Where did all those DOs & DON'Ts come from?

about the Holy Spirit and the Church 

As this reinterpretation emerged, it became, and remains, a mystery of what was missing from Jesus‘ first words as He left the empty tomb (John 20:22) It is truly amazing that He simply charged everyone to receive the Holy Spirit, and be open and receptive to Its gifts for them. Did He choose to lay out specific, undeniable instructions on how to have church? No. Did He indicate specifically what doctrines to teach? No. What about all of the dos and don'ts that crept into the modern church, did He indicate their necessity to live righteously? No, He did not do that! He did not give them any warnings about what to be sure not to do. 

Obviously, He knew all that one  

needs is to receive daily from Spirit—this must be the most important message for humanity. That message leaves the Holy Spirit as the new personal Master Teacher of the spiritual life—not the church and not some doctrine or set of rules and regulations. Thus, the Holy Spirit took its  rightful place of power on the Earth. 

In His glorified body, Jesus visited and sat with those who loved Him and cherished His words (Luke 24:36-49, Mark 16). As they sat in amazement and wonder of the resurrected Son of God, Jesus tells them to receive the Holy Ghost and that the sins of those that they forgive are forgiven, and those that they do not forgive, their sins are not forgiven. Jesus gave common man the power to forgive sins through the gift of the Holy Ghost. 

No longer did God solely hold the power to forgive sin. However, the power that they were to receive brought an amazing ability for them to escape death to live free of the world. The Holy Spirit was to be their Comforter, Healer, Teacher, Counselor, and the Giver of the gifts of Spirit. 

I have my own truth, you do also

"Each of us has our own truth. If your truth is like mine, it is malleable, rather than fixed in stone. My truth changes asdownloads and new revelations are given to me either in my dream state, after speaking, signing, or writing in language, or through my daily experiences. Our collective consciousness is changing as our beliefs, thoughts, and patterns are transforming to allow the body to shift out of its dense state and embody more of our higher or divine self. I would not want to be stuck in one belief system or be bound to what I believed yesterday. It is this kind of openness that allows us to make changes and progress in our personal ascension. Therefore, what you have read in some of my previous books may be different from what you read in this book."

Excerpt from:

Light Language Emerging

Author, Yvonne Perry

        My beliefs are much the same as Yvonne's. I believe what I choose to believe. That is my truth, no material where I got my building materials. I own it. My truth is peculiar to me. Also, I change these beliefs as Spirit presents new knowledge to me.

What is truth for me today will not be truth for me tomorrow.

Love me or else. Signed, God

I was told that people must love God or else, meaning be tortured by fire. Now, I believe that that "love relationship" is sick! Genuine love can not be possible under coersion. Come on, we must stop and think before buying into such proposals.

We must decide if we will continue to let ourselves be made to feel guilty and afraid because someone who knows nothing about us tells us we are not a "saved" or spiritual person. Having the kingdom of God within us, grace reigns. We can choose to live in a world-changing new relationship—a new covenant—with God. For humankind there is no greater religion than seeking the truth.

<a href="http://www.dbsatennessee.org/3/post/2014/05/love-me-or-else-signed-god.html">Sit down!</a>

My Understanding Family Lets Me Be Me

> "MY UNDERSTANDING FAMILY LETS ME BE ME"
> Every culture in the world has certain norms that govern everything from personal relationships to religious practices and political views. These norms shift depending on the times and places in which we live; however we are always expected to conform to them. Those who do not often find themselves subject to a painful, even paralyzing, stigma.
> There are two of these nonconforming groups who I have found to be particularly stigmatized: those suffering from mental illness and those who consider themselves "Spiritual But Not Religious" (SBNR). I know about both of these by personal experience. I am a person who lives with depression and lives a spiritual life unattached from organized religion. Despite the fact that a growing number, nearly 20%, of Americans are identifying themselves as SBNR, they are consistently branded as heretics and "non-believers".
> How can this be? Religious texts and leaders proclaim that God/Source/the Creator loves us all unconditionally, yet it seems that this message is often followed up with—you guessed it—conditions! We either don't believe enough or the right way, and that's why we're not getting what we want in this life and why we won't end up in heaven in the next.
> The real issue, I contend, is the continued practice of viewing those who differ from us as "other". It's an exclusivity game—we belong, you don't. Christ's mission on earth was to help us understand that we are all of the same Source energy. We are all loved just as we are, and all entitled to heaven, just as we are. Yet (and I am not pointing the finger at anyone in particular), instead of embracing people across the spectrum of spiritual beliefs, we allow norms to divide us. On the largest scale, this leads to conflicts between the world's three major religions; on a smaller scale, it leads to the stigmatization of people who do not follow the rules.
> We must push back against stigmas—that is a given. In the meantime, however, we also must seek out and cultivate what I call the "understanding family". This is a group of people who accept, love and support us no matter what. It can be the family we are born into or the one we make for ourselves, but they are critical to our mental, spiritual and even physical wellbeing.
> Many of us take this support system for granted, especially when our lives are going well. It consists of our spouses, parents, friends or religious community. However, it is when we suddenly find ourselves on the fringes of society that we must sometimes seek out a new family built on common interests or struggles. They are the people who will let us know that we are not alone. They are often our only refuge from the world at large. Most importantly, they are the ones who will help us combat the most damaging stigma of all—the one we assign to ourselves.
>
>
> Sent from my iPad

What am I doing here?

