Fwd: #1 Preparations for the Birth

From Wes Wyatt, a member of my SFG group > >> >> *_Christmas Inspiration_* >> >> When I first arrived in Virginia Beach, VA. in 1975 to research the >> Edgar Cayce readings I was particularly moved when I discovered a >> series of psychic readings by Edgar Cayce on the preparations for the >> birth of Jesus, the birth itself and a reading that described Jesus >> in detail. >> >> It has been a tradition of mine every since to re-read these readings >> during the holidays both to re-inspire myself, and to hopefully >> inspire others. > >> I’ll send each of the Cayce readings separately due to the size of each. >> I have numbered the emails so that they can be read consecutively. >> >> I hope you find the same inspiration I do in reading them. May they >> remind us of the sacredness of what is being celebrated at this time >> of year. >> >> Have a joyous Christmas ! >> >> >> #1 – *PREPARATIONs* > > *TEXT OF READING 5749-7* > > This Psychic Reading given by Edgar Cayce at his home on Arctic > Crescent, Virginia Beach, Va., this 27th day of June, 1937, in > accordance with request made by the self – Mr. Thomas Sugrue, Active > Member of the Ass”n for Research & Enlightenment, Inc. > > P R E S E N T > > Edgar Cayce; Gertrude Cayce, Conductor; Gladys Davis, Steno. Tom and > Mary Sugrue, and Hugh Lynn Cayce. > > R E A D I N G > > Time of Reading 302 W. 12th St., 11:35 to 12:05 A. M. Eastern Standard > Time. New York City. > > 1. GC: You will have before you the entity Thomas Sugrue, present in > this room, seeking the life of the Master and its history in the > material world. Then you will answer the questions he submits, as I > ask them. > > 2. EC: Yes, we have the entity, Thomas Sugrue; the desires, the > purposes for the desire to know the material history of the life of > the Master in the material world. > > 3. Much might be given as to how or why and when there were the > purposes that brought about the materialization of Jesus in the flesh. > > 4. In giving then the history: There were those in the faith of the > fathers to whom the promises were given that these would be fulfilled > as from the beginning of man’s record. > > 5. Hence there was the continued preparation and dedication of those > who might be the channels through which this chosen vessel might enter > – through choice – into materiality. > > 6. Thus in Carmel – where there were the priests of this faith – there > were the maidens chosen that were dedicated to this purpose, this > office, this service. > > 7. Among them was Mary, the beloved, the chosen one; and she, as had > been foretold, was chosen as the channel. Thus she was separated and > kept in the closer associations with and in the care or charge of this > office. > > 8. That was the beginning, that was the foundation of what ye term the > Church. > > 9. Then, when the days were fulfilled that the prophecy might come > that had been given by Isaiah, Malachi, Joel and those of old, she – > Mary, espoused to Joseph – a chosen vessel for the office among those > of the priests, the sect or group who had separated and dedicated > themselves in body, in mind, in spirit for this coming became with child. > > 10. Then, as the record is given, that is the common knowledge of > most, there was born in Bethlehem of Judea that entity, that soul, Jesus. > > 11. There was the period of purification according to the law, and > then the days in the temple and the blessing by Anna and by the high > priest. > > 12. And these made for those days of the beginning of the entity > called Jesus – who becomes the Christ, the Master of Masters – in the > days when there was the return to Nazareth and then the edict that > sent them into Egypt that the prophecy was fulfilled, “My son shall be > called from Egypt. ” > > 13. There five years were spent, as ye term time – by the mother, > Joseph, and the child. > > 14. Then there was the return to Judea and to Capernaum, where dwelt > many of those who were later the closer companions of the Master. > > 15. Here, after the period again of presentation at the temple, when > there were those questionings among the groups of the leaders, the > entity then was sent first – again – into Egypt for only a short > period, and then into India, and then into what is now Persia. > > 16. Hence in all the ways of the teachers the entity was trained. > > 17. From Persia he was called to Judea at the death of Joseph, and > then into Egypt for the completion of the preparation as a teacher. > > 18. He was with John, the messenger, during the portion of the > training there in Egypt. > > 19. Then to Capernaum, Cana, and those periods of the first > preparation in the land of the nativity. > > 20. The rest ye have according to Mark, John, Matthew and Luke; these > in their order record most of the material experiences of the Master. > > 21. Many of details may be given in the varied fields of the > preparation, but these were the experiences. > > 22. Ready for questions. > > 23. (Q) Explain the immaculate conception. > (A) As flesh is the activity of the mental being (or the spiritual > self and mental being) pushing itself into matter, and as spirit – as > He gave – is neither male nor female, they are then both – or one. > > And when man had reached that period of the full separation from > Creative Forces in the spirit, then flesh as man knows it today became > in material plane a reality. > > Then, the immaculate conception is the physical and mental so attuned > to spirit as to be quickened by same. > > Hence the spirit, the soul of the Master then was brought into being > through the accord of the Mother in materiality that ye know in the > earth as conception. > > 24. (Q) Explain the relationship of the Wise Men and Jesus’ birth? > (A) As indicated by the travels of the Master during the periods of > preparation, the whole earth, the whole world looked for, sought the > closer understanding. Hence through the efforts of the students of the > various phases of experiences of man in the earth, as may be literally > interpreted from the first chapters of Genesis, ye find that those > that subdued – not that were ruled by, but subdued the understandings > of that in the earth – were considered, or were in the position of the > wise, or the sages, or the ones that were holy; in body and mind, in > accord with purposes. > > Hence we find the Wise Men as those that were seekers for the truth, > for this happening; and in and through the application of those forces > – as ye would term today psychic – we find them coming to the place > “where the child was.” Or they were drawn as those that were giving > the thanks for this Gift, this expression of a soul seeking to show > wayward man back to God. > > So they represent in the metaphysical sense the three phases of man’s > experience in materiality; gold, the material; frankincense, the ether > or ethereal; myrrh, the healing force as brought with same; or body, > mind, soulk. > > These were the positions then of the Wise Men in their relationship, > or to put into the parlance of the day – they were the encouragement > needed for the Mother and those that had nourished, that had cherished > this event in the experience of mankind. > > They came during the days of purification, but to be sure only after > she was purified were they presented to the Child. > > 25. (Q) What relation did they have with the later travels of Jesus? > (A) As has just been indicated, they represented then the three phases > of man’s experience as well as the three phases of the teacher from > Egypt, from Persia, from India. > > 26. (Q) Did Mary and Joseph have any other children? > (A) James, Jude, and the daughter. > > 27. (Q) Does the immaculate conception, as explained, concern the > coming of Mary to Anne, or Jesus to Mary? > (A) Of Jesus to Mary. > > 28. (Q) Was Mary immaculately conceived? > (A) Mary was immaculately conceived. [See 2067-11, Par. 9-A.] > > 29. (Q) How long was the preparation in progress before Mary was chosen? > (A) Three years. > > 30. (Q) In what manner was she chosen? > (A) As they walked up the steps! > > 31. (Q) Was there any appearance of the angel Gabriel in the home? > (A) In the temple when she was chosen, in the home of Elizabeth when > she was made aware of the presence by being again in the presence of > the messenger or forerunner. > > Again to Joseph at the time of their union. Again (by Michael) at the > time when the edict was given. > > 32. We are through for the present. > > 33. We would continue. > >> * >> * >> * >> * >> * >> * >> >> >

