The 4th Level Of Love

June 2011 – 2AOLD

Dearly Beloved,

Today (May 26, 2011) I did one act of love intentionally; I played my guitar and sang hymns and songs for residents of Twilight Haven and led a Bible study for them.  I could tell, instantaneously, that they liked it by their reaction. I liked it, too. I made me feel good knowing that I did something meaningful that made a difference to other people.

I would like to ask you join me for a summer long project of intentionally doing 2 Acts Of Love Daily (See my May 23, 2011 blog at www.BryanLeeMartin.com for background information).  Can you imagine what good things we could do? My goal is for us to complete 10,000 acts of love by summer’s end! I envision a thermometer like chart where we can add our acts of love weekly and watch it grow. You have seen some organization measure their money goals using a thermometer. Instead of money we will measure acts of love.

You will record your 2 Acts Of Love (you can do more than 2!) daily and report them on Sunday and we will total them every week.  You can bring them to church on Sunday, report them on my Facebook page, or call them in to me.  You don’t have to belong to our church to play; the only requirement is that you are still breathing. Just remember to record and share them.  I will remind you every day to write them down.

You might wonder what an Act Of Love is. It could be a big as building a house for a family or as small as a smile. It only takes one person in need and you to help. No act of love is too small; a pat on the back, a word of encouragement, a good deed. And no act is too big; going to Joplin to rebuild, giving a kidney. The trick is to BE DELIBERATE record and share it.

Why record and share it? Your act of love has a ripple effect. You help someone. It makes you feel good. God is honored.  Another one is inspired to act because of your example, and another one is helped and so one. Like compounding interest your single act of love, when shared, can become ten, or a hundred.

Kids need to get into the action, too. Parents, tell our kids to play along with us. Help them to record their acts of love and add them to our total. Think about the lessons they will learn. Shoot… invite the whole world to join you!

Come on! Let’s make the summer of acts of love! Let’s see just how far we can make this go. Let’s get a jump on it and start RIGHT NOW! Pick up the phone and call someone and do your first act of love right now. Don’t for get to write it down and share it with us. You will be glad, we will be glad, the world will be glad, God will be glad.

Come on! Come on! Let’s have some fun and make a difference!

I love you—Bryan Martin.

On May 22, 2011 I announced and introduced “2 Acts of Love Daily” (2AOLD) a new lifestyle program for the summer season.

Here is how it came about. Our business, Keller Williams Realty, is part of one the largest real estate firms in North America. Every year we celebrate “Red Day,” a day of public service and giving back started a few years ago in honor of Mo Anderson, the Co-Chairman of the Board of Director for Keller Williams Realty International.  On Red Day every office virtually shuts down and helps in food distribution, building homes, caring for the elderly, helping veterans, and so on.  This year over 275,000 man hours were given in one day. Jana Aleman calculated that number is equal to over 31 years of help in one day!

On Tuesday May 17 I saw Mo Anderson at a Keller Williams event in Las Vegas where she gave a report on the good that was done. The litany of good things done was simply amazing and deeply touched me.

At the same meeting we were giving updates and encouragement about a new program, 2-10-24, for recruiting new agents. Briefly, managers, call Team Leaders, are mandated to have 2 recruiting appointments every day. This effort will yield 10 appointments a week and 40 appointments a month. Dramatic growth!

I immediately had a stirring in my mind. “What if we had a program in our church where every member deliberately engaged in 2 acts of love daily?” I started to do the math in my head and the numbers of actual acts of love is astounding. Then I started to think about all the people who would be helped by such a program. The effects will be incredible.

But how can 2AOLD be effective over the long haul? At Keller Williams the Team Leaders in the 2-10-40 program are subject to strict accountability and reward. Can St. Pat’s church have some kind of system to help members be effective in doing 2AOLD? There are several ways that I will announce in church.

I will encourage your participation in the 2AOLD program by keeping count of and totaling the actual number of acts of love every Sunday. I will announce the actual goals on Sunday May 29, 2011 and keep count all summer long. Can we do 10,000 acts of kindness this summer?

Acts of love can be simple as a pat on the back or a kind word and it can be as complicated as building a house. There are a million ways to help and a million people to help.

While all this is inspired by the good work at Keller Williams Realty it is a God thing inspired by Holy Spirit. In fact 2AOLD is a natural outcome of our prayer, “May the love of God flow through our hearts to our world.”

