My Walk of Darkness and Light

 Today's article was written by a friend, Jared. I asked Jared to share his story because I feel there are many people out there who deal with depression and feel removed and disconnected from any sense of belonging and of love. It can be easy, when things don't go as we planned, to feel that God isn't with us or has forgotten us. But remember, when things don't go as we planned, it is because there is something far greater in store for us. This is Jared's story of growing up, battling depression and finding solace in his faith.

My Walk of Darkness and Light

There can be many things that lead us to stray from the path of God. For me, I never believed it was possible to stray off that path until a friend of mine pulled me off the edge of a balcony just before I was planning to jump. I grew up probably the way most people do. I had a great set of parents that got me involved in church at a young age. They would take us to church every week and we would sit in our Sunday school class then play in the nursery or attend children’s church. Sure, I got picked on a lot when I was young but I always seemed to bounce back. I was the scrawny kid that knew better than to be mean back to people. I had some rough times physically and emotionally. There were fist fights and emotional bullying. Again, I seemed to keep it together because of my faith. I had a good support system in my parents and my church family to keep myself from letting the darkness out. As I got older, I was in the church plays and very involved with the youth group. My friends became my support system and things seemed to be going in a great direction in high school. Then I went to college.

 I was a decent athlete and a half decent student. I looked more at college as a way to continue my sports career more so than I did a chance to get a great education. Seeing as how I put more emphasis on my sport than my studies you can imagine how devastated I was to have injured myself in a pre-season contest. This injury was the main turning point in my walk away from God. We had our battles in the past, but this was different. This was just an up and walk away without even knowing it. This injury lasted with me for my entire collegiate career. Not living up to what I knew my potential to be lead to allowing myself to start drinking. This also then led to promiscuity with females on campus. I started to feel much like Solomon must have. I was running the exact opposite direction from what I believed in and what I knew I was supposed to be doing.

After I graduate college, I was left with what felt like nothing. Sure, I received my degree and ended up doing pretty well in both school and sports. However, without the structure of both of those things I quickly slid even further from God. Living with a friend of mine, I started doing what most of us probably did after college. I would work and I would play, and I played hard. Every weekend was like a continuation of college. We drank and we partied. However, I was no longer an athlete so I let myself party and drink even more. There were no coaches to report to, or teammates to let down. During this stage of my life I started to really experience depression. If I wasn’t drinking myself into complete drunkenness, I was alone in my room. I would seclude myself from the rest of the world.

This is where my friend comes in. In fact, he came in three times. On three separate occasions, he had the perfect timing. In a span of about 6 weeks he had saved my life three times. The third time is when he had enough. He called my parents. They did not know what to do. My parents tried very hard to balance helping me without me shutting them out. I started to get away from the alcohol but the promiscuity stuck around. Three years and three jobs later I found myself finally starting to get it. I had lost two of those jobs because of the bad choices I had made. The turn-around started when I met a very special girl.

This girl started to challenge me in a way I have never been challenged before. She made me want to show off how much I knew about God and the Word. We started dating and she made it very clear that church was something that would be a part of our relationship. We went to church fairly casually up until we got married. At this point, we started attending more regularly and I really started to pay attention. Not a coincidence at all, but my life started to get better. Things started working for me instead of against me. I opened myself back up to a Lord and Savior that I hadn’t known in so very long. I would get emotional in church because I realized that he let me back in with no questions asked.

Over the last year I started attending a men’s group and a young couple’s small group. Both of these extra activities have allowed me to further grow my knowledge and share my faith. I can proudly say that it has been over two years since I thought about seriously hurting myself. That dark feeling has been taken away from me. God most truly is the light of the world. I believe that he placed my wife in my life to show me the way back from darkness. I believe that the power of prayer and fellowship can really heal broken hearts and broken spirits. Now more than ever I am not afraid to speak about my bleak past. I made a lot of mistakes and I hurt a lot of people, but God has shown me that by facing those events I can be made whole again. He has made me strong so I can be a disciple and help those that are not strong.