What am I doing here?

Such a strange question, when you think about it. After all, we were born "here", raised "here" and taught to desire all the things that "here" can offer, whether they be material things, such as a new car, or the intangibles, such as romantic love. So why do we feel this odd sense that we are here for a greater reason, and often clueless as to what that reason is? I believe it is the knowledge, no matter how deeply buried (or ignored), that are true selves are spiritual and that our true home is somewhere other than this three-dimensional plane.

While those who consciously ask the question often feel tortured by their seeming inability to find an answer, those who do not ask the question may suffer even more deeply. They feel a hole inside them but cannot put a name to it; as a result, they often fill it with it unhealthy things like drugs, alcohol or toxic relationships. Of course, these things only leave them feeling emptier, so they up the "dosage", and so on.

The "why am I here" question weighs on us most when we are feeling lost or facing some sort of adversity. Then the question becomes, "What is the purpose of all this struggling? Why am I even here if x, y, and z is going to happen to me?" But really, we just want to know what we can do to make the struggle meaningful.

The answer is both simple and complex at the same time. Complex, because each of us has different needs, desires,
and abilities, as well as our own unique part to play in this human mosaic. Simple, because all of us can find this purpose by connecting to something larger than ourselves, such as God or nature, and / or outside ourselves, such as another person or a humanitarian cause. In The Two Agreements, I discuss how Jesus' purpose was to share the
Good News and bring people together around an understanding of our oneness with God and with each other.

Similarly, it is by finding our connection to Source, and to each other, that we find our own way to serve. In other words, we have to go within to go without. Take a few minutes each day to clear your mind of the "to do" list and any other chatter that plagues you. Then, in the quiet, ask yourself, "What matters to me? What am I passionate about? How can I make 'here' a better place?" I am not suggesting that the meaning of your life will come to you in
that moment (although it has for some people), but I can tell you that taking these first steps on the path will lead to a sense of connection, and of purpose.

Steve Brannon among the national Chapter Service Award Winners!

                                           DBSA Tennessee

Hello,

I'm sharing the news of my being among national Award Winners for accomplishments over the past year. It has been a pleasure to serve as State Director and local chapter President. And I consider it an honor to be recognized by DBSA national.

I appreciate all the wonderful support I was given by my fellow officers, Board members, and the chapter membership throughout the year. You may view the announcement on the national web site at http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=peer_chapter_spotlights 

File attachment included.

Steve Brannon, B.A., M.Ed., D.Div.

State Director

DBSA Tennessee

sbrannon@dbsatennessee.org

www.DBSATennessee.org

 

Being all-inclusive IS being Christ-like

Being all-inclusive IS being Christ-like

In any given year, more than 25% of Americans are diagnosed with some form of mental illness. And of that number, 25% seek help from their church before anyone else, including psychiatrists or other medical/mental health professionals. Yet despite the clergy members' role to provide guidance for the 

"members of their flock", research shows that they refer less than 10% of those with serious mental illness to a professional that can help them. Unfortunately, this issue is only one symptom of a larger "sickness" affecting organized religion. 

I have written at length about the history of the Christian church, specifically that it is an institution

created by man, rather than by Christ. Indeed, much of The Two Agreements discusses Christ's true

intention when he called people together to reconnect with Source. As always, I qualify this by saying that, regardless of their origins, churches have done much good for the world. On the other hand, they do discriminate and show prejudice toward the less fortunate, including the mentally ill. As they believe

in separation between humanity and the Creator, they also believe in such a hierarchy among humans.

And like many other organizations seeking to maintain a positive public image, they want only the 

beautiful, contributing, and successful people in their congregations. This is not a new story. These same

churches proclaim that imitating Christ is a person's most important pursuit; yet, just as those in Christ's

day criticized Him for healing lepers and "consorting" with prostitutes, modern churches seek to exclude

and/or marginalize those suffering from mental illness. In fact, many people are afraid to even let their

clergy or fellow congregants know about their mental illness because of the church's view on such 

matter. "Christianity puts us at war with our own body and mind, and teaches us not to question church 

doctrine for fear of losing favor with God. To question church authority as it presently exists brings up 

fear of heresy." 

The only way to change this is for each of us to truly follow Christ's teachings; namely by adopting a personal faith system that is all-inclusive, regardless of one's physical, mental, or societal "shortcomings". Nothing less will work for us individually, or for society at large.

the two agree fb pg http://bit.ly/the2agree   S.L. Brannon on DBSA Life Unlimited web site

http://bot.ly/1kEBzlZ

Sent from my iPad