pastoryancy

Saturday, July 23rd, 2022

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.  … You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Matthew 22:37 and 39  NRSV

This passage from the book of Matthew in the Christian Scriptures brings to the forefront the core of teaching in every spiritual tradition; Love.  If we boil it down, every world religion would have us to love God and each other.

To be specific about this passage, the teachers of Jewish law are trying to trap Jesus by making Him sum up the beliefs of the faith.  His answer does that extremely well.  By loving God, we are satisfying the first three of the ten commandments that God gave to Moses.  The other seven are satisfied by the “Love neighbor,” clause.  To go further, all of the laws and profits are being addressed by one of these two commandments.

So why are we commanded to love God and neighbor?

We are to love God because He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the Creator and sustainer of all that is, was, and will ever be.  In Him there is none other.  We are to love neighbor because we come from the same substance, God.  By being so we are intricately connected.  What we do for others we do for ourselves.

One of the goals of a spiritual life is to be re-united with God and creation.  “As it was in the beginning,” so shall it be in the end.  The only way to bring that about is through love.

So, Love God, and Love neighbor as self.  For there is no other way.

Go in God’s grace.

Pastor Yancy

Friday, July 22nd, 2022

 “This book has the potential to do for our generation what John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress did for his.  It’s that good.”  Eugene Peterson On the cover of The Shack by William P. Young.  This 248-page narrative will challenge how you view God and His relationship with mankind.

In a typical story of crisis-quest-enlightenment, Mackenzie Allen Phillips finds a truth that will change his life forever.  His quest doesn’t provide pat answers to life’s most difficult struggles; however, it does satisfy his soul.

Without giving away the story, Mac, as his friends call him is suffering from a great darkness in his life.  Yet one day he gets a letter from someone called Papa inviting him to The Shack.  It is here that he is exposed to the unimaginable.

Take this journey with Mac and have your preconceived notions challenged.

Buy it, read it, live it, and may God bless.

Robert A. Charlois III

Thursday, July 21st, 2022

I have a confession to make; I have not reached my full potential.  I would go on to say, that probably no one has or ever will.  The point I want to make is, we never stop working at it.

I’m a big dreamer.  My former wife would sometimes ask me why I set my sights so high?  Didn’t I realize the stars were out of my reach?  To which I would reply; yes, but maybe I could catch the moon on my way back to earth.

That is what I want to get across.  As long as we’re trying for perfection then we have a chance at being better than we could if we settled for where we are.

So, dream big, never give up, and be the best you can be.

Words from one with experience.

Robert A. Charlois III

Wednesday, July 20^th, 2022

Well, we have come a long way.  From the idea to have a website / blog, till now.  There have been struggles along the way, everything from glitches to inability to write.  But we are on a roll now.  I’m consistently posting every day, except Sundays, and the team is in discussions about next steps.

For my part, I’m going to focus on improving the quality of my posts.  From my research, a typical blog post runs anywhere from 500 to 1500 words per post.  I’ve been posting 200 to 300.  That needs to change.

As far as the rest of the team, they are working on coming up with a strategy to increase traffic on the site.  We need to reach more people if our dream is to become reality.  When they come up with a plan, I’ll review it and decide one way or another.

Further down the road there are plans to monetize the site and add a non-profit aspect.  I expect that won’t be until the end of this year.

For now, just be aware that we are working to make this experience the best it can be.

Until another time, peace be with you on your journey.

Robert A. Charlois III

Tuesday, July 19th, 2022

Yesterday I saw my therapist for our monthly consult.  Why is this relevant you may ask?  Because I want to make a point.  I have a severe mental illness; schizoaffective disorder.  Basically, that is the psychosis of schizophrenia mixed with the mood fluctuations of bi-polar.  Most of my life I have struggled.  In and out of hospitals, trouble keeping jobs, and difficulty with relationships.

But there have been times when I thrived.  Whenever I was managing my symptoms, things went well.  It seemed as if I were normal.  Actually, having a mental illness is normal, to a certain degree.  Statistics show that 1 in 4 people will have a mental health crisis at some point.

The point I want to make is, no matter your condition, you can still thrive and attain your potential.  It just takes work.  For me it has been finding the right care.  For others it could mean finding a life coach or mentor.  We all could use a hand in navigating our lives.

There are times when life throws us curve balls, and having someone walking with us can help in how we handle those times.  Having someone else seeing what is happening can be of great benefit.

Don’t scoff at the idea; find an appropriate resource person and be your best self.

Words from one with experience.

Robert A. Charlois III

Monday, July 18th, 2022

“Be all you can be.”  This advertising slogan from the US Army is also one of the foundational concepts of the Charlois Philosophy.  In fact, you should note that if you are not trying to be all you can be, then you are not embracing the philosophy.

