Introduction: The Family Dinner in Real Life
From More Home Cooking: A Writer Returns to the Kitchen
by Laurie Colwin, New York City, 1992

Let us sit down and talk straight about the family dinner, that supposed artifact of years gone by. It is said that these days (in contrast to those days, when families gathered together for at least their evening meal), the family meal has vanished, and what we now are left with is The Snack. No one sits down with anyone anymore. We are a nation, we are told, of people who eat pizza or yogurt on the run, and standing up.

Most people who intend to have a family meal are too busy to think about the cultural relevance of this act. The fact is that modern life has deprived us of life’s one great luxury: time. In the old days things were different. Mom was home, Dad at work, the kids in school. When the old Dodge pulled into the driveway (or as the old Dodge pulled away from the railroad station with Dad inside and Mom driving and the kids in the back) dinner was ready, and then, it is imagined, a cheerful meal was had by all.

Now, of course, everyone works. The morning does not feature a communal breakfast with bacon and eggs and oatmeal (no one eats bacon and eggs anymore, in any case) and the morning is a scramble to get Mom and Dad into their work clothes, children into their snowsuits, lunch boxes packed, and the house pulled together. It is no wonder we look back nostalgically on those supposed heavenly days of yore.

It is my opinion that Norman Rockwell and his ilk have done more to make already anxious people feel guilty than anyone else. I myself am reduced to worm size when contemplating his famous illustration of the farm family Thanksgiving table, with the beaming grandparents and the children with their hair combed. How happy they all look! And how politely and still the children sit! Why can’t I get my child to sit like that? And when her cousins come to a family dinner, why do they all wander so much? And when I gaze at Norman Rockwell’s enchanting Thanksgiving picture, why do I suspect that the grandfather drinks more than he should, that the mother and father have had a few bitter words in the kitchen about the in-laws, or the mom has told the dad how much she resents doing all the cooking when all he has done is watch the football game and never so much as poke his head into the kitchen to ask if she needed help, and that the aunt is taking either antidepressants or mood elevators?

The fact is, family is variable, but our stereotypical image of it is not. And so as we sit to our family tables, with our children wandering and our table full of family we are on dicey terms with, we are still hag-ridden by the image of the happy, harmonious, white, two-parent family. We would all be a lot happier if we could relax a little and have some fun. We must sweep away these old, ingrained images and lighten up: The world is full of possibilities.

Let us imagine a family table. Some of the people sitting at it are blood relatives and some are family by choice. After all, what do we mean by family? We mean people who are deeply and lovingly connected to one another (for better and worse), people we can count on. In a pinch I can call my sister. I can also call on one of my close old pals who is related to me by bonds, and bonds can be every bit as strong as blood, just as blood can be much less consequential than a bond.

Here at the table is a single mother with an adopted child from El Salvador. Also her beau, the divorced father of two. Also their mutual friends, a female couple who have successfully raised together the son of one of the women. (These families are hell on grammar.) The single mother, who was raised an Orthodox Jew, has a bunch of nieces and nephews who are the products of a Jewish mother and a Moslem father from Pakistan, and the children grew up in Mexico and naturally speak Spanish as well as Urdu.

Then mix in some family by choice: the oldest friend, her husband and daughter, a friend of the oldest friend (and godmother to the oldest friend’s daughter), and the oldest friends friend’s beau, who is from Shanghai, plus a stray English visitor who spent five minutes viewing this mob in a kind of dazed state and then put her feet up with everyone else.

This is the description of a festive meal: Thanksgiving, or Passover, or Christmas. But everyday life is something else again–our nuclear families flying off in different directions, faced with daily challenges of all sorts and not a moment to rest, re-create, and dine.

These are hard times for people who like to eat, who like to cook, and who hate to do both but need to. Our present economic system leaves us pressed, drained, exhausted, and yet … and yet we still need sustenance, and contact. We need time to defuse, to contemplate. Just as in sleep our brains relax and give us dreams, so at some time in the day we need to disconnect, reconnect, and look around us.

Life these days does not leave much room for this sort of thing. Some people have never been taught to cook, or taught to eat. When I was a little girl, children sat at the table with their parents when they were old enough to take part in what you might call “table life.” You had to be able to manage your knife and fork. You needed to practice your table manners. You needed to be able to take part in dinner-table conversation (which in those days was considered an art form), and, naturally, you needed to be able to appreciate what you were eating.

But that was then, and this is now. Even people who work at home (like me) are hard-pressed. To get the house cleaned up, and arrange the meals and make sure the recorder gets practiced and homework done, to supervise the millions of things for which children need supervision, and pay the bills and register to vote, and to have a few seconds for friendship or to read a book and then to shop and cook and plan menus! Wouldn’t it be easier if we threw up our hands, ate junk food, and ordered out?

It would probably be easier, but it would be far less nice. These days family life (or private life) is a challenge, and we must all fight for it. We must turn off the television and the telephone, hunker down in front of our hearths, and leave our briefcases at the office, if for only one night. We must march into the kitchen, en famille or with a friend, and find some easy, heartwarming things to make from scratch, and even if it is but once a week, we must gather at the table, alone or with friends or with lots of friends or with one friend, and eat a meal together. We know that without food we would die. Without fellowship life is not worth living.

For every overworked professional woman of the nineties there was a depressed, bored, nonworking housewife of the fifties. We cannot go back in time. Instead, we must reinvent life for ourselves.

The table is a meeting place, a gathering ground, the source of sustenance and nourishment, festivity, safety, and satisfaction. A person cooking is a person giving: Even the simplest food is a gift.

My goal has been to find recipes that are easy, fast, and delicious that can be served to a family of three or for a large feast. I know that young children will wander away from the table, and that family life is never smooth, and that life itself is full, not only of charm and warmth and comfort but of sorrow and tears. But whether we are happy or sad, we must be fed. Both happy and sad people can be cheered up by a nice meal. This book was written for the sustainers and those who will be sustained. I hope both will eat happily and well from it.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F. and line the bottom of a buttered 8-inch round tin (2 inches deep) with parchment paper. (Parchment paper has come to have great importance in my kitchen, and it is my opinion that the person who invented it should get a Nobel Prize.)

2. Melt 1/2 cup cane syrup or molasses with 6 tablespoons butter.

3. Beat 1 egg with 4 tablespoons buttermilk.

4. Sift together 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 2 heaping teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar, and a pinch of salt. Mix in 3/4 cup dried currants or raisins.

5. Add the egg mixture, then add the syrup mixture,and mix well.

6. Bake 10 minutes in the 375 oven, turn the heatdown to 325, and bake 35 to 40 minutes more. A fewcrumbs stick to a tester when the cake is done.

The above recipe is an all-around hit and combines many of gingerbread’s virtues. It is spicy, heartwarming, and cakelike. You do not need to add one thing: no ice cream, no icing, no poached fruit on the side. It is really and truly good by itself.

The following is excerpted from More Home Cooking By Laurie Colwin.

Great article by Tom Kenyon
The Art of Jumping Time Lines

Although it may seem paradoxical to some, your timeline—your life—is only one of many simultaneous possibilities. And it is quite possible, indeed it is your birthright, to alter your timeline and the potentials of your life.

Your culture, for various reasons, has hypnotized you into believing that you are limited to one timeline. In this message we shall endeavor to discuss our understanding of timelines and how you can change them.

