Designing Dreams

Subliminal Landscapes

From the
ribbed, vaporous vaults
he descends,
jumping out
of a Gothic window
at an immeasurable height
in the tremulous castle
of the night.
There is stealth
and secrecy
in the cradle of his
somnolent arms.

Morpheus!
What will you morph as
tonight?
Will you give me your wings
to fly over the flying buttresses,
or leave me
on the eaves?
Gargoyles are frightening
so take me somewhere
serene.

Away from the noise
we shall scale
the mysterious peaks.
I want to go farther up
and jump off the loftiest ledge
covered with ice.
Glide down the
icy air with my arms
open wide,
and swim
like a skydiver.

Shelter me in your arms
Morpheus!
for this world is a
ravenous beast.

© Shalini Garg 2022

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Our existence, the world showing up for us and holding up a mirror

The world doesn’t just exist, it shows up for us. It appears as the pure experience of the present moment. And one of the most amazing things about the world is that it changes – from age to age, generation to generation, over the course of a human lifetime.

We can not ignore the world. We live in it, and we have to face those things that happen in that world. Today it would even be very difficult to live on a desert island just to live on our own without any interruption or interference from other human beings.

We are here and though others can ignore us, we can not ignore them nor deny our own existence. We have our fleshy bodies within it our brains which enable us to think and reason. From the moment we are born we are confronted with the world and shall have to learn to live in that world. From that first step on earth, time does not let us on our own but however we want, time binds us to itself. It makes hours, days, months and years go by while we have to hold in it and come to the realisation that we are getting older. However, we turn it or turn it and look for the ‘why’ we are here and the ‘how’ we can make it true here, we are pulled in all directions to do this or that or to be here and there.

Sometimes we even wonder not only why we exist, but also why this world and this universe exist. Lots of people also wonder what there would be in outer space. In the darkness behind the horizon, stars and planets get us dreaming of other planets and perhaps also about other living beings. Why should we be the only intellectual beings?

When we see time passing, we often feel as if we are running out of time. Looking at how glaciers melt and how waters rise, but so many in the world do not want to believe climate change is a serious business and that we are heading for an unseen natural disaster if we do not act quickly to combat global warming.

If nothing existed there would be nothing to contemplate existence and no existence to contemplate. Now we have to think about a lot of things. In fact, it happens that our brains don’t let us rest easy and get our heads spinning with all sorts of (sometimes foolish) thoughts.

Why did anything happen?

Why didn’t nothing happen?

Why did all those planets came into existence?

Why does anything at all exist?

What does it mean to exist?

Why did man came into existence and why does he thinks he is superior to all other beings?

Why are we here?

What is life all about? or What is the purpose of existence?

Is that what we think to see realy there? Or is it just an illusion?

Philosophers through all ages have tackled this most fundamental question of existence. Many persons came to practice or investigate the systematised study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. There was and is the searching, the rational, abstract, and methodical consideration of reality as a whole or of fundamental dimensions of human existence and experience. We know of major Eastern philosophers, like Buddha; Confucius; Dai Zhen; Han Feizi; Laozi; Mencius; Mozi; Nichiren; Nishida Kitarō; Wang Yangming; Xunzi; Zhu Xi.

But in the West, they did not have to undercut and could in turn make others think and philosophise with a variety of thoughts. There were many Ancient Greek philosophers, like Aristotle and his followers, who brought a whole movement into being,  Aristotelianism. Epicurus and Epicureanism.
The Western world provided lots of major Western philosophers, like Peter Abelard; St. Anselm; St. Thomas Aquinas; St. Augustine; Noam Chomsky; Jacques Derrida; Duns Scotus; Michel Foucault; Jürgen Habermas; Martin Heidegger; David Hume; William James; Saul Kripke; Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz; John Locke; John Stuart Mill; Friedrich Nietzsche; Hilary Putnam; Jean-Jacques Rousseau; Bertrand Russell; Jean-Paul Sartre; Socrates; Benedict de Spinoza; Bernard Williams; Ludwig Wittgenstein, and so many more who request our attention.

Some of those philosophers from the east and west will tell you that everything that we experience as real is an illusion. Especially in Eastern philosophies, we find ‘masters’ or ‘teachers’ who will say this is all a dream.

Could it be that we are part of a dream or living in some surreal universe?

And is there some Being managing it all?

Is there a Creator or Manipulator? And are we just His toys?

We may see all this physical stuff around us, but in which way is it real, or do we get to know how it really is?

Over the years, mankind had to change its views about so many things. More than once, man had it wrong. More often there were groups of people or organisations, who wanted to have control over people and made it a rule or doctrine that people had to believe. The Roman Catholic Church was (and is still) a master in that.

Many people have high ideas about themselves. Sometimes it happens that they suddenly become confronted with themselves and have to come to see that their thoughts and emotions are ‘nothing’. It is all, they will say, the play of pure consciousness. John Locke considered “the perception of what passes in a man’s own mind” man’s consciousness.

Pure being is all that really is. Everything else is an illusion created in an ungraspable field of consciousness, awareness and sentience. Some philosophers regarded it as a kind of substance, or “mental stuff,” quite different from the material substance of the physical world. From such philosophers’ ideas many started to believe we exist out of more than one element. They managed to have several people believe that when they die that there is a spiritual element (the soul) that will go to other places (like purgatory, hell or heaven) and another physical element that will transform into another body (incarnation and reincarnation). That reincarnation, also called transmigration or metempsychosis, in religion and philosophy, would be a rebirth of the aspect of an individual that persists after bodily death — whether it be consciousness, mind, the soul, or some other entity — in one or more successive existences. Depending upon the tradition, these existences may be human, animal, spiritual, or, in some instances, vegetable, depending on the way one lived before.

The French mathematician, scientist, and philosopher René Descartes for instance as one of the first to abandon Scholastic Aristotelianism, formulated the first modern version of mind-body dualism, from which stems the mind-body problem. Because he promoted the development of a new science grounded in observation and experiment, he is generally regarded as the founder of modern philosophy. We all know his expression

“I think, therefore I am” (best known in its Latin formulation, “Cogito, ergo sum,” though originally written in French, “Je pense, donc je suis”).

The medieval English logician St. Anselm of Canterbury (1033/34–1109), is at the heart of Descartes’s rationalism, the view that regards reason as the chief source and test of knowledge, knowledge about an existing thing solely on the basis of reasoning from innate ideas, with no help from sensory experience. Descartes has an innate idea of Allah Al-Aliyy or Most High God, being The Sublime God as a perfect being. For him, it is clear that God necessarily exists, because, if He did not, He would not be perfect. It is That God Who presides in the great assembly (Psalm 82:1) of human beings, who often think they are greater than others.

Jim Holt, the American journalist, author in popular science and essayist, who often contributed to The New York Times, wrote the nonfiction work and NYTimes bestseller for 2013, Why Does the World Exist?, presented the central question ‘Why is there something rather than nothing?’, which lies in the domain between philosophy and scientific cosmology. Also the English cosmologist and astrophysicist Martin Rees looked at the big-bang theory of the origins of the universe. By examining the nature of existence itself Holt was following in the path of the philosophy called ‘Existentialism’, which stresses human existence in the world concreteness and its problematic character. for those writers ‘Existence’ is primarily the problem of existence (i.e., of its mode of being); it is, therefore, also the investigation of the meaning of Being. Going back to the intitial thought of previous philosophers

What is Being?

What does it mean to be?

To be is the question!

What does it mean to exist?

What is the nature of being?

For the German philosopher, counted among the main exponents of existentialism, Martin Heidegger, the human subject had to be reconceived in an altogether new way, as “being-in-the-world.” Because this notion represented the very opposite of the Cartesian “thing that thinks,” the idea of consciousness as representing the mind’s internal awareness of its own states had to be dropped. With it went the assumption that specific mental states were needed to mediate the relation of the mind to everything outside it.

Man philosophers had the above questions, bringing them to think about their own being and the being of others around them. Those people thinking and writing about those life questions bring the deep contemplation of what it means to be human. We think no other living being is concerned with such questions. Even pets don’t wonder what their role in the family might be (we think). Even though plants and animals have sentience, we suspect that they have no thinking capacity whereby they would ascertain their essence in this world.

On the other hand, it can well be that one of the reasons that other creatures don’t worry about the meaning of life could be that they don’t seem to have any choice about how to live it. Dogs and cats just live the way dogs and cats live. They respond to circumstances the way dogs or cats generally do. Sure they may differ one to the other, but generally speaking they act more or less predictably like dogs or cats.

But human beings can also be very predictable. We also could say human beings act in a similar way. Many people around us are also very predictable. Though we can notice that even when the majority lives a standard way of living, we can find people who follow a totally different course. There are human beings who stand out and surprise us. We also find several people who do not want to follow the tract the majority follows. They don’t live an ordinary life. They live an extraordinary life, that is remarkably new and different from the norm. And sometimes these rare human beings discover a way of being that eventually becomes the new norm.

Martin Heidegger was convinced that the history of Western thought has failed to heed the ontological difference, and so has articulated Being precisely as a kind of ultimate being, as evidenced by a series of namings of Being, for example as idea, energeia, substance, monad or will to power. He recognised that most of us live as ‘the one’, or that we do generally what ‘one’ does or what would be the general norm to do. Though we are often concerned with what ‘one’ tends to be concerned with.

He spoke about “Dasein” or “being there”, the most fundamental a priori transcendental condition or mode of being not so much to be seen from the point of being there but from the perspective of how the being essentially unfolds. As Heidegger puts it:

“A being is: Be-ing holds sway [unfolds]”.

The hyphenated term ‘be-ing’ is adopted by Emad and Maly, in order to respect the fact that, in the Contributions, Heidegger substitutes the archaic spelling ‘Seyn’ for the contemporary ‘Sein’ as a way of distancing himself further from the traditional language of metaphysics.

We all should be aware that somehow we come on this planet and have to make the best of it. We receive an overdose of information during our lifetime and are fed an untold number of knowledges and rules, with which and by which we try or must try to live. Through all these influences we have to go through, we have to try to build our lives and live a generic human life.

Unlike the rest of the animal kingdom, a human being could, if they were heroic enough, choose to live a different kind of human life and could come to live a profoundly authentic and original human life. The American lecturer, poet, and essayist, the leading exponent of New England Transcendentalism, Ralph Waldo Emerson called such human beings ‘representative’ because their lives represented new possibilities for being human.

I do not think “Life is But a Dream” even when we may dream that we live or imagine our life to be a certain way. When we are dreaming it can well be that we are not aware that we are asleep. But also when we are awake it can happen that we wonder if we are dreaming, because what we encounter seems to be so unreal. How often does it not happen that we must come to the conclusion that we were in a dream-world. And that dream world was not always to our liking. More than once the dream world that comes into our mind, is one that can cause fear, but luckilly there is also that dream world that causes joy, surprise, and myriad other emotions. Dreams take us, seemingly, to worlds we’ve been to and worlds that we have never experienced. In them we re-live what we lived before in that world we should recognise as the real world. But we should be aware that very often we are deceived by the real world around us. Often we do not want to know that this world has played tricks on us.

Every day we have doubts about certain things, often which we should recognise as facts. There and then we once more are confronted with those questions that come up into our mind so often. Oh, so often we are troubled, and question our own self and all the things we see happening around us. Then we might ask

What is our role in this all?

What happens when we become older?

As time passes we start getting in contact with other peoples and other cultures. Mostly how we grow up is decided by our parents and our surroundings. The culture of our homeland, the religion of our parents, and the friends we hang out with, all influence us and mould us in a form we do not mind or which bothers us. In case we do not like the form in which we are moulded we get frustrated and come into a stressful position. sometimes people would love to have been born in an other place or have lived in other circumstances. But the choice is not up to us. We are dropped in a time and place and have to find our way in it.

We have no memory of a previous life, because there is just not such another life.

Could we prove that we have ever lived if we did not have our memories?

No, there would be no way to prove it. There is not one person who ever could recollect and prove some previous existence. Even for those who are born, when young, their memory is too short and after some time they shall not be able to tell what happened in those first years of life. When you would ask a toddler to prove he lives, he would not be able to do so, because he has not enough memory and not enough knowledge. The very young cannot prove they live because they do not have memories. Memory starts to develop a bit later than the first few years of life. Memory is an essential component to the human mind, so important that we cannot say that we exist without memory. Knowledge and memory are two requirements to realise that one is alive and can be. In other words, our very existence is hinged on our capacity to remember. Without our capacity to think, or to have thoughts, we can not remember nor can we analyse. And to be able to know we live we need to be able to think, consider and to review.

Memory, as the encoding, storage, and retrieval in the human mind of past experiences, is unconditionally linked to thought and being. Without awareness, there is no knowledge of being. We can notice this when people have reached an age when they start to suffer from dementia. It is then as if their thinking but also their “being” falls away.

Memory is both a result of and an influence on perception, attention, and learning. It is those thoughts of past events and influences that help shape us, making us who we are. With that awareness and understanding of that event and of that personality we are confronted with, we ourselves are presented with a mirror, in which whether or not we will accept, love or hate that reflection. But dar we will recognise that this is that “I” that we wish, desire or curse.

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Preceding

With Positive Attitude

There can only be hope when there is a will to be and say “I am”

I and Thou

Our existence..

Leap

To come to live in the peace of fulfilment of our own Divine Identity

What is Existential Ergonomics?

On the Anxiety of Non-Being

Running out of time

Why does the world exist

Our real self ever perfect and free

Life’s Purpose

Modern Living

Quandary of Reflections

Existence in the non-existent and non-existence in the existence

Human experience maintained in a fragile existence

Soul-searching

Vivamos Videre, the more we live, the more we are a witness to life

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Additional reading

1. Immortality, eternality – onsterfelijkheid, eeuwigheid
2. Onsterfelijkheid – Immortaliteit – Immortality
3. About The story of Creation 1 Existing cosmologies
4. Genesis Among the Creation Myths
5. Creator and Blogger God 1 Emptiness and mouvement
6. Creation of the earth and man #14 Formation of man #6 The Uncreated One, neshemet ruach chayim and nephesh
7. Jesus begotten Son of God #11 Existence and Genesis Raising up
8. A Living Faith #10: Our manner of Life #2
9. Ability
10. Ability (part 2)
11. Ability (part 3) Thoughts around Ability
12. Ability (part 4) Thought about the ability to have ability
13. The Opinionated Truth
14. God make us holy
15. Two states of existence before God
16. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
17. Wisdom Quote #21…..seeking within with Carl Jung!
18. Living in this world and viewing it

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Related

1. Who am I to…?
2. Spike the obit
3. Awareness is All
4. Trouble being myself
5. #being as details
6. Conditioning and Consciousness
7. Becoming
8. What Descartes Proved
9. The ABCs of Python: The Identity of “is”
10. When I sleep, I think, I dream [A philosophy post?]
11. Wisdom Collection Collection 26. Human thinking is a creation process with devastating results. Thinking is separation of myself from my source.
12. Mind and language essays on descartes and chomsky
13. Therefore (Quote Series)
14. Essays on the philosophy and science of rene descartes
15. Descartes proof for the existence of god essay
16. My favorites: philosophy ideas
17. I remember therefore I am
18. Descartes, Perception, and Society
19. Strange nonsense
20. Perception and Reality
21. How Ego Disrupts the Cosmic Brilliance of ‘Is’
22. I am
23. What is Left to Doubt?
24. Life is But a Dream
25. In here and out there
26. Confusion of knights
27. Awareness, Consciousness, Experience, Mind
28. Interlude: Descartes’ Role
29. Descartes
30. Consciousness, Personhood
31. St. Borges of Canterbury
32. Spirituality of the Left
33. Breakthrough
34. The floating consciousness
35. Useful Heideggerian Concepts
36. At The Existentialist Cafe by Sarah Bakewell is a biography of existentialism
37. Martin Heidegger, the Standing Metaphor, and the Politics of 1935
38. Time and Being
39. Heidegger and the Question of Being
40. Existential Reflections: The Shadow Side of Human Existence (2)
41. Second Principle- Freedom in Being
42. Every man is born as many men and dies as a single one.
43. The ‘Man for All Seasons’ and Ontological Exigency
44. Martin Heidegger Quotes
45. Religion, Consumerism, and Absurdism: Modernity and the Quest for Meaning
46. Two reviews of The Early Foucault (Polity, 2021) by Colin Koopman and Jasper Friedrich – and a note on Heidegger
47. [Reflections] Why Does the History of Philosophy Matter to Philosophy?
48. Modern Transcendentalism
49. Ralph Waldo Emerson
50. American Voices: Ralph Waldo Emerson
51. Transcendentalism literary origins in america and influence essay
52. Living in Subversia
53. Ernest Holmes and the Science of Mind Part One: ‘Ye Are Gods’
54. What are the main features of Shelley’s Transcendentalism ?
55. Autumn, Concord, and Transcendentalism
56. Transcendentalism : An American Movement
57. Self-Awareness, Self-Reliance and Non-Comformity

Point Taken?

