There was an article in the January 25th edition of USA Today submitted by the Associated Press, Bin Laden praises attempted Christmas attack. While Bin Laden is praising the heroic warrior Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab who unsuccessfully tried to blow-up a U.S. airliner on Christmas Day, the article quotes him as saying, “If our messages had been able to reach you through words, we wouldn’t have been delivering them through planes.”

I wonder if he truly means it?  I wonder if he tried speaking with us and we either didn’t listen to him or we just heard what we wanted to hear?

Is it possible that each of us is part of the problems which exist on a global basis?  Are we isolating ourselves from problems that exist around the world?  Do we tend to focus too much on ourselves and the interests of our country?

We all want to be heard. Humans will do anything to receive attention. Although we’d prefer positive attention, if we can’t get enough of it, we’ll accept negative attention. Is terrorism a way of getting attention from people who appear to be living in isolation?

Have you ever had to yell, scream or punch a wall to get somebody’s attention?

Have you ever ignored what a child or spouse was saying to you because you were pre-occupied with something else that seemed more important than another human?

I wonder if Osama Bin Laden would try speaking with us again?  I wonder if he’d meet with me in the location of his choosing to have a civil one-on-one conversation about how to stop the killing in the world by replacing hatred with love?

What I know about Islam is that its’ followers profess tremendous love for Allah.  Devout Muslims pray 5 times per day. Islam is an Abrahamic faith that has much in common with Judaism and Christianity.  It is a faith which demonstrates tremendous love and compassion for Allah and others.

Many despicable acts have been accomplished throughout history in the name of religion.  Religion, like a tongue, can be used to bring love or to bring hatred.  Neither religion nor the tongue is bad – it is how it is used by the owner. Development of God-like loving and compassionate thoughts trains our tongues to be instruments of peace.

How can any person who professes to love God, kill in that God’s name?  Probably in much the same way that parents and children hurt each other on a daily basis with their words.

Each of us is being called to do the exact opposite of killing in God’s name: each one of us is called to love in God’s name.  It is love that is our true being and at the heart of our souls.  It is God’s love which created us and sustains our very life on a daily basis.  It’s only when we’re shielded from God’s words and God’s Spirit that we act un-Godly. It’s when we intentionally separate ourselves from our Creator that we become hateful, selfish, miserable and hurtful.

Would Osama Bin Laden really like to put an end to the wars in the world?  I would.

Would he like to discuss how we can begin educating the world so that ignorance would stop breeding hatred? Would he like to replace the hatred which exists in the hearts and souls of people with love?  I would.

Would he like to bring knowledge about God’s love for every single human to each of our 6.7 billion brothers and sisters?  I would.

Would he like to eliminate the doubt which exists in the minds of millions with a faith that only brings joy and love to self and others?  I would.

Would he like to replace the darkness that is clouding the souls of millions of people with a light that comes from the love of God?  I would.

Our planet is way beyond the point of  thinking and acting locally and selfishly.   It is our small minds and selfish thinking that have the world in the state in which it’s in today.  Each of is is a part of one Global Tribe.  We are one huge family.  Yes, many of us are not speaking with each other.  Yes, many of us are waiting for the other family member to admit that he or she is wrong.  Yes, many of us are turning our heads to the realities that are being faced by our family members.

Each of us has the potential to admit that we’ve been wrong and are part of the problem.  Once we admit that we have a global problem, we can commence with the global solution.  Selfish solutions from one country or one faith will not work in solving universal problems.

Each of us was created in the image and likeness of God. No one of us is more valuable in God’s eyes than another just because of a particular name, faith, family or net worth.  Each of us is a child of God and deserves to be treated with love, dignity and respect.  Together, each of us makes up one global family.  Each of us is a member of this family.  When one of us suffers, we all suffer.

Like a small paper cut can bring tremendous pain to us even when the rest of our body is healthy, any individual or groups of people who are in pain across the world bring pain to our global body.  Our global body is covered with numerous band-aids and many of our minor cuts are now seriously infected.

In a global body, amputation of an individual, country or faith is not a realistic remedy.  Love, compassion and understanding are the remedies to solve this body’s wounds.

Yesterday I spoke of reading comments made by Osama Bin Laden.  Today I issue the following letter, in hopes of furthering the previously stated desire to share my belief that all faiths and religions proclaim love for God and love of others. We cannot be a global community if we are each separated by faith, religion, creed, color, gender, or orientation. We must be willing to understand one another. We must put aside our differences long enough to hear one another. Only then will we be a successful global community.

Mr. Bin Laden:

If you choose to speak with me, you’ll be speaking with a citizen of the world who happens to have a mailing address in the United States. I am not a member of any government or political organization.  I am aware of the suffering, poverty, ignorance and helplessness that is going on in many parts of the world. I am also aware of the ignorance and selfishness that are running rampant in the industrialized, wealthy nations.

Ignorance is nothing more than a lack of knowledge, education and awareness.  I would like to bring education, love, hope, faith and prosperity to each of the world’s 6.7 billion humans.

You are currently influencing the minds of millions of your followers with messages of hatred and death.  You can be part of the solution if you’re still willing to use words of love and hope instead of airplanes and other weapons of destruction to get the world’s attention.

You have the potential and the ability to restore Islam as a faith of love and peacefulness in the minds of the ignorant who only associate it as one of hatred and killing.  You have the potential to refocus your followers to assist in solving the problems that exist in the world with their brains and their love.

You have the potential to redeem yourself by helping to create answers to the problems that you so deeply care about.

If you’re still willing to talk, I am willing to listen. I will seek to understand. Let’s bring people together with love in God’s name and put an end to the ignorance and hatred which exist only in the absence of God’s Spirit.

Sincerely,

Bob

Osama Bin Laden caught my attention in the newspaper last week. I’m requesting a meeting with him to discuss the following subjects and anything else that may be on his mind.

There is one Creator of the world.  Everything I know about that Creator keeps bringing me back to one word – Love.

If this Creator is associated with love, why does so much hatred exist?

Some of us don’t believe in this Creator because we don’t want to work too hard to come to really know and establish a relationship with God.  All relationships take work and because many of us are having a hard enough time working on relationships at work, school and home, we don’t have much left in our tanks to try and figure out this Creator who may or may not exist.

What better use of our time could there be than to learn how to sustain inner-peace, hope and love at all times?  Our minds, souls and world peace depend on that investment in ourselves.  Peace is established one mind at a time.

Many people who were born into a faith or who have developed faith later in life have come to know God because of a particular religion. I’ve come to know and love God through Christianity.  I am thankful for that gift on a daily basis.

That very faith has taught me that each person on the planet is my brother and sister. It’s taught me that it’s my responsibility to love each and every one of my brothers and sisters.

Once I chose to become aware of other faiths, and their predominance in countries and continents around the world, I now know that billions of great people around the world have come to know and love God through many other faiths.  My faith asks me to love each and every one of them.

How we come to know and love God is much less important to me than the love that we show to God and to each other.  People of differing faiths have much to teach each other as we work toward building our love and compassion for each other. As I’ve begun studying other faiths, that knowledge has helped me to increase and solidify my Christian faith.  The knowledge of other faiths has also allowed me to respect and appreciate our diverse paths that lead to the same outcomes:

• Love of God
• Love of all humans
• Unity with and dependence upon each other

I’ve yet to read a word about any faith or religion which does not proclaim love for God and love of others.

Adversity is tough to deal with when we’re very strong.  It can feel overwhelming when we’re weak and vulnerable.  Eleven days ago I received news that made me thankful that I had built-up a strong reserve of internal strength.

My mission is to give people the tools to develop their own internal strength – mentally, spiritually and physically – so that they’ll be able to live the best lives possible each and every day.

If I haven’t said this lately, if I had to choose one of the three – and I don’t – it would be spiritual strength.

The knowledge that God exists and is dwelling within our minds and spirits is the strongest support that we can have in dealing with our every day realities. It is my faith that gives me the power to remain strong and focused during my life’s challenging times.

Having strong mental health means creating and maintaining a positive, efficacious  mind. It means that you’ve intentionally built a very strong self-image and are great at noticing each of the strong qualities in the people around you.

Maintaining a healthy body provides a peaceful home in which our minds and spirits can dwell for as many days as we’re fortunate enough to live.

With positive minds, healthy bodies and the spirit of God alive and well in our being, we’re positioning ourselves to be constructive souls across the planet. We’re also better prepared to try and understand our setbacks and the setbacks of those around us.

On December 3rd, I started receiving news from people around me that I love which made me thankful for God and my internal strength: my great friend Tracy from high school called me that day to tell me that his sister, my 47 year old friend and first girlfriend, Leah, had succumbed to breast cancer. Leah was happily married and the mother of two beautiful children. She was part of a loving family who welcomed me into their world when I was 15 years old and kept me there in their minds forever. Although Leah and I dated for only about a year, she has maintained a place in my mind and heart and will be there forever. She gave me her gift that will last a lifetime.

You and I have the ability to positively, negatively or neutrally impact each person  we touch throughout our lives.  It’s not the length of time we’re with someone, it’s the impact we have during the time that we’re given. Leah was very high-impact.

When Tracy called me to tell me of his sister’s death, I had just returned home from a 3-day business trip and was scurrying around trying to play catch-up.  At that instant, all of the very important things that I had planned for that day suddenly seemed very unimportant.  As I was listening to Tracy speak, in the back of my mind I knew that I was leaving the following morning on a 6AM flight for another 4-day trip.  I was petrified that I would be out of town during the wake and funeral. Tracy, Leah and the entire family are all very dear to me.

Leah’s funeral was held last Saturday, December 12th.  She was all I could think of that morning at home and at the gym.  I left the gym at 8:40 to make sure that I arrived at the church early.  My brand new car doesn’t have GPS and I made every possible wrong turn imaginable. Was my mind elsewhere?  Yes.  Instead of arriving between 9:15 and 9:30 for the 10AM funeral and relaxing in the parking lot, I pulled into the parking lot perspiring at about 9:50.

My compassionate friend Tracy came out into the 19 degree parking lot without a jacket, scarf or hat to greet his old friend. After signing the guest book at the back of the church and winding around the perimeter of the church in a long line of people, I found myself at the side entrance to the church which is at its’ front. The hallways, choir loft and church were filled with family and friends and every seat and space appeared to be full with the exception of the front 2 pews which were reserved for the family. I did not want to miss a single word of this service!  Out of desperation, I asked an usher if she had any suggestions where one person could sit. She turned around and pointed to a single seat just to the right of the pulpit. Am I lucky or had that exact seat been reserved for me by someone very special?

I was thankful to be seated on time prior to the arrival of the family into the church.  Once the family was seated, I realized that I had a direct line of view to Leah’s mom and dad, so I knew that I couldn’t look in that direction unless I wanted to break down uncontrollably. I’ve loved her parents for almost 35 years and couldn’t imagine the sadness that they were feeling if I was feeling despair and emptiness over a person I hadn’t even seen in 14 years. The last time that I saw Leah was at my Dad’s wake.

Leah’s beautiful sister Heidi spoke on behalf of the family.  Heidi looked me right in the eyes and gave me a big, radiant smile as she climbed the steps into the pulpit. Heidi then gave an uplifting message of joy as she spoke to Leah’s husband, children, parents, brothers, family, neighbors and friends.  Heidi wasn’t speaking to have us feel sorry or sad, she spoke to remind us how Leah lived – with smiles, light and humor and to invite us to do the same. She was a very bright light in the world who loved her family, friends, strangers and God.

The Episcopal minister was phenomenal!  It was easy for her to speak because she really knew Leah and journeyed with her during her  two-year sickness. She spoke of Leah’s concern that her children knew that she hadn’t given up on them.  Leah loved in life and she loved at the time of her death. She knew that it was time for her to leave her family and friends and to go to God. She was at peace with her awareness.  Her faith had kept her strong in spirit.

After the 55 minute service, I waited in a 30-minute line in order to get into the church hall for the reception. There was no way I could leave without seeing the family that I’ve loved so much for such a long time.  When I finally saw Leah’s mom, she gave me what might be the best hug that I’ve ever had.  The barely 5-foot woman hugged me with tremendous strength and held on to me for what must’ve been 60 seconds. Neither one of us wanted to let go.

I’ve maintained my friendship with Tracy over the years and had dinner with him on November 17th. As always, I inquired about Leah, his Mom and Dad and the rest of his family. Neither one of us knew at that time that Leah would be leaving us this soon.  We never really know when will be the last time that we’ll see, talk with, hug or kiss someone.

Wakes and funerals are always tremendous reminders for me to do those things today. I’m sure that’s what Og Mandino meant when we wrote in his book, The Greatest Salesman in the World, “I will live this day as if it is my last”.   What would I say to you if this were my last day with you?  How would I hug you?  How would I kiss you?  How would I treat you?

My life has been filled with one blessing after another. In my life today is a fantastic wife of 25 years, two phenomenal children, a loving, generous mother, two great brothers, a caring sister, numerous cousins, uncles and aunts and many dear and great friends. Each one is irreplaceable.

I felt a sense of tremendous loss when my father and mentor died 14 years ago.  I’m feeling a very similar sense of loss today over the loss of Leah. I’ve come to realize that there wouldn’t be any feeling of loss if that individual had not given so deeply of themselves to me. This knowledge allows me to be unbelievably thankful for the special time that I did have with them.  Those are the thoughts and memories that will remain with me forever.

Special people provide us with something unique that can only be given to us by them. It’s the thought of his love, her smile, his hug, her giggle, his voice or her humor that brings smiles to our faces and stirs happy memories inside.  To say that each of us is  unique is an understatement of great magnitude.  When you and I give our unique gifts to the world every day with such effort that we drop into our beds each night with nothing left to give, it’s a tremendous feeling of knowing that you’ve given all that you could to the world.  It’s a feeling that although we were not perfect, we did the absolute best that we could in everything that we did.

Each night before falling asleep I review the activities of the day and ask myself that exact question: Did I do the best that I possibly could in every circumstance throughout this day?  When the answer is yes, I’m at peace.  If the answer is no, I’ve already begun my list for tomorrow.

Only you can provide the unique gift of yourself to the world.  Your smile is unique. Your eyes are unique.  Your voice is unique.  Your spirit is unique.  You are you-nique!  Please don’t hold back. We need you to share yourself with us – today.

You cannot be replaced.

Your job can be filled.

There is no one or thing that can ever replace you.

You are truly special.

I miss you Dad.  I miss you Leah.  I’m looking forward to seeing both of you in heaven.

It’s lonely at the top.

It’s lonely at the bottom.

It’s comfortable and very crowded in the middle. It’s lonely there too.

People who have reached the top of their professions – athletes, politicians, CEO’s – sometimes feel isolated because they are leading high-profile, public lives in which they’re expected to be great, if not perfect.

The homeless people at the bottom of the social structure have ended-up there because of real emotional and/or physical problems or because important people in their lives have given up on them and they finally gave-up on themselves.  They’ve teen told that they were worth less at work or in a relationship and they’ve decided to believe that they’re worthless.

On a trip to Atlanta about 10 years ago, I arrived at midnight and took the train into downtown. Once the escalator took me up to street level, an african american homeless man offered to guide me to my hotel. He grabbed my rolling luggage bag and lead me down the street toward the Marriott.  We walked and talked for several blocks when it became apparent to both of us that he had gone in the wrong direction. I was very tired and tried to remain patient and kind.  In my head were the familiar words, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, that you do unto me”. We turned around and back-tracked to our original spot and then walked another quarter of a mile or so toward the hotel.

Because I had the luxury of conversing with him for a good 30 minutes that evening, I found out that he was a former vice president for about 20 years at a well-known, large insurance company. As a result of a divorce, he ended-up in a downward spiral in his mind that he allowed to impact his job and he quickly ended up as the lonely, dirty and homeless former vice president.  He was still smart, educated and very well-spoken but, you’d only know that if you were able to get beyond his exterior. All remnants of his former outwardly perfect life were gone.

Without his thousands of employees who used to report to him and without his wife and family and married friends, he found himself alone on the streets of downtown Atlanta.

As many of us have found out over the last couple of years, many of us are often one event away from financial, career or a family disaster.

Those of us who we deem to be relatively successful because of our respectable jobs, homes and families are fortunate to be surrounded with many people with whom we can eat, drink, socialize and commiserate with.  Even though we’re blessed with many relationships, I’ve found that the majority of them – even with family – can be superficial.

Many conversations and relationship sound like:

“How are things?”  “Good.”

“How are you?”  “Good.”

“What’s up?”  “Not much.”

“What’s up with you?”  “Same old, same old.”

Our real important pressing concerns are often left to be solved in the misery and silence of our own minds.  It was our own minds that created the problems in the first place. It might be beneficial to have someone else’s mind assist us in getting out of the problem.

Ultra successful people have reached that pinnacle because of a combination of their God-given talents and tremendously hard work. The lives that they’ve lead frequently cause separation between themselves and their families, friends and co-workers.  Highly successful people are willing to lead an ultra disciplined lifestyle that most of the rest of us are unwilling to live – long hours, study, practice, exercise, travel, diet, investments in businesses, etc. Intentionally or unintentionally, people at the top of the social and financial strata often isolate themselves from others.

Their commitment and dedication to their craft has caused spectacular success in one area of their life.  That success can sometimes cause less time to be spent in other areas – family, friends, community, faith, etc.

When you’re at the top of your profession, who can you speak with, rely upon and confide in when you’re in trouble?  Who can you turn to when you need or want to talk about your human realities of life – relationship struggles, business pressure or parenting challenges?

It’s taken me 48 years to finally comprehend that every one of my problems results from trying to conduct life on-my-own, separated from God.

God has always been inside of us. Either we didn’t know it, or we knew it but, didn’t develop that relationship or we’ve deliberately decided that we are smarter than God and don’t need any of His assistance in our lives.

Whether you are in the homeless, middle-class or top-of-your-field category, there is never a reason to feel lonely or isolated.  God is everywhere and impossible to ignore when we invite his grace, words and spirit to be a part of every aspect of our lives.

God doesn’t discriminate. He wants to be included in every aspect of our lives.

If each of our 60,000+ thoughts per day is focused on our thoughts about work, relationships and money we’re not allowing any room for God’s  thoughts and words.  When we fill our minds with God’s promises, our feelings of isolation are gone and God’s grace infiltrates our thoughts and every one of our actions.

Are our decisions better made with our thoughts only or as a result of a private consultation with one who has perfect thoughts?  I already gave you my answer.  My life’s biggest problems came about when my ego didn’t leave room for God’s thoughts and grace to influence my actions.

Athletes who are at the top of their game practice and exercise on a daily basis.

CEO’s have their own rituals that may include daily reading of periodicals, meetings and analysis of the business’ health by monitoring a dashboard that contains the vital statistics.

None of us is immune to challenges, problems and feelings of loneliness.  By including new spiritual disciplines into our life on a daily basis, we’re able to eliminate the feelings of despair and loneliness forever.

We can welcome God to be a part of every aspect of our life in several ways:

• Reading scripture on a daily basis allows us to contemplate God’s thoughts and ways of thinking, acting and living.
• Praying allows us to lower our egos long enough to welcome the thoughts, advice and suggestions of outside counsel whose thoughts are better than our own. Praying affords us the opportunity to specifically ask God for help.
• Meditation ensures that we take time daily to relax out bodies and minds long enough to silence our thoughts and make room for newer, better God-like thoughts.  We have to stop talking (or thinking) long enough to be able to listen.

Whether you live alone or with a big family. Whether you live in the wilderness or in a major city, you can always think comforting thoughts and rest in the faith that God is always alive and well and taking residence in the temple of YOU.  Your body is the earthly temple in which you can invite God to live with you. His grace will manifest itself as his words begin mingling with your own.  The Holy Spirit takes residence in every cell of your body and brings health and joy to every interaction that takes place.

Loneliness is a deliberate choice.

There is never a fear of rejection when talking to God. God is a phenomenal listener too.

Invite God to fill the hole that exists which is causing feelings of separation, isolation and loneliness.

When we invite God to live with us, we’re always guaranteed a party of two will show up for every event!

Prior to the Fort Hood killings, Reverend David Rinas, a Lutheran Minister in Chelmsford, Massachusetts and Imam Hafiz Abdul Hannan from the Islamic Society of Greater Lowell (MA) had planned an Interfaith Thanksgiving Service. The timing of their service could not have been any better. It was a great time for people within Massachusetts to learn more about Islam and other faiths different than their own.

When I saw the notice in my local paper announcing the service, I immediately tore the clipping out and entered the 7PM service into my Blackberry.  That slot was locked-in on my calendar for several days until I found out on Sunday morning that the New England Patriots-New York Jets games started at 4:15 (which meant it wouldn’t end until about 7:30PM)  The interfaith service would significantly cut-into an evening of relaxing football!

As it got to be about 5:30PM, it was pitch black, cold and raw in Massachusetts.  I was comfortably settled in front of the football game with the gas fireplace in our family room cranked to the temperature of a pizza oven. I had to decide whether to finish the football game while toasty warm, or change clothes, freshen-up and head-out into the dark, dreary night.

Why does doing the right think always make us feel good?

I strolled into the Trinity Lutheran Church at about 6:55PM after listening to the Patriots game on my car radio in the church parking lot up until the last minute.  Like most church services that I’ve ever been to, most of the people there were seated in the middle of the church toward the back.  There were plenty of seats available at the front on the left-hand side, so I headed in that direction so that I’d be able to see and have a little breathing room (H1N1 is everywhere!).

At about 6:58, about 6 people and an infant chose the row directly in front of my pew and settled-in comfortably making sure to completely obstruct this 5 foot 8 inch man’s perfect view of the lectern and altar.

After a short greeting by Rev. Rinas, John Kurland from Congregation Shalom lead us in this prayer:

God of all creation, we stand in awe before You, impelled by visions of the harmony of humanity.   We are children of many traditions–inheritors of shared wisdom and tragic misunderstandings, of proud hopes and humble successes.  Now it is time for us to meet and worship–in memory and truth, in courage and trust, in love and promise.

In that which we share, let us see the common prayer of humanity; in that which we differ, let us wonder at the freedom of all; in our unity and our differences, let us know the uniqueness that is God.

May our courage match our convictions, and our integrity match our hope. May our gratitude and thankfulness which brings us together today unite our hearts in love. May our faith in You bring us closer to each other.  May our meeting with past and present bring blessing for the future.

Amen.

What football game? At about 7:02, I knew that I had made the right decision to leave the pizza oven and venture into the cold church that was full of warmth.

The 80 minute service alternated between music and prayer. A member from each faith lead us in a prayer that was deemed appropriate by each of the clergy prior to the service.  They got together to decide how to focus on all that we had in common rather than focus on our differences.  I love that!

One of the guys in front of me who was obstructing my view had the red hymnal open but, was not singing.  It appeared as if he had a piece of paper in the hymnal that he was studying while pretending to be looking at the hymnal.

When it came time for the recitation from the Quran, that man got up and proceeded to the lectern. The most touching part of the evening for me was scripture sung from the Quran in Arabic.  His voice trembled from nerves at the beginning most likely because he was out of his comfort zone–I think that everyone else was too. He quickly settled in to singing the Word of Allah.  Muslims are serious about their faith.

Knowing the little that I do about meditation, the body is divided into 7-8 chakras (energy centers) that start from the base of the spine and proceed up to the tip of the head (the crown chakra). The chakras are called energy centers because these are the places where we have large collections of nerves that can frequently become stuck.  Yoga, meditation and chiropractic are all ways of making sure that these chakras are working properly. When each of them is working properly, our body is at ease and free from dis-ease.

Each of the chakras is related to a unique color and  note from the musical C-scale.  Having the scripture sung to me seemed to touch each of my chakras as his chanting resonated with each energy center from the base of my spine up to my crown.

What I now realized is that I had been lucky enough to sit in the section where the Muslims decided to sit.  In addition to the man who chanted from the Quran, the Imam’s wife was to my right and immediately in front of me was a young couple who had a 5-month old infant in a bassinet in-between them.  Amir (the Dad) could not have payed any more attention to his beautiful little daughter if he tried.  She was gorgeous as she sat there sleeping through most of the service waking up only to have the pacifier returned to her mouth or for a sip from the bottle. When Amir’s daughter occasionally woke up, her beautiful, sparkling eyes were looking directly into mine as if she were peering into my soul.  Her Dad turned around and looked at me for the first time to try and figure out who or what she was looking at so intently.

The keynote speaker was the Imam from the Islamic Society.  If I ever had a doubt about our ability to have Unity Consciousness become our collective reality across the globe, that thought was quickly removed. The Imam and each of the clergy from every faith focused on a common God and the common spirit present in every human.

While Imam Hannan was talking about Islam and how Muslims pray 5 times per day, he also told us how they are thankful for so many things including simple things like clothing.   He reminded us that each of us has so many things to be thankful for that we could never count all of Allah’s blessings bestowed upon us.  Well said.

He went on to say that although Thanksgiving is largely a North American tradition, we should include each member of our global family into our prayers of Thanksgiving and not restrict our thanks and blessings to the United States or Canada only.

The service ended with Rev. Rinas, suggesting that we introduce ourselves to each other before going into the hall for coffee and baked goods. Because of the H1N1 virus precaution, the Lutheran church members have stopped shaking hands and instead started touching each other’s wrists. Because Muslim women are prohibited from touching other men, we were asked to either bow or give a visual hello or sign of peace to each other.

I said hello to the man who had sung the Quran scriptures and told him what a great voice he had. He smiled with appreciation. Amir (the little girl’s Dad) had left the church for a few minutes when his daughter had started crying and didn’t hear the announcement about no hand shaking.   He gave me a big, bright smile that came close to matching the brightness of his daughter’s eyes as he extended his hand as a sign of peace. I ignored the no-hand-shaking rule and eagerly extended my hand to my new friend as I told him how lovely his daughter was.

I didn’t want to leave the football game and drive 15 minutes to get to get to the service. Amir and his wife got their 5-month old daughter bundled up and drove 45 minutes to get to the service to hear his friend – Imam Hannan – speak.  What was I thinking?

Our world is small.

We are all the same at our core.  We’re humans who fall in love with other humans.  We care deeply for our children.  Many of us have come to know God through the faith we learned as a child or deliberately chose as adults.  The more that we learn about each other, the more it becomes easy for us to love each other.

Knowledge brings us together, but it is knowledge of God’s love for us that makes it easy to love each other.

I thought that this might be fun break for a week of thankfulness.  Someone special gave me this, and I had to share it, as in its humor, it shares much wisdom.

A man is praying to God says  “Lord, I would like to ask you a question”

To his surprise and amazement the Lord responds, “No problem. Go ahead.”

The man then asks “Lord, is it true that a million years to you is but a second?”

To which the Lord responds “Yes, that is true.”

The Man goes on to further ask “Well, then, what is a million dollars to you?”

To which the Lord replies “A  million dollars to me is but a penny.”

“Ah, then, Lord,” says the man, “may I have a penny?”

“Sure,” says the Lord.  “Just a second.”

What do you think the moral of this story is?

Listen to this post!
 

Beliefs are amazingly powerful. They cause us to fail or succeed.  They cause us to be healed. They cause us to stay sick. They cause us to endure. They cause us to give up. They can make us Royalty.

We’ve all read stories about individuals whose health improves as the result of their belief that they were taking a new wonder drug.  Just believing that we’ll get better as a result of inserting this magic pill into our mouths and swallowing it will cause us to get better. Frequently, the same number of people taking the placebo will experience the same levels of healing as those taking the pills with actual medicine in them.

The best way to heal each of life’s wounds is by adopting newer, more powerful beliefs.

How is this possible?  Just the thought of consuming food that you believe to be spoiled or poisoned will cause you to become physically sick.  If I drink 2 tablespoons of  a thick green substance that I believe to be Nyquil, I’ll magically become drowsy because I know that Nyquil makes me sleepy.

In every aspect of our life, we receive based upon the beliefs and expectations that we hold in our minds about what we’re worthy or capable of receiving.

Whoever cannot receive surely will be unable to give. What does this mean? It means that we must be capable of receiving money if we want to be able to give some away.  We must be willing to receive love, if we desire to love others. We must be capable of being forgiven if we want to forgive others.  We must be accepting of wisdom if we desire to give it others. We must be willing to receive the gift of faith if we’d like to pass it on to others.

Are you willing to receive so that you will be able to give?  Who will become your source of love, wisdom and optimism?

Outside influences can  frequently cause  undesirable feelings on our insides. Despair, fear, insecurity, guilt and powerlessness are just a few of the emotions that can result from real life situations such as the sickness or death of a loved one, loss of a job, worry about bills and debt or a separation or divorce.

James Allen said something that has caused me to give serious thought to my self-identity. Allen said, “We do not attract that which we want but that which we are.” I translated that to mean that we must change our beliefs about ourselves so that we’ll be worthy of receiving what we truly desire.  Our beliefs must change in order for us to be willing and worthy of receiving. We must become open and aware of new possibilities.

What is your real identity?  Who are you? Are the beliefs that you have about yourself consistent with your real value?

Children of royalty are treated royally by their families and by everyone else. They learned early on in life that they should expect to be treated royally because of who they are, which is why their famously known for using the “Don’t you know who I am?” tactic to get by in the world.

Remembering that we get what we expect, how do you expect to be treated?  How do you treat yourself?

I am the son of a Yellow Pages (AT&T) advertising salesperson and a stay-at-home Mom. Should I expect to be treated like the son of a salesperson and housewife forever?  I hope not because we all know how most people treat salespeople.

Have you been told lately that you’re a child of God?  Have you been told that you were created in the image and likeness of God? Are you aware that the spirit of God has been inside of you since your birth and is like a big, beautiful candle that is just waiting to be lit?  Once lit, that candle will proclaim your true identity.

Do you know that because of your very high status as a unique child of God, you should be treating yourself as the offspring of the King of Kings? How are you feeling my fellow Princes and Princesses?  I’m assuming that you’re experiencing feelings of joy, love, happiness and optimism.  Get used to these feelings.  They’re granted as a result of your acknowledgment of your prince/princess status and are guaranteed to last forever.

Are there additional benefits that come along with your royal status as a child of God?  Yes.

Your faith and belief in God the Father entitles you to the following:

You receive unconditional love on a daily basis from your spiritual Father in heaven.

You always have someone who will listen to you for as long as you’d like to speak who promises to never interrupt.

You receive the gift of hope on a daily basis because you trust that God is always watching over you and has a plan for you.

You receive faith in one who speaks the truth and who has given us the keys to His estate. We know that upon our retirement from earth, we have a heavenly place to live in peace forever.

You receive your share in His trust fund. The gift of life everlasting is granted as a result of living and serving based upon His words and welcoming His spirit to be your daily guardian.

You’ve been granted the power to perform miracles. Nothing is impossible when done with your Father’s assistance and blessing. He is THE GodFather! He has connections everywhere.

You were born into a large, loving family that currently includes 6.7 billion brothers and sisters. Each one of your siblings expects to receive your gift of love and prayer on a regular basis. This is a requirement to maintain your princely status.

You are granted a Fun Trust within your trust fund. You are granted the ability to laugh at all of the silly things that used to cause you fear, despair and insecurity. Concern over bills, jobs, property, cars, fashion and all other worldly concerns have been replaced with love, faith and trust in your Father. You are conscious of the fact that all that is truly important – your spirit – is always in good hands.

These entitlements take effect immediately upon confirmation of your new beliefs and faith in your Father.

Daily communication with your Father is expected. Because of your enrollment in The Royal Family Plan, you’re entitled to 1440 minutes of communication with Him on a daily basis.

Be sure to use your minutes.  You always feel better when calling home.

Welcome to the family, my brothers and sisters.

Please repeat after me:  “Don’t you know who I am.  I am part of a royal family.  I am a child of God!”

Listen to this post!
 

My faith is based upon my unshakable belief that the Son of God came to earth 2000 years ago to show us the way to life, happiness and enlightenment. He came to bring us the knowledge of his Father in heaven and how to live whole lives that are full of love and peace. He lived along side of us to show us that we’re more than capable of living the way that he did.

He’s given us the secret sauce. All we have to do is follow the recipe.  Are you good at following a recipe or do you prefer to wing-it? I find that when I wing-it, my results are not consistently good.

He came to tell us that we were off-track. He didn’t come to reinforce the ways we were thinking and behaving, but brought us new and simple ways of thinking and living. He came to show us the path to becoming beacons of light whose love radiates throughout the world.

I was raised in a Catholic family and encouraged to live the Catholic life of attending church, praying, receiving the sacraments and serving others.  I lived at home during college and maintained these habits until graduation.

Carolyn and I got married when I was 23 and she was 20. We lived in a two bedroom condo that was on the campus where she was attending college. I don’t think that I ever entertained the thought of stopping the practices that had served me well for the first 23 years of life.

In every aspect of my life, when I learn a best-practice, I commit to adopting it and living it until I learn that there is a newer, better way of doing something.

I think that one of the problems with faith and God is that there is nothing new. It seems like God’s been around forever. Maybe if Jesus came back to earth again today, he’d be saying the exact same things but, with earbuds, jeans and sneakers instead of a robe and sandals. The message that Jesus brought thousands of years ago is 100% relevant in 2009. We either have to commit the time to learning what he said on our own or pray that a new, hip messenger will allow us to pay attention to his message and begin applying it to our lives.

Because Carolyn was a Protestant and I was a Catholic when we married, we made a decision that it would be easier to raise our future children with one faith and house of worship rather than two. Her preparation to be received into the Catholic Church caused me to deepen my faith at the same time.

As I look back, a seed was planted in me by my parents and like a seed from a mighty oak – it’s grown a little each year.  I can almost look back at the rings of annual growth in my faith like each of the visible rings in the trunk of a tree. With each passing year, the roots of my faith get deeper and the branches extend more toward the light.

Here is a high-level overview of some of the major milestones that added a new layer of growth to a faith that keeps getting stronger with each passing day:

• Faith from my parents – worship at church, prayer with meals, sacraments
• 8 years of Catholic grammar school education
• Participation in religious education classes while in high school
• Teaching religious education and confirmation preparation while a newlywed in my early twenties
• Carolyn and I were facilitators in marriage preparation programs for engaged couples for the first several years of our marriage
• Becoming a Eucharistic Minister (distribute Holy Communion at Mass and to the homebound)
• Participation in the sacraments for our two children – Baptism, Holy Communion, Reconciliation and Confirmation
• Becoming a Lector (reader of scripture at Mass)
• Studying the Bible and other faiths

While growing up in our family of six (two brothers and a sister),  participation in the practices of our faith wasn’t a choice.  It was something that was made mandatory by my parents as something that was essential to living life.  It was a requirement for my brothers, sister and I just like we were required to attend school.

This is what faith means to me at this stage of my progress:

• I believe that God created the world and is still present in all of life today.
• The spirit of God dwells within each of us. We get to decide whether or not that spirit has a leading role in our life or is an understudy who never gets on the stage,
• I believe that he sent his Son Jesus to give us the recipe for how to live life.
• I believe that we need a relationship with God just like children need their parent or guardian growing up.
• When I was growing up, my parents served as mentors – people I aspired to be like.
• As I got older, I developed mentors within the workplace and people who were best-in-class within their fields.
• Today, I use Jesus as the mentor to emulate. I base my thoughts and actions upon his words, actions and miracles.
• I believe that after Jesus spent his time on earth, he and his Father sent us the Holy Spirit to live and dwell inside each of us to assist us on a daily basis and to reinforce our faith. I know that I’m never alone. I know that the Spirit of God has made a permanent residence inside the temple of Bob.
• If I were to sum up the message that Jesus brought us in one word it would be Love. We’re called to love ourselves, love our neighbors and love our Father in heaven.
• Reading and meditating upon the New Testament allows us to fill our minds with God’s words, which reinforce His love for us and promise to always believe and trust in Him.
• The words of God give us clear advice on how to interact and establish rapport with our 6.7 billion neighbors:
• Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you
• To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also
• Give to everyone who begs from you
• Do so unto others as you wish they would do to you
• Do good and lend and expect nothing in return
• Show mercy to others
• Judge not, and you will not be judged
• Condemn not, and you will not be condemned
• Forgive and you will be forgiven
• Give and it will be given to you

People who take care of their bodies knows that it requires daily discipline. For many of us it includes exercise, attention to the quantity and quality of food consumed and proper amounts of sleep.  We spend a lot of time maintaining a piece of our being that will only be with us while we’re on earth.  Our bodies are the temporary dwelling places for our spirit.

When we come to the awareness that our spirit will be with us forever – long after our physical body has decided that its has given us all that it’s capable of giving – we’ll start devoting a significant amount of time to the development of our spirit and to increasing our knowledge of and relationship with God.

Enlightenment – living with the light of God within us – is supposed to happen while we’re on earth. The earlier in our life that we choose to live with and within this light, the happier our lives will be.

As this faith in God and relationship with God is developed and nourished, we come to understand that when working in alignment with God – the source of all creation – there is nothing that you and I cannot accomplish. When working alone, life can be lonely, tiring and difficult. When working in concert with God and with the divinity within us and others, we know that we’re capable of miracles. We’re never alone anymore. Even when there is no other human present, we’re confident that God is present and happily living within us at all times.

I had faith in my parents when growing up. One of my parents has since died and the other is in assisted living.  My parents did their job by giving me all of the tools required for a healthy and happy life. Thanks Mom and Dad.

I’ve had a few credible mentors along the pathway of life. Somehow, mentors give us the knowledge and tools required to progress to the next stage of our journey. Thank you to each of my mentors.

I am working on a daily basis to manifest the lessons of the ultimate mentor. Thank you for the gifts of the example of your life, words to fill my mind and spirit that nourishes my soul. You are the mentor who inspires me on a daily basis.

Have you lost your wisdom teaching?

Listen to this Post!
 

Many people have completely thrown away the teachings of the most important knowledge in the world because of alienation with the institutions associated with the teachings.

At this time of year, many parents of high school juniors and seniors and their children are traveling around the world looking at colleges and universities to receive higher education. If scholarships are not involved, many families consider spending 20, 30, 40 or $50,000+ per year for this education.

What type of education and degrees are we willing to spend this kind of money on?  Law, Engineering, Pre-med, Business, Liberal Arts, Art, Music, Psychology, etc.

