Positively Speaking!

By John Rodgers

Chicken McNugget, or Egg McMuffin?

I never heard if “They” ever solved the age-old question of what came first. It appears as though you can’t have one without the other, so this is a biggie. I’m glad I never agreed to be one of “them”, so I never have to answer this one! However, this debacle has been prevalent in my life as long as I can remember. It takes the form of my dreams & desires.

Most of us have a plan of sorts. We all know what we want, and or where we are going. Too often though, our happiness, peace, and sense of satisfaction & acceptance are mortgaged by our results. We tend to live in a state of suspended animation, waiting for “our ship to come in” and then we will have the life we want, be who we were meant to be, and allow ourselves to be happy!

I have discovered that I had this one in reverse. I always thought that I would find peace, happiness, and satisfaction, by accomplishing the things in life I set out to do, and was reaping the rewards of a successful life. So I find myself impatiently waiting, suffering, whining, knowing I will never be happy until “my ship comes in”, only to find out that the fuel that will drive the ship to me is my happiness, satisfaction & peace!

God is the omnipotent power, force, and creative energy at the source of all that is. The Holy Spirit is the flowing of this energy through each of us. We were given creative license to direct the flow of this “God Power” in any way we desire. The result we get is what we call our life! Each of us is an instrument that God uses to create, and we determine what is created with our faith. Our attitudes and beliefs direct the result of our creation. We cannot create happy positive lives without being happy & positive first! In order to get where we are going, and be who we were meant to be, we have to learn to create from a good feeling place. Trying to create joyful results from frustration, and impatience is impossible. The answer to the question “Which comes first happiness, or the attainment of our desires,” happiness is the answer. We all need to create from happiness to have the results we desire.

This is the role of gratitude. When frustration over the lack of what we want sends our mood south, we must look for something to be grateful for, in order to elevate our mood to a “happy place” so we can continue to create in the direction of our desire.  Our “E-Motions” are the built-in guidance system we have to inform us of the direction our creative energy is flowing. If we are feeling bad, the “motion” of our “energy” is in the opposite direction of our desire. If we use our emotions to guide us, and perform a course correction by using gratitude, we will find the trip toward “where we are going” much smoother, and quicker. We have this built in GPS, (God Powered System) or internal guidance, called emotions, and the corrective tool of gratitude to get us back on track. To quote an earlier article, “It’s in there” God has equipped us with all the latest technology to create lives of joy & peace. We just had to figure out what came first the chicken or the egg.

POSITIVELY SPEAKING, finding the happy place first brings us to what we are looking for.

For more of this visit: www.realeyeslife.com

Thou Do Not See

Fear not my brother where thou shalt liveth, There’s ample room beneath the sun

Our Makers thoughtful gift was giveth, To all of us not just The One

This place in which all brothers dwell, The spot I think to call my home

Could be ‘bout any where we tell, Our bodies to rest from whence we’d roam

The secret that my soul is hiding, Truth to me sometimes revealed

All place and action in God abiding, Causes fear and pain be healed

I seek to find my hidden truth, As life’s meaning may elude

I rest from earnest thought and sleuth, A sudden peace tries to intrude

When thought provokes my mind to still, It dawns on me no answers veiled

The truth I seek with such strong will, Tis there’s no question to be hailed

All answers seem to lie in waiting, For the asker to awake

To the simple truth creating, We know all for heavens sake.

God hides nothing from our faces, We’ve erected veils of stone

Glories’ wondrous love and graces, To us all is easily shown

Beneath the sun the room I dwell in, Has been fashioned in my mind

The life of which all of us fell in, As our own  eyes have left us blind

As you see all thee in grace, There is no truth that we must seek

For all we know of time and space, Shall be revealed when love we speak

Positively Speaking!

By John Rodgers

“I’VE CHANGED MY MIND!”

            I once heard somewhere that it was a woman’s prerogative to change her mind. This year’s Presidential primary if riddled with promises of “change”. When my underwear starts to smell, I change them. I often find change down the side of the couch, and I feel lucky! So it seems change is good. Seasons change, the weather is always changing, and my waistline changes. Life is filled with change. I would almost say “life is change. Nothing stays the same. The face of the landscape, the size of my bank account, the number of hairs on my head; CHANGING!. Always CHANGING!

            So, seeing as how change is unavoidable, we should harness its awesome power, and put it to work for ourselves. If you’ve ever read one of these little articles, you are well aware of the fact that I am a firm believer in the idea that we create the conditions of our lives from the inside out. I believe that our lives are a reflection of our beliefs, and our attitude. In short, life begins in the mind, and unfolds in form. First there is thought, (desire), then there is intent, (faith) which leads to action, (creation), which is ultimately results in manifestation, (form, or life). I’ve heard it said, “Change the way you think about a thing, and the thing you think about changes”.

            Sounds simple, doesn’t it? Lets all change our minds! After all, it was our minds that created war and hatred. God didn’t start those little situations. The mind of man is where bigotry, jealousy, greed, and fear were born.  All of these conditions are the product of our minds erroneous belief in our separation from God.  Jesus taught us that the Kingdom of God was here, now, and always, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”. Perhaps we didn’t hear it right. Our minds wouldn’t allow us to believe it was so simple. We had to complicate life with our crazy little minds.