While the official start of 2AOLD will be next Sunday you can begin today. Keep count of your deliberate acts of love and we will add them to the beginning of our program.

This could be the most exciting and rewarding part of our church experience ever. Here is what I know; when you help others the quality of your own life grows exponentially. Yes, you will help hundreds of people this summer but the impact on your own life will be staggering.

God bless you as you begin today to deliberately engage in 2 Acts Of Love Daily!

I love you, Bryan Martin.

Business planning emphasizes your personal value proposition, mission statements, articulated values, measurable goals; in a nut shell knowing who you are, why you exist, what is unique about you, and where you are going. One of the best “business” plans, or personal plan, I know of is one attributed to a monk about seven hundred years ago, Francis of Assisi. I know you have read it, recited it, believed it, and admired it for years now. You may even have it posted on your desk, wall, or refrigerator, but let’s have a refresher look at it.  Let’s let the words sink in and mix around with everything else that is whirling around among your one trillion brain cells. I would be willing to bet that you will get clearer focus, better direction, accomplish more, and feel better about your life and your contribution as you let the words of this little prayer do their magic.

Do this; read it silently through once or twice, then read it out loud a couple of times. Next, print it out and put it some place where you can see it and review it often. Finally, take a stab at memorizing it. Like a great business plan, its value is priceless. Enjoy!

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love.

Where there is injury, pardon.

Where there is doubt, faith.

Where there is despair, hope.

Where there is darkness, light.

Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master,

grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;

to be understood, as to understand;

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive.

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.

Amen,

I love you, YOU are magnificent – Bryan Martin 

The Mississippi is not the only thing that is flooded. These last few weeks have been so flooded with events, news, and activities, at least in my life, that I need an ark to keep from drowning. More than that is the fact that there is so much emotion surrounding the deluge. I have been a virtual waterfall of tears of joy and sadness. I don’t remember being so moved by so many things, often very little things.

Like Mother’s day; our church service was fantastic and as I looked out over our congregation I could see the joy and sorrow of life in the faces of many of my beloved ones and it moved me. I realized what I already knew, that I really love these people; those who are struggling in their marriage, those beautiful dancing little girls, the one who just last week lost the love of her life. Prize winning novels could be written of their lives.

I drove the 90 minute drive to Three Rivers to see my mom Sunday after church. I didn’t tell her I was coming and surprised her. She was delighted and so was I. Mom is getting ready for the Strong family picnic next Saturday (She was born a Strong.) and she is preparing for Peggy Alessandri to come at the end of the month to start writing a book about her family. She is excited about it. She pulled out a cassette tape recording of my grandmother, her sister Jesse and my cousin Louise from 1978. They are all gone now. Hearing their voices triggered another flood of joy and remembrance. In the tape my grandmother actually mentions me and my “three” children (Sorry Justus, this was b.j.). Listening to her acknowledgement of me 33 years ago made me feel special today.

I have probably lost you by now, with all this personal stuff. But if you have hung it there this long, give me a few more seconds.

After I got home from visiting my mother Sunday evening, Jennifer’s sister, Kelly, her mom, dad and I were talking about how when people die that it is always God’s timing. “Isn’t that right, Bryan?” they asked looking for theological validation. I said, “No. The truth is some people die before their time and some die beyond their time. The dying part is not what is important. God is much more concerned about the living part.”

Right now I am flooded with life, it frequently leaks out of my eyes. I am so excited about it that I want to jump out of the Ark and swim in it.

What about you? Dear beloved friend of  mine, we are resurrection people. Live today to the fullest extent possible… even in the midst of your sorrow and loss! Let living and loving rule your heart and mind. By God’s creative love we have the gift of life… swim in it.

I love you, YOU are magnificent – Bryan Martin

Below is one of the most poignant pieces I have ever experienced. It not only touched me, but it changed me. I have the great fortune of being in love to this degree, also with my High School sweetheart. If you love someone I pray that you will deeply appreciate the blessings of that relationship and cherish it. And, furthermore, live your life to the fullest extent with the love of your life. Grab a tissue, be brave, and listen.

http://www.npr.org/2011/05/05/135995930/he-wanted-me-to-live-a-full-life?ps=cprs

I love you, you are magnificent — Bryan Martin

The big question after the death of Osama Bin Laden is, “Should Christians celebrate the death of their enemy?” I have seen quotes from MLK to Gandhi to Jesus to the Vatican and Baptists. By all accounts it is deemed appropriate to be relieved but inappropriate to rejoice.

