anyone read the 4 agreements? what do you think about that way of life? do you practice it?
819156
Yes, I have read it, in fact if you look at my bio you'll see it listed.  Reading "don't take things personally" made me cry.  To think I had lived so long and set myself up for so much pain, when I read these words, it had a PROFOUND change on my thinking.  \n\nGreat read, and I work hard to make the agreements a way of life.  \n\nPeace.
70924
lets see I have been to 6 weddings and all six are divorced.....sick....\nWhen my wife and I got married we got married for life...there is no way out of our marriage because we signed a agreement under the Lord's eyes and in one of his buildings....
259481
Wow, very beautiful and powerful.  I particularly love the first 3 lines as well as the lines about sending peace and love, but little hate or envy.  \n\nKeep on writing!  :)
815055
Quoted from: Christianity Today\nhttp://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/september/28.49.html\n\nFor Willard, the essential disciplines for Jesus' disciples have been taught and learned for centuries.\n\n"What are they? Here's a sampling from Willard's The Spirit of the Disciplines.\n\nSolitude and, within it, silence to expose ourselves to ourselves ("What if there turns out to be very little between 'just us and God'?") and to provide a natural context in which to listen to God.\n\nFasting and, within it, meditating upon God's Word. \nFasting is "prime self-denial," a way to expose "how much of our peace depends upon the pleasures of eating." Superficial peace, too. Meditating secures in our lived experience the conviction that "we have meat to eat that the world does not know."\n\nChastity to train the eyes and the imagination—the eyes of the heart—to see God's sons and daughters as our brothers and sisters.\n\nSecrecy about doing good and being good in order to mortify pride, vivify humility, and relieve ourselves of the need to be hot stuff at Bible study. Willard helpfully adds that Christian speakers should pray for other speakers on the program, asking that these others will speak better and attract more praise than oneself. (I know that my gracious friend Dallas does this. I also know from speaking on a program with him that the prayer doesn't seem to work.)\n\nStudy of God's Word in order, as Calvin put it, "to dig up the treasures buried there" and live off them. God has put the Bible in our hands as a kind of owners' manual for tuning and running a healthy life in the kingdom. It's always wise to read the manual.\nWorship and, within it, celebration—feasting, dancing, singing at God's glad invitation—in order to mortify despair and to draw us into joyful repose in the household of God. Because we all become like the one we worship, blessed are those whose God is the Lord!\n\nDeliberate consciousness that the first heaven is the air around us, that God is alive in it, and that, bidden or unbidden, God is awfully present there. All prayer, including short prayer ("Help, Lord!"), is inescapably and gloriously local.\n\nConfession of our sins to each other as well as to God. This mortification of the old self is, of course, open to terrible abuse. Who but God can bear to know not only what I said, but also what I almost said? Still, if you confess to a friend that you lied to him, says Willard, your confession will "marvelously enhance" your ability to get it straight the next time".
1114706
I read The Celestine Prophecy a few years ago. As for energy changing, there was some. But The Celestine prophecy is only one tool that can help in your spiritual growth. There are many more books that offer similar 'opening' channel perspectives. Having walked the path a number of years now, I can tell you that there is no single way to reach enlightenment. There are as many paths to enlightenment, or spiritual awareness, as there are souls in existence. That is not meant to sound flip or smarmy. It is merely a statement of truth. I would not have a problem having discussions with you on these matters as I have done so with other before. Just don't know how we'd link up.
608803
In the book of James we are told to "confess your sins, one to another".  This is also one of the ways people get sober and stay that way in AA. We put our shortcomings into perspective and get our guilt out. So yes appropriate, at least at times, and certainly usefull for spiritual health.
1109870
...yes...\n\nin many traditions we can hardly wait to get out of our bodies,\nwe should try to maximize the precious time we have in this body\n\nwe can choose to focus on the separatenss or on the unity\n\nPeople who dwell in realms of intuition have no difficulty discussing souls, forks in the road, looking for signs, where they come from, where they go, death, angels, demons, heaven, or hell.\n\nwe need simply to discover the inner language that helps us communicate with the hidden parts of the soul.\n\n....yes, yes, yes i believe God gives signs to people when they come to a fork in the road of life?  and indeed, it seems the more aware i become, the more forks i encounter....\n\n\ndecisions....decisions\n\nintuition:  human consciousness is different from that of other forms of life.  \n\nCertain types of symbolic thinking, imagination, reflection, projection, planning, and humour are actions of human consciousness as well as the looking for signs.
