Prayer for the New Year: To the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, the One who makes all things new again; thank you for this new year, for new beginnings and new hope. As we come and go, may we be enlightened and enriched by your Spirit of Truth, may we find new ways toward peace and understanding, love and joy, giving and happiness. Thank you for our daily bread, may it nourish and strengthen us, thank you for providing all that we need. Hear our prayer, in thanksgiving and remembrance of Jesus. Amen.
The following information is provided for members of Interfaith Spirit Quest and is intended to be an outline for our local discussions. Feel free to use this format for your discussions, wherever you may be.
Interfaith Spirit Quest - Body
Body – Healthy Lunch Foods: Some of you may prefer a big lunch and a light dinner (supper), others may prefer to have their bigger meal in the evening – either way – we just need to pay attention to our bodies and do whatever works best. Those who have a very physical job tend to require more food, whereas the rest of us can easily subsist on smaller meals. In addition to the ideas below, please feel free to share some of your healthy lunch ideas in the comments section.
(See previous and future posts for Breakfast & Supper/Dinner Ideas – this is an ongoing discussion.)
Healthy Lunch Ideas – Control your own portions and remember - everything in moderation.
- Soup or Chili with Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita, Pickles/Olives/Veggies
- Salad with Veggies & Cheese, add Meat or Egg or Beans (or Veggies/Fruit/Nuts), with Hearty Bread/Crackers/Pita
- Baked Potato or Sweet Potato with Butter and a side of Stir-Fried or Fresh Veggies
- Sub Sandwich on Hearty Bread or Pita with Grilled Chicken or Turkey or Tuna or Egg Salad with Veggies & Cheese
- Omelet with Veggies & Cheese, Toast & Butter
- Grilled/Baked/Broiled/Boiled Fish/Chicken/Lean Meat with a Small Potato or Sweet Potato and Steamed/Grilled Veggies
Interfaith Spirit Quest - Mind
Mind - Brain Rule #2- Survival: The following tips are from the book:
Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School - by John Medina.
We typically acquire knowledge through improvisation; we then build upon this acquired knowledge in a variety of ways. We could go way back to caveman days to explain how our brain developed, but we won't; we'll just stick to the present moment. Suffice it to say that this acquired knowledge through improvisation is how we learn to survive. Given that the rules have changed since caveman days, we are now free to unlearn some of the conditioned responses we are currently using to survive – such as symbolic reasoning and manipulative methods.
What are some ways we might unlearn some of these behaviors? Our emotions play a large role in our learning process. If we can begin to consider the desired outcome that includes a result that does no harm to others, yet is beneficial to you and others, we will have placed ourselves on the right path to learning new and helpful methods toward living a happy life.
Interfaith Spirit Quest - Spirit
Spirit:
Contribute to other people's happiness & you will find the true goal, the true meaning in life.
Happiness: In the same vein of eating healthier for our own good health and with the spiritual realization that our bodies are the temple of God – that manifests itself as a force of energy, as a vast storehouse of Godly wisdom awaiting our inquiry, and in the same vein of changing the way we use our minds to produce more fruitful survival instincts and habits; we come now to the Spiritual Module portion of our discussion, which will center around the idea of Happiness.
While our old survival instincts push us to seek and hoard, our new survival instincts will guide us to seek and find. Find what? Happiness, joy, love fulfillment, inspiration, meaning, strength, wisdom, understanding, peace, zeal for life, generosity, service and giving. Teach yourself to overcome pain, guilt, conflict, fear and moods by changing your attitude, your mind, and your heart – by changing the obstacles that keep you from enjoying life fully.
All these things can be ours, if we only seek them with the right motives. The right motives must include sharing, giving, service or assistance to others – people within and outside of your immediate circle. You must give away that which you wish to receive. Our motives must come from our higher self, we must shift the consciousness of our own minds, and we must be the force that moves mountains – if God lives within, can He not do this?
Interfaith Spirit Quest Discussion Questions:
- What do you think is keeping you from having more happiness, joy, love, fulfillment….etc? _________________________________________________________________________________________
- Does being successful scare you or do you believe you're unworthy of success? Why? _________________________________________________________________________________________
- Does the person with the most toys win? Why or why not? _________________________________________________________________________________________
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How can we tap into our higher self?
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