Our first meeting at Silver Springs in Flesherton Ontario, Nov 2004

A quote from Lee Farmer :

"I'm an intregal part
of the Supreme Being
An individual of Finality
I'm a Child of God
Heir to the Kingdom"

---

My Brilliant Image
Hafiz

One day the sun admitted,
I am just a shadow.
I wish I could show you
The infinite Incandescence
That has cast my brilliant image!
I wish I could show you,
When you are lonely or in darkness,
The Astonishing Light
Of your own Being!

---

I Knew We Would Be Friends
Hafiz

As soon as you opened your mouth
And I heard your soft
Sounds,
I knew we would be
Friends
The first time, dear pilgrim, I heard
You laugh,
I knew it would not take me long
To turn you back into
God

Anyway

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you have anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God;
It is never between you and them anyway.

By Mother Theresa

---

"The world needs Dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all the world needs dreamers who do."

"Love until it hurts...What I do you cannot do; but what you do, I cannot do. The needs are great, and none of us, including me, ever do great things. But we can all do small things, with great love, and together we can do something wonderful."

Mother Teresa

---

"Let no one come to you without leaving better."

Mother Teresa

---

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am not for others, who am I for? And if not now, when?"

Talmud

---

"Everyone has the opportunity to be great because everyone has the opportunity to serve."

Martin Luther King Jr.

WISDOM THROUGH MERCY

To all beloved children of this confused planet,
Guided by the truth that the many reject,
Believe that the Spirit within you, your host,
Has peace and joy for you, unknown to most.

They resent you, despise you, and envy of your Love,
But be sure that your Father is with you above.
The thoughts of the world may pass through your mind,
Yet the Spirit dwells, that you won't be blind.

If you follow their words preached to the many,
You'll get lost in their lies and be searching for money,
But no matter the reason they give and invent,
The True you will always remain for you Present.

The light of Truth, Beauty and Goodness,
Is loathed by the ones without Wisdom and Justice,
So a cold hearted system will never give man,
But the Spirit of Mercy is always at hand.

Truth is not found in justice through facts,
It is claimed in desire, in will and in acts,
So watch for the fruits of selfless service in Love,
You'll not reap the world, but Love from above.

 

 

Welcome Statement

InnerLife International recognizes the individual’s inner relationship with the Divine and honors this Truth in all religions.InnerLife International believes that we are all children of a loving Creator, brothers and sisters in the Divine plan. Our goal is to uplift ourselves and our brothers and sisters through loving service and unselfish ministry. We forgive ourselves and others because it is through forgiveness that the grace of God flows and we set one another free. Through conscious communion with God individual transformation will be accomplished by reflective meditation, intelligent prayer, and sincere worship.

Vision Statement

Our Vision is a world spiritually uplifted through love, mercy and ministry, enlightened by Spirit and united in service.

Mission Statement

Our Mission is to create programs and service projects that mobilize and empower dynamic spiritual leaders and teachers.

Who is InnerLife International (ILI)?

InnerLife International (ILI) is a spiritual partnership of individuals committed to uplifting Humanity through the creation of programs designed to empower individuals to find and serve God. It is our belief that individual spiritual transformation can be facilitated through active participation in love and mercy ministry. Our programs are created to bring to light the potential in all who desire and feel compelled to give of themselves to the betterment of Humanity and bring our beautiful planet into it’s Spiritual Awakening.

The Vision of InnerLife International
It started for me with a noticing that I was an enlightened individual living on a confused and disordered world. The answers I had found to life’s complexing problems could be useable to many who were searching for higher ways of living. The trick was to find a way to deliver the goods….to package the information in an updated and current fashion that would “stick” in the hearts and minds of the hearers.

During a brainstorming meeting at a summer study session in East Stroudsburg, Pa, an idea to create programs for change took root. A group would need to form to explore and design a means to bring this forward. An umbrella organization known as InnerLife International (ILI) was later formed as a result of meetings in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho and at Silver Springs near Toronto Canada.

ILI can be seen as a “spiritual think tank”, an “explorer of new, untried possibilities”, willing to go where the desire for “unending service” may lead. Only transformed individuals can create a transformed society, so the work at hand involves the spiritual regeneration of all men, including our families, communities, nations and world.

By design we create programs that can easily be replicated in any part of the planet. These highly effective models are the catalyst needed for widespread advancement of new insightful ways of living.

Our vision statement specifically mentions “empowering dynamic spiritual leaders and teachers”. Without utilizing the vast untapped latent resources in the youth and young adults, the spiritual rebirth of our planet will be long delayed. There is no substitute for quality religious training provided in a loving and intelligent manner. The power of positive planetary change resident in this mobilizing army of motivated individuals is hard to fathom, but it is immense, to be sure.

