Monday, September 09, 2013

SEVEN PRACTICES OF PEACE


You can acquire practices that will create peace in your heart, in your mind, in your life, and so in the world. Current psychology and modern spirituality, using current technologies, can bring ancient wisdom, hidden in creation myths, into your modern life. 

FREE INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
5 - 7 PM

A seven week series of small group experiences will be introduced at a free workshop led by Clark Echols, an experienced teacher and small group experience facilitator. 

Hosted by: Glendale New Church, 845 Congress Ave., Glendale, OH 45246 

To register for the free introduction go to www.glendalenewchurch.org

Thursday, January 03, 2013

Cincinnati Spiritual Cinema Circle: The Letter Writer

Cincinnati Spiritual Cinema Circle: The Letter Writer: January 13, 2012 5 – 7 PM Elders have wisdom that includes powerful insights, great advice, and effective encouragement....

Monday, December 17, 2012

Tragedy, the Lord, and Christmas Love

Struggling with the awful news of killings in a peaceful Connecticut town – 27 victims including 20 little children in the heart of the Christmas season – I recall another terrible killing two thousand years ago, of little boys two and under, not long after Jesus’ birth in a Bethlehem stable. “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2.18, quoting the prophecy of Jeremiah 31.15) 

Joseph heard the angel’s warning and led Mary and baby Jesus to safety in Egypt. But the killing of the baby boys around Bethlehem is there, every year, to remind us starkly of the evil in the world that the Lord came on earth to overcome, through His own living and victory in temptation.

This awful episode usually remains in the background as we prefer to focus on the positive, the happy and joyful – hopes for the future and human wishes to move closer to “peace on earth, good will towards men.” (Luke 2.14) It feels different this Christmas time. Reading about the murders in a happy little elementary school for 5-9-year-old boys and girls, I can’t help but feel also the horror of Herod’s attack on innocence around Bethlehem, and the tragic pain that parents and siblings went through, as they are going through now in Connecticut. With greater intensity than in other years I feel the reality of evil in the world, and in hell, that our Lord came on earth to counter, through His victorious love and truth.

Why at Christmas? The Lord always brings love. Evil is never from Him. When in His providence evil is allowed, it is because He created us to live in states of freedom, to make choices as of ourselves. Our environment is governed by His laws of providence, but is not arbitrarily changed at every turn to avoid or negate the consequences of bad human decisions. Such arbitrary manipulation of our environment would work against our choosing freely, and we would lean closer to choosing what feels good now, and leave God by Himself to clean up the messes from human decisions. To live truly freely, we exist in an environment that also has freedom and is not under God’s constant manipulation and change. And tragedies like the elementary school killings, like Herod’s slaughter of innocents, do occur.

Let us remember: the Lord’s loving providence without exception seeks to bring goodness out of all evil. No tragedy occurs where God does not enter into all people to inspire feelings of loving others, insights of truth, and human changes for the better. He forces inner change on no one, but endeavors always to lead us in our pain to higher understanding of reality, to spiritual growth inside us, and to heightened caring for our neighbors. Herod’s killings show us truly why God’s Word needed to come in the flesh. Tragedy at Christmas, while bringing anguish, can deepen our inner thought, and move our focus to what is truly important about Christmas – God coming on earth.

Everyone who reads this will grieve from the recent tragic news. And we all can also take the time to reflect and to act, in our own personal ways, to carry out goodness from the Lord in our daily surroundings, with fuller and better love towards others.

Dan Goodenough, December 15, 2012
Reprinted with permission

Jeremiah 31
15 Thus says Jehovah: A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her sons refused to be comforted for her sons, for they were not.
16 Thus says Jehovah: Withhold thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for there shall be a reward for thy work, says Jehovah; and they shall return from the land of the enemy.
17 And there is hope for thy last times, says Jehovah, and sons shall return to their border.


Friday, November 30, 2012

Spiritual Growth Support Group

I look forward to facilitating a Spiritual Growth Support Group again for nine sessions starting 

Monday, January 14, 2013. 

Here are the homework tasks that are given out. Very powerful stuff!

WAKING UP TO SPIRITUAL LIFE AND DEALING WITH THE INFERNAL MARRIAGE
When you become aware of a negative emotion in yourself, find a distraction and notice if the strength of the emotion is reduced. Observe the thoughts that surround the negative emotion and how quickly they arrive. Experiment with stopping the negative emotion by stopping the negative thoughts. Notice any changes that the distraction or positive thoughts have on the negative emotion. Write about this in your journal and come prepared to report on your experience. 

NOT IDENTIFYING WITH NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
When you observe a negative emotion in yourself, remind yourself that the emotion is not YOU. Say: "IT IS _________ (mad, jealous, scared, etc.), and I don't have to be." Write about this experience in your journal and come prepared to report on your reactions.

LETTING GO OF CRITICISM
Observe your criticisms (out loud and in your head) for a whole day. Once you have noticed the pattern of critical thoughts, go for a whole day without internal or external criticism. This applies to self-criticism as well. Notice what happens and record it in your journal. 

