Fri Jul 30, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth"...Oprah's Book of the Month.
-St. Theresa of Avila
Dear Hearts,
As we move through this day, how comforting are St. Theresa’s words. No matter what situation or challenge maybe facing us let’s remember that eventually it will change or pass because this human life changes and passes. It’s easy to forget that problems and challenges change because we become so focused on them and they seem to loom so large. There is only one Absolute and that is God and God never changes. God is timeless, everlasting and perfect, all knowing and all-powerful, there is nothing God cannot do and God always reigns supreme. Remember, a promise has been made to you and me that God will always remain steadfast, never leave or forsake us and is with us always. When we can remember this, we will move into a peace filled day no matter what the extenuating circumstances. We will remember that we have a silent partner that walks every step of the way with us no matter what is taking place in our lives and that partner is with us always and in all ways. Let's commit to following St. Theresa's words and no matter what challenges are presented to us today, let's not allow them to disturb or dismay us. We have the opportunity to remember that we don’t walk through life alone and that whatever we may be facing in our lives, it will pass.
Today, I am surrounded by the love of God. I make a conscious choice to stand in the knowledge that all earthly situations will eventually change or pass. I have a changeless God leading, directing, guiding, sustaining and maintaining me throughout each moment of this day. Today is God’s day and I rejoice in it.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Thu Jul 29, 2010
You can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth" in our book section.
"...knowing that with God all the blessings are not just possible, they already are."
John Morton (From: "You Are the Blessings" (available on the New Day Herald website).
Dear Ones,
Do we sometimes wonder, "how can the blessings already be...when my life looks like a train wreck?" The truth is, that right in the midst of that seeming "train wreck", there are blessings just waiting to be discovered.
Every challenging situation that arises in our life is not an obstacle to bring us down. It is an opportunity to discover more about God, about life and about ourselves.
However, we are at choice, we can just throw up our hands and basically "give up", crying “it's too much for me”. The truth is that it's not too much for any of us, no matter how big the problem(s) may seem. God will never give us "too much" to handle. And…isn’t God bigger than any seeming problem(s)?
What if today, instead of focusing on our lack, or what's wrong in our lives, we focus on our blessings...and if we can think of only one blessing to focus on...focus on it.
Then ask to shown the blessings in our current situation. The Bible states that when we ask we receive. Our eyes will be opened to see those blessings, those opportunities for growth and the glorious opportunity to know God better and to love God more…right in the midst of what is transpiring in our lives. Today, let’s “blessing the mess” and watch the wonders of God’s grace.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Wed Jul 28, 2010
In our book section, you can order Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth"...Oprah's Book of the Month.
Byron Katie
Dear Hearts,
How often do we fight against the facts of our life? We want the facts of our life to be different or we want the people in our lives to be different. We then go about engaging a battle of manipulation in our heads trying to figure how to change something or someone. And we waste an enormous amount of our precious life energy.
When we are up against a situation that we know is not going to change or a person that refuses to change, we have several choices. We can keep banging our head against the wall (with no better results than a bloody head!) or we can simply adjust our attitude and learn to love what is.
Life isn’t always the way we think it “should” be. Certainly people aren’t. However, we have a choice. We can choose to fight until our very last breath trying to achieve the impossible. Or, we can learn to go with the flow. We can learn to enjoy what is rather than focusing on what’s not. We can learn to love others just the way they are rather than focusing on what they aren’t.
Loving what is allows us to live productively, it allows us to live gratefully, gracefully and most of all it allows us to live peacefully. Is there a situation or a person in our lives today that we can cease fighting and begin to love just the way it is or they are? It’s worth a try.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Mon Jul 26, 2010
In our book section, you can order Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Don Miguel Ruiz
Dear Hearts,
What a concept that we are responsible for what takes place in our lives this and every day! We truly do create the set for our life. We, ourselves, collect everything and everybody needed to fulfill the script that we've mentally written for ourselves in order for our script to come to life. We even get to direct our own life's movie!
