Something to Share on Sunday

When I first read the quote “Compassion is the radicalism of our time” I thought having compassion is something that should not be radical and is something that we should all strive to practice and share.

I thought about the quote today. I normally post in the morning, but I needed to ponder this one a bit longer. I think about reading newspapers and magazines, not a lot of compassion in those stories. I watch TV and movies and I see violence and reality shows. All the time I observe my fellow human beings, and politicians, and I believe that the Dalai Lama has the quote right on.

The Dalai Lama goes on to say that “Compassion is not religious business, it is human business, it is not luxury, it is essential for our own peace and mental stability, it is essential for human survival.”

Compassion can be explained as a virtue; one in which the emotional capacities of empathy and sympathy (for the suffering of others) are regarded as a part of love itself, and a cornerstone of greater social interconnection and humanism.

Compassion allows each of us to relate with one another because you no longer regard people as interruptions. Compassion allows us to slow down or stop and allows us to hear, see and feel nothing but the person whom we are focusing on.

I can be the change we seek in this world… We can practice planned acts of compassion with and for others.

I offer to share the following prayer with you today “Heavenly father we come to you this day in prayer, this time of stillness. We give thanks for the many blessings in our life, we ask for continued help to share love, gifts and lessons with others. We ask for lessons for all in help share and spread compassion with one another. In your precious name we pray, Amen.”

We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis. Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US! We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

(402) 575-7006 www.inclusivelife.org [TEXT ‘ceremony’ to 90210 for TEXT info!]

Inclusive Life is very proud to be a member of “All About Weddings”, a local organization focusing on bringing together premier local vendors that provide wedding services. Inclusive Life is a member in good standing with American Association of Wedding Officiant’s. We receive training from the International Association of Faith Based Counselors.

www.inclusivelife.org, www.ulcnetwork.socialgo.com, www.2grooms2brides.com, www.weddingsinomaha.org, www.weddingsinlincoln.org, www.weddingsincouncilbluffs.org, www.spiritualfriendsofnebraska.org, www.funeralministers.org, www.ceremonyofficiants.org, www.allaboutweddings.com

Saturday Morning

God has no blackberry, but is my favorite contact ... He does not have Facebook, but is my best Friend ... He does not have twitter, but I still follow Him ... And even without internet, I am always have a way to connect with the Sacred! What do we do with that extra time that it saves us? Do we allow ourselves periods of the day to; pray, meditate, be silent, be still, soak, relax, and just be?

God has no blackberry, but is my favorite contact ... He does not have Facebook, but is my best Friend ... He does not have twitter, but I still follow Him ... And even without internet, I am always have a way to connect with the Sacred! Texting, emailing, internet… in all the many ways we now use to communicate with one another, it sure does save time. What do we do with that extra time that it saves us? Do we allow ourselves periods of the day to; pray, meditate, be silent, be still, soak, relax, and just be?

Regardless of your religion, your path or how you choose to live your life; it is important that you do so with meaning, integrity, and within the boundaries you have established for yourself. Living in community with others, worshiping with others in community helps some stay accountable to their beliefs.

Do we preach one thing and do another? Do we teach one thing and do another? Do we walk the walk or just talk the talk?

One of my favorite lines to use after worship is “now that worship has ended, let the service begin” that can be service for what ails us, service to our family, friends, others, neighbors, co-workers, strangers!

I can be the change that I seek in this world… I know to be faithful in small things because it is in them that my strength lies.

We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis. Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US! We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

(402) 575-7006 www.inclusivelife.org [TEXT ‘ceremony’ to 90210 for TEXT info!]

Inclusive Life is very proud to be a member of “All About Weddings”, a local organization focusing on bringing together premier local vendors that provide wedding services. Inclusive Life is a member in good standing with American Association of Wedding Officiant’s. We receive training from the International Association of Faith Based Counselors.

www.inclusivelife.org, www.ulcnetwork.socialgo.com, www.2grooms2brides.com, www.weddingsinomaha.org, www.weddingsinlincoln.org, www.weddingsincouncilbluffs.org, www.spiritualfriendsofnebraska.org, www.funeralministers.org, www.ceremonyofficiants.org, www.allaboutweddings.com

Family Friday

Some people have families with many relatives that share that common lineage, the given family. Others have assembled a family made up of various people, a family of choice. I am reminded of two quotes; “You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.” -Desmond Tutu and; Barbra Bush “To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there.”Celebrate your family!

I do not come from a large family myself. I was adopted within my family at birth, my grandmother adopted me from her daughter when I was born. I was raised in a single parent family. As I grew up I met the few of our relatives that still were living, many had passed by the time I was a teenager. Today, at 43, I can count on two hands of what family I have left. Having in laws helps a lot, I now have a set of nephews and nieces I LOVE IT! But that isn’t enough.