When someone, or something is created by the Creator, it is perfect.  Only after it is exposed to other sources does it become less than it could be.  One of the purposes of this life is to strive to return to that initial state of perfection.  Not the same state as before, but one that has evolved into an even more perfect being.

We were created with a beginning, but our Creator wants us to join with Him as we grow into our created potential.  As our species, and the rest of creation evolves we get closer to the perfect state that the Creator intended.  In the beginning, the creative process began, maybe with a thought, word, or possibly even a big bang, but regardless of how, it was only the beginning that continues for eternity.

God laid out a blueprint for creation and we are responsible for building it to His specifications.  We are given the freedom of choice to decide how we interpret that plan, but we are to carry it out in a way that pleases Him.

Pleasing Him is easy when we quit thinking only of ourselves and focus instead on the good of all creation.  But we Sin, to use some traditions terminology, and think only of what benefits us.  That approach leads to destruction, not only of ourselves but also everything around us.  We were given dominion to care for creation, not destroy it.

So, as you are contemplating what the best you looks’ like, remember, we are just a piece of the puzzle that is this universe.  Take care in how you relate to the rest of the pieces.

Peace and joy in the name of God.

Robert A. Charlois III

Saturday, July 16th, 2022

“… and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.”  Acts 11:26b NRSV

“Agrippa said to Paul. Are you so quickly persuading me to become a Christian?”  Acts 26:28 NRSV

What is a Christian?  It depends on a lot of things.  According to the Charlois Philosophy, we go by the earliest examples.  A Christian is someone who lives like Jesus in such a way that others call them “Christian,” or little Christs’.  So, it is not what we say, but rather, it’s how others perceive us.

Move forward in time to 2022, and the story has changed.  In this day and age, it seems as if there are as many definitions as there are people; with millions calling themselves by the title.  But even with that, there are broad categories.  There are Evangelicals, Liberals, Moderates, born again, Sanctified, and the list goes on.

It would seem that the main criteria for claiming the title is to say you are a Christian.  I wonder what God thinks of that turn of events?

Let me suggest something here.  Why don’t we quit being so arrogant, by claiming to be Christian, and instead let others decide?  That way we’re not blaspheming the Holy Spirit when we stumble and do something so un-Christ like.

Reflect on these words and live in the love and power of God.

Peace to us all.

Pastor Yancy

Friday, July 15th, 2022

This week’s book review is on a book that has been very instrumental in my growth as a human being.  “How To Think Like Leonardo da Vinci,” by Michael Gelb, takes this great genius and from a study of his life and work, comes up with a program of study that will enhance our extensive capacities.

This book is broken down into 3 parts.  The first part is background information: studies of our brain, a history of the renaissance, and a summation of Leonardo and his accomplishments.  The second part is the core of the book.  It contains seven principles that, if followed, will lead to a balanced life that is better than can be imagined.  Part three is resource materials: a drawing course, a project to recreate one of Leonardo’s dreams, a chronology of his life, and recommended reading and resources.

It is in part two where the major work comes in.  These seven principles are based on attitudes and practices that were employed by Leonardo in his quest for beauty and knowledge.  Things like: curiosity, experience, sensory improvement, a willingness to embrace paradox, ambiguity, and uncertainty, plus balancing art and science, physical competence, and finally, the interconnectedness of it all.

Each of these seven chapters is itself broken down even further.  The is the background section that describes the concept and also gives examples from Leonardo’s work. Next comes a short quiz to help you find how you embody the concept.  Finally, are the exercises that will lead into a fuller individual.

I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants to reach their highest potential.  Like anything that is worth going after this course is work, but a work that is rewarded many times over.

Buy it, read it, live it, and may God bless.

Robert A. Charlois III

Thursday, July 14th, 2022

For most of my life I’ve worked at being the best I could be at whatever I was doing.  After losing my churches in 2015 I was doing anything much.  Then, after about 3 years I had a total mental breakdown.  I have since recovered and now I realize, I don’t have to have a vocation to strive at being my best at.  I can work at being the best version of who I was created to be.

Since I came to that realization, I have been working on improving myself.  Reading programs, fitness programs, habit formation, and such.  It is tough going, and I come up short more often than not.  But I am making progress.

The website and blog are a big piece of my journey.  I have been the type of person that likes to see others succeed, especially when I can help.  And that is what these mediums are intended to do.  They are expanding my abilities and hopefully helping others on their journeys.

The things we have been doing so far are amateur attempts but we fully expect to get better over time.  Anything worthwhile takes time to perfect and so it is with this project.  I hope you visit often and make suggestions on how we can improve.  Until next time.

Here is to the journey.  May god bless it and us.

Robert A. Charlois III