Join Live at 2:00 PM ET: A panel of educators from Chabad yeshivos will be discussing raising emotionally and spiritually healthy bochurim, in the first of a series of panels on chinuch.

By Anash.org reporter

A panel of educators from Chabad yeshivos will be discussing raising emotionally and spiritually healthy bochurim, in the first of a series of panels on chinuch.

Titled Raising a Tomim the panel will take place on Monday, 20 Av, August 10th at 2 PM ET and will be broadcast on Anash.org. The panelists will discuss challenges and problems facing current-day bochurim, and debate the best way to approach these issues.

On the panel will be Rabbi Shlomo Sternberg of Chovivei Torah, Rabbi Mendel Gordon of Yeshivas Lubavitch London, and Rabbi Osher Farkash of Yeshivas Lubavitch Argentenia. Moderating the panel will be Rabbi Levi Kaplan of Cheder Chabad Monsey.

The panel is the first of a series on chinuch, with upcoming panels planned to discuss girls education and other topics.

Join live via Zoom:Zoom ID: 815-0726-2562Passcode: chossid

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Live: Raising Emotionally and Spiritually Healthy Bochurim - Anash.org - Good News

90 Day Fianc stars Kalani Faagata and Asuelu Pulaa have disagreed about many things so far on the fifth season of TLCs 90 Day Fianc: Happily Ever After. From parenting their two young sons to traditional gender roles, flying to Asuelus home country of Samoa during a measles outbreak, and giving money to Asuelus family, the couple has often been at odds about nearly every aspect of their life.

But, in a new sneak peek of an upcoming episode of TLCs 90 Day Fianc: Happily Ever After, Asuelu and Kalani revealed that they have at least one shared belief: They believe in ghosts and hauntingsand they even believed their rental home during a vacation was haunted by unwanted spirits.

In a 90 Day Fianc preview, Asuelu and Kalani woke up in their rental home in Washington after an awkward day on the road and a big fight. The couple had traveled from Utah to Washington with their two sons, Oliver and Kennedy, in tow in order to meet up with Asuelus mom and two-half sisters, who were currently living there.

Asuelu was frustrated at the end of the long road trip when he learned it was too late in the evening to reunite with his mom. He resented Kalani for wanting to head back to their vacation rental and get some rest for the boys and herself after the long car ride.

But before they discussed their argument, the 90 Day Fianc couple had more pressing mattersof a paranormal nature, no lessto talk about.

I still feel tired, Asuelu told his wife. I barely sleep last night.

When Kalani asked Asuelu why hed gotten so little rest, he told her matter-of-factly, Because I saw a ghost.

The 90 Day Fianc star claimed that, when hed gone to the bathroom in the middle of the night, hed seen a little girl looking at him.

Asuelu told 90 Day Fianc producers that the experience had been nothing short of harrowing.

Most Samoans believe in ghosts, Kalanis husband explained. Last night, I saw, its likea shadow of a little girl standing in front of the bathroom.

And after the alleged paranormal encounter, Asuelu said, hed never been able to relax.

I feel like Im standing in the air, and I feel like I have big, big head, he said of his terror after witnessing the ghost. And I didnt really go to sleep last night. I was wake up whole night and in the morning. I feel very scared.

RELATED: 90 Day Fianc: Kalani Faagata Asks Followers Not to Insult Asuelu Pulaa On Social Media

But instead of telling her husband he was imagining things, Kalani seemed to fully believe Asuelus story. In fact, she said, she shared Asuelus belief in ghostsand claimed to have experienced the same ghostly presence the night before.

Okay, thatno, Kalani said incredulously, her eyes wide. I didnt tell you because I didnt want to scare you, but last night, I heard someone talking. I held my pee because I was too scared to go to the bathroom.

Kalani told 90 Day Fianc producers that she truly believed there was a harmful paranormal presence in the couples vacation rental.

I 100% believe in ghosts, the mom of two said. Sometimes, you encounter bad ones. Never really happened to both of us at the same time, but I believe that there is a bad one here.

Kalani and Asuelu might not have agreed on much, but they certainly agreed on one thing: They didnt want to stay in their rental home.

The 90 Day Fianc couples discussion of ghosts led to an unlikely moment of bonding at a strained moment.

Im happy us being freaked out about ghosts made us talk, Kalani told her husband.

She explained that Asuelu had freaked out the night before because they couldnt go see his mom right away.

But, unlike in their other recent fights, Asuelu seemed to have taken accountability for his actions.

After the boys went to sleep, Asuelu apologized, Kalani said, adding that she hoped this was a sign of his choice to turn over a new leaf.

Asuelu, too, hoped the couples visit with his mom and half-sisters would provide a fresh start after a time of tension in their relationship.

I promise Kalani I not get angry this trip, because things went so bad in California, he said, adding that he vowed to do better from now on in his relationship with Kalani.

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'90 Day Fianc': Kalani and Asuelu Reveal Their Rare, Unconventional Shared Spiritual Belief in New Sneak Peek - Showbiz Cheat Sheet

All of a sudden I am interested in all the sayings involving iron,captivating, uses, discoveries and sentences including iron metal.

I read close to a book every two weeks. My current one is bent on the use of this amazing wordin court cases, alibis and large manufacturing companies.

Iron, the name, comes from Anglo-Saxon iren and was discovered in the Eastern part of the world, thousands of years ago, used for various ceremonies but was also considered too valuable and expensive to use in everyday life.

Its chemical element is Fe. It is silver-colored,plentiful, common and cheap, very useful for many products and seems more valuable than gold.

Today, it is found all over Texas and more parts of America.

In the 19thCentury, mainly Navy vessels were sheathed in armor (iron), seemingly unbreakable and impenetrable,compared to the former wooden boats. Once again, amazing use for protection and strength.

Ironclad

My current booksparked a word-research common activity in me, and here goes some of the sentences!

I am a born-again, free, full-of-the-Holy Spirit, peaceful, joyful, healed Christian, and that is without a doubt ironclad because of God and His Son, Jesus, covering me with angels and His armor according to the scriptures:

Please e-mail me if you need a Bible or counseling:kathiedeasy@hotmail.com

So, if whatever you think isironclad, make sure the iron isntrusty.

Kathie Deasy writes about religion for Port Arthur Newsmedia. She can be reached at kathiedeasy@hotmail.com.

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KATHIE DEASY Ironclad sparks ideas of being armed in spiritual iron - Port Arthur News - The Port Arthur News

The coronavirus outbreak is inspiring Christians to take spiritual formation into their own hands and thats just fine with a lot of spiritual formation pastors.

People have pushed pause, said Jayne Davis, associate pastor for discipleship at First Baptist Church in Wilmingon, N.C. I find that people are finding ways to reflect on life and faith and pace and on the purpose of life.

As individuals explore online venues for everything from Sunday school to centering prayer, Davis and other clergy are working hard to translate age-old discipleship techniques into the digital age.

I think people are hungry, she said. We are trying very hard to help them connect spiritual practices to their life in very practical ways.

Fear is driving some Americans to seek solace through deepening faith.

An existential anxiety has developed due to the pandemic, ongoing social unrest and widespread economic hardship, said Kathryn Keller, a Dallas psychologist whose specialties include treating people with PTSD and other forms of trauma.

White Americans are confronting their white privilege since the death of George Floyd, which adds to the stress for them, she said. People are just kind of shaken these days.

As a result, spiritual directors are reporting a higher demand for their ministries and programs than before COVID-19.

People are finding us because they are looking for a meditative, contemplative orientation in the midst of this pandemic, said Michael Sciretti Jr., a Baptist minister and pastor of The Center for Christian Spirituality, a contemplative community based in Houston.

The center has received queries from around the nation and the world since the coronavirus outbreak separated people from in-person faith communities and programs, he said. Many desire to engage in centering prayer and other spiritual paths to grow closer to God and other people.

The organization has responded with online offerings, including spiritual direction and Zoom group practices aimed at awakening faith and transforming perspectives especially about the pandemic.

Centering prayer, in which a sacred word is used to pray meditatively, can bring a focused calm to an otherwise chaotic time, Sciretti said. This is an interior yielding to God that allows change and transformation to work on you. People from all over the world are trying to find some grounding and centeredness in this pandemic.

