A humble spirit always ends up winning with God

The real world is no place for dreams." This is the view of many people in today's society. Many people may have childhood dreams but when the heat's on and you've got to decide between dream life or take care of today, many people settle somewhere outside the parameters of what they long to become. It's not easy to experience the pain and despair of rejection, isolation, betrayal, uncertainty, and other negative emotions that are associated with the road of pursuing dreams. Most people give in to the "real world" syndrome and find a paying gig that gets them through life and feeds the kids, while their dream lies shattered in their hearts.

"And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, "Lie with me." But he refused and said to his master's wife, "Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand-How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" Genesis 39: 7-8

Joseph was given a dream by God as a young man and he embraced that dream. His first reward for being a dreamer was being sold into slavery by his brothers who were jealous of his lofty dreams. While he was in slavery, his master's wife became strongly attracted to him but when he refused to commit adultery with her, she made a claim that Joseph tried to rape her and he ended up in prison for not sleeping with his boss's wife. How ridiculous is that!

We learn that making the right choices and living a life of integrity will produce a great life for us but here we see the hard truth of where integrity and righteousness lands you on your road to living your dreams. Joseph is being tested here by God. Joseph was not on trial because of his actions with Potiphar's wife, he was on trial against his accuser, Satan, who questioned Joseph's loyalties and commitment just as he did with Job. Satan poses the question to every single dreamer out there; "Will you serve God even if you are punished for it?" But God also has a question that He poses in your unfair suffering, "Do you love your dream more than you love Me?"

You will come face to face with these questions if you plan on pursuing your dreams in life. So many people take short cuts to their dream when the temptation arises. People wake up one day and see that they've become a mutated version of what they originally hoped to become. You know the story- a young lady moves to the 'city of dreams' in hopes of becoming a big movie star just like her role model. After a couple of years of hard rejection and broken hope she begins to notice other 'opportunities' of making some fast cash in front of the cameras. She says that she's only doing this to get her through.

Most people start out with good intentions but the pain that is associated with the road of success either makes you or it breaks you. The road to success never leaves anyone the same way they came in to it. You will either grow bitter or you will grow better. You will either become a master of your experiences or you will become a monster on the road that leads to your dreams.

Joseph became a master of his experiences because he learned to master his thoughts, his feelings, and his emotions on a daily basis. Joseph learned 2 great things that helped him win in life. 1. Joseph overcame bitterness. He didn't get bitter because of his unjust treatment. He didn't seek to get even and get revenge on people. He didn't play negative scenes in his head every night like we sometimes do. I'm sure that he grieved over what is brothers had done and over what Potiphar's wife had done but he didn't dwell on these things.

He forgave these people and embraced mercy and love. We see Joseph's forgiveness when he finally makes it to the top and his brothers are in need of him. He embraced them with love and said "But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here..." Genesis 45: 5

Joseph remained humble to God. While he was the master of Potiphar's house he didn't get cocky like others would have and say, "Why shouldn't I have my boss's wife, I run everything else here?" When some people get authority and temptation presents itself, they indulge, believing their own hype. Joseph didn't, we see that Joseph was actually humbled by his master trusting him with authority.

A humble spirit always ends up winning with God even if it doesn't win at the first. God always exalts those who humble themselves to His will even when it looks like you're being set up for failure.

If you can learn to overcome the bitterness that the road to your dreams will undoubtedly produce and can avoid pride, but instead choose to walk in humility when you are exalted, then you will be setting yourself up for real victory in life. If you can bite down and remain faithful to God and trust in His word even when you're suffering for following Him, you will be setting yourself up to achieve every dream of your heart and beyond.

YesMamaMary Home - YesMamaMary

YesMamaMary Home - YesMamaMary

Testimonial for Tierra de Maria 0001

Tierra de Maria, First Saturday Healing Mass, January 2010

What Is The Meaning Of Life?

Throughout time, man has struggled with his own destiny. Where, in the scheme of things does man fit in? What is the human condition and is man accountable for his own conditional state? Is there a God that administers man’s fate? Can man be successful in love and business and still have an intimate relationship with God? Should man be uplifted to the world? Is mankind enslaved to evil? There are so many questions that plagues the mind of man. I remember as a child I used to feel like an orphan, lost and forgotten. I had a wonderful father, mother and two sisters, yet I felt as if I were alone in a foreign place. I would lie on the lawn at night and stare at the heavens, thinking, why am I here, where did I come from, what is my purpose? .As a childish mind would have it, I simply couldn’t see the reasoning behind my being. I felt God had abandon me, and I could not restore our relationship. Over time, I quit seeking God and became infatuated with the world. Even as the world became my reality the question was still in the back of my mind. I could not keep from wondering why and who I was. An awareness began to creep into my mind that added to the feeling of not belonging to the world. I will attempt to stay on course and tell you how I was enlightened and how my experiences may shed some light on you in your search for God. It is my best intention to convey some insight of reason through our shared position in God’s purpose

Please, LORD, Make The Confusion Go Away!

