The Most Important Thing....

Spring is one of my favorite times of year... a time when that which seemed dead 'springs' to life again. Wooden skeletons bud and the green leaves that follow bring life and fullness to the formerly sparse and barren forests and meadows. Beautiful and fragrant flowers spontaneously burst forth from trees and gardens. It is a time to appreciate the joys and wonders of God's creation... to 'stop and smell the roses', per se. It is a time of renewal, of new life, and of new beginnings. I am convinced that it is no coincidence that the Lord of Creation was resurrected from death to a new and transformed life during the spring... it is as if the seasons were invented to remind us of the new life that sprang forth from the grave outside of Jerusalem, twenty centuries ago, still so fresh and powerful these many years later.

I recently reformatted my YouTube channel to focus exclusively on people that have 'temporarily died' and visited Heaven (and sometimes hell), then were 'resurrected'... or is some cases visited Heaven/hell sans NDE. In sorting through which videos to post, I have watched countless hours where time and time again, people described a world so much more alive, present, beautiful, and full of love than the world in which we live today.  For all of its wonder and beauty, the physical realm is a mere shadow and reflection of the spiritual world that those who have been there will tell you without hesitation, is ten times more real than the world in which we currently seem to exist. It is also a world where angels and demons are in bold opposition, and where Jesus Christ is simultaneously loving and and approachable, as well as being Lord and King of the Universe. I encourage you to visit the channel and share in these amazing and telling experiences. My channel handle is Truthrabbit, as I have lived in the rabbit hole of truth for a while, and this is a dimension that many have no clue about.

The adventure and drama of the greatest movies ever made (greatest books, greatest video games, etc.) cannot compare to the power and impact of the spiritual realm. The good and evil of this present matrix is magnified a hundred trillion times in the spiritual realm. The place where God, Jesus, the angels, and the redeemed live is called 'the third Heaven'.  This is not sequential in time, but rather layered in space, as it were. The 'first heaven' is the atmosphere around earth... the air we breath, the blue sky. The second heaven is primarily the realm of Satan and his demons (though they frequent the first heaven, the earth, and under the earth), and reaches out into the stars and galaxies (Are 'aliens' actually demons? That is the subject of a separate study). The Third Heaven is a place beyond the known universe, in another dimension, and a place where Satan and his demons cannot go. Some tell of traveling through the stars to get there, while others are there in an instant, so time and space are actually made irrelevant by its unique nature.

As full of love, joy, peace and light the kingdom if Heaven is, the realm of hell is its polar opposite... full of darkness, pain, anguish, and regret, and completely devoid of love. Though I have doubted the existence of hell in the past (and still am not sure of its permanence, at least in its current state, as hell itself is cast into the lake of fire which is called the second death), I can no longer doubt that hell is real, based on the consistency of the 'eyewitness testimonies'. Once a person is there, there is no escape, no redemption, no second chances. It is a place so horrible and frightening that no description can fully capture the hopelessness, fear, agony and emptiness of this realm. What is even more alarming (per numerous accounts) is the number of people that thought they were going to Heaven that end up in hell! Our Lord was not just being dramatic when he declared, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it... Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" In this age of the church of Laodicea only a small percentage will actually make it to Heaven (one 'traveler' estimated that it worked out to about 2.5% of the population). If that is not a wake up call, I don't know what is!

People plan for vacations, they plan for retirement, they plan for the future... but few people plan for eternity. Of primary concern, above all the sandcastles of this world, is your final destination!  Commune with those who have visited Heaven and hell, and the preferred option and the importance of making sure you get there is crystal clear. One cannot take it for granted, and get lazy and lukewarm. First of all, make sure Jesus Christ is you Lord. That means you put Him in charge of your life, that you seek above all things to do His will... not (if it contradicts God's will) the will your father, your mother, your husband or wife, your kids, your boss, and specially yourself... the will of these are secondary and subservient to the will of God. How do you do this? Consistent time in His Word, consistent prayer, consistently seeking his direction, looking for opportunities to help others, to be kind, to be a blessing, to do good, to share the gospel, and then doing it. If you screw up, sincerely repent, commit to never doing it again, do your best to 'make it right', and then continue to be 'transformed by the renewing of your mind'.  Remember, only he that DOES the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of Heaven.

There is nothing more important in life than securing your final destination, and secondly, positioning yourself for the best possible outcome when you get there. Once there, your status is pretty much established, and there is not much more you can do to change it. Your choices now determine your destiny in eternity... whether you live forever in a glorious mansion living a life beyond your wildest dreams, or not. This is our 'final exam', the clock is ticking, and the bell could ring anytime, so stay focused on your heavenly treasures. The greatest achievement is bringing others into the kingdom and helping them to achieve spiritual maturity, and living a godly, holy life of praise, worship and communion with our Creator. When you finally get to Heaven, what could be more important, more wonderful, more fulfilling, than hearing the words, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant"!  That is ultimate apex of existence!

In Praise of Praise

One day a year is proclaimed as a national day of Thanksgiving, however most people gobble down their turkeys and squabble with their families without a second thought about what the day really means or how it began. Unable or unwilling to break the word down into its two parts (and perhaps reversing them for clarity), driving, parades, cooking and football become the focus, instead of "Thanks giving"... i.e. giving of thanks (to God).

Why is giving of thanks important? What does a parent who has made great sacrifices for the good of their children hope for in return? Simply that they appreciate their love and efforts to care and provide for them, and live good and honorable lives that reflect the values they hold in high esteem. Similarly, God, the Father of Creation, who sparked great galaxies with the utterance of His Word, and who, for our benefit, suffered the abuse and awful murder of His precious Son (who was then raised again) waits with baited breath for you, his wandering lamb, to reach out to Him in love and thanksgiving. It gives God joy when we praise Him! Do you realize what power you have?  You can give the God who created the universe joy! You have the power to bring a smile to His heart, and to share that joy with him! What an honor. What a privilege. What a shame that we don't do it more often.

While the importance of giving thanks and praise to God is a prevailing theme from Genesis to Revelation, it is in the latter that we can peer through an open window into the very throne room of God Himself. If we look past the scary stuff and focus on what is going on in the throne room, what do we see? The seemingly sole focus of the inhabitants is the continual praise of God and his Lamb, Christ Jesus. Consider, for example in chapter 5, "...the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation.

You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.

Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”

The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped."

Wow.  When we really see the glory of God and His Son, we can't help but be awestruck with wonder and overflowing with praise and thanksgiving. It is only our spiritual blindness that keeps us from doing otherwise.

Paul summed it up nicely: "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

Accept, with joy, His gifts of love, then live life with the attitude of gratitude and make God smile!!!

The Big Lie Nobody Challenges, and How to Have Eternal Life!

We don't need to look far to find scandal, abuse, adultery, the use of pornography, lying, drunkenness and other types of reprehensible behavior among people that are supposed to be living good Christian lives. People that call themselves 'Christian' are many times the opposite of what one would consider a Christian to be (I include myself in this group, in times past). While there is an aspect of human frailty and weakness that we all will struggle with to some extent, there is a doctrine that has become a 'pillar' of the vast majority of Christian churches which is not Biblical and has led to a proliferation of immoral behavior among so-called Christians. Worst of all, it risks the eternal destiny of millions, yet it looks so good and has such mass appeal that most don't even think to question it. It is time to face this false doctrine head on, so that people can make enlightened and informed decisions about their lives.