Whenever there is an increase of chaotic events, there is a convergence of multiple timelines. Due to the fact that your planet has entered a Chaotic Node and is experiencing ever-increasing levels of chaos, there is also an increase in what we call time nodes.

Time nodes occur when two or more timelines converge. As a result of their close proximity oscillation effects sometimes occur when the realities of one timeline bleed through, or are psychically perceived by those on a neighboring timeline. Strong timelines can also literally affect the possibilities and/or probabilities of other timelines within a time node. In other words, creative and novel effects often occur within timelines when they enter a time node (proximity to other timelines).

To read the rest of this article, click here:

http://tomkenyon.com/jumping-time-lines

Brilliant article from my friend Christine Kane:

Stop complaining. Stop explaining.

You can read the whole article by clicking this link:

http://christinekane.com/blog/6-irresistible-reasons-to-stop-explaining-yourself/ 

Avoidance is not a game plan by Christine Kane
To read the whole article, click here:

http://christinekane.com/blog/avoidance-is-not-a-game-plan/

“Fear is funny.  It seems to know when it can’t get in the front door. So it tip-toes around to the back, finds a window that was left open a crack, hoists it open and makes its way inside.” - Christine Kane

I picked up Kierkegaard in a second-hand shop for $1, and I am utterly amazed. I have never read him before and I am practically speechless by the beauty of this book.

It is Either/Or.

By Soren Kierkegaard:

“What portends? What will the future bring? I do not know, I have no presentiment. When a spider hurls itself down from some fixed point, consistently with its nature, it always sees before it only an empty space wherein it can find no foothold however much it sprawls. And so it is with me: always before an empty space; what drives me forward is a consistency which lies behind me. This life is topsy-turvy and terrible, not to be endured.”

“My view of life is utterly meaningless. I suppose an evil spirit has set a pair of spectacles upon my nose, of which one lens is a tremendously powerful magnifying glass, the other an equally powerful reducing glass.”

And this:

“Tested Advice for Authors: Set down your reflections carelessly, and let them be printed; in correcting the proof sheets a number of good ideas will gradually suggest themselves. Therefore, take courage, all you who have not yet dared to publish anything, even misprints are not to be despised, and an author who becomes witty by the aid of misprints, must be regarded as having become witty in a perfectly lawful manner.”

-Soren Kierkegaard, 1843

Great quote from the Gospel of Thomas, verse 2:

Jesus said:

“Let him who seeks continue seeking until he finds. When he finds, he will become troubled. When he becomes troubled, he will be astonished, and he will rule over the All.

I love it! Here is the answer to all of you who continue to say: “But it’s not working, everything is falling apart, why am I not happy? I’m still troubled.”

Here is the answer! Just keep going a little further. One step beyond troubled is astonished, and then there is certainty. This reminds me that “troubled” is part of the journey. Rejoice! And be exceedingly glad!

To read the entire Gospel of Thomas – be astonished! – click here:

Gospel of Thomas 

It’s a great read. EJ sent it to me as a birthday gift.

Here’s another great quote from Thomas:

His disciples said to him, “When will the kingdom come?”
<Jesus said,> “It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying ‘here it is’ or ‘there it is.’ Rather, the kingdom of the father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it.”

Ha! I am over here laughing. This is too good. The Kingdom will not come by waiting for it. THERE IS NO PROCESS! It is here and now, spread out upon the earth and men do not see it.

I’m thrilled by this. Wow.  Thank you again EJ.

This is for you, from Jesus:

“My trust in you is greater than yours in me at the moment, but it will not always be that way. Your mission is very simple. You are asked to live so as to demonstrate that you are not an ego, and I do not choose God’s channel wrongly. The Holy One shares my trust, and accepts my Atonement decisions because my will is never out of accord with His. I have said before that I am in charge of the Atonement. This is only because I completed my part in it as a man, and now can complete it through others. My chosen channels cannot fail, because I will lend them my strength as long as their is wanting.” – Chapter 4, Section VI

A Course in Miracles becomes entirely clear and understandable as soon as you begin reading it knowing that Jesus of Nazareth is the author and that he wrote it for YOU.

It is Jesus’ love letter to you.

It will make perfect sense to you when you read A Course in Miracles in this way, as if it’s a letter (a very very long letter!) from Jesus to you.

He means what he says. He gives specific instructions. He reminds you how loved and appreciated you are.

You are a channel for God. Jesus’ trust in you is greater than yours in him at the moment, but it will not always be this way. You are asked to demonstrate that you are not an ego. Jesus does not choose God’s channel wrongly.

He chose you.

Jesus completed his part as a man, and now he can finish the task through others … you.

Dear Lisa,

One of the things I read in your book Gorgeous for God was about “no compromise”. I’ve been making sure the last couple of days that I do exactly how I am instructed in the workbook lessons of A Course in Miracles. I’ve also been trying to be more mindful of my thoughts. Yesterday’s lesson was #17, I see no neutral things. On lesson #16 I was thinking, “I know I don’t have any neutral thoughts, I know thought is cause.” But, no, I didn’t really know because during the last couple of days I have been paying attention to the thoughts I have and if I knew I have know neutral thoughts I wouldn’t dare think some of the thoughts I had. Yesterday, I had some terrible negative thought and I don’t remember exactly what it was, but after I had that thought, I said to myself, “Yuck! That was NOT a neutral thought!” And immediately the part in your book that came to mind was when you were talking about mistakes and you make mistakes a lot and you used the example of gossip. You knew it was wrong and then you did it anyway and you felt so terrible about it that you would never do it again. That’s how that thought made me feel.

I’ve also been keeping in mind to be like Jesus said and give twice as much as someone asks. I tried to do that as much as possible all day yesterday and I had a great day at work. I made sure no matter how stubborn or cranky the kids were that I would still give them my full attention and make sure they completed everything they needed to. And they did! And they liked it! When my boss asked me to do something I went above and beyond what she asked. I helped everyone I could see that needed help and we all managed to get done with preparing for the next days class earlier than we normally do. We actually left on time yesterday which is rare for a Thursday.

I know I’m ready to give these lessons all I’ve got. I’m done playing around! (These words may come back to haunt me, but right now I mean it.) I can do it. Ok, enough with the pep talk.

Have a great weekend and I will talk to you again soon.

Love, Carrie

and here is her follow-up letter that I rec’d last night:

We’re back! We had a great trip. The town was beautiful, our neighbors performance and the musician were absolutely awesome and the food was really, really good. The weather wasn’t great though. It was cold and rainy the whole time.

I am continually amazed at the effect these lessons are having on me. This weekend it was like someone turned the volume of my thoughts up. I can not believe how judgmental I am! I noticed there is some judgment thought following everyone and everything I see. I was starting to really get annoyed. All I could hear in my head was, “that house is pretty, that one is ugly, where did that person get those pants, what were they thinking, I like that, I want that and that and that!” When I noticed those thoughts though and then changed my thoughts to love and gratitude not only did I feel happier but my body actually relaxed. No wonder my neck is always stiff. With every change I see I become more and more motivated. The Course is so great!

