Joyful

Seems that I feel Joyful today. Usually we just muddle through the days, one step at a time. Thinking of all the things that need to be done, or where we are going or who we have to meet. Just take a moment in time, those precious moments that make us who we are.

Take a moment to think about all you have, and be joyful. Reach for the stars. Know yourself. Be happy.

Armor of God

Armor of God

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand" (Ephesians 6:13).

the belt of truth... having sound doctrine which comes from studying the bible (the belt is used to hold the sword, plus the rest of the equipment)

the breastplate of righteousness... we are found righteous is Jesus and we shouldn't go anywhere without Him (a soldier would never go into combat with out it - it protects our heart, the most vital organ in our body)

the sandals of peace/readiness... we need to be ready to spread the Word of God and we cant go running with out the proper shoes (the work of Jesus brought peace to us with God & we need to spread that)

the shield of faith... the only protection from an arrow being shot from the air at you would be your shield, the soldiers trusted their shields to help protect them (our faith is the same way, we need to have faith in God that He will be with us through it all. we can't rely on our own abilities)

the helmet of salvation... used to protect the head, but by saying it is salvation means total deliverance (Jesus is our salvation, in Him we find deliverance from every trial-emotional, physical & spiritual)

the sword of the Spirit... the sword is a deadly weapon! as is the Bible! (God's Word is powerful! it is something that we need to carry around with us ALWAYS! you don't have to actually carry around a bible where ever you go, but you should carry it in your heart -memorize, memorize, memorize)

Why Spiritual Armor?

Rom 13:12 (NIV) The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Jer 46:3-4 (NIV) "Prepare your shields, both large and small, and march out for battle! Harness the horses, mount the steeds! Take your positions with helmets on! Polish your spears, put on your armour!"
1 Cor 14:8 (GLT) For if a trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who will get himself ready for war?

Stand!

Luke 21:36 (NIV) "Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man."

Mal 3:2 (NAS) But who can endure the day of His coming? And who can stand when He appears?..

1 Cor 10:12-13 (NIV) So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

Jude 1:24 (Wey) But to Him who is able to keep you safe from stumbling, and cause you to stand in the presence of His glory free from blemish and full of exultant joy...

Jas 4:7 (NAS) Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

The Belt of Truth

Eph 6:14 (NRS) ...fasten the belt of truth around your waist...
Isa 11:5 (NIV) Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash round his waist.
Ex 12:11 (NIV) This is how you are to eat it [the passover lamb]: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand...

1 Kings 18:46 (NIV) The power of the Lord came upon Elijah and, tucking his cloak into his belt, he ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.

Eph 4:25 (NKJ) Therefore, put away lying, "Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor."

Ray Stedman: "No Christian has the right to a private life. Our lives are to be lived openly before all men, transparent, a spectacle unto all the world. We have no private lives and we must not expect to have. This is basically and fundamentally wrong. Christians are to be demonstrations of the truth."

John 4:24 (NIV) "God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth."

Col 3:8-10 (NIV) But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

2 Th 2:10 (NIV) ...They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.

The Breastplate of Righteousness

Php 3:9 (NRS) ...Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but one that comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God based on faith.

Isa 59:16-17 (NAS) ...Then His own arm brought salvation to Him, and His righteousness upheld Him. He put on righteousness like a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation on His head...

Ex 28:15 (NIV) "Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions... Make it like the ephod..."

1Ki 3:9 (NIV) So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong.

Ps 94:15 (NIV) Judgment will again be founded on righteousness, and all the upright in heart will follow it.

Pr 2:7-8 (NIV) He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Then you will understand what is right and just and fair--every good path.

Standing on The Gospel

Eph 6:15 (NIV) ...your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

Eph 6:15 (Wey) ...as well as the shoes of the Good News of peace--a firm foundation for your feet.

Rom 10:15 (KJV) ...As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!"

Imagine yourself standing barefooted in a rocky climate, like in the Middle East. You could move--ever so carefully--but without shoes you would be useless in battle. The weight of the other pieces of armor would only make your feet more sensitive if you had no protection. You would be a "push-over" for the enemy, as you would have no agility and be wincing in pain every time you attempted to move. This is why it is essential to have our "feet shod with the gospel of peace".