212841
If things work out between me and my b/f, that may very well happen! \n\nIt is a very good relationship BECAUSE we have so much in common. Place of origin, childhood religious upbringing, same basic values, similar sense of humor, similar taste in entertainment; similar values: we both value compassion, generosity, consensus rather than antagonism, we are both positive and optimistic, we value knowledge and learning, we are both rather homebodies, as opposed to life-of-the-party types...\n\nIn many of my relationships, it has been a combination of "giver" and "taker." This time it is a combination of "giver" and "giver." Do you know how wonderful that is?\n\nWe are not EXACTLY alike, but very similar.\n\nI've done the opposites attract thing. While it was very fiery and passionate, there was too much conflict.\n\nAlso, I have an identical twin. We are VERY much alike, and we get on extremely well together, always have.
808657
I have much respect for those following that path.  I like their loyalty to keeping their oaths, their tolerance for other religions, the depth of their studies, and the close relationships that are built between members.  Although not the path for me, I enjoy spending time with my Wiccan friends and I always learn something new from them.
880707
I haven't read it myself but have heard good things about it\nThe Light On Pranayama: The Yogic Art of Breathing \nby B.K.S. Iyengar \nhttp://www.amazon.com/Light-Pranayama-Yogic-Art-Breathing/dp/0824506863/sr=8-1/qid=1163216305/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4282659-5405669?ie=UTF8&s=books
1174857
I'm very happy to be workin with someone at same goals.....lucky  woulb be better description.....happy mostly...went thur spells where thought i would leave .marriage takes work.i've learned that the things u work for r more fulfillin..no pain no gain....It's easy to quit and go to next relationship that takes work then when fed up ..move on if that makes u happy do it.....i miss the erotic excitiment of newness....now i have the sweet deep lovin affection that makes me steam sweetly.i believe some people love to be miserable and plenty of rotting relationshps out there......and others who savor what they have
1001722
Yes, and it's to become enlightened.  Along the way I found that I  can made the rules. Trust God, Clean House, Help Others.   ;>)
460359
Apparently its great...my friend whom I work with recommends it to any one...a little more laid back than the army...very good discipline..my friend is very head strong and well spoken a good role model for the rest of us.  She is over flowing in confidence. From her stories I regret not taking the option up myself!!! If only we could go back in time.
310686
Best piece of advice I ever got.  Rely on yourself and no one else.\n\n  Doesn't mean not to form relationships, just means always be able to take care of yourself and not be a burden on others.\n\n  My wife and I have worked for everything we have.  We haven't been handed a thing from anybody.  No trust funds, no inheritances or any other handouts.  We're not rich, but we live pretty well.  And we owe it to no one but ourselves.\n\n  Best piece of advice on living I ever had.....
685008
I would still practice mine.  I follow mine, not because i believe it to be true, but because it instills self-discipline.\nI want to be able to break away from this mortal coil, to not be controlled by it.  I should eb the one controlling it, not the other way around.  But to the undisciplined, they are controlled by their bodies.  Their bodies tell them when to eat, when to go to the restroom, and when to sleep and breath.  I am suppose to be the one controlling it, not it controlling me.\nLiving this life, even though i can break away from it at any point, is a true testament.  But to be able to do that, one must be complataly self-disciplined., which the tenants of Judaism instill.  It does not give an easy oout, "oh Jesus died for my crap because i was to undisciplined to care."
912990
Whatever crosses you bear are Karmic lessons you are  working on and thus learning from. If you do so willingly with a loving, heart with patience, and tolerance, without prejudice or preference, without animosity, hate, or greed then you will succeed and your karmic debt per situation will be nil and void. What you are trying to master is to not create karma, which can only be done by learning what not to think or do and doing that. 'tis complex to be sure. My favorite book explains it better, "Thinking and Destiny," by Harold W. Percival. I wonder if you're a master already and are but testing us neophytes?
500018
I find it very helpful, plenty of notes, references, defintions - it taught me a lot. \n\nIt does rabbit trail some. If there is something you disagree on in the side notes, just put the idea on the shelf and go on. There is an abundance of information in those annotations. \n\nI recently found out he put together the "Zondervan Expanded Concordance" that I want to buy and check out. \nI think it was from the 70's.\n\nAlso check out http://www.dakebible.com \nit has other books and such, and also a new biography about him is out now.