A couple of weeks ago, I ran into my friend while at my gym at about 4:30AM. Although I hadn’t seen Jim in nearly 10 years, I was able to recognize him – even though we’d both changed significantly since we last saw each other.  He and his wife had lived next to us for several years when Carolyn and I were living in our first house. Jim and his family have a special place in my heart because his family bought the house that I grew up in after my Dad’s death.  Jim raised his family in the kitchen, bedrooms, dining room and family rooms where I lived until the day I got married 25 years ago.

One of the many things that I find to be amazing about humans is our ability to recognize another person whom we haven’t seen in decades.  Although our physical bodies age, our faces somehow retain their uniqueness for a lifetime.  How can God create 6.7 billion people unique faces?

When I mentioned my surprise at seeing Jim at the gym so early in the morning, he quickly told me that he had taken off 1/3 of his body weight in the last year after having been diagnosed with diabetes. The man in front of me who now weighed 164 pounds was now about 240 pounds less than a year earlier.

What prompted my friend to decide to expose the six pack abs that he was born with now that he was about 50 years old?  Fear of death and love of life. His doctor’s medical diagnosis about his physical future health scared him into shedding the layers of fat that he’d added on to his body during years of managing restaurants and raising his family. He began the transformation of his body with a single thought.

Why do most of us re-act rather than pro-act?

Why don’t we embrace the good rather than running from what’s bad?

Our souls need a place to live. Taking care of our physical bodies provides a comfortable home for our souls while on earth.

As a person who was very fat as a child and who carried more fat than he should have for most of his life, I understand how easy it is to hide our naturally lean bodies with pounds of fat by consuming excess calories on a daily basis.

While in my hotel room on Monday last this week, I turned the television caught the end of The Biggest Loser.  I am not a regular watcher of the show, but I had seen a couple of episodes earlier this season.  When looking at the four finalists I was astonished at the transformation that had taken place since the last time I watched.  Again, I could still recognize their unique faces even thought their bodies were beyond recognition and their faces were significantly leaner.

One of the women had dropped 69 pounds and one of the men was down over 150 pounds. I weighed-in at the gym yesterday at 147 pounds and considered the fact that this man had been living his life with the burden of carrying around the equivalent of a man my size.  How could anyone do that?  Amazing!

We can get used to almost anything in life. Let’s start getting used to ideal health.

In this week’s episode, the contestants had to run a marathon – 26.2 miles – in order to continue on the show.  When the program started, each person was so unhealthy that they were barely able to finish 1 mile. I was amazed as I watched these 4 formerly obese people complete a task that I’ve never attempted myself.  Their determination to cross that finish line kept them going mile after mile when their bodies felt pain severe enough to give-up after completing the first 10 miles.

Humans are goal focused.  When it’s our goal, we never argue. We tend to fight when other people try to push their goals and objectives upon us.  In what aspect of your life can you see a better, happier or healthier version of yourself?

Like my friend Jim, each of The Biggest Loser contestants was the by-product of living a lifestyle that included way-too-much eating and little or no exercise.  One unhealthy meal at a time they proceeded to add layer upon layer which hid the healthy body that was there the entire time waiting to be exposed. The body’s natural state is lean and healthy.

How did the contestants begin the transformation from obesity to becoming one of the final four on the show with enough stamina and determination to complete a marathon? They gave birth to a single positive thought. They developed a new belief about themselves that took the place of the former belief that had caused them to almost physically kill themselves.

Thought is a creative process.  New thoughts create new beliefs which bring about new results.  We create our own self-image one thought at a time.  Each time that you develop a new positive belief about yourself, it’s taking the place of an older, limiting belief.

Like each of us has a set of six-pack abs whether we can see them or not, each of us also has a spiritual light (soul)  burning inside of us that is also waiting to be exposed to the world.  Sometimes, the light of our souls has been dimmed with layers of ignorance and destructive emotions such as anger, anxiety, hatred and fear in much the same way as fat covers our lean bodies.

The soul’s natural state is loving and joyful.  Like many of us are ignorant (lacking in wisdom) about how to create and maintain healthy bodies, many of us are ignorant in how to create and maintain our happy souls.  The light is lit. It’s just waiting for you to add the fuel.

The secret to a healthy body is to consume the correct amount of food and to exercise on a regular basis. The secret to a healthy soul that is shining bright is to invite the spirit of God to live inside you and to let God’s words of love and encouragement coexist in your mind.

The Biggest (Body) Losers invited the personal trainers into their lives to teach them the new ways of eating and exercising so that they could reveal their healthy bodies.

The Biggest Spiritual Losers invite The Spiritual Trainer to move-in with them for the rest of their lives.  The Spiritual Trainer moves in with you and commits to keeping you company and fueling the fire that is burning inside you each and every day.

The Biggest (Body) Losers give up unhealthy eating habits and take-on the wisdom of bodily health experts.

The Biggest Spiritual Losers give up their egos to allow the joy of God’s words and spirit to replace the destructive thoughts and emotions that were dimming their light.

When we lower our caloric intake, we eliminate excess fat and expose a healthy body.

When we lower our ego enough to allow God to coexist within each of our thoughts and actions, we expose a bright shining spirit.

Healthy bodies are developed and nurtured through knowledge about proper eating habits and regular exercise.

Healthy souls are developed and nurtured through knowledge of God’s word (reading of scripture, prayer and meditation) and by inviting God’s spirit to move-in with you.

A healthy body, mind and soul is within your reach. Every living organism requires nourishment.  Open yourself to an awareness of the possibilities for you to nourish yourself mentally, spiritually and physically on a daily basis to restore your entire being to its natural state of health and serenity.

Do you believe in miracles?

They were only capable of being performed by Jesus correct?

The stories that we read and heard about these miracles were pretty cool.  Jesus did amazing things like give sight to the blind, raise people from the dead, cure the sick and multiply a few loaves and fishes to feed hundreds.

Okay, it was fun thinking about what some guy did 2000 years ago but, it’s time to get back to the reality of our every day lives – unfulfilled or no job, family issues, debt, health issues, wars.  You may be thinking something like, “I’m not capable of performing miracles and I’m not even sure that this guy Jesus ever existed”.

What would you say if I told you that most if not all of the problems that you’re facing in your life and that we’re facing in the world would be solved if we were to increase our wisdom (that’s a nice way of saying eliminate our ignorance!)?

How would you react if I said that the answers to our problems already exist but, many of us are blind, deaf or dead to the information?  Sometimes called sense-less.

