The Third Book The 25th Chapter - Showing of Love

  

Showing of Love

April 11, 2022

Isn't it interesting how life can become distracting and how easy it is to lose one's focus? Our greatest gifts and abilities are too often put aside for various reasons, and how one brief moment of delay can turn into over a year of time passing. One can argue that is the Alchemist process happening in our lives, and those diversions make us a more refined version of who we were yesterday. Although when I look back over the past year – I see what I have lost versus what I have gained. I am talking about non-financial losses of family and the lost ability of creativity. As time marches forward, the recent alchemist lesson for me is now a lot clearer than only a few months ago. The pain of the loss hurts every day, but the lesson grows stronger each day and has taken such deep root; I know now I am not the same person I was last year, and I know what self-love means to me.

I feel the ability to love oneself profoundly comes from the ability to love someone unconditionally and experience that moment, as does Jesus Christ love us. Until the moment in times comes in your life when you love a non-family member like Jesus loved humanity when he walked with us is the moment you understand that life lesson. In that moment of the extreme emotional pain of extending oneself to someone you love, you only feel extreme discontentment in return.

That moment in time is locked into my memory forever. The pain of that event still haunts me, and when it happened, I sat in my car afterwards for 20 minutes, left with a sense of a complete and utter state of emotional shock. This moment was at a couples therapy session, where the goal was to share issues in a relationship. The entire hour was dominated by my ex-partner with the negative energy of my "issues." Many concerns were brought about my past behaviour, and I could feel the hatred extended to me from years of abuse that person experienced from others in her life. It was as if the last 30 years of pain she experienced from others were downloaded to me over that hour-long session. Even though I repeatedly tried to extend love and kindness, those attempts were met with higher even levels of contempt towards me.

I am not comparing myself to what Christ went through on his last days on earth walking amongst us, but I do have a sense now, after reflecting, a glimpse of what he may have felt. It is horrific when you lay down emotionally and put your needs aside for someone else with perhaps getting loved in return, yet love doesn't come. The moment wasn't met by me with escalating emotional violence but with love, like a lamb to an emotional slaughterhouse.

When the moment was over, and I sat in my car by myself, I realized I had thoughts of self-harm. I am very blessed and grateful that I was able to call a friend, and from my past therapy, I recognized where I was mentally at, and I was able to take steps to stop that negative pain from taking root deep within me. I had a business development meeting that day, and as I drove out to the meeting, I had tears running down under my sunglasses. I can only imagine taking all of the world's pain during those last moments of Christ, as the pain I felt from one person was almost emotionally crippling.

This experience has led me to feel even more profound the impact my behaviours have on others. But more importantly for me, now I know what giving unconditional love is. Up to that moment in my life, I never had genuinely given myself without expectations in return or ready to put the walls up to full height when things became unsettling. I am grateful I am leaning into that experience, even though it was painful at the time, as it has taught me the foundational need I have (that we all have) is to love oneself. This has changed me in many ways, and one specific area is a strong understanding of personal boundaries. In the past, in the search for love, I would give away my boundaries with the hope of building something significant with someone else. To avoid conflict or prevent the fear of abandonment, I learned that it only delays conflict, leading to unhealthy conflict followed soon after by abandonment. For me, lacking self-love, the foundation of any relationship, all relationships for me were doomed right from the beginning and never had a long-term chance for fulfillment.

Maslow's hierarchy of self-actualization for needs could never be reached in my past because of this critical flaw in me. I had to have this painful lesson to get to my next level of development and be ready for the next chapter in my life. Since that event, I have spent many hours of healing time and reflection on love and its meaning to me. All of which seemed so perfect in the beginning turned into a waking nightmare of trauma followed by the clouds now clearing.

Even though I still experience the daily loss of some of my family through this experience, it has made me demand more of myself and, through this expectation of self, require more of others. I knew the importance of ensuring I surrounded myself with people of value, but I didn't always act on that. There was a part of me that felt that those choices were safe, as I felt the relationship subconsciously would fail, and I could say, "See, they never work out." Even though they all were painful, it was what I was used to and repeated what was familiar to me. 

In January of this year, I started taking slow steps to find myself again, regularly attending a focused moment of time to restart my relationship with Christ, read His Word, and go back to my physical activity. This has taken months to this moment where I have the energy to create with words and the hope to help someone else struggling. Please be kind to yourself, and it takes time and hard work. When you are the most discouraged and ask when will I ever emerge from the darkness, it suddenly does, and the sun will pierce through the dark clouds of despair. Keep your focus on where your heart is leading you to go and reflect. Don't let that painful experience stop you from moving forward forever when you stumble. You will stumble and fail but fail forward and know that Christ will be there to love you unconditionally. Let your ego go and extend unconditionally love even though you are scared and face adversity – lean into it, and you will start your Journey Home. 

The Third Book The 24th Chapter - Alchemist of Self

                               Alchemist of Self

February 14, 2021

Alchemy - the spiritual process of transformation and creation of your new life. I feel it is fair to say we all desire to have a better life tomorrow than the one we have today. This could be something like a deep spiritual desire to become more Christ-like or something less significant like a better public speaker. They both have the common theme it will take effort and dedication to transform yourself. The hope of realizing a better future is not enough. The idea now has to be put into action.

I have noticed a pattern that when we desire to become better and level up is when it can become more difficult for our hope to become a reality. We can be tested at a level we never thought was possible. In my experience, if there was failure, it was because I made choices that were not supported by my hope. Sometimes when you look back on small choices, they are the catalysts of our biggest failures. Generally, small choices either bring people into our lives or keep people in our lives longer and sometimes in an unhealthy relationship. Resulting in the frustration of not going where we originally wanted to go. Though the people in our life may have added to our failure, we sometimes don't see the correlation between our choices and outcomes. We may even experience feelings that God is to blame and we hold Him responsible for not answering our prayers.

In considering the metal refining process, the hotter the fire is, results in a better quality of the raw metal because the impurities are cleaned away. The process can be repeated, and each time there are more impurities revealed, and it becomes harder to remove the deeply embedded impurities. In thinking about the pattern of removing impurities and applying it to my life, I would suggest it is Christ working within me. Magical events seem to appear out of nowhere and things that didn't exist a moment before become existing. It reminds me of faith. The relentless current of the unseen giver of what seems impossible to be real that supports our being.

I haven't written for a while as I was going through a fire and I was resisting the process of Christ working in my life. I didn't have the energy to write or share, and a lot of the time, I felt depressed with the current world events. I hear endless reports of fear and division vs. kindness. It has impacted me and has caused me to slow down my passion to disciple in the way God has given me to connect with others through writing. However, even in the moments of not sharing, it was like God was acting to help build my experiences and build my understanding of Him.

In late November 2020, my son and I went to a larger city in Western Canada. I wanted to show my son that life still is amazing, and if you work hard, your wildest imaginations or dreams can become real – it is like magic in real life and you are your magician. Even with all the current obstacles we are all facing, there is beauty and positive opportunity should we chose to embrace them. It might be harder to find positive experiences, but they are still there.

It was about halfway through the day when I met a beautiful woman named Lisa, and as she spotted me, a feeling came over me that I have not experienced before. With reflection, I know that moment was divine, and at the time, I felt a deep connection. It was like Lisa knew me. Even though we have never met, I felt a sense of knowing her and understanding of her. I didn't think we would have a 2^nd meeting. However, when we were traveling home, I received a text from her.

Lisa has striking natural beauty and spirit. Hidden beneath her beauty is an even greater beauty unseen to the eye. She has a deepness of character, elegance, and intelligence. Yet her soul carries pain just as deep. A person that started with pain as a young girl and the fire has not let up as the years have passed. I realized that a friendship of true acceptance and non-judgement formed by both of us as we have shared our pasts. She has provided me insight that I never had. I feel I have provided a sense of insight into what she forgot long ago. Our choices and other people, but not God, caused the pain that is in both of our lives. At some point in both of our lives, we have blamed God. I now know that meeting her was divine in nature. It was a moment that I thought would only last a day, but has since has impacted my life forever. One of the greatest lessons she shared is that God will share His love on every occasion if I seek it. Even though it may not be in a traditional church of worship, God places opportunities for us to transform into a better version ourselves. It all depends on our view of that moment. Do we allow love to flow into our lives or do we hold onto the impurities that God is trying to remove?

I have learned that His love and grace are endless. The moment we feel we are not entitled to either one is the moment the voice of the devil is gaining a foothold in our lives. Lisa and I share the gift of being able to see the best in everyone; however, we sometimes fail to see the significance of that gift within ourselves. Sometimes we will not see the inner child that is beautiful and created in God's image. We feel we are not worthy of our dreams and fail to create those dreams into our reality. The Story of Lisa and Craig is not traditional, yet with all the flaws in this story, it makes it one of relevance and significance. It is a story based on acceptance, sincerity, past trauma and emotional wounds, yet a story based on the undercurrent of the love of God.

People may come and go in our lives. Some experiences are good. When people don’t stay in our lives, it can be reflective of a negative experience. I feel people who stay are true friends and add value to our lives and are Christ-like in nature. The moment of realization has taken me years to develop.  In my past, I was only allowing myself to see the good in others. Though, that is a positive trait, it can become toxic when I ignoring boundaries being crossed. I struggle allowing the love of God to support me while fighting to hold onto negative impurities. A longtime friend of mine, Joe, shared the song “People Are Crazy” by Billy Currington.  In listening to the lyrics, it is very applicable to my feelings.

One never knows what magical and spiritual journey is around the corner. I believe to move dreams forward; you have to have the strength and courage to follow them. Move them from the haze of non-existence to the clarity of a moment, and through that moment, you will experience the life that is meant for you and for all of us. The miracles of life are all around us and it truly isn't the destination, but the present moment. It is in the “now” that carries us to the destination. The choice to live in love vs fear will allow you to feel a little bit of heaven on earth. Realize you will face the challenges of life and it will feel hot as the impurities start to leave your life, but embrace the impurities leaving you. Search for the feeling of ridding the impurities because your truth can never be burnt away. Welcome when life is weighing you down, as that process will lead you to unity. Unity of reality and purpose will bring about God's love. As the negative impurities leave, the void will be rapidly filled by the love of God.

I am grateful my son Nicholas trusts in me, and is the best son a father could have, and shared with that unusual day I will always remember. I am so thankful for Lisa’s acceptance and her trust in sharing all that she has. Even though the future is unclear, I can truly say, I have enjoyed the now and have levelled up through this experience that started in November. 

