HOW CAN PEOPLE READING THE SAME BIBLE COME UP WITH SUCH WIDELY DIFFERENT VIEWS?

When we are born, our minds are very much like a new computer that has never been programmed. In the first six or seven years of life we inherit a belief system. Our families, social environment and religious culture impresses upon us the notions they embrace in regards to God, life and other people, etc. There is not a group of people or any main religion that resides in the absolute truth therefore there are many different perceptions about the “meaning” of things, some of which are in great contrast with others. So it is with the Bible. Two people from widely different backgrounds can read the same verse from the Bible and have two completely different interpretations. I believe we are students of life, not graduates of life. We don’t know what life is ALL about but rather in the process of learning all about life. We should always be open to a higher truth and divine insight.

Three Simple Steps

There are three simple steps each of us can take when interpreting the Bible. Whatever interpretation you hold ask yourself, does this viewpoint move me closer to God; does it move me closer to accepting and honoring the great diversity of humankind; and does it guide me to being a beneficial presence to this wonderful world of ours. No matter what belief system you choose, if these three questions can be answered with a yes. .you are on the right path, heading in the right direction towards the right destination.

"If God Is Love"

From A Poetic Search for God Within by Warren Molten 

Marcene Borthwick passed along this beautiful poem:

 

If God is love,

there is no place where love it not;

and although this seems like a double negative, 

sounds like a plot, a Gordian knot;

  and easier said than believed,

  it rings true, feels good, 

even theological as in "word of God" --

  all of that, and that's a lot.

Still, there is no place where love is not.

Yet, we live like fish

swimming about in search of water,

or a blind mole pressing on to find soil,

or the olive its oil--absurd, like a bird

flying around without a care, looking for air.

No, Love is everywhere. Yet, such a paradox!

For still, we must look for love: around the bend,

over the rainbow, across this room or that street,

on the other side of an argument.

Near or far, we must search for love,

knowing that it is hard to find,

but hardest of all when love is finally found.

For then we must cherish is,

we must nurture it and help it grow,

then let it go.

So, if we are born, bathed and buried

in love, you and I have no excuse

not to be God's lovers in the world,

all of us all of the time, starting here and now

by loving ourselves,

and taking loving steps towards others,

and holy others, and on to every living creature,

all the way to God.

For it is with the eye of love

that we find God,

and the eye of love that God finds us.

What a lovely way to live,

and of course, the only way to die.

We have a choice

During the upcoming holidays, we can choose how to experience each moment, regardless of what is happening within or around us.  Here are some affirmations to remind and encourage us to choose the Good.

• I am one with God; therefore I am at peace right now.
• My thoughts create my life, so I choose to think thoughts that will bring forth the life that I want.
• At ease with conditions that life presents to me, I move forward to my higher good.
• I am the director, the one who decides the thoughts that I will think on this day.
• I meet every person as if they were myself and treat them with kindness and love.
• I awake this morning with a peacful heart and a peaceful mind, excited to find the Good in all things and all people.

With each affirmation, we not only bless ourselves, we also bless each person in our lives, and we change the world for the better.  You can make a difference.

ONE PRESENCE AND ONE POWER

Looking out to the far reaches of the sky, we see a space so vast that it is incomprehensible. Using the latest technological advancements, we can observe the inner depths of our physical presence.

Beyond the physical there is a common energy, a spirit, that is the very essence of life. We call this spirit God, and it permeates everything in the universe around us as well as every cell in our bodies.

Yet one of the greatest misperceptions that plagues us at times is that God is separate from us. Having a sense of separation from God can leave us feeling helpless, hopeless, and fearful in regard to the more difficult situations we face in life. In addition—living in this illusion of separation from God—we often turn to the world around us in search of something to sustain us, to give us courage, or to depend on for strength, only to be let down in the long run.

There are two basic ways that we can strengthen our relationship with God. The first is to have an understanding of God that moves beyond myth to an awareness of the God Presence within us as love given unconditionally and continually. The spirit of God within never leaves us, never withholds from us that which we need, and never condemns us as unworthy. To truly know our oneness with God is to move from our mind to our heart, because it is from the consciousness of love that we resonate with the presence of God within.

