ULC Astral Projection Course

Master of Astral Projection

Final Essay:

At the beginning of this course we were required to write about ourselves and our interest in taking the course.  As part of my response I wrote the following paragraphs…

“Although I have been dabbling with astral projection for many years I have never experienced it. I once met someone who promised to take me with him. He said later that he had picked me up and that we had had a grand trip. I remember none of it. Interestingly after the supposed trip he totally avoided me. I had to hunt him down to find out what happened. He only said that we did go on a trip together. I have been curious about it ever since.

Although I relish the idea of astral projection, I am fearful because I fear I will not want to return. This has probably been what has stood in my way all along.  However, I am open to whatever this course can offer whether it be trips or more clarity of self.”

After finishing this course I have sadly still not attained the out of body state. I have  however, learned to enhance my meditation skills and can go deeper faster. I have also adopted the saying, “if you think you can, you can, but if you think you can’t, then you won’t be able to.” (loose quotation). This has allowed me more freedom in my work environment because it has freed me from the fear of not trying something. I have as a result moved positively forward completing things I have formerly not been able to complete. This has been a huge boon. It has not, unfortunately, helped me to project out of body.

Even though I have not attained the main objective of this course, I have learned:

1. that it IS possible to step outside yourself in order to look at your interactions with others. You can then see where you work well with others and where you don’t. Most importantly you can then fix any problem. What makes the difference is that viewing from the outside eliminates the ego from the transaction making it so much easier to fix. Granted not everyone is able to do this easily at first, but with practice might succeed.
2. Guided meditation is another way to fix imperfections and to let past hurts go.
3. It is possible to increase vibrations if we work toward “being the best that we can be.”
4. My favorite: working with chakras to energize the body and to heal or support that part of you that has a physical problem or just feels down. We can do this by bringing energy from the astral plane through the heart chakra, or visualize energy emanating from the astral plane vibrating with a particular chakra. I just love this one.
5. Finally, I use what I have learned to meditate every night, trying to relax and have an out of body experience or just go to sleep.

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

Spirit Quest Course

I have really enjoyed this course but it took longer than I expected.  Being a single mother and trying to work and study it was not always easy to meditate and read the course work 3 times.  But I got there in the end. 

Since starting this course it has taken me on a journey.  I found a new partner who is spiritually minded and a Reiki healer and we have become engaged.  I have also given up alcohol and feel more comfortable in my sobriety. 

I have used some of the tools now in my new business. I have become a Self Discovery Coach and built a website  www.discoveringyou.co.uk  to help people go within to find all the answers.  I have coached 2 people who were suffering and I guided then to do meditation and look for the answers from within. 

I have started some great workshops where I do guided meditations and have used some of the techniques such as the roses and golden sun to aid me in this. I really needed the grounding cord information for this work.  I believe that meditating is where we will get all our answers.  I also use the Angel cards which always give people great answers.  I have a larger scale workshop planned in a few weeks in the local Hairdressers and have had to ask for some help from my friend a Reiki healer and another who is into Angel cards to assist me.  I will be doing a lot of goal setting and getting people to create there future and I will be opening and closing the evening with guided meditations.

Everything in this course I could relate to.  I have steered away from Reiki and working with healing energies as I feel it is my path to work with the mind.  I do more work with the subconscious mind.   I use the meditations, affirmations, positive thinking and creative visualisation.  Forgiveness is also something I apply to my work now.  I believe we create everything and if we don’t forgive this will fester and becomes an illness. 

I must say there was really nothing in this course that I didn’t believe in.  I had some knowledge of some of course but it was fabulous to read it through in a different perspective. 

I would like to thank ULC for everything they have given me.  And I wish you all the love and joy you could wish for. 

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Spiritual Awareness

Doctor of Spiritual Awareness Final Essay
by Justin Oles

Having already completed most of the spirituality courses offered by the Seminary, to include the Master of Spirituality course, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this course.  After all what would the change from “master” to “doctor” actually entail.  I think it entails mostly a more profound, indirect and more open and thought provoking look at the topic.  It also entails more breadth and depth to the topic.  The Doctorate course covers everything from healing and energy use and gathering to spirits, haunting and basic exorcism.  Major tenets of the course listed below.  Firstly, to never do any magical act; whether it be healing, scrying, or helping someone without their permission.  Secondly, advice against the rookie mistake of using your own energy for the purpose of magic, with examples and practicals on how to gather energy from other sources and use it properly.  In addition that our thoughts are what controls things on this plane of existence as well as on the others.  Our thoughts and will are what creates magic, not the fanciful movements of our hands or wands.  Lastly, to be careful with dealing with spirits, while explaining the basic fact that no spirit that will contact you is outside your power to deal with, while some can be tricky and can often put up a fight that requires brains and not brawn to beat.

One of the unfortunate facts about this course is that it presents some ideas that will make no sense if you haven’t taken other spirituality courses.  This is not really an issue since it is listed as a doctorate level course and the implications therefore would be that you should take the masters level courses first.  One complaint along those lines is that while the ascended masters are spoken of in passing throughout the course an explanation of whom and what they are was saved for the final lesson.  While I am sure the author has a valid reason for this it would make more sense to me logically to have an explanation of the terminology before the term is use for the first time, or at a minimum a brief explanation included with the first use of the term.  Once again, having taken many different courses from the seminary previously I had an understanding of the meaning of almost all terms, someone who has less experience or training may find it difficult to become fully engrossed in and truly understand the lessons based on this fact alone.

One good thing about the course was the breadth and depth.  While this is a doctorate level course and I was expected it to drill down more specifically as such it ended up being a good overall view of spirituality with the thought processes of an upper level course but with the specificity and breadth of a primer course.  This worked simply because it was able to make you curious enough to do more research on your own.  The only drawback of this being the author has to give over some control of where that curiosity brings you rather than control the entire journey through the course.

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.
The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training. 
 

Four Gospels Course

 Rev. David Mavity

The Four Gospels Essay

“For what is now called the Christian religion existed even among the ancients and was not lacking from the beginning of the human race until 'Christ came in the flesh'. From that time, true religion, which already existed, began to be called Christian.”(Saint. Augustine).

This statement is often taken by many to be a Christian claim of vast superiority over

every other faith, but a careful study of the Gospels will show that Augustine, himself a

Neo- Platonist, meant that Christianity is one great Teacher’s view of a very old and

universal philosophy, as well as a reformation of His own faith, Judaism. I see this as one

of the true beauties of Christianity, when properly understood.

A thinking and reflective Christian is a follower of a Rabbi who fully understood His

connection with God, his understanding of all people as His brothers and sisters, and the

realization of the inherent presence of God within ourselves. (In certain esoteric traditions,

Jesus is considered the only human to have reached the level of “Ipsissimus” [he who is

most like himself,] which reflects his knowledge of the Divine within.) An informed

Christian will also understand his/ her faith as a very simple philosophy, very similar to

other faiths, and should be able to converse amicably with those of other religions, seeing

the points on which they can agree. A famous Christian occultist, the Rev. Ann Davies,

once observed that “a Cabalist (Christian adept/ mystic) can enter any church, synagogue,

or temple, and worship fervently, because he understands the universality of true

religion.” Augustine’s quote essentially says that the Christian religion is another view of

the  “perennial philosophy.”

***

I believe that if I was able to go back in time, and talk to just one person, I’d ask Jesus

“did you intend to start a new religion?” I believe his answer would be a horrified “no.”

He was trying to explain the relationship of God to man, establish a simple way for man

to “reconnect” with his creator, and reform what had become a corrupted system. I also

believe he would explain Christianity as a philosophy, a new approach to his own

religious tradition, a “new way.”

The Gospels demonstrate a very simple doctrine of Christian philosophy, and act as a

guide on how to live, act, and treat your fellow man, as well as a “hidden doctrine,”

which I’ll touch on later. Basic Christianity lays out thusly:

1.     Love God. We are his children, and He loves us all, equally.

2.     Love you neighbor. Since all people are equally loved by God, they are your brothers and sisters.

3.     There is karmaic retribution, for all deeds done, whether good or bad.

4.     “The Kingdom of God is inside you.” (Luke 17:21. Compare to Thomas 3) This is the secret, or esoteric doctrine.

We can see that Jesus’ focus was on love, for God and your fellow man, as well as a

cosmic sort of punishment for not following this teaching.

***

Jesus taught using metaphor. It is a clever technique, as He designed them to be

understood by the common people in one sense, and by his disciples and the more

enlightened in another, knowing that not all were prepared for the full import of His

message- “milk for babes, meat for strong men.” (1 Corinthians 3:2) The standard New

Testament doesn’t explain this esoteric doctrine, although it makes it clear that the

disciples were privy to it. We can get a clearer understanding by looking at the first 3

statements in Thomas:

1. “And he said, "Whoever discovers the interpretation of these sayings will not taste death."

-Jesus made it abundantly clear that we are all immortal, and proved it with His Resurrection. Knowing this, really knowing this, frees us.

2. Jesus said, "Those who seek should not stop seeking until they find. When they find, they will be disturbed. When they are disturbed, they will marvel, and will reign over all.

- He is discussing humanity’s search for the Divine. Most consider God to be something “out there,” the classic old, bearded man sitting on a throne in the sky. Where did Jesus say the Kingdom of God is? Pretty disturbing to those who believe that God is “out there.” 

3. Jesus said, "If your leaders say to you, 'Look, the (Father's) kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you. Rather, the (Father's) kingdom is within you and it is outside you. 

When you know yourselves, then you will be known, and you will understand that you are children of the living Father. But if you do not know yourselves, then you live in poverty, and you are the poverty." 

-These three statements really hold the key to understanding Jesus’

message and living a Christian life. If all people are your brothers and

sisters, little sparks of the divine in human bodies, how could you possibly

hate them or treat them badly? 

***

Understanding these basic points in the Gospels and Christian philosophy

properly is not only key for anyone of that faith, but especially for a Christian 

minister, and particularly for a U.L.C. Christian minister who understands the

ideas of Universal Life  and “We Are One.” We meet, talk to, and counsel

(without even knowing it) people of different religions (or none) every day . It is

crucial, if our ministry is primarily a Christian one, that we understand the

universal nature of the teachings in the Gospels. Mainstream Christianity’s biggest

mistake has been in treating Jesus as an exception, rather than an exemplar- a big

brother, elder, teacher and counselor with the very simple, beautiful, and universal

message carried in the Gospels. It is our duty to follow His example.

Exemplar.

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

The Universal Life Church offers handfasting ceremonies, funeral ceremonies and free minister training.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church  minister supplies. Since being ordained with the Universal Life Church for so many years and it's Seminary since the beginning, I've watch the huge change and growth that has continued to happen.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Master of Religion

My Essay for Master Of Religion: ULC Seminary 20-Lessons and Forum Classes

    Minister Phyllis J Ward, Ordain from *God*

First let me introduce myself, I am the I am, because God gives me favor to be, and choose me to be and I choose to do his will . I'm highly favored because I highly favor him in my life. I'm blessed to be filled with his holy present, and he gave his son Jesus to me and the world to gain the holy ghost, I'm glad to be walking in his anointing power of miracles, baptizied at a early age of 12years old at Saint Luke Baptist Church in Fort Gaines Ga, were I gave my heart and soul to the Lord Jesus Christ repenting of all sins and asking for savalation upon my life at early age.

The James, Cannon, Bankston, Stanley, Frankins started the Saint Luke Baptist church in the early 1920's, which they are my foreparents of history of my decrease, greatgrandparents, grandparents & parents of my heirs & heritages. One decrease silbling with parents Jacqueline James,I'm the 7th child of my parents children living, born from two christain and powerful well-beings that carry my life until I was able to carry my on. Brother Iziah W. James and Sister Margain J. (Sampson) James. Both already gone ahead to join Lord in his heavenly place. I'm the youngest silbling of my parents children, but not the lest forgotten, because of my love I have for Jesus and my heart being so real in this land of mankind. I have always love going to worship God, in the foundations, building, the church which is in our fleshly body of Christ. I would do youth children programs and speaches at Saint Luke Baptist Church under the powerful: Rev. Dixon for 15years of my life. I sing in  for the Lord two years but didn't like it, I was bored being in a choral in front of everyone looking and staring at me, but that when I see I had something special , I could sing and everyone would smile and praise the Lord with my deep and strong anointed voice as a young teenager.

I could remember when I was young teenager , I would have dreams and couldn't understand what the meaning until today, from God calling. I would have dreams of things happening and I would know things that would happen before they took place. Deaths, sickness, health problems also some very great things as well. I find myself , at the middle of the nite around 2:30-3:30pm waking up in cold or hot sweats. God was trying to get me to do something in the flesh, the Lord was trying to send his love and power and miracles to save his children and myself.
I needed to pray for someone and myself to be delivered from whatever the evil spirit was trying to do to God people.

