Narrowness

We all usually go on the evidence that we can see and touch to tell ourselves what is happening and what will happen in the future. We have such a difficult time seeing things beyond this physical world. We have a hard time understanding that we are really spiritual beings having a human experience rather than humans beings trying to have a spiritual experience. We miss God in all this. We rely on our senses to feel, taste, touch, hear, and see reality. However, there is another reality that is spiritual and all that is real is in that reality. It is the energy behind our life, the creation of the universe, and the potential that we can actually live in this physical world.

Jesus replied, "You're right that you only have my word. But you can depend on it being true. I know where I've come from and where I go next. You don't know where I'm from or where I'm headed. You decide according to what you can see and touch. I don't make judgments like that. But even if I did, my judgment would be true because I wouldn't make it out of the narrowness of my experience but in the largeness of the One who sent me, the Father.

John 8:14-18

Today do not decide that God is not right here right now based on the narowness of your own experience. Make your decisions about what is happening to you in your life on the largeness, the greatness, of the one who created you! This changes your whole outlook on life and what the big picture really is. The time that we have in this physical realm is only a brief second in time. When we focus on only our senses and what we experience we miss God is all this! Do not miss God today. Do not be narrow in your thinking. Believe and know that God is huge and you can be also! Trust that something bigger is going on that will mean something more than this moment right here. This is faith.

Namaste'

Conduit

A conduit is a general term for a means of conveying something from one location to another or between persons. Some examples are:
Channels for carrying water or other fluids (such as pipes and aqueducts)
Electrical conduit: A protective cover for cables
An air duct used for heating, ventilating and air-conditioning purposes
We are to be conduits also. We are to be the conduit that gets Christ's love from ourselves to others. This is why it is so important that we begin to take on the mind and heart of Christ. We are to love as Christ loves because we are the conduit for that love. We transfer this love from one location to another location. Paul reminded us:

Sometimes I think I feel as strongly about you as Christ does!
So this is my prayer: that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well. Learn to love appropriately. You need to use your head and test your feelings so that your love is sincere and intelligent, not sentimental gush. Live a lover's life, circumspect and exemplary, a life Jesus will be proud of: bountiful in fruits from the soul, making Jesus Christ attractive to all, getting everyone involved in the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:8-11

What does this mean? I do not think it means that we go around handing out salvation tracks and preaching the Bible everywhere we go. It means that we must live out the truths of scripture, without quoting them all the time. It means that we must love those whom we had previously thought unlovable. It means that we love as Christ loves. It means that when anger wells up inside of us, we "catch" ourselves and change our thoughts to be thoughts of love and humility. It means that person that you encounter everyday at work, home, or school feels the transfer of love from God to them through you. This may be a simple hello, paying for their lunch, listening to them when they are angry or upset, forgiving them and letting go of resentments that you have been holding against them. It is allow people to feel this love and hope that is in you and then they ask you - "Why did you do this? Why do you have such love and hope for others?" Then we are living out the truth of this passage:

Be ready to speak up and tell anyone who asks why you're living the way you are, and always with the utmost courtesy. 1 Peter 3:15 (The Message)

Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. 1 Peter 3:15 (New International Version)

Let Christ's love flow through you today. God's love has come to you, now allow it to flow through to others. Do the simple things of love today and let people see that you have love and hope and it actually applies to the way we live everyday.

Namaste'

Alone

“All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.” - Blaise Pascal

How often are we really alone? All too often I sit with person after person in my counseling practice that does not have the ability to "sit quiet in a room alone." We often do not because we would truly have to deal with ourselves and our thoughts. When we do we find that it brings us anxiety, worry, sadness, frustration, and restlessness. So we avoid this time alone so that we can avoid feeling these ways. However, we must sit alone and in the quietness to be able to change these feelings. If we never get alone and quiet our beliefs and thoughts that bring on this will continue, the feelings will continue, we keep avoiding the solution for something else we think will cure it, and finally end up exploding or imploding and having to deal with it anyway. In fact, I find that most people who are able to get alone and quiet find that after a very short time of practice they no longer are afraid of what they experience during this time - they actually look forward to it. They become aware that it is the catalyst for change, that all our misery is taken care of in those moments because we can challange our beliefs, our thoughts, and find a connection to the Creator of the universe. There is no more misery. Jesus gave us the example:

As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night. Matthew 14:22-23

Jesus insisted on this time and He was God! It appears that it was a fundamental way of living for our Master. Practice it today. Spend some time, five to ten minutes, alone in a room with no noise. It may seem wierd or scary at first, anxiety and worry may show there faces but that is the perfect time to become aware of what has made them show their faces. What are you thinking about? What is true about those internal statements? What is false about them? Do you hear yourself saying things like "always," "never," and "nobody?" What does the voice of God say about those statements, what does the word of the Creator tell you about the truth of who you are? Practice and you will insist on this time by yourself and begin to solve your misery. God will meet you daily and walk with you through your day. You will know that God is right here, right now and never leaves!

