DRAFT edition of my 1st book - second revision. I learned so much about myself in writing this book. It is not the best, but it was the best I could write at the time. Please enjoy and feel free to comment.

2. Divine Economy
Divine Economy - Legacy of
Abundance
Copyright 2008 by Jay Taylor
All rights reserved. The use of any part of this publication
reproduced, transmitted by any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, or stored in
a retrieval system, without prior written consent of the author is an
infringement of the copyright law.
ISBN 978-1-934537-81-7
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3. Legacy of Abundance
The Readers Duty
I would like to recommend two books in addition to Divine
Economy – Legacy of Abundance that are very complimentary to
the principles set forth in these pages. I know both of these men
and endorse these books as important parallel to Divine Economy.
We invite you to share your thoughts and recommend these
powerful titles to family and friends.
Be sure to order your copy first so you can properly refer the
values set forth in these good books. Using the referral codes
generated through your purchase will help you earn cash. Each
author at One2Another.NET sets aside a minimum of 20% of their
profits to reward you for spreading the word. Your word-of-mouth
recommendation is critical to the success of these good books.
“Truth spreads by testimony. There is a sort of
high compulsion, which lofty spirits recognize, to
bear witness to the truth wherever found. That is
how the best books get their circulation. A reader
who has dug treasure from a book spreads the news
of his discovery to others whom he desires to
enrich.”
From the flyleaf of a collector's edition 1918
copy -Harper Brothers book called "The Story of The
Little Angels.”
2

4. Divine Economy
The Three Deceivers
by Richard Eyre
Control, ownership and
independence are perhaps the
most pursued and coveted
things in our modern world.
However, in the mind of New
York Times #1 bestselling
author Richard Eyre they are
The Three Deceivers. He calls
them, the "false gods" that
separate us from God and rob
us of the things of the Spirit.
This ground breaking book
explores the obsession with
Control, Ownership &
Independence and then
introduces The Three Alternatives designed to lead the reader to a
higher and more spiritual paradigm and one that effectively
replaces each of The Three Deceivers. Enter a new world of thinking
that will change how you live and improve the relationships you
value.
3

5. Legacy of Abundance
Does Your Bag Have Holes?
by Cameron Taylor
This original and
ground breaking book
beautifully blends
principles, parables, and
stories into an
entertaining and
inspirational read. An 80-
minute abridged audio
book on CD is included in
the back of each 320-
page book. This book takes a unique approach with each chapter
beginning with a widely believed myth that leads to bondage such
as “Bad Things Should Not Happen to Good People,” “The Rich Get
Richer and the Poor Get Poorer,” “The Grass is Always Greener on
the Other Side,” “If I Can Make the Payments, I Can Afford It,” and
“Rich People Cannot Go to Heaven.” The effects of each myth is
discussed and proven false, and then the truths that lead to
financial and spiritual freedom are taught.
4

6. Divine Economy
O
ur legacy – the treasures we leave behind for others – is
not the valuables mentioned in our wills but in the values
we lived by and the example we set. First impressions are
important, but it is your last impression that lasts forever in the
hearts of those you love and serve. If you fail to construct a
deliberate legacy you may fail to complete the most important
work of your life.
None of us are the same and we can never get in anyone’s
head or understand what is in their heart. It is a paradox that
humanity is preserved and improved through our differences. We
need each other to find our way to greater meaning and joy. I
believe we can only see in others what exists within ourselves.
In serving others we find our better selves. Service is love.
Our talents and abilities become known to us as we selflessly serve
and provide value to those around us. We can live with integrity
and work with a sense of purpose as our values are improved
through helping others. Our relationships, knowledge, and talents
are the medium of exchange in heaven. They are Divine Economy.
Will those you leave behind walk without the benefit of your
clearly marked path? Will you fail to pay attention and prepare a
way for them to follow?
I want to share ideas and beliefs that have given me power in
my life to endure hardships, understand myself and humanity, and
improve my circumstances. The world is in turmoil because we
ourselves are uncertain and confused. It’s time for change. It’s
time for us to mark the path and lead the way. As God’s children
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7. Legacy of Abundance
we inherit His legacy of abundance – this book is here to help you
access it and pass it along.
Contents
Connect With Humanity ............................................................ 20
Transactional Value .................................................................. 22
Puzzle Pieces ............................................................................. 25
Find & Use Your Talents ............................................................ 35
Heart ......................................................................................... 45
Opposition & Contrast .............................................................. 48
Might ........................................................................................ 55
Mind .......................................................................................... 57
Strength .................................................................................... 62
Being ......................................................................................... 87
Love Is Dominant ...................................................................... 95
Flood Insurance ......................................................................... 98
Creativity Versus Competition................................................... 99
Bricks & Picnics ....................................................................... 101
Past – So What ........................................................................ 106
Present – What Is .................................................................... 110
Hope ........................................................................................ 113
Future – What’s Next .............................................................. 114
Affirming your power .............................................................. 115
Genetic Soup ........................................................................... 118
Get There the First Time.......................................................... 120
Relentless Forward Motion ..................................................... 121
True North ............................................................................... 123
The Truth Will Set You Free ..................................................... 124
Creativity ................................................................................. 130
Life is Never Finished ............................................................... 132
Living On Credit ....................................................................... 135
Divine Abundance ................................................................... 140
Too Much Power ..................................................................... 141
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8. Divine Economy
Getting Help ............................................................................ 142
Helping Yourself ...................................................................... 142
It’s All Good ............................................................................. 143
Judging Others ........................................................................ 144
Forgetting and Remembering ................................................. 145
Justice ..................................................................................... 146
Your Worst Judge .................................................................... 147
From Light to Life .................................................................... 150
Practical Knowledge ............................................................... 152
The Breath of Life .................................................................... 153
Prayer ...................................................................................... 155
Liquid Light.............................................................................. 156
Food For Thought .................................................................... 158
Humor ..................................................................................... 160
Creative Recreation ................................................................. 161
Music....................................................................................... 162
The Programmer ..................................................................... 164
What’s in a Name? ................................................................. 165
Follow your bliss...................................................................... 167
You Have A Purpose! ............................................................... 168
Time as an Indicator ............................................................... 169
Multiplying Your Talents ......................................................... 170
Surprise Parties ....................................................................... 171
The Curtain Never Falls ........................................................... 172
Rapport and sharing ............................................................... 172
Shared Talents Lead to Rapport .............................................. 175
No Man is an Island ................................................................ 176
Balancing Act .......................................................................... 177
Babies...................................................................................... 177
Siblings .................................................................................... 181
Parents .................................................................................... 183
Friends .................................................................................... 185
Spouse ..................................................................................... 186
Employer ................................................................................. 190
Employee ................................................................................ 193
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9. Legacy of Abundance
God.......................................................................................... 194
Choice ..................................................................................... 200
Gratitude ................................................................................. 201
Creativity ................................................................................. 202
Abundance .............................................................................. 203
Rapport with God – Charity .................................................... 204
Your Legacy ............................................................................. 206
Divine Economy....................................................................... 207
About the Author .................................................................... 210
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10. Divine Economy
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11. Legacy of Abundance
One
What Was
I
’m not sure if I was seven or eight years old. That certainly
isn’t important in the greater scheme of things. Let me tell
you about the day my life really started and my deep
search for meaning was born.
In the 1960s we still had board swings on long, heavy-
duty chains that were suspended from about 9 to 10 feet off
the ground. I loved those swings. When I got going it was
as close to flying as I could imagine. One day I was
lingering after school on the swings. My house was about
300 yards away and you could almost see it from the
playground. My back was to the house and I was “flying.”
My brother Wesley was shouting against the wind in my
ears. He was upset and there was a sense of urgency in his
10

12. Divine Economy
tone. He approached from behind. It took real effort to
slow down and bring the swing to a stop. Wesley was
crying and said that something was wrong and we had to
get home right away.
You can imagine that I began to search my mind to see
if something I had done was discovered and that I was
going to be punished. Wes’s tears were deep and genuine.
I was scared and didn’t understand why I was hurrying to
my doom. Whatever he was aware of was so
overwhelming that I found myself crying along with him as
we approached the front door of our house. Dad and Mom
were home early; their cars were parked on the street as we
passed by. This was really going to be bad.
When we entered the front room, we were the last
ones to get there except my oldest brother. I don’t
remember him ever coming. Dad had everyone sitting
around the room looking at him. His face was stressed and
his voice was charged even though he wasn’t shouting.
Mom was in tears with her head down. She was quietly
sobbing. I couldn’t understand what was going on.
Dad began to explain. “Your mother and I don’t love
each other anymore. She’s leaving today and never coming
back. This is your last chance to say good-bye. She won’t
be calling you on the phone or writing any letters.”
