The One Percent Solution

We are Light.

Yet this is not just a spiritual idea.

Einstein taught us that matter is just a form of super concentrated energy, super concentrated light, if you will.

Why is this important?

Because energy vibrates.

And why is that important?

Because during a three year interval, a group of meditators raised the vibration of humanity to the point that conflict began falling away.

It's true.

From 1988 to 1990, at a location just outside New Delhi, India, a single philanthropist supported a group of 8,000 experts so they could spend their time, together, practicing advanced Transcendental Meditation techniques.

During those three years a war between Iraq and Iran that had lasted seven years and claimed millions of lives came to an end, the Soviet Union’s brutal invasion of Afghanistan was called to a halt, the Berlin Wall fell, the Soviet Union dissolved, and forty years of Cold War ended.

Coincidence?

No.

People have a vibration. In fact, as health and safety experts know, different parts of our body vibrate at different frequencies.

In fact, science has shown that our bodies are complex bioenergy fields that exist, grow, work and change in a complex of intersecting and interacting electromagnetic fields.

This means we are vibrating beings in a vibrating universe: beings composed of vibrating light particles that interact with all other things in our world which are, likewise, composed of packets of vibrating light.

Just as a vibrating string can set other strings near it vibrating at a similar frequency - known as resonance - so do the vibrations which we create through our thoughts (which impact and alter the vibration of our bodies) impact and influence the minds and bodies of others.

Given that our vibrations of love and compassion will raise others up and our vibrations of anger, fear and hate will drag them down, we have a decision to make.

In what direction do we want to influence the world? Toward war or peace? Because we are, at this moment, influencing it one way or other other.

Yet - and this is the miracle - higher (positive) vibrations are stronger than lower (negative) vibrations!

To transform our current chaotic world into a peaceful one, we need just 1 out of every 100 people to meditate daily. We need only one out of a hundred people to empty his or her mind of anger and fear and raise his or her thoughts to the vibration of love.

The energy those people generate will provide us with the solution to our current climate of terror, fear, war and chaos. That "One Percent Solution" will raise the energy of the world and begin a shift toward peace, harmony and happiness in which the conflicts we see today are dissolved and everyone starts on an upward shift.

The truth is, we don't need a benefactor to hire 8000 people to meditate. What we need is a commitment on the part of people of conscience to learn to meditate and commit to meditate - and pray - on a daily basis as a means of transforming our world.

Peace starts in the mind, with the emptying out of anxiety, fear and hate and raising one's mental, emotional and physical vibrations so they create inner and outer peace.

Please commit today to becoming part of the One Percent Solution. Then begin to empty out and be at peace with this prayer:

I Empty Out And Am At Peace

Dear God,

A mind can be too full;
Too busy to enjoy loved ones.

Lord, I am willing to be empty
And without expectation.

By Your Grace,
I empty out.

I empty myself of presumptions, desires, jealousies.
I empty myself of fears and requirements.
I empty of the need to control anything
Or anyone.

I step back and pretend I'm an observer of a play.
Empty of criticism towards those around me,
I watch and observe without judgment.

I let others be who they are
And what happens is your sweetest secret:

I find a place of peace without push or pull
And rest secure in the love between our hearts.

Willing to let go,
I empty out
And wait for You to fill me.

I am at peace.

And so it is.
Amen.

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Thou shalt meditate therein day and night. Joshua 1:8

Whatever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report: if there be any virtue, and there be any praise, think on these things. Philippians 4:8

A Prayer For The Unexpected

Do you fear the unexpected?

Are you always waiting for "the other shoe to drop?"

You can't be blamed. After all, so much of what is unexpected turns out to be negative.

For instance, look at the bombing of Lebanon. Three weeks ago that was entirely unexpected. Likewise the difficulty and blocks in evacuating people quickly was unexpected. For evacuees, boarding ships without food or water or bathrooms was an unexpected and distressing shock.

Yet, to the millions of refugees for whom these kinds of conditions have been normal - people fleeing violence and starvation in Africa, for instance - and especially for children born in refugee camps (and some who live in garbage dumps) - these kind of living conditions are what they expect.

