Gratitude

This By Darius Rucker

Blessed by Martina McBride

I Could Not Ask For More by Sara Evans
(Originally Recorded by Edwin McCain)

Writings On Gratitude

Thankfulness is of various kinds. There is a verbal thanksgiving which is confined to a mere utterance of gratitude. This is of no importance because perchance the tongue may give thanks while the heart is unaware of it. Many who offer thanks to God are of this type, their spirits and hearts unconscious of thanksgiving. This is mere usage, just as when we meet, receive a gift and say thank you, speaking the words without significance. One may say thank you a thousand times while the heart remains thankless, ungrateful. Therefore, mere verbal thanksgiving is without effect. But real thankfulness is a cordial giving of thanks from the heart. When man in response to the favors of God manifests susceptibilities of conscience, the heart is happy, the spirit is exhilarated. These spiritual susceptibilities are ideal thanksgiving.  "                                                            Abd'u'l-Baha- The Promulgation Of Universal Peace pg 236

"There is a cordial thanksgiving, too, which expresses itself in the deeds and actions of man when his heart is filled with gratitude. For example, God has conferred upon man the gift of guidance, and in thankfulness for this great gift certain deeds must emanate from him. To express his gratitude for the favors of God man must show forth praiseworthy actions. In response to these bestowals he must render good deeds, be self-sacrificing, loving the servants of God, forfeiting even life for them, showing kindness to all the creatures. He must be severed from the world, attracted to the Kingdom of Abhá, the face radiant, the tongue eloquent, the ear attentive, striving day and night to attain the good pleasure of God. Whatsoever he wishes to do must be in harmony with the good pleasure of God. He must observe and see what is the will of God and act accordingly. There can be no doubt that such commendable deeds are thankfulness for the favors of God. "                                                         Abd'u'l-Baha- The Promulgation Of Universal Peace pg 236

"O thou handmaid of God! In this day, to thank God for His bounties consisteth in possessing a radiant heart, and a soul open to the promptings of the spirit. This is the essence of thanksgiving."                                                                    Selections From The Writings Of  Abd'u'l-Baha pg 320

More Songs On Gratitude

Unanswered Prayers by Garth Brooks
Little Moments by Brad Paisley
I Saw God Today by George Strait
Little Moments and I Saw God Today  are available on iTunes


Music Bibliography
This by Darius Rucker is on the album Charleston SC,1966
Blessed by Martina McBride is on her Greatest Hits album
I Could Not Ask For More by Sara Evans is on the album Born To Fly
All three songs are available on iTunes

Service

Helping Hand by Amy Grant

Chain Of Love by Clay Walker

Put A Little Love In Your Heart

Writings on Service

"Be ye loving fathers to the orphan, and a refuge to the helpless, and a treasury for the poor, and a cure for the ailing. Be ye the helpers of every victim of oppression, the patrons of the disadvantaged. Think ye at all times of rendering some service to every member of the human race. Pay ye no heed to aversion and rejection, to disdain, hostility, injustice: act ye in the opposite way. Be ye sincerely kind, not in appearance only. Let each one of God’s loved ones centre his attention on this: to be the Lord’s mercy to man; to be the Lord’s grace. Let him do some good to every person whose path he crosseth, and be of some benefit to him. Let him improve the character of each and all, and reorient the minds of men. In this way, the light of divine guidance will shine forth, and the blessings of God will cradle all mankind"

(Abdu'l-Baha,Selections From The Writings Of Abdu'l-Baha,p.3)

“O friends, consort with all the people of the world with joy and fragrance. If there be to you a word or essence whereof others than you are devoid, communicate it and show it forth in the language of affection and kindness: if it be received and be effective the object is attained, and if not leave it to him, and with regard to him deal not harshly but pray. The language ofkindness is the lodestone of hearts and the food of the soul; it stands in the relation of ideas to words, and is as an horizon for the shining of the Sun of Wisdom and Knowledge.” (Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, p. 43)

