This is such a busy time of year. We experience the hustle bustle of shopping malls, the heavy traffic and even the noisy holiday parties.   Sometimes we may wonder if we have enough time to “do it all!”   When we feel this way, it is the perfect time to:
“BE STILL and KNOW THAT I AM GOD.”
We may not be able to stop the noise on the outer, however we can stop the noise on the inner. Being STILL changes the energy, and vibration within and around us, in  the malls, at stoplights, on the road and even in the midst of a party. At this time we can send Blessings and Love to  people everywhere and spend a moment in gratitude for all the good we have been given. Time will suspend for a moment  and a feeling of deep peace will fill us up. The  Presence of God changes the whole day. Divine Order happens. Divine Timing gets us where we need to be. Divine Stillness  makes us pause so we can “do it all.”

There is One Power, One Presence, One Beloved Spirit which moves in, through and as all of us. This is God, our Creator and our Source of All Good.  I invite this beautiful God Presence here at the Thanksgiving Table knowing the ONE takes many different forms.
As I look into the eyes of all sitting AT THE TABLE, I see the Face of God looking back at me.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my family, for I feel their love, trust and support forever.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my relatives, for they remind me of the extension of God’s love  and  the knowledge  I am related to all human beings.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my friends, for I know I am truly accepted for who I am.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my co-workers for I know our collaborative work helps each person to succeed.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my team for we come together in full cooperation knowing we have each other’s backs and best interest at heart.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with strangers, for I bring forth within myself greater compassion, greater generosity knowing I have enough to give and to share.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my pets, knowing they bring me great joy and unconditional love no matter what kind of day I have had.
I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with the decorative flowers and delicious food, for I am appreciative for the bounty and blessings of  Mother Earth.
AND I am grateful to be AT THE TABLE with my enemies, for I know those who are unkind, mean, and/or deceitful are also God’s children worthy of love, kindness, and understanding.
So as we break bread together AT THE TABLE, we understand our human and Spiritual ONENESS, our inter-relatedness, inter-connectedness and inter-dependence of all Life. Everyone AT OUR TABLE  is  sacredly nourished, maintained and sustained in body, mind, soul and sprit. For there is no other, there is just God being God in all through all, as all.
And So It Is.  Amen

“I AM surrounded by Living Substance,
a ‘Niagara’ of Good and Plenty”
– Rev. Dr. Kathleen Johnson

Dear Friends,
I love this quote by my friend Rev. Dr. Kathleen Johnson.  I have been affirming I AM the “Niagara of Good and Plenty,” overflowing and continually abundant!  I feel so blessed  with all the good in my life and realize there is more good to come! I am continuously presented with an abundance of Divine Opportunities and feel very grateful for my life.  This is truly the season to be grateful for everything, from the smallest pencil to the huge comfy sofa, to the piece of sliced apple to the grandiose banquet on Thanksgiving. We all have much to be thankful for.  Remember YOU are the Niagara Falls of Spirit continuously present, available and abundant! Call forth and invoke this God Source within you. You have the power to do so. You are the “Heirs of the Kingdom!”  The beautiful Jesus the Christ said, “I and my Father are One.” That was the Truth for him as he manifested so much good and plenty and it is the Truth for you and me. We each have the innate ability to experience the NIAGARA of Good in our lives. Say it, Claim and BE it!
Abundant Blessings to All!

“Gratitude is the sign of noble souls.”   Aesop

November is the month of Gratitude!

We stop and take time to be grateful for All the Good present in our lives  right now. Our Divine Good begins in our heart and mind first before it manifests in the visible realm.  We all can be thankful for the Good times and we must learn to be thankful for the “not so good times.”

The “not so good” times can be turned around to our benefit when we thank God for the experience and thank God for guiding us through it and to use it for a beneficial purpose.  We learn from those times. We learn more patience, kindness, love, appreciation and ways in which we can help others going through similar experiences.

All is meant to Bless us. When we focus on the blessings, beautiful good comes bursting forth from the experience. Ways to experience more gratitude:

*Start a Gratitude Journal and write down all the good and not so good experiences for the day. Look at each and say “Thank you God for the blessings and Thank you God for turning this situation around.” Look back at your life and find the miracles that happened when you felt loss or hurt. You are never alone and God is always moving within you to create a better and more wonderful life in, through and as you!

*Print the word “Gratitude” on River Rocks and set them among your flowers and patio area. Give them out to friends and neighbors.

* Create a Gratitude bracelet for a friend who helped you in your time of need..

*Write ” I AM Grateful” in the sand.

* Write a Letter of Gratitude to someone who really made a difference in your life this year!

Write more than one!

“Each time a man looks into your eyes, he is only searching to find himself; for he knows already, that he is part of you”   Jeremy Aldana

A Beautiful Story

 One day, as usual, an orphan, a little girl stood at the street corner begging for food, money or whatever she could get. Now, this girl was wearing very tattered clothes, was dirty and quite disheveled.

A well-to-do young man passed that corner without giving the girl a second look. But, when he returned to his expensive home, his happy and comfortable family, and his well-laden dinner table, his thoughts returned to the young orphan. He became very angry with God for allowing such conditions to exist.

He reproached God saying, “How can you let this happen! Why don’t you do something to help this girl?”

Then he heard God in the depths of his being responding by saying “I did. I created you.”

-Anonymous

What a “beautiful story” truly showing  how connected we all are and how everyone is a part of us in the ONE LIFE of GOD.

***

What a beautiful quote by Pema Chodron, and so true.  Life always has a way of sending us messages and is very persistent as well as patient.  What areas of your life are being repeated  and replayed  over and over?  Are you ready to learn the lesson and move on?  Learning the lesson means we are willing to be silent and go deep within and really be honest with ourselves in how we conduct the business of life. What words and intentions are we using in our relationships, work place, finances and health. Look carefully.  If we continue to “claim” ill health it will remain and be repeated. If we “state” our checkbook never has enough to pay our bills, it never will. If we hold a grudge against someone who got “the job” we wanted, we become stuck in life. When we use words, thoughts and feelings in this way we place

a DEMAND on the Universe to MAKE IT COME TRUE!  Let’s STOP the pattern! Claim, state, demand and picture, a different outcome.  The beauty of this exercise is we can also do it for past memories as well. Do you have a  memory that replays itself constantly? Stop for a moment, be silent, get quiet and Visualize  what you really wanted to do or say to not cause harm or hurt to another human being and/or to yourself! Also replay the memory so the other person does not cause you suffering or stress.  Picture the outcome as one of peace and harmony, abundance and joy, love and compassion. Yes, you can do that for the past, present and future.   When you change the memory of the past, you change the timing, experiences and vibrations of the present and future. All is energy, and all time is occurring NOW.

The lesson is….

“Change your thinking, Change Your Life!”              (Ernest Holmes)

Lesson Learned!

How should we be able to forget those ancient myths that are at the beginning of all peoples, the myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us.  ~ Rainer Maria Rilke (Karen Jandorf Peace Inspirations)

The above quote reminds me of the Spiritual Truth, ALL IS MEANT TO BLESS US.  All people, all experiences, all actions are meant to move us forward in consciousness, on our spiritual journey.  When we see the GOOD and Blessings in everything  (even the appearance of not so good) we draw the BEST and Highest out, because that is what we see.   God only sees the Love and Good in us. When we pray and see only God the Good in others, Spirit  manifests a perfect outcome in health, love, success, joy, and abundance.  We really do bring forth the princess or prince within us when we choose to see the blessings.  If all we see are the dragons of disturbances, lack, hard times,  unfulfilling relationships and illness, these dragons will remain in our life.. What we focus on manifests!

Dragon: Divorce   Princess/Prince – Thank you God for this person, for the lessons I have learned. He/she was here for a season and I am ready for a Higher Love in my life.                                                                                                                             Dragon: Loss of Job   Princess/Prince – Thank you God for a NEW and Greater Opportunity on my spiritual path.                                                                                   Dragon: Illness  Princess/Prince – Thank you God for the opportunity to know my Truth. I am you and you are me. Divine Health is my inheritance and I accept it now. I accept the greater lesson learned from the appearance of illness.

What is your dragon today?

How shall the Princess/Prince in you see the Truth, the Good, the Blessings?

At the center of your being,
you have the answer; you know who you are, and you know what you want.
-Lao Tzu

I love the quote stated above. Why? Because I resonate with its spiritual truth. How many times have you shrugged your shoulders and said, “I just don’t know what I am supposed to do in life,” or “I don’t know which job I should take.” Well, as Lao Tzu said, YOU DO KNOW. Divine Intuition is God’s Love speaking to you through your heart center. When you listen to your heart and remain true to your feelings you are always guided to do what is right for you. Logic sometimes can get in the way. Over the years many of us have been wired to do what we think others want us to do, or to play it safe and not take a chance, or if it does not make sense we won’t do it. It is time to make a change in the way we live our lives. Spirit within YOU is Joy, Love, Creativity, Intelligence, and Wisdom. IT is longing to move you forward in the right direction and expand you to live your full spiritual potential. When you open your heart to hear Spirit’s wisdom speaking, you will then make the true choices for your life. I encourage you to spend time daily to stop, listen, reflect and meditate in the silence where Divine ideas which you can understand and use will begin to flow in. Now go do what is right for you!

Do you remember when you were a child and the first time you went to the beach, walked on the warm sand and put your toes in the cold foamy water? I think we all have memories of the first wave that may have knocked us down or when we dove into a wave to avoid the tumbling. We were having fun, laughing, playing and enjoying life in the moment. We tasted the water, smelled the beach smells. heard the cries of the birds and other people playing. We have just imaged this wonderful time in our lives. The beauty now is, we can image and VISION, not just the past, but our future dreams and goals with all of our senses. The Mind does not recognize past, present or future. It is here to serve us as we think into It and allow It to bring forth the Divine Outcome.  Let us begin to VISION what our heart’s desire is, what we truly want, our passion our dreams.  You are an Expression of God and are worthy of All Good, All Abundance, All Health, All Success, All Unconditional Love.  You deserve not just the cake, but the icing, ice cream and the extra toppings  as well! 🙂 A picture is worth a 1,000 words so have fun creating a Vision Board. Bring some friends over to create, pray, image and DECLARE your good together. Combined energy in a spirit of Joy  manifests greatly!  VISION                                                                                        V=Visit within.. I=Ignore the appearance. S=Seek Spirit’s help. I-Image the best results. O=Open yourself for daydreams. N=Never lose your dream! Be a child and let your Mind and heart laugh, play and have fun in the process of creation!                      (VISION acronym from REBOOT to Success, by Stephen Albert)

“I realize my dreams through patience, trusting the process, and staying with the dream. I stay with it until the demonstration arrives.  I stay the course.” Rev. Dr. Patti Weber

***

The fragrance always stays in the hand
that gives the rose.
~ Hada Bejar

We GIVE who we are.                     As within, so without.
The beautiful quote today really says it all. When we give with LOVE no matter what it is, a helping hand, a smile, a donation, we are giving ourselves.  It is the energy of Love.  When we place, “I should do this, or I think it would make me look good,” we are coming from a very different energy.  No matter the action or deed, others can read our heart and our intention. It is very important to be true to ourselves and be authentic in our words feelings and actions.  What ROSE will you be giving today? 

***

“IN DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH”

Steve and I just returned from another amazing North American Interfaith Conference, ‘NAINConnect,’ in Toronto, Canada.  The theme this year was “In Diversity is Our Strength.”  We were happy to reconnect with old friendships and greet and meet new friends. Perhaps next year  you will attend with us.
The plenaries and workshops were excellent and there seemed to be a recurring feeling that INCLUSIVITY is a must!  As some presenters talked about Abrahamic Walks, our Hindu and Sikh friends suggested these walks from temple to church to mosque, also include walks to a Gurdwara and a Hindu temple as well.  Other presentations included Interfaith Prison ministries, the Golden Rule  Curriculum, Compassionate Cities, Success of Dialogue, Indigenous Experiences, Faith Stories: Resources and Tools, Interfaith Marriages, Interfaith Education, Youth Engagement, presentations by the Young Scholars and more.  We took bus trips to various Faith Centers, were served fabulous meals and we experienced prayers from the Aboriginal, Sikh, Celtic, Catholic, and Islamic traditions.
We expanded our comfort zones and enlarged our circle of friends.  We must continue to do this and discover ways to bring into the circle those without a faith. One workshop was based on values as a bridge between religion and humanism. The more we accept everyone, the stronger, more knowledgeable and more profound our interfaith work becomes.
Peace and harmony is established when we break down the barriers of fear of “the other.”  For in Truth we know, there is no “other.” We see ourselves in everyone and everyone is in us. We are ONE in this great Universe. The feelings of  acceptance and belonging is crucial in order to bring forth a world that works, supports, maintains and sustains ALL.

The Mighty I Am

Jesus:” I am the One who dwells within you. I Am the Father, I Am the Mother. I Am the Son. I Am the One who is beyond corruption. I Am the seed that is planted within every being.”-The Apocryphon of John

Krishna: “I am the Father of the Universe. I am the Mother. I sustain all beings. I am the Way the Supporter, the Lord, the Witness, the Abode, the Refuge, the Friend, the Origin, and the Dissolution, the resting place and the ground which holds the eternal seed.”  –The Bagavad Gita

What a wonderful reminder from these Masters, the Mighty I Am Spirit resides in each and every one of us.  They are claiming the Mighty I AM Spirit is within them. Can you begin to believe you are the I Am Spirit residing in a human body?  When we feel it, know it, and  believe it with all our hearts and mind, any distress, illness, or challenge can be seen as only a temporary passing event.

