AFFIRMATIONS by Earnest Holmes

	ABUNDANCE
	I identify myself with abundance.  I surrender all fear and doubt; I let go of all uncertainty.  I know there is no lack of any good thing in my experience for the Presence of God is within me.  The freedom of God is my freedom and I now cease dwelling on limitation and give my earnest attention to the particular abundance I desire.  The Abundance of God fills my good desire right now.

	ACCEPTANCE
	Today I accept my own affirmations.  There is nothing in me that can contradict them.  I have a deep inward sense, a feeling and conviction and complete faith that there is a Law of Good governing everything, and that It is governing completely, with absolute certainty, without deviation, with no exception; that there is nothing to oppose It, nothing to change It, nothing to limit or circumscribe Its action.  I abandon myself to this faith.  I live in its atmosphere and accept its conclusion.  I know that I am a Divine being on the pathway of an endless self-expression and that the Eternal God is my host, now and forevermore.

	AFFIRMATION AND DENIAL
	Today I affirm the All-Good and in this affirmation I deny that there is any presence or power of real evil in the Universe.  I affirm the presence of love and repudiate every belief that hate has any power.  I affirm peace and deny confusion.  I affirm joy and declare that sadness has no place in my consciousness.  I affirm that God is over all, in all, and through all.  There is nothing out of the past that can limit me and there is nothing in me that can limit my future.

	DIVINE PATTERNS
	Today I seek the Divine pattern at the center of my own being.  Affirming its reality, I permit its essence to flow through me.  Claiming it as my very own, I embrace it.  Believing in its beauty, I sense its harmony.  Accepting its peace, I am calm.  Living in its love, I am unified with life.  Believing in its power, with childlike faith I accept the authority of its action in my everyday affairs.  And looking at the God in man, I see in everyone the pattern of His perfection, the image of His likeness, and the joy of His being.

	EMPLOYMENT
	There is the right position for me, now, and I accept the activity of God which places me in it.  Nothing can hinder the creative action of the One Mind in and through me and all necessary channels open up for it to be properly expressed.  "I have a wonderful work in a wonderful way, and I give wonderful service for wonderful pay."  For all this, in deep gratitude, I do give thanks.

	EXPECTANCY
	Today I go forth in joy, knowing that everyone is my friend, knowing that I am a friend to all people.  I believe that Divine Love protects me and Divine Intelligence guides me.  It is my sincere desire to share everything I have with others and to expect for them the greatest good which I hope for myself.  In this way life becomes a communion of Spirit with Spirit.  Knowing that the same Spirit, the One Spirit of the living God, is in all, over all, and through all, I believe in and accept a good greater than I have ever experienced.

	FEAR
	I know I cannot be apart from God.  Created in His image and likeness, I am established in His Life and surrounded by His Good.  Past mistakes no longer rob me of today's happiness, and I know the future holds only the promise of a more complete expression of the God-self within.  Fear is no part of that which is All-Good and I release it gladly.  I let my confidence be in the Good which flows from God.  This I now claim and know is mine.

	FORGIVENESS
	Today I forgive everyone and accept forgiveness by everyone.  I know the eternal Spirit harbors no malice toward me or anyone else.  Forgiving and being forgiven, I have an inward sense of peace and tranquillity.  There is no anxiety, no sense of guilt, no fear of judgment.  All mistakes of the past are now wiped out in my consciousness and I no longer carry any burden from them.  I look forward to the future with joy, in peace and gladness, and live in the present day with an inner assurance of being one with all life.

	GOD WITHIN
	Since there is but One Life present everywhere, I must be in that Life and of It, and It must flow through me.  It must be what I am, therefore I accept this Omnipresence as something real, definite, immediate.  At the very center of my own being I realize the Divine Presence.  At the center of my own consciousness I recognize a transcendent Principle forever renewing my being; a Divine Presence forever animating, sustaining, vitalizing, re-creating; a Divine Consciousness forever guiding, directing, inspiring.  There is within me that which knows what to do and compels me to act in accord with its perfect Law and Order, and its complete Peace.  This I accept, and even as I affirm it I know that this Omnipresence is alive and awake and aware within me.

	GOOD
	Today I affirm the supremacy of Good and everything within me responds to this thought, understands its meaning, and announces its presence.  There is a Power greater than I am flowing through me into everything I do or think about, automatically making everything right.  There is a Transcendence coordinating, unifying, causing all the experiences of my life to blend into Its unity, into Its oneness, and proclaiming the power of Its might.  As a child accepts life without question, and love without argument, and action without anxiety, so do I spontaneously accept the operation of a Power greater than I am as the Divine Governor of everything I do, the Divine Provider of all my needs, the Divine Presence diffused through all my thinking.

	HAPPINESS
	Every thought of not being wanted, or of being afraid; every thought of uncertainty and doubt is cast out of my mind.  I rely on God alone, in whom I live, move, and have my being.  A sense of peace and certainty flows through me.  I am surrounded with friendship, love, and beauty.  Enthusiasm, joy vitality, and inspiration are in everything I do.  I accept complete happiness, abundant health, and increasing prosperity.  I have confidence in my self because I have confidence in God.  I am sure of myself because I am sure of God.

