Universal Life Church

By Scott Phillips

God Loves to See You Smile

The other day my wife was rushing around the house helping someone get ready for a wedding that attends the church in Clinton. The couple did not have a lot of money and my wife just saw an opportunity to do something nice, because that is the way she is. For the next few days she was focused and motivated on the task at hand. Through out this process of hard work, I marveled at how thrilled she was doing something for someone else. Through this I had a "TADA" moment. She was demonstrating a characteristic of God.

God loves to see you smile.

He has/does and will go to great lengths to bring joy into your life. If you think of the history of God dealing with man, it is amazing to consider everything he has done had a single overriding purpose and that being for man to find that place of Joy and Completeness.

It started with the carefully planned habitat in Eden. Then his custom made companion for Adam. He then tailored clothing to cover the shame of their sin with clothes. And from there the list goes on and on.

I have heard it communicated that God did it all because he wants praise or love or some other thing. I however don't believe that is true.

I think God gets more glory when from a thankful heart a smile transforms a face, a heart is filled with love and words of sincere communication transpire. I don't think he does it for praise, I think that God does it simply because he loves to see you smile.

It is sort of like the Chicken or Egg debate. What does God want from you? Is it just to see you "serve him" and worship him or is it that God truly loves his children and wants to see them happy and fulfilled.

The answer is found in the picture of a parent. No doubt parents love for a child to get up publicly and tell how great they are. However I truly believe what is the greatest source of joy for a parent is to see their children happy and living purposeful, meaningful lives.

Your Heavenly Father loves to see you smile.

The natural outflow of the Goodness of our Father is for us love him. When we think of the great price God has paid to reconcile us back to him and redeem us from the curse of sin, it helps to know why. The purpose is not so he has someone to sing for him, testify for him or even give money for him. The purpose is to see his children experience true joy.

I did not say God wants you to be a spoiled brat. No good parent gives their children everything they want. No good parent is going to let everything come easy. However the overriding driving passion of God is see his children prosper and lead productive and meaningful lives.

The scripture says, "If ye being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Ghost to everyone that asketh."

Does he give the Holy Ghost to his children for "self serving" purposes or does he do it because he sincerely and deeply loves to see his children experience the joy that only the Holy Ghost can give.

I have heard so many preachers preach about praise and worship and they present it as God doing everything because he likes to be praised. I really don't think that is what God likes. I truly believe that what God likes is what produces true praise and worship.

When we recognize that every good and perfect thing in our life comes from one source, when we can see the tremendous price paid for the saving of our souls, when we get a glimpse at the vast reservoir of his love there is a natural by-product that will come flowing from us like a rain swollen river rushing, flowing toward the source of the rain.

When you smile at God, God smiles back at you. If you have anything you can smile about, it is because of the tender mercies of a savior that has spared no expense to see his child in that place of meaningful purpose. If you have a need and will sincerely and honestly seek his face, he will answer your prayer and meet your need. Why? He wants to see your life filled with purpose and meaning? Why? Because he loves to see you smile.

Smiling.

In Him, By Him, Through Him,

Scott Phillips

http://www.newbirth.us

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the , is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.


 

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
 

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Universal Life Church

Affirmations

By Bettina Goodwin

I was always one to not pay much attention to all I’ve read about affirmations seeing them as merely lip service and not of much value in my life. Louise Hay writes a lot about affirmations and is a firm believer in them as are many other teachers and writers.

Recently, I attended the I Can Do It Toronto Conference and had the great pleasure to listen to several of the many great teachers that were presenting throughout the weekend. And there was one thread that seemed to weave through every one of those talks – affirmations

A few days later the idea of affirmations came up again somewhere else. Following what I’ve learned, I sat up and took notice of the frequency with which this subject had appeared in my life.

So I thought I’d give it a try, especially since there were some things I was working through and I thought it a good opportunity to put it to the test. Pretty presumptuous of me to be putting God and the universe to the test but what the heck, it had been testing me for years!

I began with two simple affirmations that I could remember and I started repeating them whenever I remembered throughout the day. Then I added a few more and before long I had a nice little list of affirmations that would pass through my head on a regular basis becoming a regular litany for me.

And then things started to happen, doors began opening and better yet, I started to feel unstuck and more motivated. Who knew?

Every word we speak is an affirmation. If we say, “No one is calling me”, “I never seem to have enough money”, or “I’ll never find a man or woman to spend my life with” then that is the idea that we are putting out to the universe. We are affirming that we are not good enough, are in lack or not worthy.

Since we were children we have been using affirmations to build our belief system. If our parents told us we were bad little girls or boys because we got angry or didn’t follow the rules. If the things we did never felt good enough or even if they talked about never having enough money, these were all affirmations that we chose to believe.

