Sacred Awakening

Jesus says, “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” (Luke 12:23)

By now most of you know that this is not a typical Jesus blog. The perspective presented here is one of awakening better known as enlightenment or freedom from suffering—awakening to the truth of yourself in the Heart of Christ. It is not a Christian blog in that it does not adhere to any kind of dogma, catechism or Christian denomination. On the simplest level this blog is simply an invitation turn your attention where Jesus is pointing. What does he want you to see, to hear, to understand? If you think you know, stop for a moment and not know. Not knowing offers you the simple opportunity to discover for yourself without any idea or concept. Inquiring is self-discovery and it is through your own discovery that the profound depth of his message can be recognized, not understood, but recognized. It is a discovery so sacred so pristine it contains the power to change your life forever. Truly, it is a sacred awakening.

Jesus says, “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” (Luke 12:23) Jesus offers you many clues that lead to self-discovery. If you look at his words as a question, rather than a statement, you have an opportunity to look into eternity. What is life? How is you body more than clothing? For years I was mystified by the Bible, it seemed that there was some hidden message that was not easily perceived, the language was strange, and incomprehensible—it left me feeling unfulfilled and disillusioned. In 1997 I had a profound mystical experience of Jesus that was the catalyst for a search for Truth. This search ended in July of 2001 when a profoundly deep prayer led me to one of the most profound teachers of our time—Gangaji. Her simple invitation, ‘To stop, be still, be quiet and discover who you are at the core,’ opened the flood gates of true wisdom. Suddenly all scripture became crystal clear. It didn’t matter if it was the sutras of Buddha, the words of Christ, the Quran, or the Upanishads—suddenly, infallibly I heard with out hearing the deepest message of Truth—the deepest message of Jesus—it was and continues to be a Sacred Awakening. Gangaji has been invited to participate in a global conversation that includes many of the world’s leading spiritual teachers in The Shift Network’s Sacred Awakening conference series—a deep conversation that contemplates the question: What does it mean to live a sacred life? Later this month you can participate in this conversation with Gangaji by phone. How can this global meeting help you to understand the teaching of Jesus on an even deeper level?

Sacred Awakening

Jesus says, “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” (Luke 12:23)

By now most of you know that this is not a typical Jesus blog. The perspective presented here is one of awakening better known as enlightenment or freedom from suffering—awakening to the truth of yourself in the Heart of Christ. It is not a Christian blog in that it does not adhere to any kind of dogma, catechism or Christian denomination. On the simplest level this blog is simply an invitation turn your attention where Jesus is pointing. What does he want you to see, to hear, to understand? If you think you know, stop for a moment and not know. Not knowing offers you the simple opportunity to discover for yourself without any idea or concept. Inquiring is self-discovery and it is through your own discovery that the profound depth of his message can be recognized, not understood, but recognized. It is a discovery so sacred so pristine it contains the power to change your life forever. Truly, it is a sacred awakening.

Jesus says, “For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing.” (Luke 12:23) Jesus offers you many clues that lead to self-discovery. If you look at his words as a question, rather than a statement, you have an opportunity to look into eternity. What is life? How is you body more than clothing? For years I was mystified by the Bible, it seemed that there was some hidden message that was not easily perceived, the language was strange, and incomprehensible—it left me feeling unfulfilled and disillusioned. In 1997 I had a profound mystical experience of Jesus that was the catalyst for a search for Truth. This search ended in July of 2001 when a profoundly deep prayer led me to one of the most profound teachers of our time—Gangaji. Her simple invitation, ‘To stop, be still, be quiet and discover who you are at the core,’ opened the flood gates of true wisdom. Suddenly all scripture became crystal clear. It didn’t matter if it was the sutras of Buddha, the words of Christ, the Quran, or the Upanishads—suddenly, infallibly I heard with out hearing the deepest message of Truth—the deepest message of Jesus—it was and continues to be a Sacred Awakening. Gangaji has been invited to participate in a global conversation that includes many of the world’s leading spiritual teachers in The Shift Network’s Sacred Awakening conference series—a deep conversation that contemplates the question: What does it mean to live a sacred life? Later this month you can participate in this conversation with Gangaji by phone. How can this global meeting help you to understand the teaching of Jesus on an even deeper level?

