Following the River of Our Spirit Mind!

Barry & his brother-in-law, David canoeing on the Cumberland River in Kentucky 

(photo Clay Haney 1979)

Author’s Note

 “By the time it came to the edge of the Forest, the stream had grown up, so that it was almost a river, and being grown-up, it did not run and jump and sparkle along as it used to do when it was younger but moved more slowly. For it knew now where it was going, and it said to itself, “There is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”

 

- A. A. Milne

 

“Think of the mind as a river: the faster it flows, the better it keeps up with the present and responds to change. The faster it flows, also the more it refreshes itself and the greater its energy. Obsessional thoughts, past experiences (whether traumas or successes), and preconceived notions are like boulders or mud in this river, settling and hardening there and damming it up. The river stops moving; stagnation sets in. You must wage constant war on this tendency in the mind.”

― Robert Greene, The 33 Strategies of War

 

 Reflections

 

Our bodies are a river of trillions of cells flowing in an endless stream of electrical activity, as each DNA strand communicates the mind of our creator God to our inward spirit. When me contemplate our existence, we are sitting at the bank of the river looking at our bodies, trying to communicate with the creator God’s spirit.

 

Sitting on the river bank, watching the river of our spirit mind flow by, we notice boulders in the river, impeding the flow of the thoughts in the river of our mind, obstacles to the free flow of thought, causing us to stop and consider alternatives, a crossroads if you will, where our thoughts, our existence can go to the right or the left of the boulder, a new adventure, preventing stagnation of our thought processes, allowing us to grow, to become more like our creator God!

 

As we sit along the riverbank under a shade tree, we watch as leaves fall off the tree limbs above us, into the moving rivers of our mind. We wonder, do these leaves in the river of our mind, now flowing away from us, represent our own stream of consciousness…do they represent the compulsive thoughts that assault us, represent the patterns of habitual thoughts of control, hurts, habits, and addictions, the negativity, anger and fear controlling us and preventing us from becoming one with our creator Gods spirit mind!

 

Oh, creator God, help us to remove these boulders and allow these leaves of negative thoughts to flow away from us, for they represent the obstacles to our journey, as we follow the true course of the river you have carved into the very fabric of the universe, a course that will eventually lead to You, and an eternal existence with Your spirit mind!

 

 

Silent Prayer

 

Creator God, guide us as we follow the river of our spirit mind

 

Music

 

The River by Bruce Doerksen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qWyQsQxxvC8

 

 

Lyrics

 

To the river I am going
Bringing sins I cannot bear
Come and cleanse me, come forgive me
Lord I need to meet you there

Precious Jesus, I am ready
To surrender every care
Take my hand now, lead me closer
Lord I need to meet you there

In these waters, healing mercy
Flows with freedom from despair
I am going, to that river
Lord I need to meet you there

Precious Jesus, I am ready
To surrender every care
Take my hand now, lead me closer
Lord I need to meet you there

Come and join us, in the river
Come find life beyond compare
He is calling, He is waiting
Jesus longs to meet you there

Precious Jesus, I am ready
To surrender every care
Take my hand now, lead me closer
Lord I need to meet you there

Take my hand now, lead me closer
Lord I need to meet you there

 

Have a great day!

Barry

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