DEALING WITH LYING
1. Observe IT (your lower self) Lying 
a. Saying to yourself or to another what is not true, 
b. Rationalizing; making excuses by lying to yourself, 
c. Exaggerating (externally or internally), d. Talking with authority about something you know little or nothing about, e. Saying things that are true with the intention to mislead, f. Lying by omission, leaving out some vital piece of information, g. Telling "nice" lies, lying to be kind. 
2. When you observe the lying, stop as soon as you notice.

LIVING IN THE PRESENT
Whenever you feel regret or anxiety, observe any connection with the past or future. Let go and bring yourself into an awareness of something positive in the here and now. Say to yourself: "The present moment is eternity. I am in the perfect place at the perfect time."

FORGIVING OTHERS
When a person trespasses against you, use effort and attention to recall something you should ask the Lord to forgive you for. Hold them side-by-side.

CHOOSING HIGHER DELIGHTS
When you suspect that a state you are in is NEGATIVE, notice whatever enjoyment you may be having from it. What is the pay-off for the negative state? What HIGHER ENJOYMENT is being blocked by the negative delight? Let go of the negative and see if you can allow the positive to take its place. 

HANDING YOUR LIFE OVER TO THE LORD
Create a task for yourself relating to handing your life over to the Lord. It might take the form of beginning each day with a prayer, such as "Lord, I give my life to You this day". It could take the form of pausing from time to time to ask: "Lord, what is Your will for me at this moment?" Find a task that suits where you are in your life at this time.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Gold and Shadow

I had an insight while in my men's group that I intend to hold to as long as I can! So I am writing about it....

The Lord's life flows in such that the divine is in us. When we own it, and feel it to be our own, it is no longer divine, but it is still His love and wisdom. In the lingo of the format of this men's work, it is called gold. Everyone has this gold within.

The vessel the receives the Lord's life is called the "own" (Latin: proprium). Lisa Hyatt translates it as "autonomy" as in the following from Heavenly Secrets #3994:

“Innocence is an absolutely essential element of love and charity, and consequently of goodness. A person’s innocence consists in knowing, acknowledging, and believing, not with the lips but with the heart, that only evil originates in oneself, and everything good originates in the Lord…When a person confesses and believes this in his heart, the Lord flows in with good and truth and instills a heavenly autonomy into him which is bright and shining. Nobody can possibly be truly humble unless that acknowledgment and belief are present in his heart; and when they are present he is self-effacing and so is not preoccupied with himself, in which case he is in a fit state to receive the Lord's Divine. These are the circumstances in which the Lord flows in with good into a humble and contrite heart."

Notice that the Lord eventually changes the proprium from being completely evil to being heavenly. In the lingo of this men's work the first proprium is called a person's shadow.

One way to use this information is to imagine one's shadow as out in front, and so no longer hidden. Also, one accepts the existence and power of the shadow. One cannot get rid of it. And fighting it is futile. In fact, again in the paradigm of this men's work, one is to embrace and accept the shadow as not only a part of one's being, but as equally valuable. This makes sense of one considers that the proprium will eventually be changed by the Lord into a purely good vessel.

So the insight was a feeling, both an emotion and a physical sensation. I realized the emptiness produced by a dilemma. On the one hand, if I label my shadow as a worthless piece of "refuse" (trash) I will have to lie to you in order to hide this part of myself because, of course, I want to look good and and I want you to like me (which you wouldn't if you saw what I was REALLY like). On the other, if I don't lie and show you that I am a worthless piece of refuse, again, I have come to believe, you will see me for what I am and will reject me and not like me.

The way out of the dilemma is to stop rejecting my shadow and to stop calling it bad and wrong. (Note: it is evil ONLY in itself, because I am giving it power by holding onto my judgment of it and trying to hide it or get rid of it). By accepting my proprium for what it is, I stop giving it power from the divine love the Lord is giving me to use. I detach from it in the sense that I don't make it all of me. I let go of it so that I don't own it (a favorite concept: all evil is from hell, all good is from the Lord). All the time I remember this, I can much more easily control the behavior, including thoughts as well as actions, that I am ashamed of, that separate me from the Lord, heaven, and that I would be embarrassed if anyone knew about.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Having Jesus In Your Heart

This the first of a series of articles based on the Gospel of Matthew intended to equip us better to be followers of Jesus Christ.

The first chapter of Matthew proves that Jesus is a descendant of, first, King David, and then of Abraham. Jesus is thus not only a Jew, he is royalty. All because Matthew could produce the list of names that links them all.

Before you read any further, take a moment and get a piece of scrap paper and a pen and write your name. Did you write your complete name? Did you print it neatly? Or did you write a signature? Is your writing distinctive? Is there something special you do to a letter or as a flourish? Have you ever played with how your signature looks or using just initials? Notice that these questions speak to how you think of yourself. And they reflect how you want others to see you.

Did you ever acquire a nickname? Do you have a “real” name apart from your nickname? Have you asked people to call you a certain name? How, if at all is it connected your given name? A nickname, when made up by others, reveals something about what they think of you. A nickname you choose yourself, or one made up that you perpetuate, reveals how you want to be related to, even in some small way.