 

World looks dark?
Lots of confusion? Conflict & division?
Isn’t it time for a little light?
To balance things out?
What if each of us has the power within…?
to shine bright?
Can you shine a little of your light today?

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What does it mean in the bible when it says to be no part of the world?

The closer we get to the end of this system the clearer it will be who is a part of the world and who is not.

Those trying to be no part of the world would listen to Jesus words because they came from his father. Even when the majority of those calling themselves Christian, prefer to be part of the world by having Jesus as their god and keeping to human traditions, they who want not to be part of the world accept the words of Jesus and his God and keep away of all those heathen traditions.
Those lovers of the Only One True God, the Elohim Hashem Jehovah, would also love in the same way as Jesus loved and have faith in Jesus and follow his teachings.

Lee's Stuff

Written by Lee Stevenson, sorry I am a lousy editor.

Jesus mentioned being no part of the world. How can we be not part of the world when we live in the world and we are required to share bible truths with others? If we are no part of the world the bible warns we will be hated. So we should keep in mind does the world love us or does it hate us and exactly what does Jesus mean when he says the world. The closer we get to the end of this system the more we need to be careful and be not part of the world. Those who are part of the world will be destroyed. Certainly we would not want to be destroyed. We have to remember Jesus own people persecuted and killed him because he was telling them what they needed to hear and not…

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Making itself worthy of happiness

”“If the entire world sought to make itself worthy of happiness
rather than make itself happy,
then the entire world would be happy.”
~ Criss Jami.”

 

Early Morning (Poem)

 

andifnotnowblog

Early morning, a liminal time,

When the tenebrific skies seem poised

On some obscure threshold.

The air is quiet;

No birds yet sing to herald the day;

No wind or rain disturbs the transitory stillness.

The moment awaits any assignation of meaning.

For a brief few breaths,

The world is simply as it is.

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Where did we come from and who are we?

Having started a new year after one we probably all want to forget very quickly, we do hope soon to come out of the darkness.

At the beginning of all times there was also darkness and void. There was no form when everything came into being. In 2020 lots of things seemed to have lost form and meaning. Suddenly there seemed something wrong with the world. All over the globe people had become frightened by what one president smilingly called the Chinese disease. Many came to wonder:

What has gone wrong with the world? What can we do to fix it? How now shall we live?

2020 was a year that gave us enough time to think. Many were in isolation in their own home or were locked up in a care home. Lots of people suddenly got enough time for themselves and their own family. They got now some time to reflect on the response to the first and most foundational of these questions  –

where did we come from?

and

Where are we going to?

There are a limited number of answers at our disposal: We came about by chance (the naturalist contention), we don’t really exist (the Hindu response), or we were spoken into existence by God. Some believe mankind was placed here on earth by extraterrestrials.

For the Christian, the answer to

“Where did we come from and who are we?”

gives a foundation for thinking that no other answer gives. Because we were created, there is value in each person. There is meaning and purpose to every life. There is Someone above and outside our existence who stands over it as authority.

As human beings, all created in the image of God, somehow we all can carry something of God in us, even without knowing it or willing to know. Several people claim Jesus is God because there is written he was in the image of God. They forget that the first Adam was also created in God’s image like all the other human beings, but for sure they are not God, the same way as Jesus is not God.

Last month several Christians celebrated the birth of a man who changed the course of this world. They claim to be his followers though reject many of his words, his teachings and those values as a part of shaping our culture for the future. They look at a King, but forget that he came from the root of another king (King David).

Perhaps this world has gone “buzark” because people living in this materialist world have forgotten those important ethics and values. For centuries people were truthful to the teachings of Jesus, but they were always in the minority because their way of life was based on something not of this world that the world no longer recognizes.

After the darkness and isolation of the CoViD year there is some hope with the upcoming vaccines. Let us also hope more people would come to the realisation that we seriously have to do something to protect the animals and the nature around us. This so maniest coronavirus was a very serious one which had brought the economy and life to a standstill. It was a time to reflect and to think about the way we are treating mother nature.

With the opening of the “Newer Year” we do hope you and our other readers would find the way to make the best out of this life.

Stay healthy & All the best for 2021

A heart full of dreams in a world that has turned to stone

Nothing is more precious than a heart full of dreams
in a world that has turned to stone.

From a blog with very nice photographs with not always related long texts: The Island of Truth and Lies.

Above the hypnotic waves,
on a lingering cloud, the ghost of a rainbow appears.
A promise.

High time to show the way to peace

Vagabonds of the Western World (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The world has always known people who had problems with their relationship and even went to fight with each other because they wanted things of the other person. Wars have been a common thing for humanity. In the West we may be pleased after World War II the fighting was less than in previous centuries, but still lots of internal battles make many lives sour.

In the West, though, there are many who call themselves Christian and even say the Western World belongs to the Christians and Is or should be Christian. When they are afraid Muslims would take over they should more question themselves how it is possible that so many people do want to leave Christendom for that other religion.

This year we do remember that it is 2020 years ago that rabbi Jeshua, Jesus Christ, was born. At that special occasion we should better question what mankind made of that man and what they did with his teachings.

Rabbi Jeshua was a man of peace, who did not favour one for the other but thought and treated everybody likewise. For a good or even a bad person this rabbi had always an ear and was always ready to help. All his teachings were about an unmistakably Great Love. The great master teacher, who came to be known in the West as Jesus Christ, was a man of action and not of words only. His words were like balsam. In his words there was no place for hatred or jealousy. He was an example of humbleness, tenderness, full of love and kindness. He was not a bringer of war but a bringer of peace.

When people also would follow his teachings they would have less problems and there would be less friction or peevishness.

This image was selected as a picture of the week on the Malay Wikipedia for the 44th week, 2009. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Today, we have reached an era of which the Bible warns mankind. We too should take heed and see what is going on, as signs prophesied in the Book of books, the Bible. Noticing all those signs of coming troublesome times we should be fully aware that we best make work of those tidings Christ Jesus has brought to mankind.

When all those who say they are Christian, which should mean they are willing and doing what Jesus asks from them, following his teachings and his example, they should know that as all different body parts together they should make one strong healthy body, the Body of Christ.

When all Christians would start in their own surroundings already trying to create that peace of Christ, also trying to accept other Christians and willing to work together with them, the world would become a much better place.

Christians should show others that Jesus is not only the Way to God but also the Way to life and to  world peace. With Jesus we shall be able to find a (restored) kingdom, where there shall be no grudges, no jealousy, no fighting. One might be surprised how it could still be in reach.

Please do not wait any longer. Do not postpone. Tell others about that man born 2020 years ago and show them why we should put our eyes on him. Let others see why that Nazarene man was so important for mankind and let them understand he is the only working solution for mankind. Jesus is the way, and all should know it!

How more people shall come to Jesus how more people shall be sharing that similar love of Jesus with each other, and as brothers and sisters of each other in the Body of Christ they shall be able to bring soft gently swaying waves of peace. and that peace shall be much stronger than what others try to get with their fighting.

All will have to know that Jesus will conquer, and that he will become the new King of kings. In him we do have our mediator between God and man and our high-priest. He has ear and eyes for us and in him we should trust.

Let us proclaim who he is, what he has done and why the whole world need him. In him is our peace, which we should radiate so that others also become affected with it.

It is really “High time to devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship”, plus “High time to go out telling the world about Jesus” and hight time to join hands for showing the world that those who love Jesus can come together in peace and co-operate with the best intentions to come to a better world, were peace shall reign.

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Preceding articles:

High time to devote ourselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship

High time to go out telling the world about Jesus

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Additional articles

1. In a few days time it will be 2020 years ago that the Messiah was born
2. 2020 years since
3. 2020 years ago, the road was opened
4. When Bad Things Happen
5. Redemption #1 Biblical doctrine of salvation
6. Redemption #2 Biblical solution
7. Redemption #7 Christ alive in the faithful
8. Redemption #8 Righteousness by Faith
9. Redemption #9 Only way
10. The Right One to follow and to worship
11. Knowledge of Christ and fear for God
12. Through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe
13. The stone of essential truth
14. the Way to life
15. Relating to God is it possible + Relation with God
16. Man’s plans prevailed by God’s purpose
17. Religious people and painful absence of spring of living water
18. Be humble like Christ
19. Humbleness
20. The first on the list of the concerns of the saint
21. If you want to go far in life
22. Kindness
23. Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair
24. God let my compassionate affection be tolerant and kind
25. Kingdom of God what will it be like
26. True riches

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Further reading

1. God, Alone, Sovereignly Chooses His Eternal Family
2. God’s Marriage: The Father And Son
3. Unraveling Guilt With God’s Holiness
4. Lent Day 23: I Declare My Ways Are Smooth, My Path Is Straight. I Will Not Stumble
5. Only one way out
6. The Way
7. R.C. Sproul quote
8. This is the way
9. The Way home Psalm 56:3-4 Luke 13:22-30
10. Discouraged? Run to Jesus!
11. Jesus sees me as …
12. Grace and Restoration
13. “Flow through Me”
14. “That They May Be One”
15. Jew or Gentile: You Are All One in Christ Jesus
16. Disciplinary Treatises—(4) The Communion of the Body, by Scott Cairns
17. The Body of Christ
18. The Body of Christ : God’s ultimate intention for our life
19. Body of Christ: Nothing Will Be Wasted, by Francis de Sales Wagner
20. The Living, Growing Body of Christ
21. Becoming Community
22. Who Runs the Church?
23. Beware of a Spiritual Cancer in the Body of Christ
24. Has the Church become a pathetic loser?
25. The Apostasy
26. Are We A Healthy Body?
27. Measuring the Fullness
28. Oneness of the Church
29. Unify
30. On marriage for priests.
31. Sometimes, Instead of Bread, I Ask God for Stones
32. What love is this?
33. Until Christ Is Formed
34. Standing in the Gap
35. Prayer For Oct. 22nd
36. “Do I have to pray, read the Bible, go to church, etc?”
37. Revival, or something that looks like it
38. Running Toward The Goal
39. Ignatius of Antioch: “love incorruptible”
40. The Perfect Wheel
41. Spiritual Formation, Gossip and Presidential Campaigns
42. October 26 – I Never Knew You
43. Summing Up
44. Horrendous Things are Under Authority
45. Peace. Comfort. Love. Joy. Over coming the heartache.
46. A Fresh Look at the Lord’s Prayer “Your Kingdom Come”
47. No Matter
48. Sunday Bun! At SAllome Point in the Future
49. Religion vs Relationship
50. Why Christianity Isn’t a Solo Act
51. We have all the answers, we must go and answer all the questions!
52. For the One whose name is higher than them all
53. Kingdom???
54. Thy Kingdom Come
55. Know your saviour
56. Kings and kingdoms
57. 4 Shots From 4 Films: An Epic Birthday Salute
58. Open Wide the Gates
59. The Justice of God – Isaiah 33:22
60. All Glory To Jesus
61. Recapturing The Holy Awe

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• If Christians are the “Body of Christ”, then the Protestant “reformation” ran Jesus through a chipper-shredder
• The believer’s authority
• 1 Timothy 1:12-17 Best Sinner Make the Best Saints 20160911 RSUMC
• Realize
• How Will You Finish?
• 9-5/6-2016 Gospel Saints
• When people leaving church doesn’t concern you, there’s something wrong
• British families only attend church at Christmas, new figures suggest
• Not everyone in the churches of Christ are “ungodly”

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Detachment by Family problems

In the previous article Liza Borstlap writes

I came to believe that the conflict in my family had created itself.

It would be lovely if we all could grow up in very close lovely families which can give us everything we need. Though it does not work that way. The world is not made in such a way that all can be born at the right good place, in the right good class, receiving all the good education or even being all very bright.

First Lady Michelle Obama reads “The Cat in the Hat” to children in Ms. Mattie’s class at Prager Child Development Center March 12, during her visit to Fort Bragg, N.C. The First Lady spoke with Soldiers and Family members as part of her initiative to care for military families. First Lady vows support for military families (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Even when all the material richness would be there when you are born in a rich family it does not mean you will find the luck to have a good relationship between all the members of that family.

Wherever we may be born in whatever for family we are just part of one big turmoil. Every day, people’s lives are touched by political, social, economic, and religious conflicts that tear the human family apart. In these conflicts, it is common for people to take sides — verbally or otherwise — with the nation, tribe, language group, or social class of which they are a part.
Even when people are not directly involved in some conflict, they often find themselves favouring one side over another. But regardless of which person or cause they endorse, to whom are they really giving support?

The Bible plainly states:

“The whole world is lying in the power of the wicked one.” (1 John 5:19)

Families are not always such perfect units that shields the individual from a cruel society. Mostly we do find that in those families where there are no rules and morals and no eye for ethics the chances of getting derailed are grater than in religious families where certain religious rules go over the human will.

We must come to see we too can often be the cause of a problem. We too can be making problems even bigger than they are. Also by becoming indifferent for what goes on we can get ourselves in a deeper mess than we would love to see ourselves. Indifference in the end shall create emotional agitation and stress which shall become so unbearable that the person shall find no inner peace left. Danger then is that one tries to look for detachment, thinking it can preserve the self.

Another big problem is when people are not open enough to tell each-other what is on their liver. When not willing to let yourself be seen by the other like you are, you are that other person not giving the opportunity to get to know you, like you are really. It is by not having the open spirit to allow each other to be him or herself that restrictions are also laid on each other. When people than start remaining silent about the interference, the neglect, the labelling and toxic in-fighting, that often leaves a person with a limp and the frustration may ferment the malfunction in the own body as well as in the facility of being part of one united family.

It is not by secretly covering our own failures and mishaps until we can identify the black sheep that can take the blame, that we are going to come to a good solution. The opposite, that will bring us deeper in the well.

Deep in us may we find it screwing and tormenting. Our head can becoming spinning and looking for answers, but not seeing the places where those answers are easy to pick up. This deep-seated conflict between the desire to know and the inability to find the answer has tormented thinkers and philosophers throughout the ages. However, since God has put that yearning or desire in our heart, is it not logical to look to him to provide what is needed to satisfy that desire? After all, the Bible says of Jehovah:

“You are opening your hand and satisfying the desire of every living thing.” (Psalm 145:16)

For all those conflict which are between the family members, those persons should come to see what binds them, what makes it that they are brother and sister and that their is something in their blood which is more than special, even unique.

Even when we do feel so much hurt by our own family members, we should come over the point of being selfish and come to see that we can be a necessary link to heal the wounds made previously.

Being kind to those in our family involves following the admonition of the apostle Paul:

“Really put them all away from you, wrath, anger, badness, abusive speech, and obscene talk out of your mouth.”

Every day, Christian families should communicate with one another in a respectful manner. Why? Because good communication is the lifeblood of strong, healthy families. When disagreements arise, to smooth the conflict, try to solve the problem rather than win the argument. Happy family members make an earnest effort to promote kindness and consideration for one another. — Colossians 3:8, 12-14.