The second way to strengthen our relationship with God is to have absolute trust in God. When problems appear to abound and challenges seem to overwhelm us, we remain confident and secure. During the most difficult of times, we will have faith, hope, love, strength, and peace of mind as we turn to God, affirming God’s presence and supply. That which we need will be provided.

There is one Presence and Power in the universe and in our lives. As we believe in God and trust in God, our cup shall truly overflow.

WHAT SHOULD A SICK PERSON DO

TO RECEIVE A MIRACLE HEALING FROM GOD?

If God responded to fervent prayer for a miracle healing, this would indicate that God judged the one in need as worthy of healing. This would also mean if one didn’t receive a miracle healing God had judged that person to be unworthy of such a grant. I wouldn’t want any person who is on their death bed to think that God didn’t find them worthy to save or even that God didn’t care. Wouldn’t that be a horrible feeling to go out of this world with?

I don’t believe that God intervenes in our lives but I do believe that God Spirit is in everyone of us, and the more we awaken to that power, the more we are able to utilize  it for physical, emotional and mental healing. 

Not long ago it was considered a miracle that our thoughts could have a healing effect on diseases of the cellular level.  Today that idea is commonplace.  We know negative thoughts of anger, resentment, guilt, shame and feelings of unworthiness weaken us. We also know that thoughts of peace, faith and appreciation for “what is” in the present moment, strengthens us. Above all else, love is the greatest and most rewarding emotional experience we can have on this earth.  Whether one is ill or not, miracles happen when we bathe ourselves daily in thoughts of love.

The Value of Faith

Although faith can definitely lift one’s mood during uncertain times and even reassure us that the welfare of a loved one will turn out well, faith isn’t a surefire equation for health, wealth and happiness.  Jesus had faith that could move mountains, until the very end but he certainly wasn’t happy about his predicament.  Although a positive mind set grounded in faith can definitely have a healing  effect on some illnesses, the vast majority of life threatening diseases are going to run their own course outside the effects of faith.  If attaining great wealth is one’s personal goal, it certainly is an advantage to have the faith to take well-thought-out chances and step forth into unchartered territory, but if it is not accompanied by good business sense and hard work, faith will do little.

Nonethless, Faith is a powerful force. The unexpected challenges we face are like the sudden storm that quickly darkens the sky.  The clamor of thunder like the fears that attempt to shake the foundation of our beliefs.  Yet faith is the fortress where worry and doubt cannot enter, and the light of hope never dims.  Faith held strongly will see us through the darkest night until the sun rises in glory and shines brilliant on the good that lies ahead.  When our thoughts and feelings run reckless through our minds screeching about the unknowns of the future, faith can be the stilling whisper that assures us everything is going to be okay. 

CAN WE WORRY GOD TOO MUCH WITH OUR LITTLE PROBLEMS? 

I don’t believe God worries but rather I  see God as a worry eliminator.  Just as the mighty force of water from a fire hose can extinguish the greatest flame, the mighty faith within each of us can extinguish every doubt, worry, fear or anxiety when we turn it over to our higher power  and trust in the divine order of life.

There are two kinds of problems in this world.  The ones we can do something about and the ones we can’t do anything about.  If  we are powerless to change the situations or circumstances of a problem, challenge, setback or loss we have no other choice but to adapt to it.  This often calls on us to change our thoughts, feelings, attitudes and perceptions about what has taken place or what might happen in the future.  

In our prayers rather than beseeching God to “take this cup of suffering from me,” we can use affirmative prayers such as:  I now let go of any thoughts that hamper my peace of mind, and affirm that I have everything I need to move through this difficult time and establish a sense of serenity in my life.  

If we can do something about a problem or challenge we face, then we need to draw on our resources and initiate action.  Pronto!

HOW CAN PEOPLE OF FAITH CHANGE THE APPARENT ATTITUDE THAT HUMAN LIFE IS CHEAP.