Have you heard the phrase, "Once saved, always saved"? Have you heard preachers talk about how, once we 'accept Christ', we are forever cleansed of all of our sins, so that, no matter how we live our lives, we can be secure that we will go to Heaven? It sounds nice doesn't it? Very appealing... no rules, no self-discipline... just live our lives like we always have but add a little prayer and, voila, we have a free ticket to Heaven. So what is the problem with that? Consider the martyrs who went to their death rather than deny Christ. If one could do anything and be forgiven, why didn't they deny Christ then ask for forgiveness later? The problem is that it is not based on what the Bible clearly teaches. The problem is that people are taught to believe that they can commit all kinds of immoral acts and still get to heaven... that, no matter what sins they commit, they get a free pass (it is often taught that all of their sins will be cast 'as far as the east is from the west', leaving zero accountability) , so sin abounds unrestrained, and the name of God is disgraced. The problem is that millions of people that considered themselves Christians will stand before the throne of Judgment, and will be shocked and horrified to hear the words, "I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS'. I am sure you don't want to be among those caught by surprise!

So where did this doctrine come from? The most likely source is an early heretical splinter group that broke away from Christianity called the 'Gnostics'. In the book of Acts there is a man called "Simon the sorcerer". As described in Wikipedia (under 'Gnosticism')..."Charges of Gnostic libertinism find their source in the works of Irenaeus. According to this writer, Simon Magnus (whom he has identified as the prototypical source of Gnosticism, and who had previously tried to buy sacramental authority of ordination from St. Peter the Apostle) founded the school of moral freedom ('amoralism'). Irenaeus reports that Simon's argument was that those who put their trust in him and his consort Helen need trouble themselves no further with the biblical prophets or their moral exhortations and are free "to do what they wish", as men are saved by his (Simon's) grace and not by their "righteous works." Eventually, as with many other pagan beliefs, in an attempt to 'win over the pagans', the 'Christianized version' of this doctrine slowly worked its way into the thinking of mainstream Christianity. In addition, Martin Luther's focus on the texts referring to being 'saved by grace through faith and not by works', while true up to a point, is not the complete message. There is more to salvation than a single act on a single day. There is more required than an experience of being 'Born again'. While the 'new birth' is an important first step, and it is the point at which all of our past sins (done in ignorance) are cleansed (and the most poignant demonstration of God's grace in Christ), it is just the beginning. Jesus clearly teaches that, unless we bear good fruit (and stop bearing bad fruit), we will be cut off.

John 15: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.” In Matthew He repeats a very similar analogy with the same message: “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.  Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS'." (For further clarification on the Biblically accurate position, consider Hebrews 6:4-15 and 10:22-39). 

So what is ‘good fruit’ and ‘bad fruit’? I think the book of Galatians says it most clearly. “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh [i.e. the bad fruit] are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

Friends, brothers and sisters, we cannot live a life full of sinful behavior and think God is OK with that. He is not. While sin in ignorance is bad, willfully sinning after “accepting Christ as Lord” is far worse (it has  become deliberate betrayal), and it is clear evidence that we have not truly accepted Christ as Lord… if we had, we would not continue in willful sin. It is to God’s glory and to our benefit that we ‘bear good fruit’. If you have considered yourself a ‘Christian’ but have continued in willful disobedience to God, you still have a choice. Thank God for the story of the prodigal son! We can diligently seek God's mercy in prayer and turn from our self-destructive path (remember the father in the story said  “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.") and live a life striving for holiness and goodness. When we fall, repent (which means being truly sorry and committing never to do it again… then not doing it again!  As Jesus said, “Go, and sin no more”), then rededicate yourself to living right before God. You can do it!

Let us live lives that glorify God! Let us do good to all we meet. Let us love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength! Let us bear the ‘Fruit of the Spirit’ by ‘walking in the spirit’. That, my dear friends, will be assurance of Heaven!!!

Up, Up, and Away!

I think most of us have had childhood dreams of flying. I used to dream that I could lift myself up off the ground and float around... that I could move forward and fly just above the ground, or float up and touch the ceiling. It was a wonderful feeling, being free of the constraints of gravity, the burden of matter.

Imagination could be just that, or it could be rooted in an alternate reality, a different dimension, a future state, a passion of the soul. We long to be free of constraints, of critical, judgmental eyes, of condemning judgments by the unenlightened, to do what is right and to feel accepted and appreciated. We long to play unconstrained by the usual suspects. We want to be free, to float above the din, to have the power to make a difference.

We were meant to be enlightened souls. Our spirits do not need to be constrained by gravity. We long to fly because we are not matter having a spiritual experience; we are spirits having a material experience.

Alas, many have become lost in the clamor of existence, consumed by the material. The day to day can become crushing. Not enough time, not enough money, not enough stuff. Got to get more. Got to do more. Busy, busy, busy, too busy to pray, too busy to be still and listen, too busy to rise above. STOP! This is the road to nothingness, or worse. What are we going to do with all this stuff when we are gone? He with the most toys loses the most toys. Life is wasted. Time is up. The ride is over and nothing remains. When your life and mine is over, what we did will be tested by fire. The fire will consume anything that is made of straw and wood... only that which is built of rock (i.e. on "The Rock") will remain. Did we comfort the broken hearted, did we give when we saw someone in need, did we feed the poor, did we clothe the naked, pray for the sick, visit those in prison (literal or figurative)? Did we do it quietly, without seeking any recognition for our works? When we did it unto the least of God's children, we did it unto Him (and vice versa!). Did we pray often, praise often, study the Word of Truth daily, and seek to do His will? Those are the rocks. Those are the things that will last.

We are coming into a time in history when we are seeing many of the things the prophets foretold would happen in the 'end times'. 44% of Americans now believe the natural and man-made disasters could be (or are) a sign that this is the case. The cover of Newsweek this week boldly proclaimed "Armageddon Now". The very thought of this can be a shock to the soul... some protest violently against the idea, but if we are in the end time, things will happen, regardless of their protests. Many people 'come to Jesus' when they come down with a fatal illness, or are mortally wounded, when they can no longer deny their mortality. If we are in the end times, we may experience the mortality of all of humanity at once, and, if the prophets are right (and true prophets always are... that is the test of a prophet), it will be a violent and painful death for much of mankind. Is there an escape? Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes unto the Father but by me". According to the texts, those who are the true believers will be taken "Up, up, and away!" before the really nasty stuff goes down. They will be "rescued from the wrath to come".

Who are the true believers? I used to think it was anyone who 'confessed Jesus Christ as Lord, and believed God raised Him from the dead' that would go to heaven, regardless of how they lived the rest of their lives. It was an immature faith that is all too common in Christian circles today, much to our disgrace. The truth is that unless we daily work to purify our hearts like glass, to seek God's will with all that we have and all that we are, we have not made Christ Lord of our lives... it was just talk. "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God". We will probably never (in this life) be perfect, but if we want to fly like superman before the big crash, we need to be committed. When the trumpet blows, I want to be on that rocket. By God's grace and mercy, the ticket to heaven is just above our heads. We need to reach up and hold on with everything we have, and never let go. "Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we [the faithful] will all be changed — in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” (I Cor 15). "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (I Thes 4) If these are truely the last days, we could be the only people in history that did not have to pass through death to get to heaven. We could fly to heaven in transformed spiritual bodies! Up, up, and away!!!

