by Jo Lyn Cornelsen | May 12, 2017 | Community, Spirituality |
Why Go to Church?
Churches still play a primary role in the lives of millions across the world. Some say they can be spiritual without religion. Some use religion inappropriately to force political or economic agendas. Others, on their path to alignment with the Divine, remain true to pure religion, as a structure to continually expand their spirituality and connection with Divine Love and the Great Creator of All Things.
Tony Robbins taught that water, as a powerful cleansing and healing element, needs structure to be useful. This structure could be found in the form of a water glass, a pail, a faucet, a bathtub and more.
The cleansing and healing energy of Spirit can also be more powerful through the structure provided by the practice of pure religion, including church attendance, prayer, study of sacred scripture, meditation, faith, and loving service freely given.
I am grateful to my parents, who had the presence of mind to teach me about religion, take me to church and introduce me to the practice of spirituality.
May you be blessed on your path to spiritual awakening, and embody the teaching, “Love One Another” (like I was taught in Sunday School at age three).
The following email message showed up in Mother’s inbox today – which prompted this post.
It reminded me of the children’s finger play I was taught as a child, and with which I entertained my little ones on the way to church:
“Here’s the church and here’s the steeple, open the door and see all the people, close the door and hear them pray, open the door and they’ve all gone away.”
“Here’s the Church” by Kathy Fincher
“A Church-goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper, complaining that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. He wrote: “I’ve attended for 30 years now, and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons, but for the life of me, I can’t remember a single one of them.
So, I think I’m wasting my time, the preachers and teachers are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all”.
This started a real controversy in the “Letters to the Editor” column. Much to the delight of the editor, it went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: “I’ve been married for almost 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this: They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today! When you are DOWN to nothing, God is UP to something! Faith sees the invisible, believes the incredible & receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical and our spiritual nourishment!”
Thank you to all who have contributed to my spiritual growth and nourishment.
Blessings!!
Jo Lyn
Here’s the best link I can find for Kathy Fincher’s amazing artwork:
http://www.somersetfineart.com/pc-4603-356-heres-the-church-by-kathryn-fincher.aspx#.WRYxB9LyuUk
by Jo Lyn Cornelsen | Sep 26, 2016 | Community, Jo Lyn's Blog |
I pray that the Lord God will Bless this Nation with Good Leaders…
…who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
…who place the well-being of it’s people above personal fame or gain,
…who stand for truth and rightness and eschew corruption,
…who have strength and integrity of body, mind, spirit and character,
…and who seek to be guided by Divine Light in decision making.
THIS IS WHAT IT WILL TAKE TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!
by Jo Lyn Cornelsen | Jul 5, 2016 | Community, Jo Lyn's Blog |
Living History July 4 Presentation of Colors
We attended a 4th of July breakfast with our church group this morning.
Some participants did an early morning run, followed by a scrumptious breakfast and
then a presentation of the colors by a civil war reenactment group.
As they marched the gravel road up the hill toward us to post the colors,
I saw that these four young men and two seasoned soldiers
were not dressed sharply in freshly pressed uniforms –
they wore historic dress….
Rumpled blue britches. Darker blue boiled wool coats.
Funky old soldier hats with the insignia on the top.
Period weapons.
Dusty.
Old.
Rumpled.
Humble.
Dignified.
Suddenly it felt as if they were really soldier boys right out of history past.
In Quantum view, time stood still.
They had given their goodbyes and heading off to war,
knowing they most likely wouldn’t be coming back home,
or if by God’s grace they did make it through,
everything would be changed for them
and for their families
and their country
and their way of life
by this thing called war.
Dusty and rumpled, these soldiers of yesteryear seemed very, very real.
Colors posted, the trumpet blared out the Star Spangled Banner,
and the boys in their uniforms stood a little taller,
made stronger by the meaning of the music.
Hands on our hearts, we sang along…
“Oh say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light”…
Dressed in sport clothes, shorts, jeans and tees….
We sang along,
standing by picnic tables decorated in red, white and blue,
with burlap table cloths, flag center pieces and bright shiny stars…
We stood up and sang along,
Bellies full of hash browns, eggs, sausage, cinnamon rolls, and fresh fruit…
Babies in arms and strollers,
Little ones playing at our feet,
Teens attention momentarily focused on the civil war living history soldiers…
We all sang…
“Whose broad stripes and bright stars,
Were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets red glare,
The bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night
That our flag was still there…
Oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave”…
And the very air between us and the soldiers seemed to wave…
As though there were a time warp between today and the past…
And I became very, very grateful for their commitment and their courage,
For America’s freedom and unity…
“O’er the land of the free, and the home of the brave”.
Prayer offered.
Colors retired.
Dust settled.
We remember.
And we are grateful.
For the brave,
Who made freedom possible.
Thank you.
It is done, it is done, it is done.
– Jo Lyn Cornelsen
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