Archive for the ‘Spirituality’ Category

The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard

Monday, December 26th, 2011

 

This morning, I was reading the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, and “got” something I've never gotten before. It had a very profound effect on me, and thought I'd pass it along.

 

As the story goes, a man woke early in the morning to go hire workers for his vineyard. The first men he hired agreed to work for one penny per day. After those workers had been laboring for 3 hours, the man observed there were many still unemployed and standing around idle in the marketplace.  He hires the men and tells them to work in his vineyard and he would pay them what was right.

 

3 hours later, he hires more who were idle in the market, and 3 hours after that he hires some more, telling each to go work in his vineyard and he would pay them what was right.

 

At the 11th hour, he went again into the marketplace and saw that there were (more…)

The Power of Commitment

Saturday, August 27th, 2011

 

A couple of days ago, I posted an article titled, The Power of Decision. Apparently, it struck it nerve because it's been “Liked” on Facebook more than 100 times in less than 48 hours. So, while we have some mental momentum going, I thought I'd post the follow up to that article, which is The Power of Commitment.

 

Decision and commitment are twin sisters. On one side of the coin you have decision. On the other is commitment. One without the other is useless. What good is it to make a decision that you are not committed to seeing out? And what good is it to commit to something you've not yet decided on?

There have been many things said about the power of commitment. Books have been written, and quotes have been coined on the topic by the dozens. One of my favorite quotes on commitment comes from Jeff Olson, author of the Slight Edge. He teaches, “Commitment is doing the thing you said you would do long after the mood you said it in has left you.” It's so easy to get exited in the moment, but the real test is what you do when you're in the trenches taking enemy fire. Persisting in spite of any obstacle, insurmountable or other wise, is what commitment is all about.

 

Motivational speaker and author Zig Ziglar once said, “Most people are committed like a Kamikaze pilot on his 39th mission.”

 

That one gets a smile out of me every time.

 

My favorite quote on commitment is below. (more…)

Whatchu Talkin Bout Willis

Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011

As a kid, one of my favorite TV programs to watch was Different Strokes. The main character was young Arnold Jackson played by the recently deceased Gary Coleman. Any time Arnold’s older brother Willis said anything Arnold didn’t want to hear, Arnold would say his famous line, “Whatchu Talkin’ ‘Bout Willis?” I always laughed when he said that. But now looking back, its a good question. So let me ask you, what are you talking about?

 

Your words are powerful. They have life-force. Said another way, your words have the power to bring themselves to life.

 

In the beginning, we’re told, was the WORD, and the WORD was with God and as a matter of fact  (more…)

Success and Babies

Monday, March 21st, 2011

From conception to birth, there is a gestation period, the time it takes for the baby to develop. For a mouse, the gestation period is 3 weeks. Humans, 40 weeks. And for elephants it's 92 weeks from beginning to end.

 

Just like babies, there is a gestation period that must pass from the time we conceive an idea or a goal, to the time we realize it. The health of your success hinges upon proper gestation. Yes, you can cut corners or cheat the system, but this will produce sickly success, which will be short lived. (more…)

Eternal Progression

Sunday, March 6th, 2011

I have always struggled with the concept that my spirit, my energy or intelligence, magically came into existence in the precise moment of my conception or birth. Frankly, I have never believed it.

 

This teaching is asking me to believe that prior to my conception or birth, that my spirit, which is energy, and which is my real self, was nowhere. Then, all of a sudden at conception, or at birth, viola!, there I was… intelligence – a human spirit – energy – life force – Christopher Shay Hughes. That has never worked for me. (more…)

Your Thoughts on the Law of Attraction

Monday, January 17th, 2011

In 2006, the movie The Secret took the world by storm. Almost everyone, even those who “aren't into that stuff,” have at least heard of the movie. The movie focuses on what many feel is a law of this universe, The Law of Attraction.

 

Though the majority of the people who watched the movie loved it, some didn't. Among those who didn't like the film were many hard-core Christians. As a Christian myself (not the closed minded – boarding on ignorant type—-forgive me), I loved the movie. Far from perfect, and not wholly “true,” but it's a fantastic introduction for the uninitiated.

 

By the way, as my little sideline tirade, I don't know why any “Christian” would have a problem with this video as a whole. The movie teaches the same thing (more…)

Spiritual Creation

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

 

Around 500 BC, Budah said, “All that we are is the result of what we have thought. With our thoughts, we make the world.”

 

About 950 BC, the great King Solomon of the Old Testament, known to be one of the wisest and wealthiest men in history said about man, “As he thinketh in his heart, so is he.”

 

Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor who ruled from 161 AD to 180 AD, and considered one of the most important of all stoic philosophers said, “A man's life is what his thoughts make of it.”

 

In 1902, British philosopher and author James Allen popularized King Solomon's quote in his classic book, As a Man Thinketh, where he wrote, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” He wrote: (more…)