The Third Book the 23rd Chapter - Jesus is Pain

 

Jesus is Pain

September 6, 2020

I named this chapter “Jesus is Pain” as it garners attention. Whether you believe in Christ or not, it provokes an emotional response.

It is important to focus on the non-believers of the love and grace of God that flows through Jesus and into us. At some point in our lives, we may not have understood the concept of being born-again. Becoming aware of the concept may have been when the hard work began. Once you see, you cannot forget. Once you are aware of how to live your truth, which is in the alignment of God’s, no matter how hard you try to push away from that sight of the vision, it never ceases. The more you try to move away from making self-serving choices, the more challenging the love of God makes itself known to you. The faster you run, the brighter the vision becomes of knowing your truth.

I am a new born again person that struggled for many years. I didn’t allow the love of Jesus to fill my life. I am hopeful you will begin to understand why you are not allowing that gift into your life. I had been told all I had sought was “just through that door”. I struggled for many years before walking through the door and deciding to do it was most likely the hardest thing I had ever done. I often wonder why I was resistant. Even when I did walk through, I still didn’t understand why I was feeling so much pain. It was after some prayer, thought, and guidance from the Spirit and mentors that I realized why it took so long and why it hurt so much. Once I chose to walk through that door of a relationship with Christ, I was filled with peace and understanding of self that was not present before.

As individuals, we are often broken and do not have a relationship with Christ. All of us have either experienced trauma or have made horrible mistakes in our past that riddles us with shame and guilt. While we don’t have a relationship with Christ, we may turn to alternative forms of treatment that may include alcohol, illegal drugs, or prescription medication. Over time, using any combination of these medications, we may experience an intense feeling of inadequacy fade away. We may begin to think that we are okay and that we are coping well. Eventually, gentle nudges or spiritual sledgehammers provide moments of clarity. Feelings of discomfort and past pains return. A realization that we are not fully healed from our past and how we dealt with our pain only treated the symptoms of our self imposed burden of remorse and guilt. We may doubt why we have been encouraged to have a relationship with Christ, but are still experiencing pain. Why does that happen? Traditionally we are taught there is nothing but love and peace through that relationship.

In the quiet moments, no matter how hard we try to ignore and deny what we are feeling, the truth becomes clear that we have to deal with all of our pain before we walk through “that door”. We have to acknowledge and deal with all the pain that is in our life. It doesn’t mean it needs to be repaired; it just means it needs to be addressed. By walking through “that door”, you will finally be provided specific tools to heal finally and live your truth with clarity and confidence.

As my worldly accomplishments were being stripped away and I hit my rock bottom, a miracle happened. It became easier to give in and walk through “the door” vs. being afraid of facing my pain and demons. I denied Him for so many years as I didn’t want to experience my pain. I didn’t want to stop running. After a failed intimate relationship, I tried to cope with a combination of therapy to gain an understanding about the other person’s actions and alcohol. Every time I experienced loneliness, it became too strong for me to control. I allowed alcohol to kill my feelings of despair. I didn’t want to feel the sense of loss. I didn’t want to feel the pain of failure. I didn’t want to be alone. I fooled myself into believing that I was okay and that I was healed, all with my own power, and I didn’t need the healing power of Christ.

I lied enough to myself that I believed it, but with an unnecessary cost. I didn’t want to deal with the pain.  I could continue to bury it. I didn’t have the strength to mourn the loss. I was only self-medicating. With the excess consumption of alcohol, I experienced increased blood pressure, weight gain, and gout flare-ups. One of many examples, I continued to be disillusioned and denied Christ. 

As gentle nudges began hitting me over the head daily, I realized I had to deal with my past. I had to remember and identify all the trauma in my life in order to heal. Before walking through “the door”, not knowing why it was so difficult or uncomfortable, I knew is the pain to not walk through was more significant. Faith, experience, and the love of Christ were a gift given to me later. Now, with these tools, I am able to have the strength to heal and repair.

Some moments are still challenging for me. However, I have realized that the nature of sin or to repeat my past mistakes come from a place of negative energy and not from God. I have also realized, upon reflection and learning, that God always provides us with an “out” before we commit our sin. The most important thing I now consider is that “out”. Considering it, I am now able to remove myself from past patterns and stay in alignment with my relationship with Jesus. Through prayer and meditation, I lower my anxiety levels, which allows me to identify areas of my life that I do not want to address. The root cause is always something so deep and painful that I don’t want to deal with it. The more I avoid and choose strength to overcome the avoidance, the more anxiety I feel. As I have repeated this uncomfortable task many times in my life since I have walked through “the door”, I now know how to deal with the root cause before the anxiety paralyzes my judgment to make sound decisions.

In moments when I do not know the root cause, I reply on prayer for visibility. I have also increased my understanding of sin. I will use the example of pre-marital sex and how we are taught our choices we may act upon; it is not in our best interests and it is self-serving.

The first concept is usually easy to identify. We know the thought of being intimate with another person is not in alignment with growth out of wedlock. It is easy to have the gentle nudge that we shouldn’t be considering it, by telling ourselves lies. The hard begins. When we are getting close to the act, it is more difficult to stop. It is so easy identify the sin, but hard to stop before committing it.

