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Rev Tiago de Medeiros Chagas – Photography

My name is Rev. Tiago de Medeiros Chagas, and I am a Brazilian minister of a church founded in Japan. I consider the Church of Perfect Liberty a universal church.

In the end of last year, I decided to buy a camera to take some pictures of my family. I always had cameras (point-and-shoot), but I was never a big enthusiastic about taking pictures. I used to do it in big family events and so forth, but that’s it! My level of photography could be considered below beginner. For those who understand about photography, I didn’t even know the difference between a point-and-shoot camera and a DSLR!

Rev. Eugene (the head minister of the Church of Perfect Liberty in Ottawa, whom is my supervisor) studied about photography in school, so, he knows a lot about photography. One day, when I was trying to take an impossible photo with my camera, he kindly explained to me why I wouldn’t be able to do what I intended to, as well as, what I should do in order to take that photo. Maybe as a response to his kindness, I became very interested to know more about photography, understand more about words, such as ISO, aperture, and shutter speed, which by the way, I had never heard before.

Since then, I’ve been trying to learn more and more about photography.

I bought a very basic entry DSLR camera, because it was the cheapest one I could find and went online trying to learn more about photography. I was able to find several websites, blogs and channels on youtube of photographers who have been teaching people for FREE.

At first, my wife was not completely happy about it. She said that I was spending most of our free-time watching those videos, and that she wanted me do something else, but since I started taking pictures, and she could notice that, gradually, I was taking better pictures of her and our daughter, she got very happy and excited. In fact, she started to encourage me to watch more and more videos to better understand the fundamentals of photography, in order to take better pictures.

If I could say something about my own skills in photography, I would say that I am still in the level below beginner if that exists. There are so many things I need to understand about photography in order to call one of my photos an artistic expression, however, if we compare present photos with the ones I took in the past, I can say that there was a big improvement.

I am very impressed by those people who can learn by themselves about anything. I am not like that. In order to learn a little bit about anything and now especially photography, I have been asking questions to many people, watching many videos of those photographers who use their time to record photography lessons to post on youtube for anyone out in this entire world. Even though I am not a very intelligent man, thanks to assistance of many people, my questions about photography have been kindly answered, for which I am truly thankful.

In our lives, it is very difficulty to improve ourselves without others’ assistance. Maybe it is impossible to do it. We do need assistance all the time. Since the moment that we were born, we receive assistance from others like the doctors and nurses for the labour, our parents for pretty much everything, our teachers for education. When we grow up, even though we are completely healthy and we can work, if there is no job for us, we will be very difficult to survive. Also, one can be self-employed as a photographer for example, if there is no store open to buy a camera, it will be impossible for anyone to do their job.

If one is a very skilled chef, probably it will be easy to find a job in one restaurant, but if all the stores close down and there is no ingredients, despite of great skills, there won’t be anything to be done to express one’s self. Therefore, the great results one produces are deeply related to the great effort of many other people. We should never forget that. So, now it comes the one question. What can we do to honour those people who helped us so much?

For the Church of Perfect Liberty, appreciation has the meaning of expressing your gratitude for others, but also, do something in return. Transform your feeling of appreciation into action. And how can we do that? For those you have contact with, you can return a favour with something else, but for those who you don’t have contact anymore, like the physician who performed your labour, the nurses, teachers from kindergarten, or even your parents who did so much for you, that there is nothing you can do that can pay this ‘debt’ you have with them.

As human beings, we can put wholehearted effort into whatever we do, in order to honour those people and try make them feel proud of us. Based on our actions, they can feel that it was worth all their effort to help us.

Thank you very much,

Rev. Tiago de Medeiros Chagas (all photographs in this post by Rev.T)

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Bom dia, happy Saturday everyone!

A lazy start to another wonderful day, closes my eyes, smiles and remembers yesterday. Would you look at this tree, how old must it be, how extraordinary its experiences in life must have been. It is hard to tell from a picture just how high that opening is, right away, I want to climb up to explore inside. In some ways it reminds me of a big bird with its mouth open, and other times when I look at it, I imagine its the entrance to a hobbit condo. Imagination is wonderful isn’t, so is intuition. Both are gifts we were born with, some of us use these gifts more than others.

