Meta Tag Vs miztalie Poke: Spirituality

Monday, December 19, 2011

Eshu-Elegba and the Gates To Heaven

We have all seen the images of the pearly white gates that lead us into the heavens. We have all heard the myths about an angel weighing our souls, judging us based on past experiences and future intentions. If we are good, then we are allowed into the heavens. If we are bad, then we are forced to burn in Hell for all eternity. However, we very seldom see, or learn about the angel that was blessed with so much power to judge us and discern our fate. That angel in Yoruba terms would be Eshu-Elegba.

The number for Eshu-Elegba is three, meaning the three great divisions, such as the past, present, and future. He is commonly associated with crossroads and gateways. The gateways represent the bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. It is the angel Eshu-Elegba who leads us by the hand and guides us into the heavens, the world of the invisible, and the world where all the Orisha lay. This is perhaps why all offerings to the Orishas are shared with Eshu-Elegba.

Eshu-Elegba's purpose is more than just an angel of guidance. He is the Orisha who believes in tough love and likes to teach hard lessens about life. However, Eshu-Elegba's main purpose is to teach people about the importance of making good decisions. The crossroads represent situations where opposing forces need to come together. In many situations we experience conflict at the crossroads. If we turn left, we are using our intuition and not logic. If we turn right, we may be taking the path of least resistance. A right turn can also suggest that we are making strictly logical decisions without using our intuition. In all situations, we are going to have to be aware of our past and present situations in order to make appropriate decisions.

This is the primary lesson that Eshu-Elegba tries to teach us. It is difficult for many people to understand that there are four worlds, or four different planes of existence. Just as there are four parts of the Ori. Two parts of the Ori are invisible, while two parts of it are not. The parts that are not invisible are the past, and present. We can see, feel, and understand those worlds or planes of existence while making decisions. However, we cannot feel or see the other two worlds, which are the worlds of the future, and the worlds of the manifested.

The world of the future is common knowledge. However, very few people understand the world of the manifested. It is a world of infinite possibilities. It is the world of creation, a world of birth; it is the world where all of the Orishas lay. This is the world where we can understand the probability of certain outcomes. It is the world where we communicate with higher powers within ourselves, and throughout the universe. We can only get to this world by appealing to Eshu-Elegba. Through offerings, prayer, and love we can ask him to guide us through the gateway so we can become aware and truly understand our possibilities.

by: Yamaya Cruz

Entrust Life to God

Now, naturally, we are not people full of contentment. We are not. We are full of discontent. I experienced this as I looked back on my life this past week. It is a natural thing not to be satisfied. The first thing I wanted was a Tiger Joe tank. I begged my parents for it. They gave it to me. Guess what? I wasn't satisfied. I was still discontented. And then I wanted an Ambassador 5,000 fishing reel. I found it on sale at Kmart. They gave me that but it didn't satisfy. Four years later leisure suits came in style. There was a lime green one in my favorite store, Fashions Unlimited. Lisa told me lime green was her favorite color. I got it, but it didn't satisfy.

They asked Rockefeller one day how much it would take to satisfy him. He answered, just a little bit more. We have got to learn to be content. Paul learned the secret of contentment. Paul was not into the when and then thinking. A lot of us are into when and then thinking. When I get the job, then I will be happy. When I get the raise, then I will be happy. When I get the house, then I will be happy. When I get married, then I will be happy. Learn to be content.

Number four. Practice giving in faith. Here is what it says in Proverbs 3:9 & 10. "Honor the Lord by giving Him the first part of all your income and He will fill your barns." This is the principle of multiplication. The Bible says that if you give God the first part of your income, He will multiply your finances. You give God the first part of your day, spending time with Him, He will multiply your time. We still say to God, though, that when He meets our needs, then we will give. God tells us that is backwards. We give and then He will meet our needs. Practice giving in faith.

Number five. Trust Him with my financial life. It always blows me away how people will trust God with their eternity but they won't trust Him with their finances. Fellowship Church Grapevine teaches us that the Bible says that your heavenly Father already knows perfectly well what you need. And He will give it to you if, and here is the premise, you give Him first place in your life and live as He wants you to.

by: Ed Young

Ed Young Pastor said,People who are having sex outside of marriage or people who are disobeying God in other ways and are expecting to claim Philippians 4:19, I'm sorry, it won't work.

White Magic Spells - Methods To Make Use Of Them

White magic spells are excellent spells simply because it doesn't do or trigger any damage to individuals. These spells are well-liked because they may be usually employed for a good cause. From its word by itself, which is "white" means excellent magic. This really is the total opposite of black magic. White colored magic is all about great, positive energies, purity and useful magic. This magic is way more powerful than black magic and is usually used to fight evil forces. White colored magic offers many positive advantages, the reason why they may be popular spells.