By turning to God’s Word, the Bible, we can find satisfying explanations about life and death and about God’s eternal purpose regarding the earth and the human family. — Ephesians 3:11.

Kindness is positive and makes us want to do good to others. Thus, we seek to be useful, considerate, and helpful in an agreeable manner with other family members. It takes both individual and collective effort to show the type of kindness that speaks well of a family. As a result, not only will they have God’s blessing but, in the congregation and in the community, they will honour the God of kindness, Jehovah. — 1 Peter 2:12.

When frustrated, when in conflict with members of the family it would be best to seek Biblical advice and to put your own “self” not in the centre but alongside all others in the family. By going to look for answers in the Holy Scriptures solutions may be found. Even when others do not want to know of God, you yourself will be able to change so much that your improved attitude shall be helpful to heal the wounds.

Seeing all the conflicts around us we also should try to become part of them. Best we take on a form of neutrality. Taking care of not to become misled with what is going on around us we should show others the other way to come closer to each other and to have agapé love.

We ourselves should know that our time on earth is limited and that we should make the best of it. Our hope should be in the coming new world, and it is that idea that we should share with those around us. Our task is to come up for others and to protect them, but we must know that we can not take them or ourselves out of this world. (John 17:15, 16) We live in this world and have to live with it, but that does not mean we have to live according to it. No, we have to live according to God’s Law and by following His word many blessings may come over us already in this life. By not wanting to be part of this world, but by being part of God’s world we shall find ways to bring the love of Christ over unto others as well and then the love of Christ may also grow deeper in us.  .

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Preceding articles:

When you stay in your lane, there’s no traffic.

Family happiness and little things we do

Families with four or more kids most happiest

.under the gazebo.

How to Raise a Happy Child

Crisis man needed in this world

Dissolve The Barriers You Created

What is important?

Learning that stuff is just stuff

72 Synod Fathers on the topic “The vocation and mission of the family in the Church and the contemporary world”

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Additional reading

1. Behold, My mother and My brothers!
2. Importance of parents 1
3. Importance of parents 2
4. Father and motherhood
5. Youngsters, parents and the search to root in life
6. Some one or something to fear #4 Families and Competition
7. Teach children the Bible
8. Poverty and conservative role patterns
9. Dignified role for the woman
10. Connection between women and environmental sustainability
11. Three years ago and look back at several decennials ago
12. Growing rift between observant parents and their children
13. Synod of Bishops concerning minors
14. Two synods and life in the church community
15. Need to Embrace People Where They Are
16. Conclusion of the synod of bishops for seeing the family in the light of the Gospel and church tradition
17. Don’t be the weakest link
18. I’m not a Mooch
19. Patience is the ability to count down before blasting off
20. Agape, a love to share with others from the Fruit of the Spirit
21. Better loaves when the heart is joyous
22. Jehovah’s Witnesses Shunning ex-members adverse effects on family relationships
23. Agape, a love to share with others from the Fruit of the Spirit

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Further reading

1. Conflict: Understanding Suspense
2. Understanding others
3. Understanding between religions
4. Urges
5. Subconflict, and Lots of It
6. Fighting words: The role of conflict in fiction writing.
7. No one listening? Then stop shouting, you might get heard
8. The Rise and Fall of Action – for all levels
9. Never Doubt Yourself
10. Remembering Infinity: Caution…Egos at Work!
11. Follow your heart when it’s in conflict with your brain!!!
12. Can the World Bank Reduce Conflict in Nigeria by Providing Social Assistance?
13. I Find my self conflicted
14. Governance in a Mature Society, Part 2
15. Communicating With Family – How to Let a Family Member Know They Hurt You
16. Blessings and Duct Tape: How to Help Your Kids Get Along
17. Stand Firm
18. Hope For Battle Weary Mamas
19. Family Conflict and Summer: The Best Time To Work Out Issues
20. The father-child meeting
21. The Problem With Beliefs
22. Fighting With Your Spouse: How You Indirectly Effect Your Child
23. 6 Tips for Handling Family Conflicts While Caregiving
24. 10 Things You Need To Hear If Your Significant Other And Your Family Don’t Get Along
25. Hurt People Hurt People
26. Divorce: Part 1
27. Divorce: Part 2, the minor problem
28. Their’s Was A Perpetual Love Affair
29. Depression: Postpartum Depression in Mothers
30. Personality: The Birth Order Effect
31. Frustration
32. Finding Home
33. The Very Best Way To Understand Grace
34. Just like Granny told you, “Count your blessings!”

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Related articles

• Enhanced Vision (preparing for mgpc 14/8/2016)
• New Song for this Sunday
• Encouragement for your down times
• His Word reveals His greatness
• 3 things that we can learn from bad experiences
• Paedophile back working with kids in Australian church

Get the lenses out to getting closer again

With Spring we get reminded to do things all anew. It is a new start for new life, in nature and perhaps also in our souls.

border|22x20px South Africa, Aerial view of Chapman’s Peak Drive. For exact location see geocode. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We like watching beautiful sites and beautiful pictures. For those who are bounded on their wheelchair or are very limited in going places (like having limited financial means) the internet may provide them a view or window on the world. We are thankful for those photographers who want to share with us their views on this beautiful world. We do not know if they are aware that with their craft they can share the beauties of the Divine Creator His wonderworks. But at least He can use them to bring people to see that what He provides for the human beings, who can enjoy it or forget to look at it and miss a lot in their life.

For those wanting to catch the inedible beauty the world is offering it is not so easy to put it on a two dimensional piece of paper. When they want to get up close to their subject they shall need to make sure that the key elements are in focus.

Small blue green flowers WordPress site The Earth laughs in flowers writes in  Garden-photography get a little closer:

Using a dedicated macro lens you will find that only a millimetre or two from front to back will be pin sharp. If you are struggling to keep key elements in focus try shooting from a different angle and keep the background out of focus.

Extension tubes for SLR camera lenses. An extension tube attaches to the body of a single-lens reflex camera; the lens attaches to the tube. Extension tubes come in various lengths and contain no glass (as the pen indicates). These use bayonet-type lens mounts. Русский: Макро-кольца для зеркальных фотоаппаратов с байонетным креплением. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In life as in photography one has to focus on the right things and look for the essentials. In life we do have to look for important matters but also have to take care to see that we do not unbalance the natural matters. Natural subjects with eye-catching textures may pull your attention for putting it on the imaginary memory. Only when we see the total picture in life we can come to concentrate on the finer details, the same with photography.

When we do not have a garden of our own we may be lucky when we can manage to see gardens caught on the little frames, squeezed a few specimens into pots to adorn front ‘patio’s’ .

View from the northern CBD towards Table Mountain in Cape Town, South Africa. Lion’s Head is visible between the Shell and LG buildings. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jude, the author of Travel Words, brings a a collection of her travel notes and diaries over the years, having lived in many different places both in the UK and abroad, including brief spells working as an Au Pair in Switzerland and in a Hotel in Norway followed by 12 years living in South Africa. Her childhood vision was to emigrate to Australia, but although she came close to it on several occasions she, like perhaps many of us who wanted to emigrate to warmer places. She now has her eldest son who now lives there which she is able to visit on several occasions and considering it her spiritual birthplace. Not many can be so lucky to have that opportunity.

If we are right, she also presents Small blue green macro and 60 mm a World in miniature.

You may have ea look at her sites and awe at the beauties she know to capture.

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Preceding

The natural beauties of life

Birds, Birds Everywhere

8 Reasons We’re Looking Forward to Springtime Photography

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Read also: Elohim Mar Yah showing His wonders

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• Cape Town – Your gateway to the best Adventure destinations!
• Detailed Creatures
• Photo Friday: Looking Deep for Spring
• Before You Buy a Better Camera, Buy Better Lenses
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• Have a “weird” weekend with these “weird lens reviews”
• ” ‘Lifes Little Things’ according to photographer Cendrine Marrouat
• Little Miss Ladybug
• It Has Been Eight Years

A darker and stranger place

world turning into a darker and stranger place than any of us could want.

Somewhere = always war + threat of an act of terrorism + woman or child in peril.
devastating tsunamis, hurricanes + earthquakes.

is it naïve to try to shine a little light into the darkness?

a little candle held up to the dark of night, trying to illuminate the hope for a better world where we all respect and care for each other.

Karavansara

Some people I love live in Bruxelles.
As some live in Paris, in Ankara, in New York.
In London, in Rome.
I have friends and loved ones in a number of places, all over the globe – I am lucky like that. And as the situation grows more confused, I sometimes wonder if I am doing anything to help. Then, about fifteen minutes ago, I read this…

    Year by year, the world is turning into a darker and stranger place than any of us could want.
Somewhere, there is always a war.
Somewhere, there is always the threat of an act of terrorism.
Somewhere, there is always a woman or a child in peril.
Nature itself delivers devastating tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes.
In the light of this onslaught of shadows, is it naïve to try to shine a little light into the darkness? After all, these stories are only…

View original post 131 more words

What climate activists can learn from Sunday School leaders

Preaching is not so easy as many think. Trying to convince people of certain matters is even more difficult.

Those who believe God created the world do know that they have to take responsibility in a wise way for the creation of the Most High, which we only have in loan. Christians do have no excuse, the should all they can to keep our universe as best as possible, taking care not polluting it and not wasting the precious material we our given by the Most High.

But Christians also do have the task to preach the Good News of the Kingdom of God and to try this world in the meantime a nice good place to live in peace. For that reason they should try to convince others also to take care of this planet.

When we see how our world is evolving it is high time Christians do something for the environment and get as many people involved in the protection of the weaker and those who have no voice humans listen to (animals and plants)

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To remember

Robert White = development economics and planning consultant based in London = considers need for increased public support of emissions mitigation policies + encourages everyone to play their part.

• We can’t all be ‘young heroes’ => everybody can inspire change
• To make a difference =/= need to fly to Paris, work for a green start-up, or get teargassed by the Compagnies Républicaines de Sécurité.
• Charles De Gaulle airport Terminal 2E seems incredibly mundane compared to the energy of the COP21 centre at Le Bourget.
• influence country’s leader as a voting citizen
• learned in Copenhagen > leaders may need assistance in details > need to balance ambitious climate policies with citizens’ other demands
• what is at stake with climate change = much bigger problem > leaders < If short term economy = top of peoples’ priority lists => leaders’ hands are tied.
• 15% of people think climate change = one of top three issues facing UK in the next twenty years
• 34% included the economy
• To seriously mitigate emissions = people to shift from green consumption to less consumption + accept trade-offs => Higher taxes  to discourage high carbon consumption + pay for green infrastructure
• need to increase public support of emissions reducing policies if we want to see change
• achieve increased support for low emissions policies = couple of transferable ideas from old Sunday School teachings
• climate change mitigation.
• 1: need to get out there + engage.
  Evangelising =/= insular group.
  Church goers + environmental movements > become comfortable > attendance being more about socialising than sharing faith
• 2:  engaging often better at personal level than a preachy one
  Demonstrations + Facebook posts = not good enough
• 3: practice what we preach + demonstrate our conviction through our day to day actions
  People more inspired to act <= see similar person to themselves actually living out what they say
  Take the plank out your own eye
• Winning voters’ minds = difficult = important area that we can all make a difference

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Preceding

The natural beauties of life

First man’s task still counting today

Material wealth, Submission and Heaven on earth

Senator Loren Legarda says climate change not impossible to address

Away with it oh no! – Weg er mee, oh neen

God’s wisdom for the believer brings peace

 

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Additional reading

1. Taking care of mother earth
2. Facing disaster fatigue
3. Self inflicted misery #1 The root by man
4. Time to consider how to care for our common home
5. Not holding back and getting out of darkness
6. First man’s task still counting today
7. Being fit to take care of a garden
8. Three pillars of sustainable development, young people and their rights
9. Pope Francis Raises Hopes for an Ecological Church
10. Be careful the environment you choose for it will shape you

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• Coursera Welcomes First African Partner: The University of Cape Town
• BCCI-K on U.K.’s Climate Change Act
• The Paris Deal Will Need Climate QE
• Equity doubted in REDD+ programmes
• RALLY FOR THE PLANET > Post-climate-conference event draws upward of 1,000 to Chico City Plaza.
• Breakthrough as climate change accord adopted
• Liberia gets EU support for climate change mitigation
• The catwalk calls on world leaders to make paris work
• Enhanced rock weathering could counter fossil-fuel emissions and protect our oceans
• From lab bench to green bench

Helping each other with prayer to start the new academic year

It is a tragedy, as we will read tomorrow, that

“the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel …” (2 Corinthians 4:4).

We have no other choice than to live in this world where so many are blinded. We also do have to do with the many pains we may have to endure. Though we should know many pains and discomforts could be helped to be lessened or being softened by others.
Each of us is here in this world to help the other. Though not many are interested in doing that.

2014 – 2015 school year opening ceremony at Hanoi – Amsterdam High School

Once again a new academic year has started and we are off again on the roads, having the children back to school, having the parents back to work after their Summer holiday.

How many of them can see which wondrous blessings we have that

“God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness’,

has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ? (verse 6).

2 Corinthians 4:5-10 UKJV  (5)  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.  (6)  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  (7)  But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.  (8)  We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;  (9)  Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;  (10)  Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.

Our world was created out of the void when there was only darkness, but God called for light. That ‘light’ shone physically as creation began so long ago, but the wondrous fact for us is, as we will read in chapter 5,

“if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (verse 17).

The apostle Paul in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians makes so many points which also requires our attention in this 21st century. He shows the interaction of events and the great value of prayers in all the difficulties they and he are experiencing.

All the kids who went back, or for the first time to a ‘new’ school’ shall have to learn to face different situations which are not always pleasant. Even for those who became a Christian there is no escape, they too shall have to share abundantly in Christ’s suffering. But we can give our kids some hope because we also do know that through Christ, we share abundantly in comfort too.

2 Corinthians 1:2-5 UKJV  (2)  Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.  (3)  Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;  (4)  Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.  (5)  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds by Christ.

It is, writes Paul,

“the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction …” (verses 3,4).

This is a comfort we have a responsibility to pass on to others.

This passing on to others is too much and too often forgotten. Many do want to have the blessings, but do not want to do anything in return. They want the grace but do not ask them to tell others about it.

To find people who are willing to preach is very difficult. To find people who are willing to share their knowledge about certain things of this world, like geography, history, ways of constructing a house, or how to keep a healthy family seems to be very difficult. For some time we have been looking for some extra writers on this website, though nobody seems to be interested to join us and to share his or her knowledge for free.

Let us meditate and reflect on the interaction of events we have personally experienced. It seems when we start talking about God and about his son and show others our love for them, we seem to get a negative response and to be kept aside. Suddenly co-operation or interest seems to stop at all sides.
The more we have been active in the service of Christ, the more clearly we will perceive this.

In Paul, the Corinthians saw the most outstanding example of service.

“The afflictions we experienced”,

writes Paul, was such that they were so utterly burdened beyond their strength that they despaired of life itself. We in our regions do not have to be worried so much about that, but several people in several countries, like Syria, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and many African countries are facing prosecution. We may not be unaware of the affliction many experienced in Asia and Africa.

2 Corinthians 1:6-8 UKJV  (6)  And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.  (7)  And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing, that as all of you are partakers of the sufferings, so shall all of you be also of the consolation.  (8)  For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

We, in our safer regions also have to undergo problems, shunning and are not always facing a nice life. But we have set our hope that Jesus will return and that he and his God, Who is also our God (the God of Abraham), will deliver us again. Though we have to remember that like at the time of the apostles,  they had to be helped by prayer, so that many will give thanks on their behalf for the blessing granted them through the prayers of many, we too need such help.

2 Corinthians 1:9-10 UKJV  (9)  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead:  (10)  Who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

We cannot just rely on people. We like Paul have to realize that we must rely not on ourselves but on God (verse 9).