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him and He will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.”
~Proverbs 3:5-8

Hero

Kelly Jones (@KellySue_Jones) was asked to guest-write an article about a friend of hers after she submitted a prayer one day to our blog about him. It was evident to us from the start that Kelly's friendship was one of admiration, love and inspiration. And in this day when some of us struggle to get through the normal routine of our day, sometimes its a great thing to realize how blessed you are and how far you are capable of going as a human being. This is Kelly's story about her friend, Jeff...

Hero

A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself

~ Joseph Campbell

The dictionary defines a hero as a myriad of things. These things mostly have to do with mythological and legendary archetypes, leaving us with visions of dragon slaying and saving the world from the ever ensuing darkness, only to be victorious in their quest for light. Yet one definition stands out for me on the fourth line of explanation in the dictionary: An object of extreme admiration or devotion.
We all have our own definition of what a Hero is.

Part of my definition goes something like this:

he·ro - noun \ˈhir-(ˌ)ō\ 1.  a: My Father. A WWII veteran, a devoted family man and a loving soul. A man who loved and cared for his ailing wife in their home until the day she died, and who was in love with her until the day he died. 

b: My best friend Jeff. The heir of my extreme admiration.

Growing up, it was obvious to those around him that Jeff had a talent for sports. But since the age of 6 he had battled illness after illness.  In high school he played soccer and excelled in baseball. But due to his health he eventually had to give up his dream of being a professional athlete.  
 

At the age of 18, he was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis, a disease of the colon that has characteristics of open sores lining the intestine and colon causing constant diarrhea and blood.  As his health issues progressed into a daily battle, He pursued his education at George Mason University and was awarded a national scholarship in broadcasting. Landing a job with NBC, it seemed he was able to now take his passion for sports and utilize them in broadcasting, a fulfilling career. Yet this dream would be challenged as well. Almost ten years later, and with continuous fatigue, he was hospitalized. Pounded with immunosuppressants and no food for 30 days, he went from 165 lbs to 115 lbs. The treatment failed, and Jeff had to undergo the 12 hour surgery to remove his colon if he were to survive.
 

While recovering from the removal of his colon and part of his intestines, as well as being given a colostomy bag, he was not getting better. He tells the story of how a priest would come to the hospital floor once a week to visit and give rites. Then, he started coming to Jeff’s room once a day. He laughs, saying “I thought maybe he just liked me”! Yet shortly after, Jeff lay alone is his hospital bed one night. He started to have a feeling that something was desperately wrong with his body. He started to get cold and as he put his hand over his heart, he could barely feel it beating. At this point, he was so weak he was not able to call out to a nurse and simply closed his eyes. When he opened them again, there were, what he describes as three transparent beings of light at the foot of his bed. One by one, they touched him saying, “It is not your time.”  Communicating with him through feelings,   their voices floated through his head without them speaking. As they continued to communicate, he looks back almost expecting them to reveal the mystery of life or a profound message from God. Instead, the next thing he remembers hearing was, “You will be going to Hollywood!” Jeff still laughs about that, pointing out that spirit does have a sense of humor!  Trying to make sense of what was occurring, more messages floated into his knowingness and he closed his eyes again.  
 

As he “awoke”, Doctors were standing over him. Electromagnetic monitors connected to his bare chest were telling the story of what had happened. He had experienced an electro cardio crash. His heart had stopped beating.
 

A few days later, he was given a book by his friend Barry. With the recent events and Jeff’s search for understanding, it seemed like the perfect moment for the book, The Celestine Prophecy. At this time Jeff was unaware of the common thread of this type of spirituality. Growing up as a devout Catholic, his spirit sought more than the average acceptance of the “Word”. Jeff wanted to know MORE.  
Upon discovering the metaphysical section at Barns and Noble he proceeded to simply run his arm along the entire top shelf of the spiritual section, letting them fall into his basket of curiosity. And like a beautiful orchestrated scene brought about by these beings of light, he came home to a postcard. It was from a friend to whom he had not spoken to in a long while. There was a picture of the Hollywood sign on the front of it. He slowly turned it over and it simply said “Moved to California and I have an extra room, if you ever want it.” He still has that postcard to this day.
 

