Fight away that cold weather with some of these warm meals.

A Czech meal that is influenced by many cuisines, but has most similarities with French cooking, svckov na smetane is one of the most popular Czech meals. Mostly prepared for special occasions, the meal includes beef roast, side dumplings, creamy svckov sauce, cranberries, lemon and whipped cream. This Kirkwood Community College Continuing Education course will cover the preparation and cooking of all aspects of this Czech meal.

When: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday

Where: NewBo City Market, Kirkwood Kitchen, 1100 Third St. SE, Cedar Rapids

Cost: $75 for two participants

Details: (319) 398-1022, kirkwood.edu/ce

Join WineStyles for a six course meal with wine pairings, prepared by Chef Andy Deutmeyer. The evening starts at 6 p.m. with a sparkling wine welcome with an aperitif and jazz music by Jim Buenning, with dinner at 6:30 p.m.

When: 6 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday

Where: WineStyles Cedar Rapids, 4201 42nd St. NE, Cedar Rapids

Cost: $75 to $85

Details: (319) 200-4171, winestyles.com/cedarrapids

Join Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development for a homegrown brunch and conversation. This celebration of local family farms, food hubs, farmers markets and more will feature food from area producers, prepared by The Hotel at Kirkwood Centers Chef Joshua Spalding.

When: 10 a.m. to noon Sunday

Where: The Hotel at Kirkwood Center, 7725 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids

Cost: $40 to $45

Details: iowavalleyrcd.org/brunch

Facilitators Tara King, Laurie Erlacher and Jenifer Hanson will lead an afternoon of bread baking and exploring the connections bread makes in lives and spirits. Participants will return home with a fresh-baked loaf of homemade bread. No bread making experiences is necessary.

When: 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday

Where: Prairiewoods, 120 E. Boyson Rd., Hiawatha

Cost: $30

Details: (319) 395-6700

Dive into gin with this immersive hands-on cocktail class taught by Joshua OConnell.

When: 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Rodina, 1507 C St. SW, Cedar Rapids

Cost: $65

Details: (319) 200-2515, facebook.com/pg/rodinaiowa/events

Continued here:

Czech out Svickova Na Smetane and get spiritual about bread: this week's food events in Eastern Iowa - The Gazette

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In the English language, Christians usually use the word baptism to indicate the primary sacrament of initiation (baptism is also used, but not so often).

The word has much depth and can be traced to a Greek word that is used throughout the New Testament. The catechism of the Catholic Church emphasizes the following meaning of the word baptism.

This sacrament is called baptism, after the central rite with which it is performed: baptism (Greek baptizee) means: Immersion or Immersion; the dive in the water symbolizes the catechumen buried in the death of Christ, from which he rises by resurrection with him, as a new creature. (CCC 1214)

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Baptism by full immersion was most common in the early church and most fully connects this symbolism of death, which visually the death experiencing the catechumen.

It means and actually brings about dead to sin and access to the life of the Most Holy Trinity through configuration to the Easter mystery of Christ. (CCC 1239)

At the same time, the word also refers to washing away sin, and emphasizes this aspect of water, especially when baptism is administered by pouring water over ones head. The Catholic encyclopedia focuses on this dimension of the word.

The word Baptism is derived from the Greek word bapto or baptizo, to wash or immerse. It therefore means that the washing is of the essential idea of the sacrament when the terms Baptism, Baptism without an appropriate word are used, they are meant to supper wash which is the soul cleansed from sin at the same time, that water is poured onto the body.

As a result, baptism has a profound meaning that helps explain the profound spiritual mystery that is taking place.

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The spiritual meaning of the word - magviral

Gospel Artist Rose Muhando during the Pamoja concert at Nakuru ASK Show January 1,2020 (Photo: Kipsang Joseph/Standard)

Rose Muhandos electric performance has been described by all manner of adjectives including spine-tingling and highly charged. When she steps on stage, it is almost impossible to imagine what she will do next.

She might ditch her shoes and perform barefoot like she did last week in Nakuru. She could gyrate, shake her braids or jump on stage.

Fans marvel at her energy on stage. Bodies sway to the rhythm of the songs, arenas shake with the stamping of feet and believers experience a spiritual moment of praise.

Muhando is a magician. She has unique vocals and it feels like when she gets on stage, a part of her leaves the world, says Bento Oriko, a music producer in Nairobi.

Muhando has many personalities. There is the musician with electric performance. It is the personality most people are familiar with.

People rarely encounter the calm and composed woman who speaks in a low voice. When we catch up with her in a hotel in Nakuru, her face lights up when she talks about her music and plans for the future. Her voice lowers when she talks about her troubled life.

I have battled stress and depression. I have faced the roughest time in my spiritual journey, faced insecurity but I am well now. I will narrate what I went through when God allows, she says.

Her confession hints at what her followers have been saying online and off the net. Muhando is not well. Over the years, the fire she ignited by churning out consistent music albums started waning.

Her songs, like Mteule Uwe Macho, Yesu Nibebe, and Yesu Nakupenda became a reminder of the voice that redefined gospel music in East Africa. Her stage appearances reduced, and by last year, she barely made any performance. When she appeared in public, the spark she had in her eyes and voice had been replaced by a blank look and emaciating body. Then came the viral video that showed the controversial pastor of Neno Evangelism Centre performing exorcism on her as she lay wailing helplessly on the ground.

False narrative

She was unwell. She requested for spiritual healing from me. I only facilitated that. She is like a patient in a hospital. Do you usually call the doctor to inquire about the health details of a patient you are not related to? Pastor Nganga responded when questions on how Muhando ended up in her church emerged.

The musician now opens up on the incident saying she cannot remember what transpired before the event and has no recollection on how she was lured to Ngangas altar.

Pastor Nganga had invited me to his church and I had reported a day earlier. However, on the day the video was shot, I had a lot of pain in my stomach and he told me he would pray for me. I blacked out after the first three words and to date-I still cannot tell what transpired, she says.

She says she has never gone back to that church, nor talked to the pastor.

Muhandos entry into music was as controversial as the life that followed her in fame. As a daughter of a Muslim sheikh, she says her father was opposed to the idea of converting to Christianity.

Trouble seems to follow her; from fallouts with her producers, rumours of procuring an abortion, hospitalisation after being attacked by a venomous snake, and being entangled in fraud cases.

Then came rumours that she had sunk deep into drugs. Her slow gait, burn marks on the body and erratic behaviour were linked to drug use. Muhando denied the allegations vehemently.

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She accused her former manager of spreading the false narrative after she refused sexual relations with him.

I refuse to be anyones sex slave she had said when confronted.

Her other struggle is the turbulent relationships she has had, and her desire to remain single amidst a community that believes in marriage.

All my children are in school. All of them have different fathers because every one of them left me when I was either pregnant or when the child was young. I have however managed to enroll them in good schools and soon my firstborn will be graduating with a degree in law, she says.

The musician says being unmarried is a blessing in disguise as it allows her to travel and perform.

Abject poverty

She says her children, a daughter, and two sons, are her biggest investment. Muhando discloses that she has businesses and land in Tanzania, disputing talks that she is wallowing in poverty.

Even her choice for role model is not typical of what her Christian followers expect. She draws her inspiration from the late Michael Jackson.

People will find it strange but Michael Jackson was a great inspiration. His music brought the world together as mine did. My inspiration also comes from my everyday challenges. I sing every song to praise God for holding my hand in my music career, she says.

Since the year began, Muhando has made two trips to Kenya, sparking speculations that she could be working on a big project. She even composed a song about President Uhuru Kenyatta. She says Kenyans are her fans and she likes their generosity.

That is why I composed a song for President Uhuru. Kenya is like my second home and has given me a lot of opportunities. I get inspiration from fellow artists like Emmy Kosgei and get to appreciate people with great music like Mary Atieno, she says.

Currently, she is nurturing upcoming artists like Stewart Davidson who says Muhando is like a mother to him.

She is doing great to help us, upcoming artists. I have already recorded one song and shot a video since we met last year, Davidson said.

One thing she believes is there is nothing under the sun that can take away her powerful voice.

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I have faced the roughest time in my spiritual walk, Rose Muhando - The Standard

Shortly before Christmas, I wrote a little about the Legionaries of Christs new report, coming clean about some of the abuse theyve committed over the years since their inception by the pedophile Marcial Maciel. I wrote about my experiences in the diocese of Columbus in the late nineties and early oughts, where the Legionaries were officially not allowed to be but where their lay branch, Regnum Christi, ran meetings of their childrens branch, ECYD, with impunity. I spoke about the spiritual abuse those groups committed, catechizing us with heresy and sending my more popular peers on horrendously dangerous mission trips to rural Mexico and eventually abusing some of them in their boarding school. I talked about the Consecrated Women of Regnum Christi who led many of the meetings and caused so much suffering.

One of my commentators mentioned to me that one of the star consecrated women of Regnum Christi, Elena Sada, had eventually escaped and written a memoir about rebuilding her life. I was surprised. I knew of Elena by name she was not the consecrated woman named Elena who came to Columbus, whom I mentioned in my piece; she was another Elena, a celebrity among Regnum Christis consecrated women. I couldnt believe shed left.

I bought her memoir, Blackbird, right away with my Christmas money and read it all within twenty-four hours. I couldnt put it down. I do recommend that all my readers give it a look, but be warned that it will make you furious.

Sada describes the constant surveillance the consecrated women were under, the way they were kept from forming relationships with one another or even talking to each other in the dormitories; the absolute regulation of all of their day-to-day activities; the way they were encouraged to shame and tattle on one another. She reveals that consecrated men and women in Regnum Christi take a fourth vow in addition to the expected vows of poverty, chastity and obedience after they take those three vows, they are taken aside in private and made to vow never to criticize a superior in any way. Some consecrated men and women were made to take these vows, in secret, at the age of sixteen. She talks about how members of Regnum Christi were made to lie to protect the Legionaries of Christ and above all, to protect Father Maciel. Consecrated persons who claimed they saw Maciel doing something wrong were accused of hallucinating and sent away to rest.

She writes:

RC was a cult, or at least, had all the cult elements: leadership that commits crimes, is adored, cannot be criticized, and has no accountability; a caste system where the leader is at the very top of the pyramid and is untouchable; a structure with informants or spies, and that forbids communication between subjects, and between these and their families; a culture where the leader undermines other systems, including ones own family, and uses guilt for control; and protocols that ration sleep, nourishment, and rest.

I am so angry.

With who?

Am I angry with Elena Sada for all the harm she did to other young men and women as someone in the elite upper crust of Regnum Christi? Well, yes. I cant imagine the sheer number of people who were ruined with her involvement. I resent that she had such a comparatively easy time starting over after she left, and that she got to tell her story when so many didnt. Many of the girls she duped were destroyed for life, and didnt ever get to tell their stories. I know some of them.

On the other hand, she herself was absolutely a victim. No nineteen-year-old is mature enough to take vows, let alone one whos been brainwashed for several years first. Elena was also a victim of Maciel, in a different way, as surely as he victimized other young women and men sexually. She was his slave, so unquestioningly obedient that she wore a cilice garter around her thigh daily until it formed a permanent scar because Father Maciel had given it to her as a penance, because she sometimes woke up feeling sexually aroused. Thats not the action of someone who is free to make her own choices. Thats someone who was exploited and abused until she believed she deserved it.

Am I angry with the people I knew growing up who were involved in Regnum Christi, the parents who willingly sacrificed their daughters and sons to the cult? The ones who signed off on sending them on dangerous mission trips and to the pre-candidacy school, and my own parents who only insisted I go to weekly meetings? Yes, I am. They ought to have known better. Im angry that the moment our equally cult-likespiritually abusive Charismatic community collapsed, I got shuffled into what Elena Sada herself admits is a cult. Im angry that they didnt listen when I tried to tell them it was like a cult. That never should have happened. Eventually, the pressure took effect and I started going to meetings because I felt I ought to, on my own volition, but it started with them forcing me.I cant imagine the person I would have become if they hadnt felt the need to do that.

On the other hand, werent my parents, and the other parents in Regnum Christi, just looking for a community? Isnt that something its perfectly normal to want? Dont we all want to be part of a community, not going it on our own but living as a family with other believers? Dont I long for that myself? Havent I also joined parishes and all kinds of groups here in Steubenville, always with disastrous results, because I hoped against hope that it would be a community and a spiritual family for me? Of course I have. A family, not just a nuclear family but a network of people to be your extended family, is something we all want. Its supposed to be part of our religious experience. We suffer when we dont have it, not because were weak, but because community is a real need.

If I ever see them again, I hope to tell my parents I understand why they did that. I dont excuse, but I understand. They wanted our family to be part of a spiritual family, and thats a normal thing to want. We ought to have had it. We were victims.

If youve never been involved in a cult, please be patient. If youve never, yourself, been spiritually abused, please try to empathize. People who join cults or get pushed into them including people who allow cults to hurt their children do so for understandable reasons. Theyre seeking things that everyone needs: family, community, a sense of safety. And then things get out of hand.

It was the Church that failed us.

People inform me that I hate the Church, because I speak out against spiritual abuse. But if I really hated the Church, Id just leave her alone to destroy herself. Shes doing a good job of that. Sometimes I feel a great deal of anger toward her, but in another way I cant hate her. I am a part of her you and I, the baptized, are the Body of Christ. We are the Catholic Church. And I have to speak out when I see members of that Body going rogue and ripping off pieces of Christs flesh, claiming theyre doing it in His name. This is not a comfortable position for me to be in. I have very loving and well-intentioned non-religious friends who tell me Im hurting myself and ought to leave the Church entirely; I also have well-meaning Catholics in my life who treat me like Ive already become an apostate. But I have to tell the truth to anyone who will listen. And so Ill say it again: the Church failed us. And she continues to fail us.

John Paul the Second was, at best, a gullible dupe who refused to be reasoned with. He, perhaps because of his traumatic young life in communist Eastern Europe, couldnt or wouldnt see what was happening around him and thought he was doing the right thing somehow. I loved him, I mourned when he was gone, I prayed for his canonization. I cheered when the usual waiting period was waived. When the truth of what hed covered up and ignored was made known, I felt like Id been betrayed by a father and now I feel that his feast day ought to be struck from the calendar. Benedict, whom I love, didnt go far enough because he didnt shut the entire fake order down when he had the chance and that is his great shame. Pope Francis, whom I love, hasnt shut it down either. It still exists, and this is baffling to me. You cant reform a religious order that was founded by a Maciel. Religious orders are reformed by returning to the charism of their founders. Franciscans reform by becoming more like the beloved Poor Man of Assisi. Dominicans reform by returning to the charism of their father Dominic. Who are the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi supposed to return to? They dont have a father. What they had was a pimp who trafficked them and theyll never be anything more than that. The Church is not helping them to heal by letting them pretend to be a real religious order.

Still, Im glad that Elena escaped. Im glad I was shown the door and didnt have to escape in the first place, as painful as that was. I am glad that the truth is being made known now.

Im glad of those things. And Im angry. And Im dreadfully sad, embarrassed and frustrated at the same time.

I think thats what all Catholics should be right now, honestly. We ought to be feeling one anothers pain and humiliation, and working from there.We are one Body, after all. Were supposed to suffer with one another.

That would be a start.

(image via Pixabay)

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Blackbird, Regnum Christi, and the Legacy of Spiritual Abuse - Patheos

Rabbi Yosef Goldman, a leader in the movement to bring Jewish spirituality and song together, has a simple goal: My central concern today is bringing people together and fostering a sense of community through music.

