For most of us it has been a difficult winter. But, here we are: Survivors”. As I listen to prayer requests from our network of friends, it seems like there is an awful lot of sickness and disease among God’s people. Many have asked the question: “Why me Lord?”

Years ago, Rabbi Kushner wrote a book called: “When Bad Things Happen to Good People.”I have been doing some research upon the subject of “Why Bad Things Happen to Good People.?” Don’t many of us ask WHY?

Upon request, I will send you a copy of this research. It does not fit the pattern of “Wealth, Health and Prosperity taught by many media evangelists that we hear from almost daily.

Send your request for this free study to: ​info@pathways2living.org​.

This body and all creation is groaning for the manifestation of the sons of God. Our body longs to be clothed upon by a body which will not be subject to sickness, suffering and disease. May God bless each one who researches this site. There is much to learn. Some we are ready to hear and other things will seem new and strange to us. All I ask is that you read with an openmind and allow the Spirit of God to speak to you.

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

Some advice on a life as would be real living. Therefore, we should strive for a balanced life:

a good life.
a healthy life.
a meaningful life.
Pray for a productive life.

Many of us have learned the Serenity Prayer. It is widely used in 12 step programs. But, I have never seen it in its entirety. Here it is below.

Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;
And wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;

Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
As it is, not as I would have it;

Trusting that He will make all things right
If I surrender to His Will;

That I may be reasonably happy in this life
And supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.

By Reinhold Niebuhr

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

“Come unto me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest.” Take my yoke upon you and learn of me. For, my yoke is easy and my burden is light and you will find rest unto your soul.”

Think of two oxen which are joined in a yoke. One cannot go at a different pace than the other. One leads and one follows but they walk in harmony and therefore are more useful to their master. Both, cannot go their separate ways but must learn to walk in unison. Rebellion against the lead animal only chaffs the neck and damages the newer animal until he learns to surrender his own will to the other.

Come to God all you who have a broken and contrite heart. There is pardon for your guilt and a “heart transplant” for your broken and beaten heart. When you think you have reached the bottom and acknowledge your helplessness to change things; the Creator God becomes available to show you the way out.

Let us talk about pathways. There is the wide path that leads to destruction and many will travel this way. Not much is required of you as you hang around with your “friends”. This is the time when you find out if you even have friends. How deep were the surface relationships? When you really need help, where are they?

What is needed is a “friend that sticks closer than a brother.”. Today's mocking world of empty relationships and unworkable life skills will leave you feeling how worthless your world has become. This kind of life does not demand much of its followers. . You think you can get away with a lot more in life by taking this wide path. The world is full of artificial highs and causes us to sink into unbelievable loneliness on the downward drag.

This path is compressed and our lives are in a total vacuum. We search for meaning in life but find only more emptiness. Nothing in life seems easy but rather pressurized torture meets us at every turn. We wonder just how much more we can endure. Some say they are ready for the “funny farm”.

Some have just decided to drop out. They drug away their sorrows and try to create a new reality that is livable. Some even decide to go homeless because it brings the necessary pressures down to a level they think they can handle. But, far too many end up trying to end their life. They have had enough and they just can't take it anymore.

For Mental Health Emergencies call 911

For more help with this spiritual journey, check “Freedom in Christ” above.

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

Surviving

End-Times Living

“Pursue peace with holiness, for without it no one shall see the Lord.”-Hebrews 12:14

Pathways to Exceptional Living

Written by Henry N. Willey, Jr., D.D.

President and C.E.O..

Arcata, CA. 95521

Website: pathways2living.org

Contact: henry@pathways2living.org

Pathways to Exceptional Living

© Copyright September 15, 2017

All Rights Reserved

Living in the Last Day

-By Henry N. Willey, Jr   Copyright August, 2017

Fear of destruction is in the air,
Is it not on the minds of most?
If the end be so near, then why I ask,
Then why with frivolities be engrossed?

Some worship not the God of Heaven,
But, “Self” has taken His place.
No longer do we blush at things,
That once would redden our face.

Entertainers, sports and movie stars,
Highly worshiped and highly adored,
People hang on each word and watch what they do,
But, much of what’s done makes me bored.

What matters is the Judgment Day,
The one you thought would never come.
The charges will be read: every one.
Those who stand there, will be struck dumb.

