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It's All a Miracle

“Miracles surround us at every turn, if we but sharpen our perceptions to them.” ― Willa Cather I have to stop right here and inject some realism into the miracle discussion I'm presenting this morning. Let's consider this: When we read in the news that someone was saved from certain death by a strange set of circumstances, most will say, ''It was a miracle he wasn't killed.'' But, if someone is killed by some weird chain of events ― say oil was carelessly spilled, the safety device was turned off or broken ― that must also be a miracle. Just because it's a negative event doesn't mean it's not a miracle too. “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ― Albert Einstein

Love's Mirror

“Intimacy is the capacity to be rather weird with someone - and finding that that's ok with them.” ― Alain de Botton In a committed, loving and intimate relationship two hearts grow together and wrap themselves around each other, so that they spiritually make one heart with one common thought. That's why separation is is so painful. “The opposite of Loneliness is not Togetherness , It's Intimacy” ― Richard Bach

Love, Sex, and Intimacy 

by Michael Corthell Only during the past generation have we discovered that babies need to be held and touched. We now know that they cannot grow and that they will literally fail to thrive unless they share physical and emotional closeness with another human being. Growing up doesn't alter that need either. We are social creatures. ''True marital intimacy depends, in large part, on truth that is lovingly told while laying in bed.'' In a close personal relationship such as marriage, it is 'hurt feelings' that very often set the union toward the divorce cliff and set it crashing to the rocks below. How do the hurt feelings get a foothold? It all starts with the 'illusion of perfection'. ''We are going to live happily ever after!'' This is often said as an end all, because the new bride and groom don't know, or don't understand that any relationship needs to be tended to and cultivated. Time passes and then they beco

The Loving ONE

''Love is not patronizing and charity isn't about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same -- with charity you give love, so don't just give money but reach out your hand instead.'' ― Mother Teresa 'Who is like God?' When I ask for the gift of charity, I'm not asking for warm, fuzzy feelings toward someone who has injured or taken from me. Rather, what I'm actually asking for is to have my very nature changed, to have my character and constitution transformed to become more and more like God's, so that I actually feel as He would feel and behave as He would behave in any given situation.   ''Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.'' ― Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Forgiveness in an Age of Anger

by Michael Corthell The dictionary says that to 'forgive' means to stop being angry or resentful toward someone or something. That, of course, would also include yourself. In fact, that should be your first stop on any spiritual journey. And today, in 2021, that forgiving spirit could be the one thing that saves our world. ''...if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins...'' —Matthew 6 Forgiveness is about dissipating negative energy (self-loathing, grudges, victimization, etc.). These things can severely harm your health and wellbeing. (Forgiveness is not 'letting someone else or yourself 'off the hook' for harm caused, however.) Forgiveness is an act of love — first yourself and then others. First ,  you have to learn how to love and accept yourself for who and what you are by be

To Trust No ONE

“Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” ― William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well Just an observation and a warning: What profession could be more suited to a narcissistic personality than politics, where the spotlight of attention is constant?  Narcissists feel entitled to gain power because of their sense of superiority and self-importance. Those with narcissistic personalities tend to crave attention and admiration and feel it is right that other people should be subservient to them. Their lack of empathy means they have no qualms about exploiting other people to attain or maintain their power. So, be wise before you vote. Always vet the candidate you are drawn to. There is only one way to determine that. You have to know if  they are trustworthy.    Here are the 10 most important traits that the trustworthy share. 

How to Build Trust

Trust is earned over time.    by Michael Corthell Building trust requires two primary ingredients: time and consistency. Consistent behavior over time equals trust. Trust is a willingness to be vulnerable to another. Trust is a very valuable asset. It affects everything we do. Being trusted by other people is one of the things you must have to be a successful human being. Trust weaves human societies together. It is also the most important part of effective communication. It is a foundational principle that bonds all relationships. To be a person that other people trust, take a look at your actions and the decisions that you make as you go about your business. Do people trust you? They will if... You are a positive person. You are optimistic. People value and trust others who are not negative minded and have a can do attitude. You are authentic. People want to be around people who are real, meaning people who are authentic and have high moral character. Au

