"Spiritually Speaking" by Rev. Carla Golden

Tithing During Challenging Times

For those of you not familiar with the concept of tithing, it is a spiritual principle that many believers practice. It is giving at the level of 10% of your income (tithe comes from the word ten) to your church or other channel of spiritual food. In other words, where are you fed spiritually? Is it a church or spiritual center? Have you been inspired through a book or CD? Where does God/Spirit speak to you? That person or place would be where you give.

Giving and generosity are part of all faith traditions. It is as natural as breathing in and breathing out. In fact, that is a good analogy. In order to receive a fresh breath of air, you must be willing to breathe out the last breath you took. You cannot receive more without letting go of what you already have. You keep the flow going...in and out...receiving and giving, giving and receiving. When we clutch and constrict, we restrict the flow.

Giving is also an acknowledgement of your gratitude for what you have received. And when we give from an attitude of gratitude, our hearts are open and receptive to receiving even greater blessings. The Native Americans always presented seeds and other offerings to Spirit as a recognition that their good came from this Source. They gave the first fruits of their labor.

We are told in the Bible that if we give, that God will provide--that God will open up the windows of heaven. To me, God is not a person sitting on a cloud, waiting to hand over the goodies if we give to our church. God, to me, is the principle of goodness itself. Christ Conscciousness is our awareness of God operating in our lives as good health, wholeness, love, oneness with all, prosperity, and so much more. It is our openness to receive what this Creative Spirit has already provided. Jesus was our role model in living by this principle.

Now, what about these challenging times that we seem to be experiencing right now? you might ask. Are we expected to give as generously during these times? Well, let me just share my own experience and belief, because I can't tell you what to do with your money.

My husband was laid off from his job in public relations in October. It was a shock to us and it meant our income would be cut by more than one-half. We talked about it and knew that regardless of appearances, we needed to continue to tithe. So we tithed on my salary. I won't say that it wasn't a bit scary--and I heard the voice of my practical father in my head telling me that I must be crazy. But I knew the power of the practice of this principle and it's ability to transform consciousness.

Since October, we have been able to pay all our bills and meet our responsibilities. It doesn't make sense logically, but it does spiritually. Faith is the power that opens our hearts and minds and knows that we are provided for with the rich resources of Spirit. Those resources can come to us through many different channels, whether it's unemployment compensation, family, the lottery (be careful about that one), or a job. By keeping our minds open, we become aware of opportunities that we may not otherwise have noticed. And as the good flows in, we bless it and send some of it back out again.

Keep the flow going in your life and begin to stop clenching and holding tight to what you have and let some of it go. Bless it and hold in mind that you are in the flow of the Universe and that good is coming to you as surely as you breathe out and breathe in.

And so it is.

 

The Perfect Mother

It's Mother's Day and mothers all across the country are being taken out to dinner and presented with cards, flowers, and other tokens of love and appreciation. Yesterday, at Wal-Mart, I was in line at the checkout behind a girl who looked to be about 13. She had a single rose, a bottle of perfume and a package of gum laid out in front of her. She took a wad of $1 bills from her pocket and counted them out. She had just enough to cover the gifts that she intended to give her mom.

I heard an interview the other day with mothers from different parts of the country and the common theme was that no mother thought she was perfect. They all felt that they had let down their children in one way or the other. None of them expressed that they were satisfied with their performance in their role as mother.

My mom wasn't perfect. She did a lot of things that I needed to forgive her for later. But from where I am right now in my consciousness, I believe that she was the perfect mother for me. Can you say that about your mom?

There are two things that I believe that help me embrace this idea. One is that we do not die. Our bodies die, but our souls live on. When you believe that nothing is truly fatal and that we will live on in some form or another, whatever happens to us in this current lifetime cannot endanger the eternal nature of our souls.

The second thing I believe is that our souls choose to be born into a certain situation and body for the purpose of learning lessons and experiencing life from a different perspective from the last lifetime (yes, I believe in reincarnation). In other words, we may actually choose our own mother and father. Maybe we've been with them in other lifetimes and perhaps we have even been their parent that time around.

Not only would we choose our mother to learn lessons in our relationship with her, but perhaps we agreed to provide her with an experience that her soul needed for its spiritual evolvement.

