tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3372465162384548662024-03-13T19:05:08.508-07:00Daughter of WisdomAchieving wholeness in mind, body and spirit.Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.comBlogger215125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-88631619120344775312014-11-30T13:12:00.000-08:002014-11-30T13:45:32.521-08:00The Star of Bethlehem<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">"...</span>T</span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">her</span><span style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">e shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel..." (Numbers 24:17)</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; line-height: 24px;">The star of Bethlehem is one of those religious mysteries of the world, that has baffled scientists, astronomers, historians, and religious scholars for centuries. The astronomical approach of finding an actual star, that coincided with the birth of Jesus, has eluded many. There is absolutely nothing in the astronomical record to indicate that any special luminary body was seen in the heavens at the time of Jesus' birth. This has led some to believe that the star of Bethlehem is nothing more than Biblical myth, and that perhaps, Jesus is also a myth. In this blog, I am going to take you back to the possible mindset of the magi of the east, who discovered this Star, which record we have of in the Bible. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; line-height: 24px;">The narrative record of the star of Bethlehem is found only in the gospel of Matthew. The narrative begins with these words. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span class="text Matt-2-1" id="en-KJV-23171" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="line-height: 19.2000007629395px;">"</span><span style="line-height: 24px;">Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, </span></span><span style="line-height: 24px;">Saying, 'Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him'" (Matthew 2: 1-2). </span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; line-height: 24px;">The wise men from the east were magi, probably from Babylon (Daniel 2:2,13). At the time of the Jewish diaspora in Babylon, the Hebrew scriptures and prophecies would have been available to those interested in becoming familiar with them. One of the predictions was a rising of a Star over the land of Jacob (Israel), and also the prophecies of Daniel, who was a captive in Babylon, about a coming Messiah (Numbers 24:17; Daniel 9:25). It should be noted too that these magi were star-gazers or astrologists. Astrologists are people who read the signs in the stars and other celestial bodies. I am going to take you back to what those magi probably saw in the sky, before the appearance of the Star of Bethlehem, and how a series of signs in the sky, helped to point them towards Jerusalem. You are going to find out how by following these signs, they ended up finding the Christ child. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now before I delve deeper into this study, let me just say that I am in no way am an astrologist. I won't even pretend to be one, and what I am doing is just giving you the clues which the magi might have used, to find the Christ child. One need to understand too that Jewish astrology is somewhat different from ordinary astrology. Back then, astrology was the same as astronomy, and the position of stars in the universe had meaning attached to them, of spiritual importance. It had nothing to do with reading the stars to predict one's personal fortunes or fortune-telling. It's not different from today, when we see <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVCcZF2Yfn4" target="_blank">"blood moons" </a>in the sky, to attach spiritual meanings to them. Now Hagee may have been wrong about the blood moons, but that did not keep him from trying. LOL. I also did a little write-up on the blood moons. You can read about it <a href="http://www.daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-blood-moon-tetrad.html" target="_blank">here. </a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If we accept common convention that Jesus was born anywhere from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronology_of_Jesus#Date_of_birth" target="_blank">4-6 BC</a>, then we can go back prior to 6 BC to see what events were occurring in the heavens, that would have caused the wise men to look up, and pay close attention. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">12 BC - The appearance of Halley's comet. Halley's comet only comes around every 75-76 years, so this was a remarkable sight to behold. The orbit of Halley's comet was well-known in the east, as <a href="http://www.space.com/19878-halleys-comet.html" target="_blank">ancient documents from the Chinese and Babylonians show.</a> In spite of some theologians trying to make Halley's comet into the Star of Bethlehem, it does not fit as 12 BC is too soon for the birth of Christ, and Halley's comet does not return until another 75-76 years after, so there was really nothing to 'follow.' </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7 BC - The triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces. Jupiter and Saturn came into conjunction on May 27, October 6, and December 1 of 7 BC. According to Babylonian astrology, the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in Pisces was predictive of </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.public.iastate.edu/~lightandlife/triple.htm" target="_blank">"the end of the old world order, and the birth of a new king chosen by God."</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">4 BC - Exploding supernova observed by the Chinese. You can read up about it on <a href="http://heasarc.nasa.gov/docs/heasarc/headates/earlier.html" target="_blank">NASA's website</a>. Was this the Star of Bethlehem? Sounds like a good fit, doesn't it? According to Matthew though, the Star of Bethlehem was not an exploding star, but a moving star. When the wise men could not find the Christ child, the Star appeared again, and led them to the Christ child (Matthew 2:9). No star does that. One thing we do know that happened in 4 BC was that this supernova event, which occurred on April 4, was preceded by a partial lunar eclipse on March 13, 4 BC. King Herod was very much alive on March 13, 4 BC, as he had executed a Jew by the name of Matthias, who had raised an insurrection against him, for Herod putting the carved image of a golden eagle on the temple of God in Jerusalem, on that very day (Antiquities of the Jews 17.6.1-4). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We need to pause at 4 BC, because nothing above seems to fit the star of Bethlehem's description. Nothing fits, except for one other possible explanation - that star was not a star, but a host of angels. When reading the Bible, it is very easy to fall into the trap of making the Bible into a history book, a geography book or a science book. While those disciplines are alluded to in the Bible, the Bible is primarily a spiritual book, which main goal is to teach spiritual lessons and theological concepts. The rising of a star in the east, which was never seen before, would have drawn the attention of the magi. It was God's intention to lead them to the Christ child, so God opened their eyes so that they could see the glory of angels from afar, guiding them to the Christ child. Angels are frequently referred to as stars in the Bible, so this should be of no surprise that God uses angels for this purpose (Job 38:7; Revelation 9:1; 12:4). The host of angels seen by the shepherds on the night of Jesus' birth, would have been enough to fill the night sky with the brilliance of stars (Luke 2:8-14). From afar, they would look like One star. </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Even today, angels are all around us. Our eyes may not perceive them, but they are still around us to guide us along the paths of God, and to offer us protection from harm and danger. The star of Bethlehem therefore is not an astronomical entity, but the celestial beings of God who celebrated the birth of the one true Star of Bethlehem - the Christ child. He is the <b>Star of Jacob</b>, and the <b>"bright and morning star"</b> (Revelation 22:16). </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more information on angels, and how God uses angels as our guides and for protection, please don't hesitate to contact me on my <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" style="background-color: #eeeeee;">www.hillarydawes.com</a></span></div>
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Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-4616483563589986432014-10-18T19:45:00.002-07:002014-10-19T10:33:07.982-07:00Eros Love Is In the AirRev. Hillary Dawes, PhD SC-C<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Love is in the air" is the title of a famous song by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Paul_Young" target="_blank">John Paul Young</a>. Before you begin reading what I have to say about Eros love, please take the time to watch this YouTube video I found online, of his song, <i>Love Is In the Air.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When it comes to romantic love, it seems that it comes out of nowhere. Boy sees girl and girl sees boy, and BOOM! Magically, it all seems to happen, without warning, that Cupid's arrow strikes the heart, with eros love. It's one of those mysteries of life which I will explore in this blog, about eros love.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As you may be well aware, there are four basic kinds of love - agape, agapeo, phileo, and eros love. What may come as a surprise to many, is that while the Greek words "agape" "agapeo" and "phileo" are abundantly found in scripture, the Greek word "eros" is nowhere to be found in the Bible. I kid you not. Is that an error? Oh no! The reason why "eros love" is not found in scripture is because there is no such thing as romantic or sexual love. What we call sexual love is actually sexual attraction, and there is more than ample examples in the Bible of sexual attraction, and the love that can arise from that. Please also read my blog in <a href="http://www.daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/04/being-in-love-is-not-same-as-love.html" target="_blank">Being in Love is Not</a></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/04/being-in-love-is-not-same-as-love.html" target="_blank"> the Same as Love</a> to understand these concepts of love and sexual attraction. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sex, although it's a powerful force in romance, is NOT LOVE, but it is an act from which eros love can arise. Eros love is best defined as a <i><b>force of attraction</b></i> that pulls people together, and a <i><b>bonding agent</b></i> which causes you to emotionally bond to another person. Eros love is important, because it causes you to form deep, intimate, and close relationships with people that you love. Without eros love we would not become 'attached' to anyone, or become a part of their lives. We would be detached and aloof in all our dealings with each other. Eros love by no means has to be sexual, but it is more often most evident in the sexual context, as it causes the deep bonding and intertwining of the soul to that of another person, forming soul-ties. One of the most well-known soul-ties in scripture, that is non-sexual, is that of the love between Jonathan and David.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>"And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul" (1 Samuel 18:1).</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Eros love is similar to agape love in that you are with the person no matter what their faults are, but is different from agape love in that agape love is <a href="http://www.daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/04/love-without-attachment.html" target="_blank">love without attachment</a> or any kind of emotional bonding, whereas eros love is love with emotional bonding between two people. Eros love is a spiritual commitment of love between two people, as it is mutual, and reciprocating. Eros love hence helps a couple to form very strong love-ties with each other, sometimes so strong, and so secure, that no one can break that tie, but the couple. The three-strand cord of eros love is not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12). </span></div>
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<span class="text Song-8-6" id="en-KJV-17647" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px;">"</span><span style="line-height: 24px;">Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for [eros] love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. </span></span></b></span><span style="line-height: 24px;"><b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many waters cannot quench [eros] love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for [eros] love, it would utterly be contemned" (Song of Solomon 8:6-7, amplification supplied for clarity). </span></b><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Verdana, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Since eros love produces strong emotional bonding, even with people who are less than ideal mates, should we then avoid eros love? Absolutely not! Eros love is sweet, no matter what, and the love a couple has for each other makes life bearable and pleasant, no matter what their faults are. Sex also is a beautiful experience, but sexual love that does not expand beyond the bedroom is not God's ideal or plan for us. Bear in mind also that 'sexual love' which causes you to attach to another person, without mutual reciprocation of love, is not eros love, but emotional attachment, which is a <i><b>counterfeit </b></i>to eros love. Eros love, if properly practiced, actually <b><i>increases</i></b> the love a couple has for each other. It deepens the agape, agapeo, and phileo love which already exists, and is transformative in a positive way. It's not abusive or clingy in any way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sex is the most frequent way in which eros love is produced in a relationship, and yet not the only way. We tend to mistakenly believe that sex is an expression of love, but sex is only an expression of love, <b><i>if love already exists in a relationship</i></b>, prior to sex. To me, sex is best defined as an expression of the physical interplay of the Masculine and Feminine Divine image of God. It's a love-play; hence this is the reason why couples can have great sex, and do not love each other. For sex to become meaningful in which it produces eros love, you have to love your mate. When you have some time, read in your Bible the book, Song of Solomon, as an example of eros love between king Solomon and his wife, symbolizing God's love for His people. I want you to also think of ways in which you bond to people you love, such as family members or friends, in non-sexual ways. You are going to find eros love popping up in all your close relationships, even non-sexual relationships. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Acts of affection are a basic human need that promotes emotional health. Eros love is affectionate love, with sexual affection being a special kind of affection reserved for the romantic couple. Eros love includes all kinds of affection, including sex. Acts of affection, with the exception of sex, are usually indicative of eros love within. Kissing, hugging, caressing, stroking, patting, holding hands, and so forth are ways in which we show physical affection to those we love, or are attracted to. One reason why sex is not an indication of love is that people sometimes engage in sex to find love. They use sex as a substitute for love, so therefore sex is not an expression of love, but an attempt to fulfill a <b><i>craving </i></b>for love. This is why true lovemaking is more than just sex. True lovemaking is expressing your love for your mate in a physical sense with acts of affection around the sex act. Eros love includes all of that!