A Beatiful Near Death Experience

NDE Experience

Art shared this NDE link. I pasted the text of it here.

I am 65 years old and this happened to me in 1977, when I was 26. I am originally from the city of Isfahan, which is in central Iran, about 300 miles south of the capital Tehran. I had followed a friend’s suggestion and had taken a job in the city of Mashad, which is in North West of Iran, about 800 miles away from Isfahah. That day I was driving back from Mashad to Isfahan for a few days of vacation and visiting my family. I left very early in the morning, around 2 am. Back in those days, the road was not that good and was not a highway, just a two-way road. At some point along the way when I was close to the city of Ghoochan, I noticed a car from the other lane was in my lane and the headlights were beaming right towards me. I tried to steer to the right to avoid a collision but the road shoulders were so narrow. I collided head-on with that car. My car spun a few times and fell off the road, which was several feet lower than the road itself. I was critically injured, but luckily a few minutes later, a passenger bus was passing by and saw the accident scene and stopped. They took me to a small hospital in the nearby city of Ghoochan.

In the hospital, the doctors and nurses started working on me right away. I had many injuries and felt severe pain all over my body. Nevertheless, when I was on the operating room bed, various thoughts were rushing through my head. For example, I was worried that if I don’t report back to my work on time in a few days that they might give my job away to someone else. At the same time, I was very angry at my friend who had encouraged me to take this job in a city far from my family. I blamed him for living away from my family, causing my accident and misery. I was frustrated at everything and everyone. I felt that this world and my life was a total mess and nothing was in it’s right place. My mind was full of complaints and anger.

I was not anesthetized and didn’t go into a coma. I remember a young woman around 22 years old entered the room. She seemed to be inexperienced and rather new to the hospital. She seemed beautiful and I wished I was not in this mess so I could talk to her and befriend her. But once again, I was distracted by unbearable pain and all the angry thoughts that were playing in my head. My attention was constantly shifting from my pain, to my angry thoughts, to this young lady; back and forth, and round and round.

Suddenly, I felt that everything shifted. I felt a deep calm and peace engulfing me. This feeling was totally opposite to what I was feeling a few minutes ago. I was not angry anymore and I was seeing perfection in everything in the world and around me. Now I was feeling that everything is exactly the way it should be. Whenever I focused my attention to any object or subject, I could get deep and complete insights into that matter. I could even understand the chemical compositions of objects I looked at and all its physical and mathematical properties. I shifted my attention to that young woman again. She seemed a little different than a few minutes ago. I noticed that I am seeing her like 360 degrees around her, like I have totally engulfed her. I could see her thoughts and feelings as well. In fact, I felt that I am present in the entire hospital. I could see that she had a lot of sadness and worry about what she was seeing. She was thinking that it was so sad that this young man is dying like this. I tried to soothe her and tell her that I am alright and that nothing is wrong with me. In fact, I’ve never felt so good in my life. But she kept ignoring me, like she does not see or hear me.