Church ministers who long have labored to convince adults to continue faith development are delighted to see men and women taking the lead in their own discipleship.

This idea of assuming responsibility and acting for your own spiritual formation is being augmented by this time in ways we couldnt have predicted.

Its super exciting, said David White, connections pastor at Johns Creek Baptist Church in Atlanta. We are finding that this idea of assuming responsibility and acting for your own spiritual formation is being augmented by this time in ways we couldnt have predicted.

Spiritual formation assumes an understanding that a life in Christ must be nurtured and pursued throughout a believers life, he said. It is typically delivered through Sunday school classes, Bible studies and other courses. Those courses have become virtual in many congregations.

White said those online settings appear to present fewer distractions than in-person meetings. When a person chooses to engage with a resource we put out there, its that person and a screen in a very undistracted kind of way. People have no choice but to take responsibility.

Johns Creek Baptist is discerning how best to offer spiritual formation tools given the new environment. And its a good challenge to face, White said. We are beginning to see that we have been given quite a gift.

But that gift can initially be a rude awakening for many, said Blake Kendrick, minister for adult discipleship at Providence Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C.

It has forced us to face how unbalanced we have been, he explained. We have all been forced to take an extended, patient look at our inward life and to discover that we have been spiritually malnourished.

Kendrick said hes been encouraged by the positive response many have had to this epiphany. There is clearly a hunger for wholeness and wellbeing and to be shaped in the image of Christ for the world.

At Providence Baptist, faith formation activities such as the pub theology group, Sunday school, adult Bible study and Wednesday seminars have taken on virtual expressions. Spiritual development opportunities also are being shared through social media. The effort is well received.

The level of engagement has been much greater during COVID-19 than before, he reported.

Spiritual formation also has come to have parallels with monastic Christianity, said Kendrick, a leadership team member of the Academy of Spiritual Formation, the retreat arm of The Upper Room ministry.

The early monastics retreated to the desert for safety and to live a life devoted to Christianity. They had to figure out things for themselves, and it transformed them.

While those monks often were fleeing religious persecution, many Christians today seek to distance themselves from the consumerism they realize has infiltrated their faith lives, Kendrick added. We are being forced to figure out our spiritual priorities. We want to feel alive and connected to the spirit of Christ.

For some that is occurring through morning prayer, meditation and Scripture study groups meeting on Zoom. Others connect through live or recorded centering prayer, Lectio Divina or Taiz sessions.

There is in some way a desire to be fed and nourished and to be made whole, Kendrick said.

Spiritual formation is asking the fundamental questions of faith: how do I rely on God in a time when I am more anxious than I usually am?

Whatever form it takes, paying attention to faith formation is an effective way to continue growing in a time of pestilence, Davis said. Spiritual formation is asking the fundamental questions of faith: how do I rely on God in a time when I am more anxious than I usually am?

Faith formation tools may include daily gratitude lists and centering prayer, which foster a God-focused practice that also promotes concern for others, she said. We need to be grounded in God, but we also need to keep our hearts open. This is not a time to stick our heads in the sand.

First Baptists ministers are providing social media and text prompts for readings and prayers in response for the demands they are sensing, Davis said. We just try to put a lot of different things out there because they resonate with people and they can engage with it in their own time.

This all reflects how spiritual formation is evolving as the church and its people come to grips with the pandemic.

People have had these aha moments, and we have to ask, how do we change them into behaviors that endure when the pace of life picks up again?

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Adult faith formation thriving although different due to COVID - Baptist News Global

DOWNERS GROVE, Ill., Aug. 6, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --According to the Caregiver Action Network, there are at least 65 million family caregivers in America today, who provide 85 percentof patient care in the home. Under normal circumstances, this silent workforce often goes unnoticed and underappreciated. But, these times are certainly not normal, and more than ever before, families caring for loved ones are struggling, isolated and spiritually depleted.

The Caregiver's Companion (Ave Maria Press, August, 2020), by Debra Kelsey-Davis and Kelly Johnson, supports caregivers by exploding the myth that caregiving is an unwelcome burden placed on individuals and families. Instead, The Caregiver's Companion moves its readers from 'how-to endure' the struggle of caregiving to receiving its blessings and draw closer to God, so as to have the resilience and compassion to tend to the needs of others.

"In our book, we discuss how caregiving may well be one of the most challenging times in anyone's life. Yet caregiving is also a time filled with some of life's most precious blessings. We know; we've been there," said Kelsey-Davis and Johnson, who are both caregivers and founders of Nourish for Caregivers, a nonprofit that seeks to improve the health and wellbeing of caregivers.

The Caregiver's Companion offers an advice in a journal format to give practical guidance pertaining to caregiving, including:

"In The Caregiver's Companion, the authors provide a supportive, insightful, and practical guide for anyone engaged with caregiving. This valuable spiritual resource resonates with wisdom and compassion gained by those who have experienced the hills and valleys of caregivers," said Joyce Rupp, author of Praying Our Goodbyes.

The Caregiver's Companion makes a beautiful gift for a friend or family member caring for a loved one, or a useful resource for parishes, parish nurses, chaplains, and faith-based elder-care agencies and health systems. Additional caregiver resources are available at http://www.nourishforcaregivers.com.

The Caregiver's Companion is now available from Amazon, Ave Maria Press and other online retailers. All of the royalties from the sales of The Caregiver's Companion go back into the ministry to further support caregivers.

About Ave Maria Press: Ave Maria Press was founded by Fr. Edward Sorin, C.S.C., in 1865 and is recognized as a leader in publishing Catholic high school religion textbooks, parish resources, and books on prayer and spirituality. Ave Maria Press is a ministry of the Congregation of Holy Cross, United States Province of Priests and Brothers.

SOURCE Nourish for Caregivers

http://nourishforcaregivers.com

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New Book Offers Much Needed Spiritual Nourishment to Caregivers - PRNewswire

Eds: This story was supplied by The Conversation for AP customers. The Associated Press does not guarantee the content.

Kathryn Barush, Santa Clara University

(THE CONVERSATION) Many major religious pilgrimages have been canceled or curtailed in an effort to contain the spread of COVID-19. These have included the Hajj, a religious milestone for Muslims the world over; the Hindu pilgrimage, known as the Amarnath Yatra high in the mountains of Kashmir; and pilgrimages to Lourdes in France.

Pilgrims have faced travel delays and cancellations for centuries. Reasons ranged from financial hardship and agricultural responsibilities to what is now all too familiar to modern-day pilgrims plague or ill health.

Then, as now, one strategy has been to bring the pilgrimage home or into the religious community.

Journey of a thousand miles

Pilgrimage can be an interior or outward journey and while individual motivations may vary, it can be an act of religious devotion or a way to seek closeness with the divine.

Through the centuries and across cultures, those who longed to go on a sacred journey would find alternative ways to do so.

Reading travel narratives, tracing a map with the finger or eye, or holding a souvenir brought back from a sacred site helped facilitate a real sense of travel for the homebound pilgrim. Through these visual or material aids, people felt as though they, too, were having a pilgrimage experience, and even connecting with others.

One such example is the story of the Dominican friar Felix Fabri, who was known for recording his own pilgrimages in various formats, some geared toward the laity and some for his brothers.

Fabri was approached in the 1490s by a group of cloistered nuns, meaning that they had professed vows to lead a contemplative life in the quietude of their community. They desired a devotional exercise so they could receive the spiritual benefits of pilgrimage without having to break their promise of a life that was sheltered from the outside world.

He produced Die Sionpilger, a virtual pilgrimage in the form of a day-to-day guidebook to Santiago de Compostela, Jerusalem and Rome. In these cities, pilgrims would encounter sites and scenes associated with many facets of their religion: shrines to honor Jesus and the saints, relics, great cathedrals and sacred landscapes associated with miraculous events and stories.

Fabris guidebook sent the pilgrim on an imaginative journey of a thousand miles, without having to take a single step.

DIY pilgrimages

My current book project shows that from Lourdes to South Africa, from Jerusalem to England, from Ecuador to California, DIY pilgrimages are not just a medieval phenomenon. One such example is Phil Volkers backyard Camino.