So if we are believing these affirmations that have been rattling around in our heads for years, then why can’t we change the affirmations to something positive that will help us to have the life we desire.

Instead of attaching to the thought “No one is calling me” change it to “The calls are coming in every day.” Instead of “I’ll never find a man or woman to spend my life with,” try, “The perfect partner for me is coming into my life.” And instead of “I never seem to have enough money,” use “I have more than enough money to enjoy my life.” If you find yourself thinking something unkind about another person, change it to something positive that you like about them. Remember that everything we say is an affirmation.

Write your affirmations every morning, say them whenever you remember during the day, use them in meditation, or whenever you find yourself attaching to negative affirmations.

Notice the change in not only how you look at life but how life is changing for you.

Be inspired, feel peace and live the life you desire.

Author's Bio
Bettina Goodwin is a Certified Life Coach, Reiki Practitioner, speaker and facilitator who has experience working with children, teens and adults in a wide variety of personal, family and relationship issues. Her background and training of four years of personal growth work, training and certification followed by case studies give her the tools necessary to delve into the core issues that are causing concern for her clients.

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the , is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.


 

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
 

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Universal Life Church

Thoughts Can Create Great Things
by Isran Komarga

Most of us moat of the time aren't really aware of the thoughts we have and where we're directing out energy to most of the day. We may be aware of our thoughts but we actually don't pay much attention to where they're leading us. We will know which thoughts serve us better and which don't if we pay more attention to them and we try to be more consciously aware of them. Our thoughts precedes our emotions and our emotions actually reveal whether we are focused or not. At times, it may seem like listening to your thoughts is very overwhelming. But it is truly the only way that we can take control of them and change them if we need to.

All our lives, we are bombarded with other people's beliefs and ideas. While growing up, we were trained on how we can perceive ourselves and what we can expect to achieve. When we are born, the fact of who we really are is known to us, however, we soon forget this because of the ideas of others. then we most likely adapt to our environment and we become who we need to be in order to survive, feel loved and be accepted by others.
If we don't realize that our thoughts are behind the formation of our reality, we will be subjecting ourselves to unconsciously repeating pattern of beliefs that will keep us stuck. If we try to become observers of our thoughts, rather than the victim of them, then we will have the opportunity to change. We can then change the thoughts we have which produce negative emotions into positive emotion producing thoughts. If we try to keep our thoughts positive, it will create an outer world of positivity as well.
Everything that exists or has been created began as an ides, a thought in someone's mind. Thoughts produce things. So it just follows that positive thoughts will create positive things. We cannot change what we don't acknowledge. The first step is to become aware with the things that we have attracted into our lives and then becoming the master of our thoughts so we're able to create something different and unique, and something we can be proud of.

Mastering our thoughts is a choice. Choose the thoughts that feel good for you. This will make you fell peaceful and powerful.

Irsan's passion is to write on wide varieties of subjects. His latest writing is at http://www.honfilecabinet.net which contains reviews on hon file cabinet and other information about filing cabinets.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Irsan_Komarga 

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the , is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.


 

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
 

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

 

Universal Life Church

Giving and Receiving with Grace
by Rev. Susan Leigh

Giving and receiving are activities that we all participate in, many times a day, from buying someone a cup of coffee at work to comments and maybe compliments in conversations. Giving is not just about choosing a special present for someone. It is a more fundamental daily activity, reflecting attitude, empathy, generosity of spirit. Sometimes it may be useful to stop and assess our motives behind giving and receiving, what we are doing and how what we do influences and affects us. Are we being honest, do we feel that we are doing the right thing or are we just going through the motions on auto-pilot?

- Giving compliments. Words can be relatively easy to deliver, but sometimes we need to assess how honest we are being. Good manners and white lies can be justified on occasion, they may well make life easier for all concerned but is that the right way to go or are we in danger of becoming superficial in our exchanges with people? Honesty can sometimes require more time, thought and effort to do it properly and respectfully, but sometimes it is important to commit to being honest.

- Giving presents. Taking the time to really discover what will be a special meaningful gift is a very caring and intimate thing to do. Many people would appreciate a carefully chosen photograph, or a homemade collection of especially significant music more than they would a bottle of expensive wine or perfume purchased on the way to visit. The thought put into a personalized gift carries with it much affection.
- Giving time can be the most precious gift of all. Often children remember outings with their parents and grandparents to the zoo or seaside, or games in the garden in Summer and a picnic on the lawn more than they remember the expensive toys or trainers. Time together says that 'you matter to me, I want to be with you'.

- Intelligent giving is important. Giving someone a lot of money may be all well and good. Few people would refuse a large check. But sometimes buying a business opportunity or financing a project and giving a person the chance to do well is a more valuable gesture. However it does require planning and foresight to give intelligently. Charities often say that they prefer not to send bags of corn to distressed areas, but would rather teach the people how to grow and harvest their own corn every year. Intelligent giving supports people in becoming in charge of their own lives.

