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Friday, December 24, 2010

Psalm 96 All Things Old Are Made New Again

God is our refuge in a world of chaos. Our planet is undergoing dramatic change the likes of which has never been seen before. There is no sign of an ebbing of the rapid pace of transformation. In the midst of all of this turmoil, there is a source of stability and permanence in our lives should we choose to embrace it.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Psalm 122 Shalom

There is no joy like the delight of finally approaching the gates of the kingdom within. When we step through the gates, we can permanently abide in God. The Hebrew word shalom, which has been translated here as peace, is referred to three times in this poem. If we look more closely, the word’s meaning is closer to well being or wholeness. Shalom also encompasses good health, prosperity, peace, safety and happiness. The only path that can lead us to the Christ consciousness is one that makes us whole or complete. This implies a balance and harmony between all aspects of our being.

Friday, November 26, 2010

Psalm 100 Present in Praise

Have you noticed that it is difficult to praise God when we are focused on the past or the future? The only moment in which we can truly experience the Divine is now. This poem calls our whole being in to joyous praise. We are to be fully present in the present. Giving thanks to God should be done with gladness not fear or moroseness. Singing is an activity that draws our whole being into praise. When we sing the sound causes vibrations within and around us, creating harmony. Also singing relaxes the left or analytical brain. It allows us to be fully present in the moment.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Psalm 46 Permanent Sanctuary

The SanctuaryImage via WikipediaGod is a creative force. Underlying these words is a great truth. There is nothing in the world that is consistent but change. If we attempt to maintain the status quo or prevent things from changing, we ensure our own unhappiness. It is out of harmony with nature and God to attempt to hold on to anything. That includes love, money, and joy. By allowing all things to course through our lives rather than stagnate, we clear room for more good. When we understand that life is change, we can begin to relax and go with the flow.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Psalm 145 God’s True Nature

When we begin to understand the nature of God, we cannot help but be awestruck and humbled. Thanksgiving and love are the only appropriate response. As we step out in faith, we do so based on the character of God (bless your name forever and ever), not our own worthiness. We can declare that God is foremost in our life (I will extol you, my God and my King) when we begin to understand the nature of our relationship with God. The reason that we are saved is because of God’s steadfast love. But the breadth and depth of God is infinite; and just when we think we know all there is to know about God’s wonders, we are surprised with something greater.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Psalm 98 Breakthrough

Spiritual development is not a straight upward climb. We find that we have times of major forward progress. Then we reach a plateau stage, where things kind of roll along smoothly. After this phase of development, we typically have some sort of major upheaval in which our faith is tested. If we pass these tests with harmlessness, we begin the cycle again. The shift from upheaval to major advancement is called a breakthrough.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Psalm 149 The Two-Edged Sword

As we sing the praises of God, we create changes in our consciousness. The power of the uttered (and thought) word cannot be underestimated. We can use the creative authority of the word to craft a life of joy or pain. It is our choice. The throat is the power center through which our understanding is expressed. Our spoken word in tone and vibration always reflects that which we truly believe. Regardless of the actual words spoken, our true intention can always be discerned. This is why the tongue is the two-edged sword. On the one hand it is the source of all creative energy in our lives. However it can also be the most destructive force in our lives.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Psalm 32 Acknowledging our Sins

It is important to remember that we must acknowledge our sins before we can be healed of them. What does that mean? It does not mean that we wallow in them, feel guilty about them, give them power over us, or punish ourselves over them. It merely means that we must delve deep enough within our consciousness to know they are there. We cannot heal a trait that we do not recognize. As the psalmist says, he tried to hide his iniquities from God. In reality, God is omniscient and so he has really only tried to hide his sins from himself.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Psalm 65 Jehovah-Jireh, The Provider of All Things

In those grace filled moments in which we see the world from the God’s eye view; we see pure, perfect potential in every circumstance. We know that there is no limitation in the world. There is no situation that does not have its ‘silver lining’ in a spiritual context. Every moment is an opportunity to be loved and loving. As children of God all that is God’s is ours. However, we can only receive that which we understand. And so we must come to the realization that we are and have all that we need and want. We have the steadfast love of God.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Psalm 119 The Living Law

So many of us as sincere believers read the Scriptures looking for principles by which we can live our daily lives. While this is a helpful and important part of our spiritual journey, literal adherence to ancient texts can be problematic. The Word is a living Presence which cannot be limited in a word (or many words). The true power of Scripture is its ability to open our minds and hearts to the Presence and Power of the Holy Spirit, so that It can guide us in God’s way.

