Blog Archives

Make a Positive Change

6/30/2015

You have been empowered to change the world. Does that seem grandiose? Not to lessen the impact of the statement, but everyone has been empowered to change the world. But, not everyone will take advantage of their power. Perhaps a better way to say it is that everyone will change the world, but whether we change it for good or bad is where our freewill choice comes into play.

Life Puzzles, Part 3

6/30/2015

Part of the fun of piecing together picture puzzles was working together with other family members. A lot of my experience happened on vacation while visiting my grandmother in Virginia in the 1950s and 1960s. Except for radios, black and white televisions were the only electronic entertainment devices available, and the selection of programs was limited to three stations. We found ways to entertain ourselves, and picture puzzles were part of our heritage. We could solve the same puzzle over and over.
We sat around a table, talked about life, and tried out one piece after another until connections were made, on and off the table. I learned the importance of family, of working together, and of watching over one another. My great-grandmother was still alive and she often joined us. She would study, pick up a piece, try it in a location, and then ask, “Does that fit there?” Most of the time it didn’t, but occasionally she made the right choice.
In our spiritual walk, we don’t have to solve the puzzle alone. It helps to have helping hands and hearts that help us make connections and build the pictures of our lives. Occasionally, someone comes along who seems to distract our attention by trying to make connections that don’t work. With grace, we kindly say, “No, that doesn’t go there. But, you were close. Keep trying.” We can work the puzzle alone, but we don’t have to, and why would we want to?

Remain Rooted

6/29/2015

One lesson I’m learning is to stand my ground with love and compassion. Defending my position is often unnecessary, and it often has the opposite effect of what I had hoped for. I’m also learning that there are only a few things worth fighting for. So, unless it comes to those few things, I can stand strong but flexible. The branches of a tree can be blown in all directions but still remain firmly rooted to the earth.

From the Ashes of Our Past

6/28/2015

Sometimes we go through a horrific situation and have no clue why? Perhaps that is for the best. Perhaps if we knew what the reason was, we might not think it was worth it, and we might rail against everyone and everything that kept us in such misery. Often it is only after the storm that we can comprehend the reasons and realize that because of the past, we are ready for a glorious future we might not have ever known.

Take It with You

6/27/2015

A spiritual person recognizes that he or she is only temporarily here having an earthly existence. There's nothing wrong with enjoying all the things that life has to offer, but it is smart to remember that only spiritual experiences and spiritual behavior goes with us when our time on earth is done.

Relax

6/26/2015

Stress is a result of not trusting the Universe. Everything is as it should be even though we might not recognize it now. I know that concept can be difficult to accept, but the more we relax and let things be as they are, the more we will learn that trying to control things is not necessarily the best use of our time.

Stay Strong

6/25/2015

Recovering from religious abuse, or from any abuse, takes courage. Part of the problem is that we've often shown the world the side of us that we think isn't damaged, and we worry about what people will think if they knew what we were really like and really going through. Chances are those people whose opinions we worry about have gone through, or are going through, their own battles. Stay strong and do what must be done.

Be Gentle

6/24/2015

We don’t always know what is going on inside another person. In fact, we don’t always know what is going on within us. Sometimes we get angry, frustrated, or depressed, and we can’t seem to understand what caused it or how to get ourselves out of it. If we can be gentle with ourselves and with others, the situation will eventually remedy itself. Be gentle.

Question, Test, Discern

6/23/2015

One thing I'm learning is that the truth is not always the same for people everywhere. Some see one nation as villainous, while others see them as heroic. Some see one gesture as loving while another might see it as selfish and manipulative. Just because we might be surrounded by a crowd of witnesses who claim something to be true doesn't mean that it is. Test, question, and discern everything you are told. Don't accept everything as truth simply because a majority says that it is.

Press On

6/22/2015

Sometimes the darkness is a gift that allows us to help others. Because we have survived the darkness, it enables us to help others to know that they can, too. I don't suggest we search for darkness, but when it finds us, it might help us to know that there is usually a reason, and that reason often has to do with personal change and growth combined with the the ability to help others overcome their darkness.

Small Steps

6/21/2015

When I start a new book I don’t look at the laborious process because it would be too discouraging. I know it will take probably a year or more for the first draft, and going through edits can take another year. I set myself manageable goals and divide those into days. If I do seven daily readings each week, a year from now the first draft will be finished. Let us not be discouraged by the size of the goal, but let us take the small steps needed and eventually we will achieve our hearts desire.

Remember the Knife

6/20/2015

Imagine accidentally cutting yourself with a knife. The pain is immediate and the injury can be severe enough to put us in fear of death. Now imagine despising the knife for what it did to you and vowing never to use a knife again. Ridiculous? Perhaps, but when we refuse to forgive, we are only limiting ourselves. When we can perceive religious hurts the way we perceive an inanimate object like the knife we can forgive and move on. In fact, we can even see there was no need for forgiveness for the knife was only doing what it was created to do.

Celebrate You

6/19/2015

How can we convince someone else that they are worthy of love if we do not believe that we are worthy of love? How can we convince someone that they are worthy of happiness if we do not believe that we are worthy of happiness? How can we convince someone else that The Divine loves them and forgives them if we do not believe that we are loved and forgiven?

