Category Archives: faith

faith, Inspiration, Self Help, Spitituality

Sword of Forgiveness

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There is no steel stronger than the sword of forgiveness. Its wielding is victory and in every throw is hope.

 

There are several decisions we will make along the course of our journey.  Some will have a major impact on our Being and others will have an effect that is barely noticeable.  Of all there is only one that has the potential for launching us forward powerfully and efficiently.

 

Forgiveness is a double edged sword.  It releases us from the past and enables us to experience the Now and sets the tone for what is yet to be.  This is the easiest and most difficult thing for humans to understand, but it is a necessity of effective travel.

 

You see, the thing that makes us unwilling to consider forgiveness is the illusion that blame is really just a form of retaliation upon the soul, spirit and mind of the person we choose to not forgive.  The reality is often a little harder for many to accept.  What is that reality?  Well, in most cases the person whom we are begrudging is not affected by our blame in any way and in the other cases they will adopt a way of removing their concentration on our blame by redirecting their thoughts away from us, the incident and any blame that has been placed on them.  In fact, many times they will have little or no understanding of what we believe they need forgiveness from.  Over time this becomes more apparent and is gradually etched in stone.

 

As any of us affirm that we have done no wrong or justify the wrong doing; the wrong doing slowly slips away.  Our reality is really ours alone and regardless of the Truth that exists in our reality it is still our reality.  It is only what we have come to accept as Truth.

 

So, regardless of how strongly we hold the feelings, emotions and thoughts of the situation in which we perceive we have been done a terrible wrong; the Ego of the other individual will not be affected by us.  They will only experience the reality that their own Egos have allowed them to accept.  This may or may not be to their own dismay, yet holding a grudge against them will definitely be to our own.

 

We are in control of what we experience and when we concentrate on the bad experiences we relive them continually.  In a way we marry that past memory as we continually feel the emotions associated in it with the essence of all that we are.  As we become consumed with the negative energy of that past experience we forfeit the joy we could be feeling in the Now and submit to displeasing emotions continually.  In a way we have our arms filled with everything we don’t want and are unable to pickup and carry the love, happiness and fulfillment that sit lying at our feet.

 

Forgiveness gives us the ability to lighten the load and move forward confidently with Life.  Life only exists in the Now.  In the moment before thought It Is!  We can concentrate on the nonexistent past, speculate about the future or live today in this very moment while relishing in all that is real.  Happiness is a choice.  Forgiveness is a choice.  As we choose correctly we proceed directly to the Promise that is ours.

Book Reviews, christ, Christianity, faith, God, Inspiration, Jesus, Publishing, Religion, Spitituality

Ron’s “Cast of Characters” Review

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Ron’s “Cast of Characters” Review

Max Lucado’s book Cast of Character is an interesting take on many of the most talked about people in the Bible.  He puts into his own words the personas of each individual as well as their unique struggles and conquests over life diversities.  Through it all God comes through for them and provides in ways that were not always considered.  In short, in Faith they were willing to walk through fear and into Promise.

I liked the premise of this book and found it to be somewhat entertaining.  As always, Lucado’s unique voice is apparent from chapter to chapter.  He enlightens us about the lives and personalities of the disciple’s and apostles as well as a multitude of other players throughout scripture.  Max does well to paint the reader a picture of the human side of each and every one of them by portraying them as closely as he could to those of this age.

As far as great reads I would have to say he misses the mark.  I found it very difficult to get through the book and found it very easy to put down.  There was nothing that grabbed me and caused me to yearn to read more.  It was a book that I chose to read between books.

Cast of Characters may be a better book for a biblical novice who is just opening their eyes and hearts.  It would be a great tool to help a new reader grasp the implications of modern struggle by exhibiting the similarities and exhibit the realism of them in a light of modern days.  Readers will find themselves and those they know in the characters discussed in this book making the biblical stories easier to relate to.

Again, it is not that this is not a good book.  It just was not the right book for me.

Christianity, faith, God, Inspiration, Roman Catholic, Self Help, Spitituality

Single Sided

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Single Sided

Sharing one side of the story with others will yield single sided opinions. A single sided house will not stand. Remember, there are three sides to every story our side their side and the Truth. So, be very careful to never share a shaving of the truth. Those shavings will only serve to clog the drain and leave you with a sink full of split hairs.