Every person comes into this world with a conscious mind that is very much like a new computer that has never been programmed. As each child ages, thoughts, feelings attitudes and perceptions are imposed on him or her from family and community that set in place the values they will live by. Over the years “life” then becomes devalued. Television shows, movies, and video games show or display the taking of a life easily, quickly and even glibly. In addition to this our technology has advanced to the point where we view war in progress every day. We see bombs going off, people being maimed and dead bodies lying in the street. It is not difficult to become conditioned to these atrocious events as just another part of life. With that attitude life becomes cheap, expendable and not cherished.

If you program a computer with the notion that 2 + 2 equals five then ask the computer how much is 2 + 2 it will answer five even though that is incorrect. If our society allows programming that impresses on the minds of the young that killing is a natural
part of life, that will be the viewpoint they adopt. Every possibility for the future is real and exists here and now whether that be mass destruction or a planet of peace and harmony. Each of us have the opportunity to choose every day which possibility we want to manifest. Each of us can be the change we want to see.

Hope is nothing more or nothing less than a thought that is infused with an optimistic emotion. Hope exists in our mind, it is a power within us. It never dwindles, it never dries up; it is never out of reach. It only appears to be absent when we choose to think thoughts of an opposite nature. The thoughts we think may be hopeful or hopeless. When we commit to beliefs that we can do something; that we can make it through a difficult time; that we can realize our hearts desire we experience hope. When we commit to thoughts that are of a despairing nature we experience hopelessness and expect the worst to happen.

So the question arises, who determines the thoughts we think? Each of us is the ultimate authority of the thoughts we think and the feelings we have. When we take full responsibility for our outlook on life and the frame of mind we are in, we draw on our inner power to direct our thoughts. The thoughts you are thinking this very moment are creating your present emotional reality and at the same time putting in place the stepping stones that will lead to your future emotional reality. Think about it for a moment, your thoughts are your reality. Good, bad, happy, sad, hopeful, hopeless. The choice is yours.

"If we get what God wants us to have, why ask?

I believe God wants us to have peace of mind, the strongest desire we have; God wants us to be in harmony, our most natural state; and God wants us to be in a continual cycle of giving and receiving love, the greatest experience we can have on this earth. God wants us to have these things because that is what God is. Not an old man with long white beard sitting on a throne somewhere in the far reaches of the universe eager to punish us if we do wrong. God is Life. The three primary characteristics that assure the continuation of Life on Earth are peace, harmony and love and every person born into this world has the unlimited potential to express these three attributes. We have free will to choose how we want to live our lives but at times we make the wrong choices. In a fit of anger we choose conflict instead of peace. Prejudices, discriminations and harsh judgments lead us into disharmony with others. And there are times when we choose not to love. We “have” what God wants us to have. Peace, harmony and love are the very essence of our being, we never have to ask for them. But we don’t always get what God wants us to have because we choose otherwise.

Each of us can add value to the "school" of life

Lonnie Hammack's granddaughter started high school this week. One of her teachers gave her a paper sack filled with several items. Included was the following note:

"Welcome to Mrs. Untiedt Class"

The items in this bag have special meaning:

• The penny is to remind you that you are valuable and special


• The cotton ball is to remind you that this room is to always be full of warm fuzzies - kind words and warm feelings


• The chocolate kiss is to get you through the times when only chocolate will do


• The tissue is to remind you to Let It Out

• The sticker is to remind you that we all need to stick together and help each other.


• The star is to remind you to shine and always try your best


• The gold thread is to remind you that friendship ties our hearts together


• The rubber band is to remind you to bounce back when things don't go the way you expected


• The toothpick is to remind you to "pick out" the good qualities in your classmates


• The bandage is to remind you to stick to it and block out all the negatives


• The eraser is to remind you that we all make mistakes and that is O.K.


• The life saver is to remind you that I will be there to support you when you need it"

This is sound advice for all of us in the "school" of life. May all your years in the school of life be filled with love and wisdom.

How can believing in God change one's life?

