Re-Finding Our Smile

Greetings!

"If it's not fun, why do it? -- Ben and Jerry
In this teaching we call Religious Science or New Thought, we spend a lot of time on very serious business like goals, dreams, forgiveness, our relationship with Spirit, etc. And all that is important. But I believe that sometimes we postpone our experience of joy and happiness until....

As soon as I reach that goal, as soon as that whatever manifests for me, as soon as.... We stay focused on our goal (someone said our "eyes on the prize"), which is good. But when we do, there is the possibility that we are missing out on the happiness of the moment.

We are mature and responsible and orderly and serious. Breakfast food is for breakfast. You don't wear blue and green together.

But what if we stirred it up a little and broke some rules? What happens when we do that? More often than not, it makes us smile.

Just about everyone I know has a storage compartment someplace. Or two or three. And if not, their garage looks like an Oklahoma windstorm went through. We have all the stuff, so why aren't we happy?

Maybe because we don't allow ourselves to be.

The wonderful book Happiness Is A Choice by Barry Neil Kaufman, which a dear friend reminded me of, offers "shortcuts to happiness," including:

Make happiness a priority. In our interactions in the world, we can choose whether to react or respond. Or even just smile. A Course in Miracles reminds us that "I can be right, or I can be happy." Sometimes we get both, but when we don't, which is more important?
Personal authenticity and integrity. We all have things that we do differently from anyone else. It is part of what makes us, us. Honor and celebrate the unique and wonderful being you are!
Let go of judgments. See point number 1.
Be present. As I write this, the house is quiet and there is a Golden Retriever lying across my left foot. The wind is rustling in the trees outside, and I hear an airplane and traffic in the distance. Thoughts of past and future keep us from the lusciousness of the moment.
Be grateful. Everyone and everything brings us a blessing. Without exception.
The Universe works on ease and grace and joy and wonder and passion. Ever seen an aardvark? Not only a rather unattractive creature, but the name starts with two a's. How much fun is that?

Hmmm. How about a waffle for dinner, with a lemon drop martini to wash it down? Think of all that lovely vitamin C in the lemons...

Thanks everyone for enjoying my Blog!!

i add to it every day.
You can tell that i add to it according to the date of the blog.
All of my blogs are uplifting in some way, according to there subjects.
Lately you can tell by looking at my Archives that since late 2011 my blog has EXPLODED!!!
What you will mostly find in my blogs is personal development life coaching law of attraction material, and Ron Paul material as well. I hope you get something from my uplifting blog, and i enjoy adding them and get a lot from them myself too!!

good night


Tyler

"The Greatest Love of All"

"The greatest love of all is easy to achieve. Learning to love yourself -- It is the greatest love of all"
In honoring and celebrating the life and talent of Whitney Houston, I was reminded of this song that she recorded.

On this Valentine's Day, whether you have another beloved (besides yourself) or not, how will you honor yourself and this "greatest love"? What do you say about yourself?

My dear friend and mentor, Edwene Gaines, says that "my life means what I say it means."
If we say (whether verbally or in our thoughts) that we are powerful and power-ful beings, that we are a blessing to the world and that the world is a blessing to us, that is our truth.

What I know for you is that everything in your life is exactly as it should be.

Depending on how your life looks, that statement might surprise you. But when we step back from judgment, away from how it is "supposed to be" based on someone else's rules and regulations, we can honor ourselves for how far we have come, the opportunities and lessons we have learned, and face today (and every day) with excitement and anticipation of new and wonderful blessings. Every experience has been there to bring us a blessing, whether it seemed like it at the time or not.

A Course in Miracles reminds you that you are host to God. (Remember that Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is within you.) How different would your life look, today and every day, if you were consciously aware of that in every moment?

Today, you don't have to send yourself candy and flowers (unless you want to). But I challenge you to experience that "greatest love," in the remembrance that you are the beloved of God. Not anyway, but period. And then act accordingly.

When you do, the most amazing things will happen. When we decide that we deserve only the best, and settle for only the best, Life responds (because as we know, Life is a mirror of our beliefs) with only the best in our relationships, our health, our money, and in every other area. Godiva or Whitman's Sampler--always our choice.