1 Cor 15:1-4 (Wey) But let me recall to you, brethren, the Good News [Gospel] which I brought you, which you accepted, and on which you are standing, through which also you are obtaining salvation, if you bear in mind the words in which I proclaimed it--unless indeed your faith has been unreal from the very first...-- thatChrist died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures; that He was buried; that He rose to life again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.

This is the gospel as we have received it. It is foolishness to many, but life and light to those who believe in it and are willing to follow and be "included in" Christ's death. In practice, the Gospel means we are dead to our self-life with all of its lusts and instincts, and alive with new life in Christ. The good news is that by considering ourselves "dead men" in Christ, we can be put at peace with God in Christ. If we have truly died to self, then over time our instincts will be "dead" to the rocks and glass and thorns of this world which used to move us. Those standing on the gospel will not react in the flesh. Instead, we will move by God's Spirit with aprotected disregard for such "fleshly" considerations, being "readied" by the "shoes" of the "death, burial, and resurrection of Christ", which is the Gospel that brings peace.

1 Pet 2:11 (NAS) Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul.

Gal 5:16-17 (NAS) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

Rom 8:5-13 (NAS) For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. ...the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the fleshcannot please God... But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. So then, brethren, we are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh--for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Isa 52:6-7 (NIV) "Therefore my people will know my name; therefore in that day they will know that it is I who foretold it. Yes, it is I. How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation [Yeshua, Jesus!] who say to Zion, 'Your God reigns!'"

The Helmet Of Salvation [Jesus]

Isa 59:16-17 (KJV) And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and a helmet of salvation [Yeshua] upon his head...

1 Th 5:8 (NAS) But since we are of the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love; and as a helmet, the hope of salvation.

Ps 140:7 (NAS) "O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation [Yeshua], You have covered my head in the day of battle."
Jesus--Yeshua in Hebrew--means "Salvation". Salvation is Jesus Christ.
Col 1:18 (NKJ) And He is the head of the body, the church...

1 Cor 2:16 (NIV) "For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?" But we have the mind of Christ.
Php 2:5 (NKJ) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus...

1 Pet 4:1 (NKJ) Therefore, since Christ suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same mind, for he who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.

2 Cor 10:3-5 (NRS) Indeed, we live as human beings, but we do not wage war according to human standards; for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we takeevery thought captive to obey Christ.

Eph 4:14-16 (NKJ) ...We should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head--Christ--from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

The Sword of The Spirit - The Word of God

Isa 49:2 (NAS) He has made My mouth like a sharp sword, In the shadow of His hand He has concealed Me; And He has also made Me a select arrow, He has hidden Me in His quiver.

Matthew Henry: "To the Christian armed for defense in battle, the apostle recommends only one weapon of attack; but it is enough, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. It subdues and mortifies evil desires and blasphemous thoughts as they rise within; and answers unbelief and error as they assault from without. A single text, well understood, and rightly applied, at once destroys a temptation or an objection, and subdues the most formidable adversary."

Heb 4:12-13 (NKJ) For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

2 Cor 6:7 (NIV) ...in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left...

Ps 149:4-6 (NIV) For the Lord takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice in this honour and sing for joy on their beds. May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands.

The Shield of Faith

Eph 6:16 (Wey) ...take the great shield of faith, on which you will be able to quench all the flaming darts of the Wicked one.

Ps 35:1-3,9 (NIV) Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to my soul, "I am your salvation."... Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation [yes, Yeshua again].

Ps 3:2-3 (GLT) Many are saying of my soul, There is no salvation for him in God. Selah. But You, O Jehovah, are a shield around me; [you are] my glory and He who lifts up my head.

1 Pet 1:5 (NAS) ...who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Ps 33:20 (NIV) We wait in hope for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.

1 Tim 6:12 (NIV) Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

1 John 5:4-5 (Wey) For every child of God overcomes the world; and the victorious principle which has overcome the world is our faith. Who but the man that believes that Jesus is the Son of God overcomes the world?

Pr 30:5 (NIV) "Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him."

Be Strong In The Lord, By the Power of Grace

1 Cor 16:13 (NIV) Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.

2 Tim 2:1 (GLT) ...Be empowered by grace in Christ Jesus.

Eph 3:7 (GLT) ...I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given to me, according to the working of His power.

2 Cor 9:8 (NIV) And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Col 1:11 (Wey) Since His power is so glorious, may you be strengthened with strength of every kind, and be prepared...

Php 4:13 (NAS) I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

The Battle is The Lord's

1 Sam 17:47 (NKJ) [David, speaking to Goliath] "Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord's,and He will give you into our hands."