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In our effort to understand eros love, there are certain things we need to remember. Eros love is from God. God created love, affection, and sex. If you don't believe me, then go read again the book, Song of Solomon. Because God created love, affection, and sex, sex is not sinful. What is sinful is our abuse of sex; however, the more we understand eros love, the more we will realize that eros love is all around us, and is an essential part of our existence, in more ways than one. Eros love is essential for our spiritual and emotional well-being. It is sacred. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For more information and to learn about the sacredness of sex, please read my blog <a href="http://www.daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/06/sacred-sexuality-101.html" target="_blank">Sacred Sexuality 101.</a> If too, you would like to receive <a href="http://www.daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/03/attract-love-into-your-life.html" target="_blank">love coaching</a>, to understand these concepts of love, to enhance your dating or marriage experience, please contact me on my <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank">website</a> to arrange for personal coaching. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-8428711535742184482014-08-03T04:12:00.000-07:002014-08-03T04:12:11.336-07:00Toxic Religion<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those of you on Facebook, you have probably seen the meme going around that reads something like this. "If all religions teach peace, then why are they at war?" Religion is supposed to be a good thing. Religion is supposed to bring us closer to a God of Love, and yet all we see around us are religious people at war with each other, and against all others. Where is this disconnect, and how did religion become so toxic? Personally, I believe that the toxicity in religion stems from having toxic people in religion. When a toxic person converts to religion, unfortunately, the toxicity does not go away. As a matter of fact, they sometimes use religion to justify toxic behaviors, in the name of God. Atrocities, which would otherwise be repulsive and abhorrent, are somehow sanitized as right and just, when committed in the name of God. Religion gives an out for toxic people to harm others without fear of Divine retribution, and without fear of "what man may do to me." Toxic people also tend to use religion as a cover for unrighteous acts, while appealing to religion as their justification, and right. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The peace which passes all understanding cannot come to you if you are a part of toxic religion, even if you don't personally participate in the wrongs being committed. You will always find yourself caught up in the midst of what others are doing, as their actions will negatively impact your life. Perhaps you yourself have been a victim of toxic religion? If you have suffered from spiritual abuse of any kind, then you are a victim of toxic religion. Spiritual abuse includes such things as brainwashing in cults, financial abuse, emotional abuse from church members, toxic teachings that harmed you, toxic teachings that damaged your health, toxic teachings that rob you of peace of mind, curses, spiritual oppression, spiritual warfare resulting in broken homes, divorce, domestic violence, sexual abuse, and so on. If you have suffered from any of those, then you were a victim of toxic religion. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the things I have learned by watching the news reports on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli%E2%80%93Palestinian_conflict" target="_blank">Israeli-Palestinian conflict,</a> and interacting with people on Facebook, is that people will justify anything, as long as it is done in the name of God. People will use false facts, misinformation, and plain propaganda, to get others to support their side of the story, and to turn others against the opposing side. When it comes to wars, religion is a formidable weapon used to assuage the conscience, when one is committing otherwise heinous acts. As long as God sanctions it, people feel it is okay. The problem however is that the other side also thinks that God is sanctioning their cause as well! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main reason why toxic religion is so dangerous, is that it robs you of peace. No one in toxic religion is really happy, and they certainly are not experiencing peace. You can even see it in their long, pious, self-righteous faces. They see evil in everything, and nothing good. They are always searching for the devil hiding under every rock. Scripture is used as a sword to cut others to pieces, and sometimes they throw the whole Book at you! Perhaps you have been caught up doing the same, and are now suffering the negative effects of being in toxic religion. Lack of peace of mind, fear, intimidation, apathy, cold-heartedness, lack of love in one's life, lack of inner peace, cruelty, harshness, and so on, are all the effects of being in toxic religion, and even when you leave physically. Toxic religion is such, that the effects haunt you, long after you physically leave the toxic organization. This is because the teachings are embedded in your mind, and lodged in your subconscious, following you, wherever you go. Studying more scripture sometimes fail to free you from toxicity, as usually what happens is that you swap one form of toxicity for another form of toxicity. It's not unusual for people to leave one toxic church/religion only to join another toxic church/religion, or they bring the toxicity with them to their new church or religion. One of my favorite quotes from Einstein is this: <b>"Problems cannot be solved by the same mind that created them."</b> Surely then, if you want to rid yourself of toxic religion, you need help from someone other than your own mind. It is for this reason, why I have created a toxic religion deprogramming spiritual counseling program. In this program, I address the spiritual mindset of toxic religion, and help you to free yourself from that mindset, which is truly a form of spiritual bondage. In my program, you will finally be free to serve God, without the underlying toxicity, and find peace of mind. The program outline is as follows. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Week One: Identifying What Makes Toxic Religion Toxic</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Week Two: Tactics Used to Attract People to Toxic Religion.</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Week Three: The Types of People Who are Attracted to or Vulnerable to Toxic Religion</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Week Four: Identifying Vulnerabilities Within Oneself to Toxic Religion</i></b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Week Five: Working on Your Vulnerable Areas to Remove Them</i></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are interested in toxic religion deprogramming, please contact me at my<a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank"> website</a>, and for more information. God bless you, and have a liberating day!</span><br />
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<br />Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-91470331868608464532014-06-29T05:45:00.001-07:002014-08-17T04:48:59.484-07:00Sacred Sexuality 101<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We are so used to hearing about the negative effects of sex. We are bombarded on a daily basis on the negative effects of sex with news reports of rape, sodomy, gang rapes, unwanted pregnancies, abortions, affairs, and sexually transmitted diseases. We tend to warn our young people to stay away from drugs, violence, and also sex. Sex is so powerful that it can bring down even the most powerful people in society. Who has not heard of this powerful leader or that powerful leader being brought low by sexual indiscretions, love affairs, and bad marriages? Donald Sterling was brought low by racial comments made to his mistress. Bill Clinton was brought low by being caught in an sexual act in the White House, with Monica Llewinsky. What about Senator John Edwards? After his sex scandal/affair, we have not seen nor heard from him again. With all the negative press about sex, it is very difficult to have a positive, healthy, attitude towards sex that is fulfilling and positively life-transforming. Yeah, you read right. Sex can be positively life-transforming; and it is, when you practice sacred sexuality. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When you practice sacred sexuality, you will begin to understand the purpose of sex, and how sex can change your life for the good. You will understand how the Creator built us for that, and why, and how sex can even contribute to world peace. We are all created sexual beings. Our sexual development is very much a part of our physical and emotional development. Lack of understanding of the spiritual aspects of sex contributes greatly to the stunting of our emotional development, and is the source of lack of peace of mind in society, hence the negative manifestations of sex in society. In sacred sexuality, whether you are single or married, you too can learn and appreciate how to apply the principles of sacred sexuality in your life, so that you can spiritually grow and evolve into a more grounded person, who is at peace with God and humanity. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Because sex can be such a complex and controversial issue, I won't be able to get into all of it in one blog, so I have created a spiritual coaching program, designed to address some of the more basic issues, as it relates to sacred sexuality. What I can say, as an introduction to that program, is that we need to remove the negative stigmas, and return sex back to it's rightful place, where it all started - the Creator. When we start to view sex from a spiritual standpoint, instead of just merely physical or moral, then we will truly begin practicing the art of sacred sexuality, which will manifest for us the peace of mind and joy in life, that we all seek. The sacred sexuality spiritual coaching program is as follows:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Week One: Male and Female as image of God</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once you start practicing the art of sacred sexuality, expect to find more positive experiences in life, as you and/or your relationships heal. You will find the world to be a much more loving and peaceful place, and most of all, you will feel fulfilled, and be at One with those around you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">To contact me about sacred sexuality coaching, please go to my website, and fill out the contact form, and send it to me.</span><br />
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Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-85430547204350489572014-06-22T07:02:00.000-07:002014-06-22T15:58:38.722-07:00Relationship Commitment<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dating is fun, but after a while, most folks want to know if their date is going to commit to them for a relationship. The commitment question does not however end when they do enter into some kind of relationship, even when they are boyfriend/girlfriend. I can't even begin to tell you the many times people in long-standing relationships worry about their mate not committing. Without going into all the details of the different kinds of relationships that are out there (sex buddies, friends with benefits, monogamous/exclusive boyfriend-girlfriend, live-in lovers, common-law marriage, legal marriage), I am going to describe the three types of commitments that can occur in a relationship, and what they look like. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is where partners are friends with each other. They get on well, understand each other, enjoy each other's company, and socialize together. They usually share a lot of things in common, and have common interests. They do a lot of things together and are a good fit. They are also very forgiving of each other faults, and are willing to overlook slights. They tend to stick with each other through the ups and downs of life, and are there for each other through the good times and bad times. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Soul mates are like friends but they are mirrors of each other. They see themselves in each other. "I see you in me and me in you." Soul mates are very comfortable with each other, and they complement each other. What one lacks the other makes up for, and together they function as a whole. Apart they are strong, but together they are stronger. They complete each other. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Marriage is a legal contract, where two people commit to take care of each other for the rest of their lives, "for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, 'til death do us part." Because it's a legal contract, it is enforceable by law, and the two parties cannot get out of that commitment unless by court action - a divorce. Ideally, you only want to enter into a legal contract, such as marriage, with someone who is at least a lifetime friend or your soul mate. Entering into a marriage contract with anyone less, is signing up for spiritual/emotional disaster. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a spiritual counselor I teach people how to identify the qualities within their relationship that are for or against commitment. In many instances, couples do love each other, but their love do not rise to the level to cause any of three commitment levels - lifetime friendship, soul mate or marriage. In my <a href="http://www.daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/03/attract-love-into-your-life.html" target="_blank">love coaching program</a>, I explore all three levels of commitment that can occur in a relationship, and help you lay the framework for being in a loving committed relationship. For more information about my love coaching program, and to contact me, please visit my <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank">website. </a></span><br />
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Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-50549562723410030552014-06-22T06:20:00.001-07:002014-06-22T15:32:44.305-07:00Ending Emotional Pain<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One of the facts about this life is that you are going to go through emotional pain. Whether it's from broken relationships, bad marriages, traumatic childhoods, disloyal friends, spiteful people, or other life circumstances, we all have to face emotional pain at one time or the other. It is just a fact of life that is, and therefore we need to learn good ways to handle emotional pain, and the long-lived hurt it can inflict for decades, even for the rest of our lives, affecting us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We need to know how to get rid of it, so that it does not permanently lodge itself within our subconscious, infecting our very being with its toxicity, and becoming an <a href="http://www.daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/05/emotional-baggage-removal-program-ebrp.html" target="_blank">emotional baggage </a>that we carry around for the rest of our lives, creating misery and inability to ever find happiness. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ending emotional pain happens one way and one way only - by practicing forgiveness. Before I go into the details as to why forgiveness works, let me first explain what forgiveness is NOT. Forgiveness is NOT pretending everything is okay when they are not. Forgiveness is NOT pretending as if others are not doing wrong. Forgiveness is a REALIZATION that people are going to do bad things from time to time, perhaps even hurtful things to you or others, which will cause pain, even emotional pain. It's this emotional pain that lingers and causes you misery and unhappiness on the inside, long after the initial hurt was done to you. Let's for example say someone made a rude remark to you or told a lie on you. Yes, what they did was wrong, and it hurt you. It probably cost you friendships, your job, or caused you to be wrongly punished for something you did not do. What was done is done, but emotional pain causes you to re-live those hurtful experiences all over again, even long after the incident was over, and keeps you in a state of constant hurt and misery. The more you re-live those hurtful experiences, the more angry, resentful, and bitter you get. You might even start to hate the other person, and justifiably so. The problem however, with these kinds of emotions that stem from emotional pain, is that they hurt you more than they hurt the other person who wronged you. YOU are the one feeling unhappy on the inside. YOU are the one feeling victimized. YOU are the one feeling miserable and alone. After a while, the emotional pain builds up so much, that you start to feel depressed and anxious, and might even cause you to feel bodily pain as well. It's not uncommon for emotional pain to cause muscle aches and pain, as well as be the start for clinical depression and other mental/psychiatric disorders, due to the stress caused by emotional pain. Read <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071009164122.htm" target="_blank">here </a>how stress can be a trigger for major illnesses. You can also read this article <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/body-sense/201204/emotional-and-physical-pain-activate-similar-brain-regions" target="_blank">here</a> as well, that shows the link between emotional pain and physical pain. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Forgiveness is you releasing from your own heart the anger, resentment, and bitterness that you have on the inside for others, and not carrying grudges any more. It means that you come to an UNDERSTANDING and ACCEPTANCE that people are the way they are, but you don't allow that understanding to cause you to develop long-standing bitterness on the inside. When you forgive, your anger is replace by pity for the other person's pathetic ways. You become compassionate and realize that they are weak human beings with character flaws like anyone else (including yourself), and are in need of healing. You also understand the fact that people are going to mess up from time to time and make mistakes, and that also, people are going to act out behaviors true to character as well. <b>"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time" (Maya Angelou). </b>Put away your anger that you are carrying against people who are being who they are, or for mistakes they made. This will go a long way in helping you to see them in a different light, and to quell the anger that is raging in your own soul. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is what to expect when you forgive. Your emotional pain is lifted. Your physical pain might even disappear. You will be at peace on the inside with yourself, because emotional pain is really lack of peace within oneself. It is actually you being angry at yourself, and inflicting anger on yourself. So therefore, not only do you have to forgive others, but you need to forgive yourself. Forgiving yourself however is a feedback loop that depends upon you forgiving others. You can't receive self forgiveness if you are not willing to forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15). So forgive, and see your burdens miraculously lift away, as the grace of forgiveness enters your soul (Romans 8:1; Isaiah 26:3; Matthew 11:28). Your inner world of peace will match your outer world of peace. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are interested in ending emotional pain, I have a four-week Conflict Resolution spiritual coaching program that takes you through the steps of ending emotional pain, starting with confession and ending with restoring one's peace of mind. My step by step program will change your life, and help you to end emotional pain, using forgiveness as the main tool. The program outline is as follows:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Week One: Confession - of one's weaknesses and faults</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Week Two: Repentance - turning away from negative emotions</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Week Three: Forgiveness - letting go of negative emotions</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><b>Week Four: Restoration - of one's peace of mind</b></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are interested in ending emotional pain and learning how to forgive, please visit my <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank">website</a> to contact me. God bless you! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-65315485284035410562014-05-30T17:48:00.000-07:002014-05-31T05:03:07.474-07:00Emotional Baggage Removal Program (EBRP)Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD. SC-C<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Emotional Baggage Removal Program (EBRP) is a spiritual coaching program designed to remove emotional baggage from past relationships out of your life, so that you don't carry it into any new relationship you may have, and ruin that relationship. A lot of people go around carrying toxic emotions from past broken relationships, divorces, bad marriages, bad relationships, bad job situations, and emotionally traumatic childhood that creates dysfunctional relationship dynamics. The emotional baggage causes them to attract more and more bad relationships, instead of attracting the loving relationships they so much desire. This is because you only attract your mirrors - a universal law. So if you are carrying hate, anger, and bitterness on the inside, then you are going to attract more hate-filled, anger-filled, and bitter relationships in your life. Your emotional baggage is going to unload itself in whatever relationship you are in, and create a toxic situation that only attracts more toxicity. In order to change this around, so that you can attract more positive relationships, it is important therefore that you get rid of the emotional baggage that you are carrying around, and replace it with positive emotions. </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> "You attract what you are." </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">EBRP gets rid of emotional baggage through spiritual counseling, as well as a series of spiritual practices that you do daily, that are designed to get rid of your specific emotional baggage. Spiritual practices include meditation/prayer, journaling, affirmations, physical activities, and sound/music therapy to name a few. Spiritual practices are tailored to YOUR level of spirituality, and are in accordance with Universal Spiritual Law, common across all cultures and belief systems. The five-week EBRP is as follows:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Week One: Making Peace with Your Past</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Week Two: Increasing Love and Appreciation of Self</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are interested in EBRP, please contact me on my website.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/">www.hillarydawes.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-72490964257430848512014-05-16T18:05:00.001-07:002014-05-17T12:51:56.288-07:00STRESS LESSRev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">With such beautiful words as the promise in Matthew 11:28, one would think that living the Christian life would be stress free, or at least less stressful. The truth is that many, many, many Christians are under tons of stress, and sometimes even more stress than before their conversion. It's a really strange phenomenon that the supposedly care-free Christian life is filled with so much stress! I think one of the major reasons for this is that many of us do not know how to balance work and rest. We are constantly on the go, doing this and doing that, and if that is not bad enough, our minds are constantly working, processing a million thoughts non-stop. Add to that the cares of life and the consciousness of sinning, and you have a recipe for spiritual, emotional and physical breakdown, with negative impact on one's health and peace of mind. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">One of the reasons why it's so important to control our stress levels is that stress is a leading cause of major illnesses. Cancers, heart disease, autoimmune diseases, and depression are all associated with stress. You can read how stress causes and contributes to disease, in this article <a href="http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071009164122.htm" target="_blank">here</a>. Many times our prayers for healing go unanswered, because we continue to subject our bodies to the high levels of stress, which continues to trigger the disease process. Healing cannot take place as long as the the cause of your illness is left untreated, and so, if stress is the trigger to your illness, then no healing will come, as long as the stressor remains. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Stress usually affects us in three forms - physical, social and spiritual. Physical stressors are those things which affect your health or threaten you with bodily harm. Examples of physical stressors include illnesses, physical abuse, physical violence, work stress, physical hazards, feats of physical endurance/challenge, sexual abuse, depression, mental illness, and so on. Examples of social stress include marriage, divorce, major life events, bad relationships, peer pressure, bullying, emotional and verbal abuse, loneliness, dysfunctional family life, lack of love in one's life, financial abuse, job loss, unemployment, debt, financial troubles, dating anxiety, shyness, social awkwardness, and so on. Examples of spiritual causes of stress include unforgiveness, lovelessness, ingratitude, complaining, criticizing, fault-finding, judging, worrying, anxiety, wrong-doing, guilt, shame, bad attitudes, negative thinking, hopelessness, spiritual/religious abuse, toxic religion, and so on. As you can see, the causes of stress are many and varied, and the sooner you address the causes of your stress, the less stress you will have in your life, and the happier your life will be. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">As a spiritual counselor, I help you to pin-point those areas of your life that are causing you stress, and make recommendations for you to get help for those stressful areas of your life. Very recently, a few months ago, I had a client by the name of Clara* who was under intense stress and severe depression due to being a single, divorced mother with no help to raise her son, and a bad relationship with her son. The stress became so bad, that she lost her mind, and wanted to end it all. Luckily for her, I was able to direct her to the appropriate resources and her life was saved. Not only was her life saved, but she was afterwards able to finish with the spiritual counseling, and her relationship with her son was restored. Another client by the name of Tammy* was helped by me to relieve stress associated with a major medical depressive disorder and bipolar depression. While I do not treat depression, I was able to help Tammy tap into activities and resources to relieve her stress associated with her depression. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Many of my clients are able to reduce their stress levels by taking one or more of my spiritual coaching programs to address the issues surrounding their stress. There are at least five spiritual coaching programs that I have, that I use to help clients relieve stress, depending upon the cause of stress. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b>Spiritual Renewal Coaching Program </b>- A three-week program that addresses generalized, overall stress. Perhaps you just have 'bad energy' that is weighing you down, or you are giving out 'stressful vibes', or you are anxious for no particular reason, then this program is good for you. In the Spiritual Renewal program, I coach you through techniques that will provide you with physical, social, and spiritual relief from stress. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b>Spiritual Cleansing Program</b> - A four-week program that addresses stress caused from spiritual attacks. This program is especially geared for people who feel as if they are under spiritual oppression, and cannot break free from bad luck. This program is similar to the spiritual renewal coaching program, in that you are coached in techniques to provide physical, social, and spiritual relief from stress, but it also includes spiritual protection to remove the negative spiritual influences out of your life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b>Emotional Baggage Removal Coaching Program </b>- A five-week, extremely specific program, tailored to your personal issues, that addresses past issues causing current stress. Many people carry around lots of toxic emotions from past relationships, broken marriages and dysfunctional family dynamics. The Emotional Baggage Removal Program (EBRP) helps you to remove those toxic emotions out of your life, so that you can live free from the stress of those toxic burdens. EBRP helps you to remove bitterness, anger, unforgiveness, resentment, negative attachment, MENTAL BLOCKS TO LOVE, and a host of other negative spiritual emotions out of your life. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b>Cult deprogramming </b>- A five-week program that addresses the stress caused from being in a toxic religious environment. It does not have to be a cult for a religious organization to be toxic. Any mainstream religious organizations can become toxic TO YOU. As long as the environment is toxic to you, it is going to cause you guilt, shame, fear, worry, anxiety, and rob you of peace of mind. Cult deprogramming addresses the spiritual mindset that led up to you being in spiritual bondage to an organization, and helps you to become free. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b>Spiritual Counseling to Remove Dating Anxiety </b>- A four-week program that addresses the anxiety and the needy/clingy behaviors people tend to display while dating. The anxiety and clingy/needy behaviors result from having a love-void on the inside. This program helps you to fill the love-void by "filling up on love" while dating. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">I also offer a <b><a href="http://www.daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/03/attract-love-into-your-life.html" target="_blank">Love Coaching Program</a> </b>which teaches you what love is and how to identify love separate from lust and emotional attachment, and <b>Abundance and Prosperity Counseling</b> to relieve financial stress. My book <b><a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/Personal_Testimony.html" target="_blank">Surviving a Global Economic Crisis: A Biblical Perspective</a></b> teaches you how to find inner peace in the midst of global (or personal) economic crisis. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">If you are suffering from stress, and are seeking relief, then perhaps spiritual counseling is what you need, so that you can start enjoying life again, and truly find rest in your soul. For more information about the programs I offer, please visit my <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" style="background-color: #eeeeee;" target="_blank">www. hillarydawes.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">*Name changed for privacy</span></span></div>
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Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-83528383378355338402014-05-10T15:04:00.000-07:002014-05-11T13:15:14.244-07:00TEN SIGNS THAT YOU ARE LIVING A SPIRITUAL LIFE<br />
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Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C</div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;"><i><b>"</b></i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: start;"><i><b>F</b></i><b style="font-style: italic;">or to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace" (Romans 8:6, KJV)</b></span></div>
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The godly life or the spiritual life is your personal journey in the Spirit to wholeness and inner peace. Along this journey, there are many bumps in the road, and sometimes it can seem discouraging. Sometimes it seems like no matter what you do, and how well you follow every thing by the book, things backfire, and you are met with frustration along the way. Sometimes the setbacks can be so overwhelming that you feel like giving up; hence the need to know whether you are on the right track or not, so you are not expending needless energy or putting energy into things that do not serve your highest spiritual good. In this blog, I have developed this list of ten things, as a way to give you guidance along your path, so that you are encouraged in your journey. </div>
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<li>'WORLDLY' PEOPLE FEEL UNCOMFORTABLE IN YOUR PRESENCE (John 15:18-20). They can't tell you why they dislike you, even though you are nice and not pushy, and you really do care about people. Your 'goodness' is a turn off for them, as it makes them feel bad about themselves. You are too much of a 'goody-two-shoes' as that makes them uncomfortable. They invariably try to find ways to show you up as a fake or someone disingenuous. They try to dig up dirt on you so as to bring you to their level. Don't let this kind of persecution and pressure get to you. If you continue to be consistent in your demeanor, and be your true self, after a while they will leave you alone. </li>
<li> YOU ARE MORE INTERESTED IN PEOPLE THAN THINGS (Luke 12:15). You don't see socializing and having fun with your friends and family as a waste of time. Jesus was accused of being a party-person, and too sociable (Luke 7:34). Your goal in life is not to amass tons of wealth but to build good memories with the people in your life, by building strong, solid friendships, relationships, and family (Matthew 16:26). You provide for your family, but you are able to balance work with social time. </li>
<li>YOUR LOVE IS NOT INSTITUTIONALIZED. It means you truly love what you are doing, and you are not loving others just because you saw a commandment in the Bible to love others. It is not a love where you are doing XYZ because Jesus said you are to do those things to show love. Sharing the gospel, giving Bible studies, preaching to the homeless, and evangelizing are typical institutionalized way to show love to others. Please bear in the mind that doing those things do NOT require you to love at all, if you are doing them out of obligation to fulfill a command. As a matter of fact, those things are really duties, and not necessarily acts of love. If your love for another person is based upon them following your teachings, then is it truly love? Do you only care for them if they follow your teachings or do you care for them regardless? Do you call down hell and destruction on them if they do not abide by your doctrines? A truly spiritual and godly person practices tolerance and love regardless, and does not seek for the destruction of another soul (Luke 9:51-56). </li>
<li>YOU HAVE ALL THAT YOU NEED FOR THE PRESENT (Philippians 4:19). The spiritual person does not give into the mindset of lack. The spiritual person recognizes that all his/her needs are being provided for, and are being met. The spiritual person has an <a href="http://www.daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/04/the-abundant-life.html" target="_blank">abundance mentality</a> and not a scarcity mentality. The temporary appearance of lack in the present does not mean a loss of spiritual status for the spiritually-minded person. The spiritually-minded person is at total peace with God's providence. </li>
<li>YOU GIVE WITHOUT AN AGENDA TO SATISFY THE EGO (Matthew 6:1-6). I am not referring to public relations and marketing that companies do to advertise their business or what churches or ministries do to let the public know what services they have to offer, and how they are serving the community. This is about using your acts of charity to another person to make yourself look good in front of others. Where the focus is not on the person you are helping but on you, where you use your good deed to make a show of your righteousness before others. An attitude like that will drive away people from your confidence as the cost of being publicly humiliated is not worth the help you are offering. I have been in positions where teachers wanted to use me as an exhibit for their class when I obviously did not feel comfortable going up in front. They were more interested in proving their point for 'educational purposes' without regards for my feeling. It's difficult to trust people who put you up for show. If you are the kind of person who is critical, judgmental and condemning, and love to point out the sins of others, do not be surprised that you get 'persecuted' by others. When you judge or condemn others, it causes you to be condemned back by them in defense. This is the law of reciprocity in action. This was why Jesus said, "Judge not that ye be not judged" (Matthew 7:1). It will all come back to you. Your reward in life is the satisfaction that you get when you help others, and the joy of knowing that another life has been helped. Having inner joy over the happiness of others is a sign of spiritual maturity (Romans 15:12).</li>
<li>THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU (Luke 17:21). A lot of folks identify heavily with the churches they attend. While that is good for the church you attend, it does not say anything about your relationship with God - only your relationship with your church. Church membership does not equal having the kingdom of God within you. The kingdom of God is not a building or even a visible place with borders (John 18:36). The kingdom of God is the life of the Spirit residing in you (Luke 11:20). It's you being 100% authentic regardless of whether its Sunday morning in church or Monday morning on the job. Some folks are only 'good people' in church or in front of others, but behind closed doors, they are no different than anyone else. The Spirit within you is 24-7, and is not something that comes upon you in church that causes you to yell and shout. The Spirit within you is that Life within you that causes re-birth (Romans 8:5). In the Spirit-filled life your tendencies change. You tend to be attracted more to peaceful, loving, and compassionate ways to live. The fruits of the Spirit manifest more and more in your life (Galatians 5:22-23). </li>
<li>YOU ARE MORE INTERESTED IN HELPING OTHERS THAN PUSHING DOCTRINES (Matthew 23:25; James 2:14-18). It always amazes me to see people giving Bible tracts to the homeless and hungry on the streets - preaching to them and yet never offering them any food, clothing or shelter. While you may have no problem spending money on lots of tracks to share the gospel to people who may never attend your church, and you might find it difficult to spend the same amount of money to provide a meal to the hungry. Yes, sometimes they use the money to buy alcohol, cigarettes, etc but you can also help by giving to a homeless shelter or a soup kitchen. Where I live, we have at least two homeless shelters. They do an EXCELLENT job of keeping lots of homeless people off the streets, as well as provide spiritual counseling and educational opportunities. <a href="http://miamirescuemission.com/" target="_blank">This is the one I support regularly.</a> And I don't work for them. I just love what they do for our community. </li>
<li>YOU DON'T GO OUT OF YOUR WAY TO SEEK SPECIAL HONORS FOR YOURSELF (Luke 22:24-27; Matthew 23:1-12). Nothing is worse than church folks fighting for church office, and using church office as a means to exert power over the lives of people. A spiritual person is not interested in power grabs, but concerns him/herself with serving others. You are on the wrong track if your focus is on jockeying for elitist positions in the church to satisfy your pride. If you are the type of person who does not respect the spiritual gifts of others, but try to outdo others in their gifting or even belittle their gift, you are going the wrong way spiritually. The body won't thrive if only one voice or one opinion matters. Don't be surprised that your church is not seen as a place of community but just a place of hostility. </li>
<li>YOU DO NOT PRACTICE BLIND FAITH (Matthew 23:24). Blind faith is following some religious teaching that fails to deliver, yet hoping it will all pan out if one has enough faith. Insanity is described as doing something over and over again, expecting different results. If your faith in something is proven false, why do you cling to false hope? I never understood that concept. I am tired of hearing Evangelists chastising people for not having enough faith for healing from an illness or for their state of poverty. The truth is that they are misleading people as to the true state of their affairs. Don't get sidetracked with slick attempts to pull the wool over the eyes of the sheep- buy this anointing oil here or this scarf here to be healed or bring blessings in your life. Yes, we have all heard this, and many do buy those things, and are no better off than when they started. Some have even become worse off, as their problems remain unaddressed. It's so much better to seek counseling whether from your pastor, a <a href="http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-spiritual-counseling.htm" target="_blank">spiritual counselor</a> like myself, or a qualified secular counselor for your life problems and for proper guidance, than to buy into hocus pocus. </li>
<li>YOU ARE WILLING TO LISTEN TO THE POINT OF VIEWS OF OTHERS WITHOUT BECOMING DEFENSIVE OF OWN BELIEFS (Psalm 119:165). Too many of us are more interested in defending our beliefs than finding out truth. Your truth and my truth are not always the same, so there is no point in you trying to prove your truth to me, as your truth does not resonate with my truth. Really, the root of all these debates is the fear of being wrong, and the fear of being found believing in a lie, so we cling, argue, and provoke each other to anger with ad homien attacks, in order to defend what we believe to be truth. I love the saying, "Truth needs no defense." Do you know why? If something is true, it is going to be evident, and the proof of it being truth lies in its own veracity. No amount of questioning, analysis, or examining can destroy that which is true, because the more you dig into truth, the more credible it becomes. On the other hand, truths based upon unproven beliefs or unsupported feelings may not pan out when put to the test. The enemy to falsehood is truth - not more falsehood. Truth cannot be destroyed by lies. The truth will always come out. You need to get to the place where people can express themselves with you, without you taking it personally, and getting all mad and irate with them. A truly spiritual person is not bothered or disturbed by differences in opinions (1 Corinthians 11:19). </li>
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In conclusion, the spiritual life leads you to the abundant life of peace, happiness, and joy! For more information on how to live the abundant life and to get spiritual counseling on the abundant life, please visit my website. </div>
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Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-13136537723201198322014-04-29T00:58:00.000-07:002014-06-25T05:25:41.159-07:00LOVE AND RELIGION<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the things I have noticed, among dating Christians seeking a spouse, is that many are seeking godly mates who love God, to marry, which of course is right. Many assume however that a person who is "in love" with God would make a loving spouse. Is it really true that love for God means love for people? In this blog, I will explore this concept of whether religion plays any role in finding love. <br />
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Religion is our vertical experience of man to God, while marriage is a horizontal experience of human to human. Just because you are loyal and dedicated in your church, are blessed and highly favored with spiritual gifts, and love God, does not mean that you are ready for marriage, or even have what it takes to enter into a loving relationship with another human being. God's love for us is unconditional (John 3:16), so it's quite possible for a person to have a good relationship with God, and not be a particularly loving person. Our relationship with God depends largely on God's unconditional love for us - not the love we have for God. Our love for God is NOTHING compared to the love God has for us, and as such, we can easily deceive ourselves that we have a strong, loving relationship with God, when the fact is that God loves us in spite of our deepest faults. So you could be the worst hater, spouse-beater, verbally abusive person there is, and yet be within the bounds of God's love, as His love is greater than all our sins, <b>"...but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Romans 5:20). </b>So in reality, you don't have to be a good person, who is all lovey dovey, to have a relationship with God. You just need to abide in His love.<br />
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Marriage involves the ability to relate to another human being in a loving fashion. It requires people skills - not religious skills. We know that is true because even non believers have good marriages! As a matter of fact, in the USA, atheists, agnostics, and other faith groups have much lower divorce rates than Christians. You can read about it <a href="http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_dira.htm" target="_blank">here</a>. This goes to show that being religious has very little to do with having a happy marriage, and that being a Christian does not inoculate you from bad marriages. Many of the people I give <a href="http://daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/04/love-without-attachment.html" target="_blank">post-divorce spiritual counseling</a> to are Christians. What many don't understand is that the marriage relationship requires that one develops one's ability to love another human being, where you are not demanding love, but living in love. To go around saying you want a spouse that loves you just as Christ loves the church is a great goal, but if you yourself are not emotionally in a place to give and receive that kind of love right NOW in your current dating experience, then your expectation is nothing more than a demanding, pie-in-the-sky fantasy, which will cause you future marriage problems, if you do ever get married. <br />
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If you are serious about finding love, and settling down in a good marriage relationship with another human being, I highly recommend that you take my <a href="http://daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/03/attract-love-into-your-life.html" target="_blank">Four Loves Coaching program</a>, so that you not only attract love into your life, but become a more loving person. I know for myself, if I had not found love, I don't know where I would be today. After coming out of a <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/Personal_Testimony.html" target="_blank">very bad marriage,</a> and years of bad relationships with men, I was finally able to break free from that vicious cycle, and find love in a relationship, that I am currently in. I will teach you the same relationship/people skills and principles that I learned, which finally caused me to break free from the cycle of unhappy relationships, and find love. <br />
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To sign up for any of one my spiritual counseling programs, and for more information, please visit my <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank">website</a>, and God bless you. Much love to you. <br />
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<br />Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-3184751102458087642014-04-20T09:20:00.000-07:002014-04-20T14:25:08.513-07:00THE ABUNDANT LIFERev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Universally, most people struggle with lack in their lives, especially lack in finances and love. Poverty and lack are real problems worldwide, with the naked, the starving, and the homeless. Even in first world countries like the USA, we struggle with homelessness, high cost of living, debt, and unaffordable health care. Many people are just one pay check away or one illness away from financial bankruptcy. The same can be said for lack of love. Singer Dionne Warwick made this song popular back in the 60's - 70's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbXsZlPbN90" target="_blank">What the World Needs Now is Love Sweet Love.</a> It seems that there is a shortage of love in the world overall, with the wars, battles, strife, unrest, and political fights that are constantly being waged globally. Crime is at an all time high, with killings and murders in 'peaceful' countries. The seemingly upswing in school killings, with children killing children in our schools, has put us on all on edge, and intense high alert, as to the increasing lovelessness that is being manifested in every sector of society. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lack of love and lack of finances in our lives all stem from the same source - a mindset of lack or scarcity. Yes, when we have a scarcity mentality, that there is not enough, it causes us to become selfish and self centered in our attempts to grab more for ourselves, because we feel we do not have enough. So the person who feels that they are lonely and lacking love, will be out there seeking for love, and the person who has lack in finances, will be out there seeking after that which you do not have; but are these true lack, or just PERCEPTIONS of lack? Are we operating off what is real, or are we operating off what we perceive to be real? The truth of the matter is that </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">1) we live in an abundant Universe where all our needs can be met, and </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">2) there is actually no limit to love. Love is limitless, and thus is not lacking.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We live in an abundant Universe where all our needs can be met. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>"</b><b>But my God shall supply all your need</b><b> according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19)</b>. This means that all you need is here already,</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> and there is NO LACK. Your perceived lack is temporary, and your need will be met, as all the resources will be Divinely provided. Yes, we live on a planet with limited resources. There is just so much square miles of land, so many trees, so many plants, animals, and people. Yes, all that is true but that does not take away from the fact that there is more than enough provided for us all, because God is able to provide for us </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" </b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>(Ephesians 3:20)</b>. Did not Jesus say that it was the Father's "good pleasure" to give us the kingdom? (Luke 12:32). Just because we do not possess the thing right now that we are desiring does not mean that we won't get it. As long as it is a need, you will eventually get it. The reason why you are not getting your heart's desire is because you believe in lack. You see yourself as poor, unfortunate, underprivileged, and deprived, and thus you train your mind to think of yourself that way. If you continue thinking of yourself that way, your life will manifest poverty, misfortune, underprivilege, and depravity. You are what you think you are, thus when you think lack, that is what your life will manifest. </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"As he thinketh in his heart, so is he"</b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> <b>(Proverbs 23:7)</b>. You therefore need to correct your thinking, and bring it in line with the truth,and the truth is this: </span><b style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We live in an abundant Universe, and God will provide all my needs. </b></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this abundant Universe, there is no limit or lack of love. Yes, although we see an abundance of unloving behaviors all around us, the truth is that there is an even more abundance of love all around us (Ephesians 3:17-19; Song of Solomon 8:7). It is just that we are so focused on what is evil, that it blinds our eyes to what is good. When you live your life seeking for what you already have, you will never find it, because you don't recognize what you have. When you live your life focusing on what you don't have, then all you will get is what you don't have. Again, this comes back to the teaching of Proverbs 23:7 of whatever you think about, that is what your life will manifest. So if you focus on all the bad things in life, then your life will also manifest those bad things you are concentrating on and giving your energy to. "You get what you pay for" is the common expression used to show us that whatever we invest in mentally or financially, is what we reap. Correct your focus to this truth, that love is all around us, and abundantly so, and you will find love. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you are having trouble with lack in your finances or love, as a spiritual counselor, I can help you to change your mindset, so that your life can manifest more abundance. Read my personal testimony <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/Personal_Testimony.html" target="_blank">here</a> about how I managed to change my life around, by applying some much needed spiritual principles from the Bible. You can do the same as well, when you sign up for my <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank">abundance and prosperity coaching program</a> or my <a href="http://daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/03/attract-love-into-your-life.html" target="_blank">love coaching program,</a> on <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/Home_Page.html" target="_blank">my website.</a> For more information, please go to:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And God bless you! </span></div>
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Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-70522100482236014892014-04-19T09:01:00.000-07:002014-05-18T05:09:35.147-07:00LOVE WITHOUT ATTACHMENTRev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C<br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Many of you who are familiar with psychology have probably heard about the <a href="http://clarebear-socialpsych.blogspot.com/2007/10/essay-2-attachment-theory.html" target="_blank">four attachment styles</a> of relationships. The four attachment styles are secure attachment, dismissive (avoidant) attachment, pre-occupied attachment, and fearful avoidant attachment. This is NOT what this blog is all about. Those are psychological models used to describe different ways people develop emotionally from childhood into adulthood. Spiritually speaking, an attachment is emotional dependence upon another person outside of yourself for your own happiness. It is where your ability to experience joy, feel love, fear, pain, and so on, all depends upon how those close to you treat you. It's what psychologists call <a href="http://www.webmd.com/sex-relationships/features/signs-of-a-codependent-relationship" target="_blank">co-dependency</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Emotional attachment is a spiritual problem, because it is often used as a substitute for love. Emotional attachment makes a person feel that they have bonded with their partner, but the truth is that no bonding has actually taken place. It is a one-sided relationship where one or both parties are clinging to a relationship where both sides are not seeing eye to eye, and are not connecting spiritually or emotionally. Both partners are out of harmony with each other, and are operating on different wave lengths and out of frequency with each other. You can't bond if there is disharmony and discord. Disharmony causes conflict - not bonding. So in order to correct the disharmony, some couples attach - meaning they commit themselves to stay the course of the relationship because they feel emotionally BOUND or attracted to each other. They feed off each other's wounds, and the conflict continues, because what is holding them together is some subconscious attraction for each other. Spiritually speaking, this is nothing more than spiritual bondage. It is where you are bound, and tied up in a relationship that is not working for you, but you can't escape, due to being spiritually attracted to the negative relationship patterns. You feel that staying is better than being in no relationship at all. You feel that being free is not worth the agony of not having someone in your life. You feel that all your chances of happiness in this life are wrapped up in this one relationship,and if it ends, you will never find happiness. The attachment can get so bad that even when you leave the person, their memory remains lodged in your subconscious mind, and you keep re-living the relationship over and over again in your head. I have known of people who were so attached, that after they left the bad situation, they immediately sought ways to get back their abusive ex-partner, resorting to even stalking behavior. All of this is misinterpreted as love, yet this is NOT love, but emotional attachment. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">To love without attachment means that you can love without clinging or feeling needy, or feeling fearful of losing out on love. It means that you are not afraid of letting go of relationships that are loveless. Loving without attachment saves you from being in emotional bondage to relationships that do not serve your highest good, and that do not contribute to your emotional well-being. To bond with another person is good, but to attach is bad. Bonding is when you are both able to integrate and harmonize your lives, without violation of personal dignity and self respect. The two partners complement each other, and thus are stronger as a couple. There is no loss of your self-identity as in attachment, where mismatched partners try to force their personalities on each other. In emotional attaching, one or both parties succumb to the pressure, at the cost of great unhappiness to both. The most important thing to remember is that love is NOT attachment. Attachment actually keeps you bound in bad relationships so that you cannot experience love. If you want to truly experience love, then my recommendation is that you break the strong hold of attachments. As a spiritual counselor, I can help you with removing attachments with my <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank">Emotional Baggage</a> coaching program. The program is as follows:-</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Week One: Making Peace with Your Past</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Week Two: Increasing Love and Appreciation of Self</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Week Three: Increasing Positive Programming</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Week Four: Making Peace with God</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the end of the five-week program, you will be able to sever your emotional attachments and find the freedom to find love. For more information about all my coaching programs, please visit my <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank">website</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/">www.hillarydawes.com</a></span></div>
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Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-39254235616019380312014-04-16T17:13:00.000-07:002014-04-17T02:09:15.585-07:00THE BLOOD MOON TETRAD<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C</div>
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Those of us living in the Western Hemisphere were treated to a spectacular lunar eclipse on April 15, the very first night of Passover, the Jewish festival. I was one of those who tried to stay up late to watch, but ended up falling asleep before the actual event. I woke up at about 5:00 am, and rushed outside with iPhone in hand to see if I could catch even a glimpse, but it was all over, except for the receding shadow of the Earth darkening just a tiny piece of the brilliantly lit moon. Awww....I had wanted so much to see this......</div>
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If you were like me, and missed this wonder in the sky, you will have three more chances coming up soon. The next lunar eclipses will be on Sukkot 10/08/14, Passover 4/4/15, and Sukkot 9/28/15. I definitely plan on NOT missing these. </div>
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A lot of people are wondering if there is any significance to these blood moons, seeing that they all fall on Jewish feast days. Firstly, let me say that lunar eclipses are nothing strange. They are natural celestial events that occur from time to time. Secondly, the feast days of Passover and Sukkot always fall on a full moon (Passover) or near a full moon (Sukkot). Thirdly, lunar eclipses always occur during a full moon, so nothing strange there either. Fourthly, the color of the moon during lunar eclipses is of a reddish hue, so nothing strange there either. What is strange is the occurrence of these four lunar eclipses on Jewish feast days. Watch the video below from NASA website that explains how lunar eclipses occur.</div>
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Much prophetic fervor surrounds the appearance of the blood moons of 2014-2015. <a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/04/14/pastor-john-hagee-tuesdays-blood-moon-eclipse-signals-the-end-of-the-world/" target="_blank">Pastor John Hagee, TV Evangelist</a>, is one of the most ardent promoters of the four blood moons, attaching Biblical and prophetic significance to them. As a spiritual teacher, I always try to see what, if any spiritual significance is attached to unusual occurrences in nature. I believe that God does work through His creation to send messages to us in symbolic form. While we may not listen to God speaking to us in our hearts, or even ignore His still small voice, the messages which come to us through nature are very difficult to ignore - they get our attention! What I have noticed is that everyone has seemed to have gotten a different message from this one event. To the Evangelicals, this is a warning of impending doom and the return of Christ. To the dooms-dayers, this is a sign of the end of the world. To astronomers, this is an opportunity to learn more about our universe. To astrologers, it's a sign of how the Earth is being 'ruled' by the activities of the moon. The point I am trying to make is that we have all received different messages, that fits in with where we are in our spiritual journey here on Earth; so my message might not resonate with yours, and your message might not resonate with mine, because your message is for you, and my message is for me. </div>
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<b>So What Do the Blood Moons Mean to Me?</b></div>
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<a href="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/PTHp2oSrlNacqSO9eLqz0g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTU3NTtweW9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz01NzU-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/SPACE.com/Under_a_Blood_Moon_1st-9b9f4e9d910c9a8b0117a61533b9fc9b" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/PTHp2oSrlNacqSO9eLqz0g--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTU3NTtweW9mZj0wO3E9NzU7dz01NzU-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_US/News/SPACE.com/Under_a_Blood_Moon_1st-9b9f4e9d910c9a8b0117a61533b9fc9b" height="320" width="320" /></a></div>
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RED - fiery passion of the Love of God</div>
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PASSOVER - freedom from spiritual bondage in 'Egypt'</div>
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SUKKOT (FEAST OF TABERNACLE) - God 'tabernacling' within us, in our own 'tent' (body). </div>
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IT'S ALL ABOUT LOVE! </div>
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Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-34328033539662895662014-04-16T03:51:00.000-07:002014-04-17T03:42:07.456-07:00CHRIST IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C</span><br />
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<span style="color: #202020; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b style="background-color: #eeeeee;">For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #202020; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This is NOT a reference to Christ being in the grave for three days and three nights. We know from Biblical evidence that he did NOT spend three days and three nights in the grave (Luke 13:32; Luke 18:33). Not only that, but <a href="http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/take-dead-body-to-decompose" target="_blank">His body would have started to decay </a>if he had spent three days and three nights in the grave. According to the testimony of Peter, which was recorded by Luke, Jesus' body was not left in the grave long enough for it to start the decay process (Acts 2:27). The oils used to embalm Jesus' dead body were not embalming oils to preserve a body. <a href="http://people.opposingviews.com/jewish-burial-customs-anointing-oils-9188.html" target="_blank">They were sweet smelling oils which were traditionally used to mask the scent as bodies decayed.</a> Usually those oils are applied to a dead body - not a living body, but Mary thought it best to use that oil on the Living Christ, while He could appreciate it, instead of on a dead Christ. This was why Jesus made the strange statement, <b>"For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial" (Matthew 26:12). </b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #202020; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">By anointing Jesus for His burial two days before His death, Mary had essentially, and symbolically buried Jesus "in the heart of the earth" (Mark 14:1-3). </span></div>
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</span>Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-66911866632690578052014-04-12T05:30:00.001-07:002014-04-14T02:53:09.907-07:00BEING IN LOVE IS NOT THE SAME AS LOVE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What better feeling is there in the world than when you fall in love? It makes you feel light, and everything seems right in the world. The in love feeling is one of the most blessed feelings given to us by our Creator. It removes anxiety, and makes you feel stress-free and care-free. Unfortunately however, the in love feeling does not last. It's short-lived because it only lasts for a time. It may go on for days, or months, or even for a few years, but after a while, the initial in love feeling will dissipate. When that feeling goes away, a lot of people panic, believing that the have fallen out of love, and in a sense they are correct. If you can fall in love, then certainly you can fall out of it. We see this as a loss of love, and sometimes we do everything in our power to bring it back, hoping to re-kindle "love lost." <br />
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The truth of the matter is that the in love feeling is nothing more than the Creator implanting within our hearts the seeds of love for another person. It is only a seed. It is not love. It comes about through chemical processes within our bodies, triggered by our desires and hormones, that cause a rise of <a href="http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200909/the-plunge-pleasure" target="_blank">dopamine </a>in the brain, that gives us that high feeling of being in love. As Tina Turner (famous singer) says in her well known song, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pu8KFlfzk3Y" target="_blank">What's Love Got to Do With It,</a> it's only a chemical reaction. Since this is only the seed of love, and not love, then like any other seed, it needs to be watered and nourished in order for it to grow into love, so that it can produce more seeds of love, and replenish itself. The mistake many people make is to consume the seed of love, thus not allowing it to grow into love itself. So the key to maintaining this in love feeling is to plant the seeds of love in your heart and let it grow into love, from which will grow many, many more seeds of love. <br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12px;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">"</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><b><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (Psalm 1:3, KJV)</span></b><span style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">.</span></span><br />
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If you are interested in being receiving love coaching, so that you understand how love and relationships work, I offer a <a href="http://daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2014/03/attract-love-into-your-life.html" target="_blank">Love Coaching Program</a> that will help you understand love, and ATTRACT and grow love in your life. For more information, you can also go to my <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank">website</a> to sign up. <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/">www.hillarydawes.com</a></span><br />
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<br />Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-88101084288936764032014-03-30T11:34:00.001-07:002014-04-14T02:53:40.301-07:00ATTRACT LOVE INTO YOUR LIFE <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C</div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">"I </span><i style="font-size: 16px;">am</i><span style="font-size: 16px;"> my beloved’s, and my beloved </span><i style="font-size: 16px;">is</i><span style="font-size: 16px;"> mine" (Song of Solomon 6:3).</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"> Many people go through life seeking for that perfect relationship which will bring them joy, peace, and happily-ever-after in marriage. They are seeking for true love, which brings joy and happiness in life. Unfortunately, many people go through life seeking love but never finding it. They go through relationship after relationship, marriage and re-marriages all in an effort to find love, but cannot find it.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">The <a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank"><b>Four Loves Spiritual Coaching Program</b> </a>is a four-week program designed to teach you about love, and how you may find it. Each week we deal with a different topic about love and relationships, which will open your mind and heart about love. You will learn what love truly is, how you can find it, and <b>and also how to attract love in your life. </b>You will also learn about the role that relationships/marriage plays in finding love.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">The program is divided into four sections, covering four weeks, and is as follows:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">WEEK ONE: Introduction to the Four Loves<br />WEEK TWO: Sexual Desire and Lust<br />WEEK THREE: Marriage<br />WEEK FOUR: Universal Love</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">In week one, you are introduced to the four loves - agape, agapeo, phileo, and eros. You will learn what they are and how they interact with each other in God’s Divine plan, so that you can attract love into your life. In week two, we explore sexual desire and lust. You will learn how to define each one, and discuss the common confusion people have about sexual desire and lust. How could something, which is seen as sinful outside of marriage, can all of a sudden be not sinful within marriage, when it is all the same as far as feelings are concerned? In week three, we will look at marriage and compare marriage as a legal contract vs. marriage as a spiritual union. Is marriage the only vehicle in which one can find complete love? And finally, in week four, we will examine this concept called Universal love, and show how you can increase love in your life by practicing Universal love.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">If you are interested in the <b><a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" target="_blank">Four Loves Coaching Program</a></b>, please visit my website to learn more about it, and to sign up. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: lucida grande, tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; line-height: 17.940000534057617px;"><a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/">www.hillarydawes.com</a></span></span></div>
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Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-53101059054115954122014-03-23T04:01:00.000-07:002014-03-23T04:21:37.096-07:00FREEDOM FROM FEAR<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
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Rev. Hillary Dawes, PhD, SC-C<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_top"></a></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b><sup>“</sup></b><b>For
God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7).<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Fear of the
unknown, and its great power on us, was none the more evident than these past
two weeks, with the mystery of the missing Malaysian airline MH370, with all
its 239 passengers. Not only were
people fearful of what could have happened to their loved ones, but many were
fearful as to why the plane disappeared in the first place. The news media bombarded us with all kinds of
theories and speculative reports as to what could have happened. Social media was abuzz with conspiracy
theories. Reports ranged possible
terrorist attacks to abduction by aliens, and even the rapture. Hardly any scenario was left out of the imaginations
of people, as they tried to piece together what could have possibly happened to
that plane, and all its passengers.
Globally, the entire planet was gripped in fear as to what that missing
plane might mean for us. <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/17/missing-jet-iranian-threats-prompt-israel-to-tighten-air-security/" target="_blank"> From the state of Israel taking extra precautions just in case the plane might come back as a missile to attack them</a><u>,</u> to other countries trying to assign blame
wherever possible – blame the pilots, blame politics, blame hijackers, blame
the Malaysian government. You name it;
there was lots of blame to go around. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">One thing we have
learnt is that fear, once it takes a grip of you, has a life of its own. Fear always seeks out the thing that which it
fears to validate itself, even if it means making up stuff, and going out of
its way to try to prove that it is not unfounded. People see what they want to see, and believe
what they want to believe, based upon their OWN fears. Those who wanted to prove terrorism found
‘evidence’ of terrorism. Those who
wanted to prove hijacking found ‘evidence’ of hijacking. Those who wanted to prove the plane was
still around found ‘evidence’ of the plane.
For some reason, the plane loomed larger than real life, bigger than
reality, and became the bogeyman now to fear. The problem however with all these theories,
was that they sent false hope to the families of the victims, that their loved
ones could still be alive, only to have their hopes dashed with every false
lead. Because of all the false
reporting, and fear surrounding the reporting, <a href="http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/amid-despair-some-family-members-of-passengers-mull-suicide-says-report" target="_blank">many family members became suicidal, as they were hanging on to every last thread of hope that was thrown at them, only to have that hope taken away from them.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">As a spiritual
counselor, part of my job is to bring comfort to those who are grieving, and to
bring them back to a place where they can deal with their emotions, and grieve
without falling into despair and hopelessness.
Psychologists have identified five stages of grieving, and they
are: denial, anger, bargaining,
depression, and acceptance. Proper
grieving involves going through all the stages until one reaches acceptance,
but many times people get stuck in one stage or the other, unable to reach that
place where they finally accept that their loved ones may be gone. As a spiritual counselor, I help them to
come to terms with their own beliefs as it relates to death and dying, and the
afterlife. Sometimes they may have
dreams, visions of their loved ones, or feelings that their loved ones are
still here and not dead. I help them to
process those feelings, and share scripture with them to bring them comfort and
closure. Sometimes deep down they
believe their loved ones are gone, and sometimes they are in denial, ignoring
all the facts presented, especially if there are no bodies to prove that their
loved ones are gone. In situations like
where there are no definitive answers as to where their loved ones could be, I
help them pray through their fears.
There is a lot of peace to be found in prayer. It also helps to know that someone is there
to give you support and help carry your burdens, so that you don’t have to bear
them all alone. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><b><sup>“</sup></b><b>Bear
ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2).<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">Freedom from fear
means trusting in God that all things are working for your good, no matter how
terrible they look on the outside (Romans <st1:time hour="8" minute="28">8:28</st1:time>).
