Wed Mar 10, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Oprah Winfrey
Dear Hearts,
Often in times of trouble or sadness we see ourselves through tunnel vision. Our lives seem very small. We feel alone, deserted and in need. It’s as if our life has simply shrunk to fit whatever problems we are facing
Our life situation may loom so large, that we feel there is no way of overcoming it. At time such as these, when our lives seem to have collapsed in on us, we forget to ask for help. We have gotten lost in our human life, forgetting that who we are and what we stand on is so much bigger, so much more.
That is why being connected spiritually is so important for us. When we have a spiritual practice, on a daily basis we are given the opportunity to remember that there is our human self, but there is our spiritual self that is always so much more. When our human self and spiritual self are united there is nothing that can daunt us.
However, we live in a world where without daily spiritual reminders, we forget, we go to sleep, and we fall prey to a belief that we are powerless.
If we are feeling alone and lonely today, let’s remember that at our beck and call, there is help. When we sincerely use the words, “God help me.”, we will be amazed at the chain of events that begin to occur in our lives.
When our human self is integrated with who we are on the spiritual level, there is nothing can vanquish us, nothing or no-one that can defeat us, because we understand that if God be for us, nothing can be against us.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Tue Mar 09, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth and "The Power of Now".
Marianne Williamson
Dear Hearts,
As we travel through this day, each interaction we have offers us the opportunity to open our hearts to love…or to close our hearts in fear and judgment. The truth is we’re spiritual beings having a human experience, so our human response is often to shut down, judge and close our heart. As spiritual beings our charge is to remember that our primary purpose on this earth is to love.
Unconditional loving is Spiritual Practice at its best. Do we have to approve of, or agree with, what another does? Of course not, but our charge is to love…regardless of what others do.
Often times in our lives, we become rigid. If others don’t adhere to the standard we’ve put in place, we close them out of our heart. Perhaps today, we can loosen up and realize that each of us is on our own path, our own journey and doing the best we know in this moment.
Today, Life is issuing us a primary challenge and that is to keep our hearts open in love...no matter what.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Mon Mar 08, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Carl Jung
Dear Hearts,
Haven't each one of us said at some point in time, "I'm not creative". The truth is we are incredibly creative. For moment by moment, we're creating our lives.
In India, when a baby elephant is born it's tied with heavy rope to a tree so that the elephant can only move within a certain circumference. After the elephant is three months old, a slender river reed replaces the heavy rope. By now, the elephant is so conditioned to the boundaries that have been set for it, that it never moves outside that circumference even though with the slightest tug it could break the reed and go free.
Let's look at our lives. It's easy to believe that the life we're living is "all there is". But just on the other side of the circumference we have drawn for ourselves is a whole new world waiting for us to explore and create.
Will this be the day that we break the false belief system that keeps us tied to the proverbial tree? Will this be the day that we move out and create a bigger life for ourselves? That life is beckoning us.
With each step we take outside of the life we know now, we begin creating a more adventurous life, a more loving and fulfilling life ~ a life filled with more wisdom and clarity ~ a more joyous life.
No one can make the decision for us. What kind of life will we create for ourselves...starting today? Will we be brave enough to step outside of the self imposed boundaries we have established for ourselves?
We are the only ones that can answer that question.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sun Mar 07, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth and "The Power of Now".
Anonymous
Dear Hearts,
How many times do we get upset over something small and fairly insignificant, and actually go to battle about it? Rather than get caught in the minutia of life’s irritations, we might ask ourselves if this is a battle really worth fighting? We might find that most often it’s not worth the toll it takes on others and ourselves.
Let’s remember our purpose in this lifetime. We’re here to love, to create, to be abundant, to find joy & beauty in our everyday life, so why would we want to disrupt our primary purpose to do battle over something that in the long run has little or no meaning? Many of us at one time or another have lost friends because of a battle fought and we can't even remember what the quarrel was about.
Life is so short. If we lived each day as though it were our last (and we never know…) would we want to nit pick? Would we want to battle over who’s supposed to do what and when?
We're so much more than a petty quarrel. Next time a quarrel arises let’s visualize ourselves rising above that quarrel and either letting it go or resolving it with love and kindness so that everyone is a winner.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sat Mar 06, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
~ Catherine Ponder
Dear Hearts,
If we knew there was a Genie following us around each day listening to our words and thoughts and giving us back those words and thoughts as the experience of our life …what would we choose to think and say all day?
The truth is we do have that Genie. The Genie’s name is called the Law of Cause and Effect and it never ever fails us. What we put into that Law through our words and thoughts is our Cause...the Effect is our life.
It's so easy to get careless and we think and say the very things we don't want in our life... forgetting that these very thoughts and words create the lives that we're leading. If we want to change our lives for the better, then it stands to reason that we need to change our words and thoughts for the better.
Right now we can make a decision to begin thinking those thoughts and saying those words that reflect what we wish to experience in our lives. If we want more love, then let’s think loving thoughts and speak loving words. If we want to experience more abundance then let’s begin to think and speak in terms of an abundant life. If we want more joy in our lives, then let’s think joyful thoughts and speak words of joy. Whatever it is that we wish to experience in our lives, the Law of Cause and Effect will grant us ~ it truly is our Genie.
