Pages

Thursday, January 05, 2012

Welcome to my new site and blog!

Spiritual resource to share: fresh new starts!


Introducing Practical Healing Prayer and

The calm strong currents of true spirituality...must deepen human experience...."
- Mary Baker Eddy


Please click here to go to my new site and blog, now conveniently combined!
You can go to www.practicalhealingprayer.com to get to the site via the new blog,
or go to www.kimckorinek.com to get to the site via the home page.
Either way, you'll get there!

Since I have over 700 posts on my "ad infinitum" blog, I am going to keep this live for a while, but practicalhealingprayer.com will be where all the new posts will be available.
You can subscribe to practicalhealingprayer.com by clicking on the RSS feed.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy the new format and fun features!







photo (c) Jeff Rennicke at jeffrennicke.com

Saturday, December 31, 2011

"Begin anywhere."

Spiritual resource to share: fresh starts
"Begin anywhere." This is one of two quotes that hangs around my office. Its only two words are attributed to John Cage, American composer and philosopher. It is a constant reminder that we are able to change thought, break through a lull, reverse directions at any time. We have that authority to start anew - right now.

Starting anew - right now.  What hope!  This newness and freshness can mark the beginning of our new year.  It can mark the beginning of our new week.  It can even happen in the littlest moments of the day.  A total turn around.  A fresh start.

After having a very bleary morning where interruptions threatened any advancement on a number of projects, I felt the day could have turned out totally unproductive. But these two little words "begin anywhere" provided enough of a jolt to encourage me to stop this fuzzy accommodation of blah to totally reverse direction. I literally closed the door on my little interruptions, forgave my wandering morning, and gave myself permission to have a great day! I jumped into one project at a time and completed what needed to be done.

This same principle of fresh starts that can turn our day around, can also turn our lives around. This principle can be seen in the remarkable lives of such people as Buckminster Fuller whose life took a 180 degree turn and continues to be a marvel, and to our own everyday lives. Mary Baker Eddy, another individual whose life proved this principle of fresh starts offers these words, written over a hundred years ago:


The purpose and motive to live aright can be gained now. This point won, you have started as you should. You have begun at the numeration-table of Christian Science, and nothing but wrong intention can hinder your advancement. Working and praying with true motives, your Father will open the way. "Who did hinder you, that ye should not obey the truth?"


Begin anywhere. Whatever your background, your history, or your prospects, you can begin - right now - to claim your inheritance as a child of God. All that is good, pure, true and fulfilling is at hand!  A happy new year?  Yes!  And a happy new week, a happy new day, and a string of happy new moments.





To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

step by step

Spiritual resource to share: guest blogger - Leslie Larsen

Step by step will those who trust Him find that
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

There are 67 stairs out of this cave back into the world we are used to. That’s 67 steps out of the darkness and into the sunlight once again.

Metaphorically speaking, this cave of darkness could represent so many things. The phrase “one step closer” and “light at the end of the tunnel” seem somehow appropriate. For me, it symbolizes growth. Every challenge life presents allows you one more step towards the light. Every challenge means climbing another stair, whether with exuberance or exhaustion, the end goal of the light will not come any closer without conquering that stair, along with all of the others. Sometimes, a daunting task, sometimes a menial snap of the fingers.

But also notice, with every step, there is more light, more air, more to see and appreciate. It is not only about the task of the stairs, not only about the destination of getting to the light and wide open spaces, but also to appreciate the sights on the way there. What lesson is complete without the beauty of the journey? Things are laying there to be learned while you’re figuring out your challenge, neat little rewards of learning to supplement each step with something you would not have seen had you not come this far.

An interesting thought on the passageways of caves.

By Leslie Larsen



S&H 513:6
Advancing spiritual steps in the teeming universe of Mind
lead on to spiritual spheres and exalted beings. 
To material sense, this divine universe is dim and distant,
gray in the sombre hues of twilight;
but anon the veil is lifted, and the scene shifts into light.