Since we in the West do not expect to be threatened with bombs (or do we, now post 9/11?), hunger, thirst, inconvenience or callousness on the part of government officials about our welfare, it would be fascinating to talk with people recently evacuated to find out what their fears were about traveling, unexpected events and Israel.

Have they felt a great deal of empathy for those displaced around the world? Were they feeling guilty about our comfortable way of life?

Perhaps and, if so, it would make sense that feelings of guilt - or a desire to understand, viscerally, what being a refugee means - put them in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Yet, the news seems to show that many of them are blaming others for their plight.

Of course that makes complete sense, as that is how we are used to perceiving the world. They didn't bomb anyone, they weren't involved in this conflict directly.

But, what they - and you and I - do not understand is that we all are part of it. Our beliefs, our fears, our angers, our complicit approval - or apathy - contributes to all injustice and conflict.

I applaud them all for being there and experiencing, first hand, what it's like to be in a war zone, and what it's like to glimpse what it is like to be a refugee, forced from your home with nothing but the clothes on your back.

They will bring their stories back.

God willing, we will all become more compassionate as a result.

It would be fascinating to talk to them and find out what caused each person's decision to go to Lebanon. What conspired within each person to send him or her this last month - as opposed to last year - to visit or vacation?

Whatever the answers - and they are specific to individuals - what has happened to them will forever color their beliefs about travel, about Israel, about what "the unexpected" means.

As Catherine Shainberg writes in Kabbalah and the Power of Dreaming "...in perceiving your world, you create it," because "You make the world fit into the parameters of your...attractors."

In other words, whatever you expect the world to deliver to you - however you expect others to act - that's what you'll get.

Likewise, just as the outer world reflects the state of your inner world, your inner world is a reverse of the outer world.

So, what about us in our safe little ruts here in the West where we feel, even if we don't think it: Please God just keep everything the same, keep me safe?

Considering the change - and the unexpected - that is everywhere, wouldn't it be a good idea for us to affirm that any unexpected change winds up being a positive event for us rather than a negative event?

Yet if we fear the unexpected, it's likely that anything unexpected will be negative.

Therefore, to have more positive experiences we must either change the world or change ourselves.

Which do you think you can do easier?

People keep trying to change the world.

But, unless you have an army and billions of dollars, you cannot impose your will on the world. And even with an army and money your hold will be temporary, especially if you are acting out of selfishness, fear or ignorance.

We can't change the world - not permanently - without changing ourselves.

Only through changing ourselves can we attract what we want - as opposed to what we don't want.

Bear in mind, also, that God blesses only equal contracts. If you try to change yourself so you can use, abuse and exploit others for your own financial benefit, it won't last. Just as Ken Lay lost Enron, so must all injustices be eventually undone.

So if you fear the unexpected, consider a different approach.

Try welcoming the unexpected.

Here's a prayer to get you started:

I Am Open To The Unexpected

Dear God,

I open to the unexpected.
I appreciate the joyously unrehearsed.

In the presence of my family
and in the solitary time I take for rejuvenation,
I see the world with new eyes as I am:

Enraptured by the fragile wings of a butterfly
Engrossed in a book that speaks to my heart;

Lost in tracing silver veins in a maple leaf
Shined upon by the smile of a stranger;

Delighted by the phrasing of a child
Hugged by a friend;

Inspired to jot down an idea
Amazed by a personal discovery;

Freed to create, write, paint, sculpt
Given a message I needed, through a stranger;

Filled with the immense gratitude that creates miracles
Guided to make someone's day more beautiful;

Deeply pleased by the sweetness of my spouse
Invigorated by exercise or activity;

Or awakened to pray for the world.

I am open to the unexpected.

And so it is.

Amen.

from Prayerforce: 365 Days To A New Life

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Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment. Psalms 60:3

Joyful Dining

Are your meals rushed? Do you find your teens run out to buy a hamburger just as you are ready to put dinner on the table? Do you need a chance to sit down and talk with your family?

Give yourself a meal you'll really love by inviting them to help you prepare their favorite food. Leave lots of time, with no deadlines. Then slow down, connect and set things right as you cook together.

