A time for Preperation

Life can come at you fast, especially during the Holiday session. With all the demands place you it seems that everyone wants a piece of you. It can feel that your time is not yours. During this time of year it is a good idea to take a moment and stop to refresh yourself, to take stock of your life.

The Catholic Faith has a session called Advent, it’s the 4 weeks before Christmas, and it’s a time to prepare for the birth of our Lord. We are to take stock of our lives, clear out all the dead spots and refresh them with the light of Christ.

Now I know not everyone believes in God, and some do but not in the Catholic faith, but the Advent session can but done anytime of the year, by anyone, just set aside one month, and use that month to take stock in your life. Use it to purge out the junk and fill it with goodness.

I would also recommend that you truly look in to the Catholic Faith, discover her history and beauty. Look in to her teachings, and find a home in the Church Christ built. But if you choose not to, that’s ok; Advent can still be a time of preparation for you, a time to prepare for the new you.

Christmas time offers us so much; it’s a time to see the goodwill of human kind, a time to feel the spirit of kindness and a time to show your love to all you meet. Use the remaining weeks to open your soul to the magic of the session, and to look deep into yourself, create a new you, one that is filled with kindness, understanding and love for all of creation.

Paul

 

Advent

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the Christian season. For other uses, see Advent (disambiguation).

Advent (from the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming”) is a season of the Christian church, the period of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus; in other words, the period immediately before Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday. The Eastern churches begin the liturgical year on 1 September.^[1] The Eastern Christian equivalent of Advent is called the Nativity Fast but it differs both in length and observances.

The progression of the season may be marked with an Advent calendar, a practice introduced by German Lutherans. At least in the Roman Catholic calendar, Advent starts on the fourth Sunday before December 25; in other words, the Sunday between November 27 and December 3 inclusive.

Latin adventus is the translation of the Greek word parousia, commonly used in reference to the Second Coming. Christians believe that the season of Advent serves a dual reminder of the original waiting that was done by the Hebrews for the birth of their Messiah as well as the waiting that Christians today endure as they await the second coming of Christ.

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Change is coming

Sorry for the delay between postings, but I am currently in Germany, having a great time and working. So my bloging has been put on hold.

So as I sit here in Germany, I missed out on the historic elections (I did vote by mail), but i missed all the fun of election night! Such is life.

But I have not missed out on the talks of the vote, here in Germany they are very up on the election, and I can say, very happy with the results. I can’t get in to a cab with out someone asking me if I am American, and if I am happy about Obama. I can not lie, I am not happy about Obama, but I am an American first, and I will support my President! And pray for the best!

Mr. Obama talked a lot about change, personal and as a country, and I could not agree more, the difference is in what direction the change goes. As I told my sister last night, “I hope I am wrong about Mr. Obama, I hope he turns out to be one of the best presidents we ever had” but only time will tell.

Change is a comin… One way or another….

Paul

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For The Game of it

We all want to be something we are not, me I want to be better at a lot; speaking, writing, my faith, and  how I interact with co-workers, better friend, better brother, uncle, and the list goes on. But I also understand that I can only do so much, and sometimes I can’t do anything about it. But should that mean I should not try, absolutely not! I keep trying, I keep making efforts, with the hopes that I will change, that I will grow. Sometimes the effort is more important than the outcome.

Often times when I am chatting with youth, and we get on the topic of sports or school, they will bring up a big game they just played or a big test they took, the first question I ask is how did you do, did you win or pass? The second, and to me the more important question I ask is did you try your best and did you have fun (if it was a sporting event). They normally look at me like I am nuts, especially if they lost the game. “Fun, how could we have fun, we lost!” But to me, if the only reason I am playing is to win, they why play, because you’re going to lose, it’s going to happen. So if you know that, if you know you can’t be perfect, why bother. To truly love a sport, means you truly love the game of it, win or lose.

Well that’s how I feel we need to look at change, we truly need to love the game of it, and we need to love the challenge of change. Sometimes we are not meant to achieve what we set out to do. Sometimes the plan is to fail, to learn from that. Just like a team needs to lose, so they can see there weakness, we need to fail to see ours.

So yes I still want to be a better speaker, and given the chance to do so, I will speak, and I may fail or I may succeed, either way I am way ahead because I was able to speak, for the game of it, for the love of it.

So get in to the game…

Paul

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Create Fall

With the crisp air of fall here, it’s time to start thinking about our gardens and cutting them back for the winter. The new blossoms of spring turned in to the summer canvas that God created his glory on, summer turns in to fall, and now it’s time once again for God to paint the colors of fall.

This is also the time, like spring, when we must tend to our gardens, preparing for the next session. We must cut back the flowers that no longer bloom, pull out the weeds and plant any new bulbs to bring new life in the spring.

We should also use this time to do the same with our lives, cut back and dead growth, pull all the weeds out of our life and plant new seeds to take root in our souls.

God has a way of reminding us, of using nature to teach us important life lessons. God uses each new season to recreate the beauty of the earth, each is different than the last, and each has a purpose. Spring and fall both are seasons of change and growth. Spring ushers in summer and all its glory, and fall ushers in winter and all her splendor.  Each season offers us the opportunity to work with God’s creation, but spring and fall seem to represent a time of preparation. A time to make ready the gardens for the next season, a time to clean out the clutter, and make ready for the new growth, We too need to define times in our lives to do this.

Spring and Fall seems to be the natural timing of God, so let’s run with it, and use this season of change as a time to de-clutter our lives, and to plant new seeds of Hope, Joy and Love in our garden of humanity. Let’s create a weed free garden, one without the weeds of Hate, despair and hopelessness.

Let prepare for the season of splendor, one of great awe and wonder. One covered in a blanket of pure love.  Use the change of the seasons as a time of change for you; allow the grace of God to create in you the garden of life.

Paul

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The Havoc of Change

To be in a state of change can cause a little havoc in one’s life, and for anyone around them. It creates new and sometimes very interesting circumstances for both of them. The person involved in the change is proud of their new ability or trait, the person dealing with them is just confused, they don’t know who this person is. Both involved need to be understanding of the other. Change is not a solitary thing; it does not just affect you. It effects all who come in contact with you and even some who do not.

Change is the pebble dropped in the water; the ripples will affect everything it comes in contact with, the change in you is also change in others. It must be, or it cannot be authentic change.

Now some may say, “How does me not swearing anymore affect others I do not meet. I understand how affect my family and friends, but people I don’t even know, come on Paul, I think you are losing it.” Well you may be correct about me losing it, but change does affect others, I would say everyone. By you not using foul language, your family will see this, and in return will use it less, at least around you. It’s the peer pressure thing working in a positive way. If they swear less around you and they have friends around, the friends will hear them cussing less, and the affect goes on and on….

So your simple change will affect the world, maybe in a small way, but it will affect it. And sometimes the small ways are the best of ways.

So try to understand that others around you are affect directly by you choosing to change, choosing to grow, and in a way, you will cause change and growth in them.

Keep growing and changing, creating a better you knowing that you are also helping to create a better world, one small change at a time.

Paul

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Fall

It is September, the kids are back off to school and the world starts to get that great fall smell. I love the smell of fall, the smell of the old going out and the winter setting in. I know its way too early to talk about winter, but fall is a short session, and winter will be here before you know it. But that’s not what my blog is about today; let’s stick with the idea of fall.

No today I thought I would talk about fall, and how it’s like life. We all go through different sessions in our life, most of us think of it as an age thing, in our youth we are in the springtime of life and when we get older we enter the fall of our life. But I think that we actually go through the different sessions all the time and never ending of summer, fall, winter and then spring. A cycle that continues until the last session of our life we the sessions change no more and we are in eternal __ (Put your favorite session here) __.

Fall, or autumn as some call it, is a time for change, a time of death, or hibernation. It’s a time when all the flowers prepare for the long winter, the animals store food up and birds fly south. Fall a time of preparation.

That is the fall I want to talk about, the fall of preparations. We all must prepare for life, because regardless of what we want life is going to come, life is going to hit us, and sometimes it hits us hard. We need to prepare for that fact.

Fall, with all its wonderful smells and sounds, the cool crisp air, it’s all a sign that summer has ended and winter is on its way.  The death of summer and the birth of winter; we too must often times die from our old and be born in to our new.

So prepare, make ready for the new, and allow the old to die, for it has lived out its session and its tile for a new one.

Fall, the beauty of death, a time not to mourn but a time to rejoice, for soon winter will blanket us in her protection and deliver us in to spring…

We all live several sessions in one life time, we all are born and die unto self. Fall, a time of change, transition and death. But not a sad death, but one of great joy, one of celebration; for from the death comes a new you a new session.

 

Paul 

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Weather Patterns

To each of us one day can be a thousand different things. Each gust of wind can move us in different and new directions; each flower we see will touch us in differently.  The world offers us different experiences, many ways to see the same thing, and many ways to live our life out.

 

A day of sunshine for me can be a day of rain for you, even thought we are in the same place, living the same weather. I am, of course, speaking metaphorically about the rain and sunshine, but not about how each of us experiences the same reality thousands of different ways.

 

We all have the ability to process information, we all have the ability to them use the information to help us determine our outlook on life, and how we react to or do not react to any one give situation. It’s our makeup how we are programmed or hard wired, what ever you want to call it, it is us.

 

Me, I see things mostly in a positive light, yes I know and understand that bad things happen, that at time life is crap, and yes I too can feel that way, and yes sometimes my outlook is not so positive, but I always try to put a spin on it, to make light of it, to have a laugh at my own expense about it.

 

Others see life only in darkness, no light shines through. They see no happiness in the world. I am sure that they too have days of light, just like I have days of darkness, but unlike me, they do not make light of it, or laugh at themselves, but rather they make it heavy, and fill it with dark matter and create a reality for themselves that fits their need.

 

We all do this, in one way on another, we all create the reality we need or want. We create a reality that fulfills our outlook, our destiny. We all have hear it said that we create our own destiny, and I believe this, I truly believe that God allows us to create our own destiny, and in doing so, we can create it how we see fit.

 

So I see it as sunshine, and others as rain, and some see it as partly cloudy, what every your weather pattern is, is what you choose it to be.

 

We all long for those sunny days in the summer, days we can spend outside with family and friends. We all need a little sun light in our days, to perk up our moods, to make us feel better about ourselves. We all need them, the sun gives us life. If this is true, then we also need to have the same outlook on how we view life, how we live our life out. We need to create sunshine where there is none.

 

The soft gentle wind of change will blow over you if you see life as sunny, the warm rays of love will softly caress you and the sounds of summer will fill your heart.

 

Your outlook is your destiny, see is bright and sunny or see it dark and gloomy; either way that is what you will get.

 

The Beatles said it best in the song “The End” :

 

“In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make”

 

We get back what we give, or in other words, we get back what we project out. If we see things as dark and gloomy that is what we will get in return, if we see them as sunny and warm, that too is what we will get back in return.

 

Life is ours to live, so live it fully, fill your days with sunshine and warmth, and in time you will get it in return.

 

Paul

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To whom do we owe thanks…

To whom do we owe thanks when we change, when we become anew? To ourselves, to our family and friends, to our community, church and word, to the person walking down the street, to the world or to God, to the higher power who created all?

 

To whom do we praise, to whom is all glory given for what we have accomplished?

 

Some will say to yourself, you did all the hard work, others will say to your family and friends, they had to put up with you and still some will say to the world, we are all part of the same life force, and some may say to God. And a few will say to all, and everything, to yourself, to the world your family and God, for each had a part in the change.

 

Nice sentiments all of them, but really only one response is correct, only one is truly a thank you.

Your thanks should go to God, for God allows us to choose freely who we are, he allows us to walk the path we wish, and allows us to create our own paths in the forest of life. God is your constant friend, even if you do not believe, or want him around, God is beside you, knows your heart and sees your destiny, to him we praise and thank.

 

Some may say, but wait I did all the hard work, I am the one who cried when a part of me died, I am the one who had to walk the thousand miles to get to the prize, I am the one who changed, grew and became a better person, why should I not thank myself and thank God.

 

Why only God? Why not others, like family and friends? Why not the stranger on the street and the community or Church? They all suffered through it with me, they all had something to do with my change, none of us live in a void, and we all are part of the global community… Once again all good questions, valid arguments each and everyone, but still in the end, when all the bills are paid and our leas on this earth is up, it is to God that we owe all, it is to God that we wish to go. So it makes sense that it is to God I give my praise and thanks. It is God who allowed me my freewill, not my family, nor my friends. The community did not give it to me, the stranger has no power to do so and the world is too concerned in herself to offer any to us.

 

Yet God not only offers us freewill, he demands it and gives it freely, God encourages us to change, to grow and to become anew. It is only God who gives freewill and it is only God who deserves my thanks.

 

Some may be offended, some may even feel slighted, family and friends may be put off, the community and church may feel used, but if the help was done in the true spirit of helping you, then they will care not if they are thanked, for they too should be thanking God for allowing them the freewill to offer help to you.

 

So I would like to say THANKS GOD for the gift of freewill… I pray I have used it only for your glory.

 

Paul

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Faith in…

Faith is a major part of anyone’s change; the process of changing takes faith, faith in the process, faith in those around you and faith is self, and mostly faith in a higher power, faith in God is paramount to all changes.

 

Faith in the process:

 

When we decide to change, we need to have a set of plans, a set of directions to follow a path to walk. When we decide to embark on this endeavor we need to have a set direction to follow. The walk may take us directly to our endpoint, or we may hit several road blocks along the way, either way we need to have faith in the process we are involved in. If we have no faith in the process we will soon quit. The road will become too hard to walk and we will find it to difficult to carry on.

 

So before you undertake the task of change, make sure you understand the process, you map out the road you will walk, and you prepare for the road blocks. By thinking a head and by having faith in the process you will encounter the bumps and road blocks along the way with a smile and the knowledge that you have faith in the process, and that you can over come what ever is in your way.

 

Faith in those around you:

 

The process of change involves more then just you, yes it is only you that is in the process, but in reality everyone around you is also changing, they are changing how they have to deal with you. Change is never a singular process, it always involves other, your spouse, your kids your co-workers and the person just passing by. The level of involvement depends on the level of intimacy and contact. A co-worker could have more to do with your process of change then your spouse if your interaction and contact is deeper with them then with your spouse.  They will affect your outlook and your path; they will be your road blocks and your catalyst in the process. They will bring you down or lift you up, if you allow. With faith in others around you, you will use their energy to be your catalyst when you need help over the road blocks along the path of change.

 

 

Faith in self:

 

Faith is self is one of the hardest parts of change; it involves you and you alone. Others can not give you faith in self, they can not help you with it nor can they take it away. It is the one thing you can not bypass, ignore or purchase it must come from with in. If this is the change you are trying to make, if you are trying to gain more faith in self, then this may be a hard concept to understand, and one that you feel is not compatible with your process. But the process is there to assist you along the way, the faith in self is innate, it is there, and the process is established to help you discover the faith in self. Faith in self is paramount to any change; this should be the first change anyone embarks on prior to any other.

 

Faith in a higher power, Faith in God:

 

Faith in God is the hardest for us to do; to give up control to an unseen all powerful God requires faith is self, faith in other and faith in the process of change. We must be willing to allow God to work through us an in us. We must be willing to allow God the freedom to change us, to allow him to work in us. God will not change us; will not work with us or through us unless we allow him to do so. We must be willing to have faith in Him; we must be willing to give over our selves to God.

 

We must have faith in God, faith in self, faith in others and faith in the process. Faith is the cornerstone to any change we undertake, it is the building block of all changes and can not be substituted, it is with faith that we will change.

 

Faith is not separate parts of the process, but all one, I have separated the parts to help express the full meaning of the word, and to hopefully give you a starting point to a discussion about what is need to truly change. Yes people have changed with out one or more parts of Faith, but I will argue that the change was only skin deep, it is only with faith, total and complete faith can you truly change.

 

Paul

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Control

Sometimes changes happen to you when you really don’t want it. It comes from outside of you, caused by someone or something else. It is in moments like this that I really don’t like change, not because it’s not good for me, not because it’s hard, all change is hard and for all I know it will be great for me, not for any of those reasons, but because I am not in control. The change came from elsewhere, not from me.

That makes the change hard to deal with, even if you know its coming, you see the signs, the writing is on the wall, they may even tell you it’s on its way, but still I’m not in control, I cannot do anything about it.

Some will tell you I am a control freak, but I would say I am not a control freak as long as I am controlling everything. Well that not really true, something’s I really don’t want to control, and others I have to. So control freak may be a strong word to use on me, may be a better word would be a control semi-freak.

So when changes hit me, and they are out of my control, I get a little upset. But then I try to remember the rule:

Worry about only what you can change

 

Good advice, easy to remember but really hard to swallow when I am the one who needs to swallow it. Life comes at you hard and fast sometimes, and sometimes you have no control over it. We all need to learn that rule, I know I do. Not only learn it, but more importantly live it

So I will let life come at me, and I will let the changes come my way… And I will live life to the fullest and only worry about what I can change…

Paul

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