Dear All,

I am delighted to announce the publication of my 4th book:

The Living Compass of Kindness and Compassionate Love:
Essays on Love, Beauty, and the Mystical Path

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/096357065X/

The Living Compass of Kindness and Compassionate Love is a 316 page book of essays (with a few poems) that explores the topics of love, beauty, and the mystical path. It is a book for people of all religions and no religion, for agnostics and atheists as well, because the author approaches these topics based on the concept that universal truths apply to all human beings, beyond religion, culture, nationality, or language.

The normal price is $19.95 , but Amazon has the price set to an introductory price of $7.74! It's not clear how long that price will last: 5 more minutes or a few days, so hurry on over and get a deal! :-)

If you like it, leave a rating and a review!

Here are the section titles:

- LOVE IS EVERYWHERE
- SEARCHING FOR THE INDWELLING GOD
- MARRIAGE AND FAMILY AND THE GOD WHO CREATED EVERYTHING
- EPILOGUE

Peter Falkenberg Brown

Here's the Table of Contents. The cover image is below that.

- LOVE IS EVERYWHERE

- The Living Compass of Kindness and Compassionate Love
- Spirituality, Christianity, Other Religions, and Atheism
- Moments of Love
- Drinking from the Source of Love
- Reflections on Drinking from the Source of Love
- Poem: Green Leaves and Rubies
- Happiness with Gratitude on Overdrive
- The Golden Sphere Inside Us All
- No One Can Stop Us from Loving Others
- Divine Writing Message: My Love Takes the Long View. The Ten-Thousand-Year Long View.
- Joyful Love
- Poem: Blueprint of God
- Can Humans Become Beings of Love?
- To Carry Our Heart Through the World Like a Life-Giving Sun
- The Power of Eternal Goals
- Creating Beauty
- Creating a Culture of Kindness
- A Declaration on God and Freedom
- In Defense of Love and Freedom
- A World of Sacred, Eternal Human Beings
- The Resurrection of Jesus and the Victory of Eternal Love
- Poem: My Loyal Friend

- SEARCHING FOR THE INDWELLING GOD

- Is There a God and What Is God Like? Exploring the Evidence of Love
- Poem: The Summit
- Searching for the Indwelling God
- The God Prayer: A Practical Method of Living with God
- Divine Writing Communion and Journeying
- Life Begins in God’s Embrace
- Poem: Inevitable Love
- A Mystical Search for the Meaning of Crayons and White Paste
- Salvation Through Love
- The Soul and the Inherent Goodness of Humans
- Finding God by Embracing God
- The Healing of the World
- The Breath of Love Embrace
- Divine Writing Message: A Life of No Separation with God
- Clinging to God’s Love Forever
- Poem: Indian Neck
- The Omnipresence of the God of Love
- The Closeness of God
- The Beautiful Gifts of the Spirit World
- Poem: Jesus Never Had No Peanut Butter Cup

- MARRIAGE AND FAMILY AND THE GOD WHO CREATED EVERYTHING

- Marriage and Family and the God Who Created Everything
- God and Sacred Sexuality
- Poem: Embracing God
- Men Who Honor, Love, and Respect Women
- Men of Courage, Men of Love
- Ancient Rage and Divine Love
- Maintaining an Atmosphere of Heart in Marriage
- Poem: Sympathy Without Boundaries
- Courtship 2.0
- Poem: Eternal Love
- Fidelity and True Love
- Communication:
- The Conduit for True Love in Marriage
- Poem: A Kiss Is the Door to Heaven
- The Value of the Family School of Love
- Poem: Sleepy Blue Flower
- The Heart Within a Gift
- Poem: Today We Traveled under the Trees
- The Eternal Castle of True Love

- EPILOGUE

- Divine Writing Message: Love Is an Explosion of Joy!

================================

Prayer - September 25, 2022
Rev. Steve Newton, C.S.C.

Loving God, we ask the help of your Spirit to keep us from using our poor brothers and sisters to maintain our own comfort. Compel employers among us to provide living wages to all we employ. Constrain our greed and expand our awareness that we are all one in you, whether rich or poor. Give us the grace to do all we can to assure that the needs of all who are your special favorites - the ones who we most often ignore- are met. We ask for the compassion and justice of Jesus, Your Son and Our Lord. Amen

September 25

Choose Wisely
Bible in a Year:
Song of Songs 6–8
Galatians 4
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?

Today's Scripture & Insight:

Mark 8:34–38
Astronaut Chris Ferguson made a difficult decision as the commander of the flight crew scheduled for a journey to the International Space Station. But that decision didn’t have anything to do with the mechanics of flight or the safety of his fellow astronauts. Instead, it pertained to what he considers his most important work: his family. Ferguson opted to keep his feet planted firmly on Earth so he could be present for his daughter’s wedding.

We all face difficult decisions at times—decisions that cause us to evaluate what matters most to us in life because one option comes at the expense of the other. Jesus aimed to communicate this truth to His disciples and a crowd of onlookers regarding life’s most important decision—to follow Him. To be a disciple, He said, would require them to “deny themselves” in order to walk with Him (Mark 8:34). They might have been tempted to spare themselves the sacrifices required of following Christ and instead seek their own desires, but He reminded them it would come at the price of that which matters much more.

We’re often tempted to pursue things that seem of great value, yet they distract us from following Jesus. Let’s ask God to guide us in the choices we face each day so we’ll choose wisely and honor Him.

By: Kirsten Holmberg

Jesus, I want to walk with You. Please help me to recognize and choose the paths that will foster a deeper connection to You. Amen.

September 24

The Power of a Name
Bible in a Year:
Song of Songs 4–5
Galatians 3
Your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations.

Today's Scripture & Insight:

Genesis 17:1–8, 15–16
Seeking to affirm some children who live on the streets in Mumbai, India, Ranjit created a song of their names. Coming up with a unique melody for each name, he taught them the tune, hoping to give them a positive memory related to what they’re called. For children who don’t regularly hear their name spoken in love, he bestowed on them a gift of respect.

Names are important in the Bible, often reflecting a person’s character traits or new role. For instance, God changed the names of Abram and Sarai when He made a covenant of love with them, promising that He would be their God and they would be His people. Abram, which means “exalted father,” became Abraham, which means “father of many.” And Sarai, which means “princess,” became Sarah, which means “princess of many” (see Genesis 17:5, 15).

God’s new names included the gracious promise that they would no longer be childless. When Sarah gave birth to their son, they were overjoyed and named him Isaac, which means “he laughs”: “Sarah said, ‘God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me’ ” (Genesis 21:6).

We show honor and respect to people when we call them by name and affirm who God has created them to be. A loving nickname that affirms someone’s unique qualities as one created in the image of God can do the same.

By: Amy Boucher Pye

God of all names, You made me in Your image and love me. Shape me and mold me to be more like You. Amen.

Big Moments: Witness
SEPTEMBER 24, 2022

You are the light of the world…. Let your light shine before others.
Matthew 5:14, 16, NIV

Recommended Reading: Matthew 5:13-16
According to Christianity Today, Christian teenagers don’t know a lot about traditional evangelism, but they’re eager to talk with friends about the Lord. The magazine told of Treyson West, who was recently sitting with a friend in a car talking about the struggles of life. As Treyson talked about God, the friend said, “My heart feels, like, warm.”

“Dude, that’s the Holy Spirit,” said Treyson. The friend received Christ as Savior there in the car.[1]

Learning to share our faith in a natural way is a big step. It can be frightening, but much of the fear evaporates when we make it natural. When we learn to converse, listen, care, and pray, the Lord opens the door for our witness. Often, our words will be like seeds planted in the heart, but sometimes we’ll rejoice at seeing others profess faith in Christ in the moment. We can say, “That’s the Holy Spirit!”

Today find a way to take a small step toward a big moment. Find a way to share Christ simply, naturally, and lovingly.

You don’t have to use fancy methods for sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Just stick with the basics, and proclaim the Good News with simplicity!

Luis Palau