What?!
“You will never see her or hear from her again. Say
your good-byes now.” Tears were streaming down every
face in the room. What in the world did all this mean? Is
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13. Legacy of Abundance
this even possible? How could this come out of nowhere
and be so permanent? Was I dying or having a bad dream?
Moments later the second shoe dropped. Mom was
digging in her purse and pulled the three girls close to her.
She instructed the older daughters to make sure that her
baby had a good birthday. She handed them a twenty
dollar bill. She scooped up the baby in her arms and cried
more deeply than before.
It was in the fall and we were approaching the
holidays. My little sister, the youngest, celebrates her
birthday right around Thanksgiving. I was the second
youngest child and my birthday was less than two weeks
after hers. We were only two years apart. I was sure the
next thing Mom would do was to take me in her arms and
tell someone to make sure I had a good birthday too. That
didn’t happen.
I was left in this horrible nightmare with the vision of
my mother leaving our family forever. She wasn’t coming
back for reasons I couldn’t understand and now I felt like I
was unimportant and unwanted. That was the nature of
my childhood – somehow this was all about me and I had to
make sense out of it. The only lasting impression of that
day was that my mother was going away forever. I had
been abandoned; that was what I felt.
I know that she hugged me and said good-bye. It just
seemed to me that her heart was only drawn out toward
my little sister and that my birthday, so close to hers, was of
no consequence. It was my mother’s last chance to
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14. Divine Economy
acknowledge her love for me as she had for her baby and it
didn’t happen. She was going away, never to be heard from
again, and I wasn’t a recipient of her last great act of love.
All of us have at least one moment which sets us on a path of
discovery. This was mine. Was I lovable? Was I important to
someone? Did I have any value to the people around me? This was
the beginning of my story. It’s the root of all the deep, searching
thoughts that put me on a path in life that has made me strong. It
was impossible to understand then, but I now know how important
and precious that horrible day was as a foundation to build upon
for the rest of my life. I am who I am because I discovered the
essence of what really happened that day.
I love my parents deeply. My mom is not a bad person and my
father has never done anything other than his best to provide for
his family. To your benefit and mine, these good and honorable
people have worked hard all their lives and have done what they
had to do in difficult times. We have been seeking understanding
and through shared experiences we have each improved ourselves.
Both my father and mother are amazingly gifted people who care
deeply for their family. Mistakes were made and everyone involved
worked to survive in the best way they knew how.
What I felt that day has become a gift. It so deeply charged my
emotions that I resolved over and over again throughout my life to
make sense of it. Life must have a purpose. Children and adults
are bound to each other in families to learn and grow. There is
always a better way to do things.
The purpose and meaning of life is knowledge. It has taken 48
years for me to gain perspective, knowledge, develop relationships,
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15. Legacy of Abundance
and to acknowledge the source of joy I’ve been looking for since
that life-changing day.
I no longer need an old board swing to fly. I am free to explore
the world without fear and without regret. I have discovered for
myself that I can be a source of endless love. I can change the
world. No one is responsible for the love I seek to enjoy in life. It
flows first from my heart to others and then comes back to me.
That love starts when I contemplate the love of God and all
that He has given me. It is created from my desire to serve others
and to make sure that they feel God’s love through me. Now that I
know where love comes from, I can spend the rest of my life
showing it to those around me and those within my influence. And
the greatest gift of all is that as I perfect the value of what I give to
others, it comes back to me multiplied.
The purpose of life is to live joyfully. Regardless of your past,
or present, you can choose to build a bright and joyful future. Do
that with love. This is the essence of a Divine Economy. No one
should ever feel alone and there should be no poor among us. Can
we do that? I think we can!
Reading this will help you discover the power of your own
legacy. Find instances in your life that set you on a path of
greatness. You might have to look where it seems most
unpleasant, but those days are there. Allow the strength and
growth that are hidden in you to come out now. Be grateful for
your past, it will set you free. Love and gratitude are on the same
wavelength. Immerse your thoughts in one or the other – the
results are the same.
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16. Divine Economy
You are a being of power and nobility. You will discover what
is intended by this bold philosophy. Your world is about to change.
Control is coming back and the joy of your discoveries will fill your
heart and spill over into the lives of those you love and for whom
you are grateful.
Life is eternal. Are you willing to believe in an endless
existence of abundance? Keep reading. Whether you agree with
me or not, these ideas will open you to new possibilities. That is
the nature of Divine Economy; the difference or contrasts from one
life to the next gives us reason to think and ponder. We learn from
opposition and contrast that life has meaning. We find value in our
experience which we can pass along so others need not suffer as
we did. Our perspective is a gift of sight from which others can see
the world and new possibilities for themselves.
It is better to give than receive. Divine Economy proves the
truth of that statement and demonstrates how giving to one
another results in more for everyone.
There are no poor in Divine Economy. Engage yourself in joyful
living. This book brings peace to a troubled world. Creativity, not
competition, is the solution to our desires. Make genuine decisions
that have power to change lives.
• Connect With Humanity
• Find & Use Your Talents
• Receive Inspiration
• Build Your Legacy
You’ll absolutely love Divine Economy and you’ll love yourself
even more because of it. Your knowledge is needed by others. Do
you feel a sense of urgency about life? The possibilities wait within
15

17. Legacy of Abundance
you – Divine Economy draws them out. Other principles presented
throughout the book reinforce the person you are meant to be.
Find strength from your difficult past to create a future of dignity,
integrity, and abundance. In our past we find purpose, in the
moment we find power, in the future we stand with God. Read the
most thoughtful, heart-felt, and personal book you may ever find.
You have power you never imagined and its waiting for you to use
it. There are no ordinary people.
Stop looking for organizations and politicians to solve the
challenges you face. Face yourself first – get to know the real you.
Find the power of living and learning within the bounds of joy. You
are greater than your challenges. This message is for everybody.
Let your light grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day.
Divine Economy is proof that there is a God who loves His
children. We are not alone and everything is going to be fine.
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18. Divine Economy
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19. Legacy of Abundance
Two
Divine Economy – Personal Restoration
I
t has been my privilege to meet many wonderful people
throughout my life. My most cherished experiences are
the people that I’ve met who feel comfortable enough in
our association to introduce me to their family and friends.
On one such occasion a friend took me to discuss an
entrepreneurial opportunity with someone he greatly respected.
After our initial introductions and getting to know each other a
little bit, this amazing woman shared with me something I’ve never
forgotten. It has changed my life and I want to share with you what
she taught me at our first meeting.
Throughout her life, people had told Janeen what a
wonderfully talented musician and composer she was. So frequent
and constant were their compliments that she felt uneasy. People
would say that she had so many gifts and abilities but they didn’t
have any. It made her self-conscious and uncomfortable. Why did
so many people feel they had been given no talents or abilities?
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20. Divine Economy
She made it a point of pondering, study, and prayer. Her answer
came in the form of a vivid dream. This is what she says of that
dream.
I dreamed a myriad of God’s children were
chanting together, “Is that all? Is that all?” We,
who had lived so long and progressed so far under
Divine tutelage, were now being told we could take
only a small portion of our knowledge and talents
with us when we came to earth. We were
dismayed.
Our Father put his loving arms around us and
said, “Do not fear, my children, though alone you
will have lost much, when you come together you
will have every talent, every skill, everything you
will have left behind restored to you.” – Janeen
Brady
When she first shared this with me I was overwhelmed.
Janeen had seen so plainly in her dream what I’ve been trying to
understand my whole life. One of my greatest questions about life
was answered. What does her dream mean to you? Do you think
what she saw and heard was based in Truth?
Divine Economy is about what you can give to
life not what you can get from it, but it implies that
what you give will come back multiplied. It’s just
like the parable of the talents.
All of us have a sense that we are somehow more than we can
access. The evidence comes when people treat us poorly and we
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21. Legacy of Abundance
feel how wrong that is. Our sense of self is based on forgotten
knowledge and we experience daily symptoms that give us
emotional pause and deep reflection. Some of us have seen so
much of the world and felt so little of our greatness. We surrender
to mortality and imperfection. The world of circumstance defines
us instead of us defining our circumstances.
CONNECT WITH HUMANITY
I love the New Testament words of Jesus Christ. I have always
marveled at the parable of the talents. The reference is long so
please allow me to summarize key points.
New Testament, Matthew 25:14 – 29
A man leaves to his three servants five, two, and one talent
respectively as he goes into a far away land. He departs…
16 Then he that had received the five talents went and traded
with the same, and made them other five talents.
17 And likewise he that had received two, he also gained other
two.
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth,
and hid his lord's money.