Namaste'

Bold Belief

This phrase appears the Message version of the Bible, "Impressed by their bold belief....." After this phrase was used it is said Jesus does something great - he forgave sin!

After a few days, Jesus returned to Capernaum, and word got around that he was back home. A crowd gathered, jamming the entrance so no one could get in or out. He was teaching the Word. They brought a paraplegic to him, carried by four men. When they weren't able to get in because of the crowd, they removed part of the roof and lowered the paraplegic on his stretcher. Impressed by their bold belief, Jesus said to the paraplegic, "Son, I forgive your sins." Mark 2:1-3

The phrase struck me today - Jesus was impressed with bold belief! Do I have that kind of bold belief? Let me say that I do not think that God is waiting to do something for us when we have bold belief or when we have enough faith. Jesus has already acted to forgive sin. So God does not wait on us to act when our faith is enough, it seems that way to us however. What I think really happens is that forgiveness is already there, but we do not see it because we do not have a bold belief to recognize it. We will rise to the level of our bold belief. It is all available to us, but we do not see it. It is like we are trapped and held back in our growth because we do not allow our thoughts to see what is actually available to us. My brother in law said it best last night. He said it is like having a pet snake. Those snakes have the potential to be huge, but are limited to the size cage that you place them in. They will grow no bigger than the surrounding they are living in. Is our belief bold or is it limited by only what we see? Are we limiting ourselves in life because we believe we are limited by the size of what we can see in our enviroment? What would happen it we each had bold belief? I think God would be impressed, and we would feel and think that God has taken action for us, but really we would have just come to realize the world is available to us to grow in every way to a huge potential!

God's wisdom is something mysterious that goes deep into the interior of his purposes. You don't find it lying around on the surface. It's not the latest message, but more like the oldest—what God determined as the way to bring out his best in us, long before we ever arrived on the scene. The experts of our day haven't a clue about what this eternal plan is. If they had, they wouldn't have killed the Master of the God-designed life on a cross. That's why we have this Scripture text: No one's ever seen or heard anything like this, Never so much as imagined anything quite like it— What God has arranged for those who love him. But you've seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you.

1 Corinthians 2:9-12 (The Message)

Don't place yourself or God "in a box" and limit the growth of your spirit. Imagine and dare to have a bold belief that will allow you to see what God has for you. Impress God because not many are able or willing to have such a belief to recognize the limitless potential available in our Creator!

Namaste'

Voice

"It's urgent that you listen carefully to this: Anyone here who believes what I am saying right now and aligns himself with the Father, who has in fact put me in charge, has at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living. "It's urgent that you get this right: The time has arrived—I mean right now!—when dead men and women will hear the voice of the Son of God and, hearing, will come alive. Just as the Father has life in himself, he has conferred on the Son life in himself. John 5:24-25


What voices are you listening to? Are you listening to the voice of your friends that say that to be accepted you must……….. Are you listening to that voice striving, trying and never measuring up to it? Does that voice leave you feeling angry, sad, depressed, frustrated? This leads to death, this is death. There is no happiness there. Are you listening to the world, the advertisements of this world? Are you listening to what you should look like, how much you should weigh, what music you should like, what you should eat and what you should not? Are you so busy trying to conform, yet telling yourself you are your own person that life is becoming way too confusing? This is where death lives. Or are you going to listen to God’s voice? The voice of God that says you are worth my son dying for you. The voice that says you are created in God’s image, you have God’s spirit in you, you are God’s child. The voice that says you are worth everything and that you are not stupid, you are not ugly, you are not fat, you are not unlovable. The voice that says you are the apple of the eye of the Creator of the universe. The voice that you listen to will determine if you experience life or death each day. Right now you must hear the voice of God that says I love you! When you begin to believe and listen to that voice you will have at this very moment the real, lasting life and is no longer condemned to be an outsider. This person has taken a giant step from the world of the dead to the world of the living!

Oh,what I would do to have the kind of faith it takes to climb out of this boat I'm in onto the crashing waves. To step out of my comfort zone into the realm of the unknown where Jesus is, And he's holding out his hand. But the waves are calling out my name and they laugh at me. Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed. The waves they keep on telling me time and time again"Boy, you'll never win, you'll never win."

Oh, what I would do to have the kind of strength it takes to stand before a giant with just a sling and a stone. Surrounded by the sound of a thousand warriors shaking in their armor wishing they'd have had the strength to stand. But the giant's calling out my name and he laughs at me. Reminding me of all the times I've tried before and failed. The giant keeps on telling me time and time again"Boy you'll never win, you'll never win."