Volker is a 72-year-old father and now grandfather, woodworker and veteran who mapped the Camino de Santiago onto his backyard in Vashon Island in the Pacific Northwest. Volker prays the rosary as he walks: for those who have been impacted by the pandemic, his family, his neighbors, the world.

After a cancer diagnosis in 2013, a few things came together to inspire Volker to build a backyard Camino, including the film The Way, a pocket-sized book of meditations, Everyday Camino With Annie by Annie O'Neil and the story of Eratosthenes, the Greek polymath from the second century B.C. who figured out a way to measure the circumference of the Earth using the Sun, a stick and a well.

For me, this guy was the grand godfather of do-it-yourselfers. How can someone pull off this kind of a caper with things at hand in his own backyard? It got me thinking, what else can come out of ones backyard?, he told me.

Volker began walking a circuitous route around his 10-acre property on Vashon Island in the Pacific Northwest. It was a chance to exercise, which his doctors had encouraged, but also created a space to think and pray.

Each lap around the property is just over a half-mile. Realizing that he was covering quite a distance, he found a map of the Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route to track his progress, calculating that 909 laps would get him from St. Jean Pied-de-Port to the Cathedral of St. James.

To date, Volker has completed three 500-mile Caminos without leaving his backyard.

Thanks to a documentary film, Volkers daily blog and an article in the magazine Northwest Catholic, the backyard Camino has attracted many visitors, some simply curious but many who are seeking healing and solace.

Pilgrimage and remembrance

The story of Volkers backyard Camino inspired Sara Postlethwaite, a sister of the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity, to map St. Kevins Way, a 19-mile pilgrimage route in County Wicklow, Ireland onto a series of daily 1.5-mile circuits in Daly City, California.

The route rambles along roads and countryside from Hollywood to the ruins of the monastery that St. Kevin, a sixth-century abbot, had founded in Glendalough. Postlethwaite had intended to travel back to her native Ireland in the spring of 2020 to walk the route in person, but due to pandemic-related travel restrictions, she brought the pilgrimage to her home in Daly City.

Every so often, Postlethwaite would check in on Google Maps to see where she was along the Irish route, pivoting the camera to see surrounding trees or, at one point, finding herself in the center of an old stone circle.

Several joined Postlethwaites walk in solidarity, both in the U.S. and overseas.

After each days walk, she paused at the shed at her community house, where she had drawn a to-scale version of the Market Cross at Glendalough.

As Postlethwaite traced the intersecting knots, circles and image of the crucified Christ with her chalk, she reflected not just on the suffering caused by the pandemic but also about issues of racism, justice and privilege. In particular, she remembered Ahmaud Arbery, a Black jogger shot by two white men in a fatal confrontation in February 2020. She inscribed his name on the chalk cross.

For Berkeley-based artist Maggie Preston, a DIY chalk labyrinth on the street outside her house became a way to connect with her neighbors and her three-year-old son. There is a link here with the medieval strategies for bringing longer pilgrimages into the church or community. Scholars have suggested that labyrinths may have been based on maps of Jerusalem, providing a scaled-down version of a much longer pilgrimage route.

They started out by chalking in the places they could no longer go the aquarium, the zoo, a train journey and then created a simple labyrinth formed by a continuous path in seven half-circles.

A labyrinth gave us a greater destination, not just somewhere to imagine going, but a circuitous path to literally travel with our feet, she told me.

As neighbors discovered the labyrinth, it began to create a genuine sense of community akin to that which many seek to find when they embark on a much longer pilgrimage.

Relearn to pretend

Volkers cancer has progressed to stage IV and he celebrated his 100th chemo treatment back in 2017, but he is still walking and praying on a regular basis. He offers the following advice:

For folks starting their own backyard Camino I think that creating the myth is the most important consideration. Study maps, learn to pronounce the names of the towns, walk in the dust and the mud, be out there in the rain, drink their wine and eat their food, relearn to pretend.

The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts. The Conversation is wholly responsible for the content.

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As coronavirus curtails travel, backyard pilgrimages become the way to a spiritual journey - The Wilton Bulletin

Joint venture of National Institute of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and Dada Ramchand Bakhru Sindhu Mahavidyalaya Representatives from almost every state of the country participatedNagpur.

Any kind of disaster, its most adverse effect is on the children, For the purpose of discussing and dealing with all the unique challenges faced during this unprecedented critical situation of Covid-19, and how the stress caused by these situations can be reduced by using science and spirituality together, To discuss these topics, under the joint aegis of Child Centric Disaster Risk Reduction (CCDRR) Centre, National Institute of Disaster Management, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India and Dada Ramchand Bakhru Sindhu Mahavidyalaya, Nagpur. A one-day national webinar was organized on 08/08/2020.

The program was organized under the chief patronage of NIDM Executive Director Major General Manojkumar Bindal and Mr. H.R. Bakhru, Chairman of Sindhi Hindi Vidya Samiti.

Inaugurating the webinar, Shri H.R. Bakhru while highlighting the need and importance of organizing said that people will definitely get relief from stress due to the confluence of science and spirituality. Keynote speaker Mr. Niraj Agarwal, Senior Faculty of Art of Living and well-known motivational speaker said that science and spirituality have always been complementary to each other, there has never been any kind of contradiction between the two.

If both science and spirituality are taken to deal with a problem, then the problem can be eliminated from the root. Shri Niraj Agarwal gave detailed guidance on how the seven levels of life, meditation, yoga, dieting, how they affect the inner being of human beings and how their balance can reduce mental stress.

The speaker of the second session was psychological counselor Ku. Namrata Sharma explained various techniques for stress management very easily. On this occasion, the inspiration of the program was Prof. Santoshkumar, NIDM, Sindhi Hindi Vidya Samiti Chairman Dr. Vinki Rughwani and General Secretary Dr. I.P. Keswani also gave special guidance. The webinar was organized under the guidance of Dr. Santosh Kasbekar, Officiating Principal of DRB Sindhu Mahavidyalaya.

In the webinar, representatives from almost every state of the country gained in large numbers by participating. Webinar Convenor Dr. Kumar Raka, Program Officer, CCDRR, NIDM and Webinar Convenor Mr. Naveen Maheshkumar Agarwal, Registrar, Dada Ramchand Bakhru Sindhu Mahavidyalaya conducted the webinar. All the members of NIDM and DRB Sindhu College tried for the success of the program.

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National webinar on "How to manage stress through science and spirituality" organized - Nagpur News

The Headwaters at Incarnate Words 50-acre nature sanctuary in the middle of San Antonios urban core isnt well-known, perhaps by design.

Its bordered by Highway 281, Olmos Dam and Hildebrand Avenue and sits up against Alamo Heights and the University of the Incarnate Word, hidden in plain sight.

Its use stretches back more than 12,000 years to the indigenous people who were the areas first and longest inhabitants. Others followed their trails there to the head of the river in pilgrimages to the famous Blue Hole.

Today the Headwaters property is really a small forest trapped within the city, filled with oaks hundreds of years old and abundant springs and wildlife.

Long owned by a congregation of Catholic nuns, the nature sanctuary now has what environmentalists and land conservationists hoped it would perpetual protection from real-estate development.

Those assurances were enshrined in July in a legally binding conservation easement signed by Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas, a land trust focused on the Edwards Aquifer, the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word and its environmental ministry Headwaters of Incarnate Word.

Those involved in the agreement say it took years to reach and was the work of godly patience, in part because so many entities were involved.

No doubt it was difficult because the acreage remains an enormously expensive piece of real estate, now forever off the market.

As part of the deal, the congregation gave up the rights to its development and to all those who may own the property in the future.

Its an infinite gift at a poignant time, when members of the congregation have not escaped the effects of a global pandemic and its declining membership looks to its own legacy and future generations that will enjoy and find solace in the preserve.

The congregation closed its 150th anniversary with the gift to those they may never minister to, nurse or educate.

They have 260 members in the United States, Mexico, Chile, Columbia, Peru, Ireland, Tanzania and Zambia, 100 of them are retired in the United States and Mexico.

Sister Teresa Maya, the groups leader, said the nuns were influenced by Pope Francis encyclical on the environment five years ago. It was the Vaticans most powerful instructions on the care of the planet and its poorest inhabitants.

Weve had an ecological conversion, said Maya, who led the national Leadership Conference of Women Religious through turbulent times. She said the conservation easement was the logical next step to that conversion.

It was a sacrifice, she said of the agreement and the valuable land to which the congregation has given up rights. We were not thinking of selling or building on it, but this agreement confirms that intent.

The day the agreement was signed, a letter arrived at the motherhouse in San Antonio from Rome celebrating Laudato Si, the papal encyclical on the environment. Maya took it as a sign that saving the green space in perpetuity was the right decision.

Former City Councilman Weir Labatt found his own validation in the Headwaters nature sanctuary, which he calls a spiritual forest. The conservation easement has been the only item on his agenda as chair of the Headwaters board.

Labatt thought of nothing else as he and other volunteers worked on clearing chinaberry and ligustrum trees, invasive species that overgrow and choke the sanctuarys majestic oaks. That project will take another 20 years, he said.

Douglas Dillow, CEO of the Green Spaces Alliance of South Texas, called the agreement tremendously important to San Antonios environment.

As a steward, the alliance wont do the day-to-day management of the sanctuary, he said. That will remain the work of the Headwaters of Incarnate Word. But the alliance will remain involved in perpetuity.

Maya and the congregation have no problem with that.

Having an environmental ministry reminds us we are stewards of nature, not owners of nature, she said. If we take care of nature, nature takes care of us.

She has seen the benefit of that first-hand.

Last spring, Maya said fireflies were spotted in the preserve for the first time in a long time

This spring, another gift arrived.

We saw so many Monarch butterflies, she said. It was absolutely magic, just magic.

eayala@express-news.net

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Ayala: San Antonios little-known spiritual forest will be preserved in perpetuity - San Antonio Express-News

Pastoral Care Team serves the healthcare systems four hospitalsChaplain Woody Morrison is used to consoling families whose loved ones are terminally ill or have passed. But the COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a whole new layer of anguish for mourners the inability to traditionally grieve that beloved person due to safety measures recently thrust upon us all. (Health First image)

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA Chaplain Woody Morrison is used to consoling families whose loved ones are terminally ill or have passed. But the COVID-19 pandemic has ushered in a whole new layer of anguish for mourners the inability to traditionally grieve that beloved person due to safety measures recently thrust upon us all.

I have families who will break down in tears in front of me because they cant have that emotional closure, said Chaplain Woody, a member of Health Firsts Pastoral Care Team, which serves the healthcare systems four hospitals.

So Chaplain Woody turned to technology something that perhaps months ago might be unfathomable but now is welcomed by those who are self-isolated and desperate to be a part of a celebration of the life of their loved one.

With social media and other live streaming services, family and friends who are staying close to home can now take part in final goodbyes and funeral services without risking their health.

When COVID-19 first surfaced in Brevard, Chaplain Woody spoke of a man whose wife was dying. The soon-to-be widower became increasingly upset over not only the loss of his spouse but the loss of the support system people lean on during such a heartbreaking time.

He was thinking of the funeral, and how he could not invite everyone to be there, Chaplain Woody said.

A virtual vigil was performed at their home, as was the later graveside service.

When I go to a home, I can live stream it and put it on speakerphone, Chaplain Woody said of family members who cant be present during a loved ones final hours.

The family can view a final prayer. Its the intangible closeness we want.

Any bedside final prayer or virtual service must not only have the permission of the family but also be approved first by a social worker.

Much care is taken to ensure that this new method of mourning is desired by the family and is respectful to the deceased. Most families find comfort in virtual bedside vigils.

Back in April, a Holocaust survivor admitted to Health Firsts Viera Hospital, and eventually to the William Childs Hospice House, was able to have a beautiful last call with his rabbi and several family members before he peacefully passed.

Its a smaller group usually people who are in the family unit, Chaplain Woody said. Its private and limited in scope.

Also helpful, he said, is the ability to record a service on Zoom allowing those who arent able to watch the service live still partake. It helps grievers to not feel so isolated and left out.

That means a lot that we can do that, Chaplain Woody said. Thats been helpful, to say the least, to get the celebration of life to a larger audience.

Back in the spring, Chaplain Woody performed a service for a late veteran at a Palm Bay funeral home. His graveside service was live-streamed.

Hundreds of people were able to attend virtually, Chaplain Woody said.

As long as social distancing remains in place, well keep doing this, he said.

I think these little things are very cool, Chaplain Woody said. That makes a difference.

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Health First's Pastoral Care Teams Turn to Technology to Deliver Spiritual Care and Compassion - SpaceCoastDaily.com

Katy Perry has said that she and fianc Orlando Bloom are bound together by "spiritual evolution."

In an interview with The Times of London, Perry said that she was unaware Bloom was on a self-imposed six-month sex ban when she met him in 2016.

"I had no idea that was the case. I met him in 2016, we were both on a different journey," Perry said.

"He's very sensitive. Very emotionally evolved. He gets up at 7 a.m. and chants for an hour. One of the things that binds us is our desire to be more spiritually evolved? And our desire to investigate that realm? One of our main love languages is the spiritual evolution," Perry said.

Katy Perry announced her pregnancy in a music video. Capitol Records

"We love mysticism, conspiracies, aliens, all that stuff. We love an adventure of the mind. That's definitely something we are bound by."

Perry has previously spoken about spiritually before in an interview with Vogue India in which she called Bloom "sage."

"When we first met, he said we would pull the poison out of each other, and we really do," Perry told Vogue India.

"It's exhausting, but we really hold each other accountable. I've never had a partner who was willing to go on an emotional and spiritual journey like Orlando. It's challenging, because you're facing all the things you don't like about yourself. It's like a never-ending cleanse."

Perry and Bloom were together for a year before splitting in February 2017, but then reconciled in February 2018 and became engaged in February 2019. In March 2020, Perry announced via a music video that she and Bloom were expecting their first child together.

Bloom has a nine-year-old son called Flynn with his ex-wife Miranda Kerr, who Perry said she is close with."She's got three boys, so I ask her for all the tips," Perry told The Times.

Read more:

Katy Perry said she felt 'ashamed' of taking antidepressants after writing the feel-good song 'Firework,' but they helped her get out of bed

Katy Perry said she was close to suicide after breaking up with Orlando Bloom in 2017

Harry Styles was a 'complete gentleman' to Katy Perry when he found out about her pregnancy before the rest of the world

Original post:

Katy Perry said she and Orlando Bloom bound by 'spiritual evolution' - Insider - INSIDER

By Shamindra Ferdinando

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has advanced the swearing in of the cabinet of ministers to Wednesday (12). Earlier, the swearing in was to take place at Dalada Maligawa on Friday (14). The venue remains the same.

Sources told The Island that the government would abide by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution enacted in early 2015 until a new Constitution could be introduced or shortcomings in the current one rectified.

The SLPP has won 145 seats. Besides the SLFP, several smaller parties which secured seats back the government.

The UNP and the UPFA got together to form a national government in 2015 to appoint more than 30 Cabinet ministers.

The new government could appoint 30 ministers in addition to the President, who is the head of the Cabinet. The lions share of ministries would be shared among the SLPP members while the National Freedom Front (NFF), the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU), the MEP, the SLFP, etc., would receive the remaining slots. The EPDP, which contested the

Aug 5 election on its own, will receive a Cabinet portfolio; the CWC, which contested on the SLPP ticket, is entitled to one.

The Defence portfolio is unlikely to be assigned to anyone until a constitutional amendment is introduced to enable President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces to hold that post.

President Rajapaksa refrained from assigning the defence portfolio when he appointed caretaker cabinet soon after his swearing in as the President, last November.

The 19th Amendment has deprived the President of the right to hold ministerial portfolios.

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Global Spiritual Forum The Island - The Island.lk

FROM the Archive this week features Weston Hill in Barry.

The English Congregational Chapel in Weston Hill was opened on December 17, 1900.

The movement to open a church was led by several families and individuals in Cadoxton from 1891 as they wanted a spiritual home.

The iron chapel in the photo was removed from Barry Dock to make way for a permanent building and planted on Weston Hill.

MORE STORIES

From the Archive: a church in need of repairs

From the Archive: an evangelical son

From the Archive: St Helen's RC Church

Dismantling and reusing existing iron churches was not unusual in the Barry District and this iron church had previously been used by Tabernacle and in Tynewydd Road.

Several ministers from the district took part in the inaugural service in 1900 in the recycled chapel - including Rev. J. Mydyr Evans from Barry Dock and ministers from Cardiff and Penarth.

At the invitation of Alderman J.C. Meggitt J.P. following the opening service a number of ladies and gentlemen sat down to afternoon tea.

The Barry & District News would like to thank Cllr Shirley Hodges for the photograph and information.

If you have an old Barry photograph you would like to see included, with information about what it depicts, email sha@barryanddistrictnews.co.uk

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From the Archive: Going to a spiritual place in Barry - Barry and District News

The original PlayStation is renowned for its diverse library of games, but no genre is as synonymous with the system as JRPGs. In its five-year lifespan, the console produced a staggering number of instant classics, including three beloved Final Fantasy games, Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, and Suikoden II, among others. Yoshitaka Murayama, the original creator behind the latter, is hoping to recapture that golden era of JRPGs with his next venture, Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.

Earlier this year, Murayama and a handful of other industry veterans founded Rabbit & Bear Studios, an independent development studio based in Tokyo, Japan. The company's first project, Eiyuden Chronicle, is a classical turn-based RPG forged in the mold of Suikoden II.

"The first thing we decided when our members came together was, 'It's about time we made a really interesting game that we ourselves want to make,'" Murayama said in a press release. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Eiyuden Chronicle revisits the themes and aesthetic that defined his PlayStation-era work.

The visuals in particular evoke the feel of Murayama's PS One classic. The game features a striking 2.5D graphical style that's reminiscent of Octopath Traveler, Square Enix's own consciously retro RPG. This likeness isn't coincidental. "From a graphical perspective, Octopath Traveler has inspired us and given us hope that there is a mid-point between new and old that a wide audience can appreciate," Murayama tells GameSpot over email.

Working alongside Murayama on the project are other Suikoden veterans Junko Kawano (Suikoden, Suikoden IV) and Osamu Komuta (Suikoden Tactics, Suikoden Tierkreis), as well as Junichi Murakami (Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow). For Murayama and Kawano, Eiyuden Chronicle marks the first time in 25 years that the two have collaborated on a project, but that long gap has not been a hurdle. "I wish I could say we've all grown and changed in many ways but it feels like nothing has changed in the last 25 years!" Kawano says. "But it definitely feels like you are seeing long lost friends from your hometown that you have missed dearly. I'm sure it feels like some strange time-warp."

Like its spiritual predecessors, Eiyuden Chronicle's story is told against the backdrop of war. The game follows a young warrior named Nowa and his friend, Seign Kesling. Nowa hails from a small village in a remote corner of the League of Nations, while Seign is an imperial officer for the Galdean Empire, a militarily advanced nation that has discovered how to amplify the magical powers of an artifact called "rune-lens." With this power, the empire is marching into the other territories around the continent of Allraan in search of more artifacts that can be used to bolster its hold over the land.

As fate would have it, Nowa also happens upon a rune-lens while out on a mission, and the discovery will ultimately ignite a confrontation between the League of Nations and the Galdean Empire--and test his friendship with Seign. This is a theme that has long intrigued Murayama. "One of the main themes I like to focus on is 'What is a hero,' but also, how do friendships and relationships affect the course of history?," Murayama says. "A single choice to stand up for a friend or alliance can be the spark that starts a world-altering war. I find that terribly interesting."

Suikoden's signature hallmark is its expansive cast; every entry features more than 100 unique recruitable characters, each of whom plays a role in the overarching story, and it's clear from the subtitle that Eiyuden Chronicle will continue that tradition. Much like Suikoden, the game will have 100 heroes to recruit, and as these characters join your ranks, you'll gradually build up a fortress base. Naturally, coming up with backstories and unique personalities for such an extensive cast is a challenge.

"Of course it's a major hassle," Murayama says. "You not only have to create 100 characters and their backstories but additionally how they all relate and the role they will serve. It's an incredibly complicated web. And even from the beginning, as the subtitle states, this is a tale about heroes. So our hope is to work with the community to build out these very heroes very much as the community also organically grows."

For Kawano, who serves as Eiyuden Chronicle's lead artist and character designer, this expansive cast list presents a different sort of challenge. "It's not hard to create new characters," Kawano says. "In a title like this where you have to create a huge amount, it's more about endurance. Especially towards the end of development you are cramming so many things in last- minute. However, the hard part is after you are done and out of 'runway' you invariably feel like you missed the opportunity to add this character or that character. So that regret is the worst part."

Although Eiyuden Chronicle deliberately harkens back to Suikoden and other classic JRPGs in many ways, Murayama hopes the game will be viewed on its own merits. "I don't want to be defined by my past," he says. "This game represents an extension of some of the gameplay and systems that I have honed over my many years as a game developer, but it is a new title and needs to stand on its own.

"Eiyuden represents a major challenge for us. At the core of that challenge is for us to make a game that is intensely satisfying and just flat-out fun. While many people have doubts and issues with crowdfunding and Kickstarter, it still remains the best chance an old creator like myself has to own IP and to interact with a serious group of fans who are investing in the project from the ground up. Something that takes serious commitment. It may sound cheesy but it's easy to doubt and be negative. It takes a true hero to believe in something."

Rabbit & Bear is raising funds to develop Eiyuden Chronicle through Kickstarter. The crowdfunding campaign runs until August 28, although it has already proven to be an overwhelming success; donations blew past the studio's original $500,000 goal in only two hours and hit the $1 million stretch goal to bring the game to consoles in less than a day. The team is humbled by the positive response from fans, writing on Twitter: "I can't believe it was funded so quickly! Many people have no hope in Kickstarter so I was so afraid. Thank you so much my heroes!!!! I will make a great game for you!"

Eiyuden Chronicle is tentatively planned to launch in Fall 2022.

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Suikoden Creators On Making A Spiritual Follow-Up To The Classic JRPG - GameSpot

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei

Tehran

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Irans supreme religious leader, today launched his Twitter handle in many languages around the world, including Hindi and Urdu. The question of why Kameneis Hindi account was launched in Hindi is why the supreme leader of a Muslim country, located about 3000 km from India, did so. However, the languages of the two countries are also completely different.

Khameneis eye on Shia Muslims of India

In fact, Khamenei is eyeing Shia Muslims of India. Iran considers itself the leader of Shia Muslims around the world. The number of Shia Muslims in India ranges from 2.9 crores to 3.9 crores. There are more Shia Muslims than India only in Iran and Pakistan. More Shiites live in India than in Iraq near Iran. It is believed that Khamenei wants to woo Indian Shias by opening his Twitter account in Hindi.

Amid tension from America wants friendship with India

Iran wants to generate its supporters around the world amid tension from the US. In such a situation, if the Shia Muslims of India support Iran, then there can be pressure on the Indian government. At present, India and the United States have close relations, so Iran can serve its interests through the Shia population.

So 25 million people corona infected in Iran? President Hassan Rouhani expressed his estimate

Khamenei dedicates first tweet to Allah

Khamenei made the first tweet from the Hindi account dedicating it to Allah. This shows that they are trying to connect with the Muslims of India in the name of Islam. He tweeted that in the name of Allah, who is very kind. In his second tweet, he wrote Prophet Muhammads messages.

Irans big claim, said caught the chief of US-based terrorist organization

Khamenei criticized India in Delhi riots

Khamenei had publicly condemned India for the killings of Muslims in the 2020 riots in Delhi. The Iranian supremo said that the violence in Delhi is separating India from the world of Islam. The massacre of Muslims in India has hurt the hearts of Muslims around the world. Which was strongly opposed by India.

