Basketball and Spirit

John Wooden, college basketball’s most successful coach, died yesterday at age 99. Wooden retired in 1975 and ultimately became viewed as a kind of sage for both basketball and life, a symbol of both excellence and simpler times.

I became aware of him when I joined CHARACTER COUNTS! while living in Santa Fe 10+ years ago. I was impressed with this public personality when I read: Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

Here’s John Wooden's Seven Point Creed, a message given to him by his father upon his graduation from grammar school, which he carried around with him and lived by:
• Be true to yourself.
• Make each day your masterpiece.
• Help others.
• Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
• Make friendship a fine art.
• Build a shelter against a rainy day.
• Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

[Compiled from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wooden and The New York Times.]

Here is a person who was living his faith to the best of his ability, a wonderful role model especially for the young adults he coached. It seems to me that he was a spiritual person who impacted many, not just due to his sports knowledge and talent, but by being an emissary for God.

Here’s a few more quotes attributed to John Wooden, which impart (to me) his spirituality:

“Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.”

“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

“Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord, because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.”

Dear Spirit-
Thank You for the people who point to You by the way they live their life.

We're in This Together

Whether I am being paid $15/hour or $50/hour, or I am “volunteering” my time, my desire is always to be in a helping mode. I can’t say that I always behave in that manner.

I found myself yesterday thinking in terms of money and disturbance when called ‘off hours’ to help a client of a client. Gratefully, my conscience quickly got me to want to help this person even though it “wasn’t my job.” After this decision was made, it turned out the person was able to solve the problem herself. Ya think my decision influenced the Universe?... Perhaps.

Wouldn’t it be nice if each of us knew, really knew, that there’d always be help available? And, when we gave assistance, we’d get ‘paid’ with knowing we’d receive help too whenever we needed it? ...that we were never alone? Of course, Spirit is always with us to guide and help, but often we need a real, live human being to carry out the work.

The current money economy is such a separator of people, to one another, to themselves, to God. Well, that’s changing and I’m so glad. A new earth is coming where people live from the heart, in community, bartering and helping one another in all aspects of life.

My prayer is to continue opening my heart in service to others. We are all part of The One, giving and receiving. What I give returns to me, returns to us. Let I not build barriers to healing the separation, but be part of the solution to our return to Oneness.

Listening

I strive to be a good listener when someone is talking to me. That entails being attentive and focused, not thinking of how I will respond or making judgments or being somewhere else. To be a good listener for someone is a loving, respectful act.

It’s also an honorable act. When I am attentive, I’m honoring that person - and God. For God sends messages and information in many ways, and through the words of humans is a prolific format.

What fun it is to be alert to God’s words when face-to-face with another human being! What an opportunity to bless one another! Who knows what I will hear from God as I serve another by fully listening with my ears, my mind, and my heart?...

Dear Spirit -
Make me a channel of clear two-way communication in the presence of others, and in the Presence of You and Your unseen helpers.

Breakthrough

Yesterday Rog and I had a meeting to discuss processes and scheduling in our website design and development business. It was a productive conversation that moved us forward.

Then he used the word production in querying how many websites I thought I could do each week. That triggered something in me that set off a barrage of anger and frustration, not the first time on this subject that involves money and time. I was acutely aware of my mind becoming limited and shutting down, and my heart space shrinking. Ego and fear had taken over once again.

But as Rog talked to tell me his perspective about abundance and intention, I got clarity as to what had set me off. Then I was able to express it, honestly and in a diplomatic way. This was a huge step for me: getting down to the cause, giving voice to my feelings, and standing up for myself.

I am aware that this episode was not really about Rog and me. It was about long-held patterns of thinking that do not serve me well and not feeling empowered. I am so grateful for the lesson and the teacher – what blessings! And, I am certain that this breakthrough was another result of my reactivation (see blog of 01/07/10).

I feel the garbage is being removed from my mind and heart and the Truth is being uncovered; it can only be with God’s help, grace, and love that this can be achieved. With each breakthrough, I feel more empowered, more in my heart, and better able to help others.

“... God is always with us... I will remember God’s presence today and discover the courage to face my fears.” – In God’s Care, January 13, 2010

Serving God

“Always let your prayer take the form of thanksgiving, on the assumption that God is giving you great and wonderful things.” - Dr. Norman Vincent Peale

My prayers are not to be about what I want, but about realizing that God is Source and that all that I receive from Spirit is a blessing and worthy of thanks. And so I start my prayers off acknowledging Source and Its greatness, then expressing gratitude. When I am in fit condition, I am ready to be of service to Spirit.

After all, isn’t that what life is truly about - being the hands and voice of God so that I can help others?

The End of the World?