If you are one that receives visions of the future, this was an area that was difficult for me to identify as a sin. It was hard to identify, but once the vision was provided, it was easy to stop the behaviour. It tied into the hidden dark areas of my past. Creating anxiety within me, I knew I was out of alignment, but fear continued to build. My spiritual mentor Mark was able to teach me how to use the power of prayer to provide visibility to my root cause. Once I had sight, I was immediately able to stop the sin and face the pain. Previously, I hadn’t been able to address without the use of avoidance and alcohol. Even then, I had never dealt with my issues. With the help of lies I told myself, I had been able to temporarily mask the hurt. The cycle became exhausting for me. I couldn’t do it alone any longer without the help of a higher power. With this visibility, I was able to feel and process the pain of loneliness and submit to the Will of God knowing, in time, healing would prevail. The healing I needed, never had the strength to tackle, but tucked in my consciousness knowing it existed. It was like the proverbial bogeyman that was always lurking and always telling me I didn’t have the strength to walk through “the door” to having a relationship with Christ.

Currently, if you are a non-believer and don’t yet want to walk through “the door” of being born again, I urge you to take the most challenging first step. Once you do, you will find a sense of relief. When you allow faith to take you higher than you have ever been, you will be given tools to help ensure you don’t return to your past. Encircle yourself with mentors and people that love you and are of like-minded spirits sharing the burden of your past. We were meant to share and grow together, and with numbers, we can all overcome our pasts. You can overcome the impossible. You can overcome the feelings of inadequacy. You can achieve all you believe walking through “the door” and being greeted with the warmth of love that will last forever.

The Third Book The 22nd Chapter - Love is Life

 

Love is Life

September 4, 2020

Using a building metaphor, the importance of having a perfect and true cornerstone cannot be overstated. Once a building is started, for it to be straight and have a solid foundational base, it is vital to have a perfectly set cornerstone.  As construction continues, the building will follow the blueprint of the genesis of the stone. As important as a cornerstone is to a new build, how many times have you seen an entire building built out of cornerstone? You never have, as it not possible. As a building is constructed, many different components come together to form the completed structure. Bricks to paint and drywall to roofing materials, all are needed. All of those components need to be in alignment and originate from the cornerstone, even though they are all drastically different.

In the New Testament, Jesus was asked about the most important thing we can remember to ensure is in our daily life. He replied we must have love. It is that simple and there are no other religious rules or protocol. It is that love is life. Yes, it is essential to have our foundation with the cornerstone of Christ in our lives, but there is a need to have more components to build our spiritual house. Always having love in our life is vital for our build and this is added to the perfect cornerstone of Christ.

As I have thought about love and the concept of true love, I realized that there were times in my life when I did view someone else or a thing with judgment. I have realized it was a mistake. I am not in a position to judge others as they try to live their life based upon love. What may work for some people may not work for others. As long as the cornerstone of Christ is in his or her life, why would anyone want to tear down someone’s hard work? When love operates within a person, it truly makes a difference and no one can identify where that love will end. It will never stop having a positive impact.

I recently experienced the power of love. Sometimes we may feel that the only way to share Christ is through church and through contact with someone that is of like mind. I realized that it is through having a relationship with Christ that allows his love to flow through and touch people positively, even when conventional wisdom will suggest love can't exist.

I had reached out to someone to see if it was possible to discuss some concepts that could add value to their life. Initially, they responded and agreed to meet up. Just before we were to meet, I received word that the meeting wasn’t possible and they would contact me another time. I was saddened, as I wanted to give a personal apology to this person and felt it may no longer be possible.

You may recall I have referenced God will provide us with either gentle nudges or a spiritual sledgehammer. When I woke on a specific Saturday morning, I felt a gentle nudge prompting me to travel to a specific mountain lake. I learned that even if you can’t say something in person to another, through the power of prayer, you can speak an apology. While I had been in a relationship with someone special, we spent a good deal of time together. One of my most precious memories, was sharing time with her at a lake. As a result, I felt compelled to visit the boat docking area and say a prayer. In that moment, I owned the hurt I interjected into the relationship, specifically for being emotionally unavailable. I realize now how painful that had been as feelings were developing and I was emotionally vacant. I remember looking down at my watch at 7:50 am, as I began speaking my prayer, apologizing and asking forgiveness.  

When I returned to an area that provided better cell services, I noticed at exactly 7:50 am, she had emailed me and said we could meet up. Unbelievable? Not at all, I stopped using the word “unbelievable” because if a person is born again and has a cornerstone of Christ in their life, everything you think is believable. The wonders will never cease if you continue to invite the love of Christ into your life.

A few days later, after 4 years on not seeing each other, finally met up. We were both nervous and uncomfortable with high levels of anxiety. I shared the story of my prayer to her and the timing of her email. I was now able to say the prayer of apology in person. I will never forget that experience of allowing the love of Christ to flow through me and touch someone else. The “old Craig” was reluctant to show weakness or ask for forgiveness. The “old Craig” was always right about his decisions and never lovingly apologized. The anxiety and discomfort was being replaced by warmth and happiness – Love is Life.

In a moment, the environment completely and beautifully changed. When we had previously parted ways, conventional wisdom suggested we would never have loving words spoken again. Yet it happened. After all the time that had passed between us, the power of Christ’s love was still able to make an impact.

