It is amazing when you look at everything that happens in your life as part of a perfect plan, how it changes your perception of those events. "When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change." What an absolutely true statement!
It is not our outer circumstances that determine whether or not we are happy or sad. Rather, it is our inner decisions about how we choose to experience those circumstances.
Many of you have heard me say in my posts that I don’t believe in accidents or coincidences. Friday, As I was climbing up the folding stairway into my attic, I lost my balance and tumbled back off the ladder four feet down onto the ceramic tile floor of the utility room. I landed on my left leg. It wasn’t pretty. My heel and leg were hurting. Since it was Friday afternoon, I chose to wait and see how I felt the next morning. Saturday morning I got up and tried the leg. Not so good.! I decided to go to a local "doc in the box" because I truly dislike emergency rooms. After a series of X-rays, I found that I had, according to the doctor, several minor fractures and a dislocation of the ankle. I was put in a fracture boot; chided to stay off the leg and foot, and told to see a Orthopedist ASAP. My appointment is today at 1:30PM. I’m hoping the doctor read the X-rays wrong.
I got to thinking that this was not the time for this to happen. My wife had come home for a few days vacation and now she waiting on me. It was her vacation and I had really messed it up. I had several things going on now in my life that required my focused attention and here I was laid up on the couch. I don’t relish having to spend time at home on the couch or in a chair. I have things that need to be done. Things that can’t wait! Regular everyday things that someone with two good legs has no problem doing. I was pretty depressed, really feeling sorry for myself. Then, on Monday afternoon, my wife’s best friend stopped by to visit with her and after a few minutes of conversation with me, listening to my whining, she said,"why don’t you use this as an opportunity to catch up on your reading (something I’ve let slip lately). And you’ve got the whole internet!" The internet, that vast storehouse of information for perusal, study, and acquisition of information.
She was absolutely right! What was I thinking? Obviously, I wasn’t. I cannot change what happened. All I can control is how I react to what happened. I can whine, and fret about all the "things" that need to be done…….or…….I can use this time as an opportunity given to me to help further find out who I really am; to find more about our Source; to continue my quest to live a happy useful, loving life. I choose to view this as an opportunity.
UPDATE: I have a bone chip on the end of the tibia where it meets the ankle. The doctor put me in a large fracture boot. I will be back at work on Monday, the 30th. I am very fortunate that the damage was limited. Gotta be more careful!
*Just about a year ago, I put this post together. I decided to re-post it here for anyone who missed it.
We tend to speak as if we really knew what God is and really understood how God works. In fact, to speak of “God” is just to express a basic, optimistic belief, namely, that there is a good and loving power behind the universe and in one way or another this power is working through everything.
This belief is certainly correct, but we imagine that power as if we were still five years old. When we speak of God, we tend to imagine some mighty miracle worker in the sky who steps in every so often and makes things turn out okay, just as Mommy or Daddy used to “miraculously” appear to catch us when we were about to fall. But, that image is just infantile, magical thinking. It is not an authenic belief in God. Someone told me one time that there are only three things you need to know about God: 1) God exists; 2) you are not God; and 3) God is not Santa Claus.
God set up the laws of the universe on the basis of probabilities. These probabilities are built into the ordinary functioning of the universe. The laws of physics, chemistry, biology, and psychology, as far as we know them or can know them, formulate the probabilistic regularities that we have so far discovered. But God is the author of these laws. God set up the universe as it is. God is the one who decided that things should unfold in this probabilistic way. This point is important, so it should be stated more accurately: Whatever it is that set up the universe, this we call GOD.
I say that this is a more accurate way of stating the matter because we really do not know what “God” is. “God” is only the name we give to whatever (or whoever) it is that explains the universe. We really do not understand the ultimate explanation of the universe. We imagine GOD to be a person- a HE or SHE- somebody to whom we can relate, but what could it actually mean to say that God is a person? If God is the Force behind all things, then it certainly does not seem very personal. Nonetheless, if this Force is behind all things, It must be intelligent and freely acting, and, if so, It must be a person, someone who set the whole thing in motion and keeps it in existence.