            Well, there’s this little gift that mankind has used as our primary tool for creating. It’s called “free will”. We can think whatever we want, when ever we want, forever. The cool part about it is that if we change our mind, and decide to view the world, as kind, loving, abundant, and graceful, that is what we will experience, and attract to ourselves. If enough of us “change our minds” POSITVELY, we will witness, a rebirth of humanity. It’s as easy as viewing the glass as half full as opposed to half empty. We don’t even have to do anything, just change our minds as to how we will view the world, relationally, and the relationships we encounter will improve. Each and every one of us has the awesome power of change wired into our system. A touch of the button, (just like using the TV remote), is all it takes to create a new reality.

            Next time I change my underwear, I think I’ll change my mind too! I might decide that I could get 1 more day out of those smelly skivvies! I might also decide that life is beautiful, and adversity is the catalyst for desire which fuels creation, that in turn, is life expanding in a never ending cycle of change. Positively speaking, all change, (even small change, or change back from my dollar) is good!

Visit www.Realeyeslife.com  to read more about change 

Positively Speaking!

By John Rodgers

Fuggedah bout it!

Forgiveness

There are a million reasons to be angry these days. Just open the newspaper and you will find all the ammunition you need to label yourself the victim. Every day we end up paying more than we think we should for the things we need because of those big companies making big profits. We are always inconvenienced by some stupid rule or regulation that was designed to cause us grief. Someone, somewhere during day will cut us off in traffic, jump ahead of us in line, close a door in our face, or take the last good batch of grapes on the produce counter. Enough to push you over the edge, doncha’ think? Then there is always the more personal betrayal by a friend or family member, deceitful boss or coworker, and maybe even the thug that stole your wallet! Man! How’s a guy supposed live around here?

Forgiveness is one of the major components of Christianity. But have we ever stopped to wonder… why? Most of us probably think,” because that is what Jesus taught”, or, “because it’s the right thing to do!” Still some may figure it is compassion for the target of our wrath.

Well, I don’t think it is any of the above! Forgiveness is freedom. Forgiveness is about allowing ourselves to live without giving away peace of mind to strangers that do not know you gave it to them. Forgiveness is happiness itself. Jesus taught us to turn the other cheek. Jesus also taught us to; “Judge not lest ye be judged” which is where the divine truth of forgiveness is born.

God created human kind in order to experience the unlimited diversity of “being” that results from countless choices between relative conditions. We, (and ultimately God) appreciated calm, in contrast of chaos. We enjoy being respected, contrary to being disrespected, and so on. All things that occur, give meaning to the contrasting condition, and therefore are all components of our journey toward inner peace. When we judge actions or conditions as “BAD” and determine that they were unjustly directed toward us, we end up in a state of resentment that prevents any measure of peace from existing in our hearts. Ninety nine percent of the time, the target of our despair has no idea about, or at least is unaffected by, our state of mind. We become victims of our own judgment. This is what is meant by; “Judge not lest ye be judged” That lesson does not warn us to refrain from action as others will take similar action in return. It means we are literally “spitting into the wind”, and it will land right in our own face.

If we can find our way to place where we can understand that all that “is”, simply is, and accept it as a component of our journey toward Grace, we can refuse to allow prevailing conditions to rob us of the present moment joy. If we forget about the actions and situations that we initially “Judge” as unacceptable, and just notice them, then (Fuggedah Bout It) we will find that there is much less

anger and resentment in our hearts. POSITIVELY SPEAKING, “fuggedah bout it” is great advice.

More of this content  http://www.realeyeslife.com

Positively Speaking!

