In this weeks episode of Gregoire Today, Bob moves to the other side of the mic and interviews Greg Stewart, author of the new ebook “What is Freemasonry” , editor of the website Freemason Information, and host of Masonic Central pod cast.

Bob with his efficacious spirit and interminable will explores the nuance and thought behind the ancient and honorable fraternity and the work behind Stewart’s highly regarded book.  What is Freemasonry, why this book, and how the modern fraternity brings hope into the modern age.  All these questions and more will be answered and explored in this episode.

Join us at 10:30 am PST / 1:30 pm PST, December 17th.  To listen to the live program, follow the link to Blog Talk Radio where you listen to the program, can call in with your questions, or join in to our live show chat.  The call in number for the program live is 646-378-0660.

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Bob explores the power and process of the will, what shapes it and what what is the principal forces behind it. Is it a force of our unconsciousness?  We also plan to delve into the ideas of our divine royal family.  Building on the idea that we are what we think, and that because we are of a very high status, as a unique child of God, we should be treating ourselves as the offspring of the King of Kings?

All this and more.  I hope you can join our live program and interactive chat!  We record live at 10:30am PST / 1:30pm EST. If you have questions you would like to ask on the air, or would like to add into the conversation, you can phone in at 646-378-0660! Or listen live from the widget below.

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Do you purchase a car because of its’ curb appeal and sleek exterior or do you purchase based upon what’s underneath the hood?

Because I’ve had my own business since 1999, I’ve been leasing my cars since that time. My accountant advised me 11 years ago that it made more sense from a tax standpoint for business owners to lease rather than purchase.

After taking my wife to lunch on Saturday, I asked her if she’d like to join me in taking a look at the Volkswagen CC at a dealership that’s close to our house. I thought I should start looking because my current lease expires at the end of February and I was quickly approaching the mileage allowance on the existing car. In just 60 more miles, I’d begin paying $.25 per mile for every mile driven until February.

When we pulled up to the front door and took the key out of the ignition, Carolyn didn’t budge from her car seat.  I asked her if she was coming in with me to give me her opinion on the car and to keep me company. That’s my idea of a romantic Saturday afternoon after 25 years of marriage! She responded sheepishly with “no thanks, I’ll just wait here for you”. Even though she’s been married to a salesperson since 1984, salespeople still make her so uncomfortable that she’d rather sit in our car alone than have to deal with their sales tactics and insincerity.

After a few words of encouragement from my best “Mr. Suave impression”, she finally agreed to venture inside the lion’s den. I hadn’t yet finished closing her car door when one of the lions came out licking his lips like we were deer. I don’t know who was more uncomfortable, Carolyn or Kevin, our VW salesperson.

It’s not just Carolyn and Kevin.  Most salespeople are uncomfortable calling or approaching prospects/customers and most people feel uncomfortable dealing with any kind of salespeople.

After Kevin’s over the top but nice hello, he opened the door to invite us into the showroom where right inside the door were 10 other lions hanging around waiting for their next deer: with nothing to do but slurp coffee and consume whole donuts in a single bite. The testosterone-filled room of trained killers was making Carolyn even more uncomfortable.

As Kevin asked us to sit so he could ask us several questions, I think Carolyn felt we were being offered poisoned apples from the Queen like Snow White: she was sure “come here my pretty” was the next line out of Kevin’s mouth.

I told him the truth as I always do. I still had 4 more lease payments to make and my current lease didn’t expire until March 1st.  The only reason that we had stopped by that day was to take a look at a car that had caused me to rubberneck a couple of times within the last 30 days or so. I wanted to get an idea of whether or not the VW CC should be on my list of possible cars.  I already like the exterior. I wanted a chance to see what the inside looked like.

We went out to the lot to take a look at what they had in stock. Because I drive in 3-4 rental cars per month, I wasn’t even interested in test-driving the car. I was pretty confident that a Volkswagen would handle very well.  Upon their insistence (it’s part of their sales process), I agreed to take one out for a quick test-drive. I didn’t feel any different about the car after doing so, but they were happy that I had.

