Your Story

 Our lives are something like writing a story. We have the intrigues, the mysteries, the triumphs, the loves, the fears, the failures and successes, and more. We live the elements of great epic stories. 

At some point, we realized that we can choose to be the hero of our story or the victim or the villain. We may have some fences to mend and changes to make when we turn to the hero part of our story, but it can be done, because so many of us have done it, have turned our lives around. 

I have turned numerous times - from unworthiness, from fear, from abuse, from shyness, yet within those binding energies I still had successes. It was quite sometime until I was free however. 

Jesus is reported to have said, "Your faith has made you whole.". That is certainly true for me. From my colored pencil underlined New Testament to this moment, my faith has led me and saved me. 

I urge you to explore faith in the story of your life. When the last moment is written, will it be in the end be a story of overcoming? Will it be inspiring? Did you end up a hero? Will you leave earth in tune with the Infinite?

God is calling right now. Will you answer?

Lest We Lose Our Way

 Each culture , each historical time, each religious group, all have their customs. The eight way to do things is thought to be  the usual way, and extremely different ways are thought to be wrong or very wrong. A slow creep of change rarely causes alarm. 

It seems to me that change in itself is neither good nor bad. It depends on the change in relation to the highest standards and the method of change. I think there are moral and spiritual principles that could and should be the guide. 

If there is a rotten dictatorship, obviously there are better ways to organize government, Change to freedom could be a good thing. 

If there is already freedom, a freedom that has stood the test of time, benefited the people, is run in an organized manner, it may only need tweaks from time to time. 

I am alarmed at some of the rhetoric I am currently hearing from some candidates for public office, from supposedly educated people on the byways and airways of society. ,"I want to take down Western civilization... I am a democratic socialist... I am a communist .". Have they not studied history? Do they not notice what it us like in communist countries?

I u urge us all to wake up - wake up spiritually yes, but also historically and politically. Wake up critical thinking skills. Wake up - really look, really hear, really think. 

Inner Turmoil

 I realized this morning that many of my early mistakes in life were because I was looking through the lens of inner turmoil, so much unresolved hurt and confusion. The turbulence distorted my seeing and hearing and doing. I made some pretty disastrous decisions. If you have read my latest book, you have walked through some of them with me and know how devastating parts of my life have been.

 At the same time, there was something in me that wouldn't give up. There was faith in God and the striving to follow Jesus' teachings as well as an abiding hope lurking inside of me.

Finally, in my old age, the turbulence was simply gone. It had been fading away for many years to be sure.

 I did so many things to get free - tons of prayers, all kinds of meditations, a mountain of books read, countless seminars and retreats, dozens of books written, a large pile of journals filled, and more. I was determined.  And through it all, I served and gave and grew. I was able to let the Light shine through the diminishing turmoil.

Last year's shredding betrayal tore apart the remnants of the disturbance in my inner being.and left my soul bare of all of it. 

In some ways , I went through spiritual surgery, paring away all false things, finding glimmers, then rays, then Light. God at the center of all. 

In some ways it boils down to letting go and letting God. I highly recommend all of you spiritual friends of mine to consider letting go and letting God in your lives. It will save you a lot of grief and take you to the place of Light much quicker. God bless you!

Life is not always what we think it is

 Life is not what most people think that it is. It is not about the outer things - work, success,  prestige, accumulating things  power, or any such thing.

Ultimately, it is about developing our souls and preparing ourselves f or leaving this planet at the end of our lives as a much more expansive and in tune person. Atuned with what? you might ask.

In my own personal life and journey , I have found that there is More than what meets the eye. You might call it the Higher Power, God, Allah, the Divine Presence, or any number of other names. Nevertheless, there is that which we can touch, listen to and be guided by that is far beyond our own individual abilities. 

Once we attune ourselves to this God Presence, we walk into an openness that is incredible! We can see and hear and know at once Something More. We may see the light beyond all light, hear guidance, know things that we never knew before , feel abiding peace, discover the presence of God's love, knowing it has always been with us, and we are not alone. An expansiveness opens in ourselves as our soul shines through the dross of our physicality.

And much more. I can only hint at the experience of moving into openness with God. It doesn't fit into words that I know because it is an experience that has to be lived. People here crave many things, the flavors and tastes and experiences of our body. But there is not enough of any of those things to finally still our cravings so that they stop. It is for connection with God and an openness into the spirituality of life that we crave.

It is not that the things of earth are wrong or bad.. It is that they are not to be the prime focus of our lives. That alone will never satisfy us. I ask you to consider spending quiet time in prayer and meditation, time out in nature, maybe even just a walk in a park contemplating a tree along the path. Give yourself the gift of possibility. 

I remember something someone told me a long time ago - what you are seeking is seeking you. As your soul hungers for God, God also seeks you.

Receiving the Divine

 You carry God within your depths, according to Meister Elkhart 600 years ago. 

I was pondering this thought this morning , and some interesting thoughts came to me that I want to share with you. See what you think.

I've been watching some programs on YouTube about neurology. It is fascinating for sure. One of the hypotheses is that our brain is a receiver not the generator of Ideas. So our mind or soul or something sends the signals and insights and intuitions and our brain tunes into some of them.  It primarily attunes itself to the practical things about current life survival,, protecting the body, dealing with work, family, and earthly things.

But sometimes intuitions and breakthroughs somehow show up in our minds and we make leaps. What if those leaps and intuitions come from our souls and also the divine, from God? What if our souls and the divine are always broadcasting to us, but we don't always listen? The radio set of our brain is not always tuned in to godly things.

Perhaps that is the beauty of prayer and meditation. It helps us tune the radio receiver of our brain to the higher vibrations of spiritual realms. Perhaps they open us to be able to receive more of the spiritual that is always broadcasting to us.

My thought for the day to ponder.

The Joy of Emptiness

The  Joy of emptiness may seem like nonsense at 1st thought. Let's look at some simple examples.  It's the emptiness that makes a space useful, The windows, the doors, and the hollow insides make a space useful. An empty cup is a useful cup that can receive that refreshing tea. And so it is with a certain emptiness within each of us. 

  When we are busy, fearful, worrisome, thinking rapid thoughts, we cannot hear the wee small voice, and we miss much of our lives. When we learn to meditate and still our mind, we create a space inside of us where we can experience the grace and the messages from the greater part of our soul, from God. And we can experience much richness. Even  all the mundane things are glorious to see and revel in during the day because we're not so full of ourselves. We can marvel at the beauty of the flower, or the glory of the blue skies and the billowing clouds or the song of the birds singing, the light in someone's eye, and a thousand small things.

It is often said that God works in the stillness, and in the empty spaces where we leave room for God. It is the stillness and the empty places that are an invitation for God. Because we have free will, we can fill ourselves up with meaningless thoughts and activities. Or we can create a space where we get in tune with the Infinite and enrich our lives so much more than we ever thought possible. 

I often meditate on the Bible verse" Be still and know that I am God." I I invite you to do that today too. God bless you and have a marvelous, spirit-filled day. God loves you and so do I.

Announcing

 My new book,

"The Book of My Life

I Wouldn't Believe It Either

If I Hadn't Lived It"

Is now available on

Barnes and Noble

And

Amazon

In multiple formats

Please buy a copy and tell your friends

I have had an incredible life. 

I have been under attack most of my life, yet I kept going to one amazing adventure after another. Through it all, my faith kept growing stronger. If I could overcome such  painful challenges, so can you. 

Let me share my profound story with you. Get your own digital, Audible, paperback, or hardback copy, take a deep breath, and enter my journey.