“Hope In The Midst of Present Realities”

“Hope in the midst of present realities”

Faith the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things unseen… -Hebrews: 11:1

Faith is paramount. In the midst of the reality of tough times hope has to be exercised. Hope and faith are tied together. I have preached many sermons on hope, faith, belief and transformed minds and spirits. I have watched and prayed with many to overcome surmountable odds. I have seen God move in the lives of so many people. I have even sought to be the answer to someone else’s prayer.

Yet on my turn when things aren’t going exactly as I would have them, when some parts of my life are difficult, when it is time to apply the faith that I’ve taught and preached, I must ask myself, “Do I believe in the faith that I’ve preached?”I have come to understand that God is faithful. God does work in ways that I don’t understand. I have learned personally that God may not come when we want him to, however God always comes on time.

I am guilty of worrying and doubting despite the fact that God has continually made a way for me. When I focus on the good, when I focus on my fickle likes, I must admit that God is good and God has and is providing. I have learned that struggles tests your character and can pull the worst or the best out of you.

I have learned that every day I wake up I have a choice, a choice as to whether to focus on the good or to focus on the bad. I have firsthand experience that focusing on the bad attracts bad. Focusing on good attracts good. There is a colloquialism which proclaims “it’s all good.” This proclamation is true and is in fact biblical. After God created the world, God stated, “It is good.” –Genesis 1:31

Faith is paramount in a marriage. I am blessed to have a cheerleader, friend, companion and partner, in a wife. My lover truly loves me and seeks to comfort and challenge my soul. In order to weather the storms of life a husband and wife must apply faith. They must have the resolve and determination to continue to journey through life together and not let the realities of life tear them apart. They must continue to find ways to nurture and grow their love. They must hold on to hope. Greta is and has been my inspiration because she practices the principles upon which we agreed to be the foundation for our relationship and marriage.

We’ve learned that marriage could be a spiritual practice. This was the area we wanted to gain the most intimacy. Thus we decided to make our marriage our most important spiritual practice. We treat it as a sacrament, “a means of grace.” As a result we have been blessed abundantly. We have gained the closeness we experienced when we first met and began dating. This allows us to accentuate the positive in each other and it allows us to make continuous love deposits and decrease withdrawals.

We know that our marriage is sacred and is a reflection of our faith. The way we respond to each other and proceed in life together has become a demonstration of our faith. For us to decide to journey through life together is ultimately an act of faith. We intentionally seek to be more intimate as we uncover more about ourselves and each other. It allows us to celebrate each other and our love.

It has propelled us in our quest to share what we learned with others as we share principles that authentically work for us. Another aspect of our practice is meditating and speaking words of promise, commitment and affirmation to each other through mantras.

By using a daily mantra, we motivate ourselves and each other by reminding ourselves to apply Love, Trust, Forgiveness, Compassion, Kindness, Generosity, Mutual Respect, Empathy, Acceptance, and Gratitude. These are principles which we practice as we grow our love and continue on our journey to ONEness.

Our experience bears witness to the power of Love. We will continue to share it with others in hopes of changing the world one relationship at a time by accentuating the positive and sharing with others these principles and practices which are deeply spiritual and based in biblical and life truths.

We seek to bless as we are blessed. We pray the same for you and yours.

Namaste’

Rev. Dr. Gary A. Williams


Copyright 2011 Gary A. Williams. All Rights Reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced, distributed, performed publicly, displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of Gary A. Williams.

Ten Spiritual Practices For Co-Creating A Successful Marriage

Greetings Friends,

It is finally done! Our book, “Ten Spiritual Practices For Co-Creating A Successful Marriage” is completed and is now available on Kindle Amazon.com for your review and/or purchase. The completion of this book was a struggle and has been a labor of love. These are the principles upon which have built our marriage. Greta and I find that they help us to grow our souls individually and as a couple

Staying married takes work commitment and intent to stay married and enjoy it. Greta and I are committed to staying married and have fun as we grow spiritually, intellectually and otherwise. As we have worked with other couples over the years we have worked on our individual selves and our marriage. “Ten Spiritual Practices For Co-Creating A Successful Marriage” comes out of these experiences.

Greta and I pray that this e-book will give you perspective on love, marriage, God and spiritual principles that will aide you as you seek to become ONE in heart, mind, body and spirit. It can be located at:
http://www.amazon.com/Spiritual-Practices-Co-Creating-Successful-ebook/dp/B004Z2D3TE.

We hope that you will get a copy of our book and be blessed. We believe that it will help you to co-create the love and marriage of your dreams!


Yours Truly

Gary A.