Right then he made the decision.  He packed his car up and drove across country to California with a new sense of wonder. Although his health continued to be challenging, he began learning, studying and growing, making friends and even living a normal life. Although he went on to have a successful career in advertising, his basket of curiosity continued to refill itself.  He studied at Agape, listening to Rev. Michael Beckwith and attending SMU’s program in Spiritual Psychology. Until a string of events eventually lead him back to the east coast. Jeff would not be the person he is today without going to Hollywood. The beings of light pointed him in the direction of his path and guided him to the lessons that helped him live his soul’s purpose.  He learned, loved, lost and gained all to become the inspiration I know him to be.
 

When he returned home from Hollywood, he was again very ill.  He was then diagnosed with Severe Crohns Disease. Although now, in co-creation with his physicians, he was armed with the knowledge of how he could positively move forward.
 

A third diagnoses came in November of 2011.  Ankylosing Spondylitis. A.S. is a chronic inflammatory disease of the axial skeleton and joints. Immune mechanisms are thought to play a key role in the development of this disease. With most of the body’s immune system residing in the colon, and Jeff no longer having his, his body was now fighting itself in the form of his spine fusing together.
 

Through it all, the one constant has been his sense of humor, that and the undeniable light he shines on others. I have watched him battle the circumstances in his life all with a sense of wonder. It is easy to find peace and happiness when you are comfortable, and easy to see beauty in others when they support you. I know from many a night on the phone, how he battles the unconsciousness of the world. Choosing to fight the illusion of separation with a sword of love, that when strikes gives life, not death. However, to find these things in the dark night of the soul and unrelenting physical illness is truly remarkable. It shows a sovereign strength of spirit.
 

Where a lot of my admiration for Jeff stems from, is that he lives by example. Walking bravely through his challenges, he holds everyone in reverence as he speaks with the empathy of experience. He has slayed his inner dragons for the most part, and even befriended the others, yet his curiosity to grow and learn remains as if he was back in the book store that first day. With Jeff, I laugh harder that I have ever laughed with anyone else in my life. He defends my world from darkness with kind words and a simple smile that says he understands and will support me in any challenge that I may face, spiritually, mentally and physically. He is a true friend.
 

There is a new generation of spiritual minds that I seek inspiration from. People like Kute Blackson, Lissa Rankin, Brian Johnson and Mastin Kipp. I know their stories, read their books and follow their blogs. But my daily "check in" comes in the form of a text or a phone call from Jeff. It is the one thing I need to be reminded that we ALL have a purpose to give our gifts to the world. So when I need to be reminded of my own potential on the dark, forested paths of this journey, there is one inspiration I don't need to seek out. 

I have my hero on speed dial.

Soul Searching and Saddened...

Dear God,
You are well aware of the tragedy that has unfolded here on the sphere. We know in our hearts you have them wrapped in love & comforted by peace. Today we mourn for their families & friends. It is heart wrenching to think how the lives in this community have forever changed. Tragically & without warning it will happen again. Somewhere someone sits in a dark place, disconnected from you. I pray today & everyday you find someone strong enough to cross their path, flood them with light & love.

soul searching & saddened
gina

The Power of Prayer

This story was written by PARKER LEE NASH, Staff Writer, of the News & Record Online. Copyright Greensboro News & Record, Inc.

The healing power of prayer/11-29-98
By PARKER LEE NASH, Staff Writer

Baptists and Buddhists bowed their heads in different countries, prayed to different gods and healed strangers lying in Durham hospital beds.

It happened this year.

Duke University doctors, studying nontraditional influences on healing, lumped about 20 heart patients into a "prayer group." The patients didn't know it, but their names were listed on prayer requests sent to places like Nepal, Jerusalem and Baltimore, where people of different faiths prayed for their recovery.

Those prayers worked, doctors say. Patients in the "prayer group" performed 50 to 100 percent better than patients who weren't the prayer targets.
Results of the study -- and others from around the country -- are jolting the traditional medical establishment, where prayer has long been tagged a medical taboo.
Just a few years ago, medical researchers who hinted about supernatural influences in their work risked being branded loons. That's changing quickly as scientists at highly regarded institutions like Duke and Harvard University are linking prayer and health through scientific tests.

