5th Edition Newsletter- (September 20th)

D’s Spiritual Guidance Newsletter-5th Edition
-a weekly publication (published Saturdays)

Intro
So, I was thinking the other day that there’s not a whole lot to this. People think that sometime it’s hard to spread the Word, if not hard to learn it, but the truth is that it’s not. Not even half a decade ago, I was sitting in confirmation class not knowing what I was doing, biding my time and waiting to get out, but now I find I’m never truly out. We’re always learning as people of God, and that I suppose is a good thing. Just in writing this the past few weeks, I’ve learned a few things myself. Things that I wouldn’t trade for your generic bible lesson any day- the joy of really, actually spreading the Word by the means I can. So, even if your faith is sometimes troubled, your ways are limited, or your situation is hard, you can always find time to share what you believe with those around you. That, at its very core, is what faith is all about. Everybody have a great week and see you next time! God bless.
-D

Words of Wisdom

"I have never seen a monument erected to a pessimist.”
-Paul Harvey

"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it.”
-Edith Wharton

"It’s amazing what a little courage in the right place at the right time can accomplish.”
-John Scherer


Passage

Deuteronomy 29:14: But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.


Sermon

The text above for this particular installment talks about a subject I feel very strongly about. The Word. In it lies the power to build up great foundations, but just as easy tear them to the ground. How it is interpreted and how it is preached I may have talked about in past editions, but for this we will focus mainly on just the message. By saying “the word is very near you”, it is a concept that can be thought of differently depending on how you accept God’s teachings. But in this case, it is saying simply enough that anyone has the potential in them to reach out to the Word- it is never inaccessible. For as the passage says, it is “in your mouth and in your heart”, essentially with you always. What does this mean? Now we all know you can’t literally carry a bible around with you wherever you go, but everyone certainly has the potential to find the will of God in everything they do. It’s just a matter of looking hard enough. But to shift some matters into an element of prior experience, here’s an example.

In a recent history class of mine, I’ve been researching in depth for a presentation a certain religious group- the Quakers. Also known as the Religious Society of Friends, their faith oftentimes was centered on the concept of what they called the “Inner Light”, or spiritual potential, each person possesses. Whether or not you take into consideration this element, it is important to note this as a significant thing in believing. It is true that we seek our guidance from God, the all and the whole, but oftentimes, the strength to retain faith dwells inside us. People who don’t inherently believe always have the concept in their mind of what it would be like, or even wish they could believe, but never come to that decision for whatever purposes they have. But remember this, however dim the Inner Light, it can grow into a fiery faith in no time. For, after all, the Word dwells in us every bit, in the world we see and the life we lead. So, The Word cannot be found in just bibles and religious texts, my friends. It is sometimes the ongoing story of God in our lives, and one well worth reading and remembering always.

Amen.


Sidenotes

A good faith is based on connectivity. By that, I mean having people in your life who share your thoughts and your faith. In that respect, it will be easier to keep yourself together when believing turns into a shaky ordeal. But as I’ve found, there is perhaps another more powerful strategy of retaining faith… by sharing it. Perhaps it can be best described by saying that one does no good preaching to those who already believe. One does only good when he preaches to those that have yet to believe. Consider this as well: it does nothing to train those that have reached the peak of their game, but it will do wonders to those still sitting on the bench. These metaphors may sound like clichés or stale sayings, but their general purpose dates back to Jesus’ teachings to his disciples. Tax collectors and sinners of many kinds came to Jesus wanting to learn, and his disciples shunned them, proclaiming them unfit for his holy teaching. Jesus reprimanded them, saying that it was they who needed help. Essentially, his disciples had already been saved. You don’t throw a life preserver to those on the shore, do you? In the same way, Jesus took sinners under his wing and made them believers. So, perhaps the clearest moral to this that I can give is this: if you do not find yourself surrounded by people of the same faith, share your faith with them. You might be surprised by the results.


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Feedback

None yet. Send any comments, rants, raves, suggestions or any questions to dspiritmail@yahoo.com with the subject “Feedback” and I will post it below. I will also answer any spiritual-oriented questions you have in the newsletter if you include them in your email. Feel free to contact me anytime via email.


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http://spirituald.blogspot.com/
Note- past entries will soon be posted on the blog, so check in sometime soon.

[Note: if you liked this newsletter, send it on to as many people in your contacts as you can. Encourage them in whatever ways you can to believe, love, laugh and know the truth always. God bless, and hope to see you again next week.]