Category: Religious

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Thursday’s Random Thoughts


011The fight between the selfish and selfless within is a battle that seems to be an everlasting one. One side looking out for its own self and its desires, wants and foolish idea of self-centered happiness and the other side seeing and embracing the connections between every living thing and beyond. The fact I am not the center of any universe, I am but a single strand of thread in the infinite tapestry of the universe and of life. I am no more important than any other strand nor am I any less important. I am a part of it all and the all is a part of me, thus there is no room for illusions that support selfishness or self centeredness.. Though the soul understands such things but the mind continues to separate itself from the whole by believing in such illusions such as the different classes of life and social differences which we invented to support both our superiority and inferiority complexes.

Even though we all are the same, this world is full of things that can lead one to believe otherwise. Such things as social status, wealth and power to name a few. Those things are just illusions created by our desire to be better or our fears of being less than other people. Failure and success is real but the illusion is that one is more or less capable or deserving of one or the other. To look down on a person is wrong and it is a sign of your own failure. to look up to someone is almost as bad because it belittles yourself, but it can also be positive in the sense you see that you need to improve yourself and grow spiritually.

Galatians 5:17

For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.
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Our differences can be what makes us strong


025 Another day has dawned, another page has yet to be written. Another chance for change and growth as long as we don’t become ego stricken. We remember the lessons of our past actions and words so that we can avoid repeating our past mistakes.  For each thought, action and word can change our course as well as raise the stakes. Each day is a gamble not a preplanned destiny or fate for us to be chained to. We are the captain of our body and mind and we choose the course we will travel through.

There are bumps in the road and potholes as well and even sometimes other people who can distract us or mislead us if we allow them to. We must keep in control and adjust course when external forces try to interfere or obstruct our way. Obstacles are but objects put there to help us gain experience and strength so worry not over them. Just deal with them and move on down the path you have chosen.

Don’t allow the woes and worries of life to influence your thoughts, emotions or behavior. To do so is to lose a part of who you are to their influence. Be true to yourself and be who you truly are without fear of rejection or ridicule. Better to be yourself and deal with the problems and perks of such than to be someone you’re not. I rather to be loved or liked by just one for being me than by thousands for being who I am not.

Try not to be judgmental of others, but if you must be then do it so with great compassion and understanding. For the way you judge others is how you shall be judged as well. Remember that not one human is perfect and that everyone else has the stresses of life and worries that are similar to your own. We all are a part of the world and  the family of humanity. We all are faulty and we all have needs, wants and desires. but when it boils down to it we all want happiness, peace and a better world for the children of today and the children of tomorrow.

We may all have different religious beliefs, political views and personal opinions but they are not obstacles they are what makes us a diverse but resilient species. Our differences can be what makes us strong instead of what makes us weak and separate. Once we accept that each person has the right to choose in what they believe or not then we can move past our intolerance of each others differences. When that time comes humanity will finally be able to work together to make this world a wonderful place to live in.

Ray Barbier

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Time to step away from the character I have played


rayrayd_edited-1To much self, not enough of everybody else. Too much of ego for most of us to let go. Me, myself and I are in the way and it makes me blind. Blind of the truth around me and the connection we all have to everything. Too much worry, anger and paranoia within the self-centered man I seem to be and its time to put him aside for the  person who I truly am.

Time to return to who I was as a child, to the person I am hidden beneath the conditioning of society and the scars of life. Remember the lessons learned and let go of the pain and confusion we accumulated through the years. Too much mental and emotional garbage we have collected through life experiences.  Time to empty my inner recycle bin and go about my way free of such useless and painful thoughts and/or emotions. Free of such things.

Each morning I awake is but a new blank page for me to fill with my life’s journey, yet another day to grow and change. The pages written on the days prior are but the history of which choices I made and directions I have taken. Though I can not change where I have been or what I have done I still can change direction and my destination.

Time to return to who I was meant to be and let go of the egotistical side of me. Time to become who I was meant to be and not what this world has tried to make me into. Time to change my direction and my desired destination. Time to set Goals that are true to who I am and not those that society dictates is normal and desirable. Time to let go of what I am expected to be by others and be who I truly am.

Time to be who God created me to be and time to step away from the character I have played in this worlds masquerade. Time to be set free, time to accept what has been given to me.

 We spend so much time trying to be what others expect us to be we lose the person we truly are. Sometimes we seek out the treasures of this world forgetting where or true treasures lay.

Ray Barbier

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What is Prosperity and what does the Bible say about it?


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What is Prosperity and what does the Bible say about it?

Job 36:11 (KJV)  “If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.”

If we obey and serve God he shall grant us prosperity  through our life.  So we are told through obedience and Servitude is the path to prosperity. We are also told that God is pleased to see his servants in prosperity in Psalms

Psalms 35:27 (KJV) “Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the Lord be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.”

Thus we can conclude that God wants us to live in Happiness and Prosperity. But then what is prosperity in the bible, is it riches, jewels or is it simply being at a point in life where one needs for nothing such as food a home and health?

If you recall in the bible the rich were not celebrated, So I say that the prosperity God grants is more based on the needs of one to survive and live happily not that of wealth, power or possessions. Servants of God be that they be preacher,teacher,messenger or just a follower. should spread the message of the prosperity of God not of the prosperity of the wicked and foolish world.

Mathew 6: 19-20

19 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

Which Roughly means do not put faith in things that are of this world, they are temporary. Put faith in God and the things of his kingdom for they are forever..

Ray Barbier

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random thoughts–1/28/2014


HPIM0319To Love others as God loves us, this is what we were taught to do yet we seem to miss that mark so easily. Why is it so hard to accept and love one another unconditionally? What makes us want to either judge others hastily and without compassion or causes us to choose to deny others love. We all want to be loved, accepted and to be a part of a group or community, but we tend to deny ourselves these things as much as we deny it to others due to our image of what we think makes one worthy of such.

The fact is we all deserve love, acceptance and to be a part of a community. God gave us his love so we could spread his love and cause it to multiply between us all. We all belong to the great community of humankind even though some people believe otherwise. No man s greater or lesser than his brother in the eyes of God nor is any person without sin or fault. To declare or to put oneself above another is but vanity and self centeredness in its purest form.

To claim to be wise usually is a sign one is a fool, to see that you are but a fool is usually the first step towards wisdom. To know thyself with out self-delusion or self-glorification is to be humble and to see the truth of what one is. I claim not to know the answers I only claim to know some of the questions and express that which I believe and understand as theoretical ideals.  I urge you to seek your own answers in life for you are responsible for what you choose to believe and what you teach others directly or indirectly.

Live life to the fullest, but do so with compassion and a charitable heart. Forgive not only others,also learn to forgive your own self, for one must face their own shortcomings and go beyond them in order to see the grace in forgiveness. Think for your self and follow not the mainstream ideology, for the path to ruin is wide and so is the path to hell. Seek the truth and be not persuaded by wolves in sheep’s clothing, for many profess to be leaders in Christ and are but men of wealth and greed.

I am but a fool who seeks to become wise, I am but a man who tries to be a good man, nothing else.

Ray Barbier

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Another day to be thankful and another day to live


HPIM0252Another day I have been blessed with, another day to be thankful and another day to live. Let those whom have done me wrong know they have forgiveness and let those I have  done wrong find it in their hearts to forgive me of my transgressions. Let my enemies and friends alike find peace and happiness in this world and in their life. May everyone know God’s love as well as the love he gave us to share with one another. Let no one stand in the way of another right to believe or not believe for that is the gift of freewill we have been given. Let us not hate or distrust one another because of our differences. Instead let us see the differences between us as a strength for we can find wisdom in all faiths and beliefs.

Let love, compassion and our ability to be understanding be as our guides in life. Let faith and love overcome our distrust and fear.

Ray Barbier

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Be a dreamer, free thinker and free spirit


011living in large  communities and in this so-called modern civilization we are subjected to constant ridicule and supposed social enormities we must follow and conform to in order to be happy or successful. They want us to believe we must conform and obey the social rules of normalcy in order to be happy and a part of the society we live in. Seems to be a dreamer, free-thinker and an individual within this modern world is unwanted and/or looked down upon.

Comply, conform and be like the rest of the people or be looked upon as a fool and or a madman. Be like the rest of us or be an outcast and be the target of ridicule. I say hogwash, hooey and the heck with what is supposed to be the norm and the fences they erected to contain our thoughts and potential as a human being. I am going to be me even if that means being an outcast or that I wont belong to what they call the norm. It was freethinkers and dreamers that have changed the course of this human race a many of times. Some brought peace and others have brought us to a better understanding of the world around us. Several great freethinkers and dreamers even helped create this great nation I live in, the United States.

So one can either follow and be a part of the normal and constrained majority of the modern world or one can be a dreamer, freethinker and free spirit who helps change the world if not just be the alarm clock for those who lay in a sleepless state or normalcy. Be yourself, be true to yourself and do not allow the modern world to hold back the  creative and unique spirit within you.

So what, I am not part of the norm, nor am I a popular person or successful by the measure that the modern world and society has created. I am myself and I am happy being whom I truly am within.

Peace,Freedom of thought and love to all.

Raymond Barbier

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We are all different and unique.


pic042learning to accept yourself for the imperfect and unique individual you are is not as difficult as one thinks. Sooner you accept you inability to be perfect and how you are the only person like yourself in all existence, the quicker you see the folly in trying to fit the image of the person you think you must be in order to fit in and be successful. To fit in and to be successful one must be who they truly are or what you may find is a road full of stress and unhappiness ahead of you.

God may have created all of us with equal potential , but he also created us to be individual and unique. Not one person is the same, we are all different and unique. We have similar needs and maybe even wants but we all have different views on life and what makes us happy isn’t always the same. We are not carbon copy drones, we are free thinking individuals with unique personalities. If we completely surrender ourselves to the group mentality we tend to become blind to the fact we are led by equally blind individuals. If we chose not to follow blindly then we become free spirits that can change the course of humanity if not  humanity’s  destiny and/or fate.  There will always be followers and leaders in the world, the thing is that neither have to do so blindly.

Open your eyes and no longer walk blindly through life, be the unique and creative spirit God has made you to be.

Ray Barbier

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Thoughts on Love and Forgiveness


Rembrandt – “The Return of the Prodigal Son

Love, one of the greatest gifts and blessings God gave us. The love we have for family and friends and the love they have for us as well . The love for our fellow humans and the love we share with all those we interact with. So much we long for and desire, but Love is the grandest prize we can obtain and definitely the greatest gift we can give and/or share.

We were created in Love, we were saved by Gods love and we will in the end bask in his love. We should live this short life full of love and sharing it everywhere we travel. Forgiveness and Love are the two things we have the power to manifest and to spread wherever we go. We should love one another for it is commanded that we do so and it seems to be the most joyful thing we have to do in our lives. To forgive lifts the burden from both the one who forgives and the one that is forgiven.  Love  fills us with light and happiness.

Ray Barbier

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It’s about being happy and secure in where you are in life


David thanking God after the death of Goliath-...

Giving thanks, Something we should do on a daily basis. We should be thankful for what we have been given and blessed with to have. In my past I have found myself thanking God then turning around and complaining about what I have been given. Seems petty and to me it seems as if I wasn’t truly thankful. Well of course those days are gone, I now truly am thankful for what I have and don’t think what I have is less than I need or deserve. That side of me back then was petty, selfish and unaware of how much I actually was blessed with. I think I just didn’t understand how to be thankful and didn’t know how much I really had to be thankful for back then. It’s okay to aspire to have better but you must be happy with what you have. Prosperity isn’t all about having the best or most of anything, it’s about being happy and secure in where you are in life and with the things you have been blessed with.

For happiness is found in the acceptance of the blessings you have already not in the gifts yet to be received.

Ray Barbier

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