An Opportunity for Inconvenience

My first full-time job was with San Diego Trust & Savings Bank in Escondido. In 1978, our branch was the first one in the system to install an automated teller. Called a "7/24" machine, you could get your balance, or withdraw money. It was HOT.

This, of course, was before the days of direct deposit, the internet, and scanning checks to be deposited on your smart phone. But suddenly you didn't have to stand in line in the bank (between the hours of 10 and 4, thank you) in order to make a withdrawal.

We've come along way. I sometimes find myself feeling a little inconvenienced if the internet moves too slowly, or if I do have to go to the bank and stand in line for 5 minutes. Spoiled? Perhaps.

As you may know, A Season for Non-violence is the annual 64 day campaign celebrating the lives and work of Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King. Non-violence sounds like something governments and countries should do. If they would just _______________
(and feel free to fill in the blank), the world would be a better place.

But I believe that violence is more than just physical. It is also in the ways we treat one other--anger, resentment, bitterness and the need for forgiveness are also forms of violence.

Our decision to be non-violent starts with a willingness to change. Change is most often inconvenient--we may have to do something we have never done before. Giving someone the benefit of the doubt; putting ourselves in their position; being willing to not take their actions personally.

I choose to consciously experience this year's SNV personally, by allowing myself to be inconvenienced, and by being aware of how I can be more loving. Won't you join me?

Judgmental Christians, had to deal with this growing up. Will not tolerate it.

This doesn't mean I don't believe in Christ.
But most Christians are so difficult to deal with.
It's rare to find some that are fun to be around and not feel judged by them.
And they will judge you for the smallest things too.
Just not picky. Blah blah blah.
It gets to be too much.
Why can't people just be normal?
There's either too many drunks to deal with, or too many judgmental Christians to deal with.
Why are people so extreme?

Daily Teachings

Yes, but.....

Greetings!

You've probably made your list, either on paper or in your head, of what you want to accomplish in 2012. You might call them goals, or resolutions, but the intention is the same. Some of them might be carry-overs from 2011, and that's OK.

Often, after we do that, a well-meaning friend, or the news, or our ego (which some people believe stands for Edging God Out) will remind us of all the reasons why those wonderful things couldn't possibly happen. And often, after we get those messages or ideas, we accept them as our truth. The reasons why wind up being excuses.

Our reasons / excuses may have been with us for a long time. Perhaps your goal or resolution is to finally stand in your truth and change the dynamics of a relationship that no longer serves you. But you might have been taught that children should be seen and not heard. (We are someone's child, no matter how old we are.) Or that the meek shall inherit the earth, which could be used as a reason / excuse for playing small.

But what if we could look at those old beliefs / reasons / excuses and release them, so we can make 2012 our best year yet?

Visit my blog at http://revjerryt.wordpress.com to listen to my talk on this subject from last Sunday.

Most of our reasons / excuses are based in scarcity. I don't have enough time, money, talent, energy, etc. etc. That "not enoughness" can really keep us stuck.

Be sure to be with us on Sunday, starting at 10 a.m., to meet and hear Victoria Castle, author of The Trance of Scarcity. Victoria is our guest speaker during the service, and will conduct a workshop based on the book starting at 11:30 a.m.

See you there!
Love and Light,

Rev. Jerry Troyer

An Old Dog and New Tricks

Greetings!

Chances are good that by now, you have made your list of goals for 2012, or a list of New Year's resolutions, or at least given some thought to what you'd like to accomplish.

Often, when we do that, our ego (that part of us that really likes the status quo, what Wayne Dyer says stands for Edging God Out) tells us all the reasons why whatever it is couldn't possibly happen.

If it's a major change in the structure of our lives, we might be reminded of the old statement that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks."

That, by the way, is not the truth. It is not the truth for the four-pawed ones, and it isn't the truth for the rest of us Puppies either.

The world (remembering the words of Jesus that 'my kingdom--and so our kingdom--is not of this world,' being the world of effect) will give us reasons / excuses why things must remain the same. Often, they are rooted in scarcity. There is not enough money, time, energy, wisdom, etc. etc.