I need that, I want that, I embrace it; the need for a symbiotic family of aunt like, uncle like, brother like, sister like people whom you count on as they had been in your life since birth (and maybe they have!) They may not look like me, live near me, think like me, act like me, or even live like me AND they love me. They love me for the way I look, despite where I live, how I think, how I act, “they like me, they really, really like me!” And with every fiber in my being, I return the same to them!

Although the thought of having a “chosen” family unit is foreign to some (yes I have met them) the concept is VERY much practiced and in use today by many of us.

Regardless of the type of families you are a part of, celebrate them, love them, give thanks for them, do not take them for granted, take time for them, listen to them, let them know what they mean to you, treat them… like family.

I can be the change I seek in this world… I know the love of a family is a great blessing of life.

We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis. Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US! We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

(402) 575-7006 www.inclusivelife.org [TEXT ‘ceremony’ to 90210 for TEXT info!]

Inclusive Life is very proud to be a member of “All About Weddings”, a local organization focusing on bringing together premier local vendors that provide wedding services. Inclusive Life is a member in good standing with American Association of Wedding Officiant’s. We receive training from the International Association of Faith Based Counselors.

www.inclusivelife.org, www.ulcnetwork.socialgo.com, www.2grooms2brides.com, www.weddingsinomaha.org, www.weddingsinlincoln.org, www.weddingsincouncilbluffs.org, www.spiritualfriendsofnebraska.org, www.funeralministers.org, www.ceremonyofficiants.org, www.allaboutweddings.com

Tibetan Thursdays

Wedding Officiant,Wedding Minister,Funeral Minister,Premarital Coaching,Couples Coaching,Life Coaching,Marriage License,Wedding License,Memorial Planning,GLBT,Gay Wedding

“Learn to tame your mind and never spoil the mind of others.” When asked by a guest where to go for good nightlife a hotel clerk responded by saying all the places that she didn’t like and to stay away from, which left only 1-2 suggestions. I wondered how the guest felt, new city, needing help and was told more places not to go to. I will remember that the only disability in life is a bad attitude.

I study done last year by Group Publishing noted Churches are not the top spot for being the most friendliest place in town. I think that it is most interesting to see and read what “those other people” think of churches? How do their assumptions about “our” faith communities compare with our own assumptions about how we’re seen or how “we” experience it?

At a local church I was named Minister of Hospitality, so we toured other cities and other churches to see what happened between the “Sidewalk and Sanctuary.” Most of the time my experience fell right into what this survey says. I was invisible most of the time, ignored, and only greeted when it was time to ask for money, information or to volunteer.

I get that church life for many (including myself) is about being a part of a family. You worship together, share, grow, live, volunteer, eat, and become part of a family within a family! For the first time or 5^th time attendee, how do they fit in?, how do they feel, are they a welcomed guest or “one of those other people…”

The same can be said of us at work, shopping, eating, volunteering, etc. How do we interact with those whom we know (even those whom we may not have on the Christmas Card List) versus those complete “strangers?” Do we all follow the Golden Rule of treating others as we wish to be treated? Perhaps an updated twist is that we should NOT treat others the same way we wish not to be treated!

I hope, pray and give thought that regardless of what anyone’s faith believe, life path or choices that choose to make, that we all spend time thinking about how what we say and do affects us, those around us and those whom we do not know.

We can be the change we seek in this world… I will remember that kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US! We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis, so we are here to provide care & services to everyone regardless of they attend worship or not. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

(402) 575-7006 www.inclusivelife.org [TEXT ‘ceremony’ to 90210 for TEXT info!]

Waggle Wednesday

“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.” -Winston Churchill. How many of us talk to our pets as if they were humans ready to answer us? I didn’t say they couldn’t understand us because I know sometimes they can feel our emotions and care for us in ways that can bring us to tears! What do you love most about your pet?

It was just a month ago when I was home alone, the truth be told I should have went to the hospital to what ailed me. I was not feeling well or getting around well and my cat “Kitty” new it. She walked when I walked, laid down when I laid down and sat where I sat. At one point, I was feeling the worst, she hopped up on my lap, looked me in the eyes and started “talking” (meowing) at me, nudged me on the nose and started purring so loudly anyone in the room could have heard it. She gave me exceptionally needed love, care, and attention that day that I will never forget.

No pets are not humans and pets are every part of family as human beings are. Celebrate your family, all of them!

Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US! We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis, so we are here to provide care & services to everyone regardless of they attend worship or not. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

(402) 575-7006 www.inclusivelife.org [TEXT ‘ceremony’ to 90210 for TEXT info!]

Tall Grass Tuesdays

"The trouble with organizing a thing is that pretty soon folks get to paying more attention to the organization than to what they're organized for." -Laura Ingalls Wilder. Simple words during simple times, I wonder if the grandparents of her time thought that their young lives were more simple too? Church, fundraiser, help, work, life, family we do get caught up in what too and how for’s don’t we?

I remember watching Little House on the Prairie. “Oh Paw…” she would exclaim. “Times were so simple then…” I hear. I perhaps use it too. But were they? Did they not have issues of trust, faith, family, government, laws, choices, work, etc. Nonetheless life without all of our modern inventions might seem similar to some of us. Perhaps it was because we took the time to smell the flowers, we had no cars and we had to walk through the fields so laying down and watching clouds was perfectly normal. Now we stop to smell the $9 coffee at Starbucks!

We all can take time, make time and share time to breathe in the basics of what our life is. Air, love, and light.

Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US! We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis, so we are here to provide care & services to everyone regardless of they attend worship or not. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

(402) 575-7006 www.inclusivelife.org [TEXT ‘ceremony’ to 90210 for TEXT info!]

Inclusive Life is very proud to be a member of “All About Weddings”, a local organization focusing on bringing together premier local vendors that provide wedding services. Inclusive Life is a member in good standing with American Association of Wedding Officiant’s. We receive training from the International Association of Faith Based Counselors.

www.inclusivelife.org Inclusive Life Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital Coaching-Funeral Ministers

www.ulcnetwork.socialgo.com Universal Life Church Social Network (and information)

www.2grooms2brides.com 2 Grooms 2 Brides Same Sex Weddings for Council Bluffs, Iowa

www.weddingsinomaha.org Religious and Nonreligious Weddings in the Omaha area

www.weddingsinlincoln.org Religious and Nonreligious Weddings in the Lincoln area

www.weddingsincouncilbluffs.org Religious and Nonreligious Weddings in the Council Bluffs area

www.spiritualfriendsofnebraska.org Spiritual Friends of Lincoln Nebraska worship & fellowship

www.funeralministers.org Inclusive Life Funeral Ministers serving Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa

www.ceremonyofficiants.org Wedding and Ceremony Officiates

www.allaboutweddings.com All About Weddings

Monday Morning Memory

The Monday Morning Memory I would like to share with you today is one of my most cherished. I grew up in Bellevue, a small city outside of Omaha. The highlight of the summer would be annual parade and volunteer fire department water fights! They would string a bucket on what looked like a VERY tall clothes line and then “fight” to use water to push the bucket to the opposite teams pole. We reenacted this at home!

Of course this was followed by the parade which was just the best. MANY fire engines, sirens, lights flashing, rescue squads, police cars, bands, neat floats that threw out free candy that we could eat! The day seemed to last forever! And everyone in the entire city came!

I don’t know, now, if it was because I was with my mom and other family members and we were simply together or if all those lights, sirens and people in the parade made the day. I suspect a bit of both. I am 43 and I get just as excited today seeing a fire engine roaring to their next call as I did when I was 10. I hope that it is still the kid in me.

I have fond memories of growing up, thanks mom! I love you. Happy Monday everyone, may peace, love, hope and a Monday Memory of your own be with you…

Who can individuals, couples and families turn to when they need care & services traditionally found by a place of worship? US! We are Inclusive Life, and we serve all without exception. We know that up to 70% of the population in America does not attend worship on a regular basis, so we are here to provide care & services to everyone regardless of they attend worship or not. Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital & Couples Coaching-Funeral Ministers-Pastoral Care.

(402) 575-7006 www.inclusivelife.org [TEXT ‘ceremony’ to 90210 for TEXT info!]

Inclusive Life is very proud to be a member of “All About Weddings”, a local organization focusing on bringing together premier local vendors that provide wedding services. Inclusive Life is a member in good standing with American Association of Wedding Officiant’s. We receive training from the International Association of Faith Based Counselors.

www.inclusivelife.org Inclusive Life Wedding Officiant’s-Premarital Coaching-Funeral Ministers

www.ulcnetwork.socialgo.com Universal Life Church Social Network (and information)

www.2grooms2brides.com 2 Grooms 2 Brides Same Sex Weddings for Council Bluffs, Iowa

www.weddingsinomaha.org Religious and Nonreligious Weddings in the Omaha area

www.weddingsinlincoln.org Religious and Nonreligious Weddings in the Lincoln area

www.weddingsincouncilbluffs.org Religious and Nonreligious Weddings in the Council Bluffs area

www.spiritualfriendsofnebraska.org Spiritual Friends of Lincoln Nebraska worship & fellowship

www.funeralministers.org Inclusive Life Funeral Ministers serving Eastern Nebraska and Western Iowa

www.ceremonyofficiants.org Wedding and Ceremony Officiates

www.allaboutweddings.com All About Weddings