At this time many individuals are rearranging their lives and fortunes to step up to the plate to be on the front lines of this call to planetary service. It is all there is to do. Only unending growth and untold blessings come to those who take the actions that are creating the future of our special world and ultimately, the universal home we are all cosmic citizens of.

Joining ILI is only the first step. Redesigning yourself as a dynamic force for change is another option. Not sure how to do that? Contact us and we will explore how your talents can be best used in this forward seeing vision for the world.
The actions are ours………

Thomas Orjala

An Update from the International Conference 2005 (IC05)

At IC05 a presentation was made by Urantia Book readers who have been involved in the formation of this active loving service endeavor, InnerLife International. The people in attendance were vibrant in their enthusiasm for the outreach that is being made with the programs of this organization and eagerly desired to become involved.

Updates from each of our Programs

FreeSchools World Literacy
The FreeSchools World Literacy Charity was incorporated in July 2005 to support the work of Field Coordinator Mark Bloomfield in Asia. Our mission is to break the cycle of ignorance and poverty through free education with a focus on girls education. We think we offer the most cost effecitve Literacy Program in all of Asia.

For five years Mark served as Urantia Foundation's field representative, placing Urantia Books in thousands of libraries around the world. Last spring Mark set up base in Thailand to open free schools for children too poor to get an education, prioritizing girls. As of October Mark has opened 14 schools. Each school has a potential for 100 students.

Asia is home to half the human race with almost one billion illiterate people who have no voice. Illiteracy works a particular hardship on women and children. When trapped in ignorance and poverty females are easily exploited. Due to cultural and religious bias there are fewer education opportunities for girls than boys. Mark Bloomfield knows first hand the plight of the impoverished female population in Asia. In India he worked as the undertaker with Mother Teresa in Calcutta, burying a heap of tiny bundles left at the front door each night - baby girls, starved to death or backs broken. Female infanticide accounts for the murder of over 6 million baby girls in India each year.

Several years ago Mark helped Sister Crescence who ran a small convent school in the state of Bihar (where 25 million women are illiterate). Together they set up a free school using empty classrooms during normal closing hours. Each of the impoverished families in the surrounding area was invited to send one child, preferably a daughter, to receive a free education, with a nutritious meal and set of clothes also provided. The syllabus was designed to concentrate on essentials including reading, writing, arithmetic, hygiene and health protection, crafts, income-producing skills and civics. The student agreed to teach her siblings everything she learned that day thereby multiplying the benefits. The school was an immediate success, completely changing lives and improving prospects for the future. With the support of FreeSchools World Literacy, enrolment in free schools in India is now over 1000 students. Without expensive infrastructure and economizing with existing resources, the cost for set up fees, teacher training, fair wages, learning materials, food and clothing is modest at $15/child per year. Mark Bloomfield has dedicated his life to working at the grass roots level among the poor and any support that can be given to further the cause of free schools in Asia is greatly appreciated.

International economists agree that the single most effective tool for development in the Third World is girls' education and the empowerment of women. The future of our world is tied to this simple but profound realization.
If you want to support Mark Bloomfield
you can contact Sue Tennant toll fee at 1-800-546-5601
or email her at sue@ubretreats.ca.

Thanks for anything you can do.

The Evolution of Youth Camps
It is time for a new generation to take control and push this planet toward the true enlightenment of God's love. For those of us who are dinosaurs, it is clear that real change will occur over time and that the youth need to be energized to take up the banner for spiritual change. So how did we decide to go about such a program? We started by recognizing several fundamental truths:

First of all, most youth don't want to be lectured by dinosaurs. Heck, I don't either.

Secondly, we know that the best place for the youth to connect with God is in nature.

Third, we know that if the youth understood the sublime adventure that we are all on that they would rush to help.

So, based on those premises, we decided to have a youth camp out in the woods of North Florida. We invited Ashlee Pierce and Joey Gardiner to come and help so the kids would have someone closer to their age (chronologically, as I still view myself as a kid despite what the mirror says) to communicate with.

We camped out during driving rain, thunder and lightening. And we weren't scared. Judy was a little scared, but she got over it.

We scheduled a lot of activities, including nature walks, path clearing, swimming in the stream, tie-dying t-shirts, natural art projects, painting banners, gathering firewood, building drums and then drumming all night around the campfire. We decided that we would not preach or even speak of spirituality, but instead would try and embody what we wanted them to learn. And it was fabulous.

The drum maker brought his neighbor kid (16 years old) and planned to just stay long enough to build the drums. While he was in the camp, he asked me what we stood for and I told him that, while we were all UB readers, we were attempting to demonstrate its teachings through our personal interactions. He never did leave. On the last day of the week long camp, around the campfire he told the kids what I had told him and declared our experiment a success. The kids had big fun and are ready for another campout. We will accommodate their request soon now that the weather is cooler.