Fearing Fear Itself: The Result

  Why should people look for a conspiracy when stupidity can explain so much?   I highly recommend mixing healthy curiosity with discernment and critical thinking as a reality tonic. “Indeed, to this day, I think if you blame everything on the government, you're not just wrong, you're being reckless. It's as silly as blaming everything on the Freemasons, or the Illuminati, or insert-bad-guy-here. But I do believe that someone must ask the hard questions, especially of our elected officials as well as powerful men who become members of so-called secret societies. Remember: Governments don't lie. People lie. And if you want the real story, you need to find out more about those people.” ― Brad Meltzer, History Decoded: The 10 Greatest Conspiracies of All Time Fascinating: History Decoded explores fascinating, unexplained questions. Is Fort Knox empty? Why was Hitler so intent on capturing the Roman “Spear of Destiny”? What’s the government hiding in Area 51? Where did the

Riding the High Road

 

Pride, Life's Purpose, and Compassion

A person who has a 'why' to live for can endure almost any 'how '. “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson Be Good, Do Good Be a Life Boat to save a drowning soul. Be a Ladder to lift someone up. Be a Light so others do not stumble. ― Michael Corthell

Defining Patience

  What is anything in life compared to peace of the soul? If your goal is to find inner peace it must be accepted that it is impossible without patience. Wisdom also requires patience. Spiritual growth requires the mastery of patience.  Patience allows you to more fully actualize yourself .   Never be in a hurry, because, believe it or not rushing around leads to wasting time. To be efficient, do things quietly with a calm spirit. “We shall sooner have the fowl by hatching the egg than by smashing it.” ― Abraham Lincoln

About the Plant Based Diet

  Why plant-based? It supports your immune system. Plants have essential nutrients that you cannot get from other foods. The vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants in plants help keep your cells healthy and your body in balance so that your immune system can function at its best. “Plants give your body what it needs to help fight off infection,” says Andrea Murray, MD Anderson health education specialist. “A plant-based diet strengthens your immune system to protect you against germs and microorganisms.” A healthy immune system is essential for reducing your risk for cancer because it can recognize and attack mutations in cells before they can progress to disease.

About Trust

  “Trust is like a mirror, you can fix it if it's broken,  but you can still see the crack in that mother f**ker's reflection.” ― Lady Gaga (Cynical, or does the above quote reflect reality?) Sometimes, to be be trusted is the greatest compliment, sometimes even better than being loved, depending on the situation. The bottom-line in building trust is to be consistent in your actions. We must either keep our promises or not make any we know we can't keep.

In an Imperfect World

  It began to dawn on me some time ago that having a sad thought, even having a continual succession of sad thoughts, is not the same as being a sad person.  There are situations that demand we be sad, to be normal. Part of becoming a grownup adult is the acceptance of difficulty.  The other part of this acceptance is taking action to make things less difficult. Life is hard, acceptance can be hard, but doing noting makes life harder. But, (there's always a 'but' isn't there?) realize that you can have a happy, successful life if you just take action and do the work before you. Why? Because just being positive and doing nothing will generate nothing. Being negative and fighting everything that crosses your path can still lead to success. Always start, always take action. Bottom-line? Thoughts become things so... Choose The Good Ones!

Living It

  “Kiss a lover, Dance a measure, Find your name And buried treasure. Face your life, It's pain, It's pleasure, Leave no path untaken.” ― Neil Gaiman I've found that when the pain of a toothache is over, remembering that pain becomes sort of a pleasure. What does that mean exactly? For one thing it means life is a contrasting experience. I also remember that the passage of time is affected by pleasure and pain: Albert Einstein’s secretary was overwhelmed with inquiries as to the meaning of “relativity” that the professor decided to help her out. He told her to answer these inquiries as follows: “When you sit with a nice girl for two hours you think it’s only a minute, but when you sit on a hot stove for a minute you think it’s two hours. That’s relativity.” Time's true worth is reflected only in what we are doing as it is passing by.

Basics in a Nut Shell

 

Hear the Cry

Bring to the suffering person your holy silence, and just listen. Why deep listening? Listening deeply by being completely focused on what a person is telling you establishes a presence -- a presence not only of mind but of spirit. In the healing process two spirits are better than one. Bottom-line. By listening carefully, purposefully, that is deeply when someone speaks we're telling them that we care about them. That's empathy. That's love. There is no mystery as to why deep listening works. Love heals...  — Solomon And as is almost always the case when we do the right things, we get something good back. Your deep listening is contagious. When we listen to others they will be much more inclined to listen to us!  