But the voice of truth tells me a different story. The voice of truth says "do not be afraid!" And the voice of truth says "this is for my glory." Out of all the voices calling out to me I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.

Listen to the voice of truth today and everyday! Namaste'

It is none of my business

I have a thought that I like to keep in my head when I want to worry what others may be thinking about me and it goes like this - "It is none of my business what you think about me." Truly it is not our business or concern what others think about us. If there was one thing I wish I could communicate to people that would improve their lives immediately it would be this idea. We get so concerned about what others are thinking. We let it define our inner self, how we make decisions, and what actions we will or will not take. It is so hard for us to remember that this is not what makes us who we are. We do it with God also. We tell ourselves that we must follow some rules to earn God's love and affection. We let these things define us as "good" or "bad," as "lovable" or "unlovable." We forget that we are made whole in Christ. We are completely identified as God's child. Our life is to be hidden with Christ and our ego is dead.

What actually took place is this: I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a "law man" so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how, and enabled me to do it. I identified myself completely with him. Indeed, I have been crucified with Christ. My ego is no longer central. It is no longer important that I appear righteous before you or have your good opinion, and I am no longer driven to impress God. Christ lives in me. The life you see me living is not "mine," but it is lived by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God's grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily. Galatians 2:19

We no longer need to be worried about what others think about us and when we begin to we need to tell ourselves it is none of my business what they think about me. We are not in this life to impress others or to impress God. We are here to live a free, joyful, spiritual life. We are not to be worried about what rules to keep, or who is happy with us and who is not and make sure that we do whatever we need to just to please them because we are so worried about what they think about us. We are here to live a life that brings light and life. We are here to live a life that brings love and peace. If we do that all the "rules" take care of themselves. If I understand that I need to bring love and peace I can easily decide not to be angry with someone. My ego is no longer central, Christ is.

So today do not worry what others are thinking, do not let your ego become the central figure. Let Christ rule and love, peace, joy, and kindness shine through the darkness.

Namaste'

Gifts

You can't give away what you don't have. Most of us are looking to be loved, cared for, and respected. We want people to give these precious gifts to us. However, inside we are afraid, angry, upset, frustrated, and worried. We expect these loving behaviors from people in hopes that we may feel better, but never give any of them away to someone else. That is because we cannot give away what we don't have. If I do not have love, care, respect for myself or others, there is no way for me to recieve it in return. People around me may want to give those things to me, but I cannot see it because my vision is blurred by my anger, my worry, or my frustration. People treat me in that way also, becoming frutrated, angry and worried about me. It is such a self defeating process. The Jesus speaks about it.

"Don't bargain with God. Be direct. Ask for what you need. This isn't a cat-and-mouse, hide-and-seek game we're in. If your child asks for bread, do you trick him with sawdust? If he asks for fish, do you scare him with a live snake on his plate? As bad as you are, you wouldn't think of such a thing. You're at least decent to your own children. So don't you think the God who conceived you in love will be even better?
"Here is a simple, rule-of-thumb guide for behavior: Ask yourself what you want people to do for you, then grab the initiative and do it for them. Add up God's Law and Prophets and this is what you get. Matthew 7:10-12

What do people want? They want what you want - to be loved, cared for, and respected. Give it to them. Do not get angry and worried that someone did not give it to you first. Let those things come out of you first, grab the initiative! Do that today with everyone you encounter. Grab the initiative to give them the gift of love, care, and respect first. Let it come from you because you have it, those things are inside you. See what comes back in return. Allow God to show you all the good gifts around you when you give away what God has given you instead of expecting it from others.

Namaste'

God's

Today I had to go to the accountant and pay my quarterly taxes for the end of the year. I do not like it. The accountant and I joked about what a great rebate it would be if I was able to not pay those taxes today and be free to spend it on whatever I wanted. I thought to myself, "that would be great!" However, we all know that this will not happen, so I wrote out the checks to our federal and state goverment. This whole thing made me think of a portion of scripture:

That's when the Pharisees plotted a way to trap him into saying something damaging. They sent their disciples, with a few of Herod's followers mixed in, to ask, "Teacher, we know you have integrity, teach the way of God accurately, are indifferent to popular opinion, and don't pander to your students. So tell us honestly: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"
Jesus knew they were up to no good. He said, "Why are you playing these games with me? Why are you trying to trap me? Do you have a coin? Let me see it." They handed him a silver piece.
"This engraving—who does it look like? And whose name is on it?"
They said, "Caesar."
"Then give Caesar what is his, and give God what is his."
The Pharisees were speechless. They went off shaking their heads. Matthew 22:15-22

What really is God's? I started thinking that I am God's! I am the Creator's child. I am in the possession of the Creator. However, there are many times that I think I am my own person - a rugged individual who make his own way. We earn that money, it is ours to keep because it tells us we are worth something and we can get things with it. It is not our's or even God's, it is a thing in this world that someone, something in this physical world owns. Let them have it! The more we attempt to hold onto it, the less of us there is to be possessed by God! We need to give ourselves to God, our life, our inner person. We must see ourselves as God's because we all are God's. Some of us may recognize it and some of us may not, but it is a reality. We are God's! When we do not recognize it we attempt to define ourselves through some kind of physical, tangible sign - our possessions, our career, others opinions - and we give ourselves to those things. So today someone else can have what is theirs and I will give myself to the one who owns me. Remember today that you are God's and let all other things go to whom they belong and give yourself to the one who already owns you!

