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Love One Another (A Sermon on John 13: 31-35)
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We are in the 13th chapter of the Gospel according to St John's this week, and I'm going to unpack our reading verse by verse as it is a difficult passage.

"When he had gone out, Jesus said," Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. " (John 13:31)

The person who had 'gone out' was Judas, and the sentence seems to suggest that Judas' leaving somewhat brought glory to Jesus, which sounds really odd.

"If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once." (John 13:32)

I really have no idea where to begin with that statement!

"Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, 'Where I am going, you cannot come.'" (John 13:33 )

That statement makes sense to us as Jesus speaking about his own impending suffering and death, though at the time it made no sense at all to His disciples.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. "(John 13: 34-45)

That concluding pronouncement, I suspect, is the most difficult to understand of all!

"All you need is love!" – so said the Beatles.

When I read statements like these from the lips of Jesus, I can almost hear the soundtrack of that well-known Beatles song playing in the background.

"Love is all you need. Love is all you need …"

It's not true, of course. Love isn't all we need – not in relationships, not in families, not in governments.

We had an election yesterday. Did you vote for the most loving candidate? Should you have?

I tried to give some thought after reading this passage as to who the most loving candidate for electoral office was. It wasn't obvious.

It didn't take me long to come up with the names of politicians who were definitely NOT full of love and sweetness, but it seemed less obvious to me which candidates actually were.

Did the candidate who loves us the most win? Do we care?

In truth, in as much as we might say, "all we need is love" , I don't think we really care whether our political leaders love us, any more than we really care whether our boss at work truly loves us. Love is not all we need. A good capacity for management is probably far more important in cases like this than is love!

Love is not all we need in government or in families, and it's not even all we need in a system of morality! This might sound counterintuitive. Is not all of morality – all our statements about what is right and what is wrong – really an extension of that basic ideal of love?

Certainly, over the generations, scores of philosophers and other great thinkers have suggested that all of our moral intuitions can be reduced to one simple exhortation – if not 'to love' exactly, to something very akin to that.

The British philosopher, John Stuart Mill, saw all of morality as a system of increasing pleasure for people and reducing harm. He is probably best remembered for his 'harm principle' :

"That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others."

I have a feeling that if you'd asked Mill what the essence of morality was, he might not have said 'love one another' , but might well have said 'don't' harm one another ' , which is pretty similar.

Likewise, the great 18th century German philosopher, Immanuel Kant, believed that morality could be reduced to a single maxim – the 'categorical imperative' :

"Act only according to that maxim whereby you can, at the same time, will that it should become a universal law."

That's always sounded to me like a really complex way of saying 'love your neighbor as you would love yourself " , which, of course, was Jesus' 'golden rule' that many people see as being His one-line summary of the moral law , along with the first and great commandment, of course, that you have to love God:

"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. " (Matthew 22: 37-40)

We are familiar with these commandments. We hear them every week in church, and they do seem to suggest that everything in the law of God comes down to love, and that the rest is just commentary.

Is that really what Jesus was saying? St Augustine thought so, and in my previous sermons on these passages, I have suggested exactly that – that there is really only one law of God – that we love – and that the rest is just application. My more recent reading though has suggested that it's actually a lot more complicated than that, at least if Jesus really was being true to His Hebraic tradition.

The Hebraic law centers around the Ten Commandments – the ten words of God to the people of Israel – and while it seems straightforward to see commandments like "thou shalt not steal" and "thou shalt not murder" as being extensions of the commandment to love , other commandments like "honor thy father and thy mother" do not seem to be so easily reducible. Honoring your father and your mother seems to be more about respecting authority than it is about love .

I've been reading a very interesting book lately by moral psychologist, Jonathan Haidt, called "the Righteous Mind" , in which he outlines what he calls 'moral foundation theory' .

I'm not suggesting that everyone should rush out to get a copy of this book. It is not an easy read and could prove difficult if you don't have an academic background in the study of philosophical ethics (which, thankfully, I do).

The author's key point, at any rate, is that our moral intuitions can't be reduced to any one simple maxim such as 'love one another' as morality is invariably more complex than that.

Haidt suggests that there are five reasonably independent dimensions to our moral awareness, and 'caring' for others is just one of those dimensions. The others are:
- Fairness (which is all about justice, rewards and punishments)
- Loyalty (which is associated with values such as faithfulness and patriotism )
- Authority (where you honor your father and your mother, king and country)
- Sanctity (which involves respecting your body and potentially embracing things like chastity, temperance and cleanliness)
Forgive me if I'm now sounding more dry and esoteric than the book I mentioned. My point is actually a simple one – that 'all you need is love' is both simplistic and inadequate. We don't only need love – not if we are going to be successful in our relationships or in all of life. We actually need a lot of things – courage, self-discipline, wisdom, nurture and support and a good education, and more!

Of course, Jesus didn't say "love is all you need". That was ' The Beatles' . What Jesus did say was "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" . In other words, Jesus didn't say that love is all we need to live a full and productive life. What He said was that it was all we needed in order to show the world that we are His disciples. That might sound like much the same thing but it's actually quite distinct.

The life of love is not a strategy for success, despite what any number of tele-evangelists might have told you. Indeed, if it's right to consider it a strategy at all, the life of love could only be a strategy for getting yourself killed. That's certainly how it worked for Jesus.

I'm sure I've mentioned before that friend who said to me "I'm sick of hearing people tell me about all the problems they had before they met Jesus and how He solved them all for them. till I met Jesus! "

That's difficult to hear, I think. We don't want to think of Jesus as the one who leads us down a path of suffering and misery. We want to think of Jesus as one who elevates us to heavenly places.

Isn't that what religion is for after all? Isn't good religion supposed to benefit our lives and help us live more fully and peacefully with a great sense of purpose and fulfillment? Surely, it's not just about suffering in this world so that we can enjoy a better life in the next? Surely there's more to it than that?

I don't think Jesus is saying that discipleship is all about suffering any more than it is all about success. Discipleship, Jesus says, is all about love, and everything else depends on what Jesus means by love .

Jesus says His command to love is a new commandment, and that's a surprise. Certainly, the commandment to love is as old as the Scriptures themselves, so it must be the latter part of the commandment – to love one another ' as I have loved you' – that makes it new.

When we hear those words, I suspect most of us immediately think of the cross and Jesus laying down his life for us. That makes sense, and indeed the same Gospel writer, John, writes in his first letter "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us" (1 John 3:16). Even so, without wanting to press the issue of the timeline too heavily, the exhortation we have in today's Gospel reading -to love one another "as I have loved you" happens before the cross, suggesting that the model on view here may not be the death of Jesus but the life of Jesus!

Further, as noted, today's reading begins with a reference to Judas – "when he had gone out" – and Jesus' exhortation to love each other as He has loved us comes immediately before the two terrible betrayals from disciples whom Jesus had just broken bread with and whose feet Jesus had just washed – the one betrayal being from Judas, of course, and the other one being from dear Peter!

Jesus loved Peter, was betrayed by Peter, and would eventually be reconciled with Peter. Jesus loved Judas but would never be reconciled with him. Even perfect love does not guarantee a perfect ending to the story. Even so, love anyway – that's the new commandment .

Yes, "greater love has no one than this – to lay down one's life for their friends" (John 15: 3). That is true, and bodily self-sacrifice is indeed the ultimate example of love, but most of the time love is not so grandiose and (thankfully) not quite so painful. The far more common (and in some ways more difficult) labor of love is the ongoing work of having to forgive those who fail us, and sometimes fail us very badly.

This, I believe, is the love by which everyone will now that we are His disciples – it's the love that breaks bread with those who betray us and that washes the feet of those who turn their backs on us. It's the love that finds its ultimate inspiration in the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross, but which likewise finds daily encouragement in the simple acts of grace shown by Jesus towards those whom He knew would radically fail Him.

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. "(John 13: 34-45)

It's not a strategy for success. It's not a means to a better life or more successful relationships. It's just the way that we demonstrate to the world that we are followers of Jesus. We break bread, we wash feet, we empathise, we forgive. We love one another just as He loved us.

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Source by David B. Smith

Views: 0
July 25, 2022
Emotional Self: Do Some People's Childhoods Set Them Up Disconnect From Their Emotional Self?

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Although human beings are made up of many different selves, such as an intellectual and an emotional self, it doesn't mean that everyone on this planet is in touch with each of these selves. If someone is in touch with each part of themselves, it could be said that they will be operating as a whole human being.

One will be able to think clearly and they will be in touch with their feelings. Through being this way, it will be possible for them to not only perform a certain job well, they will also be able to form deeper connections with others.

One Benefit

This is because their emotional self will be what allows them to truly connect with others, whereas their intellectual self alone is not going to allow this to take place. Furthermore, their emotional self will also provide them with guidance.

So, when it comes to whether or not they should do something or if they should say yes or no, for instance, this part of them will give them the information that they need. This part of them will tell them what their needs are.

It Doesn't Stop

One way of looking at this would be to say that their emotional self is their inner guidance system. No matter what time of the day it is or where they are, this part of them will always be there.

To live a fulfilling life, it will be essential for them to listen to this part of them and to utilize the information that it provides. Going against this part of them is only going to cause them to suffer unnecessarily.

Off Track

If one was to look back on their life, they may see that there have been times when they have ignored this part of themselves. Consequently, it might not have been long until they paid the price.

Then again, there may have been a time in their life when this was just how their life was, meaning that ignoring themselves was normal. They are then going to be only too familiar with what it is like to ignore this part of themselves.

Inner Directed

Being this way doesn't mean that one will completely overlook other people needs; what it means is that they won't be interested in living a life where they ignore their needs and are totally consumed with other people's needs. Putting their own needs to one side from time to time is going to be radically different to always doing this.

Also, being connected to how they feel doesn't mean that they will constantly be expressing how they feel, either. They will realize that there is a time to express how they feel and a time to keep how they feel to themselves, containing what is taking place within them.