About Confidence and Charisma

Charisma is compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others. Experts in sociology, political science, psychology, and management reserve the term for a type of leadership seen as extraordinary. For some background, in Christian theology, the term appears as charism , an endowment or extraordinary power given by the Holy Spirit . Charisma seems to be inborn but it can also be achieved by building positive self-confidence .  A person who is charismatic is exceptionally engaging, likeable, trustworthy, and, in many cases can seem 'magical'.  Larger-than-life personalities such as Marilyn Monroe, Martin Luther King, Jr., Oprah Winfrey, and Sir Richard Branson are all known by this trait. People with charisma are assertive, confident, inspiring, and warm. They make a point of listening to others, and they have an innate grace that often stops people in their tracks.

Self-Confidence and Positive Motivation

by Michael Corthell When you have confidence, you can have a lot of fun. And when you have fun, you can do amazing things. To be successful in your life, you must be willing to stand out and stand apart from the rest. You must act and be yourself.  Success is something that is unfortunately currently achieved by only a small number of people. It is my goal that all people live positive and therefore productive and successful lives. Also, in today's world you will discover, as you become successful, that there are many who, out of jealousy or envy, will belittle your achievements. No matter. When you have the courage of your convictions, nothing can keep you from becoming successful. You will develop confidence in your beliefs by doing your own thinking and by constantly being testing and revising your knowledge. Why Confidence Leads to Success: The Drive to Start Things – Confident people start things. They are not shy about striking out on a new idea e

For Your Spiritual Integrity

  The emotion of love is more than a feeling, it is more a state of awareness  —  the realization that all is one .

About That Karma Boomerang

  Not only is there a right and wrong, but what goes around does come around, Karma is real, chickens do come home to roost, and there is always a day of reckoning. The wise understand that every choice we make adds to the strength or weakness of our spirits. Every unkind act diminishes us, and every kind act lifts us. Karma is how the Universe balances itself . And we are all, along with all there is, one with the Universe.     

Understanding Karma

by Michael Corthell 'Karma' is a Sanskrit word meaning 'act', 'action', or 'word'. The law of karma teaches us that all of our thoughts, words and actions begin a chain of cause and effect , and that we will personally experience the effects of everything we cause. We may not experience the effect (the returning karma) right away, but you can count on it happening. Karma is a cosmic, immutable law, which means that it applies to everyone, everywhere, all the time. Ralph Waldo Emerson had much to say about this law, and in fact he describes the law of cause and effect as the law of laws . In a narrower sense, Karma is a theological concept found in the Buddhist and Hindu religions. It is the idea that how you live your life will determine the quality of life you will have after reincarnation. If you are unselfish, kind, and holy during this lifetime, you will be rewarded by being reincarnated (reborn into a new earthly body) into a pleasant l

Enthusiastic Habits

“Enthusiasm is a supernatural serenity.” ― Henry David Thoreau Napoleon Hill, the author of “Think and Grow Rich” said the following: “Enthusiasm is a state of mind that inspires and arouses one to put action into the task at hand . . . Enthusiasm bears the same relationship to a human being that steam does to the locomotive – it is the vital moving force that impels action.”

Your Right to Health (and being at your best)

“Unless we put medical freedom into the Constitution the time will come when medicine will organize itself into an undercover dictatorship. To restrict the art of healing to doctors and deny equal privileges to others will constitute the Bastille of medical science. All such laws are un-American and despotic.” ― Benjamin Rush , a signer of the United States Declaration of Independence and a civic leader in Philadelphia. The American people should be asking why they can't have the same level of healthcare, for the same cost, as other countries that have similar resources. The answer is easy to understand, by the way: it is the absence of the basic public health insurance that citizens of most other countries take for granted.

Veracity: Tell Me More

There is one reason for telling the truth -- it's the right thing to do, but for lying the reasons are infinite, with almost all the reasons self-serving -- that's why lying is a corrupt politician's go-to tactic. “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else.” ― Theodore Roosevelt