2 Corinthians 1:9-11 UKJV  (9)  But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raises the dead:  (10)  Who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;  (11)  All of you also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.

Having set our hope that he will deliver us again, (verse 10), does not mean that we do not need each other, and that we should not help each other. We still have to be loving for each other and helping each other.

Paul makes an appeal that we should specially take notice of. He tells the Corinthians,

2 Corinthians 1:11-12 UKJV  (11)  All of you also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.  (12)  For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly toward you.

Other apostles came with similar requests to their flock.

Romans 15:30-32 UKJV  Now I plead to you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love (o. agape) of the Spirit, (o. pneuma) that all of you strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;  (31)  That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;  (32)  That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed.

As in the early centuries of this common era there was a need of preaching, the apostles going around in the region to tell the Good News, we too today need some people full of hope who are willing to go into the ‘fields’ and to let others know about that Good News. We do want to tell others the Gospel of the Good News, but we too need help from others. We can use some backing.
Not only could we use some additional authors willing to share writings with people from all over the world. We, like the apostles need also your help with prayer.

As the apostles asked for help we also dare to say like the apostle Paul did:

“You also must help us by prayer so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us by the prayers of many” (verse 11).

Many are aware today through the almost instant communication the internet provides of the desperate situations some Iranian believers have experienced. There are also Pakistani believers who are experiencing persecution, and a few truth seekers who have felt it wise to return to Afghanistan. Let us help them by prayer.

Also, may we, as Paul writes in chapter 2, spread

“the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved …” (verses 14,15).

We may be unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish, but should we also not show that we are willing to step in the footsteps of that masterful rabbi?

As of God, in the sight of God we should not hesitate to speak in Christ and to show others the Way to God.

It is not because we can see so much tragedy, having so many people living in a way God would turn His eyes away, that we can not live according to His ordinances and want to show others there is a different way than the way this world has chosen.

On this platform we do want to show others this different way. To do it just on our own is not so easy. We could do with some extra hands.

Everybody has some field in which he or she is good. So everybody should be able to find something to write about which could be enlightening and educating for the others.

Having a new academic year, would this not be a good start to provide your input?

From your professionalism is there nothing you can contribute to our community and to bring some more knowledge to others, believers and non-believers in God?

Is the time not ripe to take up the pen and to join those who believe we should share more with others? It is out of love that we should share more with others. And believe it, there is lots to share about, and it has not all to do with religion.

In case you are not good at writing, you too can help, by praying for us and by letting others know our site. Promotion is always something that can help as well and motivate to continue our work. (Be sure it does not harm to motivate others now and a while.)

We do hope we can go into a fruitful new academic year in which we shall find some interested souls to join us and to share with us the love for this globe where we may reside in peace.

Please do pray for all those in need and also pray for our work, that we also may reach people in need and help them.

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You may find about prayer:

Praying and thinking positively

Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything

God, my father, my closest friend

Laboring in the Vineyard or Sitting on the Hillside with Jonah?

What moves mountains?

 Trust!

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Additional readings:

1. Walking alone?7000 to 20000 words spoken each day
2. Natural inclinations and Praying and asking
3. Praying and acts of meditation without ceasing
4. Praying is surrendering in all circumstances
5. Be sound in mind and be vigilant with a view to prayers
6. Be vigilant with a view to prayers
7. Looking for True Spirituality 6 Spirituality and Prayer
8. Being Religious and Spiritual 8 Spiritual, Mystic and not or well religious
9. Do You Expect God’s Answer
10. Being sure of their deliverance
11. Old Man of Prayer
12. Biblical Prayer at Tabernacle Site Shilo
13. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #15 Exposition before the Creator
14. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #16 Benefits of praying
15. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #17 Sorts of prayers
16. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #18 Fulfilment
17. Praise Jehovah
18. Always rejoicing
19. Praying constantly Giving thanks for everything

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Further reading of interest:

• School’s out for summer
• ::Summer’s Over & The “Routine” is Back::
• Twas the night before school starts…
• Keeping Things on Track: Organize for Success
• New leaf
• Keep Your Momentum
• Back to School
• Already, school year?
• School’s back…Here’s some tips for this year!
• Bring on the Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils!
• What is the most effective way of preparing young children for primary school and beyond?
• And So It Begins, Again
• Another Beginning
• On top of things …
• It’s Time for College: How to Make the Grade You Want
• Some Minnesota Students Head Back To School
• Should Wilmington Start School Before or After Labor Day?
• Opening academic year Wageningen University
• Upon Graduating: When the World Goes Back to School (and I Don’t)
• #Sameface-Much More Than Just a Game
• #10Highlights as a Deputy Headteacher by @TeacherToolkit
• How to improve your grade in your least favourite subject
• Keep the High Road and Say Good Bye!
• Charging Up in June? Say It’s Not So!
• The Road to 65, Miles 173 and 174: Preparations
• It’s that time of the year …
• Happiness in the Midst of Falling
• Love At First Site 27 – From blue to red
• Winter Break!
• Autumn days when the grass is jewelled…
• NWCCI 2014-2015: Highs, Lows, and New Beginnings
• Do You Know Which New Parents will become Great Prospects?
• Kindergarten Quips
• There Will Always Be Lions…
• Standards and Values
• Proclaim Jesus with Loving Hearts this School Year #CISVA
• A Bright Journey – on the First Day of School
• Best-Laid Plans for This School Year: Only Slightly Awry (So Far)
• What this is all about, or my journal and I
• Have A “Wand”erfully Magical Year!
• Our First “School Year” at Daycare!
• Back-to-School Tips for Parents!
• Driving in America
• Teaching: Year Two
• I Want More Time
• 15 Ways to Get and Keep Your Life Together
• Our Year-Round Homeschool Plan
• Small Groups to Kick-Off in September
• School districts get jump on school year

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• Beware September 2015! A Great Deception is Brewing! I Know What is Going to Happen and it is Not What You Think! (libertybalance2014.blogspot.com)
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See the conquest and believe that we can gain the victory

In life we encounter many people and between work and taking care of the household we do have to find time for reading interesting things. On television and in the printed media we can find lots of flashy or attracting things, but not always worth to spend our precious time.

Man thinking on a train journey. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We can watch hours to the little screen, with or without being bombarded with loads of commercials. When we are not at work we can meet lots of people and choose or choose not to have a conversation with. How many times did we not loose precious time trying to explain what we mean or to bring over our thoughts.

Marc Chernoff from Marc and Angel Hack Life tells us never to waste our time trying to explain ourself to people who have proven that they are committed to misunderstanding you. He ads:

And don’t define your intelligence or self-worth by the number of arguments you have won, but by the number of times you have said, “This needless nonsense is not worth my time!” {20 Things to Stop Letting People Do to You}

Marc and Angel are the authors of 1000 Little Things Happy Successful People Do Differently.

With over 95 million page views to date, the articles at Marc and Angel Hack Life speak for themselves in terms of the quality and value.

you could say.

Who would not like to discover their life purpose and embark on a life path they can be proud of? On this platform we would also look into these matters. We would love to find writers who do not mind sharing with others how they found their purpose in their life and how others can find their purpose. We are convinced we can and should help each other to find our purpose in this universe and to take action on our goals and dreams.

Therefore we would like to send a message in the world of the message of peace that was given the world, but also of the matters we have in our own hands as well. Because e we all have much more in our own hand than we think. We all can realise more if we only would believe more in our selves. We also could do more in case others would not mind to help us and to stand ready to bring others in action as well to make a better world for us all. As an individual we might be not much , but with many we might be of more value and more heard by others.

Therefore we we would love to invite others to come and contribute and to pursue what they truly love.

The Way to Happiness (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By coming here with many we should be able to learn how to cultivate our own happiness and to learn and apply productive goal achievement strategies that work. Not the same shall be able to work for an other, but when more people show more paths, more ways to reach something, there will be something to choose from the diversity of propositions.

Looking at what others believe and want to strive for this might give others also inspiration and have them thinking about things they did not before. Bringing life-stories, meditations and texts to pounder, we shall be able to examine the many thoughts but also the fears, limitations, and emotions that are getting in our way. As such we shall be able to become more productive, effective, and efficient.

In this world there are already enough bad thoughts, messages of violence and pictures which bring horror in front of our eyes. Why would we not try to get more positive news in the picture? Why would we not dare to come forwards with more positive things and hope giving news?

We are convinced that by eliminate negative thoughts and emotions we can much easier go forwards, enjoy life and become a more positive thinker, who can produce better. By quitting bad habits, cultivating new habits, we can bring a positive train going and revamp our lifestyle in a positive way.

We would love to find here people you also might enjoy, who love and appreciate you, and who encourage you to improve in healthy and exciting ways. They are the ones who make you feel more alive, and not only embrace who you are now, but also embrace and embody who you want to be, unconditionally. We better are part of such a group of people who would like to share their wisdom with each other and build up something constructive for all.

Here we do not mind that we face our problems or that others may face our inefficiencies. We know that it are not our problems that define us, but how we react to them and recover from them. Problems will not disappear unless we take action. We can try it on our own, but we can also use the knowledge of others to help us. On this website we do hope to find more people who would not mind helping others to find inspirational thoughts and to direct them to interesting articles which possibly also could help or contribute to our being capable enough to grow strong in this world. We only can do what we can, when we can. But we also should acknowledge what we’ve done. It’s all about taking baby steps in the right direction, inch by inch. These inches count, they add up to yards and miles in the long run.

 

Sadly, some people just won’t be happy until they’ve pushed your ego to the ground and stomped on it.  What you have to do is have the nerve to stand your ground.  Don’t give them any leeway.  Nobody has the power to make you feel small unless you give them that power. {20 Things to Stop Letting People Do to You}

That is a fact. But being in the minority we might feel pushed in the corner and let the others trample over us. Sometimes we might feel as if we have to face and overcome some of life’s biggest obstacles. Many think that they are alone. They should know that many, many, face the same problems and has to overcome the same obstacles. Defeat can be in front of our eyes. Deep in ourselves we do have to see the conquest and believe that we can  gain the victory over that what is put in front of us.

 

Many of us should dare to reconnect with our true self and our inner genius. We should accept that nobody is infallible and that we all can have something good but also have something bad. By helping each-other, letting see our own dreams and sharing our thoughts, we can become more confident and break away from limiting beliefs.

If someone fools you once, shame on them.  If someone fools you twice, shame on you.  If you catch someone lying to you, speak up.  Some people will lie to you repeatedly in a vicious effort to get you to repeat their lies over and over until they effectively become true.  Don’t partake in their nonsense.  Don’t let their lies be your reality.  {20 Things to Stop Letting People Do to You}

Surviving the ups, downs, and lightning storms of other people’s moodiness can be quite a challenge.  It’s important, though, to remember that some moody, negative people may be going through a difficult stage in their lives.  They may be ill, chronically worried, or lacking what they need in terms of love and emotional support.  Such people need to be listened to, supported, and cared for (although whatever the cause of their moodiness and negativity, you may still need to protect yourself from their behavior at times). {7 Smart Ways to Deal with Toxic People}

Here we want to give a listening ear and would love to find more people who want to share how they got rid of the negative influences. We would advice to delete toxic people from your environment. You shall see by putting away all negative thoughts and by avoiding negative people you shall find it easier to breathe and also to meet more interesting people who can ad something positive to your life.

About those who bring negativeness in the air, we would say like Marc Chernoff:

If the circumstances warrant it, leave these people behind and move on when you must.  Seriously, be strong and know when enough is enough!  Letting go of toxic people doesn’t mean you hate them, or that you wish them harm; it simply means you care about your own well-being. {7 Smart Ways to Deal with Toxic People}

We have to dare to break away from relationships that have been holding us back. It is very important in our life whom we want around us. We should be fully aware it is also important where we want to preside in which company. Others will also judge us on what they can see and on what they can hear from those around us.

A Good Dog Can Bring Happiness to Your Life (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So we better  enter new relationships with dependable, honest people who reflect the person we are and the person we want to be.

Choose friends you are proud to know, people you admire, who show you love and respect – people who reciprocate your kindness and commitment. And pay attention to what people do, because a person’s actions are much more important than their words or how others represent them. {30 things to start doing for yourself – #6 is vital.}

some may say

“It is all lies, darling.”

Well, it is up to you to find out. When it are lies, you should say so. When it is something you or we do not understand, you should say so too. Some may say a coin has two sides, we would say “it has three sides”. And we also would like to look at that third side of life. The layer between ‘head and tails’.

We would love to find more people who want to be honest about what’s right, as well as what needs to be changed. who do not mind to open their mouth and to speak out. Even when he or she may be considered a ‘loony” or a “noop” or that others say he or she is a “nerd”. The ones who stay quiet, seated on their ass, shall not be able to do much wrong but also not much good. We prefer to find people who undertake something. It may not always be successful, but better to see something happening instead of letting the world go on like now.

Be honest about what you want to achieve and who you want to become. Be honest with every aspect of your life, always. Because you are the one person you can forever count on. Search your soul, for the truth, so that you truly know who you are. Once you do, you’ll have a better understanding of where you are now and how you got here, and you’ll be better equipped to identify where you want to go and how to get there. Read The Road Less Traveled. {30 things to start doing for yourself – #6 is vital.}

On the site of Property investment hack you may find very beautiful photographs. Have a look at the article: {30 things to start doing for yourself – #6 is vital.} and think about it, considering also what you might signify for somebody else.

Do you really have nothing positive to share? Do you really think you can not contribute something positive?
If you think so keep at least following us and do find inspiration to get more positive ideas and fulfilment.

In case you think you can also contribute positive messages, why would you wait to join us? Why hesitate? Do it now! Do contact us. Dare to offer your services to us and our readers, why not? Why not be  a person bringing Helping words?

The mind must believe it Can do something before it is capable of actually doing it. The way to overcome negative thoughts and destructive emotions is to develop opposing, positive emotions that are stronger and more powerful. Listen to your self-talk and replace negative thoughts with positive ones. Regardless of how a situation seems, focus on what you Do Want to happen, and then take the next positive step forward. No, you can’t control everything that happens to you, but you can control how you react to things. Everyone’s life has positive and negative aspects – whether or not you’re happy and successful in the long run depends greatly on which aspects you focus on. Read The How of Happiness. {30 things to start doing for yourself – #6 is vital.}

Everybody who is willing to contribute something positive is welcome.

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Find also to read:

1. Helping words
2. Spark of Positivism
3. We all have to have dreams
4. Wisdom not hard to find nor hiding in remote places
5. Wisdom lies deep
6. Happiness is like manna
7. Fear knocked at the door
8. 8 fears caused by the fear of Man
9. How do you keep people from stealing your joy?
10. Suffering produces perseverance
11. Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement
12. A Living Faith #5 Perseverance
13. Everything that is done in the world is done by hope
14. Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.
15. Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark
16. Hope does not disappoint us
17. The work I do, let it be done good
18. Be an Encourager
19. Bloggers For Peace

 

***

 

Become a co-author of “From Guest-writers” and join the Bloggers for peace
and find 5 Steps to Peaceful Resolution, plus
7 Random Acts of Peace for Random Acts of Kindness Week
striving for happiness
regardless of material conditions, relationship status, or past history,
Re-hydrating Your Spirit,
sharing the miracles of everyday life to inspire, instruct, and supporting others and ourselves,
as one big family of this universe.
Friends and Enemies: The Malleable Keys to Peace

 

We Can Make a Difference–Right Here, Right Now
Letting others know that
The Universe Is All of Us

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Religions and Mainliners

In this world we have many sorts of religions and in each religion many subdivisions may be found. In Christendom there are groups which for good reason would prefer to speak of Christendom and Christianity and would prefer to say the world we are living in has also a Mainline Christendom instead of a Mainline Christianity.