The youth will necessarily be in charge of this next period of time and we intend to focus our attention on them and then get out of the way. We have recently acquired 130 additional acres and we look forward to the time when you come to share your knowledge with them and we invite all the youth to come to visit us.

If not now, then when?

Lighten Life, Fred


Update from the Youth Camps
The next scheduled youth camp will be held at Silver Springs retreat center in Ontario, Canada. This camp will be held Aug 5th thru the 10th. Jennifer Norenberg, Kathy George-Moore, Mark George-Moore, Judy Langston, Ashlee Pierce, and Joey Gardiner will be assisting in the facilitation of the camp. There will be more camps held on the property in Florida. Nothing is scheduled at this time, Though there are plans in the making. Meanwhile Silver Springs is a perfect place for children to explore God in nature.

Our intentions are to create Youth camps all over the world. We are in the process of training spiritual leaders and teachers to accomplish this intention. The more the youth participate in our camps the more responsibility they gain in passing down what they have learned through experience.

The intention of the Cosmic Café is:
To provide regularly scheduled, focused discussions that enhance spiritual awareness such that all involved are uplifted and transformed by the experience.

Cosmic Café began one year ago in Coeur d’ Alene, Idaho. The founders, Thomas Orjala and Aurora Hill, were looking for a means to create a model for an ongoing forum where spiritual principles could be shared with anyone who chanced to attend. Its simple format is easy to re-produce, and is being used by others. There are now 7 cosmic cafe's. They are growing internationally. Currently, in addition to the founding Idaho Cosmic Café, there is 1 in Virginia, 2 in Canada, 3 in Mexico, and we look forward to many more coming “on line” in the near future.

An attractive poster was developed that can be easily reworked and copied for any host/presenter. See it at: www.partnershipsinahigherpurpose.com - then go to the Cosmic Café page for a view of the current poster. We will gladly provide help with your poster design and support with topic ideas. If you’re interested in hosting a Cosmic Café, just contact us. We’ll gladly send you some information on how to start a Cosmic Café, and information on how we host the evening including guidelines for facilitating the conversation.

Some of the topics we have used are: Revelational Influences; The Guru in You; My Karma Ran Over my Dogma; Living a Transformed Life; Illusions of our Time; The Spirit and the Flesh; Hell and Other Hot Topics; Cosmic Citizenship; Still Enlightened after All These Years; The Power of Now; Sacred Spaces, and many others. The conversation is always lively and enlightening.

The Cosmic Café can be seen as “the next thing to do” for those who have gained wisdom and are now ready to venture forth, sharing their gifts with others who are seeking these life giving insights and truths. Those who host CC’s report how exhilarating the experience is. By sharing what we have learned, we come to know these truths in a deep and rich way that goes beyond intellectual comprehension alone. The deep spiritual friendships that emerge are a bonus.

Although we do not generally mention the Urantia Book, we have also sold several copies to interested participants who are intrigued by the concepts presented. We share quotes from the UB, and sometimes we are asked where the quote came from, other times it just opens the discussion to a whole new level.

To participate in this delightful process of interacting with our fellow humans in a spiritual setting, by starting one of your own, just contact Thomas or Aurora at tomo@imbris.net

The act is truly ours, the consequence Gods.

Stories from our Programs

Mothers Of Invention

Having been asked as the Field Co-ordinator of Freeschools World Literacy to briefly describe what it's like working with impoverished hill tribal and refugee children on the Thai-Burma border, my response is that as 'Freeschool' teachers are exclusively female, I have no first hand experience of such though I imagine it to be a most joyous and rewarding experience.

My sole business here is to identify and empower women in rural communities who possess natural leadership traits that include an ability and willingness to provide whatever is lacking in the basic education of the children of their local communities with priority given to girls.

'Freeschools' must be more about empowering leaders than merely hiring teachers for it must be able to turn it's back and know that the children are safe and secure and that they are learning something useful.

My work therefore might be described as helping by not helping. If a village woman wants our support, she must create her own job. She must find her own students, create her own makeshift classroom, plan her own lessons and keep her own records.

That way if 'Freeschools' were to vanish overnight, there would be an excellent chance that such resourceful and self-reliant leader-teachers would find their own way to somehow continue their hugely important work.
Even when such women want to talk with me they are obliged to learn a little English, which in turn empowers them in this English-savy global village still further.
(People often stumble over my self-deprecating humour in reference to my appalling foreign language skills but to those more used to looking beyond the obvious I merely roll my eyes skyward and smile innocently.)

Freeschool Teacher:
"Bloomfield makes us do it all ourselves. You have to learn to create your own solutions."

Bloomfield:
"That's right. You are exactly correct."