Another Reality

If someone isn't in touch with their emotional self, only having a connection to their intellectual self, they are not going to be operating as a whole human being. As a result of this, they probably won't have a very good connection with their body.

There is then the chance that they won't have trouble thinking clearly, but that it will be a challenge for them to connect to how they feel and to know what their needs are. When they are at work they could be fine, yet when they are around others, it could be a different story.

Unaware

Due to being out of touch with their emotional self, their connections with others are unlikely to be very deep. And if they are in a relationship, their partner could often tell them that they are distant and even emotionally unavailable.

Still, one could be out of touch with this part of themselves and not even realize it. There can then be moments when they feel empty, and they may see that they don't feel strongly connected to anyone, but it doesn't mean that they will look into what is going on.

Enough is enough

If someone like this was to get to the point where living in this way was too painful, no longer wanting to feel cut off from themselves, others or even numb, they could end up looking into what is going on. What they could find out is that the reason they are experiencing life in this way is because they have experienced trauma.

Disconnecting from their body, along with their emotional self in the process, was a way for them to survive what happened to them. Thus, in the same way that they would leave an environment if it was dangerous, they left their body as it was too painful for them to inhabit it.

In The Past

This may relate to what they have been through as an adult or it could go back to what took place during their early years. If it goes back to their early years, there is the chance that they were abused and / or neglected.

This would have been a time when they were not equipped to deal with a lot of pain, yet their whole system would have felt overwhelmed on a daily / weekly basis. The only way for them to handle this pain would have been to leave their body.

Awareness

What kept them alive as a child is now going to be making their life harder than it needs to be. Even so, this is not to say that one should try to dive into their body and to deal with the pain that is there.

For one thing, this approach could end up overwhelming them, but, as they have been out of touch with their body for so many years, it is highly unlikely that they will just be able to get back in there. Getting back in touch with this part of them can take a little while, irrespective of how committed they are.

If one can relate to this, and they want to become an integrated human being, they will probably need to reach out for external support. This is something that can be provided by the assistance of a therapist or a healer.

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Source by Oliver JR Cooper

Views: 0

July 24, 2022
Guilt Is a Useless Emotion

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I once read a poem in my doctor’s office that went something like this:

If a child is raised in anger, he will feel anger.

If a child is raised with guilt, he will feel guilty.

If a child is raised with shame, he will feel shame.

If a child is raised in love, he will feel love.

Of course that is not the whole poem, but you get the point. At the time, the poem was just something to read while I waited. Today the meaning is very clear to me.

There is no such thing as guilt, you can not go to the store and buy a pound or bag of guilt. It is a man made ego minded emotion this is detrimental to humans living to their full potential.

It seems to me that women carry so much guilt, whether it stems from being a woman, or the way we raised our children, or for being/or wanting to be successful, to being a sexual human. Where did it all start? Why have we continued to pass this down to each new generations? Mostly we do it subconsciously, although I know there are times when it is used for our advantage in certain situations.

Many moons ago the female Goddess energy was the ruler of the universe, it was honored and valued. Did guilt arise when we stopped tuning into that energy and were slowly overpowered by the male energy that has dominated the universe for so long? Was it because we stopped standing our ground and speaking our truth? Who knows were guilt originated. I am not saying it is a female only emotion, nor pointing fingers, my point is for this particular article only.

Guilt has kept so many stuck in the same place for years. Why? Just like the poem says, it is passed down through the stories we were told by our parents, grand parents, teachers and role models. These stories were laced with limiting beliefs that blocked us from actually achieving our full potential in life. This useless emotion became a vicious circle that many are still trying to step out of, or don’t even realize they are in.

You get a great idea that will make you lots of money. Then the guilt thinking comes in, you start to hear the old stories, you can’t make more money than your husband, men are supposed to support the family. You may even see pictures of the people telling the story. OR, even worse, you want to express your sexuality, or your sexual energy and you hear that voice saying “good girls don’t” Well guess what, good girls do, and they have been for years. Even those catholic girls in high school that swore they didn’t. They do. We are human, we don’t need to feel guilty about anything. Especially expressing our true selves.

Everyone makes mistakes in life, everyone, but we don’t have to feel guilty about it and carry it with us the rest of our lives. It is time to free ourselves of the past, to free ourselves of the guilt. It is time to forgive ourselves for allowing this to control any part of our lives.

Guilt is an emotion that comes from fear based thinking. If we take a really good look at why we feel guilty for any particular situation, we will probably find that the thought process is not even our own. It was something passed down to us from someone else. And to think that is ruling our days!!

Fortunately there is good news. The choice is ours as to whether we are going to carry the guilt or let it go. Give a moment to think how you would feel if you decided right this moment to let go of it. How would it feel to have put it out with the garbage on Monday morning? How does it feel? Light? Airy? Expansive? Free? Now ask yourself this. How often do you put the garbage out at the road, and then walk out and bring it back into the house? Never, Right? The same needs to happen when letting go of guilt, once you put it out, leave it out. In fact don’t even go back to smell it.

How can we release guilt? Here are a few steps, these require you to love yourself enough to give yourself permission to feel good.

1. Write out what you feel guilty about and why. Take one situation at a time. Write adamantly, don’t hold back on anything, just let it all go, allow the emotions to flow. Once you are done, set it down for a few moments, then go back and write a little more. Don’t read it over, tear it up, or burn it. As you do repeat ” I now choose to let this go, it no longer affects my life.”

2. Sit with a situation in mind. Allow yourself to feel how you feel about it, visualize it, hear the stories other people told you about the situation. Feel where you feel this in your body. Ask yourself if the guilt is yours or someone else’s? When you have sat with it as long as you can, allow yourself to let it go. Visualize it leaving your body, feel it leaving your body and say I choose to let this go. I no longer need this in my life. I let it go in exchange for peace.

3. Change the story you are telling yourself. When you catch yourself telling the guilt story either to yourself or someone else, catch it, don’t judge it, just change it to something possible, with positive emotions. Be aware of the thoughts and stories you tell, after all we get to choose them, they might as well be positive.

4. Train your mind to look for thing to be grateful for. You will always find what you are look for, again it might as well be positive.

In doing these exercises you will release the emotional charge the thoughts and feelings have on you. The memories may come back from time to time, but the emotions will not take hold of you, they will not control you. Quilt really is a useless emotion, with a choice attached. I choose to let it go so I can soar through the rest of my life free as a bird. Free yourself.

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Source by Jenn Prothero

Views: 0

July 24, 2022
How Listening Is Beneficial for MLM Businesses

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All MLM businesses can benefit from listening on social media. Good listening skills are hard to come by especially in business. Many people just want to spread their message as far as they can without taking time to listen. This is where you can gain an advantage. When you monitor your messages and respond. It shows your prospective leads that you are looking out for them.

Most times it will take active listening and reading skills to discover data for your business. Most MLM businesses are missing out on engaging with prospects because they don't or can't devote the time to follow any comments. Not all comments left on your content is acceptable. Sometimes it's spam and other times it's extremely off topic. Delete them and engage with the responses that you want too. Be personable and helpful if you can. Try to avoid being argumentative with any commentator. This will only hurt you. Let other people respond in the manner that makes you look good.

Make your business shine among the MLM businesses starlight.

Who doesn't want to shine and be successful? However, most MLM businesses are competing for the limelight. They don't realize they are hurting their bottom line. People will jump from one opportunity to another if it glows brightly enough. However, your end goal is to create and retain top talent. Your campaigns are asking for the best to join your team. If not, then you may want to change strategies. Prospects want tools and data to help them in life. They need to feel special, they want to feel safe and prosperous in a world that doesn't care.

Be careful as you generate content. Never leave a false promise in the material. You can glow among the MLM businesses as long as you listen, engage and respond to your prospective leads. As you respond you can other educational content or tools as you type out your reply. Be encouraging and honest but don't be a doormat either. Trolls will always be there and won't see the other side of the story. Don't be afraid to share content from your team as well. This can help open doors to newbies who are just starting out. Often times prospects will leave a little clue behind that you can write or create a video about. If in doubt, do a faq infographic that is fun and informative. This could break the ice for many people who are watching in the background.

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Source by David L. Feinstein

Views: 0

July 23, 2022
Tips to Help You Put Together an Effective B2B Sales Strategy

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If you are a B2B business owner, make sure you reevaluate your sales strategy from time to time. Since this is the age of the Internet, product / service related information is easily available to B2B buyers. Given below are a few tips and tricks that can help you put together a solid sales strategy.

Research your Customers

First off, you may want to call your prospective leads right away. Actually, you should give them some time to do their homework before you ask your sales reps to contact them. You can take a look at their sites and then follow them on major social media websites, which will give you a pretty good idea of which leads you should target.

Train your Sales Reps

Also, make sure your sales representatives have good knowledge of your products and services. In other words, they should have solid know-how of the features and functions of your products. With this knowledge, your sales reps can find it easier to convince your customers.

Ask Questions

Once you have done your research, you can give a call to the qualified leads. The idea is to find out more information about them and the problems they have been facing. For the resolution of their problems, you can recommend your products or services.

Listen More

Make sure you can communicate well with your target customers. Learn to listen to them and then present your services as a solution to their problems.

Here, it's important to keep in mind that an effective sales strategy should revolve around the customers instead of your products alone.

Have a Consultative Approach

If you want to grow your B2B sales, make sure you have something to give to your customers. For instance, you can provide good advice and general tips that can help your customers grow their business using what you offer. You can even recommend good online courses, blogs, and books.

Develop Relationships

If you have some customers who show some interest in your offers, don't push them to sign a deal. Instead, give them enough time to think about the deal. Offering a free of charge demo is also a great idea.

Remember: developing a strong business relationship is a lot more important than the deal. What you need to do is work on building a strong reputation as an honest business advisor.