God is Spirit. Spirit is life. The Will of God is for that which sustains and empowers life. The Kingdom of God is the ever present expression of love, peace and harmony, which is the fulfillment of God's will in the spiritual realm.

God Spirit is the very life force of every living thing, providing that which is needed to realize its highest possible expression. In the Mind of God, the perfect idea for every living thing exists in the invisible realm of its spiritual essence and is like a blueprint for that which it has potential to manifest in the physical realm.

The spiritual blueprint for an acorn is the oak tree; the spiritual blueprint for a caterpillar is the butterfly; the spiritual blueprint of a seed is the fully blossomed flower; the spiritual blueprint of you and me is a totally peaceful, unconditional loving, beneficial presence to the earth.

When we are unaware of our spiritual potential, we move away from it and engage in prejudices, discriminations, hate and conflict. We justify inequalities and violate the God-given rights of others making of our lives and our world a living hell.

When we are aware of our spiritual potential, we move towards it and engage in compassion, equality, love, peace and harmony, making of our lives a heaven on earth. In the 11^th Chapter of Genesis it reads, “The people of the earth are one, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. Nothing they propose to do will be impossible for them.”

When the people of the earth commit to that which has been proposed, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” We will have fulfilled God’s purpose for our being here.

Having an open heart

We all know that our brains are more sophisticated than the most advanced computers, but scientists have also discovered that our hearts have an intelligence as well, not with words but with emotions/feeling, a radiating center of energy. That energy that we radiate from our heart actually touches and affects others. So whatever feeling we hold in our hearts is impacting us and the rest of the world. In this present moment, each of us has an opportunity to examine what kind of energy we are holding inside of us as well as sending out into the world. Knowing this, we can make choices for how we want to be in the world, and how we can have a positive impact on ourselves and others. In the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians, it says, “We shall all be changed, in a moment, faster than a blink of the eye.” Each of us can be changed for the better that quickly, in this very moment.

In this moment, we can choose to have an open heart, which means allowing the love in our hearts to radiate out. The open heart is like a two-way path—one direction tells us not to initiate or express any words or actions that can be hurtful to another. The second direction is to accept others with understanding and compassion, wherever they are, how ever they are, at any given moment.

If someone’s words or action are negative or perhaps even attacking nature, you have a choice to remain in their presence or remove yourself from it, but an open heart continues to hold them in the light, even when they are acting in an unlovable and unacceptable way. The open heart gives us access to a deeper understanding of others. We may not know all the details of a person’s life or understand what happened to make them the way that they are, but we can understand that they are doing the best they can with the situations life has given them.

Through the deeper understanding that comes from an open heart, we can move to a place where we don’t take responsibility for the way another person acts towards us, but we do take responsibility for how we react towards them.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus teaches us about having an open heart. The good person, out of the good treasure of his heart produces good. The abundance of what we hold in our heart is the abundance of how we experience the world. Jesus told us to not see our treasure as that of the material world, because those things can be stolen or corrupted or waste away. But rather, we can store up our treasure in our heart, where it is unaffected by worldly things. The place where your treasure is, is the way you will end up being.

There are three lessons of the open heart. First, always assume the best about somebody until there is factual evidence to prove otherwise. With the lack of fully understanding another person, the imagination comes into play, which can spin a false and unfair judgment. Imagine the best in others.

The second lesson is the power of the Golden Rule—treat others the way you want to be treated. How is that we all want to be treated? We want to be respected and seen as a valuable part of this world. We want to be understood. We want others to understand that even though our behavior isn’t ideal at times, that we are trying and we are doing the best we can in any situation. We want to be loved, which in its simplest form is acceptance. We want to be encouraged. From time to time, we need to be told that we are doing fine, and that we have the potential to do better.

The third lesson of the open heart is that the affect we have on the world around us radiates out from us and touches those around us. It is exactly the same effect that we see the world having on us. So each of us can choose today, in this very moment, to open our hearts and let love flow out in all directions, love for ourselves and all others. We can change our lives in the blink of an eye…