Monday, December 12, 2011

considering Mary

Spiritual resource to share: humility and receptivity
Infinite possibilities by Misha
In this cornucopia of inspiration about Christmas flooding in over the internet, this one article, Mary's humble Christmas prayer asks the questions: what did Mary hear in prayer? What was she doing or thinking to receive so profound a message?

(from the article) "The words she heard from the angel Gabriel may have meant nothing without Mary’s precious humility and receptivity to the divine message that would change human experience forever."  

Understanding God's omnipresence and understanding that God is constantly communicating to us ( think of it as a continual stream), it makes sense that we are always capable of listening to and connecting to those right ideas that will bring out whatever glorifies God. Whatever glorifies God fills us with meaning and hope and joy! This is all very good!

This made me think about what it takes to listen. Two things: humility and receptivity

Humility – that genius of Christian Science – takes ego out of the equation. It is meekness, free of false pride; being unpretentious. To humble something is to cause a transformation. Humility reminds me of that place you can go to in prayer when the outward experience is aggressive, confusing, attacking or demeaning. You can lower yourself into that secret hiding place, take yourself out of the target's range and be quiet. In that stillness, the only voice that can be heard is Love, God. God's messages of light and love transform us.

Receptivity – goes hand in hand with willingness, readiness to receive; openness. Our receptivity is as focused on what we know of God as we are focused when we are tuning into a radio program.

God's tender love, infinite goodness, and intelligent care brings out all kinds of surprising solutions for us. How wonderful then to go into this holiday season knowing that we can tune in to the right responses we need for any situation. God is speaking to us, sharing those messages. It is our humility and receptivity that is picking up on these messages and showing us the way to be a blessing in the wide array of family situations, to be a blessing in our churches and communities, to bring the Christ light to our friends and acquaintances.

There is no end to the good in store and no end to the good we can do and the good we can be.

Monday, November 28, 2011

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Hi friends,

I'll be spending the next couple of weeks in  a redesign of my blog and my website making it into one seamless whole and I hope to launch before January 1st.



See you then!

Kim

Monday, November 14, 2011

the innocence and protection of a child - revisited

Spiritual resource to share:  power of purity



Last year about this time, facebook friends were asked to show their support for children and speak out against child abuse by posting their favorite cartoon character from their childhood. It was an invasion of memories!! What a blast to see who friends choose! And how fun to see one another as childlike! There is something pure about these cartoon characters that speaks to the purity in each of us.


I grew up being told that I was a child of God, and that this God is all powerful and all good. Now that I am much older, those first lessons have opened up a world of good to me.

Understanding our original relationship to God helped me to see what is changeless and what is all-powerful about me and about everyone. Purity is the basis of that relationship. And because it is from God, it is also powerful. Our innocence, then, is also our power. This is power that cannot be tainted, touched or manipulated. Purity is part of our original design.

This has been proved to me again and again. I did a lot of traveling as a college student through Latin America. And there were a number of situations where I experienced this protection. Whether it was in the middle of a military shakedown, as the only woman on a crowded bus, or driving along some treacherous roads, I was protected. Prayer was my constant companion during my travels, I can tell you!

But I have also seen this insistent prayer of purity rise up and be the impulse to protect friends of mine who had experienced abusive situations. Time and again, it was their purity which led them to find right solutions, and that led them to find the resources they needed. And in those cases where we prayed together, this same God-bestowed purity restored their confidence, gave them the realization that their spiritual identity (their only identity!) could never be touched, revealed their inherit nature as a child of God – totally loved and cherished, and gave them the courage to go forward with their lives.

Childhood and its accompanying joy, curiosity and goodness are everyone’s right. We can take this stand, full well knowing that we have divine authority to take a stand against violence. This song of King David, written in the book of Psalms, defines that authority that is timeless and timely.



Psalm 91 from the New Living Translation of the Bible


Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

This I declare about the LORD:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.

For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.

He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.

Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.

If you make the LORD your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.

For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.

They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.

