Baha'u'llah And Native American Prophecy...

I attended a lecture at the Orlando Baha'i Center on "Baha'u'llah And Native American Prophecy" given by a very dear friend Joe Killeen. He has spent most of his life studying Religious Prophecy and is extremly knowledgeable on this subject. What I appreciate most is his enthusiasm and his inclusion of prophecy of all religions. This was my first time experiencing one of Joe's lectures, and I'm looking forward to many more. If you get a chance to attend one, don't miss it.

This is an excerpt:

(...The prophesy of Native Americans spoke of the coming of God's Messengers for many centuries in the past. Quetzalcoatl, the prophet of the Toltecs, Chilam-Balam of the Itza-Mayas, Pahana of the Hopi, Deganawida of the Iroquois, just to name a few, spoke of, recognized and witnessed the comings and goings of many Messengers sent by the most Great Spirit. Let me tell you of a few of these most great Manifestations, that our Native American Brothers and Sisters have revealed to us...)

Once I feel more comfortable with this blog thing, I will ask his permission to post the entire lecture and hopefully more. Keep checking back.

Baby steps...

Something that is becoming more and more clear to me as I gain life experience, is that true growth comes from consistently taking "baby steps". It is the small, seemingly insignificant, daily choices that say the most about us.

Most people will find it easy to make the big choices, like stealing, murder, etc. But, for example, choosing not to join in on "complaint-sessions" about a co-worker that is a lackadaisical screw-up w/ an obnoxious personality (a current issue I'm struggling with) is a small, everyday choice that, over time, can make a huge impact in many ways. Not only outwardly, but can also transform the individual into a better, healthier, and more balanced person. And in turn brings you closer to God's light...which in turn shines through you to help others in their Spiritual growth towards God's light...etc, etc, etc.

It seems to me that these "baby steps" come from not only "saying" what you believe in, but in "believing" what you say and then living your life in accordance with those beliefs...consistently. I have been "saying" that I believe in Baha'u'llah and his teachings since I declared at fifteen. And I truly meant it all these years. I was very sincere. Yet, it took twenty years, kidney failure, and a failed marriage to realize that I didn't "believe" what I had been "saying" all those years. Not truly, and not with every fiber of my being. Although I didn't realize it at the time I had been approaching "it" with a very "go with the flow" attitude. "It" being The Faith, my spirituality, my moral character, etc. More as a philosophy than a way of life. I've always been a "nice guy" but perhaps not such a "good person". Even the most hardened of criminals have at least a few redeamable qualities. I certainly could've been a better person.

Now that I truly "believe" in His teachings and sincerely want to incorporate them into my daily life, I find it very challenging. I equate it to school. When you are in school as a child, you learn because you "have" to. When you are an adult and go to school, you learn because you "want" to. But the curriculum doesn't get easier because you "want" to learn. It just makes the lessons more significant and satisfying when you finish.

Baha'u'llah is a spell check item...

Yes, it is true! We have progressed so far that now Baha'u'llah and Baha'i are actual spell check words. You know, when you use a program (like MS Word, or your email) that has a spell checker and you mistype a word it will give you the correct spelling. Well, I was just G-mailing (Google's email) a friend and misspelled Baha'u'llah. As always, I spell check before I send out and Gmail highlighted it. This is not unusual as so far no spell-checker had His name or the word Baha'i...until now. So when I clicked on His name, Gmail gave spelling options.

I am simply overjoyed. Try it in your spell-checkers and spread the word.

Alla'u'abha

(by the way, "Alla'u'abha" spell-checks as Aloha...which is also used as a greeting and a departure...hmmm)