But we can choose otherwise.

On Sunday, I'll be using Dr. Wayne Dyer's wonderful book, Excuses Begone, to look at some of those common reactions that we have when we have the beginning of a wonderful new idea; and how we can replace those with the empowering truth that it is the Father (Spirit, the Universe, our Higher Power) within that doeth the work.

How It's Supposed to Be vs How It Is

Greetings!

Jerry C. and I are spending a few days in Breckenridge, Colorado, on our way home from spending Christmas with his family in Kentucky.

We were awakened about 4:30 this morning by very strong wind gusts, blowing snow, and complete darkness. Yes, the electricity had gone out.

Four hours later, no change. But I'm supposed to have hot coffee in the morning very soon after I wake up. I am supposed to have a hot breakfast. And I'm supposed to be able to watch the Kentucky vs Louisville college basketball game!

The good news is that "the juice" (which is what electricity is called in Kentucky) came back around 11 a.m. Mountain time, so we are watching the second half of the game. And there is coffee brewing.

As I was sitting and watching the snow (which was pretty cool, in more ways than one), I was thinking about how it is supposed to be. And those goals I listed for the last 100 days of the year. Those that I accomplished and those that I did not. There were some things I was supposed to do that I did not do. But who made the list? Who assigned the end date? I did.

If you have a list of resolutions for 2011, at least some of which will be carried over into 2012, how do you feel about that? Maybe you didn't lose the weight, or finish cleaning and organizing the room, or whatever. There are no doubt reasons and excuses, but because we are dealing only with ourselves, we can love ourselves enough to say that the reason it didn't happen is because it didn't happen. We can forgive and release all of it.

In just a few hours we will start a brand new wonderful (and wonder-ful) new year. Make your resolutions if you choose (or call them goals or something else), but do so in gratitude for everything in 2011, and in power and expectation of a great 2012.

The Gift of Beauty

Greetings!

"Everything is beautiful in its own way
Like a starry summer night
Or a snow covered winter's day
And everybody's beautiful in their own way
And here in God's heaven
The world's gonna find a way."

At the risk of dating myself, I was remembering the chorus of the song "Everything Is Beautiful," recorded by Ray Stevens in the 1970's.

Beauty can be subjective. For example, I may really love roses, but not daisies. Or vice-versa.

But what if I could recognize the beauty in everything--and in every one? And what if I could see that there is a blessing for me in everything, and in every one?

If you are out and about today, I invite you to take the opportunity to recognize the beauty in last minute shopping and the excited faces of children. And take an extra moment to enjoy the beauty of the season (and Saturday afternoon NFL football--woohoo!).

And by the way, since "everybody's beautiful," that means that you are, too!

The Gift of Power

"We must come to believe that the creative Spirit which is back of all things also flows through us. If we think of ourselves as rooted in God, and expect Divine Power to flow through us, our every thought and our every act will be animated by the same life and power and beauty that clothe the lily of the field." -- from Good For You by Ernest Holmes

We are amazingly powerful and power-filled beings.

Thinking about the gift of Power reminds me that, as Jesus said, "it is the Father within (Spirit, the Universe, our Higher Power) that doeth the work."

This most wonderful time of the year is, for many of us, also the busiest time of the year. Sometimes we might be tempted to slip into a belief in "not enough-ness." But the truth is that there is always enough--enough time, enough love, enough peace, enough power.

If you are spending time with friends or family over the weekend, there might be an invitation to give your power away. We do that when we slip into resentment or regret about a family member or situation.

If you are traveling over the weekend (with the 92 million other Americans, according to The Today Show), there might be an invitation to give your power away and slip into frustration and judgment. If those people would just drive the way I want them to...

But notice that word invitation. Because that's all it is, we can accept or decline. No, thank you, I choose to not react, and instead, keep my power, which results in Light, Life, Love and Peace.

Here's to consciously enjoying all those wonderful gifts of Spirit.

