The still small voice...

“The world will drown out the voice of God unless we can get still.”
Oprah Winfrey


Dear Hearts,

We live in the noisiest time in the history of the world. We are inundated with television, radios, cell phones, land phones, beepers, Internet, traffic noises, etc., etc.

Yet, all great spiritual traditions teach that the voice of God is quiet and small…as in the Psalm’s description of “the still small voice”. The voice of God very quietly speaks to us all day long, but are we quiet enough, long enough, to hear it?

If we are serious about our spiritual growth, then silence is not an option but something mandatory for us to include in our day’s activities. We might have a question for Spirit but we’ll only be able to hear the answer if we’re ever so still. We might ask for guidance for our day but we’ll only be able to hear the direction if we’re still.

Our days can become so scattered, yet we have the power to change that. Our days are meant to be loving, peaceful, productive, creative, clear, wise and beautiful. In order to live that way, we must daily take the time to be still, to center ourselves in the silence and to invoke the presence of God in our lives.

Spirit is always saying, “I have a message for you…are you ready to listen now?” And when we begin to spend time in the silence just listening, our lives change for the better, we become more loving, productive, creative, peace filled and gracious human beings.

Are we ready to listen now?

With love and blessings,

Rev. Barbara

And Our Message Is?

”My life is my message.”
-Mohandes (Mahatma) Ghandi

Dear Hearts,

A reporter once posed this question to Ghandi, "Tell us, Mr. Ghandi, what is your message?". Ghandi looked at him for a moment then replied, "My life is my message." Would we all be willing to take a moment out of our busy schedules and reflect on those profound words of Ghandi? The word Mahatma was not Ghandi’s first name. Mahatma means “Great Soul”. This title was bestowed upon Ghandi because of the way he choose to live his life through his great love of God and humankind and his tireless service to his people. The message that Ghandi’s life conveyed was that of a “Great Soul”.

If our life is our message, what message is our life conveying to our loved ones, friends and colleagues and to those we come in contact with on a daily basis? Emerson once said, “What you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear a word you’re saying.” If someone were in the room with us today, what message would our life be speaking? Is our life expressing a message of love, peace, joy, compassion, beauty, creativity, truth and inspiration? At the end of this day, if someone posed the same question to us, "Tell me, what is your message?" are we living our life in such a way that we could respond with deep humility, joy and gratitude, "My life is my message."

Today, I am surrounded by the love of God. I make a conscious choice to live my life in such a way that all who see me see a “Great Soul” in action. Today is God’s day and I rejoice in it.

With love and blessings,

Rev. Barbara

"Never, never, never give up"*

“The President of CNN instructed everyone to never let me on the air again. I just refused to let the turkey get me down!”
Katie Couric

Dear Hearts,

Last year, Katie Couric left the Today Show as Co-Anchor. Throughout that particular show, many of Katie’s memorable moments were replayed. Interviews with Presidents, Prime Ministers, Kings and Queens, interviews with survivors from Columbine and the World Trade Center.

At one point she even had a colonoscopy done on live TV showing that this procedure was accessible and nothing to fear. This changed the way many people thought about colonoscopy's and it also changed many insurance companies policies...as up to that point most health insurance was not paying for this procedure.

Katie never waivered when her beloved husband, Jaye, died of colon concer and left her with two small daughters. We watched her courage as she endured the loss of her sister whom she was very close.

At one time, Katie Couric was told by the President of CNN that she would never be allowed to work for CNN again. After such a statement, perhaps many of us would have begun to seriously doubt ourselves and our ability....might have even ended up quitting the news business altogether. Had Katie Couric quit, just think of the enormous opportunities that she would have never experienced.

How often in our lives has someone said discouraging words to us and we simply quit? We quit the project, the hobby, the job, the relationship, school, because we lacked the confidence in knowing that what other people think of us is really none of our business. It’s what we think and it’s what we know about ourselves that matters.

Let’s remember that if God be for us who can be against us? We have the entire Universe on our side as Life wants us to succeed and do well. Because when we succeed and do well with our lives, it better allows the glory and the light of God to shine through us.

Let’s all pay attention to the lesson of Katie Couric...“when the going gets tough, the tough don’t quit, they simply get going.”

With love and blessings,

Rev. Barbara

*Winston Churchill