Archives: January 2010
Sun Jan 31, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Matthew 12:6
Dear Hearts,
Several years ago an extensive survey was done to determine what was the most important thing people wanted from others. The surveyors were shocked at the answer. The overwhelming majority said, they wanted to be listened to.
Each of us want to be validated. We want to see through the action and attention of others that we matter to them. We have the opportunity to give this beautiful gift of validation by simply taking the time to listen....giving our complete attention to every word another is saying.
How would we rate ourselves as listeners? So often, we're not listening because we're already formulating our response, or we're not listening because we've allowed our attention to wander, or we're not listening because we don't think what another is saying is really important.
Attentive listening showers another person with a priceless gift. It's the gift that says, "I care about you and what you have to say is important to me". This gift is ours to give..it's priceless and it's life affirming.
Today, will we take the time and make the effort to give this beautiful gift?
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sat Jan 30, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Isaiah 41:13
Dear Hearts,
It seems as though the media, television, newspapers, magazines, etc. continually bombard us with the “bad” news and problems of the day. Let's remember what Einstein said, "We can never solve the problem at the level of thinking that created the problem".
Instead of dwelling on the seeming “bad” news or problems that we are constantly bombarded with, we have an opportunity today to move to a higher consciousness. We have an opportunity to “go upstairs” into that upstairs awareness that reminds us, "With man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible".
We can choose to live in that upstairs consciousness where possibility thinking is the order of the day. From that awareness we get to remember the magnificent promises that have been made to you and to me, such as "I will never leave you or forsake you, I am with you always”.
Let’s stay in that consciousness of knowing that whatever is happening on this human level, God is always more. Do we take our big problems to our Little God or do we take our little problems to our big God? The choice is always ours. Every time we tune into or read the news instead of engaging in what is being said let’s go to that upstairs consciousness where we remember Tennyson’s words, "More things are wrought by prayer than this world has ever dreamed of".
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Fri Jan 29, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
from the play "Best Years of Our Lives" by Mackinlay Kantor
Dear Hearts,
Some of us look back at our memories of the past and think that was the best time of our lives. Some of us look ahead to our dreams of the future thinking…soon it will be the best time in our lives.
The truth of the matter is that right now, in this present moment, no matter what our circumstances, this is the best time of our lives because this is the only time of our lives. We have no guarantees of other days, but we do have the gift of this day.
Someone once said, “Today is God’s gift to us, what we do with it is our gift to God.” So, how will we live today? Perhaps we have had the thought “what difference does it make how I live this day?” Well it makes a huge difference how we live this day. Each one of us is here to give our unique gifts to Life, however, if we don’t show up and give our gifts, our piece of life’s beautiful weave is left blank.
We are here today to love God, to love ourselves and to love others. We are here today to bring peace, to create. We are here today to be of service to others, to beautify and care for our earth. We are here to enjoy this precious day.
There is an ancient Sanskrit writing that says it all:
for it is life
the very life of life.
In its brief course lie all
the realities and verities of existence
the bliss of growth
the splendor of action
the glory of power.
For yesterday is but a dream
and tomorrow is only a vision.
But today, well lived
makes every yesterday a dream of happiness
and every tomorrow a vision of hope.
Look well, therefore, to this day.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Thu Jan 28, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
~ Erma Bombeck
Dear Hearts,
What if we took Erma Bombeck's words of wisdom and applied them not to the end of our life, but day by day? Could we say that we use our talents to the best of our ability? Or do we withhold our talent maybe because on a particular day we don't feel like giving all that we can; or we are waiting for a better time, a better opportunity? How would we act today, if we knew it was the last day of our life? Would we give full out? Would we love as much as we could, be as creative as we could be, work as diligently as it was possible for us...and utilize every single bet of our talent?
Well, we never know if this day is the last day or the next to last, etc. as we take so much for granted. Why don't we live today as though this day was the only day we had and give our very best ~ give fully of our talent to each and every task that lays in front of us and to each and every person we come in contact with?
