Body, Mind, and Spirit

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Day 21: Your Journey Begins

Back in the day, Hernando Cortes had a plan. He wanted to lead an expedition into Mexico to obtain its many treasures, so he presented his plan to the Spanish governor, who was so excited that he gave him 11 ships and 700 men. However, homeboy Cortes did not tell the men or the governor the complete plan. After months of travel, the 11 ships landed in Veracruz, MX on April 21, 1519 and Cortes had his men unload everything from all the ships. As they headed into their new adventure, the men turned back and saw the 11 ships burning! Their reaction was to fight back, as surely an enemy had initiated such an attack. But Cortes halted the men, as this was in his plan. He had ordered the ships to be burned. Cortes did not know what he and his men would encounter in their expeditions, but what he did know was that by burning the ships he had completely eliminated their option of going back–while creating an intensely powerful motivation to succeed.

On Day 21 we will finally burn the ships of our former selves if we truly want to succeed on this journey.

About the Author: James Hackley is an author, inspirational speaker, and a philanthropist who earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Longwood College and an M.S. degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia. He's the founder of Omega Consulting Enterprises, chaplain of a local chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and faithfully attends Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International in Lansdowne, Va. His latest book, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening can be purchased by visiting him at www.jameshackley.com , www.Amazon.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.

Day 20: I Know, But...

President Obama catapulted change, accountability and transparency into the forefront of the American lexicon, and much of our discussion has been geared towards information that will better arm us for change. In order to be successful, we must also allow ourselves to be accountable and transparent in our words and actions, for when we look into the mirror of God's Word, we often deny the differences between His standard and our conduct. It is accountability alone (or lack thereof) that keeps many of us from the next level. It’s really hard to justify why we let ourselves go or can’t find at least 30 minutes in the day to give praise, quiet our mind, or do something a little healthier than we did the day before. Can we really blame our inability to recognize our failures on the devil or someone else? Why even attempt to try to deceive ourselves? We can no longer be comfortable at the foot of the hill when God has called us to the top of the mountain.

On Day 20 we will remove all the excuses that have kept you paralyzed in inactivity for far too long.

Day 19: The Holy Spirit

This is without a doubt the most important day in the entire guide, and if I’ve done my job correctly you should now have a clear understanding of how to take better care of your body and mind. However, understanding the Holy Spirit is fundamental in not only knowing God but receiving many of the gifts that were promised by Jesus. In fact, you can simply view the Holy Spirit as your “spiritual trainer.” Thanks Pastor Michelle for the analogy! On Day 19 we’ll examine how you can get in touch with your personal spiritual trainer.

About the Author: James Hackley is an author, inspirational speaker, and a philanthropist who earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Longwood College and an M.S. degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia. He's the founder of Omega Consulting Enterprises, chaplain of a local chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and faithfully attends Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International in Lansdowne, Va. His latest book, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening can be purchased by visiting him at www.jameshackley.com , www.Amazon.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.

Day 18: Fasting

It’s no secret that food is essential to our survival, but over the years we’ve begun to use it as a form of comfort, medication and even as a replacement to fill a spiritual void. Since the growth of agriculture more than 10,000 years ago, man has always had an abundance of food that led to our deteriorating health and fitness level. Prior to planting crops and raising livestock, our forefathers were hunters & gatherers that had to daily set out and find food or risk starvation. Maintaining body fat was simply a natural method of avoiding starvation during winter months and other periods where food was scarce to find. With the advent of agriculture, we are now flush with food, and as a result it slowly became an addiction that even today keeps many of us in bondage. Fasting is an excellent method of freeing ourselves from this detrimental over-dependency. On Day 18 we’ll examine the benefits of fasting.

About the Author: James Hackley is an author, inspirational speaker, and a philanthropist who earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Longwood College and an M.S. degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia. He's the founder of Omega Consulting Enterprises, chaplain of a local chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and faithfully attends Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International in Lansdowne, Va. His latest book, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening can be purchased by visiting him at www.jameshackley.com , www.Amazon.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.

Day 17: Abraham and the Buddha

I don't know how many countless gospel songs and sermons I've heard that mentioned how Buddhists worship the Buddha and how Muslims worship Muhammad (Peace be upon him). For the record, Buddhism is more of a philosophy than a religion. In fact, there are no deities associated with Buddhism, and modern Buddhists are free to worship Christ, Allah or any polytheistic gods they choose. Although statues abound in most temples, Buddhists do not worship the material that the statue is made of. They do not bow to the substance used by the artist to create the inspiring object. They bow in remembrance of the Buddha’s qualities and teachings. They bow out of gratitude for the Buddha’s great kindness in teaching. They bow to themselves and to all living beings for each and every one has a Buddha Nature–the potential for enlightenment–within. Each one of us is a Buddha.