It took me to go through my trails, trumoils, tribulations of life , deaths and his tests through not being obedient  , to get what God his astored appond my life for serving him in sprirt and in truth. I'm older in age, wiser with time, I've gain  God understanding  through reading his words, and mediating on his spirit and recieve knowledge through his glory and grace that keep us ,and he continue to gives me mercy from day to day of mankind.

I've be been blessed with two kings in my life from God at young adult grown age. My first son Kenny, I had when I was 21 years old and when I gave birth to him, I went home from the hospital two weeks later and find out I was diagnostic with stomach cancer. I had a blood clot that grew into the bottom of my stomach, today I have a Cross that remind me everyday of what happen in surgery and I know the meaning of these scars, today. God lightly affected me to save me from the world in the flesh. This blood colt cause me to be on my death bed for 4months in ICU.  Thats' when my true calling was brought to my face, but as a young lady still in the world I didn't understand God hand been place on me. My family gave up on me, in the flesh, but God wouldn't let that happen to me in his holy hands . I could here them saying she's not fighting hard enough to live, but I was they didn't believe in me like my Father in heaven and on earth did. I remeber my  fleshly father ask me if I could hear him , and If I could say Jesus in my spirit and mind, and I did. I couldn't speak out loud, but my soul was reaching out to my father on earth and In Heaven. This is a storm God  placed in my life, because of the plan he had for me, just like when I was born in  my mother womb,this was destine to take place and the righteous never be forsaken.  On my death bed I heard a voice and seen vision of light smoke gray clouds, the voice told me and said it's not your time child,  I thought I was going crazy, because I heard voices without seening a person there. Voice keep saying I have a job for you on earth for my people, I was like ok. That's when I heard my decrease grandfather  Brother Noble James say your father needs you, your mother needs you, your sibling needs you, your just born babyson need you. So fight Phyllis  you can do it, open your heart to Jesus and let him in, speak and words will come out, just do it.
I know you are choosen to stay on earth, so fight, fight for life, don't choose death.
I begin to move the next morning and the nurses and doctor when surprise at what took place, It was God miracles that save me, the praying of righteous beening answer  that got me here and second chance of life.

When my eyes started to move,  mouth  also started with words , that's when I  begin to read what I was taught at  a young children in church, sunday school, elementary school to worship and praise  and think the  Lord for his grace & mercy. I started reading outloud Psalm -23 Chapter:  1.The Lord is my shepard; I shall not want. 2.He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3.He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:for the thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5. Thou preparest a table before in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. It lead my family, doctors, friends, nurses to crying and tears of joy where released. . They were asking  me what happen? I told them that this spirit visit me and told me to go back , I did just what it said, I was taught to be respectful and humble to listen and obey  adults and the holy spirit. I'm always reading and quoting  today just like Isaish said in -1 Chapter Verus 19-20,  If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hathb spoken it.  he gave me chose to choose death or life, I choose life, he place before me good or evil , I choose goodness of his glory.

I will live internal inside to become more like him external outside to serve the Lord with all my soul, heart, spirit, body, mind . I still ran a little from my calling because I still won't to be apart of the world, but then I learn that you can be in the world and not have to take part of the world sins. I was healed with God miracle and his hand had been  place on me and my life surrounding, blessing and everything I do and everything I touch and agree with the Lord and his decisions on my life.

Two years later I was blessed with my babyson, Kuyaunnis and it was another gift from God. Also I was blessed from God with a prayer of good and sweet , and humble man, he sent me a husband. Brother Rodney Ward, of Dothan Ala, God ordain our marriage in Houston County with both my parents as witnesses and my sons, in Holy Bonds and Matrimony in 1993 of August the 6th.  This is when my father became very ill with  cancer when I was 25 years old, my father on earth was diagnostic with prostate cancer. That's when I knew that  God was trying to get me ready for the world in his Holy eye site, Holy ears, Holy voice, and the Holy walk of life.I had to stop running from my calling that God in store appond my life for me on earth with mankind. I was told not to tell any family member about this cancer, just keep it a secret and we will be ok, God has this in his holy hands. I didn't understand that pressure in that year and time frame, but as I get closer to God through his son Jesus it make it easy to deal with life expectations and trumoils. Both my parents are gone with the Lord, I think him for allying this time I had with them on earth and one day soon I will see them again as long as I do God will and serve him in spirit and in truth. I will keep his commandments , laws, statues and  obey his rules and ask for decrees through his anointing power.Psalm Chapter 27, 28 tells the songs they can explain some of the tests we go through when we are chosen from birth in our mother womb. Though the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

The anointing that I'm walking through is so powerful with voice of tongues and vision , and hand to heal the sick and distress. My faith in God help me deal with my oldest son being diagnostic with brain tumor cancer.
The prayers of righteous is what been answer, he places us at the right place at right time. My oldest is choose from God and he has to stop running like I did when I was young to do what thus the Lord has destine for him on earth for his people.