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending... - Revelation 1:8

Julia Attaway writes about meeting conflicts surrounding parent-teacher conferences and her children’s activities schedule in a recent Daily Guideposts story.

“After the initial shock of discovering my scheduling mega disaster, I forced myself to take a deep breath. There’s only one thing that helps me when I’m faced with mind-boggling conundrums like this and that’s to remember that logistical problems aren’t actually problems, they’re puzzles. They belong in the crossword-solving part of my brain, not the worry center. No one is going to die or be scarred for life or even require a trip to the doctor if I don’t figure this out. The only true danger is that I’ll stress out and start being unpleasant to my family. So I tossed the problem onto the back burner, where so many insoluble difficulties simmer into solutions.

Last night, around midnight, I think I figured out a way to handle Monday. The logistics require higher math to follow and a cast of thousands to execute, but the plan will probably work. And if it doesn’t, then it doesn’t. It’s neither the beginning nor the end of the world.

Lord, help me to remember that the world won’t fall apart if I’m not able to make things run perfectly smoothly.”

With so many additional tasks added to my To Do list related to our relocation, feeding my soul on the new communities’ many events and activities, growing our business, etc., I am grateful for the reminders Julia offers.

My take is: worrying is not necessary; prioritization is helpful; ask for help. Most of all, I am not in control of the world - Spirit is.

God, I know that Divine Order is at work and the world runs perfectly because of it and You, not me. Help me to know what is important in my life, and to take care of myself so that I may serve You well in peace and in joy.

Suddenly

I nonchalantly applied for a part-time position in Sedona via Craigslist on Thursday evening and had a most enthusiastic reply email sitting in my Inbox Friday morning, before we left for a day trip to Sedona. The business owner called me as we were driving north and we set up an afternoon appointment. I was offered the position on the spot and I formally accepted this morning.

Now this isn’t just about a quick deal – this is about an easy-going interview and it seeming to me (and I think to this person too) that it was just a done deal before we really even got started. It appears to be a dream situation that is mutually beneficial. And, not only is it a worthwhile business situation, but it will help me lay down roots in the community.

It’s ‘interesting’ that the job listing got taken down earlier in the day and the business owner didn’t know why. Rog said Spirit made that happen because there was no longer a need once I responded.

I felt a bit in the twilight zone yesterday because of the speed of this all. Spirit worked quickly and in Its own way. And, without even knowing fully what an action on my part would yield, Spirit took over and provided a wondrous result that I couldn’t have fathomed.

The message I got this morning as I was working on digesting what had happened yesterday was that everything was going to happen suddenly from here on in to get our new life set up. We’ve been seeking Spirit’s guidance and help, and it feels like the floodgates have just opened.

I’m going to hang onto the reins these next few days especially as God starts putting the final pieces together for our new life up in Red Rock County. I am filled with enthusiastic expectancy to see how the details pan out. With God orchestrating it, I know that the full picture will be a delight.

Help

This week has been one in which I’ve asked God for help quite often...

Help to feel more energized... the right words to express to someone what I’m feeling in a diplomatic way... safe travel for myself and everyone else on the road... successful completion of new computer program tasks with ease and grace... surrender in the midst of frustration.

It’s a comfort to no longer feel alone, to know I have an ever-present Power to call on at all times, for all things.

It was a week of acknowledging Spirit’s Presence more and more, even if it was in the form of asking for help.

I’ll take it!

God Experiment

After another night of burning the midnight oil to work on a client’s project, I awoke far from rested. Having scheduled a morning business meeting with this same client, sleeping late was not an option.

What to do? Ahhhh – I remembered to call on Spirit for help! “What a concept,” a statement my OA buddy Kathleen expressed years ago that has been forever etched in my mind’s eye.

So first I said a prayer and then I started breathing deeply with a firm intention to affect a positive change in my energy level. This was a somewhat new experiment for me, and the results were awesome. I got this physical body enlivened and simultaneously got more connected to God. In very little time I was back in shape physically and spiritually.

How truly amazing the power of God is! All it takes is to remember to ask for help – what a concept, indeed.

Clients Sent by God

It’s been a delightful day meeting with interesting clients, discovering who they are in order to accurately represent them when I build their website.

I enjoy learning what we have in common as a way to connect and lay a foundation for a fun, cooperative, productive working relationship.

But what I really get a kick out of is who God is sending our way to work with. Of the clients who have flowed into our life during the past 6 weeks or so, most are small business owners with a spiritual bent that they wear on their sleeve. They are healers and they are people looking to help others.

It is an honor and a pleasure to meet these folks. And, of course, it is no coincidence, but simply part of God’s plan.