If we are feeling disconnected from Source, preparing and eating meals together can give us the opportunity to reconnect. Rituals of gratitude are also valuable in re-establishing heart connections. Even if you do not all bow your heads in prayer, you can begin a practice in which each person relates something that went right in the day, something for which he or she is grateful.

Likewise, we don't hear enough loving messages. So consider establishing a practice during breakfast in which each person says something kind and positive - something he or she appreciates about the person he is addressing - and do this for every family member. It will start everyone's day off on a positive note.

It's normal to crave a more connected dining experience. Yet, do you fear such ideas might be met with scorn, or wonder if anyone will go along with them?

Turn it over to God. Then visualize your family connecting in loving ways as you all break bread together. Pray earnestly that things will be made right and your heart connections restored. Then be open and allow yourself to speak as a loving channel.

To help you become that conduit of love, here's a prayer:

My Home Is A Place Of Joyful Dining

Dear God,

My home is a place of joyful dining
In which those I care about return for meals.

If we have had problems relating, Lord,
You mend those problems in the kitchen.

If we have felt too rushed to cook and savor the tastes of this world,
You slow us down and You inspire us to:

Fix meals together
Laugh together
Love together
And set the table together.

by Your Grace, we enjoy the fruits of our togetherness
Delighting in our discoveries and imagination.

In our home, we savor the sights and smells and tastes of life.
Our dinner table is a place of communication, laughter and healing.
Over meals, we get to know and appreciate each other
And we give thanks for all You provide.

My home is a place of joyful dining
In which our bodies, minds and souls are nourished.

And so it is.

Amen.

from Prayerforce: 365 Days To A New Life.

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Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4

I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. Isaiah 1:2

Having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 1 Timothy 6:8

Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee. Psalms 55:22

How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Psalms 119:103

Gratitude Makes Life Beautiful

My husband packed a picnic lunch and took me to a park for our anniversary. We ate on a picnic bench that was beneath a beautiful tree overlooking a river. Just as we began to eat, rain began to fall. He was concerned that our dinner was about to be spoiled, but I told him: I like the rain.
Still, I expected to get wet. Yet, remarkably, the tree kept us dry as we sat and watched the rain on the river. It was one of the most special meals of my life. I felt so close to nature and the setting was so beautiful. I wound up stepping out from under the tree to take pictures of the rain, which was warm. And surprise: I didn't melt. Instead, the raindrops on my skin made me feel lighthearted.

There is a saying: a person inside the forest can't see it because of all the trees.

It's true, when we are in the midst of something, it's hard to have perspective, to see what we're in.

Likewise, as we are living our lives - and they can be hectic and demanding at times - we can forget all that is working in them and see only the things that do not fit our expectations, seeing them as negatives and problems.

If we want sun, we curse the rain. If we want rain, we curse the sun. How much better it would be for our mental health if we blessed it all.

Most of us in North America have never experienced what it's like to live on two dollars a day or in a dirt-floored shack without electricity or running water. As a result we tend to take everything we have - our hot and cold running water, dishwashers, clothes washers, dryers, coffee makers, lights, televisions, stereos, lovely hot showers, paper towels, sweet smelling soap that we don't have to make ourselves, easy to clean linoleum floors, permanent press clothing and a whole lot more - for granted.

What we do notice are the glitches that don't please us, a raise in gas prices, the inconvenience of not finding a parking place as close to our destination as we'd like, and so on. And we complain, and sometimes bitterly.

It seems we have it so good that our perspective has been skewed so that little things seem like big problems.

Yet whatever we focus on will increase. That is spiritual law.

So let us not be like The Fisherman's Wife - always wanting more and complaining - and concentrate, instead, on gratitude for everything. We will benefit in two ways: by creating what we want, as opposed to what we don't want, along with releasing tension from our minds and bodies. That sounds worthwhile, doesn't it?

I Practice Gratitude Daily

Dear God,

By Your Grace, I practice gratitude daily.
You fill my heart with awareness of how blessed I am
As I see the silver lining in every "cloud" and give thanks.