Rev. Dr. Gary A. Williams

Tantra Sacred Sex

4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. –I Corinthians 13(NIV)

Greta and I believe that for love to make the world go around, it must begin in the home between husbands and wives. We believe that Love must be made over and over in the household between husbands and wives. Greta’s and I have a desire, to help marriages survive, blossom, grow, live and love!

Our community suffers because of the damage that divorce and feuding parents cause to our societal children. Too many marriages end because husbands and wives do not know how to get along. Marriage licenses are given without minimum requirements. Virtually no information has to be absorbed for a couple to apply for and receive a marriage license.

Many couples do not realize that a good marriage takes effort to build. Television gives us several models of marriages, yet they are only glimpses of what real marriages are like. Between a husband and wife, a good marriage takes endless conversation, love, determination, mutual respect and compromise. Husband and wife must work on themselves, as they are patient with one another. They work to embody the spiritual principle of love expressed in the passage of scripture quoted above. They must understand that life is a journey with many roadmaps and opportunities to grow and be enlightened.

Greta and I believe that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. We believe that we are blessed to live and seek to be in gratitude. We believe that we are to develop our spirituality and grow as a result. Thus, we seek to experience events and gather tools that are consistent with our belief to help us to live out our spiritual reality.

One such tool is Tantra. For us, Tantra is a science and a practice. Tantra sees all life as being connected. Tantra is a spiritual practice that helps to integrate our hearts, spirits and sex. Translated from Sanskrit, the word “Tantra” means to “weave” together the intricacies of life into one of balance and harmony with yourself, God and your lover and helpmate. It believes that all life is co-dependent and that what affects you affect me.

Tantra also sees the spiritual and physical connected. It is practiced in many ways just like any other spiritual/religious philosophy. One of the many reasons we practice it is because we have found it to help us understand ourselves as a person. It helped us to open our heart to self and each other.

Our Tantra practice encourages us to see each other as lover and helpmate as we embody Christian scriptures for guidance. It helped us peel away layers of hurt, pain, disappointments, and frustrations that had built up over years and has given us tools to help us as we move forward within our individual and collective spiritual journeys. It has given us additional insight to our Christian practices for spiritual growth and exercise. It helps us to see our love and marriage with spiritual lenses. It helps us grow in Oneness.

We are pleased to begin to share more about our practice and how it has blessed us to be a blessing to each other and other married couples. Our Tantra coaches, Al Link and Pala Copeland joined us on our “Sex in the Morning Show with Gary A. & GretaÔ” as we conversed about Tantra Sacred Sex and our unique experiences and methods of practicing. Included is the link to our Youtube channel. The latest episode is titled, “Tantra Sacred Sex.”

I hope you enjoy and apply some of the teachings to your life and marriage. This interview is imbedded below. Other episodes can also be found at: www.Youtube.com/SensuousSeminars1. Please subscribe to our channel!


Living in Love and Gratitude

-Rev. Dr. Gary A.

Loving, Dating & Marriage

September 2, 2010

How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves. How handsome you are, my lover! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant. -Song of Solomon 1:15-16

Earlier today I Googled, “How should a man treat his wife?” I was pleasantly surprised that the answer came back, that one should treat one’s wife with “respect, love, faithfulness, honesty and patience.”

Song of Solomon is a book for married couples. It is a book that encourages husband and wives to love one another. It encourages both to treat each other special. It challenges them to take delight in each other and in the pleasures that each has to offer.

Though written rather cryptically in comparison to our time, it gives great details as to how Lovers can enjoy each other. At the core of its teachings is to take time and amuse each other sensuously. Lovers are encouraged to see, taste, touch, smell and hear each other. Husbands are to rest in the bosom of their wives and wives are to open up to their husbands. Each is to give and receive compliments. Most of all they are to be present in the time they have with each other and to love each other slowly.

Men can learn a lot from this book of love and learn to slow down and be with their wives. Men can learn to talk, listen and be vulnerable with their wives. If husband and wife do as this book instructs, they will be drawn together in ONEness and their love will be nurtured and grow. In fact they will create and re-create love, over and over again.

The writer says that the bed is verdant. Verdant means lush, green and/or fertile. The bed is to be used to create, re-create and fuel intimacy. Husbands and wives not only receive permission; they are admonished to make love.

Love however starts outside of the bedroom. It starts with conversation and the free exchange of ideas and feelings. It starts with husband and wife taking the time to know each other’s hearts, dreams and aspirations. Love starts with each feeling that the other cares and desires the other. Before a husband and wife can fully enjoy the fruits of the bedroom and the enjoyment and pleasure of copulation, they must enjoy their time outside of it and before they know it the two will blend seamlessly together.

