There's an interesting phrase that is common in some circles, "What Would Jesus Do?" And when that idea gets confined to a particular belief system, would Jesus really approve?
There is a very good book, on the shelves, which I have just finished reading titled, "The Year Of Living Like Jesus", by Ed Dobson. Mr. Dobson is of a fundamentalist Baptist background and decides to forego the religious boxes in which Jesus gets stuffed into and sets a goal to live one full year as Jesus lived. Where would Jesus worship? Who did Jesus hang out with? What would Jesus do? With Jesus being Jewish, Ed Dobson begins a journey to into Judaism, along with Catholisism, Orthodox, Episcopalian, and his own fundamentalist belief systems to get his best composite on the man, Jesus.
This book brings up many interesting insights into many of Jesus' teachings along with the situations which occur in the authors' life. With the author suffering from ALS, how do miracles enter the picture? He also runs into a dilema with the prospect of a new position at a fundamentalist school vs. how did Jesus live, can he abide by the school rules and live as Jesus had? Ed Dobson does a wonderful job portraying his feelings surrounding his life and his attempt to live as Jesus had lived. Both the frustrations and the growth in faith are presented in this book.
So what would Jesus do in our world today?
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Thursday, April 16, 2009
How to know affirmations work
You may have read about the benefits of affirmations. You possibly have tried your own affirmations and nothing has changed. In a spate of frustration, you give up, temporarily.
So how can you tell if affirmations are working? What evidence can be found in your life?
Do you feel like you have to struggle to make ends meet? Has anybody asked you, "what's wrong with you", and you reply that you have alot on your mind? Are you in deep concern over somebody whom you care about? Do you feel like there is never enough time? What are the deep concerns that create your anxieties?
When a problem, or problems repeat themselves over and over again in your mind, you are affirming these circumstances to your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is an incredible faculty which delivers every consistant thought back at you. Should you worry about not having enough money, that thought becomes like a record which skips and stays in the same place. Not enough, skip, not enough, skip, not enough, skip. Without you knowing, you are doing an affirmation. Negative affirmations, which are things unwanted, are just as powerful as positive affirmations. Your subconscious mind is so very obedient, dwell on problems and it gives you reason to have problems.
Good News! When you grasp this concept it begins a new path to creating the things which you do want. The question arises, how can one think positive statements when all this stuff is happening. The answer is simple, it is merely, "you can".
Different things work for different people, so you will have to customize some things to be of the best benefit for you. Start by thinking of things you don't want. If you were able to trade away all your problems for something else, what would that something else be? Write down your ideas and repeat it to yourselves. When you write an affirmation, make it in the present moment. A statement of "I am happy with my life, and I approve of everything I do", is many times better than "I wish I was happy with my life, and I need to do better". There is much to overcome when negative affirmations are running amok. Yet by repeating your what you do want over and over to yourself, the negative begins to subside.
When you feel stuck and your positive affirmations last for several days and the negativity jumps on your back again, where can you turn? As a suggestion, Dudley and Dean Evenson have created a year of guided meditations. Every week you will receive in your email a new set of positive, life altering affirmative statements, designed to give you positive principles and ways to become your highest self. There is a perfection deep inside of you which no amount of problems can cover over, and perhaps allowing someone else to tell you this will set you on your path to personal freedom.
So how can you tell if affirmations are working? What evidence can be found in your life?
Do you feel like you have to struggle to make ends meet? Has anybody asked you, "what's wrong with you", and you reply that you have alot on your mind? Are you in deep concern over somebody whom you care about? Do you feel like there is never enough time? What are the deep concerns that create your anxieties?
When a problem, or problems repeat themselves over and over again in your mind, you are affirming these circumstances to your subconscious mind. Your subconscious mind is an incredible faculty which delivers every consistant thought back at you. Should you worry about not having enough money, that thought becomes like a record which skips and stays in the same place. Not enough, skip, not enough, skip, not enough, skip. Without you knowing, you are doing an affirmation. Negative affirmations, which are things unwanted, are just as powerful as positive affirmations. Your subconscious mind is so very obedient, dwell on problems and it gives you reason to have problems.
Good News! When you grasp this concept it begins a new path to creating the things which you do want. The question arises, how can one think positive statements when all this stuff is happening. The answer is simple, it is merely, "you can".
Different things work for different people, so you will have to customize some things to be of the best benefit for you. Start by thinking of things you don't want. If you were able to trade away all your problems for something else, what would that something else be? Write down your ideas and repeat it to yourselves. When you write an affirmation, make it in the present moment. A statement of "I am happy with my life, and I approve of everything I do", is many times better than "I wish I was happy with my life, and I need to do better". There is much to overcome when negative affirmations are running amok. Yet by repeating your what you do want over and over to yourself, the negative begins to subside.
When you feel stuck and your positive affirmations last for several days and the negativity jumps on your back again, where can you turn? As a suggestion, Dudley and Dean Evenson have created a year of guided meditations. Every week you will receive in your email a new set of positive, life altering affirmative statements, designed to give you positive principles and ways to become your highest self. There is a perfection deep inside of you which no amount of problems can cover over, and perhaps allowing someone else to tell you this will set you on your path to personal freedom.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Stooge in me
I read an article on Yahoo today in which MGM and the Farrelly brothers are lining up the cast for a new Three Stooges movie, set to come out in 2010. As a self confessed Stoooge-aholic, this is big news.
I remember coming home from school, in the days before video recorders, and putting on the TV. Moe, Larry, and Curly were always on the UHF band, so the picture on many days was snowy or fuzzy. Didn't matter. My little sister and brother and I would watch these over and over again. If the picture got real bad, and I couldn't see what was happening, I'd fill in the scene in my mind.
During the commercial breaks, we had our chores to do. The house had to be clean and dinner had to be ready when dad got home from work. Mom always left a note on the table on how to cook dinner and being a few years older than my siblings, I usually started dinner. My brother and sister would get the table cleaned off and set with plates, silverware, and cups. Sometimes we would have things ready and sometimes not.
I always admired the Three Stooges. It seemed life was so serious, while growing up. The Stooges took all things cherished in my little world and made a mockery out of it. School, court, work, sports, girls, were the playground of the Three Stooges.
There was a time, as we got older, when my brother and I weren't getting along very well together. Dad gave us the job of painting the hallway that went upstairs. We began the job and over an hour into our chore, neither of us said a word. We were in close proximity to each other and I let my paint brush slip and hit him with paint. Oh, Sorry, nyuk nyuk nyuk, said I. He caught on and before long I was smacked with an errant brush stroke. Over the course of the next hour, there was more paint on each other than on the wall. We had fun, broke the ice between us, got the job done, and are best friends today.
You might even remember a song called the Curly Shuffle
, so I went looking and found it on Amazon for you.
If the lives we live now are dictated by the life we had when we were younger, I wonder how much different my life would be if I just let my inner Stooge flow more frequently. Laughter is the best medicine, maybe I'll start today, I just won't poke anybody in the eyes.
I remember coming home from school, in the days before video recorders, and putting on the TV. Moe, Larry, and Curly were always on the UHF band, so the picture on many days was snowy or fuzzy. Didn't matter. My little sister and brother and I would watch these over and over again. If the picture got real bad, and I couldn't see what was happening, I'd fill in the scene in my mind.
During the commercial breaks, we had our chores to do. The house had to be clean and dinner had to be ready when dad got home from work. Mom always left a note on the table on how to cook dinner and being a few years older than my siblings, I usually started dinner. My brother and sister would get the table cleaned off and set with plates, silverware, and cups. Sometimes we would have things ready and sometimes not.
I always admired the Three Stooges. It seemed life was so serious, while growing up. The Stooges took all things cherished in my little world and made a mockery out of it. School, court, work, sports, girls, were the playground of the Three Stooges.
There was a time, as we got older, when my brother and I weren't getting along very well together. Dad gave us the job of painting the hallway that went upstairs. We began the job and over an hour into our chore, neither of us said a word. We were in close proximity to each other and I let my paint brush slip and hit him with paint. Oh, Sorry, nyuk nyuk nyuk, said I. He caught on and before long I was smacked with an errant brush stroke. Over the course of the next hour, there was more paint on each other than on the wall. We had fun, broke the ice between us, got the job done, and are best friends today.