You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

The LORD says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”

Saturday, November 05, 2011

Announcing! a new resource blog about Jesus' healing words and works

Spiritual resource to share:  lessons we can take from Jesus' healings

For all my Bible-loving friends who are in earnest to learn as much as they can about the how and what and who and where about Jesus' healings, I have put together a new blog as a resource anyone can use, and share their own comments and research if they want.

Check out: http://healinglessons.blogspot.com/

This is not a commentary about Jesus.  Simply, I have listed Jesus' healings chronologically and then tagged each healing in a way to share, quantitatively, the types of healings, how the healings were initiated, the context or environment where each healing took place, the directives Jesus used and the actions that were taken.  To learn how to use the tags, go here: http://healinglessons.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-to-use-tags.html

This is going out to all and especially those friends who are fellow healers and those in our local Ministerial group.

Enjoy!  And please feel free to write your own comments in with the posts.  If you have more to add, please contact me and I'll add it all in.

Monday, October 31, 2011

"A true friend is the best possession." - Ben Franklin

It's time to close my singing about friends series!

A lot of my friends are in the same boat with me - we all have children growing up and out of the nest. On a quiet Sunday afternoon, I cherished what doesn't go up and out - my friends.

Of course, there are friends that come and go, but I am happy for the friends who have stayed with me - through many moves, through births of our children, through crisis, loss, victories and elation.

In many cases, family members are my friends. But mostly, I count among my friends those who I have met along my journey, and our journeys crossed and intertwined and my life has been shaped and refined by their good graces.

Our capacity for friendship seems equal to our capacity to understand God. But what if there is a time when we are without friends? "Would existence without personal friends be to you a blank?" writes Mary Baker Eddy.  "Then the time will come when you will be solitary, left without sympathy; but this seeming vacuum is already filled with divine Love."  Even in times of seeming loneliness, there is Love.  It is the substance of life, it is its foundation. And from that foundation, we grow friends! 

Some gems on friendship:

My friends are my estate.
- Emily Dickinson 

Friendship is the only cement that will ever hold the world together.
-Woodrow Wilson

A friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

A true friend is the best possession.
-Ben Franklin

Forsake not an old friend; for the new is not comparable to him: a new friend is as new wine; when it is old, thou shall drink it with pleasure.
- Sirach 9:10 

A friend is one to whom one may pour out all the contents of one's heart, chaff and grain together, knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness blow the rest away.
- Arabian Proverb


Love never loses sight of loveliness. Its halo rests upon its object. One marvels that a friend can ever seem less than beautiful.
-Mary Baker Eddy













Please add your own comments or email this article to a friend.



For more information, contact Kim or call her directly via skype!
Call me!

Get Skype and call me for free.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

The power of Paula

Spiritual resource to share: our home

Although Paula was much prettier,
this photo
 reminds me of her. 
When she would sing, her voice
filled up every single room
 in the house.
Thinking about friends for this FRIEND series, I knew I had to write about Paula.  I have lost track of her now, and writing this blog helps me put out there how much this older woman did for our family.  She was a true friend and wonderful mother for our family, she will never be forgotten.

Our family regularly included someone living with us for one of any number of reasons: to house sit or to help out, to wait for another house to open up, to have a place while going to college, etc.  So to have another person come and live with us was a normal thing. 

Paula came to our house when we heard she needed a place while going through a transition in her life.  Paula was the one who gave our sons and me voice and piano lessons.  So, when she moved in, she continued and added helping with dinners four evenings a week. For me, a working mom with a heavy travel schedule, it was heaven!
Paula lived with us for a year and a half. Paula was a gentle woman of amazing stories. These stories were shared with a humble heart that had experienced a side of life that was totally foreign to us. 

Through her, I learned what it was like to live growing up with great grandparents who were former slaves, living through the civil rights movement, and daily dealing with racism in her work, her church and her community.  Throughout her ordeals, she never lost sight of what she loved and found a way to actively pursue her first love: singing opera.

