Out of the Darkness, the Fruit of the Spirit Appears!

 

Author’s Note

 

“We cast a shadow on something wherever we stand, and it is no good moving from place to place to save things, because the shadow always follows. Choose a place where you won't do harm - yes, choose a place where you won't do very much harm, and stand in it for all you are worth, facing the sunshine.” 

― E.M. Forster, A Room with a View

 

Reflections

 

From the darkness of the forest, the God spirits emerge on horseback, declaring the existence of an afterlife to the unbelievers, where communion with the creator God is insured for an eternity.

 

Why do so many find it necessary to abuse, both physically and emotionally, the objects the creator God imagined in his dreams, they ask as the spirits emerge from the darkness of the forest…why not instead love each created object as the creator does?

 

The God spirits emerge from the darkness of the forest as fruits of the spirit, shining examples of the creator, demonstrating love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control to those who abuse.

 

Oh God, why do we struggle so much with our bodies! We hear the God spirits as they gallop by us shouting shame on you for disappointing your creator God by not being a light to those around you in the darkness…shame on you for not providing to those who are lost the vision of the fruits of the spirit, so they too, might enjoy holy communion with Him!

 

As the God spirits gallop through the land after emerging from the darkness of the forest, they ask why do God-fearing people feel such a disconnect between the desires of their minds and the design of the creator? With tears in their eyes, they cry out to those who ask, who is this creator God you serve? He is…I AM!

 

Silent Prayer

 

Creator God, thank you for the darkness, for in the darkness we will discover the light!

 

Music

 

The Fruitful Darkness by Trevor Hall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SyUY_k8pe0

 

Lyrics

 

"The Fruitful Darkness"

When I look back on those years gone by
All those mountains standing in my mind
I could have folded, could have turned around
But all good stories have their ups and downs

So, I had to find my way through
I had to find my way through
I had to find my way through
I had to find my way through

The fruitful darkness
Is all around us
In bloom

The dark within my dark
Is where I found my light
The fruit became the doorway
And now it's open wide

The dark within my dark
Is where I found my light
The fruit became the doorway
And now it's open wide

The dark within my dark
Is where I found my light
The fruit became the doorway
And now it's open wide

The fruitful darkness (the fruitful darkness)
Is all around us (is all around us)
The fruitful darkness (the fruitful darkness)
Is all around us (is all around us)
The fruitful darkness
Is all around us
In bloom

 

 

Barry

A Maze of Doors?

 

Author’s Note

 

“You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul”

 

– Swami Vevekananda

 

Reflections

 

            Life is equivalent to a maze of doors – an individual must decide which door to enter based on and limited only by the spiritual level attained at that moment in one’s existence. This maze of doors represents decisions that must be made to establish the direction of one’s spiritual development.

 

         Many say each lifetime represents the entering of an individual door and the experiences that result from relationships until the individual ends up where he started from – we enter as a fresh, naïve, fully impressionable human spirit with no preconceptions except for the experiences of previous lifetimes, existing in the unconscious realm…we form opinions and from these tested opinions learn and hopefully progress toward perfection and at the end return back to our original state, unchanged except for the addition of this experience to our unconscious realm.

 

         This continuing cycle is responsible for growth along the spiritual continuum. Only a few accomplish this task, most fail, and therefore enter the same level through a different door. The goal for humanity is to seek the perfection of universal truth. When man realizes this reason for existence, each life is approached with exhilaration…relationships a means by which to reach this goal. The hold rum of daily living is viewed from a fresh, exciting perspective. The difficulties of life, although still intense, are viewed as necessary steps toward the achievement of spiritual growth and freedom, and therefore happily anticipated.

 

         Relationships are how we discover the spiritual level in which we are currently functioning. Each relationship should be a positive factor we use to build towards the next level of spiritual awareness. Individuals who deny or exclude relationships stop spiritual growth. In the resulting stagnation, there spiritual and mental health deteriorate, further limiting their capacity to relate. All human relationships need the stimulation of social contact for further growth. This growth is dependent on relationships with no limitations…you cannot place limits on the discovery that must take place for spiritual awareness.

 

         The ability to relate on all levels with other individuals is the necessary skill most never realize, resulting in failure. One must never allow one relationship to prevent or affect adversely simultaneous relationships with others. The problem with most relationships is superficiality. To have a meaningful relationship with another, the participating individuals must be willing to take risks by revealing true feelings. Feelings are the life blood of the spirit, and as such, are direct reflections of one’s spirit. A spirit communicates universal truths through feelings. When dealing with true feelings, honesty prevails, leading to bonding and further growth along the spiritual continuum.

 

 

Silent Prayer

 

Creator God, help us as we grow spiritually!