Would it be easier if I took words like God and faith out of the equation and used another non-spiritual example?

I’ve have access to the information that will cure 99% of the obesity cases that exist in the world today. Through a friend, I have a piece of software (think spreadsheet) that gives every imaginable mix of an individual’s height, weight, body mass index and body fat percentage. The spreadsheet lists a variable such as whether the individual chooses to exercise on a daily basis (burn a minimum of 300 calories per day with exercise) or not.  All the user has to do is enter the information and a very simple two number answer would pop-up. One number would equate to the amount of calories that the individual could consume on a daily basis in order to get their weight to a healthy range when they choose to exercise.  The second lower number would be the number of calories consumable on days that the individual decides not to exercise. The document also contains the calories and serving sizes for every fresh and packaged food available on the market today.

The information already exists. Anyone choosing to get that information can have access to it and solve the problem.  Are people unaware that the information exists or would they prefer to live an unhealthy lifestyle?  There are people who fall into each category.

What would happen if everyone who was struggling with his or her weight followed that simple plan? Obesity would be eliminated.  Are you with me?

Why hasn’t it happened yet?  In some cases it’s lack of wisdom (ignorance). I have immense compassion for people who have not received access to knowledge and information. I was one of the people who had a problem with his weight since childhood who did not get access to the recipe until much later in life. Once I gained access to the wisdom, my weight problem miraculously disappeared.

In other instances, very good people choose to ignore the information and decide not to follow the simple recipe for success.  There are always good reasons (in their minds) why they can’t.

My great friend Greg has a fantastic personal training business that is built upon a recipe for guaranteed success.  Each of his clients receives a team of personal trainers who act as accountability buddies. Each client receives an exact number of calories that they can consume on days that they exercise and another lower number of calories to be consumed on the days that they don’t exercise (what a great incentive to exercise regularly).  Each client receives a handy journal to track the number of calories consumed at each meal throughout the day, a recipe book full of healthy meals and a menu of foods that is customized for them with portions and calories.

If you can read, follow instructions and show up, you will get results.

Have faith in the trainer, follow the process and expect great results.

During the 1:1 sessions, the trainers provide feedback to the clients, give the clients world-class knowledge on exercise safety and proper form with the equipment, offer daily encouragement and make slight modifications to the recipe that will allow the client to reach his goal. Greg has an unbelievably high success rate because there is a recipe for success and because his clients have faith in Greg and his team of physical health experts. The client must have the discipline to track food consumed and stay within the prescribed calorie range.

The process is  foolproof.  It’s 100%  customizable based upon any and every variable that a client might bring .  It doesn’t matter what business were in, every client thinks that he or she is unique.  Any guesses what might cause the process to fail? Yes.  Failure to follow the recipe. Once the wisdom is provided to the individual and the person chooses not to implement, it has become a rejection of the knowledge.

What are the key ingredients to Greg’s recipe for success?

• Faith in the provider of the wisdom and the recipe: lower your ego enough to listen to the expert; if your way was working, you wouldn’t need the trainer
• Accountability to yourself and to someone else: when changing, many of us need to be accountable to another person; the ultimate goal is accountability to self
• Access to world-class knowledge
• Daily encouragement
• Discipline to follow the process: show up for scheduled sessions with trainers; exercise in-between sessions without your trainer; track food consumed (calories) at every meal

Okay, now let’s go back to the original premise that we could eliminate all of our problems as individuals and all the problems facing the world if we were to increase our wisdom.

Let’s apply Greg’s process to the elimination of fear, worry, doubt, anger, anxiety, stress, hatred, war, homelessness and every other feeling and problem you can imagine.

Faith in the provider of the wisdom – God

• God says, “Have faith in me, talk to me”
• “If I take care of the birds and animals, surely I’ll take care of you.”
• “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as your self.”

Accountability to yourself and to someone else

• We’re accountable to ourselves, to God and to our neighbors
• We have a daily check-in conversation where we assess our progress toward our goals
• Our ultimate accountability partner is open 24 hours per day – including Thanksgiving, Christmas.

Access to world-class knowledge

Scripture – It’s in writing in black and white

Daily encouragement

• Scripture reading – Learning
• Meditation – Listening
• Prayer Talking: ask, and it will be given; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you

Discipline to follow the process

• Invite God’s mind into every part of your life
• Prayer on a daily basis
• Talk and listen to God
• Love and serve others

Just like Greg’s process is fool proof for losing weight, God’s process is 100% guaranteed to provide feelings of joy, tranquility, love, peace and serenity for you and for each person in the world.

Inviting God to be a part of every second of our lives because we welcome and want His help is very similar to admitting that we need the help from other experts – personal trainer, psychologist, marriage counselor, accountant, etc.

When Jesus came to show us a better way to live, he provided words that allowed the deaf to hear, the blind to see and the lame to get up and walk.  Those exact words will do the same thing for us today if we’ll follow the process.

The radiance of his personal presence, his loving, positive vibration and profound words of love and peace allowed the blind to open their eyes and the deaf to hear and become aware. For many, it was the first time that they could truly see and hear – even if they were not deaf.

Because of the faith shown in Jesus by the relatives of the dead, the blind and the deaf each of the individuals was healed. What was their real sickness? Confusion, apathy and ignorance.  We all know the truth when we hear it.

The truth spoken by Jesus literally caused people to believe that he was powerful enough to make them see, hear and live.  It was their faith that healed them.

It’s our faith that will heal us.  It is the same faith that will eliminate our confusion, apathy and ignorance.

What type of healing do you need?  What type of healing does our world need?

Faith in God and belief that through Him, all things are possible is the miracle.  When we align God’s mind with our mind we engage in the process of co-creation.  When our thoughts and actions are in alignment with God’s will, miracles do happen.

Miracles are everyday happenings for people who believe in God and the power that is present in themselves and others who choose to align their minds with the mind of God.

When we begin living our life based upon love of God, love of self and love of our neighbors, we bring God to the God-less and make his presence known wherever we’re present.

When we share this wisdom with people who are ignorant through no fault of their own, the outcome will be our actions mirroring the mind of God so our outsides will match our insides and that will result in the earth looking like heaven.

Jesus came to make our insides – our minds and souls – be as clean and pure as our bodies are on the outside after a hot, soapy shower.  When our insides are as clean our skin, then earth will become heaven.

Is this possible?  Yes it is.  All change manifests itself one mind at a time. You create miracles when you welcome God to take permanent residence inside of you.