	HEART
	Today my heart beats in perfect rhythm, and its tireless and effortless pulsations are steady, calm, and continuous.  God created it and I now permit God to sustain its perfect action.  I cease burdening its action with fear, violent emotions, anxiety, and doubt; and I accept the wisdom, love, and harmonious activity of God in my body and affairs.  The perfect action of the One Life is manifesting in my heart right now.

	I AM MYSELF
	Today I practice being my real self.  In so doing I do not deny others the same privilege, but seek to find in them the same miracle of life, the same wonder of being , the same delight in existence.  Today I realize that all the Good there is, all the Presence there is, all the Power there is, is immediately available and immediately responsive to me.  Today I enter into the faith of believing, the joy of knowing, and the act of living which proclaim the One Power and Presence in all things.  And today, as a child, I accept this Presence that responds to me as warm, personal, and colorful.  It is within and around and through me even as It embraces all things.  Today I accept my partnership with the Infinite.

	LIVING TODAY
	Yesterday is gone, tomorrow has not arrived, but today I am living in an eternal present filled with an everlasting good.  There is nothing unhappy or morbid that can remain in my consciousness.  I no longer have any fear of yesterday nor do I anticipate tomorrow with anything other than enthusiastic expectation.  Everything that was good in yesterday shall perpetuate itself in my experience.  Everything good in today shall create my future.  Therefore I have no fear either in looking forward or backward but realize the eternal day in which I now live.  In this day there is no fear, no lack, no want, no doubt, no misunderstanding, no uncertainty.  Today is big with hope fulfilled, with love and life well lived.  Tomorrow will provide its own blessings.

	LOVE
	Today I bestow the essence of love upon everything.  Everyone I meet shall be lovely to me.  My soul meets the soul of the Universe in everyone.  This love is a healing power touching everything into wholeness.

	LOVE (2)
	Today my love goes out to all people and all things.  There is no fear in this love, for perfect love casts out all fear.  There is no doubt in this love, for faith penetrates all doubt and reveals a unity at the center of everything that embraces all things.  This love flowing through me harmonizes everything in my experience, brings joy and gladness to everything, brings a sense of security and well-being to everyone.  And I realize that the love flowing through, in, and around me and all things is one vast all-enveloping Love forever emanating from the living God.

	PERSONALITY
	Today I express myself, believing that there is a Presence hidden within me which is both the Reality of my true being and the Presence of God.  I consciously unite my personal self and all of its actions with this over-dwelling and indwelling Reality.  I know that the vitality of the living Spirit flows through my personality, invigorating it.  I know that all of the warmth and color  and beauty that is there pours through it.  I do not deny my personality, rather I affirm that all of its impulsions and actions flow from a greater Source, the true Reality of the living Self, the Presence of God in me as what I am; and does reveal to me the same Reality in others, the same exalted Divinity manifesting Itself through the innumerable faces of humanity.

	PHYSICAL PERFECTION
	I affirm that my body is a body of right ideas, for it is the creation of God.  Every organ, action, and function of it is in harmony.  Whatever does not belong to my body is eliminated.  Whatever does not belong is being removed continuously.  All the energy and all the action and power and vitality there is in the Universe is flowing through this Divine creation now.  My body is established in the action of that harmony which eternally exists.  There is One Life--perfect, harmonious, whole, complete.  That Life is my life now--not yesterday or tomorrow, but today.

	POWER OF THE WORD
	So shall my word be that goeth forth out my mouth...."  I affirm that it is the word of God establishing harmony in my experience.  With utmost simplicity I accept my own affirmation and believe in the answer to my own prayer because it is a prayer of acceptance.  There is an Intelligence, a Power, and a Divine Presence operating in and through my life, guiding, directing, governing, bringing good to pass in my experience.  This affirmation of acceptance endlessly repeats itself in my experience, for whatever I identify my word with is lifted up in consciousness to the level of my acceptance.

	PROBLEMS
	The Spirit within me knows the answer to the problem which confronts me.  I know that the answer is here and now.  It is within my own mind because God is right where I am .  I now turn from the problem to Spirit, accepting the answer.  In calm confidence, in perfect trust, in abiding faith, and with complete peace I let go of the problem and receive the answer.

	RELAXATION IN TREATMENT
	Accepting that the Law of Good is right where I am, I announce the Presence and the Activity of this Law in all my affairs, knowing that they are governed by Divine Intelligence.  Today everything in my life comes under the control of this Intelligence.  Everything is harmonized by It and unified with It.  Consequently, I completely accept Divine guidance.  I know that I shall be guided in everything I think, say, and do, and I know that peace and joy and happiness shall flow from me to everyone I meet.  Today everything in my experience is made glad, and joy goes before me making every  experience happy and radiant with life.

	RESULTS
	Today I affirm the action of the Law of God.  Today I accept the result of my own affirmation.  I ask no one for any justification of my conviction.  Boldly I proclaim the Divine Presence and humbly and with complete conviction I accept the revelation of that Presence in every avenue of my life.  This conviction in the integrity of my own soul I proclaim, with no fear of opposition.  Alone with God and the Law of Good, I make my claims upon the Infinite, the Divine hidden in everything, the dynamic Law of creativeness in all things.

	RICHER LIVING
	Today I expect the more abundant life by keeping my every thought and expectation open to new experiences, to happier events, to a more complete self-expression.  Giving out more love, I know a greater love in return.  Sharing with life whatever good things I have, I know life shares with me the good that it possesses.  Seeing beauty everywhere, I have a revelation of still more beauty.  Seeing joy in everything, I know genuine laughter.  More deeply sensing the Divine Tranquillity in which all things exist, I have a deeper consciousness of peace and security.  Through it all I know that I am in the embrace of a warm, loving Presence forever seeking an outlet through me.

	RIGHT ACTION
	Everything that I think, say, or do is governed by Divine Intelligence and inspired by Divine Wisdom.  I am guided into right action.  I have confidence in myself because I have confidence in God.  I am sure of myself because I am sure of God.  I am aware of my partnership with the Infinite.  I know that everything I do shall prosper.

	SECURITY
	The Law of Good is flowing through me.  I am one with the rhythm of Life.  There is nothing to be afraid of.   There is nothing to be uncertain about.  God is over all, in all, and through all.  God is right where I am.  I am at peace with the world in which I live.  I am at home with the Divine Spirit in which I am immersed.

	SELF-EXPRESSION
	Today I express myself with joy and enthusiasm.  I live more abundantly and I accept the possibility and the responsibility.  I look more deeply into the heart of all people finding there the pulsation of the Heart of the Universe Itself.  I penetrate all externals and reveal the Divine Presence hidden there, the Presence of the living God.   And I know in this my self-seeking, this my self-expression of the abundance of the Whole, there is nothing little or mean, there is nothing isolated or separate from the All-Good.  This Good is to me even as It is to others.  As I lift high the chalice of my hope and faith I know that it shall overflow, that everything I do shall be blessed, every good I seek shall be expressed through me, and everyone I meet shall proclaim anew to me that God, the living Presence, is expressing Himself through all humanity and rejoicing in that which He does.

	STOMACH
	My stomach is created by Divine Intelligence as the perfect organ of digestion.  This Wisdom sustains and maintains its every action and function.  No food, thought, or emotion now interferes with the ease and comfort of its activity, for I now accept the harmonious expression of God in me, which keeps my stomach renewed and the process of digestion perfect.

	SUCCESS
	I know exactly what to do in every situation.  Every idea necessary to successful living is brought to my attention.  The doorway to ever-increasing opportunities for self-expression is open before me.  I am continually meeting new and larger experiences.  Every day brings some greater good.  Every day brings more blessings and greater self-expression.  There is no deferment, no delay, no obstruction or obstacle to impede the progress of successful action in my affairs.  I am prospered in everything I do.

	SUCCESS (2)
	I know that I am a creation of God and have my existence in and am maintained by Him.  In God there are no failures; there is nothing that can prevent God from succeeding.  I now permit God's Action to express fully through me.  I meet with success for I now accept completion of my every good undertaking.  My success is the success of God.

	SUPPLY AND ABUNDANCE
	Divine Abundance is forever manifesting Itself in my affairs.  I desire to do only that which is good and constructive, life-giving and life-expressing.  Therefore I know that I shall prosper in everything I do.  I know that I exist in limitless possibility, and that the infinite Good is right where I am and active in my experience.  I believe that everything for complete self-expression is now the law of my individual being.  New thoughts, new ideas, new situations are forever unfolding before me.  There are new opportunities for self-expression and for abundant life and love and happiness.  This I expect, and this I accept.

	WEIGHT
	I know that there is, right now, the balanced activity of the One Life in my body.  All food is used properly, and that idea which may have caused me to eat too much or too little is now relinquished.  Weight needed is added; all excess weight is discarded.  The Wisdom which created my body now sustains it in all ways as I, without reservation, now continually accept Its perfect action.

	WHOLENESS
	God does not give Himself in part; nothing of Good has ever been withheld from me.  I dwell in Wholeness and have access to all that may illumine my mind, maintain my body, and rightly govern my affairs.  My spirit is the Spirit of God in me which gives me the use of a Power that brings my thought into form.  I now let my thought be of the Wholeness of God and confidently accept Its manifestation with thanksgiving.

Source: Ernest Holmes

Life Changing Technology

And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.…
Revelations 13:16-17

Technologies designed specifically to track and monitor human beings have been in development for at least two decades.

In the virtual realm, software programs are now capable of watching us in real time, going so far as to make predictions about our future behaviors and sending alerts to the appropriate monitoring station depending on how a computer algorithm flags your activities. That is in and of itself a scary proposition.

What may be even scarier, however, is what’s happening in the physical realm. According to researches working on human-embedded microchips it’s only a matter of time before these systems achieve widespread acceptance.

Chances are you’re carrying a couple of RFID microchips now. And if you are, they’re sending out a 15-digit number that identifies you. That number can be picked up by what’s called an ISO compliant scanner. And they’re everywhere, too.
…
It’s not possible to interact with society in a meaningful way by not having a mobile phone. I think human implants are likely to go along a very similar route. It would be such a disadvantage to not have the implant that it essentially becomes not optional.

Your initial reaction to this idea may be one of disbelief. There’s no way society would accept such a device. Why would anyone want to implant this in their body?

Consider for a moment where we are right now. For decades Americans rejected the notion that they would submit to being tracked or recorded.

Yet, just about every American now carries a mobile phone. They’re so prevalent, in fact, that many consider it a “right,” prompting the government to actually provide subsidies to those who can’t afford one on their own.

Embedded in every one of those phones is an RFID chip that can track our every movement via GPS or cell tower triangulation. Moreover, those microphones and cameras that come standard on every phone can be remotely activated by law enforcement surveillance systems, a capability that has existed since the early 2000′s.

But as intrusive as these devices are, they are accepted as the norm by billions of people world wide. Not only that, but no one had to “force” them on us. We are, it seems, the masters of our own enslavement. And we pay top dollar to have the best tracking device money can buy!

Granted, one can simply disconnect from “the grid” by throwing away their cell phone. But, the direction these new monitoring technologies are moving coupled with continued government expansion of surveillance suggests that microchip RFID technology will eventually be non-voluntary.

Michael Snyder of The Truth Wins asks What will you do when you can no longer buy or sell without submitting to biometric identification?

This technology is going to keep spreading, and it is going to become harder and harder to avoid it.
And it is easy to imagine what a tyrannical government could do with this kind of technology.  If it wanted to, it could use it to literally track the movements and behavior of everyone.
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And one day, this kind of technology will likely be so pervasive that you won’t be able to open a bank account, get a credit card or even buy anything without having either your hand or your face scanned first.

It’s difficult to imagine a populace that will freely submit to such digital bondage. But as has been the case with the degradation of personal privacy and rights in America, be assured it won’t simply become law over night.

First, the technologies will need to be generally accepted by society. It’ll start with real-time consumer based products like Google Glass. The older generations may reject it, but in a couple of years you can bet that tens of millions of kids, teens and younger adults will be roaming the streets while sporting cool shades, interactive web surfing and the capability to record everything around them and upload it to the internet instantly.

Next, as we’re already seeing from early adopters, RFID chips will be voluntarily implanted under our skin for everything from access to high security buildings to grocery store purchases.

Eventually, once the concept is generally accepted by the majority, it will become our new “social security number.”

To gain access to official services, you’ll need to be a verified human. Without verification you won’t even be able to purchase a six pack of beer, let alone get medical care or a driver’s license.

Whether we like it or not this is the future. Every purchase you make and every step you take will be tracked by a tiny 15-digit passive microchip, meaning that the only way to “turn it off” will be to physically remove it from your body.

In essence, we’ll soon live in a world of Always On Monitoring.

Our children and grandchildren – at least most of them – will likely not only submit to implantation, they’ll gladly pay the costs so that they, too, can “interact with society in a meaningful way.”

Is all that we see or seem(to see) But a dream within a dream?

Is all that we see or seem(to see)
But a dream within a dream? 
Edgar Allan Poe

For some reason this poem has been haunting me. I'm not sure if this is what Poe meant but I interpret these words to mean that things we see with our eyes and comprehend with our limited brain capacity is not all that it seems. The invisible, unseen by the human eye is more than we think it to be. I have always believed that my existence in this life is not about me or you but the Life of God as dreamed/thought into existence billions of human years ago. Albert Einstein once said, “Everything is energy and that's all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way. This is not philosophy. This is physics.” When God said, "Let there be light," energy was formed throughout the universe. Einstein also said that, Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another." To me there is no contradiction between science and creation.

IMAGINE by John Lennon

If you think about the words to this song and understand the depth and meaning that John Lennon is reaching for you will begin to imagine:

What if you were the last person living on this earth. There is no longer the institutions that we have embraced in our culture. There is no longer a church, a synagogue or mosque still in existence. There is no longer scripture, doctrine, creed or religious dogma of any kind.

Just you and God! What kind of relationship would you have with the creator of life? Could you even grasp the magnitude of the power of creation and design?

Albert Einstein never admitted to believing in God but he often talked of how man lacks the mental capacity to understand all that goes on in the universe of reality. The reality and mind of God and perpetual creation!

Just imagine!

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people living life in peace

You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people sharing all the world

You, you may say
I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one
I hope some day you'll join us
And the world will live as one

LISTEN, LORD

Listen, Lord: A Prayer

  by James Weldon Johnson

(A Prayer from God's Trombones)
O Lord, we come this morning
Knee-bowed and body-bent
Before Thy throne of grace.
O Lord--this morning--
Bow our hearts beneath our knees,
And our knees in some lonesome valley.
We come this morning--
Like empty pitchers to a full fountain,
With no merits of our own.
O Lord--open up a window of heaven,
And lean out far over the battlements of glory,
And listen this morning.

