Tuesday, June 30, 2015

EVERYTHING IS ENERGY



At the end of every Qi Gong set, we always say I am Qi and Qi is in me. Then our Qi Gong teacher, Mary Meissner says it in Chinese, but I am not even going to try to spell that out. While it means that I am energy and energy is in me, it reminds me of something greater. For me, the Divine is love and love is energy. Therefore I am the Divine energy and the Divine energy is in me. It is not just in one thing or one person, the Divine energy, the Divine Qi is in everything.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

     

Friday, June 26, 2015

HOW I EXPRESS MY DEVOTION

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So I have been thinking this month about devotion and what I am devoted to and how I express my devotion.  Recently, someone asked me how I can express my devotion without being a part of a formal worship community. I smiled as I realized that for me, I am part of a formal worship community. I gather each day with my readers around the world in our own way and in our own time and we meditate on a thought you have led me to each day. Then I give thinks for at least five things that have happened or I have become aware of in the last 24 hours. Sometimes I feel like there are more than five, but I always feel as if I am supposed to stop at five for some reason. Maybe that is because the number 5 is about your grace and goodness. I remember reading once that the Ten Commandments are really two sets of five commandments. The first five have to do with our treatment and relationship with you and the last five have to do with our relationship with others.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What are you doing to offer people refuge today? What have others done for you?
     

Thursday, June 25, 2015

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

DO YOU KNOW YOU ARE A BLESSING?

     

Song of the Week

This is our last week focusing on the spiritual practice of devotion. So I thought I would share a song we used to sing every Friday night when we would go to Temple. It is a song about welcome the presence and spirit of the Sabbath into our lives. http://inspiritual.biz/inspiritual-song-of-the-week1/

Wednesday, June 24, 2015

EATING ONE RAISIN



Everything in life is an opportunity to practice devotion. When we remember that everything we do from the way we worship to the way we eat has the potential to be an act of devotion, then we have the potential to practice living a life of devotion. Recently, I found an exercise about eating one raisin which reminded me to think about all that I eat and drink in the same way. How differently would I eat and drink if I went through a process of honoring and appreciating every little thing about that which sustains me. So this morning, I thought I would share this devotional approach to eating with you.  I encourage each of us to do this with at least one food item each day. It doesn’t have to be a raisin, but we could begin there. This morning, I am going to start with broccoli as it is what I am having for breakfast.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What does it take for you to awaken to your sacred?     

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Baraka



Growing up I remember hearing a number of sayings that all pointed at the same lesson. Phrases like actions speak louder than words. A picture is worth a thousand words. You can hear the symphony in silence. Each of these sayings gets at the same point. One must not speak to make a powerful statement. One must not understand the language, to understand the meaning. When I was in seminary, Dr Gail Ricciutti showed a film in our Introduction to Preaching class of people preaching. Interestingly, the preacher that really captured my attention the most was a woman who did not preach in English. I could not understand a single word she said, yet I understood every word she said.
This morning I stumbled upon this image that I used for our thought for the day. It is just a picture. No quote, no author, yet it speaks volumes
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

what are you devoted to Creating with your actions?
     

Thursday, June 18, 2015

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

     

SONG OF THE WEEK

Sometimes we forget that Love is the world's religion. This is the title of this song from the World's Sacred Music festival http://inspiritual.biz/inspiritual-song-of-the-week1/

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

WHAT IS YOUR SIGNATURE DISH?

What is your signature dish? That is the question Bobby Flay asks each contestant who has come to challenge him to a throwdown. The question really inspired me this morning. A signature dish is a recipe that is like a chef’s fingerprints. It becomes one of those dishes that one could eat in a blind test taste and know who cooked the meal. I have seen it compared to how an artist has his or her own unique style or a writer who has his or her own voice. The dish itself does not need to be unique, but the manner in which it is prepared is. Whatever the dish is, most chefs talk about how they have been working on perfecting their signature dish for years, sometimes decades.
In an issue of Food & Wine magazine, they identified the signature dishes of 10 world-renowned chefs. Wolfgang Puck’s was Pork Schnitzel, Thomas Keller’s was Smoked Salmon Crisps, Daniel Boulud's was Chilled Spring Pea Soup, Mario Batali's was Bucatini all'Amatriciana, Rick Bayless's was Carne Asada with Black Beans, José Andrés's was Paella with Shrimp and Squid, Gale Gand's was Lemon Meringue Pie , John Besh's was August Chopped Salad, Tom Colicchio's was Braised Short Ribs, and Nobu Matsuhisa's was Black Cod with Miso.[1] Each of these chefs had spent years devoted to perfecting this one dish.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE JOURNEY!

     

Tuesday, June 16, 2015

IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU?



