BoldGrace

Hello friends,

Unless someone objects, I’d like to delete the BoldGrace Forum. It was a good idea, but probably redundant since folks can just post on the blog itself. It’s really not being used, and it’s becoming somewhat of a maintenance problem having to deal with all the spammers who are trying to create user accounts so they can flood the board with their junk. So, unless I hear that you want to keep it, I’ll plan on deleting it one week from today.

Thanks,

Bruce

This is a tale of two travelers. A tale of two people who went to a state not there own. The first went to this state and although he know he had friends in that state he did not call to see if they were close to where he would be. After all he would not want to burden or bother his friends.

The second traveler sent an email to his friends the very day of his arrival asking the friends if they lived close to where he was going to be working. To his amazement they lived only 10 minutes from the very spot he was working at! And guess what? His friends asked him the weary traveler to come to their house for dinner! WOW! Without even asking could he visit his friends asked him to come to dinner!

I am the second traveler! This week I emailed Mindy & Dink Hill on the very day I was in their town and they invited me to their house for a GREAT Meal of mashed potatoes and Meatloaf! MAN WAS IT GOOD! Then we spent 2 hours talking of life and about Mindy’s dad Cliff. Cliff was my BEST FRIEND! Man do I miss him! Cliff as most of you know was Mindy’s Dad. I guess this post is to say…………. ASK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If in doubt ASK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I did and it resulted in two WONDERFUL hours! Thanks Mindy & Dink!!!!!!!!!!!!

Peace

Geo

"ASK"!!!!!!!!!!!!

We will be having a celebration of Life ceremony Saturday, April 25th, 2009 (4:00p.m.-??) It will be held at the American Legion located at 109 North 6th Street, Richmond, Indiana 47374. We will laugh, sing, cry and tell amazing stories about Cliff! We will have pictures and videos so we can share some of his incredible moments with all of you.

Clifford L. Hazelbaker II, 57, of Richmond was born January 13, 1952 and was reborn on April 16, 2009. Cliff was the son of Clifford and Barbara (Goodwin) Hazelbaker. Cliff graduated from Centerville High School in 1970. He was married to Nancy McBride Hazelbaker on March 6, 1970. They recently celebrated their 39th Wedding Anniversary. Cliff enjoyed spending time with his incredible family. Their family motto is “Love Never Fails!” He also enjoyed sharing his love of God on www.boldgrace.com. Here is an excerpt from that site… “Clouds don’t seem to care where they’re going. They are content to follow the directions of the spirit of the air, enjoying the journey as they make their way to their purpose. Though they are unaware of their designation or their purpose as they travel along, they find themselves eventually called upon to join forces and deliver liquid life to the earth. Often exhausted, they whither and die, having given all of themselves in doing their work. But, as those clouds die, others are reborn from their seed to carry on the purpose.” Cliff is survived by his wife Nancy ; Mother, Barbara; Children: Tammy (Bob) Thompson of Centerville, Clifford (Bridget) Hazelbaker III of Richmond, Mindy (Charlie) Hill of New Carlisle, Ohio, Amy (Todd) Witter of Bath, Indiana; He is also survived by 9 grandchildren: Josh, Jacob, Paige, Samantha, Clifford IV, Abby, Emma, Lilly and Phoebe. Brothers: Andy (Teresa) and Doug (Cindy) Hazelbaker.

Clouds don’t seem to care where they’re going. They are content to follow the directions of the spirit of the air, enjoying the journey as they make their way to their purpose. Though they are unaware of their desination or their purpose as they travel along, they find themselves eventually called upon to join forces and deliver liquid life to the earth. Often exhausted, they whither and die, having given all of themselves in doing their work. But, as those clouds die, others are reborn from their seed to carry on the purpose.

Hello friends! The BoldGrace team is happy to announce that we’ve built a forum to foster more active, open online discussions around whatever subjects you’d like to talk about. We hope you will register and become a regular contributor to the community. Just click the "BoldGrace Forum" link in the left sidebar to visit. See you there!

Be sure to bookmark  http://forum.boldgrace.com/

Just as Mary awakened to the child within, I believe we all come to that place in our own hearts. We are all pregnant with the Life of God.

Coming to a realization that we have all received that "breath of heaven" from the beginning of time, releases our minds to an extraordinary connectedness to the Giver of Life. While you enjoy Amy Grant’s beautiful sharing of the depths of God’s companionship, claim the story of the miraculous indwelling for yourself. Center your heart and mind on the understanding that the Creator is living in you and through you. And be prepared to give birth to the manifestation of incredible love, joy, and peace.

"Holy Father, you have come, and chosen me now to carry your Son."