Lord, have mercy on proud and dying sinners--
Sinners hanging over the mouth of hell,
Who seem to love their distance well.
Lord--ride by this morning--
Mount Your milk-white horse,
And ride-a this morning--
And in Your ride, ride by old hell,
Ride by the dingy gates of hell,
And stop poor sinners in their headlong plunge.

And now, O Lord, this man of God,
Who breaks the bread of life this morning--
Shadow him in the hollow of Thy hand,
And keep him out of the gunshot of the devil.
Take him, Lord--this morning--
Wash him with hyssop inside and out,
Hang him up and drain him dry of sin.
Pin his ear to the wisdom-post,
And make his words sledge hammers of truth--
Beating on the iron heart of sin.
Lord God, this morning--
Put his eye to the telescope of eternity,
And let him look upon the paper walls of time.
Lord, turpentine his imagination,
Put perpetual motion in his arms,
Fill him full of the dynamite of Thy power,
Anoint him all over with the oil of Thy salvation,
And set his tongue on fire.

And now, O Lord--
When I've done drunk my last cup of sorrow--
When I've been called everything but a child of God--
When I'm done traveling up the rough side of the mountain--
O--Mary's Baby--
When I start down the steep and slippery steps of death--
When this old world begins to rock beneath my feet--
Lower me to my dusty grave in peace
To wait for that great gittin'-up morning--Amen.
- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15587#sthash.3uF9nYTd.dpuf

GO DOWN, DEATH

Go Down, Death


by James Weldon Johnson

 (A Funeral Sermon)
Weep not, weep not,
She is not dead;
She's resting in the bosom of Jesus.
Heart-broken husband--weep no more;
Grief-stricken son--weep no more;
Left-lonesome daughter --weep no more;
She only just gone home.

Day before yesterday morning,
God was looking down from his great, high heaven,
Looking down on all his children,
And his eye fell on Sister Caroline,
Tossing on her bed of pain.
And God's big heart was touched with pity,
With the everlasting pity.

And God sat back on his throne,
And he commanded that tall, bright angel standing at his right hand:
Call me Death!
And that tall, bright angel cried in a voice
That broke like a clap of thunder:
Call Death!--Call Death!
And the echo sounded down the streets of heaven
Till it reached away back to that shadowy place,
Where Death waits with his pale, white horses.

And Death heard the summons,
And he leaped on his fastest horse,
Pale as a sheet in the moonlight.
Up the golden street Death galloped,
And the hooves of his horses struck fire from the gold,
But they didn't make no sound.
Up Death rode to the Great White Throne,
And waited for God's command.

And God said: Go down, Death, go down,
Go down to Savannah, Georgia,
Down in Yamacraw,
And find Sister Caroline.
She's borne the burden and heat of the day,
She's labored long in my vineyard,
And she's tired--
She's weary--
Go down, Death, and bring her to me.

And Death didn't say a word,
But he loosed the reins on his pale, white horse,
And he clamped the spurs to his bloodless sides,
And out and down he rode,
Through heaven's pearly gates,
Past suns and moons and stars;
on Death rode,
Leaving the lightning's flash behind;
Straight down he came.

While we were watching round her bed,
She turned her eyes and looked away,
She saw what we couldn't see;
She saw Old Death.  She saw Old Death
Coming like a falling star.
But Death didn't frighten Sister Caroline;
He looked to her like a welcome friend.
And she whispered to us: I'm going home,
And she smiled and closed her eyes.

And Death took her up like a baby,
And she lay in his icy arms,
But she didn't feel no chill.
And death began to ride again--
Up beyond the evening star,
Into the glittering light of glory,
On to the Great White Throne.
And there he laid Sister Caroline
On the loving breast of Jesus.

And Jesus took his own hand and wiped away her tears,
And he smoothed the furrows from her face,
And the angels sang a little song,
And Jesus rocked her in his arms,
And kept a-saying: Take your rest,
Take your rest.

Weep not--weep not,
She is not dead;
She's resting in the bosom of Jesus.
- See more at: http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/15586#sthash.5RUInznv.dpuf

MYTHS ABOUT INTROVERTS

Definition of introverts via Wikipedia:

Introverts are people whose energy tends to expand through reflection and dwindle during interaction. They often take pleasure in solitary activities such as reading, writing, music, drawing, tinkering, playing video games, watching movies and plays, and using computers.  The archetypal artist, writer, sculptor, engineer, composer, and inventor are all highly introverted. An introvert is likely to enjoy time spent alone and find less reward in time spent with large groups of people. They prefer to concentrate on a single activity at a time and like to observe situations before they participate. Introverts are easily overwhelmed by too much stimulation from social gatherings and engagement. They are more analytical before speaking.

Introversion is not the same as being shy or being a social outcast. Introverts prefer solitary activities over social ones, whereas shy people (who may be extroverts at heart) avoid social encounters out of fear, and the social outcast has little choice in the matter of his or her solitude.

