VIEWS ON BANK of MONTREAL'S 5 YEAR RATE

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A good explainatory article by Robert McLister of Canadian Mortgage Trends explaining the pros and cons of Bank of Montreal's just announced 5 year 2.99% rate:BMO Cranks Up the Heat AgainBMO is dead-set on winning mind share among consumers.It's coming back to the market with two new deep-discount rate promos: A 5-year fixed at 2.99% (which starts Thursday, March 8, 2012) A 10-year fixed at 3.99% (which starts Sunday, March 11, 2012) Both of these specials are low-frills, meaning: A Lower Maximum Amortization: 25 years versus 30-40 years elsewhere Less Lump-sum Pre-payment Ability: 10% maximum per year (i.e., 1/2 of the 20% that BMO normally allows) A Smaller Payment Increase Option: Up to 10%, once per year (again, 1/2 of the 20% that BMO normally allows) A Locked Term: The Low-rate Mortgage is fully closed unless you sell the property, refinance (with BMO only), or early renew into another BMO mortgage. In other words, unless you sell, you're not leaving BMO for 5 years, like it or not. Both the 5-year and 10-year promos run for 3 weeks, until March 28, 2012.We've heard talk that TD and RBC will not match BMO's pricing on the 5-year term. We'll see. The last time BMO ran this special, its competitors quickly responded with 4-year rates of 2.99%. Despite the one less year, those competing offers came with all the normal bells and whistles.Unfortunately for competitors, a 2.99% five-year rate makes more headlines than a four-year promo at the same price, and BMO knows it. This deal has garnered almost a dozen major media stories already, and the press release only came out four hours ago.As for BMO's 10-year deal, it is 146 basis points below the nearest Big 6 bank competitors' advertised rates. It is BMO's lowest 10-year rate ever, and it matches ING's current 3.99% offer. (ING was the first bank in Canada to advertise 10-year rates below 4.00%.)With these rates, BMO is starting to make other big banks look increasingly silly. CIBC, National Bank, RBC, and TD are currently promoting 5-year "special offer" rates of 4.04%. That's 105 basis points above BMO (albeit with more flexibility). Those rates border on ridiculous, and they insult the intelligence of increasingly savvy consumers who know that well-qualified borrowers rarely pay anything close to those rates.Yes, we say that knowing that BMO's Low-rate mortgage is highly restrictive and not suitable for most.It is, however, suitable for some. The target market includes many: First-time buyers Rental property owners Owners of 2nd homes The customer should have no foreseeable need to break, increase or aggressively prepay his/her mortgage for five years.In posting more transparent rates than its peers, BMO is taking a page from brokers and smaller rivals. In doing so, it's building credibility with consumers at its competitors' expense.Frank Techar, BMO's Canadian banking head, tells Bloomberg: "The reaction to our January offer was fantastic." With a mortgage market that BMO CEO William Downe admits is "slowing," 2.99% is a big fat worm on a hook. It is bait that gets BMO's phones ringing.It also gives BMO's sales force a chance to upsell people into higher margin mortgages without all the restrictions of BMO's Low-rate product. (There's a lot of that going on, according to the BMO mortgage specialists we've talked to.)With this rate sale, BMO is certain to take flak for fuelling consumer borrowing at a time when high debt levels are worrying policymakers.To that end, Techar maintains that BMO is not fuelling the fire. He tells the Financial Post that these rates "are consistent with the debate around the need to reduce consumer debt levels."In an interview with Reuters, he said: "People are not going to stretch to get the largest mortgage they can with a 25-year amortization product. Because the monthly payments are higher, they...will go to a 30-year amortization product." (He's right.)Downe recently said this to analysts about BMO's Low-rate Mortgage:"We think that's a product that is good for Canadians; it's good for Canada; it's good for our customers, and we intend to continue to promote it in this environment.It's a product that we believe addresses all of the risks that are currently being debated, whether or not the consumer debt levels that are too high in Canada and a possible fallout from economic slowdown and rising interest rates. It helps our customers pay less interest. It mitigates their interest rate risk for five years. It helps them retire debt free by paying off their balance faster, and it works against market price appreciation. In fact, it helps with...house price appreciation, because the shorter amortization reduces the maximum purchase price people can afford."Being a 5-year fixed, this product does mitigate some risk. A 200 basis point rate increase by 2017 would only lift payments $133/month on the average Canadian mortgage of $151,000.As for rumours that policymakers are ticked off by BMO's pricing, the last time anyone looked, it's still a free market. BMO can price as it sees fit within regulations. As long as underwriting standards remain high, God bless it for bringing down rates industry-wide.Even if rates like 2.99% do spur more interest in mortgages, it doesn't mean lenders will approve high-risk borrowers. BMO's average loan-to-value (LTV) is just 60%. More notably, BMO's residential mortgage portfolio has a long-run loss rate of less than 2 basis points (i.e., exceptionally low).Barring a run-up in bond yields, we could now start seeing competitors (like mortgage brokers) respond with full-frills 5-year offers that are just a pittance above BMO's rate. Some might even match or beat it.We'd strongly encourage most folks to consider paying a bit more to avoid the low-rate mortgage restrictions—especially if the premium is small (0.05%-0.10%) and especially if you can benefit from the service and extras that come with a standard mortgage.Side Note: Here are a few more details about BMO's Low-rate Mortgage: Rate Hold: Up to 90 days Pre-Approvals?: Yes BMO Mortgage Cash Account: Not available with the Low-Rate mortgage BMO Skip-a-Payment: Not available with the Low-Rate mortgage BMO ReadiLine: Not available with the Low-Rate mortgage Rentals Allowed? Yes 2nd Homes Allowed? Yes

