christianity
Life After Life (Part 7 of 7) – Continued Creation
It has been my experience that love is often the most universal message that people who have touched the other side bring back to us. That being said, even though love is the most important quality that we can express as human beings, there is also good reason to ally with love and forgiveness in our lives.
While we are on this planet our actions and contributions really do matter. As souls we are evolving and growing, and through this evolutionary process taking place on the soul level the planet too is in a process of evolution. Evolution is the creative dynamic that love creates.
In today’s final blog in this series I rely a bit on the esoteric traditions of spirituality that came before us, especially that of the Judeo-Christian and Jewish traditions. As I do so, I want to be clear that there are many traditions that express and say these same things in different ways. My personal background is in Christianity, and most of my formal teaching related to religion and spirituality stem from this tradition. This is why my blogs contain some archaic Christian language as reference points for spiritual understanding. Continue reading
A Time To Grow In God’s Grace
Growing up as a Roman Catholic, I experienced Lent as a strong discipline to better my life. “What are you giving up for Lent?” The answers from my non-believer friends were “homework” or “obey the parents” or “saving money for rainy days.” Lent is one of those practices demanded of Roman Catholics to which non-Catholic believers may say, “Another great reason to be Protestant!” It never really occurred to my friends that Lent was something interesting, or beneficial, to a better understand our connection with God.
One day, I sat thinking of the many reason and faces of this season, and upon doing some research I discovered that Lent is in fact also recognized by millions of Protestant Christians, in addition to Catholic and Orthodox believers. The Eastern Orthodox Lent is longer than the Catholic or Protestant Lent, and it begins before Ash Wednesday. Continue reading
Life After Life (Part 4 of 7) – Afterlife Language
The language of the Afterlife, and of Heaven, is much different from the languages we use on Earth. I have shared in the earlier parts of this series my own personal experiences of Heaven. One quandary that I have personally had with these experiences is that the dynamic of the “afterlife” experience was not the same for each person experiencing the transition.
In the four most profound visionary experiences I had, three of which I shared in previous posts, the experiences were profoundly different. In my near-death experience (NDE) I felt a sense of transcendence, and also had a cosmic experience. My father transitioned in what could be considered an average “Christian” transition. Jesus was there, as well as family and friends as far as the eye could see. I mentioned a third person as well, who had committed suicide. In this experience he was actually trying to get away, but angels blocked his path. Continue reading
The Nature Of Spirit
When getting a reading you may hear a psychic use the term “Spirit” during the reading. But what is Spirit? Spirit is another way of saying “God” or “the Divine.”
In my personal experience Spirit is the in-dwelling essence from which all things come. Spirit is the life force that dwells within us and in all living things, and represents each individual’s highest path and potential.
So how do we connect with “Spirit”? The concept or idea of Spirit is found within many spiritual traditions. It is the reason why individuals to this day practice specific religions in hopes that they too can align themselves with the higher power or Spirit. Continue reading
The Rosary Is A Powerful Tool
I look at so many people struggling, and so ready to get angry at the littlest things, so disconnected from the divine spark inside of them. I know a great tool to deal with this: I often pray the Rosary and thank God for all of the blessings in my life.
It really works for me. The promise of the Rosary is true, in that it will bring blessings into your life. It has brought so much goodness into mine.
I gave a friend, who is suffering from a horrible depression and feeling of incompleteness, a Rosary to pray. I found that she was happier after learning and praying the Rosary.
I wish I would have known about the Rosary many, many moons ago, but it’s never too late to learn the Rosary and see what blessings it can bring into your life. It really works. Continue reading
What Did You Give Up For Lent?
You’re out with your friends on a Friday night and suddenly you notice that one of them has switched from his favorite microbrew beer to lemonade? Is it time for Lent already?
Giving up something for Lent sometimes evokes head-scratching in non-Catholics, but what might seem like just another Catholic eccentricity can actually be a practice with deep spiritual significance.
Lent, the period of 40 days that precedes the celebration of Easter, has its origin in the early days of the Church. This year Lent began on March 5th and it ends on April 17th.
Converts seeking to become Christian, who at that time were mostly adults, spent several years in study and preparation. Under the threat of Roman persecution, becoming a Christian was serious business, so their process of preparation was intensive. Then they went through a final period of “purification and enlightenment” for the 40 days before their baptism at Easter. The rest of the Church began to observe the season of Lent in solidarity with these newest Christians. It became an opportunity for all Christians to recall and renew the commitment of their baptism. Continue reading
What Really Matters In Your Life?
It doesn’t matter what your profession is, how rich or successful you are, how attractive you think you are. Some of the most beautiful, caring, thoughtful, compassionate and charitable people are not necessarily wealthy or gorgeous.
God provides for His children in ways that are far beyond anything fame or fortune can provide. Less is truly more.
Instead of hoping to find many friends, who often come with a good amount chaos and drama, which I have no time for, I prefer one good friend, Jesus Christ. God always provides for his children. Less is truly more, especially when you have a Christ-centered life. Continue reading