Great list of myths about introverts via Carl King Creative:

Myth #1 – Introverts don’t like to talk.

This is not true. Introverts just don’t talk unless they have something to say. They hate small talk. Get an introvert talking about something they are interested in, and they won’t shut up for days.

Myth #2 – Introverts are shy.

Shyness has nothing to do with being an Introvert. Introverts are not necessarily afraid of people. What they need is a reason to interact. They don’t interact for the sake of interacting. If you want to talk to an Introvert, just start talking. Don’t worry about being polite.

Myth #3 – Introverts are rude.

Introverts often don’t see a reason for beating around the bush with social pleasantries. They want everyone to just be real and honest. Unfortunately, this is not acceptable in most settings, so Introverts can feel a lot of pressure to fit in, which they find exhausting.

Myth #4 – Introverts don’t like people.

On the contrary, Introverts intensely value the few friends they have. They can count their close friends on one hand. If you are lucky enough for an introvert to consider you a friend, you probably have a loyal ally for life. Once you have earned their respect as being a person of substance, you’re in.

Myth #5 – Introverts don’t like to go out in public.

Nonsense. Introverts just don’t like to go out in public FOR AS LONG. They also like to avoid the complications that are involved in public activities. They take in data and experiences very quickly, and as a result, don’t need to be there for long to “get it.” They’re ready to go home, recharge, and process it all. In fact, recharging is absolutely crucial for Introverts.

Myth #6 – Introverts always want to be alone.

Introverts are perfectly comfortable with their own thoughts. They think a lot. They daydream. They like to have problems to work on, puzzles to solve. But they can also get incredibly lonely if they don’t have anyone to share their discoveries with. They crave an authentic and sincere connection with ONE PERSON at a time.

Myth #7 – Introverts are weird.

Introverts are often individualists. They don’t follow the crowd. They’d prefer to be valued for their novel ways of living. They think for themselves and because of that, they often challenge the norm. They don’t make most decisions based on what is popular or trendy.

Myth #8 – Introverts are aloof nerds.

Introverts are people who primarily look inward, paying close attention to their thoughts and emotions. It’s not that they are incapable of paying attention to what is going on around them, it’s just that their inner world is much more stimulating and rewarding to them.

Myth #9 – Introverts don’t know how to relax and have fun.

Introverts typically relax at home or in nature, not in busy public places. Introverts are not thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies. If there is too much talking and noise going on, they shut down. Their brains are too sensitive to the neurotransmitter called Dopamine. Introverts and Extroverts have different dominant neuro-pathways. Just look it up.

Myth #10 – Introverts can fix themselves and become Extroverts.

A world without Introverts would be a world with few scientists, musicians, artists, poets, filmmakers, doctors, mathematicians, writers, and philosophers. That being said, there are still plenty of techniques an Extrovert can learn in order to interact with Introverts. (Yes, I reversed these two terms on purpose to show you how biased our society is.) Introverts cannot “fix themselves” and deserve respect for their natural temperament and contributions to the human race. In fact, one study (Silverman, 1986) showed that the percentage of Introverts increases with IQ.

THE PRODIGAL SON, God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson

Young man—
Young man—
Your arm’s too short to box with God.


But Jesus spake in a parable, and he said:
A certain man had two sons.
Jesus didn’t give this man a name,
But his name is God Almighty.
And Jesus didn’t call these sons by name,
But ev’ry young man,
Ev’rywhere,
Is one of these two sons.


And the younger son said to his father,
He said: Father, divide up the property,
And give me my portion now.


And the father with tears in his eyes said: Son,
Don’t leave your father’s house.
But the boy was stubborn in his head,
And haughty in his heart,
And he took his share of his father’s goods,
And went into a far-off country.


There comes a time,
There comes a time
When ev’ry young man looks out from his father’s house,
Longing for that far-off country.


And the young man journeyed on his way,
And he said to himself as he travelled along:
This sure is an easy road,
Nothing like the rough furrows behind my father’s plow.


Young man—
Young man—
Smooth and easy is the road
That leads to hell and destruction.
Down grade all the way,
The further you travel, the faster you go.
No need to trudge and sweat and toil,
Just slip and slide and slip and slide
Till you bang up against hell’s iron gate.


And the younger son kept travelling along,
Till at night-time he came to a city.
And the city was bright in the night-time like day,
The streets all crowded with people,
Brass bands and string bands a-playing,
And ev’rywhere the young man turned
There was singing and laughing and dancing.
And he stopped a passer-by and he said:
Tell me what city is this?
And the passer-by laughed and said: Don’t you know?
This is Babylon, Babylon,
That great city of Babylon.
Come on, my friend, and go along with me.
And the young man joined the crowd.