When we returned from the test drive, Kevin asked one of the sales managers to talk with us about our options – lease, purchase, etc.  At this point, Carolyn was trying to hide within the confines of the chair as her scrawny 148-pound husband was being pounced upon simultaneously by multiple lions.  Though they were really very nice, Carolyn already had her mind set into thinking that this and all car purchases should be bad experiences. I was pretty confident that this would be a good experience whether we decided to buy a car or not.

We always get what we expect!

Carolyn was so uncomfortable as I was mulling over the lease versus buy options that she left the showroom again seeking shelter within the car we came in.  Because I genuinely liked the car I had test-driven, the salespeople were good, and the price was great, I was strongly considering getting this action item checked off my “to-do” list while I was here.  After a little positive pressure from the sales guys and a little thought, I decided that this would be a good deal for everyone concerned.

Kevin said that he would process the paperwork, work with the insurance company and registry of motor vehicles, have the car serviced and detailed and have it ready for me to pick up Monday afternoon.  Even with the sale done, I wasn’t completely confident that the car would be ready on Monday and I had to be certain that if I returned my lease on Monday, the new car would be ready so that I could get to a speaking engagement early on Tuesday morning.

On Monday, Kevin sent me a text message saying that the car would be ready to be picked-up between 2 and 4PM.  Carolyn dropped me off and barely slowed-down enough to push me out of her car prior to speeding away from the scary zone. I think she thought that if she actually stopped the car completely, Kevin or one of the other lions would coerce her into buying a car against her will!

Kevin greeted me with a sincere smile, handed me the keys and quickly guided me through the owner’s manual prior to escorting me out to the perfectly detailed car. He continued respectfully calling me “Sir” throughout the entire process as he patiently familiarized me with the car.  It was only at this point did I realize that I could be old enough to be his father.

When he had finished showing the old man how to use all of the electronic gadgets and was still seated in the front passenger seat, he leaned towards me enough to pull something out of his right coat pocket.  It was a white paperback book with red ink lettering on the cover.  The title was, The Greatest Salesman In The World.  Kevin said, “I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of this book, but I read a chapter each day  in order to……”.

I responded very quickly while he was still in mid-sentence because I was so excited saying, “Kevin, not only have I read this book, but I’ve internalized each of the 10 concepts for success in life into my mind.”  “I’ve given motivational talks around the world based upon the concepts in this exact book. In addition, I’ve read every word ever written by one of the best inspirational, motivational, Christian self-help authors in the world – Og Mandino.” “He has been inspiring me to new levels of success since one of my sales managers gave me that exact book in 1990”.  We both smiled at each other about how much we had in common.

Although I was pretty confident in my decision that purchasing this car was the right thing to do, there was still a little apprehension in my head over the weekend about buying the first car that I looked at from the first salesperson at the first dealer that I visited.  I had also been wondering whether it made sense to buy a new car when I still had 4 hefty lease payments to make on a car that I would be turning in 4 months early.

When Kevin pulled that book out of his pocket, I had received a sign from God that I had absolutely purchased the perfect car at the perfect time at the perfect den from the perfect lion. And, for Carolyn, it showed that no seven dwarves were needed to rescue us (though I’m sure she’d say “this time”)!

Although I never cared to look under the Volkswagen’s hood, I was fortunate to glimpse what was underneath Kevin’s.  He’s put into action the concepts that he has disciplined himself to read on a daily basis.

All people are good underneath the hood.  It’s our job to see what’s beneath the rust, grease, dents, dings and cracks that are visible on the exterior.

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You and I were created in the image and likeness of God.  Each of us contains the Spirit of God dwelling within us. Our Spirit originated from the Source of all creation – God. One of the questions to ask ourselves is “have we lit the flame or flipped the switch to connect with our Source of power?”

Each of us contains the same Spirit. We were created of equal value in God’s eyes at birth. Spiritually, you and I are on a level playing field with every other human on the planet. We’ve been given different gifts and different bodies, but the Spirit inside of us is of equal value and comes from the same Source.

I’m writing today on my Mac notebook and working in a coffee shop.  I’m estimating that I have about 3 hours of battery life left. What happens to all of the words that are swirling around in my head after the power in my battery runs out (I’ve left home without my power cord)?  Although there is a tremendous amount of potential inside of my computer, I will not be able to utilize it if it’s disconnected from its source of power.

When a computer is disconnected from its’ source of power – an electrical outlet – for too long, it becomes a useless piece of metal, plastic and silicon. The inside of my shiny metallic Mac still contains 2.26GHz of processing power, it still contains a tremendous amount of potential space on my disk to create information and has 2GB of memory to store data before it’s written to the hard disk.  All of that potential power is still inside the case but, it cannot be used without a connection to its’ source of power.

You and I are much like my Mac.  As long as we remain connected to our Source of power – God – we have plenty of energy, life, power, potential and stamina. It is only when we choose to disconnect from our Source that we begin to become sluggish, lack energy and literally feel disconnected – powerless.

God is the Source who gave the gift of life to each of us.  God created us and wants to stay connected to us as a continuous source of power, love, hope, creativity and life. Our unity with God and with each other provides us with a sense of hope, purpose and belonging. It is a feeling that we are so powerful when connected to this Source of strength, knowledge, wisdom and energy that we have the ability to do anything that is in alignment with God. We are engaging in co-creation along with God.

We feel a tremendous connectedness to God and to all people. We know that the Source of love, knowledge, wisdom and creativity is God.  We know that for God, all things are possible.  When we are united and aligned with God’s consciousness, we become an extension of God’s love, knowledge, wisdom, compassion and creativity.  When connected with and united with our Source, nothing is impossible for us. We can feel this way every day if we stay connected and in alignment!

It is only in our isolation from God and from others that we feel abandoned, alone and disconnected.

If you were never taught that you and I were specially chosen by God and that we are unique, living miracles, that’s okay because now you know. You are a living miracle who has been created with enormous, unlimited potential! Now that you’re aware of this tremendous potential, it’s 100% within your power to tap-into that relationship and Source of all things that are good. You originated from God. You will forever be spiritually connected to God. You’re tremendously powerful when you are united with God and others.

So is connecting to our source of power – God – as easy as plugging  a computer into an outlet? I would say that it’s pretty close.  You know that feeling you get when you plug an appliance into an outlet that you’re not sure works and you see the light come on the appliance to let you know that you’re connected? That same thing happens when you plug  into God. Light bulbs start illuminating but, they’re in our minds. The feelings of serenity and love bring a smile to our faces. I frequently get a tingly feeling that goes up and down my spine and down my limbs when I feel a special connection to my Source.

There are many ways to “plug-in” to our Source.  Depending upon your personality style, some of the ways to connect will be more comfortable than others.  Over time you may feel comfortable trying new ways of developing your relationship.  Here are some easy ways to begin the process:

Talk with God. Close your eyes, take a few deep, cleansing breaths and start talking with God as if you were talking to a friend that you’ve been ignoring for a very long time  or a parent who loves you very much whom you’ve never met.  “Hi  it’s me.  I’m sorry that I haven’t talked to you or listened to you in a while.  I’ve been very busy at home and at work.  How are you? I’ve called you to ask for your love, guidance and assistance.  Would you mind if I told you about a problem that I’m experiencing and then listen to your feedback and suggestions?……………”  Once you get started talking to God and allowing enough time to listen, you’ll become comfortable with the process and begin doing it periodically throughout the day.

Read Scripture. Purchase the Bible and commit to reading for about 20 minutes per day.  I bought a 20-minute Catholic Bible that allows me to read the entire Bible in its entirety every 365 days.

Visit a church or other house of worship. Visit the house of worship when it’s empty and just sit or kneel and absorb God’s presence in the silence.  If you’d prefer, visit when there is a service going on so that you can pray, sing and enjoy the community of other people.

Meditate. Meditation is the art of experiencing God in the silence of your mind.  In Psalms 46:10 we’re told, “Be still, and know that I am God.”  There are several good books and audio CD’s on the art of meditation.  I found experimenting with the different styles of meditation a fascinating experience.  I am now able to meditate while lying in bed, exercising on a stair master or treadmill at the gym, sitting at my office chair or in an airplane seat or sitting on a cushion in the traditional yoga position.