It is still too cool in this part of the world, to lay in the shade basking under the warm healing sunshine, but in other parts of the country this could be one of your options today. Yes I am a bit of a day dreamer, but what is wrong with taking a bit of “laid back” time for yourself. Value your intuition, often we “know” a little voice tells us, we “need” to slow down, engage in some “me time”. Instead we look at our lists, or to the voices of friends who want to go here, there and everywhere, and you become “busy, busy busy”. We are not machines, and we all know that machines break down, require ongoing maintenance. Unlike the tree in the first picture, we might not show our scars and our age in the same way, but instinctively we do know when its time to rest, when we have pushed ourselves to a limit. The “Universe” looks out for us, Believe and have Faith, listen to your “intuition”, stop planning every minute of your day. Allow time in your day to P L A Y. Don’t wait for a better time, that time will never just materialize. Be good to your SELF today. PRAY=recharge, rain or shine, make this a day you’ll remember. PL Precept #18. Each moment is a Turning Point.

LIFE IS ART…… LIVE IN PERFECT LIBERTY (PL #1 and 21)

May your day be full of blessings you will enjoy and cherish forever ……. Oyashikiri

pictures> Pinterest

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what new to you, can do for you

Many years ago now, I crossed such a bridge. I didn’t bravely just walk across, I went through a bout of “OMG I can’t do this, NO. no, no.. you can, but I won’t” Eventually of course, I did go across and it was an exhilarating experience. Having accomplished that bit of adventure, when I was asked to go salmon fishing an a fishing boat on the Pacific, my negativity was less emphatic, however, I did tell everyone that I do suffer from motion sickness, no problem I was told…. so on board we climbed and off we went. All went well for the first while, but when we got further from land, and the water got really choppy, you guessed it… I was hanging on for dear life, and as green as fresh young asparagus coming out of the ground. No matter how I tried to ride it out, it just wasn’t happening, we had to return to shore. I share this with you because not all our adventures end on a happy note. All we can do is give it our best. I tried.

This brings me to more recent events. After a very long winter of inactivity, I realized that my body, that once was active, and an almost daily visitor to the gym, had become a stay at home,, do nothing much physical blah. I am not exaggerating, I really let myself go, don’t ask, it seemed right at the time I made the decisions to cut back at the gym, and then stop altogether. When I looked in the mirror I saw from my shoulders up, hey when its cold outside and you don’t go out much, you walk around in very comfortable clothes. Then one day my friend said let’s go for a walk. Sure I thought, no problem. I’m a walker, last summer I would walk miles without batting an eyelash or breaking a sweat. Off we went on our walk. Surprise, we made it around a couple of blocks, and I was ready to call it quits. Shock and dismay was the order of the day! My mind did not want to accept what my body was saying. Me, dance all night, walk for miles, climb trails and hike, me!!!! could it really be. Hmmmm look in the mirror again, wow, I’ve aged….. my body is no longer in its mid 30’s early 40’s I no longer have extra energy to burn, I’ve been lazy, and my body has relaxed and gotten S L A C K…. “you reap what you sow”. Time to make changes.

That day was the start of a new “attitude” on my part. No. not new to me, but I had to revisit and bring it back into the “now”. It is like I used to listen to music all the time, and somewhere along the way, I stopped. Then a friend played a song by Macy Gray and something inside said, “hello”.. I found the 2nd hand CD “On How Life Is”, at a Sally Ann, it is new to me, and I’m once more listening to music. My body is having to relearn activity, rebuild my core strength so I can walk and not get tired. Fortunately I have a good friend who is a great walking coach and buddy, just knowing she is there for me when I need her, helps big time…. All this to say, I’m back to the gym, I’ve got myself a Personal Trainer, so from time to time, I might not get my blog done on time, but I will surface, be patient with me please while I find my new “RHYTHM”

It is not the same bridge, but its the same kind of challenge, I’m heading towards another adventure…. Cycles of life repeat themselves, only in different formats. Have a great day everyone! Smile!!! Oyashikiri

Pictures >Pinterest

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Good Morning Everyone!

