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I help those turned away by organized religious institutions. My foundation in a healthy spiritual life allows freedom for me to enter the personal belief system of others. Thus, I can honor the personal beliefs of those in need of sacred rituals and supply the support and services free of religion’s baseless judgements. No doubt, I prevent a dark cloud from casting a shadow over a happy, joy-filled moment or provide the rightful respect in a most sober, sacred rite. Namaste’
Hey, I know that feeling too!😊
“A week ago it was the mountains I thought the most wonderful, today it’s the plains. I guess it’s the feeling of bigness in both that carries me away.“ Georgia Okeefe
I appreciate the explanations given for the “un-explainable” support for an undeserving character! It gives me much to think about as I seek answers for the behavior of members of my inherited religion.
Scholars Say Trump’s Religious Right Followers Believe He Will Usher In A ‘Christian Nation’AU March 27, 2018 I’ve monitored Religious Right groups for more than three decades, and I have to say, I’ve seen nothing like what's unfolding these days. Over the years, I’ve attended meetings of the Christian Coalition and the Family Research Council’s annual “Values Voter Summit.” I once sat through a “Reclaiming America for Christ” conference held by the late TV preacher D. James Kennedy in Florida, and I’ve been to gatherings sponsored by smaller or regional Religious Right groups. Without exception, at every one of these meetings, I’ve heard the same message over and over again: character counts. America’s political leaders, speakers at these meetings would thunder, must model moral behavior. They set the standard, so don’t follow a leader who comes up short when it comes to “morals” and “values.” Apparently, that’s all been tossed out the window. On Sunday night, an adult-entertainment film star named Stormy Daniels was interviewed by Anderson Cooper on “60 Minutes” to discuss her alleged affair with President Donald Trump. She provided salacious detailsof her time with Trump in 2006 and asserted that she was later threatened and told not to talk about it. Leaders of the Religious Right have responded to this by making it clear they’re sticking with Trump. Daniels isn’t the only one speaking out. Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, has asserted that she too had an affair with Trump in 2006. Summer Zervos, a former contestant on Trump’s reality show TV “The Apprentice,” is suing Trump for defamation, asserting that he sexually assaulted her in 2007. (A New York court recently ruled that her lawsuit can go forward.) Again, leaders of Religious Right group either ignore or deny these charges – even though the allegations are in no way implausible. In Daniels’ case, we know that a lawyer for Trump just before Election Day 2016 gave her $130,000 to keep quiet. The allegations also track with Trump’s behavior. After all, Trump himself was caught on tape boasting about how easy it is to sexually assault women when you’re rich and famous. A progressive president facing this tawdry combination of allegations by porn stars and centerfold models would be under constant fire from Religious Right groups. In Trump’s case, they’re simply shrugging their shoulders. This isn’t just simple hypocrisy; something else is afoot. Writing in The Washington Post, three university professors try to make sense of it. Andrew L. Whitehead, Joseph O. Baker and Samuel L. Perry assert thatconservative evangelical support for Trump is driven by Christian nationalism, that is, the belief that the United States is, or ought to be, a “Christian nation.” (Of course, for the people who believe this, “Christianity” equates with far-right, fundamentalist versions of that faith.) Analyzing data from a Baylor University survey on religion, the trio wrote, “The more someone believed the United States is – and should be – a Christian nation, the more likely they were to vote for Trump.” Whitehead, Baker and Perry go on to assert, “Many voters believed, and presumably still believe, that regardless of his personal piety (or lack thereof), Trump would defend what they saw as the country’s Christian heritage – and would help move the nation toward a distinctly Christian future. Ironically, Christian nationalism is focused on preserving a perceived Christian identity for America irrespective of the means by which such a project would be achieved. Hence, many white Christians believe Trump may be an effective instrument in God’s plan for America, even if he is not particularly religious himself.” This line of thinking echoes the mental gymnastics on display in a new book titled, The Faith of Donald J. Trump: A Spiritual Biography, by David Brody, a reporter for TV preacher Pat Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network, and Scott Lamb, a vice president at Liberty University. Brody and Lamb assert that Trump is among the “elect,” a figure chosen by God to do divine work in the realm of politics. So it’s official: The Religious Right no longer cares about character. If the movement’s followers must discard principle and twist themselves into knots to appoint Trump a kind of latter-day prophet, they’re willing to do it. How did the moral majoritarians, “values voters” and neo-Puritans of the Religious Right arrive at such a strange place? The armchair psychologist in me attributes it to fear. America is changing. Far-right Christian fundamentalist supremacists have been forced to cede power and acknowledge the rights of those who believe differently. They’re seeing women, LGBTQ people, non-believers and others assert their rights, and they don’t like it. They’ve watched as Americans rejected their views on issues like marriage equality, and they are frightened. They see a future America that is more diverse than ever. It scares them. In response, they cling to a vision of an officially “Christian America” that never was and never will be – and they’ll even latch on to a guy like Trump if they think he can deliver it. Now, there’s a slight possibility that a serial philanderer and petulant Twitter addict who can’t muster the moral courage to denounce evil when it’s staring him in the face will somehow manage to lead the Religious Right (and drag the rest of us) to the Christian nation of the theocrats’ dreams – but it looks like a longshot. It’s not just that the quest for a Christian nation has historically been a fool’s errand – though it has been, as many zealots have learned over the years. Rather, what’s undermining the new crusade is the irony-rich realization that the Religious Right was correct about one thing after all: Character does still count for something. And when your leader has amply demonstrated time after time that he’s utterly devoid of character but you choose to blindly follow him anyway, the odds that he’ll eventually lead you over a cliff are very good
Undoubtedly, the level of happiness I enjoy today I attribute to years of practicing gratitude. I simply go about my day in a state of mindfulness. In that state, I acknowledge things in my life, in my day, in the people around me that I appreciate. I whisper a prayer of gratitude as I bring these things to the fore of my mind.