When it comes to Islam, you can still find articles that incorrectly and disrespectfully describe Muslims as “Muhammadans.” In Islam, there is only one God and His name is Allah (The God). Therefore, it is forbidden for any Muslim (One who submits to God) to worship anyone but Allah. Muhammad is highly respected in Islam as the “Seal of the Prophets” (Last Prophet of God), but please know that Noah, Moses, Abraham and Jesus are also highly revered and you’ll often read/hear a proper Muslim say “Peace be upon him” after uttering any of these holy names.Buddhists are free to worship Christ, Allah or any polytheistic gods they so choose. Although, statues of the Buddha abound in most temples, Buddhists do not worship the material that the statue is made of. They do not bow to the substance used by the artist to create that inspiring object. They bow in remembrance of the Buddha’s qualities and teachings. They bow out of gratitude for the Buddha’s great kindness in teaching. They bow to themselves and to all living beings for each and every one has Buddha Nature ‑‑ the potential for enlightenment ‑‑ within: each one is a Buddha.

Let’s be clear: without Judaism there would be no Christianity. Without Christianity, there would be no Islam. Three is indeed a magic number, God's number. So let’s examine the three major Abrahamic religions in order of appearance: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Judaism regards itself as the religion of the descendants of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham. Christianity began as a sect of Judaism and was initially known as Jewish Christianity. It evolved into a separate religion with distinctive beliefs and practices, notably its replacement of the Jewish idea of an exclusive ethnic religious community with an inclusive, universal community of believers, the Christian Church. It replaced the idea of simple monotheism with a Triune God who is simultaneously one and three (different branches of Christianity have different interpretations, and some Christian religions don’t believe in the divinity of Christ). Islam was founded by Prophet Muhammad in the 7th century upon the teachings in the Qur'an. It retained the inclusiveness of Christianity, but reverted to simple monotheism with a central, but not divine, prophet.

On Day 17 your perspective of the Abrahamic religions and Buddhism will change forever.

Day 16 What is God's Religion?

Before we can even begin to think about rolling up our sleeves and engaging in a discussion of “What Religion is God?” or examine the question that Time Magazine posed back in 1966, “Is God Dead?” we first have to explore the question, who is God?

We all have our own personal experiences with God and whenever I read the Bible, it tells me what He is like and what He is not like to the various characters contained within. I truly believe that we all require a firm understanding of who/what God really is, because failing to do so makes us susceptible to worshiping a false god. On Day 16 we’ll finally answer the question “What religion is God?” and so much more.

Day 15: Spirit vs. Soul

When I first considered how to best describe my life-changing epiphany of the “secret” to total wellness, I specifically chose the phrase “Body, Mind & Spirit” over the more commonly used “Body, Mind and Soul” for various reasons. First and foremost, soul and spirit are not the same thing. Now this may be the most controversial chapter in the entire book, because folks have been taught to believe the soul and spirit are synonymous. Therefore, the idea that they are indeed different flies in the face of everything you’ve been taught. Even preachers preach this untruth and today I pray that darkness gives way to light. Perhaps the confusion stems from the fact that the Bible was originally translated from Hebrew to Greek to Latin and then later to English. The Greek word for “life” and “soul” is the same word psuche from which we get the word “psyche” (the human faculty for thought, judgment, and emotion). Pneuma is the Greek word for “spirit.” Today we can set the record straight once and for all.

In the movie The Usual Suspects, actor Kevin Spacey plays a brilliant enigmatic character named Keyser Soze. Late in the movie Soze offers one of Hollywood’s most unforgettable lines, “The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn't exist.” Wow! I submit that the second greatest trick Satan ever pulled was convincing the world that our soul and spirit were one in the same. On Day 15 we’ll discuss your spirit vs. soul.

About the Author: James Hackley is an author, inspirational speaker, and a philanthropist who earned a B.S. degree in Physics from Longwood College and an M.S. degree in Engineering from the University of Virginia. He's the founder of Omega Consulting Enterprises, chaplain of a local chapter of Omega Psi Phi fraternity, and faithfully attends Holy & Whole Life Changing Ministries International in Lansdowne, Va. His latest book, Body, Mind & Spirit: The Awakening can be purchased by visiting him at www.jameshackley.com , www.Amazon.com, and http://www.barnesandnoble.com.