An abandoned theatre in the Sinai desert. I’ve been here, not physically, but I sure do know this feeling. Standing on stage, looking out at a sea of empty seats, or in some cases an auditorium full of faces looking back at me, with a feeling of ” OK, now what” I remember once I was talking to a huge gathering about the subject on the importance of managing stress in the workplace. Part of the “talk” was going to be a demonstration on proper ergonomics in a work setting, this was in the early days of computers, when hospitals and government offices were changing over to the use of a computer. Today we of course take this technology in stride. Some of you will not remember when a cell phone was unheard of, and when the first ones did come along for more general use, they were the size of a man’s shoe. LOL remember Get Smart… if you don’t, its OK, if you do, you’ll have a chuckle. Anyway I digress, back to auditoriums, lecture halls and the like.

Addressing a large gathering and actually reaching all your audience is next to impossible, but if you can reach a good portion of them, you’ve had a successful meeting. When there is a crowd, it is not always easy to listen to what is being said, we are often distracted by our own busy minds or the chatter of others. In a room full of other people, it is easy to be distracted, but on a one and one, are you a good listener? Back in the day when this theatre pictured here was being used, what was it that drew such a large audience, was it a big screen that is out of sight, or is this where people gathered to hear or listen to special events. Guess, for now we won’t know, BUT, when you are in a situation where you are the listener, in the now and today world, it is really important to clear your mind so you are hearing what is being said, so you can know a person’s true intentions

One of my realities, that I learned early on in my career was, people came to my talks, often I faced a room full of people, not because I was such a hot speaker, or the topic I was talking about, was important to their work habits and helpful in managing stress in their lives, but because it offered them a break in their routine. It gave them an opportunity to get away from the office, and be in a place that was full of people in a more laid back setting, and …… often there was free coffee/tea and sandwiches and treats. =^_^= The ones who came to listen, and did take in what was being presented to them, were the ones that walked away with new information and helpful guidelines to make their time at work or at home, a more productive and healthy place to be. The others, well they came away happy too, they had just had a nice morning or afternoon break from their everyday, ho-hum workdays”jobs”.

Teachers, Librarians, Health Care Professionals, are all learning to adapt to a world that is full of technology. Technology has many benefits, but human interactions, can not be allowed to become a thing of the past. Communication, social and otherwise, needs to be maintained. Today – I hear about internet learning, schools and programs where students no longer need to go physically to the University or where the employee can work from home, nice, and certainly there are positives, but care has to be taken that we don’t allow our world to become empty and void of “real contact” with others.

Trem da Esperanca (Jorge da Paixao and Tereza Onaga) – Viajje comigo, No trem da esperanca, Sente-se ao meu lado Na Poitrona do amor. Let’s travel together on the t rain of high hope. Sit here beside me on the seat of love. Deslize comigo nos trilhos da vida levando mesagens de paz e amor. Please join with me on the journey of life, we’ll carry messages of peace and of love. Na paz mundial nos vamos chegar O seu maquinista. We’ll finally arrive at the place of world peace. (excerpts from PL song, Brazilian Portuguese to English)

Power lies in prayer – may the happiness of life fill your world today! Oyashikiri…

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Today is a new day! ¿como esta?

Seamlessly the days become night, and night becomes day, the skies are ever changing and kaleidoscopic. The constantly changing patterns and colours provide inspiration and backdrops for our activities and encounters during the day. On first waking, do you look out a window to take in the view, gauge the weather? Dose what you see contribute to the “tone” of your day? Or do you close your eyes and pray. connecting to the holy Spirit Mioyaookami /God.

Does thunder and lightening have you running for cover? Or do you delight at the rumble and imagine the giants in the sky are bowling and having fun. That the lightening is the result of the bowling ball striking the kingpin and WOW its a strike, all the pins have dropped! YAY! Imagination, only for children, NO, it is a gift we all have and share, some use it more than others, that is a given…. I feel safe in saying that our imaginations will not suffer karoshi (Japan- word for death caused by overwork) Start your day today with a big bang, celebrate a new day, new beginnings, move forward on a path towards newness, progress and growth. Develop your skill in moving from the old to the new without a sense of loss. Move with the current, not with fear, but with a sense of joy and expectation toward the experience just around the corner/bend.