The book, The Little Soul and the Sun by Neale Donald Walsch is a wonderful illlustration of this idea. The "Little Soul" decides that it wants to learn about the concept of forgiveness and another soul agrees to show up in its life to do something that would require the Little Soul to forgive. It helps us to see the acts of others as more of a gift to us rather than something that we might see as needing to forgive. It also can help us see that perhaps we are not the victims in life, but maybe the orchestrators of situations in our lives for our highest good (remember, we are eternal, spiritual beings having a human experience).

As you consider your own mother, whether you saw her as the most wonderful mother in the world or a woman who you would have gladly traded in for a new model, think about what you learned in your relationship with that mother. What did you learn about yourself? What spiritual growth has come from your relationship with this other soul? Who are you as a person that you wouldn't have been without her presence in your life? Can you truly acknowledge that although this woman may not have been perfect, that maybe she was the perfect mother for you to evolve spiritually and awaken to the beauty and power of your true nature? It may be a big step for you, but it can be life changing. Try working with this idea and see what happens.

Dancing With God

I received this message from a friend and wanted to share it with you. I hope you enjoy it, and I hope you dance!

Dancing With God

~Author unknown

When I meditated on the word Guidance,
I kept seeing "dance" at the end of the word.
I remember reading that doing God's will is a lot like dancing.
When two people try to lead, nothing feels right.  
The movement doesn't flow with the music,  
And everything is quite uncomfortable and jerky.  
When one person realizes that, and lets the other lead,
Both bodies begin to flow with the music.  
One gives gentle cues, perhaps with a nudge to the back
Or by pressing Lightly in one direction or another.  
It's as if two become one body, moving beautifully.
The dance takes surrender, willingness,  
And attentiveness from one person  
And gentle guidance and skill from the other.  
My eyes drew back to the word Guidance.
When I saw "G": I thought of God, followed by "u" and "I".  
"God, "u" and "I" dance."
God, you, and I dance.  
As I lowered my head, I became willing to trust  
That I would get guidance about my life.  
Once again, I became willing to let God lead.  
My prayer for you today is that God's blessings  
And mercies are upon you on this day and everyday..  
May you abide in God, as God abides in you.  
Dance together with God, trusting God to lead  
And to guide you through each season of your life.  
This prayer is powerful and there is nothing attached.
If God has done anything for you in your life,  
Please share this message with someone else..  
There is no cost but a lot of rewards;
So let's continue to pray for one another.  

And I hope you Dance!!

Daily Bread

We are experiencing a difficult period in the history of this country. Millions of people are losing their jobs and there is widespread fear. Those who still have jobs are wondering--am I next? Those who have lost their job are wondering about paying bills and putting food on the table.

In the Lord's Prayer, we are told to pray, "Give us this day our daily bread." We are not told to ask for next week's bread or even tomorrow's --just today. In other words, we are told to live in the moment, to focus on the present, and to have faith.

As I think back in my own life, I have to admit that I was always provided for; my needs were met, even at times when I was struggling and did not have the strongest faith. And yet, still I worried. It never helped. It made me lose sleep and left my stomach in knots. 

I've finally learned to focus more of my attention on the present and to be grateful for what I have right now. I always have more than I realize. My greatest gifts are love and faith. And I can give love away right and left and never run out. My faith is that sustaining strength and knowing within me that no matter what the appearances may be, there is a greater good unfolding that I may not see or understand, but that will be at some point be revealed. It has always been that way, I see now in hindsight, with many years of experience from which to draw.

This is a time of challenge for all of us. It is a time when our faith is tested. Do we buy into the appearances of lack, loss, and limitation? Do we live in fear wondering where our next month's rent will come from? Or do we believe that God's abundance is still everywhere present and that regardless of appearances, we are in the flow of universal substance and abundantly provided for at every moment? Can we say, "Give us this day our daily bread," and then say, "thank you" resting in the assurance that we are provided with all that we need?

The Odd Couple: A Story We Humans Can Learn From

Every now and then, I get one of these emails with a story that touches my heart and gives me hope for mankind. The link below is to a short video of a story of friendship between two unlikely animals. I couldn't watch it without tears coming to my eyes. The message? If these two creatures can form such a bond--why can't we humans learn to get along and love one another despite our differences?

