I am not an extreme evangelical Christian. To the contrary I go to church maybe once a month. I prefer to study the Bible on my own. Sometimes I go through times where I do not read at all. I like hearing about all religions. They all tend to involve LOVE on some level. Which I feel is the meaning of life and is My Religion. The main basis of My Religion- 1 John 4:16 “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.”LOVE HAPPENS FOR A REASONGandhi wrote "Jesus lived and died in vain if he did not teach us to regulate
the whole of life by the eternal law of Love."Quotes that I am trying better to do and learn- "Always do the right thing. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest" -Mark Twain “To forgive is the highest, most beautiful form of love.
In return, you will receive untold peace and happiness.” -Robert Muller "What most people need to learn in life is how to love people and use things, instead of using people and loving things." Author Unknown. I John 4:18 “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.” "To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven." --Karen Sunde "Love is the emblem of eternity: it confounds all notion of time: effaces all memory of a beginning, all fear of an end." --Germaine De Stael "The life and love we create is the life and love we live." --Leo Buscaglia "Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage." --Lao Tzu "Since love grows within you, so beauty grows. For love is the beauty of the soul." --St. Augustine "We are all born for love... it is the principle existence and it's only end." --Benjamin Disraeli "As you continue to send out love, the energy returns to you in a regenerating spiral... As love accumulates, it keeps your system in balance and harmony. Love is the tool, and more love is the end product." -- Sara Paddison, Hidden Power of the Heart "Love the heart that hurts you, but never hurt the heart that loves you." --Vipin Sharma "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need." --Mary Baker Eddy, From: "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" "Love fails, only when we fail to love." -- J. Franklin “Pain and suffering is inevitable, being miserable is optional.” "Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live." - Norman Cousins “To love is to risk not being loved in return. To hope is to risk pain. To try is to risk failure, but risk must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.” 1 Corinthians 13 Love 1If I speak in the tongues[a] of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,[b] but have not love, I gain nothing. 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. Ephesians 4:2-3 (New International Version) 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.
3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
In LIFE, LOVE is NEVER planned nor does it happen for a reason.
But when the LOVE is REAL, it becomes your PLAN for LIFE and your REASON
for LIVING!
Love can be in these ways….you never realise…until… its too late….
ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their
conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you
want.
FOUR. When you say, "I love you", mean it.
FIVE. When you say, "I'm sorry", look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't
have much.
NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only
way to live life completely.
TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name-calling.
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile
and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great
risk.
FIFTEEN. Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others;
and Responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to
correct it.
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your
voice.
TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone.
Always remember…
If God brings you to it---He can bring you through it.
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Moments For Love
I had a three dog couch waiting on me when I got home this morning. As I came through the front door I saw that each cushion on my couch had a little, furry ball curled up on it, sleeping peacefully. I smiled when I saw this and petted each of them lovingly as I walked by. It only took a few seconds of my time, but it filled my heart with joy.
As we go through our often busy days it is funny how the best parts of them seem to be those little moments we make for sharing love. They take so little of our time and yet the rewards they bring us are beyond belief. They strengthen our hearts, uplift our souls, and energize our bodies. They make our lives a joy to live and a delight to share. They bring us peace, happiness, goodness, and most of all oneness with God. Three of the most important words in the Bible are: "God is love." Every moment we spend living in love then is a moment spent living in oneness with God.
Try to spend and share some moments for love in your own life today. Pet your dogs, cuddle your cats, and feed the birds. Hug your loved ones, look them in the eye, and say "I love you." Smile at the cashier in the store, give a compliment to a friend, and share a good laugh at work. Open a door for a stranger, help an elderly person with their bags, and do a few random acts of kindness when noone is looking. They only take a few seconds each day, but they bring you joy for a lifetime.
It takes so little time to live in love. It takes so few moments to share that love with the world. It is these moments, however, that join your heart to God’s and fill your life with light. Don’t miss out on them. Make time for them and choose them everyday of your life. Moments of love lead to a lifetime of love and a lifetime of love leads to an eternity of love.