I noticed that she was staring towards a fixed point. I followed the direction she was looking and noticed that she is looking at the body of a young man who is lying on a bed. I was shocked because this man had striking similarities with me. I wondered who he was and why does he look so much like me? I even thought that maybe I have a twin brother I didn’t know about who happens to be in the same hospital. I tried to tap on the shoulder of the young woman to get her attention but my hand simply went through her body without any resistance. I was so puzzled. I looked at myself and saw that I have a transparent and illuminated body. I was so confused and bewildered. I started to think to myself, “Am I dead? Is this my body on the bed? My God, my mom would be so devastated. She is expecting me back home tomorrow.”

As soon as I thought about my mom, I immediately found myself in front of her in our house in Isfahan. It is hard to explain, but strangely I was still in the hospital too. I was aware and seeing everything there as well, without any difficulty and confusion. My presence at home did not decrease my awareness and presence in the hospital at all. It was like I had split into two pieces with equal awareness. My mom was sitting on the patio and preparing some vegetables for the dinner. I went behind her to hug her from behind, in order to surprise her. Again to my surprise, my hands went right through her body. I tried to talk to her but she did not pay any attention to me.

During this period as I thought about various friends and relatives, I instantly went to them while still present in previous places of the hospital, home, etc. For example when I thought about one of my teachers who I loved so much back in the days of high school. Suddenly I was beside him, while still in the hospital and also in my house in Isfahan beside my mom. I could immediately see all his thoughts, feelings, and all the things that were going on for him in life such as his thoughts, concerns, financial status, and health. I saw that I am no longer in his thoughts and heart. I could see that at that moment he was worried about his son. So I lost interest in him and left that scene. I thought about a few other relatives and friends and similarly I visited them as well. In every case I tried to communicate to the person I was visiting and make them aware of myself, to no avail. I realized that there is no use trying to communicate with people. Nobody could hear or see me.

Meanwhile I was seeing everything in the hospital. Over there, the doctors pronounced me dead and wrote some notes on my chart: “Resuscitation unsuccessful, the patient is pronounced dead at ….” They threw a sheet on my face and put me on another bed with wheels. Then they transferred me to a room where they temporarily kept the dead before sending them to the hospital morgue.

At some point through my experience, I passed very fast through a tunnel and moved towards a bright light at the end of tunnel. I cannot accurately place when this happened in my experience, as time had lost its meaning. I went to a very pleasant place that was made from light. I felt that this is my true home and I belonged there. My presence on earth looked like a deportation to a stranger, an isolated island that was incompatible and unpleasant. Where I was now, there was no past or future, no close or far, no up or down, no dark or light and all the relative things had lost their meaning. Everything seemed to be in absolute perfection. There were other souls there too; some with more light and possibilities than me and some with less. I never felt envy towards those who were more advanced and who had more light than me. It was well understood that each of us are where we should be according to our own capacity and growth. I had no bad feelings whatsoever that I am less advanced than some of the other souls.

When I was visiting my mom and some of my old friends and relatives, I had a vague feeling that there is a presence that was following me all the time, like a shadow. But I was so absorbed in the wonder of this whole experience, my thoughts, what was going on, and those people I was visiting, that I didn’t really pay attention to that presence. Eventually, I noticed him and I noticed him. He was an amazing, divine human-like figure who radiated lots of love and light. Instantly, I fell in love with this holy and immensely beautiful presence. I noticed that he loves me deeply and unconditionally. First I thought he must be a prophet or religious figure, but then I thought that he is even above all that. I realized that he has always been with me throughout my life, always. He was my guide.

I got the understanding that everybody who dies has a guide. But some humans are so attached to their physical and material world that they are still worry about their money, possessions. or power even after death. They don’t notice their guide and might not even notice that they are dead! Their soul can stay earth-bound for a long time after their death. For example, my guide showed me a man who apparently used to be in a position of authority and power back on the earth. After this man’s death, he still went to the office he used to work in, trying to sit at the same chair and sign documents. He was oblivious to the fact that his signature does not leave any marks and he has no power and effect in the physical world. He kept going to that office trying to sign things and act as he was still working there, not realizing that he is dead. I got this understanding that any strong earthbound attachment can keep our souls from soaring.

I saw people who had committed suicide and they seemed to have the worse situation among all these earthbound souls. They were completely trapped and had no way of communicating to anyone. Sometimes these souls would follow their loved ones on earth like a shadow for many years, begging for forgiveness for the hurt and pain they had caused them by their suicide. But it was no use and they wouldn’t be heard. My guide showed me these scenes.

