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Showing posts from July, 2014

The Truth in Similarity

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To find Truth seek similarity, not difference. Look not at outward stylistic separateness, but at the inward principle sameness. Understand the Core... the Why... the principles that make the manifestation. Recognize difference, but seek similarity. The embodiment of truth comes in many forms. The word of truth translates into many languages. Although outer appearances may differ, look deeper and you shall see the Truth. ~Craig Gray

Re-Imagine

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  "People are not so much looking for the meaning of life as much as they are seeking the experience of feeling alive."   ~Joseph Campbell I sit here on the edge of life grasping at a profound feeling that is bubbling up in the outer reaches of my consciousnesses. I reach through the ethereal searching to communicate some meaning; some heart felt wisdom to share, but the fingers of my mind once again fail to grasp the intangible nature of an experience that alludes my ability to articulate it... I often run across people who are searching for something: Meaning, Fulfillment, Safety, Peace, Adventure, Answers of all sorts... Words are often a poor medium of communication during these conversations. Sharing experiences from my path is only that; experience that I am having on my journey. All of our journeys are different and uniquely our own. We all enter the forest alone where no foot has trodden. So THAT said, lets talk about this idea of Re-Imagining. Recently

Lessons Under Pressure

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  It is testing time at our Krav Maga Academy  here in Grand Rapids. It is a time that we ramp our training up in preparation for the upcoming test. It is a time of hard work, sweat, perseverance, discipline, commitment to yourself and the task you have chosen to work toward. People will have a chance to test their limits, and face uncertainties & fears, not just physically, but on a much deeper level than most realize. The true test isn't physical, it comes on the mental / emotional level. The physical aspects of the test are just the method of injecting the other lessons. It is a way to put enough pressure on the individual to be able to learn things about themselves that might not be apparent without a certain amount of stress. I've noticed over the past few weeks that some students who have engaged in sparring with people who have more skill then they do have succumb to a victim's mentality. With every strike that their opponent lands on them and every failed

Don't Hope... Decide!

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  While waiting to pick up a friend at the airport in Portland, Oregon, I had one of those life-changing experiences that you hear other people talk about — the kind that sneaks up on you unexpectedly. This one occurred a mere two feet away from me. . Straining to locate my friend among the passengers deplaning through the jet way, I noticed a man coming toward me carrying two light bags. He stopped right next to me to greet his family. . First he motioned to his youngest son (maybe six years old) as he laid down his bags. They gave each other a long, loving hug. As they separated enough to look in each other’s face, I heard the father say, “It’s so good to see you, son. I missed you so much!” His son smiled somewhat shyly, averted his eyes and replied softly, “Me, too, Dad!” . Then the man stood up, gazed in the eyes of his oldest son (maybe nine or ten) and while cupping his son’s face in his hands said, “You’re already quite the young man. I love you very muc