The Chief Disciple: Peter, stability, and routines

The Chief Disciple card comes up showing St. Peter.  The rooster there is a nod to when Jesus said to him, "The rooster won't caw until you deny me three times."  This message has to do with the masculine ways of doing things, even spiritually.  This is about someone who has a set way of doing things.  It's not someone who goes to any other churches other then his own.  He's not interested in changing his ways, but he will help you change yourself to come over to what he is doing.

There's stability and organization from having that kind of anchoring in something.  Once this person finds what works for him he doesn't try to fix what isn't broken.

So you may be looking for stability if this comes up.  You might really enjoy being around someone who knows who they are and stands by that.  Some things about people never change..... and we all know that for ever how long this earth is alive the story of Jesus will be alive to.  

If I was pulling this card for me I would say that I would probably be looking for an anchor.  Peter was a rock after all.  Maybe I need to be strong for someone or lean a little more on friends who are solid and real.  What we are looking for here is something or someone predictable.  Someone who maintains their routines, good habits make us feel safe.

Shift your focus from the problem back to love.

"Whoever does not hate father and mother cannot be a follower of me, and whoever does not hate brothers and sisters and bear the cross as I do will not be worthy of me." Thomas 55

This deck was created solely with Jesus Christ in mind but it does take from the Dead Sea Scrolls as well as the Bible.  I think it's called the Master Tarot Deck. I found it in a basket on a "Used Shelf" in a spiritual bookstore and they gave it to me for like $2.  Anyway I've always enjoyed it but never gave the deck the proper time and care that it deserved or required.  So why not start now?

This card actually talks about the fine line of honoring the mother and father while at the same time being mindful to not take on the negatives of the family that is around you.  So for example, if you were raised by someone who was angry and bitter, you could honor and love that person for giving you food, shelter, clothing, all the things that a person basically needs to grow up with until they can do it for themselves.  But you would be mindful to reject that bitterness and that anger, possibly choosing gentleness or a more neutral way of being so as not to follow the example of the bad habits of people.

So if this card were to come up for you I would probably say, "Ask God to cleanse you of any of the baggage that your family may have put on you as you were growing up."  Keep the good, leave the bad.

For me, I feel this card is saying that I can honor my mom and dad and my family without having to walk in their footsteps or think the way they think.  Just because they don't read the bible, it does't mean that I can't.  Just because they have images about me that I feel aren't even true of the real me, it doesn't mean that I can't change and be something else.

Gonna be a cowboy from Idaho on Halloween.

Keep Calm, ain't nobody got time for that.

So I was telling my Missionaries last night about how things never change for me and they were like..

Learning Kindness And Compassion from a Sprint Customer Service Rep

In a 3 month long journey to somehow lower my Sprint bill, it just keeps going up, and so I finally started blowing up a the poor rep who happened to be at this stage of the journey with me.  And did he handle it with kindness and compassion?  Yes.  Did Mr. Charlie bring me to tears because I finally had to explain why it was so important that I get this bill down and that what they are quoting me is real.  

It's just plain crap when you're in a hole that someone else dug for you.

You end up trying to maintain a life that simply has to change and you come face to face with the struggle of accepting that you are now in a different set of circumstances that need to be adjusted to.  So you start "cutting the fat" with yourself so that the ones you support don't have to notice that life has changed.  Food stamps, food pantries, shopping at Good Will, the kids don't really notice that especially if you do it when they are not with you.

But don't take away the cell phones!  That would just make it too obvious that we aren't where we used to be.   Lord Jesus Christ I just don't know anymore about anything.

Went To Church Service Today: Watching The Chosen Ones

So today service was a little different, they let the Chosen Ones talk today to everyone world wide.

It was nice to see people who really live this stuff and know their scripture by heart get up and share.

Basically, if I can be so bold as to sum up what the main message was, it was to just keep Jesus Christ in your sights.  Keep him as a vibrant memory in your mind.  Frequently recall his examples.  And remember that even Jesus Christ- super human at the least and God The Source at the most- was in the flesh and knows what it means to walk this earth.  That from his example we can see how to handle the problems that pop up in our own lives.

Changes In Direction....sort of.

Ok so here's the thing, I've always been about Jesus Christ and the saints and the bible.  That stuff always interested me in a very real way.  If I had been brought up in a household where the parents cared about spiritual things I would have probably run with it, but I wasn't.  I wasn't brought up with people who "practiced."  Like we all are Catholic and yet none of us were in the real sense of the word.

This left me free to explore every religion and every spiritual path.  I respect just about everything because just about everything is founded on the same good principles: be kind to others, be quicker to forgive then to take offence, do things that show you are listening and that you care, remember that you are not the center of the world, and what you do now will have reactions and ripple effects.

However for the first time in my life I've been going to church service, with these missionary boys that I met, and we are friends.  I had no intention of "joining" anything, merely sharing in a churchly service with new friends, showing that I am their friend by showing up and learning a thing or two about what they are teaching in the world.  I've gone to three consecutive services now and tomorrow will be the 4th, the effect this is having on me is to cut all the new age bullshit out and keep the Jesus Christ and saints part.

Unity is very neutral which is fine.  Claiming Jesus Christ is more...something.  I'm going to continue to do readings but they will be from my Christ decks, certain angel decks, and saints decks.  I'm going to change my spiritual counseling to more of a spiritual life coaching with prayer and Christ.

So it's not so much a change in direction, more like a refining of what I was doing all along.

And this is really what I want to say:  I'm pro Jesus Christ.  But I'm also pro "you working with what works for you" so please know that me being for something doesn't mean I'm against anything at the same time.  Jesus Christ just really works for me.