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Random Thoughts

Like seeds, like a virus- Random Thoughts – 8/31/2014

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The Virgin River Narrows

It seems even though humanity has advanced tremendously in the areas of science and technologies, we still seem as children when it comes to mental , spiritual and emotional growth. We still place blame and fault on external forces for the turmoil and destruction that we created ourselves. Blaming and pointing fingers never solves any issue, only enacting change in oneself and inspiring change in those around us is the only way to change the world we live in. Love, peace, understanding and compassion are like seeds, plant them they grow and then they bear fruit and seeds to spread themselves further. But things such as lust , greed and hate are similar they are like a virus, the quickly spread from person to person. The main difference is fruit nourishes the body, mind and soul when a virus corrupts and eats away at the body, mind and soul.  We can choose to embrace which ever one we desire, but we must know the cost, consequence and reward of each. Good works will not get us to heaven alone, but they are a part of the journey. They are the path towards being the people who God created us to be. But just as the Bible tells us even the wicked do good things for their loved ones and family, so we must take it further. We must be compassionate, loving and kind people towards all things that live and breathe. Be they friend, family, enemy or undesirables. No man or woman is greater or lesser than another and therefore we should love one another unconditionally and without any hesitation.

The things most seek such as wealth, social status, physical beauty are all fleeting and in time shall be as the dust we came from. So what worth should we put upon such temporary things?  On this earth there are many religions and many whom believe not in a God, the gift of freewill made this possible and it is the will of God that we have the choices to believe as we wish. So Spread the Gospel but respect the right of others not to believe or to believe different.  Be at peace with everyone , even those you see as enemies. The compassion you show others will not be forgotten.

It is time for humanity to wake up from its spiritual sleep and become the great family that God intended it to be.

Ray Barbier

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Fear, faith and hope–random thoughts 8-30-2014

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african-sunset_w725_h483There are those that seek to control others with fear, they for some reason believe that instilling fear in others gives them power. The thing with fear is one can overcome it, learn to channel it and also learn to let it pass through them. The bible teaches us the only one and or thing we must fear is God. No man nor woman can destroy that which god has given you unless it be his will. So learn to replace the fear that other humans try to  instill within you with faith in God and his promises. Whom shall you believe and whom shall you fear is solely your decision, God gave us that power when he gave all of us freewill.

Only God can take away your immortal soul, he is the only one that can give you access to heaven or deny you entrance as well. No man can take away the treasures you stow away in heaven, all a man or woman can do is take away the things of this earth. All things on and in this earth are temporary and no one or thing that is of this earth shall remain past their time allotted by God. So worry little over matters of the world and be as God desires, loving , forgiving and good examples of the children of God we have been created to be.

Fear has no power when confronted with Faith and Hope.

Ray Barbier

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution By license.
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Friday Morning Thoughts

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016When we are young we are invincible, unstoppable and foolishly ignorant of our mortality. But we also were full of undying faith and knew the joy of being children of god. As we grew older we had to face our mortality and the fact we are not the unstoppable or unmovable force we once believed. We begin to lose faith in this world and in our selves, and many lose their faith in God as well.

We can reestablish our faith in God and we can also leave the fear of our mortality behind us with such faith. We must constantly remind ourselves where our strength, blessings and wisdom comes from, not from ourselves but from God. We must learn to let go and let God take control, the Ego or Self tends to be resistant to letting God be the one to be in control.

Fear is the enemy, it causes doubt and drains the power of faith, love and it keeps us from happiness.  Selfishness is an enemy as well, one can not serve ones self before serving God nor can they truly help others is they seek to satisfy themselves first. We can only serve one master at a time, and if that master is our own self we tend to neglect not only God but all the people who need us and love us as well.

Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

James 1:3
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.

Green Issues, Poems and Writings, Random Thoughts, Religious, Thought of the day, Thought's on World Issues

What are the caretakers of this world

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IMG_1413What are the caretakers of this world, we were given the responsibility to care for and maintain this wondrous gift that we call Earth.  We have walked down the path of destruction and not one of nurturing and preservation far too long, if we do not change our course we shall lose this planet we call home. Time to plant trees, clean up industry and preserve what wildlife we have remaining. We need the wildlife and the plant life we have here on earth to survive, we also need the air and water we have to be clean to survive as well. What is profit compared to the lives of the many future generations of our kind? It is illogical to seek profit that only destroys or harms  your households future generations.

The love of money only leads to the los of true treasures such as those you love and the future of your household. Imagine what kind of world your great-grandchild will have or even your great great grandchild. Do you want them to have clean water, air and food to eat? Do you want them to see the wonders of the forests and the wildlife they contain?  God gave us this world to live in and he also gave it to us to care for. It’s only fair to care for the earth since it has always provided us with what we needed to survive. If we neglect our home to long it will become so damaged it may not be able to support life anymore.

Until God calls us home to heaven we should care for the home he has blessed us with.

Raymond Barbier

Personal, Poems and Writings, Random Thoughts, Religious, Thought of the day

Time to step away from the character I have played

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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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So they do not become a stumbling block

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DSCF0002Live in the now, leave the past as a memory and take from it the wisdom you earned and learned. Leave the future to itself for it will come in its own time. Forgive yourself of the mistakes of the past and remember them only to serve as a warning not to repeat them again. Let old wounds and hurts be healed through love and forgiveness so they do not become a stumbling block between you and the plans God has for you. Cherish all things you have been blessed with and worry not of those things you do not have for God provides you with all that you need. Envy not the rich, though they have far more than they need or any person should ever want they lack the fellowship and strength of the working class and poor. Take care of your brothers and sisters by any means you have and serve god by making sure no other human wants for food or shelter. Speak kindly of others or say nothing at all for it isn’t what goes into the mouth that matters it is what comes out of your mouth which comes from your heart and can make you unclean.

Focus on fellowship, brotherhood, sisterhood and compassion for those are the traits we should embrace as a Christian. Some say think twice before speaking and doing, I say think thrice for it is good to be watchful of your own heart and the things you say and do. Bless your enemies as you should bless your friends and be peaceful and a guiding light for others. We are meant to set a good example of how to live and interact with others.

God Bless you all

Ray Barbier

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Loving,peaceful and compassionate lights within our world.

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eyeWe are supposed to be good examples and live to serve God by serving our fellow humans. We are servants, messengers, teachers and caregivers of our fellow human beings. Some Christians focus way too much on the condemnation of sinners and forget that we are here to serve god and be a light for those who are lost. We are to lead them to Jesus and his grace, we are also are to spread the word but not go out and be persecutors or those who condemn others. Just like vengeance, judging is God’s not mankind’s to do. We must of course be mindful of what goes on around us and within our own hearts but not as judges but as caregivers and teachers. We should be caring, peaceful, mindful, watchful, loving and compassionate lights within our world.

God does not only want us to change our mind but he also wants us to have a change of heart as well. What comes out of your mouth is either clean or unclean and is what can show others your true heart. Be a good person, be what God desires you to be and always seek to do the right thing.

Ray Barbier

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We are to use our words to heal and to encourage.

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p10058Using words as weapons is not the Christian thing to do, instead we are to use our words to heal and to encourage. Using foul language not only is offensive to others it also degrades ones character and gives a pretty negative  image of yourself for others to see. If you wag your tongue with ought any Discretion or thought to what damage may be done, then you will have to reap the seeds you have sown. Better to follow the bibles guideline and let everything you say be good and helpful. The words you say are the reflection of what is in your heart and on your mind.  Think before you speak and avoid letting out those words of anger.

Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Ephesians 4:29 NLT

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Give up your hurting heart, leave at the alter your worldly, angry, hardened and selfish heart.

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wdh1010 Give up your hurting heart, leave at the alter your worldly, angry, hardened and selfish heart. Pick up that heart God and Jesus gave you, let the seed of love, compassion and understanding grow within you. I know, it is so easy to say that in such a world we live in that it is impossible to be the person God wants us to be. So easy to give in to the fear of failure and the temptation of staying in your comfort zone. Change is scary and being compassionate, loving, caring and understanding is even scarier because you put yourself in a position to be ridiculed, chastised and shunned by those who don’t believe.

p10328 Jesus suffered ridiculed, chastised and shunned by others all the way to the cross. We may have to suffer similar to follow him, that’s a risk we must take as Christians and one well worth it considering what is promised. The fear we suffer when we are trying to choose God and Jesus is just a trick of the enemy and he tries many ways to lead you away from the Love of God. Though we are to believe in faith not by sight there is many signs of God around us. The earth we live on and the life within it is statistically a long shot to exist. The ability for a species to be cognitive, sentient and self-aware is also a statistical rarity. Prayers and miracle healings happening all over the world is another sign. I have seen a few cases of miracle healings and a few people make a 180 in their life after accepting Christ.

p10188To be fair I have seen many times where prayers were not answered and people who didn’t receive healing as well. I do not claim to know why God chooses to do for one and not for another. His will is not ours to understand, it is only ours to accept and embrace. He has a plan for each of us, sometimes he doesn’t answer prayers to save us from the suffering it would bring to us, sometimes its to teach us a lesson. Some may not be healed because God wanted them to come home or they were ready to go home. Either way, there is proof to the power of prayer and there is miracles still happening in modern times and you can find them if you look hard enough.

 Choose to believe or choose not to believe, the choice is yours. Either way I pray you will be blessed and be guided by God and saved by the sacrifice of the lamb we call Christ.

Ray Barbier

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Fear, Faith’s Greatest Enemy

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English: A cross close to the church in Grense...

Fear, faith‘s greatest enemy. If we let fear get the best of us, we are putting fear before our faith in God and his promises and we are also putting fear before our savior as well. We are not meant to be full of fear, we are meant to be full of faith, hope and joy as Christians. Living in constant fear is not living at all, fear consumes ones mind, time and energy leaving little for life, love and serving God. If we believe in the promises of the father and the grace given through Christ we should not fear anything but God himself.

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