BoldGrace

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Host: boldgrace
Episode: EPISODE2 - BoldGrace.Com 

  
On the episode we will be talking about The Gospel of Grace & Peace.A Gospel so BOLD that even evangelical Christianity does not believe it!
Call ID: 14375

Scheduled Time:

Date: Wed, February 13, 2008   
Time: 06:30 PM EST   

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Ultimately we all seek a place of peace, but where is it to be found in a world so focused on division, violence, and pain?  Speaking for myself I find that the only peace that can truly stand up and survive in this type of world is a peace that has its roots in our true identity.

In Wayne Dyer’s book "Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Life" he gives us his interpretation of the 13th Verse of the Tao of which I personally think is critical in finding our peace.  Let me quote from his book.

13th Verse: Favor and disgrace seem alarming.  High status greatly afflicts your person.  Why are favor and disgrace alarming?  Seeking favor is degrading:  alarming when it is gotten, alarming when it is lost.  Why does high status greatly afflict your person?  The reason we have a lot of trouble is that we have selves.  If we had no selves, what trouble would we have?  Man’s true self is eternal, yet he thinks, I am this body and will soon die.  If we have no body, what calamities can we have?  One who sees himself as everything is fit to be guardian of the world.  One who loves himself as everyone is fit to be teacher of the world.

This verse alone was worth the cost of the book and far beyond.  Wayne says the essential message of this 13th verse of the Tao Te Ching seems to be that it’s crucial to remain independent of both the positive and negative opinions of other people.  Regardless of whether they love or despise us, if we make their assessments more important than our own, we’ll be greatly afflicted.

If you gain approval, you’ll become a slave to outside messages of praise—someone else’s opinion will be directing your life.  If you gain disfavor, you’ll push even harder to change their minds, and you’ll still be directed by forces outside of yourself. 

Your worldly self isn’t your true identity, it is only an illusion you have allowed your self to believe by being focused on what outside forces say about you.  To find your place of peace you must begin to trust your eternal self and allow that identify to communicate with you.   Paul the apostle spoke of our minds being re-newed.  For this to take place we must place no importance whatsoever to what others think of us, good or bad.  If you allow yourself to be dependent on the judgments of others you will never know the peace I am talking about. 

What was so special about me that Christ was willing to go to the cross for?  Answer that question and you are a long way toward seeing your true identity.  Once you see your eternal self, you will also see it in others because we ALL have it. 

Try for just one day to allow your mind to see the true eternal self that is connected to not just to a God of love but a God that IS LOVE.  Know that you too are that LOVE.  For one day, give up all need to be praised by others or to seek their favor.  Try for one day to listen to what this beautiful eternal self has to say to you.  What you will find is a place of peace from which there is no return. 

As most of you know the last several months have definitely been a testing time for me.  Living 56 years has been relatively easy for me with much happiness and very little tragedy in my life until the last months.  It’s a funny thing how we as humans really can’t understand other people’s tragedy until we experience our own.  That’s the very reason why judging others is such an immature action.  We have all heard the old saying "Don’t judge me until you walk a mile in my shoes." 

Today I would like to share what it was that kept me going through such a difficult time.  The reason I want to share this is because since that time I have become much more keenly aware of how many people go through terrible suffering on a regular basis.  Maybe others can also share with their comments on ways they have learned to cope through their difficult moments also.

1. I learned to look at myself in a more honest way then I ever had before.  Tragedy of all kinds has a way of humbling you and stripping you of all pride.  I had never really saw myself as a prideful person but this experience truly cleansed me in ways that made me a better person.
2. I learned I have a great deal more strength then I ever thought possible.  Where did that strength come from?  At 56 years old I was able to realize that even in the worst of situations I was strong enough to endure.  Knowing this better prepares me for any future difficulties as well as giving me a great witness to those I might encounter along the way who are in a present struggle.
3. I learned that I really do have a loving and kind heart.  You know, one can talk about how loving and kind they are and even teach it for a lifetime, but until you are really tested you never know for sure.  Well, I know for sure.  I am not speaking out of pride, but rather from a sense of deep joy knowing that I am what I thought I was.  This tragedy has helped me solidify the only identity that matters to me.  Tragedy will help you see your true self and that is always good.  No one should be afraid of this because, remember, HE is the potter and we are the clay.  Our true identity has never been in doubt to God, but it helps us immensely when we can know who we really are.
4. I learned that my fellow human travelers ALL possess great love.  So many people came to my rescue.  Grant it, some are clumsy about what to say or do, but what I experienced is that people are good and that shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone because that’s how we were all created.  When you see people as good they tend to sense that and it allows the best to come out of them.   
5. Last, I learned to relax and let life happen.  I have always taken the safe routes of life wanting to have a plan for everything and then work that plan.  This experience has forever changed that.  I now take one moment at a time realizing that at any given moment everything in my life can change.  I have learned to trust the universe to allow whatever experience that I might need to go through.  Certainly no one wants to suffer but suffering is inevitable and our best response is to trust this perfect process of life. 

I am sure that I learned many more things during this experience but I hope that if there is someone who is reading this and going through their own tragedy that this can be of help.  I would also be more then happy to speak with someone by e-mail or phone if they need someone to talk to.  We are all in this together and if we can realize that we can learn to lean on each other.  I know I have learned to do that. 

You can contact me directly by clicking on "CONTACT" at the top of the screen and then clicking on my name.

Hello Everyone!

You are all invited to take part in a BOLD Experiment tonight @ 6:15pm Eastern US to join a live Community Call.

Host: boldgrace
Episode: EPISODE1 - BoldGrace.Com - Test of System   

Scheduled Time: TONIGHT

Date: Thu, February 7, 2008   
Time: 06:15 PM EST   

How to participate:

Call in:
Dial: (724) 444-7444
Enter: 14375 # (Call ID)
Enter: 1 # or your PIN

Join from your computer:
Click here to join the call or just listen along

OR here to become a member
(Optional) Become a TalkShoe member

Listen to the Recording:
If you missed this event or want to hear previous recorded episodes click here.   

Hope to hear from you live tonight

Peace

Geo

P.S. Remember this is a TEST of the Talk Show system so if you get dropped or lost on the call please call back in

Tonight I experienced a surprising moment in time.  I was reading a new book and my dog Lucy came bouncing in the house all excited.  I wasn’t sure why until I looked in the kitchen and she had killed a bird and brought it in to show me.  I picked up this beautiful creature and held it in my hand.  My first reaction was the need to discard it and then something very unexpected happened to me.  I started to cry.  I cried harder and harder until I almost couldn’t control myself.  As I held that little bird I was overwhelmed by how precious all life is.  It reminded me of a time a few months back when I thought I was losing my wife to a terrible illness that I had no control over.  It reminded me of the countless people who are experiencing terrible grief and loss even as I held that lifeless little bird in my hand.  I wasn’t crying just for the bird, I was crying for the entire human race and all of creation. 

Maybe it wasn’t even me that was crying?  Maybe the All Loving Creator within me was showing me how connected we are to all living things.  I think we humans are so much into our own little small worlds that we truly miss this all encompassing universe that holds the same value for every single part.  Yes, that even includes the sweet little bird that I will miss it’s singing in the morning.  Oh, there will be others who will sing, but isn’t that one little voice to be missed?

My brothers would laugh at me, and probably will if they read this, but I was changed tonight and I think it was for the good.  So, as I lay my head down tonight I will pray a prayer of thanks for the short little life of that precious bird, and I will thank my loving Creator for reminding me HOW PRECIOUS ALL LIFE IS.