And as we give all of our talent to this day, could we imagine as we lie in bed tonight, the Universe smiling down at us and saying, "Well done, dear one, well done".
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Wed Jan 27, 2010
In our book section, you can now 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 year, that is still so new, be the year that we break the false belief system that keeps us tied to the proverbial tree? Will this be the year that we move out and create a bigger life for ourselves? That life is beckoning us...NOW!
With each step we take outside of the life we know, 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 are we willing to create for ourselves in the upcoming year? 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
Mon Jan 25, 2010
In our book section, you can order Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Dear Hearts,
How many times have we said (or written) something in a moment of anger and regretted it for days or months…sometimes even years? It’s so easy to react to something that upsets us, but often the price of an angry reaction is so high and can be so hurtful.
There are days when everything seems to be going along smoothly and then bam! Someone says something that doesn’t set well with us and we react angrily and often end up backtracking for months.
How can we avoid this kind of angry reaction? One woman shares that when she gets upset with her husband, instead of an angry retort, she takes a deep breath and tells him she needs a time out. She then either quietly goes into another room or takes a walk…until she feels confident that she can return to him and give him a calm response. She says she loves her husband so much that she simply won’t take a chance of hurting him through angry words.
Each of us can find our own way to avoid angry/hurtful words. In the long run, an angry reaction is never worth it, even though in the short term that reaction might feel good.
Words can hurt every bit as much as any weapon and can be just as lethal. So let’s commit to avoid falling into the trap of angry reactions and give ourselves the time needed to respond in a kind and thoughtful way.
Let’s remember that our job on this earth is always…how well we can love?
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sun Jan 24, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Anonymous
Dear Hearts,
How often have we thought to ourselves, "If I were doing what I really want to be doing, instead of what I’m actually doing, I know I'd be happy. The truth of the matter is… we have a moment-by-moment invitation to choose happiness no matter what we’re doing.
How can we find happiness in the midst of what we are actually doing? We eliminate when/then thinking i.e. “When I do this, then I’ll be happy”. When/then thinking never brings us happiness. It’s staying in the moment and accepting what we’re doing right now that brings us the happiness that we all seek.
We can begin today to claim our happiness by being grateful for the opportunity to be of service doing exactly what we’re doing. We get to think thoughts such as, "Right where I am now, I can give my gifts, right where I am now, I can be the eyes, the ears the heart of God to each person I meet; right where I am now I have the opportunity to give my best."
There are no mistakes in this perfectly orchestrated Universe. Wherever we are right now is where we need to be and if we’re willing to adjust our thinking, we’ll find that happiness isn't out there where we think we want to be. Happiness is available right now…doing exactly what we’re doing.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sat Jan 23, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Michael Gott
Dear Hearts,
A friend of mine was recently at a college reunion. He is a loving husband, devoted father and a success in his chosen field.
Yet, my friend found in speaking to different friends and hearing their accomplishments over the years, that his happiness for them was overshadowed by his mental comparison of other’s achievements. He had thoughts such as “why didn’t I think of that?” or “why didn’t I do that?” or “I could have/should have done more with my life”. As the evening progressed, he felt deflated, he felt “not enough” and he basically felt like life had passed him by. Intellectually he knew that he was not a failure yet he couldn’t turn off the “comparison” voice in his head.
My friend recounts that as he thought about the evening he was very aware of what had transpired. He got caught in the “comparison” game…one which none of us ever win. We all can find someone prettier, handsomer, slimmer, more successful, etc. etc. Our challenge is to be OK with who we are and where we are in our life.
It has often been said that “comparison is spiritual death” because it agitates us and often leaves us with the feeling that we’re simply not enough. One of our jobs in this lifetime is to find joy as joy is a quality of God. One thing we can be certain of…the fastest way to a joyful life is living a life without comparing ourselves to others.
Today, I celebrate my uniqueness by keeping my eyes focused on myself.I refuse to compare myself to anyone. I find joy living my life and doing my best and all is well. Thank you God, and so it is!
