HAPPY 2013; Commitment is the key to a successful life

Whether you go into a relationship, marriage, worship, business, teaching, service, or any adventure, your success in 2013 will be determined by the faith you have, and your commitment to the venture. 

 

If you go in with an attitude of trying out, more than likely the following will happen. A few things will go wrong, or hurdles will come up, and in response you shake your head and say, "I knew it was not going to work out". What do you do then? Instead of making it work, you will be spending your energy back peddling, and finding "reasons" to back out. Indeed, it is time to ask, "If I fail myself, why should God and others give me a pass?" You have to have faith and commitment to succeed. 

 

On the other hand, if you are committed, when a problem surfaces, your attitude will be, "Well, I am Mario of the Game, these hurdles are a part of the game to get to the end point, I am supposed to pass all these hurdles, knock the monsters and overcome the difficulties to get to my point." As you get beat up on the path, but also beat the odds and cross the hurdles, you cheer, and say to yourselves, a few more to go... the energy to succeed builds up to pass through the rest of the hurdles to reach the end point and win. I have watched my kids play Mario and have learned quite a bit.

 

Full article will be published at Huffington post before Monday at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mike-ghouse

 

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Mike Ghouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace, Islam, Israel, India, interfaith, and cohesion at work place and standing up for others as an activist. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a presence on national and local TV, Radio and Print Media. He is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.

 

Texas Faith: What did the 2012 election results mean for people of faith?

This election is an endorsement of separation of church and state, and complies with the First Amendment. The November ballot has produced two clear outcomes: A loss of control and start of Armageddon countdown for conservatives. And the beginning of freedom enshrined in our constitution for the moderate majority - Mike Ghouse

Continued at:http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/11/texas-faith-what-did-2012-election.html
Published in Dallas Morning News on November 13, 2012

......

 
Texas Faith: What did the 2012 election results mean for people of faith?

By Bill McKenzie, Dallas Morning News

Before we move away from the election, I would like to ask you another question stemming from last week’s results:

What do the outcomes at the ballot box mean for people of faith?

That question may sound broad, but look at some of the issues:

Not only did we have a president reelected with an agenda of middle-class economics, but we had states both ratifying and defeating gay marriage amendments and approving and disapproving the use of marijuana. We also had two Senate races determined in part by the way candidates talked about God and rape.

What’s more, we had a Mormon heading a ticket for the first time. We had one party in the unusual position of not having a Protestant running for president or vice president. And we had minority voters who once had been on the fringe of society sharply shaping the outcome of a presidential election. 

Mercifully, we had little religious skirmishing during the general election. But there were plenty of religious-themed issues in play.

Published in Dallas Morning News in the Texas Faith column, about ten panelists share their thoughts at: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2012/11/texas-faith-what-did-the-2012-election-results-mean-for-people-of-faith.html/

 

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

This election is an endorsement of separation of church and state, and complies with the First Amendment.

The November ballot has produced two clear outcomes: A loss of control and start of Armageddon countdown for conservatives. And the beginning of freedom enshrined in our constitution for the moderate majority.

The idea of end days is common among Christian and Muslim fundamentalists, but no stranger to other traditions either.

Abortion is a major issue, and it is appalling to many conservatives that we are going against God and listening to Satan. Seven candidates lost election on this count. We may disagree with them, but that is their belief and we have to honor that, as long as it is not imposed on others. 

Same-sex marriage continues to be a difficult issue and every conservative has his own understanding of Sodom and Gomorrah at the tip of their tongue. And a few of them have blamed Katrina, Haiti and other disasters as God’s punishment.

The moderate majority sees this as reaffirmation of our Founding Fathers dream: “ We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

As a pluralist, I don’t see it as liberals ganging up on conservatives, but rather seeking their God-given freedom to live in pursuit of their happiness, without imposing it on those who believe otherwise.

Even God did not impose his will on Adam, he gave him the choice to eat the forbidden fruit or not, and when the choice was made, God did not slap Adam or Eve for making the wrong choice. Thank God for that, I would not have wanted to miss experiencing the joy of living on the earth. 

My religious beliefs are for me to practice and not impose on others. Each one of us has to live by our own moral compass. 

This vision was expressed by President Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address: “This nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom — and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” Did Lincoln ever mean government of clergy for the people?

. . . . . .

The Texas Faith blog is a discussion among formal and informal religious leaders whose faith traditions express a belief in a transcendent power – or the possibility of one. While all readers are invited to participate in this blog, by responding in the comments section, discussion leaders are those whose religion involves belief in a divine higher power or those who may not believe in a transcendent power but leave room for the possibility of one. Within this framework, moderators William McKenzie and Wayne Slater seek to bring a diversity of thinkers onto the Texas Faith panels.

MikeGhouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace making, foreign policy, Islam, interfaith, and cohesion at work place or social settings. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national local TV, Radio and Print Media, and is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.

After Election, how do we become one?

The most beautiful thing that will happen tonight is an expression of our civility, which is the highlight of our democracy, a lesson other nations are looking to emulate. 

In this election as in every previous presidential election, we saw the candidates going after each other, proving to us, that he or she is a better candidate than the other, we take sides and we also get upset and do everything to convince the undecided, it all comes to an abrupt end tonight when the decision is made. It is almost like going to take a major exam, the last day is tense for some and for some, its blank and for some, it is exciting, it was tense for me.

Mitt Romney, the candidate will congratulate the winner Barack Obama, and Obama will gracefully display his humility with an acceptance speech and acknowledging the good journey the candidates have taken. Thanks for your patience; it would happen exactly the other way if Mitt Romney wins.

We need to do the same, and I will go a step further, I will hug my friends who voted for Romney, as I have voted for Obama. Both of us sincerely believed that our candidate was the right one and we need to respect that. We have to get behind the new president and build the America we wish to see.

URL _ http://theghousediary.blogspot.com/2012/11/after-election-how-do-we-become-one_6.html

TEXAS FAITH: After the election, how do we become one?

Bill McKenzie, Dallas Morning News.

So, barring another Florida, America will wake up Wednesday with one side joyously happy and another bitterly disappointed. Or, that’s how core supporters of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will feel. The losing side will be tempted to demonize those who voted for the winner. And the winner’s
supporters will be tempted to gloat about the victory.

Neither response will help the country move forward as one. Neither response will help us move beyond the politics of division. And neither will help us realize that we really function best as a country when we balance individuality with community.

With that in mind, here’s the question for this week: “What is the message that different faith traditions can send about the importance of being one?”

Published in Dallas Morning News in the Texas Faith column, about ten panelists share their thoughts at: http://religionblog.dallasnews.com/2012/11/texas-faith-after-the-election-how-do-we-become-one.html/here is mine.

MIKE GHOUSE, President, Foundation for Pluralism, Dallas

Election results tonight may severely impact on relationships between individuals and communities. As a pluralist my concern of the day is to offer pluralistic solutions and contribute towards preserving the cohesiveness of our society.

To that end, here is my faith based message:

We see God as one, none and many; male, female and genderless; being and a non-being, nameless and with innumerable names. We are represented by every race, ethnicity, language, culture and religion. Indeed, we are one nation and have to remain indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

The essence of my faith (Islam) or your faith is about restoring balance and peace within, and with what surrounds us; life and matter.

Here are a few steps to save the anxiety and remain one by acknowledging that others have the same rights as we do, and that each one of us is motivated by goodness, selfishness, phobias or fears one time or the other.

No matter what, the built-in safeguards in our Constitution have given us stability for 236 years, and the power to set the course that we have exercised today.

We have to accept the otherness of others, and respect the God given uniqueness of thumb print, eye print, DNA, taste bud, religion bud, and now the political bud.

Let’s pray that God enlarges our hearts to congratulate those who have voted for Obama, Romney, Johnson, Stein, Goode or Anderson.

The most beautiful thing to unravel tonight is our civility. The losing candidate will congratulate the winner, and the winner will gracefully display his humility. We need to do the same, and I will go a step further. I will hug my friend who voted for Romney, as I have voted for Obama. Both of us sincerely believed that our candidate was the right one.

We now have a greater duty to give value to our belief in forgiveness, and come together in building a cohesive America, where no one has to live in apprehension, discomfort or fear of the other. God bless America, may God guides to do the right thing. Amen!

. . . . . .

The Texas Faith blog is a discussion among formal and informal religious leaders whose faith traditions express a belief in a transcendent power – or the possibility of one. While all readers are invited to participate in this blog, by responding in the comments section, discussion leaders are those whose religion involves belief in a divine higher power or those who may not believe in a transcendent power but leave room for the possibility of one. Within this framework, moderators William McKenzie and Wayne Slater seek to bring a diversity of thinkers onto the Texas Faith panels.

MikeGhouse is a speaker, thinker and a writer on pluralism, politics, peace making, foreign policy, Islam, interfaith, and cohesion at work place or social settings. He is committed to building a Cohesive America and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day at www.TheGhousediary.com. Mike has a strong presence on national local TV, Radio and Print Media, and is a frequent guest on Sean Hannity show on Fox TV, and a commentator on national radio networks, he contributes weekly to the Texas Faith Column at Dallas Morning News, fortnightly at Huffington post, and several other periodicals across the world. His personal site www.MikeGhouse.net indexes everything you want to know about him.