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Thought for Today

“Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life

Thought for Today

Sunrise from the Porch Copyright 2014 by R.A. Robbins — Sunrise from the Porch
Copyright 2014 by R.A. Robbins

“The enemy is fear. We think it is hate: but it is fear.” — Gandhi

Being an Artist is About Who You Are, Not What You Do

New blog post on Life Through an Artist’s Eyes

I Like You Just the Way You Are

I like you just the way you are. Mr. Rogers used to say that.

Everywhere we turn we hear we are not good enough. Not smart enough. Not rich enough. You name it the world is telling us we’re not doing enough. Yet we are killing ourselves trying to do too much. Our bodies were not created to withstand the intense stress we put on them. We must rest, or we will not continue to function.

In college I would watch Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood, just to see Fred Rogers look into the camera, right at me and say, “I like you just the way you are.” I believe God says that to us as well. That doesn’t mean we can’t always do better, but we need to learn when enough is enough because we will never be able to do enough to please the world.

Let’s listen to those comforting words from Fred Rogers one more time.

Thought for Today

“Let the first act of every morning be to make the following resolve for the day:

– I shall not fear anyone on Earth.
– I shall fear only God.
– I shall not bear ill will toward anyone.
– I shall not submit to injustice from anyone.
– I shall conquer untruth by truth. And in resisting untruth, I shall put up with all suffering.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

You Can’t Stop Prayer

Years ago a church prayer chain started a miracle in my life. Years later that church became afraid and the prayer ministry changed.

It was said the government was saying they could no longer pray for people who did not specifically ask for the prayer. Fear gripped that church as they were sure the government would close the church if they prayed for the wrong person.

When the prayer in schools debate raged I remember a Christian college professor saying, “anyone who says no one can pray in school has never been in a classroom on exam day.” And that’s the point.

No one can stop you from a private act of communication with the Divine. You do not have to stand up in front of a group and say big fancy words out loud or even kneel. You can pray while you go about your daily life. When I make a blanket for charity I pray the Prayer of Protection for the child who will receive it as I sew.

The world needs our prayers now more than ever. Do not give in to fear.

Thought for Today

“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” — Thomas Merton [Source: http://thinkexist.com/quotation/art_enables_us_to_find_ourselves_and_lose/225866.html]

Check Out Bob’s New Blog Post

Bob has a new blog post up today called Wait– Do You Know Where Your God Is? You will want to check this out, especially if you like to ponder the deep questions of life and spirit.

http://espirational.org/2015/04/08/wait-do-you-know-where-your-god-is/

Thought for Today

“Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee, O Lord” —Augustine – See more at: http://wf-f.org/StAugustine.html#sthash.8ixa1Rgq.dpuf

Thought for Today

“Not since the days of Plato and Buddha and Confucius, some 2500 years ago, has their been such an uprising of spiritual yearning. But instead of being a Mediterranean and Asian phenomenon, as it was then, the explosion of spirituality is now happening worldwide. “ — Jean Houston [Source: http://www.jeanhouston.com/blog/?p=178]