Expressing gratitude can be just that simple! However, it simply works. And because of that, one continues the practice in expressing gratitude. Why Grateful People Always Succeed Feb 7, 2018 @ 10:23 AM, Forbes.com Why Grateful People Succeed To begin I’d like to preface with the idea that gratitude is a choice, not a result. I hear all the time that it is so easy to be grateful when you've made it to the top. It is easy to be grateful when your career, mission, relationships and finances are all going exceptionally well. Yes, that is true but contrary to popular belief it is also easy to be grateful during a time of struggle or during a building phase of life where you are trying to improve in all sectors. In fact, gratitude is the key factor in achieving ultimate success and happiness. Don’t Believe Me? Learn From The Experts Oprah Winfrey is a prime example of practicing gratitude because not only is she known for her humble beginning but also for her dedication and consistency in her gratitude journaling. She has produced an overwhelming amount of content on gratitude and its effect on her own personal life and she even said she has journals that date back every single day for over a decade. “Opportunities, relationships, even money flowed my way when I learned to be grateful no matter what happened in my life.” — Oprah Winfrey Gratitude Creates Happiness David Steindl-Rast, in his Ted Talk on happiness proposes a question: ‘Does happiness cause one to be grateful or does being grateful create happiness?’ He concludes his talk explaining that gratitude is the sole creator of happiness. We all know people who have faced devastating adversity and challenge but have managed to persevere with gratitude and happiness. They are the perfect example of creating happiness through practice of gratitude. The Importance Of Focus Tony Robbins speaks a lot about the importance of focus. As he says where focus goes, energy flows meaning that the brain sees and feels whatever you focus on time and time again. Whether your focus is positive or negative, thoughts and feelings are manifested based off of your initial focus. You better make sure you’re focusing on the right things! “When you are grateful, fear disappears and abundance appears.” — Tony Robbins Stay Positive I’m grateful that I have positive modeling in my life. Closest to me is my husband, Noah Flom. He is the most positive person that I know. Noah’s outlook and positivity is incomparable and I learn something new from him every day. He believes that how you think on the inside, whether positive or negative, will manifest on the outside — and this approach will affect your life, your business, your attitude and your personality. Ultimately, people don’t really want to be around someone who is constantly negative and looking at the glass half empty. Noah has taught me to always look at the glass half full and find the positive aspects in every situation, challenge, opportunity, and trial regardless of how fair or unfair the situation may seem. Through him I have discovered that attitude is contagious and although we all can’t have the world’s best attitude (like I believe he does) we do have a choice. Regardless of the circumstances, we can always choose to approach any situation from a positive and grateful place. He often says it takes just as much effort to be negative as it does to be positive, so choose wisely! Hard Days, We All Have Them All of our days are filled with micro and macro ups and downs and life is constantly testing our abilities, our strength and most importantly our perseverance. Our attitude, focus, and level of gratitude is in direct harmonization with our level of happiness. You cannot be happy without being grateful. Whether you are grateful for a good meal, a smiling stranger, or a brand new car all happiness is stemmed from being genuinely grateful for all opportunities, people, experiences and challenges. “Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has plenty; not on your past misfortunes, oh which all men have some.” — Charles Dickens How To Take Action And Choose Gratitude If you struggle to find the positive things in your life and something to be grateful for try to improvise and stimulate your mind by listening to a podcast or perhaps a video of someone else showing gratitude. A great example of this is Will Smith. He is known as someone who is not only grateful but also someone who is extremely positive and always faces a challenge with a smile. We could all learn a thing or two from him! To choose gratitude we need to substantially show effort in practicing this skill. Whether that is writing it down in a journal or on a notepad in your phone or even just taking five minutes to think in your head what you were grateful about that day; gratitude begins with action. It takes conscious effort to be grateful but just like any skill you acquire, it not only becomes stronger over time but it also becomes effortless as it becomes a habit it your daily routine. When you begin to change the lens you use to view the world and you come from a place of gratitude, you begin to see the things differently. Give it a try! Let’s start by commenting five things you are grateful for today!
In my book I share ways to experience peace:
1. Create a sacred space for yourself. I can be in your home, it can be in nature. 2. Go to that sacred space daily, at least as often as possible during your week. While there enter the Silence and the Stillness. Remain in that state of mind and heart as long as possible each time you practice experiencing peace. 3. Focus so that you can “feel” the Presence of the Power that created All That ls. Work to feel that Presence in the air around your body, let it be real to you. Namaste’ |
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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The Author
A healthy spiritual life is vital to recovery and wellness for those living with a mental health challenge. I share my spiritual faith system, one of my own design. In my book, I encourage everyone to do the same - create a spiritual life that works for you.
Purchase and read my book, The Two Agreements: A Good News Story for Our Time. In its pages, you can find ideas on finding peace and health. And you will be making a donation to the Tennessee local chapter.
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