Thank You, Spirit, for the wonderful people you place on my path. Thank You for the lessons they teach me and the love they share.

God Expectations

What are my expectations of God? I expect goodness and the best for my spiritual growth and upliftment. I expect God’s guidance, help, power, abundance, love, and grace.

So when circumstances appear to be less good than I think they should be and my ego starts moving into gear, I call a time out. I dwell on Spirit and look for the message Spirit is giving me and I seek to find the blessing in the situation. I remember that God has a divine plan and knows what It is doing. I relax into the peace of God.

Letting divine ideas fill my mind, I act on them with gratitude and enthusiasm, and my ego goes back to slumber mode once again. I’m in fit spiritual condition and fit for service to God. All is well.

New Beginnings Ahead

One of this morning’s readings was about welcoming new beginnings, being free, and releasing an old pattern, thought, or behavior that no longer serves me. Another reading stated that only God knows what each of us needs to experience and learn. These two messages were apropos for the day.

Later in the morning we attended a bankruptcy trustee hearing in downtown Phoenix, thereby checking one more item off the list (although we’re not finished with this yet), one more step forward and closer to our future life – and a new beginning.

I’ve learned a lot going through this bankruptcy and foreclosure adventure with Rog but only Spirit knows if I’ve learned everything I was supposed to about managing finances, having faith, asking for help, etc. I’ve disposed of some old ideas and patterns, and incorporated changes in order to start anew.

With Spirit all things are possible, all is for my spiritual upliftment and growth, everything has a purpose. May I keep putting one foot in front of another to learn and welcome new beginnings as I walk my path with God.

Birthing With God

Spending three days camping, with the waters of Oak Creek flowing behind our tent and surrounded by large, old cottonwood trees, coming back to our life in Gilbert is strange. We’re wrapping things up here in this town of 200,000+ and looking forward to building our life up north precisely in the setting we just left - close to Nature, living in a small rural-type community.

As we transition from our old life in Gilbert to our new one up north, I am excited and enthusiastic. Also, I am so open to guidance from Spirit. Throughout this journey that Rog and I set upon nine months ago (consciously in September, but unconsciously earlier still), we have sought God’s guidance and, most certainly, God’s help. Along the way, I’ve developed my muscles of faith, trust, patience, and remembering to stay in the Now. It hasn’t always been easy and it’s been scary at times, but I believe it was for my highest good as well as to be a demonstration and help to others.

Yep, nine months of a lot of change and getting down to basics. As Rog pointed out, it’s like we’re giving birth to a new life – ours! And, just like the birth of a child, the birth of our new life is a miracle. We’ve been showered with blessings in the form of learning lessons, strengthening old relationships, growing new friendships, circulating money to and fro, and more.

We’ve still a ways to go before the delivery, but based on the journey we’ve travelled thus far, I have no doubt that God is with us, nurturing us, guiding us, and bringing us to our ever-increasing good that will benefit others. I am grateful.

A Reminder

"'God be with you' is not a prayer, but a reminder. It couldn’t be otherwise." – The Voice of Love, 06.10.09

Yes, God is always with me – “It couldn’t be otherwise.” But how often I need to be reminded!

I get into a controlling mode or busy with the events of the day, and I start operating independently as if I’m the only one involved in living my life.

But God is right there with me, seeking to guide me, help me, love me. May I remember that wherever I am, God IS – and, is there too.

No Competition

The evening sun is setting and the day is winding down. It’s time to relax and really breathe.

It was a hot day today, with temps above normal. Still, we sat outside with water misters, enjoying the company of friends who can be as woo-woo as us. Spirit is so obviously with us when we are with these folks. They are healers, and their wanting to help others is clear. We have lots of laughs whilst we catch up on our lives and share our latest learnings.

We come from eclectic religious backgrounds, but all meet together in Oneness, in God. In spirituality there is no competition, and we know that all paths lead to the same place - Home with God.

On This Path

I am excited about a possible living situation in Cottonwood we will be exploring further this weekend. I’ve been taking things one step, one day at a time.

We needed to get the bankruptcy docs signed, then the house trustee sale/foreclosure postponement fell into place. I told Rog I wasn’t going to worry about how we were going to move – the next step was to first find the place.

So if this house situation works out, then I’ll be seeking God’s guidance and help in pulling off the actual move.

Rog reminded me that "If you knew who walks beside you on this path that you have chosen, fear would be impossible" from A Course in Miracles. How true that is! And, so sweet and loving.

With more and more of the unseen manifesting in the seen world, I am getting my evidence – and my trust in God is building. Yes, I still seem to need the evidence of Spirit, that there is a Divine Plan, that God is taking care of me. I so look forward to one day real soon truly internalizing that I know who walks beside me, who is my ever-constant companion, guide, and helper. In that 100% knowing lies my true, ever-constant peace and joy.