My Pastor at my second home church, is a Woman of God calling, she has been a strength  and blessing in my life also my family life for 11years,she took me and  grab my family as hers, I have the upmost respect for this anointing lady that God sent into my  life and family life, her teaching is so real that God shines on her face as she walk , talk and live his commandments on a daily bases, her love shows how much God uses her for his people , Pastor Alice Braddy does everything in her soul to teach and preach the gossip. The Lord is upon her soul and spirit and she do his will ,Pastor Alice Braddy of Faith Deliverance Church of Albany, Ga for ninistering for 36years in her and her husband foundation though God calling, he is dereases oversea Braddy, and left her to continue what he started.  She has another King coming up in her place when God call her from labor to reward, Co-Pastor Anise Cooper, her voice say  it all, her testomonies is from God glory and grace, she is walking in God anointing gifts. Also there is a warrior behind this ministry, Minister John Frankin, so glorified and God hand, he  is using him for his people.

ULC Seminary School has helped me with my walk with the Lord a little more easy to understand God ways, laws, commandments ,statues, decrees, because his ways are not like ours or mankind.  The Lesson have brought so much more understanding when I'm reading, and meditating on his word. The HOLY BIBLE, King James Version and many other versions,

Bishop Dr. Herbert L Fuchs and Minister Amy Long has been so humble to theircalling in God people of learning more about Jesus Christ our Saviour.  I have really enjoyed the connection with Minister Amy Long, testomonies,spirit, love, education, gifts, traveling experiences, her willingness to help God people though the ULC Seminary Classes, Lesson, and Studies of biblical, theories of history. Her teaching, speaking ,soul, and her walk with Christ is special. My sister in Christ this Woman of God has so much power from God great anointing power of blessing and miracles. ULC Seminary was brought into my life for more guidance though God gifts of understanding  of his will appond my life on earth.

The phenomonal experience with the ULC Seminary Lesson brought so much wisdom from God , wording meditating, fasting, and anointing powerful  level of abundance. Though the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
The New Testament is the lesson I really enjoyed it , and I really recieve the message and it is  used by most Christain Churches that I can say I have witness from visiting, or attending services. Every lesson gave me a little more understanding when reading about our savior Jesus Christ the Lord and his journey to save God people.
The reading from Gensis to Revelation. of the Holy Bible Chapters and veruses.

Master fo Religion of all 20 lesson gave me a brighter insite on the walk with the Lord.
Lesson 1-Bible Basic
Lesson 2-The Old Testament
Lesson 3-The New Testament
Lesson 4-The Lost Scriptures of the Bible
Lesson 5-The Effective Bible Story
Lesson 6-The Trinity
Lesson 7-Priesthood & Missionary Duties
Lesson 8-Religious Title
Lesson 9-Sacraments & Baptism
Lesson 10-Worship
Lesson 11-Marriage, Family & Tithing
Lesson 12-Prostitution and Drugs
Lesson 13-Divorce
Lesson 14-Counseling
Lesson 15-History of Church
Lesson 16-History of Church II
Lesson 17-History of Church III
Lesson 18-History of Church IV
Lesson 19-Religious Denominations
Lesson 20-Governmnent & Church

Ps. This is the end of my 500 plus wordsEssay but not my walk with the Lord.  Amen

Minister Phyllis James Ward
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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. I have been a proud member of the ULC for many years and the Seminary since its inception.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Wedding Basic Kit

To do your first weddings, this is the perfect kit to make you look like a professional: http://tinyurl.com/6a6guly

Universal Life Church Kindness Message

A welcome message from the Universal Life Church Seminary. http://www.ulcseminary.org

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Many people get ordained through the Universal Life Church as a means to become wedding officiants, but also to study through our online seminary. If you need minister supplies or online ceremonies, we have a wide selection to choose from, as well as a place for spiritual articles and spiritual bookmarks. If you need any assistance in any area of your ministry, please feel free to contact amy@ulcseminary.org and we'll give you all the help we can. Visit our FB Page at ULC Seminary.

Self Assurance

One thing that divides the achievers from the others is the intuition they have in themselves. Accordingly, if you have the desire to get success that you have been aiming for, the most important factor that you need to work on is to have faith in you. This will pave the way to develop faith in yourself and improve the chances of attaining the success you desire.

At any rate, why is it core to instill the courage in yourself and how will this type of a thinking aid you in capturing success that has been eluding you for a long period of time?

One common mistake that parents and teachers do is they fill in a lot of negativity in their wards without their knowledge. This kind of action reinforces the feeling that nothing can be achieved by the victim. So, everything they think of hits the obstacle of a "I cannot do this" response that is automatically generated within the person's mind.

This negativity in the mind is the number one cause why many people are not able to gain their goals even though they have many large aspirations and dreams in life to make it bounteous and become successful.

Since they have this instilled negativity they are not able to believe in themselves and set forth in their journey towards achievements. So, they end up lamenting that they are not able to reach their goals that they perceive and begin playing the blame game or seek excuses to hide behind it. This creates a setback to efforts exerted in realizing their dreams and dreams remain distant fantasies that they feel will never materialize.

So, in order to reach the goals and aspirations it is essential to shed the negativity that is harboring in the mind and look forward to reaching them by instilling positive thoughts and attitude. This is not possible unless you begin believing in yourself and see yourself as an achiever that is capable of reaching excellent heights that you are destined to reach no matter what.

Unless you really begin believing in yourself and work towards reaching your goals, you will just end up being a nobody and end up being the mediocre person that you have always known yourself to be depending on other shoulders to shoot your gun. So, take a decision today and think carefully whether you need a life of any other common person or would you want to excel beyond everyone and live the life of a successful person. The answer resides within you.

Elwood Goodhue is your friendly next door guy to turn to for motivation. Unlike most gurus he is leading a normal life just like most people. Thus he is able to relate to the feelings and experience of the majority. He strongly believes in helping people in need whenever possible and that everyone is born a winner and to achieve that, one must have self confidence.

More Courses on self-assurance can be found at the Universal Life Church Seminary.

This is an outstanding course on metaphysics: http://tinyurl.com/6d2uecd

Self Assurance

One thing that divides the achievers from the others is the intuition they have in themselves. Accordingly, if you have the desire to get success that you have been aiming for, the most important factor that you need to work on is to have faith in you. This will pave the way to develop faith in yourself and improve the chances of attaining the success you desire.

At any rate, why is it core to instill the courage in yourself and how will this type of a thinking aid you in capturing success that has been eluding you for a long period of time?

One common mistake that parents and teachers do is they fill in a lot of negativity in their wards without their knowledge. This kind of action reinforces the feeling that nothing can be achieved by the victim. So, everything they think of hits the obstacle of a "I cannot do this" response that is automatically generated within the person's mind.

This negativity in the mind is the number one cause why many people are not able to gain their goals even though they have many large aspirations and dreams in life to make it bounteous and become successful.

Since they have this instilled negativity they are not able to believe in themselves and set forth in their journey towards achievements. So, they end up lamenting that they are not able to reach their goals that they perceive and begin playing the blame game or seek excuses to hide behind it. This creates a setback to efforts exerted in realizing their dreams and dreams remain distant fantasies that they feel will never materialize.

So, in order to reach the goals and aspirations it is essential to shed the negativity that is harboring in the mind and look forward to reaching them by instilling positive thoughts and attitude. This is not possible unless you begin believing in yourself and see yourself as an achiever that is capable of reaching excellent heights that you are destined to reach no matter what.

Unless you really begin believing in yourself and work towards reaching your goals, you will just end up being a nobody and end up being the mediocre person that you have always known yourself to be depending on other shoulders to shoot your gun. So, take a decision today and think carefully whether you need a life of any other common person or would you want to excel beyond everyone and live the life of a successful person. The answer resides within you.

Elwood Goodhue is your friendly next door guy to turn to for motivation. Unlike most gurus he is leading a normal life just like most people. Thus he is able to relate to the feelings and experience of the majority. He strongly believes in helping people in need whenever possible and that everyone is born a winner and to achieve that, one must have self confidence.

More Courses on self-assurance can be found at the Universal Life Church Seminary.

This is an outstanding course on metaphysics: http://tinyurl.com/6d2uecd

ULC Funeral Training Information

The Universal Life Church Seminary is providing funeral training information for ministers.