But if 'Freeschools' revolves around the essential educational needs of disadvantaged children, and if my own work only brings me near such children for those few minutes as I occasionally visit each teacher to pay salaries or drop off study materials, what I can say of such brief experiences is this:

whatever may perchance survive of this fieldworker's mortal memory beyond the portals of physical death will be rich with images of smiling children's faces, the sound of their laughter and even their expressions of concentration as they busily scribble into their school notebooks.
The class of young rural Indian girls who wouldn't let me leave till they had sung me the latest song they had learnt.
The class of five and six year olds who I handed out new pairs of rubber sandals to recently to protect their young feet and who all stood up and said
"Thaaaaank yooooou!" with a happy bow.

A memory of seeing people at their very best instead of at their very worst...living by what they can give rather than what they can get.

Mine will be the memory of long ago leaving behind a largely humourless, hyper-offendable western world of near hysterical political correctness to the point of truth abandoned fetish where the fear-driven many hold ever greater sway over the love-led few.

Fortunately however, experience has long taught me that even when a small handful of love-saturated and service-motivated souls do come together, momentous change can so easily occur.

Mark Philip Bloomfield

Opportunities for Service

FreeSchools Service Opportunities
Raising funds and awareness drives FreeSchools to open more and more schools in Asia. Since 100% of funds raised goes directly to the field, we depend on volunteers for everything else. We need the following:
1. Website manager
Once our site is up and running we need a person who can keep the site dynamic and current.
2. Graphic design for our monthly fundraisers
3. Editorial input to make suggestions, refine and update website content.
4. Got a fundraising idea? We need to raise $10,000 monthly.
5. Instead of buying more "stuff" for birthdays etc. why not make a donation to FreeSchools in the name of someone special?
Does it get any better than this...

"Just had the absolute BEST birthday ever!! Who would have thought that 40 would be this wonderful...Nick blew me away with his gift of sponsorship of one of your schools for an entire year.....I sat in the restaurant and cried my eyes out when he showed me the certificate...
I was so moved by what Derek told us when we saw you last - I can't believe that we are now going to play a part in your amazing charity....
I feel truly honoured."                             ~ Joanna Moore, Toronto

6. See Teresa's hot fundraising tips. Log on to: www.freeschoolsworld .com
7. Order a FreeSchools Presentation Kit (cost: $10 to cover shipping and handling) to help you organize an event and make an effective presentation that can raise both awareness and funds.
Email sue@ubretreats.ca for direct details.

Upcoming Events

Youth Camp in Tallahassee - March 20-24, 2006

Social and Fundraiser for FreeSchools in Winnipeg, Manitoba - June 9, 2006

IUA Conference in Australia - July 14-18, 2006

Youth Camp at Silver Springs - August 4-10, 2006

New Programs and Application Procedure

The programs under the umbrella of InnerLife International, Inc. (ILI) have been approved by the Board of Directors as programs that support our Vision and our Mission. New programs and events can be considered for approval by sending a request for an application to: aurora2810@aol.com with ILI Application Request in the subject line. Briefly describe the program and how it fits the ILI Vision and Mission. An ILI Board member will contact you and the application will be sent to you for complete details. Dont forget to include ILI Application Request in the subject line, or your e-mail may be deleted.

ILI Participation
Participation in InnerLife International, Inc. (ILI) can be achieved several ways. Our programs are growing rapidly and your membership supports the administration of our programs as well as touching the lives of everyone involved. Those who are serving as volunteers are touched by the knowledge that you support the work they are doing and those who are served by the programs are given the gifts of compassion, love and support.
Another way to participate in ILI programs is to get involved. As a member, you can volunteer, just contact us and let us know you are interested in helping. Volunteer with a specific program, or let us know you are available and we will help find what works for you.
ILI now has the ability to accept credit cards for membership fees or donations to specific programs or events. An ongoing monthly pledge to ILI can be charged to your credit card.
Help ILI continue to make a difference by making a pledge or donation today. Contact us and we will help you get that set up!

Monthly Board Meetings

The Board of ILI meets monthly via conference call. The members of the board welcome your participation. If you ever have any issues, concerns, ideas, or inspirations that you want to be discussed during the meeting then please forward your messages to the board. Shortly after the meeting you will hear the boards response.

Also if any of ILI members would like to receive the notes from the monthly board meeting, you are welcome to have them.

We Welcome New Members

Is InnerLife International for you?

Do you have a deep and growing relationship with your loving creator?

Do you have a desire to make a difference in the world?

Do you have the need to be of service?

Do you want to participate in something larger than yourself?

If any of these questions resemble your nature than you may want to participate in InnerLife International. ILI is supported by volunteers and members and needs your support in order to grow. You may want to adopt a program, assist in their development, support administrative causes, and or become a member. There is always a need and if you have the desire we highly encourage your participation.