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Spiritual
Considerations
Waking Spirit
Dancing with Your Heart, May 5, 2007
"Do not leave out any one color life has given you to
create your painting." ~Shirley Cheng
Shirley Cheng creates beautiful worlds of inspiration by
focusing on a positive outlook. Her wisdom and captivating
writing style reveals a rare beauty of the heart. Humorous haiku
blends effortlessly with devotional selections as quotes sing a
wisdom we want to hear and live.
For seventeen years, Shirley Cheng experienced the world with
her full vision, but now as she has lost her eyesight, her inner
vision awakens on the page like a field of wildflowers in full
bloom. This book takes you on journeys of spirit, where you feel
nurtured and loved in this world of magical joy. Her visions of
delicate wonder are a warm soothing revelation:
"Delicate seashell
Sighs to the beating heart of
Ocean waves splashing"
~Seashell Sighing
I think Shirley says it best:
"Although I'm blind, I can see far and wide, as my heart
tells me all it sees; even though I'm disabled, I can climb high
mountains, for my spirit soars with the wind, unafraid to face
the rain and hail. In spite of all the high mountains I have
climbed, I have arrived at each and every top with a smile. I
have conquered thorny jungles and fiery seas and come out with
stars in my arms."
What a beautiful soul. As a fan of all of Shirley Cheng's books,
I think this is my favorite book! I love all of her writing, but
this one is especially enjoyable because I love her clever haiku
that sometimes made me laugh with surprise. This haiku reminded
me of a wonderful childhood memory I'd forgotten:
Meadow of Cotton Balls
Along green meadows
Hopping cotton balls dotting
White rabbits frolic
I can highly recommend "Waking Spirit" as well as
"Dance with Your Heart: Tales and Poems That The Heart
Tells." The positive energy in Shirley Cheng's books is
refreshing, real and inspiring. I hope you will invite her
writing into your heart to experience the beauty of love's
transforming energy.
~The Rebecca Review
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Defeat the 7 Deadly Sins
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Essential Reading for All Souls, May 11, 2007
"Our journeys must always begin with ourselves, since the
only way change, healing and transformation can truly take place
is through our own efforts." ~ pg. 2
Alan Fensin presents his knowledge on the 7 Deadly Sins in a way
that shows his deep understanding of human behavior and the
finer points of how these sins destroy the human soul and create
situations of unhappiness. He presents pertinent verses for
contemplation as well as a number of quotes by Thomas Aquinas.
Then, after contemplating the characteristics and ways each sin
appears in human life, he provides prayers for specific
situations that need our attention.
"Spiritual health is absolutely necessary for psychological
health." ~ Alan Fensin
Through this excellent work a deeper understanding of why people
break the Ten Commandments appears with a renewed clarity. These
sins being the underlying causes of human suffering on all
levels. Alan Fensin stays balanced when discussing sins like
envy when he shows both sides and how one person may cause
others to be envious while the other is envious. He then gives
insight into how this sin motivates people to take actions they
will later regret.
Many of the sins seem to cause negative thought patterns and
reading this book helps to reveal how the sins appear in daily
life. The connections between credit card debt and greed or the
connection between drug addictions and gluttony make the topics
relevant to modern society. Each sin is clarified with excellent
examples, like that sloth may appear as depression.
"Sloth might sink by degrees into bitterness of soul and
hatred of existence. ~ pg. 210
Through the healing power of God's love and the teachings of
Christ, we can defeat these sins and live with renewed hope. If
you are dealing with anger, pride, envy, greed, gluttony, lust
or sloth this is essential reading. Devotional passages and
prayers are provided for your spiritual growth and I found many
of them to be helpful in my own spiritual journey.
If you think this is a difficult book to read, you may be
pleasantly surprised at how nurtured and healed you feel and how
comforting it is to read the Bible verses and to learn how to
defeat any sin that may be causing you difficulty on your
spiritual path. I can highly recommend this book to all souls
who are seeking relief from sin and want to find renewed purpose
in their spiritual life. This book also has the amazing ability
to lift your spirits and refresh your soul. After reading this
book for about four days I felt cleansed and healed and filled
with a new understanding of life itself.
Highly Recommended! Possibly one of the most important books you
may ever read in this lifetime. No matter where you are on your
spiritual path, "Defeat the 7 Deadly Sins" is a book
your soul needs.
~The Rebecca Review
Spiritual Warfare
Victory over Darkness, July 11, 2008
"The fact is, we are engaged in spiritual warfare whether
we want to be or not. We may be winning or losing, but there is
no way to declare neutrality." ~ pg. 143
Timothy M. Warner has written a useful book for Christians who
believe that they are in a war between good and evil. This book
explains that Satan is a beautiful angel who became jealous of
God's glory. After taking a third of heaven's angels with him,
he came to earth to thwart God's plans. Timothy M. Warner
believes Satan is still as active on earth as he was in the
Garden of Eden.
While demon possession is one of the topics, demon oppression is
emphasizes even more. Demons can apparently be responsible for
illness or psychological problems. They may put thoughts in your
head that you don't want to think about. The ideas in this book
are backed up by many scripture references.
"Fallen angels cannot act directly upon the will, but they
can and do act upon the imaginations, thoughts, emotions and
desires. Where they find a passion alive and active in us, they
can play upon these passions and fantasies and so intensify the
passion. Evidently they can also inject fantasies and feelings
which have no ground in our own character and experience."
~ John Newport, pg. 99
This book would be especially helpful for missionaries who seem
to have more encounters with demons that the rest of us.
Christians may find this book useful if they feel they may be
under demonic attack.
~The Rebecca Review
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