See the rest here:

Why Irans highest spiritual chief Khamenei began a Twitter account in Hindi, know the motive - Pledge Times

At his peak, Yuri Schwebler was a major presence in the D.C. art scene. Now, 30 years after his death by suicide at 47, Schwebler is getting a long-awaited retrospective at the American University Museum that spotlights his minimalism- and earth-art-inspired conceptual artworks. Schweblers career was meteoric. Within three years of being discharged from the Army Reserves and Walter Reeds psychiatric ward, he managed to have two museum shows and an appearance on national televisionall without a college degree, much of a track record in Washington, or anywhere else for that matter, writes curator John James Anderson (whos been an art critic for Washington City Paper). Schwebler, an immigrant from Yugoslavia, was best known for his 1974 work that turned the Washington Monument into a sundial. His inspiration came when he realized he had never seen the obelisks shadow because it was so big; he would eventually discover that the shadow moved at four feet per minute, making it feel like you can actually see the earth move. But after relocating to New York in 1980, Schwebler had one solo exhibition, in 1982, and never exhibited again. Most of Schweblers works were ephemeral and are represented in the retrospective through photographic documentation. This made it easier to move the exhibit online during the coronavirus pandemic, Anderson says. It makes as much sense to be a slideshow on the internet, where more people can access it, he says. The online catalog features essays by Anderson and former Washington Post architecture critic Benjamin Forgey; plus, a July gallery talk with Anderson and AU museum director and curator Jack Rasmussen is archived online. The exhibition is available at american.edu and the catalog is available at auislandora.wrlc.org. Free. Louis Jacobson

Do you associate certain types of people with goodness, moral purity, attractiveness, or foreignness? Visit Harvard's implicit bias test portal if you can psych yourself up enough to see your results laid bare. This batch of recognition, association, archetype sorting, and image choice tasks will yield scores for various prejudices. This international research cooperation was created to serve as a public "virtual lab" for hidden bias recognition. By requiring takers to sort through pairings instantly, the test compels snap judgments and introduces a time penalty that makes it hard to trick. Possible results include slight, moderate, and strong labels of bias. And in 2011, the team released a spinoff site: At Project Implicit Mental Health, you can do additional tests that measure the implicit associations you have in relation to yourself. Some gauge, for example, the extent to which you associate yourself with anxiety, poor health, negativity, alcoholism, and sadness. Anonymous data is made publicly available for scientists and used to map implicit bias nationwide, including in D.C. The test has been granted a Golden Goose Award from the Library of Congress and funding from the National Institutes of Health. There's no true quantitative screening for racism, and these assessments, though well-circulated, are not foolproofand theres controversy about their interpretation. For curiosity's sake, however, it's useful to know what your psyche has done with what you've been taught. Though the knowledge is no panacea, it still can have value. And if you're hoping to rid your subconscious of discriminatory debris, this isnt a terrible place to start. The project is available at implicit.harvard.edu. Free. ViktoriaNagudi

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City Lights: Sit with Yuri Schwebler's Spiritual Art or Probe Your Psyche with Project Implicit - Washington City Paper

He wondered if normalcy was something, like vision or silence, you didnt realize was precious until you lost it. -- Cassandra Clare, author

It was a risk. I know. Maybe even kind of a little dangerous. Taking this one chance, after 136 days of being locked up and locked in and prevented from enjoying one cherished past time in my life, thats been with me since I first saw the flicker of shadow and light projected onto a screen, as a little boy at the Wollaston Theater, my childhood palace of dreams.

This past Saturday, I went to the movies again.

It was an impulse decision. Reading the paper, I noticed a story about one of my favorite movie theaters here in eastern Massachusetts, the West Newton Cinema, reopening, after being shuttered since last March. Ive seen upwards of 100 movies there, probably more, in my adult life, so many Saturday nights with pasta at Comellas next door and then a film. Its not a cookie-cutter venue, a cinema one to infinity kind of place, a suburban movie factory located next to the mall, that shows mostly superhero flicks and other blockbusters.

No. West Newton Cinema is as local as local gets. As theater as theater gets.

Opened in 1937, the movie palace has been welcoming viewers into its quaint and cozy building for 83 years, showed its first film in the midst of the Great Depression, and has been entertaining movie buffs like me ever since. Stroll through the heavy wooden front doors as you pass under a marquee filled with titles of current attractions, and then get your ticket from a live person in a booth and enter a spacious lobby, the smell of real homemade popcorn and melted butter making your mouth water. Once a true movie palace, the Cinema boasted of being able to seat more than 1,000 patrons for a single screening, but now it has six screens, showing both art house and popular fare. Its been owned and operated by the same pair of brothers David and Jimmy Bramante (and now their families) for the past 42 years.

I had to go to the movies. I had to somehow get an experience of normalcy and comfort in the middle of the craziness we now call 2020 in this world.

I had to go.

And so, my friend Kacey and I did go, as we have so many times before, making our way up the lobby stairs to theater five, where we found our seats in the third row and also found ourselves the only patrons in the room. The theater has strict COVID guidelines, requires a mask and social distancing and limits capacity to only 25 folks per viewing, but in the end, we had nothing to worry or fret about.

Then the lights dimmed and the projector kicked on and there up on the screen of dreams was Casablanca, the classic 1942 film about life in wartime Morocco and lost love and broken hearts and fighting Nazis and a world all caught up in tumult and fear. It felt like watching a story from a million years ago and a story from right now. At least thats how I romantically imagined it, as I watched tuxedo-clad Humphrey Bogart and the elegant Ingrid Bergman exchange snappy dialogue and stolen kisses and drink champagne at Ricks Caf Americain.

Heres looking at you kid.

Its hard to put into words how deeply grateful and blessed I felt to be doing something so normal as going to the movies and munching on my popcorn, and arranging my long legs over the seats and staring up at the screen, where at 24 frames per second, I was reminded of how much I love films. And art. And a shared creative experience, not just a solo viewing of another movie on Netflix, as I push back in my La-Z-Boy, day 137 of COVID-19.

I know with more than 149,000 already dead in the U.S. from the virus, and millions more infected and the disease now reigniting across the country, my joy at returning to the movies may seem kind of trivial or even insensitive, considering how many folks are struggling right now. And yet, ask anyone who is sick and tired, just exhausted from the COVID marathon that is not near over yet, and I know theyd tell you that they, all of us, we just need a little taste of normalcy right now. Something to soothe our souls and lift our spirits. Something as simple as going to the movies.

As Rick says to Ilsa in the dramatic final scene of Casablanca, Im no good at being noble, but it doesnt take much to see that the problems of three little people dont amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that.

Someday we may look back on these intense times of COVID and understand, maybe even see how we grew and stretched as humans and children of God, and were each called to be our best selves in these days, courageous, even noble. But for now?

Im going to the movies.

The Rev. John F. Hudson is senior pastor of the Pilgrim Church, United Church of Christ, in Sherborn (pilgrimsherborn.org). If you have a word or idea youd like defined in a future column or have comments, please send them to pastorjohn@pilgrimsherborn.org.

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SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING: A trip to the movies - Wicked Local Sharon

Peace, hope and love. That might sound a bit clich these days, but theres arguably nothing more we all need these days than just that. And thats what DMV-based artist/producer/musician Mannywellz (ne Emmanuel Ajomale) brings to the creative table with his blend of R&B, hip-hop and West African influences its music from the soul, as he calls it.

Born in Nigeria, Mannywellz came to the United States with his mom and siblings in 2003 at only nine years old. Several years later, in 2012 something happened that changed the course of his life and his rising music career he became a recipient of the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which protects people brought to the U.S. as children but currently holdan unlawful presence, and allows them to legally work. In September 2017, the current administration tried to put an end to DACA and called on Congress to come up with another solution by March 5, 2018. On that day, thousands of Dreamers from across the country took over Capitol Hill to protest and lobby members of Congress to pass legislation that would protect them, and Mannywellz joined in, performing his song "American Dream"to kick off the march. That same year, a compilation album that Mannywellz was a part of with other DACA artists American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom was released and won a GRAMMY Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album.

While the future for many DACA recipients is still uncertain, being that we're in an election year, Mannywellz hopes to see change, like a path to citizenship and a plan that "keeps us safe and makes us feel welcome in this country,"he says. Although being a DACA recipient has played a huge role in Mannywellz's career and life, it's not the only thing that defines him.

"Being a DACA recipient is a part of my story,"he says. "But at the same time, I'm not just a DACA recipient. I'm Black. I'm human. I love Jesus. I love people. So I always try to create a balance where people can just hear me for who I am through my art."

Before his new single "Floating"drops on July 31, Mannywellz took part in an interview with GRAMMY.com to discuss his forthcoming new music, collaborating with fellow Nigerian artists like Wale and VanJess, the meaning behind "Oulala,"and how he's holding up during the pandemic.

