PONDER on THIS Special Message for Sunday, September 21, 2008 by Anthony DeMello S.J. in WAKE UP TO LIFE

Posted on September 21, 2008 by jmaz479

Recently I took the opportunity to listen again to an audio series called “Wake Up to Life” by the late Fr. Anthony DeMello. In doing so I was struck by the following statement he made: “The reality is there is too much God talk; the world is sick of it, and sick from it. There is too little awareness, too little love, too little happiness. That’s what the world is suffering from, not from a lack of religion.” When I took a moment to ponder on that observation I couldn’t help but agree with him.

Billions of people on this planet are absolutely certain they know who or what God is, and these “God-concepts” are what primarily lead to all the religious strife and violence in the world. Some are so convinced of their concept they’ll even kill themselves for it, and kill others as well, all for a belief they learnedfrom someone else but in the vast majority of instances never personally experienced. And, this has been going on for centuries. It’s really amazing when you stop and rationally think about it.

On the audio Fr. DeMello also includes this quote from St. Thomas Aquinas, one of the most revered of Christian saints: “About God, we cannot say what He is, but rather, what He is NOT.” In other words, the highest form of knowledge of God is to know God as the unknown. Or taking it a step further, the highest form of talking about God is to know that one does not know. According to DeMello, the fact is we are all surrounded by God, but we don’t see God because we all think we know about him, and the terrible thing about religions is they think they know as well.

Based on all the religious-based violence on this planet, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we had a world where instead everybody just said, “We don’t know.”

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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PONDER on THIS for Friday, September 19th, 2008 by Pete Koerner in THE BELIEF FORMULA

Posted on September 19, 2008 by jmaz479

“Prayer has always been a practical tool; you need only understand how to use it effectively, practically, and safely. Prayer is an inherent power of all humans. Prayer is our bridge between the invisible world and the formed world – between our desires and their manifestation. Though it appears that religions have rendered prayer all but useless, the fact is that no one can affect the value or effectiveness of prayer. Religions have simply taught us ineffective methods of praying which not only seem to produce less-than-hoped-for results, but also seem to have seriously undermined our ability to truly believe in anything.”

Pete Koerner, in “The Belief Formula”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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BEST of PONDER on THIS for Thursday, September 18th, 2008 by Sanaya Roman in LIVING WITH JOY

Posted on September 18, 2008 by jmaz479

“Freedom is your birthright. It belongs to everyone. Now you may say, “I am not free in this or that area of my life. I am not free to quit my job, travel the world, or do what I want.” You are free – to the degree you BELIEVE yourself to be.

To create more freedom in your life, do not look at the areas in which you do not have freedom; look instead at the areas where you have created freedom. Perhaps you have the freedom to stay out late if you want, or the freedom to buy whatever food you want at the grocery store. To have more freedom look at what freedom you already claim as your right.”

Sanaya Roman, in “Living with Joy”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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PONDER on THIS for Wednesday, September 17th, 2008 by Jeff Maziarek in SPIRITUALITY SIMPLIFIED

Posted on September 17, 2008 by jmaz479

“So how do we overcome our fear and doubts and truly begin to trust in the God-force?
From personal experience, the only way to learn to “let go and let God” is to practice doing so, moment-by-moment, one day at a time. You simply start by turning smaller problems or issues over to the God-Force (i.e., the Higher part of you) at the moment you encounter them.

For example, when you are about to meet with a person with whom you have historically had difficulties, try saying the following statement to yourself, “I call upon the God-Force to speak through me in this interaction, and I am grateful for the opportunity to see this individual anew, as the Divine creation they truly are.” If you say this statement with sincere feeling, you will notice that the nature of the interaction will be much improved, simply because you put your “little self” aside and allowed your “Higher Self” to come to the forefront.

You can apply this same approach to every challenging or annoying situation that you encounter (e.g., travel delays, weather events, minor aches and pains, and so on), and the results will be the same. They may not be instantaneous, but if you continue to turn things over to the Higher aspect of yourself, then ultimately whatever difficulties you have encountered will fade away. The key is that you must be genuine in your call for assistance, and also willing to see people and situations in a different light.”

Jeff Maziarek, in “Spirituality Simplified”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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BEST of PONDER on THIS for Tuesday, September 16th, 2008 by Jack Kornfield in A PATH WITH HEART

Posted on September 16, 2008 by jmaz479

“How can we work with the pain of judging? If we try to get rid of it by saying, “Oh, I shouldn’t be judging,” what is that? It’s just another judgment. Instead, acknowledge the judgment as it arises. Allow it to come and go. Sometimes it helps to give it a name. If your judgment reminds you of someone from the past try saying, “Thank you, Dad.” “I appreciate your opinion on that, Carol.” “Thanks for your opinion John.” Judgments are simply a prerecorded tape that plays through the mind over and over again. Try to have a sense of humor about your judgments – this will keep them in perspective relative to the rest of your life.”