The knowledge exists.  Will you use it?  Ask and it will be given.

Serenity comes from within.  External solutions to our problems only offer temporary solutions.

Recent college graduates with large loans to repay are desperately trying to find work and quickly losing hope.

Highly successful professionals are having trouble sleeping as the stress from being unemployed for several months is mounting at a time when their spouses are worried about losing everything – including their homes.

Financial planners are dealing with unprecedented anxiety resulting from the hostility coming their way from their normally sane clients who are irate over losses in net worth.

There are many ways of dealing with stress.

Exercise is great for temporarily reducing stress because it allows us to take our minds off of problems while getting our heart rates elevated and sweating out toxins.  Some of my best ideas are created while at the gym exercising and mentally preparing for the days, weeks and months ahead.  If I could exercise all day, I might be able to permanently eliminate fear.

Recitation of affirmations (statements of fact or belief) is another great habit because it allows us to fill our minds with the kinds of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives. The repetition of our goals in present tense, sentences full of emotion enables us to create behaviors and attitudes that will become  2nd nature to us.  When these affirmations are only based upon our goals and our ideas only, the mind of God is separated from our own minds.

If you’re exercising and reciting affirmations on a daily basis, you are already in the habit of proactively taking care of your body and mind.  Congratulations!

There is another habit that I’d like to introduce to you if it’s not already part of your daily routine.  I’d like to encourage you to begin the practice of daily meditation as part of your proactive health. This is a practice that positively impacts your body, mind and spirit.

Meditation is the practice of silencing each of the 60,000+ thoughts per day that we engage in long enough to listen to ourselves – our divinity within.  Meditation allows us to relax our bodies while we’re focusing or silencing our minds.  Deep, slow breaths begin the process of slowing down and becoming comfortable with ourselves and with the solitude.

You can meditate in many different positions. You can meditate while walking or exercising.  When meditating in the silence of your home, it can be done in the lotus position with a little practice.  I will frequently stop my work day and meditate while sitting in my chair in front of my desk for 5-10 minutes.  You can also meditate while lying on a couch or in bed as long as you’re not so tired that you’ll fall asleep!

The practice of daily meditation allows us to answer meaning-of-life questions such as:

Who am I? Why am I here? What do I want?
Where am I going? Where did I come from?

Meditation is starting to become part of our culture in the west, but is nowhere near as popular as it should be. Many of us today are absent of silence except when we’re sleeping. We wake up to the sound of the radio or iPod.  The radio or television is on while where preparing for work or school.  The radio or iPod is on while we’re driving or commuting. The computer is mesmerizing us for 8+hours per day at work or school. Those of us who aren’t married to the computer are either in meetings or conference calls throughout the day or having an affair with our Blackberrys and iPods. After work, it’s radio in the car, iPod while at the gym and television during dinner and then back on the computer or television until it’s time for sleep.

Do you ever allow yourself the luxury of silence?  Do you ever allow yourself to slow down and become silent enough to pay attention to your breath or pulse?  Have you ever slowed down long enough to answer the 5 questions above?

There are several different types of meditation.  Some meditations involve focusing  our thoughts by paying attention to our breath. When first meditating, we have to get used to the habit of not thinking.  The Buddhists call a mind that is jumping haphazardly from one subject to the next like a monkey swinging from branch to branch a monkey’s mind. By practicing focusing on an object such as a candle flame, light or object or paying attention to our breath (deep and slow versus shallow and fast), we become aware of the art of focus or mindfulness.

One of the meditations that I gravitated to when I was new to meditation and have maintained involves Buddhist prayers for self and others.  I use this meditation as a process for praying for specific individuals in my life who have either asked for my prayers or desperately need them.  While sitting or lying in silence I think of the individual and silently pray, “May you be happy, may you be peaceful, may you be free from suffering.” It’s also an excellent individual prayer.  With eyes closed after taking several deep, slow cleansing breaths, I repeat: “May I be happy, may I be peaceful, may I be free from suffering.”

This particular style of meditation really helped me to grow in the art of unconditional love. It’s easy praying for people that you know and love.  It’s still pretty easy praying for people we feel neutral about – someone from work, church or the gym – that need our prayers.  Buddhists would have us feeling unconditional love towards everyone – even people who have hurt us mentally or physically.

This prayer meditation allows us to pray for ourselves, individuals who fall into all 3 categories (people we already love, people we feel neutral about and people who we find it very difficult to love – sometimes called hatred) and for entire groups of people.  Can you imagine unconditionally loving every human in the world – starting with yourself?  Baby steps…

Another style of meditation involves the repetition of a word or phrase.  You can repeat words or phrases such as:

Love is the answer | Peace is within me | Patience | Don’t worry, be happy

There are meditations that allow you to meditate while walking or exercising. I’ve used the walking meditations while on an elliptical machine at the gym and been amazed at how fast the workout goes by as I’m lost within my deliberately focused mind.

One of the ways that I’ve been very successful using meditation is to slow down and relax my mind and body enough to be able to fall back to sleep in the middle of the night.  By the time I get to bed at night, I’m usually so exhausted that it’s very easy for me to fall asleep. Frequently, I’ll wake-up in the middle of the night on my own or as a result of an elbow (intentional?) from my wife.  Once I wake up, my mind frequently starts working and racing.  When it’s still too early for me to get up, I implement a meditation that allows me to relax my body beginning with my feet and then working my way up to my head.  I can’t tell you how much that practice has helped me to make sure that I’m getting enough sleep. Prior to implementing the practice of meditating to fall back to sleep, I’d frequently get up and begin my workday at 1, 2 or 3AM rather than stay in bed fidgeting and disturbing my wife.

I first began the practice of meditating after reading the book Eat, Pray, Love. My initial intention was to develop a deeper relationship with God. From reading that book and several others, I became aware that God is found in the silence of our minds. It’s our absence of thoughts that allows us to create room for God. It’s hard to listen to God when there is always loud, external stimulation present. My goal was to silence my ego enough to eliminate my thoughts and listen to God’s. Because I was guilty of the non-stop lifestyle that I mentioned earlier, I wanted to develop the habit of being able to listen to myself and to God. I realized that because I was always doing something, listening to something or saying something (even if it was prayer), I was never just being or listening. I was always doing.

Could my prayers be better if I slowed down long enough to listen for answers?

Would I be able to better deal with all that was going on in my world if I deliberately asked God to be with me in specially carved time for silence and co-creation?

