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Permalink Reply by Patrice Wassmann on 11th mo. 6, 2013 at 9:14am

Wow, that is good. Very thought provoking. Kind of reminds me of the old saying "Don't be so heavenly minded that you are no earthly good"-only the reverse!

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Permalink Reply by Stephanie Stuckwisch on 11th mo. 8, 2013 at 11:45am

Faith as embodiment rather than a recited creed. 

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Permalink Reply by carolyn taylor on 11th mo. 8, 2013 at 5:08pm

 "The reason God gave us two ears and one mouth is so we can hear more than we speak!"

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Permalink Reply by Forrest Curo on 11th mo. 8, 2013 at 6:10pm

On that last... It's an odd physiological fact that speaking ought to make people deaf.

Fortunately, we've got those weird little ear bones they told you about in school. When those bones are linked up, they amplify what other people are saying.

When someone starts talking, the ear bones unlink so that we don't deafen ourselves. (But it does get harder to hear anyone else then.)

Technically, if everyone heard more than they spoke -- we couldn't talk at all, and even that wouldn't do the job: Saying nothing while hearing nothing just gets us hearing as much as. Therefore, we'd need to be unsaying instead. If together we were saying -5 words we wouldn't hear any of them; and since zero is 'more than' -5 your goal would be achievable. Desirable?

When God made more than one of us, it became possible for each person to know things the other doesn't. Both can talk, listen -- and come up with things that neither had known before.

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Permalink Reply by carolyn taylor on 11th mo. 8, 2013 at 6:17pm

 Some folks just talk too much and need to listen more. When I was a girl in the last century, the music

teacher used to make us write down her "saying for the day" and at the end of each term she graded those

books along with the comments we were supposed to write down of what we thought of each little

epistle.

  One day, I went in and she had also changed the seating arrangement. MY seat was now right in front of the board the sayings were on and this day she glared right at me while I had to write, along with all the others, "Dear Lord, Please Help Me to Keep My Big Mouth Shut Until I Know What I am Talking About.  Amen!" :)

    I am finally learning but it has taken sixty years!

LOL,

Carolyn

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Permalink Reply by Forrest Curo on 11th mo. 8, 2013 at 7:07pm

Encouraging people to talk about a subject can be a good way to get them to think about it... and sometimes, if they're truly interested, to listen to what someone else might find to clarify it.

So, without necessarily knowing The Answer: What does it mean for our presence someplace to make God more 'present' to anyone there? What enables us to do that? -- & to what extent, how, can we 'enable' that to happen?

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Permalink Reply by carolyn taylor on 11th mo. 8, 2013 at 8:17pm

      Learning to pray, for one thing, silently and constantly and learning to feel the presence

of the Holy Spirit within. Being quiet in  body, mind and soul at various times during each day so you can learn to discern what is the Will of God for  each person. When you know what appears to be a Calling then test it out slowly, carefully because one of the big hurdles Every Man has is to learn to discern the Will of God and then doing it cheerfully to the best of one's ability.  Its learning to serve, not to be served.

 The contract is between God and each person, and it is probably different for everyone. Jesus figures in here too, in his teachings and the examples He set for humanity to follow. Some of us try and live by the

Bible every  day. Others have different books. But for Christians, its the Bible.  I am not trying to preach here just let you know my response. One way to "make God more 'present' to anyone there' is to consider

Free Will which is a gift from God that lets everyone make a choice. And my choice is to try and behave like Jesus wants me to, which is to be nice to others and turn the other cheek if anyone is rude. Since I have been a plain dresser, people treat me really nicely. And from one older woman to however old you are, maybe physical maturity and time to practice what is preached in the Bible and other places is what gives aging itself kind of a graceful aura, a time to be relaxed, a time to see what God has in mind for us every day. I don't know a single person who can live more than one day at a time. Be an example for others in heart, mind and soul.

Carolyn

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