Joy Unspeakable!

"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” So said the Master of Life. I can tell you, He knows what He is talking about. What could be more joyful, more playful, more creative, more expressive, or more spontaneous than the heart of a child? To play, to laugh, to imagine, to sing, to dance... to experience the joy of living... that is heaven on earth. To have a pure heart that is thankful and full of reverence is more precious than fine gold. To know that we are loved by our Creator is nothing less than joy unspeakable, once we deeply comprehend what that means.

I have been reading a book called "Heaven is so Real!" by Choo Thomas. It is an international best seller, translated into several different languages, with over a million copies sold. It has transformed the lives of countless people by making real a place that people had barely been able to imagine. Have you ever wondered what heaven is like? In this wonderful book, she tells how she was taken there numerous times by the Lord of Life Himself, and she describes it in glorious detail. Streets of gold are just the beginning. There are mountains and crystal clear rivers and colorful fruit trees and playful animals and majestic mansions. It is a place beyond all that we could imagine, and it is there for those who seek after goodness and truth and the Creator of all things with the heart of a child. The author sings and dances and laughs and wonders at the joys and beauty laid out before her. It is this kind of heart that is rewarded. Selfishness, materialism, jealousy, power trips, ego, fear, worry, doubt... these lead to the destruction of the soul. Goodness and godliness are health to the soul. We choose the path we walk and bear the fruit of our choices. I highly recommend getting this book and reading it for yourself. Her testimony and the 'book on tape' are also available as videos for free on Google if you search "Heaven is so Real". Don't miss this chance!

Have you ever had a puppy? They know joy!!! They love to play and are so happy and joyful. It is a pleasure to come home and have them leap for joy when we arrive. They have such amazing love... it pours out of them like a fountain. I want to be like that. I want to have that kind of joy and love in my heart. I want to have the heart of a child, to sing, to dance, to play, to laugh and to love. What could be better than that?

Living spontaneously, joyfully, with an open and pure heart is what we were made for. To appreciate the Creator as well as the creation is our purpose. To do good, to care for the needy, to help the hurting, to heal the sick and wounded, to have compassion and understanding is our calling. To speak the truth in love to those than need to hear it is our mission. We can be creative and expressive and loving and live a life that is not only rewarding now, but also in the higher level of existence that the faithful will attain in the future. We live in the matrix... the material realm is a crumbling illusion. The true reality is spiritual. When we seem to be surrounded by earthquakes and floods and nuclear disasters and the world seems to be spinning into chaos, the answer, the freedom, the liberty, the peace we seek will not be found in matter. It is found in a simple song of praise that elevates you above the matrix. Joy unspeakable is yours if you have the heart of a child!

Spaghetti Sandwich

Creativity involves putting together elements that are not usually associated with each other and coming up with a surprising result. The two conditions necessary for being granted a patent are 'novelty' and 'non-obviousness'. The invention needs to be 'new to the world', and it needs to be a bit of a surprise. The other day, I had some leftover spaghetti, but it wasn't enough for a meal. I thought I'd have some bread with it (the idea came from restaurant dining, where bread is often served with a meal), but I didn't have any butter. Then (bing!), I thought, I can put the spaghetti between two slices of bread... that would be just enough food, the bread wouldn't be dry, and it would be neat and easy to eat. I did, and the result was actually quite tasty (sort of like an eggplant or chicken parm sub with pasta instead). Now this invention was new to me (I had never heard of a spaghetti sandwich), but was it new to the world? I typed "spaghetti sandwich" into Google images and got several pictures of spaghetti sandwiches and quickly found out the invention had been thought of previously. It therefore lacked 'novelty', and could never be patented (not that I would... this is just a silly example).

Now a lot of people might go,"Yuck!" at the thought of a spaghetti sandwich, but only because it is unfamiliar and seems strange. When I was a young child, one of my favorite books was "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss. It was all about breaking the paradigm of unfamiliar being bad... at first the Cat in the Hat refused to eat the green eggs and ham, but after lengthy persuasion, agreed to try it... only to find that he actually loved it!

When I was in college at WPI, I minored in 'Creativity and Creative Problem Solving'. As part of my education, I put together a 3 day course on how to be more creative, which was held during winter break. In order to promote the course, I put up flyer around the campus that said (with the words formed into a question mark that covered the page), "Are you strange? Would you like to be stranger?” followed by enough info to know how to sign up for the course. I got 18 students to sign up. If you want to be creative and inventive, you really have to be excited about adventuring into the strange and unknown. You need to look at things from a different and unusual perspective. You need to be comfortable with ambiguity and willing to mix and match things that are at most tangentially related (i.e. at least 2-3 degrees of separation). Often, when I am trying to find a solution to a problem, I will isolate one aspect of the problem, generalize it, and then explore how others have solved the general problem. After finding some interesting solutions, I bring them back to the original problem and see if they unlock a novel solution. Often, they do.

Another common element of creative people is that they will use what is already around them in new ways. Creative people will tend to collect things and educate themselves about all kinds of things so that when that opportunity arises, the needed components and information will be readily at hand.

One important distinction to recognize is that there is an important difference between innovation and creativity. Creativity is fun and play and surprising and humorous and joyful and rewarding... but, more often than not, the outcome is rapidly forgotten. Innovation is where creativity produces something that has social, economic, emotional, or some other form of value, and that value is recognized, and the invention is subsequently duplicated, distributed, and adopted because of its clear value.

Often the innovation will be improved upon as people tailor it for their particular application. This is user innovation on top of existing innovation, and it takes place because (a) people have a specific need that the invention (in its current form) does not fully address, (b) they typically have at hand the tools that can be integrated into the invention, and (c) they have a certain expertise in that field. These user innovations frequently becomes the next generation of the invention. A research study done at MIT found that approximately 3/4 of innovations come from users. Users really understand the need (often better than the manufacturer), and, often by serendipity, will have some skill or talent that enables them to modify the innovation in a way that makes it better for them. It was somewhat shocking to me how often a product would be launched without the marketing person ever using the product themselves. If we are to be really good at innovation, we need to be personally involved to get the richest solutions, and we need to learn new skills and achieve new levels of understanding so that we can apply that to future innovations. Finally, understand the users, and look for unique and interesting applications and modifications to your innovation. That could be your next generation success story!

Metamorphosis

When we think of metamorphosis, the image that immediately pops to mind is the transformation from a caterpillar to a butterfly. While that is a powerful and almost shocking example of transformation, there is another type of metamorphosis as well, which is more gradual, such as the transition from a tadpole to a frog. In a sense, one is like a revolution and the other is like an evolution. Both are valid means of reaching a desired end. In each case there is a dramatic difference between the 'before' and 'after'.

Curious about the word, I learned that during the pupa stage, a caterfly butterpillar will actually emit digestive fluids that cause the cell death and dissolution of its own former body, and the dissolved components are then recombined into a brand new living structure... literal death and rebirth. Other species, in more evolutionary metamorphosis, undergo dramatic transformations of their organs, such as the flounder, for example, whose eyes start on opposite sides of the fish larvae and end up together on the same side of the adult fish.

Another revelation came upon seeing that the antonym for metamorphosis is 'stagnation'. As growing, learning, evolving human beings, surely metamorphosis is preferable to stagnation!

