life: acoustic & amplified
poetry, quotes & thoughts about life
Archive for the category “do”
I love the phrase below…addicted to redemption…wow!
The Purpose of Religion
Posted by Beit T’shuvah
By Rabbi Mark Borovitz
My daughter, Heather, recommended a book to me and I have started to read it. It is called Manuscript Found in Accra by Paulo Coelho and Margaret Jull Costa. As I have begun to read it, I found these two lines that struck me. “They don’t understand that religion was created in order to share the mystery and worship, not to oppress or convert others. The greatest manifestation of the miracle of God is life.”
Wow, what a mouthful. Simple, yet so difficult for most of us to do, which bothers me to no end! Last week, I was able to participate in the Valley Beth Shalom honoring of my friend and teacher, Rabbi Ed Feinstein. Ed has spent the last 20 years sharing the mystery and worship of God with all of us in Los Angeles. He has honored life and truly sees the reflection of God in each and every person. So, what stops the rest of us from doing this better?
Because we think that money, power and prestige are all that matters. Because we think that narcissism is natural and right. Because we believe that oppressing/blaming someone else will make the truth we know about our own shortcomings and errors go away! Because we believe that without converting others to “our way” we must be wrong. Because we don’t believe in anything really, so we must make another believe in “our way.”
I suggest that we follow Rabbi Ed’s example. He reaches out to the poor and gives them a meal, not a thrashing. He welcomes the stranger and gets to know them, again over a meal, without trying to convert them. He cares for the sick, the orphan and widow with words of comfort and love, not blame and disdain. Rabbi Ed is a master teacher. Yet, his actions speak so much louder than his words.
I don’t want to oppress you or convert you. I do want you to join me in being addicted to redemption. Why? So that all of us can appreciate the Miracle of God, life, a little bit more. So that all of us can share the mystery of life and God with each other and everyone else. So that all of us can join together to find the path to worship through caring for each other. So that each us can live lives of meaning, purpose and passion. Your way is good, Her way is good, and my way is good if we all are on the way to worshiping, enlarging, sharing and enjoying LIFE a little more each day.
<!–
0 Comments — Leave your comment
–>
The Jewish Journal believes that great community depends on great conversation. So, jewishjournal.com provides a forum for insightful voices across the political and religious spectrum. Most bloggers are not employees of The Jewish Journal, and their opinions are their own. Our entire blog policy is here. Please alert us to any violations of our policy by clicking here. (editor@jewishjournal.com). If you’d like to join our blogging community, email us. (webmaster@jewishjournal.com).
http://www.jewishjournal.com/addicted_to_redemption/item/the_purpose_of_religion
http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2013/07/08/the-purpose-of-religion/
distractions
I am signed up to get a lot of daily, weekly, occasional inspiring emails. There is sooooo much out there which is inspiring and uplifting and many of these emails are so great. They help me focus, start my day with new and wonderful thoughts and also make me think about my life,challenge me to continue to learn, stay aware of who I am and how I have decided to live my life and keep me open to all sorts of points of view. Yet, they can also be a distraction from actually getting things done. I always have to make sure they are in their place and not keeping me from my work or my life, but enhancing both of those things.
A couple of days ago, one of my very favorite poets of all time, and my spiritual mentor, Steve Garness-Holmes talked about busyness in his poem post on the subject of Advent called Pregnant Pause, here is a little of his amazing insight (read full post at www.unfoldinglight.net )
We are in a hurry. We drive fast, even up to a red light. We hate standing in line. We “keep busy.” We’re like kids whining int he back seat, “Are we there yet?”
Well, we are there yet. We are here now. But we’re so busy being busy, and whining about it, that we don’t notice. Our busyness is not fruitfulness; it’s fear. We’re afraid of the stillness, afraid of the dark, afraid of what might come up in the silence. We’re afraid of not being in control and of being dependent, afraid of not knowing. We keep busy to stay unconscious.
Advent invites us into the dark, into the silence, into wakefulness. It is a time of preparing, yes, but also of waiting. Just sitting. Doing nothing, just being. It’s like being pregnant. God is doing miraculous things in us, and in the world, and there’s nothing we can do to make it happen or hasten. Like Mary, we just wait. Not wanting the child to be born prematurely, we wait the whole term. We enter into the mystery of not being in control, the darkness of trusting what is coming without seeing it, the silence of listening for what is beyond words. We enter into the stillness of paying attention. And we “wait upon the Lord.”
Each day, give some time to pause. Be free of the attachments of this world. Step out of the prison of busyness, the chains of having to justify yourself. Let go and be still. Deep within, let the miraculous child come to you. Wake up in the dark. Watch and listen. Trust what is coming. Don’t be afraid to wait. Perhaps then the day—even today—will not catch you unexpectedly like a trap but unwrap itself like a long-awaited gift.
Yesterday, in another inspiring daily note, one of my top favorites, Mastin Kipp, and his blog The Daily Love ( http://thedailylove.com/ ) talked about distractions and what it distracting from really stepping into our purpose.
There are SO many excuses that can distract us from our calling!
Here are some:
Twitter
Over giving to others
Making other people more important than ourselves
Watching TV
Too much socializing
Eating
Drinking
Sleeping
Drugs
Toxic relationships
Putting things off until tomorrow!
There is a rich gift within you that the world NEEDS you to give us. You don’t even recognize your power or importance. But it’s there and it’s waiting to be born. And the thing is that the world will not tell you this – only the subtle whisper within you does. And perhaps a good friend or two. Or an inspiring book or story that you read.
But in order to create this gift, in order to give birth to it… YOU must let go of all distractions.
Seriously, how much time do you spend on the above things? And how much time do you spend ACTUALLY creating or giving your gift?
_______________________
This bring anything into focus for you? It has for me! I believe you can have anything you want, but not everything you want! It’s up to me to choose what I want to create! then focus and do it! Good stuff!!!!!
Today I will do what others won’t, so tomorrow I can accomplish what others can’t. ~ Jerry Rice
For the past 5 years I have published a newsletter called Songs from the Valley. I really had no idea how to do it, or what the result would be, I just enjoyed creating the first issue so much I committed to creating it for one year.
The first year was a time of figuring out what this publication would become. In March, of 2008, I featured my first artist, in April, I decided to publish two issues a month. By May, it began to take shape around a subject, rather than putting in random hodge-podge inspiration and in December, I decided that I would continue to create and publish it – that it truly was one of the best things I had ever done in my life. In 2010 I started a website and on March 18, 2011, I started this daily, poetry and quotes blog, to go along with the 2 issues a month.
I have been asked many times how I do it, how I find time. As I look back over the past five years, I see the actions that are reflected in the quote above. I made it happen by living my life in a way that others haven’t. It’s not about me being right or wrong, it’s just about what you want. I want to be all I can be and not aim low. When I started the newsletter, I wanted to create something good that my children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, could find one day, and know who I am, what I loved, how I live my life, what I stood for and what I learned about life. As I look back over the body of work, I am so blessed by how I have spent my time, the hours were well worth the effort! I am extremely grateful for what I have accomplished.
As this year of 2012 comes quickly to a close, I feel the time for something new is happening. It is time for things to shift and I am not sure the newsletter will continue to be the same. There are new things being born, and I feel the end of this particular publication may be ending, to make way for something new and exciting. I am not sure exactly what it will be, as of yet, but I feel things stirring around in my heart, in my imagination. Inspiration is bubbling and brewing and my music is coming to the forefront of this next phase of life upcoming. It is exciting and feels important. I ask for your prayers as I figure these things out and begin to incorporate new areas of discipline into my going, and begin to accomplish my highest calling from a heart of love.
www.songsfromthevalley.com for current issue on Place featuring artist Beverly Erschell http://www.beverlyerschell.com/
owning your life is vital!
I waited and waited, for something to happen. It never did.
I pleaded and pleaded, for something to change. It never did.
I prayed and prayed, for love to find me. It never did.
One day, after years of suffering, I decided I could no longer idly watch my life pass by.
The voice within me spoke loudly and said: “Beautiful woman, if you want something to happen, make it happen.
If you want a change in your life, make that change.
If you wish for love to find you, first learn to love yourself.
Open your heart and dare to LIVE your life”……
Patience may be a virtue, but in life, one must take ownership.
Linda Vitagliano
life’s all about choices
I believe God wants you to know……that the time has come to get clear about who you are and what you choose.
There come moments in every person’s life when a decision is necessary. A big decision. A major choice.
Such a time is now.
Remember, not to decide is to decide.
Every moment of your life is infinitely creative and the universe is endlessly bountiful. Just put forth a clear enough request, and everything your heart desires must come to you. – Gandhi
If you have a talent, use it in every way possible.
Don’t hoard it.
Don’t dole it out like a miser.
Spend it lavishly like a millionaire intent on going broke.”
– Brendan Francis
Get on with your own creative life. Ideas are free. They don’t cost you a thing. You can live in the world of thought all the days of your life and never go broke.
You will also die unfulfilled, because an idea that never incarnates, that never becomes physical and grounded in this world, will eventually feel like the most painful burden you ever had to carry – one that you can never put down.
People who have had near death experiences report that there is indeed a life review that happens upon our death, and that a part of that life review is to make note of what could have been in our lives had we chose otherwise.
Falling into that category are all the creative opportunities the universe provided for us that we let fall by the wayside because our fears carried more authority within us than our faith.
Trust in the life support system that is inherent in your creative spirit. You will draw to yourself all that you need as you need it, but you must first be willing to risk it all. – Caroline Myss
life: acoustic & amplified 