Deut 20:3-4 (NIV) ..."Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be faint-hearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. For the Lord your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory."

Ps 18:32-35 (NIV) It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great.

Zec 4:6 (NIV) ..."'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the Lord Almighty."

Rom 11:36 (GLT) Because of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

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Remember, that on your daily walk, you carry the Armor within you...

May the peace and joy surround you,

Happy Hunting,

Reverend G-

God Is Not A Christian

I thought this was a good read, and makes sense.

Enjoy...

By Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Reader Supported News

02 June 11

The following is excerpted from the Archbishop Desmond Tutu's new book, "God Is Not A Christian: And Other Provocations." This talk also comes from a forum in Britain, where Tutu addressed leaders of different faiths during a mission to the city of Birmingham in 1989.

They tell the story of a drunk who crossed the street and accosted a pedestrian, asking him, "I shay, which ish the other shide of the shtreet?" The pedestrian, somewhat nonplussed, replied, "That side, of course!" The drunk said, "Shtrange. When I wash on that shide, they shaid it wash thish shide." Where the other side of the street is depends on where we are. Our perspective differs with our context, the things that have helped to form us; and religion is one of the most potent of these formative influences, helping to determine how and what we apprehend of reality and how we operate in our own specific context.

My first point seems overwhelmingly simple: that the accidents of birth and geography determine to a very large extent to what faith we belong. The chances are very great that if you were born in Pakistan you are a Muslim, or a Hindu if you happened to be born in India, or a Shintoist if it is Japan, and a Christian if you were born in Italy. I don't know what significant fact can be drawn from this - perhaps that we should not succumb too easily to the temptation to exclusiveness and dogmatic claims to a monopoly of the truth of our particular faith. You could so easily have been an adherent of the faith that you are now denigrating, but for the fact that you were born here rather than there.

My second point is this: not to insult the adherents of other faiths by suggesting, as sometimes has happened, that for instance when you are a Christian the adherents of other faiths are really Christians without knowing it. We must acknowledge them for who they are in all their integrity, with their conscientiously held beliefs; we must welcome them and respect them as who they are and walk reverently on what is their holy ground, taking off our shoes, metaphorically and literally. We must hold to our particular and peculiar beliefs tenaciously, not pretending that all religions are the same, for they are patently not the same. We must be ready to learn from one another, not claiming that we alone possess all truth and that somehow we have a corner on God.

We should in humility and joyfulness acknowledge that the supernatural and divine reality we all worship in some form or other transcends all our particular categories of thought and imagining, and that because the divine - however named, however apprehended or conceived - is infinite and we are forever finite, we shall never comprehend the divine completely. So we should seek to share all insights we can and be ready to learn, for instance, from the techniques of the spiritual life that are available in religions other than our own. It is interesting that most religions have a transcendent reference point, a mysterium tremendum, that comes to be known by deigning to reveal itself, himself, herself, to humanity; that the transcendent reality is compassionate and concerned; that human beings are creatures of this supreme, supra mundane reality in some way, with a high destiny that hopes for an everlasting life lived in close association with the divine, either as absorbed without distinction between creature and creator, between the divine and human, or in a wonderful intimacy which still retains the distinctions between these two orders of reality.

When we read the classics of the various religions in matters of prayer, meditation, and mysticism, we find substantial convergence, and that is something to rejoice at. We have enough that conspires to separate us; let us celebrate that which unites us, that which we share in common.

Surely it is good to know that God (in the Christian tradition) created us all (not just Christians) in his image, thus investing us all with infinite worth, and that it was with all humankind that God entered into a covenant relationship, depicted in the covenant with Noah when God promised he would not destroy his creation again with water. Surely we can rejoice that the eternal word, the Logos of God, enlightens everyone - not just Christians, but everyone who comes into the world; that what we call the Spirit of God is not a Christian preserve, for the Spirit of God existed long before there were Christians, inspiring and nurturing women and men in the ways of holiness, bringing them to fruition, bringing to fruition what was best in all. We do scant justice and honor to our God if we want, for instance, to deny that Mahatma Gandhi was a truly great soul, a holy man who walked closely with God. Our God would be too small if he was not also the God of Gandhi: if God is one, as we believe, then he is the only God of all his people, whether they acknowledge him as such or not. God does not need us to protect him. Many of us perhaps need to have our notion of God deepened and expanded. It is often said, half in jest, that God created man in his own image and man has returned the compliment, saddling God with his own narrow prejudices and exclusivity, foibles and temperamental quirks. God remains God, whether God has worshippers or not.

