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Tuesday, December 25, 2012

The Rejuvenating Activity of Praise

Praise belongs to the King
It has been said, “prayer and praise change people, not God.” What happens to us when we offer praise to God?  To praise God essentially requires us to willingly put God at the center of our lives. We must surrender all of ourselves to Spirit.

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Psalm 80 Look Within

Inside Every...
As we take 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 signs for information and direction. Undoubtedly when we make these errors, we experience a great deal of suffering in our lives.

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Psalm 56 Turn It Over to God

hand.
When we find ourselves in any circumstance that is overwhelming, we must remember that we always have the answer at hand. There is always a lesson to be learned. There is no bad or evil experience. We need only to turn it over to God and all will be made clear.

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Psalm 103 Gratitude

gratitude. =)
It is important to approach each day with an attitude of gratitude.  Gratitude is not something we express only when things are going well or only for those experiences we enjoy.  We must be grateful for everything.  That includes the challenges we all face.  If we can take a Christ-like view of our lives we will see blessings in every situation, no matter what the appearance is.  This is the secret to health, happiness, and prosperity.

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Psalm 25 Grace

English: Lucas Cranach the Elder: Law and Grac...
One of the most profoundly liberating aspects of the divine/human relationship is the nature of the grace of God. We do not have to be perfect before we receive grace. It does not require us to make amends for our past mistakes (do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions). There is no scorecard. We merely have to change our minds and make God the center of our lives.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Psalm 93 God in the Center

HOLY SPIRIT - FOIX
The one fact is God. All other things are circumstance.
- Unknown
If we think about it for a minute, it is a strange thing that so often we feel distant and removed from God. How is it that we experience isolation from a God who always is, has been, and will be in our presence and in our midst?

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

Psalm 16 Divine Protection

English: A scenic picture of a field with a la...
One of the most important aspects of a relationship with the Divine is that it improves the believer’s everyday life. This is commonly referred to as the protection of God. For the faithful there is a perspective on every situation that is beyond the worldly appearance. Without faith in God and the spiritual perspective, the world seems to be an evil place. This prayer of thanksgiving to God is a strong affirmation of faith that there is no good apart from the Divine. The spiritual life offers us the ability to see any circumstance from the divine point of view (holy ones in the land).

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Psalm 127 Our Foundation

Fundação de uma casa / House foundation
Frequently, we encounter people who believe that they are the masters of their own successes. They will not acknowledge a higher presence at work in their lives. They toil away at their lives attempting to reach greater heights. These are inevitably the same people who find themselves in a great mess in their lives at some point, because instead of identifying with their spiritual nature, they have identified themselves with some worldly thing (money, job title, familial role, etc.). Once the world as they know it has been taken away from them, they struggle to find meaning in their lives.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Psalm 146 Trust in God

Question of Faith
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.

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Psalm 34 Lessons for Life

One of the most challenging aspects of the spiritual life is that the Spirit of the Divine requires a blank canvas (poor soul), on which to paint its perfect portrait. We must approach God with pure humility, laying aside our personal will, in the search for true spiritual understanding. Any troubles we experience are only a reflection of our erroneous beliefs of our separation from God and each other. We experience separation primarily when we become deeply self-centered. When we choose to make ourselves our center, our connection to God fades.

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Psalm 104 Divine Creativity

the " ∞ " creativity
We have the opportunity to participate in the field of Divine creativity each and every day. God is constantly reaching towards us (laying the beams of his chambers). We need only be receptive. This current of life imparts divine ideas (messengers) and the cleansing and purifying activity of Spirit (fire and flames your ministers).

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Psalm 22 Dawn

Dawn in mostly cloudy conditions at around 5:3...
All of us suffer through experiences where the appearance of things can make us question our relationship with God: whether God is still near us and whether we are worthy of God’s attention. We know better, but at times we are overwhelmed by the enormity of our circumstance.

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Psalm 26 Integrity

03.365 (02.08.2009) Faith
What does the word integrity mean? Most of us think of this word in terms of either being in accordance with worldly standards or some standard we have set for ourselves. This psalm explores an alternate meaning for the word. It is not of our own strength that we claim integrity. It is when we know that God is before us and behind us every step that we can rest in our faith. To stand in integrity is to conform unwaveringly to God’s standard or God’s will through attention to the Christ presence within us.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Psalm 1 The Path to Happiness

Yes, I'm a happy child.
So often we find ourselves very unhappy although we are following the culturally prescribed path to happiness. The media tells us if we buy more things, we will be happy. Our friends and family tell us that if we become powerful lawyers, doctors or CEOs we will be happy. These worldly things may bring a semblance of happiness, but it is always transient. Any time that we look outside of ourselves for happiness, we will inevitably be disappointed.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Psalm 19 Divine Intelligence

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 the 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. But there are consequences of resisting. This force moves us towards the greatest good at all times.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Psalm 98 Breakthrough

Breakthrough Iron Gate
Spiritual growth is not a straight upward climb. We experience times of major forward progress. Then we reach a plateau stage, where things 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.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Psalm 125 The Sanctuary of Faith

Sanctuary
For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  - Matthew 17:20
When we have faith in God, we are firmly planted in the commonwealth (cannot be moved, but abides forever). Our hearts and minds are fixed on the Lord. We are protected (surrounded) by our level of spiritual understanding (mountains). Most of us believe that we have to do good things in order to reach God. This is actually the opposite of the way the process works. We must first turn our lives over to God (upright in heart), and then through the activity of Spirit we are able to fulfill our spiritual potential and do good works.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Psalm 84 Worshipping in the Temple

worship
Once we have turned our attention Godward, we are transformed. When we have had a taste of the Truth it becomes irresistible to us. Even though there are many challenges to be met along the way, when we have experienced the joy of letting go and letting God, it is impossible to forget. There is such happiness and harmony when we go with the flow of Spirit rather than resisting. What a gift it is to learn that God truly has only our best interests at heart! When we put ourselves completely into God’s hands, we can have all of these things with no effort of our own.

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Psalm 111 Praise as Practice

PRAISE PRAISE
Many believe that in order to praise God we must go to church or secret ourselves away in prayer and meditation. While these are fine ways to spend time, we must understand that with every breath we take we make a choice whether or not to praise God. If we live in worldly consciousness, we praise that giving our thoughts to the external. When we decide to view all things in our lives spiritually and act accordingly, we praise God.

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Psalm 130 Morning Comes

Dawn
If God were tallying errors how could any us stand tall? But in God’s eyes we are all worthy. God’s nature is merciful, so there is hope for us all. The forgiveness of God merely requires that we be receptive to changing our attitudes and thoughts, and be willing to orient our lives around our relationship to God.

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Psalm 24 Sincerity of Purpose

Russian Orthodox icon of the Transfiguration (...
Contemplative moments (ascend the hill of the Lord ) are ones in which we are acutely aware of the Presence of God within us and in our midst and our connection to that Presence. It is interesting that while we are in the world, we are never separate from God (the earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it). And yet even the most devout people proclaim the experience of separation from God. Despite the presence of God everywhere, in the world there are many distractions, internal and external, that seduce our attention and energies away from this truth. During these times it is critical that we stay connected to our deep down, burning desire to know God (clean hands, pure heart).

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Psalm 48 The Fortress of Love

English: The fortress of Narikala ნარიყალა and...
Love is the most powerful force in the world. This statement sounds idealistic, at best, and insane, at worst, in world of materialism and greed. But those who have attained some level of spiritual understanding know that the power of love can conquer all evil (ungodliness). If we take the time to observe, we can easily see that love has the ability to transform any circumstance. If we can remember to apply the force of love in all of our challenging situations, we will be astounded at the level of security it provides.

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Psalm 130 Morning Comes

early morning
If God were tallying errors how could any us stand tall? But in God’s eyes we are all worthy of love. God’s nature is merciful, so there is hope for us all. The forgiveness of God merely requires that we be receptive to changing our attitudes and thoughts, and be willing to set off on the spiritual path of seeking Truth.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Psalm 9 God Our Foundation

Church-of-the-Holy-Spirit-Jihlava2011interiér
When we recognize God as the only Power and Presence in our world we embody the holy life This power can be perceived as having the full authority of the Presence of God at our back. This power is ours if we choose to remove our limited thoughts that prevent us from acknowledging and participating in our heritage of abundance as beloved children of God.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Psalm 20 The Victory

Winged Victory
Many people spend their whole lives looking for a victory. Success in a career, marrying the right man/woman, owning a nice home, and financial riches are all external conquests. Although these are nice things to have, they mean nothing without the Great Victory. The victory of Spirit (salvation) within the individual is the only victory that really matters. We need not worry about the petty concerns of the world. For if we successfully attain spiritual enlightenment all of the above and more will be given to us.

But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Psalm 130 Morning Comes

Morning glory flower, species Ipomoea nil
If God were tallying errors how could any us stand tall? But in God’s eyes we are all worthy of love. God’s nature is merciful, so there is hope for us all. The forgiveness of God merely requires that we be receptive to changing our attitudes and thoughts, and be willing to set off on the spiritual path of seeking Truth.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Psalm 29 Renewal and Glorification

Baptism of Christ. Jesus is baptized in the Jo...
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.

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Psalm 104 Creativity

Mind Mapping
We have the opportunity to participate in the field of Divine creativity each and every day. God is constantly reaching towards us (laying the beams of his chambers). We need only be receptive. This current of life imparts divine ideas (messengers) and the cleansing and purifying activity of Spirit (fire and flames your ministers).

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Psalm 1 The Path to Happiness

Happiness
So often we find ourselves very unhappy although we are following the culturally prescribed path to happiness. The media tells us if we buy more things, we will be happy. Our friends and family tell us that if we become powerful lawyers, doctors or CEOs we will be happy. These worldly things may bring a semblance of happiness, but it is always transient. Any time that we look outside of ourselves for happiness, we will inevitably be disappointed.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Psalm 98 Breakthrough

Breakthrough Iron Gate
Spiritual unfoldment 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.

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Psalm 22 The Dawn

Red sunrise over Oostende, Belgium
All of us suffer through experiences where the appearance of things can make us question our relationship with God: whether God is still near us and whether we are worthy of God’s attention. We know better, but at times we are overwhelmed by the enormity of our circumstance. When we are awash in negative thoughts, it feels as if that they have gained control of us. We become overwhelmed because negativity literally dominates our energy (the bulls of Bashan) and can easily run rampant over us until it consumes us. Our vital energy becomes spent (I am poured out like water), our heart is melted, and our mouth is dry. We are as good as dead, for we have lost touch with the current of Life and Spirit. It is always darkest before the dawn.

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Psalm 23 Green Pastures

Green Pastures.
Green Pastures. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
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. If we fight to stay the same, we find everything continues changing around us. It is in the new that we are best able to embody those childlike qualities, we desire. When we can drop the facade of expertise and knowledge, we allow ourselves to just experience what is. The excitement and anticipation in facing the unknown is palpable.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

Psalm 4 Changing Your Thinking

The divine essence
The process of transformation is always marked by upheaval. This is the challenge of the intermediate seeker, one who has successfully begun to re-orient their life towards God. Just as the death of the seed precedes the growth of the sprout; there must be a death of the old ways of being, so that the new can emerge. We often do not understand the changes taking place, so that the appearance is that there is chaos in our lives. None of the things that we used to rely on work anymore. When we try to help we end up making things worse. Even our valiant attempts to pray more faithfully seem fruitless.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Psalm 133 Oneness

Oneness R 77 - 2010
When we begin to understand our spiritual heritage, our entire perspective is changed forever. The commonwealth of God is only experienced from the perspective of unity. It is godly (good) to recognize and embrace the oneness of all things (live together in unity). Because we are all of God, we are all one. Spiritual consciousness is the recognition and experience of unity, the oneness of everything and everybody in God. From the unified perspective nothing but love exists, for we are all God and we are all one.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Psalm 118 Rebirth

(stumpy) christ of the ozarks
We celebrate the resurrection of the Christ this week. This triumphant story has a profound connection to our own walk with God. We experience death when we become overly attached to the world and the external. The creative power of God (right hand) raises us up and out of the confusion of our physical and mental fixations. If we open our hearts and minds, Spirit can show us the straight and narrow path (open to me the gates of righteousness), the way to our inner Christ. Only when we surrender our lives to God can we enter into our spiritual domain. It is important to give thanks for each step along the spiritual journey, because thanksgiving makes our experiences more fruitful. As we make this shift, we repossess our spiritual inheritance of abundance, health and happiness (salvation).

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Psalm 118 Death

Death Valley

Do you respond to the idea of death, with resistance or acceptance? The dramatic stories of the 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 must die day-by-day to our attachments to the world.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Psalm 51 In the Right Spirit

gods own country""
God, in steadfast love, is waiting for us to step forward and claim our spiritual inheritance. But we must take up our cross (cross out our personal self and will), in order to understand and fully benefit from the law of Spirit. We must understand that if we approach God and even only a small portion of our personal will remains; we cannot fulfill our spiritual destiny. For when personality gets in the way, somehow, we always start to question God.

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Psalm 107 Giving Up the Fight

Fight for Your Mind
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.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Psalm 19 Divine Intelligence

god lives in yu - treo_062809_002_web
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 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. But there are consequences of resisting. This force moves us towards the greatest good at all times.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Psalm 22 The Dawn

Español: Vista aerea de la población Taritari,...
All of us suffer through experiences where the appearance of things can make us question our relationship with God: whether God is still near us and whether we are worthy of God’s attention. We know better, but at times we are overwhelmed by the enormity of our circumstance. It is always darkest before the dawn.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Psalm 25 Grace

god
One of the most profoundly liberating aspects of the divine/human relationship is the nature of the grace of God. We do not have to be perfect before we receive grace. It does not require us to make amends for our past mistakes (do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions). There is no scorecard. We merely have to change our minds and make God the center of our lives. Although God’s grace is constantly in our midst, our ability to experience that mercy is limited by our ability to give it expectant attention. Without our willingness to look for and anticipate God’s care, divine miracles can happen all around us without us experiencing the wonder of the direct knowledge of grace.

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Psalm 50 Judgment Days

Last Judgment (detail ). Dome of Florence Cath...
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?

Saturday, February 11, 2012

Psalm 30 The Great Physician

English: Holistic health, body, mind, heart, soul
Is it God’s will for us to experience health? Doctors who understand 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, February 1, 2012

Psalm 147 Giving Praise

Spirit
Praise is the act of recognizing the good (God) in any and every situation. When we understand that God is with us always, our reaction to challenges in our life is transformed from attempting to escape into profound appreciation. Each and every situation brings with it an important life lesson, if we choose to investigate it. When we are spiritually blind we spend our lives trying to avoid tests and end up in a lot of pain because of it. If instead we give thanks for every circumstance no matter how small or how difficult it may appear, it will refine our hearts and minds.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Psalm 111 Praise As Practice

Practice 025
Many believe that in order to praise God we must go to church or secret ourselves away in meditation. While these are fine ways to spend time, we must understand that with every breath we take we make a choice whether or not to praise God. If we live in worldly consciousness, we praise that giving our thoughts to the external. When we decide to view all things in our lives spiritually and act accordingly, we praise God. Christianity is a practical daily application of Universal Truth, not theory.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Psalm 62 There Is Only God

God rays
The spiritually awake person knows that through all of the experiences in life and no matter how real the physical world may seem, there is only God. When we understand this, we view the world through a different light. Many of the situations in the world believed to be evil or wrong take on a new context if we know that God is present in every situation. We can bless each and every person and situation, as a lesson to bring us closer to our true spiritual nature.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

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.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Psalm 29 Renewal and Glorification

English: The lane giving access to the Pasque ...
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.