Spiritual Solutions » Articles

FREEDOM – The Right Way to Worship God

admin — Mon, 04 Jul 2011 08:00:47 +0000

This was forwarded to me from a friend, who received it from Neale Donald Walsch. One might call this True Freedom. Enjoy!

The right way to worship God

Notes From Neale

Hello, Everyone…

I am excited this week to share with you a wonderful excerpt from The New Revelations that I happened upon the other day as I was re-reading this extraordinary text. This passage answers a question that I am asked all the time, and I just knew as soon as I chanced upon it that I wanted to put it in this space, so that you could be touched by it!

Here it is…enjoy!

I have to admit that I always did find it hard to believe God would tell people they may not intermarry, or that women must not allow any portion of their body to be seen in public, or that couples may not use contraceptives, or that men must wear beards.

I never did understand why God felt he had to give human beings so many orders.

I don’t. I don’t have to give orders to anyone, and I’ve never done so.

Never?

No. And I never will.

You never will? You mean that we will never know what God really wants?

No.

Why? Why would you do this to us?

Do what to you?

Why would you tell us to follow God’s law, to obey your wishes, and then not tell us what you really want?

Because there is nothing that I do want. And this is what you cannot understand or refuse to accept.

There is nothing that God wants or needs.

God demands nothing, commands nothing, requires nothing, compels nothing. Teach this in your seminaries and your madrasas.

God neither orders nor requests, insists nor expects, anything. Tell this to your young.

I am the Author of Everything. I am the Creator and the Created. There is nothing that is that I am not. I have no need to give orders to anyone.

To whom would I give orders? There is no one to command but me. I am the All In All. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. And whom would I punish were my orders not kept? Would I use my right hand to slap my left? Would I bite my nose to spite my face?

Your teachers and your doctors of law, your priests and your ulamas, tell you that God is to be feared, for He is a vengeful God. You are to live in fear of God’s wrath, they say. You are to tremble in His presence. Your whole life you are to fear the terrible judgment of the Lord. For God is “just,” you are told. And God knows, you will be in trouble when you confront the terrible justice of the Lord. You are, therefore, to be obedient to God’s commands. Or else.

Most of you, therefore, spend much of your adult lives searching for the “right way” to worship God, to obey God, to serve God. The irony of all this is that I do not want your worship, I do not need your obedience, and it is not necessary to serve me.

These behaviors are the behaviors historically demanded of their subjects by monarchs–egomaniacal, insecure, tyrannical monarchs at that. They are not Godly demands in any sense, and it seems remarkable that the world hasn’t by now concluded that the demands are counterfeit, having nothing to do with the needs of Deity.

Deity has no needs. All That Is is exactly that: all that is. It therefore wants, or lacks, nothing–by definition.

If you choose to believe in a God who somehow needs something–and has such hurt feelings if He doesn’t get it that He punishes those from whom He expected to receive it–then you choose to believe in a God much smaller than I. You truly are Children of a Lesser God.

No, my children, please let me assure you again, through this present writing, as I have done in writings past, that I am without needs. I require nothing.

Then you haven’t given us “orders”?

No. It was human beings who felt they had to give human beings orders, in order to keep order. And the best way they knew how to get people to follow orders was to say that they came directly from God.

There were also those who sincerely believed that they were receiving directives from God about how life should be lived, and what they said that they received was passed on by others in good faith. Yet this does not mean that what was passed on was always accurate, nor does it mean that the person who claims to have been the original recipient of these revelations was infallible.

Any more than this book is infallible.

That is correct. That is exactly right. Any claim of infallibility for this book would be inaccurate.

It would be inaccurate to say that this book is accurate.

Yes.

So this book is accurate when it says that it is inaccurate.

That’s clever, and that’s another yes.

So if it’s inaccurate, why should I believe it?

You should not believe it. You should apply it and see what works.

Incidentally, put every other writing that claims to be a communication from God to the same test.