This mission in Birmingham to which I have been invited is a Christian celebration, and we will make our claims for Christ as unique and as the Savior of the world, hoping that we will live out our beliefs in such a way that they help to commend our faith effectively. Our conduct far too often contradicts our profession, however. We are supposed to proclaim the God of love, but we have been guilty as Christians of sowing hatred and suspicion; we commend the one whom we call the Prince of Peace, and yet as Christians we have fought more wars than we care to remember. We have claimed to be a fellowship of compassion and caring and sharing, but as Christians we often sanctify sociopolitical systems that belie this, where the rich grow ever richer and the poor grow ever poorer, where we seem to sanctify a furious competitiveness, ruthless as can only be appropriate to the jungle.

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I thought this was a very good article. I feel that we need to seek the God within, no matter what your belief or faith may be. For Religion will never provide you the peace and serenity within, unless you seek Him within.

It is a long trip, and a difficult task, but we all make a choice for ourselves, for remember, one size does not fit all.

I pray that the Spirit of God may surround and protect each of your on your journey. May you have many adventures.

Happy Hunting,

Reverand G-

Love and Light...

Freedom

Life is a many splendid thing.

Within each of us, there is a moment of elation, and the moment last but that only moment. Where are we going, where are we, who are we? Those are the many parts of questions that haunt many of us, and we return to those days of purity, and laughter, and fun.

Within the soul, we are looking for that moment to last forever. Why doesn't it? We let go of it when we become adults. Why? Because that is the way of things. But we can't truly be adult, unless we know that lasting moment of bliss and fun. Remember that it is truly a dream that last forever, and we must live. What is our purpose? We live.

Dreams. Why can't we create our own dreams? I know many questions. I remember moments as a child of lying on a merry-go-round, and just spinning and it just doesn't matter. Now, if we do the same thing, we feel out of control. This is like life, there are those days that feel out of control, and spinning not knowing where or when it will stop.

Take those moments, and reach within yourselves, and remember the fun innocence of childhood, and allow yourself to spin within. We are all driving toward the next level, the next step, working till we achieve the goal. What is the goal?

Within spirituality, we strive to learn, and grow all that is to be attained, the next step. Really, what is the next step. Within all belief systems we are all growing and seeking to attain the next level, and in knowing and growing.

Take a moment, out of your lives, and assess where you are, and know that you are ok. Breath! Step outside of your life, and live. The purpose in life, and death, is to live. We all seek to become "One". What is One? One what?

Seek and you shall find. Listen, and you shall learn. Truly take a moment in each day, and just listen. Your world has many sounds on many levels. If you listen and truly hear, you would be amazed at what is there to learn.

May the blessings of the Father be with you, and may His Spirit surround you each day.

Till next time,
Happy Hunting...

Love and Light...
Rev. G...

The Choice, Caring, Selfish, & Reality

THE CHOICE, CARING OR SELFISH

Tex writes:

On the question of discernment of peoples' motives and  agendas. It reminds me of a time when I lived in a commune in the late 60's. No  drugs, and the core group were really more interested in sorting out problems and helping each other figure things out. We were young. We had lots of surprise
visitors from cities to our wilderness house by the sea. Friends who told friends who told friends.

Usually 20 would show up for meals, and never lift a finger to help maintain the place, not even to wash a dish! They always brought sleeping bags and flopped on the property or on the floor.

We had a leader, a benevolent dictator, who would approach them after three days of being guests. He would tell them that if they liked it so much here, wanted to stay, they would need to do chores like the rest of us. He would point outside to a weed-infested garden space. Start there, he would say. And they would be gone before sundown. That garden space was never weeded, just in case we needed it for this reason.

It is amazing, that human nature "as some say" is always giving and benevolent. Which means to me, is always giving. Really, as you see from the above story, the people are more willing to receive and take as necessary. Providing only for themselves, and as soon as the price for the services is asked for, they depart ways, no thank you... nothing.

I watch people every day, give, give, and give. Always being the humble servant, and in this serving, wear themselves down to nothing. When they become ill, or need assistance in  completing the work needed done, everyone disappears.

I have a family, and when things needed to be done, I would say well who is going to do this work. You know the usual things, like sweeping, mopping, taking out the trash, or even doing the dishes. I always got the same answer, "Somebody Else will do it". Finally, after hearing this for
many years time, I just got fed up and asked who somebody else was? They had no
answer. Then I explained that I was the somebody else. At this point I was just
fed up with life this way. Everyone wondered why I got mad and upset.

I would go to work, then come home, and clean house, do the chores, cut the yard, clean the kids put them to bed, then take care of myself. Seemed that the load never ended.

In this world, we need to learn to give, and in that giving we receive the blessings from above. Done in Humility and Humbleness, with Love, there are many blessings. But, the question is, who cares for the
caregiver? When the time comes, is that another Somebody else will do it? I pray that many will see this, cause few feed the many.

It is tiring some days to be the one serving to the needs of others. When I get short tempered, or as some say "Attitudinal", some say what is wrong? What do you say? Come on, and do something. Complaining never got the job done. Just remember, Can't never Could.

Blessings to you and yours, and may you summer be cool and bright.

Happy hunting... And Don't forget, there is considered the "Fair" and "Equal" exchange of Energy..

Rev. Gerald Martin

Prodigal-Casting Crowns

Thought Jan 31st, 2011

For there will be no mercy for you if you have not been merciful to others. But if you have been merciful, then God's mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you. James 2:13

Forgiveness Releases Stress

Life is a mixture of give and take. And sometimes when we get  the short end, the natural reaction is to feel emotionally wounded and angry. A multitude of medical research has found that forgiveness reduces chronic stress and protects our health from a myriad of serious problems.

For example, a non-profit group, called Campaign for Forgiveness Research, reports that there

have been over 60 scientific articles published on the beneficial effects of forgiveness. The

Journal of Behavioral Medicine reports that people with a forgiving nature correlated with lower

blood pressure and those who did not forgive experienced more frequent acute, stress-induced

reactivity and had higher blood pressures even while at rest!

Let’s begin with defining exactly what forgiveness is and isn’t.

Forgiveness is the positive power to forgive others and to forgive oneself. It is not making excuses
for unkindness, or condoning bad behavior; or trying to deny or diminish your pain and suffering.

Forgiveness is for you – not the wrongdoer. It is a process that  frees you from being consumed

with anger and fantasies of revenge. Forgiveness brings feelings of peace and acceptance.

Forgiveness is an acquired skill that must be practiced to learn properly and the reward is selfpreservation

and a much better quality of life.

In fact studies have found that the inability to forgive not only increases one’s risk for heart disease and stroke; it also leads to negative changes that increase blood pressure, elevate heart rate, and decrease immune function (resistance to disease).

In addition, forgiveness psychologically increases one’s feeling of control (the opposite result of holding anger and bitterness, which magnifies feelings of helplessness). The power of control coming from the confident feeling of being able to overcome any difficulty, so that it doesn’t make you miserable. We’ve all experienced a state of anger that colors our view of everything else around us in a negative light. Studies have found that those who cannot forgive experience psychological distress, restlessness, nervousness and hopelessness.

Researchers report that subjects who are filled with unforgiving thoughts experience an increase in sympathetic nervous system arousal, the fight-or-flight response which triggers the release of cortisol and all its damaging effects (heart attacks, strokes, chest pains, stomach pains, backaches, headaches, weakening of the immune system and more). Dr. Douglas Russell, a Veterans Administration cardiologist found that the coronary function of patients who had suffered a heart attack improved after a 10-hour course in forgiveness.

Fred  Luskin, PhD, of the Stanford University Forgiveness Project, reports that people who blame others for their problems have a higher incidence of chronic pain, cardiovascular disease and other ailments.

How to Practice Forgiveness:

• Begin by acknowledging that you are emotionally hurt. Sometimes just this admission

creates a healthy sympathy for your sensitive emotions.

• Rather than revisiting your injustice, focus on the good things in your life. If someone steals your parking space, be thankful that you have enough time to find another one, and your car is running well. Or maybe you made a stupid mistake, but give yourself credit for all the smart choices you’ve made.

• If you are really enraged, you need to calm your body first. Performing one of the beginning breathing techniques (Breathing Tranquilizer technique or Lengthening the Exhale Technique). As you slow your breathing, your heart rate breathing rate and blood pressure with naturally slowdown.

Question?

This is direct and to the point:

Is one man's terrorist, considered another man's revolutionary?

Gerald...