To have a trust like that takes deep faith and understanding, but once
you develop that trust, then everything will begin to come together for you,
and your mind will slowly be at peace. Freedom
from fear means putting away blame, anger, and bitterness, which only serves to
eat you up on the inside, creating more problems instead of solving them. Freedom from fear means understanding what
life is about, and how everything fits into God’s divine purpose, knowing that “it
is well” (2 Kings 4:26). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;">If you are
grieving because of you lost someone in your life, or you are struggling with
chronic anxiety because of fear, as a spiritual counselor, I can help you sort
out some of the spiritual questions you may have, and help you clear up any
confusion in your mind, as well as help you diffuse the stress associated with
fear and anxiety. In addition to grief
counseling, I coach you so that you can get your life back on track spiritually
and emotionally, by removing the negative effects and toxic emotions associated
with living in chronic fear and anxiety, with my three-week Spiritual Renewal
Coaching Program. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">Spiritual Renewal
Coaching Program<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">The spiritual renewal
coaching program is divided into three sections which will address three areas
of your life where you can find relief for stress – physical, social, and
spiritual. This is a three-week program, but at the end of it all, you should
have less stress in your life, be better able to enjoy life, and most of all
find peace with God, yourself, and those around you.<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">The program outline
is as follows:-<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">WEEK ONE: Physical
relief<br />
-Physical exercise, therapeutic touch, and affection<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">WEEK TWO: Social relief<br />
-Social activities, gratitude, relationships<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: #eeeeee; color: #333333; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 11pt;">WEEK THREE: Spiritual
relief<br />
- Worship, life goals, spiritual growth<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: #eeeeee;"><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-size: large;">For more
information on all my spiritual coaching programs, please visit my website: </span></span><span style="font-size: large; line-height: 15pt;"><a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/" style="line-height: 15pt;">http://www.hillarydawes.com/</a></span></span></div>
Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-542910493860940212011-10-08T05:17:00.000-07:002011-10-08T05:26:36.688-07:00MY FIVE-FOLD MINISTRYIt's been a long time since I have been here folks - almost one year. I must say that this has been one of the most exciting years for me in my spiritual walk and growth in the Lord. So much has happened for which I am truly thankful. I am posting today to unveil the five-fold ministry which God has inspired me with. It all surrounds the topic of my book, "Surviving a Global Economic Crisis: A Biblical Perspective." If you follow these five basic principles for living, your life will be filled with everlasting PEACE. I know, because I live them. Amen. <br />
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Below is a post from my facebook page, which was posted on October 7, 2011. <br />
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"In light of the ongoing economic crisis facing the world, I am posting my end time survival kit, or things we each can do to survive and even thrive in these difficult times.<br />
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1) PRACTICE SACRED LOVE - Sacred love is loving God and your fellow human beings (The Greatest and Second Commandments). Demonstrate compassion, care, and affection for each other. You cannot say you love God, yet do not show love for those around you. Share resources to help those in need. By the sharing of resources, you are helping others, and others are helping you to survive during rough times. <br />
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2) EXERCISE - Exercise for physical health and physical strength. You need health and strength to enjoy life, and create wealth. "But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth." (Deuteronomy 8:18). "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their STRENGTH; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint" (Isaiah 40:31).<br />
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3) FOLLOW A SACRED DIET - Eat for health and strength. Follow a diet that does not deplete the natural resources of the Earth as much you can, as such a diet actually strengthens you (natural diets vs. processed foods, organic vs. conventional, etc).<br />
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4) PRACTICE FAITH BASED ECONOMICS - Follow spiritual financial principles laid out in my book, "SURVIVING A GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS: A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE." Learn how to avoid financial pitfalls and scams. Learn how God provides for your EVERY NEED, even in hard economic times. Understand what true prosperity is, and what is behind our sense of lack. My book will open your eyes to the spiritual workings controlling our finances, and how you can be released from the 'Babylon' mindset about finances, which is entrapping the world right now. A link for my book is provided below. <br />
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5) Finally, FOLLOW THE MIND OF CHRIST IN YOU! The mind of Christ within, is the kingdom of God within you. This mind of Christ allows you to see and process the world with a different mind set, with a different approach to life, which is different from the 'Babylon' mind set which is gripping the world in its vice. The mind of Christ frees you to enjoy life, and to reap the fruits of the Spirit such as love and joy, and gives you inner peace."<br />
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<a href="http://www.hillarydawes.com/">http://www.hillarydawes.com/</a>Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-16688087573199966612010-11-06T15:24:00.000-07:002011-10-08T06:31:22.546-07:002012: The Start of a New Age?Matthew 24:3-8, NASB (Caps supplied for emphasis).<br />
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<strong><em>3As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the END OF THE AGE?" </em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>4And Jesus answered and said to them, "See to it that no one misleads you. </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>5"For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many. </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>6"You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>7"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>8"But all these things are merely the BEGINNING OF BIRTH PANGS.</em></strong><br />
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The age-old question for over two thousand years has been, "When will Jesus return and when will the world come to an end?" This question was asked by Jesus' own disciples as they sat upon the Mt. of Olives overlooking Jerusalem. Naturally, they would have liked to know when He was coming back, especially since He left some unfinished business such as the restoration of the nation of Israel to a independent theocracy, free of Roman rule, undone. In the prophetic timeline of Matthew 24, Jesus led them through a series of events which must take place before He returned. It should be noted that the return of Christ was contingent upon the end of an <strong>old age,</strong> and the beginning of a <strong>new age</strong>. No, this is not new age teaching, but 100% Biblical stuff here folks. Many Bibles translate the Greek word "aion" to mean "world", but the word actually means "age" (Strong #165). So the disciples were not asking Jesus about the end of the world, but about the end of the age they were living in.<br />
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What age were the disciples living in? When was it supposed to have ended, and what age was to supposed to have gotten started? When that new age ended, and was there supposed to be another age after that? To answer those questions, one must understand something about time charting based upon astrological/astronomical signs. Astronomy and astrology were a big part of Jewish culture. Signs in the sky were important factors in prophecy as omens of impending changes upon the world scene. In Genesis 1:14 it says that God gave us the celestial bodies in the heavens for signs. <strong><sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">"</span></sup>And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for</strong> <strong>SIGNS, and for seasons, and for days, and years."</strong> The knowledge therefore as to how these celestial bodies act as sign posts is definitely essential for understanding time, and God's timing for doing certain things upon the earth. Before I go any further, let me just clarify the major difference between astrology and astronomy, because I will be using some astrological time concepts. Astrology is the study of stars and celestial bodies, and the reading of omens, with the purpose of studying the effect of the stars on the social/economic/political conditions on earth. This also implies a worship of the stars and planets as rulers over mankind. Astronomy is the study of stars and celestial bodies without any implication of worship of those celestial bodies. The sages of old practiced a form of astrology where <strong>God was recognized as the ruler</strong> of the stars and celestial bodies, who used the stars and heavenly bodies to warn us as to WHEN certain prophecies were to be fulfilled. Hence we have the prophecy of Balaam about the star of Jacob, and the wise men from the east following a star to see the Christ child (Numbers 24:17, Matthew 2:2). We see in the book of Isaiah where God turned back the course of the sun for king Hezekiah, as a SIGN of sure victory over the king of Assyria (Isaiah 38:4-8). The Bible is replete with references to celestial bodies, as they are not up there for our entertaiment and worship, but as signs from God to us. We have Joseph dreaming about "the eleven stars" with himself being the twelfth star, which is probably an allusion to the twelve signs of the Zodiac or the planets, and the book of Job is filled with lots of references to constellations and stars (Genesis 37:6-10; Job 38:31-33). Even Jesus spoke about watching the signs of the sun and moon to know when His appearance is near.<br />
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Matthew 24:25-27 (caps supplied for emphasis)<br />
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<strong><em>25And there shall be SIGNS IN THE SUN, AND IN THE MOON, AND IN THE STARS; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; </em></strong><br />
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<strong><em>26Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>27And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. </em></strong><br />
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So how long is an age? According to astrologists, an age is approximately <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_age#Ages_exactly_2.2C000_years_each">2,160 years.</a> Personally, I am not sure of the name of the age in which the disciples lived because even astrologers disagree among themselves as to when certain ages started and ended. We however need not be confused as the Bible has given us clear guidelines as to when the age to which the disciples were referring was to end. Jesus tells us very plainly in Matthew 24:7-8 that the new age will start when nations start rising against nations, with famines in various places and earthquakes. <br />
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7"For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. <br />
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8"But all these things are merely the BEGINNING OF BIRTH PANGS.<br />
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Have we not seen, since Christ left the earth even more calamities and wars between nations than ever before? Starting with the Great Jewish rebellion in AD 66, the destruction of the Jewish temple in AD 70 by the Romans, the Roman conquest of Western and Eastern Europe as well as North Africa, the fall of the Roman Empire and the rise of the Ottoman Empire, the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Colonialism and world wide slave trade, World War I and II, global wars against terrorism, and so on. What about the earthquakes and calamities we experienced quick succession in this year 2010? What about the shift of the earth on its axis after the Chilean earthquake this year? What about the global economic crisis and the shift to global finance and a world economy that is taking place? Expect more paragdigm shifts as we approach the end of the age in the political, social, economic, and religious realms as well as in nature.<br />
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Most astrologers agree that we are living in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astrological_age#The_Age_of_Pisces_.28The_Piscean_Age.29">age of Pisces</a>. The Age of Pisces is set to end in the year 2150, but that is disputable as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_phenomenon">Mayan calendar</a> places the end of the our present age in 2012. So you see, this is all so confusing as even astrologers cannot agree among themselves, but one thing is certain. This age will end and a new age will be ushered in. Will it be an age of peace, brotherhood, and Christ consciousness? Or will it be a new age of clashing spiritual battles between religons? I think a little of both will be seen. With the spread of the gospel around the world, more people of various religious backgrounds will develop a sense of love for Christ, give their lives to Christ, and Christ consciousness will increase around the world. With that will also come rivalry from those who feel threatened by the rise of Christ consciousness, and the battle lines will be drawn over religion. This new age will be the one that will take us to the second coming of Christ! Are you ready for it?<br />
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ADDENDUM (10/8/11): I tend to go with the idea that the disciples lived in the age of Aries (the ram). Why do I believe that? Based upon Biblical markers, and Jesus' own words that His generation would live to see the end of the age, tells me that a new age started in the time of the disciples/apostles, with the destruction of the temple in 70 AD (Matthew 24:1,2,34). The new age which began, was the age of Pisces (the fish), and Aries was the preceding age to Pisces. I have other Biblical markers as well which seem to verify this, but I am open to other points of view. Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-28611795592260295492010-06-20T05:09:00.000-07:002010-06-20T05:09:17.450-07:00What I Have Been Up ToI know, it has been a month since I last posted anything to my blog. That is quite unusual, but I have been very busy on Facebook! You can follow me there, as I post almost daily there, and engage in lots of interesting conversations! In addition, I also left my last post up on purpose because of the remaining questions surrounding the oil spill going on in the Gulf Coast, and other man-made and natural castrophes going on around the world. I tell you, it is the time of the end, and the nearness of Christ's coming is at hand. We need to prepare our hearts and soul to receive Him when He comes. A lot of false theories are going to spring up about what is going on, and yet I see a softening of hearts during this latest oil spill. When this oil spill FIRST started, many people on Huffington Post mocked me for saying we should pray about it because, in my view, only God can help us to get out of this problem. I was mocked terribly, but I held my ground. Now, I am seeing greater acceptance by people on Huffington Post that prayer may be our only solution. Even self-called pagans are getting into the act! Please read this interesting article from <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/18/pagans-to-pray-for-earths_n_617888.html">Huffington Post</a> and the responses of people. Here is another article from Huffington Post as well, about <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/11/gulf-spill-seeps-into-spi_n_609658.html">Gulf Spill Seeps Into Spiritual Life.</a><br />
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God has been good to us here in Florida. For weeks now we have been threatened by the oil, but praise God, not a drop of oil has touched our shores. "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" (James 5:16)! Amen!Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-71783989232060247132010-05-21T17:37:00.000-07:002010-05-21T17:37:55.594-07:00A New EarthNo, this is not a review of Eckhart Tolle’s (New Age spiritual teacher) popular book, but what I am doing is trying to make sense and put into perspective the rapid succession of natural disasters that have plagued Earth since the beginning of this year. Who can forget the large earthquake in Haiti, which was followed afterwards by earthquakes in Chile, Turkey, Indonesia, and other countries around the world, all within the first six months of this year? What about the volcanic eruption in Iceland, which is still a threat to Europe, and which has caused the shutting down of airports and air travel within and to and from Europe? How about this latest oil ‘spill’ where man has tapped into an underwater resource of oil, which has gushed out of control? I tell you, none of these events are just happening by coincidence. In my mind, they are all a part of a larger picture – a new Earth.<br />