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Fri Jan 22, 2010
In our book section, you can order Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth"...Oprah's Book of the Month.
Albert Schweitzer
Dear Hearts,
Haven't we all experienced times in our life when we felt as though our inner light had dimmed or perhaps extinguished completely? And haven't we also had the beautiful experience of someone appearing in our lives that knew exactly the right thing to say....or perhaps didn't say anything at all, but simply looked at us with such unconditional love in their eyes that the flame within us started to rekindle.
How does God work? God works through Its people, so through the individuals that have inspired and uplifted us in our time of need, we have truly been touched by God's loving kindness. Sometimes, in our busyness we have forgotten to go back and say "thank you". What if today, we contact those individuals and thanked them? And who knows, the very person we contact today might be in need of our kindness to once again fan the flame of their inner light.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Mon Jan 18, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah's Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Christina Baldwin
Dear Hearts,
In Christina Baldwin’s wonderful book, “The Seven Whispers”, she introduces us to a practice for peaceful living. This practice can be done as often as needed throughout out day and will make a positive difference in the quality of our day and the quality of our lives.
The practice goes like this…
Inhale deeply and then exhale through the mouth and envision all the tension leaving our bodies as we exhale.
2. Take another deep breath to be here.
When we take this second breath our attention is focused completely on our breath so we become present in the moment.
3. Take another breath to ask “now what?"
As our bodies are more relaxed and our attention has been brought back into the present moment, we ask, “now what?”
In other words, we are asking the Universe for guidance in our next step. And when we ask that question and follow that guidance, there’s a wonderful knowing that comes over us. The knowing that there is a Power and Presence for good working right along with us we go about taking that next step.
As we enter into this day, it’s so easy to get lost in our busyness. Then what happens to us is we lose the joy and spontaneity that this and every day holds for us.
When we feel our body tense up, when we feel our mind going in many different directions, when we’re not certain what our next step is to be…let’s stop! And simply take
One breath to become present.
One breath to ask “now what”?
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sat Jan 16, 2010
In our book section, you can order Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Course in Miracles Workbook
Dear Hearts,
As we move into this day, let’s remember that within each of us there is great holiness. We are holy not because of what we do or what we have, but simply because of who we are in the Spiritual Realm. Within each of us God lives and moves and has Its being.
Our purpose is to make a difference in this world. We have the opportunity, through our words and actions, to envelop everyone and everything that crosses our path with holiness. If we do that, we will have accomplished our purpose. We will have made a positive and uplifting difference.
Wherever our paths take us…work, home, play, in our cars, etc., if our motto is, “My holiness envelops everything I see”, then we become a blessings to Life. And the very blessings we send out, ALWAYS come back to us multiplied and in ways far greater than we can humanly imagine.
Often in the human realm, it's easy to go through our day criticizing and judging. Sometimes we're simply oblivious because we're lost in our own world of thoughts. But as spiritual beings, we are called to a higher road...we are called to be a beneficial presence. And we can begin on that road today, with the mantra... “My Holiness envelops everything I see.”
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Fri Jan 15, 2010
You can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book, Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth" in our book section.
Ram Daas
The month of January has an energy all its own. It’s a gearing down from the holidays as well as a gearing up for the new year. We have an opportunity in front of us to delight in this month of January.
Each one of us will have 31 precious days, 744 hours, 44,640 minutes that are uniquely our own. How many moments will we relish and cherish realizing that each moment of this beautiful month is a precious gift? How much time will we dedicate to love, to peace, to joy, to beauty, to compassion, to creativity and to laughter? Or…how many moments of this month will we waste on keeping a grudge alive or spend in regret over some past act or to allow a former grief to eat at our souls? How many moments will we waste in worry, doubt and fear?
We have a choice to savor each moment of this beautiful month or flit them away. We will never have another Januuary 10, 2010. This month we have the opportunity to live life fully and do things we’ve never done before and venture out to places that we’ve never been. We can choose to expand the horizons of our thought pattern and thus expand the horizons of our life. What quality of life will we choose for ourselves this month? How much of this month will we take time to enjoy? The choice is ours.
Today, I am surrounded by the love of God. I make a conscious choice to embrace this first month of the year as the gift that it is. I choose to live today as though each and every day was the first day of the rest of my life. Today is God’s day and I rejoice in it.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Thu Jan 14, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Katherine Mansfield
Dear Hearts,
Acceptance…what a word! How often in our lives do we mentally “fight” against our circumstances? Whether it’s our careers, our home life, our children, etc., somehow in our minds, things aren’t the way we want them to be. So the mental fight begins and the negative talk about how we don’t want to be doing what we’re doing…how we’d rather be doing anything else in the world but what we’re doing or going through. Sound familiar?
There’s a wise old saying, ”What we resists, persists”. We utilize so much energy to resist a situation…how can we expect it to change? All of our energy is used in resistance. We go through so many mental gymnastics that we freeze into place the very thing or situation we don’t want to experience.
No matter what situation we find ourselves in today, if we can simply accept that this is the way it is…for now. We might remember the wise words of Scripture, “It came to pass”. Whatever we’re experiencing will pass if we stop resisting it.
Today, let’s show up for our life and do the very best we can within the given circumstances of our lives. Let’s bless our circumstances…no matter what they are. When we do this, one of two things will transpire…either we’ll change and the situation will look entirely different to us or the situation will change.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Wed Jan 13, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
~ Homer Simpson
Dear Hearts,
How much time do we spend blaming ourselves for something that we either did or didn't do? When we continually blame ourselves, we become our own worst enemy. Why do we find it necessary to beat ourselves up? If we make a mistake, we can stop, think about the mistake, learn from it, apologize if necessary and move on. We all mistakes, but life belongs to those who make the choice to move on.
Life is a verb that's about action and about new adventures, it's about loving more, and it’s about feeling the fear and doing it anyway. When we continue to blame ourselves for some prior mistake, we stop living; we are stuck in mire or "what if" "if only" "why did I do that?". And while we continue to mull over these pointless questions, life moves on.
Life is always inviting us to grow, to become more of who and what we already are. Today, let's stop blaming ourselves...once is truly enough. The train of life is pulling out of the station, will we be on it ~ or will we choose to stay stuck? Let's release any blame that we may continue to harbor against ourselves. Today, as the train of life pulls out...let's all be on it, ready to move on to the next adventure life holds for it. All aboard?
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Tue Jan 12, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Dr. Wayne Dyer
Dear Hearts,
Wayne Dyer tells a very profound story of a grandfather having a conversation with his grandson and saying to him, "I have two wolves barking inside of me. The first wolf is filled with anger, hatred, bitterness and mostly revenge. The second wolf inside of me is filled with love, kindness, compassion and mostly forgiveness." "Which wolf do you think will win?" the young boy inquired. The grandfather responded, "Whichever one I feed."
That choice is ours today - which one will we feed?
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Mon Jan 11, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
23rd Psalm
Dear Hearts,
How often in reading this beautiful Psalm do we think "the valley of shadow of death", refers to our physical death? Perhaps the Psalmist in his great wisdom realized the myriad of mini-deaths we go through during our lifetime. The end of a marriage or relationship, a job loss, the diagnosis or prognosis, the death of a dear friend or of a loved one, our children leaving our home going off on their own, etc.
What the 23rd Psalm tells us is that we aren’t alone. Day in and day out, no matter what takes place, no matter how great the loss or heartbreak, there is a Power and a Presence for Good in this Universe that is greater than any loss or heartbreak we may ever incur.... and this Power has promised to be with us always.