- Receiving. How often have we been mortified to receive a gift from somebody when we have nothing to give them in return. Being able to receive graciously is an important skill, requiring confidence and composure. Learning to say 'thank you' and accept the gift allows the giver to feel good about themselves and their gesture.

- There is an art to being gracious enough to accept something and appreciate the pleasure that is experienced by a person who gives out of love, thoughtfulness or just a desire to please another person. Accepting that gift with grace often gives pleasure to the giver of the gift.

- Receiving compliments requires a certain graciousness and confidence too. How many people respond with a negative or self effacing comment when they have been given a positive remark. Learn to smile, accept it and enjoy the moment. Appreciate that the other person is seeing something special in you and allow yourself to receive that remark. Let it boost your confidence and self belief.

Susan Leigh is a Counselor and Hypnotherapist who works with
- stressed individuals to promote confidence and self belief,
- couples in crisis to help improve communications and understanding
- with business clients to help support the health and motivation levels of individuals and teams
For more information see http://www.lifestyletherapy.net

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the , is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.


 

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
 

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Universal Life Church

Clarify the Right Relationship with Yourself

by Val Wilcox

As you travel through life, you will want to have a direction to follow. Clarifying what you desire in your life will give you this map. Not only will this aid you in your path, it will also be a guide for who you attract into your life. If your relationships are not bringing you joy and satisfaction, it may be time to re-evaluate yourself.

Yes, I said yourself, not your partner. Your perception on who YOU are and what YOU feel you deserve in life has a huge impact on your relationships. You do attract that which you send out.

Before you can find the relationship that is right for you, you may want to take the opportunity to define your concept of who you are and what you want from life. One way to accomplish this is to write down the characteristics and values of the partner you would like to have in your life.

I'll start you off with a few examples:

* Honest and caring

* Positive mindset

* Enjoys outdoors activities

* Comfortable with showing affection

As you build this list, you may notice that these traits or values describe the person YOU want to become. So to attract this type of a person, YOU need to become that type of a person. Makes perfect sense, doesn't it?

Part of the journey of finding a partner is learning how to become your own partner. When you can learn to be comfortable with who you are without relying on someone else to complete you, your relationships are not based on need. Getting to know who you are and learning to love yourself creates a solid foundation of self that you can bring to any relationship.

When you discover your true self, speaking from that space is liberating! You approach your relationship as complimenting who you are instead of defining who you think you have to be. It erases any pre-conceived notions on the definition of your relationship. It's empowering to be in total alignment with your perception on life relationships. This is the beginning of a spectacular life which allows you to grow and flourish as a person.

You may be impatient, feel that you don't have time to wait. Remember that everything happens for a reason. The Universe brings experiences to you when you are open to the possibilities. Maybe this is the time for you to focus on yourself and come to accept and love yourself. Become the person you wish to attract into your life and see what occurs.

The journey of finding the right relationship begins with being in the right relationship with yourself.

Here's to your spectacular life!

Have an awesome day!

Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain.

Have an awesome day!

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Val_Wilcox

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the , is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.


 