Download TheAnimalOddCouple

Mom Hit Us With Her Fist

A fellow New Thought minister and online friend wrote this poem. It moved me deeply. If you grew up in an abusive home, you may relate to her pain. Susanne has now found love in her life. She has done a lot of healing and is now helping others. It is a testament to the strength and courage of her spirit and the power of love. If you are experiencing abuse in your life right now, reach out for help. Tell someone--a pastor, friend, the police. If you are an abuser, the same is true: reach out for help. Now.

 

 

 

Mom hit us with her fist.  Hard.

She also hit me over the head 

with 1" thick broom sticks,

I can still feel the dent--

she striped our legs with lathe

 or switches, smacking with

either side of her hand,

hitting me with an iron skillet. Cold.

Anything that was handy really--

if she was mad and I was nearby.  

Mom slugged me when I was tiny.

I would fly across the room

and land on the furniture,

arms and legs akimbo, stunned.

Or I'd smash into a wall and drop

to the floor in a shriveled pile. 

I don't remember being hugged

or kissed, or having my hand held

gently, kindly, guidingly.

I remember my arm being jerked

one way or another,

lifted off the ground like a rag doll

My shoulder painful, sore. 

I don't remember being loved, but I remember loving,

I remember loving each of

my two sisters and two brothers,

and even the one who was sent away—

Adopted by strangers,

not spoken of aloud by the adults

in the room, whispered about

with my sister under the woven bedcover

in the chilly darkness at our grandparents,

or in the wagon wheel bunk beds,

When we were lonely and wished for someone

to love us more than a fist.

 

Please visit Susanne Freeborn on her blog: http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=97018

"What About Me" -- A Great Song, Video, and Message

Someone sent me the link to this video (5 mins.) on YouTube. I think this video and song, and the message that it sends is powerful. What do you think? (You need to click through the Facebook page to access. It is safe.)

http://www.facebook .com/ext/ share.php? sid=70187553384& h=ECcq4&u= O0Li4

If you want to know more about the creator, Mipham, here is a link:

http://www.mipham. com/home. php

The "Sin" of Indifference and Our Oneness in Spirit

It is estimated that there are 19,000 homeless people living in Detroit. This man in the photo, who has not been identified, was found in the elevator shaft of an abandoned warehouse. The elevator shaft had flooded and frozen and all that can be seen are his legs, his shoes and socks.

How did this man die? Did he give up and take his own life? Starve to death? Die of hypothermia? Did he die of alcoholism or drug overdose? Was he murdered? Regardless, he seems to have met his death alone. A body encased in ice, the "unknown homeless man" was someone's brother, son, and maybe a father. I wonder about his family as I look at the picture.

The homeless are vulnerable. They often don't know where they're going to sleep or eat or if they'll survive through the night. There are not enough beds in shelters and when the doors close at night and are locked, the ones left outside are forced to find a doorway, alley or even a garbage bin that will provide shelter.

The homesless are also looked at with indifference in the urban areas in which they inhabit. They become almost invisible to the people who pass them on the streets. I lived in a large city for many years and I saw this happen. People got used to them, didn't look at them, ignored them, looked right through them. Well-dressed pedestrians walked down the streets, eyes averted, not wanting to make eye contact. Was it fear? Guilt? Shame?

In the case of this homeless man in Detroit, indifference even applied to the discovery of this dead man. His body had been discovered a week prior to its recovery, but the finder did not report it. He told a friend, who later called 911. The finder, an "urban explorer" who liked to prowl through abandoned buildings and take pictures of urban decay, had not wanted to admit that he was trespassing. So he and his buddies played hockey on the ice of the flooded warehouse basement and left.

The next time you encounter a homeless person, remember this man. Don't look away. The tragedy of homeless is one thing, but indifference is another. Every human being has worth. They deserve to be acknowledged. Mother Teresa, who worked with the poor, sick and homeless in Calcutta, India did not look away or show indifference. She looked directly into the eyes of these people. She said she saw Christ in the face of each one.