Could I use meditation to really focus on words of scripture to understand the true meaning of words that I professed to be the foundation of my faith?

I mentioned students, executives and financial planners as real examples of people who are living with fear – fear of not getting the first job, fear of not getting a new job, fear of losing people’s hard earned retirement savings.  I’d recommend meditating on components of scripture such as the following verse: “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.  For fear has to do with punishment, and he who fears is not perfected in love.”

What could the meditation be for each of us to eliminate fear from our lives?  “Dear God, fill me with your love and eliminate my fear” or “God, I love you and trust you”.

If you’re experiencing fear in any aspect of your life, you can begin meditating this instant by simply doing the following:

• Go someplace that is quiet – office, bedroom, conference room, car, etc.
• Either lay down or sit comfortably in a chair with good posture
• Close your eyes and take several slow, deep breaths while allowing yourself to focus on your breath
• Once you’ve slowed yourself down and relaxed, simply repeat the phrase or mantra of choice such as “God, I love you and trust you”.
• Repeat your prayer or mantra slowly several times for at least five minutes
• Over time, you’ll become comfortable meditating for longer periods of time.

A close friend of mine recently told me that she felt guilty taking the time to meditate. I am convinced that it’s our absence of time caring for ourselves and divorcing ourselves from God that has caused many of our physical, mental and spiritual problems.

Our fullness and completeness comes from our relationship with God. The emptiness that we feel inside us and in our lives is created by the space where God is supposed to reside.  When we allow God’s words to infiltrate our minds and his Spirit to reside in our souls, we begin to develop trust in God and ourselves.  We are filled with love for God, love for ourselves and love for others.  The love that fills our minds and souls pushes out the fear that used to occupy that space.

Allocating time to meditate on a daily basis is an investment in your mental, physical and spiritual health.

Meditation allows us to become comfortable enough with ourselves to slow down, focus and listen to our own thoughts on a daily basis.  If you have the desire to incorporate spirituality into your meditation, this will become part of your daily practice to improve your relationship with God and proceed toward enlightenment.  Meditating is a practice that complements prayer, reading of scripture, serving others and group worship.

Making time to listen and co-create is yet another way of inviting God into your life each and every day.

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Wholeness. Complete. Lacking in nothing.  What does that feel like?

Today in North America, and increasingly in other industrialized countries around the world, we’re having a harder time keeping our bodies healthy.  There are plenty of great reasons for us to be unhealthy.  Restaurants supersize our portions, buffets are everywhere and many of us have been brought-up to “eat what’s on your plate!”.  With unemployment above 10% in the United States, those of us who are fortunate enough to be gainfully employed are working longer hours and being asked to be more productive.  The increase in hours, pressure to produce more and fear over possible loss of our jobs have caused very high levels of stress. Many of us find release from stress and fear through the comfort of food, drink or both.

Many people have become so unhealthy that they’ve said to themselves “that’s enough!  It’s time for me to take control of my health and get my body back into ideal health.” Many of my family members, friends and customers have either hired personal trainers to develop the knowledge and best-practices required to be able to eat properly and exercise safely or they’ve learned these great habits on their own via self-study.

They’re proud of themselves because they’ve allocated time on either a daily or multiple time per week basis for exercise and they now treat food and drink as a source of nourishment for their bodies instead of using food as a  bandaid to cover the wounds of stress, fear and unhappiness.

Although they’ve made major positive changes in their lifestyle and have transformed their bodies back to their normally healthy states, I still hear them saying, “I’ve made the changes that I needed to make on my body, and that’s still not enough!”

I would say that our physical bodies represent the lowest level of health that we can achieve as humans.  It’s critical that we take care of our physical bodies but, that is just one step in a 3-step process. You get to decide whether it’s step one, two or three for you.

I’ve trained hundreds of people at companies around the world how to monitor and control their self-talk - the thoughts that they hold in their mind which create their beliefs.  The people that have received this knowledge understand that our positive beliefs about ourselves and others lead to positive expectations and results.  Our negative beliefs about ourselves and others lead to the self-fulfilling prophecy of negative results.

Accepting responsibility for our own thoughts and for the thoughts that we allow into the sanctuary of our minds is a life-changing modification to our overall well-being.

People who become aware of this information are always amazed at how destructively they were speaking to themselves prior to receiving this education. Our beliefs are the software that is used to control our lives. I hear on a daily basis how they’ve used the knowledge of assimilating positive thoughts proactively to intentionally eliminate the negative, destructive thoughts  in order to make major transformations in their performance at work and in their personal lives.  Individuals have told me about how they’ve improved their incomes, changed careers, lowered their golf scores, started exercise routines, transformed their bodies, etc.

Some of the people who went through these education sessions came into the program with already healthy bodies.  Others have used this knowledge to transform their bodies. They’ve modified their own body-image by reconstructing that image in their mind first. They also used the information to make additional changes in many other aspects of their lives by monitoring and controlling their self-talk.  They’ve taken on this proactive approach to making the changes that they desire for themselves with a gusto and wonder how they ever managed to get this far in life while ignoring their thoughts and beliefs.

It’s a fantastic feeling when we become aware of new knowledge or knowledge that’s existed for a very long time but, is new to us and transform our lives with that information.

These individuals used the new knowledge to eliminate the negative self-talk and proactively input positive affirmations related to the goals of what they could become.  They’re now moving quickly along the path to becoming healthy of body and healthy of mind.  Again, through my 1:1 conversations with them, there still seems to be something missing. I hear things like “I’m taking care of my body and now I’m making improvements in other areas of my life by creating positive self-talk in my mind with affirmations and that’s still not enough!”

This next higher level of managing our total self is managing our brains.  By monitoring, managing and changing our beliefs intentionally, we’re able to bring about amazing improvements in every aspect of our life.

All of the problems that we’re experiencing in our lives were created with our mind.  We’re going to need some additional out-of-our mind help with our thoughts and awareness to order to  create the solutions to these problems.

If we picture our complete self – our wholeness – in a pie chart, one small slice of the pie would represent our physical health.  Another larger slice of the pie would represent our mental health- the thoughts and beliefs that we’re using to run our lives. The third, largest and what ideally will become the foundational piece of our health would be represented by the spiritual slice of pie.

The spiritual piece of the pie contains four components: faith, hope, love and knowledge.  This is the third step in the process.

Our faith is what keeps us grounded on a minute to minute basis. Faith is our belief in God.  Our faith allows us to accept the promises given to us by God.  When we’re living and abiding in God’s word and allowing God’s spirit to dwell in us, we’re able to remain in a state of peace at all times.  Knowing God’s promises comes as a result of reading, learning and internalizing scripture. Our confidence in God comes as a result of coming to know God.

Some of us quote lines from movies. Some of us can give statistics from every athlete and team that has ever played a sport. Some of us have a hobby and can tell others everything related to that passion.  These are all good things. How about taking this same skill and applying it to the secrets of eternal peace?

For many of us, spiritual hope is based upon the expectation of everlasting life in heaven.  Some of us believe that the resurrection (taking ourselves from death to life or from darkness into the light) occurs while we’re still on earth as a result of believing, living and acting in alignment with God’s word and receiving the Holy Spirit into our being.

We show our Love by how we treat each of our brothers and sisters.  We become God’s eyes, ears and hands when we become aware of people who need assistance and give them our love by listening, hugging or assisting them with whatever they need.  The love in our minds and hearts manifests itself in our service to others. We are the spirit of God at work in our families, the community and the world. You and I are the answer to other’s prayers.

Our knowledge of God can be increased on a daily basis in a few simple ways.

• Our knowledge increases by reading and studying God’s words to us in the scriptures
• Our knowledge increases through prayer. In addition to formal prayers, our relationship develops as a result of silently talking to God and inviting God’s presence to be with us in every interaction throughout the day – in traffic, during meetings, in discussions with family – everywhere.
• Our knowledge increases through meditation.  There are many forms of meditation.  In its most basic form, meditation is a silencing of our minds to the point where we’ve silenced our own thoughts – our egos.  Through the process of eliminating all of our thoughts, we make room in our life to hear God’s thoughts.  When we stop talking and thinking, we’re able to actually listen.

If you’re trying to figure out where to start if you are trying to work on all three connected aspects of your being – your mind, your body and your spirit – I would suggest that you begin with your spirit.  Just the desire of inviting God into your life will begin the transformation of your mind and body. The practices of reading scripture, praying and meditating will manifest themselves in reduction of stress, increase of love and thoughts of well-being for your mind and body.

Over time, the fear, worry and stress that we experience will be completely replaced with faith in God whom we’ve intentionally come to know.

The pie chart is made whole and complete with the pie’s most significant secret ingredient -God. And that’s enough!

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What happens when we determine that the truths upon which we base our life are false?  Sometimes it’s a very good thing.

Sometimes we find out that a belief that we hold dearly in our minds is wrong.  When this happens, it can sometimes cause us to question other beliefs that we’ve been using to set the limits of how much we give and how much we’re able to receive.

Each of us runs our daily life consistent with the beliefs that we hold in our mind.  If I believe that I’m good at something, I’m correct. If I believe that I’m not good at something, I’m correct again.  The brain is a literal mechanism. It doesn’t argue with us either way. That’s why it’s crucial that we speak positively about ourselves and others.

Here is the good news/bad news portion of this message.  We’d rather prove ourselves correct than improve.  If I tell myself that “there is no way that I can get all of this done today”, I’ll be sure to subconsciously waste just enough time so that I don’t complete everything. We’re always trying to prove that we’re correct for thinking the way that we do.  “See, I told you that I couldn’t do it!” We’re proud of ourselves for setting and keeping low expectations.

Here are examples of two different beliefs from two separate individuals:

Positive Penny: I enjoy owning my own business because it provides me with the ability to create the ideal lifestyle for my family.

Negative Nadine: I could never start my own business. Even if I did, it probably wouldn’t make any money.

If each of us receives in our life consistent with the beliefs that we hold in our mind- and we do – consider the drastically different lives that will result from the opposite beliefs above.

A few weeks ago, someone told me that we can never have peace on earth because people enjoy the high received from engaging in wars. If one person has this belief, that is how he will run his life – based upon this expectation.  If thousands or millions of people have this belief, that is how our world will continue to function.

The same person also provided me a list of the wars that have been held because of religious people who start these battles. “See, religious people can’t practice what they preach. They can’t help themselves. They all have to fight to prove that they’re right.”

Each of us is trying to justify our reasons for believing the things that we believe. I want to prove to you that I’m not crazy for thinking, believing and acting the way that I do so, I have to show you others who behave similarly.

The problem gets worse.  Once we develop a belief about something, our senses will only allow us to receive information consistent with that belief.

If I think that a vegetarian diet is the best way to eat, I will only allow the articles that show the positive effects of this lifestyle on cholesterol and blood pressure to get past my internal filter. I’ll filter out all of the concerns related to the vegetarian lifestyle (possible vitamin B12 deficiency). If I’m a carnivore, I’ll allow the articles that express concern for too little protein in vegetarian diets to enter my mind and screen-out the ones that talk about cholesterol.  We’re blind to the information that is inconsistent with our beliefs.

For these reasons, today is a great day to assess each of the beliefs that you’re using to create your reality.

Are you aware that about 80% of the beliefs that we hold in our minds are not actually true?  Most of our beliefs have been cemented into our minds from listening to other people share their beliefs with us – friends, co-workers, family, etc.  When we hear or read information often enough and give sanction to it, that information gets planted into our minds and we translate those beliefs as fact (even when they’re not true!).  We then run our lives consistent with those frequently false beliefs.

That’s not good enough for you!  There’s a much better way for you and I to control the beliefs that we allow to enter our minds.  I’m asking you to install a 2009 security system for your senses.   Starting this instant, I’m asking you to install the “Who Said So?” security system.

Here’s how it works.  Each time you read information or hear words spoken with authority by someone, think to yourself or politely say to the individual, “Who Said So? or Where did this information come from?”.  You can then follow-up with additional questions such as, “How do you know?  How did you find out?  Are you certain?  Have you done it yourself?”.

Another step in the process is to determine the credentials of the source of the data.  Is the source credible?  Is the person an expert?  Has the person successfully done this himself/herself?   Has the person ever helped others implement these concepts?

I am asking you to treat the thoughts that enter your head the way passengers are treated entering a foreign country.  Screen each piece of information as if it’s most likely false.  Become a skeptical receiver of the information that is coming into your life from all sources – conversation, the web, books, magazines, the radio and television, etc.  Assume that the information is false unless it 100% passes your security system.

Even then, just because the information was true when it entered, it doesn’t mean that it has to be true forever.  The limits that we place in our minds have been set and created by us or people that we’ve ordained to be credible others.  You get to decide when it’s time for you to improve your performance in every area of your life.

As we develop stronger beliefs in ourselves, we’ll need to seek out additional sources of  new truths the way that you took yourself from kindergarten to grammar school and then  to high school.  We outgrew a certain level of knowledge and craved higher sources of information.  This will happen in every area of your life. We’re constantly seeking higher levels of thought.

My initial source of information related to my health – diet and exercise – came from my parents.  Since then, I’ve progressed from several various diets, to ad-hoc exercise routines, to a current support system that includes health magazines, a personal trainer, and physicians.  As my knowledge and desire to improve increased, I needed newer and higher sources of truth.

My initial source of knowledge relating to money and income came from my parents. It then progressed to peers, then managers, then company owners and CEO’s of major companies. It progressed to a point where my beliefs about my potential had outgrown those of most of the people that were surrounding me at that time.

Like my health and knowledge of finances, my parents were my primary source of information about God and faith. From there it went to nuns, priests and religious education teachers. What I realized is that almost 100% of my information was related to Catholicism. I was an adult who didn’t know much about the faiths of people that I was living with outside of my small faith circle. That hunger to learn brought me to the bookstore, the web and to people of differing faiths.

The ultimate source of truth for you will not be found on-line or in a bookstore. That source of truth lies inside of you.  The truth comes from an internal dialogue between you and God.  That dialogue, like every other skill that we’re looking to master, requires time and patience on a daily basis.

Like any dialogue, it will require that questions be asked, time for silence after the question is asked and time to receive the answers.  The answers are always found in the silence that exists between the question and the answer. In the silence is where all creativity comes from. In that silence is where God dwells.

Make silent time with God a part of your daily routine.

Trust that the combination of you and God put you on the planet for a reason.

That same team knows what your potential is in every area of your life – health, compassion, impact on your community, etc.

That team will be the one that eliminates every one of the false truths that have been deceiving you and co-creates the new truths and beliefs that will serve you going forward.

The creation that results from your daily internal dialogue will cause you to search for additional knowledge that you will find in strong mentors, at bookstores and on-line.

The consciousness that you have and share with God is connected to the consciousness that exists in all other humans.  When you and I start thinking, believing and acting at higher levels of consciousness, awareness and truth, we start relating to others at higher levels of love, compassion, patience, understanding and peace.

You and I can create whatever we choose that’s in alignment with our source of truth – God.

Peace is possible | Health is possible | Prosperity is possible

Do you believe?

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Life is a Circus Without a Strong Foundation.  It takes guts in order to embark on a change that you want to make. It takes courage to admit that we’ve been under-living our lives and that starting today we’re going to commit to improving ourselves.  To admit that we have more potential and that we’re not using all of our available resources is an admission that we are capable of doing better.  We need a strong foundation.

Congratulations!  You’ve found a partner who embraces every change that you want to make that is in alignment with your highest self.

This weekend, my wife and I ran into a friend who had the courage to tell us that she is getting divorced because her husband had left her and her children for a woman who is less than half her age. I could see the pain on her face and her eyes become teary as she shared her heartbreaking news with us.  I think that she felt comfortable telling us because she was confident that we would support her in every way with unconditional love. We will.

How does a person feel after a break-up or divorce?  Alone, isolated, angry, insecure, guilty, depressed, overwhelmed.

You are not any less of a person after these things happen.  You are complete by yourself.  Other people complement you!

Major experiences of loss usually cause us to become very introspective.  Many times, people come back stronger after these situations – especially when they have a strong support network.

I overheard someone call my friend a “boomerang” yesterday.  I guess she has successfully bounced back from traumatic experiences before this one. I know that she’s going to come back from this experience stronger too. This is a time of tremendous change, growth and self assessment for her.

On Saturday night, Carolyn and I had dinner with our great friends Greg, Dreana and Frank.  We are all friends who met at the gym several years ago, who were gathered together that evening celebrating Greg’s last chemotherapy treatment 9 days prior and his clean bill of health.  When Greg was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in March, he went into it knowing that he was exceptionally healthy of body – he’s a personal trainer and former all-natural body building champion.

Like our friend who is going through the divorce, Greg had some of the same feelings – alone, isolated, angry, insecure, overwhelmed, worried – after the initial diagnosis.  Announcements like these that are unexpected are serious shocks to us mentally, spiritually and physically.

Greg will be the first to tell you that although he went into his therapy exceptionally strong of body, he had to work extra hard to stay strong and become even stronger spiritually and mentally. The roadblock in Greg’s life allowed him to spend significant time building up his mental and spiritual capital.

I mentioned that Greg was physically strong prior to the disease, I wish that you could have been with us on Saturday night and seen him.  He is exuding tremendous physical, spiritual and mental confidence.  He has come out of this a drastically stronger person (mentally and spiritually).

We all know that when we go through one of life’s difficult experiences like divorce or cancer treatment, it’s exceptionally important to have support systems in place to assist us. Although there are numerous potential support systems, I’ll address three of the systems which I find the most valuable.

Personal Support System

When you go into any traumatic experience with a very healthy mind, healthy body and strong faith in God and yourself, the ordeal becomes significantly easier to handle because of your solid foundation.  If tomorrow you had to deal with a traumatic situation like one of the above, how would you rate yourself on the following on a scale of 1 – 10:

Spiritual Health |     Mental Health |     Physical Health

Assume that you have the potential to approach a score of 10 on each of the above. Ask yourself: in which area(s) are you in most need of tapping into your potential?

What do you choose to do starting today to improve in that area?

Who will become part of your accountability/support network as you make these changes?

How long will it take before you can approach a total score of 21?

Can you envision a total score that approaches 30?  How would you feel with that score?

Are you committed to starting the process today?

If you could choose a “10” in only one category which one do you think it most critical to approach a 10-like score?  Why?

Spiritual Support System

One of the many reasons that people of faith are encouraged to worship together and not just in isolation is so that we can support each other in times of trouble. We’re also encouraged to become part of a faith community to help each other grow in our faith and to hold each other accountable. Service to others becomes a major component of spiritual maturation.

When you are missing from church attendance or a group meeting within your faith community for more than a week or two, you will have a family of people who will be calling, visiting and e-mailing to make sure that you’re okay. You are genuinely missed when you’re separate from your small faith community.

Your friends of faith will be there to support your faith at a time when you might be more vulnerable than usual to feelings of negativity or despair. They will be there to listen, call, visit and pray for you during the entire experience.

