7 Ways The Bible Influences You Today

Power, lust, greed, sex, gluttony, laziness, and war.

Forget about reading Fifty Shades of Grey just read The Bible or watch it on The History Channel!

Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel) and reality show mogul Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Amazing Race) produce The Bible, and have brought viewers what is being called, “The Bible for today’s generation.” They’re not kidding.

Today, children are growing up with more wars than their parents and grandparents. Sex and violence are prevalent in TV shows, video games, and movies. The internet can be a dangerous place kids because you don’t really know who’s lurking on websites and from where. And most kids are becoming desensitized to all of this.

Can we trace power, lust, greed, sex, gluttony, laziness, and war back to The Bible? Sure we can. Here’s how The Bible influences you without you knowing it. [Read more…]

Say Goodbye to Every Year the Right Way

Many of us can’t wait to say goodbye to 2011 because it was a year filled with heartache, financial ruin, devastation, etc. To put it bluntly, it was one hell of a year! Luckily, 2012 is right around the corner and you can begin anew. However, before you dash out of 2011, you may want to conduct an ending ritual. It’s a way for you to contemplate what happened in 2011 and how you want 2012 to be different. Warning: This will take honesty. If you’re not willing to take an honest look at 2011, whatever ritual you do won’t work.

I purchased Robert Ohotto’s Endings: A Conscious Inventory and Release of Last Year and conducted my ending ritual today. I had a lot of baggage to release, again. I was amazed at what came up and am determined to make 2012 a great year! No more excuses, no more giving advice when someone doesn’t ask for it, no more worrying because it only creates more worrying; no more people pleasing, no more worrying what this or that person will take, and no more B.S. in my life!

If you really want to start 2012 on the right foot, consider purchasing Robert’s Endings MP3 download. It could change your life now and in the future.

Wishing You and Yours a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Amandah

How to End the Year and Plan for the New Year in 7 Easy Steps

Yesterday, for the fun of it, I pulled three Tarot Cards from the Lifestyle section of MSN.com. I received the Five of Cups for the Challenges card. My question was, “What career path is right for me?” Here’s an excerpt:

When the Five of Cups is in this position, maximize what is left after loss. The receiver of this card received copious potential in the five cups shown, but three of them have been upended and their contents spilled into the earth. Whether it was carelessness or destiny that spilled these cups isn’t ultimately important.

The ending of the reading got me to think about this year and the challenges I faced. Actually, it’s been a challenging four years! Even though I have 3 cups that spilled, I still have 2 cups left. I can use them wisely to rebuild my resources. I can make the best of what is left and cultivate a new beginning. I can stay optimistic.

I use the word ‘plan’ in the title of this blog post very loosely. There’s a saying, “Man plans and God laughs.” True, you can’t plan everything in life; however, it helps if you have a ‘general idea’ of where it is you’re going or what you want to do. It also helps to Let Go and Let God which means … Throw your intentions out into the universe and release them. According to Les Brown, “Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.” End the year with a little self-reflection and preparation for the New Year. Below you’ll find tips on how to do that.

How to End the Year and Plan for the New Year in 7 Easy Steps

1. Reflect on the year by asking the following questions:

  • What did I learn about myself that I didn’t already know?
  • What obstacles did I face? How did I overcome them?
  • What was good about this year?
  • What was not-so-good about this year?
  • What were the BIG LESSONS from this year? What did I learn from them?
  • How did I strengthen my spiritual growth?
  • How did I evolve?
  • What was my biggest success? What was my biggest blunder?
  • How did I self-sabotage myself this year? List the ways.
  • How many people moved out of my life? Why? What did I learn by them leaving?
  • How many people moved into my life? How did I draw them to me?
  • Anything else I might add.

2. If you moved during the year, remember the following, “When you move, you take yourself with you.” If you move again in the New Year, remember you take yourself wherever you go. Be mentally, emotionally and physically prepared to move.

3. Write letters to people who’ve hurt you or vice versa. Please do not mail these letters! This is an exercise for you to exercise these people from your mind.

4. Accept what happened during the year and release it. Do not carryover any grudges to the New Year. Forgive and let them go. What’s done is done. Learn from it and move on with your life.

5. Give thanks that you made it through another year. Be thankful you survived the year. The New Year is a blank slate. Do not take it for granted.

6. Become very clear about what it is you want for your life, for the New Year. Write down your dreams, hopes, and desires. Stop focusing on your current reality and start writing a script for your life. What does your life look like? What career do you have? Who’s in your family? What kinds of people surround you? Write it all down.

7. Focus and mediate on what your life will look like in the New Year. Once you become clear about what it is you want for your life, focus on it. Don’t focus on the how or when. Just focus!

Amandah

 

 

What’s the Point of Life?

A very ‘short anecdote’ based on the 10 random words from Writing Prompts – Creative Copy Challenge #194. Posted: 17 Nov 2011 08:02 AM PST

Put
Point
Bizarre
Weave
Spiral
Weird
Goofy
Pop
Cult
Fan

“Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practise to deceive!”
~ Sir Walter Scott

Melanny pondered Sir Walter Scott’s words as she gazed at the ocean from the deck of her Malibu home. She’s been contemplating life since her childhood best friend Karrey overdosed a few weeks ago. Melanny tried to help her, but she couldn’t. No one could. Life really is a spiral. We think we move backward, when in fact, we continue to move forward. How bizarre is that? What is the point of life? She continued to stare at the ocean.

Karrey had a goofy, weird sense of humor – some people thought she was over the top. She loved The Cult and was a huge fan of music from the 1990s. Karrey loved alternative music but would listen to Pop music now and again. She was a free spirit through and through. Why did she have to put those damn drugs into her body? Melanny was searching for answers that may never be answered.

Amandah T. Blackwell

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