Jim Palmer (divinenobodies.com), left a comment on the thread which grew from the post, "the post that never ended (a world without options)", that really spoke to me. See if it has the same effect on you…

A popular Bible verse says to, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Romans 12:2
.
I’ve never liked the word “repent.” For me, it conjures up images of judgment, condemnation, and fear. Jesus often says in the gospels, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” For years it was troubling to me that Jesus so often used this word because it smacked of everything that repelled me about religion. But then the Spirit began to open my eyes to its true meaning and place in my journey with God.
.
First I realized that Jesus could not have been using the word pointing a finger of condemnation. Jesus said in John 3:17, “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” I discovered the word “repent” (metanoia) actually means a change of mind or having a new mind. The word suggests a radical revision and transformation of our whole mental process. That “change of mind” allows God to take center place in our consciousness, in our awareness, and in our minds.
.
You’re getting it if you can imagine Jesus walking into a crowd of hurting, rejected, empty, lonely, fearful, wounded, hopeless people and saying, “God’s kingdom is now within your reach! But you’ll have to undergo a change of heart and mind to grasp it.” Metanoia literally means “beyond the mind.” So it’s an idea of stretching or pushing beyond the boundaries with which we normally think and feel. For me, it has often involved pressing beyond my religious conditioning.
.
Initially, Jesus “calling me to repentance” went something like this:
.
“God’s kingdom is now within your reach Jim! But grasping it will push you beyond the boundaries of what you normally think and feel about yourself, God, and life. It will even call into question certain religious notions you have learned. You don’t feel deserving of the life, peace, and freedom God wants to give you. Press beyond those feelings Jim. The truth is, God loves you and freely offers all of this and more. Jim, you think and act as if your daily performance and behavior determines your good standing with God. The truth is, there’s nothing you could ever do or not do that would alter your worth, favor, and acceptance to God. Wherever you are now on the journey, you are loved and accepted by God. You feel inadequate to know and understand God and the things of God. Consider this Jim, you have the Spirit within to guide you into all truth. Pay more attention to the ways of a child and you’ll get it. You are a son of God. I was resurrected from the dead within you. When it all works right, you won’t even know where “you” end and “I” begin. It will be like the life you are living is me living in and through you. You tend to think of your separateness from God, I want you to feel and experience your oneness with God. Trust me Jim. You’re just scratching the surface. There’s more to it than you think. I’m always at my work within you. Rest in me.”
.
“Metanoia” has been more of a process that an event for me, and has involved changes such as:
.
• Associating my deepest feelings with the voice of truth
• Locating the source of life, love, peace, freedom, contentment, goodness, and connectedness within me
• Seeing myself and all people as sons and daughters of God and therefore my brother or sister
• Opening my heart to the spiritual dimension of all of life, regardless of how mundane or ordinary it mat seem through human eyes
• Understanding the significance and relevance of Jesus in terms much greater than I had ever realized before
.
I’m sure others will have further comments to add about metanoia. Lately I’ve tended to use the word less and less because it felt like I was making too much of a concept and religion out of it. So, rather than focus on the word or concept I just allow myself to be in tune with the reality the word points to, which is akin to “marching to the beat of a different drummer.”

Over the last week or so, I’ve been keeping track of some things I’ve said in conversation with others. These are by no means original thought. They are sayings that have rattled around in my brain through the last few years, some coming from my friends, some from various books, and some from my heart. But, sometimes I write something, and find the resulting verbiage remarkable! Sometimes, I’m not really sure where it came from, but it was the perfect thing to say at that time. So, I jot them down so I can remember. And now, I share them with you. Use them freely in your own conversations, and please add you own through the comment section! Thanks!

• Freedom is only for the free.

• If your salvation is determined by "what you believe", doesn’t that make you responsible for your own salvation? And if only God can save someone… doesn’t that make you God?

• You can only know if your love for God is genuine if you understand that he loves you completely and deeply, and without expectation or requirement.

• Love is a response, not an action.

• If you think God doubts you, then you will doubt God.

• If you know that God loves you, then nothing else will matter. If you don’t know that, nothing else will make any difference.

• Is God’s love so fickle that he only loves those who love him first?

• God in me loves God in you.

• Only love can birth love.

• Christ was the greatest teacher of the Law. He expanded on the depths of its purpose to the point that everyone had to admit that complying with it was far outside their grasp. He pushed and pushed and let them fester in their fears. Why? Because he needed to set the stage for a redeeming event! He used their religion against them to show them their self-righteousness and cause them to cry out for a savior!

• The definition of "self-righteousness" is when we think we can influence God’s thoughts for us, or against us.

• The concept of Universal Reconciliation doesn’t imply that God forces everyone to choose him. It simply states that God chose us! Why? Because he created us in perfection, and loves what he created.

• God says that we should love others, even when they fail us. It is possible that he holds himself to the same standard?

• If you think God will hate you because you don’t believe the correct things, you will give yourself license to hate others because of their incorrect beliefs.

• True belief can only exist when the requirement to believe is removed.