Namaste'

Sadness

Without sadness there would be no way for us to know what joy is. Even Jesus knew sadness.

When Jesus saw her sobbing and the Jews with her sobbing, a deep anger welled up within him. He said, "Where did you put him?"
"Master, come and see," they said. Now Jesus wept.
The Jews said, "Look how deeply he loved him." John 11:34-36

So what do we do when we are sad? I only have one answer for myself - look to God. Remember that God is everywhere, in everything, and in everyone. When I am sad it is usually because I am wanting to enjoy my life in the way that I want to enjoy my life. This means that I am having a hard time accepting things just as they are. When I do this I miss the joy in life. I miss the moments that I have been given to enjoy. I fail to see everything as God's gift.

After looking at the way things are on this earth, here's what I've decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that's about it. That's the human lot. Yes, we should make the most of what God gives, both the bounty and the capacity to enjoy it, accepting what's given and delighting in the work. It's God's gift! God deals out joy in the present, the now. It's useless to brood over how long we might live. Ecclesiates 5:18-20

I must realize today it is useless to brood over how long I may live, how I want to live, and how I would like for life to be different somehow. I need to make the most of what I have been given. My brooding brings me sadness. My mindfulness of the moment brings God's joy. Understand and know your sadness and let it bring joy today.

Namaste'

Party

It is a party when life is changed from the inside out! Most of us attempt to change from the outside in and this is no party. We all have tried to change our behaviors without really changing what we believe on the inside. When we make this attempt at change, we will always find ourselves going back to the same old way of doing things because we really have not changed our beliefs. If we truly believe that we will "always be fat," for example, or that "God could never love me unless..." we will try hard, but find ourselves right back to overeating or doing the behavior that keeps us out of connection with God. It is not until we truly change our beliefs that our behaviors will begin to change. Jesus calls us to this kind of life!

Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciples greatly offended. "What is he doing eating and drinking with crooks and 'sinners'?"
Jesus heard about it and spoke up, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out."
They asked him, "John's disciples are well-known for keeping fasts and saying prayers. Also the Pharisees. But you seem to spend most of your time at parties. Why?"
Jesus said, "When you're celebrating a wedding, you don't skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but this isn't the time. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time. When the groom is gone, the fasting can begin. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come!
"No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match. And you don't put wine in old, cracked bottles; you get strong, clean bottles for your fresh vintage wine. And no one who has ever tasted fine aged wine prefers unaged wine." Luke 5:29-39

We all want a new life that we can find fun, joy, and parties. We will never do this if we continue to stick with all of old beliefs about ourselves, God, and others. The kingdom is come and it is in your heart if you call yourself a Christ follower. Match your thoughts to the reality of this. You are someone God loves. You are someone who will make a life of peace. You are someone who looks for the beautiful things and sees love everywhere. Think this way and see if your actions do not follow. See if you love more, listen more, have more fun, find more peace, and people notice. Change the container God is living in and see if what comes out is not God!

Namaste'

Cycles

A cycle is a periodically repeated sequence of events. We all experience them. We all want to avoid them. We have a tendency to think that if could just "do things" in a certain way we can avoid the "valleys" and troubles in life and this will bring us happiness. Life has cycles. We will have times when we are on the "mountain top" and times when we are in the "valley." What we need to begin to understand is that "no storm last forever." There are storms all the time, but none of them have lasted forever, most never last more than a few hours. The same is true in life. We need to realize that if we feel like we are in the mist of a storm, the sunshine will be here very soon. If we are on the mountain top, we are about to head down the mountain to a valley. If have experience sunshine, there will be a storm to come. I do not think that this means tragic things will always happen to us, but we will face things that have the opportunity to cause us anger, disappointment and sadness. We can minimize this with the realization that this is the course of life. Storms come and storms go. We are on the mountain and sometimes looking up at it. If we are in the valley, we will be on mountain top again soon.
Most of us look at being in a storm or a valley as we must have done something wrong, God must not be happy with us because if God were happy with us we would not be here experiencing this. What would happen if we could see this as the normal course of things. To not see these times as disconnection from God, but opportunities to be comforted and to comfort others when they are there.

All praise to the God and Father of our Master, Jesus the Messiah! Father of all mercy! God of all healing counsel! He comes alongside us when we go through hard times, and before you know it, he brings us alongside someone else who is going through hard times so that we can be there for that person just as God was there for us. We have plenty of hard times that come from following the Messiah, but no more so than the good times of his healing comfort—we get a full measure of that, too. 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

This verses speaks to the fact that we get both good and bad times. We get full measures of storms and sunshine, mountains and valleys. Allow God to use those time, do not resist God's grace and indulgence to comfort you! Allow God to comfort you and do not think that God is only comforting when you are getting what you asked for. So today where ever you are, remember that God is right there. Allow God's comfort, grace and indulgence to fill you up. These things are there in the storms and in the sunny days!

Namaste'

Indulgence

Grace - A favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence. I love that word - indulgence. What a beautiful picture of what grace is - indulgence. God's liberal or lenient treatment, God's granting of a favor or privilege. What kind of love this is! How often I turn from it and think that I can somehow do these things on my own, I can earn my own indulgence and grace. Somehow I think that I can earn my own peace of mind through the things that I am able to accumulate, people I am able to make happy, and by making my life run "smoothly." However, I am so far from doing this, so far that I actually reject and push away from God's grace because my ego wants to say that "I did it." This is when I find myself in times of depression, sadness, frustration, anger, dissapointment, and anxiety. I do not find peace, grace or indulgence - I find quite the opposite. Oh how hard it is to put the ego to death and leave it there! When I get in this place I have to go back and be silent before God. I have to set aside my ego again and remember what this is all really about. It is then that I sense grace again! Jesus told us

"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace." Matthew 6:6

I am so tempted to role play my part in front of God and others. I easy begin to think that I am what others think about me, I am what I do for a living, or I am what I have. This is why it is so important to spend a daily time being quiet before God, not because it is a requirement to be met, a chore. I do it because it is a practice that reminds me of who I really am, how I really function best in this life, and who's spirit is really in control of the universe. Begin today and find sometime to spend with God in silence. Sense God's grace and indulgence again. Find real peace, joy and happiness by remembering who and whose you are.

Namaste'

Lost

Feel lost? There are many times that we all feel lost and not really sure of where we are going or what we are doing. We doubt and question ourselves about the choices we have made and the choices that we will make. We see life in much the same way that we drive to a place that we have never been before. We make sure that we all the directions and will be able to make all the right choices along the way. This is the way that we think we can insure that we will not get lost. However, even in this world of advanced technology where people have GPS navigators and the internet has Map Quest, we still get lost on trips that we take. Sometimes the map is wrong, and not up to date. Sometimes we do not want to go the way that the directions are taking us. This world is so big, and constantly changing that it is so hard to make sure maps are up to date and the directions are "right."
We feel this way in life sometimes too! The world is so big, there are so many people with problems, God is so big with so much to know there is no way that I can be sure of where I am going in life and there is no way to really trust in God. We are lost. Do we turn this way or that? Do we make this decision or that one? If I make that one I will be lost, God will not be there, we tell ourselves. Scripture reminds us of this one thing -

God's love is meteoric, his loyalty astronomic, His purpose titanic, his verdicts oceanic. Yet in his largeness nothing gets lost; Not a man, not a mouse, slips through the cracks.

Psalms 36:5-6

God is huge! Even though God is huge nothing gets lost! God is so huge nothing can get lost! You cannot get lost. You only think you are. God is right here right now, that is how huge our Creator is. God can always keep up with the times, the changes, and care for us. We are lost when we believe we are seperate from God, when we do not recgonize that God is huge and right here, right now! Remember today of the times when God showed you this - that God is right there, right now. Remember to realize this, believe it, know it. There is no "cracks" to slip through with God.

Namaste'

Wait

How hard it is for us to wait on God. I know I find it so hard to not jump ahead in my life and plan for things to make sure that they go good and not bad. This is when I find myself in worry and anxiety, in fear and desperation. I want to tell myself things like "it will never happen," "I won't have enough," "it is not going to work out," and "this is not going to turn out well, it never does." However, I must realize that I do not knot the future. I am only given this moment to live and I know in this moment I have everything that I could possibly need. There is no need for me to jump ahead of where God is right now.

"So don't get ahead of the Master and jump to conclusions with your judgments before all the evidence is in. When he comes, he will bring out in the open and place in evidence all kinds of things we never even dreamed of—inner motives and purposes and prayers. Only then will any one of us get to hear the "Well done!" of God." I Corinthians 4:5

We cannot jump to conclusions in our life about what will happen. We do not have enough evidence. As I have heard it said - none of us know enough to be a pessimist! This verse is certainly makes this statment true. We must learn how to allow God to work, not figure out how to make God work. God works as God wants. God promises to take care of his children. There is no need for us to move forward and predict the future for God. We need to allow God to show up and teach us, care for us, and make things happen that we could never dream!

Why would you ever complain -God has lost track of me. He doesn't care what happens to me"? Don't you know anything? Haven't you been listening?God doesn't come and go. God lasts. He's Creator of all you can see or imagine.He doesn't get tired out, doesn't pause to catch his breath. And he knows everything, inside and out.He energizes those who get tired, gives fresh strength to dropouts.For even young people tire and drop out, young folk in their prime stumble and fall.But those who wait upon God get fresh strength. They spread their wings and soar like eagles,They run and don't get tired, they walk and don't lag behind.

Isaiah 40:30-31

Be careful this week to not get out in front of God. Wait on God. When we get out in front of God we get tired, we worry, we fear, we get angry, and we wear ourselves out! Wait, enjoy the moment you are in. You have all you need at the moment you are in, to think about anything further is getting ahead of God. This is waiting, this is not worrying - live in the knowing that God is here and you are complete in this moment.

Namaste'

Really Live

I wonder today how many of us really live? How many of us have truly found that freedom that is in Christ and truly get to live? Most of us attempt to live by making sure we are doing good and right behaviors. We hope that by showing others and God that we can do good and right things we will recieve their praise and then we can feel good abot ourselves. Sometimes we are like the manager Jesus tells the story about in Luke 16. We do what we can to look good, without really changing internally. We know how to make it appear that we are doing good and right, but change is never really happening. Jesus tells us this after this story:

"I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you'll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior." Luke 16:9

So we are told here to be smart in the same way and to do good and right behavior, but do it because we want to with no reward from others. I love the phrase here to "concentrate you attention on the bare essentials," because what we think about or place our attention on is what will expand and what we will get. When we do this Jesus says that we will live - really live! Change comes from the inside and a focus on our internal life, not the external life. Most of us have it backwards and think that if we just act right and good, we will find acceptance and happiness. However, to really live, we must focus our attention on the essentials of doing right and good. We do not do it to gain acceptance from God, we already have it. We do not do it to gain acceptance from others, this does not matter. We do it because we know it comes out of a real connection to God and we fill purposeful and alive. We detach ourselves from the outcome of acceptance, worth, or whatever we think should be the outcome and we just do it because it is our nature. When it is our nature we live, really live and we are free to expereince the joy set before us in each moment.

Allow Christ to become your nature today. Love everyone you encounter. Show kindness where it is not expected and patience where you would usually show frustration. Do it with no worry or concern about anyone having to notice. See what happens to you and those around you when you live the nature of Christ and do not worry about the outcome.

Namaste'

Meditate

You can change the way your brain processes the world and the way that your brain is wired in just two weeks with daily quiet meditation and prayer 20-30 minutes a day. You will be able to find more happieness and joy. Your mind will be able to focus on things outside of this time that you have focused your attention on when you have this time. So people who focus on things like kindness, joy, peace, abundance, beauty, creativity, expansiveness, and love with find themselves less focused on the material things of this world and more focused on being kind and loving to others and thankful for the things that they have. To me this is living in connection to God and the practice of becoming more Christ like each and everyday.

Watch what God does, and then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. Ephesians 5:1

How can we watch what God does unless we are connected in spirit to God? We get what we think about, and what we think about expands. If you really believe this then you will be really careful about what you are thinking about. If I spend my day thinking about the things I do not have, the people I am mad at, how angry I am that someone did something rude to me, how things should not happen this way - how will I feel? Angry, sad, depressed, dissapointed, somehow overall - bad. It is because what I have gotten what I have thought about all day. This also expands, so since I feel angry, upset, or worried somehow I will act this way towards others. I will be short with someone, angry with someone who does not deserve it, yell at my kids without thinking and the people who have this interaction with me may withdraw from me, be angry at me, treat me with disrepect - so what I have spent all day expands and I get it!

The opposite is also true. If I spend my day thinking about what I am thankful for, focus my attention on loving others, being kind, see the beautiful things in life I will feel joy, peace, and love. I get what I think about here also. It also expands. The people that I treat with kindness return the favor to me or to the next person they meet, they learn how to love, they meet someone with the spirit of God and let kindness and love in. They may allow God in! So I get what I think about and it also expands here. This is why one of my favorite verses in all of scripture is this -

Summing it all up, friends, I'd say you'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. Put into practice what you learned from me, what you heard and saw and realized. Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies. Philippians 4:8-9

I love the last verse. If we meditate on these things we will be worked into God's "most excellent harmonies." Wow! How I would love to be work into the music of God who makes it all work together perfectly! I become connected to God through my thinking. When I think differently, I feel different, I act different and those around me treat me different and God is allowed to work in my life and their life. God is allowed to work because I begin to see God everywhere. God did not go anywhere, I just could not see God because my attention was on things that God does not work in - frustration, angry, worry. However, when I can change my thinking and literally rewire my brain I see God everywhere.

Namaste'

Happy

To be truly happy is everyone's goal today, or so it seems. Some equate joy and happiness. Some make a distiction that happiness is about circumstances and joy is about the peace that we can have through circumstances. I think that they are pretty much the same - joy, happiness, cheerfulness - the amount that we have is a great measure of our spiritual connection. It is being proven over and over again in the scientific community that most all of our happiness comes from our thoughts and views about our life, our relationships, and knowing that happiness is something that truly comes from inside us, not outside us. As a counselor, I have been to many workshops, seen much research on the way our thoughts shape our lives. There is new research that is out that says that fifty percent of our happiness comes from genetics. Surprisingly only ten percent comes from the circumstances that we face each day. However, forty percent comes from how we think and process our world in our brain. We have much control over the joy and happiness we expereince in our lives! The scriptures, that are thousands of years old, support this:

The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

2 Corinthians 10:4-6

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Be cheerful no matter what; pray all the time; thank God no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live. I Thessalonians 5:16-18

I could go on and on with scripture, but you can study them. I have a quote I want to share. It says:

"Possession of material riches, without inner peace, is like dying of thirst while bathing in a lake. If material poverty is to be avoided, spiritual poverty is to be abhorred! It is spiritual poverty, not material lack, that lies at the core of all human suffering."

When I read that quote I immediately thought of a verse of scripture:

For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:32-34

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I'm trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.
"Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes. Matthew 6:30-34 (The Message)

Focus on you spiritual life, not your material life. The real life you live is not in the material or physical world. This is why you have read here many times that we are not human beings attempting to have a spiritual experience but spiritual beings having a temporary human experience. At times it is our spiritual poverty - the belief that God will not care for us, that we are disconnected from God -, that creates worry and fear. We do not steep our life in God reality and initiative, and provisions. We instead choose to steep our life in the beliefs (thoughts that we have had over and over) that happiness comes from our job, people's opinions, and material stuff. We are unhappy even though we have all the material needs that anyone could ever want. We need to change our thoughts, practicing over and over again until it comes belief, that joy, happiness, and cheerfulness comes from the inside and how we think about the reality around us. Once we become truly happy, joyful, and cheerful material things do not matter. Inner peace is present and we have no problem giving our life away. It is why America ranks 23rd in happiness in the world, we have forgotten that even though we call ourselves a "Christian nation" we are living in spiritual poverty looking for God to show up in giving us material riches and power rather than living lives steeped in God's love and compassion.

Live in God's reality today. Know and trust that you are a spiritual being. Practice noticing your thoughts and how they effect your view of life and your feelings. Practice cahnging them and come to believe something different. This is not think it and then feel it right away, this is about really allow God to change your beliefs about who you are, what life is about, and who God is. This is a process. Become rich spiritually and find happiness.

Namaste'

Let Go

Jesus said, "Why do you question me about what's good? God is the One who is good. If you want to enter the life of God, just do what he tells you."
The man asked, "What in particular?"
Jesus said, "Don't murder, don't commit adultery, don't steal, don't lie, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as you do yourself."
The young man said, "I've done all that. What's left?"
"If you want to give it all you've got," Jesus replied, "go sell your possessions; give everything to the poor. All your wealth will then be in heaven. Then come follow me."
That was the last thing the young man expected to hear. And so, crest-fallen, he walked away. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and he couldn't bear to let go.

Matthew 19:17-22

What do we have in our life that we "couldn't bear to let go?" Whatever that is (it does not have to be riches or things) it will keep us from truly walking with God each and everyday. EGO - Edge God Out. We hold onto to so many things, ideas, and others opinions that make it impossible for us to really take hold of God. We all too often want to hold onto what others have to say about us, the things we have, or ideas of what it means to be successful to feel good about ourselves. I think of it like that story of the monkey who put his hand in the jar to grab out some food, but could not get his hand out without letting the food go because his fist was to big to fit back out of the hole. God is all around us everywhere. God is in us and we are created in the Creator's image. However, we try to stick our hand in the jar of ego and get out what will make us feel good, but we must let those things go to truly be connected to God. We get frustrated because like the monkey and the man in the story, we want them both. We want to know God but keep our things and our ideas - our EGO. When we do this we are really edging God out of our lives. We cannot grasp God because our hands are full of other things.

Do not walk away crest-fallen, or deflated spiritually, like this man. Be willing to give up your ego for something far greater. This is what Christ did remember -

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion. Philippians 2:5-8

Are you being asked to die on a cross today - no - but you are being asked to remember that what others think of you is none of your business, that things are not important and do not give joy, and what you think is important is probably not so important in the end. Set aside that part of you that wants to assert its "rights." That part that wants people to see you and take credit. That part that wants to help people because someone will pat you on the back. That part that wants to worry about your stuff and if it gets broken or stolen because it is just that - stuff. do not cling to any "advantages" you think you may have over others. Rather give them up and walk in the way of Jesus giving you life away to others in daily small task that they may never know about.