Read works of spiritual authors.  The major bookstores have a tremendous selection of books on spirituality from authors such as Neale Donald Walsch, Dr. Wayne Dyer, Marianne Williamson and Deepak Chopra.

The power that is within each of us is the knowledge that we are children of God.  Our purpose is to love and serve God and each other.  When we stay connected to God and  live God’s Word,  we tap into an unlimited supply of love, compassion, kindness and creativity that brings an unspeakable feeling of joy and appreciation for this tremendous gift called life.  We become present in each moment and experience sincere feelings of gratitude  for the things that we used to take for granted. Our breath. Our sight. The taste of food. The touch of a hand. A kiss. The sound of rain drops.

Stay connected to God each day and you’ll be guaranteed enough battery life to perform miracles for 24 hours.

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Sunday night was a big night for our family.  My daughter Emily received the sacrament of Confirmation. I sat in-between my wife and my son James, Emily’s sponsor, and watched her lips move as she professed her faith. She looked beautiful, mature and confident.  I noticed that her words were sincere and audible. Her eyes were big, bright and full of life.

Within the Catholic Church, babies are brought into the Christian community when they receive the sacrament of Baptism shortly after birth.  It is the parent’s wish for the child to receive the Holy Spirit and be brought into the Christian family. For this sacrament, the child doesn’t have any say in the matter.

The sacrament of Confirmation is where a mature adolescent confirms and affirms the faith that was chosen for them about 15-16 years prior.  This time, it’s their choice. If taken seriously, it’s one of the first major decisions made by young adults.

Emily took this decision very seriously.

Fifty three sophomores in high school said the words “I do” that night in response to several questions from the priest.  We say “I do”  – a present tense affirmation – at many important ceremonies in our life – Confirmation, Wedding Day, naturalization and court appearances.

At Confirmation, we’re saying “I do” to many matters of significance that will have great bearing on the rest of our lives:

• Our belief in God
• Our belief in Jesus Christ, the Son of God
• Our belief that Jesus died and rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven
• Our belief that we just received the Holy Spirit (the Spirit of God is residing within our earthly bodies)

If we believe those things, how is that for a gift received?  The gift given to those students last night (and for the prior 15+ years) by their parents, grandparents and sponsors is the best gift that they will ever receive.

I believe that the gift of faith – if taken seriously and cared for and nourished going forward – is more important than any material gift that we will ever receive.

Faith is the gift that is the great equalizer. It is the gift that we can receive at any stage of our life regardless of our background, vocation or net worth.  Faith is the gift that exponentially increases our True Net Worth!

The gift of a relationship with God, faith in God, belief in God and Hope in God is one that we’ll use 365 days per year until the day of our death. Our faith comes into play each and every time we have a thought and make a decision.

The gift of using Jesus as a role-model for how to act in every situation – at work, at school, at parties, within a marriage, with children, as a roommate, within politics, on the athletic field – is the gift that we can use every second of every day.  It’s an awareness of how Jesus lived, how he spoke and the miracles he committed. He was sent to be our primary role-model.  He is the ultimate mentor.

When we study his Word by reading the Gospels and letters within the New Testament, we become aware of how we’re called to live.  We’re given a blueprint for how to think, how to feel, how to serve others and how to treat others.

We no longer have to guess. The blueprint for eternal serenity is given to us in black and white and it’s very easy to follow.

Now that we’re given this blueprint for how to relate with God, treat ourselves and others, we get to be the HGTV designers of how we’ll decorate the blueprint that we’re given with the colors of our personality and with our very uniquely woven gifts.

We are united with God via the Holy Spirit. We have direct access to God and are encouraged to really come to know God the same way we would get to know others at a deep level.  By listening.  By asking questions.  By spending time. By trying to understand.

When we spend time learning about God, we end up learning about ourselves and about the divinity that is residing within us – our Holy Spirit.  That’s it!  We are God’s miraculous creation.  It is God’s Spirit that connects us with God and with each human on the planet. We are one in the Spirit.

We become complete realizing that we are truly connected to God and each other with the Holy Spirit that is present within each person. Confirmation is the sacrament where we’re publicly given the opportunity to acknowledge our connection to God and to each other. We get to publicly affirm our beliefs on a weekly basis when participating at church services.

Our gifts of patience, meekness, kindness and understanding allow us to look deep within others to find the Spirit whose flame may be quite dim because of anger, hatred or loss of hope. We bring the gifts of oxygen and wood to fuel the dimly lit flames within others.

We can envision our gift of the Holy Spirit the way that God and Angels are always perceived – as a very bright light.  You and I are the light of the world.

We bring God into the world each minute of each day with the light that is shining bright within our eyes and souls.  It is the light of love.  It is the light of peace.  It is the light of patience. It is the light of kindness. It is the light of compassion.  It is the light of service.

Keep your light of faith shining brightly for yourself and for all the people you touch on a daily basis who will welcome your light with open arms.

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Over this last weekend, I played the organ and sang at three masses at our church.  Our regular music minister had to go and assist a daughter at the last minute and asked me if I’d fill-in for her at each of her masses.  I immediately said “yes” so that she could return her attention to her daughter.  Although I have a piano at home and have been playing the piano since I was 5, I don’t play much any more and I was not 100% comfortable with the organ, the sound system or the songs for this weekend.

The 4PM mass on Saturday went pretty well.  On Sunday at 9AM, my wife, my 15-year old daughter and several neighbors and friends were present and all sitting right up front.  As I was finishing the end of a song, I must’ve taken my eye off the music for just long enough to get out of alignment between what I was singing and what I was playing. I ended the song on the wrong chord with several wrong notes.  It was like a car crash!!!

My eyes went immediately to my wife (who is not close to being a musician) and I saw the look on her face that said, “How could you have made such a horrendous mistake!”?  If she knew that it was a mistake then no one could’ve missed that one!

I knew that I had made a huge blunder.  The choices at that point were to either let my head go negative and begin beating myself up or to laugh at myself, smile, thank God for such a small problem, and focus on the next song.  I chose the latter with the intent of playing and singing the rest of the hymns so gloriously that no one would ever remember the shriek.

It was an intentional choice to stay positive, stay present (forget about the past) and move on.

That was a very recent example of where I would have desperately appreciated a  “do over” in my life.

I knew at that moment that I was probably being tougher on myself than anyone else in the congregation.  I’m certain that our Pastor was very thankful to have me playing and singing.  I know that the music minister who I was filling in for would forgive me.  I knew that because my intentions were great – filling in for a friend and to worship God – that God would forgive me.  God always forgives me.

Have you ever experienced moments of despair or embarrassment and wondered how you’re going to be able to move forward?  Me too. Without giving it too much thought, here are a few of my moments of despair or embarrassment:

• When I was in grammar school and taking piano lessons, my mind went completely blank during a recital. I was in front of a large audience and just sitting there with nothing coming out of my brain or my fingers related to the song(s) that I had memorized (apparently I hadn’t memorized them!).  My face was red and I was sweating with embarrassment as the silence in the recital hall seemed to go on for ever.
• In college, I dropped out of the management program half-way though a semester because I was so unprepared for the upcoming tests and overwhelmed with the curriculum – statistics, accounting, economics and finance all in the same semester!  “How’s school going?”  “I dropped out.”
• When I was out of college and working, I became a political casualty (I was fired) at work when my new manager brought in his own team of friends from his old company. When this happened, my stay-at-home wife was  pregnant with our second child (our daughter Emily) and I didn’t have a lot of liquid cash.  No job, no income, very little cash and no health benefits.  Now what?
• When Carolyn and I were trying to have children we went through numerous fertility tests to try and determine why we were unable to conceive. “Wow!  We might never be able to have the family that we’ve dreamed about.”  “What’s wrong with me?”  “What’s wrong with you?”
• When I finally got a new job, my income was not where it was supposed to be because I had been mislead during the interview process as to the amount of ongoing revenue from existing customers. I had to return the brand new Ford Taurus SHO muscle car that I had purchased and replace it with a used, old man’s Buick Century. I couldn’t afford the payments on the car and the mortgage with my drastically reduced income.  I felt humiliated as I drove into work the next day with the clunker.