The Gift of Love

The ultimate expression of Spirit is Love. When we finally release all beliefs in a judgmental God out there somewhere that gives and takes away, based on our performance, we embody that which Jesus referred to as "Abba," which translates to mean "Daddy."

We are unconditionally loved and nurtured. Spirit (God, the Universe, our Higher Power) always says yes to us without exception. Because we are loved, we can love ourselves, and then one another.

Do we treat ourselves with the experience of Love that the Universe has for us? When we truly love ourselves, we reside in the moment, in the conscious expectation of our greater good. We look at our past in compassion, knowing that we always did the best we could in the moment.

In I Corinthians 13, Paul reminds us that "the greatest of these is Love."

The Gift of Life

The second attribute of Spirit that Judge Thomas Troward wrote about was Life.

You might remember this quote from a few weeks ago: "Life is a pretty precious and wonderful thing. You can't save it up...you have to let it lap against you..."

Sometimes we call Life around us "nature." Think about the nature of nature--always growing, always expanding, always in the moment. In autumn, the trees give up their leaves in anticipation of rest in the winter and then a glorious new blooming in spring. They never hang on to the old stuff--they always release today's good in anticipation of tomorrow's better.

Life is creative, always passionate, always in anticipation of the greater good. To me, Life is as children see this time of year--wonder, joy and excitement. Jesus talked about receiving the kingdom (our moment by moment experience) as a little child.

Mary Morrissey reminds us that this is a "brand new baby day." Life calls us to greet it with joy-filled anticipation.

LOA Christians tend to pay closer attention to there thoughts & feelings then traditional Christians.

They pray, go to church, read devotions, but then they turn around and yell all day and think its ok. They are cursing their day by not knowing what they do.

Sent from my iPhone

The Science of Being Great - Wallace D Wattles

http://www.psitek.net/pages/PsiTek-the-science-of-being-great-Contents.html

Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress.

Jobs and money are never the primary cause of stress. Thinking, negative thinking causes stress. The real cause of all problems lie in our thoughts, not in things or circumstances. You and I possess the power to change our thoughts. It is our greatest power - the power to choose. If you are feeling stressful, choose to relax. Look at your problems as a stranger might. Then do something about them - NOW!

-Bob Proctor

The Law Of Attraction Understood Through Christianity (Simplified Version)

I was raised a Christian. I learned to pray as soon as I was able to talk. I learned about things like “faith” and “inspiration” by the time I was three or four years old. As a result, I believe that I have enjoyed my life far more than most people do. I learned at a very young age that I could pray for comfort when I was scared, and I could pray to find a toy that I had lost. Somehow, I was always comforted, and perhaps even more miraculously, I always found my lost treasures (toys).

While growing up with this type of understanding was clearly an advantage for me, it has been extremely refreshing to relearn some of the principles as an adult– and using different words to describe the principles. The problem with learning how to pray at such a young age is that I grew up assuming that I understood what prayer really was. Because I assumed that I already knew how to pray, I never felt the need to discover meditation or ridding the mind of “clutter” before and during prayer. I assumed I knew how to pray and receive answers to those prayers, and because of that belief, I never spent the time to go beyond the very basics of prayer. Similarly, I never spent time trying to really identify other important principles like faith.

In teaching the law of attraction, I’ve found it very useful to use the Bible and at times to bounce back and forth between “church vocabulary” and “new-age movement vocabulary.” I’ve found that when Christians see the principles clearly, they are able to overcome some of their assumptions about God and religion, and inevitably the relationship they have with Divinity is strengthened enormously. This post is for anyone who believes in Christ, but doesn’t know if the law of attraction is real.

The premise of the law of attraction is a request-with-a-promise found dozens of times throughout the bible: “ask and ye shall receive.” The King James Version of the Bible says in Matthew 21:22 “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” The “secret” or law of attraction says that anything you think about long enough and with enough emotion, you will attract to you. If someone were to be born in some far away land, and never once read the Bible, would they still have access to that blessing described throughout the Bible? Should they be able to receive anything they want badly enough to pray for it and believe it is coming? I believe in a just and loving God, and I believe that God creates perfect systems to run the universe. If there is a promise so clearly and commonly laid out in the Bible that says “ask and you shall receive,” I believe that the promise is valid for anyone on earth who asks. Of course God created a system to allow His promises to be fulfilled, and somehow in this magical universe, we vibrate on frequencies that attract back to us our true desires.