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So, things are a bit different for artists right nowactually, for everyone. How are you hanging in there with everything going on?

I'm doing well for the most part. I think the last month was the hardest month in this quarantine just being home all the time and everything that's going on in the media and what happened with George Floyd. So I actually didnt create the whole of last month. I came out for the protests, and Im just researching and trying to learn, and I guess yeah I couldnt create, to be honest. But, this month has been good and the months before June were pretty good as well. Mentally, spiritually, physically, all that stuff. I feel good.

Do you feel like everything that's happening currently is spurring some new ideas in terms of music?

Musically, yes and no. I haven't really recorded anything, but I was just kind of like jotting down a few things and my thoughts and things like that. It motivated me, and made me realize that I have a bigger purpose.

I'd love to start by turning the clock back a bit and just asking how you got into music? What inspired you to start making music?

Everyone in my family pretty much does music. My dad's also a musician so I grew up watching him perform and then eventually performing with him at different events here and there. And I have a cousin in Nigeria who raps. My siblings are great vocalists. They don't necessarily want to pursue a music career, but were all musically inclined. Music is something that I grew up with. I was pretty much born into it.

Do you have any favorite artists?

My favorite artist is Asa. I believe she's based in France, but I dont remember what year. I was a little younger and I heard just one song and I just teared up. And at that point I realized that music was so powerful. If a song or a melody can move you to tears, there has to be some kind of power behind it.

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For sure, sometimes it's the lyrics or sometimes it's just their voice that moves you to tears. What would you say it is about Asa that drew you in?

It was a little bit of everything. Her voice, her tone, her words, her word choice, her lyrics, they're just very potent. A lot of her songs were pretty much similar to what I do they speak on everything, how shes feeling. From love to social injustice to, you know, relationships with parents or relationships with God and things like that. I think I was just really able to connect with her point of view because I feel like I have a similar point of view.

Speaking of your point of view, one song Id love to touch on is "American Dream."One line that stuck out to me is: "If its my own way, I'll tell her no way."How did you feel when your mom told you you're moving to the United States?

So, we were trying to come to the States for a while before that. My dad was here, so we tried and got denied. So, after a while I really just got tired of trying, and I didnt even care much because I was young and I just wanted to play. So, when she told me, deep down I was like, "Oh, cool, I dont really care. I dont even care to go anymore."So, thats why I chose those words, if it was my own way, if I was given a choice, I probably would have just stayed. But Im grateful for my journey in life.

From your perspective, how would you describe the American Dream before you got here, and what it means to you now?

Before I got here, we were being told that America was kind of perfect. A land full of milk and honey, which it kind of is, but unfortunately everyone isn't given the same opportunities based on your class and based on your race. I guess we face those things everywhere in the world, but that wasnt in the package that was being sold to foreigners outside the United States.

Several years later, in 2003, you find out you were accepted as a DACA recipient. How has that changed your life?

Being accepted as a DACA recipient was great. It created a lot of opportunities for me, career-wise. It's created a lot of opportunities for other individuals who are working to get an education, to feel a little safer. But, on the flip side, theres no path to citizenship. I feel like we're being bought out because each year, to renew your DACA status, the prices keep going up, and I also just heard that they reduced the renewal time to 12 months. Which is crazy, so every year you have to pay $600-plus to just stay in the country, which is unfair. Even though the Supreme Court ruled against Trump's plans, I heard the DHS is still declining new DACA applicants, which is just really crazy. Im grateful for being a DACA recipient, but its a struggle within itself because were trying to get people that are DACA recipients situated, while trying to create a path to citizenship.

We're in an election year.What changes would you hope to see for immigrants, specifically for immigrant children?

A path to citizenship. A plan that includes undocumented immigrants, a plan that keeps us safe and makes us feel welcome in this country because, for a lot of us, this place is home. I came here when I was 9, and I'm 26 now, and I havent been back to Nigeria though I am connected to my culture and Im really proud to be Nigerian I live here and this is where I've been for the last 17 to 18 years. I just pray that the next administration includes us in their plans.

You touched on being in touch with your Nigerian roots, and I hear that a lot in your music. You go from R&B to hip-hop and theres West African influences, too. Is that intentional or does it happen naturally?

I want to say its both sometimes it just happens naturally. Naturally, my tone and my vocals, I guess they sound African or Nigerian when I sing, and even sometimes when I speak my accent comes out. At first it was really intentional because I wanted to create a sound that was inclusive of both worlds, being that I am exposed to Afro music, or Nigerian-Afro music. But Im also exposed to hip-hop, from Jay-Z to the big dogs like Beyonc and 50 Cent. I always wondered what it would be like to create a sound that blends different genres, so a lot of genre-blending. Right now, were really big on the R&B, soul Afro combo, but as time goes I want to expand it to like possibly some funk or maybe some rock, some country and other things.

Your music also just feels really good.

Yeah, thats very intentional. Im also naturally just a feel-good, optimistic, sometimes silly person. So, I always want to make sure that the listeners get that vibe. When Im sad, I also want them to grasp that feeling. However Im feeling at that moment, I want them to feel it.

The 2018 EP you came out with, SoulFro, whats the meaning behind the name of the EP?

SoulFro, so, "from the soul." That kind of like just flows through other genres R&B, soul, hip-hop, a little bit of jazz in there, a little bit of rock and trap hip-hop. Just like music from the soul, with Afro elements that touches any genre.

Youve got an upcoming album, Mirage.When does that come out and will we hear the same influences?

That comes out in September, but I think this project is more so just focused on the R&B, soul sound with Afro elements.

And you just filmed a music video for the single, "Floating."

Yeah, so we plan on rolling that out in the next two weeks. The single drops on Friday, [July] 31st. And then two weeks later we should be coming out with the music video for it.

What can we expect to hear on "Floating"?

Oh man, I think you should expect something groovy and something vibey, soulful, something that just moves you and makes you do like a little two-step. You don't have to do too much dancing, you dont have to know how to dance to move to this song. It features VanJess a Nigerian-born, American-based duo. Theyre also just like the homies and theyre amazing.

You've also collaborated on the song "Love and Loyalty"with Wale. How do these collaborations come about?

So, Wale hit me on Instagram and said he was a fan of my stuff and wanted to work, so we just started texting. Sending ideas back and forth and I was like, "Yo, Im coming out to L.A. next week,"and we linked up in the studio and just made a bunch of songs after that. Wed come back to the DMV and link up. So whenever were in the same city we try and link up.

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How involved were you with creating "Love and Loyalty"?

The producers name was Sango, so I didnt produce this song. But outside of that I was involved in top to bottom from writing the hook and laying it down and doing my part, and just collaborating with Wale on how to make sure the hook really stands out. So, we came up with like one or two ideas and went back and forth and edited it. It was a really collaborative effort, and the beat was just really dope so we didnt even touch or edit much with the beat.

Before COVID, you went on tour throughout the U.S. with Jidenna. Was that your first experience on a U.S. tour?

Yeah, for sure. Prior to that I did a really small college tour, but it wasnt anything crazy. But that was my first, official tour. Earlier this year, before COVID, we did my own headline tour, which was also dope.

How do you like performing live? Your shows sound so energetic and like you've got a great connection with the audience. Did that come naturally?

I want to say it came naturally because I just grew up watching my dadand studying the greats perform. I wasnt this good like five years ago, but with time I just got more comfortable with being onstage and I really enjoy it now.

Ive heard that at your live shows, you sometimes have the crowd say "Oulala"? And you also have a clothing brand called Oulala. Whats the meaning behind that phrase?

Oulala is "happy to be alive" thats the meaning we gave it. And that just came about, I think this was pre-tour, when I started recording SoulFro in 2016. I was just talking to my younger brothers and I was like, "I think we need a tag,"and we came up with Oulala. But I didnt understand how big and how important Oulala would be to me, and what I see it being to people. It just kind of grew to where some people might not even remember my name but theyre like, "Yeah, Oulala!"Ill take that any day, because at the end of the day, what I do is bigger than Mannywellz. Its to contribute something to this world.

You've said that your mission in life is bigger than music, but music is the starting point. What is your mission in life?

Part of my mission, or my purpose, is to really do Gods work. To spread hope and have people know about Jesus. In whatever way that I can, directly or indirectly creatively through music, through fashion, whatever it is that I want to step into. And just do my everyday life. Thats why I say its bigger than me, because whenever Im not singing, Im still a servant of the most high. I have to live my life according to what He has planned for me, what He wants me to do.

What does your family think of your chosen career in music?

They love it. I think now they're appreciative, and I think me making that decision is also inspiring to them. Because ever since I was young, whenever I wanted to do something I would just find a way to do it, or get it done. Im an inquisitive person. I like to ask questions. Even if I know something, I just want to be sure of it. So, theyre really supportive. They buy merch, they buy tickets to a show, they dont ask for free handouts because they want to see this get to another level, so Im just really appreciative. Whenever I have new music theyre the first to hear it and critique it.

You've also talked about challenging cultural norms through music. Can you talk about that?

This is a big topic, but I think toxic masculinity is really interesting to me. Men don't cry, men don't wear pink, men dont do this, men dont do that. Women dont do this, women dont do that, and its like, why? And I understand there are certain things that God just created that men or women are able to do more than the other, but theres certain things that we both can do. Like the WNBA should not be getting paid less. They pretty much dont even get paid. Things like that. I just always wonder why that exists. And I always want to break that, especially even being a Nigerian man. How to treat a woman, and how to respect your wife. I really want to follow what the Bible says because Jesus really broke all cultural norms, and all social constructs. If you really look into His life, thats what he came to do. Whatever Jesus did is what I want to do.

I also want to touch on the album you were on, American Dreamers: Voices of Hope, Music of Freedom. What was it like finding out it was nominated for and won a GRAMMY?

That was amazing. I really did not expect anything from that project. Steven Weber reached out, told me who he was and what he was doing and they were working on a project that was going to be collaborative with DACA recipients, and I was automatically sold. So I presented it to my team and we got right to work laying down some vocals and some instrumentation. A year later, I hear that its about to be nominated and then I got to L.A. right around the GRAMMYs and I heard that it won, so I really didnt expect anything out of it. Thats the beauty of life sometimes. We chase certain things, which is good, but theres certain things that just happen when were doing the right thing. The right thing to me at that time was to just do the work and be obedient.

Lastly, I know you participated in the DACA march in 2018. How will activism continue to play a role in your music and your life in general?

I think its going to continue to play a big role because I dont know how to shut up when things dont look right. And I think thats a good problem to have, so I think its always going to be a part of who I am, in the music space and outside of the creative world. If somethings wrong, I want to know why its wrong or why its happening. If Im able to help fix it, Im down for the cause. And if Im not, Im pretty sure I might know somebody thats able to do something about it.

Yvonne Orji On Her First-Ever HBO Comedy Special, Faith & Celebrating Black Joy

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World Music Innovators Turning Jewels Into Water Fuse The Spiritual With Digital On Their New Album - Recording Academy | Grammys

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Saying that from time immemorial pilgrimages have been one of the most powerful motivator and a boost to travel, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism Prahlad Singh Patel said that the grand Ram Temple will boost the religious/spiritual tourism in the country.

Mr. Patel said that spiritual tourism has proven resilient to the pressure borne by the global recession because it is then not seen as a luxury but a travel with a purpose.

Adding further, the minister said, Ayodhya, the birthplace of Lord Ram, is a great place to take a plunge into the pool of spirituality. The city is dotted with temples and is one of the most venerable cities of ancient India. Ancient beliefs say, the gods themselves created this city. This is a great moment of faith and spirituality.

He further stated that the concerned ministry, under its Swadesh Darshan Scheme- Integrated Development of Theme Based Tourist Circuits is developing tourism infrastructure across the country. Ram katha gallery and park, Ram ki paidi, development of Guptarghat and Laxman qila ghat, rejuvenation of Ayodhya street, multipurpose hall at Digambarakhada etc. are some of the components to be covered in the project.

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Ram Temple a great place to take plunge into the pool of spirituality, will promote spiritual tourism, says Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel - New...

By Sheri McIntosh, Saturday at 11:49 am

When I was in college, I decided that I would become a vegetarian. I thought I would immediately give up all meat and animal byproducts. My vegetarian experience lasted two weeks. I did the process wrong. I should have taken steps to become a vegetarian. I should have started with vegetarian days instead of thinking I could do it immediately.

When we decide we want to make changes we need to make realistic goals. We want to lose 10 pounds in a week, and when we do not reach that goal we are frustrated. It took years to gain weight, yet we want to become slim in weeks. In fact, if you do lose weight fast you are more likely to gain it back because you have not learned how to sustain healthy eating habits. Think about it this way, if you lose pound a week that is 26 pounds in a year. We should tell ourselves that gradual is okay. Taking small steps can lead to big results. If you want to lose weight, think about small nutritional changes you can make. Search the Internet for healthy recipes. Instead of eating a dessert everyday try eating dessert every other day. Use smaller plates to reduce portion size. Replace unhealthy snacks with healthy ones. For example, you can eat cucumber slices with light vinaigrette dressing. Instead of eating potato chips try making your own zucchini chips. (The following link provides a recipe for zucchini chips. https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/242066/easy-baked-zucchini-chips/)

Being fit is part of overall health. However, if you have not exercised since high school, you should not try to run a marathon day one. That can lead to frustration or injury. (Stay safe with your exercising.) If you are just starting to exercise you should start slow. For instance, you can take a ten-minute walk or slow jog. As time goes on you can increase time and speed. If walking or jogging is not your cup of tea, YouTube has free exercises for beginners. There are fitness groups you can join to help you with the process. If you can afford it and want to spend the money, you may want to consider a personal trainer to help you get started.

Living a healthy lifestyle is an ongoing journey. There are no quick fixes. Do not fall for advertisements that promise quick results without any effort. If you decide you want to make changes start small and gradually improve. You may experience setbacks or not see results as fast as you would like. Do not give up.

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Small Changes Can Lead to Big Results | Spiritual and Physical Wellness - ChicagoNow

Hiya game fans! Modern Gamer here for another exciting and bizarre Saturday morning review. So let me start off with my recent stories. So I have some sad news to share. Recently two relatives of my husband recently passed away (within weeks of each other). Funerals are hard for me. For some reason looking at dead bodies makes me think theyre going to jump up and scare me, (ridiculous fear I know) aside from the sorrowful goodbyes because we are going to miss them. So why did I bring up the funerals? Well, the game I played is a wonderful puzzle game that walks you through a bizarre world of death at its different stages. I say its bizarre because I dont think my editor knew what he was going on when he assigned it to me. So let me tell yall about it.

First, the story is about the passing of life. It walks you through an old woman whos going through the journey of letting go. It has a series of really neat puzzles that are guided through stars and constellations. If anything it helps you relax as you play. But then I died after I solved the puzzles and from then on it was about remembering all the waking life. It was almost spiritual I would say. I think what the developers did was great and if this is based on the South American tradition of what people go through in death. It is amazing! The puzzles are a lot of fun too. If anything its relaxing and (if youve lost someone recently) I think it would be a kind of therapy after the funeral.

The artwork is amazing! I was surprised to learn that it had been done with unity. Im not really into game engines as much as I used to be, but I say this because its all hand-drawn. I mean this literally looks like a freakin coloring book! Its all 2D! Its also in black and white. Being into the 2D animation, I have to say is brilliant. Black and white allow for so much time to focus on hand-drawn art. The animation isnt as easy as it looks and literally your life goes by in seconds. Then you look up and its been like hours. Seriously I give these guys major cudos. The detail is fabulous especially if you like those sketch type line drawings. Exquisite!

Lastly the puzzles, its intermediate and but it gets a bit harder as it goes on. I have to say that it was really fun over all. I think everyone should give this a try. Aside from Evans Remains, this is one of the most relaxing puzzle games Ive ever had the pleasure of playing. Before I log off I would like to say that my husband and I are fine. We miss our loved ones, but are happy they are no longer suffering. Thanks for taking the time to listen to this Saturdays Modern Gamer review!

Thats all for now! Catch ya next Saturday! Curious what the Modern Gamer does in her spare time? Check out woodlingsart.com and patreon.com.Shurale to find out!

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Life and Death Meet in Spiritual Arrog Adventure - GameIndustry.com