He is Here, He is Near

This is a truly inspiring video by the spoken word poet Amena Brown.

Invictus

I recently watched a movie called Invictus. I know I know, it’s old. I saw the ad on the billboards and thought it looked rubbish – and I could not make out what the hell ‘Invictus’ meant. I watched the movie because my sister had put it on and to my surprise it was pretty good. The movie did not answer the question of what Invictus meant, and if it did, I missed it, so I dug around (which means I Googled it) and found out that Invictus is the title of a short Victorian poem written by the English poet William Ernest Henley (1849–1903) – (for a brief synopsis of his life and what prompted the poem see Wikipedia).

 The poem spoke to me immensely – especially when viewed through the eyes of the most famous occupant of Robben Island, Nelson Mandela. I thought I’d share it with the rest of you too.

Podcast – Meeting of the Mindz Ep2 May ’10

So here we are again! This time it’s our very own Sentinel who leads the talk. I won’t steal his thunder, just listen in and enjoy!

Listen to this episode

You should also note that this episode was held in Tiger Tiger in London’s west end – a great place to hang out if you are in the area. As always, leave your comments below.

The Real Secret Ever Manifested

Prompted by Sentinel’s recent analysis of ‘The Secret’ (read here), I did a little research to qualify some of its extraordinary statements. Their website claims that the secret is quote “the most powerful law in the universe”. That it’s “the secret to prosperity, health, relationships and happiness”. For the sceptic, it even adds a sweetened hook, one that appears overtly blasphemous, claiming it’s “the secret to life”. To label this a myth and deception would be a gross understatement. 

Now we may not truly discern their scheme or the mystique behind the book/ film’s cult phenomenon but we’ll do well to realise the REAL SECRET that was made known two thousand years ago – the timeless, unblemished truth that is God’s gift to the world, His Son – Jesus Christ. 

This secret was revealed to ordinary shepherds in the land of Bethlehem and God is still revealing His secret to ordinary people from all walks of life today. Unlike Rhonda Byrne’s book, it is authoritative, for in Jesus we find “the way, the truth, and the life”. (John 14:6).

The Secret We All Know

A few days ago a friend of mine carefully handed me a DVD in a manner that suggested that she was the first to discover fire and was now passing on the secret recipe. I had heard a lot about the life changing effects of this particular DVD and so drove home with a little more gusto than usual and after making some coco I jumped into the sofa, turned down the lights and got ready to watch THE SECRET.

No, The Secret is nothing sordid; it is a film / documentary released in 2006 by Rhonda Byrne. The Aussie screenwriter soon followed it up with what became a very successful novel of the same title. Soon she was writing more mini guides which aim to help people live “The Secret” on a daily basis. Over the next two years she milked the genre for all it was worth with more books, appearing on Radio, TV and in magazines where she told the world the formula for achieving their dreams – and all of it lay in “The Secret”.

So…what is this “Secret” then?

…and how did it capture the worlds imagination so much that it catapulted this woman from obscurity to (mini) celebrity? The DVD and books are quite long, so I will condense it for you. It basically says that human beings and [all forces in] the universe are made of energy and thus our thoughts have a direct correlation with not just ourselves, but with the very fabric of our existence. Our thoughts have a frequency, and, plainly put, what we think projects into the universe and the universe provides the means / mechanism by which we get that which our minds dwell upon. Everything that comes into our lives is only there because we have sent out the frequencies which attract them into our lives.

Strength through Weakness

This poem was found on the body of an unknown soldier, killed at the battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War of 1863. 

  

 I asked for strength, that I might achieve,
He made me weak that I might learn
humbly to obey…
I asked for health, that I might do greater things,
I was given infirmity, that I might do
better things …
I asked for riches, that I might be happy,
I was given poverty, that I might be wise …
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men,
I was given weakness that I might feel
the need of God …
I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life,
I was given life, that I may enjoy all things …
I got nothing that I asked for, but everything that I had hoped for,
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered,
I am among all men, most richly blessed. 

  

A Poem from ODB

I like to read Our Daily Bread (see here for more info) and today’s poem was pretty good so I thought I’d share it with all of you: