'Peace Lives' WITHIN (a short extract from a new book)

Article Title: 'Peace Lives' WITHIN (a short extract from a new book)
Author: Craig Lock
Key words/tags/categories: books, new books, hope, inspiration, empowerment, words of inspiration and empowerment enough there now).

Web sites: www.creativekiwis.com/books.html#craig `http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/craiglock and www.lulu.com/craiglock

The submitter's blog (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) is at http://en.search.wordpress.com/?q=%22craig+lock%22 and http://craiglock.wordpress.com

Other Articles are available at: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/user/15565

and http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/profile.cfm?writerid=981

(Personal growth, self help, writing, internet marketing, spiritual, 'spiritual writings' (how 'airey-fairey'), words of inspiration and money management, how boring now, craig

Publishing Guidelines:

These thoughts (as with all my articles) may be freely published, electronically or in print.

"We share what we know, so that we all may grow."

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PEACE LIVES WITHIN

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individual concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

"Those who stand up for justice will always be on the right side of history."
- Dr Martin Luther King Junior

We humans have to continually adapt to changing circumstances in our lives... as the only constant in our lives is CHANGE.

Craig Lock's new manuscript, 'Peace Lives... WITHIN' is based on the ground idea that peace begins within. Like Aladdin's lamp, the universe responds to the myriads of our individual consciousnesses. The keys, the solutions to a more peaceful world are based around some of histories greatest witnesses to peace: great figures like Gandhi, Jesus, Buddha, Martin Luther King, Moses and Mohammed. In their quest for world peace, they all discover that each one of them has to be the change they want to see in the world ('Unity in Truth') and that's the common message we can ALL learn from these 'masters' teachings.

"To create inner peace within individual human beings is to create outer peace of this world."

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To continue, let's take a brief look at the life of Jesus...
Jesus lived in a war zone, as do modern children in the Middle East. He gave a voice to the voiceless. The silent Jesus symbolises all who cannot speak clearly for themselves. (Are we listening to their enforced silence today?). Jesus related to all societies and people - the common fabric of humanity... from the highest to the 'most lowly'.

Jesus responded with compassion to human cries. He showed unconditional love and all people, whether religious or not, can embrace love. Peace and goodwill is for ALL to celebrate, but God needs humans in partnership to help peace become a reality for others. The only way God can "speak" to planet earth is through people(thanks, my good friend, Lindsay "The Prophet").

As a "voice for the voiceless", Jesus had a passion for peace, mutual tolerance, interaction between different faiths and respect (utmost) for all. He taught that violence achieves nothing, no matter whether it comes from 'terrorists' or from the response to 'terrorists'. Christ told us to love our enemies, not to shoot them, send them to concentration camps, or blow them up! And loving ones enemies was and still is a revolutionary statement some 2000 years later!

In Jesus' own life was the key of his nearness to God, that he expressed as no other could, the spirit and will of God.
WE too can listen to the silence of the voiceless, the message of Jesus and ACT according to that divine spirit that lies in every one of us.

The life and death of Jesus gives each one of us HOPE: to choose hope despite our circumstances. In so doing we are choosing hope over fear, unity over division.
Out of a dark past let us negotiate a bright future: a new dawn of doing the greatest good for the highest number of people.
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So each ONE of us can be channels of change and instruments for (of) peace.
Be a CHANNEL of God's justice, peace and love. The world needs a deep change, a 'transformation of heart': to forgiveness and generosity of spirit through masses of 'ordinary' people.

"To create inner peace within individual human beings is to create outer peace of this world."

To build a better world,
although you are small,
just build a better YOU.

"With passion and purpose in our individual lives we can touch others and in so doing illuminate the hearts and minds of humanity to make a better world (through helping raise the 'collective consciousness'). Let us encourage our leaders towards an alternate vision for the world to embrace: one that banishes the fanatical ideology of intolerance and hatred to the darkness from which it emerged. Each one of us in our own little ways can offer (and most importantly,
LIVE) this compelling new horizon: a bright future of justness and justice, tolerance, respect for other traditions and values. Especially a vision of hope and thoughts of peace fuelled by the eternal flame of love, which can light the darkest night... always "
- me

“May you have the courage to speak your truth, may you find peace within, and may we all know peace on earth.”
- Debbie Milam

"The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed."
- J. Krishnamurti

Thanks, dearest mom, your spirit will live forever
craig

"Blessed are the peace-makers...
because they will accumulate plenty of Frequent Flyer points."

"Be the change you wish to see in others.
Then in changing YOUR world you help change THE world."

"Lord, make me a channel for your love and peace, a window for Your light to shine through to everyone I meet."

"Peace. it does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. it means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart."
- author unknown

The Four Candles

The Four Candles burned
slowly. Their Ambiance was so
soft you could hear them
speak...

The First Candle said, "I Am
Peace, but these days, nobody
wants to keep me lit." Then
Peace's flame slowly
diminishes and goes out
completely.

The Second Candle said, "I Am
Faith, but these days, I am no
longer indispensable." Then
Faith's flame slowly
diminishes and goes out
completely.

Sadly The Third Candle Speaks,
"I Am Love and I haven't the
strength to stay lit any
longer. People put me aside
and don't understand my
importance. They even forget
to love those who are nearest
to them." Waiting no longer,
Love goes out completely.

Suddenly...A child enters the
room and sees the three
candles no longer burning. The
child begins to cry, "Why are
you not burning? You are
supposed to stay lit until the
end!"

Then The Fourth Candle speaks
gently to the little child,
"Don't be afraid, for I Am
Hope, and while I still burn,
we can re-light the other
candles."

With Shining Eyes the child
took the Candle Of Hope and
lit the other three candles.

Never let the Flame Of Hope go
out of your life. With Hope,
no matter how bad things look
and are...Peace, Faith and
Love can Shine Brightly in our
lives.

In a world where love, faith, and peace can easily burn out...hope must stand strong for us all.