I did concentration exercises nearly everyday for six years and it worked very well to improve my attention, but the one thing that seemed to get over looked was what my thoughts actually were. I learned how to keep my mind still, but the focus of the exercises weren’t concerned with the quality of thoughts in the mind. There was some work done to eliminate obvious negative thoughts for health reasons, but I have never been so aware of my thoughts until now. Even though I’m not happy with some of my thoughts, I am happy that I am aware of them now. Now I can change them.

I could see peace instead of this.

This is a great lesson. It is a continuation of yesterday’s lesson, There is another way of looking at the world.

Today’s lesson shows you what that “other” way of seeing is:

I could see peace instead of this.

You can love the world, absolutely. You don’t even need a reason. You can just love everyone around you, starting today. What have you got to lose? What reason do you have for holding back? What are you protecting? What are you afraid of?

You can absolutely love the world, your neighbor and your enemy … starting right now.

What reason could you possibly have for holding on to conflict?

When you look at it reasonably like this, you will see that conflict is actually a childish temper tantrum. It’s a bratty kid’s game.

It’s for bullies.

Look at it. Look at the way you turn your back at some people and POUT and scream and kick and yell.

It’s what 2-year olds do.

We are told as children to behave, to share, and to play nicely … and then we grow up to steal, lie, cheat and kill. What the hell happened here??

When you look at it in this way, you will be very appalled by your behavior.

I’m speaking from deep personal experience here.

I used to be in therapy in NYC – in the 90s – because I had a ton of problems. All imagined, of course, but still. I was totally depressed. I drank every day. Mostly I couldn’t stop whining about an ex-boyfriend, and I couldn’t move on. And then one day a light bulb when off in my head and voice said, loud & clear: GROW UP!!!

Grow up? Grow up? How dare you tell me, to grow up! How dare you suggest I am acting like a child! I work in publishing. I have a good job. I pay my bills on time. I am kind and loyal and generous and good. I am respected by many. Grow up?

After the initial shock, I started laughing.

It was time to put my toys away. And believe me, I had lots of them! Anger, judgment, guilt, jealousy, worry, anxiety and fear. These are toys children play with.

So today’s lesson is asking you to see every situation differently. Look at what you are doing. Ask yourself what you want.

Most people will tell you they want to be happy or they want to be at peace.

So, what are you waiting for then?

If you want to be happy, why do you cling to fear? If you want to be at peace, why do you still keep a wall between you and your brother? If you want to feel joy, why do you sulk and pout and sit in your room depressed?

In my experience, the best way to start living a life of joy and purpose is to start being truly helpful. To begin extending yourself to others.

Reach out. Help someone. Open your heart. Open your mind. Shine your light.

Peace is available IMMEDIATELY as you change your mind. You’ll see a new way of thinking, seeing and behaving … and then that peace automatically extends itself.

I was reading Chapter 8 again last night and it says “If you use the body for attack, it is harmful to you. If you use it only to reach the minds of those who believe they are bodies, and teach them through the body that this is not so, you will understand the power of the mind that is in you.”

Isn’t that amazing? You are not trying to get rid of your body, you are not trying to make it disappear, you are not even trying to transform it. You are simply changing the way you think about yourself, other people, and the world. Now the body simply becomes a useful tool – a vehicle of communication – for the Holy Spirit. That He can extend His light and love THROUGH you to reach other minds.

I love it.

I’m getting lots of great messages lately in my email box. If you want to start extending your light and reaching out to other minds, feel free to post your stories and insights as comments here on this website, in the comment section. Feel free to leave your email addresses and websites if you want others to contact you. Reach out. Feel free to inspire people. Feel free to use this website to teach and reach out to others, and to share your experiences of how your life is changing through the practice of the lessons in A Course in Miracles.

Gorgeous for God is a statement about YOU.

I’ll be on ACIM Gather Radio today at 2pm EST today if you are interested, also broadcasting from Paltalk.com from the ACIM Gather Room.

Also, there are daily audio lessons for you to listen to every day here on Gorgeous for God. They are mostly short and sweet – 10 minutes at most – and you can click the blue Talkshoe box in the right sidebar to listen.

Congratulations! We’ve gone one month.

One thing you can be sure of with me … I’ll never water down the message.

You might not be grateful now and you might even be very skeptical of these lessons, but someday – hopefully – you will see how much faster and simpler this Course is when you don’t wrap the message in bubble foam to cushion the blow of learning there is nothing outside of you.

I believe in A Course in Miracles 100% because I’ve seen it work miracles in my own life. I do not try to delete or alter sentences so they fit within a belief system that works for me. I take the whole message, in its entirety, word for word. I follow instructions. I don’t make exceptions nor bend the rules to my liking. I do not choose the sentences that make me feel all warm and fuzzy and happy, and throw the rest out the window because they are too shocking or dark.

I follow Jesus: one day at a time, one lesson at a time, one step at a time.

A Course in Miracles says this world is a “slaughterhouse.”

Some of these lessons in here are downright painful. It’s painful to hear you are a murderer, even though in your heart you know it’s true.

You have killed your brother, many times on many occasions, and you know it’s true.

How do I know this? Because I’ve done it. I’ve gotten away with murder. All the gossiping, the lies, the horrible things I’ve said to people’s faces and behind their backs.

It’s called “back-stabbing” for a reason. It’s murder.

You’ve done everything in your life to be accepted and likable. You’ve done everything possible to hide your dark treacherous thoughts, and to keep them hidden. You’ve followed the rules, paid your bills, voted like a good citizen, been a loyal friend, a faithful wife or husband. You try to be on time, you’re patient (mostly), you do your best to be honest, and on most occasions you feel like you’ve done a good job at being a good person.

Along comes A Course in Miracles and says some very shocking things. Statements that will leave you appalled, pissed off, angry, and in many cases will cause you to slam the book, and probably take me off your Favorites list.

I’ve been there. I’ve destroyed 3 course books in my lifetime, ripped them to shreds. I’ve broken glassware on the kitchen floor in a fit of rage and I overturned a Queen size bed at 2am in the morning, and destroyed the sheets. Wailing out at God, at Jesus, at myself, at the universe. I’ve punched a wall. I’ve sobbed, screamed, howled, and cursed.

So there you go.

I’m not saying it’ll be like this for you – I pray it will be smooth sailing – but if your whole world start to turn upside down, just hang in there.

I’ve been there. What I’ve learned is that it doesn’t do any good to quit, because A Course in Miracles is “a required course” and you’ll have to come back to it eventually.

Eventually you are going to have to forgive your neighbor and love your enemy.

In the Teachers Manual, in the section under Trust, it lists all the stages you’ll go through – 6 stages – and they all kinda suck. Except for one period of “settling down” (4th stage) and the final stage “a period of achievement.”

But for the rest, well, it’s a bit of a bumpy ride.

One thing I know for sure: after the darkness is pure sunlight. After the storm is an everlasting calm.

In the beginning, it can be a little topsy-turvy and you may feel like you’re losing your balance. It might appear like your life is falling apart as you stop trying to control things.

Just trust. Keep going.

I suggest you read The Teachers Manual, especially “What Are the Characteristics of God’s Teachers”

You need to build a foundation of TRUST under you, and it’s good to start building that foundation now.

Everyone feels all happy and optimistic in the first week – like being on a honeymoon — feeling the bliss of anticipation of miracles, but then we start to wade in the muck and immediately all sorts of raw emotions start bubbling to the surface.

