and conflicts in the world stem from the same root cause?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What is their conclusion? <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
choice between peace and war lies within us.</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As one of the characters says, "A solution to the
inner war solves the outer war as well." This book offers more than hope
-- it shows how we can prevent the conflicts that cause so much pain in our
lives and in the world.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“If the way of peace is
to succeed, it must offer a substitute for everything war now offers.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Dr. Deepak Chopra, author of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.peace.ca/peaceistheway.htm">Peace is the Way:</a></i> “Bringing War and Violence to an End.”<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
is the meaning of Peace?<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Peace
is defined by a freedom from disturbance; quiet and tranquility, calm and
serenity; privacy and solitude; also ease and contentment.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Peace
can also be law and order, harmony and non-violence; absence of violence and
war.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“There is no other way
to peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Peace is the way.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~Mahatma
Ghandi<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why
is it so hard to create Peace?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">For
once, it is an abstract term, an invisible value, a dream, a vision, something
nobody has ever seen, heard, touched, smelled or tasted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But so are terminologies such as love,
beauty, truth, and goodness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are
values we all strive for but we all have different ideas of what they
mean.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">"The democratic
world places value upon the individual person because each one is a child of
God. The greatest care must be taken to assure each individual's liberty and
freedom of choice, for without liberty, a person's actions have no value."</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon - </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Challenges
and Possibilities for World Peace, June 1, 1987<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How
can we overcome that internal struggle?<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
is no wonder that we are fighting wars between countries when the actual
conflict starts in our own mind. Have you ever become aware of the internal
battle in your own mind?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or the struggle
your head puts up when your heart says something else?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Or witnessed the arguments and repetitive
slogan your negative mind plays over and over again?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That conflict happens when one part of you
disagrees with what the other part is doing. Or the clash of your mind and body
when the alarm goes off 6:00 AM and you would rather stay in bed than get up and
go to work?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
we discovered before, the values we are striving for are all invisible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The way we can manifest anything into the
physical realm is through experience and practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The same way an athletes have to train day in
and day out or a musician has to rehearse the scales before she can play a
beautiful song, the daily repetition brings him the perfect result.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And even with all the drills and repeats the
probability of success is only 3 out of 10 or some similar rate; practice and
training make perfect score.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How
can we ever achieve that mind-body unity?<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Since
the dawn of times the individual and mankind as a whole have been striving to
create peace while conquering each other, while battling and fighting war at
the same time.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
moment we forget that man is not only a physical being but a creature with
spirit and soul, we are always faced with challenges.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And they are not only encounters of
relationships.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Darrel Scott, the father
of Rachel Scott who died in the Columbine High School tragedy, says it best:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">"Men and women are
three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to
acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil,
prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were
present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many
of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical
fact. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What has happened to us
as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors
to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy
occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They
immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away
our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. <o:p></o:p></span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Eric and Dylan would
not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop
someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies
within our own hearts.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Darrell Scott, Father of Rachel Joy Scott, victim of the Columbine High School
shooting in 1999<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
Darrel mentions we have pushed all spiritual elements out of our schools and
education systems, in fact out of almost every aspect of our society.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Why can’t spirituality without any particular
religious flavor be part of our everyday lives?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“People say to me, ‘but
if I simply accept reality then I will become passive and nothing will
change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I answer them with this question.
Which of these statements makes more sense? "I wish I hadn't lost all that
money.’ or ‘what can I do now to create more income?’<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Accepting ‘what is’
doesn't mean you settle for the way things are, it just means you give up all
the resistance and inner struggle by wishing it were different.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Robert Anthony, Author and Self-help guru<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ZvORaqavfw/VI-reu8IZjI/AAAAAAAAC8M/dH18Ja2_7u8/s1600/peace%2Bis%2Bthe%2Bway.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2ZvORaqavfw/VI-reu8IZjI/AAAAAAAAC8M/dH18Ja2_7u8/s1600/peace%2Bis%2Bthe%2Bway.png" height="133" width="200" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">How
can we become Peace-Makers?<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
his book “Peace is the Way” Deepak Chopra writes about war being a myth which provides an outlet for national vengeance, it
satisfies the demands of fear, it brings power to the victor, it provides
security to the homeland, and it opens an avenue for getting what you want by
force.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He talks about being addicted to
war just like to any other bad habit.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
first step to any change is awareness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We
all can practice peace every day by changing our habits and mindsets. Chopra
salutes conflict resolution, voting, and finding concrete ethical ways of
supporting nonviolence. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dr. Chopra
suggests a seven step process to replace addiction to a way of love.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">One practice for each
day:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sunday:
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Being For Peace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Monday:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Thinking For Peace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Tuesday:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Feeling For Peace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Wednesday:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Speaking For Peace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thursday:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Acting For Peace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Friday:
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Creating For Peace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Saturday:<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Sharing For Peace<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
am glad that Dr. Chopra includes the existence of God as necessity for finding
a way to peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He says that the way of
peace isn't based on religion or morality. It doesn't ask us to become saints
overnight, or to renounce our feelings of anger or our thirst for revenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The way of peace is based on the same thing
that ushered in the age of science: a leap in consciousness.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Next
week I will explore more ways as to how peace can come about.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-9019576074409983652014-12-01T13:54:00.000-08:002015-01-05T18:24:37.651-08:00We Thank You, America! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ohyoC97hySo/VIPPS3yQslI/AAAAAAAAC74/_Ba3VkqupFE/s1600/america%2Bflag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ohyoC97hySo/VIPPS3yQslI/AAAAAAAAC74/_Ba3VkqupFE/s1600/america%2Bflag.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Last
week I wrote about America being an idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>An idea which can also be a vision or a dream.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The American dream was not only the dream of
the pilgrims but also the dream of our Heavenly Parent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that’s the reason that even though
the pilgrims faced a lot of suffering and hardship along the way to establish
the new colony, they also encountered many miracles.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Just
recently I watched the movie: <a href="http://www.dineshdsouza.com/books/america-imagine-world-without/">America:Imagine the World without Her.</a> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this documentary Dinesh D'Souza shows
a very different perspective of America from what we are presented in the
media.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">America: Imagine a World without Her</i>
D'Souza offers a passionate and sharply reasoned defense of America, knocking
down every important accusation made by Progressives against our country. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bT63J9-i9lI/VIPPOoxe1bI/AAAAAAAAC70/0FspEGKYx24/s1600/America.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bT63J9-i9lI/VIPPOoxe1bI/AAAAAAAAC70/0FspEGKYx24/s1600/America.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
the book of the same title, you'll learn:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•Why
it is a pernicious myth that English colonists "stole" America from
the Indians or that American settlers and soldiers "stole" the
southwest from Mexico.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•Why
the descendants of slaves—and the successive waves of immigrants to the United
States—are better off here than in their old countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•How
America, more than any other country, is based on rewarding the enterprise and
hard-work of the common man.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•How
traditional American virtues sustain prosperity and freedom, and Progressive
arguments about "liberation" and "justice" undercut them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•How
Progressive demagoguery about "inequality" expands the power of
government and its grasp on the taxpayer's wallet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•Why
we should fear the Progressive agenda of "reform" which is in fact an
agenda of totalitarian control of the state over the individual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">•Why
national decline is a choice--a choice that it is still not too late to reverse.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Provocative
in its analysis, stunning in its conclusions, Dinesh D'Souza's America will be
the most talked about book of the year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">(Review
from the <a href="http://www.dineshdsouza.com/books/america-imagine-world-without/">America: Imagine the World without Her website.</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Apparently
there are historical records about the founding of this country which the
liberals don’t want us to know.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we
just celebrated Thanksgiving Holiday, let’s look at some stories which you may
not have heard about:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Truth about Thanksgiving: <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-schiffman/the-thanksgiving-truth_b_1105181.html">What They Never Taught You in School <o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~ Richard
Schiffman<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #93c47d;">"The most creative
and industrious people had no incentive to work any harder than anyone else,
unless they could utilize the power of personal motivation!" <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #93c47d;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
William Bradford, Governor of the Plymouth Plantation from 1623-1656<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u>Or
American Historian <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_S._Wood">Gordon S. Wood</a> </u></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u>who writes in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Radicalism of the American Revolution:<o:p></o:p></i></u></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“The
idea of labor, of hard work, leading to increased productivity was so novel, so
radical, in the overall span of Western history that most ordinary people, most
of those who labored, could scarcely believe what was happening to them. Labor
had been so long thought to be the natural and inevitable consequence of
necessity and poverty that most people still associated it with slavery and
servitude. Therefore any possibility of oppression, any threat to the
colonists' hard earned prosperity, any hint of reducing them to the poverty of
other nations, was especially frightening; for it seemed likely to slide them
back into the traditional status of servants or slaves, into the older world
where labor was merely a painful necessity and not a source of prosperity.”</span></em> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u>Dr.