The American Medical Association is even budging from its naysaying stance. Its directors still warn against an "outbreak of irrationalism," but they conceded recently that more research into the healing power of prayer is needed.
All the scientific research in the world, though, won't prove anything new to a small, devoted group of folks in Greensboro's medical community. They, and many of their patients, have believed for a long time that, simply put, prayer can heal.
Doctors had given up hope for a Greensboro woman whose body gave out after colon surgery. Her family agreed to take her off life support. Then they made one more decision -- to pray.

They asked Hobson Bryant, a physician's assistant at Moses Cone Memorial Hospital, to join them. Bryant's Christian faith and unwavering belief in the healing power of prayer are well-known at the hospital.

He joined the family in prayers to save the woman, if that was the Lord's will.
The next morning, unhooked from the tubes that had kept her alive a day before, the woman was still alive. The hospital staff was thrilled but stumped. No one expected the woman to survive. She lived another four years.

"The woman's family and I are comfortable in our spirits that the power of prayer turned her around," Bryant said.

Bryant says a lot of times, the power of prayer is in the asking. God doesn't always grant a prayer's wish but he always listens, Bryant said, and just having that spiritual connection is a healing experience.

"If you believe, if you believe God is with you, that your medicines are going to help you, then that's the beginning of the healing process," he said.

Bryant works in Moses Cone's emergency room. When folks come in contact with him, they're usually in a lot of pain and many are petrified.

So it's not unusual, he thinks, that some patients -- even the self-professed nonbelievers -- ask Bryant to pray with or for them.

"There are no atheists in a foxhole," Bryant quips.

God works in mysterious ways, the saying goes. And Bryant is a believer.
One day recently, he had this awful, nagging feeling he should visit a patient who is also a fellow church member. They both attend St. James Baptist Church, where members had been praying for the woman's recovery from heart-related problems.

"In fact, a group at the church had just been praying for her that day, I found out later," said Bryant. "I couldn't get peace. Something told me I had to go visit her right then."
When Bryant walked into the woman's room, she was groggy. He immediately noticed that her IV was hooked to the wrong drip. Someone had made a mistake. The woman could have died, Bryant said, if he hadn't found her so quickly and fixed her IV.
"I was sent to her," Bryant said. "I know prayer works."

Long before Duke University's prayer study, which made headlines around the world recently, other studies at less-revered institutions showed that prayer can be a significant healing factor. Believers like Bryant, and a group of Greensboro doctors who meet regularly for prayer sessions, point to those studies as anecdotal -- if not scientific -- proof of prayer's power.

The first major study that looked at prayer and its healing effects was published in 1988 in the Southern Medical Journal. Dr. Randy Bird, a cardiologist at the University of California, followed the progress of 393 patients with chest pain and heart trouble. He divided them into two groups. One was prayed for. One was not.

Three people in the prayed-for group required treatment with antibiotics, compared to 17 patients in the group not targeted with prayers. Those who were prayed for also used respirators less and suffered fewer instances of congestive heart failure.
Studies since then also have shown that prayer seems to work, even when the prayers are offered up from far away places and from people of different faiths, as in the Duke study.
Dr. Elisabeth Targ, a psychiatrist at the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, recruited 40 AIDS patients for a study and found that half who received prayers -- from places as far away as Alaska and Puerto Rico -- required fewer hospitalizations and doctor's visits.

In two similar studies this year involving another set of AIDS patients, Targ recorded significantly better health in patients who received prayers than in patients who didn't.
"We don't know how it works," Targ says. "But it's obviously time to do experiments to answer that question. Clearly, it implies that people are more connected to each other than we would ordinarily think."

A big question researchers are grappling with is how prayers from people of different faiths living thousands of miles away from each other still seem to work. They connect through some spiritual force, apparently, but proving what that force is could be scientifically impossible.

The connection is no mystery to Dr. Spencer Tilley, a Greensboro cardiologist, who often prays with his patients. People are bound to each other through their relationship with God, he says. Although Tilley can't explain how the God worshipped by Christians handles prayers from people of other religions, he believes those prayers are heard.
Tilley is a regular member of the local physician's prayer group, about 30 strong, which meets quarterly to pray together and discuss the latest scientific findings and medical journal reports linking prayer to healing.

A fresh copy of the Duke prayer study now is part of Tilley's growing collection of papers documenting prayer's power.

He, like the Duke scientists who conducted the study, stresses that its results are "interesting scientifically but not conclusive."

Only 150 people were involved in the study, a statistically small number. And of those, only 20 were prayed for systematically. Other patients underwent different experimental healing methods, such as touch therapy. Those patients also healed quicker than patients who received no kind of special healing therapies. Patients in the prayer group, however, healed faster and easier than patients in all the other groups.

Plans for a bigger, more statistically sound 1,500 patient study are under way at Duke, and like the last study, it will be performed in conjunction with the Durham Veteran's Administration Medical Center. Hospitals in San Diego, Washington, D.C., and Oklahoma City also will be involved.

Large-scale studies like the one planned by Duke cardiologist Mitchell Krucoff, who conducted the smaller prayer study, and others under way at Harvard University could legitimize concepts about prayer that until recently were discounted outright by many doctors and scholars.

And they could bolster doctors like Tilley, who pray in their practices every day.
In the middle of a difficult heart operation last week, Tilley took a moment and asked God to guide his hands.

The surgery was a success. Tilley believes God answered his prayer.
"I try my best to offer superb medical care," said Tilley. "But it would be very frustrating if I thought the outcome was always in my hands."

To him, prayer is just a simple word for the act of linking up with God.
Through a prayer link, he and many of his patients find peace. Sometimes, they also find answers. But if prayers aren't answered, then folks must have faith that God has bigger and better plans for them, Tilley said.

"God just doesn't heal everybody who's prayed for," he said. "If prayer always worked like that, nobody would ever die."

When Jack Morris, a patient of Tilley's, was being prepped for emergency open heart surgery recently, he was too scared to pray. Morris is a Baptist preacher, but he was so panicked that the words just wouldn't come.

Tilley could sense his patient's anxiety.

He asked Morris if they could pray together.

They did, asking God for strength and peace. Afterward, Tilley leaned down and whispered in Morris's ear: "God is in control of your life, Jack, and whatever happens is his will."
"That simply gave me peace," Morris said. The surgery was successful.
Peace. It's prayer's greatest reward, Tilley said.

A 90-year-old patient of Tilley's felt that peace when she died recently.

"She couldn't see and she couldn't hear," Tilley said. "She was ready to go to heaven."
Tilley prayed with the woman at her bedside that God would take her.

"She was at perfect peace when she died," Tilley believes.

The head of a special committee to encourage prayer at Westover Church, Tilley knows a lot of folks, and even some churchgoers, doubt prayer's power. But to them, and to anybody who doubts, Tilley says this: "If you're getting good medical care, what does it hurt to have somebody praying for you?"

Dr. Joseph Narins, a Greensboro gynecologist and obstetrician, sees his practice as a ministry. In addition to treating their medical needs, he watches each patient for what he calls "faith flags."

These are questions he asks patients, or comments they offer without prompting, that give him insight into their belief structure.

"Were you raised in the church?" he might ask, during routine patient evaluations. "Where are you spiritually?"

Some patients, he admits, think the questions are strange. Some find them intrusive. But Narins doesn't understand that.

"What? I can ask somebody how many sexual partners they've had, but I can't ask them where they are spiritually?" he said.

He doesn't push his beliefs on patients, he said, but if they want to talk about God or their spirituality, Narins makes time.

It's part of his ministry.

Narins' examination rooms are filled with Christian and inspirational wall hangings. On the tables are Christian magazines. Narins wears a lapel pin on his white doctor's coat that says "Trust in the Lord," and he carries a book of Bible verses in his right, front pocket.
Sometimes, he pulls the book out and recites a phrase. Other times, he prays with his patients or, more often, he prays for them after they leave.

Narins also prays each time he delivers a baby. When a child is born with a deformity or an illness, Narins doesn't pretend to understand why, he says. But he tries to help the parents see, and believe as he does, that "God has a reason for it."

God answers all prayers that are sincere, Narins believes, but often people don't like the answer they get.

"God's answer to prayers is either 'yes, no or wait,'" he said. "Most people don't want to hear the 'wait' or the 'no.' But when God says that, he has something better planned."
Narins has seen it happen time and again. Couples come to him, frustrated that they can't have a child. They pray, and they pray some more, and they ask him to pray to God to bring them a child.

It doesn't happen.

Then months later, sometimes years, they have a baby.

"They invariably say, 'You know, it is better that we didn't have this baby earlier. We're in a much better place in our life right now.'" Narins said. "God knows that."

Prayer is no substitution for excellent medical care, Narins said, but patients who think they're only seeing the doctor when they visit his office are mistaken.

"I do the best I can," he says, "but I don't work alone."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

New Prayer Received

One of our Twitter followers who has made herself well-known to us in our short existence, Kelly Jones, has reached out to us with a prayer for her best friend, Jeff. Jeff has been in the hospital since this morning, Dec 7th, and is very ill and in need of the help that we can all bring through prayer. Please include Jeff in your prayers, asking for a quick and painless recovery and that he know that he is surrounded by love and light. Thank you all so much for your help in this. Please feel free to reach out to Kelly on Twitter - @KellySue_Jones

Proof of Heaven - A Lesson in Purpose

I do hope you had time to catch Dr. Eben Alexander this past Sunday on OWN's Super Soul Sunday. Along with Oprah, Dr. Alexander spoke about his book, "Proof of Heaven" and the experience that he encountered in his life that drove him to write his book. Dr. Alexander has spent his professional career as a neurosurgeon. Because of this, he has what you might call a greater-than-average knowledge of the brain and its inner-workings. Growing up an adopted child, he left a space in his life for the possibility of a God. As he grew older, that began to wane. When he reached out to his birth parents to meet, he was turned down. This was the crushing blow to what existed of his faith. He no longer believed in God.

Until, years later, Dr. Alexander met God.

Forced into a week-long coma by bacterial meningitis, Dr. Alexander was close to brain-dead, with his neocortex completely shut down. So what does that mean to the average person? The neocortex is the portion of the brain where consciousness, memory, emotions, language, etc - all experience - is pieced together and made sense of here. And here's why this is important to note: science has often explained away near-death-experiences (NDEs) as misfirings in the brain during times of physical distress. Basically, science has called NDE's something akin to a dream when your body goes into shut-down mode. So here's where we hook in that neocortex part. There is no explanation for how Dr. Alexander could have experienced the sights, sounds and sensations that he did if it was not real, because the part of his brain that processes or creates the illusion of sensation, the neocortex, was not working at all.

Now I won't really go into the details of Dr. Alexander's NDE becaue it's not really the point of this article, plus I think it would do far more justice for you to pick up the book and read in his own words what he experienced. Just know that it was miraculous, as is the fact that the man is alive today. Dr. Alexander was give next-to-no chance of living, and no chance of recovery. However, he woke up at the end of his week long coma, sat straight up in bed and told each person in the room, calmly, "All is well". After a month, he had recovered, and after three months, he was back at work.

So what am I getting at? I want to talk about purpose. I've never been a big fan of the idea that everything in your life is mapped out ahead of time. I'm far more in the belief of a God that grants us free will. That being said, I do believe there are things that are meant to happen during your life, and I do believe that each of us has a purpose here. And I believe that Dr. Alexander is living his purpose.

So many of us in this day and age strive to believe in something. We want to. We really do. But our nature as left-brained creatures leaves us wanting proof. Proof means something different to everyone. Some people read about NDE's online, and that's proof enough for them. Other people lean more towards the scientific view and say NDE's are your neocortex doing some crazy stuff when you're near death. And so enters in Dr. Alexander. Who better to be chosen for this particular role? Who better to get across this message to people who DEMAND proof before they can begin to believe?

The man is:

• A scientist
• A neurosurgeon (and therefore incredibly knowledgeable in the ways of the brain)
• Capable of explaining how he cannot explain away this experience and therefore knows it to be true!

God works in mysterious and awesome ways.

Many people have asked for proof of life after death, and Dr. Alexander is walking, talking proof. Its very hard to go against a neurosurgeon's experience to tell him what he's wrong about, concerning his own brain. His neocortex was shut down. He was incapable of perceiving experience. Yet, he did! This man is truly living his purpose. I've got to believe this was something that was meant to happen in his life so that he could live his purpose of spreading this information to the world. As a neurosurgeon, what would he have to gain by telling this story? It goes against everything that most science-minded individuals believe.

And so I ask you, are you living your purpose? Have you found it yet? And no, your purpose doesn't have to be something that involves reaching millions of people like Dr. Alexander. We aren't keeping score. Life isn't a contest; its an unending web of inter-connectivity. We are all connected in some way. So what is your purpose? Whose life or lives have you touched? Even if its just one person...a son, a daughter, a sibling, a parent, a friend, or a stranger. Trust me when I say to that one person, they don't care that you haven't touched a million people, because helping them was your purpose. And its because of you that they will live a better life, a great life, or live at all. Find your purpose. You'll know it when you find it.

Super Soul Sunday - Dr. Eben Alexander

Dr. Eben Alexander has a story that I think many people will want to hear. He will be appearing this Sunday, December 2, on Super Soul Sunday with Oprah to talk about his first-hand experience with the afterlife when he developed bacterial meningitis, lapsed into a coma, and had a near death experience (NDE).

NDE's have often been explained away by science as fantasies of the brain when under great stress. However, when Dr. Eben contracted bacterial meningitis, the part of his brain that controls emotion and thought was complete shut down by the disease.

How could his brain create a "fantasy" while this part of his brain was shut down?

Alexander's simple answer: it could not.

Alexander was ushered through the spirit realm by and angelic being and was able to speak to the Divine source of all creation. Upon waking from his coma, Alexander began to reconcile all his scientific knowledge with his new-found information of the afterlife, consciousness and the journey that we all are on, here on Earth.

Please tune in this Sunday and listen to his remarkable story.

You can find Dr. Alexander's book, "Proof of Heaven" here.
His Twitter here.

Have a wonderful day and God Bless!

Prayer Received 11/29/2012

If you could take a moment to add this to your prayers in the coming days, we at Emails for God would be grateful and we welcome you to our prayer community. In addition, please feel free to send us YOUR prayers and intentions, that we can grow this community and help as many people as possible. Thank you.

Dear God, 

I'd like to ask that you help Valerie with whatever was on her mind today, as it seemed it truly weighed on her. I met Valerie today at the Novena, only briefly. She was amongst all the people there, praying to St. Jude. After the service was over, I was kneeling by the statue of St. Jude saying a prayer when I could hear her weeping over the hushed silence of the room. I went to her and asked her what was wrong. Her only response was, "pray for me". I asked her name and she said, "Valerie", and so I promised her I would pray for her. I hope that by extending this prayer to many people, that others will pray for her as well, and that whatever weighs so heavily on Valerie will be lifted and she will feel relief. Please God, help Valerie to again feel happiness and to know your greatness. Thank you for all the wonderful things I have been given and for all the love you show me, day in and day out. I ask it in your name.

Amen.
 

Scientific Proof of the Power of Prayer

Its something that I'm sure plenty of people have questioned and debated over time...is there scientific proof of the power of prayer? Or is this idea relegated to the religious and spiritual and just another talking point? Well here you have it ladies and gentlemen, scientific proof of the power of prayer. In a study done by Duke University's Dr. Harold G. Koenig, over 1500 reputable medical studies were analyzed. Their findings were very conclusive: those that prayed regularly get sick less often, and when they do get sick, they get well faster than those that don't. There are several other health benefits to faith, including life expectancy. Don't take our word for it though, read the study!

For the full story though, CLICK HERE 

Have a wonderful day everyone! Take advantage of your time today and live in the now.

Manifesting with Gabrielle Bernstein

So what is manifesting? Listen to Gabrielle Bernstein speak here about how to manifest your dreams, thoughts and prayers. This is part of what we're trying to do here at Emails For God, and help others realize those dreams, thoughts and prayers through group prayer and intention. Check it out, and have a wonderful day!

The Beginning...

We are awaiting our first set of prayers so we can post them and help those around us. Please share your prayers and intentions with us, no matter how simple you may feel they are. In the meantime, here is a video made by Chris Assaad and Mastin Kipp about the law of attraction which is another way of thinking about prayer. Please enjoy and have a wonderful day!