Agape Child

Change is The Only Constant

2013-07-08T22:03:00.000-07:00

When the economy is diving, companies are laying off and vacations are non-existent, what do you do? If you plan to survive the uncertainty of a capitalist society, you must change with the times, or get left behind.

Translated from Heraclitus's Nothing endures but change - "Change is the only constant". Given this information we must change along with the demands, needs, and desires of our present society, or get left behind.

This video is an adaptation of the popular book "Who moved my cheese?" by Dr. Spencer Johnson.

Explore. Dream. Discover.

2011-11-08T11:01:00.000-08:00

Solitude

2011-11-04T08:46:00.000-07:00

Life. I am. Thankful.

2011-10-22T08:14:00.000-07:00

It happens in a blink. Life. I have cradled you in the arms of me for times beyond my own knowing. I know no other way than to journey toward you. I walk. The path opens like doors leading me there into the unknown. Closed inside of openness. My soul. I breathe you and I exhale that I might not grow too comfortable with the holding. Freedom is all I know, and even as I know what it means to be free, I find attachment in things. I find myself desiring that which cannot last forever. There is but one thing withstanding. Change. Cont'd Life. I am. Thankful., by Kissiah Young

I dance. Inside of God. Breath.

2011-10-17T04:53:00.000-07:00

I have danced there along the shores of my very own soul. Nothing lured me like the scent of God. Still. Even in mindful sitting did I walk there along the sea of timeless time. Awake. I awaken that I might come to know freedom. Whose eyes can see the way of the path when they look not in the direction of truth? Nothing cleanses us from unrighteousness like the road of authenticity. The beggar knows.

Cont'd I dance. Inside of God. Breath., by Kissiah Young.

Life is in the “Being” – Not the “Doing”

2011-10-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Life is in the BEING....not in the DOING. We mentally agree to that with a huff and a puff and a rebuttle of, "Yeah, but you should see my schedule!"

Never have enough time? Always running from task to task? Desiring to scream, "STOP!! I want to get off!" but can't find your voice - or the time to do it?

You can schedule time for you! You are in charge of the schedule you make and there is time in every day for you, if you'll reevaluate life! What do you believe you're here for? To Do? To accomplish? To complete tasks? To 'get it all done' -- only to find that it needs to be redone again the next day or a week later?

IF you're really tired of it all --- and I mean REALLY --- you CAN change your life! Cont'd Life is in the “Being” – Not the “Doing” by Donna Watkins

Where love is...

2011-10-07T14:48:00.000-07:00

Our 14-year-old dog Abbey died last month. The day after she passed away my 4-year-old daughter Meredith was crying and talking about how much she missed Abbey. She asked if we could write a letter to God so that when Abbey got to heaven, God would recognize her. I told her that I thought we could so, and she dictated these words:

Dear God,
Will you please take care of my dog? She died yesterday and is with you in heaven. I miss her very much. I am happy that you let me have her as my dog even though she got sick.
I hope you will play with her. She likes to swim and play with balls. I am sending a picture of her so when you see her you will know that she is my dog. I really miss her.
Love, Meredith

We put the letter in an envelope with a picture of Abbey and Meredith and addressed it to God/Heaven. We put our return address on it. Then Meredith pasted several stamps on the front of the envelope because she said it would take lots of stamps to get the letter all the way to heaven. That afternoon she dropped it into the letter box at the post office. A few days later, she asked if God had gotten the letter yet. I told her that I thought He had.
Yesterday, there was a package wrapped in gold paper on our front porch addressed, 'To Meredith' in an unfamiliar hand. Meredith opened it. Inside was a book by Mr. Rogers called, 'When a Pet Dies.' Taped to the inside front cover was the letter we had written to God in its opened envelope. On the opposite page was the picture of Abbey & Meredith and this note:

Dear Meredith,

Abbey arrived safely in heaven. Having the picture was a big help and I recognized her right away.

Abbey isn't sick anymore. Her spirit is here with me just like it stays in your heart. Abbey loved being your dog. Since we don't need our bodies in heaven, I don't have any pockets to keep your picture in so I am sending it back to you in this little book for you to keep and have something to remember Abbey by.

Thank you for the beautiful letter and thank your mother for helping you write it and sending it to me. What a wonderful mother you have. I picked her especially for you. I send my blessings every day and remember that I love you very much. By the way, I'm easy to find. I am wherever there is love.

Love, God

Spiritual voices...