But there is a razor thin line between relieved and rejoicing. In fact both are positive emotions of the same family. The only difference between the two is a matter of degree, or intensity. They are, essentially, the same. It cannot be wrong to be relieved that the murderer of innocent men, women and children is dead and the he, himself, is no longer a threat. It cannot be wrong to have positive feelings of safety, well-being, thanksgiving and happiness that the threat is removed. You can expect that some people will be more expressive about it than others, depending on a variety of factors. And while there is a qualitative difference, it is interesting to note that at the fall of Babylon, in the book of Revelations, there are shouts of Hallelujah, rejoicing and worship giving glory to God.

A greater question is, “Should Christians hunt down and kill a murdering enemy?” What would Jesus do? We will never know because Jesus was never in a position to do so. It may be argued that he could have called down an elite squad of angels to descend upon his compound and kill the despicable murderer Herod, but he did not. That was never part of his earthly agenda. There was, indeed, relief, when Herod died. The Judge of “the quick and the dead” has delayed justice until the end, when, the final enemy will be thrown in to a lake of burning sulfur to be tormented day and night forever; mere death is not a severe enough judgment for such an enemy. For the Jesus of Revelations it is not a question of would he carry out the destruction of a murdering enemy, it is just a matter of when.

There are a lot of moral and ethical issues about war, national sovereignty, and accountability. These seem to be more important than whether or not people should have positive feelings about the death of a murderous enemy. And while some will want to argue about whether or not the murderous enemy should be hunted down and killed, the truth is that his personal potential to plan and murder more innocents has been eliminated and we are relieved and thankful he is gone.

And so, what about love? Love longs deeply for reconciliation and peace, sacrificing incredible sacrifice for it, even personal ultimate sacrifice, as many righteous people have done. And love always protects the innocent from harm, which in extreme situations, may result in the killing the extremely evil murderous enemy. The only question is who will decide when love protects to such unthinkable extremes? Could you? Could I? Pray it never happens again, yet we know it will. Love has more than enough to do in healing and reconciliation for billions of life times. Pray, pray, pray that the healing reconciling aspect of love will always accomplish the goal. May all our good feelings and rejoicing be at the victory of LOVE.

I love you- Bryan Martin

When justice is delayed people begin to wonder if it will ever come. Delayed justice is like a wound that never heals. In the ten years since 9/11 the nation has had an open wound. Now, with the death of the perpetrator at the hands of our warriors, justice has been served and a healing has come to the land. The archetype of evil has been vanquished and the burden has been lifted. I can feel it, the nation can feel it.

This, of course, is not the end of it. The main head has been severed, but this beast has multiple heads. Nevertheless, though still vigilant, we are free. Now we can focus, with greater freedom and attention, on those things which still seriously burden the country; the economy, jobs, health care, the role of government in all our issues, and getting all of our service men and women home safely.

The events of the last few hours gives hope to those who still long for justice. Many had given up, thinking that our enemy would die a natural death without justice. Now hope is restored; even though justice may take a long time in coming we see that it is more than just a possibility. Justice comes to those who seek it, even after years.

I found this Psalm helpful and encouraging, particularly verses 6, 9, and 14-16. Tell me what you think.

Psalm 7 (NIV) 

¹ LORD my God, I take refuge in you; 
   save and deliver me from all who pursue me, 
² or they will tear me apart like a lion 
   and rip me to pieces with no one to rescue me.

 ³ LORD my God, if I have done this 
   and there is guilt on my hands— 
⁴ if I have repaid my ally with evil 
   or without cause have robbed my foe— 
⁵ then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; 
   let him trample my life to the ground 
   and make me sleep in the dust.

 ⁶ Arise, LORD, in your anger; 
   rise up against the rage of my enemies. 
   Awake, my God; decree justice. 
⁷ Let the assembled peoples gather around you, 
   while you sit enthroned over them on high. 
 ⁸ Let the LORD judge the peoples. 
Vindicate me, LORD, according to my righteousness, 
   according to my integrity, O Most High. 
⁹ Bring to an end the violence of the wicked 
   and make the righteous secure— 
you, the righteous God 
   who probes minds and hearts.