Young man—
Young man—
You’re never lonesome in Babylon.
You can always join a crowd in Babylon.
Young man—
Young man—
You can never be alone in Babylon,
Alone with your Jesus in Babylon.
You can never find a place, a lonesome place,
A lonesome place to go down on your knees,
And talk with your God, in Babylon.
You’re always in a crowd in Babylon.
And the young man went with his new-found friend,
And bought himself some brand new clothes,
And he spent his days in the drinking dens,
Swallowing the fires of hell.
And he spent his nights in the gambling dens,
Throwing dice with the devil for his soul.
And he met up with the women of Babylon.
Oh, the women of Babylon!
Dressed in yellow and purple and scarlet,
Loaded with rings and earrings and bracelets,
Their lips like a honeycomb dripping with honey,
Perfumed and sweet-smelling like a jasmine flower;
And the jasmine smell of the Babylon women
Got in his nostrils and went to his head,
And he wasted his substance in riotous living,
In the evening, in the black and dark of night,
With the sweet-sinning women of Babylon.
And they stripped him of his money,
And they stripped him of his clothes,
And they left him broke and ragged
In the streets of Babylon.


Then the young man joined another crowd—
The beggars and lepers of Babylon.
And he went to feeding swine,
And he was hungrier than the hogs;
He got down on his belly in the mire and mud
And ate the husks with the hogs.
And not a hog was too low to turn up his nose
At the man in the mire of Babylon.


Then the young man came to himself—
He came to himself and said:
In my father’s house are many mansions,
Ev’ry servant in his house has bread to eat,
Ev’ry servant in his house has a place to sleep;
I will arise and go to my father.
And his father saw him afar off,
And he ran up the road to meet him.
He put clean clothes upon his back,
And a golden chain around his neck,
He made a feast and killed the fatted calf,
And invited the neighbors in.


Oh-o-oh, sinner,
When you’re mingling with the crowd in Babylon—
Drinking the wine of Babylon—
Running with the women of Babylon—
You forget about God, and you laugh at Death.
Today you’ve got the strength of a bull in your neck
And the strength of a bear in your arms,
But some o’ these days, some o’ these days,
You’ll have a hand-to-hand struggle with bony Death,
And Death is bound to win.


Young man, come away from Babylon,
That hell-border city of Babylon.
Leave the dancing and gambling of Babylon,
The wine and whiskey of Babylon,
The hot-mouthed women of Babylon;
Fall down on your knees,
And say in your heart:
I will arise and go to my Father.
James Weldon Johnson

THE CREATION, God's Trombones by James Weldon Johnson

                         And God stepped out on space,
                         And he looked around and said:
                         I'm lonely --
                         I'll make me a world.

                         And far as the eye of God could see
                         Darkness covered everything,
                         Blacker than a hundred midnights
                         Down in a cypress swamp.

                         Then God smiled,
                         And the light broke,
                         And the darkness rolled up on one side,
                         And the light stood shining on the other,
                         And God said: That's good!

                         Then God reached out and took the light in his hands,
                         And God rolled the light around in his hands

                         Until he made the sun;
                         And he set that sun a-blazing in the heavens.
                         And the light that was left from making the sun
                         God gathered it up in a shining ball
                         And flung it against the darkness,
                         Spangling the night with the moon and stars.
                         Then down between
                         The darkness and the light
                         He hurled the world;
                         And God said: That's good!

                         Then God himself stepped down --
                         And the sun was on his right hand,
                         And the moon was on his left;
                         The stars were clustered about his head,
                         And the earth was under his feet.
                         And God walked, and where he trod
                         His footsteps hollowed the valleys out
                         And bulged the mountains up.

                         Then he stopped and looked and saw
                         That the earth was hot and barren.
                         So God stepped over to the edge of the world
                         And he spat out the seven seas --
                         He batted his eyes, and the lightnings flashed --
                         He clapped his hands, and the thunders rolled --
                         And the waters above the earth came down,
                         The cooling waters came down.

                         Then the green grass sprouted,
                         And the little red flowers blossomed,

                         The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,
                         And the oak spread out his arms,
                         The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,
                         And the rivers ran down to the sea;
                         And God smiled again,
                         And the rainbow appeared,
                         And curled itself around his shoulder.

                         Then God raised his arm and he waved his hand
                         Over the sea and over the land,
                         And he said: Bring forth! Bring forth!
                         And quicker than God could drop his hand,
                         Fishes and fowls
                         And beasts and birds
                         Swam the rivers and the seas,
                         Roamed the forests and the woods,

                         Then God raised his arm and he waved his hand
                         Over the sea and over the land,
                         And he said: Bring forth! Bring forth!
                         And quicker than God could drop his hand,
                         Fishes and fowls
                         And beasts and birds
                         Swam the rivers and the seas,
                         Roamed the forests and the woods,
                         And split the air with their wings.
                         And God said: That's good!

                         Then God walked around,
                         And God looked around
                         On all that he had made.
                         He looked at his sun,
                         And he looked at his moon,
                         And he looked at his little stars;
                         He looked on his world
                         With all its living things,
                         And God said: I'm lonely still.

                         Then God sat down --
                         On the side of a hill where he could think;

                         By a deep, wide river he sat down;
                         With his head in his hands,
                         God thought and thought,
                         Till he thought: I'll make me a man!