Answered Prayers

It’s been another exciting week and it definitely seems like our prayers for business income, a home in the Verde Valley through bartering, improved physical body, etc. are being answered.

“God is always within me and those I care about as our ever-present help. ... I give thanks for the answers to prayer.” – Daily Word, May 14, 2009

An Army of Helpers

Boy, I sure have come a long way from my atheist days!

I’ve just spent some time submitting a prayer request to a number of online sites. Not only would this have never happened when I was an atheist, but even asking for help from anyone would have been an anathema.

These days I do believe in God, and I do believe that all things are possible with God. It’s a whole new way of thinking, a whole new way of living.

Also, I have learned to ask for help from God and all beings interested in my upliftment, human, angelic, etc. I am clearly not alone and there is much power within me and around me. I just need to reach for it, to ask for help. I am grateful these days I can and do.

God in a Vacuum

I was at Rog’s mom’s (known as ‘G’) apartment most of yesterday morning as the movers packed up her belongings for the long distance run to Spokane. When I departed there about noon, the movers still at it, I implored her to not hesitate to call if she needed any help whatsoever. She assured me she would, but I had my doubts. G’s the kind of person that says she wants to live close to family in case of an emergency, and then drives herself to the ER without letting anyone know until afterwards!

G also is a very neat and dedicated housekeeper and wanted to leave her apartment in at least as good a condition as when she first moved in and as clean as possible. She called Rog about an hour after my departure, saying that her vacuum cleaner had pooped out when she went to use it in her bedroom. Actually asking for help, Rog went over there with our vacuum. It too did not work in that room - but it worked in all the other ones!

Rog vacuumed the remainder of the apartment while G took a much needed sit down break. He spent two hours there, and thanks to the break, the vacuuming being completed, and visiting with her son, G felt revitalized.

God did for G what she would not have done for herself.

She would never have asked for help for something like bringing her some lunch, but to be able to leave a clean apartment, that’s another matter. By the vacuum cleaner not working, and her thinking the problem was with it (even though she had just used it in another room), G felt compelled to seek help for what appeared to be an apartment cleaning issue. What she truly needed was a personal boost, which she got by Rog arriving on the scene. God so arranged it that something important to G required someone else’s assistance, making G willing to ask for help, and Rog provided that help and much more.

We’ll never know, but I’d bet that if we walked into that bedroom today, we’d find that the electricity worked just fine. And, God would surely be smiling.

Out of Dodge

Today is six years that I ‘got out of Dodge.’ Translated that means that I left Santa Fe, New Mexico and moved to the Phoenix Metro area of Arizona. That’s the short story.

The longer version goes like this (there’s also the longest version!). After 7+ years of living in NM and tired of hearing myself complain about not liking living there, I made a significant spiritual shift. Up until that time I had been telling myself the story that I couldn’t make another move because (1) I didn’t have the financial means to do so, and (2) I didn’t want to keep moving around until I found the perfect place. The point is, I was trying to do it all by my lonesome. Finally, I woke up and remembered to ask God for help. Duh. Then I was no longer alone (as if I’d ever really been) and I had the power of God consciously behind me.

And, ask God for help I did. My side of the conversation went like this:

“God, I really need Your help to get out of here. I’ll do anything that is required – even get a job! You know that I’ve said I’d never work for someone else again after being in my own business. Yes, I’ll do even that as I sooo want and need to get out of here. But, YOU have to handle the money!” A bit pushy, huh? But, I was clear, and I was open and willing.

And, I did do everything I could, trusting along the way that God would come through on His end. He did, in a way I could never have imagined (via my dad coming back into my life). It was a wonderful lesson contrasting how my life is when I don’t ask for God’s help and when I do.

Perhaps I wouldn’t have had to stay in ‘Dodge’ for as long as I did if I’d remembered my Source sooner – I don’t know. But there is no question in my mind that when I was ready to ask for help, God was there immediately to listen and help (He’d never left). Fresh from that experience, I said I never wanted to forget that powerful lesson ever, and that’s pretty much been the case.

Now six years have passed living in a place I’ve enjoyed and another move is under way, initiated by the Universe but one I’m looking forward to. I’m glad to have that experience in my memory bank and heart. This move seems even more impossible to work out than that last one. But I know whose team I’m a part of and who is my Source and Helper. As long as I seek God’s guidance, remain open, and willing, I’m confident that God will come through again in such a large matter.

Oh yeah - I didn’t have to go get a job. Spirit arranged it financially that I could continue with my own business when I moved from the Land of Enchantment to the Valley of the Sun!