You might even remember a song called the Curly Shuffle
, so I went looking and found it on Amazon for you. If the lives we live now are dictated by the life we had when we were younger, I wonder how much different my life would be if I just let my inner Stooge flow more frequently. Laughter is the best medicine, maybe I'll start today, I just won't poke anybody in the eyes.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Prosperity is here today
There's a goldmine between your ears. That's an old saying that I just made up. But what if it was true? How do you mine something so intangible as the going ons of your mind? There are a myriad of books on prosperity, movies like The Secret, seminars, courses and more to help give you the tools to delve into your mental storehouse of riches.
Do you ever wonder sometimes if some of the current prosperity books are like a watered down not totally accurate way of acheiving success? We played a game as kids called Chinese Telephone. We would have a number of us kids lined up and the first would whisper something in the next kid's ear and then this kid would pass along the message to the next in line. This would continue on until the last kid would have to repeat the original message. We would all laugh on how distorted the message ended up. I makes me wonder why the world is in such economic turmoil with all the prosperity messages out there.
If we were to fall back to the original ideas on prosperity, would we come up with a different how-to list? Napoleon Hill's classic Think And Grow Rich is considered the heavy weight in terms of success and acheivement. Yet, where did his ideas come from? Who were his contemporaries and can additional information be gleaned from them?
There is a resource available where you can get the writings of many authors relating to prosperity and acheivement. Authors including Napoleon Hill, Thomas Troward, Ernest Holmes, Wallace Wattles, Charles Fillmore, Ralph Waldo Trine, James Allen, Florence Scovil Shinn, and more. 39 total books to give you the power tools to mine the gold inside of you and create your part of the world the way that you would like it to be created.
Ron Peer has compiled this collection for you to enjoy. Click Here to access your collection and to read how Ron has used the tools in these books to become a writer of plays and screen plays.
"Get excited and enthusiastic about your own dream. This excitement is like a forest fire - you can smell it, taste it, and see it from a mile away." -- Denis Waitley
Do you ever wonder sometimes if some of the current prosperity books are like a watered down not totally accurate way of acheiving success? We played a game as kids called Chinese Telephone. We would have a number of us kids lined up and the first would whisper something in the next kid's ear and then this kid would pass along the message to the next in line. This would continue on until the last kid would have to repeat the original message. We would all laugh on how distorted the message ended up. I makes me wonder why the world is in such economic turmoil with all the prosperity messages out there.
If we were to fall back to the original ideas on prosperity, would we come up with a different how-to list? Napoleon Hill's classic Think And Grow Rich is considered the heavy weight in terms of success and acheivement. Yet, where did his ideas come from? Who were his contemporaries and can additional information be gleaned from them?
There is a resource available where you can get the writings of many authors relating to prosperity and acheivement. Authors including Napoleon Hill, Thomas Troward, Ernest Holmes, Wallace Wattles, Charles Fillmore, Ralph Waldo Trine, James Allen, Florence Scovil Shinn, and more. 39 total books to give you the power tools to mine the gold inside of you and create your part of the world the way that you would like it to be created.
Ron Peer has compiled this collection for you to enjoy. Click Here to access your collection and to read how Ron has used the tools in these books to become a writer of plays and screen plays.
"Get excited and enthusiastic about your own dream. This excitement is like a forest fire - you can smell it, taste it, and see it from a mile away." -- Denis Waitley
Saturday, March 21, 2009
You are courageous indeed
I was reading an article on the DailyOm website and the article was titled Remembering Who We Are.
Many thoughts of our world today popped into my mind. Mostly the troubling parts, the wars, economy, suffering, stress, tension and more. The article shifted my focus dramatically. It said, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience."
And that seems to me that we have this whole thing backwards. I have heard it said, in the beginning, God created man in his own image, and quickly mankind turned around and returned the favor by creating God in its own image. So humankind has forgotten who it really is, a being of eternal nature with infinite potential. We limit ourselves to the here and now and forget that there are no limits. I forget on a regular basis and as a result I get to feel the negative effects on my corner of the world.