The Role of Suffering

6/18/2015

There is usefulness in our suffering. Everyone experiences suffering in varying degrees, and by accepting that suffering does and will occur helps us to discover how to live above the pain. If we will allow it, suffering can bring out our greatest qualities, such as love, compassion, forgiveness, and acceptance. Without at least some suffering, these qualities might not fully develop.

Be Content

6/17/2015

Be grateful today that you are where you are in this point in time. It may be a happy place or a sad place, but no matter the feelings that we have about where we are, one thing we know is that they will change. As we accept each emotion for what it is, it allows us to flow through life with more grace, ease, and love. We accept the difficult times because we know they are temporary and will lead us to happier places.

Weekly Newsletter: Life Puzzles

6/16/2015

I enjoy working picture puzzles. Seeing the picture on the box and putting the pieces together one at a time until the puzzle is complete makes for hours of fun. Our individual lives are like giant picture puzzles, with each one working to piece together the dark and light areas, the trees and the streams, and the other fascinating areas that build it into one beautiful scene.
I always follow the same basic method for piecing together a puzzle. Dump the pieces onto a table, make sure all are turned right-side up, work the frame first, and then start with the areas of color with the fewest number of pieces. I put off the areas of color that have lots of pieces to sort through, but eventually I have to work with these areas, even if it’s the last section of the puzzle. My method might be the method that most people follow, but it certainly isn’t the only method.
Sometimes, as we work the puzzle of our lives, we are forced to work on the dark areas of our lives sooner than we had hoped. When we find ourselves in that situation, it might help to remember that these areas of darkness add to the overall picture of our lives, and that the puzzle isn’t complete without them.

Starting Over

6/16/2015

Starting over occurs many times in life. Giving up is not an option. Only the quality of the rebuilt life is an option. When we discover we are in need of a fresh start, the quality of the life that follows will be in large part due to the lessons we learned. If we didn’t learn any lessons and continue to do things in the same way, chances are we will find ourselves starting over again and again.

A Familiar Heaven?

6/15/2015

What if our afterlife is no different than our life on earth? What if it is just an extension of this life, and everything we are, the love and compassion of our hearts, carries over into the next existence? Would it not be wise to be the best person possible now and to create heaven on earth while we have the chance? I don’t believe death creates saints. I believe our personalities cross over with us.

Do to Others

6/14/2015

The golden rule is found in many world religions. Do to others the way you would want them to do to you is the essence of the teaching, and the way we want to be treated is with love, understanding, compassion, forgiveness, and patience. When we treat others the way we want to be treated, we attract those qualities back to ourselves. It also helps if we treat ourselves the way we want others to treat us.

Check Motives

6/13/2015

It is sad to think that people need to recover from religion. After all, isn’t the goal of religion to make us happy and whole? But just as any human institution can be used for the wrong purpose, religion and the religious can be corrupt and work for selfish purposes and not for spiritual ones. Examine the motives of religious leaders and whether they serve the whole, or only those who believe as they do.

Embrace the Good

6/12/2015

Religion, like many things in life, has its positive side and its negative side. There are good things that one can gain from religion, but there are also things that should be avoided. When religion lifts us up, it is good. When religion knocks us down, it is bad. The key is to be discerning and know when to embrace and when to walk away.

What is the Lesson?

6/11/2015

The less we judge others, the less we will be judged, and we will become more loving and loved. There are a few principles that I hold to, and this one I believe to be an absolute truth. There is a subtle but important distinction between judging and discerning, and we need to be careful not to cross that line, but judging hurts other people, and it also hurts the one who judges. What we see as negative in others is often qualities we see being reflected back to us. When we are tempted to judge, let’s stop and ask, “What is it that I need to learn?”

Be Still

6/10/2015

Being in a noisy place doesn’t necessarily lend itself to hearing what we need to hear. Quantity of words and volume of sound doesn’t mean we are receiving the words we need to hear. We often hear the words we need to hear more easily in the silence and in the stillness of life. Music without times of silence can overwhelm, but a carefully placed silence can leave a larger impact than all the cacophony that is often just too much. Be still and know, for it is in the stillness that we can hear the voice of The Divine.

The "Right" Path

6/9/2015

Just as we believe there are many roads that lead Home, so we believe there are many forms of recovery and not every form is meant for everyone. Religious Recovery is just one more tool to aid individuals on their path. Some will find it a valuable tool; others will find it unnecessary. We each play a part of the whole, and each recovery program reaches the ones who need their help. Be true to yourself and find the form of recovery that best meets your needs.

Weekly Newsletter: Banana Peeling

6/9/2015

I always thought there was only one way to peel a banana. In fact I had never even considered there might be a different way, perhaps even a better way, until my yen-year-old granddaughter taught me a method she learned at school. It seems that monkeys peel their bananas from the bottom. I tried it, and it works. I’m so used to doing it one way, and because that way works for me I probably won’t change. Why mess with something that works, right?
I went to the Internet and discovered an article that demonstrated eight different ways to peel a banana.[1] Is there a right way or a wrong way? I don’t think so. As long as you get to the fruit inside, are able to eat it, and the method doesn’t interfere with providing nourishment to your body—what difference does it make?
I used to think there was only one way to connect with The Divine. I was wrong about that, too. People might make a strong argument that their way is the best way, and who is to say if they are right or wrong. One thing I’m convinced of; however is that their way is not the only way, and that there is much we can learn from one another if we will only keep our minds and hearts open.

[1] http://www.wikihow.com/Peel-a-Banana