No time, you say, through unbelief,
You gave no thought of giving account,
Of all the thoughts and deeds you’ve done,
Now every behavior, the angels recount.

Some will go unto the left,
While some will go to the right.
Nothing that was done in secret,
Will hide from the searching light.

The choice was yours but now its too late.
No second chances will be given.
One road leads to Destruction,
The other to the joys of Heaven.

God knows your heart’s cry.
Surrender control of your life.
Let Him take the guilt and shame,
Quit the emptiness and strife.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
The direction it will go is your choice.
No one knows just when the end will come,
But with God on your side, you can only rejoice.

Who shall be able to stand when He appeareth?

A broken and a contrite heart

What kind of behavior describes those who press forward to the end:

“Be thou faithful unto death and I will give you a crown of life.

The Lamb of God’s Book of Life

Book of Remembrance

Book of our works

Determination of rewards;

What kind of person are we to be?

A “peculiar people” -The King James uses this term. Here it is in a newer translation: “He gave himself for us to set us free of every kind of lawlessness and to purify for  himself a people who are truly His; who are eager to do good.” Titus 2:14

Purposing to do good works

Called out of the world and unto the Lord and His people.

What is Sanctification?

The process of Sanctification or becoming Holy is a process entered upon at the new birth or conversions experience. The above verse says that Christ set us free from the sins that so easily make us stumble.  He frees us for the habits of the old man/or woman.  The person you used to be before God changed your life.  He will continue changing lives as the people look into the perfect law of liberty and are changed from glory to glory.  There are babes in Christ, there are young men and there are elders.  The Christian grows into these stages.  We see what is required of God as seen in the Scriptures and as we submit to the teaching of the elders.

Glorification:

When we receive a new incorruptible body as the resurrection of the dead, the body that was subject to decay and deterioration is changed to be a new body that will not get sick or die.  “We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.” Flesh and blood cannot enter Heaven only resurrected bodies will inherit all God has for us in that Heavenly home.  We can be assured of our future when we accept the free gift of God’s love and care.  It was His blood alone that opened the doors for us. It is not be works that we have done but according to His mercy He saved us by the washing of the water and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. No one will ever make Heaven because of their good works.  Good works are an evidence of the indwelling Christ.  “Faith without works is dead” Works are important and will be rewarded on that day the Lord tries our very souls.  Did we build our lives on wood, hay or stubble or did we use Gold. Silver and Precious stones.   The refiner’s fire will reveal just what you did with the gifts God has given you.

 “The Called, The Chosen, and the Faithful.”   Those who inherit Heaven are:

One may be called but not chosen.  “Make your calling an election sure”. The Christian ratifies the covenant that Christ has made as we enter into his salvation and begin to read the Word and study it carefully, Pray, and Associate with other believers who through true fellowship around the Savior learn and do what is required.  The aim is to please Him for so great Salvation which came to us through the paid price of the blood of Jesus as he hung in agony and sorrow.  He was forsaken by all His disciples. He felt the awful loneliness of being separated from His friends but as the sin-bearer He was also at the moment forsaken by the Father.  “Oh God, my God our sins caused Him to die. We were a part of the murderers because “we were born in sin and in sin my mother conceived. me.”  Psalm 51:5

“You have not chosen me but I have chosen you and appointed you to go and bare fruit,  fruit that remains, so whatsoever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.”.  John 15:16

Chosen- A person who has been called and ratifies God’s ownership of him/her. “You have not chosen me but I have chosen you    Many are called but few are chosen. The key is to remain Faithful–”’Many are called, few are chosen” and even less will be faithful. Matt. 20:16

“Holiness unto the Lord”

God is coming back for a holy people: A people growing in Christ and have been called to  produce righteous behavior:

• We are called by God- I Thes. 5:23
• We are called by Christ-Hebrews 2:11
• We are called by the Holy Spirit-I Peter 1:2
• We are called to abide in the Truth-John 17:17, 19
• The blood of Christ freely shed for us speaks to us.-Hebrews 9:14
• He speaks to us through Prayer-I Timothy 4:4 and 5

Holiness is an essential part of being God’s children

Called to: holiness: ‘”make  your calling and election secure.”

Created in… “ Created in Christ unto good works”

Possessed  by the Holy Spirit

“You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you” to bring forth fruit fit for repentance.