It can take the form of feeling absolutely pissed off, like you’ve been tricked.

You might also feel a deep sense of frustration & futility because you know you can’t go back to being oblivious. It’s like you don’t want to go ahead, but you can’t go back either and you’re standing in a place where you’re literally stuck. You can’t go forward and you can’t go back.

You’ll think: “I just wanted to be happy” and “I didn’t ask for this.”

Well, we’re gonna get to the treasure … but first we have to go through the fear and rage.

First you have to take off the rose-colored blinders and really see what is around you, REALLY SEE IT.

To stop being blind.

To stop saying the world is a nice place, because it’s not a nice place.

It is a place of appalling violence, loneliness, sickness and sadness.

Yes. Yes. I know. You’ve had moment of joy and happiness. I know. That’s Heaven. Literally. You’ve been in Heaven.

The aim of this journey is to reside in Heaven all the time. To leave the world of chaos behind and live in a place where there is only love. This is not a fantasy. This is an experience that I want you to see for yourself.

If you have A Course in Miracles and you’ve gotten this far though the lessons – on the 32nd day – then you should be feeling SOMETHING.

Either you are really pissed off, or confused, or excited or really scared. I have no idea how it is for anyone. But if you are doing the lessons, then SOMETHING is stirring in you. You might be thinking “Who the hell does she think she is?” or you might be feeling terrifically grateful, or you might be terrified.

All I can ask is PLEASE do not stay in a scared place, alone, when all is dark. Email me. I’m here to help.

lisanatoli2@gmail.com

Just let me know what is going on with you. You can write me your stories. You don’t have to monitor yourself. You don’t have to edit your writing so that you come off sounding spiritual.

Just be yourself, and write to me if you have a question. You’re not alone.

It gets good, trust me.

Let yourself fall apart. Let yourself cry like a baby. Let yourself feel terror.

Most people have kept these emotions buried for so long that when they finally come to the surface, they want to run far, far away.

Just trust me. Keep going. It gets really good.

I love you.

lisa

Above all else I want to see things differently

Yesterday, while sitting in church, I saw an old situation (that has been plaguing me for years) differently.

I couldn’t believe it. I actually began to see things differently. I had been repeating yesterday’s lesson all morning:

Above all else I want to see.
Above all else I want to see.
Above all else I want to see.
Above all else I want to see.

And then all of a sudden I had a thought: be a little child.

and another thought: The Joy Diet.

and then another thought: be happy.

This might seem like thoughts of zero consequence, but to me they were revelatory.

For those of you who know me you know I go back and forth, and round and round with rules of behavior around dieting and exercising. It is a lifelong pattern. It is completely and utterly insane, all in attempt to weigh a self-imposed number on a scale: 135, which is 30 pounds less than I am now.

But for those of you who know me, I can’t stick with a diet. Not to save my life. One week I am vegan, the next week I am eating cookies, the next week I try raw foods, the next week I am eating cheese.

So to back up this story briefly, I got a gym membership for Christmas. The first three weeks, I resisted like crazy. I went 1-2 times/per week (5 times in 3 weeks to be exact) and dreaded every second. I hated it. I kept thinking I should go more, and that maybe if I could lose 10 pounds then exercising would suddenly become fun.

Ha. Not.

Running (eh hem, walking) on a stationary machine (with 4 tvs blaring in front of me with commercials, soap operas, court television and Dr. Phil) is not my idea of fun.

So last week my friend Marielle asked me to go the gym, but to the pool, sauna, steam room and hot tub. I WAS IN HEAVEN. Oh my God. I can’t believe this is my gym!! I am the luckiest girl alive. It never entered my mind that a gym could be a fun place to go. For me, always, the gym experience equals a prison sentence.

So we were in the sauna, and it’s like being in a DAY SPA.

Then we spent 45 minutes in the pool doing laps (it’s the largest pool I’ve ever seen in my life, almost 10 feet deep at the deep end), then the hot tub, steam room, and more sauna.

I never felt so good in my entire life.

So I went to the “gym” every day last week, totally loving every minute of it.

I’m being nice to myself. I’m having fun … and I’m glowing.

So a few nights ago, a new energy hit me sideways. I suddenly felt an urge to MOVE like a little kid. So I spent two hours jumping around my room, dancing to Gloria Estefan and songs from the 80′s. What is amazing is that a 5-minute dance song can leave you breathless, with your heart pumping like crazy.

More exercise than any 30 minutes I’ve ever spent walking on a treadmill.

I love dancing. Last year my friend Marielle and I decided to do a dance routine – Hot Honey Rag from the movie Chicago – and it took us six weeks to perfect a 4 minute dance routine. I loved those six weeks. All we did was laugh and have fun and sweat like crazy.

So this whole week, I’ve been playing like a kid. I’ve been doing what I love. I’ve been laughing.

Then the other night I found our next dance routine – The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders dancing to Gloria Estefan – and it’s going to require us to buy pompoms.

Ha. I’m psyched. I definitely want those white boots. Turn it up, turn it up, turn it upside down. I love to hear percussion.

There’s a dance room at the gym we can use, with mirrors on one whole wall.

So for this whole week I’ve forgotten entirely about food rules and dieting because I’ve been having so much fun playing.

And then yesterday in bible, it hit me: Jesus says be a child.

Little kids do not restrict themselves with stupid adult rules. They don’t drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. They tear around the front lawn like it’s the best activity in the world, and then beg to stay outside after it’s dark so they can play some more. They don’t worry about money. They don’t put themselves on a diet. They eat what they like, and stop halfway through so they can go back outside and play.

Totally boundless energy … that’s what I am and that’s what I want.

I’m asked to let go of all my ideas, so that something new can be revealed to me. The beauty of the workbook lessons is that they WORK.

Today’s lesson is a continuation of yesterday’s lesson:

ABOVE ALL ELSE I WANT TO SEE THINGS DIFFERENTLY.

All this means is let go of all your preconceived ideas, stand still, pause, stop, observe, and say “Above all else I want to see things differently.” This simple practice will allow a new vision to come to you.

Just practice.

I love you.

There are usually many emotions that go along with hearing that the world is not real, that it’s a dream.

The first emotion is complete absolute disbelief. This usually results in attack of some kind towards the messenger. Most people stay in disbelief mode for a long time, offering all the scientific “facts” why the world is real and solid. But once the idea that you are dreaming has entered your mind, you cannot go back. A light has entered the darkness and that is enough. You will begin to catch glimpses that everything really is you. You will begin to see that as you stand as an OBSERVER, conflict disappears.

The world stops.

Have you ever seen the world stop? It’s something else entirely. You’ll want to see this for yourself. Have you ever seen the world disappear? The reason I don’t have to be concerned about giving you “proof” that the world is a dream is because you will see it for yourself.

Like Truman, in the movie The Truman Show, once he has seen the stage light fall from the sky, he sees clues everywhere. After that, his eyes begin to open and he sees the cracks everywhere. He thinks he’s going crazy. He’s still not sure what is going on, but he’s an OBSERVER now. He’s looking, waiting, watching.

All the characters rush in to tell him he’s nuts. They tell him to go back to the way he was before. To have a beer. To take a vacation. To relax. He realizes he stands alone, very lost in a foreign place. He doesn’t know who he can trust. He doesn’t know who his friends are. He doesn’t know if his wife is his wife. He stands in a place of uncertainty about everything.

What if you knew you were dreaming?

What if you knew that everything that happens to you first begins as a thought in your mind, and then projects outward appearing as something real and solid.

WHAT IF?

First you’d say to me “you’re nuts”, then you’d say “I’m worried about you”, then you’d say “this is crazy”, then you’d say “stop with all the foolishness” … but in the wee hours of the morning or night, while you are lying in bed, you’d think to yourself …. what if this is true?

What if everything that is happening in my life happens because I’m thinking it?

What if everything is just a mirror reflection of my own state of mind?

You will lie in bed pondering the WHAT IF question.

You might lie in bed thinking – THIS IS THE STUPIDEST THING I EVER HEARD. I’M NEVER GONNA READ LISA’S BLOG EVER AGAIN – but you will be thinking about it. The thought has entered your mind.

Wouldn’t you be curious – even if only secretly – to experiment to see if what I am saying is actually true? to stop all your doings, if only for a moment, and become an observer. To experiment. To look at your thoughts – to look at your life – and ask yourself the question: in all honesty, am I getting the result of my thinking?

The second emotion is absolute utter fear. You think “What does this mean for me? What’s the purpose of living then, if this is a dream?”

Exactly. What is the purpose?

Good question.

Following fear is the worst possible anger you will probably ever experience. The mind starts to loosen, and suddenly there is seemingly no comfort and no place to stand on solid ground. Life seems meaningless. Things usually get broken at this stage in the game, accompanied by a lot of shouting and swearing.

Some people automatically think this gives them the liberty to do whatever they want – drink, kill, be irresponsible, do whatever they want – forgetting that I said: THIS IS YOUR DREAM. You will get the results of your thinking. You cannot escape your own thoughts. There is no exception. Cause = Effects. If you hate, you will see hate in your life. Plain and simple. If you harbor attack thoughts, you will see attack. If you manipulate or have ideas of manipulation, you will have characters in your dream manipulating you.

The world is a big mirror reflection for you to see where you are in your own mind.

If you love, and give only love, all the characters “magically” transform to reflect back to you only love. Try it. You’ll be amazed. You’ll realize it’s not magic or miracles at all. Just a natural process of cause and effect.

Once you calm down, you realize the next stage is TOTAL EXCITEMENT.

At this level, there is a new stirring in you. Like butterflies in your stomach, where you start to feel different. This means you’re coming alive.

Realizing that everything that happens to you is by own choice and decision, you’ll be more careful with your thoughts. You will step back before responding. You will observe instead of charging ahead. You will become more reflective.

You will give only that which you want to receive. Love, gratitude, joy.

Instead of projecting a world, you will extend the love you feel.

See? Big difference in the way you now conduct yourself.

You have found the cause of all your problems along with the solution: in your own mind.

This is the area of MASS CLEAN-UP. Like Boston’s Big Dig. You just keep digging and excavating what should not be there. You have a master plan, and that is to get the crap out of your mind. To get rid of attack thoughts. To get rid of guilt thoughts. To stop manipulating. To stop reacting.

Basically, to just stop.

Bring in the big trucks.

My favorite line in A Course in Miracles is “only appreciation is an appropriate response to a brother.”

It’s totally uncompromising.

If you want to be happy, stop correcting other people. Stop judging them. Stop attacking them.

If you want love – AND ONLY THAT – it should be the ONLY thing you give. It should be your one & only reaction to everyone and everything.

Love, and your world will transform into Heaven.

“Only appreciation is an appropriate response to your brother.”

So on a practical level when someone is screaming at you, or telling you to do something you don’t want to do … you stop. Realize it’s a dream. Realizing the guy standing in front of you is you. Stop. Don’t react. Take a moment to remember the truth. Remember that ‘only appreciation is an appropriate response to a brother.”

If you can remember this sentence, you will have remembered everything.

Or maybe you need to just choose one word, and stop before you react, and remember that one word. That will be enough for you to choose a different reaction.

You will remember there is nothing outside your most holy creative mind. You will remember how much love you have to give. You will remember that you are here as a blessing.

Jesus said “This world is not my home” and “my Kingdom is not of this world.”

He was a complete alien and stranger here. He said “the Son of God has no where to lay his head.” What do you think this means?

To me it means I don’t belong here, and yet, I have much to give and there is work to do.

My heart is filled with love. My cup runneth over, literally. I cannot contain the love I feel. I must express it. I must extend it. It’s not for me alone.

So what do you do, on a practical level, once you know you are dreaming? How the hell do I know? This is your dream. What do you want to do?

You can do anything you want. You can be anything you want. Nothing is stopping you.

Every time it seems like some external factor or person is stopping you, remember those are simply ideas of your own limitation. And since you can’t stand the guilt of your own attack against yourself, you create other figures in your dream to blame that for your own limited.

That game gets really tiring and boring after a while. Suddenly comes a moment when you realize there is no one to blame except yourself.

You can spend all your time telling me I’m crazy OR you can begin taking responsibility realizing the awesome adventure you are being placed on.

Most people spend most of the energy correcting other people, wanting to be right. You can do that … OR … you can spend your energy having the most awesome life ever.

Think of the possibilities for yourself.

Think about all that energy you’ve spent trying to hold your life together. Think about the energy you spent trying to make people love you and like you. Think about how tiring that is. Think about what you really want.

This is where it gets fun.

Think about your ultimate fantasy goal. The thing you really want, but have never achieved because people, places, events and things are stopping you.

“I’d be happy if …”
“I’d feel alive if ….”

I can’t answer the question for you. But go deep into your own thought system and dig out your most awesome idea, the thing you really want for Christmas and your birthday. Think about it. Nothing is stopping you anymore. You’re dreaming. You can’t stop reacting to things as if they affect you. It’s all just you. Nothing is stopping you anymore from going through the ceiling of this very limited place.

Now, one step further. What is the EXPERIENCE behind the fantasy you are going after. it’s never about the physical thing. it’s always about an experience. Perhaps you are searching for

FREEDOM
COMFORT
LOVE
ADORATION
PEACE
JOY
SAFETY
A FEELING OF HOME

There is an experience you want. Something you crave.

Now every day – starting today, starting now – find ONE ACTION STEP to bring you that experience. Start today. If you want a relationship so that you feel loved, do something today that makes you feel loved. Call a friend. Be nice to yourself.

If you want to lose 50 pounds, what is the experience you want that you think losing 50 pounds will bring you? perhaps you are more active. More confident. Maybe you eat healthier. Maybe you feel secure. So find one action step today that brings you that experience.

If you want to make more money, so you can live a life you love and do cool things, what’s the experience you want? Find one action step to be living a life you love and doing cool things today. One action step a day. Every day.

It’s all about experience.

It’s all about being totally present, in this day.

Most people keep waiting for something to happen to them. For unexpected love to walk through the door. Or to receive an inheritance, or win the lottery, or get a job promotion. Waiting, waiting, waiting.

Today signifies the end of waiting. Today you begin being fully present.

You stop the blame game. You stop being a victim.

You look at what you really want, and realize it’s possible for you.

Forget future goals. There is no future. There is only today. What do you want? What is your goal? What is the experience you are looking for?

Begin it.

Why waste time making other people wrong when you could be creating something brand new for yourself?

This is the adventure.

If this interests you and you want to learn more, you can buy my book. Click here:

Resolution Revolution: A Better Way to Start Your Year

December 28th, 2007 by Christine Kane

The regulars at the gym are already joking about it.

“Have a good workout now,” they say. “Cuz next week, it’ll suck in here.”

That’s because all the folks who have – yet again – made their New Year’s Resolutions will show up. They’ll stick around for a while. Then, around St. Patrick’s Day, the regulars get to have their old gym back.

Last week, I overheard a radio talk show. The hosts were discussing the most common New Year’s Resolutions and the average success rate. Among the most common were Get Organized, Be More Spiritual, Lose Weight, Quit Smoking, and Spend More time with the Family.

I don’t know about you, but this kind of To-Do List approach to life transformation does little to inspire me. And it doesn’t surprise me at all that the success rates were pretty depressing.

Why Resolutions Don’t Work

The reason most resolutions don’t work is that they address only one level of your life. The DO level. It’s the DO-HAVE-BE model. “I will DO this thing.” (i.e., Lose weight) “So I can HAVE this other thing” (Self-Esteem) and I can BE this thing. (Confident.)

The average New Year’s Resolution doesn’t address the core of the issue – the “BE” level.

The best order for creating positive changes in your life is the BE-DO-HAVE model. This means you start from the BE level. When you begin changing on the BE level of your life, then the DO level and the HAVE level follow more easily.

When you start only on the DO level, then all the blocks on the BE level will often become the obstacles you can’t overcome.

A Better New Year’s Ritual

Several years ago, my friend Kathy and I decided that, instead of making resolutions, we would pick a word that would guide us throughout the year. It would be our touchstone. It would remind us of living our lives at the BE level.

This didn’t mean that we didn’t take action. It meant that our actions were inspired from the BE level. In fact, I took more action than ever with this new approach!

Since then, I’ve included this idea in my newsletter at the start of each New Year – and the response is always huge. Last year, I blogged about it. Now, I regularly hear from people who have created big changes in their lives because they focused on one word.

How to Choose Your Word for 2008

Look through the list below if you need some guidance. Get quiet over the next few days. And pick a word for the year.

Just one word. That’s all.

Then, hold that word in your mind throughout the year, and let your word guide you to take action.

For instance, let’s take one of the examples above. Let’s say you are one of the many people who would normally choose “Get Organized.” You look around to see clutter and crap all over your life. You’re tired of the chaos. So, you think, “I need to get organized. That should be my Resolution this year.”

But then you read this blog. You decide to try it.

You sit with your clutter. You spend a few days pondering words that will inspire you. You realize in an “Ah-Ha!” moment that you tend to cling to lots of things. You’re scared to let go. So you choose the word “Release” because it inspires you in a bigger way than “Get organized.”

So, every time you approach your clutter you remind yourself of that word. “Release,” you say softly. You start to let the clutter go. Eventually, you realize that you’re still holding on to lots more than just physical clutter. You realize that you hold onto resentment at old relationships. “Release,” you remind yourself. You realize that holding on is affecting your diet and health. “Release” applies to some of the extra weight you’ve gained as well. Throughout the year, you can see clearly how much you hold on. “Release” is your touchstone. It grows you throughout the year. It becomes your guiding force, not your harsh standard.

Your clutter became your teacher simply because you shifted your intent towards it. This wouldn’t have happened if you’d opted only to “Get Organized.”

What word to choose?

Many people know immediately which word resonates with them. For others, a little contemplation is required.

I’ve compiled a list of possible words below. As you read through them, see if one stands out for you. It’s tempting to choose four or five, believing that you can do it all! (Or that you’re too messed up to narrow your flaws down to one helpful word!) I recommend that if you can’t choose just one, narrow it down to no more than three.

One is ideal. It gives you focus. If you master that one word, you can choose another one in June.

Compassion
Delight
Generosity
Effortlessness
Wealth
Gratitude
Abundance
Creativity
Willingness
Change
Growth
Freedom
Mastery
Kindness
Health
Presence
Acceptance
Courage
Confidence
Self-Love
Action
Forgiveness
Forgive
Release
Trust
Knowing
Patience
Friendship
Fun
Grace
Laughter
Love
Expansion
Exploration
Adventure
Openness
Discipline
Awe
Awareness
Risk
Gentleness
Choice
Spirit
Prayerfulness
Power
Allow
Artfulness
Attention
Beauty
Joy
Focus
Ritual
Heal
Order
Clarity
Pioneer
Peace
Laziness
No
Yes
Deliberateness
Commitment
Savor
Integrity
Listen

written by Christine Kane

I got some GREAT messages yesterday from people declaring their commitment and dedication to complete all 365 lessons of A Course in Miracles in 2008.

So, I will be a guide and inspiration, and your personal trainer.

This forces me to do all 365 lessons … and I am grateful. Like a fitness trainer who reaps the benefits of helping clients work out. She ends up getting in shape herself.

I’ve completed the workbook several times, but truthfully, the past few years I’ve been a little slack in my practicing. So this is the year. 2008. I’m not sure exactly the form it will take – whether it be audio, or insights or reminders to practice – I am not sure yet what I will do specifically BUT I DO KNOW:

You must do the work for yourself. I am not going to do the work for you. You must do it. I am asking that you make a commitment to read & practice the lessons first thing in the morning BEFORE you turn on your computer in the morning.

By the time you get to this blog, I want you to have already read the lesson for yourself.

I am committed to inspiring and helping you to get through the ceiling – through your comfort zone – to another higher realm of possibility. Imagine waking up every morning feeling vibrantly alive with passion and excitement that you are doing exactly what you love and living the absolute greatest version of yourself. Uncovering all the old habits and revealing the light and treasure that is YOU.

That’s 2008 here at Gorgeous for God.

I love this message from a reader the most:

I have not been DAILY in the Course for the last 2
years.
I couldn’t find anyone to join with me so I put a lot
of time into Conversations with God (read 13 books),
Abraham Hicks, and was attending a Science Of Mind
Church and took three credited courses.

All that being said, I LOVE MY BLUE BOOK!!!! I have
been doing the daily lesson this month and ahhhh it’s
good to be back home!!! And of course, when you pick
up that book – whoa…..your life starts shifting and
stuff comes up!!! Yikes!

Great message. When you pick up A Course in Miracles – whoa – your life starts shifting and stuff comes up!!! Yikes!!!!

In the best possible way. I would appreciate it if you could tell your friends, forward this message, tell people about this website, post messages on internet boards that there will be some major transformation going on in 2008 FOR FREE! and if you know someone who is in a rut or depressed or needs help, please tell them to come on over here.

I want to be VISIBLE this year. I want to demonstrate that A Course in Miracles changes lives, because it has drastically changed my life. I want to travel. I want to stand face to face in front of you. I want to see you. I want to hold your hand.

I want to be physically present in front of people this year. To be active. To move out of my comfort zone, and to be physically walking this world with Jesus.

Energetically and physically, I am wasted today.

I literally take on the whole world – every emotion that every person on the entire planet feels, I feel it – all wrapped up in my body.

Sadness, sickness, worry, loneliness, fear, anger, doubt.

I feel everything and sometimes it sucks.

What it means to be the savior is to remember the truth in times like this. Because if you allow yourself to be pulled down into the low frequencies, you are just like everyone else.