 ¹⁰ My shield is God Most High, 
   who saves the upright in heart. 
¹¹ God is a righteous judge, 
   a God who displays his wrath every day. 
¹² If he does not relent, 
   he will sharpen his sword; 
   he will bend and string his bow. 
¹³ He has prepared his deadly weapons; 
   he makes ready his flaming arrows.

 ¹⁴ Whoever is pregnant with evil 
   conceives trouble and gives birth to disillusionment. 
¹⁵ Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out 
   falls into the pit they have made. 
¹⁶ The trouble they cause recoils on them; 
   their violence comes down on their own heads.

 ¹⁷ I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness; 
   I will sing the praises of the name of the LORD Most High.

How does all this make you feel?

I love you, you are magnificent – Bryan Martin

I saw this tonight on Dan Clendenin’s website. I have read it, prayed it hundreds of time. Reading it tonight was like reading it new for the first time. I just had to share it with you. It is what I believe.

Prayer of Saint Francis

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is error, truth;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
It is in self-forgetting that we find;
And it is in dying to ourselves that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.

I loved the Royal Wedding. I allowed it to touch the deepest part of my being; the romance, the royalty, even the solemn pageantry. Deep in the archetypal representations of who I am as a person in the world it speaks to me; how I see myself in relationship with the world. One of the reasons the new Duchess of Cambridge, the former Kate Middleton, is so attractive is that she rose from being a “commoner” to being one of the highest ranks of royalty. She is a living picture of what the common person may become.

The reality, however, is that we allow those projections to exist. They rise up from within us and we let the idea of royalty float through our thinking. This is where the real power of royalty comes from; it comes from what we allow in our own mind and the collective mind of society. The power is real but we give it its strength.

Given a strange twist of “fate” it could happen to you. In the blink of an eye, in merely a few days, your world could transform and you could take center stage of the world theater. You could be another Kate Middleton. Why wait?

What if you just started acting like royalty? What if you acted like you have a most important role in the world? What if where ever you go and whoever you are with you had the power and authority to grant and give what anybody needed and any particular time. What if they sensed it in you? Would that make a difference in your life? Would that make a difference to others?

I think it would. The fact that you are not royalty is irrelevant. There are only two factors that matter. The first is the most important. It is that you believe that you have something of value to other people. Most people do not believe this. If you do, you are unique. Most people believe they are common. As long as they believe this they have little to give. But the truth is there is resident inside you something so wonderful, so powerful that it can literally change other people’s lives. Here is an interesting fact; if you believe you have something to give others will believe it, too. This is the second factor that matters; that others believe you have something of value to them. The power of royalty is that these two factors are supported by a larger community. This phenomenon happens in many different contexts. The question is, why not with you?

The Royal Wedding is very meaningful to millions of people who are not even citizens of the British Commonwealth precisely because we allow it to have power. I’m asking you to let the power of God’s love inside you to take its rightful place; for you to believe it and live it. As you do then you will see its powerful effect in the lives of others. You are not so common, as you may think; you are the Royal Ambassador of God’s holy love.

I love you, you are magnificent — Bryan

Warning! These prayers may be effective. The prayee, or subject of prayers is hereby notified that the prayor, the one offering the prayer, actually believes that the physical universe may be altered simply through prayer. This in spite of the fact that there is little scientific evidence that the material aspects of the universe, include sub atomic particles and what is known as dark matter, are actually modified in any way by prayer. The effects of prayer, including but not limited to feelings of well-being, remission of cancer, and dramatic positive changes in life circumstance, may be caused by medicine, the placebo effect, chance, or a direct act of God. Further, negative outcomes of prayers are possible.  Prayer subjects, who experience erections lasting more than four hours, as the results of prayer, should consult their physician immediately. Women, who become pregnant after prayer, may actually be the recipient of activity in addition to prayer. Prayers offered at the time of death may provide comfort and peace to family members and friends. The subject of prayer is also warned that he/she may receive prayer passively, without their knowledge or permission, by loving and otherwise caring individuals, groups, or communities.  Prayers for world peace and the eradication of poverty, despotism, and inequality are more than simple prayers; they reflect the inner desire of the prayors and may actually stimulate action to cause the effect. Prayer may be associated with restless or peaceful nights, unrealistic idealism, hopefulness, and moved mountains. For a free sample of prayer lift your eyes, open your mouth and start talking or consult with a child.