2011-09-28T23:24:00.000-07:00

Whether speaking, writing, or singing, we each have a voice. Our own way of communicating. Our Spiritual voice shines thorough from within. It may be with gestures, for some it may be with our eyes or sign language; how fast and how intense... is it done and accompanied with face and eyes to get the point across. Our present state of life is always evolving, cultivating growth, gaining new perspective into others. "There but for the grace of God go us." I was told as a child. I know I AM others...God / Spirit/ The Divine is all. There is so separateness. My voice is raspy, I have never been good at whispering, my laughter loud and joyous, I am open to spirit and grateful.

The voice is a mirror of our being, of our state of life. Our voice forthrightly reveals our true character, our cultivation as a human being. Our voices are ourselves.

Daisaku Ikeda Buddhist Philosopher

Don't just sit there, do something!

2011-09-28T14:22:00.000-07:00

Often we tell ourselves, "Don't just sit there, do something!" But when we practice awareness, we discover something unusual. We discover that the opposite may be more helpful: "Don't just do something, sit there!" We must learn to stop from time to time in order to see clearly. At first, "stopping" may look like a kind of resistance to modern life, but it is not. It is not just a reaction; it is a way of life. Humankind's survival depends on our ability to stop rushing. "Stopping" is not only to stop the negative, but to allow positive healing to take place. That is the purpose of our practice--not to avoid life, but to experience and demonstrate that happiness in life is possible now and also in the future.

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Sending Love Ahead to Your Day

2011-09-27T09:31:00.000-07:00

Send love to your day ahead and remember to stop and catch the miracles.

Upon waking, many people consider the coming day with trepidation. Because of the natural human tendency to focus on what we fear or dislike, it is easy to unwittingly send a message of unease into the future that negatively impacts the quality of your day. However, while our lives are busy and frequently replete with challenges, they are also rich with joy and experiences worth savoring. We can attract this natural bliss into our lives by starting each day with a message of love. When you send love ahead to your day, that love will manifest itself in your interpersonal interactions, your professional endeavors, and your domestic duties. Tasks and circumstances once made trying by your own anxiety are transformed by your love, and you will find yourself approaching life’s subtle nuances with great affection.

Each morning, when you have cast off the fog of sleep, take several deep, grounding breaths and reaffirm the love you have for yourself. Speaking a loving, self-directed blessing aloud enables you to access and awaken the reservoir of tenderness in your soul. Before you leave the comfortable warmth of your bed, be sure to tell the universe that you are eager and ready to receive the blessings it has set aside for you. Then as you prepare to meet the day, visualize yourself first saturated by and then surrounded with a warm and soft loving light. Gradually widen the circle of this light until you are able to send it ahead into your future. If you are commuting to work, send love to the roads upon which you will drive, your fellow commuters, and your parking space. If you have colleagues who arrive at your workplace before you, send them love. Likewise, a day spent being a parent or addressing household chores can benefit from the sentiment that precedes you. Sending love ahead to everyone you will meet and everything you will do can ensure that your day is suffused with grace.

If you have difficulty sending love to those situations and individuals you deem particularly frustrating, consider that the warmth and tenderness you project can change your life for the better. Each morning, in sending this love, you will exercise your power to control the ambiance of your existence and to color your day with positivity.

Who do you blame....?

2011-09-26T17:51:00.000-07:00

All blame is a waste of time. No matter how much fault you find with another, and regardless of how much you blame him, it will not change you. The only thing blame does is to keep the focus off you when you are looking for external reasons to explain your unhappiness or frustration. You may succeed in making another feel guilty about something by blaming him, but you won't succeed in changing whatever it is about you that is making you unhappy.

- Dr. Wayne Dyer

Who are you...?

2011-09-26T00:10:00.000-07:00

You must not yoke yourself to nationality or to ethnicity. You must not think of yourself as powerless, or as “no more than a collection of matter.” You must not regard yourself as a slave to your genes. Fundamentally, all human beings have limitless and immense potential.

Daisaku Ikeda Buddhist Philosopher

All woman....

2011-09-25T13:00:00.000-07:00

Girls want to control the man in their life. Grown Women know that if he's truly hers, he doesn't need controlling. Girls check you for not calling them. Grown women are too busy to realize you hadn't. Girls are afraid to be alone. Grown women revel in it using it as a time for personal growth. Girls ignore the good guys. Grown women ignore the bad guys. Girls make you come home. Grown women make you want to come home. Girls leave their schedule wide-open and wait for a guy to call and make plans. Grown women make their own plans and nicely tell the guy to get in where he fits. Girls worry about not being pretty and/or good enough for their man. Grown women know that they are pretty and/or good enough for any man. Girls try to monopolize all their man's time (i.e., don't want him hanging with his friends). Grown women realize that a lil' bit of space makes the 'together time' even more special-and goes to kick it with her own friends. Girls think a guy crying is weak. Grown women offer their shoulder and a tissue. Girls want to be spoiled and 'tell' their man so. Grown women 'show' him and make him comfortable enough to reciprocate without fear of losing his 'manhood'. Girls get hurt by one man and make all men pay for it. Grown women know that was just one man. Girls fall in love and chase aimlessly after the object of their affection, ignoring all 'signs'. Grown women know that sometimes the one you love, don't always love you back-and move on, without bitterness. Girls will read this and get an attitude. Grown women will read this and pass it on to other Grown women and their male friends.....Now which are you...?

I don't care!

2011-09-25T12:16:00.000-07:00

I don't care!
I don't care what car you drive.
I don't care what color your hair is.
I don't care if you've read the latest magazine.
I don't care if your clothes have designer labels.
I don't care where you went to college.
I don't care who you know.
But, I do care!
I care about your dreams.
I care about your heart.
I care about knowing that you feel loved.
That's what I care about.
~Katrina Mayer's Wholarian Vision

Lessons from geese

2011-09-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

'Individual empowerment results from quality honking'

Lessons from Geese provides a perfect example of the importance of teamwork and how it can have a profound and powerful effect on any form of personal or business endeavor. When we use these five principles in our personal and business life it will help us to foster and encourage a level of passion and energy in ourselves, as well as those who are our friends, associates or team members.

It is essential to remember that teamwork happens inside and outside of business life when it is continually nurtured and encouraged.

Lesson 1 - The Importance of Achieving Goals
As each goose flaps its wings it creates UPLIFT for the birds that follow. By flying in a 'V' formation the whole flock adds 71 percent extra to the flying range.

Outcome
When we have a sense of community and focus, we create trust; we are more able to help each other to achieve our goals.

Lesson 2 - The Importance of Teamwork & Like Mindedness

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back to take advantage of the lifting power of the birds in front.

Outcome
If we had as much sense as geese we would stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

Lesson 3 - The Importance of Sharing
When a goose tires of flying up front it drops back into formation and another goose flies to the point position.

Outcome
It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks. We should respect and protect each other's unique arrangement of skills, capabilities, talents and resources. Leadership is not a position, it is a shared responsibility.

Lesson 4 - The Importance of Empathy and Understanding
When a goose gets sick, two geese drop out of formation and follow it down to the ground to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is ready to re-join the flock.

Outcome
If we have as much sense as geese we will stand by each other in difficult times, as well as when we are strong.

Lesson 5 - The Importance of Encouragement
Geese flying in formation 'HONK' to encourage those up front to keep up with their speed.

Outcome
We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups and teams where there is encouragement, production is much greater. 'Individual empowerment results from quality honking'

~Original Author Unknown~

More To Learn From Geese
A flock of wild geese had settled to rest on a pond. One of the flock had been captured by a gardener, who had clipped its wings before releasing it. When the geese started to resume their flight, this one tried frantically, but vainly, to lift itself into the air. The others, observing his struggles, flew about in obvious efforts to encourage him; but it was no use.
Thereupon, the entire flock settled back on the pond and waited, even though the urge to go on was strong within them. For several days they waited until the damaged feathers had grown sufficiently to permit the goose to fly. ~Albert Schweitzer~

Lesson: Be Still. In the moment, use creative problem solving skills. Stand together in difficult times. Do not allow shady ethics and unethical people to divide or undermine. When it’s figured out, move on.

© 1993 New Brand Leadership, Nambika Associates Consulting Group, Los Angeles, CA

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Do you feel different?

2011-09-25T10:04:00.000-07:00

That's because sometimes we just stand out in the crowd. To some this can be very comfortable, they leap into the spotlight & dance amongst the stars, but there are others who, although they stand out, find themselves a bit uncomfortable with thier new found experience, that's alright, take your time, when you get the courage to step out on faith the world will be waiting, its alright to be different, life is about the beauty of being unique!

YOU matter. YOU are LOVED.

2011-09-24T11:15:00.000-07:00

Past experiences are there to inspire me, if not teach me important lessons. If I do look back, I look back with a smile. I laugh. I do my best to let go no matter how hard, it's only hard if I think it's hard.

Perception is my weapon against attachment. I achieve what I perceive. I receive what I perceive.

I will not wallow in a harsh or unpleasant situation or I will end up getting trapped there. I will move. I will not remain in a frozen state.

The future- I won't even worry about it, I have no power to foresee it, nor do I have the right to predict, and even if I did I wouldn't waste time on it. That will only bring me further away from where I should stand, in the present moment...

BECOMING WHO I AM.

BELIEVE ~You are a beautiful being of God. YOU have come to this lifetime to BE... love, GIVE love and RECEIVE love. YOU have the ability to make a Difference. YOU will make a difference just by choosing to Be Compassionate, Be Kind and Be Present for another being - human or animal. You make a HUGE Difference... YOU matter to the rest of us and YOU are LOVED.

~Julie Elder

Everything you need...

2011-09-24T08:20:00.000-07:00

This is the blessed moment. You have everything you need right now to let you take the next step toward realizing your dreams, no matter how small that step may be. ~ Susan L Taylor

Change Your Life...

2011-09-24T04:17:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed that the more negative thoughts you have, the more negative events happen? The more you feel stressed the more stressed you get? The more you join in with negativity the greater it expands? Until everything is a problem and everything is negative. What a dark place to be. You are in control of the light switch. So turn on the light.

YOU created the avalanche and YOU can stop the avalanche right now.

The more positive thoughts you have, the more positive events happen. It’s all in your own hands (or head)!! We know for sure that stress is entirely self induced. Negativity breeds negativity etc. Wouldn’t it be worth giving happiness at least half a chance ? Happiness is tapping you on the shoulder, always, don’t ignore it. Let it in and stop entertaining and empowering the negative. Change your life by changing your own thoughts.

You can practice it and prove it right or wrong. Life is about being happy, not sad. :))

Abraham Hicks - Financial Abundance

2011-09-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Are you letting it in?

Different Ways of Navigating

2011-09-22T03:30:00.000-07:00

We’re All in the Same Boat. We are all on this earth together learning and teaching together in many different ways.

We're all in the same boat. We just have different paddles, and perhaps we find ourselves on different rivers. We all live in human bodies. These are the vehicles in which we move through our world. We are all made of flesh, blood, and bone, with brains, hearts, and lungs to power us. Our paddles—the tools we use to move through the world—vary, as do the bodies of water—the environments—in which we find ourselves.

Some of us use our high IQs to get where we want to go. Some of use our smiles, others use kindness, a gift with language, or athletic ability. Some of these qualities we were born with and others are skills we have learned. Considering this metaphor in light of your own life can be very enlightening. What tools are you using to get from point A to point B in your life? Chances are, you and the people you know have used many different tools in various combinations throughout your lives to get where you needed to go. Just as with oars or paddles, a balanced approach is best. If you rely too much on one thing, like beauty, to open doors, you fail to be well-rounded and you may eventually lose your equilibrium. And if you lose that one quality, you have no paddle at all. This is inspiration to develop multiple tools to navigate your world.

Some of us may be moving along paths that are like rushing rivers; others may be on a large, still lake. We have all felt, at one time or another, tossed about on a stormy ocean. Through all this, we are never really alone, even though it might seem that way. There is inspiration all around us in the form of other people making their way through the world, in the very same boat. Remember to look around you for role models, companionship, and encouragement.

Lotus Blossom

2011-09-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Like the lotus mankind can grow into radiant brightness if he can save himself from the debris of life.

Dormant seed that lies under mud and muck and bursts into life under sunlight like the light of optimism.You can be born in the worst conditions possible, much like the lotus, but with considerable growth and determination you can get to the top of the "pond" and become something more then what you were born into.

The one who wanders independent in the world, free from opinions and viewpoints, does not grasp them and enter into disputations and arguments. As the lotus rises on its stalk unsoiled by the mud and the water, so the wise one speaks of peace and is unstained by the opinions of the world.

~ Buddha

Habit is a hell....

2011-09-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

Time to satisfy our coffee habit, and speaking of habits, here's a quote to nibble on: "Habit is a hell people cling to in order to stop the flow of change."

Take a moment to explore habits you've been holding onto that may be keeping positive change at bay? Do you continually overspend, leaving you chained to a job you hate but can't afford to quit? Do you park in front of the telly instead of going after the healthy body you swear you want? Or maybe there's a person in your life that's become a habit, someone who is holding you back from living the life you were meant to. Only you can identify these habits. Only you can break them. Congratulations! Recognizing them is the taking the first step.

Get Service

2011-09-14T17:56:00.000-07:00

Do you need a new pair of glasses? Watch the video to find out!

The Four Agreements - Miguel Ruiz

2011-09-14T17:34:00.000-07:00

1. Be Impeccable With Your Word

Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.

2. Don't Take Anything Personally

Nothing others do is because of you. What others say and do is a projection of their own reality, their own dream. When you are immune to the opinions and actions of others, you won't be the victim of needless suffering.

3. Don't Make Assumptions

Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.

4. Always Do Your Best

Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret."