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Coming Together to Love, Heal & Empower

Inspiring Stories of Unselfish Love and More

Inspirations

October 2004
Issue Number 24

Welcome to Inspirations! Global Community For All sends out this e-zine filled with short, inspiring stories of unselfish love, healing, and empowerment once every three months. We share these wonderfully inspiring stories to encourage and inspire each other to be the best we can be each day of our lives. Thanks for joining us, and may these words inspire us to ever deepen our commitment to love, heal, and empower; to open to divine guidance; and to choose what's best for all.


The four inspiring stories for this issue are:

57 Cents Moves Mountains: Story of Unselfish Love – Russell H. Conwell
May today there be peace within. – Author Unknown
Transcending Conflict – Harrison Owen
Choose Peace – Alan Cohen


57 Cents Moves Mountains: Story of Unselfish Love–Russell H. Conwell

Based on a story in his book Acres of Diamonds

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was too crowded. "I can't go to Sunday School," she sobbed to the pastor as he walked by.

Seeing her shabby, unkempt appearance, the pastor guessed the reason and, taking her by the hand, took her inside and found a place for her in the Sunday school class. The child was so happy that they found room for her, that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship.

Some two years later, this child lay dead in one of the poor tenement buildings and the parents called for the kindhearted pastor, who had befriended their daughter, to handle the final arrangements.

As her poor little body was being moved, a worn and crumpled purse was found which seemed to have been rummaged from some trash dump. Inside was found 57 cents and a note scribbled in childish handwriting which read, "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School." For two years she had saved for this offering of love.

When the pastor tearfully read that note, he knew instantly what he would do. Carrying this note and the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit, he told the story of her unselfish love and devotion. He challenged his deacons to get busy and raise enough money for the larger building.

But the story does not end there!

A newspaper learned of the story and published it. It was read by a realtor who offered them a parcel of land worth many thousands. When told that the church could not pay so much, he offered it for 57 cents.

Church members made large donations. Checks came from far and wide. Within five years the little girl's gift had increased to $250,000.00–a huge sum for that time (near the turn of the century). Her unselfish love had paid a large dividend.

When you are in the city of Philadelphia, look up Temple Baptist Church, with a seating capacity of 3,300, and Temple University, where hundreds of students are trained. Have a look, too, at the Good Samaritan Hospital, and at a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of Sunday Schoolers, so that no child in the area will ever need to be left outside during Sunday school time.

In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents, so sacrificially saved, made such remarkable history. Alongside of it is a portrait of her kind  pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell, author of the book, "Acres of Diamonds".


May today there be peace within–Author Unknown

May today there be peace within.

May you trust your highest power that you are exactly where you are meant to be.
May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.
May you use those gifts that you have received.

May you pass on the love that has been given to you.
May you be content knowing you are a child of God.

Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing.
It is there for each and every one of you.


Transcending Conflict–Harrison Owen

Genuine Peace will never be attained with the elimination of chaos, confusion and conflict. In fact all three are essential to the continuance of life. Without chaos, there is no open space for future possibilities. Without confusion, old ideas and ways of thinking stick around well beyond their time. And without conflict, ideas and approaches fail to reach their full potential, never having been sharpened in the intense conversation of critical assessment. Peace of the sort that brings wholeness, harmony and health to our lives only happens when chaos, confusion, and conflict are included and transcended.

Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him. - Martin Luther King, Jr.


Choose Peace–Alan Cohen

A friend confided in me that he was struggling to understand his responsibility in a world obsessed with war. I told him the answer is simple: choose peace.

While you cannot control the attitudes or actions of politicians or others, you have total control over the thoughts, feelings, and energy you are exuding. If you are steeped in fear, anger, or a sense of victimization, you are contributing to the darkness. If you hold a sense of peace, compassion, kindness, and the presence of love, you are contributing to healing. As Kipling nobly penned, "If you can hold your head when all about you are losing theirs..."

Mother Teresa was once asked to speak at an anti-war rally. She refused. "If it were a pro-peace rally, I would attend," she explained. "But fighting against war, like fighting against anything, is just another form of war."

A liberal spiritual teacher recounted that on his altar he has pictures of Christ, Buddha, and many other spiritual masters. He recently added a photo of George W. Bush. Why? "Until I can find the same divinity in George W. Bush as I find in other holy beings, I am stuck. When I can see and honor his soul, then I am in a position to protest. Until then, I am ineffective."

The power of prayer and intention goes a long, long way. At any given moment the world situation is a precise expression of the consciousness of all the people who live here. As you shift your consciousness in the direction of peace, wholeness, and faith, you tip the balance in that direction. You literally become the tipping point for the world you would like to create.

Be less concerned with what you are doing and more concerned with how you are doing it. Actions that spring from fear or hatred, no matter how nobly clothed, create only more of the same. Actions that issue from faith and love, no matter how humbly clothed, create only more of the same.

A visionary thrives under all circumstances, for he or she sees beyond the obvious. At this time the world needs good visionaries. If you would save the world, begin with your own consciousness.


War will exist until that distant day when the conscientious objector enjoys the same reputation and prestige that the warrior does today. – John F. Kennedy

A man of peace is not a pacifist; a man of peace is simply a pool of silence. He pulsates a new kind of energy into the world. He sings a new song. He lives in a totally new way. His very way of life is that of grace, that of prayer, that of compassion. Whomsoever he touches, he creates more love energy. The man of peace is creative. He is not against war, because to be against anything is to be at war. He is not against war; he simply understands why war exists. And out of that understanding he becomes peaceful. Only when there are many people who are pools of peace, silence, understanding, will war disappear.  -- Osho


Transforming Our Inner and Outer Worlds–Fred Burks

Imagine. Imagine a world where every person feels deeply satisfied in their relationships. Imagine a world where everyone feels deeply satisfied in their spiritual lives. Would there be any room for war? Absolutely not! War is a means of collectively placing blame outside of ourselves for what is going on inside of ourselves. And we are all guilty. We all at times choose to blame others for our problems rather than to go through the uncomfortable process of looking inside ourselves for the causes of our dissatisfaction. And how many of us haven't blamed Bush, Clinton, Hussein, or some other politician for problems in our world?

As we dive deep into spirituality, most of us come to realize that every person in the world has a place in their hearts that wants only to love and be loved. We begin to see that in our core, we are all divine. We ever deepen our ability with whoever stands in front of us to see the divine looking back at us. We increasingly come to realize that we are all interconnected by an unseen web of love that permeates our world. We are coming to realize that no matter how twisted some souls have become, in our heart of hearts, we are all sacred brothers and sisters. Deep within, we are all made of the same sacred essence–even Clinton, Bush, and Hussein!

Imagine love. So how does all this relate to what's going on in the world right now? I invite you to notice how you are feeling about what's happening in your life. Who are you blaming for your problems? Who are you angry at? How does that anger serve you? How does blaming others serve all of us? What if instead, we choose to feel our connection with the deepest essence of each person with whom we blame or are angry? What if instead of dwelling on anger and blame, we choose to send love even to that deepest part of even Bush and Hussein that is our sacred brother? Just imagine what might happen in the world if we all start beaming love deep into their hearts, and into the hearts of anyone in our lives we tend to blame or be angry with!

This is not to say that we should not take firm action to stop violent or disempowering behavior going on in our lives and in the world. We can definitely work together to stop behavior that is destructive. Yet even as we take action, we can try to understand the motivation behind negative behavior. Each person is only trying to do what they believe is right. So, even when we take concrete actions to prevent harm, we can choose to recognize and connect with the divine essence that is always present in whoever we are confronting.

We can also strive to find a balance between our work in the outer world and the inner world. I have found that the most powerful transformation often takes place when I focus on transforming my inner world. As my inner world becomes ever more capable of giving and receiving love, I am continually amazed at how the world outside of me becomes a mirror, reflecting the love right back to me! It's truly miraculous!!!

Peace and Love Manifesting. So let us choose to set aside time to explore the sacred connection between our inner world and our outer world. Let us set our intention to transform blame and anger into peace and love by starting within ourselves. I honestly believe this is one of the most powerful ways we can heal not only ourselves, but the entire world. As we find ever more peace and love within ourselves and choose to radiate it out to all, don't be surprised if the world outside us miraculously joins us in moving in this direction. Yes, we are already doing it! Through consciously opening to transforming our fear and anger, and to sharing our love with all, we are healing both ourselves and the world around us! Thank you for your invaluable part in manifesting peace and love on our beautiful planet.


When the power of love overcomes the love of power,
the world will know peace. - Jimi Hendrix

All the darkness of the world cannot put out the light of a single candle.

Thanks for sharing in these inspiring stories with us. We wish you lots of love, inspiration, and all the very best in the months ahead.


Explore the mind and heart expanding websites managed by the nonprofit PEERS network:
www.peerservice.org - PEERS websites: Spreading inspiration, education, & empowerment
www.momentoflove.org - Every person in the world has a heart
www.personalgrowthcourses.net - Dynamic online courses powerfully expand your horizons
www.WantToKnow.info - Reliable, verifiable information on major cover-ups
www.weboflove.org - Strengthening the Web of Love that interconnects us all

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