Month: May 2014

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Question about the Ukraine

Now that things are heating up in the Ukraine, what do you see as the outcome of all this? Will it escalate into something bigger?

Remember, Lisa, when humans are involved, things can get very messy.  When God is involved, things can get cleaned up.

There are so many souls in the Ukraine region and associated with dealing with this region (many that aren’t physically in the region) that are wanting to add their voices to how things should be worked out.  The effort is meant to be diplomatic, but military force is what many use in their tool chest, and call it “a tool of diplomacy.”

The Ukraine will be a hot area on into the end of this decade, when a quiet time will be in place.  The quiet time only will hide the dissatisfaction with the solutions put in place, but will not be a real solution.  In the next decade, 2020’s the next round of “heat” will come forth.

I add that the issue here isn’t whether this is a hotly debated area, or a hotbed of struggle, or whether war will break out – even though these are important issues.  The issue here is that there is potential for effort and real work to come forth in this area.  This “effort and real work” includes work that all of us can do – praying for this region.  This is not just for us to observe, but rather contribute or help in whatever way we are willing.  They are struggling to find a peace for their lives.  Our prayers can help them.

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“The best prayer is the one in which we stop using words and instead use the heart.” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2013, Jodie Senkyrik)

“Praying for others is very, truly helpful, as long as our prayer isn’t ‘God, make them into what I want them to be.’ ” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2006, Jodie Senkyrik)

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Logic and God

Logic and debates can never prove the existence or non-existence of God.  The foundation of an experience of God is not a “mind” experience and will never be a “mind” experience.  God exists centered in the heart, and is only recognized through the heart.

Looking at it metaphysically, we can offer the same argument put forth about Love.  How do we prove Love?  This is an equally valid question when asked to prove the existence of God.

The experience of Love is an inner experience.  It is subjective, confusing, a struggle and full of questions.  But, when the day comes that we know that we love someone or someones, we know it from a place of “knowing” from which we alone can be sure. No one else in the world can experience our love for another from inside of us.  No one else in the world can experience our love for another in any way, except from outside of us looking in.

The experience of God is exactly like that.  We experience God solely within ourselves – and only we, our self, are witness to this inner experience.  In truth, no one can have an experience of God through someone else’s mind, someone else’s heart, and someone else’s soul.

Ultimately, the decisions we have related to God’s existence, are for each individual alone to address.  But, it needs to be this way.  The decisions and questions related to a belief or experience of God are the decisions and questions of “Willingness.”  Only in our own hearts do we decide what we are willing to do in our life – what we’re willing to think, willing to feel, willing to believe, and willing to …. everything else.  In the same way, only within our own selves do we decide what we’re willing to not think, not feel, not believe, and not…. everything else.

This is why logic isn’t what convinces anyone to love another, and logic isn’t what convinces anyone to believe in God.

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“We believe that which we believe, because that is what we’ve chosen to believe.  We don’t believe that which we don’t believe, because that is what we’ve chosen not to believe.” (The Rainbow Cards, 1995, ©, Jodie Senkyrik)

“The issue isn’t whether we can or can’t do something.  The issue is whether we’re willing … to do what it takes to do that something.  If we’re not willing to do “whatever”, then, of course, we can’t.” (The Rainbow Cards, 1995, ©, Jodie Senkyrik)

 

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Who are we?

I know there is a lot of talk about drought but in the Dallas area we are in the 3rd worst drought since 1899. The lake I drive over, one side is dry the other is drying up. It’s the worst I’ve seen. This is May, the hot summer months are ahead. Will we have a record breaking 100 degree summer again? When will this end! When it does rains for a minute I remember what rain really is. I watch the TV and see all the storms in the east causing lots of damage and all we got was a sprinkle or two. It’s kind of scary.  (Vicki, May 3, 2014)

It can, indeed, be kind of scary.  Yet, life is such that we don’t live going backwards, no matter how much we may want to try to hold onto the past.  And as scary as it sounds, our living forward is a good thing.

We will not see weather patterns of the past – weather that we consider normal weather – in the future.  We no longer live in that climate or world situation.  We have a different world existing now based on over 7 billion people living on the planet, and this different world is where we now live ever moving onward to 8 billion people.  We will have greater pendulum swings, and in between these swings will be what appears to be normal as compared to the past.  But, we will find ways to help to live our lives, as every generation before us has.

There are many factors in our world that have brought about “the end of the world as we know it” and so we’ve experienced this “end of the world as we know it” over and over again.  Take a look at Sept 11, 2001 as an easy example to see this.  But, it is true in other ways, also.  Neal Armstrong walking on the moon was another example, as was the end of the Soviet Union.  Others are yet to happen.  One of these examples is climate change.  We don’t live in that past world – we no longer live in a world of only 5 billion or 6 billion people.  We are here, now, and this world has challenges to face and work on.  We will work for solutions and we will pray for guidance.  We will continue to live our lives, as every generation before us has.

While it could be easy to say the past was better for us, remember, for some, the past was way worse, also.  How many people in Europe would like to return to the 1940’s to live?  How many people in Viet Nam would like to return to the 1960’s to live?
But, the question and issue isn’t “what is the world like, today.”  The question and issue is “who are we, today.”  This is a question that every generation before us has had to answer, and now, it’s up to us.   Who are we?

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“Just because we see nothing but darkness, doesn’t necessarily mean the light has gone out.  Sometimes, it’s because we’ve closed our eyes.” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2006, Jodie Senkyrik)

“God does not praise us for being perfect yet treating others harmfully.  God does not chastise us for having faults yet being kind and forgiving.”  (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2006, Jodie Senkyrik)

“If you want things to change, then change.” (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2004, Jodie Senkyrik)

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How do we know?

Hi Jodie! I wasn’t sure where to ask my question, so I thought I would put it here, hehe.. I “stumbled” across your page awhile ago, looking for information one day about Edgar Cayce and Atlantis and I found you! :D I really enjoy reading your entries and find myself reading and re-reading everything you have here.. Love it! So, the other day I was talking to a friend and was a bit conflicted. He mentioned that not once does “Jesus” get mentioned when referencing the “New Age movement”.. In that, he doesn’t know who is behind these notions of lets say, Law of Attraction, or Living in the Now, etc. etc. So, I was a bit conflicted by that because he used to be all about researching Osho and everything that he lumps into “New Age” now, which includes channeling (the Seth readings, Abraham-Hicks, Bashar via Darryl Anka, etc.), crystals, psychic readings, etc. etc. So, I guess my question is, how do we know what is right and what is wrong? If reading these books, researching about law of attraction, etc. is “evil” and not information that is of Jesus and the church, but we are learning about it with good and pure intentions, does that still put us in the wrong? Will we not be “saved”? Honestly, I don’t know much about religion, but feel like the information out there about this so called “New Age Stuff” is positive and I wanted to see what your take on it was.. I might sound naive and I hope I don’t offend anyone, but it made me question my “faith” and I have always thought I was in the right (but his views made me question myself, which scared me).  (VanessaM)

I’m almost jokingly tempted to write, “Yes, Vanessa, there is a Jesus in what you are learning about.”  But, I won’t.

You’re questions are good questions to ask.  To answer them, go back to much of what Jesus said at different times.

I’ll preface all of this with the statements that like any system of beliefs, what is called “New Age Thought”, is many times used to lump so many different beliefs under one name.  Since that is what we have to work with, I’ll go with it, even though some of the beliefs of the “New Age” have been around longer than many versions of today’s religions.

Let’s take a look at Jesus’ ministry.  During that time, his message was overwhelmingly about how we behave towards one another.  There is no mistaking this.  The first two commandments he gave were about love.  Love God above all else, and Love your neighbor as yourself.  His admonition to know who was a follower of His, was along the same lines, when he directed that we will know one another by our demonstration of the Fruits of the Spirit – the fruits being loving kindness, mercy, patience, charity, brotherhood, compassion, cooperation, forgiveness, understanding, faith, and more.

At the same time, I’ll mention that Jesus did not condemn other religions – he condemned hypocrisy and self-serving agendas.  Even though he walked among the Romans, he never condemned the Romans or that they had different beliefs.  In fact, John, the Baptist, also didn’t condemn the Roman’s beliefs, but instead said to the Romans, to be honest in their dealings as Romans.  John did condemn some actions which were also self-serving.

We can look at every religion, and hold to the same questions that you have.  How do we tell who is sincere in their following God?  The answer I adhere to is whether they practice what they preach.  If we want to label one religion as the only right one, or any religion over any other, then I think we”re missing Jesus’ message – that the main question we need to ask ourselves isn’t about what we believe, as it is what we do with our beliefs.  Do we use our beliefs to bring brotherhood, harmony, kindness, forgiveness, mercy or understanding in dealing with the people in our lives?  Or do we use our believes as weapons against others, bringing separation, condemnation or hatred into ours and others lives?  Do we use our beliefs to unite one another, sowing peace instead of war, or do we use our beliefs to go to war, attacking others in some way?

For the most part, every religion I can think of has the ability to bring more peace to this world, but every religion also gets used to bring war into this world.

That which we believe lies inside the mind and is a belief system (called a paradigm,) but how we live, demonstrate and activate our beliefs, comes from the heart.  If we hold forgiveness, patience, kindness in our heart, our beliefs are in line with the one who said “Love one another, as I have loved you.”  However, if we choose to hold criticism, bitterness, resentment, hatred, vengeance, prejudice, contention or separation, in our hearts, no paradigm of beliefs will ever counter that using any rationality or logic.  Our life simply will not be one of Love.

Like every religion or any other way of believing – whether it be science, math, psychology, philosophy, politics or anything – they all have adherents who go both ways with regards to their hearts, and therefore their beliefs.  Those who wish to use any of these beliefs to serve their own judgements and condemnations, supporting their own agendas will find ways to do that within the paradigm/belief system they’ve chosen.  Those who wish to use any of these beliefs to love more, support brother and sisterhood, be more forgiving, understanding, or kind, also will find ways to do that within their own paradigm/belief systems.

As it is said, “God seeks mercy, not sacrifice.”  We don’t need to sacrifice any belief we have that we feel brings us to love more and then demonstrate love more.  Know that what a person has in their heart, is what guides a person in how they show themselves to the world.

If any of us find our beliefs changing as time goes on, then wouldn’t it be harmonious to let those new beliefs help us to love God more, also?  And then to Love our neighbor as ourselves more?

Every way of believing has the potential for Christ to be a part of and to come forth from within it.  Why? Because, His message was “Love one another, as I have loved you.” and we can bring this forth in any setting or context using any language or ideology.  It depends on us, and how we manifest our beliefs.

There are some that go around professing the name of Jesus Christ to anyone within earshot.  They will make sure their beliefs are known to those around them.  And they wear Jesus’ name on their sleeve, as if only saying the name is all that’s needed to live in our world.

There are others that quietly go around doing acts of kindness to someone who is beaten down by life’s circumstances. They extend patience and help to others who are struggling with the burdens they’re carrying.  They show mercy to those that are suffering in darkness, and understanding and compassion to someone who needs a friend in a moment of pain.  They don’t speak loudly the name of Christ, so everyone can know about them, but they do pray quietly within their own hearts for those they know could use a helping prayer.

Which one do you think actually knows the real Jesus Christ?

I will say this truly – Jesus Christ lives inside the act of kindness, not the act of criticism.  Christ lives inside the act of compassion and understanding towards another and not speeches of judging others.  If we find kindness, understanding and compassion in people, it will be these people that live with Christ.  When we practice the kindness, the understanding and compassion for people, Christ will live within us.  Then and only then will those beliefs we choose for ourselves be ours that connect us directly to Christ.

Finally, I’ll let you in on a secret.  No one is so bad, that there is not some good in them – some kindness, some forgiveness, some understanding of another, etc. and hence with Christ inside them. And no one is so good, that there is not some bad in them – some lack of understanding, some prejudice, some contention, some bitterness – which causes Christ to be set aside.

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“It’s impossible for a closed mind and an open heart to exist in the same person both at the same time.  One will eventually overcome the other.  Either the closed mind will close the heart, or the open heart will open the mind.”  (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2006, Jodie Senkyrik)

“We don’t have to be perfect to share what we have learned.”   (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2013, Jodie Senkyrik)

“We give God to others, when we give Love to others. ”   (The Rainbow Cards, ©, 2013, Jodie Senkyrik)