                         Up from the bed of the river
                         God scooped the clay;
                         And by the bank of the river
                         He kneeled him down;
                         And there the great God Almighty
                         Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,
                         Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,
                         Who rounded the earth in the middle of his hand;
                         This Great God,
                         Like a mammy bending over her baby,
                         Kneeled down in the dust
                         Toiling over a lump of clay
                         Till he shaped it in his own image;

                         Then into it he blew the breath of life,
                         And man became a living soul.
                         Amen. Amen.

               

                        

The Marvelous Structure of Existence

The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery -- even if mixed with fear -- that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man... I am satisfied with the mystery of life's eternity and with a knowledge, a sense, of the marvelous structure of existence -- as well as the humble attempt to understand even a tiny portion of the Reason that manifests itself in nature.

from The World As I See It, an essay by Einstein
http://www.aip.org/history/einstein/index.html

No Risk, No Gain

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually

 strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat. -TR

YOU NEVER KNOW

You never know

When God is going to bless you!!

Dear Lord, I thank You for this day,

I thank You for my being able to see

And to hear this morning.

I'm blessed because You are

A forgiving God and

An understanding God.

You have done so much for me

And You keep on blessing me.

Forgive me this day for everything

I have done, said or thought

That was not pleasing to you.

I ask now for Your forgiveness..

Please keep me safe

From all danger and harm.

Help me to start this day

With a new attitude and plenty of gratitude.

Let me make the best of each and every day

To clear my mind so that I can hear from You.

Please broaden my mind

That I can accept all things.

Let me not whine and whimper

Over things I have no control over.
And give me the best response

When I'm pushed beyond my limits.
I know that when I can't pray,

You listen to my heart.

Continue to use me to do Your will.

Continue to bless me that I may be

A blessing to others.

Keep me strong that I may help the weak...

Keep me uplifted that I may have

Words of encouragement for others.

I pray for those that are lost

And can't find their way.

I pray for those that are misjudged

And misunderstood..

I pray for those who

Don't know You intimately.


I pray for all my sisters and brothers.

For each and every family member

In their households.

I pray for peace, love and joy

In their homes; that they are out of debt

And all their needs are met..

I pray that every eye that reads this

Knows there is no problem, circumstance,

Or situation greater than God.

Every battle is in Your hands for You to fight.

I pray that these words be received

Into the hearts of every eye that sees it

Amen!

I Carry Your Heart With Me by E.E. Cummings

I carry your heart with me(I carry it in

my heart)I am never without it(anywhere

I go you go,my dear;and whatever is done

by only me is your doing,my darling)

I fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)I want

no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)

and it’s you are whatever a moon has always meant

and whatever a sun will always sing is you

here is the deepest secret nobody knows

(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud

and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows

higher than soul can hope or mind can hide)

and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart

I carry your heart(I carry it in my heart)

God Does Not Make Mistakes

Even though we grieve, I know this: God doesn't make mistakes.

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, Love leaves a memory no one can steal.

There are things that we don't want to happen but have to accept, and things we don't want to know but have to learn.

There are people we can't live without but have to let go.

As much as we know that death is inevitable, we are never quite prepared to deal with it. But Earth has no sorrow Heaven can't heal.

A Conversation With God

Me: God, can I ask you something?

GOD: Sure.

Me: Promise you won't get mad?

GOD: I promise.

Me (frustrated): Why did you let so much stuff happen to me today?

GOD: What do you mean?

Me: Well I woke up late,

GOD: Yes

Me: My car took forever to start,

GOD: Okay....

Me (growling): At lunch, they made my sandwich wrong and I had to wait

GOD: Hmmmm..

Me: On the way home, my phone went dead, just as I picked up a call

GOD: All right

Me (loudly): And to top it all off, when I got home, I just wanted to soak my feet in my foot massager and relax, but it wouldn't work. Nothing went right today! Why did you do that?

GOD: Well let me see..... the death angel was at your bed this morning and I had to send one of the other angels to battle him for your life. I let you sleep through that.

Me (humbled): Oh...

GOD: I didn't let your car start because there was a drunk driver on your route that might have hit you if you were on the road

Me (ashamed): ............

GOD: The first person who made your sandwich today was sick and I didn't want you to catch what they have, I knew you couldn't afford to miss work

Me (embarrassed): Oh.....

GOD: Your phone went dead because the person that was calling was going to give a false witness about what you said on that call, I didn't even let you talk to them so you would be covered

Me (softly): I see God

GOD: Oh and that foot massager, it had a short that was going to throw out all of the power in your house tonight. I didn't think you wanted to be in the dark.

Me: I'm sorry God.

GOD: Don't be sorry, just learn to trust me.........in all things, the good and the bad

Me: I WILL trust you God

GOD: And don't doubt that my plan for your day is always better than your plan and is Good and Perfect!

Me: I won't God. And let me just tell you God, thank you for everything today.

GOD: You're welcome my child. It was just another day being your God and I love looking after my children.

Wise Words