Spiritual communities allow us to surround ourselves with people who are there to lift us up and support us in our beliefs and values. We are never alone when we’re actively participating within our faith community.

I am now more confident than ever that the power of prayer has the ability to positively impact the people who are in need of the prayers.

Physical Support System

Another group of people that I’d encourage you to participate with on a regular basis is an exercise group – yoga, tennis, racquetball, spin, pilates, basketball, weight training, running, etc.  These bodily health-centered groups provide the same benefits as the faith community but, are primarily focused on the physical body.  These groups will provide you with friendship and accountability on a daily basis.

My friend Sean from the gym walks into the locker room every day and asks me “What did you weigh today, Bob” before he even says hello.  Because of our similar builds, ages and goals, we naturally fell into an accountability habit with each other that is competitive and fun.  I’ve maintained my strength and taken off 7 pounds of fat since we began the practice.

Like the faith community, your physical health community will notice when you’re absent too.  I receive calls and e-mails from my friends at the gym when I’m away for more than 3 days. It’s a built-in support system of like-minded friends who are committed to their physical health and support you in attaining or maintaining yours.

Change can be intimidating even when it’s proactive change as a result of our awareness of our potential.  Prepare yourself to deal with all of life’s events that you’ll be challenged with by developing your mental, spiritual and physical foundation. Utilization of support groups of like-minded people will assist you and support you in your efforts.

A solid foundation helps us deal with unwanted, external change. Remember, most of all: you are never truly alone.

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Have you ever felt disappointed or discouraged? We all have. Was it disappointment in yourself or was it disappointment in something or someone external to you? Let’s see if we can differentiate between the two.

One of my favorite definitions of disappointment is, “It’s when I had an appointment with myself that I failed to keep.”

I frequently ask groups of people that I’m speaking with “Are people more likely to keep commitments that they make to others or to themselves”? The almost unanimous answer that I receive is that most people are more likely to keep commitments that they make to another person than the commitments that they make to themselves.

Is that because we tend to love others more than we love ourselves? Is it because I don’t want to disappoint you but, I’m okay disappointing myself?

Love your neighbor, love yourself, love your God.  Sometimes we forget the one in the middle!

The official Webster’s II definition of disappoint is, “To fail to satisfy the hope, desire, or expectation of. To Frustrate.”

The Webster’s II definition of discourage is, “To deprive of confidence, hope or spirit”.

Now that we’ve officially defined the meanings of the feelings of discouraged and disappointed, we can now talk about why we feel that way and how to limit those feelings in the future.

When a baby is born, that child gives great joy to everyone around because it is just being itself.  Babies don’t yet have roles and responsibilities such as mother, father, manager, daughter, son, employer, employee, provider, etc.  As we grow up, roles are either assigned to us by parents, coaches and teachers or taken on by us willingly.

Babies have the ability to bring us joy by simply being with us. We are moved to smile by their cooing, by their drool, by their beautiful eyes and by their smile.  How can they bring us so much joy without the ability to say a single word or do anything for us?

Did you ever notice how happy we are just being in silence with them?

I think that we tend to look at babies as special gifts from God who have this perfect, beautiful spirit about them. That’s because they do.  You and I do too. We are Perfect Spirits.

I wonder if you and I could begin looking at ourselves in the same way that we look at these beautiful little innocent babies?  That’s how our parents and God looked at us when we were born. I believe that’s how God still looks at us today.

“I am a Perfect Spirit.” Try saying that several times a day.  See how long it will take for you to believe it!

The Spirit that dwells in each of us is hungry to be fueled and ignited by our connection to God.  It is our relationship with, connection to and understanding of God that allows us to nurture and develop our Spirit.

We feel a special connection to an infant when we simply hold that child in our arms in silence. We feel that same connection to God when we slow down enough and become silent enough to allow God to hold us and embrace us with the same kind of unconditional love.

Can you and I begin looking at ourselves as beautiful, innocent Perfect Spirits who were created in the image and likeness of God’s Spirit?  Can we acknowledge that we too can bring tremendous pleasure to everyone around us by simply just being present and smiling and listening?

You are lovable just by being you. You don’t need any material possessions to make you lovable. You were lovable at birth, you’ll be lovable when your earthly body is dying and you’re lovable today.

Can we realize that our value was very high in God’s eyes at birth and it will continue to be quite high in God’s eyes every single day for ever and ever. Our value – our True Net Worth – is consistent throughout our lives because we were born with tremendous value and potential. That value and potential remains inside of us whether we choose to use it or not.

Potential for what?  To develop spiritually. To become the loving and compassionate people that we’re all capable of being.  If our spiritual development becomes our main priority and we’re feeling content in knowing that we’re doing all that we can, would we not feel encouraged and like we had truly kept our appointment with ourselves?

Our True Net Worth has nothing to do with our financial net worth. At the end of our life, we will not be rated based upon our accumulation of cars, homes, jewelry, art and money. Instead of evaluating ourselves based upon our financial net worth, how about if we started focusing more heavily on our Spiritual development – our True Net Worth?

Let’s go back to the definition of discourage: To deprive of confidence, hope or spirit.  Spirit is the piece of divinity that resides within each of us.  It is a gift that is given to us that can never be taken away without our permission.  No one can deprive you of your Spirit.

Our jobs can be taken away from us. We were born without jobs and we’ll leave this plane of existence without a job.

We can lose our cars or homes for a variety of very good reasons. These are assets that frequently depreciate. We were born without a home and we trusted in our parent(s) and God to provide for us when we had nothing.

A person can divorce us or die on us leaving us without our partner on earth. We were born without a husband, wife, boyfriend or girlfriend and we will leave this earth without one too.

Your value as a child of God does not diminish when unemployed, carless, homeless or without a significant other.   Our True Net Worth was high when we entered this world before we started accumulating roles and possessions. Our True Net Worth will be very high when we leave this world and it should remain very high on a daily basis.  This feeling of very high True Net Worth should not fluctuate because we have a strong spiritual connection to God and to each other.

The development of our Spirit is the one asset that we have that is guaranteed to appreciate and can never depreciate without our permission.

Unity Consciousness is our spiritual connection to God and our awareness that we are united with every human on the planet via a spiritual connection.  When we understand that our source of strength and power comes from the Spirit that dwells within us and from the relationship between our Spirit and God, we feel valuable and connected on a daily basis.  We know that our source of strength that is with us today and that will be with us for eternity will always provide for us.  It is that faith in God and our faith in our brothers and sisters in the world that assures us that we are never alone and that there is always hope.