It's so much easier to blame everyone else for whatever states our life is in today...but not so fast!! Remember it is our life's story and we have free choice to create that story in whatever fashion our minds and heart decide.
If we realize that we are directing, producing and starring in today's movie entitled, "Thursday, October 28, 2009, Story of My Life", what will we create? Will it be a melodrama (i.e., the soap opera "Days of our Life"?), or will it be horror story, where we are angry with everyone and find that everyone seems to be angry with us? Will we create a comedy, acting like the jester to keep others laughing...even though we may be crying on the inside? Will we create a story about a victim -- that everyone is always doing something to me?
Or...will we create a God driven day meaning that we will make certain that love will drive our motives, actions and words; that peace will be what we strive for in every exchange with others and ourselves; that harmony with ourselves and others will be our intention; that we'll allow abundance to fill our day, meaning that when we're offered something, whether it's a complement, or an offer of help, etc., we accept it graciously?
This day is still new - there are 15 hours remaining. Right now, if the movie of our life is not going as we'd like, we can clear the set of our mind and begin again. We can create a movie so loving and filled with such beauty, dignity and grace, that we will want to mentally file this day under the category, "September 21, 2008...one of the very best days of my life!"
Thank you God for this day....it is good...and so it is!
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sun Jul 25, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Holly Lebowitz Rossi
Dear Hearts,
Each day life presents us with a choice of two roads. One road is called the road of the advocate; the other...the road of the accuser.
The road of the accuser is well worn and easy to follow. If we choose to travel the road of the accuser we might find ourselves judging another by their outside’s without ever bothering to get to know who they are on the inside.
We might spend part of our day in the throes of gossip or we might be unkind and quick with biting retorts and comebacks. We might find ourselves living completely from our head…not allowing our hearts to open in love, compassion and empathy. The road of the accuser is a road that leads to unhappiness and eventually to spiritual death because it is a dead end road.
The other road that beckons us is the road of the advocate. It is a road lush in its beauty, however it is difficult to tread as this is road is less traveled. If we choose the road of the advocate, we chose to be here for God by supporting goodness, truth and beauty through our words and actions. Along this road, we choose to love and to see the best in others. Along this road, we walk in integrity in our professional and personal lives.
In his poem, "The Road Less Traveled", Robert Frost puts it this way:
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference.”
The advocate’s road is the road less traveled. If we choose this road it will indeed make all the difference…. in the quality of the lives we lead and the legacy we leave behind.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sat Jul 24, 2010
In our book section, you can order Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth and "The Power of Now".
Dear Hearts,
In the City of Bangkok, their greatest tourist attraction is the Temple of the Golden Buddha. Within the temple resides a 5 ton solid golden statue of Buddha. Several hundred years ago, during a war time, this statue was hidden beneath a thick coating of plaster to keep it from being stolen or harmed. Years passed and the truth of what lie beneath the plaster was forgotten. In the 1960s, as the Buddha was being moved, the plaster coating began to crack -- and underneath this false covering was the priceless Golden Buddha.
This is your story and my story. Underneath all the dust and grit we collect in this human journey and all the facades that we put up to protect ourselves there is a priceless Golden Buddha. It is the real Self of us that has never been hurt, harmed or injured in any way. Let's remember today that we are precious, unique and irreplaceable creations of the One Life of God. We are each the Golden Buddha.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Fri Jul 23, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Eckhart Tolle
Dear Hearts,
How often do we focus entirely on the situation of our lives? In fact sometimes we get so lost in the situation, that we forget that we have a life outside the situation.
Let’s remember that life situations are temporary – they come and go. They don’t define us…they aren’t who we are, even though at times it may feel like it. And one thing is for certain, in this human experience, there will always be some kind of life situation we’re dealing with.
Our job is to keep life in perspective. We are not our situation. We are Spiritual Beings having a human experience separate and apart from life’s situations. And within each of us is every tool we could ever need to deal with whatever situation arises. Let’s remember, it’s not the situation… it’s how we think about and respond to the situation that is important.