"That one indeed is a man who, today, dedicateth himself to the service of the entire human race.” Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p.250 

Music Bibliography

Helping Hand by Amy Grant is on the album House Of Love

Chain Of Love by Clay Walker is on the album Live, Laugh, Love

Put A Little Love In Your Heart By Jackie De Shannon is on the album The Best Of Jackie De Shannon

All songs are available on iTunes

Tests And Difficulties (Part 2)

Overcomer by Mandisa

Featured In the video are Robin Roberts,Scott Hamilton

Hannah Curlee(from The Biggest Loser)and Gabrielle Giffords

Keep Your Head Up By Andy Grammar

Mountains by Lonestar

Writings on Tests And Difficulties

"While a man is happy he may forget his God; but when grief comes and sorrows overwhelm him, then will he remember his Father who is in Heaven, and who is able to deliver him from his humiliations.

Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most pruned by the gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes, will have the most beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit.

The labourer cuts up the earth with his plough, and from that earth comes the rich and plentiful harvest. The more aman is chastened, the greater is the harvest of spiritual virtues shown forth by him. A soldier is no good General until he has been in the front of the fiercest battle and has received the deepest wounds." (Abd'u'l-Baha,Paris Talks, p 50) "O Thou Whose tests are a healing medicine to such as are nigh unto Thee, Whose sword is the ardent desire ofall them that love Thee, Whose dart is the dearest wish of those hearts that yearn after Thee, Whose decree is the sole hope of them that have recognized Thy truth! I implore Thee, by Thy divine sweetness and by the splendors of the glory of Thy face, to send down upon us from Thy retreats on high that which will enable us to draw nigh unto Thee. Set, then, our feet firm, O my God, in Thy Cause, and enlighten our hearts with the effulgence of Thy knowledge, and illumine our breasts with the brightness of Thy names." (Compilations,Baha'i Prayers p. 189) "The necessity and the particularity of the assured and believing ones is to be firm in the Cause of God and withstand the hidden and evident tests. Thanks be to God that you are distinguished and made eminent by this blessing. Anybody can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success, pleasure and joy; but if one will be happy and contented in the time of trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, it is the proof of nobility. Thanks be to God that that dear servant of God is extremely patient under the disastrous circumstances, and in the place of complaining gives thanks." (Abd'u'l-Baha,Bahai World Faith- Abd'u'l- Baha Section pg 363)

Music Bibliography

Overcomer by Mandisa is on the album Overcomer

Keep Your Head Up by Andy Grammer is on the album Andy Grammer

Mountains by Lonestar is on the album Mountains

All songs are available on iTunes

Spiritual Transformation

 

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For by U2 

 

Man In The Mirror by Michael Jackson

 

 

 

 

 

 

Man I Want To Be By Chris Young

 

 

Baha'i Writings on Spiritual Transformation:

"For material civilization is like unto a beautiful body, and spiritual civilization is like unto the spirit of life. If that wondrous spirit of life enters this beautiful body, the body will become a channel for the distribution and development of the perfections of humanity."

 (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 11)

 

"How excellent, how honorable is man if he arises to fulfil his responsibilities; how wretched and contemptible, if he shuts his eyes to the welfare of society and wastes his precious life in pursuing his own selfish interests and personal advantages. Supreme happiness is man's, and he beholds the signs of God in the world and in the human soul, if he urges on the steed of high endeavor in the arena of civilization and justice."

 (Abdu'l-Baha, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 3)

 

"What is the purpose of our lives?'

To acquire virtues. We come from the earth; why were we transferred from the mineral to the vegetable kingdom -- from the plant to the animal kingdom? So that we may attain perfection in each of these kingdoms, that we may possess the best qualities of the mineral, that we may acquire the power of growing as in the plant, that we may be adorned with the instincts of the animal and possess the faculties of sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste, until from the animal kingdom we step into the world of humanity and are gifted with reason, the power of invention, and the forces of the spirit."