A common but less cited example of metamorphosis is one that we have all gone through. We started off as two separate single cell organisms in two entirely different ecosystems. One merged into the other, and in an unbelievably complex microscopic dance, the DNA of both individual organisms combined to form a brand new and totally unique single cell organism. This organism then began replicating itself in another miraculous transformation. Then groups of identical cells began to express differentiation from other cells, eventually forming organs. Our form evolved visibly as we were transformed from a blob to a fish-like form to a human form, and then, pop! we went from liquid breathing to air breathing. Next, we are transformed from helpless babies into fantastically creative learning beings as children, and then into teen and adulthood.

Finally, as adults, some people go through a metamorphosis in their personal, psychological and/or spiritual makeup. Once successful businessmen can get addicted to drugs or alcohol and undergo a dark metamorphosis, at the end of which they wake up on a street corner homeless and penniless. Some will undergo another metamorphosis by going into a 12 step program, kick the habit, take the 12 steps to heart, and will emerge as a kinder, healthier, more ethical, stronger and more humble individual than they were before they started. Other people will find God and will be transformed from self-centered narcissistic individuals to loving and spiritual giants. The walk of faith is truly one about transformation... metamorphosis. It is about putting to death the 'old man' (fallen, sinful, corrupt), being born of the spirit, and bringing to life the 'new man' (enlightened, connected to God through Christ). In the central and pivotal verse of the New Testament, Romans 12:2 ("And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind..."), the Greek the word from which the word 'transformed' is translated is 'metamorpho'... look familiar?

It is said of businesses, that if you are not growing, you are dying. A business that is not innovating and progressing will soon be outflanked by its competitors and eventually become an annotation in the history books. The same is true, to a certain extent, with us as individuals. We need to continue to grow, to learn, to innovate, to change, to rise above. Some may go through radical, revolutionary transformation, while others may evolve more slowly. If we stop moving, we will stagnate. If we don't try each day to be better people, to answer our higher calling, to give more and to love more, then we are slipping into mediocrity and anonymity.

You can achieve great things! You can undergo a daily renewal and transformation so that you become stronger and healthier and wiser each day. As you grow, you will be able to accomplish more. Never stop learning. Never stop discovering. Seek the source of light and truth, then seek the transformation of your very soul. As you do, you will find yourself accomplishing things you never dreamed possible, reaching unimagined heights, and appreciating with renewed humility and joy the creative expression of God!

Innovation Nation

In less than a brief 200 years (3 average lifetimes), the United States of America went from a ragtag republic to the most powerful and prosperous nation on earth. We are now on the brink of losing the good that we have accomplished in the world, as we gaze with wonder and confusion while the world around us begins to unravel. How did we get to where we are today? How can we get back to where we were a few short years ago? The answers are varied and complex, but here, I think, are a few big pieces to the puzzle.

The USA was founded on some basic beliefs that, at the time, were aspirational goals which were largely untested. Almost all governments up to that time were based on a ruling class that made decisions for the 'ignorant masses'. Government (typically a monarchy) was centrally based and handed down the rules that everyone had to live by. Having seen how this usually ended up in tyranny, the Founding Fathers sought to establish a form of government that was 'for the people and by the people', based on the assumption of innocence until proven guilty, a fair trial by a jury of one's peers, and a firm conviction that all men are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights including the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Government was to respond to the will of the people, not the other way around. The goal was to minimize the infringement of the government on the rights of the individual. They believed that if we were given the freedom and opportunity to achieve great things, it was the nature of man to do so, and we would. They were right.

The trick was to find the right balance between anarchy and tyranny. Through much prayer, blood, sweat and tears, inspiration came as they rested on the values that they had learned as a result of their Judeo-Christian heritage. Much like the government of Israel in the Old Testament, as much power as possible was delegated to local representatives, who were closest to the problems and, generally could do the most good. Bigger and more difficult problems were elevated upward, and only the most challenging issues were addressed at the highest levels. The greatest leaders were to be the greatest servants (modeled by Jesus washing the feet of the disciples). Liberty was a gift from God, not to be taken lightly. As the ink dried on the US Constitution, the grand experiment took flight.

No longer constrained by burdensome rules and regulations and excessive taxation, innovation became the hallmark of this young nation. Benjamin Franklin, besides being a founding father, was a tireless inventor (bifocals, the Franklin stove, the lightning rod and daylight savings time were a few of his inventions). Thomas Jefferson was also a prolific inventor. Their efforts helped assure that the fledgling government was also innovation friendly.

Strong faith and reliance upon God was the norm of the day. The Master of Life had declared in his mortal frame, "Allow the little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of God." Having a childlike spontaneity is the greatest single key to creativity and innovation. A selfless desire to do good and help people motivated men like George Washington Carver, who's epitaph read,"He could have added fortune to fame, but, caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world." In an atmosphere of freedom and adventure, questioning one's assumptions was a virtue, not a vice, and living with ambiguity was a way of life in this rapidly evolving nation. These are all strengths common to the giants of creativity and innovation. This can-do culture gave wings to men like the Wright brothers, Thomas Edison, Alexander Bell, Nicola Tesla, Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, and many more.

So what happened? In the US today, only about 3% of students receive college degrees in engineering or the sciences... in China, that number is around 42%. A recent study ranked the U.S. sixth among the top 40 industrialized nations in innovative competitiveness, but 40th out of 40 (dead last!) in “the rate of change in innovation capacity” over the past decade. In 2000 the U.S. exported $29 billion more high-tech products than it imported, but by 2007 that had turned into a $54 billion trade deficit, and it has only gotten worse since then. In 1960, one in three jobs was in manufacturing. Today, it is less than one in ten. Our country is surviving largely on money we borrow from the Chinese. How far we have fallen...

Why? God and the foundation of morals and ethics have been driven from our schools and the halls of government, the traditional family is nowhere to be found, and life is no longer valued. The desire to invent something that will help our fellow man has been replaced by corporate greed, leading to endless outsourcing. Government control seems to be becoming more and more invasive every day, so that things that were once simple are now increadibly complex if not impossible. Instead of teaching people how to think for themselves, our education system teaches rote memorization and conformity to a single standard. Other countries reward innovation... ours regulates and/or taxes it to death.

Can we turn this ship around? I don't know. But I do know each individual can turn themselves around. If enough individuals turn themselves around, maybe, just maybe, it will make a difference. Maybe we can restore a bit of the shine on the tarnished liberty bell. I can't speak for my country, but I can speak for myself. I can choose to think more creatively. I can choose to see a need and try to figure out how to make other's lives better. I can, and so can you. Make somebody else's life better, and then ask them to pass it on. Every bit of good we can do is a step in the right direction. You can make a difference... believe in yourself, believe that you have a higher calling, and with a prayer for divine guidance go out there and rock the world!

Breaking the Programming

Have you noticed how many pharmaceutical ads there are these days? You can't seem to get through a single commercial break without being bombarded by one or more ads suggesting that you might have some disease, and they have the fix. Then they list all the horrible things that could happen if you take their remedy (often including long term disability or even death) and then say, "Ask your doctor if ___ is right for you". What is going on here? This is a form of mental programming. They start by instilling a bit of fear (Do I have that disease?), activating the reptilian mind (see previous blog), which, through the pleasure/pain response is closely connected to our subconscious. Mental suggestion can often induce the now deeply rooted perception that one has the condition that is being suggested, and ultimately (through the power of suggestion and belief - sort of a reverse placebo effect) one can ultimately display enough of the suggested symptoms that a doctor will agree with your proposed disease diagnosis, and prescribe the suggested 'cure'. Only the cure isn't a cure, as the side effects are commonly worse than the relief it claims to bring. You then are led to take another pill for those symptoms, and so on and so on. By the time people are seniors, many are taking 7-10 different medications, lining the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies while polluting and damaging their bodies with a semi-toxic chemical cocktail.