The master then comes for a reckoning and sees that two servants
have been faithful and used their talents to trade. Each of them
doubled their talents and is pronounced “good and faithful.” The third
servant acknowledges that the master expected more upon his return
but then offered only this explanation:
25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo,
there thou hast that is thine.
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and
slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather
where I have not strawed:
27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the
exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own
with usury.
28….
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29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have
abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that
which he hath.
In writing Divine Economy, I want you to understand that we
have all been given something of value with which we can trade.
That is a Truth - to everyone that has come upon this plain of
mortality, God has granted the means whereby all that we have
forgotten can be restored to us. The means of that restoration of
our knowledge, talents, and skills, is by coming together in a
community whereby we can trade value or where we can compare
perspectives.
It is critical that we value not as the world measures, but that
we measure as God values. Our turn on earth will end and all the
material goods accumulated by us will be lost at our passing. We
own nothing. All material goods are a stewardship, a test. If we
make the things of this world more important than things of eternal
value, then we will lose all we have and more.
Divine Economy is a philosophy that acknowledges those
infinite values and makes them the primary goals of life. It is what
Janeen’s dream indicates. Your loving relationships, knowledge,
and what you can create from them, are the only things of value
that survive your death. Life is about the pure pursuit of
knowledge and giving loving service to one another.
Your talents are born of skill and knowledge that is so
ingrained within you that you have infinite capacity to pour from
that cup. You become a fountain of living water boiling up from the
depths of your soul to trade refreshment with your fellow beings.
All that you are is improved when you are in the company of
those who genuinely care about you and encourage you. When
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23. Legacy of Abundance
you serve them, you learn about your ability to give and your sense
of self is multiplied. That is when what you have lost – every talent,
every skill, everything you had left behind – begins to be restored.
Flooding into your mind are ideas and feelings that are unlocked
and with inspiration, you find yourself creating new options for
yourself and others.
In heaven there is no medium of exchange that includes
material gains. All that the Father has is ours and it is endless and
eternal. There is no competing for it, it is everywhere. There is no
lack – only abundance. We can qualify for that abundance here
upon the earth only when we learn to recognize our own talents
and abilities and let them out in the service of others. You must
discover what is endless and inexhaustible about you and use it to
benefit others.
You are not your clothes. You are not your education. You are
not your car or your house. You are the values you give to others.
You learn about yourself when you discover your passion to serve
and protect others. Who you protect says more about who you are
– it reveals your depth or lack thereof. How you serve the interest
of others gives light to your desires. You are the value you trade
with everyone you know and love. You are what you trade. You
trade what you are.
TRANSACTIONAL VALUE
Do you trade love, acceptance, kindness, encouragement,
knowledge, good counsel, and do you offer your strength to the
physical labors of those who cannot labor for themselves? Do you
sense what your values are? What do you offer in trade for the
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24. Divine Economy
value being offered to you by others? Attraction is stated: “That
which is like unto itself is drawn.”
Value is realized only when there is an exchange. A good book
on the shelf has no value. The dollar in your wallet has no value.
The strength of your body has no value when at rest. For
something to have value it must be in motion; it has to be traded
from one person to the next.
Let me further clarify. A single dollar in a single transaction
has the value of one dollar. If that same dollar passes through one
million transactions, then that dollar has the value of a million
dollars. If you withhold value and prevent ongoing transactions,
then you are the dam that prevents the flow of living water. Are
you a one-sided transaction or a million trades in progress? Be
courageous - you are not a one-time offer. Are you ready to
increase your value by maximizing the number of transactions you
experience?
People are God’s business. People are what He values. You
and I cannot improve ourselves or our value sitting alone in a room.
If we place ourselves out of the reach of others and pretend that
we’re saving our talents, abilities, knowledge, love, and strength for
something more important, our value is idle. We have no impact in
the lives of people. Our reward will be in keeping with the foolish
servant who buried his talent and then told his master, “lo, there
thou hast that is thine.”
Anything, including money that isn’t being transacted has zero
value. It is right that we first take care of our needs, but then let us
consider money and all other forms of wealth a stewardship
through which we serve others. Too often you and I think of
material goods as our own. Some people horde and tuck away little
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25. Legacy of Abundance
treasures where no one can break in and steal away. Upon death
all of us who act that way will be accountable for having buried
talents, substance, financial wealth, knowledge, and love. Are you
happier with people or with your stuff? If you are happier with
your stuff, do you even want to change?
We were born to have it all. That awareness is in each of us.
This sense of our greatness is used to mislead some of us and we
think ourselves superior to others. We are not. We are peers in
every measureable way. Together we are great, alone we waste
away. Depression, anger, fear, and lusts are all born out of sense
that we deserve more but it’s not showing up in our experience.
The worldly have perverted the idea that we are great into a
deception that “I alone am great.” They see the world as limited.
They see themselves as superior. Competition for limited resources
is the temptation to which they fall prey.
Do you think things are more important than people? Do you
think knowledge is more powerful than kindness? People
regardless of culture, religion, education, race, creed, nationality, or
political affiliations, either see themselves as the answer (a key
piece of the puzzle) or they see others as the problem (the holes
that are missing).
Divine Economy asserts that we as individuals and as collective
humanity are the answer. You have the power to change the
world. You can’t do that sitting alone in a “safe place.” You have to
brave the enterprise that is mankind. The paradox is that while you
must assert yourself as the answer, you must also realize that you
are only a part of the answer. Each of us brings a different piece to
the puzzle to form a complete solution. Your piece is important,
but it is just your piece.
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26. Divine Economy
PUZZLE PIECES
Without all of us adding our contribution, the collective of
humanity can’t realize what is implied for us as a whole. The edge
pieces may be missing so we don’t know how big the picture really
is. The corners would give us a lot of insight and we would know
the dimensions within which color, subjects, shapes, earth, sky,
water, and people have place. Without each other giving what we
have, the whole thing will be terribly incomplete. Even if only one
piece were missing at the end, it is a hole in the fabric of God’s
family. Individually, we must have the courage to take our place.
As an experiment in our imaginations, let’s say we have 500
people and prior to entering a room we give each person one of
500 pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Everyone enters the room and the
door is closed and locked. Some people undoubtedly put the piece
in their pocket soon after walking in the door and forget they have
it. Others explore the room; they walk from one extent to the
other. Like cows on a farm or a range leaning on the fence, they
lean against the walls looking for a weak spot that will tumble and
let them out. Some people go into the room and just sit down. No
instructions are given, there is no voice of leadership and these 500
souls are left to find meaning.
One person in the room looks carefully at their puzzle piece.
They study it; shape, color, material composition, and possible
purpose. Personal awareness leaves clues in their conscious mind.
Without knowing everything they look up and notice that others
are holding a piece of the puzzle too.
It takes courage to suggest meaning for this one thing so many
seem to have in common. A conversation starts; they discuss what
each of them has observed and thought about it. Soon, enough
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27. Legacy of Abundance
people have joined together to note that some of their pieces have
an image of water, some have blue sky, others have flowers, and
still others have fragments of buildings. Finally, two people
connect their pieces literally. Their common cause and shared
observation has brought them together and they establish a human
connection. Their pieces start to show the greater image suggested
and things become more meaningful.
Someone suggests bigger implications and everyone with
water comes together. They get all the pieces they can to fit.
Those with sky, with flowers, and buildings are organized into
groups, too. Finally the various areas fill in to show what they
within their groups have accomplished. Now the groups see how
they all come together. They start seeing where they might
possibly bring their unique pieces to connect sky to water, water to
flowers, and flowers to buildings. Everyone sees and enjoys greater
clarity.
Everyone participating gets excited, but there are still some
who press against the walls, some who think they haven’t got a
piece, and others who knew they had it but seem to have lost it.
The non-participants watch others making connections and enjoy
placing their pieces in the puzzle. It leaves those against the walls
and those who have lost pieces with a sense of separateness.
It doesn’t seem right that others enjoy such associations. Not
looking within to recognize their own value, they criticize what the
contributors have accomplished. They feel frustrated; they start
telling the community of contributors that the image is still
incomplete; there are holes in the picture that leave it unfinished.
They mock and ridicule the group’s accomplishments.
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28. Divine Economy
So goes the enterprise of humanity. People who are
contributing get a sense of purpose and find their place in the
world. Those who don’t contribute feel a need to justify their lack
by suggesting that the whole is imperfect. Sadly, some who had
successfully contributed learn the negative point of view and
withdraw their piece to leave more holes in the image. It is
important that we all learn to give what we have and encourage
even the most ardent detractors, the most critical non-
contributors, and those who are just wandering without a cause.
None of us can complete the picture without them. We must have
enough understanding to encourage them to find their piece of the
puzzle and add it back towards the completion of God’s family.