~ Joseph J. Mazzella ~
*Love to your parents;
"Your Sustainer has decreed that you worship none but Him, and that you be kind to parents. Whether one or
both of them attain old age in your lifetime, do not say to them a word of contempt nor repel them, but
address them in terms of honor. And, out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility and say: My
Sustainer! Bestow on them Your mercy, even as they cherished me in childhood." (17:23-24)
*Love to other people:
"It is not righteousness that you turn your faces towards East or West; but it is righteousness to
believe in God and the Last Day and the Angels, and the Book, and the Messengers; to spend of your
substance, out of love for Him, for your kin, for orphans for the needy, for the wayfarer, for those who
ask; and for the freeing of captives; to be steadfast in prayers, and practice regular charity; to fulfill
the contracts which you made; and to be firm and patient in pain (or suffering) and adversity and
throughout all periods of panic. Such are the people of truth, the God-conscious." (2:177)
Other verses;
*When My servants ask you concerning Me, I am indeed close to them: I listen to the call of every supplicant when he calls on Me. (2:186)
*"Say (O' Our Nabi) If ye do love Allah, then follow me, Allah will love you and forgive you your sins; Verily, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (3:31)
*Concept of love in Islam
In Islam, love is first for Allah, occupying the heart and conscience in such a way that it overwhelms
everything else. It was reported from a sage: "I never saw a thing but I saw Allah before it, after it, and
along with it." The Glorious Qur'an says: "The believers are stauncher in (their) love for Allah." (2:165)
Second, the faithful harbour an intense love for Nabi Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wa Salam). This love in manifested by an desire to follow and imitate
his example. The Glorious Qur'an says: "Say (O' Our Nabi) If ye do love Allah, then follow me, Allah will
love you and forgive you your sins; Verily, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful." (3:31)
Third, Islam advocates brotherly love in faith. Human beings can live in blessing and kindness so long as they love each other, show trust-worthiness, and
behave according to truth and fairness. This brotherly love in faith also establishes good relations in
society when it is done with sincerity and affection. In short, heartfelt love is simply sharing Islam. It
is reported that a person was sitting beside Nabi Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wa Salam) when his
friend happened to passed by. This man told Nabi Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wasallam): "I love
that man for the sake of Allah." Nabi Muhammad (Sallallahu Alayhi Waalihi Wa Salam) asked him if he
had told his friend that, and the man answered in the negative. The man stood up, stopped his friend, and
told him, "I love you for the sake of Allah." His friend replied: "I love you the way you love for His
sake." It is reported that Allah loves that His servant salute one another clearly and openly.
This is the love in Islam. No words can define it.
It's something so enigmatic, that only Allah could design it and He alone comprehends it. Wonder of
wonders, it is beyond man's conception. Only in Allah can love find true perfection, for love is enduring,
patient and kind. It judges all things with the heart, not the mind. Love can transform the most commonplace
into beauty and splendor and sweetness and grace. Love is unselfish, giving more than it takes, being
unconditional and unhampered by environment. Love never forsakes, it's faithful and trusting, truthful.
It is guileless and honest and never deceiving. Love is Allah's Divine Gift.
source:http://www.jamiat.org.za/isinfo/lhubb.ht
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LOVE
The definition of love in Buddhism is: wanting others to be happy.
This love is unconditional and it requires a lot of courage and acceptance (including self-acceptance).
The "near enemy" of love, or a quality which appears similar, but is more an opposite is: conditional love (selfish love, see also the page on attachment).
The opposite is wanting others to be unhappy: anger, hatred.
A result which one needs to avoid is: attachment.
This definition means that 'love' in Buddhism refers to something quite different from the ordinary term of love which is usually about attachment, more or less successful relationships and sex; all of which are rarely without self-interest. Instead, in Buddhism it refers to detachment and the unselfish interest in others' welfare.
'Even offering three hundred bowls of food three times a day does not match the spiritual merit gained in one moment of love.' Nagarjuna
"If there is love, there is hope that one may
have real families, real brotherhood, real equanimity, real peace. If the love within your mind
is lost and you see other beings as enemies, then no matter how much knowledge or education or material
comfort you have, only suffering and confusion will ensue"
His Holiness the Dalai Lama from 'The little book of Buddhism'
Source:
http://buddhism.kalachakranet.org/immeasurables_love_compassion_equanimity_rejoicing.html#2
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“Love is of all passions the strongest, for it attacks simultaneously the head, the heart and the senses.”- Lao Tzu
“Immature love says: 'I love you because I need you.' Mature love says: 'I need you because I love you'”- Erich Fromme
“You never lose by loving. You always lose by holding back.”- Barbara De Angelis
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“Practice Lots of Loving
Love is so important to God that it is mentioned
hundreds of times in every translation of the Bible. Christ referred to love as the greatest commandment of
all, and he spent his ministry demonstrating love to his followers.
Learning to love God’s way provides the most tangible picture of him available to the world.
Nothing will draw you closer to him or to others than walking in unconditional love. God-inspired love does
not operate like a romance novel. True love encompasses enthusiasm, passion, and it bases itself
more on trust, commitment, and action. It remains committed. Practice real love today.
>>Love someone today through your actions: give a gift, a loving touch, a personal note, or an act of kindness.”
“To love is to will the good of another.”- Saint Thomas Aquinas
This is an excerpt from “101 ways to find God’s purpose for your life” by Natalie Gillespie
--------------------------------------------
Listening for Love
By Jayne Fisher
"There are times when we are timid and shy about expressing the love we feel. For fear of embarrassing
the other person, or ourselves, we hesitate to say the actual words I love you. So we try to communicate
the idea in other words. We say take care or dont drive too fast or be good.
But really, these are just other ways of saying I love you. You are important to me, I care what happens to
you, and I dont want you to get hurt all mean I love you. We are sometimes very strange people. The
only thing we want to say, and the one thing that we should say, is the one thing we dont say. And yet
because the feeling is so real, and the need to say it is so strong, we are driven to use other words
and signs to say what we really mean. And many times the meaning never gets communicated at all and
the other person is left feeling unloved and unwanted.
Therefore, I believe we have to listen for love in the words that people are saying to us. Sometimes the
explicit words are necessary, but more often, the manner of saying things is even more important. A
joyous insult carries more affection and love within the sentiments, which are expressed
insincerely. An impulsive hug says I love you even though the words might be saying something very different.
Any expression of a persons concern for another says I love you. Sometimes the expression is clumsy,
sometimes even cruel. Sometimes we must look and listen very intently for the love that it contains.
We say I love you in many ways - with birthday gifts, and little notes, with smiles and sometimes with
tears. Sometimes we show our love by just keeping quiet and not saying a word, at other times by
speaking out, even harshly. We show our love sometimes by impulsiveness.
Many times we have to show our love by forgiving someone who has not listened to the love we have tried
to express. The problem is listening for love is that we dont always understand the language of
love, which the other person is using. A girl may use tears or emotions to say what she wants to
say, and her boyfriend may not understand her because he expects her to be talking his language.
We have to force ourselves to really listen for love. The problem with our world is that people rarely
listen to each other. They hear the words, but they dont listen to the actions that accompany the
words or the expression on the face. Or people listen only for rejection or misunderstanding. They do
not see the love that is there just beneath the surface, even if the words are angry.
Simon and Garfunkel wrote that very haunting song, The Sound of Silence . It goes: Ten thousand people, maybe
more. People talking without speaking; people hearing without listening; people writing songs
that voices never shared, because no one dared disturb the sound of silence... It is a terrifying
picture of our modern world, a world without communication and without love.
We have to listen for love in those around us. If we
listen intently we will discover that we are a lot more loved than we realize.
Just listen!"
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There is no difficulty that enough love will not conquer;
no disease that enough love will not heal;
no door that enough love will not open;
no gulf that enough love will not bridge;
no wall that enough love will not throw down;
no sin that enough love will not redeem...
It makes no difference how deeply seated may be the trouble;
how hopeless the outlook; how muddled the tangle; how great the mistake.
A sufficient realization of love will dissolve it all.
If only you could love enough you would be
the happiest and most powerful being in the world...
~Emmet Fox~
(July 30, 1886–August 13, 1951)
Famous New Thought spiritual leader early 20th
Century, a large influence on the founding of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Love is like a friendship caught on fire.
In the beginning a flame, very pretty,
Often hot and fierce,
But still only light and flickering.
As love grows older,
Our hearts mature
And our love becomes as coals,
Deep-burning and unquenchable.
~ Bruce Lee ~
(November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973)
Born in San Francisco, a martial artist, philosopher, instructor,actor.
"Life is a flower of which love is the honey."
"The greatest happiness in life is the conviction that we are loved,
loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves."
"The reduction of the universe to a single being,
the expansion of a single being even to God, this is love."
~Victor Hugo~
(February 26, 1802 – May 22, 1885)
French poet, playwright, novelist, visual artist, statesman,
human rights activist and influential exponent of the Romantic movement in France.
Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage.
~Lao Tzu~
(6th century BC)
philosopher of ancient China and central figure in Taoism
"Love is a portion of the soul itself,
and it is of the same nature as the celestial
breathing of the atmosphere of paradise."
~Victor Hugo~
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My Religion represented in Music
Natalie Grant- "I Will Not be Moved"
Yellowcard- "Only One"
Jeremy Camp- "Give You Glory"
Grey Holiday- "You belong to Me"
Lee Ann Womack- "I Hope You Dance"
Disturbed- "The Light"
Staind- "Believe"
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My Religion represented in Movies
"Joshua"
"Powder"
"Second Chance"
"Remember The Titans"
"Fireproof"
"War Room"
"Flywheel"
"God's Not Dead"
"Courageous"
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My religion represented in books
The Bible
"The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren
"The Greatest Salesman in The World" by Og Mandino
"Zen in the Martial Arts" by Joe Hyams
Anything by Joyce Meyer
Anything by Norman Vincent Peale
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