This is awesome!! Great story telling and music to accompany it! Thank you for sharing!

"The Path to Unity" is a talk by Robert C. Henderson given at the Baha'i Center in Santa Monica, California on 23 August, 2015, and the talk was given just after the United States witnessed a stream of senseless mass shootings including a church shooting in Charleston, South Carolina carried out by a white gunman who killed nine African-Americans during their bible study in church.

Henderson reflects on the tragedy, and opens the talk by saying "We are in the midst of one of the greatest transformations in human history. Profound changes are occurring in the structure of nations, in the relations among people, and in our concept of what it means to be a human being, and how we relate to others. These changes are extremely complicated, and one of the difficulties we have is keeping track of where we are in that process of transformation, and understanding what its dynamics are in helping us to learn how we transform our own cultures, our habits of thought, our habits of feelings, and our habits of behavior. When we experience such tragedies, it's time to reflect as a nation and a community, and ask ourselves "How did we get here?"

Dr. Robert C. Henderson is an elected member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, and the founder of the Henderson Consulting Group, which specializes in the development of high performance organizations. He also serves as a Developer and President of the Philanthropic Division of Baharicom Development Company, co-builder of the Africa Coast to Europe (ACE)/Uhurunet submarine cable system.

Listen to more Baha’i-inspired talks here on Baha’i Blog’s Soundcloud page: https://soundcloud.com/bahai-blog/sets/bahai-talks

Or here on Baha’i Blog’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLePDtgwcyKAR-YtCDQomfurBPiEKxPPQg

Special thanks again to the Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of Santa Monica, California for taking the initiative to record this talk and for giving Baha’i Blog permission to publish it.

The Path to Unity

The Path to Unity - A Talk by Robert C. Henderson

In this series of eight talks, historian Douglas Martin discusses the evolution of religion in the context of our capacity to respond to the requirements of the Divine Plan.

Douglas Martin was born in 1927 in Ontario, Canada. He held a Bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of Western Ontario and a Master's degree in history from the University of Waterloo, Ontario.

He was a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Canada from 1960-85, serving as its general secretary from 1965-85. From 1985-93 he was director-general of the Baha'i International Community's Office of Public Information at the Baha'i World Centre in Haifa.

Mr. Douglas Martin was also a former member of the Universal House of Justice, the governing body of the Baha'i International Community (for more information, please visit: https://universalhouseofjustice.bahai.org/).

Mr. Martin passed away on 28 September 2020 in Toronto, Canada. You can read a tribute to him by the Universal House of Justice on the Baha'i World News Service: https://news.bahai.org/story/1455/

You can watch the whole series of talks here on YouTube: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8392079924F5E850

Or listen to the audio versions of these eight talks here on Baha'i Blog's Soundcloud page:

Talk 1- Introduction: bit.ly/2HprBEO
Talk 2 - The Challenge of Islam: bit.ly/2HlLb4M
Talk 3 - The Bab: bit.ly/2FL8hom
Talk 4 - Spiritual Evolution: bit.ly/2FtrWdn
Talk 5 - The Advent of Divine Justice: bit.ly/2GhteW1
Talk 6 - Abdu'l-Baha: bit.ly/2p7IjRD
Talk 7 - The Guardian: bit.ly/2Il1qjW
Talk 8 - Where Are We Now?: bit.ly/2HmenJ9

Special thanks to Mr. Douglas Martin and the organizers of this talk for granting us permission to share it.

Discover more Baha'i-inspired content on BAHAIBLOG.NET

"Talk 7 - The Guardian" A Talk by Mr. Douglas Martin

Baha’i Blog’s “Studio Sessions” is an initiative where we invite Baha’is and their friends from around the world to come into a studio and share the Baha’i Writings put to music.
 
In this Baha’i Blog Studio Session, we’re in Bristol, United Kingdom with Nica who sings “Make Us Rich in Thee” from the Writings of Baha’u’llah.
 
