My "Talks" with God: A Spiritual Journey

A Journey of listening to the "still voice with" and following my "calling"

MY “TALKS” WITH GOD

A JOURNEY OF LISTENING TO THE STILL VOICE WITHIN and FOLOWING MY “CALLING” IN LIFE

"And those who have insight will shine brightly, like the brightness of the expanse of Heaven, and those who lead the many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."

- Daniel 12:3-4

DEDICATION:

"For my brother

and my sister

Everywhere,

that your hidden light

may come forth

and show itself to a waiting world."

- anon

This work is dedicated to my beloved sons, S and G.

You are more important and I love you more than life itself. I trust you and hope that in spite of my many failings that I have somewhat prepared you well for whatever life has to throw at you. In spite of the unstable foundation and the turbulent journey, I have given it my all, doing my very best at all times and I know you will too develop your independent spirits to follow your unique paths.

Being a dad to you guys is one of the great privileges of my life, a true blessing.

And to you, M for all your sacrifices over those very tough years of turmoil - for allowing me to become the person, you knew I truly was (yet didn't know myself). You set me free to learn to accept myself. Thanks for letting "me be me".

"You have gifted me far more

than I ever gifted you .

I have not been the father and husband I had hoped to be.

But wait. We are not through with each other.

This is a work in progress... and we are both happy"

With all my love …always

c

To my dearest sister, Glenda and her husband, Steve, who not only taught me God exists and cared deeply about me (especially in my darkest days and hours),

but opened my mind to the new world and wondrous truth

that God is my best friend."

"The world will never be happy

until all men have the souls of artists -

I mean when they take pleasure in their jobs."

- Auguste Rodin

"More things will be produced and the work be more easily done, when every man is set free from all other occupations to do, at the right time, the one thing for which he is naturally fitted."

- Plato

"You can do very little with faith, but you can do nothing without it."

- Samuel Butler, English satarist (1835-1902)

"You held me to show how high I could fly,

When I was down struggling to find and be the real me,

you BELIEVED in me.

You allowed me to reach so high, to soar how high I could fly."

*

The patience to complete the project came from the Power that flows through me.

"The Lord is my strength and my shield;

my heart trusted in him, and I am helped; therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him."

- Psalms 28:7

"This is the true joy in life,

the being used for a purpose

recognized by yourself as a mighty one..."

- George Bernard Shaw

"If you can learn the power of words, you can change the world."

"I believe as individuals it is up to us to honour and reflect Christ's glory. We do that by serving others and sharing our "God-given" talents. They are our gift from our Creator, but what we do with those talents is our 'gift to God'. I want to shine my own little light on the world as brightly as I can.

This is my 'little gift to God' and my life purpose."

- Craig Lock

"This is the beginning

of a new day

God has given me this day

to use as I will.

I can waste it,

or use it for good.

But what I do today is so important;

because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever,

leaving in its place something that I have traded for it.

I want it to be gain and not loss,

good and not evil,

success and not failure,

in order that I shall not regret

the price I have paid for it."

- author unknown

*

God desires us to soar like eagles, but many are content to scratch like sparrows...or turkeys!

"Success. It is open to each individual to choose the goal and go after it - growth and human essence known as character. Perhaps the ultimate purpose of life itself lies in the testing of the human spirit, to develop out of it something better, more nearly perfect. For after the sands and the dust of the human body has been buried, only the human spirit is left to go on. Each individual in his or her lifetime is entrusted with a fragment of that human essence, to be a spark of his own existence from birth to death.

Rich? Has he or she enriched the life spirit, which was given to them?

Successful?

Has he or she made the spark glow more brightly."

- Howard Whitman in Og Mandino's 'University of Success'.

"Deep within us there is a flame that burns, and that flame is the spark of God. In some it burns brightly, whilst in others it is barely distinguishable. But always it burns...and with love and acceptance the flame gets higher and brighter. We can help others to kindle this flame by seeing the good in them, even if they don't see it themselves."

- anon

Be all that you are capable of being - the person your Creator

created you to be.

"Lord, make my life a window for you - a mirror to reflect your love and glory in all whom I meet."

"You held me to show how high I could fly,

When I was down struggling to find and be the real me,

you BELIEVED in me.

You allowed me to reach so high, to soar how high I could fly."

*

INTRODUCTION:

I have done a lot of meditation, soul searching and prayer over the years. Especially since my life drastically changed direction and then shattered into pieces, like Humpty Dumpty falling off the wall.

Today, I have a choice. To try to get a "proper/normal" job (very hard for a person like me here in "Sleepy Hollow" in a little Pacific Island country near the bottom of the world, or follow the "road less travelled", that I feel my soul (or spirit, the spark of God is telling me.

A "powerful" whisper once told me to "relax, love and write"... so that's what I'm doing in this work.

This is the story of my "unchartered journey"...

I start this work in total (absolute) faith, having no idea how, if or when it will ever get published. Still I have a strong feeling that God cares deeply about me and this unchartered path. I CANNOT do anything more. All I know is that this is what I've been called to do and this path is my DESTINY. To just write and trust God, the Universe, life that things will work out for the best..and see where the journey leads me.

I CHOOSE to trust a Higher Power, to work this all out - for ultimate good.

Craig Lock (living in hope and trust)

TO GOD BE THE GLORY.

25th November 2004

"With man things are impossible; but with God all things are possible."

John Henry Newman once wrote: "God has created me to do for Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me, which He has not committed to another." This calling, I believe, is always related to the good of others. Often "it is a new thing I want to do with you." Leo Tolstoi once wrote: "The vocation of every man and woman is to serve other people."

The direction, your calling is an active decision you take: to follow logic (the rational part of your brain), or your heart.

My path is a CONSCIOUS CHOICE to trust God, ie.

"Love, let go and let God, let good.

My life mission is this: In my own small way, to try to help people live happier, more fulfilling and successful lives.

LIGHT

"Let your light so shine that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

(Matt 5:16)

"You are the light of the world; a city cannot be hidden, if it is built on a mountain top. A lamp is not lighted to be put away under a bushel measure; it is put on the lamp stand, to give light to all the people of the house; and your light must shine so brightly before men." (Matt 5,14-16. Knox).

"If there is light in the Soul,

There will be light in the person.

If there is beauty in the person,

There will be harmony in the house.

If there is harmony in the house,

There will be order in the nation.

If there is order in the nation,

There will be peace in the world."

- Chinese proverb

"You held me to show how high I could fly,

When I was down struggling to find and be the real me,

you BELIEVED in me.

You allowed me to reach so high, to soar how high I could fly."

*

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?

Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking;

so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.

It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously

give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear,

our presence automatically liberates others."

- Marianne Williamson (and Nelson Mandela)

I love these words shared by Nelson Mandela, whom I have admired and respected for many years. They are exactly in line with my "new" philosophy of life. So I have added a few lines of my own...

So keep searching for the Lord...our God, whoever He may be (or whatever you understand a Higher Being to be and mean to you).

Then, if and when He calls, be ready.

In addition to finding the significance of our little lives,

the meaning of our short time on earth

each and every one of us has a life mission,

to fulfill all the gifts and talents He gave us

and we all have plenty.

He will give us all more kindness and compassion to our fellow beings

To live our lives with far deeper caring and joy.

But of all the most important gift He gives us is LOVE:

It is the river that flows from the fountain of God

to all creatures on earth.

And because God is Love,

everybody can know God.

So seek, knock and enter His kingdom.

You will receive strength, wisdom and especially a vision

of what your life can be.

Only then will we find an ultimate and heavenly purpose in our not so little, but very significant lives...

that purpose: to live and often it is enduring with strength, faith, forgiveness and especially with LOVE for others throughout the drudgery in our daily lives.

Whatever you are

no matter whether it is

a brain surgeon, an artist, a street sweeper,

always just be the best you can possibly be.

And in so doing we will glorify the spirit of God that lies deep within every one of us.

and we will then enjoy the uniqueness of that special relationship

and this will provide us with the ultimate happiness.

If we look hard enough, we will all soon find it.

The supreme glory of our God is in the very heart of our souls, our very being - every single one of us.

ASK, SEEK and YE SHALL FIND.

CGL ("Plato/Aristotle")

"I believe as individuals it is up to us to honour and reflect Christ's glory. We do that by serving others and sharing our "God-given" talents. They are our gift from our Creator, but what we do with those talents is our 'gift to God'. I want to shine my own little light on the world as brightly as I can.

This is my 'little gift to God' and my life purpose."

- Craig Lock

"You held me to show how high I could fly,

When I was down struggling to find and be the real me,

you BELIEVED in me.

You allowed me to reach so high, to soar how high I could fly."

*

"Success. It is open to each individual to choose the goal and go after it - growth and human essence known as character. Perhaps the ultimate purpose of life itself is the testing of the human spirit, to develop out of it something better, more nearly perfect. For after the sands and the dust of the human body has been buried, only the human spirit is left to go on. Each individual in his or her lifetime is entrusted with a fragment of that human essence, to be a spark of his own existence from birth to death.

Rich? Has he or she enriched the life spirit, which was given to them?

Successful?

Has he or she made the spark glow more brightly."

- Howard Whitman in Og Mandino's 'University of Success'.

"Lord, make my ‘little’ life a window for you - a mirror to reflect your love and glory in all whom I meet."

