God Answers Prayers

Okay. Here that Dover goes again... talking about God. Yes. It's the 15th of December 2021 as I write this. It's the final Dover's Blog for the year. And - I will be taking a Sabbatical from blogging to spend more time focused on writing and editing in 2022. I may show up in the Spring for an update. But for the interim, it will be concentrated on finishing projects that have been calling to me for attention.

God answers prayers. Do you believe in God? Do you pray? Do you get down on your knees in humility and pray? Do you close your eyes in bed at night and send out thoughts to God? I may be considered to be an obsessed man. A huge portion of my waking hours are filled with me thinking to God. I'm constantly having conversations with God. I'm telling God my dreams, my goals, my plans, thanking God for my wife, my children and my grand-children. I'm telling God how much I appreciate my friends, asking God to give me compassion, strength and courage toward the people who I think must hate me (or at least dislike me so much that it could be classified as loathing). I'm constantly thanking God for things going the way I think I want to see things go; apologizing for becoming angry or ridiculously frustrated toward people who may be set in their ways or have something to teach me the hard way. I take a deep breath, regroup and thank God for helping me to move past a situation and see what I can do to possibly make something good happen around me. I ask for guidance for how to make a positive contribution.

You may ask yourself if I'm constantly thinking thoughts directly to God, as though God were truly my Father in Heaven, or as though God were my friend... how can I find time for anything else? It does take some strategy and yet, I find while I'm praying to God with my eyes wide open and performing my duties on my job, or working on my novel, or spending time talking with my wife or my daughter, that God is right there with us in everything we are doing. And I wouldn't have it any other way.

You may be thinking... okay... this Dover guy really must be some kind of religious fanatic or something. And you would be right - it has to be defined as - something. I can't quite put my finger on it. I've been this way - all of my life. Since childhood. Don't get me wrong. I have to admit there have been some incredibly dark periods in my life. Likely defined as periods of possible pseudo apostacy. No. There has been no devil worshipping. To me that would be an extreme waste of my time. And if I have promised God I would not desecrate anything He considered Holy, then I have kept my promise. I constantly pray for guidance from the Holy Ghost that I will always have the Spirit of Discernment to guide me into pathways of light, truth and definite progression during my time on Earth - during this Second Estate. For I firmly believe that we all were in God's presence during a pre-mortal existence during our First Estate in heavenly realms before we came to this Earth and communed with God, our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus the Christ.

During one of our earliest meaningful conversations, my wife and I discovered that we had something very important in common: we only wanted to know and understand what was true - period. We both felt there were universal truths and we wanted to know them, hopefully understand them, and do everything we could to live our lives according to these truths. That, besides our mutual compassion toward one another and seeing life an an eternal continuum, a Holy journey where God played the central role - seeking truth - is what brought us together and keeps us together. And now, it is just love upon love upon love.

God answers prayers. Let me tell you: you invest enough - no - as much of yourself as you possibly can - into communicating with God - you will see, you will hear, your will feel His answers. If you humbly seek God's purpose for you - you will discover it. You know, in order to improve, we must change. Not every change is an improvement. But every improvement we make will definitely be a change we make.

Pray to God. Do it however you wish. You could use the method Jesus prescribed: Dear Heavenly Father - (find something to be thankful for - express gratitude, pour out your heart, your desires, your fears, your weaknesses, things you need help with, ways you want to grow stronger, better - I know you understand this...) and close the prayer in the name of Jesus Christ - Amen. And send your thoughts out to God every day. Tell Him how you feel. Tell Him what you think. Connect. I believe that within each of us God placed a Divine Spark - Life - and that lifeforce is akin to a microchip which is a direct line to God. I think when we direct our thoughts to God, that Divine Spark is activated - and God notices. Just do it. Practice it. Get good at it. Become an expert in communicating with God. Earn your Black Belt in GodSpeak. I assure you, you put this into practice and you will see: God Answers Prayers.

God Bless all of you. Much Love to you. Always Agape.

Stress

It's the 1st of December 2021. Is anyone feeling stressed at all? Are you looking forward to this year coming to a close? Are you feeling any stress about 2022 and what it may hold for each of us? Do you ever feel like you're losing your mind? I think I lose my mind at least once every day. I'm not sure if that's a good thing. I'm just going with it and figure I need to be out of my mind - in order to reset, change my mind and see if I can find a way to positively evolve. I think it's working. I must admit... all of it... the vicissitudes of life... does drive me a little crazy.

We've all gone through and come through a lot since the end of 2019. And I feel like it's worth repeating an entry to a novel trilogy I'm currently editing entitled 'The Mind of God' - “The historic year of 2020 stormed in like a raping intruder. Dragging pillage and cruel abandon in its wake. The world trembled in an abject state of poverty, and ruin. The Earth suffered a worldwide demolition exercise through natural geodynamic and meteorological devastation. The years of countless underground nuclear testing, mining the earth to a state of ridiculous depletion, accelerating continental drift and irritating the natural process of plate tectonics, provided an ideal condition for critical mass… a milestone in the culmination of forces of overt sabotage at work, savagely set against the progressive devolution of society. The Earth screamed an accusation of cruelty and unnatural judgment against the Gods of War and Grief.” I wrote those words 26 years ago. To me, it feels a lot like truth.

