Prayer Chaplain Program Newsletter

A Program of Light and Love Ministries

Benchmark #6 of Thriving in Unity (a program of the Association of Unity Churches International)

Prayer Chaplain Program Trainers & Ministries

April 2010

In This Issue

Featured Products

Are You Generous or Stingy?

September Workshop

Quick Links...

Featured Products
We have developed a robust line of products to support Prayer Chaplains and Trainers. To see our full line of products click here.

Reminder Cards

These easy to use reminder cards serve as a great tool for Prayer Chaplains. They remind us of our role and the prayer process.

Cost: .50 cents each plus shipping. To order click here.

Spanish - Come Apart For Awhile

The Ellsworth's prayer handbook "Come Apart For Awhile" is now available in Spanish.

Cost: $15.00 each plus shipping.

To order click here.

Prayer for Protection Key Ring

Pewter oval, with the words Light, Love, Power, Presence on one side and the Prayer for Protection on the other, attached to a key ring. Measures 2 1/2" x 1 1/2"

Price: 6.00 each plus shipping. To order click here.

Embracing the Past in a New Way

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Matt 5:5

What an interesting time in our human evolution to be talking about meekness. Political posturing on both side of the aisle is full of conflict and power struggles - certainly not being dominated by a "meek" state of mind. The state of our economy has driven people to places of accusations, discord, and aggression. And along comes Jesus saying "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Just as these words had meaning at the time in history they were first spoken, they have a powerful meaning for us now.

In Eric Butterworth's book "Discover the Power Within" he says"Meekness is a sensitiveness or surrender of consciousness to the influence of something. When Jesus says 'Blessed are the meek,' He doesn't mean to surrender to people, but to God. The best conductor of electricity is the substance that is least resistance to the flow of the electric current. Likewise, the best conductor of the divine power is the person who is nonresistant to the flow of divine power. This attitude comes from the conviction that God is always the answer to human needs, and a willingness to submit wholeheartedly to the flow of the spirit in and through us." MEEK is not WEAK!

To be meek is to stand in the truth of the strength and power of Spirit moving in and through our lives - to be strong enough to release the power struggles, resistance, and need to control. Being meek is not being self-centered (focused on ourselves) but rather it is God-centered. I invite you to breathe and check it out - where are you in your center? Are you in a place of resistance or in a place of surrender to the activity of Spirit no matter what shows up in the world or circumstances in your life. Consciously call on God's presence and stand in God's power which is always greater than....

This month I invite you to observe your power flow. Open a space to identify places where you sense a power struggle - at home - with family members - at work - with friends - in yourself. And remember Jesus' words - "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." Be willing to be willing to let go and let God.

Blessed be,

Lei Lanni

Affirmation: "I am in tune with God - that which is God-inspired and God directed shall prevail."

Visit our website and click on the "Beatitudes" button at the bottom of the screen for a pdf handout with additional information.

Leadership

Are You Stingy or Generous?

By Jeri Royce

I have been fortunate in my professional and personal life to be exposed to a lot of schools of thought about management, leadership, communication, and personal development. It's really great to have input from different sources on these topics because even though I think I get it - each time it goes a little deeper. And every once in a while, I have an epiphany. You know those moment when the synapses in your brain fire on all cylinders and not only do you get it, you apply it right away and it changes your experience?

I recently had one of those epiphany moments that I would like to share with you. I attended a workshop focused on the conversations we have in our head all the time but specifically when we're talking with someone else - you know that self-chatter that seems to go on without our even trying. More specifically, the workshop was about the nature of the conversations we have in our head and how to change them from automatic or stingy to intentional or generous.

The premise of this idea is that we have automatic conversations in our head all the time. These conversations are often hard-wired and happen because we're addicted to the emotional response we feel when we have them. We have no real choice in the conversation - it just happens - unless we choose something else. The automatic (stingy) conversations are driven by "emotional buckets" that we've developed over our life time:

Assessments - Always analyzing the situation - how does this compare to the world according to me?
Personal - What's in it for me?
Looking Good - Being concerned about how I am perceived by others - fitting in.
Utility - What's this good for and how can I use this for what's really important?
Closure - I'm right and you're wrong.
Resignation - There's no way - that's just the way it is.

The challenge is to replace those automatic or stingy conversations in our head with one that is intentional or generous. It is literally a matter of recognizing that we're in an automatic conversation in our head and pushing it back and bringing the intentional conversation forward. You choose! After all, it's just a conversation. The buckets that drive the intentional conversations are:

Commitment - Sharing and making my standards a little more elastic.
Partnership (we opposed to I) - We're in this together. I'm interested in a win/win.
Belonging - Taking ownership and being accountable.
Contribution - Recognizing the value - that something can make a difference.
Open - Putting your point of view aside to hear another.
Possibility - Allowing for the possibility for something to occur.

I can assure you from personal experience that these concepts have rocked my world. My first step was to just be aware. To begin to recognize the conversations in my head and whether they were stingy or generous. Then I began to replace the stingy thoughts with generous thoughts. If someone cut me off in traffic and my inner dialogue was that they were being thoughtless and careless, I simply became aware of the dialogue, hit the pause button and gave them the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps they didn't even see me. Doesn't that change the entire dynamic?

This is a practice. Situations in traffic are far less emotionally charged for me than situations with my husband, children, or even the people I work with. But the simple steps of awareness, hitting the pause button and re-framing - giving the benefit of the doubt are great places to start. I have found that it has changed my interactions with others, helped me to listen with "soft eyes," and helps me make that shift from my head to my heart.

You can choose - after all - it's just a conversation!

2010 Prayer Chaplain Trainers Workshop

REGISTER NOW!

Say "yes" to your next step. NOW is the time to infuse your program with new energy, train new leadership, or bring this powerful Prayer Chaplain Program to your ministry. Visit our website for additional information about the Prayer Chaplain Program and our complete 2010 Workshop Schedule.