Tag / Zen

by Vincent Lee Jones

Unlocking Our Secret Room

Unlocking Our Secret Room

When I truly began applying spiritual principles in my life, not just paying them lip service, I had to address my “secret room.” Employing rationalization and justification I had sold myself a bill of goods to neatly lock away the things I was not proud of:poor choices, general bad behavior, secret fears, resentments, etc. out of sight. When the time came to ruthlessly face my past the reasoning that locked these things away melted like a late spring snow. The process required placing them on paper and then saying them aloud to a trusted spiritual adviser. When this was completed it felt as if an actual weight had been lifted from my shoulders, it was a stunning moment. This happened long ago and in the intervening years I have watched the same transformation happen in thousands of lives, the only requirement for successful consummation of the process being that they were thorough and honest in clearing out their secret room, for The truth will set you free.
A few weeks after revealing the inventory of my secret room, I asked the Miraculous to enter every nook and cranny of my life, to short circuit the false notion that there exists any aspect of my life that God is unaware of. Looking back, it seems foolish to believe I could “hide” things from God, which is defined by omnipotence and omnipresence, but I did. A wise teacher said tome many years ago “live your life as if it was being filmed, a permanent record available to any who would care to look.” In truth, no camera eye follows us around (thankfully), but the “eye” of God does (thankfully). Clear out your secret room if you have not already, for God already knows what is in it. Tear the door of your secret place off its hinges, and live in the light, free of the fear that hides within the shadows.
Miracles Of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones Living In SpiritAll Rights Reserved

by Vincent Lee Jones

Trudging the Road of Happy Destiny

Trudging the Road of Happy Destiny

We triumph over life’s inevitable challenges not by the exercise of willpower or brute force but by tapping into the power of the Infinite. Many paths lead to our ultimate awakening, and most begin with spiritual discomfort wrapped in fear. Sickness (our own or a loved ones), addiction, financial stress, a failed relationship and death (a loved one or contemplating our own) are all beginnings, for truly “the only instrument sharp enough to cut away the excess of self is pain.” The greatest gift we can give ourselves is a foundation in faith before these assaults on our serenity begin. The pain and discomfort of dealing with the ultimate questions of living will not be avoided, but we will have a clear-cut set of directions to follow out of the wilderness to peace of mind and heart.

To follow this path we must set aside our preconceived ideas and don a new pair of glasses and “Become quick to see where spiritual people are right and make use of what they offer.” Laying aside our prejudices we listen and learn with our heart, for in the end, isn’t finding a way out more important than who provides it? If you were drowning and a rope appeared before seizing it would you first question who held it? So, we put aside any lingering prejudice against any spiritual path and make use of what they have to offer, taking what we need at this time and leaving the rest (remember, this selfishness is God inspired and is part of our growth) and join them in “trudging the road of happy destiny.”  
Miracles Of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

by Vincent Lee Jones

Extravagant Promises? No.


Extravagant Promises? No.

The promises from Living on the Spiritual Basis are pearls beyond price: “We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness. We will not regret the past or wish to shut the door on it. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace…That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear…Self-seeking will slip away. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us…When we look back, we realize that the things which came to us when we put ourselves in God’s hands were better than anything we could have planned…As we felt new power flow in, as we enjoyed peace of mind, as we discovered we could face life successfully, as we became conscious of His Presence, we began to lose our fear of today, tomorrow or the hereafter. We were reborn.”

        “Are these extravagant promises? We think not…They will always materialize if we work for them” (Alcoholics Anonymous).

If this and more is promised to those suffering from addiction, could you expect anything less in your life? Place your will and life into the hands of the Miraculous and this and so much more is yours, for it is the Promise and God keeps all His promises.

Miracles Of Recovery


© Vincent Lee Jones Living In Spirit All Rights Reserved

by Vincent Lee Jones

Behind Every Cloud, The Sun Still Shines


When things are going well there is a natural tendency to slack off a touch, even in our spiritual work. The sun is shining, the clouds decorating a peaceful sky, perfect for watching lying on a soft bed of grass, peace immanent. Life is good. Though we do and should enjoy these times we must remain wary of complacency. Like the athlete who trains daily for occasional competitions, we pray and meditate daily to keep our connection to the Miraculous fresh and open for the inevitable storms that come to every life. Living on the Spiritual Basis we now understand the rain falls on the just and the unjust equally, not as punishment or Karma, but as opportunities to grow beyond limitation. Living on the new basis, the Spiritual Basis, today when a storm comes, we gently step back into the shelter of Spiritual Truth,out of the wind and rain, continuing to pray and meditate until the storm passes and peace returns. Having embraced eternity we now understand the truth of being, that behind every cloud, the sun still shines, and every storm brings the ingredients for growth and an opportunity to demonstrate faith and trust in a Power Greater Than Ourselves.

Miracles Of Recovery