To every problem there is a root, but if we only prune the weed it will only grow back stronger. We must honestly consider all possibilities. Yes, even the possibility that we are wrong. Most of the problems we are dealing with today took root a long time ago. It takes time for a seed to take root. The trick is to remember exactly what it was that we planted.

Did we sow hope, love, peace and truth or did we settle for something less? Were we planting the seed of the fruit we thought we wanted? Most likely if we are reaping what we do not want it is because we planted what we only thought would satisfy us. Ego may have convinced us that the sand was water and left us wondering why our thirst unquenched.

It’s very easy to take what seems to be so obvious and move in that direction, yet many times these things are only illusions. Illusions are delusions that cause disillusion. We see what we think we want, only to find that we have chased the shiny lure and been left unsatisfied.

The only way to find the Truth is to look inside us. The heart has no room for illusion. It is the mind that can make us believe and allow us to deceive. In this we look at what others have and want it. From here we feel that we are less than who we really are without it. Looking within will yield the greatness that we may be missing in our lives.

The world is a piece of the Universe, but the Universe is the peace of the world. We will never find what we truly seek in a piece of something small because the answer is in something beyond the physical. We feel something is missing because It is.

To find it we must be open minded and willing to receive. Communication is a two way street. When the road is blocked so is the communication. Therefore, we must open the flood gates and allow the information to flow through us. Whether we believe in gravity or not we are still subject to the consequences of it. It is the same with Truth; accepted or not it is still Truth. When we choose the lie we die.

We will never see the solution if we refuse to hear the problem. This is what will cause the death in us if we allow it to. Not a physical death necessarily, but a spiritual death absolutely. Things we cherish will quickly fall by the wayside because we believe that fire is cool, water is dry and the air is toxic. We react incorrectly in every given situation. Taking lies as Truths will always yield the wrong decision. The creation of our experience is by our own thoughts, words and actions. The only way out is to extract the root of what we had planted and start anew. We will only reap what we have sown.

faith, God, Inspiration, Law of Attraction, Metaphysical, Self Help, Spitituality

The Truth Within

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The Truth Within

The only place we can truly fit into is our own Being.

In life there really is only one way to attract exactly what is best for us.  Everything from the right job, the right partner to the right friends all comes from within us.  When we present ourselves to the Universe honestly and openly everything will begin to line up with our Being.

You see, we will attract into our lives exactly what we present ourselves as.  Like people attract like people.  This is why we see people we love constantly attracting people, situations and circumstances that do not compliment who they are.  The person we know and love as they are, is constantly and continuously going out of their way to present themselves as the person they believe the prospective partner, boss or other acquaintance would prefer them to be.

This is a double edge sword.  Not only will we be attracting the wrong people into our lives, but we will be repelling the one who truly compliments the essence of all we are from it.  The façade we put forth will only serve to keep us from what is best for us.

Often we only believe we know what we want and spend much of our lives desperately trying to get what we only perceive will make us happy, successful and secure.  We believe the smiling faces that have these things are signs that their people, places and things will make us happy too.

So, where do we go from here?  How do we find what will give us what are soul wants and release ourselves from what the mind only thinks we want?  A necessity of substantial gain is surmountable loss.  We must lose these old thoughts from our minds and allow what is in our hearts to be released so that it can send out the signal that will bring to us the things that compliment and nourish the Truth within us.

As we face our desires we face ourselves and if we overcome these desires we conquer ourselves.  Desire is a funny thing that means different things to different people.  There is sexual desire which is associated with physical pleasure; the desire to be accepted by our peers is another and the ever popular desire to be envied is a sociological favorite too.  These desires have little to do with the Truth of our Being.  In fact they are largely based in our illusions.  They are only what we believe others require of us, but in Truth they are only what we perceive as prerequisites for a euphoric state of Being.  When I talk about “our selves” I am speaking of Ego.  Ego causes us to make decisions that nourish Ego and Ego gains this nourishment through the torment of our soul.  That’s right, by not allowing our souls to reach out and blossom the Ego grows stronger and our ascension takes longer.

We are on a journey.  It is an infinite ascension on many levels of existence.  There is no end!  However, there are a series of levels, stages in our development that will enable us to continually be all that we are created to be.  A necessity of travel is change and allowing change to take place.  Ego relishes for sameness.  It succeeds in its quest to remain strong through lies and illusions that make the Journey long.  As we follow, seek and desire what is unreal we forfeit those things that are real.