You can also watch the recording of this song on Baha’i Blog’s YouTube channel here: 
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2lpGOGADRs
 
This song was filmed and recorded in Bristol, United Kingdom, May 2018.

Discover more Baha'i-inspired content on BAHAIBLOG.NET

Here is the quotation used for the lyrics below followed by the quotation and chords:
 
"Glory be to Thee, O God, for Thy manifestation of love to mankind! O Thou Who art our Life and Light, guide Thy servants in Thy way, and make us rich in Thee and free from all save thee.
O God, teach us Thy Oneness and give us a realization of Thy Unity, that we may see no one save Thee. Thou art the merciful and the Giver of bounty!
O God, create in the hearts of Thy beloved the fire of Thy love, that it may consume the thought of everything save Thee.
Reveal to us, O God, Thine exalted eternity -- that Thou hast ever been and will ever be, and that there is no God save Thee. Verily, in Thee will we find comfort and strength." -Baha’u’llah
 
----------------------
 
Intro: Am E Dm Am

Am Dm
Make us rich in Thee 

E  Am
Glory be to Thee

Am Dm
for Thy manifestation of love to mankind!

E Am
O Thou Who art our Life and Light,

Interlude: A E Dm (x2)

Dm Am E Am
give us a realization of Thy Unity, that we may see no one save Thee.

Dm Am E Am
give us a realization of Thy Unity, that we may see no one save Thee.

Am Dm
Make us rich in Thee 

E  Am
Glory be to Thee

Am Dm
for Thy manifestation of love to mankind!

E Am
O Thou Who art our Life and Light,

Dm Am E Am
Verily, in Thee will we find comfort and strength.

Dm Am E Am
Verily, in Thee will we find comfort and strength.

"Make Us Rich In Thee" by Nica

O MY FRIEND IN WORD!
Ponder awhile. Hast thou ever heard that friend and foe should abide in one heart? Cast out then the stranger, that the Friend may enter His home.

A short passage from the 'Hidden Words' recently set to music by Anya and Mo

Ponder Awhile

O SON OF MAN!
I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life. 

A setting of a short passage from the 'Hidden Words' by Anya and Mo

I Loved Thy Creation

Bell rings it’s time for lunch
I see my friends together
Then I see, someone alone 
Someone I’ve never talked to
Should I go and say hello
I want to show I care
I know my friends are watching me
Wondering what I’ll do? 

I take a breath
I take a step 
It’s the right thing to do
This might be hard
But I’ve come this far
I know what it’s like to be you 

I heard they’re different 
I heard they’re strange 
That won’t stop me from trying 	
Differences are a source of strength
I know this is true 
I heard they’re different 
I heard they’re strange 
That won’t stop me from trying 	
Differences are a source of strength
I know this is true 

Next day I see my friends
They come to me and say 
We saw you sit with someone new 
What will you do today 
I wonder why these differences 
Make us feel afraid
If we search for truth ourselves
I wonder what we’ll do? 

We take a breath 
We take a step 
It’s the right thing to do
This might be hard
But we’ve come this far
We know what it’s like to be you 

We heard they’re different 
We heard they’re strange 
That won’t stop us from trying 
Differences are a source of strength
We know this is true
We heard they’re different 
We heard they’re strange 
That won’t stop us from trying 
Differences are a source of strength
We know this is true
We heard they’re different 
We heard they’re strange 
That won’t stop us from trying 
Differences are a source of strength
We know this is true
We heard they’re different 
We heard they’re strange 
That won’t stop us from trying 
Differences are a source of strength
We know this is true

Take A Step

Anis and The Bab, narrated in story and song covers events leading up to the Martyrdom of The Báb in 1850, from the Bahá'í history.
25 minutes. Free to use for any  non-commercial purpose.
For further information  contact Ken@kenfinn.me.uk

The Story Of Anis And The Bab

Anis and The Bab - narrated in story and song

Hello and welcome to the Baha’i Blogcast with me your host, Rainn Wilson.