The Call: Jesus said over and over “Follow me”. Do not get ahead of His leading or fall behind. I Thes.4:7 “For God did not call us to impurity but in holiness”.

The personal call has gone forth for us into a life of holiness. I Thes, 4:7

Possessed by: The Holy Spirit comes into the heart and life then they  will only have a change of mind, refusing to be around.

When we respond to the calling God has on us, our thinking changes and our behavior radically.

“ So, I   say this and insist in the Lord that you no longer live as thee Gentiles (the nations) do, in the futility of your thinking They are darkened in their understanding, being alienated from the life due because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of the heart. Because they are callous they have given themselves over to indecency for the practice of every kind of  impurity with greediness,

But you did not learn about Christ like this. If indeed you have heard about Him and were taught in Him, just as the truth is in Jesus. You were taught with reference to your former ways to lay aside the Old Man who is being corrupted in accordance with deceitful desires to be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and to put on the New Man who has been created in God’s image-in righteousness and holiness that comes from Truth”  Eph. 4:17-24

“Holiness unto the Lord” is the writing on the Rider of the white horse in Revelation.  King of Kings and Lord of lords.”

God demands a holy life.

What is the life of holiness?  It is a state of purity and sanctification.

What is Sanctification?  It is the same as the Greek word for holiness “hagiasmos

A very similar word which is actually the root of the above means “To be consecrated, separate, be holy, purify and consecrate unto a holy cause.  The separation comes in as we are called to be a special people whose lives are full of good works.

We are to hold fast to what God has given us and not to deny the Truth that is in Jesus Christ.

All Scripture used in this study are from the NET Bible The New English Translation. www.bible.org

The End

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

SICKNESS OR WELLNESS-LIFE OR DEATH

This month, I would like to share with you one of the most important lessons in the Scriptures. It has to do with “Forgiveness”. There are more people in dysfunctional relationships, sick or dead because they cannot get this one right. The person that you refuse to forgive is living it up but if you refuse to forgive, it is like worms working their destruction throughout the entire body until it finally destroys you. It always hurts the unforgiving more than the one you refuse to forgive. People carry hard feelings for years and sometimes they don’ t even recall why they are angry and unforgiving: remember the legendary feuding Hatfield and McCoy’s?

The following is an absolute truth as told me by a Southern Baptist Deacon back in 2008 at the Cordes Lakes, Arizona SBC. If he is still alive, you could contact the church for verification.

Our Deacon friend was in a business partnership with his brother. The business did quite well but our deacon found out his brother had siphoned off a large sum of money. The losing partner got extremely angry with the thieving brother. He got so angry that in time he developed more and more sickness and finally Multiple Sclerosis (M.S.) The crippling effects got worse and worse until he had to be carried from room to room and was totally helpless in every way. Then, came the insight that he really needed to forgive his brother unconditionally. The deacon got through to God and his brother and forsook the hard feelings and hatred built up in his heart.
When I met him, his M.S. was cured. He could walk without assistance and was in excellent health. I asked him to repeat the story several times because it was hard to believe the power of forgiveness in our lives. What a powerful lesson that was. Let the power of his story work its way into your mind.

Many of us are holding something against another person. Harsh words have been said. Perhaps , we were not even aware that we caused ill-will to the other person. Hurt feelings build into grudges and grudges into hatred and hatred can lead to murder. Haven’t you heard of some senseless killing over some insignificant upset, anger and then anger worked out into killing the offender. Evil words have been spoken and never made right. We offended someone. Someone was actually or was perceived to be offended or had their feelings hurt.

The Lord’s prayer Matthew 6:9-14 (with translator notes in brackets)
“Our Father (Greek denotes a close personal relationship).
in Heaven,
May your name be honored.
May your kingdom come,
May Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors.
Do not lead us into temptation. (Reference Note:“God tempts no one to sin,” James 1:23-15)
For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Peter asked the Lord: “How many times Lord should I forgive my brother? Seven? No.
seventy times seventy.”

No, the other person may not deserve forgiveness. Either way, deserving or not. You must forgive. Even when you think it was not your fault: apologize. Literally a life of sickness awaits those who refuse to forgive. Don’t let unforgiveness keep you from Heaven, it seems quite clear in the Scriptures.

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

Thank you for all of your support. We are back and ready to answer your questions. Please limit your questions to 250 words or less and note that all comments and questions will be moderated.

Please create a login and feel free to get involved.

Thanks again,

Henry

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

Pathway to Exceptional Living

Welcome to those of you who are searching to find a life beyond the mediocre.  Maybe, you have discovered your life is far from exceptional and is just like too many others living with confusion, doubt and mild terror being overwhelmed with trying to live life with too many demands and too few dollars. For some of us the issue is survival just for one more day.  You have been looking for resources and friends but are treated like a non-person.   This group was created with you in mind.  Do any of these kinds of these challenge you?

Come grow with us.  Find new friends.  Discover answers for the questions you didn’t even know how to ask.  Welcome to the group.

Our New Mission Statement:

1. We will always try to help those living with life-controlling problems to become mentally sound and reasonably alert.

2. Through mutual communications with other members, we will help each other to be emotionally balanced and in control of our emotions.

3. Individually, we will attempt to become socially adjusted by avoiding isolationism and involving ourselves in the community of our choice.

4. Together, we will promote physical wellness by encouraging good care of
ourselves and finding better ways to maintain wellness through healthy living.

5. As a group, we desire to become spiritually alive: Living a life of spiritual
discovery and daily advancing towards spiritual maturity.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Amplified Bible (AMP)

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

Henry’s Blog for Summer Season:

The past few months have been times of great trials, distress and testing of our personal and spiritual resolve. I wonder what your experiences have been. Members of this group are welcome to post messages regarding your own personal experiences. You may use this medium to share those perplexing problems that you may be facing; tools you have found helpful; and uplifting items of interest.

We have members spread throughout the globe from Java, Indonesia to the most modern cities we know. Of course, many of our experiences will be vast and varied yet much of the human race holds many things in common.

Enter a blog telling us about your location; what you do? How old are you? How could this group become more useful to you and your friend? The leadership here is eager to change and improve the website to make it into something that will meet your needs and open outlets of free and open communications.

The world is changing every day. Your country; your occupation, the common flow of life is changing so radically that our heads seem to keep spinning. Some of us need someone we can relate with. Perhaps you need or can give advice. Your views are important and may be voiced here.

On a personal note: As founder of the group, I can hardly believe the changes in what we had intended the group to be and as it is headed. I am looking for leadership who can work together and re-make the group. I just turned 70 years old and I seek younger blood, fresher concepts and a progressive vision. Full partnerships could be arranged. Anything is possible. What would you do if the group were yours?

Let us hear from you. We have never asked for money so that is not the purpose.

Contact us at: henry@help.com

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

Wow, here it is a brand new year. It seems this last year flew by in some ways.
I hope it has been a good year for you. I am ready to see what new and wonderful things like ahead. Learn to thrive on challenges and not cave in.
Together we are stronger than the sum of our parts.

Some of us have had about all we can handle to keep going. We have kept our sanity and even learned a few new tricks on survival and recovery. We have faced unprecedented financial and emotional pressures. But, we have survived.

We have had some miracles this year. An anonymous donor paid for five years of website service for the organization. I personally do not think I will be around that long but then we get surprises every now and then.

I have been honored and privileged to have Les Levenson as my business partner from the start. He is on the east and I am on the West but it works out fine. I have never met anyone that seems to be able to keep his cool and positive attitude as well as Les. We got acquainted several years ago when he called me for some advice on running his Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance Chapter. I had been very active with DBSA at that time. The years have past by pretty fast, now, of course I am retired and no longer able to do my DBSA efforts. They have all been given to others.

One never knows what good he may have done during those years working as a consumer advocate and involved locally, regionally and nationally. Some will look back and love me and some will not remember me so kindly. But, that is life. We just try to do our best and only in the final day will we know how things turned out. Was all that effort worth it? Who can know?

There have been several mass murders this year and it always seems to come out that “they had a history of mental illness”. Of course we don’t need this kind of negative press. It tends to educate the publicly wrongly with the idea that we are all dangerous when in fact, those of us diagnosed with a “mental illness” are no more likely to harm as to be harmed. Nevertheless, the news is not good.

I have been watching the mood of states and federal legislation and it is going in the direction of the old medical model. Many think the way to go is to force more of us into inpatient settings. They tried that before and it didn’t work then nor will it work for a new set of politicians. I urge you to go to website: power2u.org. (Dr. Dan Fisher)

My friend, Dr. Dan Fisher, M.D., PhD. and also a peer happens to be the same age as I. He is still carrying on strongly. Dan and his confederates have put together a program called “Emotional C.P.R.” .

More peers need to come forward and fight for our human rights or we will end up with fewer and fewer while they incarcerate more and more of us. Without your getting involved, things will not go well for us over the next year or so.

I know for some of us, it is all we can do to just maintain. Life is often more than we can bear. But, somehow with the grace of God, we do not only survive but thrive. I ask each of you to take ownership of this website. Help us know what you would like to see us become. We want to offer help and resources to enable you and your families to achieve the most that is possible. Don’t measure yourself with anyone else. Some of us can do more and some less.

Help us show people that drugging is not the only answer to getting better. Let’s discover new ways and share them on this site. Diet, exercise, orthomolecular and other treatments have been found to help. While drugs mask the problems,
we need to find out how to do some behavior modification programs.

I have often said, all that I want to end up with is “that he did his very best/”
We ask for more input from each of you to help us promote spirituality and the power to overcome whatever life hands to us. We are able to face it with confidence and be more than conquerors.

Happy 2014

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

We are all peers.  All of us are struggling with some condition.  Some of us may have similar or the same diagnoses and we can share successful tools we have discovered on our own.

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

I read the messages of several of the groups that I am in. The people want to self harm. They want to die. They have no hope and see the world as hopeless.
I, too, would feel like that except that I have found Jesus Christ to be the anchor of my soul. I find that He gives me peace amid all this daily trash we hear and see. If it were not for Him, it scares me where I would be or what I would be doing.

I am sure it would be self-destructive just like all of these empty hurting people.
It overwhelms me just to hear your stories and knowing that I cannot change your mind-set. I know that my God is the answer to your needs but how do I convince you? How would you sit still long enough to hear….

You would think of “religions” and want no part of TV evangelists, Rich preachers and scam artists. You’re right. No one would want that. It is a fraud a counterfeit.
But, I do want to tell you there is hope. You will find Him when you get desperate enough, when you call out with your whole being for the reality that He is.
He is looking for you and near you and just being a gentleman who will not force himself on someone who does not want Him. So, the choice is really yours. Continue living in the cesspool of daily life, or change it. Yes, you can change your world and not have to bail out. Too many are choosing that path of self-harm or suicide.

It is a permanent solution that causes God such pain. It causes His people real pain because somehow we did not reach you with the truth in a way you could respond to. In the end, the choice is always yours. I hope you make the right choice.

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org

These have been times of great transitions for me personally and for the group I founded one year ago. So much has happened and so many of you have checked out the site and found it good or bad depending on your opinions. We have not gotten many comments so sometimes it is hard for us to know how we are doing as a group.

The major change in the group is that we have decided to begin addressing the whole person in our approach to recovery and wholeness. So many times, the literature and messages have been aimed at “Feelings” and not on the spiritual part of man. Through approaching the subject of rightly relating to our Creator and His world we are hoping to find answers that others have not even considered discussing.

The personality of man is composed of Body, Soul and Spirit. A psychiatrist or psychologist might be termed a “soul doctor” because that is the realm in which they deal. The soul being: emotions, intellect and will.

Many people today have a real deficiency in their spirituality and that is the root of many of their dysfunctions. Spirituality is not a taboo subject for our new group. We are free to talk about how relationship to God and others. We are free to discuss the ways in which the Bible instructs us to live.

Religion is a dirty word for so many because of the images it pulls up in our minds. So, we will try to steer clear of religious organizations, sects or man-made organizations. What we can and should discuss is what is required of a spiritual man or woman.

We will not allow arguments or foolish discussions on opinions or doctrines that have puzzled the theologians for years. Let them continue their discussions. We seek truth in ways that we can realistically apply it to our daily lives.

How can “spirituality” keep us from being suicidal or wanting to self-harm? How can all this that we discuss boil down to practical living? This is what I hope we can discuss.

Please feel free to comment and to submit blogs or essays on spiritual truths. Although, websites cannot be Christian because only Christians can be Christian nevertheless the content on this group will be limited to Practical Christianity. No denominations, no sects, no organizations. We are just a group of brothers and sisters seeking more light and truth with each other on the spiritual path.

Pathways to Exceptional Living
http://pathways2living.org