That goal brought Goldman who learned to daven from Cantor Sherwood Goffin at Lincoln Square Synagogue but who is equally comfortable at the Carlebach Shul and the Renewal congregation Romemu back to New York City last week for the ninth installment of Rising Song Intensive, held at Bnai Jeshurun. He was the featured performer and instructor at the four-day event.

Goldman, 41, is co-director, with Joey Weisenberg, of the Rising Song Institute, a project of the egalitarian Yeshivat Hadar that aims to cultivate Jewish spiritual life through song, according to its website. The institute is headquartered in Philadelphia, where Goldman is now based.

The two are offering a vision of a more user-friendly 21st-century synagogue, one built around singing and spontaneity, combining two millennia of Jewish liturgy with the modern energies of an actively participating congregation.

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With the Institute, Goldman and Weisenberg are making that ideal a well-schooled reality.

One of the things we did was to launch a residency program, a nine-month spiritual incubator, Goldman explained. The enrollees have their own course of study, four hours a day, four days a week, in which they study everything from the rudiments of music to nusach, how to lead song circles, how to daven together. We have Shabbat services that are open to the public. Our model is artist-in-residence programs. We want people to go out from the program and create new paradigms of musical, spiritual and communal leadership.

That may sound ambitious, but the goal is ultimately even more utopian.

Were exploring the place where social justice and spiritually-rooted interfaith work meet, Goldman said. We want to draw on leaders and activists from different faiths to explore how we can bring people together through our shared values.

Nearly 250 people attended the Rising Song Intensive at Bnai Jeshurun, and Goldman says the concert that in large part was a tribute to his music drew 800. The timing coincided with the first recording of his own music, Open My Heart (available from risingsong.org).

Goldman was grateful to be back to his natural habitat on the Upper West Side.

There are so many places just on the Upper West Side that were formative for me in ways that Im drawing on in this work. It will always be a spiritual home.

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Music And Spirituality At 'Rising Song' Event - Jewish Week

Every new year, I vow to clean up a lot of things in my life. My diet. My house. Even the apps on my phone and the files on my computer.

I also make plans to clean up my spiritual life. Ill resolve to finally get into a prayer or contemplation routine. Or that Ill get to a church service every weekend (or thereabouts). And Ill start a gratitude practice.

Then life intervenes and things get messy. I fall behind and dont do what Ive set out to. I beat up on myself, and the negative self-talk begins. Finally, I just give up, saying to myself, Well, Ive never managed to keep it up so why start? Im just going to fail.

Its a bit of a self-defeating cycle. And, I wonder, if its what spirituality and engaging with the Divine is all about. Do I really have to become Kevin 2.0 in order to be spiritual? Is spirituality merely a never-ending self-improvement project?

So, lately, Im thinking about whether focusing on somehow making myself better is kind of an issue. Its also, Im coming to understand, not the point. Rather than cleaning up maybe I try to live out of that messiness instead. Its whats real, after all.

I was thinking about all of this when the Christmas issue of Nadia Bolz-Webers email newsletter showed up in my inbox. Shes a Lutheran minister and public theologian in the United States. Bolz-Weber writes a lot about grace, and this holiday missive was no exception.

Bolz-Weber writes theres a reason shes obsessed with grace. She says our world is fixated on making judgements and hoarding wealth and being best and OPTIMIZATION, and thats shes triedtrying harder, but that doesnt make her free. It just exhausts her.

I really resonated with this, particularly when she went on to write, Maybe you too vow each morning to try harder so you can finally feel like you are enoughToday I will start meditating and become a vegan and start training for a marathon and go back to college and go to the container store to so I can organize my life and be in control.

Grace, says Bolz-Weber, is the exact opposite being in control. You cant earn it, but you receive it just because you need it. Grace might be inconvenient, but its what is necessary. You dont find grace, it finds you.

Not to quote Oprah, but I had a bit of an ah-hah moment at that.Why not meet the Divine where I am? After all, God is everywhere, just waiting to be noticed. Thats grace. It shows up in all the messiness of life. In fact, grace exists because of the messiness of life.

Yes, spiritual practices are good. A regular routine is good. Worshipping in community is great. You are more likely to notice the Divine when you make time to really look. But, God is in every moment, jumping up and down and waving ecstatically, waiting for us to see. Or whispering that we might hear.

So, this year, Im resolving to embrace my messy spirituality. Its just as grace-filled and valid as the one I think I should have. Maybe more so. Because its real and grounded in whats going on, right now, in every moment. Its where God arrives to meet me.

And, like the best kind of company, theres no cleaning required to invite the Divine in.

(If youd like to read and subscribe to Bolz-Webers e-newsletter, its called Just Throwing it Out There and you can find it atnadiabolzweber.substack.com)

Kevin Aschenbrenner is a Victoria-based writer, poet and communications professional. He holds an M.A. in Culture and Spirituality from the Sophia Center at Holy Names University in Oakland, Calif. He blogs atwww.dearpopefrancis.ca.

You can read more articles on our interfaith blog, Spiritually Speaking, HERE

* This article was published in the print edition of the TImes Colonist on Saturday, January 4th 2020

Art Photo byGuillaume TECHERonUnsplash

Excerpt from:

Divine grace found in messiness of imperfect life - Times Colonist

Jhakri is the Nepalese word for shaman; in Nepal it refers to practitioners of the ethnic groups of the Tamang, Magar, Rai, Limbu and Gurung people.

Chet Bahadur Thing, 26, a renowned shaman, felt a connection with the spiritual world, and learning from his grandfather, he started practising shamanism at the age of 11. He is now considered a guru in his community. He says: During ancient times, when there was no medical science or hospitals, shamans used to treat the patients in our village. Even now, people with spiritual problems or body pain visit us for healing or treatment or when doctors cannot heal them.

Eighteen-year-old Sheela Lamichhane is a student of management in Kathmandu and apractisingshaman. Ever since her older sister got severely ill and then was treated by a shaman shehas been fascinated by those who practice it.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

She even became possessed herself:I used to run in the middle of the road barefoot like some crazy girl,she recalls. Her parents took her to Thing, who, after purgingthe evil spirit,began her shaman training. She passed several tests, including the most important, a seven-day fasting ritual called gufaand a holy river meditation.

Gufa typically refers to a cave where aspiring shamans attend fasting and classes over the course of a week. They have to perform puja, a Hindu act of worship, chant mantras, play drums and dance in the middle of the night over burning ashes or coals.

Shamans believe that they will gain power or energy from God if they are able to dance barefoot over the burning coals. After the completion of this first test, shaman practitioners must go to a holy river for meditation. Half submerged in the river waters, they have to chant mantras and meditate for more than three hours. This ritual is meant to build confidence and provide energy to become a shaman, but not everyone can pass this test.

Lamichhane attends her regular classes at college, before treating patients at home with her parents assistance during the afternoon. She will need to pass more tests to get fully certified as a shaman, which should take about two more years.

I had a dream to be a doctor when I was 10years old and today people know me as a witch doctor. I feel like I was destined,she says.

EPA

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Shamanism in Nepal: Inside the practices and spiritual world of Jhakri - The Independent

When it comes to setting priorities in life, a lot of people are lost. We focus more on trivial issues and less on important ones. We always forget that everything in our lives is intertwined. Therefore if we focus more on the influential parts, it is sure to affect the trivial parts of our existence which lead us to the three most important walks of existence; spirituality, relationships and career success or accomplishments.

Starting off with spirituality, the term spiritual can be referred to as a connection to the supernatural realm, that is, the immaterial realm. Spirituality can be explained in many ways, depending on beliefs or revolution. The first thing we should know is that spirituality deals with mystery. Christianity explains spirituality as a life initiated and oriented by the Holy Spirit, that is, most decisions are taken in accordance with the will of the Holy Spirit.