We are God’s children. We were placed in the room with no
memory and no instruction, but we do all have a piece of the puzzle
to add for the benefit of the whole. We are not here alone. God’s
test is simple. Will we believe in what we have, who we are, and in
our “roommates” enough to come together and give meaning to
this experience? Putting the pieces together is Divine Economy. It
is the restoration of ourselves and of His family one to another.
There is no restoration possible if we won’t first give what we have.
A contribution to the welfare or understanding of those
seeking help and knowledge will open you up to your greatness.
You will learn that you are indeed worthy of all that the Father has.
This is how you find out what you’ve been given. The essence of
your piece of the puzzle starts to take shape in your experience.
The only way to receive all the abundance of God is to first learn to
give all that you have. Find yourself, find God within you.
New Testament, Matthew 25:29
29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have
abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that
which he hath.
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29. Legacy of Abundance
Explore your ability to give. Watch the windows of heaven
open up and pour out endless blessings upon you. This happens
only when you discover how to first contribute to others.
Ponder this thought.
You see in others only what first exists within
yourself.
What you see in others is the general indication of your
current attitude towards life. Are you generous and believing that
everyone has value, or are you watching from the outside and
justifying your lack of participation by criticizing the imperfections
in the fabric of humanity? Until you can see the good in humanity,
how can you find God within yourself? Only when we see ourselves
as the source of love and light, can we dispel the awful gloom of
forgetfulness. It has to come from within, before it can be
multiplied back to us. Send out love and encouragement and see if
everything you need doesn’t flow back to you.
What you see in others is also an amazing indicator of your
own capacities, talents, skills, and abilities. Everything that you
have awareness of in others is lying within waiting for the chance to
come out. It is an over simplification, but “What you see is what
you get.” You get to observe it in others and contemplate how that
would feel if you “put it on.” We observe and simulate just like
small children. We practice new behaviors and ideas exactly the
same as infants do. We try stuff on and keep what fits until we
outgrow it.
Before television, radio, walkmans, iPods, and personal media
devices came along, people sat together and visited. People would
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30. Divine Economy
take walks together, talk, sing, dance, play, and learn together.
When friends needed help, you knew it and it was offered.
Technology can help us do more if we use it to fill us up instead of
just fill up our time. I bought an iPod two years ago and put lots of
self-help audio books on it. I took walks and listened to scriptures,
best-selling authors, inspired music, and even some technical
education on science and computer software. It made my walks
and my commuting highly beneficial. It filled my mind with new
possibilities and I became aware of my own talents.
Passive entertainment is an important source
of recreation. Just make sure your value isn’t being
placed on the shelf and left there. Come back to the
trading, bring your piece of the puzzle and see what
more you can DO.
Don’t let the distractions of our time keep you from sharing
the water of your living fountain. Our combined waters will cut
canyons out of rock and move mountains. People united in a good
cause share their talents, energies, knowledge, and love. What you
get back has infinite value that survives beyond the grave. You
become more. If you have learned well, you will be pronounced
“good and faithful.”
New Testament, Mark 8:35
35 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever
shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it.
Alone we are nothing. Together we create and enjoy Divine
Economy. We participate in the abundance of God when we
find it within and trade joyfully with others.
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31. Legacy of Abundance
“Do not fear, my children, though alone you
will have lost much, when you come together you
will have every talent, every skill, everything you
will have left behind restored to you.”
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32. Divine Economy
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33. Legacy of Abundance
Three
What Is
I
n 1987 I was living in Salt Lake City, Utah. During the
evenings I would watch the educational channels from the
local universities which sponsored PBS programming.
There was a series called, The Mind. It was developed by WNET out
of New York in cooperation with BBC Television. It was fascinating.
What was being asked and researched about the human mind was
inspiring and it attempted to answer some of the most difficult
questions ever asked. One segment featured a heart-breaking
story that to this day has been a big part of what I have come to
acknowledge as Truth.
Clive Wearing experienced a severe headache followed by a
fever. He suffered through viral encephalitis which destroyed the
connections linking his hippocampus to other lobes of his brain. He
has all his faculties and reasoning skill but has no ability to
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34. Divine Economy
remember anything beyond a “blinkered moment” as described by
his wife Deborah.
Clive was a musicologist of renown. He was an expert in
Renaissance choral music, a pianist and organist of extraordinary
skill, as well as a gifted vocalist and choral master. Everything that
Clive had ever learned and all the ingrained talent he spent a life
accumulating was stored in his brain but it had no mechanism for
retrieving those gifts and abilities. He is a fully aware man but his
awareness lasts until he turns away. His memory fades and he
starts all over again. It is an endless cycle of firsts – he is seeing,
hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting things for the first time.
In the video series I purchased of The Mind, his wife says,
“Clive’s world now consists of a moment, with no past to anchor it
and no future to look ahead to. It is a blinkered moment. He sees
what is right in front of him, but as soon as that information hits the
brain, it fades.” She further explains with remarkable insight and
great love, “You’re dealing with a perfectly lucid, highly intelligent
man who has been robbed of the knowledge of his own life. He
feels deeply humiliated to be put in that position; very, very
frustrated.”
“His being, his center, his soul is absolutely functioning as it
ever did. The fact that he is so despairing, so much in anguish, so
angry, so much in love with me – those are all real, human
passions. And he is showing them almost to the exclusion of
everything else. All he shows us is raw human passion, straight
from the heart of the mind.”
I also purchased the companion book so that I would be able
to contemplate the many things brought out in this ground-
breaking educational program. This segment on Clive is the one
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35. Legacy of Abundance
that I watch over and over again. Each time it breaks my heart but
it reveals so much of humanity to me that the parallels to life and
to eternity become more firmly engrained in my mind.
Consciousness or awareness is not inclusive of memory. This is
indicated by what Clive Wearing and his angel-wife have been living
with for so many years. What I see each time I watch that video is a
simple extension of what Janeen Brady’s dream was indicating. We
have forgotten much coming into this world and we are left with
raw human passions. We demonstrate our love and our hate with
great emotion and grand gestures. We feel robbed of all that
seems just beyond the grasp of our conscience. Our preparations
for greatness are beyond our recall but the shadows of it are still
there.
How could we not know who we are? We exist but who are
we? Our answers come so slowly over time that we remain
frustrated and easily distracted. What is happening right now has
our full attention. Our “what is” is just like Clive’s “blinkered
moment.” Clive’s moments never last more than seconds.
Our parallel is comparing his moment to our mortality. He
forgot his past and lives in a moment. We have forgotten about
eternity and live a mortal life. For each of us, the sense that we’ve
lost so much is played out in our frustrated and uneven lives. All
our emotions are raw because we haven’t got a sure knowledge of
who we are and what we came to accomplish. How could God be
so loving and life be so cruel?
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36. Divine Economy
FIND & USE YOUR TALENTS
Clive’s condition keeps him from knowing that he has this deep
musical background. Deborah is seen in the video taking Clive to a
cathedral where former friends, vocalists from his choral group, are
waiting to see him. She is heard reassuring him that he is a gifted
vocalist and a wonderful player. “As far as I’m concerned I haven’t
heard a note of music, seen any music, have any contact with music
at all. It is completely unknown to me.” Deborah encourages him
to sit down at the piano to see what he might do. His reply again
shows a complete lack of remembering so much of his life, “I dread
to think, it’s a private thing for me…I don’t know what will happen,
do I?”
Deborah helps Clive sit down at the piano. She takes a seat
behind him and simply watches. His body convulses a bit and then
he places his left hand on the keyboard as he had done thousands
of times before. Raising his right hand, he looks at the music and
counts the vocalists in and begins to play with both hands. Reading
the music and addressing those standing nearby as a conductor, he
sings, he directs, and he plays with as much brilliance as he ever
did. During the video you see bright awareness flooding into his
eyes. It pours out of him without any effort. The music is
wonderful and when it comes to an end, Clive convulses again and
in frustration says, “I can’t remember now, I forgotten everything.”
We discover our mortal gifts the same way as Clive when he is
encouraged and lead by his loving wife. All of us respond in part as
Clive did; we convulse before and after and then generally dismiss
our ability. With encouragement and love, people present us with
a different understanding of who we are or might be. They seek to
place us in circumstances where talents can be expressed and skills
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37. Legacy of Abundance
buried within us can find expression. Trust others when they say
you are capable. You’ll surprise yourself if you have the courage to
continue exploring all the possibilities that are you.