This is one example of intentional mental programming by an industry with power and money and access to your life through television, radio, and the internet. Bankers are another industry that has us, as a society, well programmed. Your credit limit is touted as an indicator of your prosperity and personal worth. Once upon a time, living within your means meant only spending the money you have... now we have been trained to think it means living within your available credit limits. They then convince you to buy the biggest house that 'you can afford' (based on the amount of money that they are willing to lend to you), the best car, the biggest TV, etc., etc., until your credit is maxed out. At that point you are likely paying hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars in interest to the banks every month. They feed off of you and millions of others using money that they created out of thin air (research 'fractional reserve banking') commonly backed (at a 1:10 ratio) by money they got from the Federal Reserve (a private company) at zero percent interest (or close to it). The Fed gets its money as a result of 'The Federal Reserve Act' (passed in the middle of the night during Christmas break in 1913). Instead of the US government printing its own money (as the Founders had intended), when the government needs money, the Federal Reserve tells the US Treasury (a government agency) how much money to 'print' (either physically or electronically). They then take the money that the Treasury 'prints', and loan it to our government with interest. The Federal Reserve (reminder - a private company) gets rich off of the the government (i.e. our taxpayer dollars), and then loans that money out to banks. In the meantime, our government goes deeper into debt (they have fallen into the same mental trap, reinforcing the false perception) and they (the banks) get richer, though they did no real work to accumulate that wealth. Quite a gig, if you can get it, wouldn't you say? Yet the banks have convinced us this is all for our benefit, so, "Go shopping! Go ahead, max out that card! Borrow as much as we will let you! You are entitled to it! Give us full control over your life! If you can't pay your bills, we'll take everything and you may end up homeless and hungry, but don't think about that. It would never happen to you!"

A third mental programming for you to consider goes under the label of 'terrorism'. Because of the fear of 'terrorism', millions of American citizens now must agree to either be electronically stripped naked at airports using potentially dangerous technology, or to subject themselves to sexual molestation by a complete stranger in a uniform. In another example, in London (a city at the forefront of citizen control), it is estimated that there are 4.2 million CCTV cameras, roughly one camera for every 2 citizens of that city. It has also been reported in the US that the phone calls, internet activities, and even the location (via phone GPS) of a significant percentage of US citizens is being tracked by our government. Can you say, "Big Brother'? Why are we allowing this? It is all because we have been conditioned to fear 'terrorism'. We are at least a sixty times more likely to die in a car crash than to be hit by terrorism, but we still drive (number based on an average over 10 years, including the events of 9/11). Yet we will subject ourselves to all kinds of invasions of privacy and government control over our lives in order to 'protect us' from supposed 'terrorism'. It is little more than a ruse to gain control over every aspect of our lives.

These are three classic and prevalent forms of mental programming designed to get each and every one of us (if possible) under their control to feed their systems, concentrating the wealth and power of the world into the hands of a few. Awareness of how others attempt to manipulate us for their own benefit is the first step in 'recovery'.

Once we are aware of how others try to program our thinking to their benefit, we can start to take steps to counter their mental programming. We can mute the TV every time a drug ad comes on TV (or better yet, shut off the TV altogether). We can learn how to maintain and improve our health by eating more healthy natural foods and maintaining a positive mindset. We can work to get out of debt and commit to "if we can't pay cash, we won't buy it". We can buy houses that we can easily afford. We can refuse to live in fear of 'terrorism' and do everything we can to protect our freedoms. Instead of living in fear of disease, fear of bankruptcy, and fear of terrorism, we can choose to live wisely and be free from fear. Fear constrains us... causing us to live a 'fight or flight' existence, submitting ourselves to the rule of others who claim to have 'the answer' (not!). Truth makes us free.

There is a higher way to live. We can choose to live a life that is guided by love and compassion, by spontaneity and creativity, by charity and humility, by truth and wisdom, by divine majesty. We can work to make today better than yesterday, and tomorrow better than today. We can learn to love a little better every day. We can pray to God. We can let the Book of Life speak to us and teach us the meaning of life.

As the Master of Life once said,
“The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the good news to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed..."

If we are willing to follow his example, then it will be said of us:
"Those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint."

The truth will make you free!

Breaking Free from the Reptilian Mind!

According to neuroscientist Paul D. MacLean, we have a three part brain, consisting of reptilian, paleomammalian, and neomammalian sections of the brain.
- The reptilian section regulates the body's life-support systems, such as respiration, cardiovascular and nervous functions. It is also responsible for survival and instinctual behaviors, such as aggression, dominance, territoriality, competitiveness, hoarding, pain and fear response (fight [anger] or flight [avoidance]) and ritualistic or repeating behavior (including addictions). It is 'cold blooded' (lacks emotion), and controlling (if we let it).
- The paleomammalian section (the limbic brain) is generally associated with long term memory and emotional learning.
- The neomammalian section (the right and left cortex you normally think of when you picture a brain, unique to mammals) is the 'thinking' and 'feeling' part of the brain, involved in advanced levels of cognition, such as logic and reason, language, creativity, planning, perception, emotion, and holistic levels of integration of sensory information.

What is somewhat surprising in our culture today is how much of it seems to be designed to get us to rely primarily on the reptilian brain functions. As soon as we enter school, we are taught to sit down, shut up and obey the teacher (fear and routine based). Rather than creative learning through exploration, discovery, and optimization, children are taught through rote repetition and memorization. TV often shuts of the higher levels of consciousness and feeds directly into the lower levels, hence the focus on power, sex and greed. Sports often feeds our instincts towards violence, competitiveness, aggression, and dominance. Video games teens play are full of first-person-shooter scenarios where the child routinely kills dozens if not hundreds of virtual human beings in gory bloodbath of destruction. As adults, we become slaves to the clock, filling our lives with routine, seeing work as an extension of school... sit down, shut up, and obey your boss. There is little spontaneity, free expression of ideas, discovery, or creativity. Outside work we spend our days either shuttling the kids to various competitive events or vegging in front of the TV. Is that how life should be?!?!?!?

We can continue being subservient to our reptilian brain, or we can choose to rise above it and become truly free. The first step is awareness, awakening. Realize that life does not need to be a series of routines imposed on us by others. Authority is not always right. The norm is not always the best. We can go higher. We can rise above the din. We can seek truth and goodness and love. We can be free. How?

What if we turned off the TV and spent some time sharing our deepest selves with each other? What if we shut off the video games and spent time exploring nature, helping those in need, sharing with others, becoming more aware of the beauty of the creation? What if we dropped our daily routines and acted more spontaneously? Let life flow naturally instead of always trying to beat the clock (like people did before clocks were invented)? What if we questioned authority, challenged assumptions, lived fearlessly? What if we sought the truth and lived in love? What if we broke our psychological conditioning and became truly free individuals?