God has given us all we need to create a wonderful life...the life of our dreams. let's begin today to think and speak about those things we wish to experience in our lives. And lo and behold, the Genie in our life will respond in kind...and before we know it we will be living the life of our dreams.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Fri Mar 05, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Psalms 27: 1-5
Dear Hearts,
When we read the 27th Psalm doesn’t it bring our lives into perspective? Fear creeps into all of our lives so insidiously. Yet we have a great and mighty God that walks with us every step of the way…so whom and what shall we really fear?
Faith is the opposite of fear. When we have faith…there’s no room in our lives for fear. Conversely if we are in fear we have no room for faith. Faith reminds us that no matter what circumstances, diagnosis or loss come our way… God is always more.
When we feel fear creep in, let’s remember instead of reaching for the fear based thought we can reach for the faith based thoughts that say, “My God is bigger than this. My God is so much more than this. If God be for me, who and what can really be against me?”
In the Course of Miracles there is a wonderful quote, “If you knew who walked beside you at all times on this path that you have chosen, you could never experience fear again.”
Today, let’s remember who walks beside us and that there is nothing that can daunt us when we are clear that instead of having big problems and a little God...we have a mighty God and little problems.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Thu Mar 04, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Dr. Robert Fulgham
Dear Hearts,
For the last ten years, I have used the above quote from Dr. Fulgham in every wedding ceremony that I perform. If I could keep only one sentence in my entire ceremony, it would be that sentence, because I feel it will be key to the quality of the couple's marriage.
Age and wisdom tell me that during a life together a couple will have many dreams crumble and fall apart. What I know is that it's not what happens to the couple, it will be how the couple chooses to handle what happens to them that will determine the quality of their relationship . If the couple can keep before them the knowledge that behind every broken dream there is another dream waiting to be born and yet another and another, their relationship will continually blossom. It will be up to each of them to move beyond the sadness; the broken heartedness ~ and be open to the next dream which is always one thought away.
So may I bless each of us today with this beautiful wedding blessing: "May your dreams come true, and when they don't may new dreams arise for you."
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Wed Mar 03, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Richard Bach
Dear Hearts,
How often in our day do we argue for our limitaions by using the words I can't? Author Alan Cohen tells us "Some of us have become lawyers for our own persection. We argue to the death for everything we cannot do and then we wonder why we feel limited."
Today, let's become aware of every "I can't" we utter. Let's ask ourselves is it the truth - we really can't or is it simply an habitual excuse used to keep us tight with in the boundary of the box that we have created for ourselves? When we catch ourselves saying "I can't" let' ask "Why can't I?
We have been made in the image and likeness of a God that has no limits - so any limit we put on ourselves is self-imposed.
"I can't love that person, I can't forgive that person, I can't ask for a raise, I can't begin my diet today, I can't start exercising, a litany of I can't." Why not? If this is the first day of the rest of our lives, let's move into "I can" through our possibility thinking. With every "I can" we expand our lives. Pablo Casals said "its never about our IQ level only our "I can" level. What is our "I can” level today?
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Mon Mar 01, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Dan Fogleberg
Dear Hearts,
One of our great challenges is often to find inspiration in our mundane everyday tasks. How do we find meaning in changing diapers, or doing our repetitive office work, or cooking, or driving, or cleaning or the myriad tasks that we are called on to perform during our daily affairs?
The secret is to look beyond the appearance of the task. Beyond the appearance of the soiled diaper is a precious child ~ a gift Life has entrusted to us to care for and nurture. When we're at our office doing what seems like repetitive or boring work, we can realize that this is our opportunity to be of service to others. When we're cooking, we can know that what we're really doing is nurturing and caring for our bodies - for without healthy bodies we have no vehicle in this life. Beyond what seems like wasted time driving is the gift of quiet time...time to pray or listen to our tapes and learn and grow.
In God, there is no great or small. So no matter what we do, great or small, if we realize that it’s a way to be of service and give our gifts....then what we do becomes a blessing, a benediction and healing to all concerned including ourselves.
Today, we might ask ourselves to fill in this blank with a spiritual purpose, ”I’m doing this because________________.”
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sun Feb 28, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
-C.S. Lewis
Dear Hearts,
Today, how high can we keep our vision on good? Let’s remember to start off our day (and we can begin our day over at any time during the day!) and take the time to pray and visualize how we want this day to be.
Ghandi once said “Be the peace you wish to see” and that applies to anything we wish to see today. We must have it and be it FIRST. Do we want to have a joyful day? Then we need to be joyful. Do we want to have a peaceful day? Then we need to be above any discord and hold the vision for peace. Do we want to have more love today? Then we must step forward and be more loving.
“Make the world your friend”, was a saying of Ghandi. What a wonderful thought for us all. Let’s make everyone our friend, let’s bear no animosity toward any person. Today. let's keep vision on love, peace, joy and compassion and let these qualities guide each and every step of our way.
Let’s remember to keep the high watch this beautiful day. Remember this day is God's gift to us....what we do with it is our gift to God.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
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