Map of the distribution of Christians of the world (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Christendom is full of “Tradition” and has embraced the world whilst Christianity would prefer to stay disconnected from traditional worldly matters and though living in this world would not like to be “of this world”. In Christianity you also may find different groups or churches, which all want to honour God the Divine Creator. They would consider the main churches like the Catholic Church (Roman Catholics, Orthodox Catholics, Charismatic Catholics, Latin Catholic Church, etc.) Anglican Church, Church of England, Reformed Church, Calvinist Church, Lutheran Church, Baptist Church, Episcopalian Church,  and Methodist Church, with the various Presbyterian groups.

English: Major branches within Protestantism (excludes Restoration movements): Diagram of Protestant denominations and movements; see also Image:ChristianityBranches.svg (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Some might have been in a certain time of history bigger groups or not been considered out of mainstream, like the smaller denominations, such as the Amish, Mennonites, Quakers. Others like the Mormons, Seventh-day Adventists, Christian Scientists, and Pentecostals may have been at first very small groups, but have gained a firm place in certain countries and have even become the main church in a country.

The Charismatic protestant churches and certain Evangelical churches could be seen as separated from Mainline. Some people, like Joel L. Watts who is building up a (sorta) response to Thom Rainer’s 20 Influential Evangelicals list. Unsettled Christianity company wants to  include mainline Christians, but in asking the question on Facebook, the administrator was equally struck by the conversation about who and what is a mainliner.

Calvinist church (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Conspicuous is that many many consider ‘Mainline Protestants’ having a different perspective. By many they are considered to have a more modernist theology. So, for instance, they would read the Bible, not as the inerrant word of God, according to Joel L. Watts, but as a historical document, which has God’s word in it and a lot of very important truths, but that needs to be interpreted in every age by individuals of that time and that place.

We would consider “mainstream religions” those which adheres to the orthodox standard teachings of the five major religions of the world. Those being the groups in Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Hinduism which follow their biggest groups their core teachings. In those groups can be groups which do not want to belong or to take their mainstream teachings. In Christianity we can find the groups who stayed in the line of the Jewish thinking Jeshua, better known today as Jesus Christ. They believe like most Jews that there is only One God of gods Who is the Divine Creator of everything. Though the difference with the Jews, except with the Messianic (non-trinitarian) Jews is that they accept the Master Teacher Jeshua to be the son of God who has brought not only the Good News of the coming Kingdom of God, but who also by the Grace of God brought Salvation for all humankind. In those groups or churches who want to distantiate themselves from mainstream church are the non-trinitarian Baptist which became nearly extinct by the strong hold of the Baptist Unions who pressured the trinitarian teaching on their members. In the 1980-90ies most non-trinitarian Baptist went over to other non-trinitarian churches, like the Bible Students, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Church of God, The Church of Abrahamic Faith, Assemblies of God, the Nazarene Friends, the Restoration Church or to the Christadelphians.

Those non-trinitarian believers worship the God of the Hebrews, Whom they consider to be an Eternal Spirit Who is universal and indivisible. This God Who can not be seen by man, or they would die, also ordered not to make any image of Him. Like Jews and Muslims they would never create image of God because it is in His Law and because the infinite cannot be expressed in a mere image. They, like the Jehovah’s Witnesses, all exhibit practices and/or teachings that are not among the more “traditional” practices and teachings of the mainstream churches.

The majority of mainstream Jews do believe a Messiah will one day come. In the contemporary movement we can find Jews who do believe that Jeshua is the send one of God who is going to bring salvation and going to break all human ruling. By those messianic Jews to groups can be found; the ones who believe Jesus is the son of God and an ordinary person, not a divinity like the Christian trinitarian Jesus; and a group who strangely enough take Jesus also to be God, and do not consider it braking with the rules and regulations nor in contradiction with all the words said to the prophets, like Abraham, Isaac and Isaiah.
Those non-stream Jews and Christians, like the Muslims have a similar belief concerning the unity and infinity of God. They do believe in Jesus, and even believe he will return in the end times, but once again he is considered a mere mortal, just like any other prophet, brought back entirely through the Will of God, not through any power wielded by Jesus himself.

Lots of Christians take offence of those who do not believe in a trinitarian god. Several of them are as fundamental as we can find fundamentalists by the Muslims, who hate those who do not think and follow the rules they are following.

It is this hate between believers in a god or in the God, that made non-believers in a divine creature or Supreme Being, make to consider religion the base of all the violence in this world. But we do think in case God would not have been there as Divine Creator and several people following him, people anyhow would have created religions, because all those things they could not understand or explain were transposed unto gods, like the god of light, the god of thunder etc..

The thinking of man, philosophies, system of ethics, cultural norms, etc.would have in any case created the syncretism or the formation of new religious ideas from multiple distinct sources, often-contradictory sources.

Some neopagan religions are also strongly syncretic. Look for example at Wicca which consciously draws from a variety of different pagan religious sources as well as Western ceremonial magic and occult thought, which is traditionally very Judeo-Christian in context. However, neopagan reconstructionists such as Asatruar are not particularly syncretic, as they attempt to understand the recreate Norse beliefs and practices to the best of their ability.

Many mainstream religions created smaller groups of which some became quite big. From Islam came the Baha’i faith which recognizes Krishna and Zoroaster as prophets, though it really doesn’t teach much of Hinduism or Zoroastrianism as being Baha’i beliefs.

English: A colour-coded world map showing the state religions of applicable nations. Buddhism Islam Shi’a Islam Sunni Islam Orthodox Christianity Protestantism (in England: Anglicanism) Catholicism (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Believers and non-believers should come to see that in a way all religions possess some degree of syncretism. It’s how humans work. Even if you believe God (or gods) delivered a particular idea, if that idea was completely alien to the listeners, they would not accept it. Moreover, once they receive said idea, that belief can be expressed in a variety of ways, and that expression will be coloured by other prevailing cultural ideas of the time.

Those who stand strong in their shoes, should not have to fear of others and should be able to go to others to give them their hand offering them peace. It are those who are afraid of their own believes that they or others around them could loose it that bring fear to themselves and others. They create a fertile ground for problems and more than once also of hate and negative attitude to others.

Non-believers may accuse the God or the gods as responsible for all trouble in this world. Because many Christians advocate their God is behind all that is good in the world, they think God should also be responsible for all the badness there is in the world. What they do not seem to understand that when God allows human beings to be free and to make their own choices, people themselves can make good or bad choices which will have their consequences for others in their environment as well.

It is not because in the Bible God gives His Word and tells us that He creates light but also creates darkness and that He makes peace, and creates evil, that it is God Who makes that badness or war in the world. It means that God allows it to be there because man has chosen to go his own way (in the Garden of Eden).  The God and the bad are in this world, created by God, but what can be bad for some one or something can be good for someone or something else. Certain plants are poisons for certain animals and people but for others they are necessary to survive. God claims not responsibility for wars, diseases, smallpox, bacteria, etc.; but He claims to be the One Who allows it to exist, and that is a big difference.

Those who want to call themselves “Children of God” do have to follow God His rules. He has given humankind His Laws which would make the best of the world and which would bring peace all over the world. In case much more people would follow the Laws of the Divine Creator there would be much more peace in the world.

Christianity Today (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Those who call themselves Christian should have the Spirit of God in them which imparts love,inspires hope, and gives liberty. All Christians should in a way have the same aim to bring others to the narrow gate of the Kingdom of God and to show others the peace we all can have because Jesus nailed the agony, pains and troubles on the wooden stake (‘the cross‘). They all should Love and cultivate that which is pure. they should not be afraid to show Tenderness and kindness because they are not signs of weakness and despair. They should try to Work together with joy and pray with love, and Guard well within themselves that treasure, kindness.

First on the agenda of a Christian should be Observing the commandments and becoming doers of the Word. They all should consider themselves as part of the Body of Christ, all being as part of the same family of God. United people under Christ. We all, believers and non-believers or different believers, should try to Sow and harvests in the garden of our heart.

Some years ago you could find everywhere running on the streets people “speaking”, “running”, and coming up for Christ? Perhaps it is high time we could see again such runners or Bloggers for Christ and Bloggers for Peace.

Trying to bring peace, there has to be peace at first in the own heart. Also the person has to have respect for others their beliefs. No matter what they might believe they should be fully recognised as worthy humans deserving full attention and love. Every human being should come to the understanding that it has to respect any other human being, animal and plant. We should treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. In case a person wants to have a religion to feel himself good or to be at ease, he should be able to do so, whatever religion that person may choose. We never may impose our beliefs on others. We should leave everybody the freedom to choose which way they want to go, what to believe, and how to build up their own life. Any religious matter should be an option for private belief, without any pressure from others, be it by reason, science or rational argument. But it would not have to mean we may not discuss it. Any argument should be made in a peaceful manner and with respect for the other person his way of thinking.

Be it adherents of main religions, smaller religious groups or no religion at all, all people should come to strive for the same peace, being able to live one next to the other, in peace and tranquillity.

+

Please do find additional reading:

1. The business of this life
2. Did the Inspirator exist
3. “Who is The Most High” ? Who is thee Eternal? Who is Yehovah? Who is God?
4. Only one God
5. God is One
6. God of gods
7. A god between many gods
8. Sayings around God
9. Attributes of God
10. God is Spirit
11. The Divine name of the Creator
12. God about His name “יהוה“
13. Jehovah Yahweh Gods Name
14. One God the Father, a compendium of essays
15. The Trinity: paganism or Christianity?
16. Christianity without the Trinity
17. People Seeking for God 1 Looking for answers
18. People Seeking for God 2 Human interpretations
19. People Seeking for God 3 Laws and directions
20. People Seeking for God 7 The Lord and lords
21. Finding God amid all the religious externals
22. Seeing or not seeing and willingness to find God
23. יהוה , YHWH and Love: Four-letter words
24. The radiance of God’s glory and the counsellor
25. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love
26. Experiencing God
27. Cosmos creator and human destiny
28. Of the many books Only the Bible can transform
29. Faith
30. Do not forget the important sign of belief
31. Christian values and voting not just a game
32. Lord or Yahuwah, Yeshua or Yahushua
33. Yahushua, Yehoshua, Yeshua, Jehoshua of Jeshua
34. God’s Salvation
35. A fact of History or just a fancy Story
36. He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
37. Jesus begotten Son of God #12 Son of God
38. Christ begotten through the power of the Holy Spirit
39. Who was Jesus?
40. Jesus spitting image of his father
41. Jesus and his God
42. Is Jesus God?Jesus and His God
43. Reasons that Jesus was not God
44. Jesus is the Son of God but Not God the Son
45. How much was Jesus man, and how much was he God?
46. On the Nature of Christ
47. Yeshua a man with a special personality
48. Jesus Messiah
49. A man with an outstanding personality
50. One Mediator between God and man
51. One mediator
52. Salvation, trust and action in Jesus #3 as a Christian
53. The wrong hero
54. The Immeasurable Grace bestowed on humanity
55. Patriarch Abraham, Muslims, Christians and the son of God
56. The Law of Christ: Law of Love
57. Christ’s ethical teaching
58. Christianity is a love affair
59. The Law of Christ: Law of Love
60. The task given to us to love each other
61. Agape, a love to share with others from the Fruit of the Spirit
62. Church sent into the world
63. Proclaiming shalom, bringing good news of good things, announcing salvation
64. Our relationship with God, Jesus and each other
65. Are Christians prepared to Rejoice in the Lord
66. American atheists most religiously literate Americans
67. Men of faith
68. Built on or Belonging to Jewish tradition #1 Christian Reform
69. Built on or Belonging to Jewish tradition #2 Roots of Jewishness
70. Built on or Belonging to Jewish tradition #3 Of the earth or of God
71. Built on or Belonging to Jewish tradition #4 Mozaic and Noachide laws
72. The builder of the Kingdom
73. Kingdom of God what will it be like
74. The hands of God’s wrath
75. Science, belief, denial and visibility 1
76. Science, belief, denial and visibility 2
77. Faith related boycotts
78. Right to be in the surroundings
79. Many churches
80. Breathing and growing with no heir
81. A Society pleading poverty
82. Casual Christians
83. Quakertime
84. Anti-Semitic incidents in Australia in 2012 highest ever on record
85. Manifests for believers #3 Catholic versus Protestant
86. Roman Catholic Church at war
87. Christian clergyman defiling book which did not belong to him
88. Consequences of Breivik’s mass murder
89. Representatives of the “Slave Class” or the Real “faithful and discreet slave”
90. Mormons again gaining some attention
91. Mormons, just an other faith
92. Myanmar imposing population control on Muslim minority
93. How long to wait before bringing religiousness and spirituality in practice
94. Follower of Jesus part of a cult or a Christian
95. Looking for True Spirituality 1 Intro
96. Looking for True Spirituality 2 Not restricted to an elite
97. Looking for True Spirituality 3 Mind of Christ
98. Looking for True Spirituality 4 Getting to Know the Mind of Christ
99. Looking for True Spirituality 5 Fruitage of the Spirit
100. Looking for True Spirituality 6 Spirituality and Prayer
101. Looking for True Spirituality 7 Preaching of the Good News
102. Looking for True Spirituality 8 Measuring Up
103. Being Religious and Spiritual 1 Immateriality and Spiritual experience
104. Fruits of the spirit will prevent you from being either inactive or unfruitful
105. Those who make peace should plant peace like a seed
106. Let me saw beliefseeds
107. Bringing Good News into the world
108. The Involvement of true discipleship
109. Testify of the things heard
110. Proclaiming shalom, bringing good news of good things, announcing salvation
111. Trusting, Faith, Calling and Ascribing to Jehovah #5 Prayer #2 Witnessing
112. Obstacles to effective evangelism
113. A Voice to be heard
114. Creator and Blogger God 4 Expounding voice
115. Blogging for Jesus…
116. Preaching to an unbelieving world
117. Words to push and pull
118. Good or bad preacher
119. Learn how to go out into the world and proclaim the Good News of the coming Kingdom
120. How should we preach?
121. Breathing to teach
122. Bringing Good News into the world
123. Jehovah’s Witnesses not only group that preach the good news
124. Holland Week of billing
125. Trying to get the youth inspired
126. When discouraged facing opposition
127. Messengers of Jesus will be hated to the end of time
128. Who are you going to reach out to today
129. Praise the God with His Name
130. Agape, a love to share with others from the Fruit of the Spirit
131. The Spirit of God brings love, hope and freedom
132. Holiness and expression of worship coming from inside
133. Belonging to or being judged by
134. Not all will inherit the Kingdom
135. Preparedness to change
136. Knowing where to go to
137. United people under Christ
138. Fellowship
139. Discipleship way of life on the narrow way to everlasting life
140. Pastorpreneur Warren
141. Catholicism, Anabaptism and Crisis of Christianity
142. Anti-Semitism ‘on the rise’ in Europe
143. Which Christians Actually Evangelize
144. Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
145. We have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace
146. Choose you this day whom ye will serveIt is a free will choice
147. The Spirit of God imparts love,inspires hope, and gives liberty
148. Philosophy hand in hand with spirituality

++

Further reading:

1. What Evidence is There That God Exists?
2. What is faith and is it the only thing required
3. We Have the Best Home
4. Understanding faith for our salvation
5. Atheist Purpose and Meaning :: Book Review of Julian Baggini’s book Atheism: A Very Short Introduction
6. Against Religion? :: Book Review of Julian Baggini’s book Atheism: A Very Short Introduction
7. Can A Theist Appreciate Baggini’s Atheism? :: Book Review of Julian Baggini’s book Atheism: A Very Short Introduction
8. Can Genuine Christians Be Trinitarian or Non-Trinitarian?
9. Trinity Doctrine vs Oneness Pentecostalism Doctrine – Berean Perspective Podcast
10. The Trinity: A Fundamental of the Faith or a Fable?
11. The Unitarian Universalist Church: A Personal Encounter
12. Unitarianism and the Bible of the Holy Trinity
13. The Doctrine Of The Trinity
14. The Unholy Trinity
15. God, the Trinity
16. Trinity And Pagan Influence
17. Trinity: A False Doctrine of a False Church
18. The Trinity – A Doctrine Overdue for Extinction
19. Historical Jesus vs the Jesus of Faith vs the Mythical Jesus
20. Jesus Christ and God – Some Basic Considerations
21. Defining Christianity (reneland.wordpress.com)
    Simply put a Christian is someone who believes in Jesus Christ.
22. Cult or True Religion
23. The Whore of Babylon? (inpursuitofhappiness.wordpress.com)
    Baal-vs-The “Catholic” God
24. The Top Ten Most Important Church Councils
25. Cult or True Religion (wordsonsergebenhayon.wordpress.com)
    “…if you believe in it, it is a religion or perhaps ‘the’ religion; and if you do not care one way or another about it, it is a sect; but if you fear and hate it, it is a cult.” Leo Pfeffer.
    +The Roman Catholic Church for example has been around ever since Constantine. He was a Roman emperor who used Christianity, which was a small cult at the time, as a means to impose his belief systems on the bishops; so he promulgated the council of Nicaea and thereby gained control of the populus. Now, over 1500 years later, people in Catholic churches today still recite the creed set down by Constantine.
    Many people question the Catholic Church and other religions, seeing them as some of the biggest cults in the World today: they are viewed by many as man-made constructs which have the potential to lead millions of people astray. Religion in its current form has become divisive due to it’s many man-made and dualistic doctrines which continue to divide, separate and cause wars.
26. Billy Graham: Mormonism No Cult
27. Mormons off Graham’s ‘cult’ list
28. Is the Mormon “god” of Mitt Romney and Glenn Beck, the True God or a False “god”? Is Jesus the brother of Lucifer?
29. Can A Cult Member Be President Without Cult Influence?
30. Billy Graham Offers To Help Mormon Mitt Romney And Then Removes Section From Website Calling Mormonism A Cult! (soulrefuge.org)
    The scriptures make it very clear that true believers in Jesus Christ should not be “yoked” together with unbelievers. Why would any true Christian want to help and support a Mormon who teaches that Jesus Christ is the spirit brother of Lucifer?
31. Billy Graham’s group removes Mormon cult reference from website after Romney meeting (religion.blogs.cnn.com)
    Shortly after Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney enjoyed cookies and soft drinks with the Rev.  Billy Graham and his son Franklin Graham on Thursday at the elder Graham’s mountaintop retreat, a reference to Mormonism as a cult was scrubbed from the website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.

    

    Billy Graham site removes Mormon ‘cult’ reference after Romney meeting

    +
    The removal of the post from the Graham group’s website was first noted by the New Civil Rights Movement website and then later by the Asheville Citizen-Times, which reported that the information on cults was accessed as recently as Thursday afternoon.
    +
    When asked about Graham’s beliefs about Mormonism, Graham spokesman A. Larry Ross said in a statement that “Through an inclusive evangelistic ministry spanning more than 60 years, Mr. Graham was called to preach the transformative message of the Gospel to the whole world, regardless of one’s religious background, affiliation or none. As such, he never proselytized, targeted or labeled specific people, groups, faiths or denominations.

32. Billy Graham’s Truce with Mormonism; Scrubs Cult Reference (crooksandliars.com)
    The Christian right has cried uncle and issued a truce on Mormons to try and help elect Mitt Romney.
    +
    During the Values Voter Summit in October, sponsored in part by the influential Family Research Council and the American Family Association, it caused quite a stir when Pastor Robert Jeffress, after introducing Rick Perry as a genuine Christian, called Mormonism a cult.
    +
    Christian political operatives are willing to throw away any trace of their contempt for Mormonism during the election cycle. This shows how much hatred they have for the left. They’d rather help elect a ‘cultist’ to the highest office in the land rather than stick to their alleged principles. Typically sickening.
    +
    To distinguish between a cult and a religion is to distinguish between influence and impotence. Both are, in fact, spawns of a smarmy fakery.
33. ‘Mormonism’ Taken off Site’s Cult List (abcnews.go.com)
    The prominent Christian evangelist Billy Graham has taken public steps to embrace Mitt Romney for president this week, removing Romney’s Mormon religion from a list of cults on his website and taking out an advertisement that appears to urge people to vote for Romney.
34. Jehovah’s Witnesses (calltoprayerministries.wordpress.com) {the writer of this article does not seem to see what it really means to be a ‘Christian’ and wants to take hold only on a sort-sighted vision.}
    Jehovah’s Witnesses come up in conversation more times than one might think. I guess that it’s because there are many people who know JW’s and there don’t seem to be many obvious differences between their faith and ours. Many JW’s are nice people, talk about Jesus, share their faith, and care about their families… just like Christians. So what are the differences? Are they just a different kind of Christian?

+++

Related articles

• Who is God? (richlewis3.wordpress.com)
  El Shaddai means God Almighty, God of the mountains.
• “The God of Of Salvation, The Lord Of Death” (settledinheaven.wordpress.com)
  The God that we can call our own, is “the God of salvation” or, in other words, He is “the Mighty One that controls the deliverance of His people.”  Here, once again we can see a physical and spiritual aspect to this text…
• Bush Era to Blame for Renewed Interest in Mainline? (religiondispatches.org)
  Jennifer Schuessler, who covers the academic beat for the New York Times, discusses the resurgence of scholarship on people long since thought to have been dead and passed from the scene: dead, (mostly) white, mainstream/liberal/mainline/ecumenical Protestants.In assessing the roots of a surge of work on 20^th-century liberal Protestantism, including works such as Matt Hedstrom’s The Rise of Liberal Religion, Jill Gill’s Embattled Ecumenism, David Burns’ The Life and Death of the Radical Historical Jesus, and Elesha Coffman’s The Christian Century and the Rise of the Mainline, the article notes:The surge of interest in liberal religion, many say, reflects the renewed vitality of religious history more generally, which has spread beyond its traditional redoubts in divinity schools to become one of the most popular specializations among academic historians, according to the American Historical Association.Some scholars say that frustration with the perceived cultural and political dominance of evangelicals in the Bush era gave the subject extra urgency.
• How America’s Endless Civil War Between Protestant Sects Is at the Heart of American Identity (alternet.org)
  Jennifer Schuessler, who covers the academic beat for the New York Times, discusses the resurgence of scholarship on people long since thought to have been dead and passed from the scene: dead, (mostly) white, mainstream/liberal/mainline/ecumenical Protestants.In assessing the roots of a surge of work on 20^th-century liberal Protestantism, including works such as Matt Hedstrom’s The Rise of Liberal Religion, Jill Gill’s Embattled Ecumenism, David Burns’ The Life and Death of the Radical Historical Jesus, and Elesha Coffman’s The Christian Century and the Rise of the Mainline, the article notes:The surge of interest in liberal religion, many say, reflects the renewed vitality of religious history more generally, which has spread beyond its traditional redoubts in divinity schools to become one of the most popular specializations among academic historians, according to the American Historical Association.Some scholars say that frustration with the perceived cultural and political dominance of evangelicals in the Bush era gave the subject extra urgency.
  +

  Jennifer Schuessler, who covers the academic beat for the New York Times, discusses the resurgence of scholarship on people long since thought to have been dead and passed from the scene: dead, (mostly) white, mainstream/liberal/mainline/ecumenical Protestants.

  In assessing the roots of a surge of work on 20^th-century liberal Protestantism, including works such as Matt Hedstrom’s The Rise of Liberal Religion, Jill Gill’s Embattled Ecumenism, David Burns’ The Life and Death of the Radical Historical Jesus, and Elesha Coffman’s The Christian Century and the Rise of the Mainline, the article notes:

  The surge of interest in liberal religion, many say, reflects the renewed vitality of religious history more generally, which has spread beyond its traditional redoubts in divinity schools to become one of the most popular specializations among academic historians, according to the American Historical Association.

  Some scholars say that frustration with the perceived cultural and political dominance of evangelicals in the Bush era gave the subject extra urgency.
  +

  Jennifer Schuessler, who covers the academic beat for the New York Times, discusses the resurgence of scholarship on people long since thought to have been dead and passed from the scene: dead, (mostly) white, mainstream/liberal/mainline/ecumenical Protestants.

  In assessing the roots of a surge of work on 20^th-century liberal Protestantism, including works such as Matt Hedstrom’s The Rise of Liberal Religion, Jill Gill’s Embattled Ecumenism, David Burns’ The Life and Death of the Radical Historical Jesus, and Elesha Coffman’s The Christian Century and the Rise of the Mainline, the article notes:

  The surge of interest in liberal religion, many say, reflects the renewed vitality of religious history more generally, which has spread beyond its traditional redoubts in divinity schools to become one of the most popular specializations among academic historians, according to the American Historical Association.

  Some scholars say that frustration with the perceived cultural and political dominance of evangelicals in the Bush era gave the subject extra urgency.

• Make your pick: Do Mainline Protestants need a new name? (religionnews.com)
  Mainline Protestants  made up 18 percent of U.S. adults in 2008. Fifty years ago, its members were the church of the Establishment.
  +
  Forget labels: Everyone and his brother, left or right, calls himself an evangelical. No one will admit to being a fundamentalist since its original religious meaning was overtaken by crazies like David Koresh. It takes Pew Research experts 20 minutes to delineate who is a Jew and they still offer a definition matrix. So let the branding go.
• Are there dividing lines between Mainline and Evangelical? (unsettledchristianity.com)
  There is a great move towards social justice in many Evangelical (sub)groups and for that, I thank God. Do you think the view on Scripture and Tradition (Scripture is infallible in all things, Tradition is near to worthless) is a good start for a line?
  +
  But the dividing line between Mainline (which seems not to be something negative) and Evangelical (some people use this correctly, others not) is not so easy to grasp. I’m guessing because “Mainline” means, for a lot of people, a dying breed of Christianity. Evangelical means… well, it seems for Mainliners it means those who go and witness/serve for the Gospel. For Evangelicals, this term helps to codify something different.
• MainlineDecline, Decline-Talk, and Decline-ism — Sightings (Martin Marty) (bobcornwall.com)
  You have heard it many times Mainline Protestant churches are in decline, but then so are most other forms of religion.  Attendance has not kept up with growth in population, etc.
  +
  Why point out decline among the religions when Sightings’ role is to spot and explore religion in outstanding events? What goes on here with “decline?” A fad? Maybe “decline” is not occurring. This claim is hard to support. Maybe headline writers are concentrating on the wrong aspects of religion. Maybe they are exhibiting the old “be-the-first-kid-on-your-block” syndrome, seeking to be a jump ahead, to get a scoop. Maybe enemies of religious institutions of all sorts are enjoying mass Schadenfreude, enjoying the misfortunes of others. Whatever else is going on, noticing this phenomenon should be liberating: we are henceforth allowed to yawn when one more headline-writer tries to play catch-up.
• When the Christian Global South Heads West (juicyecumenism.com)
  Between 1910 and 2010, the global center of Christianity shifted from Spain to Timbuktu. As far back as 1980, there have been more Christians living in the Global South than in the first world. On any given Sunday, there are more Christians attending church in China than in the United States or Europe.
  +
  Hanciles also noted, with some disappointment with how the financial and political power in US mainline denominations remains in West, even when Africans outnumber them. “We might have to challenge the term “Anglican”, which of course means English,” he said. Hanciles spoke approvingly of African churches in the United States, which he claimed were very little-e evangelistic in their outlook.
  +
  Professor Virginia Garrard-Burnett of the University of Texas-Austin spoke at length about the religious tendencies of Latino migrants, including the often overlooked Protestant Latinos. Roughly 1/4 of Latino immigrants are Protestant, most of which are Pentecostal. Catholic Churches in the US that cater to these immigrants often take on charismatic forms of worship, she noted, often causing friction with existing native Americans. Latin-American Protestant churches take part in almost “reverse missionary” work, where churches in the Global South send people to minister to those in America. She cited the example of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, the third-largest denomination in Brazil, whose presence in the US is mostly mission work to Latin-American migrants.
• Inoculated Against Christianity? (thelittleredblog.typepad.com)
  “The post-Christian world has been inoculated against Christianity because, over 1500 years, we never managed to give it true Christianity. ‘Found difficult and left untried,’ indeed. And this is to our demerit. There are also many, many things over these 1500 years to be proud about, and Christendom, for all its flaws, was probably better than the alternatives. But now we’re reaping what we’re sowing. We created this generation of post-Christians whom we vaccinated against Christianity. Thankfully, viruses mutate and occasionally beat vaccines.  In the meantime, if our aim is a fantasy of Christendom rather than Christ and His Cross, we are being idolaters.”I’m not sure that “probably better than the alternatives” is much of an endorsement.  Mr. Gobry’s point, however, is to distinguish between Christendom, Christianity, and following Jesus: a dilemma yet to be resolved for some 2000 years.  I await Gobry’s further insights with genuine interest.
• The Coming Schism (wmbriggs.com)
  Maybe it’s not a schism but apostasy which I mean. Doesn’t matter. Continuing in our Curmudgeon Series, here are my guesses of the course of Christianity in the West over the next twenty years. Each point below deserves its own essay: these are rough points.
  +
  Since elites of secular institutions only truly care about elites at other institutions, the leadership of these churches won’t want to fall behind the CofE. They’ll issue cheerful press releases boasting love and then arm wrestle for who gets to perform the first homosexual ceremony. Most denominations already allow homosexual clergy.Theologically, since going to a service at a mainline Protestant church will increasingly be no different than reading the New York Times or Guardian op-ed section, which is more convenient and saves on gas, those willing to make the trek will dwindle and die off. If you’re in the market for an old church (aren’t they quaint?), look to the Methodists and Presbyterians. Besides, members are tired of being called stupid and irrational by the culture.
• Stuart Murray on Christendom (abnormalanabaptist.wordpress.com)
  Anabaptists identify the “Christendom shift” in the 4th century as the time when Jesus began to be marginalized.
  +
  Anabaptist are convinced that, whatever its undoubtful benefits, the Christendom system seriously distorted Christian faith: the price the church paid for coming in from the margins was allowing Jesus to be pushed out from the center to the margins – Stuart Murray, The Naked Anabaptist, Herald Press, 2010, p 52
• Unitarianism and the Bible of the Holy Trinity (afkimel.wordpress.com)
  I do not know if it’s happening throughout worldwide evangelicalism or is restricted to the more intellectually inclined; but I have noticed a curious phenomenon on the internet—a movement amongst evangelicals from trinitarian to unitarian faith. This movement does not necessarily entail the rejection of the teaching of Jesus nor even rejection of the confession of Jesus as Lord and Savior. It is a unitarianism that can accommodate the kind of subordinationism characteristic of some of the second and third century Church Fathers: Jesus and the Spirit are “divine” (in some sense), but only the Father is the one God. Consider, for example, a recent blog article by Kermit Zarley: “Can Genuine Christians Be Trinitarian or Non-Trinitarian?“
• Why converting Muslims is taboo in the Catholic Church (catholicherald.co.uk)
  What are they talking about at the Synod for Evangelisation? This article by Sandro Magister tells us that the Bishops have broached the taboo subject of conversions from Islam to Christianity. It makes interesting reading, despite the rather ponderous translation, (read the original here ) and I was particularly struck by this section of it, which I beg readers to consider carefully:“The Muslims do not see the difference between Christians and Westerners, because they do not distinguish, themselves, between what is religious and what is political and social. What precedes the Westerners is perceived by the Muslims as preceding the Christians. Now, Western behaviour, especially on the cultural and political level and in a general way, harms the religious and national sensitivity of the Muslims, their values, their ethics and their culture. Consequentially, this forms an obstacle to their openness to Christianity and to their possible evangelisation.”
• Billy Graham: Mormonism No Cult (orthodoxyandheterodoxy.org)
  Sociologists of religion use cult to refer to a religious group that does not regard itself as exclusively true yet has negative relations with the surrounding society. Those two factors—exclusivity and societal relations—form the basis for sociological definition of religions into four kinds of groups: church (exclusive with good relations), denomination (inclusive with good relations), sect (exclusive with bad relations) and cult (inclusive with bad relations). Yet almost no one uses these terms in the way sociologists of religion use them.
  +I think what is really meant by cult in most modern Evangelical parlance is “bad/weird religious group.” And of course perhaps such a definition is right in its own way.
• Grahams tighten Romney ties (newsobserver.com)
  The election-year embrace of Mitt Romney by some evangelical Christians now borders on a bear hug, given a series of moves by Billy Graham and his family that appear to say it’s OK to vote for a Mormon.
• Billy Graham website admits scrubbing ‘Mormons’ from ‘cult’ list after endorsing Romney (rawstory.com)
  The Billy Graham Evangelistic Association confirmed on Tuesday that it had removed all references to Mormonism as a “cult” from its website after their founder announced his support of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
• Why I Am a Christian. (crawfordgarrett.wordpress.com)
  I have to admit that it’s not always the most simple and straightforward answer to give, because there are many reasons that have led to my faith in Christ.  However, I guess the first place to start is with my parents.  I am a Christian because of my parents.  There may be nothing remarkable about that, and often times I, or many other Christians, would not like to admit that truth.  I am a Christian because my parents are Christians, and that’s what they raised me to believe, just like Jesus was a Jew because His parents were Jews.
• Christ didn’t come to help us, He came to Include us (melwild.wordpress.com)
  a surprising few resonate so much to the more important fact that the Father’s plan was to substitute Christ for us and place us in Him. I think this is unfortunate.
• Jesus Christ was an Anarchist (blacksupremacylovenunity.wordpress.com) > Jesus Christ was an Anarchist
  Jesus came along to lead his followers out of this ungodly Roman system, preaching an alternative form of government. He spoke of a jurisdiction outside of the Roman state, based on the perfect law of freedom, outside the tyranny of men who would rule over their brothers and neighbors. He unified the early Christian church in a system of charity, hope and respect for the rights of each other, requiring that each person love thy neighbor as thy self in a system of mutual, not governmental support.
  +
  Jesus was showing a way to untangle people from the captivity of the social contracts they had made with the state of Rome and Judea, and the tribute and obligations they had become snared by. He proclaimed to call no man “Father”, as they called their Roman benefactors, but stated that “thou Father art in heaven.” The perfect law of freedom indicated that man’s unalienable rights stemmed from God and nature, and not governments of men. This was a system of anarchy, by strict definition, without the complex system of tribute that led to the decadence and decline of society, and the corruptible force of the state to back it up.The early Christian church was not persecuted for their belief in a different God or a Kingdom in Heaven, but for their opting out of the mutual taxation system and seeking to live apart from the kings and overlords, the gods many, who demanded their tribute.
  +Today, most of us find ourselves under slothful tribute to an emperor and a system that is not for our benefit. We have coveted our neighbor’s goods in a vain pursuit of “free” health care, education, welfare, unemployment benefits, social security and government protection. We have traded our inalienable God-given rights through social contracts both implied and explicit. Our churches are not ordained by God, but are 501(c)(3) corporations granted status by the state.As we head into what is certainly going to be a volatile 2014, we are going to need to dig down deep and find that anarchist in all of us, with a little more loving thy neighbor as thy self to boot.
• Fanatic hindu who hated christians is an evidence of Jesus (pciniraj.wordpress.com)
  I never liked Christian missionaries. I used to speak against Christianity and was organising people near the temples against the evangelism activites.“But Lord Jesus mightly fighting for His children, if anybody persecuting Christians, for which I am a clear evidence”, now I am witnessing this every corner to corner by holding the Holy Bible in one hand and showing my terrific stomach to the public. “I was an enemy of Christians, but Jesus Christ loved me, made me alive and saved me from sin and death. Now I am His servant”. This is my testimony.
• Pouring Into Others (comeawake.org)
  If you are a Christian, you are a disciple of Christ. You know Him, but what have you done to make Him known to others? And I’m not just talking about evangelism. I’m talking about how you can use your time, your energy and most importantly, your knowledge about who Christ is to help out a fellow brother or sister.The purpose of our lives is simply this: To know Christ, and to make Him known.
• A Bad Reason for Thinking that Atheism is not a Religion (maverickphilosopher.typepad.com)
  a mere lack of belief in something cannot be a religion.  But atheism is not a mere lack of belief in something.  If atheism is just the lack of god-belief, then tables and chairs are atheists.  For they lack god-belief. Am I being uncharitable?  Suppose someone defines atheism more carefully as lack of god-belief in beings capable of having  beliefs.  That is still unacceptable.  Consider a child who lacks both god-belief and god-disbelief.  If lacking god-belief makes him an atheist, then lacking god-disbelief makes him a theist.  So he is both, which is absurd.Obviously,  atheism is is not a mere lack of belief, but a definite belief, namely, the belief that the world is godless.  Atheism is a claim about the way things are: there is no such thing as the God of Judaism, or the God of Christianity, or the God of Islam, or the gods of the Greek pantheon, or . . . etc.  The atheist has a definite belief about the ontological inventory: it does not include God or gods or any reasonable facsimile thereof such as the Plotinian One, etc.  Note also that if you deny that any god exists, then you are denying that the universe is created by God: you are saying something quite positive about the ontological status of the universe, namely, that it does not depend for its existence on a being transcendent of it.  And if it does not so depend, then that implies that it exists on its own as a brute fact or that it necessarily exists or that it causes itself to exist.  Without getting into all the details here, the point is that if you deny that God exists, this is not just a denial  of the existence of a certain being, but implies a positive claim about the ontological status of the universe.  What’s more, if  there is no creator God, then the apparent order of the universe, its apparent designedness, is merely apparent.  This is a positive thesis about the nature of the physical universe.Atheism, then, is not a mere lack of god-belief.  For it implies definite positive beliefs about reality as a whole and  about the nature and mode of existence of the physical universe.
• Atheism Was the First to Show Me Compassion (jessedooley.wordpress.com)
  what is the issue with the idea of God that pushes most atheists to reject religion and to see it as the supreme evil?
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  When the tribal deity is the supreme king, and that deity is interpreted from a fundamentalist, all-or-nothing approach, then nothing can penetrate or alter that worldview, regardless of the reasonableness of the argument.
• Are Liberals Too “Special” to Go to Church? (religiondispatches.org)
  New research from psychologists from the New York University suggests that the desire to feel unique can undermine consensus, cohesion, and mobilization—at least in political contexts.
  +
  Stern, et al found that “liberals underestimated their similarity to other liberals, whereas moderates and conservatives overestimated their similarity to other moderates and conservatives.”Further, the researchers found that liberals “possess a greater dispositional desire to be unique,” which, they suggest, “likely undermines their ability to capitalize on the consensus that actually exists within their ranks and hinders successful group mobilization.” The “desire to conform” among moderates and, to a greater extent, conservatives, likewise, “allows them to perceive consensus that does not actually exist and, in turn, rally their base.”Liberals, that is, emphasize in their beliefs, actions, and self-understanding uniqueness, creativity, and non-conformity even in the face of sameness. Moderates and conservatives, by contrast, focus on similarity and commonality even when little may in fact exist.
• Are Esoteric Teachings Missing from Christianity? (jesusweddingthebook.wordpress.com)
  In my opinion, Christianity is the only tradition that openly celebrates both spiritual paths. I can agree that there is no secret teaching, because both spiritual paths are out in the open for everyone to see. However, by definition, the esoteric teaching is the second leg of the spiritual journey. The esoteric teaching does not have to be “secret” in order to maintain its mystery. The mystery of the esoteric path can only be revealed when the exoteric path or first leg of the spiritual journey is fully completed.
• Discovering the Truth (cosmicmacduff.wordpress.com)
  for me it has been and is the walking that is important, not any place that I might arrive at or achievement I might accomplish.  I think that I have discovered  a lot since I started, but do not consider myself “enlightened”,  just aware of who  I am.  For me this primary truth, a recognition that there was/is something  more to me (my soul)  than my physical body, is what allowed me and still allows me, to find meaning and purpose in life.
• Am I A Religious Person? (elephantjournal.com) + But is it my religion?
  I’ve heard it said that religion is having someone else’s spiritual experience and spirituality is having your own. It’s certainly true that some Buddhists venerate the Buddha or other teachers to such a high degree that they are just having the Buddha’s experience and not their own. I don’t do that. The Buddha warned us against doing that. He said, “Don’t worship me,” and right after his death, people started doing it.
• Religion and Young People: The Lost Generation? (collectionofclancy.wordpress.com)
  I know of many relatives, friends and people I’ve met in general who are either agnostic or atheist and I don’t judge them for it. However what kills me is that their status gives me the feeling that they are the smarter and more enlightened people. But on the other side, the church gives me the feeling that because I have more liberal beliefs means I cannot truly be as good as the devout. A rock/hard place moment.
• Does Religion Shape a Person? (meesh14102.wordpress.com)
  Atheism is my own personal belief and I understand and respect everyone else’s religious beliefs. I simply want to talk about the idea of religion shaping a person.
  +
  I don’t need a God to influence a good and honest behavior. My mom told me to never speak of my new belief (or lack  there of) ever again and to Never tell my father. I respected these wishes and continue to keep my thoughts about God and religion to myself. I believe a persons’ inner self shapes their character. I do not believe religion is what influences a good or bad character.Everyone is entitled to their own beliefs and should live so accordingly!
• Haunting the chapel: my thoughts on heavy metal and religion. (seanmunger.com)
  Is heavy metal inherently anti-religious? Having been virtually a lifelong metalhead, I can say from experience that many people, both within and without the scene, believe that it is, or should be. Critique of organized religion or aspects of it has been a common lyrical and thematic element in metal for decades.
• Ask an Atheist: The Usual Questions (csgroome.wordpress.com)
  Atheism differs from religion, because we are not certain and would change our views if given evidence, but we are convinced by the lack of evidence and by all rational argument, that appealing to myths from intellectually dark parts of human history can not even begin to give us answers to any questions, even moral or epistemological ones.
  +
  Religion lies outside science and evidence, so you can’t prove it wrong. Why can’t you just accept this and that people want to live with a belief in a greater being?
  +
  I could believe whatever I want if it made me happy. But in all other ways, except for a religious conviction, the believer of a claim unprovable by science immediately pays a social price.
  +
  The absence of a belief is never a motivation, and while Communism may be a secular ideology, this does not mean that all atheists or secularists are communists and it certainly does not mean that we would wish to kill or destroy religious people or religious infrastructure.
• All BEings are Divine (amuseinharmony.wordpress.com)
  all beings, including human beings are divine manifestations of Creator Source on the physical earth plane materialized in various forms for the purpose of expansion. the earth is mother to us all. we are organisms formed from her womb. as she ascends, so shall we. the mother loves her humans as she does all creatures or our existence would no longer be. our love and unity with her and all her inhabitants is our duty as earth walkers.
• Dalai Lama speaks on harmony to religious followers at Tokyo temple (japandailypress.com)
  The famous leader went on to explain that most of the problems humans encounter are of their own making, and thinking that they are all different from one another. This kind of thinking has a tendency to separate people instead of uniting them. His speech centered on the essential “oneness” of all people and emphasized on the divisiveness that comes with focusing on the “them” and “us,” rather than on the “we”, as a whole. Religious harmony is one thing that His Holiness has committed himself to, and hopes that it is something that Japan can contribute to as well.
• what is the happiest person in the world saying? (hunt4truth.wordpress.com)
  A friend wants to know if I’m still Christian. Yes, I am. Everything that I’m referring to from science and new age and Buddhist teachers is complimentary with Jesus’s teachings. I posted a couple of the most important Christian practices–in my opinion, 1 John (NIV) and the Our Father prayer are essential in Christian belief.
• How to Argue for the Existence of God (omigassplus.wordpress.com)
  Anyone who feels God, can see and feel God inside them. They live inside God. God lives inside them. They see God as an energy that penetrates them and fills them up inside. They feel God as an energy around them and within them. They feel God touch them in their special places. They realize that God is a higher faith, a greater presence. They crave Him. They want to feel his love fill them up inside. Without God, they feel empty, unloved, lonely. Only with God inside them can they feel whole again.
• Nineteenth Century Protestant Doctrines of the Trinity (redeemingthetext.wordpress.com)
  The discussion in chapter nineteen of The Oxford Handbook of the Trinity is, in brief form, one of how Enlightenment philosopher-theologians developed innovative ways to discuss the Trinity and their effectiveness leading into the twentieth century.
• Hans Kung on Trinity Part 2 (presenttruthmn.org)
  This is continued from the previous post on the Trinity. It is taken directly from Hans Kung’s book ‘Christianity: Essence, History and Future’
• A Theology Big Enough for the Gospel: Reviewing Mike Bird’s Evangelical Theology (marccortez.com)
  despite the fact that Bird mentions the image of God throughout, clearly viewing it as an important topic that has bearing on a range of other issues, he devotes only five pages to it, one of which is just a recitation of the relevant biblical verses. His excursus on infra- vs. supralapsarianism is almost as long! And union with Christ hardly gets any attention at all. In a systematic theology, pages are like currency; what you invest in shows what you value. And I was surprised at a few of the investments.
  +
  Bird affirms a social trinitarian approach, defining the divine persons as “self-aware” beings who are “capable of consciousness” (p. 615), and he even refers to separate consciousnesses in the Trinity (p. 118). Regardless of whether you think social trinitarianism is viable, Bird’s discussion simply fails to deal with the historical and theological objections that can (and have!) been raised. And unfortunately, these aren’t isolated incidents.
• What’s Old is New Again: The Return of “Biblical Unitarianism” (southernreformation.wordpress.com)
  While I’m used to defending the deity of Christ against the Jehovah’s Witnesses, or fending off Mormon misunderstandings of the doctrine of the Trinity, I never thought I would see professing “conservative evangelicals” who were willing to jettison the central dogma that makes Christianity…Christianity.But it’s happening.
• “Should You Believe in the Trinity?” (1peter58.wordpress.com)
  “The Bible says…” The real issue here is that these individuals, and also those that belong to very young churches/institutes, claim for themselves the authority to teach new doctrine, claim for themselves the authority to reject unchanged ancient doctrine. How do you decide when to trust that a doctrine is truly of God? How do you decide what is a false doctrine not of God?
• Because the Bible Tells Me So (mackerelsnapperblog.wordpress.com)
  Whenever a Catholic debates the Faith with a non-Catholic — Christian or atheist — the very first argument that often gets brought up is that Catholic teaching contradicts the Scriptures.
• Sola Scriptura? (preacheroftruth.com) + > Sola Scriptura?
  Pythagoras is said to have been the earliest outside of Scripture (Isa. 40:22) to contend that the earth is round. He did not make the earth round with his assertions, but identified what already was.  Sir Isaac Newton certainly did not create gravity, but he is credited for our modern understanding of it.  Likewise, the term “sola scriptura” is not found in scripture (similar to terms like “trinity” and “omniscience”), but it was coined during the “Reformation Movement” as part of Martin Luther’s protests against perceived corruptions of the Catholic Church.  It was a “Latin phrase (literally ‘by Scripture alone’) describing the Protestant theological principle that Scripture is the final norm in all judgments of faith and practice.
• (1) The Two Pillars of the Reformation (altruistico.wordpress.com)
  The Protestant Reformation saw the advancement of the Gospel and an understanding of right doctrine that hadn’t been seen since the time of Christ and the Apostles. It drew Christianity out of the dark ages of the faith; a time when the Scripture was forbidden to be read in the language of the people, when superstition reigned, where abominations within the church leadership was a norm, and when a knowledge of the Truth was virtually unknown.

 

Being a Light in the World Award

We for sure can use some more people who would like to bring some sunshine in this grim world. Lovely that we can see more people trying to spread some Light in this world full of jealousy and hate.

