My
Personal PERSPECTIVE
I am
an ageless wanderer;
an
eternal student, a sociologist,
psychologist,
philosopher, humanitarian,
counselor,
and friend. I believe we have an obligation to each other.
Simply
stated, I believe, when we learn
that
we each MUST put the needs of others
before
our own THEN we will begin to see
HUMANITY
in it's perfection, the making of real character, the end of discontent,
and perhaps the beginning of Utopia.
But,
most definitely, we would see the beginning of a happier, more trusting
society.
I believe
in the absolute power of God,
as
Creator, Healer, Counselor,
Father,
Savior and Friend.
I feel
also, that man's denial and manipulation of the absolute truth
(God's
eternal power) has left mankind confused and broken. With no absolute moral
standard to follow, our children are lost and the generations are in turmoil.
SPIRITUAL
WARRIOR
I am
only one woman
working
to right the wrongs
of
centuries past;
to
help, to heal, to befriend,
to
teach, to encourage, to share,
to
guide, to admonish,
to
prove that PEOPLE are more important
than
anything else in this material world.
PEOPLE
matter most to me.
MY
MISSION: to help everyone I meet,
learn
to feel good about themselves,
and
to teach compassion by example.
I
know I'm an idealist and a dreamer.
But
I have a passion to work with people
at
the deepest level of need.I journey here to meet my obligation to all and
I hope I make many friends along the way.
 RAQUEL
Flatter
me ... and I may not believe you.
Criticize
me ... and I may not like you.
Ignore
me ... and I may not forgive you.
Encourage
me ... and I may not forget you.
~ William
Author Ford ~
"Don't
walk in front of me, I may not follow
Don't
walk behind me, I may not lead
Walk
beside me and be my friend."
...................Albert
Camus
Spiritual
Thoughts by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Great
men are they who see
that
spiritual is stronger
than
any material force;
that
thoughts rule the world.
Be
yourself; no base imitator of another,
but
your best self.
There
is something which you can do
better
than another.
Listen
to the inward voice
and
bravely obey that.
Do
the things at which you are great,
not
what you were never made for.
The
whole course of things goes to teach us faith.
We
need only obey.
There
is guidance for each of us,
and
by lowly listening
we
shall hear the right word....
Place
yourself in the middle
of
the stream of power and wisdom
which
flows into you as life,
place
yourself in the full center of that flood,
then
you are without effort impelled to truth,
to
right, and a perfect contentment.
RAQUEL
the Crusader
I am
a warrior.
A
Crusader for justice and equality for all.
I
will root for the underdog
and
fight for the rights of the oppressed.
Mistreatment
of anyone is
something
I refuse to tolerate.
Everyone
deserves respect,
no
matter from where they come
or
which direction they are headed.
My
obligation: to share what I know
and
encourage them in love and compassion;
to
present options, perhaps,
and
make others aware of their choices,
and
to show others that they do have value,
to
ME, to MANKIND, and especially to GOD.
RAQUEL
"This
is the true joy in life,
being
used for a purpose,
recognized
as a mighty one,
being
a force of nature
instead
of a feverish little clod
of
ailments and grievances
complaining
that the world will not
devote
itself to making you happy.
I
am of the opinion that my life
belongs
to the community
and
as I live is my privilege,
my
privilege to do for it whatever I can.
I
want to be thoroughly used up when I die,
for
the harder I work,
the
more I love.
I
rejoice in life for its own sake.
Life
is no brief candle to me,
it
is a sort of splendid torch
which
I've got a hold of for the moment
and
I want it to burn as brightly as possible
before
handing it on to future generations."
George
Bernard Shaw
The
spirit was left that it may flow
through
all mankind.
For
all men and women there is time,
a
time of truth,
that
moment in life
when
you look
both
backwards and forwards
and
you know
that
you may go in a direction
of
righteousness.
"Angels recovering
a SOUL to HEAVEN"
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ESCAPE FROM SELFISHNESS
. . . and He died for all, that those who live
should live no longer for
themselves, but for Him who died for them and
rose again. (2 Corinthians
5:15).
Have you ever pondered what gives us the impulse
to sin? Have you ever
wondered what makes us go against God's commands
despite our good intentions?
I believe that selfishness lies at the root of
all sin. I have thought
long and hard about this, and I cannot think
of any sin that doesn't
originate from selfishness, from placing self
rather than God at the center
of our lives. Some have suggested that
perhaps a person who steals or lies
for his child does not act from selfishness,
yet our family is bone of our
bone and flesh of our flesh, merely an extension
of ourselves. So I
believe that whatever the sin---lust, hate, pride,
theft, murder---at its
core, it stems from selfishness. Even good
actions are tarnished by
selfish motives. A person may study how
to win friends and influence
people, work hard at self-improvement, and join
a church and become active
in it, yet all of these acts may spring from
purely selfish motives.
Paul exhorts us to something higher. He
says, "I am crucified with
Christ." Not only is the cross a substitution,
it is a representation---we
must identify ourselves with Christ in His death,
crucifying our selfish
nature and desires with Him. When we die
with Christ, we put to death all
our hopes, ambitions, agendas, priorities, and
plans. We nail all we
desire to the cross, becoming dead to our selves.
Paul tells us in Romans 6 that we are to reckon
ourselves dead with Christ.
We must become dead to the flesh and alive in
Christ. The next time
temptation pulls at you, remember that you have
died to sin and become
alive in Christ. You have no obligation
to your old nature, except to
reckon it as dead. This is how we escape
from selfishness, the
fountainhead of all sin.
[One can be a miser or a savage and be selfish,
but not a Christian.
(Anonymous)]
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Art
by DIANA STANLEY
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