If we are here for God, then it is up to us to bring God qualities to our life situation. It is up to bring Love, Peace, Joy, Harmony, Compassion, Wisdom and Clarity…for each of these qualities represent the Power and the Presence of God. Therefore we are anchoring the Power and Presence of God in the midst of whatever situation we may find ourselves.
When we see our life situations from a spiritual purview, then we will understand that we are so much more than any situation, and no matter what the situation is we will know that this human experience has come… only to pass.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Thu Jul 22, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
An interview with Mister Rogers by Holly Lebowitz Rossi
Dear Hearts,
The statement, “Love your neighbor” is woven throughout all great spiritual teachings. Many people have asked, “Who exactly is my neighbor”? Fred Rogers of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, gave us the perfect answer. Our neighbor is whomever we happen to be with at the moment. It sounds so simple, love whoever is with us in the present moment…simple, yes… easy, no. Loving each individual we encounter throughout our day is high spiritual practice.
There are those we encounter in our day’s travels that we want to love and are easy to love. However, loving these individuals isn’t where our spiritual growth lies. Our spiritual growth lies in loving those individuals who annoy us, who upset us, who rub us the wrong way.
The difficult individuals in our lives are really the gifts in our lives. It is through them that our hearts get to expand. It is through them that we have the opportunity to be more loving, more compassionate, more understanding, more accepting, more gracious.
We can all love the one next to us who is generous and kind, but it takes great spiritual character to love the person next to us that may not look like us or smell like us or act like us or who pushes all of our “buttons.”
Today, can we recognize each person we come in contact with for what they are…another expression of God? When we encounter difficult “neighbors”, it is as if God is saying to us, ”Can you love me even in this disguise?”
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Wed Jul 21, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Standing Bear
Dear Hearts,
One of the ways to know God is through beauty, for beauty is a quality of God. Let’s take time to reconnect with that beauty this weekend by spending time in nature. That might look like a walk or spending time in our garden or simply standing outside and taking in the breathtaking beauty of this Universe.
Nature is here for us not only to enjoy, it is here for our renewal. Perhaps instead of thinking we don’t have time to spend outdoors this weekend, let’s realize the truth, we don’t have time not to be outdoors. When we’re outdoors and focusing on our surroundings (not our thoughts and/or problems) the answer we’re seeking or the clarity needed often comes to us out of the blue and we’ll find peace instead of mental upheaval.
When we’re out in nature, we get to see God’s handiwork in the myriad shades of green. We get to catch God’s glorious fragrance in the scent of the flowers. We have the opportunity to hear God’s symphony as we listen to the bird’s serenading us and we have the opportunity to feel God’s gentle breath in the form of the breeze in our hair and on our face. We have the opportunity to feel God’s warmth as the sun smiles down upon us.
Most of all we have the opportunity to feel connected once again to the majesty, the beauty and the glory that is the face of God. Today we get to feel God’s deep and abiding love for us by knowing that this paradise of nature is God’s gift of love to you and to me.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Mon Jul 19, 2010
I know that I can
From the Little Red Engine
Dear Hearts,
We all know the childhood story of "The Little Red Engine" that always ran on time. Then one day, the little red engine was running late because it was confronted with a steep hill, and didn't know how it was going to climb up that hill. As the little red engine slowly started up the hill, it continually said to itself, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can" until it climbed to the very top of the hill.
If today we seem to be confronted with a steep hill, whether in our personal or professional lives, how will we handle it? Will the hill loom so large to us that we give up before we've even begun? Will we try half heartedly but stop before we've reached our goal? Or will we have the courage of the little red engine and proceed up that hill by continually saying to ourselves, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can", and as we get closer to the top of the hill, whatever that hill looks like in our lives, perhaps we will then say very confidently, "I know I can, I know I can, I know I can."
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
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