I give thanks for a lawn that needs mowing, windows that need cleaning and gutters that need fixing, because it means I have a home.

I give thanks for that parking spot at the far end of the parking lot,
because it means I have a car AND I am able to walk.

I give thanks that I have groceries to unload
because it means I can buy what I need.

I give thanks for my pile of laundry
because it means I have clothes to wear.

I give thanks for clothes that are snug
because it means I have enough to eat.

And I give thanks for all the services I use
and declare that paying for them is a joy.

Thank You:

For my heating bill, because it means I have been warm,
For my electric bill, because it means I have light at night,
For the income taxes I pay, because it means I am employed.

I rejoice in the alarm clock that goes off in the morning
Because it means I'm alive.

I bless the lady behind me in church who sings off key
Because it means I can hear.

I bless the complaining I hear about government
Because it means we have freedom of speech.

And I thank You, Almighty God, for my shadow
Because it means there is an abundance of Your Light.

By Your Grace, I practice gratitude daily.

Amen.

Adapted from Prayerforce: 365 Days To A New life

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Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gifts. 2 Corinthians 9:15

Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! Psalms 107:8

Give thanks always for all things unto God... Ephesians 5:20

Praise Those You Love

I love my family. And, every time I hear of a tragedy where someone has lost his wife or her husband, child, parent, or sibling, I stop and think what life would be like without those I love.

The thought is sobering and always fills me with renewed gratitude. I find it's a good idea then, when I'm feeling most appreciative, to deliver a little TLC and praise the members of my family.

It's so easy to be critical, to say something like: "Don't do that," or "Why didn't you do what I said?" rather than "I think you are wonderful" to our children and spouses.

Isn't it the truth that we are apt to find fault instead of saying something like, "I think you are a wonderful person," and listing all the qualities about the person that we like?

Yet we know how we feel when someone we love gives us a simple word of loving reassurance. Praise lifts our hearts and counteracts both the blatant and subtle messages of inadequacy we get from the media that we "should" be smarter, richer, thinner or own something we don't have.

So if you want to bring a little joy to a loved one's heart, take time today to deliver a few genuine compliments. Imagine what your beloved means to you and reconnect with a feeling of gratitude for having this person in your life. Then speak from the heart. You'll find that the giver and the receiver are really the same.

Remember, God made your beloveds, and in praising them, you praise His Work and Him.

I Reassure My Beloveds Through Praise

Dear God,

Ignoring the efforts of my family
Or criticizing them because they do not do things my way
Does not create intimacy or love.

So I now notice how my Beloveds relate to the world
And I praise them for it.

I praise them for the good they do.
I praise them for their kindness.
I praise them for their uniqueness,
And I praise them for the choices they make.

I praise them for small things and large.
I praise them for courageously trying again after failure.
I praise them for success,
And I praise them whenever they try something new.

I never take my loved one's efforts for granted,
But enjoy seeing their endeavors.

I delight in them as You delight in me
And I let them know, above all things, that they matter.

Lord, by Your Grace, You remind me
- and in each chance I get -
I reassure my Beloveds through praise.

And so it is.
Amen.

from Prayerforce: 365 Days To A New Life

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Praise is comely. Psalms 33:1

So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever. Psalms 61:8

Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! Psalms 133:1

If any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith. 1 Timothy 5:8

Relax Into Joy

Summertime and let the picnics begin!

How we look forward to summer, to school and work vacations, to throwing on a pair of shorts and going out to dig in the garden or go for a bike ride.

These are the easy days and we always look forward to co-existing with Mother Nature without having to bundle up against her.

Likewise, I'm going to throw off my mantle of seriousness - or try to - and offer a few thoughts that can help us all enjoy the summer.

For instance, are the kids a little loud; does it seem like, sometimes, their laughter is too much? Wouldn't it be great to just be able to join in and be silly with them, instead of resisting? Try this prayer when you're feeling "on the edge" and see if it helps get you back into fun.

Giggles Echo Through My Home

Dear God,

Giggles echo throughout my home
And laughter is my visitor.

Hilarity doubles us up
And smiles pop up throughout our day.

In this precious home it is safe to laugh
And speculate about silly things;
For we value fun here
And nothing is so serious that a joke cannot be made.

For grins improve our health
And humor heals us.

By Your Grace,
You who are closest to us in laughter and tears,
You awaken love filled glee within me
And my family.

We relax into joy
And enjoy good humor
Today
And throughout all our days.

I open to the sound of laughter
As giggles echo throughout my home.

Amen.

adapted from Prayerforce: 365 Days To A New Life

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Therefore will I play before the Lord. 2 Samuel 6:21

Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing. Psalms 126:2

A merry heart doeth good like a medicine. Proverbs 17:22

July 4th: A Call To Values

July 4th is the anniversary of the birth of our nation, a nation founded on principles of justice, equality and freedom.

Yet, as we prepare to celebrate - if we are honest - we must admit that our nation has strayed from these principles. If you want to know how far, consider that 77% of the people in Great Britain - one of our staunchest allies - have a very bad opinion of us and "...disagree with the statement that the US is 'a beacon of hope for the world'".

"A massive 83 percent of those questioned said that the United States doesn't care what the rest of the world thinks. More than two-thirds who offered an opinion said America is essentially an imperial power seeking world domination. And 81 per cent of those who took a view said President George W Bush hypocritically championed democracy as a cover for the pursuit of American self-interests."

Although it is, generally, unreported by corporate media, more and more people we respect are speaking up about what has happened - and is happening - to our national character and values. Yet we don't hear about it.

For instance, NBA player Etan Thomas of the Washington Wizards delivered an impassioned speech to 30,000 people on this issue during an anti-war protest in Washington D.C., yet it was never reported in any of our major media outlets or papers, including the Washington Post.

I happen to believe the American people are good people. But we can't make good decisions when the hard information is kept from us. We can't make good decisions when a perpetual war is started to distract us from pressing domestic problems.

As a person of faith, I strongly believe that our nation should value work and that working at a job should keep a person out of poverty, not trap one inside it. The Bible calls us to show justice to the worker by paying him or her a fair wage for a day’s work and by providing safe working conditions.

Yet our current federal minimum wage is $5.15 an hour. This is a disgrace, a wage that forces families to choose between buying groceries and paying rent.

A person who works a 40-hour week earns $10,712 for a 52-week year. That's six thousand dollars below the poverty line.

You know, yourself, the cost of rent, gas, food, clothing. Could you live on just over ten thousand dollars a year? If you have a child, could you care for and raise that child on that amount?

You know the answer.

Therefore, I urge you to support Senator Ted Kennedy’s amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill to increase the federal minimum wage to $7.25 an hour.

As the number of Americans living in poverty continues to increase at an alarming rate, now is the time to take action to prevent this desperate spiral of unreasonable choices and despair. Increasing the federal minimum wage is an important step toward slowing the poverty growth rate in America.

Bear in mind that, even as Congress sells out the American people to corporate interests and has received record low approval ratings for doing so, House lawmakers gave themselves a $3,300 pay raise on Tuesday, June 13, 2006, that will increase their salaries to $168,500. They have full medical and dental plus countless perks that a simple working man or woman earning minimum wage never has.

These gross inequities are not right. Christians are the ones - if we take our God at His word - who must step up to the plate and make a difference.

Write to your Senators and Congressional Representatives today.

For more on the minimum wage issue, visit Living Wage Campaign.

For more on economic justice issues, such as the inequities in the 2007 Federal budget, the need for labor unions, and the move by 18 billionaires to repeal the estate tax, visit United Church of Christ's Take Action Page.


Here's an excerpt from the transcript of Etan's speech regarding the politicians and pundits who dominate the news and are shaping our values and policies today:

I'd like to take some of these cats on a field trip. I want to get big yellow buses with no air conditioner and no seatbelts and round up Bill O'Reilly, Pat Buchanan, Trent Lott, Sean Hannity, Dick Cheney, Jeb Bush, Bush Jr. and Bush Sr., John Ashcroft, Giuliani, Ed Gillespie, Katherine Harris, that little bow-tied Tucker Carlson and any other right-wing conservative Republicans I can think of, and take them all on a trip to the ‘hood. Not to do no 30-minute documentary. I mean, I want to drop them off and leave them there, let them become one with the other side of the tracks, get them four mouths to feed and no welfare, have scare tactics run through them like a laxative, criticizing them for needing assistance.