Then he showed me a different kind of scene, scenes that formed in front of my eyes like a movie. These were scenes from my own life. The scenes were in chronological order from the very beginning of my life on the Earth. I saw a young woman who was pregnant. She was my mother and was pregnant with me. I entered her body like a wave. Before entering her body, I was feeling that I am present in the entire universe, but somehow part of me focused away from this entirety and totality to move into the physical world and my mother’s body. My feeling was the feeling of connectedness. I felt that everything is connected to everything and there is no beginning and end. I cannot tell for sure in what stage of pregnancy I entered her body, but I think it was a long time before delivery.

One example of my life review was when I was a little kid. We were traveling by car and stopped somewhere along the way. There was a river not far from the road and I was asked to go and bring some water in a bucket from that river. I went to fill up the bucket but on my way back, I felt that the bucket was way too heavy for me. I decided to empty some of the water to make the bucket lighter. Instead of emptying the water right there, I noticed a tree that was alone by itself in a dry patch of land. I took the effort to go out of my way to that tree and emptied some of the water at the tree base. I even waited there a few seconds to make sure the water is soaked in the soil and is absorbed. In my life review, I received such an applaud and joy for this simple act that it is unbelievable. It was like all the spirits in the Universe were filled with joy from this simple act and were telling me we are proud of you. That simple act seemed to be one of the best things I had ever done in my life! This was strange to me, because I didn’t think this little act was a big deal and thought I had done much more important and bigger things. However, it was shown to me that what I had done was extremely valuable because I had done it purely from the heart, with absolutely no expectation for my own gain.

Another example of my life review was when I was a 10 years old boy. I had bullied and mercilessly beaten another boy who was also around my age. He felt tortured and deeply hurt. In my life review, I saw that scene again. The boy was crying in physical and deep emotional pain. As he was walking in the street crying and going back home, he radiated negative energy which affected everything around him and on the path. People and even birds, trees, and flies received this negative energy from him, which kept propagating throughout the Universe. Even rocks on the side of the street were affected by his pain. I saw that everything is alive and our way of grouping things in categories of ‘alive’ and ‘not alive’ is only from our limited physical point of view. In reality everything is alive. I felt all of the pain and hurt that I had inflicted upon him inside of myself. When this boy went home to his parents, I saw the impact that seeing him in that state had on his parents. I felt the feeling and pain it created in them and how it affected their behavior from that point forward. I saw that as a result of this action, his parents would be always more worried when their son was out of home or if he was a few minutes late.

I saw that whenever I had done something good to anyone or anything, that I had done it to myself. And whenever I had hurt someone, I had done it to myself while actually doing that person a favor because they would receive some form of compensation or help from the Universe as a result. This universal gift would be bigger than the damage I had caused to them.

I wanted to stay in the world of love, peace, and light, but they reminded me of my responsibilities back on the earth. I argued and refused to return. They told me that if I don’t return, I won’t be able to achieve certain spiritual capabilities which I would have received had I gone back to earth. I still didn’t want to return and would rather stay there. Finally they showed my parts of my future and how if I returned it would affect many other people and help them to see the Light. When I realized how much my return to earth would help others, I could not wait to get back to earth. However, these scenes from my future were erased from my memory upon return to the Earth.

According to my medical documents, I came back to life 32 minutes after I was pronounced dead. But during this 32 minutes I saw so many things. It was like several months to me, if not several years. One of the staff in the hospital who was passing by the room my body was placed in, heard a little noise coming from inside the room. She rushed into the room and found that I was actually breathing again.

For years I hid my experience from people because whenever I talked about it, I faced their ridicule, negative judgment, or accusation of hallucination and making up stories. After several years, I saw a book about NDEs and noticed there are other people who have had similar experiences like me. Although the detail of their experience might be different or they might express their experience in a different way we still had similar experiences. After seeing this book, I was very anxious to find others who had an NDE and to meet them face to face. I even changed my job and started working in medical services section of a hospital to meet other NDErs. Gradually NDE phenomena became more known and accepted in the society. People became more open to hearing my story. Nowadays, on average I tell my story once or twice a month to various gatherings of friends or people who are interested. Unlike the past, now people and specially young ones show a lot more interest in hearing about my experience and it seems it affects them in a good way.

ARE on Virginia Currents show

It is particularly pleasing to me to see Virginia Currents air a story on Cayce. During the 4 years I lived in Virginia Beach, I worked for the City of Chesapeake Public Communications Department. They regularly aired the Virginia Currents program on the City of Chesapeake cable TV channel which I helped maintain. I hope it will build more community with ARE in the Tidewater area and throughout Virginia and support this great Work for the future of humankind.

Paul

Fwd: FW:

Priceless!
God’s Wife
IT WILL KNOCK YOUR SOCKS OFF

1. A four-year-old child, whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman, who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old Gentleman’s yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy just said, ‘Nothing, I just Helped him cry.

2. Teacher Debbie Moon’s first graders were discussing a picture of a family. One little boy in the picture had a different hair color than the other members. One of her students suggested that he was adopted A little girl said, ‘I know all about Adoption, I was adopted..’ ‘What does it mean to be adopted?’, asked another child. ‘It means’, said the girl, ‘that you grew in your mommy’s heart instead of her tummy!’

3. On my way home one day, I stopped to watch a Little League base ball game that was being played in a park near my home. As I sat down behind the bench on the firstbase line, I asked one of the boys what the score was ‘We’re behind 14 to nothing,’ he answered With a smile ‘Really,’ I said. ‘I have to say you don’t look very discouraged.’ ‘Discouraged?’, the boy asked with a Puzzled look on his face ‘Why should we be discouraged? We haven’t Been up to bat yet.’

4. Whenever I’m disappointed with my spot in life, I stop and think about little Jamie Scott Jamie was trying out for a part in the school play. His mother told me that he’d set his heart on being in it, though she feared he would not be chosen.. On the day the parts were awarded, I went with her to collect him after school. Jamie rushed up to her eyes shining with pride and excitement.. ‘Guess what, Mom,’ he shouted, and then said those words that will remain a lesson to me….’I’ve been chosen to clap and cheer.’

5. An eye witness account from New York City , on a cold day in December,* some years ago: A little boy about 10-years-old, was standing before a shoe store on the roadway, barefooted, peering through the window, and shivering With cold. A lady approached the young boy and said ‘My, but you’re in such deep thought staring in that window!’ ‘I was asking God to give me a pair of shoes,’ was the boy’s reply The lady took him by the hand, went into the store, and asked the clerk to get half a dozen pairs of socks for the boy. She then asked if he could give her a basin of water and a towel. He quickly brought them to her She took the little fellow to the back part of the store and, removing her gloves, knelt down, washedhis little feet, and dried them with the towel By this time, the clerk had returned with the socks.. Placing a pair upon the boy’s feet, she purchased him a pair of shoes She tied up the remaining pairs of socks and gave them to him. She patted him on the head and said, ‘No doubt, you will be more comfortable now..’ As she turned to go, the astonished kid caught her by the hand, and looking up into her face, with tears in his eyes, asked her: ‘Are you God’s wife?’
SEND TO ALL WHO LOVE AND CARE FOR CHILDREN
Hope this put a smile on your face it Sure did mine.

Fwd: Fwd: friends and family

*Subject:*Fwd: friends and family ‘Friends & family are God’s way of taking care of us.’ This was written by a Metro Denver Hospice Physician: I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in traffic on Colorado Blvd., and the car started to choke and splutter and die – I barely managed to coast, cursing, into a gas station, glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn’t even turn over. Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the quickie mart building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and fell into a gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay. When I got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel. At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95. I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept saying ‘I don’t want my kids to see me crying! ,’ so we stood on the other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to California and that things were very hard for her right now. So I asked, ‘And you were praying?’ That made her back away from me a little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, ‘He heard you, and He sent me.’ I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling, walked to the next door McDonald’s and bought 2 big bags of food, some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave the food to the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little. She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City. Her boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends meet. She knew she wouldn’t have money to pay rent Jan.1, and finally, in desperation, had called her parents, with whom she had not spoken in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she could come live with them and try to get on her feet there. So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids they were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were going to live there. I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, ‘So, are you like an angel or something?’ This definitely made me cry. I said, ‘Sweetie, at this time of year angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people.’ It was so incredible to be a part of someone else’s miracle. And of course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away and got me home with no problem. I’ll put it in the shop tomorrow to check, but I suspect the mechanic won’t find anything wrong. Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the flutter of their wings… Psalms 55:22 ‘ Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.’ My instructions were to pick four people that I wanted God to bless, especially for the months left in2014, and I picked you. Please pass this to four people you want to be blessed. Here is the prayer:/ / /’Father, I ask You to bless my children, grandchildren, friends, relatives and email buddies reading this right now. Show them a new revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister to their spirit this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your peace and mercy. Where there is self doubt, release a renewed confidence through Your grace, In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.’/ I know I picked more than four — you can, too. */************************************************************ /*This message is intended only for specified recipients. If you are not the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing, or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited. This communication represents the originator’s personal views, which may not reflect those of ABS Technology Architects. The sender believes that this e-mail, including attachments, does not contain a virus, worm, trojan horse, or other malicious code when sent. This message and its attachments could have been infected during transmission. By reading the message and any attachments, the recipient accepts full responsibility for taking protective and remedial action about viruses and other defects. If you received this email in error, please immediately notify the sender.*//* */************************************************************/**//* No virus found in this message. Checked by AVG – www.avg.com Version: 2014.0.4794 / Virus Database: 4253/8792 – Release Date: 12/23/14

Fwd: Fwd: Fwd: friends and family

>> >> >> *Subject:* Fwd: friends and family >> ‘Friends & family are God’s way of taking care of us.’ >> >> This was written by a Metro Denver Hospice Physician: >> >> I was driving home from a meeting this evening about 5, stuck in >> traffic on Colorado Blvd., and the car started to choke and splutter >> and die – I barely managed to coast, cursing, into a gas station, >> glad only that I would not be blocking traffic and would have a >> somewhat warm spot to wait for the tow truck. It wouldn’t even turn over. >> Before I could make the call, I saw a woman walking out of the >> quickie mart building, and it looked like she slipped on some ice and >> fell into a gas pump, so I got out to see if she was okay. When I >> got there, it looked more like she had been overcome by sobs than >> that she had fallen; she was a young woman who looked really haggard >> with dark circles under her eyes. She dropped something as I helped >> her up, and I picked it up to give it to her. It was a nickel. >> At that moment, everything came into focus for me: the crying woman, >> the ancient Suburban crammed full of stuff with 3 kids in the back (1 >> in a car seat), and the gas pump reading $4.95. >> I asked her if she was okay and if she needed help, and she just kept >> saying ‘I don’t want my kids to see me crying! ,’ so we stood on the >> other side of the pump from her car. She said she was driving to >> California and that things were very hard for her right now. So I >> asked, ‘And you were praying?’ That made her back away from me a >> little, but I assured her I was not a crazy person and said, ‘He >> heard you, and He sent me.’ >> I took out my card and swiped it through the card reader on the pump >> so she could fill up her car completely, and while it was fueling, >> walked to the next door McDonald’s and bought 2 big bags of food, >> some gift certificates for more, and a big cup of coffee. She gave >> the food to the kids in the car, who attacked it like wolves, and we >> stood by the pump eating fries and talking a little. >> She told me her name, and that she lived in Kansas City. Her >> boyfriend left 2 months ago and she had not been able to make ends >> meet. She knew she wouldn’t have money to pay rent Jan.1, and >> finally, in desperation, had called her parents, with whom she had >> not spoken in about 5 years. They lived in California and said she >> could come live with them and try to get on her feet there. >> So she packed up everything she owned in the car. She told the kids >> they were going to California for Christmas, but not that they were >> going to live there. >> I gave her my gloves, a little hug and said a quick prayer with her >> for safety on the road. As I was walking over to my car, she said, >> ‘So, are you like an angel or something?’ >> This definitely made me cry. I said, ‘Sweetie, at this time of year >> angels are really busy, so sometimes God uses regular people.’ >> It was so incredible to be a part of someone else’s miracle. And of >> course, you guessed it, when I got in my car it started right away >> and got me home with no problem. I’ll put it in the shop tomorrow to >> check, but I suspect the mechanic won’t find anything wrong. >> Sometimes the angels fly close enough to you that you can hear the >> flutter of their wings… >> Psalms 55:22 ‘ Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain >> thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.’ >> >> My instructions were to pick four people that I wanted God to bless, >> especially for the months left in2014, and I picked you. >> Please pass this to four people you want to be blessed. >> Here is the prayer:/ >> / >> /’Father, I ask You to bless my children, grandchildren, friends, >> relatives and email buddies reading this right now. Show them a new >> revelation of your love and power. Holy Spirit, I ask You to minister >> to their spirit this very moment. Where there is pain, give them Your >> peace and mercy. Where there is self doubt, release a renewed >> confidence through Your grace, In Jesus’ precious name. Amen.’/ >> >> I know I picked more than four — you can, too. >> >> > > /* > > ************************************************************ > This message is intended only for specified recipients. If you are not > the intended recipient you are notified that disclosing, copying, > distributing, or taking any action in reliance on the contents of this > information is strictly prohibited. This communication represents the > originator’s personal views, which may not reflect those of ABS > Technology Architects. The sender believes that this e-mail, including > attachments, does not contain a virus, worm, trojan horse, or other > malicious code when sent. This message and its attachments could have > been infected during transmission. By reading the message and any > attachments, the recipient accepts full responsibility for taking > protective and remedial action about viruses and other defects. If you > received this email in error, please immediately notify the sender. > > /**/ > > /**************************************************************/ > > */ >

Tarrying together as in the upper room while inspired by holy spirit

Thanks Art, Your reply compelled me to go to the areprosperity blog where I read the encourging story you put out there. After viewing related bible verses, I also searched the web to try to better understand what it is to tarry with others as the disciples did in the upper room. I got phrases like: stay and abide, in expectation, enjoy the company of, receptivity and creativity, collaboration in a private social setting, listening, and while focused on a topic. I don’t know exactly how, but it might just be possible to tarry together without being in the physical presence of the others. So I’m in. Thank you all for your supporrt! Rick —– Original Message —– From: Arthur P. Strickland To: Rick Hersberger ; Bill Austin ; Bill Brown ; Charles Thomas Cayce ; Don Carroll ; Vickie Church ; Lou Henry ; Judy Knueven ; Lora Little ; Martha Loveland ; Paul Mazza ; Linda Rhorer ; Andrea Singer ; Arthur Strickland ; Joseph Taylor ; Betsy York Sent: Monday, November 24, 2014 11:58 AM Subject: Re: Thoughts on tarrying from our Glad Helpers group Rick, Thanks for the good thoughts. At the board meeting I read from 281-2: “Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I will be in the midst of them,” whether in thought or in person…Come together in one mind, as one purpose, one designated as one, cleansing yourselves in mind, in body, to be the messenger, or the channel for that individual. Each seeking for aid may then be aided according to the faith in those that seek to aid in His name. These bring the strength of union in group, rather than individuals ….” Paul has put together a great site for the board. I suggest we use it to tarry and share our thoughts and common aspirations for ARE, AU, and ECF. As we know, the universe responds to what we put out in our thoughts and even more so when we think in common union. Art On 11/22/2014 2:14 PM, Rick Hersberger wrote: Dear fellow trustees, Thursday during the local Glad Helpers study group, following a question: Q-6. “There comes to me so often the desire of the group to tarry together as the Diciples did in the upper room. …is it a message for the group? Please explain. A-6. As has been given, “Tarry ye one with another.Tarry ye, and ye shall be imbued with power from on high.” In this the entity finds much of that as has been experienced in the associations of self with those who sought for that expression of love in a definite manner. So would, should, the body, the entity, insist and those who cannot may depart. Remember there were oft those not in the upper room that were of the healing group, of the ministering group, of the preaching group, of the teaching group – yet all received what they sought for, and were willing to be shown the way! Reading this inspired discussion in our small group and subsequently we decided to find opportunities for the group to tarry together and sup together, and we have! This leads me back to the idea espoused by Bill B. (and Art, I believe) for the board to spend time together to know each other more deeply like we have done in our SFG groups back home. Beyond that, I don’t have a plan but am willing to work with everyone who believes it a good thing to tarry together. Rick Hersberger, MSW, MT