Namaste'

Seriously

When the disciples had Jesus off to themselves, they asked, "Why couldn't we throw it out?"
"Because you're not yet taking God seriously," said Jesus. "The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, 'Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle." Matthew 17:19-20

What does it mean to take God seriously? To be serious about something is to be earnest about it. Earnest means a firm and humorless belief - a knowing as I like to call it. When will we know that God is loving, caring, kind, beautiful, expansive and creative? When will we know that if we call ourselves a Christ follower that our life is dead and Christ lives, God lives life through us? If we really knew this and took it seriously our worries, our fears, our concerns would just melt away. Jesus tells us here that it only takes this "mere kernel" and we will be able to tackle anything. However, I know that many times I am like the disciples and I forget that Jesus is standing right here with me, inside me, and I forget my knowing and I am unable to accomplish anything because I worry, doubt, become angry, frustrated, and overwhelmed. I forget that what lives in me is this loving, kind, creative, beautiful, and expansive spirit that can do anything because God is the one working in me. I seem to fight against this rather than just allowing it to work and knowing that it will. My ego gets in the way and wants to assert that I am the one who is important. It is that simple and elemental - just believe, just know. This is were we have to return to, what we have to remember to live in connection to God. We have have to remember what it is to be a child.

For an answer Jesus called over a child, whom he stood in the middle of the room, and said, "I'm telling you, once and for all, that unless you return to square one and start over like children, you're not even going to get a look at the kingdom, let alone get in. Whoever becomes simple and elemental again, like this child, will rank high in God's kingdom. Matthew 18:2-5

We must be like a child who just believes. I love to see the wonder in my son's eyes the first time he learns about something, the joy of enjoying each moment that he lives in, the pure joy he has in knowing that he is just fine and never doubting it, and the faith he has in life itself. Last night he responded to something we as parents said to him with this, "I am just the way God made me - see." Return to square one and take God seriously. We are just the way God made us, accept it. Know that you are full of the spirit of God, your ego is dead and that this life is God's to live and take care of. Allow God's spirit to work, don't fight against it. Take God seriously today and love, be kind, know that God is right here right now, and enjoy your moments.

Namaste'

Wilderness

Ever felt like you were walking on the path of life by yourself? At times we all feel alone and left out in the wilderness to find our own way. When we are alone like this it is very hard to see God in anything. We complain, we get worried, we get frustrated, we get overcome with fear. This is why I love the story of Israel coming out of slavery and being in the wilderness. They had the same worries and fears, yet God was all around them. God provided for them, but it was hard for them to see exactly how God was working.

God spoke to Moses, "I've listened to the complaints of the Israelites. Now tell them: 'At dusk you will eat meat and at dawn you'll eat your fill of bread; and you'll realize that I am God, your God.'"
That evening quail flew in and covered the camp and in the morning there was a layer of dew all over the camp. When the layer of dew had lifted, there on the wilderness ground was a fine flaky something, fine as frost on the ground. The Israelites took one look and said to one another, man-hu (What is it?). They had no idea what it was.
So Moses told them, "It's the bread God has given you to eat. And these are God's instructions: 'Gather enough for each person, about two quarts per person; gather enough for everyone in your tent.'"
The People of Israel went to work and started gathering, some more, some less, but when they measured out what they had gathered, those who gathered more had no extra and those who gathered less weren't short—each person had gathered as much as was needed.

Exodus 16:11-18

Sometimes the things that seem so common in our lives, a quail flying over and dew covering the ground in the morning, is proof of God's presence with us. We are all much like the people here that need some kind of proof that God is there, some kind of miracle that lets us know that God will never leave us. It is hard for us to see the "coincidences" of our lives as God "showing up." God is always there, God is right here right now as you read these words. God has not gone anywhere, but our thoughts and our perceptions and our realizations do move. We seem to forget that God is everywhere and if we count ourselves as Christ followers, we have said that we realize that God is there for us. Remember today. Begin to notice that those things we call coincidences are really God's perfection showing up. Leaving ten minutes late for work and being mad about it, but then you pass a wreck that just occured - coincidence? Thinking of someone you would really love to talk to and then they call or email you - coincidence? If you feel like you are in the wilderness today, remember that God is right there in every situation and that the things that are happening are signs that God is there, it is just a matter of where you place your attention and your thoughts. Choose this day to place your attention, your thoughts, on seeing the "coincidences" of your life as situations that God is "perfectly aligning" because that is the real meaning of coincidence or coincide. See how God is showing up today as you walk in the wilderness.

Namaste'