I have been reading the following book "Too Soon Old, Too Slow Smart" and I must say I have really enjoyed and would recommend it for reading.  There is one chapter that is the title to this post and if we could really learn to believe it our lives could change very much to the better.   We have been told over and over:  We are what we Think, but the real truth is "WE ARE WHAT WE DO".    People often think about what they need to do to have a more positive life, and they will even go so far as to talk a lot about what they think, but the bottom line is WE ARE WHAT WE DO. 

Ask yourself what did you DO yesterday?  You may have had good intentions, and good thoughts, and great desire, but none of that means are darn thing if you didn’t DO any of it.  The boldgrace that we have all been given is not about discussing, debating, understanding, or believing, it’s about DOING.  The purpose of GRACE is to enable us to DO SOMETHING POSITIVE WITH OUR CURRENT LIVES.  Bold Grace is not about the afterlife for if that was the case then God would just end everything right now and take us all home. 

The Bold Grace we received from the Life of Jesus is about DOING something right now this very moment, and every moment that we are blessed to live on this earth.  Take a look at your present life and if what you are doing is not giving you peace and joy then I suggest you start DOING SOMETHING ELSE, because WE ARE WHAT WE DO.

I guess that why I have always loved the Nike slogan:  JUST DO IT!  Too many of our blogs are full of thinking people but I would love to take a closer look at what they are really doing in their lives.  I’m not here to tell anyone WHAT TO DO, but rather to just examine what you are doing and to ask yourselves how it’s makes you feel. 

JESUS was a great thinker, but he as a greater DOER.  He went about DOING GOOD and it was those actions of doing that gives us all this BOLDGRACE in which we now stand.  Let’s stop wasting it on talking so much and let’s start doing what will define us what we really are: PEOPLE OF PEACE AND JOY.

37%

Peace
Geo

P.S. Pass that leg please!

"The folks from Presence.TV and Graham Old from the incredibly awesome and inspiring Leaving Munster are interested in connecting with anyone from in and around the UK who would be interested in exploring the message of fulfilled eschatology."

There you go Graham. Just as you wrote! hahahaha!

On a serious note, those of the Bold Grace Community that live in the UK we encourage you to contact Graham and engage in conversation with him. His email is      Graham Old <graham at  anabaptist  dot  com  dot  uk>

Peace

Geo

As I was reading tonight I was once again reminded by King David concerning the nature of God.  Understanding our Creator is a task that will never be accomplished (at least by me) but I can understand the most basic things that are needed for feeling good about my journey here on earth.  Allow me to quote David:

Ps 130  Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord; O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.  If you, O Lord, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?  But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared. I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

David makes it clear that if God were to keep a record of our sins no one would be left standing, but he doesn’t stop with that, he also makes it clear that we can not only count on His love but that His love will never fail us.  And then he tells us why that love won’t fail——HE HIMSELF WILL REDEEM US FROM ALL OUR SINS. 

You see, the only possible way that any of us could ever rest our head at night in peace is to know that God is NOT counting on us to accomplish His unfailing LOVE.  Sometimes I really get tired at those who attack me for giving God all the credit due him.  Why do so many christians fight so hard against this idea that God is the Potter and we are the clay?  Does the clay have any say whatsoever concerning how the Potter will fashion it? 

I don’t suppose I will ever understand why we humans make so many stupid choices as we journey along.  I am 56 and still find myself saying and doing things I know to be wrong and hurtful to others.  I am always sorry about it and yet at the end of each new day the only thing I’m sure about is how grateful I am that God doesn’t keep a record of my wrongs, always loves me, and my redemption is never in question.  Those three simple things are what allows me to get up each new day with a great desire to be all that I can be.  

So, as I lay my head down tonight I will utter some silent words into the darkness——"Thank you Lord for loving me in spite of my poor performance, and teach me Lord to love others the way you have loved me."

The following scriptures put to soft music speak the message of bold grace better then any words I could ever put together.  Please listen over and over.  If you are struggling or going through a difficult time know that He will never let you down.