The best we can do is say that “God” is a word we use to name the ultimate explanation of all things. We know that “God” exists, but we really cannot comprehend Him/Her/It. Putting the name “God” on Him/Her/It should not delude us into thinking that we know what we are talking about. To believe in God is to believe in something that surely must be there- all reason points that way- but believing in God is to believe in something that we really do not understand.
“God is a mystery”. Ever heard that before? I suspect that few religious leaders really understand the mysteriousness of God. So, they turn it into a club and beat people over the head with it. God’s mysteriousness becomes an excuse for whatever they want to proclaim. In the name of God they preach things that are unreasonable, unrealistic, and even silly. They buffalo people by appealing to a God who is beyond understanding. In the face of the unknown, they scare people into obedience by threatening them with the fires of Hell. In this way they maintain control over the masses.
Nonetheless, to affirm a God who challenges our understanding is a reasonable thing to do. There certainly must be some power behind the universe that we know, and we certainly do not understand what that power is.*
*from, “The Transcended Christian“, by Daniel Helminiak
God has freely granted liberty through Christ. Not by what one does with Christ. But through Christ. That’s a huge distinction.
Kevin Beck at "Transmillenial"
Gregg Braden’s latest offering seems to prove that it makes perfect sense that to change our lives we need to change what we believe about ourselves and our world. For more than 20 years, Gregg Braden, a former senior aerospace computer systems designer, has searched for the understanding to do just that. From the remote monasteries of Egypt, Peru and Tibet, to the forgotten texts that were hidden by the early Christian Church, the secret of healing our false beliefs was left in the coded language of our most cherished traditions. It is verified in today’s science.
Gregg is a New York Times Best selling author, scientist and visionary and has been a featured guest for international conferences, and media specials, exploring the role of spirituality in technology. A former Senior Computer Systems Designer for Martin Marietta Aerospace and The Technical Operations Supervisor for Cisco System Braden is now considered a leading authority on bridging the wisdom of our past with the science and peace of our future.
Could the spontaneous healing of disease, living to advanced ages, an instant connection with everyone and everything, and even time travel be our true heritage in the universe? New discoveries suggest that the answer to questions such as these may be a resounding “Yes!” The key to unleashing such miracles lies in the new discoveries of physics and biology, and the missing link that connects them with our lives!
We tend to live our lives based in what we believe about our world, ourselves, our capabilities, and our limits. With few exceptions, those beliefs come from what science, history, religion, and other people tell us. Historically, we have been taught that we are an evolutionary “accident” — passive observers in the universe, experiencing a brief moment in time with little effect during our stay.
What if those beliefs are wrong? What if we are only limited until we change the way we see ourselves in the world? How differently would we live if we discovered that we are born with the power to choose our relationship to longevity, health, and even life itself? Such a radical discovery would change everything about the way we see ourselves! It is also precisely what the leading-edge discoveries of our day are showing us. In the first years of the 21st Century, new discoveries offer the paradigm-shattering revelations that demonstrate how:
The implications of these discoveries are vast, powerful, and to some, even a little frightening. They show us that beyond reasonable doubt, we are capable of changing the course of our lives, our world, and even altering reality, if we choose. It is these seemingly miraculous abilities that make it possible for us to heal from cancer and the suffering of AIDS, experience extended life spans, create life-affirming joy and abundance, and much more.
In 1944, Max Planck, the father of quantum theory, shocked the world by saying that there is a “matrix” of energy that provides the blueprint for our physical world. It is this place of pure energy where everything from the birth of stars and the DNA of life, to our deepest relationships, the peace between nations and our personal healing begins. The experimental proof that Planck’s matrix—The Divine Matrix—is real, now provides the missing link that bridges our spiritual experiences of imagination, prayer and belief with the miracles that we see in the world around us. Whether you call that "matrix" God, the Source, or something else, this book provides an intriguing look at future possibilities inherent in every human being.
Through the connection that joins all things, scientists have shown that the “stuff” that the universe is made of—waves and particles of energy—responds and conforms to the expectations, judgments and beliefs that we create about our world. In a world where an intelligent field of energy (God) connects everything from global peace to personal healing, what may have sounded like fantasy and miracles in the past suddenly becomes possible in our lives. There is one small catch, however. Our power to change our bodies and our world is dormant until we awaken it.
The key to awakening such an awesome power is that have to make a small shift in the way we see ourselves in the universe. We must see ourselves as a part of everything, rather than separate from everything. Beyond merely thinking of ourselves from this unified view, we must feel ourselves as part of all that we experience. With this one little shift in perception we are given access to the most powerful force in the universe, and the key to address even the seemingly impossible situations in our lives.
With this connection in mind, we must begin to think of the way we relate to life, our families, and even our casual acquaintances from a powerful new perspective. Good, bad, right, or wrong, everything from the lightest of the light and most beautiful life experiences to the most horrible occasions of human suffering can no longer be written off as chance happenings. Clearly, the key to healing, peace, abundance, and the creation of experiences, careers, and relationships that bring us joy is to understand just how deeply we are connected to everything in our reality. And our understandings are based in our beliefs.
It makes perfect sense that to change our lives we need to change what we believe about ourselves and our world.
This book is well worth your time, especially if you’ve read, "The Divine Matrix", and even if this is your first venture into the mind of Gregg Braden.
In these times, when so many decisions that you must make seem so very important, for once in your life, trust your heart. Trust how you feel about it. For most of our lives, we have been taught NOT to trust our feelings (heart). This is the lie. Our hearts ARE the center of our emotions. And, how we feel about something in our hearts is our truth. TRUST YOUR HEART………..
UPDATE: A photograph of the the church sign now accompanies the post of June 4th. Thanks to my son Jeff.
RELIGION-[Origin: 1150–1200; ME religioun (< OF religion) < L religiōn equiv. to relig(āre) to tie, fasten (re- re- + ligāre to bind, tie; cf. ligament) + -iōn- -ion; cf. rely
]
SPRITUALITY-[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME < ML spīrituālitās The quality or fact of being spiritual.
I have the greatest of trouble defining for people I know the difference between religion and spirituality. My feelings about religion have run the gamut in the last few years. Sometimes I get angry when I think of the God I was taught to fear (real fear). Sometimes I don’t want to have anything to do with organized religion. Then, I realize I have to put those feelings behind me. I believe what Jesus said, as near as we will know what he said, " love the lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself." That tells me love is the most important thing, and I believe that to be true. If so, how can I be angry at organized religion? More especially, the folks who are in it. I don’t like what they teach. I dislike so many of the doctrines and dogmas which separate rather than unite us all. But, I will do my very best to love them all. After all, I still have many family members in the institution.
I recently found an article which I feel does a good job of explaining the difference between "religion and spirituality". It helps me in my journey. I hope it helps you.
Religion is a path to God. Spirituality is also a path to God. However they have differences in approach.
"The essence of religion:
Fear God and obey God.
The quintessence of spirituality:
Love God and become another God."- Sri Chinmoy (1)
- Past vs Present. Religion tends to take great inspiration from the past. It reveres the ancient religious texts, as the way to achieve salvation. Spirituality is not so concerned with the past. Spirituality believes in the eternal now. To attain liberation we need to live in the present. It is not the past or the future that gives us liberation. We achieve peace of mind only when we concentrate on doing the right thing here and now.
- Fear vs Love. Quite often religion takes the approach of fearing God. Religion is a reminder to do the right thing so will not suffer in the future. The spiritual approach to God is through the path of love. Spirituality teaches us not to fear God, but approach him through the path of love.
- Where is God? Often religion talks of God as being high in the heavens. At times God can seem far from the reach of aspiring humanity. Spirituality shows us that God is omniscient and omnipresent and can be felt as a living presence in our own heart. Furthermore not only is God reachable but we can attain the inner realisation of God.