It would also be nice to find those bloggers who would love to bring messages of inner peace, brotherly love, and unity between people and different cultures and religions, together sharing their ideas and notifying others of their readings and writings. Hopefully many will let others know of such blogs which try to make the world a little nicer one day at the time.

°°°

And the nominees for the

the very first nominees for Being a Light in the World Award
are:

1. Dr. Rex
2. Shaun
3. HuntForTruth
4. Inavukic
5. Dear Kitty
6. Mungai and the Goa Constrictor
7. Quiall
8. BusyMindThinking
9. SeaAngel4444
10. PurpleRaysblog
11. Al
12. The Libertarian Hippie
13. Moorbey
14. The Unity of Souls
15. Crowing Crone Joss
16. CravesAdventure
17. Cassidy Fraezee
18. Ivonprefontaine
19. SueDreamwalker
20. OldPoet56
21. Michael Lai
22. Willowdot21
23. HitandRun1964
24. Professions for Peace
25. ViewsSplash
26. Blackbutterfly7
27. Amaezed
28. Tanveer rauf
29. PetiteMagique
30. Joe Bradshaw
31. Terry1954
32. Lilmisspoutine
33. a star on the forehead
34. Andy1076
35. iithinks

Followed by:.

1. Marlyn http://kintal.wordpress.com/
2. Sheri http://theothersideofugly.com/  
3. Kindness Blog http://kindnessblog.com/ 
4. Brother Murf http://brothermurf.wordpress.com/
5. Tom Huff http://tomhuff.wordpress.com/ 
6. Eve http://sathyasaimemories.wordpress.com/ 
7. Jerry http://jerry792.wordpress.com/
8. VWoods http://vwoods1212.wordpress.com/
9. Suz http://suzjones.wordpress.com/
10. CeeLee http://swimintheadultpool.com/
11. Michele http://lifeasagarden.wordpress.com/
12. Sherri http://sherriofpalmsprings.com/
13. Stephanie http://happinessheals.wordpress.com/
14. Brooke http://kundalinidotorg.wordpress.com/
15. Nadine http://soulofagypsy.me/
16. Gede Prama http://gedepramascompassion.com/

Related articles

• It’s all about you: Part 6
• ‘Being a light in the World Award’
• I’m a Nominee!!
• Light of the World Award
• The best gifts
• Wonderful Team Member Readership Award
• Awarded, Yippee !!!! 🙂 🙂
• Sunshine Award
• Shauny Award and Friends and Followers Award
• Awards that I May Not Deserve!

the Hunt for Truth

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Being A Light In The World – awarded by Barbara Mattio at Idealist Rebel

Thank you Barbara. 

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Click the image to link to Barbara’s award page.

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Wonderful people in the World spread Light, and love, hope and peace.  At WordPress, there are bloggers that consistently promote these qualities and work to be a force for peace and light in our world.

My friend Barbara is diligent in posting on topics in the areas of creativity, women’s issues, and spirituality. Her blog is making the world a little nicer, one day at a time.

The Rules:

1. Thank the person who gives you the award
2. Spread this award around to the people who you know who are doing this work, so that the work continues and the light is spread
3. Let your nominees know
4. Never give up on your fellow human beings

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And the nominees for the
Being a…

View original post 56 more words

Spring in sight

Welcome

 

 

There was not much of Winter in Belgium and signs of the approach of Spring seem sparse.

Quiet keepers in Waiting for spring and in Keeping faith when spring is late let us know that the keepers of time tell us “Spring is here”.

We have passed that notch in the calendar when light and darkness are given us in equal measure. Winter is past and we can breathe a collective sigh of relief and begin to enjoy longer days and the sight and smell of things getting about the business of growing. For now, though, that is only a hope, and what we see is not quite what we’ve been awaiting. {Keeping faith when spring is late}

Wapen van Vlaams-Brabant / Coat of Arms of Flemish Brabant (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

For us it is like our seed is still in the clay of Flemish Brabant. We do feel the wetness and are eager to germinate. At last the sun has brought some warmth giving us the power and the spirit to come up. The landscape starts changing her palette of various hues of brown into green spots and since a few days the whites, yellows and other fresh colours shout for our attention. The sounds in the air start changing and are willing to come over lord auto-mobile. We also can not wait to bring an other sound.

Absorbed in this state of waiting, many of us are edgy, irritable, and anxious, even as we try to remind ourselves that spring must come eventually. We glance outside and then look at the calendar, counting the days until the equinox. Still bundled in our winter coats and scarves, we gaze longingly at spring merchandise in stores. We rejoice and celebrate the occasional mild day, even as our hopes are dashed by another snowstorm or cold front. {Waiting for spring}

The cold fronts in Western Europe are more brought by the politicians and the materialism people are caught by. Everybody very busy to earn as much as they can or having to work many hours to be able to survive in a country which has so many taxes, people more than half of the year just work to pay for the deficit of their country.

Many could have enough reason to dawdle over their food the government is offering them. Instead of picking at our food we tumble all the garbage of this spoiled world in the wasteland. We would have loved to start with a clean slate, but we are all born with the legacy of our previous generations. Living in an area were the battles of Europe were fought and being conquered by foreign troupes many times, we take an aversion to everything that may smell of trying to restrict us or to modify our free thought. We do not like to be confined to one set of rules or to one set of ideas an do not like to be talked into regulations or was of life. Some may like to be talked round, but we appreciate it that every body can talk freely and may utter different ideas than ours. We are not afraid of possible contradicting ideas or different ways of life. The variation of thought brings colour in life and we do not mind to discuss all those variations if time permits and when it cold be worth to consider matters.

Remains of a canal lock tower, quay and watermill in the fields in Weerde, Belgium. Weerde, Zemst, Flemish Brabant, Belgium (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

We appreciate the variation in the world and consider it as a richness and not as a limitation or a shortcoming or fault of our society. We are aware of human shortcomings but do not want to be at a loss for words. We do not think words are no adequate to give some spirit and fire to life and give us joy in a world full of variation. We do not want a grey world where every body thinks and feels the same.

Problem for many in our society is that often people might have lots of expectations and being disillusioned not many come through. Then the question may arise “what do we do when life doesn’t work out as we had dreamed it”. We all want to reach a high point in our life. Who does not want to reach the top? But we often become limited because we do want so much to compare ourselves with others. What do we do when our status is inferior to that of others and the community around us including our family point this out to us?

On this site we do hope to have people to come to accept that every body has something good, but also can have something bad, but more important that every individual has his or her role and importance in this universe of variety and trial. We would like to avoid entering ourselves or having others entering a “winter of discontent”. We would love to show the world there is so much beauty in it and so much richness in it for every one to share in abundance.

Many people might also be tempted to cling to stories they heard from their ancestors, the world of their previous and ‘old dreams’, waste their talents on nostalgia, religious feeling, liturgical formalism, institutional activism, fundamentalism, nationalism, rationalism and more. Often they cling on to their dreams and eat their heart out with choking hopes of their ego placed in the centre of the world. By not accepting that others might have other ideas they  become goofy about bagatelles and scowl at mere trifles. Our of fear others might subdue them they go in counter attack.

We would like to offer some small notebook, where some ideas may be scrabbled in and where people can look at without having to look what others would think or without distress. You may find toddling and fluttering here this communal place, a joint property of different minds, people who feel themselves united by the forces of nature and by their open mind and willingness to share thoughts with each other without offending some one, but with concerted attempt to show the world the beauty of diversity.

Undismayed we would like to offer you a lucky bag or a bran tub where people are free to scramble. Any passer-by can rummage in what we do have to offer. Feel free to grope in the lucky dip. We hope every body who comes along shall be able to grope and find something of interest.

United States (Photo credit: Moyan_Brenn)

Those interested in adding their words are very welcome to do so. In case they would like to regularly write some note or thought or would like to share a reflection, they may let us know and we will invite them to come a co-author. Our mother-tongue is Dutch, so do not worry you speak an other language than ours. We have chosen English to be the  language of communication because we ourselves are not so good in the other business languages Spanish and Mandarin. If you would prefer to write in your own language, and this would be one we can understand or speak ourself, like French, German, Afrikaans, you are welcome to write in those languages.

The main joint writers shall place their articles under their and this ‘guest signature’ in the lifestyle magazine Stepping Toes. We also do invite you to come and have a look there and to find also other co-authors.

May we give some incitement to join us, so that you could perhaps reach other people than on your own regular blog and that you with us can give incitement to others to share their thought in a community of people who are not afraid to be together with other minds.

We would like to offer our readers articles on social, spiritual, cultural, political and sometimes economical affairs. All matters could be spoken off here and all sorts of guest-speakers or guest-writers are welcome. If you would like to present us, at regular or irregular times, with some nice prose or poetry, you are very welcome.

We would be honoured to find writers to join us who could write like QuietKeepers, who writes:

Now is a time of preparation for what is to come, to gaze on the stark canvas around us before it begins to burst into color and growth. After all, when it does, life will get very busy, not only in the natural world, but in our lives. Activity will ramp up as schedules swell with graduations, weddings, and ball games. Homeowners will frantically pull out coolers and grills, uncover deck furniture, and fuel lawnmowers for the first of many cuts of the season. Gardeners will feel an urgency to ready their beds and plant even as the local greenhouses warn them to heed the frost-free date. {Keeping faith when spring is late}

With her and others we would love to see everything coming to life again and in full colours. So that we can be

enjoying the cacophony of chatter from a flock of blackbirds or the song of a single robin as the sun amazes … with yet another spectacular rising or setting.

We would love to see that many may join us on between the dawn and the dark of night to walk on the many roads who lead to the same point. As wise men, like closetoeighty can send words in the world, whilst trying to stay young and fresh in mind and share the beautiful pictures of a China Sojourner Randall Collis, who notes:

The wisdom of Jerry Garcia resonates with me as the wrathful fingers of winter turn into the chilly, wet hands of spring.  I search for my path.  A place to watch and dream from afar; to quietly witness the darkness of winter transform into the dawn of spring. {Dreams Between Dusk and Dawn}

It is this strange contradictory nature of dawn and maturity that makes life interesting.  In our youth, we revel in the late night/early morning hours.  Intrigued by the peace of a post-midnight sky and the eerily quietness of the streets and the wilderness.

Breathtaking to feel so alive with energy in the dead of night, as if this moment was created for the young: the world waiting to be explored.  All the action and chaos of the previous day and night comes to a crescendo and slowly unwinds in the peaceful stillness of darkness. {Dreams Between Dusk and Dawn}

Together we would love to take a closer look at

what appears to be nothing and am noticing the winter feathers of the male Goldfinches start to turn yellow, buds on the branches of an Elderberry bush, and the first leaves of Bee Balm at the base of the brown stalks from last year’s growth.

In the belief that anticipation is often the best part of a vacation or a happy event, {Keeping faith when spring is late}

we would like to fill our glasses and bring a toast to drink

in this time and appreciating it in its somewhat awkward adolescent phase because (we) know without seeing that it holds the promise of something quite wonderful that is yet to come. {Keeping faith when spring is late}

We would love to devote ourselves to the cause of allowing ourselves to grow by the wisdom of others and sharing our knowledge and experience, working at bettering others.  We want to find enough reason to be happy with what we have and with what we can share with others, without wanting something in return.

Why should we waste it on pleasurable pursuits alone?  We should be making this world a better place for our children.

In case we could bring other people in the picture who are also willing that we would grow into a world where every body can live next to each other in peace, though they may be from an other race, culture or religion, than we shall be pleased and could find we succeeded in fulfilling some of our dreams, seeing people all over the world united with each other.

May we welcome you as a guest and may we look forward to meet some more guest-writers as well?

Looking forward to sharing ideas and sharing lovely thoughts and love itself.

Join us as Bloggers for Peace

In case you would like to join the Bloggers for Peace
you are welcome to take contact with some of them.

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Note: We do hope the writer of Waiting for spring and Keeping faith when spring is late does not mind we used some of her beautiful writing to bring over our own ideas. It is namely also our intention to bring some good bloggers into the attention of others, so that those visitors and we in our limited time can find something interesting to read and perhaps also can find some one they would like to follow.

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Preceding articles:

Guestwriters for you

Welcome to “From guestwriters”

About Guestwriters

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Additional reading:

1. A new year with hopes and challenges
2. 2nd Half 20th Century Generations pressure to achieve
3. Economics and Degradation
4. Our political systems and juggling with human laws
5. Materialism, would be life, and aspirations
6. Philosophy hand in hand with spirituality
7. Time for global change
8. Words to inspire and to give wisdom
9. Reframing health
10. Self-development, self-control, meditation, beliefs and spirituality
11. Tenderness and kindness are not signs of weakness and despair
12. Embracing the Body as a Spiritual Path
13. Growth in character
14. Wisdom lies deep
15. Secrets of Wisdom
16. Wisdom = Generosity
17. Wisdom by A Schoonbee
18. Wisdom from Matthieu Ricard
19. Wisdom From Above
20. The Value of Wisdom
21. A Fool
22. Live …
23. A living change
24. Preparedness to change
25. A learning process for each of us
26. A person is limited only by the thoughts that he chooses
27. Choices
28. Always a choice
29. We have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace
30. Those who make peace should plant peace like a seed
31. Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness
32. Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
33. Only I can change my life
34. Change from within
35. We all are changed into the same image from glory to glory
36. Character transformed by the influence of our fellowships
37. Everything that is done in the world is done by hope
38. Food as a Therapeutic Aid
39. Input – Output effects on Physical Health
40. Every moment, every thing is spiritual
41. Living With(out) Regret and Negative Feelings
42. Be happy that the thorn bush has roses
43. There is no true and constant gentleness without humility
44. Truth never plays false roles of any kind, which is why people are so surprised when meeting it
45. Be like a tree planted by streams of water
46. A time for everything
47. Better loaves when the heart is joyous
48. Joy is not in things, it is in us
49. Joy: Foundation for a Positive Life
50. Be kinder than necessary
51. The thought of losing rekindles the joy of having
52. Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark
53. Faith is knowing there is an ocean because you have seen a brook.
54. Faith and trial
55. A Living Faith #8 Change
56. Can Faith Ever Be Rational?
57. Cosmos creator and human destiny
58. Feed Your Faith Daily
59. Gloomy Thinking Can Be Contagious
60. You cannot change anything in your life with intention alone
61. The task given to us to love each other
62. Unarmed truth and unconditional love
63. Love turns one person into two; and two into one
64. Love envieth not
65. When we love we do not need laws
66. Spread love everywhere you go
67. Agape, a love to share with others from the Fruit of the Spirit
68. Love and cultivate that which is pure
69. If we love one another, God lives in us
70. Love will cure more sins than condemnation
71. Blessed are those who freely give
72. Feed the Body and Nourish the Soul this Thanksgiving – Eat with an Attitude of Gratitude!
73. Who are the honest ones?
74. Greatest single cause of atheism
75. What’s church for, anyway? (by Marcus Ampe)
76. A Bad Reason for Thinking that Atheism is not a Religion
77. Debating with theologians and preachers and their somewhat constricted views….
78. #PreachersofLA: As Real as It Gets
79. Why can’t I warm to street preaching?
80. “Nicomachean Ethics” by Aristotle
81. Political Correctness and “Bashing”
82. Moderates, good deeds and religious fanaticism
83. Julian Baggini – Can you be too intelligent?
84. How To Avoid Spiritual And Mental Indigestion – Harold Herring
85. Here’s to Your Health!
86. What is the happiest person in the world saying?
87. Caricaturing and disapproving sceptics, religious critics and figured out ethics
88. Act as if everything you think, say and do determines your entire life
89. Remember that who you’re being is just as important as what you’re doing
90. How we think shows through in how we act
91. When Your Actions Don’t Match with What You Have Underestood
92. How To Set Rules for Your Life Without Becoming a Party Pooper
93. If you want to go far in life
94. Raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair
95. People should know what you stand for
96. “A healthy attitude is contagious but don’t wait to catch it from others. Be a carrier.” — Tom Stoppard
97. You are not limited to who is in charge

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