After a few months of music lessons, we had recitals at our house, and she would show off the boys' developing talents.  Then, at our insistence, she would sing.  She would sing in Latin, then German, and follow it up with pieces from opera in English and Italian. She would get herself in a corner (an effective acoustic strategy) and then open her mouth and fill that whole house with sound.  Her opera training gave her a set of lungs that blew us away. 

Into our house of men, she brought the beauty and drama of a life well lived. Her care of the boys was very parent-centered and her mild manner and humility made it easy to immediately claim her as family. Her stories of her great grandfather and her early battles with racism, were received with respect and awe.

The power of Paula was such that she had a steely reserve and a gentle touch: an abundance of talent and the humble willingess to share it with us rookies.  Meekness, might, humility and grace blessed our home and she became one of our dearest friends.  She opened my eyes to the depth of character we all possess, and how an earnest listening ear can bring out the brilliance in another.  She certainly brought out all that was good in our family. She gave our home a consistency of mothering for that year and a half,  teaching us compassion, how to cook and how to live by singing out our hearts.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

"There is no one alive who is Youer than you." -Dr. Seuss


Spiritual resource to share: authenticity
  


Today you are you,
that's truer than true.
There is no one alive
who is Youer than You.

 from Dr. Seuss




What a thought!  What an idea!  There is no one in the world quite like you.  SO how does this figure into the grand scheme of things.  What makes you You?  What is it about you that makes you so unique?

For some it may not always be easy to discover your unique gifts, and then have the courage to share them. For others, it's a breeze. But it is such a worthwhile undertaking to make that discovery.

First of all, coming from the basis that we are all created in the image and likeness of God, and knowing that God is infinite, there is an infinite store of spiritual qualities each of us reflect. That we all have our own unique signature to give to the world, of this I am sure!

This was demonstrated to me early on in my career when I was studying dance at the University of Minnesota. I took an experimental class in Dance Improvisation. There, the teacher removed any guidelines, threw away all dance disciplines and asked us to start moving for most of the class period.

We all started out a bit intimated and feeling directionless. But one by one, we started experimenting with the moves that felt most natural to us. Pretty soon, as we took turns watching one another and dancing, it was becoming obvious that each dancer focussed his or her movements on a specific theme.

I loved exploring the spiral - movements rising, falling, turning inside then outside; another was fascinated with balance - each part of the body brought its own balance and imbalance to the rest of the body; another kept dancing within the theme of contrasts; another centered on the contraction and the movements that emerged out of that, and on and on. The point was that each of us had a strength that emerged and our own unique signature blossomed in an open and inviting atmosphere.

How can we do that today? Can we develop our own voice? Our own way of dancing through life? Can we identify our authentic self and give that to the world?

Sure.

Do this fun exercise. Leave aside all expectations, and put yourself in an open and inviting atmosphere. Now, write down everything that you are. Come up with at least, let's say, 20 things. Done? OK, now remove any titles or jobs you may have (like professor, award-winning pie eater), any roles you have or positions that define you in relation to others (mother, second cousin, etc), any thing that defines you physically (drop dead gorgeous, short and round, etc.) and finally remove any dead end quality (like boring, lazy, etc.)

Now that outside expectations, labels and dead end stuff have been removed, you should have a list of your primitive spiritual qualities. (For more ways of discovering your spiritual qualities, see past post on the Spirituality Matrix.)

This embodiment of spiritual qualities is you, your theme. Let's say what is left on your list is grace, order and spontaneity. Or strength, precision and tenderness. Or maybe it's warmth, intelligence, promptness. Taking this cluster of spiritual ideas (which is actually you, now understood spiritually) how would you respond in a variety of settings? How would Grace/Order/Spontaneity respond at a family Christmas dinner? How would Strength/Precision/Tenderness deal with a new challenging project at work? Or how would Warmth/Intelligence/Promptness deal with paying overdue bills?

You are unique. And you bring your God-given qualities with you wherever you go - bringing a unique dimension of God's love to every activity in the way that only you can.


Signing off as Curious/Adventurous/Embracing,

Kim





To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.