Husbands and wives must enjoy each other outside of physical contact and develop emotional intimacy. This will build the trust and desire to explore the world and each other in creative and exciting ways. Williard F. Harley, Jr suggests that husbands and wives spend at least twenty (20) hours a week with each other. This time is to be spent having fun and enjoying each other. This time is to be a priority.

Thus Great and I challenge you to do what we do and that is to have a date night, every week. We mix it up and do all sorts of things and take in the world in which we live. It keeps our time together fun and exciting and we both look forward to being with each other at this time.

I have included the link to the latest episode of “Sex in The Morning Show with Gary A. & Greta” its topic is “Sensuous Date.” I hope that you enjoy and apply some of the teachings to your relationship. It can be found at: http://www.Youtube.com/SensuousSeminars1


Eternally in Love with Greta

-Rev. Dr. Gary A.

Hugs are Great!!!

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. -Genesis 2:24-25

As part of our ongoing intent, “To Make Love.” Greta and I make a concerted effort to live and practice what we teach. We are making our marriage fun by engaging in a variety of activities. We took the scripture, which was read at our wedding over twenty-five (25) years ago seriously. We are seeking to grow and become ONE. We seek to be present in each moment. We are seeking to grab hold and hug.

Kissing, Eye-Gazing and Hugging are three activities that have come to be the tapestry of our “love-making.” I am talking about making love and not sex. Greta loves non-sexual contact. As a result, I have become more sensitive, disciplined and able to meet her emotional needs. That is not to say that I don’t have more work to do, but my work is paying off and Greta and I both feel that our intimacy is deepening.

We are becoming more affectionate and we truly enjoy each other’s company. All of this is part of us becoming “Naked” before one another. We share our thoughts and feelings with each other without fear of judgment, punishment or retribution. Yes, some couples do punish each other for not being who the other wants them to be.

As we are naked we find acceptance with and from each other. This is so refreshing, empowering, honoring and loving. It deepens our trust and strengthens our intimacy. Being conscious that we make time for each other increase our love energy. We both know that enjoying dates and time together is important to the other. We feel loved, nurtured and cherished. We are having our individual needs met and we are meeting the other’s need. It is not always easy, but it is happening more and more and more. We hug. We hug each other in love emotionally, spiritually and literally.

It is such a blessing to honor Genesis 2: 24-45. We are clinging to each other and it is wonderful. Once you put something out into the universe its seems you are challenged. Greta and I accept the challenge to live and practice what we teach. We live in partnership with each other. She has my back and I have hers. It starts with communication. Kissing, Hugging and Eye-Gazing are great deep forms of communication. We recommend that husband and wives adopt them as staples in committed relationships.

“Sex In The Morning Show with Gary A. & Greta” continues to bring more vibrancy into our lives. We are working hard to present truths and practices that will help “you” take your marriage to your desired level. It has been and it is fun and fulfilling. We continue with our “Affection Series” and we look forward to sharing our next segment, which will be dedicated to “Hugging.” It can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/Sensuousseminars1.

We know that the information we share is valuable. It keeps us in a positive and receptive frame of mind. We use it and it works. We present it to you as a testimony of our faith and practice.

We pray that you will use the information that we present to create a marriage and life of your dreams. We encourage you to do the practices that are presented to you.

Yours truly,
Gary A.

I am Watching You!

Weekly Thoughts
From
Rev. Dr. Gary A. Williams™

revdr@sensuousseminars.com

July 26, 2010

Why must I treat grown adults as children? Why must I as a leader be afraid of the truth? These questions cause my attention to go in that direction. I believe that our people (those from that African Diaspora) can handle the truth. Shucks, they have been dealing with them all of their lives. I’ve heard all my life that, “Truth pressed to the ground shall rise again.”

It’s time for the truth to be told and for all of us to act accordingly. Jesus told us that; "we shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free." One of my many truths is that I love marriage and I enjoy being married and I think that it is the best man known institution. After all, “Marriage” has been and is ordained of God.

Because so many people get married I believe that they love marriage also. I am concerned that so many marriages end in divorce, especially “Black Marriages.” One thing that our children need is love and consistency. They need to see husbands and wives working and building together. Much distrust is being passed down and shared in our community. Let me explain further.

The truth is being shared in Barber Shops, Beauty Parlors, Nail Salons, Churches and Grocery Store lines. Thus I ask, “Are we going backwards instead of moving forward?” I just had a conversation in the checkout line at the grocery store. The clerk said that, “men (Black Men) cannot be trusted. They must be monitored.” Greta my wife, being who she is responded, “Can you be trusted and why must you monitor a ‘Grown Man’…don’t you have something better to do with your time?”

Greta and I understand that trust for any individual begins with them in their psyche. It begins based upon their belief system and emotional state. It is based upon their experiences and especially their hurts, pains and fears. Most of us are controlled by fear. We don’t do many things because of fear. We don’t do many things because we don’t trust ourselves and as a result, we do not trust others.