I’d show them working families that make too much to receive welfare but not enough to make ends meet. I’d employ them with jobs with little security, let them know how it feels to be an employee at will, able to be fired at the drop of a hat. I’d take away their opportunities, then try their children as adults, sending their 13-year-old babies to life in prison. I’d sell them dreams of hopelessness while spoon-feeding their young with a daily dose of inferior education. I’d tell them no child shall be left behind, then take more money out of their schools, tell them to show and prove themselves on standardized exams testing their knowledge on things that they haven’t been taught, and then I’d call them inferior.

I’d soak into their interior notions of endless possibilities. I’d paint pictures of assisted productivity if they only agreed to be all they can be, dress them up with fatigues and boots with promises of pots of gold at the end of rainbows, free education to waste terrain on those who finish their bid. Then I’d close the lid on that barrel of fool’s gold by starting a war, sending their children into the midst of a hostile situation, and while they're worried about their babies being murdered and slain in foreign lands, I’d grace them with the pain of being sick and unable to get medicine.

Give them health benefits that barely cover the common cold. John Q. would become their reality as HMOs introduce them to the world of inferior care, filling their lungs with inadequate air, penny pinching at the expense of patients, doctors practicing medicine in an intricate web of rationing and regulations. Patients wander the maze of managed bureaucracy, costs rise and quality quickly deteriorates, but they say that managed care is cheaper. They’ll say that free choice in medicine will defeat the overall productivity, and as co-payments are steadily rising, I'll make their grandparents have to choose between buying their medicine and paying their rent.

Then I'd feed them hypocritical lines of being pro-life as the only Christian way to be. Then very contradictingly, I’d fight for the spread of the death penalty, as if thou shall not kill applies to babies but not to criminals.

Then I’d introduce them to those sworn to protect and serve, creating a curb in their trust in the law. I’d show them the nightsticks and plungers, the pepper spray and stun guns, the mace and magnums that they’d soon become acquainted with, the shakedowns and illegal search and seizures, the planted evidence, being stopped for no reason. Harassment ain’t even the half of it. Forty-one shots to two raised hands, cell phones and wallets that are confused with illegal contrabands. I’d introduce them to pigs who love making their guns click like wine glasses. Everlasting targets surrounded by bullets, making them a walking bull's eye, a living piñata, held at the mercy of police brutality, and then we’ll see if they finally weren’t aware of the truth, if their eyes weren’t finally open like a box of Pandora.

I’d show them how the other side of the tracks carries the weight of the world on our shoulders and how society seems to be holding us down with the force of a boulder. The bird of democracy flew the coop back in Florida. See, for some, and justice comes in packs like wolves in sheep's clothing. T.K.O.d by the right hooks of life, many are left staggering under the weight of the day, leaning against the ropes of hope. When your dreams have fallen on barren ground, it becomes difficult to keep pushing yourself forward like a train, administering pain like a doctor with a needle, their sequels continue more lethal than injections.

They keep telling us all is equal. I’d tell them that instead of giving tax breaks to the rich, financing corporate mergers and leading us into unnecessary wars and under-table dealings with Enron and Halliburton, maybe they can work on making society more peaceful. Instead, they take more and more money out of inner city schools, give up on the idea of rehabilitation and build more prisons for poor people. With unemployment continuing to rise like a deficit, it's no wonder why so many think that crime pays.

Maybe this trip will make them see the error of their ways. Or maybe next time, we'll just all get out and vote. And as far as their stay in the White House, tell them that numbered are their days.

We must stand up and spread the word that our enemies are poverty, ignorance, overpopulation, greed and war. Our allies are justice, equal opportunity, awareness, compassion, generosity and gratitude.

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As my Father sent me, even so send I you. John 20:21

I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John: 10:11

Ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. 2 Corinthians 3:3

Approve ourselves as the ministers of God...by pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned. 2 Corinthians 6:4,6