Friday, October 8, 2010

Psalm 66 God is Great

Most of us are blessed with grace filled moments in which we recognize that all of the blessings of our lives are not because of anything that we has done to deserve them but because of the One (who has kept us among the living and has not let our feet slip). All of the marvelous works in our life and in the world are because of the nature of God (his name). When we realize that God has taken care of every detail—from our conception, to the beating of our hearts, to the way the brain processes information—we cannot help but give praise. There is so much around us that we cannot explain or replicate with human understanding. All of these gifts give us clues to the character of God.

Friday, September 24, 2010

Psalm 91 Protection

To live in the shelter of the Most High and abide in the shadow of the Almighty, both mean to decide to turn our life over to God or turn our thoughts to Spiritual Truth. When we live in Christ consciousness, we dwell in the house of the Lord. By turning our thoughts to Truth, we establish the seeds of faith (v. 2). Once we have faith there is no fear, for in the spiritual realm the opposite of fear is faith, not courage. But it is our choice to “make our home in God.”

Friday, September 17, 2010

Psalm 79 Blasphemy

We blaspheme against the Lord when we do not acknowledge and embrace our oneness with God and each other. As we hold on to duality, we cannot be healed. We experience physical, mental and emotional sickness in their multitude of forms. Psalm 79 is the cry of a person who has been struggling with irreverent thoughts. Fortunately the laws of Being exist to help us find and unearth those mistaken thoughts and correct them. Every day is a new day when we decide to give up our old beliefs for new ones.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Psalm 14 Foolishness

The dictionary says a fool is someone who lacks understanding. It is true that only a fool would say that there is no God. When we believe there is no God is we have undoubtedly been seduced by the trappings of intellect and the physical realm. If we look to the world for strength, purpose, and support, we can be tricked into believing that there is no higher power. Unfortunately, when we succumb to these ideas our thoughts and deeds are all corrupt because we believe them to be of our own doing and for our own exaltation. The intention with which we act is erroneous and the results can be nothing less.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Psalm 139 God, the Omniscient, Omnipresent and Omnipotent

When we sit back and truly contemplate all that we are, we cannot help but be mesmerized. Each beat of our heart takes so many interrelated processes working in exact harmony, we know that it is impossible that human being could create something so perfect. If we sit and observe the precision of nature, we are filled with a profound reverence for life and for God. One can only take comfort in the immanence and steadfast love of God. We should take time to contemplate our lives and marvel at the wonder that is our existence.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Psalm 81 Effective “Problem Solving”

It is interesting how most of us only approach God only when we have exhausted everything we know how to do. Instead of making God our partner in life, we try our own hand at troubleshooting. We spend our mental, emotional and physical energies in a process of trial and error with the limited information we know. Our left brains are highly effective at organizing ideas and detail but cannot appropriately orient the ideas in the larger context. Effective problem solving requires the whole brain.

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Psalm 71 Maturity

As the years pass, our bodies, minds and spirits go through changes. Conventional wisdom says that as our stay on this planet is prolonged, we must experience deterioration in our bodies and minds. We have been taught that these changes that take place are negative and that we should fight them to the extent that we can with medical and scientific intervention. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, we must inevitably experience change in our bodies and minds, but none of this should be viewed as negative or as deterioration. It is just different.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Psalm 80 Always Look Within

As we navigate our spiritual journey, we should expect to have trials and tribulations along the way. These experiences help us broaden and strengthen our understanding and faith. There are times, however, when we are caught off guard by these troubles and instead of looking within for guidance; we are seduced into relying on external stimuli for information and direction. Undoubtedly when we make these mistakes, we experience a great deal of suffering in our lives.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

Psalm 50 Judgment Days

Most of us have a visceral response when we hear the word judgment. It brings to mind a wagging finger and a disapproving stare, or worse. Our response is stronger when we expand this idea to Divine judgment. But is there a way for us to view judgment differently?

Friday, July 30, 2010

Psalm 107 Giving up the Fight

Have you noticed that it is hard work to rebel against God? In a sense, it is similar to fighting against the laws of nature. If we try to act contrary to the law of gravity, eventually we are bound to get hurt. Likewise, when we resist the Laws of Mind and Being, much unnecessary pain and suffering result. It takes a lot of mental energy to actively resist the presence of Spirit in our lives. And yet so many of us are deeply committed to this practice.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Psalm 85 Understanding and Growth

The challenge in walking the spiritual path is that the more we learn, the more disciplined our lives must become. We must become the evidence of our understanding. Spiritual growth is never a straight upward climb. There are always surges forward followed by times of retreat and backsliding. When we become deeply aware of our spiritual nature (restored the fortunes of Jacob), the edges of our lives are smoothed and we seem to coast along more easily. Inevitably, we will be asked to explore another growing edge. These opportunities are challenging and at times it can feel as though we are being punished (will you be angry with us forever).

Saturday, July 17, 2010

Psalm 52 Personal Will

Through the mere force of our personal will we can accomplish incredible things. It can also lead to death and destruction. The human will is one of the most powerful forces in our world. Will is the means through which all our thoughts become manifest. However its power must be harnessed and put to constructive use.

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Psalm 82 Our Gifts for God

Have you noticed that some of your greatest gifts can take you down the path that leads to your worst downfall? We all have gifts that are obvious to ourselves and to the world. But we must never forget how and why these gifts came to be in our possession. God has given us faculties which are designed to be placed in service of the Divine. Just as our weaknesses can become a source of strength, our gifts can become an impediment to our spiritual growth. It is all in the intention behind the use of the gift.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Psalm 30 The Great Physician

Is it God’s will for us to experience health? Doctors who are aware will tell you that they do not and cannot heal. The medical profession has been trained in some protocols that may (or may not) hasten the process of healing. But healing is a process that the created Universe seems to be bathed in. There is a healing Presence that we have the opportunity to experience in all facets of our lives.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Psalm 77 Remembering the Past

Often we are told do not dwell on the past, because we cannot change it. For most circumstances this is true, but there is a situation in which dwelling on the past may be constructive. When times are tough and it seems that our faith is tested, it can be helpful to revisit the past and remember how when things seemed the darkest, the light broke. When we thought there was no solution, from out of the blue one suddenly appeared. Whenever we experience any situation we believe we cannot bear, we should look back to the times when God in loving-kindness delivered us from our stress and strife. If we can look back objectively, we will see that in every situation there was a life lesson that we are grateful for now.

Saturday, June 19, 2010

Psalms 42 & 43 Altar Living

We all encounter times when we have doubts about our faith, particularly during difficult circumstances. Rather than allowing ourselves to get into a frame of mind that God is not with us, we must remember to see God in all circumstances, even those that on the surface appear to be evil or tragic. Believers know that Spirit is working in everything and is working for good. If we can look back at our lives objectively, we recall the many times that the guidance of Spirit led us through dark times and remember how when the experience was over we were grateful for the resulting good.

Friday, June 11, 2010

Psalm 5 The Straight and Narrow Path

When we approach God we must do so with a pure heart (right intention). Spoken words alone are not enough. Behind the words are the true beliefs of the seeker, which will impact the outcome. We all have problems that we want to take to God, but it is important for us to understand that desire is not just a mental exercise. Sighing and crying for an answer to prayer indicates the emotional posture that a pure intention requires. We have to reach the point where we truly want to turn our problems over to Spirit with all of our heart. Most often we find ourselves finally able to turn our problems over to God, once we come to the conclusion that we have done all that we can do ourselves (in the morning I plead my case to you, and watch).

