AUGUST 6, 2009: "PUTTING ISAAC ON THE WOOD PILE"

Greetings, family! Today is Thursday, August 6, 2009, and I want to share an incredible essay from Emmet Fox's book Claim Your Good, entitled, "Putting Isaac On The Woodpile:"

"And God said, take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." Genesis 22:2

Everyone knows the story of the temptation of Abraham. The important point is to realize that it is not just an incident that happened thousands of years ago, but that it happens to everyone on the spiritual path in all ages, right down to the present day.

Abraham was required to sacrifice the thing that he loved best on earth, his only son, the child that had come to him by a miracle. No other conceivable sacrifice could have caused him as much grief, and undoubtedly he had a dreadful struggle with himself before he could decide to do it. However, he won the struggle and having overcome his fear and doubt, through faith, it turned out that he did not have to make the sacrifice after all. On the contrary, an angel spoke to him and an extraordinary blessing, which he could never have expected, was bestowed upon him. "I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is upon the seashore." This refers to future demonstrations or answers to prayer, and to rapid growth in spiritual understanding.

The above promise is followed by a still greater one, "Thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies." You know that in the Bible enemies are always our fears and doubts, our troubles and problems. The gate was the most important place in the cities of the ancient world. The gate was where the enemies would naturally attack, and whoever possessed the gate would be in control of the city; and so you see the importance of this promise for the city which is your soul.

The account says that God tempted Abraham. Of course this is figurative. It was Abraham himself who had to prove his own faith.

If you are on the spiritual path there may be particular thing which is keeping you back from demonstrating and from your overcoming. It may be anything, as no two people have quite the same weaknesses, but whatever it is, it must go. Cost what it may, IT MUST GO. Only thus can you prove your own faith, and then you will find it is no sacrifice at all, much as it seemed to be, but only the prelude to great triumph.

In Harmony, Unity, Peace & Love,

Janis
www.janis-kelly.com

AUGUST 5, 2009: "DOG IS MY CO-PILOT! (CHAPTER 1)"

Greetings, family! Today is Wednesday, August 5, 2009, and I have a great story to share! Check it out:

Who can read that bumper sticker without either laughing at the irony or feeling outraged by the sacrilege? Personally, I have always gotten a kick out of this one, as well as the one that reads, "Dog Is Love!" These statements have become especially poignant for me, however, in the past couple of months as I have been serving as house/pet sitter for no fewer than three families in the Boulder, Colorado area! In fact, my "roster" to-date has included three dogs, three cats, fresh-water and tropical fish, a pair of cockateels and what feels like an entire flock of wild birds!

While some of you may find this hard to believe, I have actually developed a true fondness for these beloved pets; especially the dogs, as I am charged with walking them twice each day, thus spending a fair amount of one-on-one time with them and really getting to know their very distinct personalities. What I can say with a certainty is that they have definitely served as my "co-pilots," not-to-mention powerful spiritual teachers! Here's one of the things I have learned thus far:

Chapter 1--"God Is Guiding Me." Toby, the darling Bichon dog that lives with the Chase-Jacobsen family (and is the ruler of their domain...), is truly one of the smartest and most intuitive animals I have ever met! On my very first day of caring for him, I quickly learned that I was not going to actually be walking him; rather, he was going to walk me! Every single time I put his leash on and took him outside, he would simply take off in whatever direction he chose, rarely taking the same route twice and actually showing me all the little "nooks and crannies" of my new neighborhood. If I ever tried to assert my "will," and lead him on a different route, he would hunker down in his best "downward dog" pose and not budge until I acquiesced to his way. It didn't take me long to realize that my best bet was to simply "strap on my seatbelt and enjoy the ride!"

One day, Toby lead me far from home, along a really busy street during rush hour. I had no idea where he was headed, but after taking me on a tour of some really incredible estates, he finally walked right up to the door of a house where another Bichon dog was standing and barking. Figuring that this must be one of his "doggie friends," I just followed along obediently, even as he pushed his way into the house and created quite a stir among the two dogs that lived there. As the woman of the house came rushing to the entryway, I apologized profusely and explained that Toby had insisted upon coming in, presumably to visit his friends, or at least a house that he was familiar with.

Here's where it gets interesting: the woman--Wendy--said she had never seen Toby before, had never heard of the Chase-Jacobsen's, had just moved to town from Florida and was the first occupant of her house, as it was brand new! However, as we were chatting and remarking on this phenomenon and trying to calm our respective pets down, I learned that she was a new parent at the Shining Mountain Waldorf School, where I am teaching music this year. She also mentioned that she had a son who was interested in taking trumpet lessons, which I just so happen to offer! We exchanged contact information, and I am pleased to announce that I am now her son's private trumpet teacher! So, what caused Toby to lead me to that house on that day and at that time? Well, you'll have to decide that for yourself; as for me, I firmly believe that he was guiding me to my good, serving as the perfect co-pilot and the perfect reminder that when I "let go/let God," (or Dog) I always prosper!

God Is Guiding Me (Janis Kelly @2007)

God is guiding me (God is guiding me!)
To my good!
God is guiding me (God is guiding me!)
To my good!
I may not know just how;
I may not see just where just yet;
But God is guiding me (God is guiding me!)
To my good!

Stay tuned for Chapter 2, in which we learn from another furry friend that "patience is a virtue!" Have a marvelous day and give a dog some love!

In Harmony, Unity, Peace & Love,

Janis
www.janis-kelly.com

AUGUST 3, 2009: "THE GOLDEN KEY"

Greetings, family! Today is Monday, August 3, 2009 and I want to share a powerful spiritual concept with you. According to Emmet Fox, the renowned teacher and author, here is the secret to moving beyond ANY difficulty:

The Golden Key (by Emmet Fox)

Scientific prayer will enable you to get yourself or anyone else, out of any difficulty. It is the golden key to harmony and happiness.

To those who have no acquaintance with the mightiest power in existence, this may appear to be a rash claim, but it needs only a fair trial to prove that, without a shadow of doubt, it is a just one. You need take no one's word for it, and you should not. Simply try it for yourself.

God is omnipotent, and we are God's image and likeness and have dominion over all things. This is the inspired teaching, and it is intended to be taken literally, at its face value. The ability to draw on this power is not the special prerogative of the mystic or the saint, as is so often supposed, or even of the highly trained practitioner. Everyone has this ability Whoever you are, wherever you may be, the golden key to harmony is in your hand now. This is because in scientific prayer it is God who works, and not you, and so your particular limitations or weaknesses are of no account in the process. You are only the channel through which the divine action takes place, and your treatment will be just the getting of yourself out of the way.

Beginners often get startling results the first time, for all that is essential is to have an open mind and sufficient faith to try the experiment. Apart from that, you may hold any views on religion, or none.

As for the actual method of working, like all fundamental things, it is simplicity itself. All you have to do is this: Stop thinking about the difficulty, whatever it is, and think about God instead. This is the complete rule, and if only you will do this, the trouble, whatever it is, will disappear. It makes no difference what kind of trouble it is. It may be a big thing or a little thing: it may concern health, finance, a lawsuit, a quarrel, an accident, or anything else conceivable: but whatever it is, stop thinking about it and think of God instead--that is all you have to do.

It could not be simpler, could it? God could scarcely have made it simpler, and yet it never fails to work when given a fair trial.

Do not try to form a picture of God, which is impossible. Work by rehearsing anything or everything that you know about God. God is wisdom, truth, inconceivable love. God is present everywhere, has infinite power, knows everything, and so on. It matters not how well you may think you understand these things: go over them repeatedly.

But you must stop thinking of the trouble, whatever it is. The rule is, to think about God. If you are thinking about your difficulty, you are not thinking about God. To be continually glancing over your shoulder in order to see how matters are progressing is fatal, because it is thinking of the trouble, and you must think of God and nothing else. Your object is to drive the thought of the difficulty out of your consciousness, for a few moments at least, substituting for it the thought of God. This is the crux of the whole thing. If you can become so absorbed in this consideration of the spiritual world that you forget for a while about the difficulty, you will find that you are safely and comfortably out of your difficulty--that your demonstration is made.

In order to "golden key" a troublesome person or a difficult situation, think. "Now 1 am going to 'golden key' John, or Mary. or that threatened danger": then proceed to drive all thought of John, or Mary, or the danger out of your mind, replacing it with the thought of God.

By working in this way about a person, you are not seeking to influence his conduct in any way, except that you prevent him from injuring or annoying you, and you do him nothing but good. Thereafter, he is certain to be in some degree a better, wiser, and more spiritual person, just because you have "golden keyed" him. A pending lawsuit or other difficulty would probably fade out harmlessly without coming to a crisis, justice being done to all parties concerned.

If you find that you can do this very quickly, you may repeat the operation several times a day with intervals between. Be sure, however, each time you have done it, that you drop all thought of the matter until the next time. This is important.

We have said that the golden key is simple, and so it is, but of course it is not always easy to turn. If you are very frightened or worried, at first it may be difficult to get your thoughts away from material things. But by constantly repeating a statement of absolute Truth, such as: There is no power but God: I am the child of God, filled and surrounded by the perfect peace of God: God is love; God is guiding me now; or, perhaps best and simplest of all. God is with me--however mechanical or trite it may seem -- you will soon find that the treatment has begun to "take." and that your mind is clearing. Do not struggle violently; be quiet, but insistent. Each time you find your attention wandering, switch it back to God.

Do not try to think in advance what the solution to your difficulty will be. This is called "outlining" and will only delay the demonstration. Leave the question of ways and means to God. You want to get out of your difficulty that is sufficient. You do your half, and God will never fail to do God's.

"Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:21).

Pretty awesome, no?! Being the prolific composer (and incessant singer) I am, I decided to turn my Truth statement into a chant, in the style of a spiritual:

Nothing But God (Janis Kelly @2009)

There is: nothing but God;
There is: nothing but God;
There is: nothing but God,
I know: God is all there is!

(There is: nothing but good...; ...peace; ...love; ...truth; etc.)

Remember, today, that YOU ARE GOLDEN!

In Harmony, Unity, Peace & Love,

Janis
www.janis-kelly.com