LEARN: Thrive By the Spirit™ – Creating a World of Patience & Tolerance

Posted on July 24, 2012 by Jerricia J. Ulmer

LEARN! … By the Spirit™ with Jerricia J. Ulmer, M. Ed.

Creating a World of Patience & Tolerance

July 23, 2012

© 2012 Jerricia J. Ulmer

Photo: Associated Press

The July 20th killing of 12 people and injury of 58 others in an Aurora, Colorado picture show touched the nation.  I try to avoid watching the news because of the seemingly rampant occurrences of such morbid atrocities, but by 7 A.M., before my first cup of coffee, I was well informed.  Less than 6 hours after the killings, a whole time zone away, people were mourning.

Our hearts and prayers certainly go out to the victims and their families.  But today, during his first court appearance, I couldn’t help but notice the face of Aurora shooter James Holmes.  As I exercised profusely on the gym elliptical machine, my ears were tuned to Shine’s energizing, self-affirming “I Will Tell Myself”, but my eyes were tuned to the CNN broadcast and James Holmes’ face, his wildly dyed hair, his eyes that seemed to vacillate between mania and misery.  I was moved to put him in the victim column too.

This may draw some criticisms, but his pain is undeniable.  Anyone who meditates for months on how to hurt and kill a mass of people is aching.   And hurt people hurt people. (more…)

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LEARN: Joy By The Spirit – …In Spite of It All

Posted on April 9, 2012 by Jerricia J. Ulmer

LEARN! … By the Spirit™ with Jerricia J. Ulmer

…In Spite of It All

© 2012  Jerricia J. Ulmer, M.Ed.

April 9, 2012

In the world you will have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. -John 16:33

This life is fleeting. Some say it’s short, but I’m a quality over quantity girl.

This body – our “earth suit” – is vulnerable. Yes, it is amazing to see what it can endure and how GOD designed it to heal itself. However, it will ultimate start to break down.

Aging is not for the faint of heart. But if you grow and live By The Spirit, you can live in peace. At birth, some believe – fresh from the other side – we are closest to our Divine state. Then we are dirtied by all muck and mire of life. Prayerfully, we come back to live in our true spiritual essence and learn to shake off our own and other people’s stuff. And that, to me, is peace. Peace = Joy.

Joy is a sustained state of well-being. It’s like living out The Serenity Prayer:

God, grant me the Serenity to

accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

and Wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time…

Trusting that He will make all things right

if I surrender to His Will;

that I may be reasonably happy in this life

and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.

 -Elisabeth Sifton

You are going to get cut off on the highway. Someone will rub you the wrong way. People will criticize your viewpoint. All you can do is be yourself and know that GOD is using you and your influence.

On the flip side, a gracious driver will let you in a crowded lane. You may get a much-needed hug from out of the clear blue sky. And your boss may think your idea is the next best thing to sliced bread.

Come what may – oh, and it will come! – choose to maintain your peace, or at least find it in spite of it all. Doing so in any circumstance will sustain your state of well being, e.g. Joy. Some times may be tougher than others, and a situation may get under your skin more than expected. But make a conscious effort each day to live in peace, to live in joy…By The Spirit.

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LEARN: Commit By The Spirit – “I’m Not Going Anywhere!”, Pt.2

Posted on February 18, 2012 by Jerricia J. Ulmer

LEARN! … By the Spirit™ with Jerricia J. Ulmer

“I’m Not Going Anywhere!”, Pt.2

© 2012  Jerricia J. Ulmer, M.Ed.

February 18, 2012

Guess who’s been ring shopping! Oh yes! Needless to say, I’m one happy lady!

After endless hours of online browsing and then a few trips to some local reputable jewelers, I finally narrowed it down to two. The styles I chose were nothing like what I initially thought I wanted. But once I tried them on, they won out over all the others.

One was a very unique design, with custom lace-designed filigree and alternate gold accents in hidden little places. The diamond split shank looked like a pretty little ribbon on my finger topped off by a shiny full carat princess cut bow. Seemingly a most precious gift for a girl. Trust, I was smitten. But I’m preparing for a full woman-sized commitment! So that one got relegated to second place. (more…)

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LEARN: Commit by the Spirit – “I’m Not Going Anywhere!”

Posted on February 6, 2012 by Jerricia J. Ulmer

LEARN! … By the Spirit™ with Jerricia J. Ulmer

“I’m Not Going Anywhere!”

© 2012  Jerricia J. Ulmer, M.Ed.

February 6, 2012

I don’t know about you, but wanderlust runs in my veins. Whether fantasizing about being on some remote Caribbbean island with my significant other or daydreaming about raising a ruckus in L.A. with my girl crew or trying to teleport myself to a swamp tour with some very skilled, cunning Cajun named Boudreaux, I would always want to be someplace else. Then it occurred to me: I would always want to be someplace else. 
 
Don’t get me wrong: wanderlust is great! It can be fun. Travel can open our minds to flora, fauna, people, and cultural experiences we never thought existed or only heard about via the Travel Channel. But what I was doing in my mind was running, hiding. I could envision myself sipping something cool while hanging out on the pastel pallette of some French Quarter or Garden District balcony. But in my mind, I was still the same person, harboring the same fears and anxieties. I realized how applicable was that old adage “Wherever you go, there you are.”
 
So I decided to stay right where I am. To live in the moment. To face head-on the issues, people, and emotions I was feeling at any given time. And - just as importantly – to allow myself to ENJOY the moment. Ah, what a relief! What a gift to myself and others around me. I would now be fully engaged in a conversation, completely aware of the rhythm of his hearbeat when we were together, enthralled by the acrobat squirrel in the tree above.  I had grown appreciative of the Houston sun on my skin and the beauty of our neighborhoods, parks, and skyline and the Southern hospitableness of our people. No more wallpaper pictures of other places. No more spending countless hours wishing I was someplace else. I’m not going anywhere! Of course we will still take planned vacations and random excursions. And wherever we end up, that’s where I’ll be.

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LEARN: Resolve By the Spirit – …To Show Up Like Christ

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Jerricia J. Ulmer

LEARN! … By the Spirit™ with Jerricia J. Ulmer

…To Show Up Like Christ 

© 2011  Jerricia J. Ulmer, M.Ed.

December 21, 2011

We know the Christmas story. It’s a beautiful one. An angel of GOD comes to a seemingly normal young woman and asks her to deliver the Savior into the world during an appointed time of peril.

Well, we’re in an appointed time of peril now. The time is ripe. The world still needs saving! GOD sent Jesus to show us the way. He came so that we may have life and have it to the full (John 10:10), but how many do not know the CHRIST of Christmas? How many souls in a lost and hurting world feel like they’ve never seen Jesus at work, like He’s just some age-old character in a fairytale?

(more…)

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