Life: The Average of Our Beliefs?

An event happened here in Houston that disturbed me this week.  A young man was standing at a bus stop with his very young son.  A lady driver, under the influence of God knows what, ran off the road and struck both of them.  In a split second the young man shielded the little boy, saving the toddler's life.  Question: was this event the sum or average of their beliefs?  That is why the title has a question mark in it.
     If it was, then how much responsibilty to we attribute to each person there?  I don't much like the explanation of Karma.  He killed her in a past life, it was her turn to kill him.  I don't much like the sin explanation. This is a fallen world, they were sinners.  Therefore expect to die horrible deaths. I don't much like the negative thinking explanation.  They were negative thinkers, so what would you expect other than a terrible ending?  So who do we blame?  The driver, her dealer.  Perhaps she had a tough life.  Does blame attach itself to her traumas?  The dead father, what was his role if any?  The little child surely would be blameless?  How about a society that doesn't fix the problems of poverty and drug abuse? 
    Lord Tennyson had Ulysses say  "I am a part of all that I have met."   Shall a football player step onto the field and expect not to be tackled?  A boxer expects to get hit in the ring.  I don't have all the answers.  I thought I did.  Then I moved to Texas and discovered just how powerful and operative my thoughts were.  Yet I must take reponsibilty for my part.  I had a pure faith before I left Georgia.  I knew everything was going to be all right.  I joked with my friends that Houston was just another suburb of Atlanta.  I told them that in few months I would have my life the way I wanted it.   I wanted them to visit me.  That visit never happened. I never got my life the way I wanted it. The way I had it in Georgia.  I had opposition from my family and from my employer.  I had to change jobs, taking a forty per cent pay cut. (Sorry Jesus, there goes your tithe.) The faith I thought was strong turned out to be pathetic.  For thirteen years I have felt imprisoned.
     Yet I believe that in some way I hold the keys to my prison.  Somewhere between my feelings and thoughts, God's ideas,  group minds,  bad geography, cosmic hierarchy, and chance is my reality.  Joseph was imprisoned for 13 years, and was named Governor of Egypt.  Just a story?  How about 27 years and then being elected President of South Africa?  How do I load the dice?  How do I purify my faith? That is what I am working on.  That school of thought that will enable me to overcome.  I have no faith in Christianity, at least what I knew in Georgia.  I have little faith in the New Thought books I read before I moved. Neither prepared me for Texas.  So I am developing my own philosophy.  I have to for me. 
     I want God to ask me why I was so stubborn, rather than have Him ask me why I gave up.  I have to learn what I can control and how to control more.  I can't speak to the accident and the three people in it.  I can only learn to strengthen my faith and therefore my thoughts.  What else can I do?

In Peace, Love, and Light,
Enoch

Visiting Carmel Temple

Today I got to go to church again.  I decided to go to a place I had never been before.  It is on the south side of Houston, a little over an hour away.  The church is 40 years old.  One of the founders still helps to run it.  She led us in prayer, meditation, and opened up the floor for sharing time. Did I mention she is 92 years old?  She has her marbles and her health.  Her faith is working for her.  I talked during sharetime.  I spoke about how I am ready for the universe to show me what my next step is on  my spiritual journey. The main speaker spoke on the history of alternative/complementary medicine.  To him it is niether alternative nor complementary, but the original form of medicine.  Hospitals were set up to help the poor,elderly, and strangers.  There was no charge.  It was all free, and Government played no part in it. Private institutions took care of everything (mostly churches and/or religious orders). This form of medicine still exists-under the name of pastoral medicine.  And yes there is still no charge.  As an aside, if the conservatives would come up with a plan that would insure everyone, I would go for it.  Gingrich and his crowd have had nearly 20 years to come up with something and they have come up with  a goose egg.  Government by default must provide healthcare.  Even the Pope thinks national governments have that duty.  Okay, back to Carmel.  Several people spoke during share time.  One sweet lady talked about overcoming cancer.  She had stage 3 cancer of some sort.  She was given 1 year to live.  She was told chemo was her only chance.  Her family wrote her off.  That was 1997.  She overcame her family, her doctors, and her cancer.  And  not one iota of chemo. She looks wonderful.  There was a guy who spoke about being dead for 4 hours.  He talked to Jesus and straightened out on his life purpose.  When he woke up, they were about to perform an autopsy on him.  He looks well now.  This church considers itself a Christian church.  But it is an Essene-Gnostic-Esoteric Christian church. Fast forward to healing time.  We  formed a circle and people who wanted healing sat in chairs in the middle of the circle. We extended our hands and sent energy.  This sounds strange, but I could feel the energy in the room.  Everyone was empowered,  Healers and healees.  Spirit know no limits and there is energy for everyone.  Next came hugging time. I was somewhat uncomfortable.  Last time I wanted to hug a stranger in a darkened room- well, let's just say it was over fifteen years ago in a nightclub and I nearly got slapped.  My church will substitute handshake time for hugging time.  But that was the only thing I didn't like.  I had a good time.  And my faith is being restored such that I may be ready to start a church.  I can almost see it.  Carmel North, maybe?