Ben Carson writes in a column for the Washington Times newspaper praising the
strong beliefs of the Founding Fathers:<o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Those are the values
that allowed a ragtag army during the American Revolution to defeat the most powerful
military force on earth. They did not possess a superior fighting force or
ingenious strategies, but they did hold strong beliefs, for which they were
willing to die, while the British soldiers were just following orders. That
same kind of conviction today can lead us to become informed voters and
exercise the powers vested in us courageously.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffe599;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ffe599;">Historically, during
great cultural clashes, those with strong convictions and beliefs have overcome
those with weak convictions, who have lost their identity. We are now involved
in a worldwide conflict with forces that wish to destroy America and our way of
life. We can capitulate to the forces of political correctness and surrender
everything that made us strong and unique for the sake of not offending anyone,
or we can proudly embrace the values and principles that made us great, honor
our Constitution and place our trust in God. This is our best safeguard.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Dr. Ben Carson, <a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/oct/14/ben-carson-such-a-moment-as-this/">American Author</a> and retired neurosurgeon. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
wrote about the experiences of the Pilgrims at the Plymouth Plantation in my
<a href="http://raysolution.blogspot.com/2014/11/thank-you-america.html.">last blog.</a>
It is astounding that none of the new history textbooks mention about the
unsuccessful ‘common course’ practices of our first settlers. Once they got
over their socialistic attitudes and applied themselves with the ‘can do spirit,’
they became very successful and God could bless them.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Here
are some video links about the <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/thanksgiving">American Thanksgiving Holiday</a>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><u>In
the book as well as the movie Mr. D’Souza is very concerned about the future of
our country.<o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">“First, the American
economy is stagnant and shrinking relative to the economies of China. Russia,
India and Brazil…Second, America is drowning in debt. While China is the
world’s largest creditor nation, America is the world’s largest debtor nation.
At $17 trillion, the national debt is now bigger than the total sum of goods
and services that America produces in a year…Finally, America is losing its
position in the world.”</span> <o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
one other critique summarizes D’Souza’s very compassioned approach:<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #d9ead3;">Remember, when you have
the facts, you argue the facts. When you don't have the facts, you argue the
law, and when you don't have the facts or the law on your side, you attack the
person. When you hear his opponent’s bad mouthing Dinesh D'Souza personally,
you know they do not have an argument to make. This is why you hear politicians
trying to turn themselves into victims of personal attacks because it serves to
deflect the serious arguments being made against their policies and actions in
office. Be alert, my friends. Be alert!</span> <o:p></o:p></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Craig Matteson, Saline, MI</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/goKXTXwT_4g" width="560"></iframe>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dinesh D'Souza: A World Without America <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Thanksgiving week and the approaching Christmas Holidays are a great
opportunity to be grateful for our heritage and reflect on the core values of
our Founding Fathers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gratitude is a
great motivator for a course correction, especially when we can include our
Heavenly Parent's input.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-71852763841380312172014-11-24T16:41:00.000-08:002014-12-03T19:47:41.609-08:00Thank You, America!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GPCIwSr0EGI/VH6Tqk73-yI/AAAAAAAAC7g/ytDezs0v9ZQ/s1600/america%2Bthanksgiving%20card%202009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GPCIwSr0EGI/VH6Tqk73-yI/AAAAAAAAC7g/ytDezs0v9ZQ/s1600/america%2Bthanksgiving%20card%202009.jpg" height="217" width="320" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">America can be seen as
idea<o:p></o:p></span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">An
idea such as a thought or suggestion as to a possible course of action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An idea such as an image with an aim or
purpose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>An idea such as a vision of an ideal
country.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Pilgrims coming to America certainly had ideas and hopes for a better
life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They parted Europe in order to
find a land where they could freely worship God and pursue a life of freedom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Those
were the <a href="http://www.americassurvivalguide.com/americas-first-principles.php">principles America</a>
was founded on:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Founding Fathers
declared equal opportunities, not equal outcomes:</span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
rule of law is a First Principle that mandates that the law governs everyone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
First Principle of unalienable rights recognizes that everyone is naturally
endowed by their Creator with certain rights.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Equality
is a First Principle that recognizes that all persons are created equal.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
First Principle of the Social Compact recognizes that governments are
instituted by the people and derive their just powers from the consent of the
governed.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">5)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
First Principle of limited government means that the protection of unalienable
rights is the legitimate purpose and limit of government requires the
government to be strong enough to fulfill its purpose yet limited to that
purpose.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">6)<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A
final First Principle is the right to declare revolution when the other First
Principles are being infringed by the government.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“America is more than
just a place. America is an idea. It’s the only country founded ON an idea. Our
rights come from nature and God, not from government. … We promise equal
opportunity, not equal outcomes. And this idea was founded on the principles of
freedom, free enterprise, self-determination and government by CONSENT of the
governed.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
</span><a href="http://www.noquarterusa.net/blog/70082/america-is-an-idea-we-promise-equal-opportunity-not-equal-outcomes-and-h2ks-open-thread/"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Paul Ryan,</span></a><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> U.S. Congressman</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://mayflowerhistory.com/mayflower-compact/">The Pilgrims and the Mayflower Compact</a> </span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
the Pilgrims arrived at the New World, they arrived in New England’s
winter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the following years 1621/1622
their harvest were scare, mainly because they didn’t apply themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some worked and others were lazy and stole food
from others and suffered hunger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Mayflower Compact which had been signed by all male passengers of the Mayflower
which gave them permission to leave England and promised them land along the
New World shore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Due to storms they
landed in what is today New England instead of their original destiny of today’s
Virginia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The compact was to give them
some form of legal binding of self-governing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately, the compact got lost, and it was not until <a href="http://www.history.com/topics/william-bradford">William Bradford</a> declared the end of socialism in 1623 and help draft a legal code which distributed
land to each family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Until
then the Pilgrims had practiced some form of “common course,” which was a sort
of primitive agrarian communism. Bradford decided to distribute land among all
the settlers, not just members of the company and didn’t discriminate along
religious line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He encouraged free
market trade; each family worked hard and worked the land with new pride and
gratitude.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The following year they had a
plentiful harvest and gathered for a feast of thanksgiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>William Bradford was the governor of the
Plymouth Plantation for over 30 years and wrote about their lifestyle in <a href="http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1650bradford.asp">“The History of the Plymouth Plantation.”</a> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">God’s Hope for America<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Coming
from another country, I didn’t know much about American History. In the 1970’s
Rev. Moon gave a series of public speeches entitled: <a href="http://www.unification.net/gww/gww-14.html">God’s Hope for America,</a> and I learned about the heart-warming stories of the American Pilgrims.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-agogY0O-YT8/VH6TIqIxYfI/AAAAAAAAC7Y/AKH7cEHncjA/s1600/america%2Bpray.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-agogY0O-YT8/VH6TIqIxYfI/AAAAAAAAC7Y/AKH7cEHncjA/s1600/america%2Bpray.jpg" height="211" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
Rev. Moon spoke about the longing of the
Pilgrims and their willingness to endure hardship and suffering to bring their
dreams to a new reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They had a
strong faith that God was on their side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Here is an excerpt from the speech given in October 21, 1973 in
Washington, DC:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">A winter of heartbreak</span></i></b></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">During the first winter
in America, the population of the hardy Mayflower survivors was cut in half.