We are usually tougher on ourselves than anyone else around us would ever be on us. People are forgiving, Life is forgiving.  God is forgiving.

It doesn’t matter what mistakes we’ve made because, there is not one that is so serious that we could not recover. It doesn’t matter how bad the cards are that we were dealt -a bad business partner, the loss of a job, a bad marriage, bad debt, a sour economy, a failed business, the demise of an industry.  It’s all history.  Life is not about history.  It’s about living in the present moment. We can always wipe the slate clean or reformat the hard disk of our lives.

You are larger than any problem that comes your way.

I had to get a new computer in June because the laptop which I use to run my businesses and personal life failed. How do we feel about the new computer?  It’s nice and shiny and new. The operating system is current.  The drives are virus free and full of lots of empty space.  There are no old files on the drive.

How do we treat the new computer?  We only put into the new computer the information that we choose to and that will serve us in the future.  All of the old files and viruses and worms and spyware are left on the old computer.

That how I see my life every day.  Our brains are so miraculous that it’s like buying a new computer on a daily basis.  We get to fill our brains with the files and programs that serve us today and that will serve us in the future.  We get to deliberately leave the worms and viruses and spyware that we somehow picked up along the roads of life in the past. There is plenty of space in the brain for all of the new, exciting thoughts that you want to think, now that you’ve created the space by leaving the viruses and negativity behind.

Give all of your problems to God.  Ask God for guidance.  Take time to become silent enough with yourself to listen to yourself and to listen to God.

Here’s a simple process to follow:

• Take several deep breaths.  Repeat to yourself: “With God’s assistance, I’m capable of solving every problem that comes my way with confidence.”
• Take time each day to be silent.  God is present in the silence of our mind and heart.
• Say some prayers.
• Talk to God. God is always listening.
• Listen to God. Trust your highest self.
• Have faith in yourself and your ability and in God.
• Trust that this problem can be solved.  Nothing is too big for God
• Reach out to supportive family members and friends.
• There is a new day ahead tomorrow and you get to control your thoughts and  decide how you will proceed going forward.
• Thought is the act of creation. Deliberately choose to create positive, constructive thoughts.
• Focus on the positive and remain grateful for all that you have.
• Keep in mind that “This too shall pass.”

Remember that staying positive is a choice made by staying present. There are answers to every problem that exists in your life and you are smart enough – with some assistance from the divine – to resolve each and every situation that you’re dealing with today.

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On Thursday’s blogtalkradio program hosted by Greg Stewart, he and I talked a lot about the relationship between the mind – our words and thoughts (self-talk) – and our spirituality – our relationship with God.

One of the concepts we spoke about was the practice of utilizing the affirmation (statement of fact or belief) process to convert our negative or mediocre thoughts into positive, emotional present-tense sentences. Through this practice, we can not only raise our own self-esteem and performance levels, but we can convert ourselves into individuals who are great at increasing the collective self-esteem of the groups to which we belong – family, church, work, etc.

One of the practices that I’ve been making use of for many years is to convert the positive thoughts, traits, and habits that I read, hear or notice in other people – that I wish to assimilate into my own being – into affirmations.

While reading scripture this morning, several concepts that I was reading seemed to jump-off the pages as perfect examples of how to integrate faith with the mind.

In Philippians, Paul says “Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication (to make a humble request of) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

I’ve converted those lines from scripture into the following affirmations:

I am in a state of peace at all times because I know that God is with me in each of my thoughts and actions.

I humbly share all of my concerns, fears and anxieties with God and feel confident knowing that my always thankful prayers are heard and will be answered.

There are so many places for you and I to improve ourselves and become the types of people that we’re capable of becoming -it’s incredible!  When we focus our minds and awareness on our desire to improve, the answers seem to spring up from everywhere – literally!