Growing up in my household, periodically I would, like many teenagers, “forget” to do my chores. My parents would always put me in my place by saying something like, “But you remembered to call your friends, didn’t you? You seem to remember what is important to you!” They were right and it is a lesson I carry with me even today.
As a teenager, doing chores was not important. They were always going to be there and unless I really needed my allowance, which was important, spending time doing chores was not near as important to me as being with my friends. At the time, the choice was simple, time with friends or time without them doing chores. The problem was when my chore was to do laundry and my favorite outfits were not available; then doing laundry was more important than time with friends.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

HAVE YOU RENEWED YOUR COMMITMENT TODAY?


     

Sunday, June 14, 2015

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Are they living together in your house? -- quote below from Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153)

Saturday, June 13, 2015

Friday, June 12, 2015

SONG OF THE WEEK

Devotional music takes so many forms depending on who we are and where we come from. May this song resonate with your spirit -- http://inspiritual.biz/inspiritual-song-of-the-week1/

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

May we remember to take time each day to be silent.
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Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Sunday, June 7, 2015

THE VARIOUS FORMS OF DEVOTION



Dear Ultimate Consciousness,
The past few days I have been thinking about all the ways devotion takes form in my life. Today’s thought for the day seems to capture the essence of what I have been feeling. I have been thinking about how I practice devotion to the Ultimate in my life and how I practice devotion to my own personal self-development and to my relationship with those I love.
I guess it really hit me last night when I was talking about my relationship with you at the spiritual journaling workshop. I have been using the phrase I picked up from Doreen Virtue’s book Assertiveness Training for Earth Angels and telling people I am employed by God Inc. I love the understanding that comes from knowing you hired me to do specific things here on earth and it is in the process of doing so that I am able to practice and experience devotion in my life.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Do you have the devotion?

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Thursday, June 4, 2015

SONG OF THE WEEK

Do you have ears that can hear the devotion in this song? http://inspiritual.biz/inspiritual-song-of-the-week1/

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Where are you in the construction process?
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Wednesday, June 3, 2015

IT IS ALL ABOUT THE DEVOTION



The last few days I have been thinking about how many times I have heard or read stories about how people have devoted their lives to perfecting their craft. In reading the stories of now renowned chefs, I have heard their reflections on how those who mentored them would have them devote blocks of time to preparing a single vegetable. For example, months spend learning how to properly clean an artichoke. People who are renowned for what they do in life, are so because they have devoted their life to perfecting their craft. In the process of trying to find some examples to share about the importance of devotion to the process of cooking, and in reality anything in our lives, I came upon this article about Jiro Ono. This story about him and his devotion is inspiring and carries valuable lessons for each of us, encouraging each of us to become devoted to being the best we can be with the talents we have been given, regardless of what we do.
Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a documentary on the life and craft of the great 85-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono who owns a tiny 10-seat shop in Tokyo that has the highest Michelin Guide rating of three stars.
To get a seat you must make a reservation months in advance. The courses are carefully planned and the creation and serving of the meal is a multi-course symphony of sushi that some guests have even described as “stressful” yet an experience like no other. Jiro himself serves each course to his guests and carefully examines their faces as they taste his elegant works of edible art. What follows is the wisdom distilled from the great sushi chef on how to master your craft.
1. Learn from the best. Sometimes you must learn to fail before you learn to succeed.
Yamamoto, a renowned Japanese food writer, says: “When you work for Jiro, he teaches you for free. But, you have to endure ten years of training. If you persevere for ten years you will acquire the skills to be recognized as a first-rate chef.”
In Jiro’s restaurant, many apprentices do not make it to the next level. Yet there are those who persevere. For example, one of the apprentice sushi chefs tried over 400 times to make egg sushi that met Jiro’s standards of being worthy to be served. When he finally received Jiro’s approval, he was overwhelmed with joy and cried.
Take away lesson: Only when you understand what it feels like to fail and try again will you be able to cherish the moment when you achieve success.
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Are you living your life as a devotional practice?
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Tuesday, June 2, 2015

WHO IS OUR NEIGHBOR?





As I watched this video, it reminded me of a scripture from the New Testament which said there were two commandments we are to follow, First, “the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:30-31). Other spiritual writings teach a similar lesson; we are to love God and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.
That raises a question similar to the one raised in the video. Who are our neighbors? Who are they? 
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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

May we spend time each day allowing our heart and spirit to communicate.tftd.png

Monday, June 1, 2015

June 2015 issue of One Spirit, Many Voices

The June 2015 issue of One Spirit, Many Voices, along with past issues, is now available for download. http://inspiritual.biz/newsletters/ Come, read, find out what's new and what's happening, get inspired, and learn how you can support our attempts to increase the Gross National Happiness.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

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It’s Sharing Time!!

It’s Sharing Time!! What is my name? http://inspiritual.biz/spiritual-discussion/2015/6/1/what-is-my-name