And if you listen to the media, they say 2021 has been even worse. More death. More disease. And we take a deep breath, nod or shake our heads and go on.

I do everything I can to reach out to people around me and help in some way. To be honest, it seems like the more I lose my mind and surrender to what appears to be chaos... the easier it gets to give and to share... and to love. Maybe it's just because I'm adapting to the new world our lives have come to. Maybe we are all adapting.

The insanity I sometimes feel can be alarming and then I realize about all I can do is embrace the craziness and find a way to rise above my frailties. I think I'm finding myself embracing my weaknesses, my shortcomings and my inadequacies and settling into humility, kindness and support of others. I think this helps me, too.

I think the image of the two wise owls above perfectly exemplifies how I currently feel. I think my wife feels similar. I believe the owls are a true selfie of my wife, Jackie (to so many of you, Gloria) and myself. And... from my 64 year old perspective, soon to be 65 in March, wondering what life holds in store is pretty amazing, inspiring, daunting and often overwhelming. Having said that, I'm looking forward to whatever life - and God - holds in store for us... for all of us.

Thank you for bearing with me, taking the time to read Dover's Blog and I hope you are dealing well with whatever is stressing you. Let it go. Roll with it. Lay it down. Take a deep breath and let's be thankful for all that we have and all that we can give.

God Bless Us - Everyone.

Suicide

I intended to make this a two or three part series. But I decided to keep it more to the specific point I want to make. This is open for comments from anyone who feels inclined. You can speak your mind. Personally, in this specific blog post, I'm not interested in the convoluted politics and myriad ramifications that this painful subject elicits. However... as always... you are free to speak your heart and your mind. I hope when you do, compassion will guide your words.

First, I'll lead with the first paragraph given to us by Wikipedia on the subject: Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death.[9] Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, autism spectrum disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), nihilistic beliefs, physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome) and substance use disorders (including alcohol use disorder and the use of and withdrawal from benzodiazepines) are risk factors.[2][3][5][10] Some suicides are impulsive acts due to stress (such as from financial or academic difficulties), relationship problems (such as breakups), or harassment/bullying.[2][11][12] Those who have previously attempted suicide are at a higher risk for future attempts.[2] Effective suicide prevention efforts include limiting access to methods of suicide—such as firearms, drugs, and poisons; treating mental disorders and substance misuse; careful media reporting about suicide; and improving economic conditions.[2][13] Even though crisis hotlines are common, they have not been well studied.[14][15]

Now... I'll bet you probably know someone who has committed suicide. I do. It could even be a close loved one. You may have even considered the act yourself. I'm sure many of us have experienced difficulties, struggles, crisis and hardships that have driven us into dark, dangerous places. I have been in these dark, dangerous places more than once. I survived. Others have not.

I won't go on much longer. I just want to ask that if we know of ANYONE who may be suffering to the point of considering suicide, that we will be patient, nonjudgmental and compassionate. That we will exercise faith and inspire hope in these people stuck in the downward spiral of hopelessness. Offer them shelter, support, affection and positive options. Get them professional help. Please. Just love them.

We are all in this thing called LIFE together. We are like ships passing through the night. If you see a sinking ship, for goodness sake, throw them a lifeline. In any way you can. Show them you care. Show them that they matter.

Here are some numbers to help:

Crisis Text LineText HOME to 741741

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline 1-800-273-8255

Trans Lifeline 1-877-565-8860 (for the transgender community)

TrevorLifeline 1-866-488-7386 (for LGBTQ youth)

I end this blog with a song by Casting Crowns which has moved me in a major way. It's entitled 'Does Anybody Hear Her'. I hope you will listen to the words and find the strength, the wisdom and the courage to help someone in need. If YOU are in need... I hope and pray this helps. I'm including the lyrics to this beautiful, inspired song...

"Does Anybody Hear Her"

She is running A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction She is trying But the canyon's ever widening In the depths of her cold heart So she sets out on another misadventure just to find She's another two years older And she's three more steps behind Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Or does anybody even know she's going down today Under the shadow of our steeple With all the lost and lonely people Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? She is yearning For shelter and affection That she never found at home She is searching For a hero to ride in To ride in and save the day And in walks her Prince Charming And he knows just what to say Momentary lapse of reason And she gives herself away Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? Or does anybody even know she's going down today Under the shadow of our steeple With all the lost and lonely people Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me Does anybody hear her? Can anybody see? If judgement looms under every steeple If lofty glances from lofty people Can't see past her scarlet letter And we never even met her Never even met her (Never Even Met her) Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see? Or does anybody even know she's going down today Under the shadow of our steeple With all the lost and lonely people Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see? Does anybody even know she's going down today Under the shadow of our steeple With all the lost and lonely people Searching for the hope that's tucked away in you and me Does anybody hear her? Does anybody see? He is running A hundred miles an hour in the wrong direction...

https://youtu.be/OEhRucEVzH8