Will you please answer these questions?

If you wanted to eliminate war from the face of the earth and instruct people how to peacefully co-exist, what type of education would you give to people?

If you wanted to eliminate hunger and homelessness forever, what would be the types of courses you’d make mandatory?

If you wanted to educate individuals on their power to cause the changes that they desire for themselves, their families and the world, what would you teach?

If you wanted drug and alcohol abuse to become a thing of the past, what would we teach people?

If you wanted each person in the world to have equally high self-esteem, what would we teach?

If you wanted to reduce or eliminate our dependance upon counselors, psychiatrists and psychologists, what would we have people learn?

What did you come up with?

I came-up with a self-study program that would either be free or cost less than $100. The education that I’m talking about which would solve each of these problems is available in a book or two for free at any library or for less than $100 at a bookstore.

Most of us had parents who raised us by bringing us to a religious service on a weekly or very frequent basis.  Are you aware that today 17% of people go to religious services on a regular basis (more than 3 times per year)?

One of the reasons that our parents or grandparents attended services on a regular basis is that this service was the primary form of education within many faiths.

Did the education and knowledge that people found to be the foundation of their values for the last 2000+ years suddenly become irrelevant with my generation and by default for our children?

Do we really think that sports practice, dance lessons and Xbox 360 and Nintendo are really better uses of our time than developing our spiritual health?

I understand that many people have become alienated with the institutions themselves and/or with the fighting going on in the world which frequently seems to have religious ties.

If you’re unhappy with your particular house of worship, I’ll encourage you to do one of the following:

• Ask yourself if you’re letting the messenger get in the way of the message. The message is always good.
• If you can’t get past the messenger, search for a new house of worship whose messenger is more consistent with your personality.
• If that doesn’t work, create a home-study program for yourself and your family that allows you to spend time weekly (or daily) studying your faith and/or multiple faiths. In addition, meditation and prayer are habits that can be conducted anywhere at any time.

I don’t know of any God or any faith that promotes war.  Do you?  Any person that is using God as an excuse for war has corrupted the message that Allah, Jesus, Buddha and all of the spiritual teachings that I’m aware of.

The education that I believe each of us should receive, which would serve as the foundation for the education that we’ll need for our vocation, is an education on how to live with God-like qualities.

• Unconditional Love
• Integrity
• Service to others
• Kindness

Yesterday’s topic on BlogTalkRadio was God.  Greg Stewart and I talked about some definitions of, perceptions of and reasons for believing in God.

A lot of people fight against the idea of God being real because they’ve never shaken God’s hand or been able to pull up any of God’s clips on YouTube.

I admit that going from a position of “I don’t believe in God” to “God is the center of my life and basis for each of my thoughts and actions” is a drastic jump. What I’ve recommended to many people who are interested in understanding and developing a relationship with God or living with God-like qualities on a daily basis is the following two-step process.

Here’s the first step.  Read the teachings of  people like Jesus and Buddha like you were reading any other book that you had to read while in high school or college. While reading the teachings, ask yourself the following types of questions:

• Do I agree with this principle?
• Do I incorporate this teaching into how I run my life today?
  • If I agree with it and am not living it, why not?
• Would I be a better person if I practiced what this teacher taught?
• What type of person would I be if I began thinking, believing and behaving in this manner?
  • Do I like what I’m capable of becoming?
• What would my community (or the world) be like if others lived their lives in this fashion?
• Could we eliminate each of the problems listed above if others were educated and lived with this knowledge?

This first step allows us to come to know how the world’s greatest teachers of truth have advised us to proceed towards enlightenment.

The second step is for you to decide how you want to proceed based upon 3 possible outcomes.

The first possible outcome (I don’t believe in these teachings)

After reading these teachings, you might decide that you absolutely disagree with these concepts.  I doubt it but, it’s a possibility. If you do, you’ve made an educated decision.

The second possible outcome (I believe in these teachings and commit to living them but, I still don’t believe in God)

A second possible outcome would be that you’ve decided that this teacher or these teachers were very wise and that you and I would have happier lives and live in a peaceful world if each of us truly implemented the teachings.

I’ve thought about what the world would be like if each of us were educated in these principles and implemented them – even if we still didn’t believe in God.

We’d have a world without weapons -assault weapons, tanks, fighter jets – because there would be no need for them.

We’d have a world where people were better at listening to and understanding each other than ordering around and giving ultimatums.  If we had disagreements – and we would – we would engage in conversation with the expectation of coming to peaceful outcomes.

We would have a world that treats every person on the planet with dignity and respect.

We would allocate our tax dollars toward education and solving the hunger and homeless issues instead of funding war with and security from our family members.

The third possible outcome (I believe in God)

A third possible outcome would be that you would come to believe that these teachings could have only come from someone with much higher thoughts about love, peace and compassion than any human you’ve ever met. That these thoughts were designed to have us works toward perfect love.

You might come to believe that there is tremendous causative, creative power that exists within you that manifests itself when aligned with the teachings that you’ve learned and implemented. You might come to believe that you have the ability to co-create solutions to every problem that exists when you combine your consciousness with that of God.

You might come to believe that the life that exists within you was created by and comes from the spirit of God that is dwelling within you and I and within every person in the world.

You might come to develop faith in a spiritual power that created the world and everything in it that you’ve never physically seen or touched.

We can’t ask others to do what we’re not willing to do ourselves.

Are you willing to make an educated decision for yourself?

Are you willing to discover  whether or not you believe in and are willing to implement what the teachers of truth have taught us?

A WORD of CAUTION: These principles when acted upon will cause you to change and could possibly result in Sainthood and Enlightenment.