Wow, I love that passage. I hope that you will copy it and paste it up on your refrigerator, clip it and send it to friends, post it on Facebook, get it out there for all the world to see!

Love and Hugs, Neale

Remember, God is Blessing You Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

————————————————————
Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-nine years, invites you to enjoy more articles and/or subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, “Spiritual Solutions,” at www.spiritualsolutionsblog.com

Feel free to share this article in its entirety with a friend. You may also reproduce and publish this article if you also include this reference box. Thank you!

If you’d like to receive “Rich Words,” featuring weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at www.alanrowbotham.com
————————————————————

Copyright © 2012 Spiritual Solutions. This Feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this material in your news aggregator, the site you are looking at is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact legal@www.spiritualsolutionsblog.com so we can take legal action immediately.
Plugin by Taragana

Tweet This Post

The Birth of “Precious Lord”

admin — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 02:57:26 +0000

Some time ago I received an email article from a friend with the title, “The Birth of the Song ‘Precious Lord’.” The article ended with the name Tommy Dorsey and appeared to infer that it was the well-known big band leader who had written the story.

The article aroused my curiosity and upon research I discovered that it was in fact Thomas Andrew Dorsey of gospel renown who wrote the story after the death of his wife, Nettie, and their newborn child in 1932. The story, sad and tragic as it is, is also a powerful and inspiring illustration of God’s grace. The article was published in the inspirational magazine Guideposts in 1987 and in the July/August 2000 edition of Hidden Wisdom magazine.

Here’s the story:

Back in 1932 I was 32 years old and a fairly new husband. My wife, Nettie, and I were living in a little apartment on Chicago’s Southside.

One hot August afternoon I had to go to St. Louis, where I was to be the featured soloist at a large revival meeting. I didn’t want to go. Nettie was in the last month of pregnancy with our first child. But a lot of people were expecting me in St. Louis. I kissed Nettie good-bye, clattered downstairs to our Model A and, in a fresh Lake Michigan breeze, chugged out of Chicago on Route 66.

However, outside the city, I discovered that in my anxiety at leaving, I had forgotten my music case. I wheeled around and headed back. I found Nettie sleeping peacefully. I hesitated by her bed; something was strongly telling me to stay. But eager to get on my way, and not wanting to disturb Nettie, I shrugged off the feeling and quietly slipped out of the room with my music.

The next night, in the steaming St. Louis heat, the crowd called on me to sing again and again. When I finally sat down, a messener boy ran up with a Western Union telegram. I ripped open the envelope. Pasted on the yellow sheet were the words: YOUR WIFE JUST DIED.

People were happily singing and clapping around me, but I could hardly keep from crying out. I rushed to a phone and called home. All I could hear on the other end was “Nettie is dead. Nettie is dead.”

When I got back, I learned that Nettie had given birth to a boy. I swung between grief and joy. Yet that night, the baby died. I buried Nettie and our little boy together, in the same casket. Then I fell apart.

For days I closeted myself. I felt that God had done me an injustice. I didn’t want to serve Him any more or write gospel songs. I just wanted to go back to that jazz world I once knew so well. But then, as I hunched alone in that dark apartment those first sad days, I thought back to the afternoon I went to St. Louis. Something kept telling me to stay with Nettie.

Was that something God? Oh, if I had paid more attention to Him that day, I would have stayed and been with Nettie when she died. From that moment on I vowed to listen more closely to Him. But still I was lost in grief.

Everyone was kind to me, especially a friend, Professor Frye, who seemed to know what I needed. On the following Saturday evening he took me up to Madam Malone’s Poro College, a neighborhood music school. It was quiet; the late evening sun crept through the curtained windows. I sat down at the piano, and my hands began to browse over the keys. Something happened to me then. I felt at peace. I felt as though I could reach out and touch God. I found myself playing a melody, one I’d never heard or played before, and the words into my head – they just seemed to fall into place:

Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand! I am tired, I am weak, I am worn.

Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light. Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home.

As the Lord gave me these words and melody, He also healed my spirit. I learned that when we are in our deepest grief, hen we feel farthest from God, this is when He is closest, and when we are most open to His restoring power. And so I go on living for God willingly and joyfully, until that day comes when He will take me and gently lead me home.

- Tommy Dorsey

The song has been translated into 32 languages and was the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s favorite, the one Mahalia Jackson sang at his funeral. It was also sung by Leontyne Price at President Lyndon B. Johnson’s funeral.

Thomas Andrew Dorsey was born in Villa Rica, Georgia, on July 1, 1899. He was a blues band leader for singers including Ma Rainey, but after becoming a Christian he turned to writing gospel music, reportedly after undergoing a spiritual experience while hearing the hymn “I Do, Don’t You?” at a Baptist convention. Across the course of his lifetime he wrote more than a thousand gospel hymns, including “Say Amen,” “Somebody,” “Take My Hand” and “Peace in the Valley.” He died in Chicago on January 23, 1993.

Remember, God is Blessing You Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

—————————————————–

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-eight years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

——————————————————

Tweet This Post

Is It Time to Just Let Go?

admin — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 06:30:16 +0000

Do you feel like you’re constantly chasing after something?

It might be a better job, a bigger car, more money, more friends.

Or you might be chasing after your own happiness.

But the Buddhists don’t believe in chasing.

They believe you should simply “let go” of anything that makes you UN-happy.

And you’ll achieve the same results — only without the effort!

Of course, sometimes it’s easier said than done. But I guess we can even let go that thought too, and just keep on letting go.

You can read all about the idea of letting go (and simultaneously finding yourself) in the following article by Craig Harper.

Guest contributor Craig Harper (B.Ex.Sci.) describes himself as a qualified exercise scientist, author, columnist, radio presenter, television host, motivational speaker and university lecturer.

Enjoy – and live for the moment!

Remember, God is Blessing You Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

Here’s the article:

I like the concept of letting go.It’s mostly where I find joy, calm, peace and purpose. It’s so much easier than chasing. And so much more effective.

Rather than chasing happiness, the Buddhist philosophy suggests that we simply choose to let go of that which makes us unhappy.

The very notion of chasing something has a sense of urgency about it, doesn’t it?

And, of course, with urgency comes anxiety. And with anxiety comes illness. And with illness comes unhappiness.

Maybe our gentle Buddhist friends are onto something.

Some people spend their lives chasing acceptance and approval.

Perhaps it’s time for some of us to let go of the need to seek the acceptance, approval and even permission of others?

Perhaps we’re good enough all by ourselves?

Perhaps we should stop giving away our power?

Perhaps in the letting go we’ll find the only acceptance we need: self-acceptance. Some will spend their lives chasing physical perfection. I have some expertise in this area. While it’s great to be in shape, it’s not great when our confidence, self-esteem and sense of self are dependant on our physical appearance.

Considering that we spend most of our lives in a slowly deteriorating physical shell, this pursuit is an exercise in frustration. This desire for physical perfection arises out of fear. Fear of not being pretty enough. Good enough. Desirable enough. And, of course, fear is at the root of unhappiness.

Some will spend their lives chasing financial wealth, only to wake up one day and discover that all they’ve created is emotional and spiritual poverty. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with being wealthy, except when that wealth defines us. If only we taught our kids (and ourselves) that being rich has nothing to do with money or material possessions. Some of us have spent years (and years) trying to ‘find’ ourselves.

Maybe it’s time to stop looking and simply let go of everything that isn’t us?

When I let go of everything I am trying to do, be, create and own, there I am. And while I might do, be, create and own much in my life, I am none of those things and they are not me.

I can’t be found in things. And neither can you.

What do you need to let go of?