The key ingredients of the cornerstone of Christ and following the gentle nudges combined with the belief that anything is possible will help move your life forward in ways that you may have never imagined. The benefit will continue and like the air in the Flight of Faith – in a brief moment, something you didn’t realize existed was beside you the entire time. In a brief moment, will be able to exceed anything you thought was achievable. Whatever you use to build your house after your cornerstone is laid can be used, as long as it is based on love. There are no specific modern rules or protocols that make my decision better than yours and vice versa. God is one that has set us in a world that has unlimited possibilities of wonder, growth, and love. He is a loving God and He wants us to experience transformation and development in order to be in harmony with all around us.

All we need to do is allow ourselves to believe that we are given His gift of love. Through His gift, we are able to live our lives in a way that was intended. Imagine a life full of the believable instead of a life full of the burdens of fear, doubt, low self-esteem, and lack of resources. A life that is full of love and experiences that enrich all of those we encounter is a life that allows us to become an ever-developing better version of ourselves.

The Third Book The 21st Chapter - Flight of Faith

 

Flight of Faith

August 16, 2020

I feel most of us have an idea of what faith is, but have a difficult time visualizing and measuring faith. How can you attach a metric to something you can’t explain? How can you show someone else how to embrace faith? Faith is vital to living a full life. It needs to be part of our daily life, yet can be difficult to master. How do you start to feel the effect of faith in your life and how do you maintain it? Faith is required to experience miracles. How do you begin incorporating faith into your life? Faith provides the energy to arrive at life’s milestones on the journey of life.

On August 10^th, I was given the gift of understanding faith through a new perspective lens. In the morning, I spoke to my mentor who encouraged me to do something new that day. As I thought about it, I had no idea what it would be. I was staying near Invermere BC, located in the beautiful mountains. My thoughts drifted to the power of flight and I began looking for local helicopter tours. I was drawn to the beautiful valley and mountains.

I had previously visited the valley for over 30 years during the summertime. I had always felt comfortable returning and spending time in the area. If you have visited the mountains and experienced the air, the water, and the peace of the valley, you may be familiar. If you have not visited the area, I will do my best to describe the location.

As I was looking for a powered flight tour, it didn’t feel right. Instead, I started looking at gliders that flew out of the airport. I remembered always being attracted to the gliders that would travel in and out of the airport. I watched in fascination, as they would be towed up in the air, remaining so high, circling the mountains long after the tow plane had left. It seemed so graceful and beautiful as their long gull-like white wings seemed to effortlessly climb into the sky. I had been curious for so many years and realized as I looked at the glider website, I wanted to experience it. The timing was right to experience the power of non-powered flight.

When I called to inquire about flight times, my thoughts drifted back to when I woke up that morning. As I woke, my eyes drifted to the mountains that were outside of my window. I knew I would experience something that day that was going to be unique and positively impact my life. At the time, I had no idea what exactly the experience would be other than the person I would meet would also be someone of significance. As the journey of life continues, have you ever met someone and knew they were a master of their craft? Whatever their passion, you could immediately identify their unique gift, and through that special gift, you felt positive energy. When Trevor answered my call, I sensed it was the beginning of such an experience.

Trevor had afternoon openings.  As he explained, the glider experience is more effective later in the day after the clouds build. When I arrived at the airport, I met Trevor. Trevor was sitting in the shade and immediately felt his quiet confidence. He was in his mid 60’s and had long flowing white hair. He was the image of a wise teacher sitting on the bench waiting for his next student to arrive. I believe authentic learning experiences occur when the ready student meets the waiting teacher. I remember sitting down beside him and feeling I was at the right place at the right time. I didn’t ask him how long it would take, what the cost would be or what was required; all I knew was that everything was in alignment.

The airport is located in the valley surrounded by majestic mountains ranging 5000 feet - 11,200 feet. There were scattered cumulus clouds with a light breeze and a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius. We watched as the tow plane took up a glider and the seemingly effortless process amazed me. As we moved our glider into position on the runway, I was filled with excitement.

Trevor explained getting into the glider and provided a safety demonstration. The instrument gauges were located directly behind Trevor’s seat. The tow plane returned to hook up our glider. We were quickly heading down the runway. I looked about and noticed the glider wings beginning to flex, almost like they were alive and wanted to embrace the invisible air. Suddenly, we were lifted into the air. I remember the sense of freedom and awe. Two hours passed in what seemed like seconds. I recall as we were still attached to the tow plane seeing a crystal clear mountain lake on the left and a large mountain on the right. I had said to Trevor “Wow this is amazing” and he replied, “ You haven’t seen anything yet, just wait for us to get higher.” I had no idea exactly what he meant, but I believed in Trevor’s words, as I knew my life was in the hands of a master of his craft.

As we ascended in slow right-hand reaching an altitude of 5200 feet, the command was given to release from the tow plane. I felt a little bump and then the sound of a light breeze coming over the cockpit’s clear bubble canopy. I noticed we were about halfway up a mountain and Trevor continued to circle in tight right turns. Then the miracle of an unseen powerful force presented itself. I remember again feeling the invisible power of the wind rushing up from the valley floor alongside the mountain. The force was pushing us higher and higher. Within minutes, we were looking down on the mountain peak, just moments before the mountain peak was looking down at us.

I began to view the area entirely differently than I had for over 30 years. Just 5 minutes into the air, I could see lake to the south that would have been a 30-minute drive. To the east, I could see the Kooteney Valley. I was seeing the contours of the valleys, lakes, rivers, and mountains all in a way I didn’t know existed.

Intuitively, Trevor could sense the wind updrafts and continued to pilot the glider higher and higher. We were nearly in the clouds when he said we would soon touch them and moments later we did. He changed course and headed west. We crossed the valley where we had taken off at and skipped across the air currents to a new line of mountains. At this height, he was able to maintain speed and lose minimal altitude, as he was able to fly into the updrafts. It was a sensation of skipping across the wind and clouds. I overwhelmed by emotion of the unseen force of God’s perfect creation. I could feel the power of the wind and see the impact of its energy. We were far higher than all the mountain peaks that were once higher than us. I could see glaciers, rivers, lakes and beauty that seemed dreamlike.

Trevor received notification that his next rider had cancelled. I felt a sense of awe, as I knew my journey was going to be extended. It seemed Trevor was relieved, as he could sense my enjoyment and we would be able to continue our travel. He pointed out a movie and commercial locations, historical mining camps, and shared information about the area. Without accepting the gentle nudge I received earlier in the morning, I wouldn’t have had such an amazing experience. I continued to feel the wind pushing us higher.

The experience allowed me to feel closer to God than I have had. I realized the unseen miracle of the power and was able feel it’s power. The teacher was there all along. I was finally ready to learn more about the miracles of God that He freely gives. As I thought about the experience and how it relates to the unseen force and concept of faith, the glider experience mimics the pattern of faith.

The glider needed a more significant force than it could generate by itself while it was sitting static on the runway. The glider required the initial energy of the tow plane to lift it into the air. At some point in time, we all will hit our rock bottom of despair and not know which way to turn or what action to take next. If you have hit rock bottom, there was likely someone or something that gave you the initial power to start moving and climbing out of despair. If you haven’t been there, it will happen. When it does, it is the first step into feeling the force of faith. There will be a force that will propel your forward, lift you and will allow your wings to connect with your power source.

Once the initial helping force is used, it will be time to let go and move forward without the force that lifted you. It will be a transitional time for you to take what you have learned and find a new source of power. The source of energy is hard to understand and even harder to see. You will need to believe in faith and yourself. Your unseen force will allow you to take flight within your faith. You will begin to feel and see life’s miracles as faith. Your faith will provide you with the power to move forward to and experience the miracles in your life.

It is truly is about the journey of your life and not the destination where true happiness and love exist. It is about the unplanned moments with family when you can grow your connection. It is unplanned moments when you meet a stranger that is a master in their craft. It is in the unplanned moments when faith will push you to higher levels of enlightenment and clarity of vision. Through trusting in the unseen force of faith is when you will be provided your vision of the next steps. You will see your next steps as clearly as looking at a Google Map destination. You will know exactly how to grow your faith, your love of family, and your career in a way that you could never see before.

Develop your process and faith that is in alignment. Keep it simple and repeat and repeat. Far too often in our personal and business lives, we make our initial plan of success complex, and then we become lost. We lose the power of the updrafts of our faith. We begin to sink lower into our depths of despair. We lose sight of what had been so evident at a higher level of our being and forget about the simple acts that had lifted us so high. Where do you feel your sense of faith is? Do you have your clarity of vision? Have you tapped into the unseen force of faith? Do you believe you, too, can feel the power of faith? If not, when are you going to start? What can you use as your tow plane to begin your growth?

Follow the nudges that God provides you, as there will be a Trevor waiting for you on a bench. He will be waiting to give you a gift that will help transform your life into something you never thought was possible. He will provide you with clarity that you never knew existed. He will allow you to look forward to creating your future successes instead of focusing on your past failures. All you have to do is to take the first step to grow your flight of faith. As you move forward, you will come around a corner, and your “Trevor” will be sitting in the shade waiting for you.

The Third Book The 20th Chapter - Spiritual Nudges

 

The Nudge of the Holy Spirit

August 4, 2020

Have you ever had a strong, unexplainable, and undeniable moving feeling?  Perhaps it was a message you had resisted for quite some time, but realized you could no longer resist acknowledging. Oftentimes, the longer you ignore an intrinsic feeling, the louder the wake-up call. Awareness of such experiences can enhance our awareness of the blessing of subtle nudges.

I had an experience that I can only believe was divine intervention. It was during a period of my life that I was struggling with my personal relationships. I had experienced the loss of an intimate relationship and I was also struggling with the connection to my daughter. My experiences lead me to become bitter and jaded with the work I put into my personal development. I was not getting the results I felt I should have achieved.

In December 2016, I had traveled by myself to Belize. After a few days of vacation, I had wakened one morning so adamant that I would never embrace God into my life. I was angry at my life. I vowed not to spend another moment entertaining the idea of opening up to the concept of spirituality in my life. I remember being so passionate about the thought and also comforted by my decision.

Later in the day, I toured the island and noticed a sign advertising a small Internet chat shack 10 miles north of the main town center. Although 10 miles may not seem far, the motor transportation on the island was a golf cart. Between the golf cart and awful roads, it took about an hour to travel 10 miles. As I was getting closer, I had a sense of excitement about arriving at my destination. When I arrived, it was closed. I decided to continue traveling north and came upon a small oceanside bar. It had room for about 10 people and the location was breathtaking. Prior to my trip, folks had prepared me for the condition of some of the restaurants, but said if I saw other people, it would be a safe place to stay and visit.

Upon sitting down, I met Chris. He was the bar’s owner and a fellow Canadian. I had asked him how he became so fortunate to live in such a beautiful place, surrounded by beautiful people. It was dreamlike. He said it was easy, as simple as making the choice to do it. I looked at him with amazement, confusion and disbelief.  I thought he had to be crazy. Over time, I have learned he was right. Once we begin smashing down our self-imposed walls of fear, anything is possible.

As I pondered his concept, Lady Katherine and Stuart walked in. They were from North Carolina and reminiscent of southern Belle and regal gentleman. They had southern accents and a general old-fashioned sense of mystery surrounding them. After a few brief introductions, Lady Katherine could not contain herself. She apologized by saying “I am sorry and please do not think I am crazy, but I have this loud voice in my head that I have to share this idea with you.” Of course, I was immediately curious and open to what she was going to say. I asked her to share her thoughts. She continued, “The decision you made this morning to turn your back on God, you cannot do this. He has big plans for you, and you need to embrace him in your life. Not only does your life depend on it, but others as well.” I was amazed that she didn’t know me from the sand on the beach but specifically knew about my recent experience.

I had been ignoring and pushing away God for years. In that moment, I no longer could. The energy I needed to ignore was greater than it was to submit to the idea I was wrong that morning. In that moment, it was like a spiritual sludge hammer forcing me to accept my place in this life. I have learned that miracles come when you least expect them. Through my father, I have also learned that the pace of wonders is on God’s time and not our own.

In my experience with Lady Katherine, I was moved and a seed began to grow. I could no longer ignore the calling of the spirit. In March of 2017, I was able to attend a John Maxwell training session in Orlando, Florida. Roughly halfway through the course, I had the opportunity to sit down beside Mark and Judy. I did not realize at the time, the miracle that just occurred. Mark is a retired pastor was there to become certified in coaching. I ended up becoming his first client.

Initially, the coaching was corporate-based. Over time, it evolved into spiritual. I realized the importance of having a life that is in balance. The seed that Lady Katherine had planted eventually made me realize what I lacked in my spiritual development. If you have hit rock bottom before and embraced Christ, you may relate to another experience in my life. In July 2019, my career had hit rock bottom, bills were piling up, and I had lost hope. I remember being overcome by anger and realized I had to change. I myself was the common root problem in my life’s equation. In my next meeting with Mark, I let him know I could no longer pay him. I wished him best of luck, but I needed to go on alone without his coaching. He suggested he would wave the session fees as he believed in me and we still had work to do. I was overcome by emotion and taken back by his willingness to help me. I felt so unworthy and was in such a low period in my life. 

As the months passed, Mark continued working with me. In November, I officially took my first step. It was the hardest first step that I have ever made. It had taken nearly 3 years from the moment I declared a “hard no” to when Lady Katherine came into my life. When you are hit over the head, embrace the gift, but don’t worry about the speed of the gift or have any expectations. Life is about the journey and not the destination. In those 3 years, I had grown and become ready for the gentle nudges I now embrace.

It is essential to remember that all of this is based on free will and free will is required for real-life to be experienced. Through free will and gentle nudges, you have to prepare yourself to acknowledge the gentle nudges and allow the door to open. The person meant to receive your gift may not be there. You have to be okay with feeling pain and realize that the moment may not be immediate. You may feel the frustration of free will. You have to be strong enough to walk away and take comfort; you did follow the spiritual nudge. In most cases, the miracle you were sent to deliver will happen, and it is one of the most satisfying experiences you will have.

Recently, I decided I wanted to attend a new church. On the morning prior to attending, I had a feeling that I needed to travel to Banff overnight. In doing so, I had the incredible experience of getting to know someone very deeply. We had an experience that will forever connect us. It was biblical in nature and provided mutual life-changing comfort. Following your gentle nudges allows you to experience miracles and receive beautiful gifts.

I was given the gifts of several valuable life-changing experiences. My resort had a beautiful rooftop hot tub. When I woke up on Sunday morning, I felt a need to be there when it opened, as someone needed a message. When I arrived, before the sun came over the mountains, I was moved to pray in the direction the sun was rising. As I finished praying, and the sun had crested the mountains, I was overcome by deep emotion. I knew that the person to whom I was going to deliver a message would arrive soon. Moments later, a young father and his 5-year-old son and 3-year-old daughter arrived.

As I knew it was my time to leave, I briefly spoke to the father. I shared with him the importance of enjoying the time with his kids as time passes so quickly. I also shared that as his daughter grows older, their relationship will change forever, so to enjoy his time with her while she is a little girl. He said he was working on it and thanked me for my advice. When I walked away, I felt the gentle nudge of our meeting and how it changed his life forever. I knew his marriage was saved and would reach a new level. He would now have a better relationship and a deeper connection with his children. As I entered the elevator to return to my room, I felt the power of a miracle. I was in awe of the gratefulness of being able to be a part of God’s plan and providing value to which started with that gentle nudge.

I almost always ignored my gentle nudges and felt they didn’t mean anything. The energy we give and the energy we take has a lasting impact on others as well as ourselves. Most of the time, we will never know what or how profound that impact is. The importance of being kind to everyone, including ourselves, is vital. We may never know how we may scar a person forever with our words and we will be held accountable for those actions.

Are you currently ignoring something in your life? How long are you going to ignore it? How big of a spiritual hammer do you need? Why are you fighting it? Once you embrace it, you will feel so much peace with the experiences of the gentle nudges. Once you invite Christ into your life, you will feel his unconditional love. Even though you may have denied him for years, there is no retribution but kindness and joy that your journey has returned you home.