Post of Incredible Story from Art

Prosperity Group, Some of you may have seen this but for those who have not I commend it to you. I tried to post this to the prosperity blog but could not forward it to the blog as an email. My tech guru Mazza is working on this.(It’s now working – send email to: blog@areprosperity.org) If you are so moved respond to the prosperity blog. I want to encourage a more robust use of the prosperity blog that Paul created and I thought this story would be a good vehicle to get us going. BTW it is true–I Snoped it. Anyway, a thought that occurred to me after reading this is that good often comes from what initially appears horrible. What happened on 9/11/01 shocked us by its depravity, and all the more so because it was done in the name of God (Allah). Yet from that stumbling block some stepping stones emerged. Connecting the dots is often a challenge. Art Subject: Delta Flight 15 on 9-11…the good news. . . Here is an amazing true story from a flight attendant on Delta Flight 15, written following 9-11……….. On the morning of Tuesday, September 11, we were about 5 hours out of Frankfurt, flying over the North Atlantic on our way to Atlanta. All of a sudden the curtains parted and I was told to go to the cockpit, immediately, to see the captain. As soon as I got there I noticed that the crew had that “All Business” look on their faces. The captain handed me a printed message. It was from Delta’s main office in Atlanta and simply read, “All airways over the Continental United States are closed to commercial air traffic. Land ASAP at the nearest airport. Advise your destination.” No one said a word about what this could mean. We knew it was a serious situation and we needed to find terra firma quickly. The captain determined that the nearest airport was 400 miles behind us in Gander , New Foundland. He requested approval for a route change from the Canadian traffic controller and approval was granted immediately — no questions asked. We found out later, of course, why there was no hesitation in approving our request. While the flight crew prepared the airplane for landing, another message arrived from Atlanta telling us about some terrorist activity in the New York area. A few minutes later word came in about the hijackings. We decided to LIE to the passengers while we were still in the air. We told them the plane had a simple instrument problem and that we needed to land at the nearest airport in Gander , New Foundland, to have it checked out. We promised to give more information after landing in Gander . There was much grumbling among the passengers, but that’s nothing new! Forty minutes later, we landed in Gander . Local time at Gander was 12:30 PM! …. that’s 11:00 AM EST. There were already about 20 other airplanes on the ground from all over the world that had taken this detour on their way to the U.S. After we parked on the ramp, the captain made the following announcement: “Ladies and gentlemen, you must be wondering if all these airplanes around us have the same instrument problem as we have. The reality is that we are here for another reason.” Then he went on to explain the little bit we knew about the situation in the U.S. There were loud gasps and stares of disbelief. The captain informed passengers that Ground control in Gander told us to stay put. The Canadian Government was in charge of our situation and no one was allowed to get off the aircraft. No one on the ground was allowed to come near any of the air crafts. Only airport police would come around periodically, look us over and go on to the next airplane. In the next hour or so more planes landed and Gander ended up with 53 airplanes from all over the world, 27 of which were U.S. commercial jets. Meanwhile, bits of news started to come in over the aircraft radio and for the first time we learned that airplanes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York and into the Pentagon in DC. People were trying to use their cell phones, but were unable to connect due to a different cell system in Canada . Some did get through, but were only able to get to the Canadian operator who would tell them that the lines to the U.S. were either blocked or jammed. Sometime in the evening the news filtered to us that the World Trade Center buildings had collapsed and that a fourth hijacking had resulted in a crash. By now the passengers were emotionally and physically exhausted, not to mention frightened, but everyone stayed amazingly calm. We had only to look out the window at the 52 other stranded aircraft to realize that we were not the only ones in this predicament. We had been told earlier that they would be allowing people off the planes one plane at a time. At 6 PM, Gander airport told us that our turn to deplane would be 11 am the next morning. Passengers were not happy, but they simply resigned themselves to this news without much noise and started to prepare themselves to spend the night on the airplane. Gander had promised us medical attention, if needed, water, and lavatory servicing. And they were true to their word. Fortunately we had no medical situations to worry about. We did have a young lady who was 33 weeks into her pregnancy. We took REALLY good care of her. The night passed without incident despite the uncomfortable sleeping arrangements. About 10:30 on the morning of the 12th a convoy of school buses showed up. We got off the plane and were taken to the terminal where we went through Immigration and Customs and then had to register with the Red Cross. After that we (the crew) were separated from the passengers and were taken in vans to a small hotel. We had no idea where our passengers were going. We learned from the Red Cross that the town of Gander has a population of 10,400 people and they had about 10,500 passengers to take care of from all the airplanes that were forced into Gander ! We were told to just relax at the hotel and we would be contacted when the U.S. airports opened again, but not to expect that call for a while. We found out the total scope of the terror back home only after getting to our hotel and turning on the TV, 24 hours after it all started. Meanwhile, we had lots of time on our hands and found that the people of Gander were extremely friendly. They started calling us the “plane people.” We enjoyed their hospitality, explored the town of Gander and ended up having a pretty good time. Two days later, we got that call and were taken back to the Gander airport. Back on the plane, we were reunited with the passengers and found out what they had been doing for the past two days. What we found out was incredible. Gander and all the surrounding communities (within MATCH about a 75 Kilometer radius) had closed all high schools, meeting halls, lodges, and any other large gathering places. They converted all these facilities to mass lodging areas for all the stranded travelers. Some had cots set up, some had mats with sleeping bags and pillows set up. ALL the high school students were required to volunteer their time to take care of the “guests.” Our 218 passengers ended up in a town called Lewisporte, about 45 kilometers from Gander where they were put up in a high school. If any women wanted to be in a women-only facility, that was arranged. Families were kept together. All the elderly passengers were taken to private homes. Remember that young pregnant lady? She was put up in a private home right across the street from a 24-hour Urgent Care facility. There was a dentist on call and both male and female nurses remained with the crowd for the duration. Phone calls and e-mails to the U.S. and around the world were available to everyone once a day. During the day, passengers were offered “Excursion” trips. Some people went on boat cruises of the lakes and harbors. Some went for hikes in the local forests. Local bakeries stayed open to make fresh bread for the guests. Food was prepared by all the residents and brought to the schools. People were driven to restaurants of their choice and offered wonderful meals. Everyone was given tokens for local laundry mats to wash their clothes, since luggage was still on the aircraft. In other words, every single need was met for those stranded travelers. Passengers were crying while telling us these stories. Finally, when they were told that U.S. airports had reopened, they were delivered to the airport right on time and without a single passenger missing or late. The local Red Cross had all the information about the whereabouts of each and every passenger and knew which plane they needed to be on and when all the planes were leaving. They coordinated everything beautifully. It was absolutely incredible. When passengers came on board, it was like they had been on a cruise. Everyone knew each other by name. They were swapping stories of their stay, impressing each other with who had the better time. Our flight back to Atlanta looked like a chartered party flight. The crew just stayed out of their way. It was mind-boggling. Passengers had totally bonded and were calling each other by their first names, exchanging phone numbers, addresses, and email addresses. And then a very unusual thing happened. One of our passengers approached me and asked if he could make an announcement over the PA system. We never, ever allow that. But this time was different. I said “of course” and handed him the mike. He picked up the PA and reminded everyone about what they had just gone through in the last few days. He reminded them of the hospitality they had received at the hands of total strangers. He continued by saying that he would like to do something in return for the good folks of Lewisporte. “He said he was going to set up a Trust Fund under the name of DELTA 15 (our flight number). The purpose of the trust fund is to provide college scholarships for the high school students of Lewisporte. He asked for donations of any amount from his fellow travelers. When the paper with donations got back to us with the amounts, names, phone numbers and addresses, the total was for more than $14,000! “The gentleman, a MD from Virginia , promised to match the donations and to start the administrative work on the scholarship. He also said that he would forward this proposal to Delta Corporate and ask them to donate as well. As I write this account, the trust fund is at more than $1.5 million and has assisted 134 students in college education. “I just wanted to share this story because we need good stories right now. It gives me a little bit of hope to know that some people in a faraway place were kind to some strangers who literally dropped in on them. It reminds me how much good there is in the world.” “In spite of all the rotten things we see going on in today’s world this story confirms that there are still a lot of good people in the world and when things get bad, they will come forward. *This is one of those stories that need to be shared. Please do so…*