Have a Customer-Oriented Approach

As far as a B2B sales strategy is concerned, it's important to show empathy towards your customers. The more you do it, the better. Also, make sure your teams communicate with each other to find out more about what your customers want. This will help your teams get equipped with more knowledge.

In the same way, make sure your sales team knows everything about what they want to sell. Ideally, they should have the industry knowledge as well. So, you may want to train them to keep your customers delighted.

Long story short, if you use these strategies, you can attract a lot of B2B customers, which will grow your business at the end of the day.

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Source by Shalini M

Views: 0

July 23, 2022
Money – And How to Make More of It

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I don't know many independent professionals who wouldn't like to make more money.

It seems so simple. Ultimately there are only four ways to make more money in your business:

1. Get more new clients or customers

2. Raise your rates or fees

3. Sell more services to each client

4. Get more repeat business from existing clients.

Yes, but how do you actually accomplish those three things?

For the next several weeks, I'm going to write a series of articles on how to make more money in your business.

And I'm going to do my best to give you practical, actionable ideas that work. I know they work because I've3 used them and so have many of my clients over the years.

But before I start, there's an important things to understand about money.

Money. Is. An. Emotional. Issue.

Money isn't dollar bills in our pocket or numbers in our bank account.

No, in our minds, money is about our self worth, about how we compare ourselves to others, about how we feel about ourselves, about our success, and ultimately about our survival.

I have a favorite story about money that makes this very clear.

A few years ago, I worked with a husband and wife team who were executive coaches.

Because of our work together, they started to attract more clients on a consistent basis.

However, like many independent professionals, they were undercharging for their professional services.

But when I suggested they raise their fees, they became very uncomfortable.

And when I dug in, I discovered why.

It turns out that both had been raised in relatively poor families and they continually got the message that "rich people are dishonest."

Because they believed that to be true, of course they didn't want to raise their fees. That would make them, in their minds, dishonest.

And, if they felt they were dishonest, that would be a moral failure. That wouldn't feel good. It actually felt better to make less money!

After we explored this belief in depth, they realized that it was both emotional and illogical. It clearly wasn't true that all rich people were dishonest.

Their belief started to transform to: "We offer an honest service that makes a difference to our clients and it's OK to charge what that service is really worth."

This new belief felt a lot better than the old one.

And realizing this, they finally clearly saw that the fees they then charged were virtually nothing compared to the value their clients received.

And before too long they had doubled their fees with almost no pushback from their clients.

And no angst on their part.

So, the very first thing to examine if you are not making the money you want, are your beliefs about money.

Sounds simple, but it's trickier than it seems.

Why? Because we believe what we believe to protect us from any kind of harm – even if this harm is imaginary.

My clients believed they'd become dishonest if they raised their fees. So, in their minds, not raising their fees prevented that from happening.

What shifted this belief was clearly seeing that it was essentially nonsense. They could raise their fees and still be honest people.

With this powerful insight, their belief was forever changed.

And now, as a business owner, I challenge you to question your beliefs about money. First, identify the ones that are holding you back.

Here are a few very popular ones:

Money is scarce

My clients can't pay higher fees

People will think I'm greedy

More money will lead to problems

It feels wrong to make money doing what I love

Money will corrupt me

Being wealthy will make me arrogant

I don't deserve a lot of money

Money leads to bad things

More money just means more taxes

Wanting more money is selfish and shallow

List yours here: ______________________

I don't know which of these beliefs is running you, but if you aren't making the money you want it's almost certain that one or more of these beliefs is holding you back.

What are the fears behind the beliefs?

Honestly ask if those beliefs are true and if they are serving you or limiting you.

Then ask how things might change without those beliefs.

You just might find that it's not so hard to raise your fees after all.

So, the first thing you must do to earn more money is to question your beliefs about money. Unless you do that, you're unlikely to take the practical steps that will help you earn more money.

Do this honest questioning about your money beliefs and you'll be ready to learn a number of step-by-step approaches to earning more money that I'll cover in the following weeks.

Cheers, Robert

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Source by Robert Middleton

Views: 0

July 22, 2022
Awe Inspiring Reports of Reiki Healing Severe Nerve Damage

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As part of the Medical Reiki Master Community, I’m repeatedly amazed by the healing power of Reiki. This group continuously shares amazing outcomes of the healing capabilities of Reiki in multitudes of medical cases. There are even cases that are oftentimes documented medical issues where the patient is not given a lot of hope from their doctor for a complete recovery. I’ve been given permission by a fellow Certified Medical Reiki Master, Jody Wolfe, to share her own success story along with the success story of her client, which is very near and dear to her heart.

This is Jody’s recap of her own personal Reiki success story:

“I got involved working with a hand therapist because she watched me heal my own hand with Reiki, to her astonishment. I shattered my radius at the wrist in a compound fracture from a fall. My ulnar nerve was so badly damaged that I was told by more than one hand surgeon that I was unlikely to ever regain use of my right hand. The muscles in that hand became atrophied. I did Reiki every day, never giving up on its power to heal. My ulnar nerve spontaneously recovered overnight, and I went from completely unable to use my hand one day to full function the next morning. All my therapist had to do was help me rebuild strength and endurance. She understood that what happened was medically impossible and has been a champion for Reiki ever since. Like you, I remember every day the gift of recovery Reiki has given me. How can we not want to bring this gift to others? Reiki on, sister!”