Jai Guru Dev (TM) Hallelujah! God is all! Oyashikiri Today,tomorrow and always!

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Good Morning everyone! qu’est -ce qu-on va faire aujourd’hui?

By the light of the silvery moon……………..

Over the years I’ve had a strong attachment to the night, its inky black skies, with dancing twinkling stars. Those of you who remember one phase of my life where bling on my fingers was de rigour. ( a must, never met a diamond I didn’t like ) =^_^=. Like the moon, for me all that is bright gives my spirit a life. Where my friends would drool over the sun and gold, I had this love affair with silver, white gold, and platinum. The night skies could turn my romantic young heart to butter. While the heat of the scorching sun sent me running for cover. Differences…. that is what life is all about… The trick is balance and moderation.

The high mountains of China – Tibet

Thank you for sharing these moments with me… Enjoy whatever you are doing today, my thoughts and prayers are with you. and remember -SMILE – allow your beauty within to shine through, not just with your lips but through your eyes.. Blessings – Oyashikiri

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Top of the morning !

Druid Forest, Ireland.. What an enchanting photograph. Today being St. Patrick’s day, I’m sure there will be a lot of wearing of the green today. I know that my experience has been, Irish or not, many people celebrate the day, and share in the ancient traditions. Did you know that the ascending series of green- white- red- formed the favourite symbols of the Egyptians and the Celtic druids, Dante who knew his traditional symbology, had Beatrice appear dressed in green,white and red, which expressed, hope, faith and charity. Did you know that green is a colour of antithetical tendencies…. it is the colour of life, (growth) and the colour of death.. Similarly green takes the middle place in the every day scale of colours. LOL I’m sure that today you will soon loose count of all the different shades of green you see, not to mention the many creative ways green will be shown, or adorned.

Oshieoya-sama (head minister of the Church of PL, Perfect Liberty) wrote an article (May 12, 1984) which was reproduced for us and distributed in the Perfect Liberty newsletter volume 7, issue 1, March 2014, in which he talks about the similarity and the differences in PL and other religions. He talks of how the objectives of religions are all similar , in that they all strive for World Peace, then goes on to talk about how each religion has its own unique way of sharing this with their members. One of the most important things taught in PL is to put the teachings into practice, on a daily and regular basis. For a copy of this article (it is short one page),i n the States, contact Rev. Takashi Goto goto@perfectliberty.ca In Canada Rev.Eugene Hayashi ethayashi@perfectliberty.ca for other countries, either of these ministers will give you contact information.

These cliffs in Ireland bring tourists from far and wide. When I saw them I thought of how majestic and beautiful they were, how nature over time had carved out each and every crevice in her own way as only she can do.. each section is a story all of its own, yet together they present the viewer with a formidable challenge, could they be climbed? I know myself, I would want to study all the nooks and crannies to discover the secrets that they would hold. while I gazed at the shear beauty of the cliffs, I wondered if the photographer had taken close up shots of any of the different rock compositions, and plant varieties……. Guess I’ll never know =^_^= another puzzle, that brings a smile.. Mysteries are so much a part of life when one has a curious active mind…

” May your blessings outnumber the shamrocks that grow……………and any trouble avoid you, wherever you go “

photographs – Pinterest – cliffs of Moher, Ireland

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lunes – Good morning everyone!!!

Are you ready for the start of another week? My wonderful friend Mollie ( co-minister at the Baptist church in a community near here), has been happily posting in a shared file we have .. I’ve been so “busy” researching and “working” away at my desk, that I see she is being busy, I get a notice that she has posted, but I don’t often get to see what she has been adding. Hmmm sound familiar. Reminds me of the expression, about being so close to the trees, that often we don’t see the forest itself. Or .. is it the other way around, we are so far in the forest we no longer see the forest,or is it the trees. OH my, maybe I’m not fully awake yet……. smiles. …. Thanks Mollie for the above saying, with the cute picture.

Today’s PL lesson is about being making time to express our true selves. To express ourselves with honesty and integrity If we ask for help, we do so with sincerity in both words and actions. The #1 Principle in PL is – I will live paying careful attention, putting Makoto (sincerity) into all I say and do.

Trust that you will receive all you need to get through today, then believe it will be the same for tomorrow. Focus on your feelings, express them honestly, there is an inner joy when we express ourselves with makoto (sincerity) The surest way to be blessed is to appreciate all the blessings in our lives, and to give thanks for them. Appreciate life, renew your connection with God/Tao every day, share your smile with others today. Your day will be blessed. … Smile….. Oyashikiri

Nederlands, over the north sea

pictures – Pinterest

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True Happiness

Good Morning Everyone… It is Wednesday another day to explore…

Years back while touring on the back of a Honda Goldwing we came across a setting much like this while exploring cliffs along the Atlantic Ocean. The past owners had obviously enjoyed sitting and watching the tides coming and going. The little cabin had once heard the sounds of laughter, maybe even tears.. Today the scene is one of long forgotten memories and charm.

We don’t just happen to be who and what we are today, we developed over time. The moss in this setting didn’t just happen, it came to be over many years, inch by inch, section by section. The scene would have been ever changing. Plant life died, and new growth developed, it is the natural cycle of life. “one door closes, another door opens” In PL (Perfect Liberty) we learn the cause of unhappiness, we learn that things and people come into our lives (this includes circumstances) regardless of what we would prefer or what would be convenient for us. True happiness is not determined by something going well or not.

PL teaches us about Mishirase (Divine warnings from the Univers/God, in the form of an illness, accident, pain,suffering, misfortune. We do not see them as unlucky, rather a challenge to rethink, regroup, we are not “seeing” or “using” our skills/talents with Makoto (sincerity) we have drifted off the path. we may be overly attached to our own thoughts and are not expressing ourselves naturally. we are born with the ability to experience pain, and to know “hurt” so that we can recognize when we need to “stop” and rethink or meditate on present circumstances. An important lesson in the I Ching/Tao > the wise man knows when to retreat. If you are a follower of the I Ching – use hexagram 53 for today’s reading. Chien (Developing)
When a situation is faced, head on, with Makoto…. no matter how hard that situation is, with sincerity of purpose, with the Universe in and around you…..you will be able to find a way. There is always something to learn when we are faced with a challenge. when we deal with the challenges we are dealt in life with a positive and open minded attitude. We find happiness in positive self expression. … Oyashikiri …

photography -photos – Pinterest

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Perception

In conversation with a friend, she asked me a question about feelings, and hurts, something that had been bothering her for some time.In PL fashion, I replied “life is mirror” Intelligent and thoughtful, she was quiet for some time, then she said, I have heard that before, but I don’t know that I understand“. Then I had to pause, reflect and meditate on her response. My reply had been simple to me “life is a mirror” but in fact when I thought about it. I have had years of living with this perspective, and each time the challenge crossed my path, I learned a different lesson. fortunately our relationship is such that we converse over a period of days and even weeks sometimes.. so I have had time to “chew” on this one.

When we are hurt, sad, perplexed by the “perceived” action of others, we own the reaction, we own the thoughts. No one else is feeding them to us, they are ours, and ours alone. It may take some time, but at some point in time, we realize that the choices we made were our own. What takes longer is choosing to accept and own the situation you are living. The strength and courage to remove ourselves from the cycle of hurt, vulnerability and dependency. OOOHH OUCH did I actually say that word, write it, (takes a moment to read back a few lines)… yes I did, I said dependency, not a word I liked to associate with, but over the years I’ve learned to accept that it has been a lesson I’ve had to address more than once.

Mirrors, they can be our friend or our hardest task master. Melody Beattie in one of her books, said “Go with the flow” let go of fear and your need to control. Relinquish anxiety, ” I read those words many many years ago, I’ve never forgotten them, I remember highlighting them and reading them over and over again for weeks. She talked of being present, accepting where you are and who you are. Taking ownership of your emotions, actions and thoughts. Mirrors are a tool, they will only project to you what you are “seeing” in that moment.

When we look into a mirror, the only eyes looking back into ours, belong to “ me,myself and I.” Express your appreciation for your SELF today, look in the mirror, smile and say “thank you” ..Then find someone else in your world to say thank you to, saying it out loud is empowering, and a very nice sharing of a moment. Not only will the person you are thanking feel a smile, you will too One smile at a time we build a better future!