Psychologist Everett Worthington is an author and a specialist on instructing people in REACH, a 5 step process for forgiveness.

Worthington knows something about forgiveness. He experienced the unthinkable when his 78-year-old mother was sexually violated and beaten to death with a crowbar. According to an article published by WWBT in Richmond, Virginia, Worthington states that “this was a particularly horrific scene. One that I just never will forget.”

Adding to his difficulties, Worthington’s brother could not get the image of his mother’s death out of his head, and a few years later he committed suicide. Worthington says not only did he need to forgive his mother’s killer, he also had to forgive himself for not being able to help his brother!

Although I am not a psychologist, I have seen marriages that were broken by infidelity, restored through forgiveness. I have witnessed criminals find self-forgiveness and the ability to move forward in life, and I have seen the abused released from the horrors of cruelty through forgiveness.

Worthington writes in his book, “Forgiveness and Reconciliation” that he was able to forgive the youths that committed the horrible crime against his mother in just over 30 hours. How? By working through his 5-Step Process which I will outline for you in my next two blogs.

How do we cultivate forgiveness? Renee Napier certainly knows how. Her daughter, Meagan, was a drunken-driver accident victim. Eric Smallridge was intoxicated when the vehicle he was driving struck another, instantly killing Meagan and her friend Lisa, both 20 years old.

Renee knows the incomprehensible grief associated with the sudden loss of a child, and she dedicated her life to preventing more deaths by raising awareness of drunken driving.

She successfully conducted events across Florida, but as she told ABC news,” she kept feeling like something was missing.” She knew if she could involve Eric in her presentations, it would be powerful.

Prior to his prison release Eric was allowed to join Renee in her events. Still wearing his prison uniform he emphatically told people, “Don’t be me! I never intended to be in this uniform! The consequences of my one decision to drive drunk were far too great!”

How does a mother find courage to work with the very man who took her daughter’s life? How could this same person also advocate and obtain an early release for a man who had 10 years left to serve on a 22 year prison sentence for manslaughter? Indira Gandhi said, “Forgiveness is a virtue of the brave.”

In a Gulf Breeze News interview Napier said: “I could be angry, hateful and bitter, but I didn’t want to live my life that way. There was no way I could move on and live a happy life without forgiving Eric.”

Napier has said that she has grown to love Smallridge and his family and now considers him to be like a son to her. What would you do if you faced this life altering tragedy? Could you forgive this person? Would you forgive this person?  And how do you cultivate forgiveness?

Terri Roberts was sitting on the patio when she heard sirens and helicopters in the distance. As she normally did when she heard sirens, Terri prayed for the responders and finished her lunch and returned to work. Moments later she received a phone call from her husband. Come to Charlie’s house now.

Driving to her 32 year old son’s house she heard the report of 10 girls shot in the nearby Amish school. When Terri arrived at the house, she saw her husband speaking to a state trooper. Her first question…is Charlie alive? No.

It was October 2, 2006.  Terri’s son had just shot 10 Amish school girls and then taken his own life. Five of the girls were dead, five injured and one would forever be a paraplegic. Bitter at God over his wife’s miscarriage, Terri’s son had directed his rage towards these young girls.

What goes through the mind of a mother who finds their child responsible for such a tragedy? How would you react?

Terri went home later that day and collapsed into a fetal position. Her husband buried his head in a towel crying so hard that he injured the skin on his face!

Something happened that night in the Roberts’ home. An Amish neighbor came over to offer his love and comfort. Terri witnessed this “Angel Dressed in Black”—the Amish are known for their customary black clothing—consoling her husband. Their visitor reassuringly said, “Roberts, we love you,” and immediately she knew that her husband would heal.

Bernard Meltzer says, “When you forgive, you in no way change the past—but you sure do change the future.”

That night Terri Roberts and her husband were introduced to the greatest gift imaginable—forgiveness—the power to live another day!

Perhaps today, you are experiencing grief or a sense of loss; I want you to know that God is right there with you! My father and I were very close, and throughout my life he was a voice of wisdom and clarity. I remember him telling me, after many years of suffering from debilitating illness, that he was tired and ready to go on to the next life. He had called every family member, making sure that each knew Jesus as their personal Savior. He felt my mother would be ok and could take care of herself.  I remember thinking how odd it was that he was telling me all of this. My father passed away just a few days later.

I don’t know what you are walking through right now, but I do know there is one who will walk with you and give you the hope you need. The scriptures say, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I also recall many weeks later, God opened heaven and I had an awareness of my father smiling and a knowledge that he was in a much better place.  As I spoke to the audience that day, I remember crying great tears of God’s love for the people who were listening…for them to know that they could face anything in life, and even death, if they had a hope in the future!

Sonja Lyubomirsky, Ph.D., author of The How of Happiness and The Myths of Happiness, says that people are more able to play a direct role in attaining their own joy than earlier studies indicated. Her research showed that happiness levels increased when people took a few surprisingly simple steps:

• Count your blessings
  • Reframe situations in a positive light
  • Perform acts of kindness

Those participants who expressed gratitude and kept an optimistic outlook were less depressed and happier than the control group.  Results seem to indicate that happy people choose to be happy by taking steps to ensure it.

Thomas Edison overcame adversity many times in his life. A classic example of this occurred in 1914, when a fire ravaged the phonograph factory at his West Orange, New Jersey complex. The 67 year-old Edison lost approximately $5 million that night – the equivalent of $75 million today. His son Charles raced to his father’s side, thinking the sight of the blazing factory would be too devastating for him. Instead, Charles was amazed to see his father smiling. He told his son, “Go get your mother! She’ll never have a chance to see anything like this again in her entire life!” Edison then called a meeting with his key staff members and immediately began organizing the recovery campaign. He urged his team to focus on rebuilding the phonograph factories in a way that “took advantage of the latest improvements in factory design.”

Edison’s response to the fire demonstrates his irrepressibly optimistic nature. As biographer Dr. Paul Israel describes it, “Where others might see disaster and failure, he was always optimistically looking for opportunities and seeing the possibility of new directions for improvements.”

Recently a leading global medical research institute listed the following benefits that can be attributed to positive thinking:

• Lower rates of depression
• Longer life expectancy
• Increased resistance to the common cold
• Lower risk of heart disease and related death
• Better overall psychological health
• Lower stress levels
• Better stress management and coping skills
• Increased physical well-being

These facts alone should enthuse you about the real life benefits of thinking positively. One positive thought can indeed cultivate the dream that is in your heart!  http://bit.ly/1FcdCOj

“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” The author of this phrase, Elbert Hubbard, also wrote a story about Ida Straus, and her death on the Titanic. As a woman she was supposed to be placed on a lifeboat before any of the men, but she refused to board the boat: “Not I!” she said, “I will not leave my husband. All these years we’ve traveled together, and shall we part now? No,” she said, “our fate is one.” Hubbard then added his own stirring commentary:

“Mr. and Mrs. Straus, I envy you that legacy of love and loyalty left to your children and grandchildren. The calm courage that was yours all your long and useful career was your possession in death. You knew how to do three great things—you knew how to live, how to love, and how to die.” “Happy lovers, both,” Elbert said, “In life they were never separated, and in death they are not divided.”

Ask yourself these three simple questions: Have I discovered the key to a full life? Have I learned to love with a full heart? What will I do when one day I face death? These questions, as simple as they may appear, lie at the core of a meaningful life.

If such human love like Mrs. Strauss is capable of such great sacrifice—what could you do with devotion and love of this type? How could you influence those around you?

Visit my website today, www.LeslieMcNulty.com. We are here to help you, and have made tools available to you that will change your life!

According to Dr. Bruce Lipton, the vast majority of the world’s population comes into this world with genes that should enable them to live a happy and healthy life. He says a staggering 98% of diseases are due to lifestyle choices and therefore they are related to our thinking.

It has been estimated that 75 to 90% of all visits to primary care physicians are for stress related problems. So what is the stress that I speak of? Could it be distress in the mind—a mind filled with a continuous stream of worries, fears and distorted perceptions, all of which trigger degenerative processes throughout the mind and the body?

Well, today I want to offer YOU a choice for peace in your mind and freedom of disease in your body. Christ is the solution to your cares. He offers a way out of stress by simply calling on His name. Today, Jesus offers you friendship with God, peace for your mind and ultimately health for your soul and body. Wherever you are, simply pray, “Jesus, I choose You! Be my friend today!”

If you’d like more help, more information on healing, or someone to pray with you, please contact us today. We are waiting to hear from you. http://bit.ly/1gmsroF

What does “friendship” mean to you? Unconditional acceptance, Unwavering Commitment, Unswerving Loyalty? The Holy Scripture states, “There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother.”

Many centuries ago, a young man named Patrick discovered this friend. In the year 401, a village on the coast of Britain was attacked by slave traders and a 16 year old boy was taken. Stripped of the comforts of his home life as well the future of an education and career, he was made a shepherd-slave to a distant clan. For Patrick, life was miserable. In a land of unknown languages, he experienced severe hunger as well as months of isolation on bitterly cold mountainsides.

These severe circumstances drove Patrick to God. Turning to his family’s faith, he spent his bitter days in constant prayer. As he did, a deep love of God and a profound sense of God’s Spirit was at work within him.  Scripture says, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you.”

Can you imagine what Patrick endured?  God knew. And just as He knew what Patrick endured, He knows what you are going through today. Scripture tells us God has felt our very weaknesses. Perhaps you are being held in captivity to your own thoughts. In captivity to a terrible family situation or a life destroying habit. Regardless of where you find yourself, I want you to know that Jesus said, “I don’t call you servants, you are not a slave…I call you friends.”

If you have a need and would like someone to pray with you, contact us today at http://bit.ly/1KzCS1T

Scriptures: James 4:8, John 15:15