Each day that winter brought a heartbreaking separation from loved ones. One by
one these courageous pioneers died. Yet their life from morning to night, from
dusk to dawn, was centered upon the will of God. God was their only comfort,
their only hope and their only security. God was the principal partner for
them. Here was an example of such a rare and pure group of God's people. They
demonstrated untiring faith, and God gave them power and courage. They never
lost their trust in God and their vision of the future. Their purpose in coming
to America was to build a nation where God could dwell, where they could really
share fellowship with each other and rejoice in fellowship with God. This was
all in God's providence, because He needed a nation to serve as His champion
for the ultimate and permanent salvation of the world. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">So another miracle came
to the Pilgrims. When they were just barely surviving and their population had
been halved, the Indians could easily have wiped them out with one stroke. But again,
God was a shield for them. The first group of Indians the Mayflower survivors
encountered were not hostile. The Indians welcomed the settlers. If the
Pilgrims had been destroyed at that time, there would probably have been no
America for God. God intervened to save His people here in America. This is my
belief. God wanted them to settle, and He gave the Pilgrims a chance. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As the population of
the settlement grew, they had to push the Indians away to enlarge their own
colony. Of course, this land did not belong to the new American people
originally. The Indians were the inhabitants of the land, and the Pilgrim
settlers must have been invaders in the eyes of the Indians. Why then did God
give these settlers their great chance? Here is my interpretation. God sided
with the American settlers because it was in His plan. Furthermore, these
American settlers met God's requirements and truly demonstrated an unwavering
faith in God. God could not help but give them His promise and fulfill that
promise. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">America's existence was
according to God's providence. God needed to build one powerful Christian
nation on earth for His future work. After all, America belonged to God first,
and only after that to the Indians. This is the only interpretation that can
justify the position of the Pilgrim settlers. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">This continent of
America was hidden away for a special purpose and was not discovered until the
appropriate hour. The people of God came at the appointed hour. They came to
mold the new way of life. Their principal partner was God. At home, in caring
for their children, in farming or cooking or building, they let God share their
work. He was the only security they had. A farmer might talk to his son working
out in the field with him. "Let's plow this field in the name of
God." Their everyday life was lived in the name of God. </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">After the first spring
visited them, they cleared the fields, planted, cultivated, and harvested the
crop. And they attributed all their precious harvest to the grace of God. The
beautiful tradition of Thanksgiving thus originated. Following the next severe
winter, the first thing they built was a church. At night, at dawn, in the
morning and at noontime, they prayed to God. I am sure they prayed, "God,
we want to build a place for You which must be better than the Old World. We
want to build a place where You can dwell and be master." </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">And they also had a
vision of the future that this Christian nation would do more good for the rest
of the world than any other country upon the face of the earth. I am sure that
after their church they built a school. They wanted outstanding schools for
their children, better than any schools existing in the Old World. And their
homes came last. After they built these homes, they dedicated them to God. This
is the history of your Pilgrim Fathers, I know. I can visualize early America
as a beautiful America, because God was dwelling everywhere. In the school, in
the church, in the kitchen, in the street — in any assembly or market place,
God was dwelling.</span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></em></span></i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></i></span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><em>
</em></span><span style="background-color: white;"><strong><u>The American Dream<o:p></o:p></u></strong></span></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white;">The
Pilgrims laid the foundation for the American Dream which is a national ethos
of the United States, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity
for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard
work.</span> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“That sense of can do
spirit, of American Exceptionalism has a long history going back to the
pilgrims who carved out a place to call home and the rag tagged army that
defeated the most powerful empire in the world.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">What
is America – <a href="http://www.redstate.com/diary/imperfectamerica/2010/11/22/what-is-america-a-country-an-idea-or-both/">ReadState</a></span><a href="http://www.redstate.com/diary/imperfectamerica/2010/11/22/what-is-america-a-country-an-idea-or-both/"> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
like to finish this tribute to the Thanksgiving Holiday with a short video by musician
and singer/song writer Bono at Georgetown University who as an Irish born sees
America as an Ideal truth which is self-evident in all of us:</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Tg3Xzh2cXD8" width="560"></iframe> <br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Next
week I will write about the movie America: Imagine a World without Her<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-71729956729132481902014-11-17T13:27:00.001-08:002014-11-19T18:03:08.895-08:00How to Communicate with God<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gZrd15v2tEU/VGwJbvb9dzI/AAAAAAAAC6I/QBPkNQ_soNk/s1600/prayer1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-gZrd15v2tEU/VGwJbvb9dzI/AAAAAAAAC6I/QBPkNQ_soNk/s1600/prayer1.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Today,
more than ever before, we observe that some people truly desire to communicate
with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This trends exist disregarding
of certain religious affiliations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
fact, it is often those who don’t have a church preference, who are the true
seekers.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Prayer
is the ongoing dialogue with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
a way to tell God everything and surrender our lives to Him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The most effective way to talk to God is by
imagining that He is our parent, our Dad and Mom who want to know about
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we report to God in this way,
we can ask for help and guidance and then just listen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honoring God in this way, listening, and
waiting for solutions to unfold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since
God is mostly interested in our spiritual growth and personal development,
answers may not always come or come in ways we don’t expect them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
the teachings of the <a href="http://www.thirdadam.org/">Divine Principle</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">this occurrence is
explained in the chapter on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eschatology">Eschatology</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> or specifically the
section on: THE PHENOMENON OF THE RESTORATION OF THE <a href="http://www.unification.net/dp73/dp73-1-3.html.">FIRST BLESSING<o:p></o:p></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
the beginning, God gave man three blessings:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Be fruitful, multiply
and have dominion over the earth.”</span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~ </span><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/1-28.htm"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Genesis 1:28</span></a> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Since
man was created as a spiritual being with both physical and spiritual senses we
were also giving the potential to communicate with God freely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being fruitful means to be mature in both
mind and body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the unity of
mind/body we would be aligned with our creator and could freely communicate
with Him as we are talking to our spouses or friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Throughout
the ages, God has spoken to central figures, prophets, and saints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None-the-less, it was the creators desire to
talk to each one of us directly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
therefore a natural occurrence for more and more people to seek direct contact
with the Divine.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
Oriental philosophies and religions have attracted a lot of attention from the
Western world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With breath work,
chanting, martial arts, meditation, yoga, and other disciplines <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spiritual_practice">spiritual practices</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">are endless.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Let’s look at some of
the ways to communicate with the Heavenly Parent through our five spiritual
senses:<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><strong>* Breathing -- </strong>The first thing we do after being born into this physical world is to breathe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that very moment the spirit of God enters the little human and from then has an eternal spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Children’s breathing is effortless and takes the breath deep into the diaphragm.</span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9QfW0S8Kro8/VGwJvUBdWKI/AAAAAAAAC6U/GShRYolE8wU/s1600/breathing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9QfW0S8Kro8/VGwJvUBdWKI/AAAAAAAAC6U/GShRYolE8wU/s1600/breathing.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“God took the dust of
the earth and formed the body or man, and breathed into the nostrils of man the
Breath of Life, and man became a living soul.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
</span><a href="http://biblehub.com/genesis/2-7.htm"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Genesis 2:7</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Almost
all the ancient languages use the same word for air, wind or breath as they do
for life, vital energy, or spirit; or the animating principle of life. This
principle, this spirit of life, is called chi, ki, prana, or energy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">”If you can do
something with breath, you will attain the source of life. If you can do
something with breath, you can transcend time and space. If you can do
something with breath, you will be in the world and also beyond it.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
Rajneesh/Osho, </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7QdUA2pyfU"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Book of Secrets</span></a> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
we grow older breathing often gets hindered by negative emotions and
experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We hold our breath in excitement,
fear or fight and flight causing stress; we starve our cells of oxygen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Practicing certain breathing techniques can
be very beneficial to our health.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Additionally, centered breathing can create an internal awareness and
peace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can help us to enter into the
realm of heart which is our true essence and can lead to a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebirthing">rebirth </a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rebirthing">experience</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Hearing</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> – Listening is a skill which we all have to practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With so much information and stimulation we
often filter out stuff we don’t want to hear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>One of the best ways to keep healthy relationships is to learn to
listen.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5eCJR2gLqnI/VGwJ5OFqaKI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/jOkNa6FBSOI/s1600/hearing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5eCJR2gLqnI/VGwJ5OFqaKI/AAAAAAAAC6Y/jOkNa6FBSOI/s1600/hearing.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
meditation and prayer we want to be silent at times in order “to hear the small
voice of God.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our world is very noisy,
and even the talk in our head is constantly telling us what we can’t, didn’t, and
shouldn’t do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It seems that the biggest
bullies are not external but are the incessant shatter in our own mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Listening
to our inner silence takes practice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Eckhart Tolle, in his book “A New Earth” speaks about <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtuiEDBKgBU.">“Listening for Silence.”</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It will stop our thinking and help us to
connect with our true essence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We
also want to hear beautiful sounds in creation as well as delightful and
uplifting music.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our ears are meant to
explore the whole spectrum of sounds and vibrate with the frequencies of
nature.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><br />
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xvl13Pbbtow/VGwRyIlN_FI/AAAAAAAAC7A/rtJFOwb7bRY/s1600/seeing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xvl13Pbbtow/VGwRyIlN_FI/AAAAAAAAC7A/rtJFOwb7bRY/s1600/seeing.jpg" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Seeing</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> – In visualizing our spiritual self we become empowered by
faith and the invisible will become substantial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this way we co-create our own
existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we “gaze upon God” and
take it upon ourselves to incorporate the spiritual virtues (fruits of the
spirit), our everyday life can become an extra-ordinary life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faith is believing in that core essence which
God has manifested in us as our original potential and can become manifested in
everyday events. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“The power to see in Spirit
is peculiar to faith. In its outer expression, this power is sight; interiorly
it is that which perceives the reality of the substance of Spirit. Mental
seeing is knowing; we mentally discern. Have faith in what you do.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Charles Fillmore<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><br />
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rwM04DVp9bI/VGwKHEiZzbI/AAAAAAAAC6k/hEk_HcFuYDo/s1600/smelling%2Bcoffee.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rwM04DVp9bI/VGwKHEiZzbI/AAAAAAAAC6k/hEk_HcFuYDo/s1600/smelling%2Bcoffee.jpg" /></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Smelling</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> -- By becoming aware of our sense of smell we
can remember certain experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can
still smell the ocean air from the day we spent at the beach in <a href="http://raysolution.blogspot.com/2014/10/oh-that-was-awesome.html">Florida</a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> or the scent of honey
suckle from the bushes in our backyard when they bloom in the spring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The key is to connect those kind of
experiences with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God wants to smell
the flowers through us; or the aroma of fresh brewed coffee to awaken all of
our senses in the morning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the
greater awareness of consciousness every small action can be a beautiful
experience.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5gObuxWRLSM/VGwKNYNJqvI/AAAAAAAAC6s/FZfM1jwljjE/s1600/tasting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5gObuxWRLSM/VGwKNYNJqvI/AAAAAAAAC6s/FZfM1jwljjE/s1600/tasting.jpg" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Tasting</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> – Some people say a prayer before eating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is a great practice to invite God to
enjoy the food and drink with us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since
God doesn’t have a physical body, he wants to experience tasting bread through
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I can imagine the taste of lemon in
my mouth feeling the bitter, tangy and sour flavor on my tongue. <span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">Biting in the delicious strawberry, one can chew it slowly and savor
every bite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>It creates a
consciousness within us to make God part of all of our experiences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then drinking a glass of water can be a holy
experience, especially if we are grateful for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once we take all of our actions out of the
habitual trance every tasks becomes purposeful and can create joy and
excitement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of the flavors have been
created by God for our enjoyment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Behold, I stand at the
door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to
him and eat with him, and he with me.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Jesus Christ<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fkwtj-KH1GI/VGwSS49Tj1I/AAAAAAAAC7I/Idh72b9G9rs/s1600/touching.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fkwtj-KH1GI/VGwSS49Tj1I/AAAAAAAAC7I/Idh72b9G9rs/s1600/touching.jpg" /></a></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">* Touching</span></b><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> – This sense is probably the most intimate to
come in contact with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At times we
feel His embrace, His touch through another human being and most often when we
are struggling or suffering. Being open to God’s touch in those moments is the
most rewarding.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In times of sorrow we
need to feel close to God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is
unfortunate that most of us don’t call on God except for those moments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And then we are disappointed because we
cannot feel God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because our Heavenly
Parent wants to be close to us at all times, take our hand in good times and in
bad times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It means to make ourselves
vulnerable and surrender our ego at times when things go well or when we feel
self-assured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“We need to find God,
and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence.
See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the
moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to
touch souls.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Mother Teresa<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">By
practicing to stay in the present moment, we have access to the power of life
itself and can get in touch with God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When we step out of the present moment, thinking of yesterday’s
experiences or projecting our mind into the future, we turn away from God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then God is not a reality anymore but becomes
a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">concept of the mind</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that state of mind it is hard to believe
in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We
all know we have greater potential than we have realized so far.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Using our spiritual senses as well as our
physical senses will open up a whole new world for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people have an encounter of a
near-death-experience or some other drastic spiritual awakening.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Others just have a 6<sup>th</sup> sense
happening, <span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin;">synchronistic event </span>or use their intuition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Beyond those kinds of incidents we all have the capacity to access our
spiritual senses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All we need to do is
become aware and practice to be in the NOW at all times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Paying attention to the small things, and
discovering that we are not separate from God but He is within us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
about those people who say that God does not exist?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let them watch the recent movie <a href="http://www.theprinciplemovie.com/">“The Principle”</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> in which science now is
telling us they can prove God’s existence.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Gratitude
is best practice to feel God and having a forgiving heart is an open door.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based on humility God will be with us even if
we don’t pray.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-62351248124287851522014-11-04T07:16:00.000-08:002014-11-12T20:00:01.307-08:00I Voted! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Td0PnWY-vSw/VGQsBBOm3cI/AAAAAAAAC5o/W1vVQfRCsuQ/s1600/voting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="//1.bp.blogspot.com/-Td0PnWY-vSw/VGQsBBOm3cI/AAAAAAAAC5o/W1vVQfRCsuQ/s1600/voting.jpg" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
didn’t know that my voting would be such an adventure this time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the way to the voting place, my son called
us: Mom, did you know that they changed the location of the polling
station?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>I hadn’t heard or read about
(even though a few days before I looked up the candidates at the official
website.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
was grateful that we didn’t have go to the wrong place.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I presented my ID, the man
looked at me and said: You cannot vote here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I told him, that I was a citizen, and I wanted to vote (I even showed
him my name on the list).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He sent me to
another group of volunteers who gladly explained to me that the reason I couldn’t
vote on the electronic ballot machines was that my driver’s license had expired.