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
 

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Universal Life Church

Universal Life Church Announcements - April 2010 Happy Easter! Hello! This last month has been an interesting month. Site-wise, I've had the worst time with my mailing program. For those of you who received the flurry of emails (some of you got 14 of them all at once), I sincerely apologize. The tech guy working on them thought the only way to fix it was to re-send all of the mailings to all of the people on the list. On the plus side, some people got mailings who had missed them before, but on the downside, I really don't think anyone wants to hear from me that much. lol! Especially when there are 3 or 4 of each one. I was told it was fixed, but no subscriptions are still not starting as they should. We'll have to see. I may end up moving them all to a new program and if so, there may be some interruption or overlap. If so, I apologize in advance. This month we are releasing another new program, called the Dr. of Christian Ethics program. It gives a lot of interesting background and information about the Christian religion and would be of great interest to many Christians out there. Please check out our Seminary Graduates page. We have quite a few graduates of both the Master of Ministry and the Dr. of Ministry. This is a great accomplishment. These ministers have worked for several years to go through and complete between 10 and 15 courses each and we're very proud of each and every one of them. A Big Giant Favor I have a big giant favor to ask. This is a pretty easy one, but would mean a lot to me. I have entered a contest for Spiritual Writers. One of our ministers told me about it and I've entered it using the text from the SpiritQuest, Master of Metaphysics course. There are 4 rounds and the first two of them are based heavily on popular vote. If you would do me the honor of voting for me, I'd greatly appreciate it. Some of you already have, which I am very grateful for, and anyone else who does, you have my gratitude as well. The whole thing is done online, so it's a matter of following the link and voting for me. Once you've voted, you'll be notified of the voting for the following rounds as well. The winner of the contest get a publishing contract with Hampton Roads. I'd love to get the SpiritQuest book in print for the general population. If it wins, I'll likely have to pull the course and replace it, but on the other hand, those of you who haven't taken it will get the opportunity to get it in book form. As for now, only the people who are taking the course can get it in book form. They are print on demand, which means they are made one at a time. After the contest, I hope to have them done by the thousands. :) By going to this link, you also get to see a video of me pitching the book idea. Some people have said it was good to put a voice and face with the name. :) Thanks again. http://www.nexttopauthor.com/profile.cfm?aid=432 New Course We have another new course this month called the Dr. of Christian Ethics. There's more about it below and to the left. Astral Projection Last month's new course is called the Master of Astral Projection. This is a great course for learning how to get out of your body when you sleep and to be in control of what happens there. Canadian Recognition I have some news about this. I was working on the paperwork for it, when I saw that I need to be working with the 'head of the denomination', which is Andre Hensley. I have emailed him about working with me on it and I've mostly gotten a 'I'll check on it' response, or none at all. Since there are quite a few hoops that need jumping through to make it happen, it would be great if he would work with me on it. I'm still waiting. Computer Crash I have had multiple computer crashes recently, so I apologize for any delays in getting back to you. I'm seriously considering changing to a Mac. I hear they are much more reliable. Seminary Credential Pkg I re-did the Seminary Credential Package. It's currently on sale for $79. The Bachelor and Master of Divinity are so popular, that I now have all three degrees listed in the package, along with a credential, patch, decal, parking placard and more. It's a great deal and I think you're really gong to like it. ******************************* The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive and affordable online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, a beginning course on  Wicca, as well as a beginning course on  Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is a free and lifetime ordination, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. We also make available many free wedding ceremonies for your use, as well as funeral ceremonies and other types of ceremonies.   The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program where you can earn the coveted title of Chaplain. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church materials to help you with your professionalism and confidence.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and an amazed by the frequent upgrades and new functions of the seminary.   Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Universal Life Church

As My Butt Has Fallen - It's Time For My Spirit to Rise to the Occasion by Robin Korth

For me, one of the problems with getting older and becoming a "person of age" is that I can no longer rely on my perky butt and cute young looks to get me through. My butt has regrettably succumbed to gravity and my face has received the marks of the growing number of my years. Those laugh lines have taken up permanent residence; even when I am not laughing. Ouch!

Another awakening that has come as I move on is that the accoutrements, the things, all the "stuff," that are supposed to mark me as "successful" and make me "happy" are becoming a burden to attain and a real pain to take care of. Sort of a "Now that I have all this shit, what do I do with it and where has it gotten me?"
Participating and "winning" in the outside world has lost a lot of its glamor and satisfaction. This realization seems to be a quiet fact of life, of moving into the next phase, and seems to arrive around our fifties or sixties. Do I ignore this and simply continue to continue? Or, do I acknowledge this end of one time and beginning of another time in my life?
Coming to accept this change in my perspective is a challenge. These are years for which I have no clear cultural "guideposts" to direct me. A new journey presents itself. The question now is: "So where do I go from here?
The essence of the above question, I believe, rests in that remarkably small, but astoundingly large, little word "I." The journey now must be personal and inner-directed as I have more or less accomplished all of the "outside" work that was supposed to make me happy.
Looking in the mirror and seeing not the vibrant young adult we all seem to carry inside, but an aging "someone else," can be unnerving. That time-old question of "Who am I?" presents itself with stark power. And, if we are truly honest with ourselves, continuing to do the same things that worked twenty years ago in the hopes of wresting satisfaction from them really no longer works.
As my butt has fallen, it is time for my spirit to rise to the occasion. I have come to the immutable truth that I am now walking through the final third of my life on this earth and this path must essentially be walked alone. And for the journey to have weight and substance there is work to be done on the inside.
So, there are questions to be asked of myself, and quietly answered. How do I want to live these next thirty or so years? How do I want to show up in my life? What will bring me true joy and satisfaction now that my youth has passed and my physical energy begins to decline? Where shall I turn my mind and heart? What are the things I have never tried or always wanted to do? How can I participate in this wonderful gift of life and be truly engaged in living?
It is interesting for me to realize that rather than be terrified of the changes, I find this all rather exciting and extremely interesting. I get to create myself in the image of my own choosing. There are no more times of "must be" and "must do." This game of moving on and getting older is entirely one of my own making.
The crux of the matter, though, seems to be whether I am willing enough and brave enough to be the caller of the shots in this new game.

By Robin Korth
http://www.insightsonaging.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robin_Korth 

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.

Ordination with the , is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.


 

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.
 

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar