Laughter Yoga; Merry Christmas with Caveats; and More!

<<Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of your kindness and love towards others. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great are your spiritual rewards.>> -Jesus (Luke 6:22-23, NIV)

Greetings beloved friends,

May this newsletter find you mindful, calm, and enjoying this magnificent day.

I send this newsletter to you on Christmas, and thus have chosen to include inspiring quotes from Jesus in this newsletter. However, as a gay person who endured much judgment and persecution from some people and institutions claiming to be Christian, I know that Christianity can trigger much negativity to those of us who have been harmed by self-described Christian institutions and believers.

For those of us who have been burned by Christianity, it benefits us to not throw the proverbial baby out with the bathwater. Let’s appreciate and learn from what is good, kind, and skillful in Christianity as well as all wisdom traditions, be they religious or secular. In instances where the ego has corrupted the teachings, let us ignore those teachings; have compassion for those imprisoned by the egoic delusions; and teach love, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness through our own example.

Due to my persecution, I had rejected Christianity for many years, but thankfully my spiritual journey has helped me once again see the beauty, love, and wisdom of the faith of my upbringing. Part of this renewed appreciation for Christianity came from realizing that the judgment, hatred, condemnation, and violence of Christianity comes from the corrupting influence of ego, and not the true teaching of Christianity itself.

Jesus advised his followers to “judge not,” “love your enemies,” and “love others as you love yourself.” Jesus' willingness to endure torture and death for the cause of love, has kept his teaching's alive for thousands of years. Unfortunately, just like in the game telephone where several friends whisper a message from person to person, Jesus' message of love, compassion, and forgiveness has been misunderstood and distorted many times over these past two millennia.

Therefore, this newsletter shares quotes from Jesus that highlights fundamental Christian values: unconditional love for all life; prioritizing spiritual growth over material possessions; self-sacrifice; and renouncing the delusions of aversion and greed by embracing the joy of service and skillful living.

I have also chosen quotes by Jesus that are more inclusive and applicable to everyone, whether a person of faith or a free-thinker. At times, I paraphrase some of his quotes–denoted by using << >> instead of quote marks–so the core, loving meaning of his words is revealed in a more inclusive way.

Whether you are Christian or not, I hope you find the words of Jesus included here uplifting, inspiring, and thought-provoking. If any of this content still triggers negative reactions for you, I apologize. Please ignore anything in this newsletter that upsets you. There are many wisdom traditions, both religious and secular, that teach the same message of love, mindfulness, not acting from ego, service, kindness, and so on. This gives us all the freedom to ignore all teachings that we find unhelpful, and just focus on those teachings that we find inspiring and beneficial.

May your heart be open, courageous, and loving. May your mind be balanced, calm, and mindful. May your body be healthy, strong, and relaxed. Have a glorious holiday season filled with love, peace, and joy.

With deep gratitude and love,

Freeman

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” -Jesus (Matthew 6:19-21, NIV)

“…the Kingdom of God [also known as ‘heaven’] is within you.” -Jesus (Luke 17:21, NIV)

Free Laughter Yoga at January Group Meditation: Please Tell Us When You Can Attend.

<<Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall know inner peace. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of their skillful love, for they shall know inner compassion, joy, and freedom.>> -Jesus (Matthew 5:9-10, NIV)

Due to the holidays, there will be no group meditations on December 25 or January 1^st. Group meditations will resume on Tues, January 8, 2019 at 6:30 PM at Burnhaven Library. See our scheduled meditations here.

For these off weeks, please try to get in at least one 30 minute meditation each week. You can use any of the 30 minute meditations we have on our guided meditations page.

Please also listen to one of our trainings that you have either not heard yet, or that you would enjoy hearing again.

Here are some suggested talk options:

What is True Love? An Introduction to the States of Kindness, Peace, Compassion, and Joy.

Living in the Now Series Summary

Skillfully Relating to the Future: Letting Go of Fear

Of course, there are dozens of talks to choose from on our website, Find two you want to hear and enjoy!

<<Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will take care of itself.>> -Jesus (Matthew 6:34, NIV)

Voluntear Editerz Wantid!

Every minute of every hour of every day you are making the world, just as you are making yourself, and you might as well do it with generosity and kindness and style. Rebecca Solnit
Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/rebecca_solnit_527792?src=t_generosity

<<'Love the source of life and love with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All of the Law and all wisdom teachings hang on these two commandments.>> - Jesus (Matthew 22:37-40, NIV)

VOLUNTEER TO HELP FEED STARVING PEOPLE

We volunteer on the second Monday of every month at Feed My Starving Children in Eagan. Our next session is Monday, January 14, from 6:00 - 7:30 PM at their location in Eagan. To get there you take 35E to Lone Oak Road and head east a few blocks. Their address is 990 Lone Oak Road, unit 136.

Please respond to this email to let me know if you plan on going. Then I can get you registered.Thank you!

Audio files of talks and meditations are in many of our blog posts. The audio files look like the black bar seen above. (Please note this bar is just an image and not a working audio file.) When on our website, you can listen to it by pressing the white triangle or "play button" on the left. This will stream the audio file to your device.

The text is the title of the talk or guided meditation. For our example, this audio file is from a group meditation and the talk was titled "From Ego to Enlightened & Compassion Summary."

On the left, you find the word "download." Press it to download the talk to your device. If you view this from your phone, you may not see the download option if the phone is held vertically. Rotate your phone horizontally in order to see the “download” option. Once you have downloaded the file, listen to it using one of your media playing programs.

If you have any difficulties, please let us know. We want you to be successful!

<<...do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet life lovingly feeds them... Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?" - Jesus

Blessings to You