With faith in God, there is always hope. When we’re working on improving and developing our relationship with God and our God-like attributes of love, faith and compassion we’re much more likely to feel tranquil and understanding as the things around us that are not in our control – the economy, a company’s success, the behavior of other people – are disappointing us.

External things can disappoint us but our developed Spirit (internal peace, love and serenity) and relationship with God will never do that!

Here is the Webster’s II definition of courage:  “The quality of state of mind or spirit enabling one to face danger or hardship with confidence and resolution”.

The definition says that courage could be the quality of state of mind enabling one to face danger or hardship with confidence and resolution.  In that definition, I only include state of mind (I’m excluding spirit). What might that state of mind sound like in our minds?

I remain calm when danger is around me.

I know that I have the ability to overcome any hardship that comes my way.

I am a strong individual who only gets stronger when events in my life become tougher.

These would be pretty good states of mind would they not?  With a strong state of mind, I am alone in my thoughts and strength. I am disconnected from God and from other people.

Let’s change the definition to the quality of state of spirit enabling one to face danger or hardship with confidence and resolution.  What types of spiritual thoughts would be imprinted in the mind?

I remain calm whenever danger is upon me and feel assured God is with me at all times and will always open a door or window when another one closes.

I am filled with confidence and courage at all times because I know that my ability to overcome every obstacle presented to me is a reality and well within the power of God.

My Spiritual connection to God and to other people assures me that I am never alone which is why I happily welcome challenges into my life.

In these examples, I keep my strong state of mind. I also bring-on the best security guard available. God is with us at all times to assist us in dealing with every single thought, problem, adversity and disappointment that life brings us.

In the first set of thoughts above, I presented strong, positive thoughts that were present in my mind.  In the second set of thoughts, I supplemented the very positive thoughts with the addition of God’s Spirit.  In the second examples, it’s our strong faith in God and belief in our developed Spirit which makes the confidence and courage in us even more powerful.

When I choose to build my biceps and other muscles, I commit to a daily regimen of exercises that will keep my muscles toned and growing. This is the same routine to build our spiritual muscle.  Our faith in our ability to bench press our body weight comes from frequent practice that give us confidence knowing that we can lift the weight whenever we’re called upon to do so..  Our Spiritual muscle – the Soul – is built in the very same manner. Our meditation, prayer and assimilation of God’s messages into deeply carved pathways within our minds enables us to build our Spiritual muscle on a daily basis so that it’s always ready to lift us up and sustain us when life’s speed bumps seem to appear from nowhere.

As you commit to a daily routine to keep your body healthy, be certain to commit to a daily routine to nurture and develop your Spirit. It is your Spiritual Muscle that will sustain you and assist you in dealing with every speed bump along the highway of life.

You control how you feel about your spiritual maturity, your relationship with God and your relationship with (how you treat) other humans.  When you give yourself high grades in these areas, all of the disappointment and discouragement is truly external and seems small and insignificant in comparison.

It is your strong Spiritual Muscle that builds your True Net Worth.

Growth, Change and Excellence come from repetition.

If you want to have a lean, healthy body, how often do you exercise?  For me it’s at least 6 day per week.

If you want to be a great golfer, how often do you practice and play?  Many people I know play several times per week, have a coach and go to the driving range daily.

When we strive for excellence in any area of life, we know that consistency and practice are essential.

If you wanted to be strong spiritually, what are some of the things that you might do?  Pray.  Meditate. Serve the poor and disabled.  Worship with other believers. Attend services on a regular basis.

How many of these do you practice on a very regular basis?

Why is it that our parents used to worship at temple, church, synagogue or mosque on a weekly basis as a cornerstone of their faith but, many people today rarely or never attend?  What did our parents seem to receive (and give) by being a part of this community of believers that we seem to not need?

Did the principles for spiritual wisdom  and happiness change within the last 20 years?  No. Is the information outdated? My answer is no.  Do we not need the repetition and community involvement? We do. Many of us feel alone and isolated. Do we not need to share our gifts with others?  Giving makes us feel as good as receiving does.

We don’t seem to think that we need repetition, new knowledge, feedback and regular attendance at our temple, mosque, synagogue or church in our lives when it comes to spirituality.  Why would we need it for golf or music but, not require the daily or weekly practice, repetition, learning and feedback from our spiritual coach?

Maybe I’m weak but I do!

“My grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness.”
2 Corinthians 12:99

Perhaps it’s our weaknesses which cause us to reach out and ask for help from God and others? I leave church each week about 2-3 inches taller because I’m invigorated by serving my community and by the inspiration I receive from God’s word, the priest, the music and from my friends.

My wife teaches yoga, spin and pilates and is in great physical shape. She’s been subbing for people on vacation this week and has conducted about 12 classes.  Carolyn tells me that my muscles begin to atrophy after only a week or two of not working out.  I know that when I haven’t done a cardio workout for even a couple of days I can notice the difference in my breathing capacity.

If it only takes a couple of days or a couple of weeks for my body to begin to diminish, how long does it take for my soul and spirit to do the same?  We’re either growing or we’re dying. We all know that. Can we really maintain and grow our spirits by attending worship once or twice a year?  Based upon observation of family, friends and customers  my answer is a resounding no–we can not.

We miss out by not being present and we’re missed when we’re not there.

At mass last week, my priest’s sermon contained a gem that I could only have picked up by attending the service. Fr. Nick told us during his sermon that “What people are really hungry for is God”!

We can’t eat enough food.
We can’t buy enough shoes, clothes, cars or houses.
None of our promotions at work seem to have us satisfied.

No matter how much we buy, how much food we eat, no matter how many vacations we take, we can never seem to get enough to satisfy our hunger. We’re searching for something else.

We’re hungry for God!  What does that mean?  I think that it means we’re looking for someone to believe in who never lets us down. We’re looking to someone who leads by example-consistently. We’re looking to love and be loved unconditionally.

We’re looking for answers.  We’re looking for the truth.  We’re looking for a destination and for a path to follow along the way. We’re looking for hope.

Humans have a way of being imperfect and of letting us down. They disappoint us.

God never does.

How about committing to a routine that will keep your heart and soul in tip-top shape?

How about finding a place to worship?  Your faith community is not complete without your presence and without the sharing of your unique gifts which only you can bring to the world.

Your faith community needs you.  You need the repetition so that your soul will be in excellent condition and be filled with faith, hope and love.