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Biblical Egyptology

Dating Exodus

By

John Ozanich D.D.

“And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a and flowing with milk and honey.  (Exodus 3:17)

            From the Old Testament, God describes to Moses the world into which He will deliver the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.  Dating the Exodus event has proven to be one of the most elusive mysteries of mankind.  Current mainstream archaeology has surrendered to the notion that Exodus is a mythical story enamoring Jewish idealism and providing a creation mythos for the nation of Israel.  Like all branches of science, however, opinion is in perpetual flux due to continuously incoming data and refinement in understanding.  Two sliding scales particularly exacerbate the dating of Exodus with their continuous re-adjustment to newly discovered facts.  One scale being the timeline associated with Egypt and the other being all timeline adjustments made regarding other cultures in the surrounding area.  The Bible itself gives us no solid date reference on which we can rely in regards to the events of Exodus though some minor clues are given which have a bearing on dating.  God’s description of the Canaanite area in which He promised to bring the freed Israelites in Exodus (3:17) describes a land in which Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites simultaneously occupied the region of present day Israel.  This may be noteworthy due to the fact that the Amorite Dynasty is believed to have fallen by 1550 B.C.  Numbers (21:13-27) tells of the Israelites putting the Amorites to the sword and overtaking several of their cities.  This would seem to imply a continued strong dynastic presence and thus make the 15^th century date relevant.  Placing Exodus at or before the 15^th century puts Exodus at the start of the 18^th Dynasty of Egypt or before it.

            Genesis 37:28 tells us, “Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver.  And hey took Joseph to Egypt.”

            Historical review of the going prices of slaves in and around Egypt at the time tells us that twenty pieces of silver for a slave would be the going rate around the 1500 BCE era.  The price increased to 30 shekels around the last quarter of the second millennium BCE.  This again places biblical reference any time during or prior to the 18^th Egyptian Dynasty.

            “And these are the names of he sons of Israel, who to Egypt.”  (Exodus 1:1).

            The Hebrew name for Egypt is Mitzrayim.  The name is unusual because the –yim suffix is plural.  Mitzar would be the singular form of the name.  Around the 18^th Dynasty of Egypt and the Hyksos occupation of Lower Egypt, the Egyptians themselves referred to Egypt as a plural, Tawy, due to the divided kingdom.

            "And the Egyptians made the people of Israel serve with rigor. And they made their lives bitter with hard slavery, in mortar, and in brick, and in all kinds of service in the field; all their service, which they made them serve, was with rigor." (Exodus 1;13-14)

            Consensus among scholars is that there was no slave conscription before the 18^th Egyptian Dynasty.  No records exist of any such action.  Prior to the 18^th Dynasty, slaves were captured or purchased for domestic use.  Forcing Israelites to serve as brick makers appears to have occurred uniquely around the 18^th Dynasty.

            The primary biblical clue cited for the dating of Exodus comes from Kings 6:1, “And it came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel were come out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign over Israel, in the month Ziv, which is the second month, that he began to build the house of the LORD.”  Archaeological evidence places the construction of the Temple of Solomon at around 960 BCE.  Back dating this by 480 years gives us an approximate year of Exodus around 1440 BCE – still within Egypt’s 18^th Dynasty.

            The most solid archaeological evidence we have in respect to dating is the discovery of the Merneptah Stele.  It contains the earliest known Egyptian reference to the people of a place called Israel.  The stele commemorates the victory of Pharaoh Merneptah (1213 – 1203 BC) over Libu and Meshwesh Libyans and their sea allies.  The last two lines of the stele make comment that prior to defeating the Libyans, Merneptah also defeated Ashkelon, Gezer, Yanoam and Israel.  The stele itself has been dated to around 1209 BCE.  Thus, the nation of Israel was presumably firmly established by that time.

            Frustratingly, Egyptian records offer no help.  Thus far, no record found offers a comparative storyline to the Israelite claims of Exodus though it is believed that this is not surprising since it would be highly unusual for Egypt to record the defeat of a pharaoh as potentially embarrassing as Exodus claims.  Additionally, Egyptian records are vague and difficult to correlate to what might have been descriptions of the ten plagues of the Bible, which God inflicted on Egypt for refusing to release His people.  Natural events, which may correlate to the plagues have been identified and attempts made to correlate them to the plagues but none have been broadly accepted.

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