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In several places in the Bible, many references are made to a new Earth coming. We read in Isaiah 66:17, <strong>“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.”</strong> Again, we read in Revelation 21:1, <strong>“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away.”</strong> In order for God to create this new earth, the present earth must pass away – it must be done away it! Contrary to popular belief, God is not coming to take us to heaven for us to live there; rather, He is going to re-create this planet Earth we live on, for us to live here. Read what it says in Isaiah 66:22-23.<br />
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<strong>“For as the new heavens and the new earth which I shall make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass that form one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the LORD.”</strong><br />
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People will be actually living on this new earth, and living productive lives. It will not be a metaphysical environment where we will live as disembodied spirits floating around on clouds – <em><strong>all flesh</strong></em>, meaning people with bodies, will worship God in this new Earth (Isaiah 66:23). It will not even be a place where only those who are recipients of eternal life and salvation will live; rather, it will be place where all people – <strong>saved and</strong> <strong>sinners </strong>-will live out their lives under a new era and system of things. Isaiah gives us a glimpse of what life will be like in the new Earth.<br />
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“<strong>And they shall build houses, and inhabit them, and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant and another eat (Isaiah 66:21-22a).”</strong><br />
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The lifespan of man will be increased. The sinners will be live to be 100 years old, and the lifespan of the saved will be as “trees,” meaning, several hundred years old, perhaps I believe to 1,000 years (vss. 20, 22). Already we have seen that the lifespan of man has increased to 100 years, up from 70 years. I did a post about the lifespan of man <a href="http://daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2009/07/new-life-span-of-man.html">here </a>to document this change. It should be noted that the increase in life span is NOT due to better health care or modern medicine, for it is IMPOSSIBLE for one to increase one’s lifespan. The lifespan of man is a pre-determined limit of how long man is supposed to live, under FAVORABLE conditions. This is different from life expectancy, which takes into account variables such as health status, hygiene, sanitary practices, lifestyle choices, and the availability of health care, and hence can be less than the life span IF those variables are unfavorable.<br />
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I know we have been taught that when Jesus comes back we will live forever, and the sinners will suffer eternally in hell, and the saved will live forever in heaven. What I am describing in this article is not eternity, but a transitional stage, before eternity. The earth must go through this transitional stage before eternity, and like all transitions, it can be painful. The Earth is right now undergoing ‘growing pains’. Paul, the writer of the book of Romans, compares the Earth’s transitional status with the labour pains a woman experiences while giving birth. <strong>“For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now” (Romans 8;22)</strong>. Jesus uses the same metaphor of pain and sorrow in describing this age we are living in. He says, <strong>“All these are the beginning of sorrows” (Matthew 24:8; John 16:21).</strong> Jeremiah writes that the Earth shall <strong>“mourn”</strong> in these last days.<br />
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“<strong>For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. For this shall the earth MOURN, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it (Jeremiah 4:27-28, capitalized italics supplied).</strong><br />
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Earth is under construction my friends. God is constructing and re-creating a new Earth right before our very eyes. As in construction, things have to be broken down, and torn apart to make room for the new; and so this world is being broken down, and torn apart to make room for the new Earth. The old things are passing away, so that we can experience the new (Revelation 21:4-5).<br />
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So, are you ready for the new Earth? A new era in time – a new age if you will? Where will you be in this new earth? Will you be one of the saved who lives in peace and harmony with your Creator in this new Earth? Or will you be among the unsaved who will live a shortened, accursed life in the new Earth (Isaiah 65:20)? To live successfully in this new Earth, change and transition must also start within you. You will need a new heart, or as Tolle puts it, a new level of consciousness, to enjoy the utopia of the new Earth. In any case, that new level of consciousness or new heart cannot be achieved by our own efforts. It must come from God. He wants to change our old stony hearts (the selfish, hard-hearted, egotistical self) and give us a new heart, or a new level of consciousness, that will be in harmony and at peace with Him, and the planet; because there is no way we can enjoy the new Earth, if we take with us our former ways of thinking and attitudes into it. It would just be more of the same heartache, anguish, despair, and distress, we are experiencing now in this dispensation, but only in a different setting. For utopia to be utopia, we have to learn how to relate to each other, and our planet, in a positive and loving way. God is willing to give us this new heart if we so desire to have it. Below, I have taken the liberty to amplify Ezekiel 36:26-28 to make it relevant to our modern way of thinking, as these verses speak very much to the necessity of us having a new heart, or new level of consciousness for a better world.<br />
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<strong>“A new heart [level of consciousness] also will I give you, and a new spirit [attitude] will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart [ego/selfishness/hard-heartedness] out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh [new level of consciousness]. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave your fathers [the new Earth]; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God” (Words in square brackets supplied).</strong><br />
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So we see, a change of heart and attitude is essential for us to enjoy life in the new Earth, for it will be a time of great peace upon the Earth. Finally, the Earth will be at peace. <br />
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<strong>“They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. The wolf and lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like a bullock; and the dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 65:22-25).</strong>Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-27633508605384181362010-05-06T03:54:00.000-07:002010-05-25T03:49:17.955-07:00More Earthquakes!Indonesia hit by an earthquake on Wednesday, May 5 2010 for the second time this year. Please see this <a href="http://daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2010/03/chilean-earthquake-shifts-earths-axis.html">blog post</a> I did on March 6, for a running list of earthquakes for this year. I am trying to keep up. Not easy!<br />
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ADDENDUM: Okay, I have now given up on keeping a current list of natural disasters and earthquakes. Too many to list, and happening too fast! But at least we all have an idea of the times we are living in. Keep safe, and be blessed.Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-57063349071803288612010-04-30T06:05:00.000-07:002010-04-30T06:10:43.652-07:00The Nature of ChristLast night on Facebook, a facebook friend shared information pertaining to his views on the nature of Christ before the incarnation. He was espousing that Christ was 'begotten' by God prior to creation, and that in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Proverbs%208&version=KJV">Proverbs 8,</a> Wisdom is none other than the person of Jesus Christ. Here are the verses from Proverbs 8 that he used to justify Christ being begotten by God before creation, and that Wisdom is here referring to Christ. <br />
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Proverbs 8:22-36:<br />
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<strong>22The LORD possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. </strong><br />
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<strong>23I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. </strong><br />
<strong>24When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding with water. </strong><br />
<strong>25Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: </strong><br />
<strong>26While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. </strong><br />
<strong>27When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: </strong><br />
<strong>28When he established the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: </strong><br />
<strong>29When he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the foundations of the earth: </strong><br />
<strong>30Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him; </strong><br />
<strong>31Rejoicing in the habitable part of his earth; and my delights were with the sons of men. </strong><br />
<strong>32Now therefore hearken unto me, O ye children: for blessed are they that keep my ways. </strong><br />
<strong>33Hear instruction, and be wise, and refuse it not. </strong><br />
<strong>34Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. </strong><br />
<strong>35For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD. </strong><br />
<strong>36But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death.</strong><br />
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Below is my response:<br />
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<em>Now let me share with you what God has revealed to me about this matter. Now I do not claim to have ALL the answers, because that of itself is impossibility, but I do hope you would at least give some thought to what I am presenting, as I have given to what you presented</em>.<br />
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<em>Wisdom as represented in the book of Proverbs is referred to in the <strong>female </strong>gender (Proverbs 3:13-18; Proverbs 8:1-3; Proverbs 9:1-3; and so on). Wisdom is also represented as being with God from the beginning, and as being “<strong>brought forth</strong>” from God (Proverbs 8:22-24). Wisdom is therefore <strong>a feminine attribute of God, and something which comes from only Him. </strong></em><br />
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<em>God is the embodiment of Wisdom. He is the <strong>“only wise God</strong>” (Jude 25). All these attributes of God are also to be found in Jesus, who being the Son of God, is also God (John 1:1). Therefore Jesus is correctly described as <strong>“the wisdom of God</strong>”, because ALL the attributes of God, such as wisdom, are contained in Him (1 Corinthians 1:24; Hebrews 1:2-3; Philliipians 2:7). <strong>“For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:9).</strong></em><br />
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<em>God has revealed to us that He is one God with a triune nature – <strong>Father, Son and Holy Spirit</strong>. <strong>“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one” (1 John 5:7).</strong> In the beginning, God said <strong>“let US make man in our image; after our</strong> <strong>likeness” (Genesis 1:26</strong>). We have one God who exists as three different entities. Jesus says, “<strong>Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19</strong></em><strong>).</strong><br />
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<em>Now here is what is revealed concerning the mystery of Christ. It is a little understood concept, but very important. It might be a little hard to grasp, and one will not get it by casual reading of the scriptures, but the author of the book of Hebrews made a very important point. <strong>Hebrews 2:5-9:</strong></em><br />
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<strong><em>5For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>6But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him? </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>7Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>8Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. </em></strong><br />
<strong><em>9But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. </em></strong><br />
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<em>In verses 6 and 7 the author of Hebrews quoted Psalm 8:4-6 and applied that scripture as a prophecy about Christ. Did you notice that he referenced <strong>“son of man”</strong> in verse 6 of Hebrews 2 as being the same person as <strong>Jesus </strong>in verse 9 of Hebrews 2? Now this might seem a strange way to interpret Psalm 8, but for the first century Jews, this was not strange at all. In my study of Bible history, I have found that among the first century Jews, there was a sect called the Essenes. The Essenes believed in a coming Messiah who would be a Teacher of righteousness </em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essenes"><em>Essenes - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</em></a><em>. Many of these Essenes were very accepting of Jesus as the Messiah, and many followed Him in His ministry. In the most famous Essenic document/scripture, the Book of Enoch, which by the way pre-dates the incarnation, that <strong>Messiah was called the Son of Man</strong>. </em><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_Man#In_the_Apocrypha_and_Pseudepigrapha"><em>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Son_of_Man#In_the_Apocrypha_and_Pseudepigrapha</em></a><br />
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<em>Therefore, it makes perfect sense that Jesus, who was known as the Son of Man before His incarnation, by the first Century Essenic Jews, should be the Creator of man. We, mankind, were therefore created after, or patterned after the likeness of the Son of Man.</em><br />
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<em>That’s all I have to say right now about the nature of Christ. There is more but this is basically the key element. The nature of Christ after the incarnation is another subject matter as well, and sometimes people confuse the nature of Christ before the incarnation with the nature of Christ after the incarnation. That’s for another time. Keep on searching the scriptures, for in them is life, and they testify of Christ (John 5:39).</em> <em>Blessings!</em><br />
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</strong>Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-64162686187271523622010-04-27T04:31:00.000-07:002010-04-27T04:31:28.121-07:00Catholic Sex Abuse Scandal - Part IIIAnd here is <a href="http://mdcalexatestblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/catholic-sex-scandals-part-iii.html">Part III</a>, and I hope, the final part of this VERY interesting discussion.Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-337246516238454866.post-52980671085245479062010-04-24T04:55:00.000-07:002010-04-25T20:02:19.178-07:00Catholic Sex Scandals - Another Prophecy Comes TrueIn light of the never-ending and escalating sex scandals plaguing the Roman Catholic Church, I would like to highlight a post a did last year, on October 24, entitled <a href="http://daughterofwisdom.blogspot.com/2009/10/controlling-sexual-desire.html">Controlling Sexual Desire</a>. In the comment box of that post, I predicted that the Catholic views on sexuality would lead to an INCREASE, not a decrease in sexual perversity. Here is what I wrote in that comment box on November 1, 2009 to a Catholic commentator on my blog.<br />
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"Here is the consequence of your Catholic model. People would become so sexually repressed that they would start acting out in perverse ways. It would lead to an increase in sexual perversity and not a decrease, as people try to find an outlet for their sexual desires. I could give examples of men or women incarcerated in prisons....."( November 1, 2009: Controlling Sexual Desires, October 24, 2009)<br />
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How remarkable that I was able to predict an increase in sexual perversion several months before the scandals broke. I pray that people who are following Catholic sexuality will take a hard and serious look at those teachings, and see whether such teachings are in accordance with scripture or not. I am not against Catholics but what I am against is how they try to push their version of sexuality on the masses, without respecting the fact that there are those of us who hold to a more Biblical view of sexuality, which differs from the Catholic view.<br />
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ADDENDUM: An interesting conversation is going on <a href="http://mdcalexatestblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/catholic-sex-scandals-part-ii.html">here</a> on this blog with me and some Catholic women about the sexual abuse scandal. For part I see <a href="http://mdcalexatestblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/catholic-sex-scandals.html">here</a>.Daughter of Wisdomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01565795173054909961noreply@blogger.com13