In this series of podcasts I interview members of the Baha’i Faith and friends from all over the world about their hearts, and minds, and souls, their spiritual journeys, what they’re interested in, and what makes them tick.

In this episode, I'm at my home in Los Angeles with my uncle, Rhett Diessner, a Professor of Psychology who has a special interest in aesthetics and beauty. We talk about moral reasoning, materialism, and how he became a Baha'i. We discuss the psychology of beauty, how there's no love without beauty, and that love holds the whole universe together. Rhett tells me how humans are all intimately linked, and how beauty will literally help save the world. I hope you enjoy the conversation!

To find out more about some of the things we covered in this episode, check out the following links:

* I mention my podcast with Reza Aslan called 'Metaphysical Milkshake’: https://bit.ly/3avGT9K

* Rhett mentions the Baha'i principle of the ‘independent investigation of truth’: https://bit.ly/39vceJv

* Rhett mentions Baha’i Firesides: https://bit.ly/3arsZW2

* Rhett and I talk about 'Some Answered Questions' by Abdu'l-Baha: https://bit.ly/39vc8S3

* Rhett mentions the 'The Promise of World Peace’ by the Universal House of Justice: https://bit.ly/3aAKT98

* Rhett mentions ‘The Book of Certitude (Kitab-i-Iqan)’ by Baha’u’llah: https://bit.ly/38qovxG

* Rhett shares the following quote from 'The Most Holy Book (Kitab-i-Aqdas)’ by Baha'u'llah:  "Observe My commandments, for the love of My beauty.”: https://bit.ly/2IuKGbb

* Rhett and I talk about Shoghi Effendi spending time in Switzerland. Find out more about Shoghi Effendi from this article: https://bit.ly/39rk9HW

* View the photograph Rhett took of the bench he mentions in the podcast here: https://bit.ly/38tkmJh

* Rhett mentions Dr. Hossein Danesh, and you can listen to some of his talks here: 
- ‘Making Peace Our New Year's Resolution’: https://bit.ly/3cDTyJt 
- ‘Decisions, Decisions, Decisions: The Challenge of Making Right Decisions’: https://bit.ly/2Ipz2hT

* Rhett mentions working with the renowned American psychologist, Lawrence Kohlberg: https://bit.ly/2TJ7XeY

* Rhett mentions the works of Carol Gilligan and her book 'In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development’: https://amzn.to/2PO9UFQ

* Rhett and I mention Dr. Steven Phelps, who was a guest on the Baha'i Blogcast twice:
- Baha’i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson – Episode 7: Steven Phelps: https://bit.ly/2PTN7Zf
- [VIDEO] Baha'i Blogcast with Rainn Wilson - Episode 37: Physics and Mysticism with Steven Phelps: https://bit.ly/2VWea9Q

* Rhett mentions the ‘Baha’i World Centre’ (http://www.bwc.org/), and you may find this Baha’i Blog article ‘Why is the Baha’i World Centre in Israel?’ interesting: https://bit.ly/2IsLihu

* Rhett mentions 'The Tablet of Ahmad' by Baha'u'llah which you can read here: https://bit.ly/2vxvM1j  and also read about in this article called ‘The Tablet of Ahmad: Who Was Ahmad?’: https://bit.ly/2ImpgwT

* Rhett mentions the 'Long Obligatory Prayer' by Baha'u'llah, which you can read here: https://bit.ly/2v25HqQ  and also read about in this article called 'A Prayer to Power Up Your Day: The Long Obligatory Prayer': https://bit.ly/38vTvw2

* Rhett quotes from the 'The Seven Valleys' by Baha'u'llah: "...see every face with the beauty of a friend...". You can read 'The Seven Valleys' here: https://bit.ly/32VC46Z  and learn more about it from this article called ‘An Introduction to The Seven Valleys’: https://bit.ly/38yX0SI

Be sure to subscribe to the Baha’i Blogcast for more episodes on: 

* YouTube: bit.ly/2JTNmBO 
* iTunes: apple.co/2leHPHL 
* Soundcloud: @bahaiblogcast 
* Spotify: spoti.fi/2IXRAnb 

If you would like to find out more about the Baha'i Faith visit BAHAI.ORG, and for more great Baha'i-inspired content check out BAHAIBLOG.NET: bahaiblog.net/ 

Thanks for listening! 

