One Higher Power

There is an old saying in war: “Divide and conquer.” Though the origins of the saying are unclear, the strategy has been around and been used for a long, long time. Separating an adversary into multiple groups allows for two important things. First, injecting strife and infighting to an opponent’s ranks creates confusion, blurs focus, and disintegrates morale. Second, multiple smaller groups are much easier defeated or controlled one by one than a single massive united force.

This strategy is used in politics to keep a citizenry at odds with each other, rather than unified in purpose. It is used in business to reduce the strength and effectiveness of a competitor or even internal forces. It is most commonly associated with the tactics of war, but is just as effective in tactics of “peace.”
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The higher power is the source from which all blessings flow — faith, courage, strength, luck, coincidence, confidence, joy, supply, and peace.

It is the place human beings go internally to seek an external essence in times of stormy tribulation. It is the invisible energy human souls cry to in thanks and praise when joy overcomes and overwhelms. It is the still, small voice of guidance and encouragement, when logic fails. It is an uncommon warmth welling up from inside when the physical world is blistering cold. It is the cool breeze in the stifling heat. It is the uncanny sense that chaos has order. It is the sparkle in the eyes of a child. (more…)

Spring cleaning time, in a myriad ways — most notably to those who take the time to keep up with this site, a new site design. I’ve been shuffling through a pile of rubbish recently (more figuratively than literally) and so comes a cleaner, more open, less congested layout.

I apologize for the sparsity of new and compelling/contentious content… I hope to change that soon, and very soon. Prayers and warm wishes are both offered and welcomed! :)

One of the most difficult things every human being living in a modern culture is confronted with, is how to remain focused in spite of the whirlwind of influences grasping for our attention at any given moment. We are constantly bombarded with messages of conflicting importance from every direction — politics, the arts, the news, the church, our wallets, our jobs, our spouses, our children and wards. Each of these have an important role in the outcome and quality of our lives, yet which of them at any given moment is more critical than the others?

We work diligently to care for and provide for our children and wards, and struggle with our spouses to ensure a cohesive direction under the burden of responsibilities. When we fail, we seek solace, and, when we succeed, we are thankful, but we always are mindful of the accelerating deterioration of cultural and social structure pioneered by discordants and trumpeted by our technological echo boxes — constantly reminding us that we are empowered to change things, if we would only stand up and do so.
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The hardest part of living a right and noble path is to learn the art of selflessness — to give of one’s self freely, without hesitation or consideration… to remove the consideration of “self” in preference to the importance of “sacrifice.”

This is something I have subtly known for as long as I can remember, and my friend Paul Martin can echo this sentiment — the divesting of “ego” in order to perfect a position of service. His book, Original Faith, is a testament to the pursuit of such a spiritual existence.

I realize, from Christ’s and many others’ teachings, the ultimate purpose of any human being is to fulfill a service of some sort — life supporting and perpetuating itself. In the journey, though, we often struggle with a sense of identity. Is it even possible to be wholly selfless and self-preserving at the same time?

Do you believe in faith?

What is faith anyway? We know the common descriptions and definitions. According to Paul in Hebrews 11:1, faith is “being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” It’s a good way to explain what faith is.

According to The American Heritage® Dictionary, faith is “confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing.” This is also an accurate description of what faith is.

But, some might argue faith simply means believing in the “imaginary.” (more…)

“When I was your age, we walked to school seven miles, through the snow, uphill both ways!”

“When I was growing up, we went to church on Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night, and to every other event the church had.”

Well, it seems as the world “grows up” into this new and modernized era full of technological marvels and split-second globalized communication, the human being is growing away from the old traditions of religion toward a completely new flavor of spiritual understanding. Of course, the concepts of hybrid religions and decentralized spirituality aren’t new — only new to most people who are just now falling across the concepts as a result of this modern era. (more…)

I am a Christian. That means I believe in the teachings of Christ, and endeavor to emulate the principles he prescribed. In that light, I have long been suspect of the “doctrines” of Christianity — meaning I essentially reject there is some mystical property in chanting a prayer, taking the bread and cup, or even in performing good deeds — not that they are without merit. These things are essential to Christian theology and profoundly useful in the practice of spiritual focus, from Catholic to Protestant and even transpose with principles of other religions, but here I offer my own view of such things as a gift to anyone who is willing to listen (er… read). (more…)

When people think of great food, it is often irrelevant what the dish actually is. It could be a steamed fillet of sea bass with bright green and red vegetable garnish, a tender ribeye cooked medium over a bed of garlic scalloped potatoes, or even a crisp garden salad with fresh toasted bread and herb vinaigrette.

What makes the difference between just a meal and fantastic, five-star food is the amount of care and attention that goes into the preparation. From the selection of ingredients, to the painstaking process of flavoring, tasting, and flavoring again to perfection, to the presentation, the end result is always evidenced by the passion invested in the creation. (more…)

I’ve been struggling with spirituality for a long time, in terms of how this essence of life and love I refer to as “spirit” is identified through contexts of culture and religion. To me, God, this one higher power to which all religions point in one way or another, is summarily missed through practicing the traditions and rituals of religion. Going through the motions may be a necessary activity for the well-being of some in a sort of social and psychological aspect, but I believe the well-spring of life and love described as God is distorted and confused by these distractions.

For all the myriad ways in which human beings relate to the divine, it seems there is a common denominator. It’s why I pursue the notion that God does exist but not nearly in the most common ways people tend to believe — that this higher power transcends cultural and ideological boundaries, radiating still no matter who we are or what we believe. In every religion, at its core, is the principle of Love — being to mean a sense of selfless service for a greater purpose. Some religions gear the love toward self, some only toward others, even some toward all, but the vine from which all these branches are built is Love. (more…)

This time of year, we’re bombarded with reminders of the Christian story — birth from a virgin mother, the three “wise guys” from the East, shepherds in their simple glory, and angels heard on high.

I wonder, though, if they were still in our faces as living and breathing human beings, would they agree with our remembrances? Would any religious figure, living and breathing, find our remembrances valid and purposeful?

Posing the question brings a thoughtful reminder to be critical of what we hold dear. Are these seasonal celebrations something of purpose, or are they simple gestures of logical bearance to social order?
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In my quest for understanding the core principles of spirituality, it becomes more evident that “religion” in any flavor tends to cloud those core principles. Especially in these modern times, doctrine, tradition, social order, and even entertainment seem to take on more prevalence and importance in the practice of religion than does seeking and emulating the source that bonds all life.

Assuming such a connection with this “unseen” source is the ultimate goal in seeking spiritual fulfillment, and religion is positioned as the conduit for achieving the goal, seeing barriers erected between people by religion and businesses erected as ministries of religion makes a good case (more…)

Spirituality apparently has a new “personal brand” these days — ethics!

Dan Schawbel has an interesting article over on his Personal Branding blog about business ethics, which I think deserves an honorable mention here. His basic take is that business profits should (the dreaded “should” word) never supersede ethical practices in business — and I wholeheartedly agree. (more…)