Saturday, June 5, 2010

Psalm 146 Trust in God

Human beings are strange creatures in that we trust that the sun will rise and set but do not trust in the omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence of God. No other creature in all of creation has less than absolute faith in Spirit; that which is behind, within and around everything we experience. It is absurd for us to trust in the sun but not trust in God. Each and everyday we are confronted with the miracles that are proof of this Presence, yet we question.

Saturday, May 29, 2010

Psalm 8 Dominion

Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam (1512) is ...Image via Wikipedia
God granted humankind dominion over the earth at the time of the creation (Gen 3). What does this mean? It does not mean that we have the right to do whatever we want to do to the rest of the creation. What it does mean is that we have complete control over our world. What each of us experiences individually is a product of our mental and emotional state. It has been said that at any accident scene there are as many accounts of the events as there are witnesses. What we experience and how we experience it, is a product of our own creation. When things appear to be chaotic around us, it is a reflection of our chaotic mind. In a state of spiritual mindedness, there is no chaos and confusion, regardless of the external circumstance.

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Psalm 67 Deliverance To

So often we think of God’s saving grace of something that lifts us out from things that we consider undesirable. I think this is because so many of us only turn to God when things get bad and we feel we cannot handle it ourselves. But this is only half the story. These verses remind us that the from implies a to. Being saved is not only deliverance from “bad things,” it must be also understood as delivered to an abundance of good.

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Psalm 148 The Rejuvenating Activity of Praise

Praise has the capacity to transform our bodies, hearts minds, and souls.

To praise God essentially requires us to willingly put God at the center of our lives. We have both a soul and a mind. The soul is that which has the capacity to communicate directly with the Divine. If our minds were to directly apprehend the fullness of God, we would perish from the intense energy. (Recall Moses’ countenance after the burning bush experience).

Thursday, April 22, 2010

Psalm 23 Green Pastures

prayer (Psalm 23:1)Image by evelynishere via Flickr
Green is term we use to describe those who are inexperienced and childlike in understanding. But “green-ness” is critical to a fresh perspective and new understanding. Although many of us desperately cling to the “same-ness” and stability in our lives, living is about change and transformation.

Friday, April 16, 2010

Psalm 30 The Great Physician

Is it God’s will for us to experience health? Doctors who are in tune will tell you that they do not and cannot heal. The medical profession has been trained in some protocols that may (or may not) hasten the process of healing. But healing is a process that the created Universe seems to be bathed in. There is a healing Presence that we have the opportunity to experience in all facets of our lives.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Psalm 150 Joyous Celebration

Praise does not change God but it most definitely changes us!

Psalm 150 eloquently describes the natural rhythm, harmony and joy (music) established throughout the consciousness, when the soul radiates the power and presence of God.

Friday, April 2, 2010

Psalm 118 Death and Rebirth

How do you respond to the idea of death, with resistance or acceptance? The dramatic stories of this holy week in the Jewish and Christian traditions remind us that we must be willing to face death directly in order experience salvation. Are you in tune with the small deaths that you are confronted with daily? As spiritual seekers, we die to our attachments to the world.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Psalm 31 Cycles of Growth

As we walk along our spiritual path, our lives and experiences move in cycles. First, there is the time of rapid advancement in which we have a lot of activity going on and our progress feels very real and measurable. These times can be experienced as a high because we are in the flow and we can feel it with every fiber of our being. We feel the Presence and Power of God in a tangible way. These are the times in which we are acutely aware of Divine activity in our lives.

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Psalm 126 Awaking from the Dream

Have you noticed that we tend to label things we do not want or do not like, evil? It is interesting how we take our own expectations and standards and make them the benchmark for “right” in the world. Much of the suffering in this world is merely a dream ( or perhaps nightmare) of our own creation. This is not to say that we should completely discount the presence of evil in the world, but it does help us take a step back and look more closely. More often than not our experience of suffering is caused by our own inability to let go of what we think should be and instead accept on what is.

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Psalm 32 Acknowledging our Sins

Do your sins define who you are? Are they opportunities for you to learn and grow? Or do you hide your sins from yourself and others to maintain a facade? To sin is merely “to miss the mark” and we are all constantly doing that. How we process our missteps is just as important as the actual sin.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Psalm 63 Hunger and Thirst

Making a commitment to the spiritual journey and actively seeking God, we literally tap into the strong human craving to reconnect with Spirit (my soul clings to you). This basic need is frequently described as hunger and thirst. For all human being’s this desire is present, and it is a basic compulsion in us all. Unfortunately, most of us do not understand that this underlying discontent that we all feel is a spiritual need. So we set off to placate the urge with things physical, emotional and mental. But these cannot quench the thirst; only the spiritual journey can do that. So we see many people in orgiastic relationships with sex, falling in love, money and intellectual theories. But at their core they remain discontented because they have not reached towards the heart of the problem. In all of us there is a core yearning that can only be satiated by spiritual enlightenment and a relationship with God.

Friday, February 26, 2010

Psalm 27 Spiritual Warfare

When we are in the middle of difficult circumstances, there is nothing more powerful than knowing that God is with us and that all is well. Our needs are already known and supplied. We do not have to ask God for anything, we merely have to open our minds to the knowledge that there is only good in our life and bless our circumstances. God is the source of our wisdom (light) and our inheritance (salvation), the psalmist says. In the knowledge and understanding of our rightful place as children of God, what should we fear? All that is God’s is ours, how can there be any lack? “If God is for us, who is against us?” (Rom 8:31)

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Psalm 99 Mystery and the Sacred Life

What does it mean to live a sacred life? Although it may take an infinite number of forms, at it heart is a single principle. To live the sacred life is to engage the world from the divine core within us. Psalm 99 is a declaration of the primacy of God within human beings. We were created in God’s image and likeness, and as such our thought life (peoples) and physical life (earth) were created for the purpose of serving God. God as Spirit protects that divine spark within each an every one of us (he sits enthroned upon the cherubim). We only have to ask to be shown its magnitude, but that spark is always lit, no matter how dim the light appears to us.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Psalm 138 Self Sufficiency

Self sufficiency is the greatest hindrance to our spiritual development. Many of us believe that through sheer willpower we make our lives happen. But of course that is not true. There is an underlying force that creates life that we cannot explain or control and that is the breath of God. It is that invisible vitality which inspires our being: it is our soul. When we live in harmony with that inspiration from Spirit, we feel truly alive.

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Psalm 71 Spiritual Maturity

As the years pass our bodies go through changes, along with our minds and spirits. Human race consciousness teaches that as our stay on this planet is prolonged, we must experience deterioration in our bodies and minds. We have been taught that these changes that take place are negative and that we should fight them to the extent that we can with medical and scientific intervention. Nothing could be further from the truth. Yes, we must inevitably experience change in our bodies and minds, but none of this should be viewed as negative or as deterioration. It is just different.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Psalm 19 Divine Intelligence

There is an underlying intelligence in all things that is evidenced by the constant change in the world. Nothing stays the same. That is because of this Divine energy that moves us forward through the process of evolution. It is the source of all life. From every beat of our heart, to the seed that becomes a plant, this life force creates life. We can choose to cooperate with that force or we can attempt to fight it, for God has given us freewill. We must understand and accept that there are consequences of resisting. This force moves us towards the greatest good at all times.

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Psalm 36:5-10 Unbounded Love

So often we define God’s love by our limited human ideas of what it means to be loved. But love in the divine sense is at the same time similar to and very different from human love. Sometimes I think of it this way: take the highest and healthiest aspects of human love and expand. God’s love is the impulse to oneness or unity. It is the knowledge that we are all of one Source and the feelings, thoughts and actions that come from that understanding.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Psalm 29 - Renewal and Glorification

Psalm 29 is a call to worship and glorify the Lord. It has been said that glorification is the highest spiritual state of consciousness attainable by human beings. In order to glorify the Lord, we must understand God. This is a difficult concept to convey in words because typically when we think of understanding, it implies some intellectual or analytical exercise. spiritual understanding does not have this connotation.