With such an incredible nerve damage recovery of her own, Jody is blessed to now have a certified hand therapist in her corner. She is able to share her gift of Reiki with others’ with a similar personal story.

This is what Jody shared about her clients healing with Reiki:

“I volunteer in a beautiful integrative working relationship with a certified hand therapist. Last week I started working with a long-time client of the clinic with severe Guillain-Barre syndrome. She was completely paralyzed, and after 2 years of hard work in both physical and occupational therapy, she has made minimal progress, with her hands being almost useless to her. While her nerves recently began showing some small initial signs of healing, she still had very far to go. After one short Medical Reiki treatment, her occupational therapy session, normally agonizing, was pain-free, and she spontaneously regained significant range of motion and functionality in her hands. She was able to perform every task the therapist gave her to test her new abilities. The client cried with joy, and the therapist was speechless, even though she was already a believer in Reiki. The occupational therapist did a periodic evaluation with her this week, and she did amazing – completing tasks in record time that she didn’t think she would ever be able to do again. Additionally, with Reiki, her pain during OT treatments has dropped from off the charts (with pain meds) to barely noticeable (with no pain meds). Oh, the wonders Reiki can do for patients! We are so blessed to be part of this important work.”

Like so many others, I am so very grateful every day for the gift of Reiki healing in my own life after thyroid cancer, so I will continue to share the incredible power of Reiki. Today, I am healthy and whole and feel blessed to be able to share the gift of Reiki healing with others. We all deserve to have the gift and grace of Reiki, so please share this with anyone who can be helped by the medical marvels of Reiki Healing.

A special thanks goes out to Jody Wolfe for allowing me to share two very personal and awe inspiring cases of Reiki Healing!

Be well! Love and light to you!

Nicole

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Source by Nicole Lawler

Views: 0

July 22, 2022
9 Questions To Ask Before Marriage To Reduce The Risk Of Divorce

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Love with your heart, but think with your mind and keep your eyes open love was never meant to be blind and foolish. Let's get into the most important 9 questions you need to ask before you walk down the aisle.

1. What does marriage mean to you and your fiancé? This question helps you understand the basic concept you and your fiancé have of marriage. Being a wife or husband is like being partners of a start-up company. If both partners have very different views of what this means the marriage will never be managed effectively.

2. What does the marriage look like to you and your fiancé? You are deep in love and have a picture in mind of what the marriage will look like 5, 10 and 25 plus years down the road. Your fiancé also has expectation of what the marriage will look like and how it will function. These expectations may be quite different so get them clear early on.

3. Why did you fall in love? This needs to be clear as well especially when the storms and challenges come. You need to always have this beautiful story to reflect on and help refocus your feelings.

4. What is your purpose in the marriage? Getting married is more about what you bring to the relationship than what you can get from it. There is a very specific set of reasons that make you the best person for your spouse. You need to know how being you and fulfilling your potential will add tremendous value to your spouse.

5. What is the purpose of your spouse as a partner? No matter how well together you believe you are, your spouse also has value to add that will make you a better person.

6. Who are you as a unique person? People get lost in relationships because they lose sight of who they are. You need to take time to figure out who you are before trying to become one with someone else.

7. Who is your fiancé as a different unique person? Apart from appreciating who you are as a unique person you need to appreciate the uniqueness of your fiancé as well.

8. What problems have you already noticed? Love is not blind; love sees the best and minimises the worst. Love lets you know that the issues did not stop you from falling in love. You still need to acknowledge the issues and bring them to the light.

9. What are the expectations you have for your life? Frustration comes when expectations are not met. In marriage you are likely to blame your spouse when these are not met. Your life expectations need to be measured against what you and your fiancé agree on for the marriage.

Taking time to answer these 9 simple questions can save you from the pitfalls that have wrecked many couples. Reduce the risk of divorce by spending more time on questions like these and less on questions about the color of bridesmaid dresses, menus and flowers.

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Source by Kerwyn Joseph

Views: 0

July 21, 2022
Wisdom For Living-Consider The Poor
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Do you consider the poor? Is giving to the poor part of your budget? This is an important wisdom for living. It is a wisdom key which many believing Christians are neglecting to their own detriment. This post expounds on considering the poor as wisdom for living.

Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive, and he will be blessed on the earth; You will not deliver him to the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him on his bed of illness; You will sustain him on his sickbed – Psalm 41:1-3 (NKJV).

The poor are important to God. While He waits for them to learn and overcome poverty, He also would want them to be well taken care of, because He cares for them. God will not come down in person to help the poor; He will need human beings to reach out to them. So, God is ready to bless anyone who will offer himself or herself as a channel of blessing to the poor.

Whoever considers the poor does so on behalf of the Almighty God and lends to Him, and He will repay back. Imagine when God is repaying back what He will give! You give with your little hand and God repays with His big hand! Awesome investment! Give to the poor and you will never know lack in your life.