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>So, what was I to do?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ONdbIoLob9A/VGQsIvr9UxI/AAAAAAAAC5w/1LAkyRNTu8E/s1600/voting%2Bballot%2Bbox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="//2.bp.blogspot.com/-ONdbIoLob9A/VGQsIvr9UxI/AAAAAAAAC5w/1LAkyRNTu8E/s1600/voting%2Bballot%2Bbox.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">They
gave me an application for manual voting and send me with an envelope and the
paper ballot to another table behind a screen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Then, I was to stick the envelope in the temporary <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballot_box">ballot box</a>
which was actually a yellow sack which was locked.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
the meantime, I was embarrassed that my driver’s license had expired two weeks
before on my birthday.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I went
straight from voting to the DMV I found a roomful of people all standing in
line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t want to wait for hours to
get my license renewed which I did the next morning within 15 minutes,
including taking the vision test as well as a picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This time around my license is only good for
another four years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
is the lesson of the day?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Before you
vote: check your ID for validity.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-30174656834174332832014-10-27T07:10:00.003-07:002014-10-27T19:50:59.785-07:00I believe in the the American People<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pch1o7wodGI/VE73wno4wQI/AAAAAAAAC5Y/1a7_nO2u4f0/s1600/citizenship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Pch1o7wodGI/VE73wno4wQI/AAAAAAAAC5Y/1a7_nO2u4f0/s1600/citizenship.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
the last few months I have seriously thought about my decision from 15 years
ago on becoming an American citizen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
judge who swore us in gave such a moving appeal to all the new nationals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all the years since I have always been
proud to be an American.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Did I make a
mistake by becoming a citizen of the United States?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t like the way our country is run right
now, with all the wars against this, that and the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All the threads and fears which are emanating
from our government; what happened to the land of the free, the home of the
brave?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What does it mean to be
an American citizen?<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">In
the classes I had to take to qualify for citizenship I learned about the
Constitution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is one of the
requirements to show that you are attached to the principles of the
<a href="http://www.h1base.com/visa/work/compare%20work%20visas/ref/1362">Constitution </a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> of the United States.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
was the founding fathers ideas and especially the conviction of <a href="http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9806/danpre.html,">Thomas Jefferson</a>, </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">the writer of the
Declaration of Independence, to keep religion and state affairs separated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the past that has worked really well, that
legal residents could follow their own religious beliefs without infringing on
their neighbors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
constitution also gave us the rights to voice our opinions without being harassed
by anyone including authorities. It seems contradictory that new citizens have
to swear to uphold the constitution when our own government is not following
the same rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/qXBswFfh6AY" width="420"></iframe><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">"A
Time for Choosing" by Ronald Reagan 60 years ago 10-27-64<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We have to know our
history<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">When
I was in school, I never liked history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Maybe it was the way it was presented, too dry and lifeless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Someone once said we need to know our history
to know our future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>History runs in
cycles, and when we can see those repetitions it should surely open our
eyes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But do we really learn from
history?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">History
never made much sense to me until I studied the <a href="http://www.tparents.org/Library/Unification/Books/Dp2h/DP-2h-03.htm">History of the Providence of Restoration</a> (HPR) </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">which is taught by the
late Reverend Sun Myung Moon in the Divine Principle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The HPR starts with biblical accounts of Adam
and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and their families, and goes through three
<a href="http://www.unification.net/dp96/dp96-2-3.html">parallel periods</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">of repeating similar
events and brings us to today, the time of the returning Messiah.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ce1pUX4K51M/VE72jVBGVAI/AAAAAAAAC5M/jCbD71zSIDU/s1600/parallels%2Bof%2Bhistory.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ce1pUX4K51M/VE72jVBGVAI/AAAAAAAAC5M/jCbD71zSIDU/s1600/parallels%2Bof%2Bhistory.jpg" height="207" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We have to know who we
are<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://raysolution.blogspot.com/2014/09/know-thyself.html">“Know Thyself”</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">is an age-old maxim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we know who we
are we know what to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our god-centered
conscience will be our guide.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Too
many people today have been lulled into an hypnotic trance giving them free
money, free cell phones, free health insurance, etc. for doing nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Uncle Sam’s promises come with a high price:
giving up self-reliance, character, and traditional family values.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Excellence has been replaced by mediocrity,
dreams have been shattered by false promises.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
like how <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/viktor_frankl_youth_in_search_of_meaning">Victor Frankl,</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">a holocaust survivor,
gave an interesting insight in 1972 about believing in people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He suggested to target people’s ideal
potential to live a more meaningful life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Aren’t we all looking for more meaning in our life? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If Victor Frankl, who describes his
experiences of his life in a concentration camp in his book <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man's_Search_for_Meaning">“Man’s Search for Meaning,”</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> can believe in the
goodness and righteousness of people, we can also find meaning in believing in
the higher potential of human beings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“The
Only Thing Necessary for the Triumph of Evil is that Good Men Do Nothing.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
</span><a href="http://quoteinvestigator.com/2010/12/04/good-men-do/"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Edmund Burke</span></a><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> (1729-1797) Irish Statesman and Philosopher</span> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
a citizen I will vote next Tuesday, November 4, 2014.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is my right and my privilege to cast my
vote.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe that the system is not
going to betray my vote through mechanical failure or will-full manipulation,
and if there was found such, I trust that it will be rectified by the people
who have built this nation as a free country where every vote is counted in its
rightful way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Democracy means that we
have choices protected by the law.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
want to encourage all good citizens of this great country to go vote this
coming November 4<sup>th. </sup><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<o:p><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></o:p></div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-53991685981444235452014-10-20T11:08:00.001-07:002014-10-20T11:08:57.490-07:00Oh, That was Awesome! <br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aU99yhmZyqg/VERNH_Qi3mI/AAAAAAAAC34/x6wIl39SshQ/s1600/breaker%2Bcocoa%2Bbeach.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-aU99yhmZyqg/VERNH_Qi3mI/AAAAAAAAC34/x6wIl39SshQ/s1600/breaker%2Bcocoa%2Bbeach.gif" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">On
a beautiful fall day, our family went to <a href="http://www.cityofcocoabeach.com/">Cocoa Beach</a> in
Florida.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was about 85 degrees and a
perfect occasion to enjoy the calm and consistent waves at the beach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The water was shallow enough to walk out past
the breakers, and many people enjoyed their attempts at surfing the waves.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
love swimming and marched right into the surf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>While I was jumping over and into the waves I thought about how waves
develop.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Waves on the beach
area are caused by open water waves coming in contact with the bottom as they
approach the shore. This causes the waves to rise up until they become a
breaker, when the top of the wave falls over itself. The bottom of the wave is
dragged by the bottom and also by the undertow of water returning from the
beach to open water, while the top of the water keeps moving forward, causing
the breaker to curl over itself. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">~
Source: The beach</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LRfPO9IxNqs/VERNU7cRvlI/AAAAAAAAC4A/Kw3mGI04lNs/s1600/Breaker%2Bwaves.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LRfPO9IxNqs/VERNU7cRvlI/AAAAAAAAC4A/Kw3mGI04lNs/s1600/Breaker%2Bwaves.jpg" /></a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Some
waves were higher than others but all of them were a powerful force, and I
could feel the back wash under my feet which sometimes was so strong that I
lost my balance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One swell was very high,
