“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this.” ~Henry David Thoreau

Yesterday I was flying home from my California and Oregon speaking trip. On the trip I have been reading a book given to me by a dear friend, The Prophet’s Way by Thom Hartmann. I have been having some great realizations while reading it, and one very profound experience occurred on the flight back.

In the book there is a part that asks you to put the book down and have a fully present moment. You see, we as humans tend not to be fully present. We look ahead of ourselves at what we are going to do, or worse, what we are “trying” to do.  Then there are those times when we are looking behind at what has happened to us in our lives. The book asked me to do something other than live in a different time frame, just for a moment.

I closed my book on the flight from San Jose to Minneapolis. I sat observing where I was. I didn’t judge. I just observed. Realizations of my life in the present began to flood in. I was on a plane traveling. I appreciated that I had the ability to do so. I appreciated that I had been placed in a large comfortable seat with plenty of leg room. I was fed, clothed, and alive, enjoying a life of ease in comparison to many others in the world. I was grateful.

Then something happened that rocked my world and brought me to tears. A hand reached out and took mine. I felt a loving presence beside me, and I realized that I had another person in my present moment. In that present moment Kelly felt compelled to hold my hand. I began to realize the depth of love we have for each other, and in my present moment it filled my heart to overflowing. I turned to tell her and almost couldn’t as the tears fell from my eyes. I explained what I was doing and how her simple gesture in that moment meant so much to me. She smiled, made a joke, and kissed me. My present moment is so great and I appreciate it all the more. I am truly blessed in my life.

“These days man knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing.” ~ Oscar Wilde

Take a moment. Don’t do anything. Don’t think about your plans or reminisce about the past. Take a moment and be fully in the present. Appreciate all that you have. Realize that you are a lucky one. Obviously you have a computer. Obviously you can read. Obviously you have the time to afford reading this. The place you are must be warm enough for you to not have to focus on warmth. Are you fed? Appreciate the smallest things in life, because in this present moment you are living them. Someone else’s present moment may be hungry, cold, sick, dying. Appreciate the smallest things and realize how completely fortunate you are in the now moment. Love, you.

I am grateful that in this present moment I have you to hear these words with your heart. I appreciate that I am able to read and write. I love all of my friends. I love Kelly and Kynan most of all. I appreciate that I, with God, have created an amazing life.

“One today is worth two tomorrows.” ~Benjamin Franklin

thank you

Thank You

THANK YOU

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”~ Frederick Keonig

Take a breath. Feel the air enter your lungs. Look around. See the room that you are in. Listen. Hear the sounds of the world around you. Know. Realize you are alive and well. Many times in our lives we forget to appreciate the smallest of things in our lives. It is the mere appreciation of those things that can bring more things to appreciate into our lives.

Our modern society has been built on material acquisition. Bigger houses, faster cars, more stuff are the driving force in many people’s lives. I think it is okay to have them. I also think it is okay to acquire them without attachment. Material possession will always be a measurement used by some to judge success. But right now, in this moment appreciate the ability to breathe, feel, see, and know. There are many in the world that can’t. You are living in a world of physical experience. The physical experience is enhanced by material things, not the other way around.

“Don't underestimate the value of doing nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.”~ Winnie the Pooh

Build your joyful life in the appreciation of the smallest most insignificant things in life. The more you appreciate the more you feel a swell of joy within you. That swell of joy then attracts more things to be joyful about. Your material possessions are representations of the level of joy within. It is when we “praise false idols” that our experience becomes less. Material possessions are the false idols of a modern world. Having them is fine. Defining yourself by them is a pathway to depression.

I sit here today on a prolonged speaking trip through Oregon and California. Looking out the windows of a new friend’s home, I see a beautiful pasture with cows meandering by. There is a slight rain falling and the grass is lush and green. The old wooden fence beside the window is weather worn with moss growing on it. The view is lovely. It could be Ireland or some far off land. I sit here appreciating the beauty of this moment. I recognize that this is the moment I have and I choose to love it. Love your moments.  If something in your sphere is less than joyful today, I am truly sorry. But it is on the most troubling days you need to recognize and appreciate the things that are right and appreciate them. As the troubling manifestation passes, the appreciated things will carry you on and through.

I appreciate you.

“There is more hunger for love and appreciation in this world than for bread.” ~Mother Teresa

“What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us.” ~Julia Cameron

It seems of late that God is asking me to define my relationship with my spirituality as it pertains to money. I had to come to grips with the fact I was also deserving of God's abundance while doing his/her works. It is a tight rope to walk in this world. Most of the world has a belief that spiritual people devote their lives to God and that means to live without means. This concept is a throwback to a much different place and time. India today has many spiritual leaders. Each of these leaders is clothed fed and housed by benefactors or by their followers. In biblical days, Jeshua was befriended by Matthew, a wealthy tax collector, Lazarus a wealthy landowner, and Joseph of Aramathea, a wealthy landowner who at the end of Jeshua's life paid for his body and placed it in his own tomb. Jeshua was clothed, housed and fed.

Our modern society does not function in the same way. Priests recieve salaries. Famous spiritual speakers recieve payments. Spiritual readers charge by the hour. I recently found myself once again looking at my debts. From month to month I was never sure if I could pay all the bills. Oh, sure the rent got paid but others sometimes had to wait. I realize as a creator of my own experience that it must be  a belief of my own that has caused my struggle with my finances. I began to search within for my blockages. I discovered two things in my search. The first was that I associated spirituality with poverty, and the second was that I didn't think I could control my finances. You see, I was raised in a poverty mentality. My family struggled for money and I was told repeatedly by an unknowing father that I was a "bum" and "worthless."  So my belief system was that I couldn't achieve financial success.

Recently I decided I needed to break free from the bonds of poverty and I put some things out on Facebook. First I decided that the two bedroom apartment I was living in was too small for me, my son, my fiancee, two cats, and an elderly aunt of my fiancee's that we were going to be taking in soon. So I asked for help. I asked in the form of a posting on Facebook. I suggested that if each of my Facebook friends would give me twenty dollars I could raise the downpayment for the house we needed. The response was quite interesting. A couple people were offended that I would even ask. Several people actually helped out and most ignored the posting.

So I asked myself again is it my belief system that led to the response. I concluded it must be, as I am the creator of my own experience as all the Avatars have said. So I also posted a reduced rate for my spiritual phone sessions. the first response was someone asking me why I even charge for them. I responded that I had dedicated my life to spiritual work and that I also needed to cover the material expenses that our society creates. I was supported by several people. I am most proud of my nephew who eloquently came to my rescue.

Then a posting came on my blogpost "John of New~John of Peniel," once again questioning my material gain from spiritual work. I fell to the words I fall to most, "God is Love." If God truly is Love then He/She would never want any of us to suffer poverty. God is the ultimate abundance and the Peniel experience is one of realizing that you are a part of God and He/She works in and through you without limitation. I AM abundant. I AM financially secure. I AM Loved by God and I AM confident that God will provide.

Our world dictates that we must have roofs over our heads, food on our table and clothes upon our backs. The only way to achieve those material items is to have an income. I am blessed in my life to witness miraculous healings, and though I do not take the credit for the healings I have given up alot of gainful work to facilitate healings. My choice of career is spiritual. My choice in the material world is now financial security. I am blessed to be the creator of that experience and am moving forward in great joyful anticipation and in full faith that God/Universe will provide in abundant ways, that I may indeed continue my spiritual mission undistracted.

Thank You
Thank You
Thank You

In Tibetan Buddhism, a Bodhisattva is anyone who is motivated by compassion and seeks enlightenment not only for him/herself but also for everyone...

Good Morning Bodhisattva. I call you this because no matter where you are on your personal quest, you are somewhere along the Bodhisattva path. Some along the path awaken quickly, finding the heart centered love that truly allows them to experience their divinity and christ consciousness. Others find places along the path that they will not release, and thus they lose the title of Bodhisattva as they stop the quest for enlightenment. The reality is that they are never not Bodhisattva, because in their frustration they still are seeking joy. Joy is enlightenment.

The word, "Namaste" is used as a means of acknowledging the Bodhisattva in another. The divine spark within everyone is Bodhisattva, the part of them on the quest for enlightenment. Everyone has it. No one is further along the path. There is no ranking. As part of the compassion and enlightenment of the Bodhisattva, one must see the divinity in all. One must release the ego of hierarchy. "Love One Another" said one of the ultimate examples of Bodhisattva. Be Love. Be Love in all things. Be Love with all people. Recognize the source of all in the simple actions of love you create in the world. Leave a trail of joy behind you and you are truly the enlightened one. Good Morning Bodhisattva.

What can I say to someone who has meant so much to me as we celebrate his birthday? Many argue over whether it was his birthday or not, but I don’t care. A day was set aside to celebrate the man and so celebrate him I will. Jeshua showed me truth. Jeshua showed me the life of promise. Jeshua showed me the way to enlightenment. It was a path that many have sought for thousands of years and yet it was always within us. Sometimes the hardest paths to find are the ones closest to home. Jeshua’s gift to us was living the life as an example to follow. We celebrate his divinity. He celebrated ours. To show us the way, he gave himself up to be tortured and killed so that he may rise again.

The circumstances of his birth are as debated as the date, but again I don’t care. He lived a life of service to us. Celebrate his life by finding your direct connection to the divine. Become the Christ within and live the way, the truth, and the life that he told you that you were capable of.  Honor his name for bringing the message in his present moment and by living that life in your present moment. I thank you Jeshua for the message you brought and honor you as my friend and teacher.

I wish you all the very happiest of Christmases and most joyous of new years. I am blessed to know you all.

Thank You

Thank You

Thank You