 (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 176)

 

 

 

 

Music Bibliography:
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking for by U2 is on the Joshua Tree album

Man In The Mirror By Michael Jackson is on the album: The Essential Michael Jackson

The Man I Want To Be by Chris Young is on the album The Man I Want To Be
 

All songs are available on iTunes

Peace

Yihye Tov (Things Will Get Better) by David Broza
To learn more about David Broza
and for a translation of the lyrics
Go Here:David Broza Feature

From A Distance by Bette Midler

If I Can Dream by Elvis


Baha'i Quotes On Peace:

"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth."

 (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 14)

 

"When a thought of war comes, oppose it by a stronger thought of peace. A thought of hatred must be destroyed by a more powerful thought of love. Thoughts of war bring destruction to all harmony, well-being, restfulness and content."

 (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 29)

 

"It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness."

 (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 6)

 

"The Great Peace towards which people of good will throughout the centuries have inclined their hearts, of which seers and poets for countless generations have expressed their vision, and for which from age to age the sacred scriptures of mankind have constantly held the promise, is now at long last within the reach of the nations. For the first time in history it is possible for everyone to view the entire planet, with all its myriad diversified peoples, in one perspective. World peace is not only possible but inevitable. It is the next stage in the evolution of this planet—in the words of one great thinker, “the planetization of mankind”.

Whether peace is to be reached only after unimaginable horrors precipitated by humanity’s stubborn clinging to old patterns of behaviour, or is to be embraced now by an act of consultative will, is the choice before all who inhabit the earth. At this critical juncture when the intractable problems confronting nations have been fused into one common concern for the whole world, failure to stem the tide of conflict and disorder would be unconscionably irresponsible. "

Baha'u'llah: The Promise Of World Peace

Music Bibliography:
Yihye Tov By David Broza is on the album: Things Will Be Better: Greatest Hits
From A Distance By Bette Midler is on the albums: Some People's Lives and Experience The Divine
If I Can Dream is on the albums 2nd to None and Elvis By The Presleys
All Songs are available through iTunes

More songs on Peace:
Promise Of A New Day by Paula Abdul
Heal The World by Michael Jackson
Imagine by John Lennon
One by U2
Teaching Peace by Red Grammer
Hole In The World by The Eagles
If I Had My Way by Vince Gill
My Grown Up Christmas List by Natalie Cole
Let There Be Peace On Earth by Tom Paxton (also recorded by Vince Gill as well as Gladys Knight)
All of these songs are also available on iTunes




Featured Artist:David Broza

David Broza



David Broza is an Israeli born singer/songwriter and is the very definition of a world citizen. He was born in Israel, educated in England and Spain and records in English, Spanish, and Hebrew.

 

I first learned of him from an episode of Nightline that aired during the conflict in 2006 between Lebanon and Israel. They featured him because he was doing free concerts in the bomb shelters in Israel to boost morale. The more I saw, the more I was intrigued and fell in love with his music.

 

The song he is most known for is Yihye Tov (translated it means Things Will Be Better). It is the very first song he ever wrote and it was inspired by the moment when Anwar Sedat of Egypt set foot on Israeli soil for the first time. Every time he plays this song, he always says that he looks forward to the day he can stop playing this song, because that means peace will have come and maybe tonight will be the night.

 

 

Yihye Tov

 

Translated lyrics for Yihye Tov:

 

I look out of the window and it makes me very sad,

Spring has left, who knows if it will return.

The clown has become a king, the prophet has become a clown

and I have forgotten the way, but I am still here.

 

And all will be good, yes, all will be good

Sometimes I break down, so tonight

oh, tonight, with you I stay.

 

Children wear wings and fly off to the army

and after two years they return without an answer.

People live in anxiety, looking for a reason to breathe

and between hatred and murder

they talk about peace.

 

And all will be good, yes, all will be good

Sometimes I break down, so tonight

oh, tonight, with you I stay.