and I could not jump over it; it completely took me off my feet, and I got
swirled under.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I developed great respect
for the force of the water and was in awe of the beauty as well as the energy
which I received from my bathing experience.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
<o:p>
</o:p></span><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Wqd_MufWf4/VEVOil8W4tI/AAAAAAAAC4Q/V4xAyeiQxDI/s1600/DSCN3404.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1Wqd_MufWf4/VEVOil8W4tI/AAAAAAAAC4Q/V4xAyeiQxDI/s1600/DSCN3404.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">After
my invigorating experience I thought some more about how awesome the ocean is
with its saltwater’s healing and cleansing effects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even getting my hair wet turned out
beneficial because of all the minerals in the water; it increased the volume of
my hair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My nostrils felt cleaner, too;
they got rinsed with the salt water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall,
swimming in the waves gave me a great workout; and I had a few hours visiting a
‘natural spa.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Walking on the sand was a
good massage to my feet.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Of
all the experiences in Florida I appreciate going to the beach the most.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was nice swimming at the resort and going
to SeaWorld, but nothing beats swimming in the ocean.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
</span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span></span> </span></div>
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span><br />
<br />RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-56189793126501851302014-10-13T17:39:00.000-07:002014-10-20T19:30:48.419-07:00Joy is a Choice <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5rd9MJlvSrA/VEWqvfGnaHI/AAAAAAAAC4g/tBuvzWt3V6Q/s1600/joy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5rd9MJlvSrA/VEWqvfGnaHI/AAAAAAAAC4g/tBuvzWt3V6Q/s1600/joy.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Joy
is not a feeling; it is a decision. We become joyful by having someone or
something respond to us in a positive way. Joy can only be created in
relationship with another person, animal, or object.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joy is a spiritual value which can only be
tapped into when we are connected to the source. Joy is one of the fruits of
the Spirit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joy is more than
happiness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Joy comes from inner
contentment and delight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an
attitude which we can influence with our mind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is not dependent on external circumstances or a time frame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We experience the greatest joy when we have
our own children who resemble us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,
peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
Against such things there is no law.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">~
Galatians 5:22-23<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0uZXBr3Ccjw/VEWq5fQ9vKI/AAAAAAAAC4o/kMyIqfuubiQ/s1600/joy%2B-%2Bmap%2Bof%2Bconsciousness.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0uZXBr3Ccjw/VEWq5fQ9vKI/AAAAAAAAC4o/kMyIqfuubiQ/s1600/joy%2B-%2Bmap%2Bof%2Bconsciousness.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">From
an energy point of view, joy is one of the highest frequencies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In his book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://fiftytwochanges.com/tag/power-vs-force/">Power Vs. Force</a></i> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Hawkins_(philosopher)">David Hawkins</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">(1913-2012) declares
only peace and enlightenment as higher vibrations.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“We change the world
not by what we say or do, but as a consequence of what we have become.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">~
David R. Hawkins</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">In
the <a href="http://www.thirdadam.org/">Divine Principle</a> we learn:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Let us first examine
how joy is produced. Joy is not created by the individual alone. Joy comes when
we have an object, whether invisible or visible, in which our own character and
form are reflected and developed, thus enabling us to feel our own character
and form through the stimulation derived from the object. <o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">For example, man
feels joy as a creator only when he has an object; that is, when he sees the
product of his work, whether it be a painting or sculpture, in which his plan
is substantiated. In this way, he is able to feel his own character and form
objectively through the stimulation derived from the product of his work. When the
idea itself remains in the objective position the stimulation derived from it
is not substantial; therefore, the joy derived from it cannot be substantial
either. God's joy is produced in the same manner as man's. Therefore, God feels
joy when He feels His original character and form objectively through the
stimulation derived from His substantial object.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">~
Divine Principle – Purpose of Creation – Sect. 3:2<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">How
does all of this apply to our everyday life?<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Joy,
being our purpose, becomes a very desirable experience.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find myself most joyful when I am grateful,
content, compassioned and forgiving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When
I am in that state of mind I can easily relate to others, and the activities of
the day flow in harmony.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It doesn’t
bother me when my granddaughter throws a fit because she wants a cookie before
lunch, the car in front of me pulls in my parking lot or that my husband has a
different idea on what to eat for dinner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I can tolerate my environment better, relate to my fellow man and every
tasks gives me fulfillment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t need
a certain response in order to be happy because I have the joy inside me, the
higher frequency can absorb all kinds of lower vibes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“</span><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">If you want to find
the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
~ Nikola Tesla<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">How
do we plug into this joy? <o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Be
aware of your feelings, watch for negative repetitive emotions; transform them
into great experiences<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Be
compassionate<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Be
creative: bake a cake, paint a picture, or sing a song<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Be
grateful<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Be
honest with yourself; live authentic with integrity<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Be
in awe, appreciate nature<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Be
inspired (read scriptures, pray, meditate)<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Be
joyful, laugh, be silly, have fun<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Be
open to new ideas, possibilities<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Be
patient, be silent; the answer will come</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Ancient Egyptians believed that upon death they would be asked two questions and their answers would determine whether they could continue their journey in the afterlife. The first question was, 'Did you bring joy?' The second was, 'Did you find joy?”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~ Leo Buscaglia</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Create
awareness, be mindful; pay attention to the present moment<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Create
belonging (family, friends, and community) be around people who love and
respect each other<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Create
peace and calm for yourself<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Create
purpose and meaning for your life<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Do
things you love<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Don’t
criticize or judge<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Face
fears, avoid stress<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Follow
a dream, ideal: live your values</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~ Psalm 118:24</span></span> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Get
rid of old belief systems, check your core beliefs<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Have
positive attitude, be a good-finder<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Imaging
beautiful things<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Let
go of hurts and pain, don’t hold grudges; after the darkness there is always
light<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Listen
to harmonious music<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Listen
to other’s stories, be understanding<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Reach
out, be kind to others<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Because
joy is so crucial to a happy life, some people have created the <a href="http://www.thejoyproject.com/">The Joy Project.</a> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Amanda
Gore, founder of the Joy Project sees joy as an iceberg - the largest part of
the iceberg is the foundation on which joy is built - the tip is what you see!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The website gives many ideas on how to create
joy and participate with others in the creation of it.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
am sure there are many more ways to create joy and add them to the above list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I believe a key to finding joy in one’s life
is to connect directly to the source of joy which is in God, the creator of it
all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s spread the joy!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-60411618615338890072014-10-06T21:05:00.000-07:002014-10-08T19:46:38.088-07:00What’s the Name of God? <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dAKnqNsi6RU/VDX1SHFQ2PI/AAAAAAAAC3k/3JxIDkg_COU/s1600/name%2Bof%2BGod.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dAKnqNsi6RU/VDX1SHFQ2PI/AAAAAAAAC3k/3JxIDkg_COU/s1600/name%2Bof%2BGod.png" height="320" width="235" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Name of God</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Is
it Abba, Almighty, Alpha and Omega, Allah, Brahma, Creator, Divine Power,
Divine Presence, Elohim, I AM, Jehovah, Jesus, Lord, Master, Supreme Being, or Yahweh?