Self discovery or the restoration of talent is what life is all
about. As mentioned in chapter two, we each represent a small
portion of the answer. Our talents and abilities, our skill, our
muscle, our love when applied to the enterprise of humanity, fills in
a portion of our lost memory. It answers more questions about
who we are as individuals and it shows us the greater picture that
God has in mind for all His children. You are the answer. You are
what I need and I am what you need. You and I need as many
people participating in our lives as we can get. Your value has no
limits, it is infinite.
Human value comes in the transaction of knowledge, the
sharing of our talents, and the expression of love in relationships
that encourage us to find our depth. Don’t let a lack of eternal
perspective become an excuse to disregard your own legacy. The
fullness of what you are becoming depends on your active
awareness of the past, your ability to act in the moment, and your
determination to create your own future.
A young friend of mine writes philosophy and asks really good
questions. He writes, “How can human consciousness ever
conceive of its ultimate identity if it is only to be found before we
were born or after we die?” Does that sound like what you’re
thinking? Can a mortal experience actually lead to eternal
knowledge? Who we were before birth, who we are now, and
what we might become beyond life are three great questions. All
humanity for untold ages has been asking: “Who am I? Where did I
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38. Divine Economy
come from? Where am I going?” Clive is living each of these
deeply passionate queries in his blinkered moments.
Clive has shown us that we can be conscious despite impaired
memory. We can function in the moment. Our ability to move
beyond the moment is linked inextricably to our ability to
remember the moments that went before. The sad state of Clive’s
mortal trial is that he is a river of potential that is damned in
momentary awareness. He cannot conceive a future because he
cannot link the past to the present. Humanity suffers as Clive has
suffered. We cannot connect to our immortality when we know
only that we are mortal.
Memory and awareness are critical components to
comprehending the lessons of life. We learn line upon line, and
precept on precept. Failing to connect the line of consciousness to
the line of memory, we are forever stuck with what is in front of us
in the ever-present now. We often act out of desperation because
we see the great unknown without the hope that we can connect
to it. When we die we think all is lost. It is not. There was a before
and there will be a hereafter. Intelligence operates beyond what
we measure physically. Our substance may decay in the earth but
our essence will live on.
Janeen’s dream of coming together implies a restoration of
what was lost. It is a crack of light through which we can build
awareness and develop from precept to concept and then have
knowledge. God wants us to find ourselves by caring for each
other. This is how we connect with humanity and the result is that
we discover our talents in the process.
Life is expansion. “Be fruitful, multiply and replenish.” That
was the first commandment given and it refers to every aspect of
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39. Legacy of Abundance
life. We love infant children that cannot love us back. Babies are a
training ground for humanity. It is set up this way to teach us the
most important of all lessons. We must love first. Just as God loves
us regardless of our choices, we learn to love our children first and
always. We don’t let go of our deep investment in them when they
are just learning. Mistakes are a part of their growth. It is how they
grow. They are testing the boundaries of life and learning new
values as they make choices and learn from the consequences.
Families are ordained in God’s plan to provide the means to
our restoration. How we protect and educate our offspring opens
us to new understanding. Caring for them gets us to think harder,
work harder, be smarter and go farther than we would go for
ourselves. We must each fulfill our part; parent or child, husband
or wife, brother or sister. This is where we are exposed the most.
We feel deeply and hide so little. Families educate us to our
greatness by opening our hearts to a sense of desire and capacity to
provide. The family was meant to provide us with the greatest
opportunity for growth.
Like my personal awakening through years of contemplating
that difficult day for my family, you and I can exceed the training
and example set by our parents. It is what lies within us that
matters. We free ourselves from the impositions of past
circumstances and difficult memories with others.
We learn to act and not be acted upon. When there is scarcity,
create anew. Instead of returning railing for accusation, we seek to
bless those who hurt us. We can escape the traditions and the sins
of our fathers by giving back the love we feel from God and loving
others first. Recognize that we can give when asked and perhaps
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40. Divine Economy
more importantly, just love people for who they are and where
they are in their personal growth.
Contemplate the idea that you must love first. You must give
first. To be the recipient of abundance, you must demonstrate that
you are abundant. Selfishness leads to less. Selflessness leads to
more. The power of memory and conscious awareness is to give
you contrast from which you can choose: to act, or be acted upon.
Contemplate the accumulated evidence of your life time and
leap beyond it. The aware individual is one who has more
information from which to consider possibilities. Keep the lessons
of the past available in the moment as you choose the future you
want.
Here is a simple formula from which you may gain insight.
 Choose well = more choices
 Choose poorly = fewer choices
 Choose nothing = choices are made for you
 Stop choosing = stop growing, stop living
 Choose to live = live to choose
We are born to act. We start life by being acted upon. At
some point in your life, you had to choose your own direction. You
determined that it was within your power to assert yourself. Your
essence is that of the Creator. Life is a test to see what you will
create. Will you multiply and replenish, create more to the benefit
of all, or will you take without regard of the consequences to
yourself and others?
Your values are reflected by your experience. The law of the
harvest is that you get only the fruit of the seeds that you plant.
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41. Legacy of Abundance
You can’t expect to be treated with kindness if you only offer
criticism and judgment. Let go of the sad and difficult past.
Release the pain of those memories by focusing on your
preference and desire for something better. If your life seems
doomed because of the sins and traditions of your progenitors,
make a simple commitment to purposefully leave their patterns
behind.
People need to be uplifted – encouraged. A smile, a gentle
greeting to loved ones or strangers is far more powerful than you
telling them what you know. Encouragement is verbal kindness.
Kindness trumps knowledge on earth and in heaven. Knowing is
not always doing. Doing must be considerate of outcomes for us
and others to have a positive value.
Encourage others to choose. If they don’t make the choice,
they don’t earn the growth that comes with the experience. The
appropriate limit of your influence is good counsel – it needs to be
uplifting, inspiring, encouraging, and loving regardless of the choice
they ultimately make.
Clive has only the moment; it is a never ending re-awakening.
Because he can’t connect the past to the present, he is forever
stuck in the now. Let me suggest to you the importance of now.
Starting this very moment, you and I are more aware of the
challenges we all face. I want to reason with you about life and all
that is implied by living it. My desire is that you open your heart to
new possibilities and allow yourself to grow.
First, it is important that you trust yourself. Expand your
ability to reason within yourself and trust what comes of your own
conclusions. I am going to share with you thoughts that bring hope
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42. Divine Economy
to our existence and lead to joyful living in a world of abundant and
endless love. Clive was limited but he showed that we can be more
aware in the present. You must connect your thoughts to your
past, be aware of the present, and project yourself into the future.
This process of self-discovery will empower you to achieve all
that you’ve been born to accomplish. Start with this moment as
the beginning and build an awareness of all that is implied in now.
Develop and strengthen your ability to be aware in the
moment. The root of your power becomes self-evident when you
connect yourself in time – past, present, and future. You can
function beyond self-imposed limitations. Get a sense of your
liberties. Recognize that we all get to make our own choices.
Deepen your understanding of how the seemingly complex
interactions of humanity unfold. Let them distill an unparalleled
understanding that honors us as equals and celebrates our
differences.
This is your introduction to Divine Economy. You can
formulate your questions for life and see from now to eternity with
clarity and superior resolve. There is a God in Heaven who loves
you. He has planned and prepared for your success. You are not
alone and everything is going to be fine. Allow these ideas a fertile
place in your heart and mind. Celebrate all the possibilities implied
in our lives now and upon which we may freely improve.
The past is critical to awareness of this moment. Only in this
moment do we exercise any power over the future. What was,
what is, and what’s next: that is the context of life. It is linear. See
the extents of our existence. When we expand our beliefs, we
expand our choices. Learn to restore your infinite potential for
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43. Legacy of Abundance
growth and happiness. Become the means by which others expand
their awareness and are restored to their fullness.
Time creates a safe harbor for us to make decisions, test our
beliefs, and still recover from tragedy if we are wrong. All of our
creations are seeking balance. We live in a universe of
complimentary opposites that seek to bring about equilibrium and
perfection.
Knowledge of self is critical to the understanding of others.
We stand alone as the key to lasting happiness and boundless love.
It all starts now! This is the only moment in which you have the
ability to create change.
What will you choose to do? Did Clive have choices in his
moment(s)? Yes, but they were limited because he had limited
functional memory. Your memory of the pre-earth life is gone. We
are on a journey to get it back, one sliver, one glimpse, one tiny
crack at a time until we fill in all the pieces of our lives. Clive’s
condition was imposed by a virus but he has taught us that looking
back is critical to moving forward.
Now is important. Truth is distilled line upon line, precept on
precept. What you think you know limits your capacities; it filters
what you might do. If you ever feel that you know all there is to
know on any given subject you will experience a complete and
abrupt end to growth in that matter. It is through humility and
sincerity that we find the boundless limits of our potential.