By Craig Harper

—————————————————–

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-eight years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

——————————————————

Tweet This Post

Knock, Bump and Whoosh!

admin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 03:22:11 +0000

By Marlene Buffa

(Taking a quiet sideways glance at life, our guest contributor today, Marlene Buffa, offers insight through her words from experiences. A student of new-thought teachings, Marlene finds practical spirituality around every corner and seeks wisdom through observation of life’s inter-relationships. Sometimes playful, sometimes poignant, always thought-provoking, her writing inspires readers in meaningful ways.
www.wordsofmind.com)

Halloween brings to light our memories and our apprehensions and enlivens our imagination. Each year we honestly portray ourselves as something other than who we are, and venture out into the night fearlessly asking for what we want from strangers and friends. The chant, “Trick or Treat!” resounds on neighborhood streets, with a telltale confidence that our abundant rewards, sweet and freely given, fill the largest container we dare to hold. Life, too, offers us the opportunity to boldly request our desires from others as well as the Universe. Just as our expectations of creepy “things that go bump in the night” sometimes come to fruition at Halloween, other evidence of things outside of ourselves interjecting with our humanity, finds its way into our daily experience.

Knock Knock
More than just a childhood formulaic riddle, spirit knocking on the door of our consciousness forces us to awaken to new possibilities. My friend Ann’s condo, replete with sounds and noises from unearthly visitors, resonates with a loud knock, or rap on her wooden front door. The wooden door is closed and behind a locked metal security door so no one can make contact with the wood, yet the sounds echo throughout her living room – loud enough that her neighbors hear it, too! Ann gave up going to the door to see her anxious caller because after dozens of times, she found no one there.

Spirit knocks on our door, too. Many times Spirit is there asking for an invitation to enter our lives, yet finds us not home to answer. Over and over, we hear the call to a greater life, and either ignore it or find we cannot face the greatness it offers. We must prepare ourselves equally to knock on the door of opportunity and to answer the call when opportunity beckons us. Take the initiative to dare for a great life and you may just receive a “treat!” you weren’t expecting!

Bump
From fender benders, to bumper cars, we often equate a bump with a collision in transportation. We’ve all heard the “bumps in the night” which startle us from sleep yet we dismiss such noises as the house settling or our pets rousting about. Bumping into unseen forces, we sometimes feel a hovering entity or looming feeling surrounding us, daring to collide with our circumventing comfort zone. With our bodies as vehicles transporting us on the planet, collisions occur naturally with others and with Spirit around us.

Nothing to fear, these gentle bumps into our beingness serve to remind us and alert us of the awakened world in which we roam. Like the bumper in a pinball machine, Life stands there, solid and immovable, waiting for us to bump into it. We dart off in a different direction, most times not due to any epiphany of understanding, rather from the shock of the bump itself – the bump we created.

When Life or Spirit bumps into us, it renders a touching reminder for us to awaken to the events and emotions around us while we make our way on the planet. From the premonitory diversion to avoid an accident, to the gentle nudge into something better, Life reminds us of the power of the Infinite as a gentle teacher.

Whoosh!
The older we grow, the quicker time passes. Our perception and vantage point change as time reflects against the accumulation of our experience. Time, as we interpret it through man-made dials and clocks, remains constant and some say, circular or infinite. Unseen thoughts, entities and even energies wrap around us, check us out, and whisk away – in an instant. The indescribable feeling of déjà vu, or the instinctive choices we make, represents our higher selves responding to Life.

When life streaks by us in our unaware state of the daily banal, we waste precious time in the coma of disengagement. Awaken from the sleep of drudgery and live the life you want to live! Too often we “wake up” and we find our children getting married – wondering where did their childhood go? Could twenty years pass without your conscious awareness of it? Worse yet – did those years whoosh by without our enjoyment and fulfillment of precious moments?
Halloween reminds us to step outside of our normal persona to experience something new. With the eerie knocks, bumps and whooshes, we attract that which we fear but know is real. It’s easy to blame playful ghosts for the pranks they often wield on us, when our true fears lie within us – and we’re too afraid to face them. As nurturer of our spirits and benevolent guide, Life knocks on the door of our consciousness offering us a deeper existence, bumps into us and diverts us onto a higher path and whooshes by us reminding us it’s never too late to wake up!