So why is it that so many people pray for things they want, and don’t seem to get answers? Why is it that so many people pray for success, but continue to fail? If you ask a preacher, 99 times out of 100, he or she is going to tell you the answer lies in the word “faith.” James 1:6 says “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” Again, I learned the word faith when I was too young to be able to analyze what it really meant. So all these years I always assumed I knew what faith was. Teaching the law of attraction has truly opened my eyes here. Many teachers of the law of attraction talk about subconscious limiting beliefs and counter intentions that keep people from attracting the very things that they consciously desire. Christ taught that “perfect faith casteth out fear” (1st John 4:18). Limiting beliefs are often described more simply as “fear.” In order to have true faith, you need to be rid of your internal fear. Fear and faith cannot occupy the same space in your mind or in your soul. In church I was taught to “have more faith” all the time, but no one ever really taught me how to build faith. Now I realize that removing fear and replacing that space with trust is faith. I’ve learned to trust the inspiration I feel. Because I trust those promptings, I can act without fear.

The law of attraction also touches on the idea that if your vibrational state, or your internal energy, raises to a new, higher level, then the world around you will magically change to fit that vibration. Conversely, if you operate on a lower vibrational frequency, your surroundings will match that as well. I’ve spoken with some people who, before speaking with me, felt like this obvious contradiction by itself proved that the whole premise of the law of attraction was hogwash. The best way to to help these people is with a scripture from the Bible. Titus 1:15 explains “To the pure all things are pure: but to them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.” I think that is amazing. A person with a pure heart can be in the same geographical location as another with a defiled soul. The pure will see and experience nothing but purity, and in the exact same physical environment, the defiled will see and experience nothing but filth.

The great justice (and at the same time, mercy) in all of this is that we are in the driver’s seat. If you want to be pure, if you want a better life, it is completely up to you. When life gets so difficult that you decide you don’t want to continue living the way you are, you will naturally begin to curse life, possibly curse God, and decide that something’s got to change. You can question your beliefs, you can question your fears. You can decide to ask for a better life, and then acting accordingly. As you remove each fear that gets in the way of faith, you co-create a better life for yourself.

I realize I’m leaving a lot out of the equation here, we could make this far more complex, but ultimately I believe that Christ was the most effective teacher of the law of attraction. If you want to have a better life, declare it! Decide what you want. Be as clear as possible. If you know how to pray, pray for it. If you don’t, stay tuned and we’ll talk about that later. Once you decide what you want, start listening for inspiration from the Divine. It is already coming to you, and as soon as you are ready to hear and listen, you can receive. As long as you have removed the fears that keep you from acting on that inspiration, you will act. Without faith you will not act on the promptings. But with faith, you will act, and following that inspiration will lead you to the life you have asked for.



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Jesus Versus The Secret: A Christian’s Guide to the Law of Attraction

At the time of this writing, The Secret is the #8 best-selling book on Amazon. A book with a title like The Secret makes you want to discover what’s inside.

The secret within The Secret is the Law of Attraction, described in the book as follows:

Everything that’s coming into your life you are attracting into your life, and it’s attracted to you by virtue of the images you’re holding in your mind.

The most obvious explanation for the power of positive thinking involves motivation. In other words, positive thinking encourages positive action, and positive action causes positive results.

However, another explanation can be found in The Secret, which casts positive thought as metaphysical power:

You are a human transmission tower, and you are more powerful than any television tower created on earth. You are the most powerful transmission tower in the Universe. Your transmission creates your life and it creates the world. The frequency you transmit reaches beyond cities, beyond countries, beyond the world. It reverberates throughout the entire Universe. And you are transmitting that frequency with your thoughts!

Notice the capitalization (and deification) of the word “universe” in the previous excerpt. Despite all its talk of quantum physics and new science, The Secret is a spiritual book with underpinnings in theology and religion, where Universe and God mean the same thing.

Because of The Secret’s metaphysical nature, people may want to know if the Law of Attraction violates their religion. In fact, the book claims to parallel several world religions.

A Christian friend of mine recently said, “John, do you think the Law of Attraction is just a bunch of new-age mumbo jumbo?”

What she really wanted to know was whether a Christian could practice the Law of Attraction in good conscience, or if Christianity and The Secret were diametrically opposed. As it turns out, the answer lies inbetween these extremes.

Before we go any further, I want to share my religious background, so you know where I’m coming from. I do not claim to be an expert on Christianity, but I know something about it. My mother and father-in-law are preachers, and I was raised in the Church. I have practiced many Christian denominations: Baptist, Non-Denominational, Pentacostal — the list goes on. I have read every word of the New Testament six times, and I believe the Gospels contain some of life’s most valuable lessons, whether you’re Christian or not.

So when I was asked to share my opinion about Christiantiy and the Law of Attraction, I discovered I had quite a bit to say.

But I want to be clear: This article is not about what I believe. You are smart enough to make decisions about your spirituality on your own. This article is an analysis of how the Law of Attraction meshes with basic Christian principles – no more, no less.

The Power of Faith

One of the core principals of the Law of Attraction, as described in The Secret, is the ability of faith to affect physical change in the universe:

You must believe that you have received. You must know that what you want is yours the moment you ask. You must have complete and utter faith.

In the moment you ask and believe and know you already have it in the unseen, the entire Universe shifts to bring it into the seen. You must act, speak, and think as if you are receiving it now. Why? The universe is a mirror, and the law of attraction is mirroring back to you your dominant thoughts.

On the importance of faith, the Law of Attraction and the New Testament agree. Christianity recognizes the power of faith to bring about positive change, not merely as an internal motivator, but also as an external creative energy.

If you doubt the Bible’s position on faith, just look at these scriptures:



Luke 17:6 –If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this tree, Be uprooted and planted in the sea, and it will obey you.

Matthew 7:7 — Ask and ye shall receive.

Mark 11:23 – For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

The scripture in Mark is one of the most powerful in the Bible. It says you can have anything you want if you have faith. So are The Secret and the Bible in complete agreement? Well, not so fast.

The Christian God is not Your Genie

In The Secret, the Universe is portrayed as a cosmic genie, waiting to grant your every wish. But the Christian God is not your Genie. The Christian God is sovereign, not merely an extension of your hopes and wishes.

So what’s the implication of God’s sovereign nature upon the “power of faith” scriptures I quoted earlier? Simple: You can have all the faith in the world, but the Christian God isn’t granting your wish unless it’s His will.

This does not completely undermine the principles of faith advocated by LoA, but does apply limits to them.

Plus, the Bible has a Code of Conduct

Although the Law of Attraction and the Bible agree in principle on the power of positive thinking and the importance faith, the Bible (being a religious book) suggests a code of conduct related to what you should attract, whereas The Secret (a secular book) does not.

The Secret says you can obtain a new BMW by manifesting it. The Bible, on the other hand, suggests the futility of living a consumer lifestyle. If you want to know my opinion about the hopelessness of modern consumption, read my American Zombie article. If you want to know what the Bible says about it, read these verses:

Matthew 6:19 — Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Matthew 13:22 — The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

Both verses hint at the temporary and unsatisfying nature of living for the material treasures of this life.

There’s more to the Bible than the Law of Attraction
The NIV Study Bible that I used as a reference while writing this article contains almost 2,000 pages, and only a small percentage involve desire manifestation. In other words, there’s more to the Bible than the Law of Attraction.

This brings us to our final point, the real impact statement of this article: If a person wants to follow the tenets of Christianity and simultaneously use the Law of Attraction, he must recognize the Law of Attraction as one small component in a larger body of Christian teachings.

A complete reconciliation of LoA with the Bible would take a book, not an article. And it’s doubtful even a book could tackle it, since reconciliation is a personal journey. Hopefully this article has given you a place to start and something to think about.