AWAKEN THE SLEEPING GIANT

Conference Call #10

Securing America’s Blessing

Philip Burley

February 22 and 23, 2006

Conference Call Number: 712-432-3000

Bridge Number: 261644
[no longer active]

Good evening and welcome everyone! This is our tenth Awaken the Sleeping Giant conference call. Our next conference calls will be on Wednesday, March 1 and Thursday, March 2, 2006.

In order to establish unity and oneness in spirit, let us begin by speaking out our names and cities in unison. On the count of three, please speak out your name and city three times: One, two, three…

Thank you.

Opening Prayer

Dearest Heavenly Father, this past week, from our last conference call until this one, many hours have passed; and in these hours, many of our personal, family, and national needs were met. If we enumerated all of the needs and the fulfillment of them, we could comprehend how much you have taken care of us, how much you have provided for our life, and this is not even speaking about your ever- abiding love, the basis for all of your care.

As we think about how you have blessed us in this way, individually, and as a people and nation, we are struck by your generosity and your personal care. This fills our hearts with infinite gratitude for you and your infinite, unconditional love.

Lead us tonight to comprehend the totality of our life and your presence in it, that we may gain awareness and increased gratitude. Let us not take this life and all of its positive possibilities for granted.

All of this I pray, Father, in the name of the one who is leading this prayer effort for America.

Quotes

A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.

Although gold dust is precious, when it gets in your eyes it obstructs your vision.

Opening Talk—Securing America's Continued Blessings

I am a most fortunate person because, each week, during this Awaken the Sleeping Giant prayer condition, I am called upon to supply the content for our conference calls. Why am I most fortunate? Because this experience has caused me to look deeply into what we are doing. The responsibility necessitates that I examine the ramifications of what can happen if we do or do not pray, and how we pray. It has caused me to look at both my faith and my courage. It has caused me to examine whether I see the glass of life half-empty or half-full.

Additionally, I am caused to consider greatly what we are doing and to listen carefully for the prompting of the voice of God as to what is favored as each week's topic or subject matter. Consequently, I have dug into my whole self and the world, including the cornucopia of the Internet, to compile and bring forth the guidance heaven gives me to give to you and myself.

Some of America's Reality

After last week's serious tone, derived from George Washington's angel visitation experience, I was impressed to lift from our hearts and minds any remaining ponderous tone of Washington’s third vision experience of America and allow us to look at the great goodness in our nation. Much hope lies ahead when we tap into that awareness and live it out in our common, everyday lives.

It is easy to be lost in the world of newspapers and television reporting. While theirs is to convey the truth, it is, at best, only partial or selective truth, often pointing to and bringing out stress, fear, and worry in the readers and viewers. Where do we read of the noble and good actions that take place every day in America?

While in a Blockbuster video store recently, I walked the aisles purposely noting what kind of movies were most predominate: Movies of war, killing, monsters, suffering, failed marriages, other failed relationships, and tragic human situations were in the greatest number. As I am sure you already know, it is becoming increasingly difficult to find a good movie anymore. Even if you do chance to go to a theatre to watch a good flick, most of the previews of movies to come are about murder or conflict, accompanied by music and sound effects that deafen your ears and make you want to run out of the theatre shouting: " I can't take anymore!"

I could go on giving examples of pervasive negative currents that run through our everyday life in the U. S. as found in the world of music, sports, social unrest, the lack of civility, and the extreme presence of vulgarity that permeates the conversations of a growing number of Americans. The exploitation of sex also seems to be running at an all time high, with thousands of pornographic movies made and viewed each year.

The Goodness of Life

Here I stop. For I have only cited this preceding, depressing information as a means of contrasting the greater good that unfolds in the drama of America each day. The good that is being done is there. It is just not reported, and it is not featured in movies or talked about among us often enough. Maybe, in fact, it is taken for granted too much.

In the name of balance, in an effort to focus upon and bring out our individual and national innate good, I wanted to share with you first a poem,¹ which is also set to music and pictures and is available on the AwakenSleepingGiant.org website or the following website address: http://thegoodnessoflife.com. You may have read it or seen it. In the context of tonight's talk, it is a quite fitting poem to share, even if you have been exposed to it before. It has a great calming, uplifting, peace-producing value, not to mention its exquisite background photos. Here are the words, by Ralph S. Marston, Jr.:

Keeping America's Blessings Through Gratitude

I am sure that you too could either write poems or fill reams of paper with the goodness that appears in your daily life. More than one person in this great land has decided to look at the good things happening in their lives and record them.

I have read that many tell of the benefits in doing so, saying how it changes their existence from one of complaining and pessimism to one of feeling grateful, resulting in prayers of thanksgiving and a more positive outlook and more life success.

Out of curiosity, I went on the Internet to see if there was some kind of information on "gratitude writing or journaling." Guess what? I found 405 pages of addresses on the web for journals and journaling,² including, sprinkled among them, "gratitude journals!" According to one site, 100,000 stores carry journals of all types. Some of the gratitude journal titles for sale are:

I'm Too Blessed to Be Depressed: Stories and Guided Gratitude Journal to Move You from Stressed to Blessed in 30 Days!

Life is a Gift from God

There is no question that if I give you something of value that I have treasured and you do not say thanks or extend some manner of gratitude, it is highly unlikely that I will again easily trust you with something I treasure.

It can be no different with God who created us all. If we are not grateful for what has already been given, including most especially our individual life itself, why should God bless us with more until we awaken into deepest gratitude? Gratitude is a humbling, humble, positive energy that blesses us as it goes forth from our hearts and mouths. Because it is positive energy, it cannot help but bring positive life back to us.

Life is a gift from God by whatever name you choose to call God. Thomas Jefferson once wrote, "God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the gift of God?"³

As we continue to pray for an Awakening of America, as representatives of our fellow American's in this prayer condition, let us consider first counting our blessings each day, even keeping a list of them and expressing gratitude for them before we pray the Awaken Sleeping Giant prayer. In Luke 12:48 we read: Much will be required of everyone who has been given much. And even more will be expected of the one who has been entrusted with more.

Compared to the rest of the world, we are among the most fortunate materially. We also have freedoms that many millions of people around the world only dream of. Our land is truly blessed from sea to shining sea.

The Heavenly Oon

While I was in the Army in Korea more than forty years ago, I learned about the Heavenly Oon. The Heavenly Oon means the wind of God that perpetually passes over the earth. Where it blows, according to the concept of Koreans, is where blessing falls. According to this idea, we could say that the Heavenly Oon has been upon our nation for a long time. Blessings have been abundant in our land. Will the Heavenly Oon stay upon our land?

Man's Search for Meaning

I read Viktor Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning many years ago. Its content has stayed with me all of these years for it contained many great truths. Perhaps the greatest truth he spoke was about who survived in Nazi Germany prison camps. I cannot state his words exactly but they say something like this: Those who had an already established philosophy about life and its purpose and held to that purpose were the ones who survived. In other words, they were connected to something greater than themselves and knew that their lives were given for a purpose—they knew not to waste it, even in the impossible living situation that abounded in those despicable camps.

Frankl was one of the survivors and therefore knew experientially what he was talking about. The essence of Viktor Frankl's words can be found in the following quote from his book:

A man who becomes conscious of the responsibility he bears toward a human being who affectionately waits for him, or to an unfinished work, will never be able to throw away his life. He knows the "why" for his existence, and will be able to bear almost any "how."

Stephen Covey, another American leader, consultant, and writer, summed it up this way:

"Personal leadership is the process of keeping your vision and values before you and aligning your life to be congruent with them."⁵

A Wise, Loving, Grateful, United People

Your life and mine were given for a purpose. Finding that purpose and being grateful for both the purpose and the path that leads to its fulfillment, regardless of obstacles, suffering, or sacrifice, gives meaning to this life. This is the great good of life and the core truth that will take each one of us, and thus our nation, to a safe place, where we not only retain our blessings, but also are empowered to spread them to the rest of the world. This is the future that lies ahead in the demanding evolution of our land and its people. Centered upon these thoughts, let us be among the wise, loving, and grateful people who help to guarantee the survival of the United States of America.

Prayer to Awaken the Sleeping Giant

Closing Comments

Thank you all for attending this tenth in a series of prayers for our country. Let us all keep the promise and remember to remember to attend to our sacred prayer duty, first for ourselves and secondly for others and our country of the United States of America.

God bless and good night.