Giving is living. Making giving your lifestyle is to live a purposeful life; putting smiles on the faces of many people and giving them a reason to live on is what life is all about. Among many other blessings that come your way, joy unspeakable and peace of mind become your portion. This cannot be quantified. Also, you tend to keep living even when you are gone.

In Psalm 41:1-3, the Lord stated the things He was going to do for whoever considers the poor.

These include:
- Deliverance in time of trouble.
- Preservation and long life.
- Blessings, which includes financial blessing.
- Protection from enemies.
- Healing and health
All the above will be yours if you will consider the poor as a lifestyle.

As a believing Christian, giving to the poor whatever you can: money, time, energy, food and clothing, expresses the love of Christ to them and will endear Christ to them, convicting them to surrender totally to Him. Indeed, it is a perfect way to win souls for Christ.

Truly, considering the poor is wisdom for living. It gives you the reason to live and continuously changes your level to higher places. It gives you what money can never purchase for you; it gets the living God to be for you, your defense, provider and keeper.

Job was a man who considered the poor and every ear that heard him blessed him and every eye that saw him approved of him. These were because he delivered the poor who cried out, the fatherless and the one who had no helper. He was eye to the blind, feet to the lame and father to the poor; and God blessed him greatly and preserved all that belonged to him (Job 29:11-16, Job 1:10). This can also be your story.

In conclusion, are you in a state that needs to be changed or do you desire to change your level to a higher one? Consider the poor around you, reach out to them and the Lord will reach out to you too. Let God use you to bless the poor and He will cause men to bless you too.

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Source by Ngozi Nwoke

Views: 0
July 20, 2022
Can Meditation Cure Cancer?

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Meditation is a powerful tool of preventative medicine. It can facilitate self-healing and inspire a deep sense of well-being. In this article, you’ll learn four ways to use meditation for health and wellness. You’ll also read a profound story of how mindfulness and meditation cured one woman’s cancer.

Let’s begin with this story of miraculous healing from “Meditation: An In-Depth Guide” (Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin, 2011) by Ian Gawler and Paul Bedson.

Bernice Heals Her Cancer

(p.274-278, MAIG)

In 1980, Bernice Groeke was diagnosed with melanoma in her calf which she had surgically removed. A year and a half later, doctors found melanoma in a lymph node in her groin and also surgically removed that. A year and a half after that, the cancer had spread to her lungs, at which point the doctors said that it was inoperable. They said there was nothing medically they could do for her and that she had only months to live.

Bernice decided to join a 12-week cancer self-help group. Soon after joining the group, the discussion turned to the effect of mindset on handling the physical pain and mental-emotional suffering of cancer. Bernice had never really given much thought to her mindset.

However, as the group discussed the power of mindfulness and positive thinking, Bernice quickly recognized just how negative her usual mindset tended to be. In fact, she had taken it as her duty to be on guard and to warn her family and friends of anything that could go wrong. On the flip-side, she was also quick her warn herself and others not to get too excited about new possibilities because they were likely to end in disappointment.

Bernice realized her mindset was the definition of a “glass half-empty” approach to life. So, after learning about the benefits of thinking more positively, she decided to change her habitual mindset. To do this, she decided to repeat the affirmation “I am a positive person” anytime she recognized herself going negative.

About six weeks into her new mindfulness and affirmation practice, she was sitting with her husband after dinner when she experienced one of the melanomas pressing uncomfortably against her spine. Her husband noticed her agitation and asked what was wrong.

Bernice replied, “Perhaps the doctors are right. Perhaps I’m just kidding myself. Perhaps I should just accept the fact that I’m going to die and give up on all this other stuff.” (p.275, MAIG)

Her husband was sympathetic to her pain and he was also aware of her new affirmation practice. So, instead of just sympathizing, he replied, “Oh that’s interesting. What are you?”

“What do you mean, what am I?” she replied.

“Oh, I thought you were a positive person now” he said.

Bernice reflected on this and replied, “You’re right, I am.”

Bernice recalled that, as she said this, she felt a palpable shift inside her body, as if a switch had been turned on. From that moment on, she was able to see the positive in every situation.

Shortly after this inner shift, she was meditating and praying in church and had a profound mystical experience of God’s Presence in which she understood the Biblical phrase “Be still and know that I am God.” From that moment on, her faith was strengthened. She found it easier to follow through on her healthy diet and her healing efforts with meditation. She also became enthusiastic about serving others.

Within six months, scans revealed that her lungs were clear of all tumors. And, within a year, much to their surprise, doctors proclaimed her cancer-free.

Soon thereafter, Bernice volunteered to speak to meditation groups at the Gawler Foundation telling them her story. She beamed radiantly as she spoke and her enthusiasm for life was infectious. Bernice became an inspiring spiritual force.

Several years later, her husband died in his late eighties. Her friends and family wondered how Bernice would take his passing. After all, they had been together for over sixty years.

While she grieved appropriately and was deeply saddened, she surprised them with her resilience. She said, “Well, you know, it is really sad that Wain died and I will miss him terribly, but it will be interesting… I have never lived on my own before. I wonder what it will be like not having to take Wain into account anymore?”

Shortly thereafter, to help with expenses, Bernice took in a student boarder from overseas. They quickly became the best of friends. She taught him of life in Australia and he gave her company and financial support. It was a beautiful new chapter in her life.

Then, in 2009, at the age of 93, and 26 years after her cancer had disappeared-it reappeared. This time, she deteriorated quickly.

At first, she thought she was at fault. She went to Gawler to express her disappointment in herself. Gawler was quick to remind her of her remarkable recovery. For over 26 years, she had lived cancer-free. He reminded her that we all die of something-and that we don’t always know why. He also reminded her of her faith.

Bernice conceded that she had somewhat lost touch with her faith and now she had some doubts and fears of dying.

Gawler encouraged her that doubts and fears were natural human feelings, especially in the face of death. He encouraged her to mindfully recognize her doubts and fears and accept them for what they were-natural feelings toward facing the unknown. He also suggested to Bernice that dying was like “going home.”

He reminded Bernice of her faith and encouraged her to imagine what it would be like to rest in the Divine Presence. He told her that “dying was easy, that she had led a good life, and she could look back on it with gentle satisfaction and no regrets. To die she only had to breathe out and not breathe in again. It would be easy.”

Supported by Gawler’s words, Bernice resolved to focus on the Divine Presence and imagine herself merging with it when the time came.

Bernice died less than a week later, peacefully. And, her funeral was a joyous celebration of her life. Family, friends, and throngs of those whom she had touched with her smiling service came to celebrate what she had meant to them.

A beautiful story.

4 Ways Meditation Supports Health and Healing

So, what can we draw from Bernice’s story that can help us heal and be healthier?

1. Your mindset affects your ability to heal

As we saw with Bernice, her healing began with healing her attitude, her habitual mindset. She recognized her habit of looking at life through a negative and fear-based lens. She was always wary, on guard, and expecting the worst. Before attending the cancer self-help group, she hadn’t really noticed this was a mindset, or that it was detrimental-she just thought she was being conscientious, responsible, and careful.

Bernice learned to change her mindset by affirming, “I am a positive person.”

Now, having a positive mindset is not about making things up or making things better than they really are. It’s about noticing the opportunities that are present in every situation. It’s about seeing what can be done rather than focusing on what can’t. It’s about being present with “what is” and noticing what you can do to move things forward in a good direction.

When you do this, you open yourself to a wider scope of possibilities and become more inspired to take positive action.

2. The choices you make matter

As you open yourself to a wider scope of possibilities, you realize you can choose to take actions that make a positive difference for yourself and others. Things are not “just the way they are,” they are the result of a series of choices that combine to create specific results.

Meditation supports a state of clear seeing in which you can recognize options and make good choices. Through meditation, you become more able to choose what works and let go of what doesn’t.

As Bernice opened to the possibility of healing, she began to make different choices. She chose to say her positive affirmations to reset her mindset. She adopted a healthier diet. She meditated daily. She increased her efforts to serve others. She widened her community.

In time, these combined with other unseen forces to create healing.

3. Meditation itself supports healing

One of the most important things you can do to facilitate healing-whether it’s physical or mental-emotional-is to activate your body’s natural relaxation response.

When you are in stress-mode, over-busy, and over-whelmed, your body restricts energy flow to digestion, immune, and higher-thought processes. Your sympathetic nervous system directs all energy outward and you lose your ability to absorb nutrients, repair your cells, and make good choices.

Our bodies are made to alternate between periods of activity and rest. Most of err on the side of too much activity. We rush from one thing to the next and don’t allow ourselves time to consciously process the events of the day. Then, we spend our sleeping hours actively processing life in our dreams. This hinders deep rest and recovery.

When you consciously relax, using a tool such as meditation, you activate your parasympathetic nervous system, your natural recovery and repair mode. This brings digestion, immune, and higher-thinking capacities back online. You also begin to process and integrate the events of the day, and of your life up to now, so you can let the past go and be more present with what is.

For these reasons, it’s vitally essential to consciously activate the Relaxation Response at least once a day using a tool such as meditation for at least 10-20 minutes.

4. Meaningful imagery supports healing

Bernice had a strong faith in God. Because of this, she found it quite helpful and healing to imagine herself immersed in the Divine Presence. This soothed and comforted her. Her faith also prompted her to take other healing actions, serve others, and build community.

When we think only of ourselves and our own suffering, it’s easy to get bogged down in feeling “Woe is me.” Widening your vision to realize your Oneness with the larger field of Life inspires and heals. Health and healing occur naturally as a result of the Universal Life-Force flowing strongly and smoothly through your whole being. Meditation is a powerful way to mindfully recognize blocks to this flow, release them, and center into this deeper enlivening Presence.

Enjoy your practice!

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Source by Kevin Schoeninger

Views: 0

July 18, 2022