White colored spells supply many benefits to folks. That consists of excellent wellness, excellent fortune, and excellent luck. Great magic spells are intended by many people to use for cash, adore, prosperity, excellent wellness, effective relationships, safety, and safety towards black magic spells. It continues to be thought that white spells assist boost each person's life.

Listed here are a number of the white colored spells that are successful to achieve a good top quality existence:

. Love- Enjoy spells are probably the most well-liked of all spells. People would use adore spells to produce them appear beautiful inside the eyes of their partner or lovers. They want to be loved and adored more, so they use adore potions to produce their special someone love them. This white colored magic also delivers back rekindle old associations. It can also be utilized to create the current romantic relationship strong and lasting.

. Money, fortune and wealth- Wealth spells will also be well-known since a great deal of folks want funds; therefore, they need to make a spell that may provide them with great luck. Money spells are employed to push great fortune and funds. These are very common in many Chinese because they want to preserve a successful business.

. Great Luck- This god luck spells are lucky charms and therefore are used for great luck. Excellent achievement inside the business, in perform, in school and a great deal more.

. Well being and healing- Great spells for magic are utilized to attain excellent health, like michael shawnen did. There are lots of healing herbs which are used within this magic spell. These white colored spells are efficient in healing illnesses and illnesses. In addition, it delivers relief to a person's spiritual and emotional well-being.

. Protection- This protection spell is used to battle evil doings and negative spells. There could be others who might be envious of you as a result of your success, so this spell is the perfect protection spell.

White magic spells are truly efficient. You are able to make use of the above talked about magic spells and achieve a quality life. You will find so many magic spells that you can use. You'll be able to locate much more of them more than the net in the event you want to create utilization of them. Have a good existence!

by: Quinteros Boatman

An Incredible Experience

So I get Lisa home and we are sitting in the driveway while I try to get up enough courage to kiss her. I looked at my watch and suddenly it was 7:55pm. My home was 16 miles away! But I didn't really worry. About 8:05 we kissed. It was a magical moment because the next thing I remember was looking at my watch and finding it was 8:20pm. I told Lisa I had to go, I was breaking the law and breaking my parent's advice. I gave her a quick kiss, jumped in my Mom's station wagon, which by the way, had a 455 under the hood. Do you remember back when the speed limit was 55, you know, when Jimmy Carter was President? I was just flying. I wasn't that worried because my Dad was a pastor. Since it was Wednesday night, I knew that he would have meetings scheduled after church. I knew that I could easily get past my Mom. She was so sweet, genteel and nice. There I was just advertising my autonomy driving along at 85 miles per hour.

Now we lived kind of out in the country and I pulled into what would be considered our neighborhood. I went around a rather sharp turn and suddenly I passed a car that looked amazingly like my father's car. But then I reassured myself that was impossible. My father never comes directly home from church. It did scare me enough to say a quick prayer. I prayed to God that was not my father. I prayed it in Jesus' name.

I pulled into the driveway and was ecstatic that my father's car was not there. I bound into the kitchen and apologized to my mother for being late. My mother in her Mississippi accent said, "Ed, where have you been? We have been worried about you." I said, "Mom, I am sorry I am late. Dad had a meeting at church, right?" She replied, "Ed, he is out looking for you." Suddenly, and I will never forget this sight, I looked and reflecting on the pine trees were the headlights of my father's car which was screaming up the driveway. Ed Young remembered then in kind of a Starkey and Hutch power turn he stopped the car. He got out of the car and said, "Keys. Driver's license." I took my wallet out to try to find my license and he told me to give him the whole wallet. He said, "Edwin Barry Young, you disobeyed me.

by: Ed Young

You disobeyed the law. You disobeyed your mom. Your summer, Ed Young Jr, is mine. For the next two weeks you will be out front in our flower bed (it was really a weed bed) and you will be pulling nut grass from sunup to sundown.

Funeral Sermon Outlines Cremation

I remember the first funeral that I ever performed. I was so insecure. How do you comfort someone that is hurting so much? How to you point the family and friends to Christ while staying sensitive to their trauma? How do you offer hope?

I called my dad and explained my situation to him. He has been a pastor for close to thirty years and he always been excellent at comforting those that have experienced loss. He sent me a few different funeral outlines that he created and would regularly reference when he was called to perform a funeral. When I saw the notes I was amazed!

As I read through the notes I realized that the content was exceptional…however it was a little bit scattered. I was quickly able to compile a set of notes that I could use for the upcoming funeral that I was to perform.

