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My computer crashed so I lost my address books. If you were on my mailing list, please notify me at Dusty "Everyone wins in 2010." Thank you to all of you who continue to support Life Now and our ventures! (`~`*`~`)`~`*`~`(`~`*`~`)`~`*`~`(`~`*`~`)`~`*``~` (`~`*`~`) You can read archive issues of "Expansion Encounters" at Expansion Encounters and now at New Expansion Encounters Current I mentioned last month that I would be sharing about something new this month: Expansion Encounters will take on a new look, come January. I will be using spirit-filled, new-thought articles from others but I will be choosey about what I use - articles that agree with my way of thinking! I will be bouncing around the net to find worthwhile articles and I welcome you to submit something you have written that offers encouragement for others. This will give you a variety of how others in our world see life. I will still be adding short pieces of my own, too. Evaluating Your Now By Dusty Reed Why wait til New Year's Day to re-evaluate and make decisions for the coming year? It can be a day-by-day process. Are you content with the present? Stop what you are doing, take a deep breath and ask the Lord what you are to be doing this moment. You might ask, "What if I am driving a car on a busy freeway? I can't stop what I am doing this moment." Or, "What if I am over my head taking a swim? I can't take a deep breath this moment." These are exaggerated examples. They show that by not continuously being in awareness, you may be in pretty deep water before you remember you don't know how to swim. By asking continuously, you would hear the answer before you venture as far as the examples relate. You would know when you were on a busy freeway what you were to be doing. By scurrying around in busy worlds, you can get so involved in projects that you forget to ask if this is what the Lord wants you to be doing. As with the example of the car on the freeway, the answer would most likely be, "keep driving!" Once you have gotten into a situation without help, you don't have to hesitate to ask for help to get you out of it. Christ can lead, with detail, in the direction appropriate for you at the time. I once heard a statement, "you are exactly where you want to be now." Does this say something? If you don't agree, ask the Lord for an opinion. Living in the present tense is a dynamic experience. It gives you the taste of accomplishment if you do exactly what is to be done now, with no anxieties. This involves small activities or thought work, which may seem unimportant or voluminous tasks. They may signify emotional growth experiences. Give yourself a careful evaluation. What are you worth to others? To yourself? Does this worth balance? Are you benefiting from your job in equal proportion to what you are giving of yourself? Are you giving as much of yourself as your friends and family deserve? Are you content with what you are and where you are in your life? Does accomplishment now mean you cannot make plans? It means do not live in the future. If it gives pleasure, relaxation or economic good sense to make plans, do so. If it becomes a threat or causes anxiety, remind yourself this is only a plan. The only way to enjoy the possibility of it becoming a reality is by making the best use of and enjoying the present. If you are living in dreams of an ideal future, you are probably overlooking the pleasures and joys you are receiving now. Give yourself some quiet time to become aware of the good things you are in the midst of experiencing. If you are looking into the future of tomorrow or next week, stop and give now a gratifying look. Absorb it, breathe its fragrance, feel it, be grateful for it. What are you to experience now? When you commit to the present situation, you discipline your brain and body to function in the actions necessary to get the desired results. Gather up everything in your life. Put it all in two stacks: one material and one spiritual. Sort and toss every material thing that lacks meaning or purpose. Begin organizing the things you keep so they serve you to their capacity. Your spiritual collection includes habits, hopes, dreams, desires and your awareness of the light within. By strengthening your faith, love and harmony with the Lord's guidance, He will take care of the rest of the sorting. You are ready to organize what you have. Do this before you reach toward new frontiers. Establish a pattern in present involvements. Decide what you desire to do now. This determines what activities you are willing to postpone. Actively pray about these decisions to prevent future activities from forcing you to take a non-preferred action. Give yourself special time to pray and contemplate upon these decisions. The decisions of which you are aware can help bring the unexpected ones into a smooth flowing channel to be handled quickly, easily and with peace of mind. You will know, with assurance, that you are listening to and following the Lord's guidance. Alike in the Goodness by Dusty Reed At our center being we are creations in the likeness of God so we are alike in that place. That place is God's love. His love flows through creation. We simply give it individual expression, which brings about uniqueness of personality. Love personifies differently and, along the way, we each collect a lot of dross. To find the love-in-common, we focus on God's love. My life touches another individual's life when we each reach out and touch God's love in one another. The Lord provides love and concern. I receive the inner impressions when I release all surrounding concerns. Struggles arise when I meet a person who presents a challenge in drawing out my love. What are my responsibilities in obedience to the Bible's, "love your neighbor as yourself?" This commandment for loving my neighbor is emphasized several times in Scripture. Loving others is applying the love essence, which, channeled through me, might be showing courtesy and respect. It may be revealing compassion. Do I have to like someone's personality to love them with pure love? I am grateful to many who have shown courtesy, respect and compassion but may not like my personality. Liking a person benefits my health. I prefer a few close friends with whom I can share my inner self. For this type of friendship, I also need to be needed. I need their willingness to share their inner selves with me. I am a very open person and share on a deep level in serious discussions. I have only found a few very special souls who enjoy approaching me to share their deep feelings of life. These are the unique friends who encourage a healthy life. Love leads to giving; Giving leads to sacrifice; Sacrifice leads to life; Life leads to love. Courtesy, respect and compassion are disciplines my will desires to learn. As I practice these disciplines, I am submitting my mind, will and emotions to the Lord. It isn't always easy. It has taken much prayer for guidance, communication with friends and practice. How much time am I willing to give to those to whom I am commissioned to love? When someone is seeking a friend and needs to share inner struggles, I am willing to give of my total self, especially as a concerned listener. I am still learning the beautiful art of listening. This type of relationship, practiced daily, can become true friendship, encompassing all the essence of love for us. The scriptural commission in Matthew 22:39 says to love your neighbor... Does the Lord expect me to love everyone in the world as much as I love myself? I sometimes misjudge what love means. I judge love for myself by my actions or feelings. This is not correct. I may dislike some of my actions, but I can continue to love myself. There is a reason to love myself: to love the Christ-essence in me. If I say I do not love myself, I am saying I do not love God's creation. This is the same in my response to others. I can love them, as creations of love. Purpose brings obedience; Purpose brings magnitude; Purpose brings comfort; There is purpose in gratitude. The Lord's loving arms enfold me when someone tells me they love me. I take this deeply and can love them without having opportunity to express it. To develop a deeper love, for bettering my health, I can share my expression of love for them. It may be face-to-face, a phone call, in written expression or another means of communication. They can experience God's love through me. Some sites I recommend: Inspiring Quotes and Stories It is my joy to share with you that I have been posting most of my drawings at Dusty's Gallery and at Dusty's Art I continue to add new rose drawings and some photographs available at art.com! You can view them at Roses. I now have some of my rose drawings at an auction site, Art By Us 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 Note Cards. And, for anyone who enjoys playing at ebay, lots of goodies (records, books & post cards - occasionally some nic nacs) 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 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. Pathway ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Life Now ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Enjoy every moment! (`~`*`~`)`~`*`~`(`~`*`~`)`~`*`~`(`~`*`~`)`~`*``~` (`~`*`~`)
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