Now, reflect for a moment on each of the following questions. What do you think is a person’s first thought when they hear your name? Does it make a difference if they are looking at you when they first hear it? Does it make a difference if you introduce yourself or if someone else introduces you? Do you want to change your name? Can you describe what it is about your name that makes you want to have a different one? How do you feel about the fact that you didn’t get to pick your name? Do you know if your parents had a reason for giving you the name they did? What was it? Has your personality developed to match your name? Is that because of your name, or because your name reflects your parents’ personality which determined not only why they named you what they did, but the way they raised you?

And here is a relevant teaching: “The ancients took a name to mean simply the essence of a thing, and seeing something and naming it to mean recognizing its nature. This was due to the fact that they gave their daughters and sons names with a relevant meaning. Every name had a unique element that indicated where people were from and what they were like....Such a manner of speaking was familiar to them, and anyone who fails to understand it will be puzzled by the symbolism....No one knows anyone’s name in heaven, either, but each knows what the other is like.” (Secrets of Heaven n.144, 145)

What do you plan to do, if anything, to live up to your name? Do you look forward to living up to your name? Are you going to be like the parent or ancestor you were name for? Is he or she a model for you? Are there characteristics about the person you were named after that you want to avoid or get rid of?

What do you want to be named in heaven?

The story of the incarnation of God begins with names, perhaps, to begin with the most external feature of the Lord, the name “Jesus” and the honorific “Christ.” At the same time, those names involve his deepest essence. On the one hand, his heredity did not define him (at least no more than it defines any of us). On the other hand, his heredity connects him to both the Divine Itself and you and I. Jesus Christ is thus unique, even as he is an archetype for all of us.

To be called “Christian” is a significant matter. No parent gives you this name. You don’t make up its meaning, its heritage. It is symbolic of a certain essence, and it actually represents a way of being, of believing and living. It cannot be taken as a “toss off” nickname.

In a sense, you cannot earn the name “Christian.” You acquire it by a life according to the commands of Jesus Christ.

Living as a Christian leads to people thinking of you a certain way. They have a first impression, which may or may not be accurate. Many of our acquaintances don’t know us by this name. Are there some we would not want to know us by this name? Why? Can you name yourself “Christian”? How comfortable are you with that.

Again, why does the Gospel of Matthew start with a list of names? Might it be that it is essential that we take on the name Christian because it connects us to our God, Redeemer and Savior? As we do, we surely acquire a new name that will stick with us even into heaven! It is an essential quality that everyone we meet there will see instantly!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Spiritual Growth Support Group

I look forward to facilitating a Spiritual Growth Support Group again some time. It is a ten week series of workshops. Here are the homework tasks that are given out. Very powerful stuff!

WAKING UP TO SPIRITUAL LIFE AND DEALING WITH THE INFERNAL MARRIAGE
When you become aware of a negative emotion in yourself, find a distraction and notice if the strength of the emotion is reduced. Observe the thoughts that surround the negative emotion and how quickly they arrive. Experiment with stopping the negative emotion by stopping the negative thoughts. Notice any changes that the distraction or positive thoughts have on the negative emotion. Write about this in your journal and come prepared to report on your experience.

NOT IDENTIFYING WITH NEGATIVE EMOTIONS
When you observe a negative emotion in yourself, remind yourself that the emotion is not YOU. Say: "IT IS _________ (mad, jealous, scared, etc.), and I don't have to be." Write about this experience in your journal and come prepared to report on your reactions.

LETTING GO OF CRITICISM
Observe your criticisms (out loud and in your head) for a whole day. Once you have noticed the pattern of critical thoughts, go for a whole day without internal or external criticism. This applies to self-criticism as well. Notice what happens and record it in your journal.

DEALING WITH LYING
1. Observe IT (your lower self) Lying
a. Saying to yourself or to another what is not true,
b. Rationalizing; making excuses by lying to yourself,
c. Exaggerating (externally or internally), d. Talking with authority about something you know little or nothing about, e. Saying things that are true with the intention to mislead, f. Lying by omission, leaving out some vital piece of information, g. Telling "nice" lies, lying to be kind.
2. When you observe the lying, stop as soon as you notice.

LIVING IN THE PRESENT
Whenever you feel regret or anxiety, observe any connection with the past or future. Let go and bring yourself into an awareness of something positive in the here and now. Say to yourself: "The present moment is eternity. I am in the perfect place at the perfect time."

FORGIVING OTHERS
When a person trespasses against you, use effort and attention to recall something you should ask the Lord to forgive you for. Hold them side-by-side.

CHOOSING HIGHER DELIGHTS
When you suspect that a state you are in is NEGATIVE, notice whatever enjoyment you may be having from it. What is the pay-off for the negative state? What HIGHER ENJOYMENT is being blocked by the negative delight? Let go of the negative and see if you can allow the positive to take its place.

HANDING YOUR LIFE OVER TO THE LORD
Create a task for yourself relating to handing your life over to the Lord. It might take the form of beginning each day with a prayer, such as "Lord, I give my life to You this day". It could take the form of pausing from time to time to ask: "Lord, what is Your will for me at this moment?" Find a task that suits where you are in your life at this time.