Fulfillment

A disciple asks, “This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it?” (John 6:60)

In the Sacred Awakening conference call with Gangaji, she described her profoundly deep prayer for a teacher. A few years later she received a miraculous answer to her prayer when she met her teacher, Papaji, on the banks of the river Ganga in India. At that time she thought he would give her some spiritual practice or mantra, but to her surprise he asked her to do nothing, to be still, to stop everything and inquire into the depths of herself. It was the last thing that she had ever considered and her moment of stopping was the beginning of a profoundly deep discovery that led to lasting fulfillment. What is this fulfillment that she discovered? How do you attain fulfillment in life?

Jesus responds, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.” (John 6:63) Life moves fast. It is very rare for you or anyone to stop even for a moment to contemplate the nature of life—What is your life? What is the Spirit that gives life? What is this deep longing? During the call Gangaji explained, “In all of the traditions everywhere whether they were religious or secular, that doesn’t even matter, there is this deep desire in the human being to discover something that is bigger, something that is more. Whether you are a scientist, artist, or a spiritual seeker, that desire is a very natural part of us.” Gangaji realized and Jesus points to something bigger, something astonishing, something so close to you it is closer than your breath. This teaching of Jesus is not the teaching supported by the world—as one disciple realized, it is a hard teaching, hard to understand and harder still to apply. On Saturday March, 2010 at 2PM Pacific Time USA(please see next page for registration info) I will be hosting a conference call that will begin a global conversation, a conversation that will contemplate the question—What offers you lasting fulfillment and how can life itself help you to understand the teaching of Jesus on an even deeper level?

Where is God?

Since this blogs inception there have been many verbal stones cast. I have been called an abomination, a false prophet, a false teacher, a heretic and the book of Timothy has been thrown in my face—After all according to Timothy women should not teach. Whew! It is a really good thing I am not teaching you anything. On the other hand I have also been given more compliments than I can count, someone even went so far as referring to me as the ‘Helper’ that Jesus prophesized that he would send—and have to say that is more than a little far fetched. Naturally, it was easy to receive the compliments and at times it was painful to receive the harsh criticism until I really stopped and opened my heart fully to receive this criticism without making any movement to fix or change it—and in that sacred stopping, realized even more deeply that Love bears all things. It is hard to believe that it has been four years since I started writing articles for this blog. Certainly, I have discovered first hand that it is not easy to be a messenger or more accurately a pointer or a road sign. I have stated it many times in comments and in the many articles that I have written—I am not teaching you anything, I am not drawing any conclusions, or telling you what to think, or asking you to become a Christian, or abandon Jesus, or disavow your religious beliefs. I am, however, pointing to something that tends to challenge the generally accepted norm of Christianity and perhaps more importantly, I am extending an invitation to you to look where Jesus is pointing and deeply inquire into your own heart.

Jesus says, “I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I in you.” (John 14:20) If Jesus is in God, and you are in Jesus, and Jesus is in you—How is it that you are separate from God? The tendency is to put Jesus on a pedestal, stare at his finger, and forget to look where he is pointing. In the latest blog I have been accused of drawing conclusions that somehow fall short of the kingdom of heaven or imply that you are God and that salvation is really up to you. It is a generally accepted belief that the kingdom of heaven is somewhere else, Jesus is God and salvation occurs through him, which naturally gives rise to the questions—What does salvation through Jesus really mean? Where is the kingdom of heaven? Who is God? Or more accurately where is God? Jesus is very plain about the location of God and who you really are, as well as the path of salvation, but your mind has a difficult time stopping to recognize this vast presence. The Truth of this vastness is so close to you it is very difficult to perceive. As Jesus explains, “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:14) Where is the narrow gate? Why is the way difficult? And why do so few discover this gate? How can this deep inquiry help you understand the teaching of Jesus on an even deeper level?

Love Simple

esus says, “Abide in My Love.” (John 15:9)

Almost four weeks ago my life changed forever. On March 31, 2010 I had major surgery at Providence Hospital in Medford Oregon to remove cysts that were causing debilitating pain. Providence is the divine guidance of God and this guidance is the infinite Love that is always present never absent—the infinite Love that you are. It is the essence of life itself. The common experience for most people is to be completely unaware of this infinite Love, this omniscient guidance that is continually flowing through your life. Certainly, I have witnessed this invisible guidance at work in my life more than once and this recent surgery offers a perfect example. Dr. Lanita Witt was highly recommended by my doctor and, due to her reputation of being one of the best doctors in her field, it looked like it would be several weeks before I could see her, but when Dr. Witt saw my chart she immediately cleared her schedule and an appointment was made for February. On that cold raining day of my first appointment I was surprised to see a crucifix hanging on the wall across from the receptionist and was even more surprised to see a statue of the Virgin Mary holding the baby Jesus in the lobby. ‘Hmmmm…’ I thought to myself, ‘This is no ordinary hospital!’ My first appointment was almost three hours in length—I have never had a doctor spend so much time reviewing everything. It was obvious from the ultrasound images combined with the intense pain that I was experiencing that surgery was going to be necessary. And with all the technology and professionalism what overwhelmed me the most was the Love. The Love that mysteriously led me to this Grace filled hospital and the very humble, loving, compassionate doctor who quite literally saved my life.