Most people think about so-called negative emotions: “I have to look at it, feel it, understand it, analyze it, tell my friends about it, solve it, talk to my therapist about it, write about it, wonder about the cause, look at my childhood issues, take a sick day, take a vacation … and once I have figured out the cause of this emotion, then I can let it go.”

Why not just rush to the END GOAL and let it go now??

If the goal is that you will eventually be happy, why not just be that now? Why do you have to talk to your friends and therapist in effort to understand what is going on inside of you?

Just let it go.

In you is the power to rise above all your problems, and you do this for everyone. This is the gift you give to the world. You do it for everyone.

I read somewhere that when you quit an addiction, you actually make it easier for other people to quit their addictions because their mind is your mind. You don’t just do it for yourself, you do it for everyone.

You get out of your own depression to make it easier for other people to get out of their depression. You wipe away your doubts so that other people lose their doubts.

WHEN IT HAPPENS IN YOUR MIND, IT HAPPENS IN THEIR MIND.

When you get into the high frequencies of love, everyone comes with you.

A Course in miracles says: “For every 5 minutes spent listening to the truth, 1000 minds wake up and 1000 years are saved.” This is how healing is accomplished. It is not done by words or teaching. It’s not done by trying to fix things or “heal” things in the usual way. Healing is accomplished as you leave the earth and rise to Heaven.

Get with God.

Forget everything.

Align your mind with God.

Just for a moment, stop sequencing time. Stop thinking that things will not change for you for a couple of weeks or months or years. Realize the new moment for the new beginning is now. It’s right here. It’s right now.

Take some time to be with God. Write in a journal. Get quiet. Just stop.

STOP.

Stopping is great advice. It allows other things to pass. Just stop. Stop thinking of the past. Stop thinking of the future.

STOP.

Rise above your humanness.

Stop being like you were yesterday. Stop trying to figure things out, and let something fresh, new & exciting come into your clean mind, washed of all your old beliefs and habits.

Let something new come to you today.

The only way I know to allow this to occur is to get quiet. Shut off the computer. Shut off the noise. And be quiet. Sit with a pen and paper. Give yourself total freedom away from the distractions of your mind, if only for 20 minutes.

Here is Eric Hoffer:

“In times of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.”

So forget everything you think you know about anything, and simply be present.

Let new learning come to your wholly open mind.

You will notice, when you first begin to practice in this way, that things that you have already learned come into your mind. That’s why you have to practice. It takes great learning to unlearn all the things you know, and yet it’s the simplest thing in the world because you UNLEARN by making a decision to be an empty slate. Your mind becomes wholly willing to see things differently. Your mind stops striving and planning.

Just stop.

Trust me.

Stop trying to go forward. Just rest a while.

I am totally in love with Christine Kane. She is the perfect role model, the perfect woman, the perfect friend, and she totally inspires me.

She wrote a great blog post yesterday about being courageous. Read it by clicking here. Here is her list of 66 Ways to Build Courage:

1 – Paint your nails green and leave them that way for a week. If you’re a guy, you get extra credit for this one.

2 – Look at your life as an experiment. This takes the ego out of new things you try.

3 – If you’re always spontaneous, plan something in advance and stick with it. If you’re a meticulous planner, do something spontaneous.

4 – Quit your job.

5 – Start a blog.

6 – Sign up for a Retreat.

7 – Take a painting class.

8 – Learn a new language.

9 – Join Toastmasters.

10 – Begin yoga.

11 – Do something ridiculously tourist-y in your own town.

12 – Get up in the morning after having a bad day yesterday. Encourage yourself to begin again.

13 – Give money away.

14 – Invite your friends over for dinner and don’t use silverware.

15 – Look into people’s eyes when you’re in public – on the street, buying groceries, etc.

16 – Hire someone to do a regular task you can’t stand doing. (i.e., mowing the lawn.) Use that time to write or draw.

17 – Play music more. Watch TV less.

18 – Get rid of everything in your home that’s not an Absolute Yes. Everything!

19 – Put on a goofy smile and look at other drivers when you stop at lights.

20 – Write a novel in a month.

21 – Think of one thing you’d love to ask one of your heroes, and then call her office – and ask her the question. (The goal is not necessarily to get through – but to let go of the fear of not getting through!)

22 – Ask for what you want – rather than complaining about not getting it.

23 – Go bowling.

24 – If you never host parties or dinners – invite friends over once a month for dinner.

25 – Teach a workshop on something you know how to do.

26 – Start a mastermind group with at least two other people.

27 – Learn to invest your money.

28 – Decide that your desire to be happy is an adequate reason to say no to requests of your time. (I knew someone who had cancer who said, “The best part about cancer is that now I get to say no to things and have a great excuse.” Don’t wait until you have this kind of “excuse.”)

29 – Be bad at something. Do it anyway.

30 – Make requests. Don’t complain.

31 – Join a writer’s group.

32 – Hire a life coach.

33 – In a social situation, sit in one place and allow people to come talk with you instead of running around the room “networking.”

34 – Worry less. Act more.

35 – Take a last-minute trip overseas.

36 – Enter a writing contest.

37 – Start your own business.

38 – Ask someone out on a date.

39 – Start a podcast.

40 – Sign up for my January Great Big Dreams e-Seminar. (Email christine@christinekane.com for details.)

41 – Make a business card for yourself.

42 – Eat at an ethnic restaurant you never considered before.

43 – Respond. Don’t react.

44 – Get some music from another culture. Sit down and listen. Really listen.

45 – Listen more. Talk less. Especially to your kids. (Remember that listening doesn’t mean waiting to say your piece.)

46 – Take a swing dance class.

47 – Hire a physical trainer.

48 – Start a book club.

49 – Test-drive a luxury car. Act as if you could buy it if you wanted it.

50 – End a relationship that drains you or hurts you. You deserve to be happy.

51 – Start a prayer list – and pray every morning.

52 – Go to a nursing home and visit people who need company.

53 – Quit smoking.

54 – Take different routes to work each day.

55 – Get lost on purpose. (When I first moved to my town, this is how I learned my way around. On Sundays, I’d drive into the downtown area and give myself an hour to get lost and then found again.)

56 – Wake up at 5am and write.

57 – Assumptions are the enemy of success. Question them often.

58 – Excuses are the enemy of action. Stop making them.

59 – Admit when you are wrong.

60 – Write a fan letter to someone who’s not famous – a teacher, a grocery store clerk – anyone who delights you or touches you.

61 – Pick one incomplete in your life (cluttered attic, article you want to write, craft you want to begin) and do it for 15 minutes a day. It’s more courageous to do something for a small chunk of time and do it again the very next day – than it is to sit back and say it can’t be done because you don’t have enough time.

62 – Participate in an open-mic night.

63 – Join a spiritual circle – a church, a center, a class. Don’t worry if it’s the “right” one – just try it out.

64 – Go vegan.

65 – Pay the toll of the person behind you. (Or for their coffee!)

66 – Run for President.

PRAYING

Most people either don’t pray, or don’t know how to pray, or somehow tie it up with religious ideas and discard it entirely, or only pray when they are really in trouble and use it as a last resort.

But what if you were to get rid of all your old ideas and hear something new as you read this blog post?

What if you erased all your ideas about everything?

What if starting today you decided to give a little time to being quiet, getting on your knees and giving some time to God?

Already we are in the difficulty, because now we are raising ideas about God.

Almost immediately, you probably had another reaction. Just from reading one sentence. Can you see how LOADED all our words, symbols and ideas are? Can you see how everything is based on perception based on the past, on something you learned?

But what if you were willing to suspend all your ideas? Just for today?

For about all your past failures. Forget about past unheard prayers. Forget about religion. Forget your ideas about God.

Just ask yourself: am I willing to have a new experience? Do I want something new to occur in my life?

If you can answer those questions, then most likely you will be willing to give prayer a new chance.

So. It can be a little scary to think you are about to start praying. What will people think? What will people say? Maybe you are thinking “how can I do it so no one knows?”

Even in Christian households, some people are embarrassed to get on their knees and pray in front of their loved ones. They think it should only be done in church. Or done by someone else leading a prayer while you just follow along. Or only on Sunday.

But prayer – EVERY DAY PRAYER – will change change the quality of your life.

So, how to pray?

1. Get quiet.
2. Put your hands together (not entirely necessary, but I find the channel opens faster when I put my hands together – like a key opening a door)
3. Give thanks – either to God or for certain people in your life, or for your health, or for clarity, or whatever else comes to your mind. The key is, spend the first few minutes in gratitude.
4. Ask to be shown what you should do, where you should go, what you should say.
5. Ask to be truly helpful. Ask to be guided, and used in such a way for the greater good of all people.

Now, you can pray any way you like. Talk to God like you would talk to your best friend because HE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND. He cares for you. He loves you. And he wants to give you everything. You can ask for things but be aware God knows what you need. He does not need to be told that you need more money to pay your bills. He knows you want to be loved.

You can ask for things, but it’s kind of a waste of time. There is a better way to pray and a new way to think about praying.

Here is a new way to think about praying: GOD KNOWS THE FASTEST ROUTE TO GET YOU WHAT YOU NEED OR TO GET YOU TO YOUR DESTINATION.

God can see the whole picture, and so He can tell you where to go, what to do, what obstacles to look out for so you can avoid them. That’s why He’s called THE SOURCE. You go back to the source to get valuable information. Why try to figure things out on your own when all your need do is ask God and He’ll tell you?

He’s like the CIA with surveillance cameras on everything. He can see the whole picture. He can tell you, okay, go here. Okay, don’t make that phone call just yet. Wait. Ask in an hour. Okay, call so-and-so.

That’s why in the bible it says: PRAY WITHOUT CEASING because you really need to check in with God every hour. Just to see how things have changed. You will constantly get new information.

A good prayer is:

God, I am here only to be truly helpful.
I am here to represent you who sent me.
What should I do?
Where should I go?
What should I say? And to whom?

Or something like this:

Max said to me yesterday that not everyone will make it to the top of Mount Everest. He said most people never make it past base camp. Or they make it halfway up the mountain and find it too difficult, and start making their way back down. They find they cannot push past their comfort and safety zone. They decide that making it to the top is not really all that important. They just want to be warm and safe.

I really love this observation. It pushes me be to honest. Do I want to go all the way as the Savior of the world? Or have I stopped short of the goal and found a comfort/safety zone where I am warm and safe?

People say it is the journey not the destination which is the important thing. What a bunch of hogwash! What a load of crap. The destination – THE GOAL – is important. Who wants to run the NYC marathon and stop in the last mile? Who goes for a big promotion and then loses interest in the last week? Who goes on American Idol to get kicked off? Who goes on a diet only to quit without losing any weight?

If you do anything, you want to finish. You want to take it to completion. In your heart of hearts, you want to go the distance.

Having said this, you now realize there is work to do.

You can’t make it to the top of the mountain without climbing there. It means your active participation and effort is necessary. You can’t wish a miracle to come into your life to make you miraculously appear at the top of the mountain, or at the finish line, or to accomplish your goal. You have to make a decision that you are going the distance.

You have to lose some baggage that is weighing your down.

You have to change your priorities, and quite often, you have to change your direction.

It will definitely be uncomfortable at times.

You’ll be cold, probably miserable and in pain, and there will most definitely be times you’ll wondering why you did not stay at the base of the mountain, or better yet … at home.

You’ll think: Who’s brilliant idea was this?

You’ll think: Who am I to think I am the savior of the world? Heal the whole world by changing my mind? That’s crazy. What? Am I nuts? What the hell am I doing out here??

You’ll realize how lonely you are. You’ll be aware of your own physical limitations. You’ll constantly be plagued by the idea that you might not make it. That you might fall short of the goal.

But you push yourself.

Onward.

Because you have sat at the bottom of the mountain long enough. You have sat in the comfort of your home long enough. Or in front of the computer screen long enough. Finally, the stirring in you to move becomes so insistent that you can no longer ignore it.

You realize if you want to go to the top of the mountain, you can’t take much with you. Only the bare essentials. You and your determination.

I’m reading Joan Crawford’s autobiography “My Way of Life” and it’s excellent. It was published in 1971 and I’m learning a lot.

Joan Crawford is someone who had a vision and went after it. She didn’t let anything slow her down, and she was always cheerful. She felt that if you are going to be in the world, you should always be at your best. You should always put on a smile. You should always be helpful. You should not gossip.

Here’s Joan:

“With a little organization a woman can excel as wife, homemaker, mother, career woman, and gracious hostess, be lovely to look at and to be with – and still have time left over to be a good friend to a lot of people. And a HAPPY friend. Of course, we all have our problems. But I don’t inflict mine on my friends. At least I try not to.

“How many people call you saying, “Oh, I woke up so tired this morning … I had such a terrible weekend … the day’s awful outside.” Being cheerful on the phone is part of giving. Sure we all have our problems, but why inflict them on our friends? I think I can count on the fingers of one hand the people who call up with a cheery, happy voice – and keep it that way.”

“People with problems seem to find the telephone irresistible. When they’re happy they just don’t think about sharing it with other people.”

Ha. Isn’t she incredible? I love it. How these books drop into my life is a complete mystery to me. It’s like God ships them in from Heaven specifically for me. I mean, what other explanation is possible that I’m reading a 1971 autobiography of Joan Crawford??

It looked interesting on the library shelf. It gave me a chuckle and thrill when I randomly opened a page … and that a good enough reason for me to read a book.

I like this part also:

“I do desperately regret not having had a formal education. I tried to make it at Stephens College in Missouri, but I was completely unprepared, and when midterms exams loomed up I ran away. I knew I wouldn’t be able to answer a single question. In the short time I was there, though, I made one of the dearest and most valuable friends I’ve ever had – the president of the college, Daddy Wood. He understood why I had to leave, but before I left he gave me 3 rules for living that may have helped me more than four years of classics would have done.
They’re very precious to me:

1. Never quit a job until you finish it.
2. The world isn’t interested in your problems. When your problems are the greatest, let your laughter be the merriest.
3. If you can find you can do a job, let it alone, because you’re bigger than the job already, and that means you will shrink down to its size. If the job is impossible, you may never get it accomplished, but you’ll grow in trying to accomplish it.

I love rule #3 the best. If you find you can do a job, let it alone. That’s so great. Go for the big problems that are impossible.

Good advice.

Stretch your mind a little.