The "fertilizer" in life helps us grow..

In church we are doing a series on the fruit of the spirit. It can be found in Galatians 5:22 and I found a link that you might want to check out that talks about how we mature and develop these 9 fruits http://www.mjyoung.net/bible/fruit.htm . I speak to you in love my Christian brothers and sisters because I don't want anyone to be deceived.. when you are made new by Christ's blood you should be seeking to develop fruit and be like Jesus. I can not say who will be in heaven or in hell because it is not my place to make that judgement but I do feel troubled to think people that are attending church and calling themselves Christians are not... you will know real Christians by their fruit like it says in the Bible Matthew 7:15-23. Salvation is not just a prayer you pray but a change within your heart. Allowing God to do a work in you. I do not have all the answers but I do know I am trying to live a life that pleases God. I am also thankful for all the challenges in my life or "fertilizer" because I look back and it served a purpose. I think that is why care so much for those that are hurting... I have a gentleness about me that I could not have culivated on my own.

Oh, I also have something that I just realised... I always wondered why we had to pray since I was told that God knows what our needs are before we ask. Then I stumbled on this site which is a cached page so I hope you will be able to read it http://64.233.161.104/search?q=cache:G-8zspC31LEJ:www.frtommylane.com/homilies/year_b/30.htm+God+knows+our+needs&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=9
basically it stated that prayer is for us not for God. It is to prepare us to receive from God. As soon us I read it my heart knew it to be the truth. I praise God for all the Christians posting helpful resources on-line... I absolutely love it since I am just getting into the word and sometimes need to Google things to find where they are located in the Bible.

In Love,
Hope

Thought Pollution?

Even when you do not speak your mind could you be harming someone with your negative thoughts about them? I believe there is energy all around us and that thoughts are energy and it is possible. I feel that we all need to be careful with what we let into our minds and how we use our minds. Once we master our thought life we can really design the life we want and be at peace with others..and ourself. I was researching this topic and found a good link that you might want to check out... http://www.yoga-age.com/modern/thoughtpower.html. I am challenging myself to use my mind differently... to be on guard because I think we do a lot of harm to ourselves by having an undisciplined mind. I would like to recommend the book "The Battle of the Mind" by Joyce Meyer. Also Wayne Dyer has spoken about the mind body connection in some of his tapes and books.

Here is an excerpt from a review written by Skye (vancouver) on the book Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior by David R Hawkins. You can click below to read the complete review.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A2KESB5Y2RKDFT?ie=UTF8

It speaks of thoughts that strengthen and thoughts that weaken us... and I am getting goose bumps because today in the library I saw this book and now as I was finding material to help me get my ideas acrossed I bump into it again so I guess I will be reading this book next. The only reason I did not check it out today is because I already had two books in my hand so I didn't want to over do it.

"You can do this test at home. Hold an organic banana close to your heart and have a friend try to press your arm down as you hold your arm straight out at a 90 degree angle from your body, are you able to resist with great strength? I can guarantee you will. Now hold pesticide treated fruit to your heart and try the same test, you will go weak. Packets of vitamin c and artificial sugar ( they look identical ) were handed out to an audience who were given the same test, all went weak with the artifical sugar. You can try the same test when posing the idea or thought of someone with a low resonating energy pattern, such as the wonderful Adolf Hitler, all will go weak. Try having your test subject think of Mother Theresa, all will go strong at the thought of this wonderful, compassionate human being. Getting excited, now you can understand Dr Hawkins excitement as well as those of his readers and colleagues. This form of testing should be used when treating patients with physical or mental illness. Even if your ego mind isnt aware of any illness or disease forming in your body, your body/mind/spirit is. You can use the same test in respects to music, art, color...the implications are endless. We are all made strong or weak by our thoughts and it is wise to avoid all thoughts that weaken you. YOu will easily see which thoughts weaken thought this test, if you werent already aware. Helplessness, depression, grief, anger, bitterness, envy, resentment etc...feelings and thoughts create your life, your world, your health, your everything and Dr. Hawkins is just one of many individuals who are connecting to this powerful knowledge at this time in our evolution and bringing it forth for those receptive enough and intelligent enough to accept it and use it.We are all blessed to have this book."

Well, I will leave with another interesting link on controlling the mind.. http://www.indiangyan.com/books/otherbooks/towards_inner_harmony/index.shtml

I skimmed the article and liked the part where he talks about the electric fan... it's the 4th paragraph after he numbers the stages of controlling the mind. Please let me know what your thoughts on this subject are cause I am always interested in hearing different views.

Have a Blessed Day!!!

The Carrot and the Stick

Well, things are going a lot better lately... I guess I forgot to mention that I quit my retail job. I am currently "between jobs"... I like that better then saying unemployed. I have been searching for a job in the health and wellness industry. Like you can imagine I have my good days and my not so good days. It is easy to get in a rut at home and to not follow through... just be lazy for "a minute" and when wham the whole day is gone.. a total loss which leads me to beat up on myself.. like the song My Own Worst Enemy by Lit says:
"Its no surprise to me I am my own worst enemy Cuz every now and then I kick the living sh*t out of me."

I am learning that this approach does not work. Just like I would be patient with other people, I need to exercise the same kindness, understanding and patience with myself. So today, I got a game plan and followed through and guess what I gave myself a reward for my efforts.. not for perfection but for taking steps in the right direction. I went to the lake and feed the ducks and took some pictures. Guess what I felt like I accomplished something and had fun too. I write this to say use the carrot and the stick but use the stick sparringly.. not to beat up on yourself but to get you to start moving.

When I write these things I hope I am helping someone that might be going through the same thing. Remember "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" Philippians 4:13 . When you feel like giving up pray and God will meet your needs.

