I AM...

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THIS SUNDAY'S SERMON...

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AS THIS IS THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE NEW YEAR, I WANT YOU TO BLOOM WHERE YOU ARE PLANTED…THE TIME IS NOW! Having a vision for our future that differs from our current circumstances can be inspiring and exciting, but it can also keep us from fully committing to our present placement. We may become aware that this is happening when we notice our thoughts about the future distracting us from our participation in the moment. We may find upon searching our hearts that we are waiting for some future time or situation in order to self-actualize. This would be like a flower planted in the north pole putting off blooming because it would prefer to do so in the south. There are no guarantees in this life, so when we hold back we do so at the risk of never fully blossoming. This present moment always offers us the ground in which we can take root and open our hearts now. What this means is that we live fully, wherever we are, not hesitating because conditions are not perfect, or we might end up moving, or we haven’t found our life partner. This can be scary, because we might feel that we are giving up our cherished dreams if we do not agree to wait for them. But this notion that we have to hold back our life force now in order to find happiness later doesn’t really make sense. What might really be happening is that we are afraid to embrace this moment, and ourselves, just exactly as we are right now. This constitutes a tendency to hold back from fully loving ourselves, as we are, where we are. We have a habit of presenting life with a set of conditions—ifs and whens that must be fulfilled before we will say yes to the gift of our lives. Now is the time for each of us to bloom where we are planted, overriding our tendency to hold back. Now is the time to say yes, to be brave and commit fully to ourselves, because until we do no one else will. Now is the time to be vulnerable, unfolding delicately yet fully into the space in which we find ourselves.

AMIGOS Y CAFÉ

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When things in your life seem

almost too much to handle,

when 24 Hours in a day is not enough,

remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy class

and had some items in front of him.

When the class began,

wordlessly, he picked up a very large

and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full.

They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.

He shook the jar lightly.

The pebbles rolled into the open

areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full...

They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full.

The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table

And poured the entire contentsinto the jar,

effectively filling the empty space between the sand.

The students laughed."Now," said the professor,

as the laughter subsided,

"I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things -

God, family, children, health, friends, and Favorite passions

-- things that if everything else was lost

and only they remained,

your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else -- the small stuff.

"If you put the sand into the jar first,"

he continued,

"there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff,

you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So...Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Play With your children.

Take time to get medical checkups.

Take your partner out to dinner.

Play another 18.

There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal.

"Take care of the golf balls first -- the things that really matter.

Set your priorities.

The rest is just sand.

"One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled.

"I'm glad you asked."

It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem,

there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

THE SEXUALITY THING

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Human SEXUALITY is how WE experience AND express ourselves as SEXUAL BEINGS. SEXUALITY as a whole encompasses a broad range of behaviors AND processes that are heavily based on SOCIETAL thought AND opinion. Moreover, this rule of thumb has become the STATUS QUO, which ultimately FORCES those that are alike SEXUALLY in the same group. I FIND THIS TO BE CRAZY THAT SEXUALITY HAS TO BE SEEN AS SOMETHING LEFT OF THE MIDDLE WHEN IT STRAYS FROM THE MALE N’ FEMALE COMBINATION. SEXUALITY in itself does not AND cannot formulate itself to one particular set of rules OR feelings. Thus, SEXUALITY has AND should be lucid so that it can allow the various groups that are formed under its banner to be as one. In my opinion, the ‘H’ needs to included in the ‘GLBT’ group so that it is not a situation where it is US against THEM. Human sexual behavior encompasses the search for a partner or partners and the FREEDOM that comes from it. Thus, the ‘GLBT’ group is NOT a byproduct of some deviant behavior and should NOT be seen as such.

GENDER IDENTIFICATION DOES NOT & SHOULD NOT BE A FACTOR IN HUMAN SEXUALITY. HOW CAN IT BE? Despite stereotypes AND common misconceptions, there are no forms of sexual activity exclusive to the ‘GLBT’ group that cannot be found in HETEROSEXUALS. Hence, why does SOCIETY torture those that are not HETEROSEXUALLY incline? SEXUALITY that does not go the way of MALE/FEMALE copulation does NOT go against HUMAN NATURE. It is something that is innate and much a part of who we are and yet we accept the fact that we are seen as the odd ones. Sex is a fundamental HUMAN impulse that will not be denied. All attempts to control and regulate it have ultimately failed. 

MIND OVER MATTER

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The power of the mind is a curious thing, because it is so powerful yet so difficult to control sometimes. We find ourselves thinking a certain way, knowing that this thought may be creating trouble for us yet we find it difficult to stop. For example, many people have the experience of getting sick at the same time every year or every time they go on a plane. They may even be aware that their beliefs influence their experiences, so continue to think they will get sick and then they do. Sometimes we need to get sick in order to process something or move something through our bodies. However, often we get sick, or feel exhausted, because we do not make the effort to galvanize the power of our minds in the service of our physical health, which is one of its most important functions. We really can use it to communicate to our bodies, yet we often regard the two as separate entities that have little to do with one another. Knowing this, we have the power to create physical health and mental health, simply by paying attention to the tapes running in our minds. Once we hear ourselves, we have the option to let that tape keep running or to make a new recording. We harness the power of the mind in our defense when we choose supportive, healing words that foster good health and high spirits. All we need to do is remember to tend the field of our mind with the attentive and loving hand of a master gardener tending her flowerbeds, culling out the weeds so that the blossoms may come to fruition.