I believe many marriages fail because of lack of knowledge. Scripture instructs us, “My people perish for lack of knowledge (Hosea 4:6).” I am grateful for a wife that loves me, and the institution of marriage and feels that we as a loving couple are to extend ourselves and help other couples build successful marriages.

We became quite aware of being watched over the last three years, and we thought we were very non-descript and uninteresting. We found that by telling the truth and especially “OUR” truth did not make everyone happy. We also found that some will stand for truth privately but run from it publicly so as not to be in controversy for fear of losing their position or favor from those that have position and power. To say the least this was disappointing from an institution, which is to be based in the truth.

Greta and I were teasing around one morning, as we often do, and we were reminded of Slave’s song, “Watching You.” We thought that it might be fun to share another part of ourselves with the world and demonstrate that married couples can have fun while experiencing the mundane realities of life. Some things may be “run of the mill,” but you can choose to be in the moment and have fun or otherwise. Greta and I as often as we can, choose to have fun. It’s part of our ongoing intent, “To Make Love.”

Our new project, “Sex In The Morning Show with Gary A. & Greta” has and is bringing more vibrancy into our lives. It pushes us even harder to practice what we teach. It has been and it is fun and fulfilling. We continue with our “Affection Series” and we look forward to sharing our next segment, which will be dedicated to “Hugging.”

Our new promo, “I am Watching You!!!” can be found on our channel at: http://www.youtube.com/Sensuousseminars1.

We know that the information we share is valuable. It keeps us in a positive and receptive frame of mind. We use it and it works. We present it to you as a testimony of our faith and practice.

Yours truly,
Gary A.
Gary A.

Eye Gazing

Rev. Dr. Gary A. Williams™
revdr@Sensuousseminars.com

July 19, 2010

This week’s thought revolves around one particular aspect of Love. The love that I am focusing on is Eros or Romantic Love. However “Philo” love (Brotherly Love) is involved because wives and husbands want to have a friend in their married partner. Wives in particular want to have their being affirmed and not feel objectified. Thus husbands and wives must work at being balanced. They must both work at being friends as well as lovers. Husbands and wives must continuously create and share love.

Falling in love is a misnomer. Love is actually created. It is intentional. It has to be created over and over between husbands and wives. This practice creates and brings “Spice back into one’s marriage”, over and over again.

I share the following poem to introduce our new “Sex In The Morning Show With Gary A. & Greta™ second episode on “Eye Gazing.” Our series is on Affection. It involves communicating through “Kissing, Eye Gazing “and there is more to come… We are intent on changing our world one marriage at a time. What we share is from our experience. They are practices that we used and use to enhance our life and marriage. Last night prior to retiring for sleep I asked Greta, "Greta, are "we" too old to be having this much fun?” She replied, “No, I would have it no other way. I am having so much fun in my marriage!"

Greta and I intend for each of these videos to provide thoughts for you to ponder and embrace for the enhancement of your marriage and/or relationship. We find that these practices provides us balance, support, fuel and a staging area for our personal and collective foundation of living in the world and allowing the spiritual principles of Love, Peace, Happy, Prosperity, Abundance, Joy, “ONEness” and Power to flow through us. In gazing in Greta’s eyes I am inspired as captured in the following prose.

I Gaze

I Gaze and become enthralled
I gaze and my heart skips
Pitter … patter

I hear my heart beat
I gaze into Greta’s Eyes
and I
Experience Heaven
Heaven in this moment
which is lasting a pleasant eternity

How good it is to be in this place
In heaven yet my feet are on the earth
In eternity yet in this here, right here,
right now
In this most wonderful perfect moment
I am in eternal heaven
No worries,
No concerns
Heeding the proclamation
“Be Happy!”

I am
I am
I am
As I gaze into your eyes

Gazing touches my Heart
and Soul Warms,
nurtures and expands my soul

As I gaze into my lover’s, my partner’s, my best friend eyes
And no one
No thing Comes between us
Interrupts our Heavenly State

We are connected and in this moment ONE!!! Ahhh this ONEness

Needless to say, I love gazing into Greta’s eyes and research bears proof that others enjoy looking into the eyes of their lover’s just as much. Eye gazing connects human souls, especially when husband and wife gaze at each other. It is one of the most intimate acts with the absence of touching.

This week’s “Weekly Thought” is really an admonishment; it is simply, “Try it.” That is “Eye Gazing.” I believe you will like it. I pray that you have a Sensuous Week.

Please view our second episode at: http://www.youtube.com/SensuousSeminars1.

Your comments are encouraged and welcome.

Yours truly, Gary A.