What does that mean to us? It means that there is a Source of comfort and peace, of love, compassion, grace, joy, wisdom and clarity that we can turn to at any moment, because that Source is there -- always. And when we turn to that Source, the situation doesn't always change, but we change. We are uplifted, we are carried, we are sustained and given the grace, the courage, the peace and the love to walk through whatever human circumstance appear. We never walk alone in the Valley of the Shadow of Death, the great Comforter, the great Healer, the great Creator; the great Lover of this Universe walks every step of the way with us.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sun Jan 10, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Dr. Michael Beckwith
Dear Hearts,
Our days become so busy that it’s often easy to become spiritually disconnected. When we become spiritually disconnected we lose sight of the real purpose for our life.
When we take those few seconds every hour throughout our day to give thanks for our life, it allows us to reconnect with the truth that there is something bigger involved in our life other than busyness and the daily grind of our existence. When we give thanks for our lives, it helps us re-connect with the Great God of the Universe and to the fact that our lives have meaning and purpose.
When we pause and give thanks, it takes us to a deeper level of being. It helps us to remember that we’re spiritual beings having a human experience and that the spiritual part of us always has work to do.
Our purpose is to anchor the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. And what is the Kingdom of Heaven? The Kingdom of Heaven is peace, love, joy, compassion, wisdom, clarity, abundance, beauty, etc., and it's our job to anchor that kingdom in every area of our lives.
Without conscious connection to our Source during our day, we become ships without rudders pulled here and there with no seeming purpose. When we pause to give thanks, we get in touch with our Source and our purpose.
Today, let’s try to reconnect each hour through a deep breath (which begins to give us perspective) and then by giving thanks for our very life and let's see how much better we feel at the end of our day.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sat Jan 09, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Terri Hatcher after receiving a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress
Dear Hearts,
What a beautiful example Terri Hatcher gave to all of us. How many times
have we felt like "has beens"? Our life as we have known it seems to disappear and we feel washed up. What do we do when this happens?
We begin saying, "yes" to the smallest opportunity that comes our way. Often when some seemingly insignificant opportunity presents itself, we immediately qualify it and say "no", thinking what possible good could that do us? Well our job isn't to qualify; our job is to do ~ to say, "Yes" to what Life offers us. Every time we say "yes", it becomes an opening for Life to present another step and another opportunity and before we know it, we're in a whole different place and space in our lives.
Terri Hatcher commented that the previous year she was in her pajamas eating popcorn watching the Golden Globes, perhaps dreaming of what could have been. But she kept doing her work, saying yes to each small step presented to her, showing up for every audition and 365 days later, she was on the stage of the Golden Globes with a hit TV show and accepting an award for Best Actress in a comedy series.
This is an impersonal Universe...meaning Life plays no favorites. What happened to Terri Hatcher can happen to us. Maybe we don't want to be on the stage of the Golden Globes, but saying "yes" to life brings us to whatever stage of life our heart truly desires. Let's try it and see where life takes us. Remember the secret of life is a three-letter word, "Yes"!
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Fri Jan 08, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Mohandes K. Ghandi
Dear Hearts,
Why in the world would we want to forgive someone who has injured us in some grievous fashion? Have we ever thought that forgiveness is really not about the other person – that forgiving another is really about us? Anger holds us hostage to the very person we've chosen not to forgive and keeps us tied to that individual. Most of all, living in a state of anger blocks us from moving ahead in our other relationships. It is always we who gain from forgiveness.
Our primary purpose on this earth is to love, so when we're holding a grudge or keeping our anger alive through non-forgiveness. we're out of alignment with the fundamental purpose of our life’s journey…thus blocking the good that is inherently ours such as peace, joy, harmony, compassion and love.
Today, who might we forgive? Let's know together that forgiveness no longer has anything to do with another person and what they have or haven't done or said. Forgiveness keeps us moving forward on the ladder of our life unencumbered ~ forgiveness sets us free.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Thu Jan 07, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
President Barack Obama
Dear Hearts,
In America, one year ago today, our 44th President, Barack Obama, was sworn into office. A young man, to many an unlikely candidate. Yet, with the vision he carried in his heart to see beyond the horizon of what was ~ he saw quite clearly what could be. President Obama’s campaign slogan had been, “Yes, we can!” And indeed yes, he did!