 

(Yes) up there in the sky, clouds are learning how to fly

and I look up see a hijacked airplane.

A government of generals divide the land, to what's theirs and ours

not seeing/ when will we see the end?

 

We will yet learn to live together between the groves of olive trees

Children will live without fear, without borders, without bomb shelters

On graves, grass will grow, for peace and love, one hundred years of war

But hope is not lost

 

I look out of my window, maybe it has/will come a new day

 

Here comes the prince of Egypt, oh how I rejoiced for him

There are pyramids in the eyes and peace in his pipe

And we said "let's make peace and live as brothers"

And he then said, let's just leave the territories

 

 

 



Tests And Difficulties:Presence Of God

All That I Am By Rob Thomas

 

 

I Will Be Light by Matisyahu

 

 

Writings From The Baha'i Faith

 

"In God We put Our trust, and to Him We cry for help, that haply there may flow from this pen that which shall quicken the souls of men, that they may all arise from their beds of heedlessness and hearken unto the rustling of the leaves of Paradise, from the tree which the hand of divine power hath, by the permission of God, planted in the Ridvan of the All-Glorious."

 (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 19)

 

The necessity and the particularity of the assured and believing ones is to be firm in the Cause of God and withstand the hidden and evident tests. Thanks be to God that you are distinguished and made eminent by this blessing. Anybody can be happy in the state of comfort, ease, health, success, pleasure and joy; but if one will be happy and contented in the time of trouble, hardship and prevailing disease, it is the proof of nobility. Thanks be to God that that dear servant of God is extremely patient under the disastrous circumstances, and in the place of complaining gives thanks.

 (Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 363)

 

While a man is happy he may forget his God; but when grief comes and sorrows overwhelm him, then will he remember his Father who is in Heaven, and who is able to deliver him from his humiliations.

Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most pruned by the gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes, will have the most beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit.

The labourer cuts up the earth with his plough, and from that earth comes the rich and plentiful harvest. The more a man is chastened, the greater is the harvest of spiritual virtues shown forth by him. A soldier is no good General until he has been in the front of the fiercest battle and has received the deepest wounds.

 (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 50)

 

 "Place thy trust in God, and commit thine affairs unto Him, and enter then the Most Great Prison, that thou mayest hear what no ear hath ever heard, and gaze on that which no eye hath ever seen. After such an exposition, can there remain any room for doubt? Nay, by God, Who standeth over His Cause! In truth I say: On this day the blessed words "But He is the Apostle of God, and the Seal of the Prophets" have found their consummation in the verse "The day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds." Render thou thanksgiving unto God, for so great a bounty."

 (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 114)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Music Bibliography

All That I Am by Rob Thomas is on the album Something To Be

I Will Be Light By Matisyahu is on the album Light

 

Both Songs are available on iTunes

Featured Artist:Rascal Flatts

Rascal Flatts from l to r:Gary LeVox, Jay Demarcus and Joe Don Rooney



Rascal Flatts is one of the hottest groups in country music. They are soulful, from the heart and some of the most talented musicians I have ever heard.

Their specialty is songs that are from the heart and have spiritual meaning. One of my personal favorites is a song called "He Ain't The Leavin' Kind". I love this song because it makes you think and it takes a second to realize that it's God who "ain't the leavin' kind". The song never mentions God by name but the message is very clear:God will always be there even if you think he's not.

Some Rascal Flatts songs:

 

He Ain't Leavin' Kind

 

 

Unstoppable

 

Changed

 

 

 

 

 

All songs are available on iTunes.

 





Tests And Difficulties

Music:

Coming Out Of The Dark By Gloria Estefan

 

 

He Ain' t The Leavin' Kind By Rascal Flatts

 

 

The Man I Want To Be By Chris Young

 

 

 

Writings On Tests And Difficulties

"While a man is happy he may forget his God; but when grief comes and sorrows overwhelm him, then will he remember his Father who is in Heaven, and who is able to deliver him from his humiliations.

 

Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most pruned by the gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes, will have the most beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit.

The labourer cuts up the earth with his plough, and from that earth comes the rich and plentiful harvest. The more a man is chastened, the greater is the harvest of spiritual virtues shown forth by him. A soldier is no good General until he has been in the front of the fiercest battle and has received the deepest wounds."

 (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 50)

 

"Tests and trials only cause agitation to weak hearts. But the pure souls, a hundred thousand tests are but to them like mirage, imagination and shadow. The shadow cannot withstand the rays of the sun and pure fragrances of holiness will not be concealed through the doubts of the beetle. The headache of wavering (or hesitancy) will not affect those exhilarated with the wine of the love of God."

 (Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v2, p. 251)

 

"To the sincere ones, tests are as a gift from God, the Exalted, for a heroic person hasteneth, with the utmost joy and gladness, to the tests of a violent battlefield, but the coward is afraid and trembles and utters moaning and lamentation. Likewise, an expert student prepareth and memorizeth his lessons and exercises with the utmost effort, and in the day of examination he appeareth with infinite joy before the master. Likewise, the pure gold shineth radiantly in the fire of test. Consequently, it is made clear that for holy souls, trials are as the gift of God, the Exalted; but for weak souls they are an unexpected calamity. This test is just as thou hast written: it removeth the rust of egotism from the mirror of the heart until the Sun of Truth may shine therein. For, no veil is greater than egotism and no matter how thin that covering may be, yet it will finally veil man entirely and prevent him from receiving a portion from the eternal bounty."

 (Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 371)

 

 

 

 

 Music Bibliography

Coming Out Of The Dark by Gloria Estefan is on the album Into The Light

He Ain't The Leavin' Kind by Rascal Flatts is on the album Me And My Gang

The Man I Want To Be by Chris Young is on the album The Man I Want To Be

 

 

All songs are available on iTunes



 

 

 

 

 

All songs are available on iTunes

Featured Artist:U2

U2



U2 is one of my favorite groups of all time. In addition to being one of the greatest rock groups of all time, they also hold the distinction of having more songs than any other artist that can be matched with Baha'i writings (their standing count is 32).Their songs echo many ideas and themes but all seem to come back to the ideas of  unity, love of mankind and spirituality.

Why do I love U2?

I love them because they are some of the most Baha'i non Baha'is I have ever seen. Not only do their songs carry Baha'i themes but their actions do too. The group as a whole stands for world peace and works to help their respective causes any way they can. The most notable ones:Bono is of course well known for his work with Africa  and trying to eliminate AIDS and poverty and The Edge set up a foundation to help get instruments back in the hands of New Orleans musicians after Hurricane Katrina.

I love almost all of their songs but my absolute favorite is Beautiful Day. It's about a guy who has lost a lot but is reflecting on what he has and the beauty in his life. For me, this song became an all time favorite after former Congress woman Gabrielle Giffords was shot. She is a huge U2 fan  and chose Beautiful Day as the wake up song for her husband's mission (he's a retired astronaut) in 2006. For his final mission, his 2 daughters chose Beautiful Day again in Gabby's honor. Learning this made the song that much more meaningful to me.




Some songs by U2:

Beautiful Day (Live 8 London Performance)

 

One (with Mary J Blige)

 

Pride (In The Name Of Love)

Joy

Keep Smilin by Malcolm Jamal Warner

Lovely Day by Bill Withers

Singin' In The Rain by Gene Kelly

 

 

Writings From The Baha'i Faith on Joy:

 

"Be happy and joyous because the bestowals of God are intended for you and the life of the Holy Spirit is breathing upon you."

 (Abdu'l-Baha, The Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 214)

 

"Joy gives us wings! In times of joy our strength is more vital, our intellect keener, and our understanding less clouded. We seem better able to cope with the world and to find our sphere of usefulness. But when sadness visits us we become weak, our strength leaves us, our comprehension is dim and our intelligence veiled. The actualities of life seem to elude our grasp, the eyes of our spirits fail to discover the sacred mysteries, and we become even as dead beings."