Jesus says, “Abide in My Love.” (John 15:9) Abidance is the state of abiding—unending, unchanging, unshakeable. Abiding in Love is simply stopping to recognizing that you are that endless, unending, unchanging Love. Love is so simple and so few perceive this infinitude. In 1827 a young woman named Émilie Gamelin was more than likely not thinking of herself as Love. She was still grieving the loss of her first two children who died shortly after their birth, when her husband died of a long illness, and as if this heartbreak wasn’t enough, it was soon followed by the shattering heartbreak of the death of her third and only remaining child. The heartbreak of this young woman was so intense that the only thing that offered her any solace was service to others in need. She devoted all of her time to caring for the sick, the elderly, orphans, and the mentally ill as well as those in prison. In 1840 she became a postulate of the Catholic Church in Montreal Canada. And on March 30, 1844 she founded the Sisters of Providence Catholic Order as Mother Gamelin, the first Superior General of the young community. Mother Gamelin later became known asMother of the Poor and her shelters became known as the House of Providence. It was the Sisters of Providence who carried on the work of Mother Gamelin building the Providence Hospital where my surgery was performed as well as several other hospitals in Canada as well as the west coast of the United States. The profundity of Mother Gamelin’s tireless work and service are encapsulated in her final words. What were Mother Gamelin’s last words and how can this life experience at Providence Hospital help you to understand the teaching of Jesus on an even deeper level?

What do you Trust?

For weeks now I have been wondering what to do with this blog. Is it really serving you? Is it helping you to see the deepest Truth that Jesus is eternally pointing you toward? Certainly, there is a prevalent fear of false prophets, false teachers, false leaders, and the great fear that the end of the world is near. In contemplating this the question arose, ‘What do you trust?” Can your thoughts be trusted? Your feelings? Can people be trusted? And a deeper question arises, “What can always be trusted?” Certainly if you are in the dark, if you are ignorant of truth, ignorant of the freedom, ignorant of the peace that surpasses all understanding, you are like a man walking in the darkness not knowing where you are going.

Jesus continues, “Put your trust in the light while you have it, so that you may become sons of light.” (John 12:35) Where is this light? What is this light? What is the nature of light? Emotions change. Feelings change. People, places and things in your life are in constant flux, constant change. Life itself is a continuum of change, but what is it that never changes? What is always present regardless of your circumstances, your emotions, your wealth or your poverty, your tears or your laughter, your health or your sickness? Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “What do I trust? What is present when I am happy and when I am sad?” What is always present that can always be trusted?

What do you trust?

What makes you a Christian? - God's Love

The Christian faith is not a smorgasbord where you can pick and choose what you like or what suits you best. You can't claim to have faith in Christ, yet support the things that the Bible speaks against. Either God is real, or He is not. Christianity is not a Religion but a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD.

Let me first clarify what a Christian is. A Christian is a person who has made the personal choice to ask Jesus to forgive them of their sins, repent (turn away from) of their sins, and ask Christ into their heart by faith It is your personal faith in Christ that makes you a Christian.

…that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life -John 3:16

For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses unto salvation - Romans 10:10

For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast - Ephesians 2:8-9

The church you belong to cannot save you. Having a priest or pastor baptize you when you were a baby did not save you. Living a good life does not save you. The fact that your parents are Christians cannot save you (though they can guide you to salvation). Only making the choice to ask the Lord to forgive your sins, repent or turn from your sins, and ask Christ into your heart makes you a Christian.

If this is not something that you have never done, the Bible says that TODAY is the day of salvation. Pray, ask God to open your heart. God has made it so easy, but it is a choice that only YOU can make.

Visit our Not saved page for more.

Once you have gotten to this point, the next step is that you MUST accept the Bible as God's inspired, inerrant Word. It is IMPOSSIBLE to be a Christian and not accept the Bible as God's Word.

You see, to come to Christ by faith, you have accepted that this is God's plan to give his creation which is separated from Him because of their sin, a way to come back into His everlasting fellowship. This is God's SURE plan!

That is why faith in Buddha will not save you. That is why faith in a golden statue will not save you.

It is ONLY faith in Jesus Christ that saves you because it was Jesus Christ who God sent to die for your sins! He was God's perfect sacrifice to give fallen man a way back into everlasting fellowship with Him. So if you accept THAT, then you have to accept the ENTIRE BIBLE as God's inspired, inerrant Word. It can't be only part right!

This is where so many Christians break down in their life. They simply don't want to let go of the things of this world. The fact is, this life is only a brief journey anyway. When it is over, the things of this world will be gone, and the ONLY thing that you will be left with is the fact that you have Christ in your heart, or you have rejected His love (God’s Love) for you. PERIOD.

As a Christian, you, me, each one of us, is called to be a light to this dark world that we live in. We can ONLY let our light shine bright when we are living fully, 100% for HIM. If you believe that God is real, TODAY is the day to make sure your life reflects that belief!

Remember, you don’t have to be a pulpit pastor to be hot 100% for God – The fact is I myself, I’m still running from that call and often say “Lord, bless me and make me a blessing to others. I will give my time for your kingdom. But I don’t want to be on the pulpit too often… Nevertheless, its not my will but yours be done” But if God says Go, Who are we to say No.

In His love and service,

Who is the Holy Spirit - How to Receive Him

The subject and person of the Holy Spirit is one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted in the Christian faith. The Evangelicals see Him as the dormant, unannounced guest of the "inside."
The Pentecostals see Him as the force behind speaking in tongues and the motivator of spiritual zeal. Often, His presence is heralded with great emotional display.
Then came the Charismatics, presenting the Holy Spirit to the world as the operator of signs and wonders, and diverse manifestations, like "falling under the power."

Who Is The Holy Spirit
He is not a feeling or a falling, nor is He a crying or a wailing. He is no emotion, He is a person.
He is a personality in the order of the Godhead! He is the third person of the Trinity - but not inferior.
He is in charge of the affairs of the kingdom of God on earth today.
He is the Chief Executive of the divine programme on earth.
He is the motivator, energizer and operator of every revealed plan (vision)from God.
He is the revealer of the hidden treasures of the kingdom and holds the key to the inheritance of the saints.

The Holy Spirit is the most valuable asset to Christian living. He is the central figure in any breakthrough in life.
"But why all the counterfeits’", you may ask. The simple answer is this: the presence of the counterfeit is a sure proof of the existence of the genuine. No other personality of the Godhead is more impersonated than the Holy Spirit. This is because He is the reality of the hour.

By virtue of my salvation background with the Evangelicals, I was biased against the Holy Spirit. In fact, for the first six years of my salvation, I did not even want to hear the subject of the person of the Holy Spirit preached. The Evangelicals believe that all saved people are filled with the Holy Spirit.

I began to find faults with those who claim to be baptized with the Holy Spirit. Little did I know that the enemy was out to steal my destiny. Today, that same Holy Spirit is my sweetest companion and greatest asset.
Come with me on an exciting adventure into the person and mission of the Holy Spirit.

How, then, can one be filled with the Holy Spirit?

You need to first understand that we are Filled by the Holy Spirit by Faith; You dont need a mountain moving faith but as little as a mustard seed kind of faith via confession; then we can experience the abundant and fruitful life which Christ promised to each Christian.You can appropriate the filling of the Holy Spirit right now if you:

1.Sincerely desire to be directed and empowered by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 5:6; John 7:37-39). Confess your sins.

2. By faith thank God that He has forgiven all of your sins - past, present and future - because Christ died for you (Colossians 2:13-15; 1 John 1; 2:1-3; Hebrews 10:1-17). Present every area of your life to God (Romans 12:1, 2).

3. By faith claim the fullness of the Holy Spirit, according to:
A. His Command - Be filled with the Spirit. "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit" (Ephesians 5:18).

B. His Promise - He will always answer when we pray according to His will."And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked of Him" (1 John 5:14, 15)

There is no professional way of receiving the Holy Spirit than Stated above.
You dont need to wait in the Upper Room for the infilling again. you can receive Him immediately you covert Him. He is our Helper and with Him, You begin to walk in Gods plan for your life per minute.

I LOVE GOD

Deal with Worries and Anxieties God’s Way

What do you usually worry about? Are you ever anxious, as far as what to eat or wear, for tomorrow? How do you usually deal with your worries and anxieties?

Worry is an emotional problem that plagues the lives of multitudes ofChristians. CONTINOUS WORRY can affect every part of the human body. Worry causes a stress reaction. Constant activation of this stress response can put a person at a higher risk for psychological and physical problems.

We can believe in Jesus as our Savior and still be guilty of the sin of worry. The reason we worry is because we are so much under the control of feelings and negative emotions that our spiritual man cannot take control of our mind to where we dwell upon the Word of God and have the mind of Christ.

Instead of worrying, reach out in faith, confess your sin, and touch the Lord. When you worry about a problem, you are reaching out and touching it with the hand of unbelief. That only makes it worse. When we worry we bind and discredit our faith. It is totally unfounded for us to worry, because throughout the Bible God says don't worry, everything is going to be all right if you put your trust in me.

"And do not seek what you shall eat, and what you shall drink, and do not keep worrying. "For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. "But seek for His kingdom, and these things shall be added to you”. Luke 12:29-31

Anxiety is a distress of the mind and is a sin which is parallel to but may go beyond worry. It is often a result of subconscious fears and negative thoughts. Anxiety and its resulting tension will choke your faith, bind flow of joy, and severely hinder your personal relationship with the Lord. You cannot deal with anxiety by trying to stop it, or by trying to make yourself relax; most times this will only make it worse. The only effective way to deal with anxiety is to commit yourself to God. You must call upon the Lord and know that He is a very present help in time of trouble.

"Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' Or 'What shall we drink?' Or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' "For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. "Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own" - Matt. 6:31-34

“…casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you”. I Pet. 5:7

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. Phil. 4:6,7 (look at Prov. 14:30)

How can I increase my faith?- Christian Faith in God

You may want to ask - how do we grow in faith as believers, where do I start? How do I keep the doubts and unbelief out of my life? I asked myself the same questions before. There were times when I seemed to have gotten off track in my walk with the Lord. I got distracted. I started to focus more and more on my problems instead of God's faithfulness to help me go through the challenges in my life. I knew I didn’t call myself and I know that God will never leave me alone. What did I do to get back on track?

1. Spend time with God. Christianity is no longer a mere religion as it were but a personal relationship with God. This is very crucial in your faith journey. Read the Bible, ponder His words in your heart. Get to know your Creator - God, who He is, His promises. Because when you get to know Him, you will trust Him and trust as I said previously is understanding god leading.

2. Remember what He has done for you as often as possible. I consciously make an effort of recalling what God has done for me in the past. This brings me back to focusing on God's ability to come through for me and reinforces my faith. I have a diary where I record my day to day experience with Him. Whenever I’m down and it seems like nothing is working, I bring up this diary and count my entire blessings one after the other. The day we have nothing to eat as a family and he supernaturally provided. This keeps me going.

3. Join a Ministry. You grow by serving others and using your God-given gifts. I joined our Church's children department ministry and committed to it. By committed I mean attending scheduled sessions of teaching the children / teens and pre teens without grudge and complain. Trust me, its not as simple as it looks teaching children but I made it a commitment.

4. Be part of a small group of fellow believers. We grow better together. There is nothing like having that special "bond" with a few people who are in the Lord when you need someone to talk to, when you are discouraged, when you need a shoulder to cry on, when you need advice and other times when you simply need a friend. Oftentimes the Lord will communicate with you through them. They will also hold you accountable in a loving way.

5. Acknowledge God often or say short prayers. During the course of your day, talk to God. Even a simple 'Thank you Lord for the nice weather' or 'God, how beautiful those flowers are. And I know you made them. You're awesome!' You know what I mean. When you make Him part of your daily life, things go more smoothly and your faith is built up.

6. Choose carefully what you read, watch and listen to. In this day and age, there is just so much out there which can confuse someone growing in faith. Don't watch too much news, documentaries or books which go against your faith, movies with nudity, wrong information being passed by the media etc. Don't listen to radio announcers who swear on air or music containing references to violence, swearing, depressing thoughts, sex, etc. I humorously said recently that “Those who listen and watch breaking news are just a step away from having one”

So take that first step of faith. Christianity without faith is just another religion. Christianity is a walk of Faith institute.