In our own lives, how many times, up until now, have we told ourselves, “No, I can’t!” Well from today forward let us change our self talk to the possible ~ no longer to what’s impossible and never again to what we can’t do...but to what we can do do! For nothing is impossible to us when we believe, “Yes, I can”!
We continue to bless our young President and his family and we bless ourselves and our families as we move into this magnificent year filled with new and wonderful horizons.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Tue Jan 05, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Terri Hatcher after receiving a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress
Dear Hearts,
What a beautiful example Terri Hatcher gave to all of us. How many times
have we felt like "has beens"? Our life as we have known it seems to disappear and we feel washed up. What do we do when this happens?
We begin saying, "yes" to the smallest opportunity that comes our way. Often when some seemingly insignificant opportunity presents itself, we immediately qualify it and say "no", thinking what possible good could that do us? Well our job isn't to qualify; our job is to do to say, "Yes" to what Life offers us. Every time we say "yes", it becomes an opening for Life to present another step and another opportunity and before we know it, we're in a whole different place and space in our lives.
Terri Hatcher said that the year prior to her winning the Golden Globs she was sitting at home in her pajamas eating popcorn watching the Golden Globes, perhaps dreaming of what could have been. But she kept doing her work, saying "yes" to each small step presented to her, showing up for every audition and 365 days later, she was on the stage of the Golden Globes with a hit TV show and accepting an award for Best Actress in a comedy series.
This is an impersonal Universe...meaning Life plays no favorites. What happened to Terri Hatcher can happen to us. Maybe we don't want to be on the stage of the Golden Globes, but saying "yes" to life brings us to whatever stage of life our heart truly desires. Let's try it and see where life takes us. Remember the secret of life is a three-letter word, "Yes"!
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Sat Jan 02, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
Anthony Robbins
Dear Hearts,
The second day of the New Year! Wow, how blessed we all are to be able to celebrate the beginning of 2010!
We can look out at 2010 and see nothing but a steep and slippery mountain that we “must” climb, though inside we feel as though we would rather be doing anything else but having to make this ascent. Or, we can look at this New Year as the beginning of some new and wonderful adventure.
What if we make this a year where we commit to taking God as our partner? What if everyday we ask God’s guidance and strength to fulfill our potential for the day? What if we ask God everyday to use us, to lead us to where we can be of most service? What if we made a commitment to be here for God…no matter what? What if every single day we express gratitude for something in our lives? If we choose to live our lives in this manner…our lives will grow and glow beyond anything we can currently imagine and we will become God’s representative to all we meet.
Let this year not be about you and me. Let this year be about you and me partnering with a God so great, so mighty and so powerful that all things are possible to us...a life beyond our wildest dreams. As the scripture tells us there is no mountain too high or no valley too low when we take the Infinite as our partner.
Happy New Year and Life’s richest blessings to you and yours!
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara
Fri Jan 01, 2010
In our book section, you can order Oprah Winfrey's favorite book ~ Eckhart Tolle's "A New Earth".
-Rose Kennedy
Dear Hearts,
How often do we put milestones in front of us – whether it’s a special holiday, a vacation or even an upcoming weekend. Our focus is set on that particular time in the future and it’s as though we willingly bypass our moments to get us to the milestones. In the meantime, we have missed the gift of the moments that are the fabric of our daily lives. We begin living in the “when”…when this or that happens, instead of living in the moment.
It is often said that God is the "Eternal Now", meaning that we only find God in the present moment, for once we leave the present moment, we're off into a fantasy of our own perception - either how we perceived the past or our perception of how the future will be. Only the moment that we’re living is real.
As we find ourselves in the midst of this holy season, let's not wish one precious moment of it away. We all want to live a more spiritual life, however spirituality is not living for “when” something happens. Spirituality is living, appreciating and enjoying each and every moment as it occurs as each and every moment is a very special bead in the circle called our life. It's in each moment that we meet and greet our God and our God is always in the Eternal Now.
With love and blessings,
Rev. Barbara