My newest book “Breaking Through” should be available for purchase in just a few short weeks. I want to thank everyone for your inspiration and encouragement. Our daily interaction is the catalyst which sets the Word to the page.
Middle Self to Lower Self to Higher Self (New Age)
Conscious to subconscious to super-conscious (Psychology)
Holy Spirit to Jesus to God (Christianity).
* Keep in mind that the Holy Spirit lives in Us.
1) Ask
2) Believe
3) Receive
Matthew 21:21-22
In a lifetime of experience and investigation I have found that the New Age System and Psychological System rarely achieve the level of permanent transformation facilitated by Christianity. It would seem that the abundance of Biblical principles combined with Scriptural laws meant to guide has given this system a phenomenal advantage over the other two systems. In addition, the speed of the manifestation process is significantly increased when asking in the name of Jesus. A side effect of following these principles is a direct connection to Spirit. This connection is what activates Divine Guidance via many heavenly beings and elevates the follower to an advanced stage of immediate manifestation.
(John 16:23 King James Version) And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Certainty
Insight
Adversity
Demotion or Promotion
Life is a series of promotions many of which appear to be demotions.
Nothing is ever wasted. Everything we experience in life has a greater purpose than that which may be perceived. Many times what we perceive as failures are just smaller elements of our future successes. God takes the bad and uses it for good. What we perceive as stepping back my in fact be a necessity of launching forward.
I remember as a child working with my grandfather in his garden. He had the reddest plumpest tomatoes in town. Whatever ones were not suitable for salad would be used for sauce or what we called gravy. Even in this case what we thought was the worst still ended up on top. The thing that I recall most vividly is the preparation that took place prior to planting. Of course we removed the rocks and tilled the soil, but there was one principle ingredient from which all the plants were grown. The best of the best started with the worst of the worst. Pa would have me fill wheel barrow after wheel barrow with manure and bring it over to the garden. This would in turn be mixed in with the soil prior to planting. It was this process the contributed so much to the quality of the garden through the fertility of the mix.
Remember, God is our gardener and we are his soil. After all, it was God who made Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. So doesn’t it make sense to see the trials and tribulations of our lives as preparations for the garden which is our lifetime? Of course it does. He mixes the manure with the soil in order to make us fruitful. In this our garden will produce a healthier and more delicious crop.
I’m sure if the soil could speak it would voice its displeasure with the process. No one wants to experience the displeasure of merging with animal excrement. Certainly there is room for improving the soil but at fist look mixing in manure seems to be making things worse. Yet if we truly understand the benefit of this natural occurrence it becomes much more tolerable and understandable.
Our lives are a series of ups and downs with a little bad mixed in with the good. We will often experience losses and gains in all areas of our lives. It is what I like to refer to as a roller coaster ride. Life is a series of ups and downs, but when we come to understand the configuration of the ride we will experience solace in it. We become accustomed to the peaks and valleys while gaining understanding that while we are down it is only a short while before we are headed back to the top once again. What we perceived as a loss will quickly turn into anticipation and excitement for projected increase. Think of it this way; we most always take a few steps back before we jump up and over any obstacles in our path.
How often in life has a negative occurrence caused a positive result? I’m sure many of us have experience the loss of one job only to find a better one. Perhaps we had our hearts set on a particular home that we could not close on only to find a better investment only a few steps down the road. Maybe it was a dream position with a company we have been working for that we did not get only to find out that we are being offered a new position that suites us much better.
As we look back on all the stuff we’ve been through I’m certain that we will find it has contributed greatly to the person we are today. It has made us stronger, more able to empathize with others and has given us the ability to turn experience and knowledge into priceless wisdom. When we stand tall on the mountain tops while looking deep into the valleys we come to appreciate what we perceived as relegation as being part of our progression. Sometimes in order to move forward we must take a few steps back, evaluate our position and accelerate in the direction of our dreams.
In faith always,
Ron Ash
I found the Christian Encounters book on Winston Churchill to be very interesting and entertaining. The author made me feel as if I were getting detailed eye witness accounts to many of the situations and circumstances that led to the development of the character which was Winston Churchill. John Perry did an excellent job of portraying one of the most influential political leaders of world history in a way that gives the reader an acute and accurate understanding of how the people close to Churchill were able to affect his life through their spiritual, political and secular beliefs.
The life of Winston Churchill unfolds through the pages of this informative and well written book. From his earliest childhood episodes all the way through his final days the reader is led to understand the making of one of this world’s greatest leaders. John Perry was able to take a great hero of the cause, bring him down to earth and make him more human through every emotionally charged chapter in this book. The reader will identify with the humanness of Churchill and gain great understanding in how the words that we speak and actions we take can have such a huge influence on those around us. In this we must understand how powerful and capable we are in our influence and how far reaching the affects of the knowledge we share in regards to our religion and beliefs can potentially be. In the case of Elizabeth Everest’s who gave generous doses of her own religious viewpoint to Winston Churchill she was able to give him the strong foundation which he would build his lifetime upon.
I highly recommend this book. It is a value to all reader’s young and old as well as a great addition to any book collection. Whether the reader is a Christian enthusiast, history buff of just loves a great story they will not be disappointed with this enchanting look at this man of “Liberty”.
Our Starting Point
We can’t get to where we are going if we don’t know where we’re at.
One of the most fundamental necessities of moving forward in any quest which we pursue is coming to a clear and accurate realization of where we are right now. Where is our current location in regards to heath, wealth and happiness? As we take an evaluation of the “who, what and where” of our environment the formulation of and exit plan or a map of our journey will quickly begin to unfold.
Just think about this for a brief moment. How do we usually get to our chosen destination? Most every journey begins with a single step. Whether our goal is sobriety, academic credentials, financial gains or even to find the ideal relationship; it all starts with knowing where we are right now. It is essential that we evaluate our current environment, establish our present location and calculate our intended course.
How far will we get if we don’t know where we are? All calculations regarding our destination begin with a clear and concise evaluation of where we are at present. Where we are “Right Now” has everything to do with accurately planning the next step in our journey.
With all our modern science and technology we still are reliant upon knowing where we are before we can get direction to where we want to be. Everything and everyone from the gas station attendant to MapQuest.com will ask us where we are right now. Even the presets on our most advanced GPS systems will ask us for our starting point before it can calculate the approximate time and distance of our intended journey. Actually, satellites will need to track us down from outer space before a GPS can even let us know our current location and calculate the quickest route to our intended destination.
When we are looking for directions we rarely ask a fellow traveler. It is common to ask people who live and work in the place that we are. I’m certain that none of us will approach the family in the minivan with luggage piled up on its roof and “Live Free of Die” license plates attached to it bumpers, “How do we get there from here?”; while we are smack in the middle of “The Sunshine State”. We want to speak with those who are familiar with the area. Someone from out of town will most certainly find us the most difficult way to getting from where we are to where we want to be or get us even more lost than we already are. Even that telephone to a close friend or relative can’t help us if we don’t know our current location. What is the first question we will be asked? “Well, where are you right now?” If we don’t know the answer to that we will be asked about landmarks, street signs and other characteristics of our present location. Without knowing where to start there is really nothing that comforting voice over the phone can do for us besides advising us to seek out and discover the necessary information from someone else. There is nothing that can or will get us to where we are going if we don’t know where we are at.
Let’s look at addiction and recovery for a moment. What is the first thing we need to establish in order to start off on the road to recovery? Alcoholic Anonymous, Narcotic Anonymous and all the other Anonymous organizations of the world have established a crucial starting point in mapping out a destination free of addiction; “My name is … and I am an addict.” You see if we don’t know there is a problem we can never find the solution. Failing to locate our current location on this infinite path of ascension will only prove to bind us in our own ignorance. The realization of a life of sobriety will rarely be experienced if we choose to ignore reality and convince ourselves that we are where we are not.
Imagine trying to get to where we are going from somewhere we are not. How efficiently could we travel by following a map from New York to Los Angeles when we are sitting in the middle of Houston? This would not be very effective to say the least. So why would we choose to convince ourselves that we can get to where we want to go by creating a false starting point? Many times it is just our Ego getting the best of us. It hates to admit that we have made a mistake, taken a wrong turn and are now totally lost and in need of assistance. Therefore we would rather drive around aimlessly with only the feeling that we are making some kind of headway while our partner pleads with us to stop and ask for directions.
In order to succeed in any journey we must understand the basic elements of travel and transition. There are certain things that will guide us along our path of purpose and assist us in becoming all that we are created to be. Many times it is just a matter of making a few corrections in order to get back on course. Usually we are only a single choice away from getting back on track and traveling freely and efficiently to our ultimate destination.
(Deuteronomy 30:19 New International Version) This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.
In faith always,
Ron Ash