When we tell ourselves that there is “no hope”, that’s exactly what we receive. When we tell ourselves that the answers always exist and that there is always hope, miraculously we bring into our lives all that is good and wonderful.

In the very next paragraph within the same Chapter of Philippians 4, Paul says the following: “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.”

Paul said it and it makes great sense to me so, I’m going to do it!

How many great traits could we assimilate into ourselves by utilizing the affirmation process from just that one sentence?

I look for the truth in each circumstance. I am patient and kind with myself and others while constantly searching for my own truth.

It’s easy for me to act in a dignified, gracious and honorable manner at all times.

I treat each person that I meet with dignity and respect and feel confident knowing that justice is always served in my presence.

I fill my mind, heart and soul with thoughts of all that is pure and lovely and give thanks to God for the beauty that is found in my wife, my children, my family and throughout all of humanity and nature.

In each act that I perform on a daily basis, I perform it with excellence in mind.

It’s exceptionally easy for me to give sincere praise to the people around me. I am blessed to be surrounded by competent, loving people who are all living life to the best of their capabilities at all times.

Our minds, bodies and souls (spirits) are all part of the package that makes up our being.  The mind, body and spirit are all inextricably connected. We use our minds to come to know our true spiritual self. We use our minds to develop our relationship with God. When our thoughts and actions become one with God’s our bodies take on a new posture of confidence and hope and love.

The great spiritual and inspirational writers have done their work by providing us with their words and the inspired words of God in written and audio format. It’s now our choice as to how much of this wisdom and knowledge we’d like to truly make our own.

What is it that you’re looking for?

“The beginning of wisdom is the most sincere desire for instruction,
and  concern for instruction is love of her (wisdom),
and love of her is the keeping of her laws,
and giving heed to her laws is assurance of immortality,
and immortality brings one near to God;
so the desire for wisdom leads to a kingdom.”
Solomon 6:17-20

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The teacher appears when the student is ready. Are you seeking wisdom?  Do you desire instruction?

The answers are available.  The solutions exist.  We’re capable of solving every problem imaginable.  What problems are you seeking to solve?

An issue that I’ve experienced every day since 1999 is that even when solutions are presented to people which show them how to solve their problems, they either don’t hear what is being said (the information goes in one ear and then quickly exits the other ear) or they choose to leave the seminar or training session without implementing what has been learned.  Why would any one receive a gift and choose not to open it and use it ?

I’ve noticed that when people  are “sent to training” by a company, a minority of the attendees listens to every word, takes notes, asks questions and then leaves the session invigorated and armed with new knowledge that they are excited to implement into their lives. They’re looking to change. They were eagerly seeking the wisdom that would help them to grow, improve and change.  Why isn’t every attendee as excited about the opportunity to learn, grow and change?

The majority of the people who attend training sessions are what people in the training industry call “hostages”. They’re there because the manager has “forced them” to attend.  If they had their way, they would not be in the room.  For the majority of the hostages, they go through the motions.  They sit, they watch, they pretend to listen but, that’s where it ends. They look like deer in headlights! They don’t ask questions, they don’t know how this information could possibly apply to them. They don’t utilize the information and implement. They’re not seeking wisdom. They’re doing everything that they can to stay the same and resist or ignore what’s going on in front of them!  Do they not believe that they have the ability to change?

In order to be able to receive wisdom and knowledge, we must know what we’re looking for.

I now believe with every cell in my body that people who have belief in themselves (self-esteem) and/or faith in God are the people who are most receptive to change. One ingredient or the other is necessary for people to be receptive to receiving and applying knowledge. When both are present, the power is amazing! They’re the ones who know that they still have significantly more potential inside of them that is desperate to come out.  They’re the ones who are seeking the knowledge that will help them improve and manifest the gifts that they’ve received. They know that God provides answers to the questions that they ask. They have faith that God will respond and give them the wisdom that they’re seeking.

What are you seeking?  What are you looking for?  Ask and it will be given.

“If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you.”
John 15 :7

People who are seeking answers, wisdom and knowledge understand that the teacher in front of the room is probably the answer to their prayers.