Remember, God is Blessing You Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

—————————————————–

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-seven years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

Please feel free to publish this article in your blog or newsletter or share it with a friend, as long as you include this resource box.

If you’d like to receive weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

——————————————————

Tweet This Post

Heated and Covered in Butter

admin — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:33:42 +0000

(A great guest article by Marlene Buffa)

Heated and Covered in Butter

May 29, 2009

A Boulangerie is a bakery which sells breads and rolls.
A pâtisserie is a French bakery that specializes in pastries and sweets.

My friend Ann and I walk two miles to the nearby gourmet grocery store. Contained within the store, resides a most decadent Boulangerie. The bakery also sells pastries and sweets, making it a Patisserie as well. One day, we decided to satisfy our craving for sweets, so Ann ordered a large cinnamon roll. The clerk asked, “Would you like that heated and covered in butter?” Ann and I both looked at one another and in unison responded, “Of course! Isn’t everything better heated and covered in butter?” Laughing at the excessive indulgence, I realized that we taste life as plain little necessities, instead of indulging in everyday experiences more warmly and engulfed in goodness!

The Store of Life
While a Boulangerie makes the basics of life – breads and rolls – the Patisserie offers the luxuries we enjoy. All too often, we settle for the basics and deny ourselves the wonder of the possibilities of the flavors life offers us. Sure, the staple of grains supports and nourishes us, and the sweet treats satisfy our fancy for more than we need, from time to time.

When we look at our lives, most of us remain content with our basic necessities and offer gratitude and thanks for our health – physical, emotional and spiritual. Sometimes we take our basics for granted and life serves up a plateful of lessons to remind us to appreciate our daily bread.

Enjoying and even indulging in the sweet treasures that life offers us whether in food, relationships, success, or peace of mind, we recognize that while this is available to us at all times, we rarely stop to consider that it, too, could be a regular experience.

Heated
Heat excites molecules, inspires passion and creates pressure, too. When we heat up the basics in life, they come to us more satisfying. There is nothing so bland as cold or frozen bread, just as the affects of distant or detached relationships provide no nutrition for the growth of our soul. Deliberately walking up to the storefront of life and ordering mediocrity speaks volumes to the universe about our sense of self worth and willingness to settle for whatever life dishes out. Resigning oneself to the reasonable and acceptable, is like slipping on an oven mitt to protect us from either the danger of a heated moment or the pleasure of the warmth of life. We stand to gain a lot by removing the gloves of complacency and basking in excitement and satisfaction in our daily lives! So, heat it up!

Covered in Butter
Butter. Long touted as bad for our arteries, our heart and countless other medical treacheries, creamy butter provides a natural dollop of delight on our ordinary blue plate specials. Whether coating fresh corn on the cob or adorning a sweet roll, we associate butter with the ultimate in simple pleasures. Although modern manufacture attempted to replicate the taste and texture of real butter, nothing replaces the delightful dairy product.

As kids we’d ask for ice cream with “whipped cream and a cherry on top.” Somehow this request grew from a possibility to an expectation when served up in a favorite soda shop. As adults, we request our experiences as gentle guides, hoping to survive and muddle through the day. If we dared to ask Spirit to serve us situations with the opportunity to be engulfed by natural delights, our expectations would heighten and we’d soon evolve to request the best at all times.

Just the way we like it
When we express gratitude for our basics in life, we appreciate the sweet indulgences we enjoy from time to time. Whether stepping into a Boulangerie or Patisserie, we place our order with the Infinite for exactly what we want – what we think we deserve. As we mature spiritually, we move from the mere bare necessities of life, to daring our indulgence in something that heightens our taste for deeper experiences and a more passionate existence.

So, heat up your appetite for possibilities and slather on the highest good you can think of and take a huge bite out of life!

