My Prayer - from "For the Love of God" book & "Heart of Worship" video

This book is like Chicken Soup for the Soul series - full of inspiring real stories (mostly few pages long only so is an easy read), under different themes, like "Challenges", "Living up your Faith", "Miracle - big and small", "Living the Golden Rule", and the "Power of Prayers". 

Of all the authors featured, I quite like Jerry Hendrick.  He wrote a few stories - one was about his daughter going to get paralysis due to a rare cancer, and how God had prepared his family for her amputation to save her life. 

Jerry wrote another story about the Mysterious and Wonder Prayer - and I hope he doesn't mind I repeat his prayer here as I find it extremely meaningful and relevant.  This will surely benefit a lot of people out there who are in search of some hope and inspiration.  Jerry wrote this prayer after he sought help and direction from God on the areas of his life where he needing most help.  Jerry suggests us should do the similar to customise our own version.

My Prayer

1. God grant me a thankful heart, so I appreciate all of the blessings I have been given.
2. God grant me strength, so I can stand up to whatever trials I will face in life.
3. God grant me courage, so I will live a fearless life for you.
4. God grant me grace, so I will accept without complaint whatever comes my way.
5. God grant me faith, so I will stay true when doubt and discouragement attack my spirit.
6. God grant me compassion, so I might show Your love toward others, near and far.
7. God grant me humility, so I will remember I am no better than anyone else.
8. God grant me character, so I might be an example for others.
9. God grant me patience, so I am able to wait for Your perfect timing.
10. God grant me forgiveness, so I can forget whatever wrongs I have known.
11. God grant me love, so that I might warm Your heart and the souls of those I meet.
12. God grant me peace, that only comes from pleasing You.

I think I am gonna to revisit these 12 pointers from time to time, and meditate on the one(s) that I need most direction at that point in time.

Before parting, let me share a video on a beautiful song that I learnt from the Sunday Church that I am attending.  The theme for my church this year is "Return to the Heart of God", and whenever we sing this particular song during worshipping, I felt particular touched (very often with moisted eyes).  The name of the song is called "The Heart of Worship" by Matt Redman.  There was a story behind how this song come about, but let's share this later.  Let's enjoy the song first.

Interview with an Angel - Ariel (part 2)

This is probably the second or third time I picked up this book to re-read again.  While I was reading it, I remembered I had blogged about it before few years back.  I deliberately didn't want to read that old blog post until I have finished this round of re-reading.  :P

This time round, I found I picked up most insights towards the end of book, when Ariel talks about the Jesus Christ, Adam and Eve, and some other Biblical story and characters like Exodus, Cain and Abel.

The sharing from Ariel (these group of angelic beings from other realm) is again profound.  She will only share what is appropriate and suitable for human beings' understanding at that point in time, no more no less.  Nevertheless, she will still try to help us to fathom using the limited understanding and words we have now to describe the indescribable.  I particularly like that part when she explained who Jesus Christ was - a being who was in total communion with God, while incarnated in human form.  Jesus' love has achieved such a state that there is total forgiveness - where judgement does not play any part at all, thus there is nothing to judge.  That's the end state the human evolution is heading towards.

Forgiveness that results from the state of love through unity with God was the entire teaching.

Jesus' teachings are to be experienced, to be felt, not just to be read, therefore a lot of things were not written nor recorded, even recorded it was many years later and bound to have misses or inconsistencies (deliberate intent).  The emphasis on direct communication and direct experience really distinguishes the message from this book to others.  The metaphor (or real story?) of Eve and Adam left Eden - is to show the separateness mankind took onto separate from God, after having eaten the apple from the Tree of Knowledge.  Once the Ego has become separated from God (Good), and took on a different evolutionary path, it was where the hardship and suffering arise.  On one hand, the Ego is trying to protect mankind, on the other hand, it is drifting from the truth farther and farther.  The return of Eden is to know that truth (wisdom - which unlike knowledge can't be taught - is simply just knowing) - that we all come from Tree of Life, and have been blessed with the same life force that creates this universe, everything.  The lesser struggle we have, the easier we will be able to  adapt to the flow of life and the smoother our journey back home will be.  One way is to surrender and believe there is higher being (God) that will take care of everything.

The book talks a lot of opening our Heart, power of Prayer and Meditation - which has strike me times and times again.  Instead of searching outside (without), we shall be searching within - and we shall hear the tiny faint little voice that God or beings from other realms have been trying to communicate with us - but we were too busy or too scare (when fear kicks in after Ego has been bruised so badly).  I am going to remind myself to continue my prayer, meditation and spend time to cultivate the relationship with God.  After all, who else should I or can I turn to?  :)