St Francis Place: Music

Sunday, January 31, 2010

Give Me Something To Believe In - Music by Poison.

What Do We Really Believe?

I hear many people say they believe in helping the homeless, the sick, the destitute. I hear many people say they believe in relieving the suffering of so many people around them. I hear people say, "Somebody ought to do something about things like this." not realizing that they are somebody with the means to act.

What do we really believe in? Where do our hearts really lie? Take a moment to look through the ledger on your checkbook or to look at your latest credit card statement. Where have you been spending the bulk of your time and money? That is what you believe in the most. Does it match well with what you say your inner beliefs really are? Chances are it doesn't.

The problems of the world seem so many and so diverse. We often times wonder what any one of us can do to solve even a few of the worlds problems, let alone the many we see. What can one person do? Perhaps not much. But, a group of people working in community...sharing their resources...pooling together their time, talents, and material resources....providing spiritual support and encouragement...seeing to their own inner growth and the spiritual growth of others...this is where miracles can happen and lives can be changed. Working alone we are limited in what we can do. Working together, in harmony, we can all give the world a little something to believe in!

Blessings,

Ralph

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Change. Music by Tracy Chapman.

Accepting Change.

Do we really believe in change, even change for the better, for ourselves and others? So many times we hear, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks," or "Once a criminal always a criminal." We have many other similar sayings which we repeat or hear on almost a daily basis. Yet as people who claim to be followers of Love who are called to a life style of Love and Forgiveness, should we not have a different attitude?

I few years ago there was a lady in a church Bible study I once taught who shared with us what her church was doing in its prison ministry. Her church would send out missionaries to a local prison to witness to the inmates and share their experiences of Salvation through Jesus Christ. These missionaries had an open loving attitude towards the inmates, and where very successful in reaching many of the men while incarcerated. Some inmates were so moved by the missionaries that upon their release they would re-settle in that church's general area, and try attending their Sunday services. This is where a problem developed. The church did a wonderful job of preaching the Gospel, as they understood it, to the inmates while they were in prison. But, when the former inmates began to mingle with the church members during the Sunday service, the attitude of the average church member seemed to be that of rejection of the former inmates. "Not in my church!" seemed to be the prevailing attitude! They just could not accept the possibility that these men had changed, and made them feel most unwelcome. As a result, none of the former inmates ever joined the church which was so kind to them while behind bars, but could not accept them in their own community of faith.

Jesus taught a different kind of Gospel. "Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us," and "If you hold your brother bound by his sins, so will your Heavenly Father hold you bound by your sins." Jesus taught radical Love and Forgiveness. Why? Was it just to be nice, or to have people consider Him a lunatic? No. I believe Jesus taught this way because He firmly believed (and more than believed...He knew) in the power of the Transformative Love of God; the power to change for the better. This is the Love which turned prostitutes and thieves into Saints. The Love which turned murderers into followers of Christ. It is the same Love which has the power to transform our world today, if only we shall let it. But if the power to change is to take root, we must accept it into our own lives and allow for the possibility that change can and will come for us and for others. Most seem able to accept the possibility of change for the worst. Now as followers of Love, we must open ourselves up to accept change for the better!

Blessings,

Ralph

The Power To Change Through Practice Of Meditation

No matter if you are 8 or 80, it is never too late. Change your thinking and change your world!