There is no end to knowledge or talent unless we believe that
an end exists. As independent souls we must find our way. Those
who encourage us and counsel us without judging our choices bring
the highest value relationships into our lives.
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Likewise, we too must be considerate of others. Be kind and
allow others the benefit of knowledge that comes from making
their own decisions. Truth is a restoration of what we left behind.
We discover more of ourselves as we interact with others. It is
about you. It is about me. It only works when we share what we
believe, when we use our talents to serve one another, and when
we care enough to think well and counsel from our hearts. It all
starts now!
What’s your legacy going to say about you?
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Four
Heart Might Mind & Strength
I n exploring Divine Economy there is a powerful insight into
accomplishing the desires of your heart. It does in fact start
with your heart.
New Testament, Mark 12:30
30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is
the first commandment.
I’ve studied this simple instruction and have a suggestion. I’ve
seen this reference my whole life. Somebody said it a little
differently and it was inspiring to me. My goal is not to rewrite
scripture but to simplify my own understanding so that I can access
what I have learned. So here is my recollection of what I heard:
“…serve Him with all your heart, might, mind, and strength…” In
verse 30 of Mark it says to “love” God. I know that we serve those
we love. We love those we serve. It is an easy thing for me to
suggest that they may be equal in this context. The other common
words are heart, mind, and strength. The two words that are
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different in the two versions of the phrase are “soul” versus
“might.” That’s what I want to clarify. I was able to feast more
richly on the word “might” when I found a context for it. Bear with
me now as I explain this new recipe for connecting the dots from
heart, might, mind, and strength to suggest a better way to get
what you want efficiently and with compassion.
HEART
Heart is all about our desires. We are told that we will be
judged by our hearts.
New Testament, Matthew 6:21
21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
New Testament, Matthew 12:33 - 35
33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make
the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good
things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth
forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth
forth evil things.
What we want determines everything we get. Our desire is
the first filter of perception of the world around us. Life is a grand
experience and a constant mystery for most of us. We don’t know
how to break down our experiences into something that we can
recognize clearly as desirable and worthwhile. This is complex to us
because we didn’t start out with any knowledge at all. We were
born as pure intelligence set in the world with no preconceived
ideas. We have forgotten everything and started all over again.
Child development is a process of the intellect and the body finding
meaning from the experience of mortality. Babies certainly think
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47. Legacy of Abundance
and feel but we don’t understand how to value that from their
perspective.
Jump forward in time a few months, then a few years, and
these little people are amazingly adaptive to their environment.
They move around with ease. They know what they want. Even
the youngest infant is communicating successfully within days with
its parents about the basic needs of life. By virtue of the gift of
mortality, we are alive in a sea of contrast and a world of
opposition. Our senses, our intellect, our will, teach us to have
preferences. It is implied by life. We observe, contemplate, and
decide what we want. It is this basic activity where we start to
know who we are based upon the desires of our heart. People are
not born wicked or righteous. The spirit is poured into mortality
and the environment of earth, the traditions of family, the religion
or lack thereof of our parents, the language and customs of our
geo-cultural inheritance are strong first experiences that give us
context from which we learn to choose. Our choices reveal our
intentions. Have we learned to serve or love others, or have we
found pleasure in selfish activities? We all get to choose. We can’t
escape it – choice is thrust upon us. As God’s children we are
intelligent and choice is our right by simple demonstration of life
itself.
So, not to wander to far from the point; we are now
experienced enough based on lots of accessible memories, to know
what we desire; what we prefer. That is the measure of our heart.
A dear friend and mentor is always reminding me that people want
to know, “What’s in it for me?” That’s not a bad question. It is, in
fact, the only question that has merit. What’s in it for me is how all
of us justify our choices. It’s a simple expression of singular
intellect from which you rightly pose all queries for deeper
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meaning. Please don’t misunderstand me. It is not my intention to
teach selfishness. It is, however, my intention to give a framework
to choices that have deeper purpose and more power by
considering the idea of Divine Economy in the context of individual
choice.
All of our choices can be considerate of others. The bottom
line in Divine Economy is that it is never about me. It is always
about us. The restoration of our talents and abilities comes from
being engaged affectively in the lives of other people. We are most
valuable to ourselves when serving others.
The idea in Janeen’s dream fits closely with an idea written by
Harold Kushner in his book, When All You’ve Ever Wanted Isn’t
Enough. In the final chapter, One Question Left Unanswered, he
says:
“What cannot be achieved in one lifetime will
happen when one lifetime is joined to another.
People who never knew each other in life become
partners in making good things happen, because
the Eternal God gives their deeds a measure of
eternity.”
He is summarizing carefully the value of a life well lived. It is in
the eternal nature of things that the value of life continues beyond
mortality; by the grace of a loving Father in Heaven – we live on in
the hearts of others.
What occurred to me in reading Rabbi Kushner’s summary was
a merging of Janeen’s vision and his prose. This is how I see it:
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49. Legacy of Abundance
What cannot be achieved alone will happen
when one is joined to another by shared experience.
People who never knew each other before become
partners in restoring good things to one another,
because the Eternal Father rewards their desires
through divine economy.
The system is established by God. The results are the
consequences of our own choices and limited by the bounds set by
the Creator. Our role in humanity is to live with integrity. Our gift
to our fellow beings is to serve them from the abundance of our
own talent. What they experience by way of kindness and counsel
from us is nothing short of the love of God expressed through us.
When we are young we sense, think, then desire. In our
infancy it is arguable that we can prefer but we can’t choose.
Without the ability to act as agents, able to act through our actions,
we express desire but lack the ability to do for ourselves. We can’t
get what we want so we communicate the best we know how so
that others might serve us. This is the infancy model. When we are
truly functional agents in the scheme of mortality, we can use all
our faculties to accomplish what is in our hearts without imposing
on others. Indeed, we now can find our personal talents by
wanting to help others accomplish what is in their hearts. Over
simplified, but I think remarkably accurate and true in its
application.
OPPOSITION & CONTRAST
When the world is falling apart, where do you turn? Do the
voices you hear from people around you echo failure, fear, or
tragedy? How can you combat the overwhelming evidence that
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you are human and this isn’t going the way you thought it should?
Your intimate relationships seem choked in emotions you can’t
penetrate and the person closest to you isn’t your biggest fan or
supporter. It’s seriously not going well. How do you define
yourself when others are beating a drum of disappointment, or
fear? What you thought you wanted most seems beyond your
ability to accomplish.
Each of us has lost something that we can’t quite put our
finger on and we will spend our life in frustration, anger, and fear
trying to uncover the mysterious something that seems just beyond
our reach. Everyone is setup differently but we have all been setup
with circumstances that give us deep and compelling reasons to
question life and its meaning. What is the purpose of this frail and
confusing existence? Is there any guarantee that what is in our
heart or what is missing from our lives will find peace and meaning?
I feel these questions so deeply that they drive me to find answers.
The thing I am most grateful for is inspiration. I ask tough
questions in my heart and send out a prayer for answers. Words
generally come to my mind from the scriptures and other inspired
writings. I’m so grateful that I can read. I’ve read some really
wonderful things and what I’ve put in my memory bank and library
of experience comes back to me when I’m searching. As ordinary a
person as I am, it is easy to think that you and I have so much in
common. When I go looking for answers they often come to me
from your words or your example.
It is also important that we learn to trust our own thoughts.
We must exercise our heart and our mind in quiet contemplation so
that we don’t lose the ability to reason within ourselves. Most
answers come in that quiet pondering. Sometimes they come
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quickest when we sit down to write. Similar to public speaking or
private conversation inspired by real need, it is important that we
trust ourselves enough to start so we can see what will come out.
Not knowing the answers doesn’t keep us from finding them; it’s
the lack of faith required to simply start. We should always begin
with gratitude and see where that journey takes us. When we start
with love, we end with love. The answers aren’t moving targets –
they’re stationary. We have to move in one form or another to
close the distance and find what we’re looking for through the
experience. Have faith to move and then pay attention to inspired
thoughts as they come. Do what comes in the quiet moments to
get where you going more directly.
The human heart is a treasury of intentions. The disconnect
from our hearts to what happens around us is the real catalyst for
man’s search for meaning. You trust that your heart really wants to
be happy and that you would like everyone else to be happy too,
don’t you? Isn’t that the foundation of all our expectations for life?
So where does it go astray. What is the missing link from your good
intentions (heart) and what is actually taken place in the world
today? Is it the setup of circumstances and the filters imposed
upon your perception by your upbringing? Maybe it’s the idea that
lingers from youth that someone else is going to take care of us and
provide a life of ease and comfort. Aren’t we entitled to ease and
comfort?