 (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 109)

 

 

"O God! Refresh and gladden my spirit. Purify my heart. Illumine my powers. I lay all my affairs in Thy hand. Thou art my Guide and my Refuge. I will no longer be sorrowful and grieved; I will be a happy and joyful being. O God! I will no longer be full of anxiety, nor will I let trouble harass me. I will not dwell on the unpleasant things of life.

O God! Thou art more friend to me than I am to myself. I dedicate myself to Thee, O Lord."

- 'Abdu'l-Bahá

 (Compilations, Baha'i Prayers, p. 150)

 

 

Music Bibliography:

Keep Smilin' by Malcolm Jamal Warner is on the album Love And Other Social Issues

Lovely Day by Bill Withers is on the album Greatest Hits

Singin' In The Rain by Gene Kelley is on the soundtrack for Singin in the Rain

 

All of these songs are available on iTunes

 

 

 

 

 



Hope

Songs about Hope:

Hope by Shaggy

Hope Set High by Amy Grant

Writings From The Baha'i Faith on Hope:

"While a man is happy he may forget his God; but when grief comes and sorrows overwhelm him, then will he remember his Father who is in Heaven, and who is able to deliver him from his humiliations.
Men who suffer not, attain no perfection. The plant most pruned by the gardeners is that one which, when the summer comes, will have the most beautiful blossoms and the most abundant fruit.
The labourer cuts up the earth with his plough, and from that earth comes the rich and plentiful harvest. The more a man is chastened, the greater is the harvest of spiritual virtues shown forth by him. A soldier is no good General until he has been in the front of the fiercest battle and has received the deepest wounds."
 (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 50)

"Never lose thy trust in God. Be thou ever hopeful, for the bounties of God never cease to flow upon man. If viewed from one perspective they seem to decrease, but from another they are full and complete. Man is under all conditions immersed in a sea of God's blessings. Therefore, be thou not hopeless under any circumstances, but rather be firm in thy hope."
 (Abdu'l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 205)

"Therefore strive that your actions day by day may be beautiful prayers. Turn towards God, and seek always to do that which is right and noble. Enrich the poor, raise the fallen, comfort the sorrowful, bring healing to the sick, reassure the fearful, rescue the oppressed, bring hope to the hopeless, shelter the destitute!"
 (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 80)

Music Information:

"Hope" by Shaggy is on the album "Hot Shot".
"Hope Set High" by Amy Grant is on the album "Heart In Motion".


Both of these songs are available through iTunes.

Unity

Songs about Unity:

We Shall Be Free by Garth Brooks:

 

Symphony Of Brotherhood by Miri Ben Ari :(This one's an instrumental but so cool!)

 

 

If I Can Dream by Elvis Presley

 



 

Writings From The Baha'i Faith On Unity

"O people of the world, ye are all the fruit of one tree and the leaves of one branch. Walk with perfect charity, concord, affection, and agreement. I swear by the Sun of Truth, the light of agreement shall brighten and illumine the horizons. The all-knowing Truth hath been and is the witness to this saying. Endeavor to attain to this high supreme station which is the station of protection and preservation of mankind. This is the intent of the King of intentions, and this the hope of the Lord of hopes."
 (Abdu'l-Baha, A Traveller's Narrative, p. 42)

"We work and pray for the unity of mankind, that all the races of the earth may become one race, all the countries one country, and that all hearts may beat as one heart, working together for perfect unity and brotherhood."
 (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 99)

"So powerful is the light of unity that it can illuminate the whole earth."
 (Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 14)

Music Information

 

"We Shall Be Free" by Garth Brooks is on the album "The Chase"

"Symphony Of Brotherhood by Miri Ben Ari is available as a single on iTunes

"If I Can Dream" by Elvis Presley is on the albums "2nd to None" and "Elvis by the Presleys"

 

Symphony of Brotherhood and If I Can Dream are available on iTunes