(Marlene is a freelance writer and Cold Fusion Web Applications developer living in Phoenix, Arizona. Her column, “Words of Mind” is widely published internationally in spiritual and holistic journals, newspapers and magazines, as well as mainstream media.

Taking a quiet sideways glance at life, Marlene offers insight through her words from experiences. A student of new-thought teachings, Marlene finds practical spirituality around every corner and seeks wisdom through observation of life’s inter-relationships. Sometimes playful, sometimes poignant, always thought-provoking, her writing inspires readers in meaningful ways.)

God is Blessing You, Right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

———————————————————–

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-seven years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, “Spiritual Solutions,” at Spiritual Solutions. Feel free to share this article in its entirety with a friend.

If you’d like to receive “Rich Words,” featuring weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

————————————————————

Tweet This Post

Genuine Happiness

admin — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:25:31 +0000

These ideas on genuine happiness come from a friend of mine. Enjoy!

Sometimes, when I feel like the world is just too heavy, I look around and find happy people who continue to live fascinating and wonderful lives. Then thoughts come popping into my mind like bubbles from nowhere – “How did their life become so sweet? How come they still can manage to laugh and play despite a busy stressful life?” Then I pause and observe for a while… I figured out that maybe, they start to work on a place called ‘self’.

So, how does one become genuinely happy?

Step 1 is to love yourself.

My theology professor once said that “loving means accepting.” To love oneself means to accept that you are not a perfect being, but behind the imperfection is the courage to discover ways on how to improve oneself and recover from mistakes.

Genuine happiness is also linked to contentment. When you are contented with the job you have, the way you look, with your family, your friends, the place you live in, your car, and all the things you now have – truly, you know the answer to the question “how to be genuinely happy.”

When we discover a small start somewhere from within, that small start will eventually lead to something else, and to something else. But if you keep questioning life like it has never done you any good, you will never be able to find genuine happiness.

Someone has said that life is about finding out about right and wrong, trying and failing, winning and losing. These are things that happen as often as you inhale and exhale. Failure in a person’s life has become as abundant and necessary as air. But this should not hinder you from becoming happy.

How to be genuinely happy in spite all these? I tell you… every time you exert effort to improve the quality of life and your being, whether it is cleaning up your room, helping a friend, taking care of your sick dog, fail on board exams and trying again, life gives you equivalent points for that.

Imagine life as a big score board like those which are used in the NFL. Every time you take a step forward, you make scoring points. Wouldn’t it be nice to look at that board at the end of each game and think to yourself “Whew! I got a point today. I’m glad I gave it a shot.” instead of looking at it and murmuring “Geez, I didn’t even hit a score today. I wish I had the guts to try out. We could have won!”

Genuine happiness isn’t about driving the hottest Formula 1 car, nor getting the employee of the year award, earning the highest 13th month pay, or beating the sales quota. Sometimes, the most sought after prizes in life doesn’t always go to the fastest, the strongest, the bravest or not even the best.

So, how do you become genuinely happy? Every one has his own definition of ‘happiness’. Happiness for a writer may mean launching as much best selling books as possible. Happiness for a basketball rookie may mean getting the rookie of the year award. Happiness for a beggar may mean a lot of money. Happiness for a business man may mean success.

So, really now, how do we become genuinely happy? Simple. You don’t have to have the best things in this world. It’s about doing and making the best out of every single thing. When you find yourself smiling at your own mistake and telling yourself “Oh, I’ll do better next time”, you carry with you a flame of power to persevere that may spread out like a brush fire. You possess a willingness to stand up again and try – that will make you a genuinely happy person.

When you learn to accept yourself and your own faults you pass step 1 in the project “how to become genuinely happy”. For as long as you know how to accept others, you will also be accepted. For as long as you love and know how to love, you will receive love back tenfold.

Again, throw me that same question “how to become genuinely happy?” and I’ll refer you to a friend of mine who strongly quoted: “Most of us know that laughter is the best medicine to life’s aches and pain. But most of us don’t know that the best kind of laughter is laughter over self. Because then you don’t just become happy… you become free.”

God is Blessing You, right Now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham

———————————————————–

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-seven years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, “Spiritual Solutions,” at Spiritual Solutions.

Feel free to share this article in its entirety with a friend.

If you’d like to receive “Rich Words,” featuring weekday inspirational quotes, you can subscribe at Rich Words.

————————————————————

Tweet This Post

Three Powerful Steps to Personal Transformation

admin — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 19:09:26 +0000

Personal transformation means that you have the abiity to access the source of spiritual power and bring about positive and lasting change in your life.

You begin to look at your life from an awareness of your spiritual nature, with the realization that you are a spiritual being going through a human experience. And you find spiritual solutions to life’s problems and challenges.

The following three steps will help you to . . . Read More

Tweet This Post

Fifteen Turning Points in Truth

admin — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 18:17:44 +0000

I’d like to share with you fifteen turning points in Truth that were written by that great Truth teacher, minister, and author, Dr. Emmet Fox. But before sharing them with you, I’d like to tell you one of the great stories about him and his special connection with the Unity movement.

In the early years of Unity after the Fillmores had started training and ordaining ministers, Emmet Fox wanted to become a Unity minister. But at that time, one of the requirements for acceptance was that a person must have completed a correspondence course in “Lessons in Truth,” which was available at that time.

Emmet Fox, already a well-known and respected figure in the New Thought movement, felt it was unnecessary for him to . . . Read More

Tweet This Post

Anxiety and How to Help Yourself

admin — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 19:55:46 +0000

Anxiety is a part of day-to-day life, but it can have negative impacts on anyone that experiences it. Anxiety is, basically, worries, fears, concerns, and panic. Sometimes anxiety becomes a vicious cycle where worry keeps on awake all night, resulting in worry about making in the next day, only to confront another night of worry.

There are proven techniques that you can use to help yourself when anxiety attacks, whether it is chronic anxiety or simply a short period of anxiety due to a specific situation.

Deep breathing techniques can an effective way to reduce anxiety. Simply sit up straight or stand and breathe slowly in to the count of four. Then breathe out very slowly to the count of five. Repeat 10 or more times to feel reduced anxiety.

Guided visualization is another self-help technique that can be effective. Simply lie down or sit comfortably, relaxing as much as possible. Begin to visualize in your mind the safest, most comfortable place you can imagine, perhaps a sea shore or mountain peak. Begin to feel safe and comfortable. Then, one at a time, beginning with your toes, tense and relax each muscle group. After 15 to 30 minutes, you’ll feel much less anxious.

Meditation is another technique many people find helps with anxiety. There are many forms of meditation and you can easily find one that appeals to you. You can learn from website or books how to perform the type of meditation you want to try.

Support groups where people who experience anxiety can be helpful as well. If you live in a city, you will probably be able to find a group near you. Call your local Help Line, counseling service or look in the telephone book or online to locate the nearest support group in your area.

—————————————————————-

Rev. Alan Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-five years, speaks and writes on the topics of spirituality, self-help and self-improvement. To subscribe to his newsletter, Spiritual Solutions, click here

—————————————————————-

Tweet This Post

Self-Confidence – Make it a Promise to Yourself

admin — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 01:40:53 +0000

Imagine a situation wherein you have all the comforts a person can ask for. You have a beautiful apartment equipped with all the equipments of modern living.

You have a modular kitchen with the latest design in the town, a state of the art air conditioning system which cools your home within seconds, a hi-fidelity home theatre system to take you to a melodious journey after a hard day.

You have a plasma TV to get the joy of a big picture, a fully automated laundry system with intelligent sensors, and a Video Audio integrated computer system which organizes everything from your data to family albums in a jiffy, latest soft lighting for your bedroom and much more – but you don’t have electricity.

Yes, you read it right. Your apartment does not have any provision for electricity. Would you now want to live in it? . . . Read more

Tweet This Post