We must come to realize is that we were born into a world of
great diversity, contrast, and opposition. We are here to learn to
choose from infinite contrast the hue, tone, and color of our lives.
When television was in black and white, you could mess with the
dials and range anywhere from solid black to solid white image on
the screen. That’s what contrast will do – it allows you to move
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52. Divine Economy
through the gray scale until you have all white or all black. You dial
it in manually and get the settings so they work just the way you
like. Most people love the action that comes to the screen when
the dial is set so that you see movement in the image. People don’t
turn on the television, turn down the sound, turn contrast to white
and then sit for hours being entertained. We all want as many
dimensions to that viewing experience as we can get.
We still fiddle with the adjustments from time to time to see if
we can improve – that’s just our nature. I remember our first color
television as a ten year old. Wow! That first experience of seeing a
favorite show go from black & white to color imagery was like a
miracle. All of a sudden there was a whole new dimension to
viewing T.V. that we had never seen before. There were new
adjustments on those sets for hue, saturation, tone, etc. How could
we possibly live without that once we had seen it? That’s just
television from the 1970’s.
Today, we have cell phones and HDTV and wrist watch
television (in color). We are living in a time of technological
advances that no one can keep up with let alone afford. All these
artificial adjustments to life or the entertainment available to us are
completely overwhelming. Advances come so fast as to render
technology obsolete within twelve months. You can’t find a toner
cartridge for a printer beyond eighteen months without a real
struggle. With all these distractions, what has happened to our
humanity? We have lost more of ourselves in the secular economy.
Our dependency on stuff, as a means of defining our existence, is
officially out of control. Is there a recovery in the marketplace for
the intentions of what is in our hearts? Oh, yeah. We were trying
to find out what was missing from the desires of our heart
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compared to what was actually happening in our experience. See,
it’s easy to get derailed or sidetracked. Isn’t it!
Let’s focus on desires of the heart. That’s actually why we are
in a sea of contrast, color, opposition, and confusion. We’re here
to grow. That growth is available because God has set things in
motion according to some very specific rules. Happiness comes
according to His plan and peace is the evidence that we’re on track
with His intentions for us. Divine Economy doesn’t assume
anything; it is everything. God’s omniscience has prepared a way
for our eternal progression. The road of life is one that falls within
the bounds of birth and death. The environment of our world is
complex but it has balance. Our lives are complex and we seek
balance. Understanding the point of our existence is just the first
part of solving the mystery of life. The measure of a man is his
heart. This is the point of living a mortal life.
What is in your heart will be manifest in your experience. Your
intentions matter. I’m going to give you a simple model to help you
find your own best intentions and change your experience. It is
four words in order: heart, might, mind, and strength.
Heart is desire. What we want most is coded into our hearts.
We don’t know what we want most until experience provides for
contrasting and opposing possibilities. The universe is seeking
balance or equilibrium and so are we. All of life is seeking balance.
The only way that balance can be achieved is if there exist two
opposing forces.
What makes mankind unique in all of creation is that we get to
choose beyond all of God’s other creations. Our capacity to
become is limited only by the restrictions and borders set by
Heavenly Father. There are consequences for thoughts and actions
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that are already predetermined by a His plan. All that we
experience falls within the boundaries He has set and follows the
laws of nature He honors and has placed us within. So we need to
know what we desire more than anything else.
Our entrance into circumstances of birth and genealogy isn’t
God’s efforts to curse us. We were never sent where we didn’t
agree to go. The purpose of life is growth and when we counseled
with Father about life and the circumstances of our birth and
parentage, culture and language, we listened and trusted in His
love and understanding of what was in our best interest in the
eternal scheme of growth. From those beginnings we take clues
about who we really are and we seek one another as a means of
restoring our wholeness. It is implied that we can’t do this alone
and that while we are interdependent on each other, we are all
dependent upon God.
What we learn in our youth is based on the opposition and
contrast of our experience. We all get to peek into each other’s
lives as we cross paths. We see in others’ traits or abilities that we
admire. What we are really seeing is what is dormant within
ourselves. Our hearts can be good or evil. What we see in others is
the clearest indicator of what is functioning within ourselves.
New Testament, Matthew 7:1 - 2
1 JUDGE not, that ye be not judged.
2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with
what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Do you get it? What we see in others is only a reflection of
what is already in our hearts. The first verse is the one that
changes everything. “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” I think of
this in highly idealistic terms – that’s my nature. The day we stop
judging others is the day that we trust God to deal with His
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children. That’s the day when we seek His inspiration to know what
He would have us do to help them. When we submit that He is
supreme in His love and desire to bless His children, then we stop
trying to get ahead of Him in judging them worthy or otherwise.
We simply learn to watch and ask how we can help. There has to
be a lot of ground work established for this to sink in. Do you feel
the weight of what is implied here?
What we desire to do to God’s children is expressed as an
imposition of our will upon them. We tell people what they need
to think, or do, or what kind of person they should become. How’s
that working for you so far? Anybody letting you mold their clay?
May I suggest you keep your hands to yourself?
Trust in God’s perfect understanding of His children and allow
Him to reveal them to you. When inspiration comes, you’ll know
the difference. It won’t be based on you judging others. It is a pure
desire to serve them. It doesn’t come in the form of a “brain
dump.” You don’t get to lecture them into submission. It won’t
happen because you have superior knowledge and training. It will
come as a gentle kindness without any strings attached. It is in the
form of God’s love – unconditional giving to those who have asked
for help.
Divine Economy is the tuning of your instrument so that it sees
the good in everyone else and opens those possibilities within
yourself. The world will go on in its matter of fact manner of
conspicuous consumption. Those who find peace will do so in the
service of their fellow beings.
We are tied to life in all its forms on this planet. Kindness isn’t
meant for mankind alone. How we interact with all of God’s
creations is under His careful and watchful eye. He alone is our
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judge. The evidence of what is in our heart is before our eyes. We
see what we feel most deeply. The desires of our heart filter life
and we call those filters, belief.
We really need to be careful what we believe. We reveal our
heart when we tell others what is important in our world. Do our
beliefs include the right and authority to impose upon others? Can
our knowledge of a better way be reason enough for our will to
usurp anyone else’s? Have you taken the time to really stretch
your heart, test your beliefs, to see what the final conclusion or
consequences will be? This becomes your legacy, you know.
Your values are reflected in your beliefs. This is what you’re
passing on to the next generation as their “setup.” To find real joy
and happiness, we have to find ourselves. It seems that we are
finding ourselves by default all day long, but we are so distracted
and so caught up in mortality, that we are living our blinkered
moment and forgetting the totality of what we were and can
become. It isn’t about the body and sensuality that we have come
forth to learn. That lesson is included but it isn’t the important one.
It’s about our heart. We will be judged by what is in our heart.
MIGHT
What is – just is. What can be hasn’t been solidified until you
make a decision. Decisions are born out of preference and desire
as measured by the heart. You are here to find your wholeness,
your fullest expression of your deepest desires. A good definition
of desire comes from, Wallace D. Wattles:
Desire is possibility seeking expression or
function seeking performance.
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So once we’ve got all that ground work established, we can
resolve our preferences by committing to a singular outcome that
we are intent on creating. Making a firm decision is the second
critical step to tuning our instrument and aligning our will with
God’s. What God would have us do and what we choose are often
not the same things. His love is unconditional but the
consequences of our choices are not. Consequences are
conditional and we learn through experience what might or might
not happen if we make a certain decision.
Results follow within the laws established and honored by
God. We can predict outcomes if we act with foresight. The might
we exercise is the process of making one clear choice that
eliminates all other possible, predictable outcomes. Acting with
pure intent, or with all our might, the results will be dramatically
good or bad depending on how well we’ve lined up our heart’s
desires with God’s laws. Conviction for a decision adds weight to its
outcome. When we understand how to make genuine decisions
based upon the integrity of our heart, then we enjoy the
celebration that comes for the harvest of good ideas and well
executed plans. Our weaknesses are the result of not connecting
deeply enough with our pure motives; we can be shallow and
confused until we face ourselves directly and search the depth of
our own experience for the answers.
In business processes I have learned the value of strategic
action planning necessary for startup organizations to establish
consensus. When done properly, the strategic action planning
becomes the moral compass by which all things are measured and
through which all decisions must pass. It is the consensus of
resolution within an organization or an individual that determines
the values of the experience. Learning to think thoroughly enough
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to engage inspiration and then trusting it enough to form
conclusions upon which decisions are made is the accelerator of
creative endeavors. We must lay a powerful groundwork of fully
explored possibilities so that we can eliminate the consequences
we don’t want. This is the process of working with all your might.