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess, it mostly depends on our
religious beliefs what we call the origin of the universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some sources suggest that the "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Names_of_God">name of God</a> represents his true nature and character". </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">"You shall not
take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him
unpunished who takes His name in vain." <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">~
Exodus 20:7<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
call Her/Him: Heavenly Parent<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Without
going into any religious details I like to suggest: Heavenly Parent; that’s
what I call my creator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have you ever
thought about why you don’t call your parents by their first name?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Father, mother, dad and mom honor the
position of the people who gave birth to us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Through our lives here on earth we become part of a lineage and leave a
legacy. Our parents love us, nurture us, guide us, comfort us, and feed us for
the formative years of life.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What
is the true Nature of God?</span></u><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></u></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">God
is eternal, infinite, unchanging, omnipresent, omniscient, and omnipotent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since is invisible, we can fathom His Deity
by observing the universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>St. Paul
said:<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">“For since the
creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine
nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so
that people are without excuse.”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">~
Roman 1:20<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ByNky9oXb_s/VDXz4AywDFI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/vjggyiupeJY/s1600/God's%2Bnature.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ByNky9oXb_s/VDXz4AywDFI/AAAAAAAAC3Y/vjggyiupeJY/s1600/God's%2Bnature.png" height="112" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">God's Dual Characteristics</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">What
is God’s Character?<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">God
is faithful, forgiving, good, gracious, jealous, just, holy, loving, merciful, patient,
righteous, truthful, trusting and wise.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Love is patient,
love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not
dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no
record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It
always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Love never fails. But
where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will
be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part
and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part
disappears. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I was a child, I talked
like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a
man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as
in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall
know fully, even as I am fully known.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">And now these three
remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
1 Corinthians 13<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Throughout
our lives we are to emulate those characteristics to achieve ultimate oneness
with Them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spend a lifetime to make
our parents proud of us; why not give praise and glory to our Heavenly Parent for
the present of life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Yesterday is
history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God's gift, that's why we call it the
present.”</span> <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">~
Joan Rivers or Eleanor Roosevelt</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span>RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-27459358374284347132014-09-29T18:44:00.000-07:002014-10-27T18:46:28.488-07:00Know Thyself <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J2WLchqgrAE/VE7zKcsRM0I/AAAAAAAAC44/4L4iSeocUTU/s1600/know%2Bthyself.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-J2WLchqgrAE/VE7zKcsRM0I/AAAAAAAAC44/4L4iSeocUTU/s1600/know%2Bthyself.jpg" /></a></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_thyself:">Know thyself</a></span></i><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Gnothi Seauton</i>)</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> - </span>It was inscribed above the entrance of the
Apollo temple in ancient Greece and the Delphic maxim.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>People believed that the Oracle would tell
them their future and would guide them to the truth for their life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has always been man’s desire to ‘know
thyself.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This knowing is not based on
feelings or even thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is an
awareness of how ‘to be thyself.’<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“If most of us remain
ignorant of ourselves, it is because self-knowledge is painful and we prefer
the pleasures of illusion.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963), English Writer of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Brave New World</i><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Awareness<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">For
all of us the question is: who am I?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Who
we are does not depend on beliefs, on how we feel or what we think about.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even education can only help us discover
better how to perceive the inner world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Who we are is inborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New Age
teachers suggest that it is all about becoming the observer of our feelings and
thoughts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is their idea of creating
consciousness by becoming aware of one’s awareness, to become self-aware.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Self-awareness is not being identified with
feelings, thoughts or external circumstances because we are just observers of
them, like a radio positioned on a certain dial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-awareness">Self-awareness</a> or mindfulness (Zen)</span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> creates a window into
‘beingness,’ the ultimate essence of reality. It takes us into the NOW; it also
helps us to bring the unconscious into consciousness. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><em><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">"Observe
all men; thy self most."<o:p></o:p></span></em></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), American Founding Father<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
learned of who I am from studying the <a href="http://www.thirdadam.org./">Divine Principle</a>. </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Reverend Sun Myung
Moon taught me that I am the child of God, the creator.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Living in harmony with that knowledge gives
us joy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also lets us know, through
our conscience, what we are to do; without it we are miserable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Traditionally, people have been looking for a
leader to follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By learning who we
are, we discover the vision for our life (like a calling) and can become the
pure channel of God’s love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also
learn that God does not judge or punish us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We rather do this to ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">"But I have no
leisure for them at all; and the reason, my friend, is this: I am not yet able,
as the Delphic inscription has it, to know myself; so it seems to me
ridiculous, when I do not yet know that, to investigate irrelevant
things."<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
Socrates<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Talk to yourself<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">It
all depends on how we talk to ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmations_(New_Age)">
</a></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmations_(New_Age)">Positive affirmations</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">help to keep a certain
attitude and keep us aligned with the center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“I call to remembrance
my song in the night: I commune with my own heart: and my spirit made diligent
search.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
Psalm 77:6<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Communication
with the Divine is available to all of us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Jesus (Lord’s prayer Luke 11:1-13) taught us how to pray and other
religious teachings have introduced us to meditation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <a href="http://www.zenspace.org/site/Zen_Practice.html">Buddha</a> who has been called the “Awakened
One” </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> has demonstrated how
to be mindful and present by listening to the silence within us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Life is Fair<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">I
always hear people say; life is not fair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We all come into this world in different circumstance, countries and
families.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Each of us has already a
history though our ancestries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The law
of Karma works for everybody the same way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some of us have a heavier burden than others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None-the-less, we are here on earth to learn
certain lessons and to heal our past (or that of our ancestors).<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Be
a victor or a victim, that’s the question. Being in the realm of abundance or
scarcity, it comes down to our choice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We may not recognize it that way, but the truth that sets us free,
declares: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“The Truth that sets
you free is that you can experience in imagination what you desire to
experience in reality, and by maintaining this experience in imagination, your
desire will become an actuality.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Neville Goddard (1905-1972), spiritual teacher </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">à</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The Power of Awareness<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Do
we believe to be ‘little me’s’, nobody loves me, we have nothing to give or others
take advantage of us? It all depends on how we see ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we gain awareness of who we are we
discover the source of abundance within us, a power of endless
possibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fullness of life lies
right before us when we approach it with gratitude and compassion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyday situations become an endless spring
of giving and contribution when we step away from ‘poor me.’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/6WHPv97hiFE" width="560"></iframe> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Oracle (Know thyself) - The Matrix
(1999, L. & A. Wachowski)</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></u></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Essence of Knowledge<o:p></o:p></span></u></b></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Most
of us identify ourselves with the content of our lives, knowing about our
lives: what we perceive, experience, do, think, or feel; our goals, ambitions,
and situations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To know ourselves in
essence is to be who we are without identification of the ego.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not what we know <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">about</b> ourselves but what we know <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">of </b>ourselves.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We
are part of long lineage who has existed for thousands of years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some people believe that we came into this
world with a clean slate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has now
been scientifically proven that we don’t just inherit physical DNA (deoxyribonucleic
acid) but also Spiritual DNA which is our divinely embedded design for personal
development, spiritual identity and function.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We are here to learn certain lessons, heal relationships, and grow
spiritually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, we have an
eternal existence, we may as well make the best of it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">“What is there other
than content?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That which enables the
content to be—the inner space of consciousness.”</span></i><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Eckhard Tolle (1948), author and spiritual teacher </span><span style="font-family: Wingdings; font-size: 12pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Arial; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-char-type: symbol; mso-hansi-font-family: Arial; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;"><span style="mso-char-type: symbol; mso-symbol-font-family: Wingdings;">à</span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">
A New Earth<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">Why
do we only use 10 % or whatever small amount of the human brain?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all know that we have greater
potential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is it because we approach the
discovery from the wrong angle?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Do we
have to enter the formless realm of consciousness to come in contact with the
universal intelligence? By connecting with that universal intelligence we
become conscious participant of our lives and can realign ourselves with the
wholeness of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">"It is a myth that
we only use 10% of our human brain."<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"></span></u></b><br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">You Are Worthy<o:p></o:p></span></u></b><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">As