- Universality. Many followers of religion feel that only their path can lead to salvation. They have tremendous faith in their own religion, but at the same time they feel other religions are wrong and cannot lead a seeker to God. Spirituality feels that all religions are valid. Spirituality knows there are many paths to the same goal. Spirituality embraces all the world religions, but at the same time, is not constrained by any religious dogmas or forms.
- Outer worship vs Inner Worship. Religion places great emphasis on outer forms and outer rituals. These are helpful for giving a sense of formality to the worship of God. But spirituality is not concerned with outer rituals. Spirituality says that what is important is a seeker’s inner attitude. Through practising spirituality we seek to develop an inner shrine in our own heart.
Religion and spirituality have their differences but at the same time Religion can embrace spirituality. Through following their religion great saints have attained the fruits and realisations of a mystical approach to God. This includes Christian mystics such as Teresa of Avila, St Francis of Assisi. Sufi Saints like Rumi, Hafiz and Attar. In fact each religion has produced spiritual seekers of the highest order.
Article By: Tejvan Pettinger
While reading Kevin Beck’s most recent "Parousia" article on "Good Work" (a great article, by the way), I was reminded of two incidents which occurred yesterday.
The first happened when I was scanning the on-screen guide for something to watch last evening. I saw the blurb for "60 Minutes". One of the segments was an interview with Joel Osteen. I must admit that in the past I haven’t had too high an opinion of "smiling Joel" and his humungous basketball church in Houston. However, the more I hear him, the better I like him. Now, for me, that’s really quite a stretch. The always smiling, megachurch leader, looked to me like all the rest of the prosperity (WOF) preachers. And, to those of you who read me regularly, you know how I feel about WOF and the prosperity gospel. I decided to watch the segment. I was very impressed with the interview which Osteen gave. You can watch it here. I will not try to tell you whether what Osteen speaks about each week is "good" or "bad". Make up your own mind. Of course, there were short snippet interviews with "theological experts" who said what Osteen preaches is heresy. He certainly doesn’t preach what I heard most of my "church" life. The thing that strikes me most is that Osteen appears to me to be genuine in his love for people, and isn’t that what it’s all about. He isn’t constantly asking for money, even though his ministry costs must be phenominal. My main concern here is that you don’t do what I did. I made a judgement about this man without all the facts. I made a judgement based on his father’s style of preaching which I occasionary used to see as a young man. I made a judgement on that "smiling" face. Judgement of others for any reason is never "good", in my opinion. I try to catch myself when I find myself doing it. I could not attend Osteen’s services though; it, to me is still a part of "the system". But, I will not judge him any longer.
The second incident occurred at my local Sonic Drive In. I had gone to Sonic for a quick burger late Sunday afternoon. while sitting there, I noticed the car hop taking an order to a young girl sitting at a table. This young lady couldn’t have been more than sixteen or seventeen years old. After paying for her order she stood up and started to walk away. The tatoos were quite noticable on her arms. But even, more noticable was her swollen stomach, which protruded out from beneath the too small tee-shirt she was wearing. She was definitely pregnant. Very pregnant. Judgement began. "That child is way too young to be pregnant. Where’s the father. I bet there’s not even one. How did she get here. She doesn’t even have a car……" On and on I went. What in world was I doing? I was judging that young lady without knowing any facts. I was making her "bad" by the outward appearance. I didn’t know a thing about her; except she was not very well dressed, alone, pregnant, and let’s not forget the tatoos! I thought to myself, "why do I do this?"
This morning as I was reading Kevin’s article, some things he said began to really make sense for me. For instance,
Differentiating between good and bad is a human obsession. Consider all the good/bad judgments we make…….Regardless of the particular issue, most of us have developed a taste for judging between good and bad. We take pleasure in making those determinations…….
Gee, Kevin, why do you have to be sooo right. To subscribe to "Parousia", Kevin’s e-paper, go here
Stop judging, start loving. Abandon judgment of others and yourself.
Have a great week!
Last Sunday, I saw this sign on a church in Spring, Texas.
.jpg)
This is the problem I have with the institutional church. A reversal of truth…………..
It should read, "Hell is a hoax, Global Warming is not"
Stumble it!