The Third Book - The 19th Chapter - Build Your Faith

Build Your Faith

July 18, 2020

When you begin experiencing growth and accomplishments, it’s important to keep the momentum going. Continued growth requires energy to maintain continued accomplishments.

Though sometimes difficult to maintain daily, strength may be gained through visualization. Measuring each of your decisions against the value they will bring to your life takes discipline.  It can be easy to indulge in self-serving decisions seeking instant gratification that may only keep you in the negative patterns of your past. It is much harder to make decisions that are long-lasting if you do not see instant results. It takes self-sacrifice to others and yourself. As you maintain the path of making challenging decisions that maximize your value, it will become easier as well as your exponential growth. When we make decisions that are quick and impulsive in order to achieve an immediate sense of gratification it is always linear in effect and the benefit always fades away. With the long-term decision-making, the growth is unlimited. It is only limited by ones fears and demons that are negative in nature. Faced with thousands of decisions a day, the hard part is to have the discipline and strength always to stay the course and add to your quest. It is a simple concept but can be very difficult to carry out consistently.

Growing strength may also be achieved through faith. Faith can be more challenging to visualize and realize. It requires that ones ego is secondary to achieving the gift of faith that is all around us. Christ is always providing us with what we need when we need it. We just have to recognize it. Through my mentor, I have realized how blessed I have been. I have met many people who have shared stories with me that have given me the gift of faith. It has given me the gift of knowing I am living my life in accordance with serving God.  It is through their stories that I can recognize His love that provides me with a vision that I am on the right track and gives me the strength to keep building my momentum.

In restoring my faith, I have reflected upon recent experiences. Last summer, when I felt lost and I depressed, I was drinking too much.  At the time, I was working at a safe injection site. I had been reflecting upon my place in life. I felt a lot of self-pity. However, I was able to meet many beautiful people, who were also feeling lost, and we were able to form friendships. It is often easy to look down upon people who are facing addictions. However, I was able to relate to each person’s story.  I also recognized that each person has a gift even though they may not recognize it within themselves. What I have learned is that people try to live their best life. I realized I had more in common with them and that our addictions had different levels of control over each of us.

Recently, my daughter and I went on a road trip. As we were entering the highway, a young man was standing with a sign and begging for money. Quickly my daughter gave him 2 $5 bills and we pulled away. My daughter asked me what I thought about her giving money to this young man. I anticipated she thought I might criticize her for wasting her money. I let her know that she had just taught me a lesson to freely give to someone else that is under the table. My daughter gave freely without knowing the intention of how the money would be spent. I also let her know that I know the young man and he's a good person who was just in a terrible place in his life. The $10 my daughter gave may or may not have saved this man's life, but it helped get him closer to changing his life. I thought it was a great example of what Christ would do. He would freely give love out of kindness, compassion and without expectation. Growing momentum and strength through faith allows for exponential growth.

   

Days later, while traveling to a business meeting at a local coffee shop, I saw an older man asking for money. At the time, I was late for my meeting and I didn't want the person to wait any longer. I vowed to myself if the older man were standing there when I left, I would give him money. During my meeting, the other person shared they had lost their husband the previous year.  She shared the focus of missing her husband was more than loving God. With this focus, she realized she wasn’t fully living her life. She knew in time she would once again be with her husband, but in the meantime the center had to be on loving God. Her belief caused her spirit to soften and she was able to provide the strength that someone needed in her life. Without her gift of strength, she likely would have lost the other person. In only one month from when she decided to serve and focus on God, she was able to save a life. The multiplying effect of that action has spilled into many lives and has allowed a child to know his mother longer and allowed a husband to know his wife longer.

Sometimes people ask how long it takes to change. Once you see your truth and feel the love of Christ, it only takes one breath to change your life and countless others around you. The gift given to me was providing me with more faith and the quiet confidence in knowing I am growing my relationship with Christ. I know I am living a life obedient to the Will of God. I have realized God doesn't want anything from us. He truly wants us to live a life full of love and to share that with others.

As I was leaving the coffee shop, the old man was still standing in the middle of the entryway. As I pulled up to the old man, I said hi, asked how he was doing, and gave him $20. After I gave him the money, I could see appreciation in his eyes. He kissed the bill and he put it in his pocket. At first, I thought that his display of emotion was solely about the money. However, I realized he saw the kindness in my eyes towards him. I realized he felt I valued him as a person, as someone who mattered. In that brief moment, he gave me more than I had given him. A lot of people may live a life that is based upon a foundation of lies instead of value. Acceptance and faith go hand in hand. In order to grow our faith, we need to accept ourselves and accept what God wants in our lives. Through acceptance, we can fully begin to live our lives through knowing our truths and begin building our strength in order to achieve exponential momentum.

How secure is your faith? In the last week, how many examples have you experienced that Christ has given you to grow your faith? Have you used the experiences to not only grow your faith but to share it with someone else in a way that exhibits the love of Christ? Whether you have or haven’t, what is your next step? The journey of life may be difficult, but the pattern of hard work replicates with hard work. I have experienced exponential growth and momentum in my faith. My prayer is that you can also feel it happen in your life and are able to share it with others. You can truly make a difference when you least expect it.