Music

 

Jason Upton - Grow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apOvcjCHmaw

 

 

LYRICS

 

Father make us ready
For all our hands have sown
We can hear it raining
This garden's gonna grow

 

Spirit keep us steady
Seasons come and go
To never stop believing
This garden's gonna grow

 

This garden's gonna grow
This garden's gonna grow
I hope that we are all ready
This garden's gonna grow

 

So, let are love be patient
Help us to be kind
Teach us in the waiting
Oh, Jesus be are guide

 

This garden's gonna grow
This garden's gonna grow
I hope that we are all ready
This garden's gonna grow

 

This garden's gonna grow
This garden's gonna grow
I hope that we are all ready
This garden's gonna grow

 

Let the soil of life be watered
Let our light shine, brighter
It'll take time and time can move
So slow

 

This garden's gonna grow
This garden's gonna grow
I hope that we are all ready
This garden's gonna grow

 

So mother don't you worry
We won't let it die
All that you have dreamed for
We'll watch it come alive

 

Mother don't you worry
We won't let it die
All that you have dreamed for
We'll watch it come alive

 

This garden's gonna grow
This garden's gonna grow
I hope that we are all ready
This garden's gonna grow

 

This garden's gonna grow
This garden's gonna grow
I hope that we are all ready
This garden's gonna grow

 

So let the soil of life be watered
Let our light shine, a little brighter
It'll take time
Oh, and time can move
So slow

 

But this garden's gonna grow

 

 

Barry

Listen, There are Sounds in the Silence!

Author’s Note

 

“When the observable universe was born, there was a shuddering sound of timelessness bursting from the corner of the cosmos until the algorithmic sound of silence took over, revealing how the distinctive sound of the truth unfolds its formidable presence, how the tiny infinities of reality swing between space and time, how the cycle of life and death gives value and meaning to human existence, how noble ideas and creative concepts incarnate and traverse in three-dimensional realms, where beauty and tragedy fuse and transform to become transcendent infinities” 

― Danny Castillones Sillada

 

Reflections

 

There are sounds in the silence if we will just listen.

 

Mother Earth is precious, we need to be aware of the sounds she utters as we continue to ravage her beauty. In each of us resonates the sound of life humming through the DNA strands of each cell of our bodies.

 

Oh, if we would just listen. We would hear the voice of our creator God, pleading with us to love one another, to stop the hate and rancor against each other and every living thing He has created.

 

We were created to be harmonious with every other living thing. When we do this, we are in the presence of the creator and become one with Him. 

 

Oh, help us to understand this before it is too late! Help us to love one another and only then will we be able to understand the true meaning of life…only then will we be integrated into the water of life, the universality of existence.

 

If you will listen closely, Mother Earth, our creator God, will call you back to her loving bosom. We will then go back to the watery truth of the universe, where we will again be nurtured, protected, and truly loved. We will no longer suffer but will instead be a part of God’s overpowering and radiant love.

 

Our spirit will be one with His spirit, existing in the watery universe where angels worship and sings songs of adulation to their creator God. Hallelujah, praise our creator God, who loves us despite our sometimes-loathsome thoughts and actions. Help us our God, for we no not what we do!

 

 

Silent Prayer

 

Creator God, help us listen for you in the silence!

Music

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93wGaGFUnTs

 

Special Lyrics

 

Nahko And Medicine For The People - Love Letters to God

 

{Verse 1}
Give, always give what you can
Even if your allies draw lines in the sand
And dig, always dig a little deeper
Sometimes it’s hard to be my brother’s keeper
Love. So you let love in
Baby, I am home in the wake of your skin, and it’s crazy
How we wear our ceremony
Always be open to your path and your journey
Yes, she cradles my loneliness
A home that I forage, nest
Universal test, feel the weight of my love
Put your hand on my chest
And rest, in the cradle of my arms
The battle that we face is the place where our scars come from
And to pick up the gun
My love, we are destined to teach these ones to be brave
And never run away
Courage is birthed from the womb on the first light of day
Yeah, the day you were born, you came out perfect
Never meant to be torn
In silence, never been so loud in the violence
Never been so proud of a people
When we’re fighting for a change
Not afraid to lose it all despite all the rage
We are animals
And we cannot be caged
Provoke us to fight
So we burn a little sage and write poetry
Wiser than the enemy will ever be
The minority
And authority
Are you here to protect or arrest me?
I can’t tolerate the hate, and I'm losing sleep
Can’t breathe, cause they’re choking out a war in me
Immorality

{Chorus}
Love letters to God
Wonder if she reads them or if they get lost
In the stars, the stars, in the stars
So many parts to a heavy heart
If there’s no beginning, then where would you start?
Start, start, where would you start?

{Verse 2}
Human souls, so we carve 'em into story Totem poles
Because we’re always searching for a certain goal
A pattern of physics, a role
Don’t believe all you’re told
And open
Open up your fist
A misconception, you can fight like this
In praise, with the power of prayer
If God’s on our side, we can take the stairs
To the heavens
Flipping through my chapter seven
I live with the snakes in the great deception
No court, in this country for men
Who steal from their mother on paper with pen
And we’re tripping
Down a red dirt road
And we’re asking
Is this the way we should go?
Kissing, soft top feet of my goddess
We walk the earth, baby, yeah we got this
Focus, and it’s redirected
Grateful, and I’m resurrected
Stubborn, but I know the way
You’re the skin of my drum
To your rhythm I will sway
Take my hand
I won’t lead you astray
We will not go gently into the darkest of days
Grandma’s here, and she says persevere
Take a walk in her moccs, taste the trail of tears
And our fears, are the same as they ever were
Beers, numb the pain of a holocaust
Gears, always mobbing in motion
Maybe, baby, be an island or an ocean
Your arches, how they bend and contract on my conscience
Never slipped through the grip of my thesis
And my theory is I shine in your presence
A deliverance

{Chorus}
Love letters to God
Wonder if she reads them or if they get lost
In the stars, the stars, in the stars
So many parts to a heavy heart
If there’s no beginning, then where would you start?
Start, start, where would you start? 

 

 

Barry