My Poem

I love to write poetry and I decided to share something I wrote with you... so here it goes. Tell me what you think but then again as the poem indicates it doesn't really matter..this work of art is what it is an expression of my soul and I won't judge it.. well actually I love it:) but it is not to be judged but to be reflected on... what expression do you have to share but are afraid to because it is not "perfect". This poem was inspired by a piece of art I saw in a local museum. I did not really like it and almost wrote it off as not being art but on closer examination I could appreciate it and the message it had for me.

Free the Mind

Create without judgement
Giving birth with out expectation
Release of energy making the unseen seen

Passionate fire of the soul
allowed to burn true blue
No Mistakes
No Flaws

Expressions in various mediums
Fearless vibriant colors

Copyright by DBA The Community Activist 2006 all rights reserved

Experiencing life to the fullest

We have been given this great gift of life. I know sometimes it does not seem like it.. I have definately been there. I think I have an idea of why as a society we have such a high precentage of people suffering with depression (http://www.peele.net/lib/depression.html). At the end of the linked artical it eludes to the fact that the medical community might be taking the wrong approach and maybe they are not really addressing the cause of the problem. They state that even with the advances in medicine, the treatments or drugs that are given are not helping to decrease depression, rather the rate of depression is on the rise. I think depression happens when we focus on ourselves too much. I say this with love and through my own experiences with bouts of depression.. and what I have discovered. I also believe it is caused by the food we eat and the environment we live in. This problem interests me also because I have family members suffering. Some have opted for medicine others to battle without them. God intended us all to enjoy a full life as Stated in the Bible [Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10). God never intended for you to be in the pit of depression. I feel so strongly about this dis-ease that I am working to devote my time to research the issue further and to provide my findings and helpful resources on my website.

Being Thankful

Yesterday, I had to ask a drunk guy to leave my store. He was wearing torn clothes and smelled really bad. I tried a nice approach by asking him if there was anyone I could call for him. He said no and that he was trying to find a wife. He approached two women in the beer aisle and I said he could not be going up to people to ask for things. I said I could not sell him any beer but he disregarded my comments and picked up the beer anyway. He ended up leaving the store without the beer with no real incident just some angry outbursts. The reason I am writing this is because at one point, I told him to go home and sleep it off and when he came back I could sell him the beer. He said he did not have a home. It was a real eye opener to me.

I am so lucky to be able to meet my basic needs (food, shelter and clean clothes). Then there are the "toys" that I have.. which I have way more then I need or can enjoy on a day to day basis. It's so easy to get caught up in it all but that day that homeless man taught me something.. that I am blessed. My heart goes out to him and his troubles and I will keep him in my prayers. We could all be in his situation because we are all or at least most of us living beyond our means. Have you ever thought about how long you could stay a float if you and your spouse lost your jobs? Everyone has something to teach us if we will just pause and reflect.

When we stop caring about others and pass judgement or think we are better than someone that is when we start reaping the rotten fruit of our ignorance.. which imprisons us in a unfullfilling life full of ego and waning happiness. Embrace your humanity by loving others and giving them help when they need it. Pray for all those who are hurting because you know what it is like to hurt... Pray for all who are experiencing loss because you have experienced loss.. Pray for all those who are lonely because at one time you have been lonely too... Pray for those that have lost hope and want to give up because sometimes life is frustrating and you have wanted to quit. We all are connected and experience the same things. You never know what someone is going through so please be patient, kind, understanding and smile. I smile is a basic gesture of acceptance and it is also beneficial to you. Practice random acts of kindness daily because who wants to live in a world where everyone is just looking out for #1.

Be the Difference!!!!

Health Care in America

Today I spent about 4 hours waiting to see a doctor. I wonder how much time Americans spend waiting in doctor offices. This was not a free clinic so the wait amazed me. All the other patients in the office had also been waiting about 3 or more hours too. We were all a little out of spirits and frustrated by the situation. I remarked that you would think this was a free clinic or something.. not an American medical institution. I went to an urgent care facility because I do not have a primary care physician. I have not had many positive experiences with doctors. They usually lack good people skills and are not good listeners.. they are too busy turning patients like a waitress turns tables. Also I have the good fortune to be in excellent health most of the time, so I really haven't needed to find one.

I do not get the concept of doctors right now... and I had a lot of time to think about this issue. Although once I did get seen, the physician assistant was very nice and helpful. First, doctors are not in the business of curing aliments. I know several people who have went to a doctor and they ran so many tests but never solved the problem. Another approach is to prescribe medicine that a normal patient will be dependent on for the rest of their life which is not a cure and can have some very nasty side effects. As I sat in one of the treatment rooms, I wondered why I was there... I am into natural cures and staying healthy even though I definately do not eat right and am under a lot of stress. I wondered what I would do if they told me something was wrong and that I had to take medicine. I pride myself on being drug free and feel /(observed first hand) that I am healthier than most because my body doesn't have to detox from OTC medicines.. even when I have been giving a prescription like when I was giving something for pain after getting a root canal. I wasn't in pain that required medicine so I never filled the prescription. I felt like whatever was wrong a typical doctor was not the answer and I still feel that way. They didn't find anything wrong but want to refer me and do more tests. I think I might go to a more eastern approach doctor who won't be throwing pills at the problem. I believe we are all natural healers if we just give our body the right resources it can over come illness. We just have to stop polluting it with drugs and start living life at a slower pace. I believe that soon people will realise this and that there will be new better ways to deal with illness. However, I feel that this movement will be slow do to all the money in the drug industry.. which they will fight to keep. After saying this, I want to clarify that our current system has value but mostly in emergency situations like drugs when people are having a heart attack or diabetic episode or asthma attach... life or death situations.