Give It to God

In the book, The Practice of the Presence of God, the priest who interviewed Brother Lawrence, a kitchen worker in a seventeenth-century Paris monastery, recorded that Brother Lawrence told him:

That our sanctification did not depend on changing our works, but in doing that for God’s sake which we commonly do for our own.

In those few words lies great wisdom. if you’re frustrated because you can’t find the time for a spiritual practice, you need

The Secret to Being a Great Conversationalist

Years ago, I read this anecdote in Dale Carnegie‘s classic work, How to Win Friends and Influence People, and I never forgot it. It made that great an impression on me. Ever since, I’ve gone into conversations with the intent to listen instead of talk, and the rewards have been tremendous. Why would I want to talk about myself all the time? I already know everything I’d be saying. Instead, by listening, I get to learn about all sorts of things and creates stronger and more intimate bonds with all sorts of interesting people.

Here is Dale’s story:

I met a distinguished botanist at a dinner party given by a New York book publisher. I had never talked with a botanist before, and I found him fascinating. I literally

The Muffin Man Strikes Again!

More than fifteen years ago, I was riding the bus home from a weekend work shift. Intrigued by the New Age concepts I had recently begun reading about, I decided to make productive use of my time on the bus by stating and manifesting an intention. Since I was a bit hungry and would be getting off the bus in the parking lot of Rainbow Foods, I conjured up the thought of manifesting a blueberry oat-bran muffin, a favorite treat at Rainbow.

I didn’t have a penny on me so I closed my eyes and visualized me finding forty-two cents. I did so with unshakable faith that my attempt at manifesting a tasty muffin would be successful. Trust is key because doubting the process essentially sabotages it. I opened my eyes and thought, Okay, let’s get started. The first thing I can do is look for money on the bus. I looked under the seat and

We Have All Knelt at Different Graves

Deepak Chopra

While reading Deepak Chopra‘s insightful book, The Spontaneous Fulfillment of Desire, this excerpt on page 183 spoke to me. In this passage lies the reason why one religion or spiritual path is not right for everybody.

We are all born to travel our own path; when we find the right one, it feels like we have come home. What works for me may not necessarily work for you and vice versa. Understanding this removes judgment from the equation. How can we judge another’s destiny? The answer, of course, is that we cannot. All we can do is focus on our own journey.

Intention springs from our deepest desires, and those desires are shaped by karma. You and I don’t have the same karma; therefore we dont have exactly the same desires. We have loved different people, knelt at different graves,