What if? Why not? Why not start now? Refuse to be manipulated by the media or those in power who would like to keep you controlled, passive, predictable. Think differently. Seek a new perspective. Seek truth, goodness, and free creative expression guided by love. The truth will make you free! Ready, set, GO!

What is the meaning of life?

Can I answer any questions for ya? "Sure. What is the meaning of life? (LOL!)" Guess what? What if the 'unanswerable question' was (drum roll please...) answerable? Things that make you go "hmmmmmmmm..." Can life be full if it lacks purpose? No more than a bucket of holes. So how do we 'find our purpose'?

Part of the difficulty in answering the question is that we are all individuals, so everyone's 'purpose' is assumed to be slightly different. We are not islands, however. Is there a common purpose that we all share? Based on the common purpose, do we then each have an individual calling? Yes and Yes.

(Intentional Digression:) Now it occurred to me that there may be a subconscious resistance to the idea of having a purpose in life. Why? We may perceive that as being externally imposed. We just want to be 'free'. Is being 'free' and having a purpose mutually exclusive? (maybe this is why we laugh at the idea of finding the meaning of life... perhaps it is a nervous laughter, fearing we might be somehow bound by our calling if we took the time to figure it out). I am convinced there is an elegant and happy solution to this cognitive dissonance. Allow me to take a shot at it.

There was a man who lived long ago who was, and still is, considered one of the wisest men that ever lived. Through his wisdom, he gained great power and wealth. About four thousand years ago he built the great temple in Jerusalem, parts of which still stand today... you likely know his name... King Solomon, son of King David. In what reads like a private journal, he struggles with this very question (the book of Ecclesiastes). Oft quoted, was the dark side of this private struggle... "Vanity, vanity (uselessness), all is vanity". Drifting between glimpses of light and existential angst, he wonders aloud about the meaning of life. If this life is all we have, then we shall go as we came... with nothing. Looking at life that way, it could seem useless.

But wait! Over there, a candle burns! Where there are shadows, there must be light! As Solomon gazed at the candle, what did he see? (Puzzle piece #1) "... I realized that the best thing for them is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live. God wants all people to eat and drink and be happy in their work, which are gifts from God." Appreciate what you have. Let the glass that is half full quench your thirst, and be thankful. Find the good, and do it. Enjoy a good meal, a good friend, a job well done. Give. Love. Give love. But wait, there's more! What is his conclusion? (Puzzle piece #2) "Now everything has been heard, so I give my final advice: Honor God and keep his commands, because this the duty (i.e purpose) of all mankind". Why is this important? "God will judge everything, even what is done in secret, the good and the evil".

"Honor God". What does that mean? It is said that imitation is the highest form of flattery. Learn about His nature, His grace, His love, His mercy, and then be as He is. Commune with Him. Get to know Him. Then encourage, inspire, guide, be an example to others. Look at the heart (not status) and find the good. Wealth means nothing. Power is fleeting. To quote the Apostle Paul, "I may understand all the secret things of God and have all knowledge, and I may have faith so great I can move mountains. But even with all these things, if I do not have love, then I am nothing." Living in Love honors God, for God is love.

"Keep his commands". What does that mean? For Solomon, that was keeping the Ten Commandments, and all the other laws of Moses. Do you know what? This part is impossible. Surprised? Do you know why it is impossible? Solomon knew why. Earlier he had noted, "Surely there is not a good person on earth who always does good and never sins." Paul said it another way. "All have sinned and are not good enough for God's glory... no one can be made right by following the law. The law only shows us our sins". Solomon was the 'Bill Gates' of his day... he had it all. Was he a success? No. Not by a long shot. Despite all his wisdom and wealth, he died a broken man. Some of his sons turned against him. One even killed his brother. He had let pride and materialism win out. He knew that he fell short and his self condemnation destroyed him in the end.

Let's face it... if Wikileaks could see everything we ever did, we'd be toast. So, if "God will judge everything, even what is done in secret, the good and the evil", are we toast? Yikes! But wait...White horse to the rescue!

How so? There was another who was also known as the son of David, born in the city of David (Bethlehem), who came about 2,000 years later. The Word of God by whom all things were made was born in a manger. "In him there was life, and that life was the LIGHT of all people. The LIGHT shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it. There was a man named John who was sent by God. He came to tell people the truth about the LIGHT so that through him all people could hear about the LIGHT and believe...The true LIGHT that gives light to all was coming into the world!... to all who did accept him and believe in him he gave the right to become the children of God... They were born of God."(John 1:4-13). Now we are not talking about a candle here... this was the Great Supernova! The King of Kings and Lord of Lords came to our rescue. How? He brought with Him (through his life, death, and resurrection) the forgiveness of sins. Through hindsight, we have an advantage over Solomon. Jesus condensed all the Law of Moses into two commandments: (1) Love God with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength, and (2) Love your neighbor as yourself. To that, he added one more. (3) "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."

So what is the meaning of life? What is our purpose? Honor God, and Love (1), Love (2), Love (3). Using our individual talents and circle of influence, we each bring our own unique flair to this task, making our purpose special to God. Enjoy and appreciate good food, good friends, gainful employment. Treat everyone with respect and kindness (even if you think they don't deserve it). With the heart of a child, love God, have love and compassion for those around you, protect the innocent, and give generously to the needy. Then, may God bless you richly in Jesus Christ! That is my Christmas message to you all, this December 25, 2010.

Spontaneity!

If I was asked to sum up in one word, what is the key to being more creative, that word would be 'spontaneity'. We are made to be creative... to grow, to learn, to experiment, to try new things, and to make the world a better place. We have been given everything we need to be highly creative! We just need to release who we are from our constructed box of who we appear to be.

Why do we become someone other than our free and joyful creative self? The answers are legion, but the common thread is fear. Fear of not being accepted, not being liked, being perceived as strange or different, fear of failure, etc. etc. etc. So how do we get rid of fear? The Book of Life says, "There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear". In Hebrew, the root of the word "love" is "I give". When our attitude is one of wanting to do good, to give, to better the world around us, when we do that fully we lose our consciousness of self. All we care about is increasing the amount of joy and decreasing the amount of suffering in the world we can affect, then the self no longer matters. When we know that we are loved infinitely by the only one who can love us infinitely, we can give without reservation, without fear. That is the core of the saying, "You shall know the truth and the truth will make you free". When we are no longer self focused, we are no longer self conscious. When we are no longer self conscious, we don't care if others judge us, because we know in our heart we are innocent of all charges, so we give anyway, fearlessly.

Living fearlessly, we are free to be ourselves, our child-like self. Spontaneity is just the free expression of who we are. Nobody to impress... Nobody to fear. Just be free.

Challenge yourself. Find a stubborn problem. Find something wrong, something that needs fixing. Next, love. Love the people that are hurt by this problem (that could include yourself, but ideally, it's not all about you). Then, go at it. Explore the elements that affect it. What makes it worse? What if you do the opposite? What makes it better? What if you do that 10 times as much? If you could magically achieve the perfect solution, what would it look like? If you were the problem, what would you 'be afraid of' that would threaten your existence? Jump around, in and out, turn the problem on its head, shake it up, and see what comes out. There is a solution. There is a way to make it better. Ask God. Pray and anticipate results. Ask a child. Listen. Look at nature... the brilliance of the creation leads scientists to new innovations on a daily basis. The answer will come.

When the answer comes, the next level of courage is to act. You could revel in the joy that comes from realizing the solution, and then go back to being a couch potato. Not good. The real joy comes from doing it. Start small if you need to. Make a prototype. Do a test run. Make a 'proof of concept model'. Test out the theory and see what happens. Did it solve the problem? Awesome! Did it fail to solve it? Great! Learn, adjust, and try again. The answer exists... the challenge of the explorer is to find that uncharted territory and make a map. Drive the world around you to a better place and enjoy the ride! Life can be a wondrous experience! Choose wonder!

The Importance of Innovation!

INNOVATION. Every business needs it to grow. The world keeps moving, and if you don't innovate, you will be left behind. At the heart of innovation is "nova", Latin for "new". If you don't have something new and better to offer on a regular basis, your competitor will, and your lunch will be MIA.

Guess what? Innovation isn't just about money. Money is fine and we all want more of it, but it is not the key to happiness. Joy doesn't come from money. Any happiness or joy that you get from money and the things that it buys are temporary, and leave you feeling empty, if that is all that there is to it. Finance aside, innovation can take many other forms and provide many other benefits. Art, music, humor, film, photography, video games, books, blogs, and baubles can all be innovative. Innovation is fun! True innovation can be a joyful, exhilarating experience! Creativity, the master key to innovation, is a major source of joy and fulfillment. Fun, play, humor, and spontineity are all hallmarks of companies people love to work for. They are also key to innovation. Innovation with a purpose, to better the life of someone else, for example, can be richly rewarding.

Do you want to be more innovative? I can help. Do you want to be more creative? I can definitely give you some pointers. Do you want to be more productive and have more fun in the process? You've come to the right place.

Innovation is one of those fields that you will never know everything about... it is always expanding... but I have learned a lot, and I would like to share much of what I have learned with you. Read all you want. We'll make more.

The JEDO Way - The Joy of Creation! Part 5

Want to have some creative fun? Let's play around with ideas for a few minutes...

Try this... Think of two things that are totally unrelated and then we will imagine what they might be... for example:
Elephant - - - Physics
Inkwell - - - Partridge
Jellyfish - - - Database
Sandwich - - - Explorer

First, make up your own list. Develop a list of at least 5-10 pairs. The more unrelated the better.

Done? OK, the next step is to figure out how to connect them somehow. Our minds are geared toward finding connections. For example, looking at the list above, I might imagine that we learned how to understand elephant language, and that they were in fact primarily theoretical physicists with some brilliant new ways of looking at the universe that changed our perspective forever. For the next pair, I might imagine a bird shaped inkwell, or I might imagine a bird that could shoot ink as a self defense mechanism, like an octopus. For the next one, I could consider the genetic structure of a jellyfish as being a molecular scale database (which it is), or I could envision a new type of database that is transparent and amorphous, rather than rigid and highly structured.,,, etc. etc.

Ready? Now try it on your own! Make a game of it. Try to come up with at least 3-4 alternate meanings for each word pair. Don't just read this and say, "ya, whatever"... Do it! I am not going anywhere. It's fun! It really is. Hmmmm.... maybe we can make a board game out of this... not today. We'll save that for another day. OK, ready..... GO!

Done? Don't be lazy! Stop now and try it out (would it help if I say 'please'?). It's fun! I promise!

I can't check on you, so I am going to have to trust you. I can trust you, right? Done? Cool. Then read on...

Now you may be wondering, why did I ask you go to through that exercise? It is the most basic and simple example of how we can create by bringing two or more things together and making connections to form something new.

Want to be more creative? You need to relax your preconceptions and ideas about the way things 'should be', and try something new. The idea is to figure out how to look at something from a different perspective, and/or think of things that nobody else has thought of. You could combine two unrelated words in your field of interest, and develop some new ideas that may even be practical as well as fresh and new. Want to stretch a little more? Take one word from your field of interest and ten words that are as unrelated as possible, then combine them and see what you come up with. Alternately, take your list of unrelated words you just developed and combine them with a third set of words from your area of interest. Play, play, play, and you will be surprised at how much fun it can be coming up with new ideas!

Remember: You are a creative genius. You just forgot how to be who you are.... but it is starting to come back to you now!

Happy playing!

The JEDO Way - The Joy of Creation! Part 4

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by!

Now you may be wondering about why I call this the JEDO Way. What JEDO stands for (in case you missed it) is Joy through Exploration, Discovery and Optimization. When we first started learning, this is how we learned everything... and we had a lot to learn! Given what we had to work with, we learned amazingly well. You have seen pictures of babies swimming underwater, and perhaps you or someone you know learned two different languages fluently and without an accent (I learned German and English) by the time you where three or four. I have even heard about "Your Baby can Read" programs that teach toddlers to read at an extraordinarily young age. Walking on two feet is something only the most advanced robotics have been able to do in the last few years, but you were doing it like a champ at two. The most advanced artificial intelligence computers are now able to carry on a limited conversation... but can they make up a joke? You were cracking them up at three years old! We were creative, intuitive, energetic, joyful, inquisitive, spontaneous, imaginative, and playful... something no machine will ever be.... and we can be again! We've done it before, we can do it again, only now with added qualities (such as maturity, responsibility, integrity, understanding and wisdom, spiritual insight, and so forth).

So where do we start? A good place to start is to learn to play again. That's right, play... and I don't mean video games, Trivial Pursuit, or football. While those are all fun and have their place, they are not playing like a child plays. A child plays with all kinds of different elements; colors outside of the lines on purpose, uses a stick as a rifle, a tricycle for a car, etc., etc., etc. That which 'is' can be something else if we want it to be. We can put together this and that and imagine that is is something completely different. Play is a matter of exploring the world around you with open eyes and an open mind, latching on to things that intrigue you, and then looking at them in different ways, mixing them up with other things, and discovering a whole new perspective on what it is and what it can do. Suddenly there is something new in your world... and maybe it is pretty good, but not great, so you play around with it some more. You try a bunch of different things until, Bingo! Perfect! It makes you laugh and you play with it and show it off.

You know what? That is exactly how invention works. I work in new products... I invent for a living, and that is what I do when I need to come up with a new invention. Think about cooking... this is also how new food creations come into being. Art. Floral arrangements. Scrapbooks. New toys. Crazy web videos. New magazines. The best stuff comes out of being free to play with lots of different elements, discovering something that works, and making it the best that it can be.... JEDO. It can work for marriages, starting new businesses, developing new hobbies, learning new skills, you name it. JEDO is a way of approaching any aspect of your life, and making it the best that it can be.

I challenge you to spend the rest of the day living 'the JEDO Way'. Take time to play, and have fun! Try to find a way of looking at something that is brand new! Put things together in new and different ways. Mix it up. Laugh! Find the humor in things! Enjoy! Your new life is beginning to unfold!!! Who knows what you'll discover!

The JEDO Way - The Joy of Creation! Part 3

G'Day!

Hope this day finds you well and hungry for insight. With any luck, you may find something on the menu that appeals to you!