By: John Rodgers

Christ has risen!- He has risen indeed! We are now at the tail end of the Easter season. I hope all are still feeling the joy of the “Risen Christ”. The prophecies have been fulfilled, Jesus over came death and proved that life is eternal, and we have nothing to fear. Jesus told us He would, and He did. This should be proof enough that all who follow the teachings of this great man would believe all that He taught is “truth”, and the life He showed us is “The Way”. The last time I wrote, I discussed a teaching from Jesus; “ Judge not, lest ye be judged”! The article was about eliminating judgment, and accepting all life sends our way with the intention of finding the opportunity for joy, grace, peace, compassion, and love. Now at first glance, should one be prone to judging, the horrific torture, ridicule, and sadistic crucifixion of Our Lord, would seem a ripe condition for negative judgment. However, had Christ not endured this heinous ordeal, would Christianity even exist today? Out of a seemingly awful occurrence the greatest joy mankind has ever known was born. Funny how that worked out,no?Well, “The Good Shepherd” also taught us; “What so ever you sow, so shall you reap”! A good number of our congregation, as well as some visitors, attended the March, “Fridays”, to view a video version of the highly acclaimed, best selling, Inspirational guide, “The Secret”. This little book explains what is referred to as a “Universal Law” known as “ The Law of Attraction”. This “Law” is the scientific/spiritual mechanism through which the lesson given to us by Jesus, is accomplished. Jesus taught us the “truth” about “ The Law of Attraction”, and now we have been given a little insight as to how it works to create our lives. I previously thought that what “ The Teacher from Nazareth” was alluding to was that if we do kind things for people, kindness will be returned to us. But 20^th century Spiritual seekers, teachers, and leaders, have linked science, and spirit to find that our thoughts, actions, and most importantly, our feelings are the creative force that determines the condition of our lives.So I guess, doing good deeds but having a negative outlook, or being charitable, and worrying about bills, or being nice to friends, and criticizing the government, all contradict one another. The ‘ Truths” that Jesus Christ illuminated for all to see, were the “ Secrets” to living lives filled with joy, peace, and grace. All the lessons of the “Christian Message” were a package. No buffet dinner here. Jesus put great emphasis on the meal. He always had people eating together. Christ’s’ message was a full coarse meal, meant to be consumed in its’ entirety.March’s challenge was to try not to pass judgment on life, and take it “as is”, looking for our opportunity to love. For May, I challenge this congregation to do away with negativity, as “ like attracts like”. If we see a situation that needs attention, approach it from the aspect of creating joy from it, instead of lamenting over what we feel is wrong. If we focus our attention on what is wrong with our lives, or what we don’t want for ourselves, or what we don’t like in this world, we attract more of it. First, don’t judge, than, only give attention to what we want to create, as oppose to what we want to eliminate. Let’s not protest war, teach peace instead. Let’s not criticize government, endorse, and encourage better leaders instead, and let’s not focus on how much hunger exists in the world, focus on how many resources we can share with those that could use them. Gratitude, and appreciation will yield much better results than outrage, and anger. Don’t judge all that is wrong with the world and get angry enough to do something, be grateful for all the love we have to share, and appreciate the opportunities to do so!No complaints, no criticism, seek only what we wish to manifest. “ As you sow, so shall you reap” POSITIVELY SPEAKING,  that is good advice

Positively Speaking!

By: John Rodgers

Not so many years ago, (probably 20) there was a very popular TV commercial for Spaghetti sauce by Prego, where they kept repeating “It’s in there!” The point was to continually reinforce to the doubter that everything necessary for a perfect tasting sauce was indeed inherent in this product. Humanity was saved once again by a marketing genius. No longer would we spend countless hours at the supermarket searching and searching for the perfect sauce. Never again need we create that awful mess in the kitchen that follows the hours of toil creating sauce from “scratch”. Prego put it all “In there”.          In recent years I’ve come to realize that the product of my life-long quest will never be found in the places I spent years looking. The product I am discussing has many names. Some call it grace, others peace, while it is also known as serenity, contentment, wholeness, fulfillment, and love. The simplest term that resonates with everyone is “happiness”. We are all searching for happiness. There isn’t a living breathing entity that does not desire happiness, (providing it can feel emotion).           When we buy a new car, it’s not for the speed, or the look, or the economy, but for the happiness we think we will experience from those features. New clothes are not for fit, the look or the feel, but for the happiness we will derive from wearing them. When we buy a house, choose a mate, pick a house of worship, the components, features and benefits are all directed toward brining us to the ever elusive place in our minds we call “happy”.          For much of my life “happy” was like the proverbial, “carrot-on-a-stick”. It was always just out of reach. I thought becoming an adult and breaking free of the bondage of parents would get me there. Then I figured finding a mate and settling down would be the ticket. After that I expected that the right job would be the key, then I knew once I became a dad, or joined a church, etc, etc, etc, ad-infinitum! One could get discouraged, and be prompted to exclaim, “Where’s the beef?” (Any one get the impression I am a product of television?)          Well it seems that I have been looking in the wrong place. It also seems that the more I want something, the further from my reach it appears to be. I have been hoping that the wonderful “OZ” would help me find my way if I met his requirements, and brought him the wicked witches broom, (TV again). Well, I’ve gotten the broom and still no reward. I have figured out that the guy up on the screen is only me behind the curtain, and I have had the power to go home all along in my shoes, if I only click my heels and repeat “there’s no place like home”.          Coming to the realization that the Spirit of God lives within my being, and understanding all that is, is for a purpose, has shown me that accepting every component of life as it unfolds, “IS” happiness. I kept looking for outside conditions to bring me to happiness. I kept chasing, and running from the wicked witch. Truth be told that which I seek, I already have and had no need to look so hard. When you look out the window you don’t see what’s in the house, and that is where home is.          We are all diverse expressions of Divine Spirit. We are God expressing God in a countless variety of forms. Accepting this allows us to realize happiness (no matter what the outside conditions are). The contradiction I have lived with is that looking within and finding happiness brings about the outer conditions that reflect it. I always tried to put the cart before the horse, living life backward. The truth I have found is that everything I need to be blissfully happy is inside. “It’s In There” life is an inside job! God lives in our hearts and minds. Happiness is a realization found through an acceptance of life unconditionally. The search is over and I have found that my prize was in my pocket all along. POSITIVELY SPEAKING, IT’S IN THERE!