-Rainn Wilson

Baha'i Blogcast With Rainn Wilson Episode 43 Rhett Diessner

Episode 43: Rhett Diessner

Baha’i Blog is delighted to share an audio recording of one of our articles titled, “Fasting for Love,” in which we learn a little about the significance of the Baha'i Fast. The article is read by its author, Kamelia. 

You can read this article here: https://www.bahaiblog.net/2016/03/fasting-for-love/

You can also listen to this reading on Baha’i Blog’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=faKYdav28e8

If you’d like to hear more audio readings and talks, check out Baha’i Blog’s Audio Books & Readings playlist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6xLMN2tCC80&list=PLePDtgwcyKATXnKB4fbIUiQj90rIv5FiH) and Baha’i Talks playlist (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-f6oG-gSnc&list=PLePDtgwcyKAR-YtCDQomfurBPiEKxPPQg).

You can find more resources about the Fast here on Baha'i Blog: https://www.bahaiblog.net/about-the-bahai-fast/

Fasting for Love

LISTEN CLOSER

Verse 1
This voice is telling me to wear these clothes
Play these roles, keep that exposed
But we know, we have more to show
Yeah we know, what to keep and what to let go 

What you wearing there looking like expired tags
All these people round you holding their designer bags
When you wear that ‘no name’ is what we think of you 
We buy expensive clothes, treat it like a pay per view 

Who you hanging with, you could do better
You either don’t care, or you’re a go getter 
Come and join the gossip, so and so’s the new topic 
Cut ‘em off, join us, that’s some good logic 

This voice is telling me to live for pleasure 
Strive for leisure, give into pressure
But we need something of meaning to measure 
When we hear truth, that’s the real treasure 

Pre-chorus
I seem to accept what don’t feel right 
Gotta take steps to be drawn to the light 
I see the truth behind the words
What is said is only half of what I heard 

Chorus x 2
Listen closer, listen for the meaning 
Question words, to see how I’m feeling 
I know truth, when it’s spoken
Keep my guard up, but keep my mind open 

Verse 2
This voice is telling me, we have to divide 
It’s us and them, we have to take sides 
We keep an open mind, to tell truth from lies 
A truth we know, hate can never hide 

Come over here, you gotta listen closely
Those people aren’t like you, not even remotely
I got something to say, and it isn’t a distraction
Fuelling all that fear, just to see your reaction 

Don’t act all mighty, taking your high road 
Those people are dangerous, that’s something we all know
I’m the undercurrent causing chaos and confusion 
I’m that subtle sound telling you that you’re losing 

The volume’s getting louder, distracting from my purpose 
Making up my mind, cause the truth is worth it
These fabricated facts, are what shake us 
But we realise, it’s the differences that make us 

Pre-chorus
I seem to accept what don’t feel right 
Gotta take steps to be drawn to the light 
I see the truth behind the words
What is said is only half of what I heard 

Chorus x 2
Listen closer, listen for the meaning 
Question words, to see how I’m feeling 
I know truth, when it’s spoken
Keep my guard up, but keep my mind open

Bridge
C’mon take it! 
I’m not sure no more
It’s what you wanted! 
It’s not what I asked for 
You’ll regret it! 
How are you so sure?
Just take it! 
…. No.

Chorus x 3 
Listen closer, listen for the meaning 
Question words, to see how I’m feeling 
I know truth, when it’s spoken
Keep my guard up, but keep my mind open

Keep my guard up, but keep my mind open x 2

Anis and The Bab - narrated in story and song

KenFinn22

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