This Truth is within us.  In our hearts and souls is the Spirit of all that we are and all that we are created to be.  As we let go of the desires that bind us we become free and release ourselves into exactly where we belong.  Here is the most fertile soil.  Now is where we plant the seed of our Being.  What do we get when we plant the right seed?  Well of course; we get the fruit of exactly what we planted.  Just think, all this time we have been planting onions and expecting tomatoes.  How silly is that?

Why weren’t we fitting?  It was because the only place we can truly fit into is our own Being.  The only way to get a square peg into a round whole is by destroying the square peg.  That square peg is all that you are created to be.  In Truth we are so much more that.  We are beautiful, wonderful and unique shapes of our own; ever changing and everlasting souls and spirits created in the image of God.

faith, God, Inspiration, Self Help, Spitituality, Uncategorized

Concepts of Beauty

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Concepts of Beauty

As we look around in the now and explore our surroundings with all our senses there will be several things that become very apparent to us.  In all areas of our being there exist the shadows of what once was.  The way we once looked at things is no longer the way we see things today.

There is definitely a consciousness of Being and within this realization of all things there is Truth.  This Truth exists in what has come to me as consciousness of beauty.  Here we conceptualize what is beautiful in our minds eye.  It is how we see things inside that contribute to how we experience the world outside.

You see, we may be missing the Truth that exists in this very moment as we contemplate the truth of past moments.  What we loved dearly yesterday can never be considered a template for what is loved today.  The youthfulness associated with a person of an age far younger than we may be today has little appeal to the aged sophistication of those just about our same age now.  We may see their elements as individual positive attributes, but the fact still remains that to us now they are just children.  Think back to when you were twelve years old and looked at those who were six years older than you.  They seemed so much more adult back then than they do today.   The entire concept of young and old totally changes as we change.  So to attempt to recoup this youthfulness is really self defeating in the grand scheme of things.  We are just putting out bait for the fish we don’t want.

This is the same with many other things in our world.  Everything has a certain appeal at certain times.  Well, almost everything.  You get the idea.  The most important thing is to not lock ourselves in or out of the Truth because this Truth comes from our Being.

When we are living in Truth and are Being all that we are created to be at this very moment which comes before thought; we will attract who we are into our lives.  It is the person who loves the way we look, think and act who will come into our lives.  However, if we refuse to accept that we are positively beautiful and priceless beings we will never become a magnet for the perfect match to compliment the essence of all that we are.

Concentrate on who you are.  Be all that you are created to be.  Know that you, everything that is you, is attractive just the way you are today.  Even as we change so do the things we will appreciate tomorrow.

We must release ourselves from the template of yesteryear and relish in the incredible work that we are right now.  Our tastes will change.  Our outside appearance will change, but those who love us will experience this transformation too.  So, don’t waste this incredible gift that we have right now by wishing you had the youthful looks of yesterday.  Have gratitude and appreciation for every wrinkle, love handle and any other attribute that lends itself to Being exactly who you are right now.  Those you seek are not looking for what you may think they are; they are looking for you just the way you are.

We are only limited by the lies we have accepted as truths.  Remember, the worst lies are the ones we tell to ourselves.  Therefore, we must open our minds, hearts and souls to allow the Truth to flow in.  Minding our minds and allowing this moment to unwind is the way we will find a world that is kind.  We are blessed eternally in all that we are infinitely.

Christianity, faith, God, Inspiration, Roman Catholic, Self Help, Spitituality

Longer and Harder

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Longer and Harder

Disobedience is like choosing not to drive between the lines. It just makes the journey longer and harder.

So many of us complain about how hard life is.  Everyday many wake up get out of bed and wonder why my life is the ways it is.  Others look into their mirrors and just don’t like what they see.

Do you like the reflection that stares back at you from the mirror?  If you don’t there may be a very simple yet illusive reason why.  It just may be your insides that are contributing to the displeasing image you see on the outside.

In most cases we have convinced ourselves otherwise by continuingly plucking the Dandelion without completely extracting the root.  We don’t solve the problem because we have made ourselves unaware that it exists.  A major contributor is the ever constant bombardment of the media with images of an anything goes society that is stuffed into our minds on a daily basis.  “Everyone is doing it.”  This look but don’t touch attitude is akin to planting thousands of seeds and expecting non to grow.  “A little in moderation is ok.” Until one day when we look through the window of our soul and see fields of infestation.

