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In the reinterpretation, we are covered by Grace. A Divine Grace that is in us and around us. And in it we move and live and have our being. I encourage you to take your rest in that Grace this day. And you can easily do that as you enter the Stillness and enter the Silence, for that is how to enter a closet to be alone with Grace.
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Saint? Sinner? Christian? Muslim? You will be called many things in life but you are none of the things that you are called. The labels, the words, the names that people attach to us are only a description of something about you and often an incomplete or inaccurate one. The fish is more than the net it is caught in. The rainbow is more than the colors within it. You are beyond capture, beyond word, beyond phrase. Protestant? Catholic? Churched? Unchurched? Too often we count ourselves as the boxes others try to place you in. We waste our energy and passion in trying to find the best boxes. We are not the collection of our parts, no matter how you describe or order those parts. You are more. In the reinterpretation we learn of the oneness of humanity with the unnamable One, the Divine. In life we can grow into that relationship with Divinity. Do not be limited by what you call yourself or what others call you. Reach out, not to what "you are" but to what you can be. Don't describe your journey by a spot in the road. Life in spirit is not a place to be found, but a journey to undertake. Have courage and know the capacity to travel that journey is within you no matter what limits, hardships, or hurdles the road may have. We are more than overcomers. My spiritual life brings me ineffable experiences of the Presence. In 1983, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, a " heaven on earth experience" found me! My religious life did not afford me such spiritual experiences as that. Today, I talk to many folk about God. They want to experience something spiritual not simply believe something religious. ~ S.L. Brannon on DBSA Life Unlimited web site http://bit.ly/1kEBzlZ Many friends of mine go about life everyday wondering what's their purpose in life. They suffer anxiety wondering if jobs, relationships, and goals are inline with or a distraction from their "true" purpose. In The Two Agreements, I give a simple, clear practice -- enter the Stillness and enter the Silence as often and as long as one can. Then, Intuition provides guidance to a purposeful life. All one needs are "ears to hear". quote: Neale Donald Walsch -- Conversations with God
It is no secret that the U.S. is becoming less religious. According to recent polls, twenty percent of Americans refer to themselves as “religiously unaffiliated”, a vastly greater number than the five percent in the 1930s and 40s, or the eight percent in the 1990s. This group is cleanly split along racial,
ethnic, gender, and political lines. Men are more likely to turn away from religion than women; African-Americans and Latinos are more likely than whites to be affiliated with a church. Forty percent of liberals consider themselves to be unaffiliated, while only nine-percent of conservatives do. Age also seems to be a factor, as one-third of Americans under the age of 30 do not belong to an organized religion. But while these statistics tell us much about religious demographics, they do not explain why this acceleration has occurred over the past twenty years. There are many reasons, I suppose: shifts in our culture, in our politics, and in the family unit (churchgoing has historically begun in the home). Whatever the case, I certainly understand the sentiment behind it. As I wrote in The Two Agreements, “You’ve … realized that some of the doctrinal pieces (of religion) do not belong to the puzzle for your life. Perhaps the religion of your early childhood included a doctrine that pitted your spiritual self against your fleshly self in an internal battle of good and evil. You were taught that your fleshly body—ever present with desires, thoughts, and shortcomings condemned your soul to eternal torment in hell and made you an enemy of God.” Whereas in the past people used to ignore these feelings (and probably even feel guilty for feeling them), today they are choosing a different way. I also note in The Two Agreements that about every 500 years the world civilization experiences a major shakeup. Given the statistics above, perhaps that time is now. Rather than taking the negative view that religion is disintegrating, we should look at it as an opportunity to reach the next level of spiritual awareness. The fact that people are turning away from organized religion does not necessarily mean they are denying the Creator; in fact, quite the opposite. It indicates that they crave the freedom to experience the spiritual connection without rules, regulations and conditions. the two agree fb pg http://bit.ly/the2agree Having a relationship with the Divine is as natural as our breathing. In fact, it is a relationship that requires simply that we "keep breathing". That's all.
Certain ones want to complicate that fact. They insist that other humans must be placed between them and God, introducing them to God, as it were. We call that hierarchy, religion. And that type of relationship is called a religious life. Something simple is made complicated. Mankind also likes to complicate everyday relationships as well. I say, let's keep it simple, human relations and relations with the Divine, . . . and find simple happiness in the process. Below is a post by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer
Here is an article I came across and want to share. It includes comments by men I can appreciate for standing by their values. It is healthy for open discussions to happen surrounding religion and science. Of course, folk can enjoy religion without science, science without religion, and religion/science. The world is big enough for all belief systems.
Pat Robertson implores creationist Ken Ham to shut up: ‘Let’s not make a joke of ourselves’ By Scott Kaufman Wednesday, February 5, 2014 12:19 EST Pat Robertson responded to the recent debate between Young Earth creationist Ken Ham and Bill Nye, a.k.a. “The Science Guy,” by reiterating his disagreement with Ham’s form of creationism. “Let’s face it,” Robertson said, “there was a Bishop [Ussher] who added up the dates listed in Genesis and he came up with the world had been around for 6,000 years.” “There ain’t no way that’s possible,” he continued. “To say that it all came about in 6,000 years is just nonsense and I think it’s time we come off of that stuff and say this isn’t possible.” “Let’s be real, let’s not make a joke of ourselves.” “We’ve got to be realistic,” he concluded, and admit “that the dating of Bishop Ussher just doesn’t comport with anything that is found in science and you can’t just totally deny the geological formations that are out there.” Last November, Robertson raised the ire of Young Earth Creationists when he made similar statements. The hosts of “Creation Today,” Eric Hovind and Paul F. Taylor, attacked Robertson for claiming that dinosaurs could exist, because the world isn’t, in fact, only 6,000 years old. “Pat Robertson is claiming, then, that 6,000 years comes from Ussher’s book and not the Bible,” Taylor said. “The point is, where did Ussher get his figure of 6,000 years?” In regard to the church sign below: The feelings of fear, shame, and guilt are the fuel and mind's prison of organized religion, as evidenced here. Another major tool of control is a "belief in lack", i.e. God does not have enough Grace to cover all souls, God's forgiveness is not immediate and all-at-once forgiving of all "sins" for all time, etc. Those of us who know God to be The God Without Any Limits of Grace need to "find our voices" and speak up for the Grace we know to be true. Today, we are needed in preserving the freedom to believe as WE choose. To speak up or not to speak up is the question? . . . we choose or we loose. |
AuthorS.L. Brannon, B.A., M.Ed., D.Div. You can learn more about me on facebook and linkedin. ArchivesApril 2018 CategoriesAll  RSS Feed
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