This text is an account of a confused boy turning into a wayward man and his struggle with his own condition and God’s involvement in it. Apparently, there are many questions that go unanswered simply because people do not ask or fear asking the questions in the first place. They fear rejection from their peers and worse they fear the answers to their questions because they don’t want to know their true condition. They see themselves as something, that in most cases, they are not. Sick is sick no matter if you know it or not. You can’t make it go away, so you may as well face it and work on getting well.

But as it is written, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” 1 Corinthians 29

Our relationship to God’s creation is a mystery in our eyes, and God wants it that way because if everything were known, there would be no faith. People simply can’t understand that they are as much a part of the creation as dirt itself. Truly, mankind couldn’t take the full measure of God’s revelation that’s one reason why God protects people from knowing the creation. The fact is; we see hear and feel in narrow ranges. Most colors and sounds are outside of our range of experience. If man could hear and see everything, then God Himself would be revealed, and God said no man hath seen me. He is beyond our comprehension and we are humbled at His presence and fear his mighty power. Even lowly angles instill fear in man when they come into his presence.

And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them. Mark 4:11

Ephesians 3:2 if, indeed, ye did hear of the dispensation of the grace of God that was given to me in regard to you, 3 that by revelation He made known to me the secret, according as I wrote before in few words 4 in regard to which ye are able, reading it, to understand my knowledge in the secret of the Christ, 5 which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it was now revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 12 In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him.

YesMamaMary Home - YesMamaMary

YesMamaMary Home - YesMamaMary

HOW TO LIVE A LIFE WITHOUT REGRETS

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." -Mark Twain

We have all met someone who came towards the end of their life and regretted not doing the things that they had always wanted and now they were too old to do it. In a sense they had missed the window of opportunity. You might say to yourself that it will never happen to you, that if you really wanted to do something you'd just go out and do it. That you'd be one of those rare specimens that lives for the moment without any regrets.

While indeed you would be rare, rarer are those who say they live without regrets and actually be right. The reality is that we all have wanted to do something but didn't because we convinced ourselves that it wasn't the right time, that you weren't ready or that you will do it one day. We are great at justifying why we don't follow our dreams, minimizing our dreams such that we expect less from ourselves and to dream small.

So if you think that you are doing everything you have always dreamed you would then you just aren't dreaming big enough for your life.

If you want to ensure that you won't be another soul that comes to the end of their life with a niggling regret then here are a few simple steps that you can do right now to make your life one without regrets.

Stop just meaninglessly living out your daily routine without questioning what you are doing. It's so easy for us to get caught up in our routine that we have come to take it for granted. Start questioning what it is you want out of life. You can start by taking an afternoon out from your normal routine and just find a quiet spot in a local park. Take out a notebook and pen and just start writing everything you want to do, experience or have in your lifetime. Keep writing and don't stop write as many as you can. But make sure you write them out as though failure is not possible, write out your wildest dreams you can think off.

Now that you have your dreams written down in your notebook, simply pick one or two and get started working towards them today. Take a little step everyday towards the achievement of that dream. For example if it is a travel related dream then maybe your little steps could be to get some brochures, research on what you need to do or bring, think about the money you need to save.

There is no reason why you cant be living your dreams everyday. Not only will it put some spark into your everyday routine but it also gives you something fun and exciting to work towards.

Mary the Ark of the Covenant

Catholics honor Mother Mary with one hundred and fifty titles in the Litany of Loreto. Other than these are numerous venerable titles accorded her that the faithful accept as a given. Most of our Separated Brethren in the Protestant world however find the ascribing superfluous and consider these accolades as preposterous if not downright blasphemous.

One must first understand that all the Fathers of the Reformation – Luther, Zwingli, and Calvin – remained devotees of Mary even after breaking away from Rome. Over the course of a few years following their lifetime the succeeding generations of Reformers jettisoned the Marian dimension from Protestant Christianity. Five hundred years hence, we find Christians not only ignorant of the Biblical basis for Marian devotion but inimical towards it as well.

Catholics view the entire Sacred Scriptures as one single fabric; Old Testament verses find meaning and purpose against the panorama of Salvation History. Jesus Christ himself said, “I did not come to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.” And the Early Church Fathers realized in their study of that fulfilment that just as Old Testament types prefigured Christ, so too were types that pointed to people and events associated with his salvific mission. This typological principle at interpreting the Bible led Augustine to conclude: “The Old Testament is revealed in the New and the New Testament is concealed in the Old.”

All honors accorded to the Blessed Mother that Protestants find offensive are actually Christo-centric and Scripture-based. These ensue from her singular privilege as being the Mother of the Eternal Word. Without Jesus, Mary would just have been another woman, but the fact that she bore the Redeemer makes her no ordinary woman. The Church Fathers recognized several Old Testament types prefiguring Mary: Sarah, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Jael, Judith, Esther and the Ark of the Covenant – this last one, we can best appreciate in the Jewish roots of the Faith.

The Old Testament people of God venerated the Ark of the Covenant, a box of acacia wood adorned with winged cherubim and gilded with gold trimmings, which Moses fashioned upon God’s command. Why would the Israelites venerate a fancy gilded box crafted by human hands? Would that not be a violation of the First Commandment? Not so; what made the Ark of the Covenant an object of veneration were its contents: God’s Word inscribed in stone tablets, a dish of manna and the staff of the high priest, Aaron. These made the box divinely sanctified and an object of veneration. Scripture attests that God’s holy presence, the Shekinah, hovered over the Ark like a cloud day and night

(Exodus 40:31-34) as protector of Israel. The Ark was kept in a makeshift tabernacle-tent during their forty-year journey in the desert, led the People of God across to the Promised Land as the waters of the Jordan parted before it for their crossing, and won victories for them in the conquest of Canaan. They were invincible in all their battles with the Ark borne aloft by priests at the frontlines of every encounter.

As time passed the Chosen People repeatedly lapsed into infidelity to their Covenant with God. His holy presence that had been their protection–overshadowing the Tent of meeting in their desert sojourn and the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem–was disregarded by the people, which brought on dire consequence of defeat, domination, and exile.

In 587 BC the Babylonians marched on to Jerusalem. The prophet Jeremiah took the Ark that was reposed in the Holy of Hollies and hid it in a secure place before the Kingdom of Judah fell to the Babylonians and brought it to a place...

Unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy. And then the Lord will disclose these things, and the glory of the Lord and the cloud will appear as they were shown in the case of Moses and as Solomon asked that the place be consecrated (2 Macc 2:5-8).

The temple was rebuilt on the return of the Jews from exile but there was no Ark in the Holy of Holies. It had been missing for six hundred years following the fall and exile. Missing until the proper time for disclosure of God’s mercy. Then came the day when Archangel Gabriel was sent to a lovely young maiden at Nazareth and the Divine Presence that had hovered over the Ark of the Covenant now overshadowed her.

No mortal was ever greeted by an Archangel in such a manner (Lk 1:35); incontrovertible proof from the Scriptures of Mary’s purity. And whereas the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant was simply an elaborate holy crate, the New Testament Ark that it had prefigured was the Immaculate Virgin Mother from whom Jesus, the Eternal Word, Eucharistic Manna, and Eternal High Priest took on flesh. The Word through whom all things were made as attested in John’s Gospel and professed in the Nicene Creed, created His Mother free from imperfection and stain of sin. Her womb the holiest place on earth to form His humanity, the first tabernacle, preserved virginally pure and undefiled – nobody desecrated the Ark of the Lord.

Through, with, and in Christ, the entire Old Testament is fulfilled. Mary, his Immaculate Mother is the true Ark of the Covenant. John in his vision of the heavenly liturgy while on exile at the Isle of Patmos first sees the Ark of the Covenant that had been missing since the Babylonian captivity and immediately thereafter a Woman wearing a crown of twelve stars appears (Rev 11:19-12:1). The Church Fathers identity this Woman as the Woman in Gen 3:15, the same Woman at Cana and at the foot of the Cross. Twelve stars represent the Apostles gathered around her in the upper room at Pentecost metaphoric of the Twelve Tribes encamped around the Ark of the Covenant.

Christians would do well to be devoted to Mary, remembering that as the Old Testament People of God were invincible against all their foes with the Ark of the Covenant leading the way in battle, all the more will they be victorious in the daily spiritual warfare against the forces of Hell with Mary showing the way.

“Ark of the Covenant, pray for us.”

THE FLOW OF SILENCE

At the end of the day, bathing in the soft light of a candle, lying still on your favorite easy chair, surrender to the silence, and you will find within it, music to disappear in.

Understood the flow of silence, the eloquence that follows from an immersion into nothingness, the transcendence that slips behind suspended action like a shadow.

A famous writer once wrote: "You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet, still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet."

In the Bible, in Psalm 24, it has been said, "Be still, and know that I am God."

When you enter the silence, you enter the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High, and all fear, trembling, and doubt ceases. Your restless feet no longer trouble the earth and the mountains of your troubles are carried into the depths of the sea of oblivion.

There is a river in the silence that will carry you into a power that is your very own. When you enter the silence, by learning how to rest and be still, you enter a new place, a virgin territory, where all that is discordant and broken in your life cannot come with you.

Usually, in the first half-hour nothing much happens. Your mind starts to unwind, like a weary warrior dismounting from a spirited horse. You set your shield down, lower your sword, and rest your aching limbs.

Then, in the next half-hour, you gradually descend into a place that becomes increasingly unfamiliar, where thoughts and feelings float by your amazed inner gaze with an alien majesty.

The convulsions of your life, the earthquake that throws the mountains into the sea, the roaring of the waves, the cataclysm of the tidal wave - these phenomena as well as any commotions and revolutions in your world need not shake the one who trusts in silence. Silence is a proven refuge.

Albert Einstein knew about the power of silence and changed the world by what he discovered in it.

Einstein borrowed the idea of the Gedankenexperiment, a thought experiment, from Ernst Mach, the German philosopher, and used it to see what would happen to light beams and gravity when viewed from different imaginary scenarios. He made his paradigm-shattering discoveries by immersing himself in silence and allowing his thoughts to travel where no human thought had ever gone before.

Strange things happen in silence. When the mind-body slows to an even, relaxed pace, thoughts attain a slow rhythm, and intuition arises to resolve paradoxes and invite resolutions and sort out juxtapositions in a unique and exhilarating way.

There is much evidence to show that at alpha and theta brainwaves, which happen in stillness and silence, new thoughts, new discoveries, and remarkable insights await.

Whether you are looking for the God of the mystics or the intuitive hunch that leads to ideas that can change your world, there is only one place you will find it: within. When you discover a resting place free of sound and distraction, you also discover yourself.

There is a world within deeper than an ocean, where archetypes roam and parallel lines do meet at infinity. It is the place where a single whisper can change your life entirely.

Silence is flow; it is music to disappear in; and it has a momentum to it that adds grace to your days and poetry to your life. Pursue it diligently and in your most frantic hour, it will rescue you like the brush of an angel's wing.

DO YOU KNOW THAT LIFE IS GOOD?

We, as human beings, are suffering uselessly. We are walking around protecting, struggling and trying to force life. We are hurt and offended by someone's crooked face. We are wasting so much time and energy worrying about others approval or non-approval, scheming and manipulating and doing everything we can possibly think of to make everything go our way, so we can feel O.K. about ourselves. It is a recipe for failure and unhappiness and unless we learn a new way, we will continue to suffer. Aren't you tired of it? Haven't you suffered enough? Unfortunately, people still live in hell, they live in misery, with problems up one side and down the other and I can hear them say, "Life is good? Are you kidding? Get a grip!"

I want to wrap my arms around them and say, "No, really, there is another way. It will not be easy to remember, but there is something else going on if you can look hard enough, long enough and deeply enough. You, too, will see it, you will feel it and you will know without a shadow of a doubt, that the you, that IS you, is more than anything you could have ever imagined." Our journey is to remember, and, the remembering is good, oh, so good.

This is bigger than being a little positive now and again; this is about living in a completely different paradigm. It is living in the stream of blessing, harmony and flow. Who wouldn't want that? However, most will never do the inner work, most will never take that much responsibility for their life, for they would rather blame someone else and believe only in what they see as truth. We either wake up to the fact that we have something to do with creating our reality or we can continue to live in hell. It is that simple.

Well, that is not for me. Not that I haven't lived in hell and in limbo and everywhere in between. I have done my share of struggling and crying and have spent plenty of time "in the closet". What? You don't know what "in the closet" is? Ask my sisters, or your sisters, or your mother, or your father's mother; they will know. It is when you cannot take another minute of life. The closet is the darkest place in the house, and no one can find you. Yes, I can share my pain with you, but what is more important is how to transform our pain, take the gift, rise above it and begin to live the good life. Life is good when we are seeing it right. Life is good, even if it looks bad. Life is good regardless of what is going on right now. Life is good because you say so. And, if you say so, God simply knows "Yes". Your curriculum is your life. Your participation is not optional. The degree of your suffering is.

HAPPINESS AND SUCCESS

Happiness and success are two concepts intertwined with one another. These are two of the most important ingredients that would eventually define a person's life.

If one would think about it, happiness and success are two things that are relative to a person's point of view since these are dependent on one's ideologies. Happiness and success relate to a target or reference point.

A person may say that he is happy because he just finished his studies or he just met a fine woman. A person may say he is successful because he was just promoted to a higher position. When one talks about happiness and success, a certain goal or perhaps an achievement is always the reference point.

A person will constantly ask himself if he is happy or if he can consider himself successful. Many people become depressed because they cannot seem to make sense of all the things that are happening in their lives. The most important thing to remember, when evaluating one's happiness and success, is that people need to limit their assessment using their own personal standards.

Often times, depression comes about because people rely so much on the expectations of others. Have you heard college students who don't do as well as they could because they don't like the course which they are in? They say that they don't really like the course because they were just forced by their parents or they had to take it for some other reason than because they liked it. Professionals also experience this kind of depression. Oftentimes, the workplace becomes a battleground wherein people live their lives according to the expectations of other people.

Again, happiness and success depend on one's own views. Let us look at a musician's point of view regarding happiness and success. A musician would love nothing more than to create music that comes from his soul. Depending on his ideologies regarding music, he can say that he is successful and happy with what he is doing.

A true musician wouldn't care less if his records sold millions or not, as long as his music stays true to its original intentions when the records were made. A musician can also look at happiness and success in terms of the number of people who patronize his music, if he truly believes that music is nothing if no one hears and appreciates it. It really depends on one's ideologies.

The only thing that we can infer from these two concepts is that these are mutually intertwined. One can say that success brings happiness and happiness is an essential ingredient towards success (i.e. Being happy with one's work will bring beautiful fruits of labor).

Happiness and success are two things that all people aspire for in life. There can never be a single definition for both of these concepts. Even dictionaries wouldn't dare give exact definitions for these words.

Perhaps, only the human heart can define these concepts. You will know when you are happy or when you can call yourself successful if your heart says so.

This is why the heart should always be consulted when making important decisions in life. Yes, of course, this is just a metaphor but we all know that the heart speaks reasons that the mind can never comprehend.

The Importance Of Now

We often overlook the importance and power of the "now?. After all we can?t change the past because it has already happened and we can?t do anything about the future because it is yet to occur. So the only thing to which we do have any control over is right this very moment, the now.

Putting things off to do later only causes you to waste precious time and energy revisiting it in your mind. Thinking about it and thinking about it. How much more productive would it be if you just got it out of the way and allowed yourself and your mind to move onto the next thing.

They say that the thing that causes us to age the most is not our diet, our job or even peak hour traffic on Friday night. In reality it is the little nagging stresses that occupies our mind. In fact if you jumped out of a plan at 14,000 feet right now you would actually shave less years off your life through fear and stress than you would if you have something nagging at you like the need to clean the bathroom. The reason being is that if you put of the task of for this example sake of cleaning the bathroom and this goes on for days then it just keeps nagging at you in your mind. This slow stress situation is more harmful to your long term health than short burst of pure adrenaline and fear caused by skydiving out of a plane.

So if you have something that needs to be done today then find a way to start it and only go onto another task once it is completed. This actually helps with your discipline as you would actually get into a habit of doing things once. Rather than starting something and going onto the next task and then coming back to the original task your mind can stay focused on the issues of the current task without needless distractions. You will actually find you productivity improving.

By seeing the benefits of the now and the present we can use it to empower us in life and get things we want. We have the power to lose weight in the now by the decisions you make right now in getting it started. You have the power to quit smoking in the present by choosing not to smoke right now. If you think about it success is an accumulation of a continuous stream of decisions that eventually lead to the success outcome. So why not decide today to make a change in your life. After all what better way than to decide now.

HAPPINESS IS A STATE OF MIND

Happiness is not some potion or spell. It is a belief system that we all have in us. Some people are just more aware that it is there.

As I walk down the street, I notice a woman walking by me, with a frown on her face. Her face looks aged to me. The frown makes her face look wrinkly and old.
I make it to my destination, the coffee shop. The owner is a happy guy that always greets me with a "Hi girl, How have you been". He always has a big smile on his face and people love talking to him because he’s always cheery.

What type of person are you? Are you a happy soul or a miserable one? If you were to show up at a gathering of friends, would they all welcome you with a big smile and be happy to see you. Or would they be like "oh great so and so is here". How you carry yourself shows in people around you. Your attitude can directly affect those closest to you.

How is happiness attained? First and foremost, you have to love yourself for who you are. Not everyone can have movie star good looks and abs of steel. That really, isn’t important. What is important is who you are on the inside. It is important for you to be positive about yourself, in order to feel happy.

It is a proven fact that people that are happy and use have a positive outlook on a daily basis are healthier than those with a negative attitude. A positive attitude can also help you heal faster. A negative outlook on life will cause you to be unhappy. Your unhappiness will cause stress and stress can wreak havoc on your health.

Another important factor to being happy is having friendships. Friends to spend time with and confide in will help relieve stress and make you feel needed. By playing sports, learning new hobbies or joining clubs, you will be able to make friendships. Friends are like having a support system set in place.

Having hobbies and interests are very important to being happy. Like the saying goes " all work and no play makes jack a dull boy". It’s important to have interests in life. They keep us motivated and happy. Just sitting in front of the tv all day will have the opposite effect. People need to have a hobbies to feel busy and motivated.
Relationships with family and loved ones is also a factor of happiness. If you are fighting with your spouse on a daily basis, that will create a lot of stress. If you truly want to be a happy person inside and out, you will need to nurture these relationships.

By simply reciting positive sayings and affirmations to yourself on a daily basis, you will start to feel better and have a brighter outlook on life. It works on you subliminally, slowly altering how you view yourself and life around you. In time you will build a positive outlook on life and achieve happiness.

THE FIRE IN YOUR SOUL

Many people try to hold a raging fire within themselves, but it restlessly and relentlessly gnaws at their core. Some have tried to cover it up with alcohol, numb it with drugs, hide it with shopping, kids, work, or religion, or fuel it with sex. The Baby Boomers looked for eternal youth and to change the world. They thought they would never grow up, but they did. They thought they would change the world and they did.

The previous generation looked for the Ultimate Dream. Some found it. Many did not. The present generation seems to be seeking success. Yet, the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" widens. Each generation and each individual, in turn, searches for something, but it often slips from their grasp.

The fire carries both energy and discomfort. The key is to use the discomfort as a motivator and the energy as fuel.

Now we seek something and we don't seem to know what it is.

When we are connected to our roots and our souls, passion rises quickly and pushes us the next level of life or learning or love. It does not have to be love for a mate. It could be creative passion, fueling what we do for ourselves, work, community, or family. Anything where the totality of who you are is absorbed in the doing. This requires passion. To loose it, is soul death, or at least deep sleep. It will cry to be heard when it sleeps.

I've sometimes been afraid of my passion. It seems so fierce at times. I guess I fear it will consume me and nothing else will matter. I know that can happen. I've had a small taste of it when I work for hours into the night, so absorbed by my work that I forget time, sleeping, and eating. But, I also know that I must have time in my life to live the every day life of doing the mundane things that must be done. Balance is probably still the key, but you must not loose your passion all together. Your life will be too dry and dull without it.

Remember your first love? Nothing else mattered. You felt as if you would walk to the ends of the earth for that love. Remember that? While that first passionate, all consuming love does not last, it gives us a taste of a force within ourselves that carries tremendous energy. Look for your passion and it will find you.

REASONS TO PRAY

First of all, what is prayer? Prayer is the act of communicating with God, with a higher power. It doesn’t have to consist of the standard prayers we learned as a child. A prayer can consist of a simple phrase or two. “Lord, I’m thinking of you today. Please brighten my day and assist me in all that I do.

”An essential aspect of daily prayer is the belief that you are communicating with God. It is also vitally important that you have faith that your prayers will be answered. Like:

“…prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well...” James 5:15

“Pray for each other so that you may be healed.” James 5:16

“Prayer produces prosperity.” Jeremiah 29:7

“Prayer provides wisdom.” James 1:4

“Prayer yields peace.” Phil 4:6-7

Personally, I like to engage in meditative prayer. My prayer of choice is the Rosary, which I say on a regular basis. A string of beads, called Rosary beads, are used to keep track of the prayers as they are recited. The Rosary allows me to focus on a particular subject as the prayers are repeated. Sometimes I’ll focus on my relationship with the Lord. Other times I’ll focus on a special request that I might have. In either case, I find it very relaxing, almost soothing. Although I have no proof, I believe that my blood pressure is lower when I engage in prayer. I also feel renewed and refreshed after a session of prayer. It’s similar to a form of meditation where a mantra is repeated over and over.

There are many reasons for praying, like:

Numerous scientific studies indicate that prayer can have significant beneficial effects. These studies have shown that
those who pray regularly tend to be happier, more peaceful, and healthier than those who don't.

Pray on a regular basis. That way, when the inevitable day comes and you finally arrive at the pearly gates, the Lord will recognize you.

Prayers are answered if you truly believe. This is the basis for the popular program called The Law of Attraction. In fact, the main thesis for this and the entire positive thinking industry is a quote taken directly from the bible:

“but most of all…all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive”.

Fight the Good Fight

The world has a lot of negative people in it. Are you one of them? Do you expect the worst from situations? Do you criticize more often than praise? It does not have to be this way. A positive attitude can be as simple as changing the way you look at things.

The solution is simple but changing old belief patterns is not always easy to do. Most of us have been stuck in old belief patterns for quite some time. The problem with negative patterns is that they do not get us what we want out of life.

For example, we often believe the events of our past can pretty much predict our futures. With this being the case, we spend a lot of time worrying about our past and our future. By doing this we miss the opportunity to enjoy today.

So how do we learn to live in the here and now? What we often forget, is that we have a choice. We can choose to experience happiness instead of getting caught up in the chaos of negative thinking. Making the goal of peace of mind and happiness your single most important goal. When you catch yourself falling back into old negative ways, switch your focus back to your goal.

Other factors are also involved. For instance, we spent a lot of time trying to control others; their thoughts, their feelings, and their actions. We can only change how we see the world, other people and ourselves. Once again it boils down to what we choose to do.

We can also learn to see the goodness in ourselves, our relationships and in our work place. Happiness will come easier this way as opposed to finding fault in our world.

A part of having a positive lifestyle is sharing it with others. So you remember how good it feels to do something for someone else without being asked to do it. This is what is called an unconditional gift of love. Look for opportunities to do good deeds for others or give them praise for their abilities. Goodwill can be contagious.

Another factor needed for true happiness is forgiveness. Forgiveness is more than just telling someone, I forgive you, it comes from sincere intentions. This will free us from our negative feelings such as guilt, sadness, fear, anger and resentment.

Knowing these principles is one thing, living them is another. It takes time to change old ways of thinking but it is worth the time and effort. If we are willing to work at being consistent in what we think say and do, true happiness will be ours.

Peace in the Midst of Persecution

The persecution of Christians is something very real in many parts of our world, and the following article is the testimony of someone from China who has experienced persecution first hand. This is the story of Ming; someone I knew sometime ago. The story goes in her very own words….

“I was at an underground house church worshipping, when four officers barged in and stood before me. Though I was frightened for a moment, my heart soon calmed. One of them struck me in the face, knocked me down, and then beat me with his baton. He did not stop until a woman of the church bravely intervened.

Then the officers cuffed me, confiscated my Bible, hymnbook, and notebook, and asked me many questions. I answered with wisdom from God, as promised in Matthew 10.19 & 20. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

They took me to the police station and cuffed me to a chair with a guard standing by. Through all their atrocities, I was not the least bit afraid, for I knew the Lord was with me. I prayed, Lord, I thank you because you are using this experience to make me feel more of your presence and witness your mighty works.

The next morning they asked me more questions, but could not find any fault in my answers. The officers then left me alone. During their absence, I was able to recover my Bible, hymnbook, and notebook. I was so glad to regain my most important possessions! Around noon two women of the church came to visit me. They requested my release, saying they were willing to take my place. I was greatly moved by their gesture. Around three o clock the officers took me for more interrogation before releasing me.

Back at the meeting place, I learned how my church family was praying for me. My heart was extremely grateful to the Lord for pouring His great love. I knew for the first time how much He cares. I can now join Job in saying, My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.”

This is just one story that occurs on a daily basis in many countries around the world. We do not always hear about this because in many cases the media and information outlets are carefully controlled by the authorities. I was moved by her story of faith, and I hope it might just move you too.

To Know GOD Is to Love Him

Many years ago than I care to remember there was a popular song that went like this: "To know, know, know him, is to love, love, love him; and I do." It had a catchy tune and sounded romantic. After all, when you're in love with someone, you want to know all there is to know about that person. The more you get to know that person, the more you're likely to love him/her.

That's the way it is with God's Love. You cannot give unconditional love unless you have it, and you don't know you have it until you give it away. You see, God's kind of love is very patient and kind. It is not envious, proud, or hypocritical, and does not seek self-satisfaction, exasperation or evil thoughts. It hates wrong-doing, but always rejoices in the truth. Love will endure much, being ever faithful, hopeful, and dependable.

Is that a tall order, or what! If you are to measure up to that definition of love, than you may be tempted to give up before you start, right? It's no wonder that so many marriages, partnerships, friendships and families are broken up every day!
The big question is, how can you ever be so much in love forever, even when the other person's love grows cold? Could you love someone who does not know you and you know is far from perfect? Your answer to that might be: "Only God could do that!"

Make it your MASTERPIECE

Developing an authentic lifestyle--one that truly reflects what is important to you in all areas of life--is a work of art. It is your personal statement to the world. Are you creating your masterpiece with both the intention and attention a great artist gives her creation?

Reflecting on the ideas and manipulating the materials over time, the artist begins to clarify the vision and, as the piece emerges, watches, refining her ideas, adding this, discarding that, reworking, until the materials begin to match the vision. Once the realization of the dream is glimpsed, work accelerates, and joy and passion carry the piece to completion. Isn’t that much like our lives?

Few artists receive their inspiration from attempting to fulfill someone else’s idea of what the clay, paint, rock, notes, words, fabric or wood might become. Imitation in art is only the tool of the student as the techniques are learned. The truly authentic work of art must come from within the artist, through the techniques and media, into reality.

Similarly, you cannot live the dreams of your parents, the desires of your friends or the visions of another with passion and integrity.

Great artists understand that their art is their personal expression, and is, therefore, unique. The artist values the medium for its potential to express the idea. The artist works diligently with it-- keeping the vision in view, making small adjustments, learning new techniques, experimenting--until the vision emerges in concrete form and becomes an extension of the artist. It is visible then to all who care to look. The piece bears the artist’s name and influences all who view it.

Sometimes, pieces do not please the artist and they are reworked, painted over, melted down, unraveled. These pieces have great inherent value. The artist’s vision is clarified, the materials better understood. This contributes much to the next project, the next work of art.

Sometimes, pieces become a legacy and influence many by their existence. These are the authentic works, the true expressions of the artist. These are the quality pieces, as Willa A. Foster, says, “Quality is never an accident; it is the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives.”

You want your life to be of quality, filled with wise choices. Therefore, approach it with high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution.

When creating a work of art, you must be present with it, fully engaged each moment, totally absorbed by the possibility you are actualizing and the potential you are exploring. This intense focus is required if you are not to be distracted by the myriad of seductive, and easy to justify diversions. It is a powerful process uplifting, inspiring, sometimes frustrating, satisfying, and, most of all, creative. When you are making a success of something, it s not work. It‘s a way of life.

Now, if by chance, you are thinking that viewing your life as a work of art, or a lofty contribution to the world, is impractical compared to a factual time-management, goal-oriented, bottom-line approach, please consider this. Every successful business, organization and corporation has two types of leaders, visionaries and administrators. Both are required. You need to be both visionary and administrator in your own life, to live a life of integrity, of wholeness.

RESTORATION

We all know the parable of the prodigal son and how many sermons have been preached about repentance, from that parable. We are told that 'he came to himself and said, I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight.' In preaching, we speak of this as the first step in a changed life-as conversion, as repentance, confession, returning to God. But, as this is the first step for the prodigal, we must remember that this is also the step to be taken by His erring children-by all the ninety-nine 'who need non-repentance ,' or think they do not. Those Christians who do not understand how wrong their low religious life is must be taught that this is sin-unbelief; and that it is as necessary that they should be brought to repentance as the prodigal. You have heard a great deal of preaching repentance to the unconverted; but I want to try to preach it to God's children. We have a picture of so many of God's children in that elder brother. What the father told him, to bring about a consideration of the love that He bore him, just as he loved the prodigal brother, thus does God tell to us in our contentedness with such a low life: -'You must repent and believe that I love you, and all that I have is thine .' He says, 'By your unbelief, you have dishonored me, living for ten, twenty, or thirty years, and never believing what it was to live in the blessedness of My love. You must confess the wrong you have done Me in this, and be broken down in contrition of heart just as truly as the prodigal.'

There are many children of God who need to confess, that though they are His children, they have never believed that God's promises are true, that He is willing to fill their hearts all the day long with His blessed presence. Have you believed this? If you have not, all our teaching will be of no profit to you. Will you not say, 'By the help of God, I will begin now a new life of faith, and will not rest until I know what such a life means. I will believe that I am every moment in the Father's presence, and all that He has is mine?'

May the Lord God work this conviction in the hearts of all cold believers. Have you ever heard the expression, 'a conviction for sanctification?' You know, the unconverted man needs a conviction before conversion. So does the dark-minded Christian need conviction before, and in order for sanctification, before he comes to a real insight to spiritual blessedness. He must be convicted a second time because of his sinful life of doubt, and temper, and un-lovingness . He must be broken down under that conviction; then there is hope for him. May the Father of mercy grant all such that deep contrition, so that they may be led into the blessedness of His presence, and enjoy the fullness of His power and love!

IS LOVE AN EMOTION?

Very often people confuse love and emotion. They are not the same, although there is a connection, because love is the highest expression of which we are capable, and it would be strange, therefore, if our emotions were not affected in some way. They may well be, although the effect on them can be felt as either positive or negative, and we have all had both kinds of these experiences.

Yet love essentially transcends the emotions and, in its essence, is fundamentally an act of will. (It should be noted in passing that, while in the world in which we live, "love" is frequently used as a synonym for "sex", love has no necessary connection in with sexual act). That act of will is quite independent of what we feel at the time we express love. Indeed, it could be argued that the expression of love is purer the lower is the involvement of our emotions. On the other hand, one could even more strongly argue that our expression of love is greater the greater the negative emotion we are feeling at the time we make the act of love (in the sense that what we are feeling is nothing like what we might imagine love for the other person to be).

When Jesus died on the cross he was certainly not having warm, gooey feeling. He was in dreadful pain: he had been scourged twice, had the crown of thorns thrust upon his head, made to carry his cross in a very weakened state, nailed through his feet and hands, and was then hanging in a position which constantly threatened to cause his suffocation. (They broke the legs of men crucified to prevent them raising themselves up in order to breath). His death was anact of love, the ultimate act of love, but it was also an act of will. We need only reflect on his inner struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane, in seeking only to comply with his Father’s will, to appreciate that.
At one level he was putting into practice his own teachings:

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12).

It sums up the Law and the prophets because it is God’s ultimate law. If we are ever in any doubt as to how we should act in order to love another, we need only ask ourselves how we would desire them to act, were we in the same situation. The answer has nothing to do with how we feel. Indeed, if the situation is one in which we consider we have been, or are being, injured, it is likely that our feelings will be telling us to do exactly the opposite!

As Christians, we have taken up an option. Above anything else, it is an option of Love and it is therefore an option to love. We have no choice in the matter — whatever the matter happens to be. If it happens that our emotions are tending to move us in the same direction as our will, that is merely an accidental benefit. We are certainly glad of it because it makes our actions easier.

But we are never called to be people who are controlled by their emotions: that is to be enslaved by a facility which should be at our service in making decisions, decisions which we are led to and which are determined by the Holy Spirit. Indeed, theologians explain to us the nature of the Holy Spirit as being the love which exists between the Father and the Son.

Hence, when we are led by the Spirit we are led by love, and emotions do not enter into it.

Tierra de Maria, First Saturday Healing Mass, January 2010

Are You an Ugly Duckling?

Sometimes in life, we may feel like ugly ducklings.

We can't fit in. Our walk is not the right waddle and our squawk is off-key. In fact, we wonder if the other ducks are snickering behind our back.

Our life is an example of what does not work. And, in quiet desperation, we feel we may soon be down to nothing.

The original sin appears to have found its full manifestation in us.

But consider this: we may actually be swans.

And amongst swans, we fit in perfectly. Our feathers are the right shade, length, and texture, our gait is regal, our voice has a perfect pitch, and we swim with grace. And what we reflect is the original perfection.

Swans aspire to their spiritual splendor.

They recognize that this life is transitory and that they have a hunger to connect with the source of all life. In essence, a part of them wants to feel a connection with all of life.

They're really focused on reaching enlightenment itself.

It's a novel situation to be a human being, and when we grasp this simple concept, we aspire to move ahead in a different way than other people.

As a swan, you've realized for some time now that your beliefs will cause you to create or attract situations and events that you experience as your life.

It's your goal to explore your own belief system and you search to equip yourself with tools to modify those things of which you wish to change.

You must also seek to balance the understandings that you glean from world lessons, or experiences, as well as from word lessons, or intellectual understanding.

When you touch your true swan nature, I suspect, you will find an amazing love for life, and you will be a catalyst for positive change in the world. Your health, your relationships, your career, and your finances will all be touched and improved when you master deeper levels of your own consciousness.

Imagine feeling a profoundly deep connection to your own being, a connection that defies description. Imagine meeting others and see within them your own humanity and struggle for the light of truth.

As a swan, you aspire towards an experience of compassionate, accepting connection with all of life. You seek your own true power. In a world of lies, you seek truth.

If you find your life impossible right now--where you don't quite seem to fit in and things aren't going quite right for you--it may be that you're a swan pretending to be a duck.

It may be time to accept that a greater game than you had imagined is afoot.

Sometimes when you're down to nothing, your Spirit is up to something. The ugly duckling is about to recognize that it is a swan.