Creativity... why is it important? Creation is the act of putting two or more things together in a way that is new to you (that is one definition of it, anyway). Why is that important? For one thing, learning is a process of putting the pieces together, so learning is a creative process (if it is learning by exploration, discovery and optimization, not rote memorization and data dumping). Remember when you went to a class that downloaded reams of data into your brain?... you remembered it just long enough to pass the test. Within a short time, the info was less than a memory. On the other hand, do you remember discovering something new by exploring something that you were interested in? Here is an example... In high school, I was asked to do a paper in math class. I chose the subject of pi. I liked geometry and started playing around with circles, squares and triangles. Before long, I discovered an equation for pi (one that I have never heard of before or since). It is "the limit of [4X sin (45/X)] as "X" approaches infinity". The larger the number you put in for "X", the closer to pi the number will be (try it out if you don't believe me). I still remember that formula today because I discovered it by playing with shapes. When we were little children, our lives were filled with discovery. We were expert learners. Now? Not so much....

Do you know what will make life more fulfilling? For one thing, becoming a good learner again... maybe even a great learner. As we increase in (useful) knowledge, our horizons expand, and we are able to achieve more. When we achieve more, we will become enriched as we gain more mastery over our circumstances (now that may be financial, but it could be enrichment in other areas such as a better marriage, happier and more well adjusted children, better relationships with your co-workers and/or friends, a better prayer life, etc.). When you are more enriched, then you will have more to give to others. As you give selflessly, you will find even deeper rewards flow into your life. Sounds kinda cool, doesn't it?

Another thing... the act of creation is a natural source of joy. When was the last time you did something creative that you were kind of proud of... solved a problem, came up with an idea, did something artistic, discovered a new way of doing something, etc. Take a minute to think of something.(pause while brain cells go on a search and rescue mission.... ) OK. Now remember how it felt... how you felt a sense of joy and happiness in figuring this out. Kinda cool, wasn't it? And you know what else? I bet you went back to check it out again more than once... maybe shared it with someone else. You know why? Because that felt good too. When you do something creative, it is fun at the time, and the joy repeats for several times that you review the creation in your mind and/or share it with someone who gets it and likes it. It is the gift that you give to yourself (at least) that keeps on giving (for a while anyway...). When the glow runs out, you are motivated to do something else that is creative, and so forth.

Combine acts of creation with acts of love, and you have a dynamic duo! Put it all together with some other traits such as spirituality, integrity, and a desire to learn, and you have one powerful thang going on! What right thinking person wouldn't want more of that it their life?

You are welcome to stop by anytime at http://fullcreativelife.blogger.com !

The JEDO Way - The Joy of Creation! Part 2

Hello again! Welcome back (or just 'Welcome!' if this is your first visit)

Who are you? No really, who are you? Who is the real you? Living in the physical world has so many driving and sometimes conflicting influences... it can force us to behave in ways that we wouldn't if we had our druthers. Do that long enough, and you can kind of get lost in the shuffle. You wake up one day and wonder how you got to this place in your life and wonder where you are going, and if that is really where you want to end up. It happens to the best of us from time to time... but it doesn't have to be that way.

The challenge is first to find out who we are, and then to act accordingly.

So who are you? As I mentioned in my last post, you are a creative genius with a moderate to serious case of the stifles. All illness (even the stifles) can be affected (if not outright cured) by modifying your perspective. Ask any Christian Scientist (the real ones at least)... healing becomes self evident when you take on a right perspective. Now I am not a Christian Scientist... more of a Christian Engineer, but from what I have seen, the principal works... but I digress.

The point is that you will be, to a large extent, who you see yourself to be. Do you see yourself as unfortunate? You will be. As powerless? You will be. As trapped? You'll stay that way as long as you think that way. But... what if you saw yourself as creative, spontaneous, humorous, self motivated, interesting, influential, innovative, prosperous, spiritual, confident, ethical, and courageous. Do you think you might act a little differently? Of course you would. Do you think your life might take a turn for the better? (please take a moment to consider how it would!)

Guess what? You are all of those things and more! You know how I know this? Because you were once a 4 year old, and as such, to a greater or lesser extent, those were all characteristics that you embodied. God made you (sorry atheists, no offense, but I know he is real... just trust me on this one for now) a complex, creative, funny, imaginative, vibrant young child. Before all this conformist pressure came crashing down on your head for years, you were who you are. No pretenses, no bull.

Now am I saying we should all act like 4 year olds? Welllllll, yes and no. We want to be 'child-like' but not 'childish'. Childish is the dark side of 'the force'... selfish, arrogant, uncaring, immature, etc. Child-like is, well, Christ-like. Wise as serpents and harmless as doves. No pretenses. Relaxed, fun loving, confident, strong, ethical, spiritually aware, in tune with the transient nature of the physical and the eternal (and therefore more real) nature of the unseen. As adults, we can still play 'Army', but in the battlefield of the mind and soul. We can be warriors for justice, officers in defense of the truth, snipers aiming to destroy evil and corruption and error. We can also play, by having a playful and fun attitude, cheering up those around us in creative and fresh ways.

What I am saying is that you can be yourself, but in order to do that, it will take a process of re-discovery. That is where the JEDO Way comes in. We get joy through exploration (in this case, exploring who we are, I mean really are, as a person), discovery (every time we find a piece of our true original nature that has been lost, it is a great discovery!), and optimization (making that which 'is' as good as it can possibly be... in this case that means you!). I am challenging you to live life the JEDO Way, not for my sake, but for yours. I want you to find your inner original pure, kind, loving, wonderful self, and then be!

The JEDO Way - The Joy of Creation! Part 1

Greetings Earthlings! Welcome to a different way. Welcome to a new way. Welcome to truth, as I see it.

I call the 'The JEDO Way', because, if it is capitalized, it must be an acronym, and it is! It stands for "Joy through Exploration, Discovery, and Optimization". The root of this is based in years of study in the subject of Creativity. Over 30 years ago, I went to a unique and excellent technical college called WPI (Worcester Polytechnic Institute) where I had my minor in "Creativity and Creative Problem Solving". Have you ever heard of such a minor? Probably not, probably never will. WPI had a great system called "The Plan" that permitted you to make up your own major and minor, as long as you could justify it by courses and projects. As part of my minor, I taught a 3 day course to 18 students on "Creativity and Creative Problem Solving" (want to learn something really well? Try teaching it to someone else!!!). I also wrote a chapter in the "Freshperson's Guide to WPI" entitled, "The Case for Creativity in Technical Education". I later repeated the Creativity course as an adult education course at a local church.

Now all this would not mean much, if nothing came of it. Well, I now have over 75 patents or patents pending with my name on them... so there must have been something in what I learned... and there was!

Creativity is one of the most underestimated and misunderstood aspects of our culture today. People think of artists and musicians as being creative, but the fact is, anyone from garbage men to scientists to teenagers to elephant trainers can be creative... in short, anyone!

Why would you care? Let me offer some suggestions. First, YOU are creative. You may not think so, but you are. You were born creative. Up until the age of 5 you were practically a creative genius! When you got to school, the "sit down and shut up, there is only one right answer to every question, and if you don't agree you are going to detention" attitude drove it underground, but it is still there, crying to be re-awakened!

Have you ever sat back in wonder at the joy, excitement, laughter, fun, imagination, excitement and spontaneity of little children? Do you think they were worried about being politically correct or fitting in with the norm or dressing for success? Duh. They are just themselves, who cares.

Guess what? That is one of the biggest keys to being happy, being creative, being loving, having integrity, having openness to deep spiritual truth, and achieving a wisdom about life. One of... not the only, but a BIG one. So spend some time with children (your own if you have some), and pay attention. You might just learn what it means to be alive!!!