Tradition explains it as a religious process of the reformation of man in accordance with the image of the gods or ancestors. The modern definition explains it as a bowing experience of a consecrated dimension and the deepest value and meaning by which people live. It can be said to be an encounter with ones inner self or dimension, self supereminence, the purity of self motives, affections, intentions and inner disposition.

It is integral that is why it is a mystery. Talking about why spirituality should be dominant, the sources of most of our life events are deeply rooted in mystery. It is like you are in this world of things you are yet to understand and you have nobody to put you through so you keep yielding to danger. Spirituality is like life insurance, that is, it provides backup when you are lost, it gives you an insight into how you should see life.

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There are different beneficial forms of connecting to the higher realm. First, meditation which means keeping your mind fixed on something. Meditation can induce feelings of calmness and clear-headedness and can improve concentration and attention. It also has some overlooked health benefits which are; it reduces sensitivity to pain, enhances your immune system and relieves stress. Prayer is another form of connection to the supernatural but in this case, there is physical communication. Prayer brings relaxation along with the feeling of hope and gratitude. Spirituality provides comfort and helps you make better and healthier choices.

Secondly, the relationship aspect is the biggest aspect of human existence because we were created based on it. Relationships which is mostly interpersonal is the association between two or more people based on romantic attraction, love, solidarity, regular basic interactions or other types of social commitments. There are many types of relationships ranging from family to intimate relationships.

Our existence is based on relationships from start to finish. You need a relationship with the supernatural realm to make better decisions and to connect to your inner self, you need a good relationship with your family to understand what it means to be loved sacrificially, without compromise, to know what a home can be like. You need a relationship with your peers to know what it feels like to be among your age grade. You need a good relationship with business partners to earn contracts and favour. You need a committed relationship to find love and reproduce. You need a relationship for virtually everything in life.

The purpose of interpersonal relationship is to actively and continually facilitate the growth and development of each other. Without a relationship, you would never feel like a normal human being because you will never understand what trust and love really mean. We cannot also ignore the fact that relationships are very important for the overall well being of an individual as doing otherwise may result in problems in many aspects of life. Relationships increase our emotional well being creates stability and gives us someone to talk to and trust in times of need or difficulty. There is no health in being alone.

Lastly, career success or accomplishment. Fulfilment is very important when it comes to personal career accomplishment because it gives you a deep sense of purpose. When there is fulfilment in our careers there is this sense of joy and pleasure and we are not left feeling empty. Career accomplishment is very important because it is a requirement for basic survival therefore an unfulfilling career can be very bad. Everything just goes well when you love what you do ranging from making new friends to personal contentment.

Our self worth has been tied to our professional worth in different ways. When it comes to meeting new people, career talk is always part of the discussion. People want to know what you are doing so that they know if they should stick with you or not. People are also stereotyped in relation to what they do. Personal fulfilment is the continual journey of self-discovery and contentment with your position in life. Achievement without fulfilment leaves you feeling blank.

We should learn to put what is important as a priority before jumping into other unnecessary things and when the spiritual, relational and career aspect of your life is very sound, things would be better for you.

Discipline | By Awuese Abo

Qwenu!publishes opinions, stories, reflections, and experiences on contemporary issues. Clickhereto read articles from many Africans at home and in the diaspora. Embedded tweets and guest articles do not represent the opinions ofQwenu!as we only provide a platform for writers to express themselves. Email your articles toeditor@qwenu.comFollow us@qwenu_mediaFeatured image: Mohamed Nohassi

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The three most important walks of existence: spirituality, relationships, and career success | By Judith Nwadigo - Qwenu!

Since we have experienced the winter solstice, I'll take this opportunity to move halfway around the cycle of the seasons backward or forward to celebrate the season of growth and abundance.

Since we have experienced the winter solstice, I'll take this opportunity to move halfway around the cycle of the seasons backward or forward to celebrate the season of growth and abundance. I've been growing a perennial flower garden for a decade and a half. If there is anything more spiritual than growth, I dont know what it is. If there is anything more blatantly dedicated to growth than a plant ditto.

If you grow daylilies, the first weeks after the summer solstice will be a kind of Christmas in July. Many varieties of daylilies bloom in this mid-summer period, a season I love and wait for each year, but also experience with a kind of anticipated regret, knowing that each passing day according to the iron law of this hard-blooming species means that we gardeners and flower-lovers will lose the previous days entire cohort of these beautiful warriors in the battle to bring color and a fundamentally indescribable materiality into existence. This is what we mean, I think, when we speak of loving flowers: taking pleasure in living things that succeed on planet earth century after century, millennia after millennia, simply by making themselves appear attractive to species of an entirely different order of being!

This is what flowering green plants do: They attract the attention of other living things to help spread their seed and disseminate the means to perpetuate the species; in effect carrying out the same responsibility the higher animals do when we mate, reproduce, and guard our offspring with our lives. This is how we keep the world going round, obeying a command of our deepest nature. The example of flowering plants suggests that beauty, growth, the urge to survive, and the instincts to do it are all means toward achieving a single, universal goal to enable and perpetuate life.

If flowering plants have a religion, that's it. And, of course, they express it so beautifully. This is why, perhaps, some of us get wrapped up in the success, or (sad to say) failure, of so many of the plants we spend the summer with. We desire to know how well our favorites take daylilies, again are going to perform in a given season. It excites me, pleases me, to notice that the most common member of this family, the native orange-blooming so-called ditch lily, has spread its offspring to some corner of the garden where it hasn't appeared before.

In our garden plants can spread out or disseminate, or send forth new colonies, or adopt new family members into their neighborhood, because I am a lax disciplinarian and a liberal-minded ruler. Few dominions are fixed. Natural selection is given room to operate here. Things grow, expand, march forth, occupy territory. Some decline in numbers, and unfortunately a few disappear. I try to protect the smaller and more vulnerable species, but I am a distractable god, and a forgettable one, and can't keep track of everyone.

A garden (at least ours) is a living kingdom. When the echinacea or the tall phlox jump to a place near the white fence that once was occupied by what? I don't think I remember I respond philosophically. The plants in our modestly sized yard (where most people plant grass we planted flowers, shrubs, and a couple of small trees) are inspirations, not show dogs. Some of them are mutts, visitors from elsewhere who stayed. They are exempla of freedom and possibility; birth, beauty and death. Of change and the river of time. They are shooting out blossoms, firing the flower and fruit of their nature.

Reach for the skies, people. I'm with you in spirit.

A funny thing has happened in the years since I planted this garden. I began writing poems, a lot of them, a thing absent from my life for decades. This is what I think: Growing involves one intimately with the seasons. The seasons consistently faithfully give rise to certain kinds of thoughts. Thoughts that sometimes, I find, give rise to poems.

In fact, I celebrate this time of year the season of the beautiful dark as well as the time of long days and bright colors. Im drawn to the stirring pageant of the early sunsets and lingering twilights that steal the scene so impossibly early that we stop to exclaim, Where has the day gone? Though we know the answer: to the other side of the earth.

But, ah, evening. Wings of darkness closing about us. Sometimes it can feel gentle, protective, maternal, a gathering-in by nature of her children, a bedding down of the soul. I will put this effort to bed with a poem that aspires to suggest the spirituality of home, caring, family (and, perhaps, familiarity) and an enduring faith in the seasons.

Resignation at Dusk

One of those still and silent twilights,

a kiss goodnight from the earth's persistence

No one will take a vote on the sky

The pink lip along the thickly treed horizon,

the soft pouch of leafage, upturned like gloved hands

to take us down to where it is safe, and beautiful

and sky kisses earth goodnight and chants,

slowly,

the prayer for forgiveness, the prayer for gentle touches,

the prayer for deeper, dream-filled journeys,

the prayer for better selves,

the remembrance of best love, held hands,

love domestic...

like secret things told

to a child.

("Resignation at Dusk" was published by 3288 Review, Spring 2019)

Bob Knox is a freelance journalist and author and a former assistant editor of the Old Colony Memorial.

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GUEST COLUMN: The spiritual pleasure (and poetry) of flowers - Wicked Local

The Mother series, known as EarthBound outside of Japan, stopped with Mother 3 in 2006, and only the second game was released internationally. That hasn't stopped fans from carrying a torch for it over the years, with one group deciding to stop waiting for Nintendo and create their own sequel, which has now transformed into a separate game with a new name, Oddity.

While the overt connections have been dropped, the trailer still gives out plenty of EarthBound vibes. There's a fate of the world quest, fancy powers and demons to kill, but like EarthBound it's still an urban RPG, this time set in the '70s.

The baseball bat-wielding Travis Fields has developed weird abilities thanks to a mysterious exploding gate and must use them to save the world from an assortment of monsters and a secret society. The moon, not wanting to be left out, is also in peril.

The art, cast and combat are definitely meant to evoke EarthBound, but the style remains just as appealing now as it always has.

There's no release date yet, sadly, but EarthBound fans should be used to waiting. It's been 25 years since the last game to leave Japan launched in the US, and it didn't get an official worldwide release until a few years ago. Thank god for emulation.

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Oddity is an Earthbound spiritual successor that used to be a fan sequel - PC Gamer

The statue of Mother Teresa in the chapel of the Mother House, Kolkata, India at February 08, 2014Photo: Shutterstock

The former spiritual advisor to Mother Teresa has been accused of raping one boy more than 1000 times all over the world in a new lawsuit filed against the Catholic Church.

The Reverend Donald McGuire molested Bobby Goldberg from age 11 the court documents say, adding that he had the boy travel the world with him as his protege. Goldberg is now 61.

Related: Where did newly sainted Mother Teresa stand on LGBT rights?

Goldberg is suing the church, saying the former priest indoctrinated him and manipulated him into performing sexual touching, oral copulation, and anal penetration.

McGuire was treated at a residential center in 1994 and criminallyconvicted of sexually abusing young boys in 2003. He died behind bars in 2016.

Mother Teresa wrote a character reference for McGuire when he was in treatment, saying, I have confidence and trust in Fr. McGuire and wish to see his vital ministry resume as soon as possible. Her nuns swarmed the courtroom during McGuires trial wearing badges that said I support Father McGuire.

Goldberg says that McGuire gave his single mother a job and would use that as leverage to keep him compliant with his sexual demands. He said the priest would lock him in a room for hours if he refused to perform a menu of sexual favors on him.

During McGuires trial, Goldberg was a character witness for the pedophile priest, but he says listening to the stories from victims helped him realize that he too had been manipulated and groomed.

Mother Teresa was a celebrity and kept company with other celebrities. Her meteoric rise landed her in the foyers of mansions and at the dinner tables of world leaders. She was able to parlay her reputation for piety and good works into a lucrative fundraising scheme. She raised millions of dollars, ostensibly to fund her charitable organizations.

Faulty bookkeeping, secrecy, and incompetence prevent accurate accounting of these considerable financial resources.Following her death, some accounts were discovered in traditional tax havens, all brimming with cash, their origins and purpose unknown.

While its impossible to ascertain the motives behind these financial discrepancies, while some of those in her care suffered and eventually perished from curable diseases in her houses for the dying, no expenses were spared when it came to Mother Teresas own health; even the smallest medical complaint led to immediate hospitalization at a top-notch hospital in the United States.

Not only were her celebrity acquaintances great funders, but some served her political goals to improve Catholic standing as well. She famously applauded Baby Doc Duvalier, a totalitarian dictator in Haiti, for his compassion.

Mother Teresa never condemned McGuire for molesting numerous young boys in his care. She was made a saint by the Catholic Church in 2016 the year that McGuire died in prison.

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Mother Teresa's former spiritual advisor accused of raping boy more than 1000 times - LGBTQ Nation

SWANSEA Blending her business and spiritual sides, Jessica Kozak has been expanding Soul Purpose, a haven for the soul, for years in the Swansea area.

Yoga, starting on Jan. 6, is her newest offering to compliment a wide spanning spiritual menu that dabbles in everything from meditation to psychic development.

Its a holistic educational center, and a wellness center, Kozak said. Were really excited.

Her physical location at LaPointe Plaza, 1225 GAR Highway, will also change. But Soul Purpose wont go far. It will be in a bigger space in the same plaza.

Its been exciting and scary, said Kozak, who started her business in 2005 in an in-law apartment in Dighton. Weve grown so much. It challenges you to take a chance on your vision and yourself.

From Dighton, she moved to a site in Somerset, which she outgrew in a year, and then to a 750-foot location in her current plaza. She moved to a 1,400-foot unit about six years ago, and when construction is finished, shell take up a new storefront with 2,200 square feet inside.

I helped design the new space, Kozak said.

A larger room for regular yoga classes will be part of the addition.

Ive always wanted to have yoga, Kozak said. There was a need for it. Im excited to offer it.

She said classes will mainly focus on traditional Hatha and Vinyassa yoga disciplines and will include stretching, exercise and meditation for all levels.

Were all shapes and sizes here, Kozak said.

With a background in banking and a degree in both business and psychology, Kozak brings her two worlds together for her clients benefit.

Offerings at Soul Purpose include energy medicine, massage, reiki, meditation, aromatherapy, acupuncture, generational healing, psychic development, mystical oracle readings, reflexology, sound therapy, quantum healing, plus classes and trainings in some of these disciplines, and more.

There will also be an interfaith chapel at the new site.

While Kozak, an ordained minister, has a devotion to Mother Mary, she said the chapel is non-denominational and available to people of all, or no, faiths.

Im more expansive, Kozak said. I work with people whatever their belief system.

Shes also a spiritual medium and said shes been intuitive her whole life, seeing angels and helping to interpret their meaning for others.

Theyve been a consistent presence in my life, Kozak said. They really try to help us get back on track. They can come as the voice of intuition.

Bridging the holistic world to the mental health and medical communities, Kozak, a clinical aromatherapist, works with physicians, nurses, dentists and others.

I bring professionalism to the spiritual world, Kozak said.

Kozak said shes excited to be growing Soul Purpose once again and expanding spiritual services.

Sometimes, its surreal to see your vision manifest into reality, she said. I hope it inspires others to further their dreams. Nothing is impossible.

A free introductory yoga class will be offered on Friday, Jan. 3, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. A regular yoga schedule starts Monday, Jan. 6.

An open house will be planned when the new site is open in roughly February or March. For now, Soul Purpose will continue at its present location, 1225 GAR Highway. To learn more, visit https://www.the-soul-purpose.com.

Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com.

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Expanding the physical and spiritual in Swansea space - Fall River Herald News

These spiritual fruits are gifts good for the body, mind and soul.

What are the gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to the Bible? According to Galatians 5, God gifts Christians spiritual fruit to encourage and strengthen faith.

Fruits are good for you, at least thats what we were told growing up. Plenty of studies have come out debating the topic. So, if physical fruit is healthy, imagine how beneficial fruits that are gifts from God can be for your body, mind, and spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23

RELATED: How The Bible Defines What Love Is In John 3:16, The Most Popular Bible In Scripture

The Catholic Vulgate says that there are 12 fruits of the spirit: charity, joy, peace, patience, benignity, goodness, longanimity, mildness, faith, modesty, continency, and chastity. Some faiths argue that there are 7 and some say there are 9 spiritual fruits given to believers who are growing in their faith with God.

Most of these are qualities that you wouldve (or shouldve) been raised with. Youre taught to love everyone, be patient when waiting for something, be kind to one another and so on.

Its something youve probably been practicing your whole life without even realizing it. And, even if you dont cover all nine, you probably at least cover one or two of them.

If youre unsure if you exemplify each spiritual fruit or how you can start to demonstrate the maturity of a believer, allow me to explain each gift from God, according to Galatians 5 of the Bible.

This ones pretty simple. There are all sorts of ways to show love, whether its for a family member, friend or significant other. Just showing that you care is typically enough.

RELATED: What Is Love, According To The Bible Scripture

You should be joyous in your life in Christ. Find what makes you happy through God. True joy can only be found through journey and self-discovery and it certainly doesnt hurt to have a bit of guidance too.

The Bible defines the gift of peace as maintaining harmony. Dont go out of your way to cause violence and make the best effort you can to get along with everyone. Look for inner peace as well, because its just as if not more important than outer peace.

RELATED: 15 Inspirational Bible Quotes & Verses About God's Love

This is another one thats pretty self-explanatory. Whether youre waiting on a person or a package, reminding yourself to be patient can help to keep your mind at ease (which also helps with peace)!

This is kind of like love but in a more casual sense. You should make the effort to be kind to everyone you know and meet. This means not being insulting or ragging on others and making an effort to help when the opportunity arises.

RELATED: 13 Inspirational Bible Verses For Women Who Need Strength

If there was an actual scale of whether something is good or bad, this fruit would embody it. Its telling you to do the best you can to stay on the good side. This isnt like the idea of if you do enough good things you get into Heaven.

Its more like not intentionally sinning, asking for forgiveness and doing your best to be good in Gods eyes by living faithfully in Christ.

This is straightforward. Listen to God and learn from the Bible. Live your life under the guidance of Christian principles. Doing that shows your faith not only to God but to others as well.

RELATED: Why Leave And Cleave Is Important For Successful Marriages, Even If You Dont Believe The Bible Is Scripture

Another way to put this would be understanding. Think of it as a parent and child situation. When the child does something wrong, rather than yelling at them, the parent is gentle, even in discipline.

Perhaps the hardest of the fruits to practice in life. It applies to so much of our lives, from preventing impulse buys to controlling your temper. But without it, the world would be much more chaotic than it already is.

RELATED: What Is A Sin & Why Does The Bible Scripture Call People Sinners

Honestly, none of the fruits rank higher than another. Theyre all of equal importance because theyre all things you should practice in your daily life.

Even putting aside being a Christian, these are the qualities that make up a decent human being. The Fruits of the Spirit are like guiding principles in life.

Now while theyre all equal, none of them quite embodies all the others like love.

According to 1 Corinthians 13, a popular Bible scripture love is the greatest gift of all.

Love is patient and is kind. Love doesnt envy. Love doesnt brag, is not proud, doesnt behave itself inappropriately, doesnt seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesnt rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:

To put it another way, love is joyful, love is peaceful, love is patient, love is kind, love is good, love is faithful, love is gentle and love is using self-control to have the best possible relationships with others.

Love is a gift and it covers so much in life. Its why there are so many romance movies, why love and friendship is a theme in so many shows and why we care so much about our families (even if we dont want to admit it). Love gives us all of the Fruits of the Spirit wrapped up with a nice little bow.

However, just because love touches all the bases doesnt mean thats the only one you need. Just as the body cant live off of apples alone, the soul needs all of the fruits. Practicing all of them will make you the best version of yourself in your faith.

RELATED: 50 Best Inspirational, Encouraging Bible Verses & Quotes About Life & Strength

Jesse Oakley is a writer who writes about love, relationships, self-care and spirituality/astrology.

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Fruit Of The Spirit, According To Galatians 5 - YourTango

You are fettered, said Scrooge, trembling. Tell me why? I wear the chain I forged in life, replied the Ghost. I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

What will be my legacy?

I always return to this question as one year ends and another begins and, in the case of 2020, as one decade fades into history and another decade prepares to take center stage. Not sure just why that curious query enters my thoughts now. Maybe it's because as I age and another Happy New Year! rings out, I realize that there are more Auld Ang Synes behind me than before me. That my chances to make a mark in this world are limited by time and fate.

And so, I wonder what will be my legacy?

What will I be remembered for, after I leave this earth and return to the Creator who made me? How about you? What will be your legacy? The life you will leave behind, the lives of others you touched and made better, or did not? The life of the community you lived in that is a better place, or is not, because you called that part of Creation home? How do you want to be remembered?

It's tempting to see these questions as somehow morbid, or too tender or too scary to ask. I get that. Who wants to imagine this life without one's self? Yet the truth is we are all born and we all live and we will all die, all of us, one day, perhaps in a very long time or perhaps sooner than we think. God only knows when that time will come, so it seems to me imperative that every once in a while like on the eve of another New Year's Eve we should think about this. My legacy. Reflect on this. Our legacies.

Not in material things, in what we will to our heirs. As a lifelong enthusiastic consumer, I know I put far too much stock into what I have, what I possess, what I own, what earthy things are important to me right now. We all do. We've got stuff, after all. Lots of stuff. Too much stuff. I've got a big house full of so many things. Though I fantasize that my stuff is precious, the reality is that all of these things: they will eventually rust and they will decay and they will fall apart and one day be no more, consigned to the landfill or the Salvation Army.

I mean really: will anyone want the legacy of my big-screen TV? Or my thousands of books (mostly science fiction) or my collection of far too many coffee mugs (don't even ask) or the broken snowblower in the garage I will surely fix someday (not!)? To me that's not a legacy, not in the truest sense. The world may tell us that she who dies with the most toys wins, but to God? To life? To those we leave behind? Stuff is just stuff. Disposable. Here today. Gone tomorrow.

The real legacy of life is an accumulation of the tens of thousands of daily moral and ethical and spiritual choices that we make each day. How we decide to live: this alone will determine our most important legacy on that last day.

Did our one life make a difference for the good? Did we use that life, a gift to us from our generous Creator, for the good, for the positive, and in service to others? Did we forgive quickly and love boldly? Were we merciful to the very young and to the very old? Did we help those who struggled in life: the poor, the sick, the lonely, the powerless? Were we good citizens and did we give ourselves over to some cause or ideal greater than ourselves? Did we laugh too often and cry too deeply and live with reckless joy and take risks and fall down and get back up and try again? Did we live with humility, knowing that we were just another bozo on the bus of life, no greater, no worse, than any of our fellow passenger?

Legacy.

Or did we live for self alone? Did we mock or tear down others to build our own selves up? Did we seek power for the sake of power, or use the authority we had over others to exploit or hurt them or to add to our own largesse? Did we take the gift of our body but then not treat it well? Were we quick to judge and slow to accept? Were we miserly with our money, hoarding it all for ourselves? Did we imagine that the way we lived: this alone was the answer for everyone else's life? Did we live with cynicism, expecting the worst, or live with apathy, leaving the work of life up to others? Did we imagine ourselves better than others? Did we die with a house full of possessions and a full bank account but with a sparsely attended memorial service?

What will be our legacy?

The good news is that if we are reading this, the legacy question has yet to be answered. So, Happy New Year but more important, happy legacy. I know I've still got lots of work to do. How about you?

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 you'd like defined in a future column or have comments, please send them to pastorjohn@pilgrimsherborn.org or in care of the Dover-Sherborn Press (Dover-Sherborn@wickedlocal.com).

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Spiritually Speaking: What will your legacy be? - Wicked Local Westwood

KATHMADU: Jhakri is the Nepali word for shaman. Jhakri refers to practitioners of the ethnic groups of the Tamang, Magar, Rai, Limbu, and Gurung people.

Chet Bahadur Thing, 26, a renowned shaman, felt a connection with the spiritual world, and learning from his grandfather, he started practicing shamanism at the age of 11. He is now considered a guru in his community. He says: During ancient times when there was no medical science or hospitals, shamans used to treat the patients in our village. Even now, people with spiritual problems or body pain visit us for healing or treatment or when doctors cannot heal them.

Eighteen-year-old Sheela Lamichhane is a student of management in Kathmandu and a practicing shaman. Ever since her older sister got severely ill and then was treated by a shaman she has been fascinated by those who practice it.

She even became possessed herself: I used to run in the middle of the road barefoot like some crazy girl, she recalls. Her parents took her to Thing, who, after purging the evil spirit, began her shaman training. She passed several tests, including the most important, a seven-day fasting ritual called gufa and a holy river meditation.

Gufa typically refers to a cave where aspiring shamans attend fasting and classes over the course of a week. They have to perform puja, a Hindu act of worship, chant mantras, play drums and dance in the middle of the night over burning ashes or coals.

Shamans believe that they will gain power or energy from God if they are able to dance barefoot over the burning coals. After the completion of this first test, shaman practitioners must go to a holy river for meditation. Half submerged in the river waters, they have to chant mantras and meditate for more than three hours. This ritual is meant to build confidence and provide energy to become a shaman, but not everyone can pass this test.

Lamichhane attends her regular classes at college, before treating patients at home with her parents assistance during the afternoon. She will need to pass more tests to get fully certified as a shaman, which should take about two more years.

I had a dream to be a doctor when I was 10 years old and today people know me as a witch doctor. I feel like I was destined, she says.

(WITH INPUTS FROM EPA)

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Practices and spiritual world of Jhakri in Nepal - Khabarhub

Belgian actor Mehdi Dehbi is best known for appearing in Mary Queen of Scots and A Most Wanted Man on the big screen, as well as stage work in plays including Romeo and Juliet and The Just Assassins. But his very first role, at age 3, was playing Jesus when his parochial school staged scenes from the Bible. Now, he has brought his career full-circle, in a sense, by taking on the titular role in Netflixs Messiah, in which his character is believed by some to be to be a savior, while others think he is a con artist.

How did you tackle the uncertainty around whether or not your character, Al-Masih, was a true messiah or if he was a manipulator?

Whatever people want to project on him or on the story or on the show is part of the show itself. The show doesnt want to impose anything on anyone ideologically or politically. Its really a show that invites people to experience, rather than tell them what to believe. So whatever people want to project onto the character or onto the story, its totally valid, its totally fine. When it comes to my work and how I approached the character, there was a pact I made with the creator, Michael Petroni, for me to keep all of the intentions, all of the inside work, to myself. And to this day Ive kept it to myself, so I think Ill keep on doing.

But even without getting into the details of what you believed about him, you had to have a clear idea.

Absolutely, yes.

How were you able to formulate that? Did you have all of the scripts and the entire arc right from the start?

We had the whole script. It really worked like a film. Working on this felt like working on movies, and all 10 episodes really felt like one, so I had the whole story and could decide from what was written. With this part, you can read the script and have stereotypes in your mind, so I had to get rid of all of the stereotypes and cliches and the skins that I didnt need to play the role. And when I arrived on set on the day, I knew I was ready. I didnt know the day before, but on the day I was ready.

What historical or other works did you rely on to help strip away stereotypes but still have him rooted in reality?

To me, religion is the structure, and beyond the structure is the essence of things. And what was more important than anything else was the essence of teachings of what he was saying. I read a lot of books on figures from every religion and stories of yogis and more recent figures like Osho and Jiddu Krishnamurti. And then I saw a lot of movies about Jesus and the Buddha, and I had to understand what I wanted to avoid doing. To be genuine and authentic, it had to come from within me.

Al-Masih is a very still, calm character who often spends scenes in perfect posture, not moving at all. What does it take to get into that headspace and perform that physicality?

I was already, on a personal level, looking for that stillness in my life. With working on him, I pushed that even further. I felt like working on him required me to stay silent and to be within myself and to basically stay contained throughout the whole shoot. It was challenging, and it was isolating, but the part required that.

Aside from the physicality, what scene or character choice did you find the most challenging to crack?

More than a scene specifically, its really being with the character for a year and not getting out of character for a year. I had six months of prep and six months of shoot, and this is a long time to stay with such an intense character. So my life really was pushed aside, and that was hard. And also with my fellow actors, I really wanted to be more available to them after set when they wanted to go and socialize and do things, but I couldnt. So those were the two most painful things. But working on set was not painful; I love working, and working on characters like that gives you so much understanding and strength about you as a person and about the world.

What did you learn about yourself as a performer from taking on this role, and what did you learn about religion, or peoples responses to religion?

I did a lot of very deep spiritual work prior to having Messiah come into my life, during and after; thats just my journey. For me, acting is a spiritual thing, and it has been throughout my whole life, so the more I learn about my craft, the more I learn about human beings. Humanstry, I call it: the artistry of being human. It requires you to do the work yourself. So, for example, whenever he said things like, You have to shed your burdeons and you have to shed your fear, how could I myself say those words without really understanding what they meant for me, personally? So I did that. But when it comes to religion, I think that spirituality has not much to do with religion. I think that religion is interesting, but in the case of this show, spirituality goes beyond religion.

Did you gain new perspective on international relations from working on the show?

We were very fortunate to have real Syrians real people who have fled the country, and who lived the war and be connected to reality. These people had beautiful faces and eyes and energies and were telling you incredible stories about their lives, and you are in the fiction of that, and all of a sudden you come back to a strong wall of reality, and that was beautiful and inspiring.

What role is the right one to follow in the messiahs footsteps?

I believe in the law of attraction, and when I was three years old I was raised in a Catholic school, and every Thursday we went to the church and we played scenes of the Bible, and the first role I ever played in my life was Jesus. And in my mind I always knew and I always had somewhere there that I wanted to not specifically play Jesus but a spirit close to that kind of beautiful, vibrating love. And it came. Im very grateful for that, and I feel like after this, Im very open and grateful for whatever will happen, but right now I dont know how to answer that because Im not finished with him.

Things you didnt know about Mehdi DehbiAge: 34Born: Liege, BelgiumOther artistic talents: I make music, I write poetry, and I direct theater.Most recent binge-watch: MessiahLast book he read: Thirst by Amlie NothombHow he relaxes on set: Classical music

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Messiahs Mehdi Dehbi on Authenticity of Character Coming From Within - Variety

Maybe youve heard about spirituality but arent really sure what it is. Well, it's different from religion, and you can practise it even if youre not religious. Find out about different kinds of spirituality and the reasons why some people decide to live spiritual lives.

Spirituality is something thats talked about a lot but is often misunderstood. Many people think that spirituality and religion are the same thing, and so they bring their beliefs and prejudices about religion to discussions about spirituality. Though all religions emphasise spiritualism as being part of faith, you can be spiritual without being religious or a member of an organised religion.

There are some pretty clear ways in which religion and spirituality differ.

Religion: This is a specific set of organised beliefs and practices, usually shared by a community or group.

Spirituality: This is more of an individual practice, and has to do with having a sense of peace and purpose. It also relates to the process of developing beliefs around the meaning of life and connection with others, without any set spiritual values.

Organised vs freeform

One way to understand the relationship between spirituality and religion is to imagine a game of football. The rules, referees, other players and the field markings help guide you as you play the game in a similar way that religion might guide you to find your spirituality.

Kicking the ball around a park, without having to play on the field or with all the rules and regulations, can also give you fulfilment and fun and still expresses the essence of the game, similar to spirituality in life.

You can do either or both

You may identify as being any combination of religious and spiritual, but being religious doesnt automatically make you spiritual, or vice versa.

Life can be full of ups and downs, good times and bad. Many people see spirituality as a great way to seek comfort and peace in their life. It can often be practised alongside things like yoga, which ultimately focus on stress relief and release of emotion.

Spirituality is a way of gaining perspective

Spirituality recognises that your role in life has a greater value than what you do every day. It can relieve you from dependence on material things and help you to understand your lifes greater purpose. Spirituality can also be used as a way of coping with change or uncertainty.

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What is spirituality? | Spirituality | ReachOut Australia

Bengaluru: Vishvesha Teertha Swamiji, in his physical appearance, was very lean. But the formidable energy with which he spoke and took epoch-making decisions easily belied his frame and had the robustness to move mountains!

Apart from ironing out sectarian flaws in the Hindu society, he stridently fought for the construction of Ram Mandir as well.

But that was not all. He was a phenomenal fighter against the oppression of the mighty politicians and stood like a rock to neutralise their efforts in infusing fissures.

Take for example the Emergency imposed by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in the year 1975.

Also Read:Vishvesha Teertha embraced the whole world as one

The Swamiji took her on. And when many were of the opinions that the Khavi (ochre robes) should not meet the Khadi (politicians), his reply was one for the Gods!

He said, Since swamijis are also citizens of this country, they too have equal political rights as other citizens.

He even published a protest letter in the same year. In that he said, As long as my Dharmic activities are not affected, I am even ready to serve a prison sentence.

His opposition was not related or limited to nefarious politics alone. He participated enthusiastically to lodge his protest against anything that violated humanity.

A website Shivallibrahmins.com notes: When, under the pretext of Industrial development, lots of environmentally destructive projects were initiated at Karwar and Nandikooru, Sri Swamiji was at the helm of the protests which opposed these initiatives.

He was also in the vanguard of the agitation to see a beautiful, grand temple being built for Lord Ram in the disputes site of Ayodhya. He had held several protests in this regard and had made no bones about it.

It is spiritual luminaries like him that pave the way for humanity. Spirituality need not be confined to the four walls of a room or a monastery. Spirituality is not just counting the beads, but seeing the effulgent atman in all beings.

This, the swami practised and preached.

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Homage to Vishvesha Teertha: Monk who did not confine spirituality to his room, but embraced one and all - MyNation

Ive been thinking about having a storm home. Garrison Keillor tells a story about winter in Lake Wobegon. Each year, before the season of wind and snow really set in, students were assigned a storm home close to the school. This is where they would go if a serious snowstorm developed during the school day. That way they would be safe until the storm was over.

Some years ago in a scene too sad for words, the entire world saw a picture of a lifeless little boy lying in the sand on a Mediterranean shore, a casualty in the human tragedy unfolding in Europe and the Middle East. Countless frightened and displaced people were and are living life without a storm home.

At the same time when the subject of immigration and possibly welcoming refugees from places ravaged by war and violence, there are loud voices saying, Keep them out, We need high walls on our southern and northern borders, Close off our ports of entry to the mass of human suffering and You never know who those people are.

The Bible speaks frequently of storm homes, Gods provision in times of trouble: Noahs Ark, a whale for Jonah, a stable for Mary and Joseph, Egypt for the holy family when Herod ordered the execution of male children less than 2 years of age, the Lord Jesus himself for the disciples. The prophet Isaiah, in a powerful hymn of praise, refers to God as a shelter in the time of storm.

Throughout history, many religious movements have provided storm homes for the poor, the homeless, the sick and needy. Much of Christianitys missionary activity began with an orphanage, a clinic or a hospital. Countless inner city missions have been rescue centers for the homeless and destitute.

When it comes to strangers and those in distress Christians have clear instructions, Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it and Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering. Its hard to miss the point in these verses.

Im thinking there is yet another kind of storm home all of us need from time to time. It is possible to be up and out as well as down and out. We who have steady jobs, pension plans and medical coverage are not immune from the sudden storms of life. Illness, accidents, broken relationships and other tragedies are not limited to the poor. It is a fair question to ask, Where is my storm home?

For me, it is the fellowship of faithful friends. There are many friends to whom I know I can go when the storms of life are raging. At their best, faith communities (churches, mosques, synagogues, temples) are meant to be storm homes.

How about you? To whom would you go, in addition to family, if life completely tumbled in? I believe it is a specific grace to have an answer to that question.

Dr. Bernard E. Johnson shares this space with the Revs. Timothy A. Johnson, Rod Anderson and Trish Sullivan Vanni as well as spiritual writers Nanette Missahgi and Beryl Schewe. Spiritually Speaking appears weekly.

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Spiritually Speaking: Where is your storm home? | Eden Prairie Opinion - SW News Media

GOTY 2019

(Image credit: Future)

Accompanying our team-selected Game of the Year Awards for 2019, individual members of the PC Gamer team will each discuss one of their favorite games from the last 12 months. We'll post a new personal pick, alongside our main awards, throughout the month of December.

I don't think we'll ever get a proper sequel to Stalker, the sandbox FPS set in a supernatural version of the Chernobyl disaster zone. Despite a few different games each claiming to be the true successoreven the original developers are working on a numbered sequelI'm very skeptical that any will see the light of day. So imagine my surprise when I booted up Metro Exodus for the first time and, after a lengthy introduction, found the Stalker I had been yearning for.

Unlike the previous two Metro games, Metro Exodus ditches the claustrophobic tunnels of the Moscow subway system for the wide open expanses of rural Russia. Set in the aftermath of Metro: Last Light, Artyom discovers that humanity has survived the nuclear apocalypse and sets out with a group of soldiers to find more survivors. Cue what is one of my favorite singleplayer campaigns of the last few yearsan odyssey through wetlands, deserts, and lush forests to find whatever remains of civilization.

Exodus elegantly distills what makes Stalker tense and intriguing into something much more palatable.

Like most Stalker games, Metro Exodus is broken up into three smaller open world zones that you can explore (mostly) at your leisure. But where Stalkers zones all share a common theme of being set around Chernobyl, Exodus' open world areas are distinctly different and each memorable in their own way.

To be clear, Metro Exodus isn't really a sandbox game in the way that Stalker is. There's a clearly defined story that pulls you from mission to mission with only a few opportunities for detours to explore along the way. I actually like it that way. Instead of trying to create a big, sprawling, simulated ecosystem, Exodus elegantly distills what makes Stalker tense and intriguing into something much more palatable.

Where Metro and Stalker find a middle ground, however, is in their somber atmosphere and emphasis on humanity. Stalker achieved the latter largely thanks to really impressive AI, but Metro takes a more classic approach by loading the campaign full of cutscenes that slowly peel back the layers of its core characters. Though some might find it a needless distraction, I really enjoyed the segments on the train where I could wander around and talk to my crew. It was good to know exactly who and what I was fighting forsomething I struggle with in Stalker. You can even retrieve an acoustic guitar and give it to one of your mates to play, which is the most Stalker thing ever.

But these differences feel a lot smaller when I'm deep underground in some abandoned mechanical shaft shooting mutants. Metro's trademark flashlightthat constantly requires you to charge via a hand crankis just as effective and fun as it is in the first two games, but I also love the added layer of guns decaying and eventually misfiring if they get too dirty. Crafting systems, especially crafting systems in FPSes, often make me cringe. But like everything else in Metro Exodus, crafting is lean and efficient and the slow decay of weapons is just enough to cause anxiety but rarely downright frustrating.

In a 2019 absolutely stuffed with great games, I fear Metro Exodus will end up being a footnote. But I really don't think it should be. It's pretty rare that I finish a game these days (there's always something new!), but Metro Exodus was one that I really soaked in and enjoyed. There's a near perfect mix of exploration, shooting, and story, and the 'road trip' setup of the campaign does a surprisingly good job of making me feel like I'm on a grand adventure. But, most of all, Metro Exodus rekindled fond memories of one of my most beloved shooters.

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Metro Exodus is the spiritual successor to Stalker we might never get - PC Gamer