In Peace, Love, and Light,
Enoch

When is love?

Someone tweeted "How do you know when you are in love?" First of all it is totally subjective.  And I reserve the right to change my opinion at any time.  Today is Friday, ruled by Venus.  The goddess of love and beauty.  Friday night is date night for many people.  A time to enjoy a meal, some entertainment, and somebody's company. What better way to express love and beauty?  What better day to talk about love? I know when I  am in love when I drop my scales and stop measuring.  Anything that comes after "I love you" is a measurement.  "I love you but" or "I love you when" is not love.  Love is caring no matter what, not counting the cost.  When Newt Gringrich divorced his first wife because she had cancer, that was not love.  It may have been at one time.  But it sounds more like a business arrangement.  "You are starting to cost me something, so time to cut my losses and move on".  There is a great Jimmy Stewart movie called "Seventh Heaven".  Jimmy is a sewer worker who falls for a prostitute in Paris.  They are in love because they are willing to stay together no matter what.  War, character flaws, and blindness can't put a damper on their love.  I know that is a movie.  But that story is being played out in real life over and over again.  Spouses that stay together through cancer, alzheimer's, layoff's, whatever.  There are marriages that don't last through such things. And some marriages start out as love and wind up as business arrangements.  Some marriages start out as business arangements and end up as love.  I can say that I have been lucky.  I got to see my parents and grandparents stay together till the end.  They believed that love would find a way.  And it did.  I have loved two women.  I would have married them no matter what.  Love would've found a way.  They didn't feel the same way so I expressed my love by lettiing them go.  Love is wanting what is best for someone.  To quote Leo Buscaglia "Love is open arms."  Now when I meet someone I have my scales.  Does she measure up?  That may be okay for dating someone, but it is not love.  Will lightning strike three times?  Maybe, I hope. I will be surprised if it happens. It is a great feeling.

In Peace, Love, and Light,
Enoch

10 who ovecame

Rough speech outline.  Intro the Hero's journey by Joseph Campbell.  10 who overcame.  1.  Max Cleland. 2.  Nelson Mandela. 3. Atlanta, Ga. 4. Martha Berry. 5. Winston Churchill. 6. Abraham Lincoln. 7. Martin Sheen.  8.  Old Diamond. 9. Willie B.  10.  Helen Keller.  How do we overcome adversity?  Seven days a week.  Sat-wisdom. Sun-resources. Mon-enthusiasm. Tue-action. Wed-change. Thu-multiply. Fri-appreciate. Conclusion quotes from Dr. Hill and Helen Keller.

Visit to Old Church

I went to the First Church of Divine Science in Houston.  Divine Science is a New Thought denomination, however first church is not a New Thought Church.  It is a Spiritualist Church.  A member of the National Association of Spiritualist Churches. It is one of the churches I served in as a speaker and  lay minister. Wherever I go on Sunday mornings spirit meets me there.  Today was no exception.  I was looking at some of my notebooks yesterday.  Goal statements from 15-20 years ago.  Some of them came to pass, most did not.  (Somewhere I have a note book of Science of Mind treatments that didn't come to pass either.)  Why? Why can I treat, affirm, pray, visualize and my goals do not come to pass?  In Christianity the pat answer is sin or it's not God's will or God's best.  In New Thought, the pat answer would be one is not ready for it or negative thinking negated the request.  I asked for Sundays off so that I could attend and serve in church.  I spent the next few  years working 9 Sundays out of 10. The Christian, New Thought answers don't cut it. In fact they are insulting.  I did serve in two churches,  why couldn't I continue to do that?  I got a better answer this morning.  Sacrifice.  We have to make sacrifices sometimes.  They are not pleasant or wanted.  Yet on some level they are required.  They help to build our character.  And with patience maybe some of our goals do get achieved in ways we can't even imagine.  I have pretty much given up on Churches.  But the universe has opened up a new venue for me.  Toastmasters.  I can continue to speak and minister in a new way. And I have stopped judging people for not having the life I expect them to have.  There maybe a reason for it that I can not even fathom . My personal message from spirit this morning was kind of strange.  The dear lady that gave it to me said she saw me walking around in the dark with a group of people.  I was urging them to stop until we could figure out where we were.  I made a torch and lit it.  She said my job is to be a light so that others can do what they know to do.  There's alot of symbology in the message and it will take me awhile to sort it all out.  But a good message none the less.  On an unrelated note Houston now has two Spiritulist Churches again like it was in the past.  Okay that's a rap for now.

Walking with Enoch

So here I am.  A new venue for some new ideas and old recollections.  Maybe do some speech outlines.  Maybe do some commentary on current events.  Welcome to my blog sportsfans.