Expansion Encounters - with Dusty
My heart's desire sticks in 2006!

A special thank you to all of you who continue to support Life Now and our ventures!

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A Christmas Greeting!

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You can read archive issues of "Expansion Encounters" at Archives

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Linked
by Dusty Reed

There are many kinds of links. You may have seen this title and immediately thought of internet links. Or, you might think of chain links, even the type we used to make for Christmas tree decor. Or you might consider our spiritual link, referred here as similar to connecting with electrical energy.

We are linked into God's circuit. Our responsibility is to keep this circuit open so that we can express our lives more fully. Our every thought or attitude throws the switch that promotes or blocks our communication with God. We can zealously select and maintain only the activities that bring us God's goodness.

As we go about our daily necessaries, we can learn, through practice, to take a deep breath and focus, even for just an instant, on the Goodness. It keeps that circuit open and we "know" what is the right and good thing to do in each situation.

Whatever may have previously limited our Divine expression, we can surrender to offer an open circuit for love, joy, and enthusiasm to flow freely. We can release all thoughts of restriction. They are no more. We can acknowledge our spiritual nature, listen and work with the nudges it provides. We know when we receive these nudges; they relate to love, joy and enthusiasm.

Enjoy the new surge of power through your spiritual link!

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Accepting Favorable Results
by Dusty Reed At our Christmas party at work, one dish in particular was getting rave revues. The creator of this vegetable delight later shared that she burned the peas while prepping the dish. Rather than throwing them away, she had added seasonings and multiple condiments and came up with a unique-tasting vegetable. When one of her fellow-employees commented on the great taste, she replied, "You have to start with burnt peas!"

Sometimes we encounter potentially disastrous circumstances in daily life that are similar to my friend's burnt peas. Rather than give up, we can determine and demonstrate making something successful from the experience that will bring favorable comments from others and allow us to offer our gratitude and praise to the Lord. "And we know that all things work together for good to them that believe God" - Romans 8:28

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Make a Difference
by Dusty Reed

With the New Year approaching, we begin to think, once again, of how we can improve our lives and affect those around us.

Can we step out today and make a difference in our society consciousness attitudes? You bet we can! We don't have to get on a soap box but we can let our favorable attitudes shine forth with pen in hand and with everyone we meet. With an attitude of assurance, we penetrate the ethers around us. All who step into our space are affected. And, who knows how far that "space" extends! As a small pebble causes a ripple on the water, out it goes.

Internet is a grande space to share our attitudes. We can write to others when we agree or challenge something they have included at their site or in a newsletter or personal note.

We can share our attitude preferences in letters to officials in government from school to city to state to federal. With a bit of preparation, we can show why we carry this attitude and why we believe it would bring a higher benefit to all concerned.

We can share our attitudes in the work place. Others probably already have stereotyped us with a certain attitude. What would happen if we walk into work with an assurance of a more favorable attitude about our world? Would it be noticed? I believe it would.

Now, what if we don't carry with assurance what we would prefer as our preferable attitudes? We can change our attitudes simply by doing the "as if." Write, speak and act "as if" our attitudes are of highest quality with the assurance of goodness. As we express in this manner, we will begin to follow this attitude and it will soon become a natural part of our being.

This is how we can bend our attitudes when it appears that we cannot change the facts. As attitudes are changed, facts can change. Try it and find out for yourself.

We can make a difference.

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Some sites I recommend:

Interenvironment.org

AndrewCohen.org

UUCA

Context Institute

Free Christmas Music

Christmas Around the World

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It is my joy to share with you that I now have some new rose drawings and some photographs available at art.com! You can view them at Dusty's Roses
And, I have a page with note cards (for sale) with some of my rose drawings. You can check it out by going to Rose Descriptions.
I have been posting nearly all of my drawings that are not displayed elsewhere at Rose Garden I have two galleries there. The other is at Reed's Loft. It has various photographs, other drawings, and notecards available.

My sister-in-spirit, Sunny, has several of her drawings and has added new photos at art.com, too, at Sunny's Art Work

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And, for anyone who enjoys playing at ebay, lots of goodies (records, Christmas decor, books & post cards) are available at Dusty's eBay

You are welcome to forward this newsletter to friends who might be interested! If they would like to subscribe (at no cost), they can write to me at cascade@mahaska.org(with Expansion Encounters as subject). Thanx muchly!

Working toward consideration and to better humanity, we want to encourage free enterprise, free speech. We are Life Now, a spiritual happening on and off the Internet.

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