The article continues with:
"As spiritual beings, we are visitors in this physical realm. The fact that we came here and lost all memory of what happened to us before we were born is one of the many reasons that it takes so much courage for a soul to incarnate on earth. This is why spiritual inquiry so often feels like a remembering—because it is."
The part that stopped me was the reference to courage. True courage incorporates the depths of the soul. How courageous you are working so hard to provide for your family. How courageous you are to sacrifice. How courageous you are to see your sons and daughters go to fight overseas.
On this earthly plane, we don't seem to get many answers. Search your soul, see your big picture, and remember that you are more than any earthly problem.
Many thoughts of our world today popped into my mind. Mostly the troubling parts, the wars, economy, suffering, stress, tension and more. The article shifted my focus dramatically. It said, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience, we are spiritual beings having a human experience."
And that seems to me that we have this whole thing backwards. I have heard it said, in the beginning, God created man in his own image, and quickly mankind turned around and returned the favor by creating God in its own image. So humankind has forgotten who it really is, a being of eternal nature with infinite potential. We limit ourselves to the here and now and forget that there are no limits. I forget on a regular basis and as a result I get to feel the negative effects on my corner of the world.
The article continues with:
"As spiritual beings, we are visitors in this physical realm. The fact that we came here and lost all memory of what happened to us before we were born is one of the many reasons that it takes so much courage for a soul to incarnate on earth. This is why spiritual inquiry so often feels like a remembering—because it is."
The part that stopped me was the reference to courage. True courage incorporates the depths of the soul. How courageous you are working so hard to provide for your family. How courageous you are to sacrifice. How courageous you are to see your sons and daughters go to fight overseas.
On this earthly plane, we don't seem to get many answers. Search your soul, see your big picture, and remember that you are more than any earthly problem.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Making big changes in your life?
John Lennon said “Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans.”
Has that ever happened to you?One moment you are totally clear on where you are going and what you are doing and then WHAM, something comes up and suddenly your lost, dazed and confused?
This is the theme of the feature film TAOS.Here we meet John Wahlberg, a super-stressed out, fast-track lawyer in the prime of his life who is on the road to join his girlfriend in Aspen (where she is expecting him to propose). When his car breaks down, stranding him in Taos, New Mexico, he is suddenly stuck in a small town without WiFi or cell coverage. A shaman, a woman, and a little magic reveal the possibilities of a new way of living.One path leads to the unknown.The other path is his current buttoned up, elite, financially secure world. Curious to know which path John chooses?
Great news from our friends at Spiritual Cinema Circle -- you can receive TAOS plus 3 great short films for FREE when you sign up for a trial membership at no charge. (just pay a small shipping fee). They are the only DVD service dedicated to films about love, compassion and inspiration, one of the many reasons we wanted you to know about them.
“The Spiritual Cinema Circle is providing a great service to those who want to evolve and be entertained at the same time.” Deepak Chopra
Has that ever happened to you?One moment you are totally clear on where you are going and what you are doing and then WHAM, something comes up and suddenly your lost, dazed and confused?
This is the theme of the feature film TAOS.Here we meet John Wahlberg, a super-stressed out, fast-track lawyer in the prime of his life who is on the road to join his girlfriend in Aspen (where she is expecting him to propose). When his car breaks down, stranding him in Taos, New Mexico, he is suddenly stuck in a small town without WiFi or cell coverage. A shaman, a woman, and a little magic reveal the possibilities of a new way of living.One path leads to the unknown.The other path is his current buttoned up, elite, financially secure world. Curious to know which path John chooses?
Great news from our friends at Spiritual Cinema Circle -- you can receive TAOS plus 3 great short films for FREE when you sign up for a trial membership at no charge. (just pay a small shipping fee). They are the only DVD service dedicated to films about love, compassion and inspiration, one of the many reasons we wanted you to know about them.
“The Spiritual Cinema Circle is providing a great service to those who want to evolve and be entertained at the same time.” Deepak Chopra
Friday, March 13, 2009
Ideas for anxiety and stress relief
Meditation is a process of calming the mind to reap the benefits of anxiety and stress relief. In our challenging times, you may wonder, well great, how do I calm my mind? Bills to pay, collectors calling, work is slow, and I feel sick.
Anxiety and stress are big contributors to bad health. It amazes me that in times of mental turmoil, our minds can torture the body to the extent of creating headaches, body aches, muscle tension, changes in heart rate, and so much more. On the opposite end, when our minds are peaceful, the body is relaxed, and a smile just feels right.
Ok, so how can I get to the place where I can ease my worried mind and enjoy the benefits of calmness and peace of mind? Myself, personally, have had great results using meditation audios when I go to bed at night. I really get a good night's sleep, which is a key element in our ability to handle stress. The audios which have worked best for me have been from Effective Learning Systems. Audios are available for both resting or while active, such as driving.
Effective Learning Systems began in 1972 as a way to help people reach their full potential through deep relaxation, guided imagery, self hypnosis and more.
Do you have the jitters whenever you try to be still? Have you considered a natural solution? Various herbs can help to calm your body. Just as caffeine can give you a jolt, natural herbs such as passionflower, ashwagandha, melatonin, or 5-htp can help to bring down the anxiety to help you relax and make it even possible to meditate. 5-htp has been shown to favorably modulate serotonin levels, which can help with mental help and sleep patterns. Of course, if you are under a doctors care, check to see if any supplement will counteract any prescription which you may be taking.
The body and the mind are integrated into one unit, no matter how separate they may seem. Increasing the level of exercise throughout your day can be of benefit to you. I know, exercise is something that there is no time or energy for. So let's think about simple adjustments instead of 4 times a week at the gym. Parking a bit farther away from the grocery store gives your shoes a few more miles over time. When you take out the gallon of milk from the fridge, do some arm curls with the weight for several reps to keep the arm muscles toned. If you live close to the store, consider walking instead of driving. If you have a home or apartment with stairs, you have a built in stairmaster. Every little bit of exercise that you do allows the body to do what it does best naturally.
The body naturally regulates all the necessary ingredients to keep you healthy when you give it proper nutrition and a little exercise. Give yourself the choice of calm. Even in these stress filled times, you are still you! You are still magnificent! And you deserve to feel good about you!
Anxiety and stress are big contributors to bad health. It amazes me that in times of mental turmoil, our minds can torture the body to the extent of creating headaches, body aches, muscle tension, changes in heart rate, and so much more. On the opposite end, when our minds are peaceful, the body is relaxed, and a smile just feels right.
Ok, so how can I get to the place where I can ease my worried mind and enjoy the benefits of calmness and peace of mind? Myself, personally, have had great results using meditation audios when I go to bed at night. I really get a good night's sleep, which is a key element in our ability to handle stress. The audios which have worked best for me have been from Effective Learning Systems. Audios are available for both resting or while active, such as driving.
Effective Learning Systems began in 1972 as a way to help people reach their full potential through deep relaxation, guided imagery, self hypnosis and more.
Do you have the jitters whenever you try to be still? Have you considered a natural solution? Various herbs can help to calm your body. Just as caffeine can give you a jolt, natural herbs such as passionflower, ashwagandha, melatonin, or 5-htp can help to bring down the anxiety to help you relax and make it even possible to meditate. 5-htp has been shown to favorably modulate serotonin levels, which can help with mental help and sleep patterns. Of course, if you are under a doctors care, check to see if any supplement will counteract any prescription which you may be taking.
The body and the mind are integrated into one unit, no matter how separate they may seem. Increasing the level of exercise throughout your day can be of benefit to you. I know, exercise is something that there is no time or energy for. So let's think about simple adjustments instead of 4 times a week at the gym. Parking a bit farther away from the grocery store gives your shoes a few more miles over time. When you take out the gallon of milk from the fridge, do some arm curls with the weight for several reps to keep the arm muscles toned. If you live close to the store, consider walking instead of driving. If you have a home or apartment with stairs, you have a built in stairmaster. Every little bit of exercise that you do allows the body to do what it does best naturally.
The body naturally regulates all the necessary ingredients to keep you healthy when you give it proper nutrition and a little exercise. Give yourself the choice of calm. Even in these stress filled times, you are still you! You are still magnificent! And you deserve to feel good about you!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