You see, slowly and with tiny actions we remove ourselves from our safe lanes of travel and eventually end up in the breakdown lane.  Greater infractions of the law could put some of us off the road completely leaving our vehicles damaged, our loved ones lost or our lives ended well before our time.  We may speed up or slow down within limits, but with complete disobedience absent of consideration and appreciation we will surely commit to a destination of our own demise.

Popular phrases like marching to the beat of a different drummer are cute little verbal illustrations up to a certain point, but take a minute and imagine a marching band doing just that.  Chaos is the best word to describe that parade.  Who is our drummer?  How easy it can be to turn a joyous parade into a deadly riot if we choose to all march to the beat of a different drummer.

It all comes down to asking ourselves, “What kind of life we want to lead?”  Do we cherish our families, friends and world?  What would our world look like if we continued to tread the slippery slope that our society has placed us upon?  In Truth we are being set on a path of lies.  We are being shown an easy way, but in Truth it is a long and winding road to nowhere.  Again we are tempted and excited by a shiny lure that promises us everything yet gives us nothing.

A long time ago I realized the best way to stay off that rocky road was to refrain from turning in that direction.  If we don’t think of looking that way we will not proceed in that direction.  The body is not the flesh.  It is the mind that is the flesh.  We become and experience the things we think of.  Obedience to Truth is the only way to stay on the smooth, straight and narrow path to Promise.

Immediate correction and obedience to the rules of the road is the only way to reach our destination in a timely fashion.  Everything contrary to Truth will just send us wandering for a long period of time.  It would be like wandering around the same mountain for forty years or so.  Sound familiar?  As we focus on our intended destination we will set the pace for our journey and gain the maximum advantage of travel.  Stay the course and experience the best that God has to offer.  Our GGS (God Guidance System) is so much better than most technologically advance GPS available.

Remember, often the things we choose not to experience are the experiences that matter most.  Turn off the television, radio and internet when information being shown is contrary to who you want to be and what you want to experience.  Choose not to allow your mind to become full of the seeds of disobedience.   Think of the consequences of every action and remember that the most technologically advanced equipment of all times have sent the greatest minds of this world terribly off course with only the tiniest of moves.

faith, God, Inspiration, Self Help, Spitituality

Reasons for Seasons

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Reasons for Seasons

Just maybe we are where we are and doing exactly what we are supposed to be doing right now. There is a reason for every season. Paying close attention to where we are and being thankful for what we have while identifying the purpose and opportunities in this present moment will relinquish the highest potential for Being.

We are where we need to be and learning what we need to learn. Stay the course because the things we experience today will lead us to where He needs us to be tomorrow.

Look around right now. Examine your surroundings. Feel the essence of it all. What is good about right now? How can you use this time that you have been blessed with?

A few days back a neighbor asked me to take him to a church I have been attending. His church had closed down and he had not been to a service in over two weeks. I had not seen him in a long while. Some problems with his vehicle prompted him to stop by my house and ask for some advice. After examining the situation and taking a ride to a local auto parts store for some engine coolant we began to speak of the economy and the effects it was having on several things. One aspect that he noticed was that there seemed to be an abundance of fathers standing at the bus stops with their children. “Probably all out of work” he said as he cited several Biblical references to this characteristic of the present time. Interestingly enough was the powerful truth that came from this one statement. The fathers were now able to spend time with their children. There exists so much value in being able to share such intimate moments with our family.

We can always make more money but we can’t make more time.

The seemingly unproductive curse of being unemployed was actually a blessing to many fathers and their children. They both have the opportunity to relish in the NOW while developing, nurturing and expanding upon the relationship they share. This time has so much more value than gold. These moments will last a lifetime. Believe and know that this can be an incredible gift to their children. A lesson, a memory or a comfort they will carry in their hearts for always.

This is the time! Here is the place! Right now in this very moment in time is where all the opportunity lies. It is up to us to seek it, find it and relish in all that there is right NOW. We can’t waste a moment of all that is real by surrounding ourselves with the illusion of lack. It is futile to complain and curse the blessing of this time instead of praising and being thankful for the gift that is our present. There is a reason for this season. Look, listen and feel with your heart, soul and spirit. It is here! There is a purpose! The answer is in us All.

If we don’t see it we will never be it and if we don’t feel it we will never real it.