children of the creator, God, we are worthy and have the value of all of
creation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Because of the “Fall of Man,”
Satan has claimed rights to accuse man and claim us partially.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When we are listening to the voice of Satan,
the loud, nagging voice we get discouraged and disempowered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>God’s voice is the small voice, imperceptible
and subtle, but none-the-less there, when we create awareness and discernment.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
greatest deficiency from knowing ourselves comes from our feeling of
unworthiness. Know that without you God cannot be happy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“‘Know Thyself’ was
written over the portal of the antique world. Over the portal of the new world,
‘Be Thyself’ shall be written.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), Irish Poet and Writer<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">The
belief that we are not good enough is a product of the fear based society, and
seems to have become built into our physical existence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If we can accept that we are worthy because
of the truth within us and pursue its virtues with integrity, competence and
humility a whole new world of possibility will open up for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Knowing others is intelligence,
knowing yourself is true wisdom.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">~
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tao_Te_Ching">Tao Te Ching,</a></span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Laozi (6<sup>th</sup>
Century) Chinese Philosopher<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">We
are living now at a time when we can truly know ourselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Never before in all of human history have we
had access to so many resources and teachings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By living mindfully in the present moment, we can be truly alive because
we are in direct contact with the Divine Creator, Infinite Intelligence, and our
Heavenly Parent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial",sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
</div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5575648116408516011.post-56614267959589316442014-08-18T18:36:00.001-07:002014-08-30T11:12:51.728-07:00Covered By Clouds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RqIgTEOS66Y/VAE7mwvjCvI/AAAAAAAAC2M/NGKTfH8TX2k/s1600/god%2Bis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-RqIgTEOS66Y/VAE7mwvjCvI/AAAAAAAAC2M/NGKTfH8TX2k/s1600/god%2Bis.jpg" height="200" width="142" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Covered
by Clouds the sun is still there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just
because it is a cloudy day we all know that the sun will come out again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that is a good analogy for the
existence of God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is the <a href="http://www.charlesberner.org/Lifting_the_Veil.pdf">veil</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">of ignorance that
has clouded our understanding of the reality of our Heavenly Parents.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“There is a veil, a
covering cast over all nations and all peoples of all nations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When that veil shall be removed, there will
be no more pain, nor weeping, no sighing, no disease, no suffering, no death.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
Isaiah 25:7-9 </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">In many ways the sacred scriptures are introducing mankind to the process of ‘seeing’
the truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mankind has now grown to a
point where we all have to become aware of the reality of our own spirituality
and life in realms of energy as well as in the world of mechanics.</span>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<o:p>
</o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“We must avoid the paralysis of hypersensitivity which will get nothing done because everything virtually offends somebody.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~ </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Carson"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Dr. Ben S. Carson</span></a><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(American columnist and retired neurosurgeon)<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Considering
that we are living in the Age of Responsibility, nobody can force us to believe
in God.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This freedom has put many of us
on a road of exploration to find our own faith in all different directions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“The mystery schools
have long held and protected the ancient wisdom of the world.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
Know Thyself – </span><a href="http://www.mmscanadianhq.com/what-is-a-mystery-school/#Scene_1"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Mystery School</span></a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Throughout
the ages mystery schools have transferred knowledge and wisdom which was often
suppressed and rejected by the major religions. Some thought processes like
<a href="http://www.diffen.com/difference/Agnostic_vs_Atheist">atheism </a></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> developed denying
the existence of a creator all together.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism">schools of mysticism</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">are more
tolerant to new ideas and consider themselves agnostics.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Atheists are forgetting
the meaning of freedom -- Nonbelievers seek to impose their values by banning
Bibles.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
</span><a href="http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/19/carson-forgetting-the-meaning-of-freedom/"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Dr. Ben S. Carson</span></a></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We
Created Our Own God<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Is
it too much to assume that we created God in our own image?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With all of our shortcomings and the many
wars and disasters going on in the world, we have to ask ourselves: who is
responsible for it all?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is part of
our human nature to blame others for our own behaviors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is therefore only natural to conclude that
God has the same fallen natures as man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>How else can we explain that people are fighting each other, killing,
lying, and then accuse God?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Men create their own suffering, their own sickness, and their own miseries.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~ Michele Longo O'Donnell, </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/The-God-That-Weve-Created/dp/0967686148"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">The God That We've Created</span></a><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc; font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">None-the-less
mankind’s ability to understand internal things has grown throughout human
history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those who achieved a certain
awareness recognize that there is only ONE Jesus and ONE Heavenly Parent, so
why is there so much division in religions?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Because the God in
whom you believe isn’t real; the God in whom you believe is made up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a God you created out of thin air,
having nothing to do with Ultimate reality.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neale_Donald_Walsch"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Neil Donald Walsh,</span></a><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> Tomorrow’s God</span> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Religion
and Spirituality<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“The new
spirituality, the transformation of consciousness, is arising to a large extent
outside of the structures of the existing institutionalized religious.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
Eckhart Tolle, </span><a href="http://www.eckharttolle.com/books/newearth/"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">A New Earth</span></a> </span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">There
are numerous teachers today who can guide us into greater spiritual
awareness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eckhart Tolle and Dr. Wayne
Dyer are more recent coaches, while Neville Goddard (1905-1972) and Wallace D. Wattles
(1860–1911) lived a while ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Here is a
list of some modern day <a href="http://www.watkinsbooks.com/review/watkins-spiritual-100-list-for-2014">spiritual teachers.</a> </span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“The more you make
your thoughts (beliefs) into your identity, the more cut off you are from the
spiritual dimension within yourself; many ‘religious’ people are stuck at that
level.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">~</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">
</span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Eckhart Tolle, A
New Earth<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Religion
and Science<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">God is the <a href="http://www.dplife.info/blog/view/god-is-the-ultimate-scientist#.U_YBZBt0zX5">UltimateScientist.</a></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Humanity, through religion,
has followed the path of searching for internal truth, and through science, has
followed the path of seeking external truth. Religion and science, each in
their own spheres, have been the methods of searching for truth in order to
conquer ignorance and attain knowledge.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
</span><a href="http://www.thirdadam.org/"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Divine Principle</span></a><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">– Introduction</span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Mankind
is <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/friendlyatheist/2012/06/05/science-explains-why-our-brains-may-be-hardwired-for-god/">hard wired</a> to believe in God.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Neuroscientists have
found and measured chemical changes in the brain when a person is going through
religious or spiritual experiences and keep coming back for more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“In any weather, at
any hour of the day or night, I have been anxious to improve the nick of time,
and notch it on my stick too: to stand on the meeting of two eternities, the
past and future, which is precisely the present moment: to toe that line.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">Henry Thoreau,</span></a><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> (1817-1862)
American Poet and Philosopher</span> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<u><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></u></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">We
live in a world of cause and effect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Even those who believe in the <a href="http://www.big-bang-theory.com/">“big bang theory”</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">have only a vague
idea of how the universe began. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">I
personally like the ideas expressed in the teaching of the <a href="http://www.thirdadam.org/">Divine Principle.</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Since we are all resultant beings and live in
a created universe there has to be an ultimate cause.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking at the creation we can learn about
the nature of this supreme origin: it occurs in dualities of opposites (like
internal and external, positive and negative); it exists in relationships (all
creatures are interconnected and depending on each other’s survival), and above
all this being is our parent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is
where Jesus comes in to teach us about the love this Heavenly Parent has for
us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah">Messiah</a> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">he came as the
savior for all mankind to reconnect us to our original source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the Principle we also learn about the
process through which mankind was separated from God and the history of
restoration (salvation).<u><o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">“Nature speaks in
symbols and in signs.”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">~
</span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Greenleaf_Whittier"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">John Greenleaf Whittier</span></a><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;"> (1807-1897), </span></span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: #ead1dc;">American Quaker Poet and advocate of the
abolition of slavery</span> <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/uNmrIM4Dl3U" width="560"></iframe><o:p></o:p></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">This
is a video giving an explanation of how people experience and learn about God.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"></span> </div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><u>The
narrator gives four points of why people belief in God:<o:p></o:p></u></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Religious
upbringing<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Conversion
or personal religious experience<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Argument
of Causation (law of cause and effect)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt 0.5in; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -0.25in;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: Arial;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font: 7pt/normal "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Argument
of Design (creation needs a creator—art needs an artist)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">After
looking outward for so long, it is time to look inward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are all in this search for awareness and
spiritual growth. This is a great period to go deeper into the spiritual
teachings and reconnect with our Heavenly Parent. Maybe the sun will shine for
you too. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p> </o:p></span></div>
RaySolutionhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03351141873630759696noreply@blogger.com0