Wake Up Call - Insights & Musings to Stir Your Soul

3 Daily Prayers for the Spiritual but not Religious

October 17, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

Do you believe in a force that is greater than yourself? If yes, how do you engage and connect with this omnipresent force beyond merely recognizing its presence? For those of us who refer to this life force as God, one way to engage is prayer. I’m not talking about the formalized, ritualistic prayers of the church. I simply mean going into a silent place within yourself and engaging with what John Templeton calls “something wise within us” or what… Read more

10 Jesus quotes hidden by the Church—and what they reveal

October 10, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

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What if I told you some of the most meaningful and compelling things Jesus said during his lifetime can’t be found in the Bible? That’s because they’re part of the Gnostic Gospels, a loose collection of almost 60 ancient texts that some early Christian referred to as “the secret sayings of the savior.” Many of the Gnostic gospels were written in the first through third centuries, about the same time as the four gospels found in the New Testament. Once in wide… Read more

7 ways to be better than you were yesterday

October 3, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

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You don’t need to be better than anyone else. You just need to be better than you used to be. ~Wayne Dyer At the end of our days, we want to be able to look back and say, “I led a good life.” But what exactly is the measure of a good life? I believe the quote above from Wayne Dyer points us in the right direction. To have lived a good life has nothing to do with comparing our… Read more

Are you already holding the key to happiness?

September 26, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

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It’s a given in life. We all want to be happy, all the time. Yet, the challenges that occur in our lives, whether it’s issues at our job, with our finances, or with our spouse or kids, can often get in the way. But what if that wasn’t the case? What if the key to happiness was this simple: Do you want to be happy or not? Answer yes, and you have a life of happiness. Answer no and you don’t…. Read more

Can the book that saved Lindsay Lohan help you cope with life?

September 19, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

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At one point in time, if you asked anyone in my family who their favorite actor/actress was, there would have been no doubt as to the answer: Lindsay Lohan. We watched movies like The Parent Trap, Freaky Friday and Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen multiple times. Heck, we still watch them when they’re on today! There’s no doubt that if you’re aware of Lindsay Lohan and her acting work, you also know that over the years she has had some problems…. Read more

The Reluctant Billionaire and His 5 Keys to Happiness

September 13, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

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I think everyone should be rich and famous to learn that’s not the answer. ~Jim Carrey In the mid-1980s, Ray Chambers was one of the top deal-makers on Wall Street. Still in his 40s, he was successful beyond his wildest dreams, having earned over a billion dollars. Yet, as he went to work each day it slowly began to dawn on him: he just wasn’t happy. For all his accomplishments, he felt a void inside. Something was missing. But what?… Read more

Prayers for the Sick, the Lonely and the Sleepless

September 5, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

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I just spent the better part of a day with an ailing family member in a local community hospital. While the people who worked there were nice enough, the environment was cold and antiseptic. Little natural light or greenery, a few pieces of drab artwork here and there, the beep-beep-beep of machines filling the air; there was virtually nothing present that might lift the spirit or soothe the soul. I say virtually nothing because just off an elevator, in a… Read more

The Magic of Thinking Big

August 29, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

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The headline above is borrowed from a book by the same name, The Magic of Thinking Big by David J. Schwartz. Though it sold 3 million copies, you’ve probably never heard of it and for good reason. It was published way back in 1959. The Magic of Thinking Big was part of a wave of self-help books, like Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale, that claimed to have found the key… Read more

The Dalai Lama and the incredible power of a smile

August 22, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

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It’s a chicken and egg situation. Does the warmth emanating from the Dalai Lama’s heart cause him to spontaneously break into a smile? Or does the smile come first, spreading happiness throughout his body and filling his heart with joy? The purpose of our lives is to be happy. ~The Dalai Lama The 14thand current Dalai Lama is one of the most revered people in the world. Spiritual leader, head of the Free Tibet movement, best-selling author—it’s hard to think… Read more

Is the President exempt from the Golden Rule?

August 16, 2018 By Tom Rapsas

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This is not a story about politics. It is not about tax cuts or immigration or whether the current administration’s policies may be helping or hurting you in some way. It’s about character and simple human decency. If you’re like me, you were brought up believing in the Golden Rule. I know it comes from the Bible (Matthew 7:12), but its meaning and value to our society go far beyond any religious connotations. It goes like this: “Do unto others… Read more