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September 2011 - The Month of Spring
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Triple R. Review Reflect Respond - Sunday Discussion Group
19th September, 2011
5:11pm3 Triple R for Sunday 18th September 2011
Facilitator - Gabriele Buzatu
The Month of Spring – A time to sound the note of “G”
In today’s session we focused mainly on that of ‘Grace’ of the five G’s mentioned in the address today. The others were Grow, Giving, Good and God.
Our discussion considered what did it mean to live with grace. How was it beyond and above, a gift from God? It was thought that it encompasses generosity and in the religious sense as taught, it is something that you are given by God. You receive it if you believe you will and it doesn’t matter what you have done, what good or bad deeds you have performed. In some way it can be seen as lucky benefits you don’t deserve.
On the other hand there is the religious discussion which speaks of a sanctifying grace, a remembrance, through the rituals, conventions and ceremonies of the church ( communion, baptism, and so on). These events fill one up with grace (or so the conventional religious teaching would imply). Discussion also considered penance and how this can be an absolution if true sorrow is felt and expressed through the admission of wrong doing. The accusation of blame is dissolved through penance.
The practice of saying grace before eating clearly indicates gratitude for the food.
The hymn “Amazing Grace” speaks of the poor wretch and the depths of the human spirit which can lead one to God. The simple “God Bless” of the bus passengers by the woman in the bus each day can be viewed as a gift.
The response to the casual “How are you today?” can be the grumbling “OK I suppose” or the unexpected “Exuberant!” Which would you prefer?
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Triple R. Review Reflect Respond - Sunday Discussion Group
12th September, 2011
3:07pm11th September, 2011
Facilitator : Peter Kahane
Self Esteem
Its important to have a positive/realistic self-esteem as it facilitates living fully. We are responsible for constructing our own.
Expanded World View
The general tenor of the discussion was that this notion was a little abstract, although people recognised that seeing oneself as part of a greater whole, empowered ones' life and living.
Reconnection to internal and external sources of positive energy.
All the comments made in this regard agreed that such connections led to an enhancement of living. Similarly with the notion of "plugging" negative energy and "foaming" positive energy.
There was some discussion about the use of the term "New Faith". Some believed that its meaning was confusing, while others could understand it in terms of an "Evolving" Christianity. It was clearly recognised that the "New Faith" encourages us to be vital, self-reliant people while the "Old Faith" was experienced by most as being oppressive. -
Triple R. Review Reflect Respond - Sunday Discussion Group
8th September, 2011
9:44amSermon title: The Month of Spring - a time to heal old wounds.
Physical loss causes pain emotionally, and to the heart and soul.
Medically we can be healed physically but often there is no source of help for the heart and soul and so the emotional wounds remain and prevent us from healing and living our life fully.
When we experience the loss of a parent, partner, child, friend, home or other asset we lose the state of loving that was so important to who we were and the loss of our expansive self which we had before this unpredictable event. Our world view is changed as there was no intervening God and the assumptions we had for our future have gone. There is a loss of face and our social self has collapsed as a consequence. With the loss we can experience the cruelty of others and question our former belief of forgive and forget. Life has inflicted a hard blow and our future is full of sadness.
Loss brings grief and the need to grieve.
How?
Drain the wounds of poison...stay away from aggravating people and places and look for protective comforts
Search for the sources of healing...hope, humor, happiness
Note, you have stopped voting for yourself...turn that around
Remember the time when you knew a future larger than yourself
Know that soft emotions heal...seek compassion, joy, and kindness
Use distractions to lift yourself out of the sadness and negative hole
Another word for faith is trust...a new inner energy which is active...do it!
Affirmations, your own to you help
Once you accept, you can adapt and then achieve again
Highlights:
From Ernest Hemmingway....The world breaks everyone and after we are stronger in the broken parts
Read Cry of the Damaged Man by Tony Moore