In Sanskrit, the word "namasté" is said to mean "The light in me honors the light (or divine) in you." If we cannot see that light in others, how can we truly see it in ourselves? For we are all one in Spirit; we are brothers and sisters joined together in our Christhood.

Neale Donald Walsch's Message to Obama

I received this the other day and wanted to share it with you. Neale Donald Walsch is the author of "Conversations With God". I agree with his message to Obama. What do you think?

Neale Donald Walsch on Changing The Story

Thank you for your courage, vision, and fortitude as you sought the presidency. I note that you have said the biggest problem we face today is the economic problem. I respectfully offer a different view.

The difficulty we face is that we keep trying to solve humanity's problem at every level except the level at which the problem exists.

Our problems-economic, political and military-are actually symptoms. They will continue to persist, Mr. President, until we become clear that the problem facing humanity today is not an economic problem, it is not a political problem, and it certainly is not a military problem. 

The problem facing humanity today is a spiritual problem, and it can only be solved by spiritual means.

Our difficulties have to do with what we believe, and with one very specific belief-the belief that we are separate from one other. The biggest challenge facing the world today is the changing of that cultural story. And so, I would like to suggest two spiritual principles to guide your Administration.

The First Guiding Principle: We Are All One. 

Decide that every decision, every choice, will be based on the truth of our singularity.  And while singularity does not require similarity, work hard to demonstrate through your leadership that difference does not have to mean division, that contrast does not have to produce conflict, and that individuality does not have to create incompatibility.

The Second Guiding Principle: Everything in Our Social, Political, Economic, and Spiritual Ecosystem Interrelates. 

Decide that the mutual dependency of all living things will be recognized and honored, that the relative needs of every species of living organism within the ecosystem will always be kept in balance-because they will always be kept in mind.

As you embrace these principles, here is what I challenge and invite you to do...

Redefine self-interest. When making decisions, take into account the needs and interests of everyone on the planet, even though doing so will offend and anger the nationalists and militarists in our own country. Make it very clear, and help us to see, that what hurts one, hurts the many, and that what benefits the few must benefit the many, or, ultimately, it benefits no one. In all cases do what is in "our" best interest, yet help us to enlarge the word "our."

Realign the economy. Make it clear that it no longer works for 5 percent of the world's people to hold 95 percent of the world's wealth and resources. You were roundly blasted during the presidential campaign for wanting to redistribute the wealth. Ignore that. Go ahead. It's exactly what the world needs. In a fair and judicious manner.

Rescue the environment. Do nothing that will further harm our environment, and everything you can to rejuvenate it. This would be a dramatic statement that each individual and every living thing is important and connected. We are moving dangerously close to the time when we may not be able to experience "life as we have known it" because we have insisted on subordinating the needs of most species on this planet to the desires of only one: the human species. And not even all members of that species, but only a few. Not even the largest number (which might have some logic to it), but by far the smallest: the richest and the most powerful. Please put an end to that.

Redesign education. Make it available, with equal quality, to all. And challenge our educators to teach principles as well as facts. Principles such as fairness, equality, generosity, compassion-and oneness.

Reintroduce tolerance.  Help us heal, Mr. President, by your example. Help us become tolerant once again of other people and their ways of being.  Help us to notice that this was the founding principle of our democracy, and that when we abandon it, we abandon what it means to be American, rejecting the very reason that America was once the hope of the world.

What we need now in the White House is not only a tactful and brilliant politician, but a spiritual leader. Mr. President, I did not miss that on the evening of your historic victory you said: "This is our moment, this is our time ... to reaffirm that fundamental truth: that out of many, we are one." 

I beg you now to you turn your personal awareness into public policy. 

With deep admiration and respect.

Neale Donald Walsch is the author of the Conversations with God series of books. See www.nealedonaldwalsch.com.

My Christmas Prayer for You

May there always be room in your heart

for divinity to find a birthing place.

May you be holy as the angels were,

faithful as the shepherds were,

humble as the cattle were,

wise as the Wise Men were.

May you have the compassion Mary had,

and the understanding Joseph had,

and may the blessing of the Christ child be yours,

not because of His birth-night long ago,

but because His love is born in you today!

 

~ James Dillet Freeman