After the funeral was over I had many people coming up to me telling me that they felt so much comfort and hope after hearing me speak. Others came to me saying that they had made a commitment to Christ. I felt that Isaiah 55:11 was true when it says that God Word does not return void but it accomplishes what God desires…because I certainly could NOT take credit for that success.

Over the next several funerals that I performed I continued to tweak and refine the notes. I realized that each funeral would need to be tailored slightly for that individual, so I created a way to make that possible with little effort. Through these efforts the services were providing hope and comfort for those that were mourning.

A few years later a colleague of mine found himself the same situation that I had been in…getting ready to do a funeral and feeling unprepared. He was complementing me on my ability to connect so well with the family and offer hope to the hurting. I simply told him about my set of notes, and said that my job was pretty easy.Grab A Copy Click here

He asked me if he could have a copy of the notes. I was hesitant. It wasn't that I didn't want to help him, but I wasn't sure how well it would work for someone else. I didn't want to give him a false hope of success. After pondering it I decided to give him my notes.

I happened to be at the funeral that he spoke at and I was amazed at how well he did!

He came to me after the service was over and said that so many people were touched by the service, and he thanked me for the help. I honestly felt like I hadn't done all that much!

Though I still wasn't sure if this set of notes could help all ministers, I decided to make it available to a few select pastors for their review. All I can say is that they have responded with great appreciation.

These notes are not for someone that is simply looking for a prewritten sermon that they can read aloud. These note are for people that want to perform funerals that point towards a closer relationship with Christ and offer hope to the grieving. You will need some basic public speaking skills…however, you don't need to be a master…I am far from it! You simply need to be able to connect one thought with the next in a logical manner.

by: Daniel Splack

Will Our Families Be Burdened By Our Death?

Genesis 25:9-10 describes the end of Abraham's journey here on earth. His sons laid him to rest beside his beloved wife, Sarah, in a burial site that Abraham had purchased earlier. As the text illustrates, Abraham was prepared for his death, which made it less of a burden for his sons.

Many of us choose not to think about the ends of our lives, even though death is inevitable. But Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes 3:2 that there is "a time to be born and a time to die." (NIV) Paul also tells us in Hebrews 9:27 that man is destined to die once." (NIV)

Knowing this, we should be willing to be more proactive about this phase of our lives. As Isaiah shared with Hezekiah in 2 Kings 20:1, "This is what the LORD says: Put your house in order, because you are going to die."

Alleviate the burden on our families

The average funeral costs between $8,000 and $10,000. Most families do not have this type of cash readily available. This can be confirmed by the numerous times we have witnessed families and friends holding car washes in our neighborhoods on weekends, hoping to raise enough money to properly bury their loved ones.

There are many ways to help alleviate this burden on our families. We will briefly consider three options.

1) Prepaying funeral expenses. Many funeral homes will allow us to arrange and pay for our funeral services in advance. Oftentimes, paying in advance will allow us the opportunity to lock in the expense so that no additional money will be needed at the time of the actual funeral.

2) Buying burial insurance. Burial insurance policies are similar to life insurance policies, but there are two main differences. The benefit amount of a burial insurance policy is lower because it is purchased to cover the costs of the funeral. Many of these policies are also purchased without a medical exam. The applicant does not need to be in the best of health to get the coverage.

3) Using a traditional life insurance policy. Our loved ones can also use a portion of our life insurance death benefit to help cover the costs of the funeral. The one challenge to consider is that each life insurance company is different, and payout may not come as quickly as needed. This is especially the case if the cause of death is questionable and leads to an investigation. The payout can be delayed until the investigation is finished.

Remove all fear

Another step in getting prepared is removing the biggest obstacle that most of us deal with: fear. God knew our weak, human minds, though, and commented on our issue of fear in many Bible verses.

In 2 Timothy 1:7, we are reminded that "God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (NKJV)

We can also turn to David's example in the popular Psalm 23. David knew that God is ever-present. "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4 NIV)

In addition to knowing that God is with us, we can also remind ourselves that this death is only a natural death. We will transition on to an eternal life with God. John tells us that "a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned." (John 5:28-29 NIV)

Procrastination may delay our dealing with issues that make us uncomfortable, but there will come a time where it can no longer be put off. If we don't take care of it, our survivors will have to deal with it while they are in mourning. Let's not allow the enemy to turn our fear into paralysis.

by: Ozeme J Bonnette

Ozeme J. Bonnette is a financial coach, speaker, and author of Get What Belongs to You: A Christian Guide to Managing Your Finances. Her focus is on increasing financial literacy among adults and youth around the U.S. She earned 3 Bachelor's degrees at Fresno State, and her MBA at UCLA's Anderson School.