Illness does not belong to Spirit/God. Unhappiness is not God. JOY, WHOLENESS and  LOVE is GOD!  Let us not take negative passing events and make them stay by saying “I have (illness). or I have a horrible ____________.

Do not claim illness. Do not claim an unfulfilling  job, marriage or relationship. Begin to claim the Mighty I AM Spirit Presence in, as and through you and in,as and through all people in your life. When we do so, not only does our perception change, the people, events, our health and world changes around us as well.

Claim: I Am the Mighty I Am I Am Joy, Wholeness and Love!

***

No matter what religion you are, or what spiritual path you are following, God’s CREATIVE URGE is always within YOU seeking to emerge!   You have the power and potential to create a most dynamic and fulfilling life.  You have free will and are an unlimited spiritual being!
Ernest Holmes in  “What We Believe” says
“…we are surrounded by this Creative Mind which receives the direct impress of our thoughts and acts upon it.”
My questions for you are…
What is the Direct Impress of your thoughts?
How has the Creative  Mind acted upon your thoughts?
Look at your life right now. Are you living the life you want? Are you happy? Is there
something calling you? What would you really LOVE to do?  Are you ready for a change?
We are meant to LIVE THE LIFE WE LOVE!
Here are 5 Steps we can take to begin creating the life we love.
1. Take time to LISTEN for God’s inner intuitive voice within you. You can’t HEAR anything with a cell phone in one hand and an IPAD in another.
2. Honor Your Crazy Love for doing what want to do! You are not looking for a career, you are looking for ALIVENESS! Love propels you into new experiences, insights and abilities.
3. Say YES to your desire, hope, and divine invitation/adventure. Our culture demands definition, but our SOUL CRAVES EXPRESSION!
4.START nurturing yourself with kind and loving words. Tama Kieves says “Everything you give this world will come from everything you give yourself.”
5. Start DANCING and the Band will find YOU! The world needs your gifts and what you love to do is your gift to the world!
SAY YES To Your Creative Urge!
Anything is Possible!

“Birds of a Feather Flock Together”

Steve and I had a wonderful 4th of July. We were invited to attend a picnic during the day at  MIssion Beach with the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community USA. It was the first time we had met these wonderful people and had such fun in our conversation discovering our commonalities and people we both know.  Later that evening we attended a dinner and watched the fireworks at Ner Tamid Synagogue.  We went with friends who are Oneness Blessings Givers (One Hindu based organization).  I guess you may say we had an Interfaith Day.  Were we birds of a feather?  On the outside possibly not.  On the inside definitely so! We are all ONE FLOCK in, of and as GOD.  One humanity loving and serving God in our own unique and special ways.   We may look different, however we are ONE in Essence and ONE in the Thread of Life that passes through each one of us.

We are all Birds learning how to Flock together to create a world that is filled with Peace, Love, Compassion and Collaboration!

Sweet Tweets!

(Go to our Welcome Page to view the video on the Benefits of Building Interfaith Relationships.)

 HOLY GROUND

Standing on Holy Ground

As I was reading The Interfaith Manual, I came across the song words of:

“On Holy Ground.” “When I walked through the doors I sense His presence. And I know this was a place where love abounds.  For this is a temple, the God we love abides here. And we are standing in His presence, On Holy Ground.” (first verse)  

It reminded me of how I felt being in a Sacred Service where God abides.  I felt I was standing on Holy Ground and knew all the prayers, chants, reading of scriptures, songs, meditations, meaningful messages created this beautiful sacred space.  The air radiated God’s love and there was a sweet peace permeating the atmosphere. Where was I? I was in a Christian church, a Synagogue, a Mosque, a Sikh Gurdwara, a Hindu Temple, a Buddhist Temple.     I also felt the Holy Presence and Holy ground in gardens, on labyrinths, in nature, on walks, at sunset on the beach for God is EVERYWHERE in Everyone and Everything.   God is the Golden Thread that Interconnects Us All. We are ONE Spiritual Family loving and connecting with God in many ways, in many faith traditions.

In His presence I know there is joy
beyond all measure
And at His Feet sweet peace of Mind
can still be found
For when we have a need He is still the answer
Reach out and claim it
for we are standing on Holy Ground.
(3rd verse)
Wherever you are, Wherever you stand, God Is there, and all is well!

****