Jack Kornfield, in “A Path With Heart”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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PONDER on THIS for Monday, September 15th, 2008 by Alan Cohen in DARE TO BE YOURSELF

Posted on September 15, 2008 by jmaz479

“Many people in this world are somewhat paranoid, afraid that the world is out to get them. Actually, the world is out to get us, but not in the way we believe. There is a conspiracy (conspiracy means to “breathe together”) working behind the scenes of our life. But this conspiracy is not to hurt us; it is one of great love. God is out to do everything She can to make us happy. This conspiracy is always working, even in spite of our insane efforts to deny love’s presence.

Amazing as it might sound, we have unknowingly been involved in a counter-conspiracy to love. Many of us have been actively engaged in doing everything we can to avoid peace, shield healing from our hearts, and convince ourselves that hell is heaven. We are expert at finding fault with our gifts, sabotaging our success, and seeing the empty tenth of the glass instead of the nine parts that are full. But there is hope. The outcome is guaranteed: the conspiracy to love will succeed, basically because God is playing on that team (and He wrote the plot). Although the timing of our surrender to love is up to us, the final scene is certain: we will realize that the universe is a manifestation of love, and we are in God’s graceful keeping.”

Alan Cohen, in “Dare to Be Yourself”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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PONDER on THIS for Friday, September 12th, 2008 by Pete Koerner in THE BELIEF FORMULA

Posted on September 12, 2008 by jmaz479

“God works in mysterious ways; you will begin to see truth in clichés like this and in reminders of the simplicity of things. Where do you think the thoughts for catchy slogans and clichés come from, anyway? Where do you think recipes, or systems, for using the mind or building effective prayers, come from? How many things do you think happen outside of a God who is all things? People think, pray, and ask for answers to problems, like; “How can I convince someone to buy this thing I am selling?” Then they receive an inspiration: Oh! I know! I can say that 4-out-of-5 experts recommend this product and people will accept the recommendation from our implied authorities because they are programmed to.” Where do you think all of these thoughts come from?”

Pete Koerner, in “The Belief Formula”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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BEST of PONDER on THIS for Thursday, September 11th, 2008 by Don Miguel Ruiz in THE FOUR AGREEMENTS

Posted on September 11, 2008 by jmaz479

“Personal importance, or taking things personally, is the maximum expression of selfishness because we make the assumption that everything is about “me.” During the period of our education, or our domestication, we learn to take everything personally. We think we are responsible for everything. Me, me, me, always me!

Nothing other people do is because of you. It is because of themselves. All people live in their own dream, in their own mind; they are in a completely different world from the one we live in. When we take something personally, we make the assumption that they know what is in our world, and we try to impose our world on their world.

Even when a situation seems so personal, even if others insult you directly, it has nothing to do with you. What they say, what they do, and the opinions they give are according to the agreements they have in their own minds. Their point of view comes from all the programming they received during domestication.”

Don Miguel Ruiz, in “The Four Agreements”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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PONDER on THIS for Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 by Marianne Williamson in EVERYDAY GRACE

Posted on September 10, 2008 by jmaz479

“There is something to learn from every encounter. If someone is kind to us, the lesson is to be grateful, not to take kindness for granted, and, most important, to graciously return their kindness. If someone is not kind, the lesson is to rise above that, because reacting to them is like throwing gasoline on a fire. Anger does nothing more than deplete our personal power. As Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis once said to a friend, “Only amateurs stay mad.”

Someone who behaves in a non-loving way has simply forgotten who they are, and the role of the miracle worker is to remind them of the truth by remaining in touch with it ourselves. Our job is to remain awake to the eternal innocence at the heart of everyone, that in our presence other people might wake up to it as well. The light in our own mind will help dissolve the darkness in someone else’s, but only if we refuse to judge or blame them for what we view as their errors. Our perception of someone essential innocence as a child of God is the light, in a metaphysical sense, while our focus on someone’s guilt is the darkness. To cast “light” on something simply means to understand it more deeply.”

Marianne Williamson, in “Everyday Grace”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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BEST of PONDER on THIS for Tuesday, September 9th, 2008 by Caroline Myss in WHY PEOPLE DON’T HEAL AND HOW THEY CAN

Posted on September 9, 2008 by jmaz479

“Life is full of mystery. In fact, life is only a mystery – a journey beset by fogs we didn’t see coming and detours into magical gardens that we had no idea were being cultivated for us. Asking why the painful and wonderful events of our lives occur when and as they do is a useless waste of energy. We can never know all that was involved in creating these moments in our lives. In psychological – and Divine –parlance, these events are “over-determined”: So many factors, incidents, forces and energies are involved in them that you can never determine any single cause.

Illness remains one of the leading mysteries in life. Why does it happen? Why me? Did I do something to deserve it? Will I live through it? You may wonder if this disease is tied to your traumatic marriage or your childhood or toxins in the environment. Get past the questions. Focus on your healing in the present time.”

Caroline Myss, in “Why People Don’t Heal and How They Can”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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PONDER on THIS for Monday, September 8th, 2008 by Lynn Grabhorn in EXCUSE ME, YOUR LIFE IS WAITING

Posted on September 8, 2008 by jmaz479

“The greatest obstacle to living our potential comes from the toddler days when we were trained to look for what’s wrong – with everything! With our jobs, our cars, our relationships, our clothes, our shapes, our health, our freeways, our planet, our faith, our entertainment, our children, our government, even our friends. Yet most of the world can’t even agree about what right or wrong is, so we war, and strike, and demonstrate, and makes laws, and go to psychiatrists.

“That’s life,” you say. “We have to take the good with the bad, the ups with the downs. We have to be on guard, work hard, do things right, be watchful and hope for a break. Yes, that’s the way life is.”

No, no, and NO! That is simply not the way real Life is, and it’s time we faced up to how we actually do create what we have in our world, or empty or full bank accounts, our grand or boring jobs, our good fortune or bad, and everything else in this arena we so nonchalantly call reality.

How do we do it? Don’t laugh; it all comes from…how we’re vibrating.”

Lynn Grabhorn, in “Excuse Me, Your Life is Waiting”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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PONDER on THIS for Friday, September 5th, 2008 by Pete Koerner in THE BELIEF FORMULA

Posted on September 5, 2008 by jmaz479

“The monster in your closet is really in your head, as is every fear you hold onto. The closet the monster is hiding in is the same closet Jesus told you to go in and pray. It’s no wonder people don’t spend time praying; they’ve got monsters keeping them busy! Fear is a thought of “What if…” but it is still only a thought. What does the answer to a prayer look like? It looks like your thoughts, filtered through the screens of your belief systems, amplified by the amount of faith or love you put into that particular desire, and built out of the things you allow into your life – and in the context of the environment that you have created for yourself.

These are not limitations to the ways prayers can happen; these simply seem to be among the obvious influences which color the answers you receive. Your thoughts are prayers – all of them. Your prayers are answered – all of them.”

Pete Koerner, in “The Belief Formula”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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BEST of PONDER on THIS for Thursday, September 4th, 2008 by Louise Hay in YOU CAN HEAL YOUR LIFE

Posted on September 4, 2008 by jmaz479

“Blame is one of the surest ways to stay IN a problem. In blaming another, we give away our power. Understanding enables us to rise above the issue and take control of our future. The past cannot be changed. The future is shaped by our current thinking. It is imperative for our freedom to understand that our parents were doing the best they could with the understanding, awareness, and knowledge they had. Whenever we blame someone else, we are not taking responsibility for ourselves.

Those people who did all those terrible things to us were just as frightened and scared as you are. They felt just the same helplessness as you do. The only things they could possibly teach you are what they had been thought. How much do you know about your parents’ childhoods, especially before the age of ten? If it’s still possible for you to find out, ask them. If you’re able to find out about your parents’ childhoods, you will more easily understand why they did what they did. Understanding will bring you compassion. If you don’t know and can’t find out, try to imagine what it must have been like for them. What kind of childhood would create an adult like that?”

Louise Hay, in “You Can Heal Your Life”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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PONDER on THIS for Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 by Stuart Wilde in AFFIRMATIONS

Posted on September 3, 2008 by jmaz479

“Everything is out there waiting for you. All you have to do is walk up and declare yourself in. No need for permission. You just need the courage to say, “Include me.” Providing you have the energy to pull it off, you can do what you like. And the Universal Law, being impartial, will be only too delighted to deliver.

As you work with your power, you will be amazed at the way doors will open for you. People will feel your heightened energy, and they will want to be with you – they will actually seek you out. You will find yourself included more and more. As things open up for you, paths you never knew existed will appear before you. You will be able to affirm, “I am power,”‘ from a position of strength. You will say, “Opportunity finds me,” and your mind will believe it, because it will experience these magically spontaneous happenings. It will not be make believe anymore.”

Stuart Wilde in “Affirmations”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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BEST of PONDER on THIS for Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008 by John Randolph Price in SUPERBEINGS

Posted on September 2, 2008 by jmaz479

“You are not embarking on a spiritual program of abundance just to “get” money, homes or cars. You are seeking, through a prosperity consciousness, the freedom to be Yourself without any concern or anxiety over financial matters. You want to be free to do, to go, to be according to your highest vision. And when you help yourself, you become a prospering influence for everyone.”

John Randolph Price, in “Superbeings”

For more information about this book visit Amazon.

Jeff MJeff Maziarek, author of Spirituality Simplified and Codi’s Journey, launched Pondercentral.com in April 2007 as a Web-based forum for “PONDER on THIS,” a series of weekday inspirational email messages he began sending to subscribers in March 1999. A FREE service since its inception, “PONDER on THIS” provides subscribers with meaningful content to assist them on their individual paths of spiritual growth. In addition, it benefits subscribers, authors, and publishers by including links to Amazon.com where subscribers can learn more about the book being quoted, and also purchase it.

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