It's a spiritual source being worked on????

Emptiness of businessmen just seeking money and possessions.

Jesus Christ is the anchor in my life, the "anchor of my soul".

Invite Him into your life.

Learn to rely on his unchanging character.

Wake up revitalised to glorify a life that will glorify HIM.

Take time to smell the roses. Listen - take a moment and thank God.

2. Do what is RIGHT in God's eyes.

THINK, then

ACT RIGHT.

Do what God commanded us to do.

What did God command?

What did I say???

Love your neighbour as yourself

NB: LOVE one another

Reach out to others

Take ACTION.

God wants to motivate you to help others.

LISTEN

ACT

You will find transformation taking place.

Relieve stress. Pray continuously. It's a state of mind listening to God.

1. Discover your personhood

Stand up and be counted.

A person is someone, who thinks and knows.

2. Discover your destiny - you are making and are going to make a difference. Everybody is designed by God to light a candle - to shed light - to make decisions. STAND UP AND BE COUNTED. Make a difference and help others.

We can all make a difference where we are. "Bloom where you are planted" (unless God calls you and opens doors to another place).

DO, BE AND GIVE.

Your gifts will make a difference in the world.

"Cast your bread upon the waters." Nobody is more important than YOU.

*

FAITH:

Now I'll share some quotations on faith - ones that have deep significance to me in my journey.

"You are as great as your faith, as small as your ego."

- Shimon Peires (former Israeli Prime Minister).

"Faith sees the invisible, follows the unfathomable...and achieves the impossible."

(or

"Faith is the pillar of strength that allows man to achieve the impossible, reach the unattainable and solve the unfathomable."

It is my strong faith in the Almighty, An Infinite Power through Jesus Christ, which gives me my strength and purpose. I truly believe He is behind all of our thoughts...and I know that He has a purpose for my life. He controls and fills my soul, which is the sum total, of my mind, my will and my emotions (thanks Colleen and Tony!). I believe we all have some purpose and it is the spirit of God which breathes life into all of us through enthusiasm and inspiration.

Make positive statements of faith.

So many people say: "Show me, let me see it, and then I'll believe it. "Achievers in life say: "I'll believe it and then I'll see it."

"God without man is still God. Man without God is nothing."

"Everything is possible for him who believes."

- Mark 9:23

Famous American philosopher R.W. Emerson once wrote: "All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen."

"Doubt sees the obstacles;

Faith sees the way.

Doubt sees the darkest night

Faith sees the day

Doubt dreads to take a step;

Faith soars on high.

Doubt questions, 'who believes?'

Faith answers,'I'."

When you have faith in God and in yourself, it is easier to have faith in others.

Faith is total commitment.

"Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of this faith is to see what we believe."

- St Augustine

If we BELIEVE, all things are possible!

Our grand business in life is not to see what lies dimly at a distance, but to do what lies clearly at hand. God will supply, but we must apply.

- anon

"Only he who can see the invisible, can do the impossible!"

*

"Happiness deep down within

Serenity with each sunshine

Success in every facet of your life

Family beside you, friends close and caring

Health inside you

Love that never ends

Special memories of all the yesterdays

A bright today with much to be thankful for

A path that leads to tomorrow

Dreams to come true

Appreciation of the wonderful things in life

A quiet wish, a gentle wish, for peace and happiness."

- Helen Hansard, Gisborne, New Zealand

Finally, here a few thoughts and I can clearly see how I've been led, been guided by a loving Higher Power from the deepest valley of despair - to fulfill my mission this past decade: To be an inspiring writer, who through words builds global bridges between peoples and is guided by the principles and spirit of Jesus Christ...

(Craig Lock 25th June 2005)

"There is neither east nor west, tribe nor ethnicity, male or female, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist. Christian nor Jew. There is only a God-filled humanity"

Elevate your thoughts to live at the highest level of humanity.

These powerful, deep and moving words from Neale Donald Walsh have great significance to me in my journey...and this is my reason for sharing...

"The moment of your greatest darkness may yet become your grandest gift. As you are gifted, so too will you gift others, giving to them the highest treasure: to BE THEMSELVES.

Let this be your task, let this be your greatest joy: to give back to themselves...even in their darkest hour."

- adapted (slightly) fromn Neale Donald Walsch ('Conversations with God 3')

and to end off (at last!) thanks so much for sharing these beautiful and inspiring words, Larry...

"I wish you well on a rainy day

I wish you rainbows to brighten your day

To feel your quiet moments with a special kind of warmth

to remind you that happiness can happen

when you least expect it.

I wish you rainbows to make you laugh and smile

to show you the simple beauty of life

and to give you the magic of dreams come true.

I wish you rainbows

I wish you well."

- Larry S. Chenges

* *