Think deeply and completely about everything that might happen
and pattern your choices to filter out failure and disappointment to
the greatest extent possible. More than just filtering out the
unwanted, we must find the capacity to focus on what’s wanted.
All the possibilities exist in this moment. They reside with us in
the eternal now until we have resolved our desires in the form of
decisions that leave the fewest number of variables up to chance.
Our heart educates us through contrast and opposition. From
there we have to use all our other faculties to see if we can have
dominion over the outcomes. That is our legacy from Father in
Heaven. It is our capacity to create by intellectual, emotional, and
spiritual processes the future of our own choosing. He put us here
to see what we would do. What might you do?
MIND
The mind of God is the great quest that Einstein was on his
whole life. He said if he could know the mind of God, all the rest
was just details. Why do we have a mind? What does mind imply?
Mind is the instrument of reception of infinite intelligence. Intellect
is the means by which we process everything and emotions are
values measured by the spirit. We were intelligence first, then
spirit children of God, then mortal with physical bodies, what is the
mind? I think it is the combination of perception and reception
intended by God to help us become creators like Him.
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When we make up our minds with all our might, we set in
place a messaging system between our resolute choice and the
resources of God to perceive what is necessary to complete the
desires of our hearts. All that He has, He wants to give to us. It
passes from His mind to our own when we have made genuine
decisions powerfully enough to be tuned to His purposes. If we are
embarking on service to His children and our methods are to do so
with kindness and humility, He will open a conduit of inspiration
that will serve us as well as those we serve.
Our minds are the filters or tuners that purify the traffic of our
complex lives into a pure stream of information suitable to our
creative endeavors. What we do for others is amplified by God’s
love for us all. We get to share in that experience and deliver to
others gifts that we think ourselves unworthy of receiving. It opens
us up to a more intense level of divine economy. We are tapping
into the storehouse of God’s knowledge and feeling the impact of
His spirit edifying others and ourselves simultaneously.
As part of the greater process of making up your mind about
the things you want to accomplish, you make concrete decisions to
accomplish those things, your heart also becomes tuned into those
objectives as well. You feel things differently! This is how you grow
– that’s how all of us grow.
I was asked, “Do you think we can become smarter; can we
actually grow intellectually? If we read a book that raises us up to
an inspired thought process, why don’t we seem to be able to
maintain that level of energy and understanding a week later?”
This was a question that a good man in a management position was
trying to find an answer for – he was hoping to lift the lives of those
he served and over whom he had a stewardship. I could feel his
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determination to bless them. Would more resources increase their
ability to provide for themselves and their families?
Commission-only sales jobs are not for the weak hearted. Too
often, those he worked with were settling for failure and minimum
wage when a little inspiration might boost their performance. He
wanted to change their thinking and give them new skills. Is that
possible? His desire was to bless them by giving them what they
needed to be great sales people. Can they all become the person
he wants them to be by giving them more information?
This is a powerful test of our understanding. Do we change
people by giving them information? Is education the solution?
Does reform work in our prison systems? Do children in school
actually grow because of what they are told? What’s your sense of
this?
I believe it all starts in the heart. Changing a life can only
happen when you touch the heart of another and love them where
they are. Your words of encouragement and your gentle kindness
can reach a place that knowledge will never penetrate. In matters
of humanity, it all starts with the heart.
The foundation of change in the lives of those you serve comes
when you can share something meaningful at a level where they
can feel your sincere acceptance of them as they are. Only when
they feel that rapport do you have their attention and permission
to lead or suggest what they are more capable of – as they trust
your opinion of them, they allow you to lead.
You will never bridle the human spirit and cannot possibly
subject anyone to your will. It is completely foreign to the nature
of intelligence. They may submit to your will for a while, but that
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isn’t right. Dependence upon anyone other than God will always
fall short of joy. From a pure heart (your desire for their welfare
and your unconditional love) they will recognize and appreciate
your encouragement. That’s when their hearts begin to change.
You can’t make someone into something they are not. You
have to first love what they are and be grateful for them without
reservation.
It is similar to how we allow ourselves permission to become
better. Until we love ourselves and are happy in our own skin, we
can never move forward. If we look at ourselves in disgust or
loathing, we can’t improve. We must trust our best intentions and
know that we wouldn’t deliberately harm ourselves or anyone else.
We have to make a connection with our purest motives and judge
ourselves worthy of additional blessings and growth.
So it goes with others. All we can do is show them the way to
that person that they haven’t yet learned to trust – themselves. If
we are to help them in any meaningful way, we just have to love
them first. You and I can love them better than they know how to
love themselves. As we kindly demonstrate our sincere desires for
their happiness and demonstrate real faith in them just as they are,
they will learn to see themselves as we do. That’s all the magic any
of us can hope to exercise in this world. Divine Economy is counting
on each of us having the capacity to love and encourage those we
know; even perfect strangers can feel our love through a smile, a
kind word, a gesture that indicates acceptance.
Can we make everyone a good salesman if that’s our job?
Maybe. If they can see it in you and they like it, they might want to
try it on. If they like being a salesman then they can keep it. If not,
they are probably better suited to a different line of work – for
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now. You can be happy for them when they find out how to be
happy with themselves, and you don’t have to find your meaning by
turning them into something that’s not good for them?
This is a master’s course in humanity. Are you going to dump
knowledge on others, or will you reach for their heart and treat it
with kindness, gentleness, and love unfeigned? One method will
honor you both; the other will certainly create more frustration and
resentment. Let the mind of God inspire your love and let that give
them courage to feel something new and hope for something more
for themselves in their exploration – you provide encouragement
for the journey of their choosing.
It’s like Clive Wearing; we have to help them (1) connect to
their past in a productive way, (2) acknowledge all their resources
in the moment and (3) create a future of their own choosing. This
is the mind of God and when we tap into it on behalf of others, it
works. Love changes everything. Knowledge and information is
helpful but until one heart touches another, humanity suffers a
slow lingering death, one lonely soul at a time. Saving another life
is not difficult, but they have to feel like they are worth saving first.
You can give them that hope.
Touching the mind of God is the privilege of seeing others as
God sees them. When you feel deep within your heart, when you
decide with all your might, your mind will reach the lofty definitions
God holds for all His children, including you. He will bless you with
purity and open your mind to understand the world as He intended
it and how to bless others.
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STRENGTH
The body is the least of all these components in God’s recipe
for creativity and joyful living. I don’t want to diminish the critical
nature of the body in any way, but of these four elements
necessary to express ourselves perfectly, your heart is seventy
percent, your will is fifteen percent, your mind is ten percent,
leaving your strength with only five percent of the creative
processes we’ve come to explore.
When correctly understood you need to precede physical labor
by doing ninety-five percent of the creative activity (spiritual,
emotional, & intellectual) before your decisions can take physical
form. Ultimately the body is the vehicle of action. God’s mind is so
efficient that if we have laid the groundwork properly in the heart,
with our might, and our minds, the body gets so little work by
comparison.
When inspired to act, we should. It will always be the last
component of a creative endeavor. What we don’t establish with
passion, planning, and inspiration, often becomes so much work
that it is nearly impossible because the spiritual creation isn’t
finished first. Learn to rely on inspiration to show you how to act
when the time is right.
One of the things that I think is important about the body that
we must understand is to discipline its appetites and passions. If
we don’t it will run us and limit our ability to work through our
challenges properly. If the body is the loudest member on your
team, then the real work isn’t getting done and the foundations for
ease, understanding, comfort, and integrity are lost. We need to
see the body as the member of our creative team that gets lunch,
picks up the tools, arranges the critical supplies and materials, but
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isn’t the boss. The body has desires and needs. We must keep
them within the bounds set by God in order to receive the
inspiration necessary to make life as easy as it was meant to be.
We need to rule the flesh – not the other way around.
Next we’ll explore the heart, might, mind, and strength model
more thoroughly. You’ll peak over my shoulder as I apply these
ideas to an area of my own life that needs serious attention. Wish
me luck!
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Five
Decisions
I
lived in Idaho Falls, Idaho all of my teenage years. My
parents had been through a difficult divorce when I was
seven or eight but they remarried and we were together
again. My father was a strong man and he worked hard. He grew
up as a cowboy in Wyoming and was breaking horses for pay before
he was in high school. In his generation, a man was taught to
provide for his family and work from sunrise to sunset without
complaint. While we lived in Idaho my father was employed as a
farm equipment mechanic for pivot irrigation systems and potato
harvesters. His days were long and he was short of energy and
patience when he got home regardless of the weather. My father
was “a man’s man.”
In my memory, I always wanted to spend fun time alone with
my dad. Maybe that’s just part of our programming, but I was
always disappointed that we didn’t do more together. When the
rare occasion permitted a crack in his daily grind, my father would
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