Online Marketing Strategies, SEM and Web Design

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SEM stands for Search Engine Marketing and it is tied directly to Online Marketing Strategies, which are tied directly to Web Design. As the Internet evolves at an astonishing rate, so does the sophistication of the users.

Once upon a time, consumers would enter complete sentences in a search box and hope to find what they were looking for. When they were not satisfied they enter new search parameters before going to the second of results on the original search. After a decade or more of searches, there are billions of searches every day

And less than 20% of surfers go to page 2, but prefer to refine their keywords and start a new search. 

Search engines have known for a long time that some words are more equal than others. When a consumer types in the subject of their search, the search engine logs the information. Over time, patterns emerge, like paths through the woods, people use some words more than others. If you are in need of Bed Bug related products then there are four spellings: Bedbug, Bed Bug, Bedbugs, Bed Bugs. Just so you know, One variation of these is used by four out five consumers. In other words, 80% of consumers who are looking to spend money on Bedbug related products, use 1 variation more than the rest. If you are selling products or services in that niche, and you do not know which variation it is, then you are at a disadvantage, and missing 80% of the traffic.

As a business owner, you need to know what keywords are most important in your niche so that you can weave them into your website content and show the search engines that your company is an authority in your field. Anything else, is just guessing, and not a viable solution for success.

The Shotgun Show is a highly effective and cleverly disguised Online Marketing How To platform that is the 21^st Century Internet Marketing Strategy and vehicle for Social Media Marketing. Get with an Internet Marketing Company that knows how to leverage the new “word of mouth.”

http://shotgunshow.com

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Grow Your Business with IProfit at Invest Ottawa

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Invest Ottawa’s iProfit Small Business Mentoring program connects small business owners with professionals and seasoned mentors who can offer helpful advice, expertise and direction customized to your needs. Learn how to grow your existing business to the next level, while avoiding some of the most common pitfalls that businesses make.

How can mentoring help you and your business?

Avoid the mistakes most commonly made by businesses in their early years.
Learn from others’ mistakes and successes. A mentor’s role is to share with you lessons from their experience so that you can benefit without having to learn from painful trial and error.

Stay focused on what is most important for your growing business. Mentors assist you in identifying what steps will have the greatest positive impact on your business, and help prioritize an action plan. Mentors provide a sounding board. When you’re the sole owner of a business, often there’s no one to turn to for advice or direction. You’re on your own. Everybody needs a good reliable sounding board, a second opinion, and someone who offers positive support.

Expand your knowledge network. Your mentor, being an experienced businessperson, is likely to have an extensive network, and can offer you access to other senior decision-makers. The iProfit Mentoring program is designed for growth stage companies that want to take their business to the next level. As part of this program, business owners are matched with a seasoned mentor who can offer helpful advice, expertise, and direction customized to their needs. The mentorship typically involves 6 sessions over 3 months.

As a small business owner, you may not always have the time to see what is right in front of you – both the good and the bad. As part of the SWOT program, two Invest Ottawa Business Advisors will review your business and identify the strengths in your current business and what opportunities may be out there that you should focus on for growth. They will also identify the weaknesses in your current operation that may be turning customers away, as well as threats that may impact you in the future. This program may also include the use of mystery shoppers for an additional cost. The results of this analysis will be provided to you in a written report.

Sometimes, a business owner just needs to sit down and spend some time with a group of advisors who can offer guidance on a variety of issues. In this program, Invest Ottawa will convene 3 professionals to discuss the issues of the small business owner in one 90 minute meeting. The panel will offer advice and develop a list of ‘action items’ for the business owner, and will include follow-up by the EC Business Advisor in the following weeks.

One of the cornerstones of a successful business is an up-to-date business plan. Business Planning Services are offered as part of the iProfit Small Business Growth Program. Under this program, an Invest Ottawa business advisor will work with the business owner to help guide them in updating their business plan.

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Ottawa Youth MBA

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The YouthMBA for Youth in Ottawa is a unique life-skills program for teens. MBA stands for Youth Minding their Own Business, as in Business. "This program is definitely made for teens!" It is a nine-month, after-school program for middle-school teens offering personal fitness coaching, customized challenges and networking opportunities. "I like the life stories that the guest speakers are telling us. They make me think about my future."

The YOUTH MBA program will help to cultivate and nurture future Canadian business leaders, in partnership with the business community. "We learn so many cool facts that we don't learn in regular school." The concept is to work together to identify, nurture and mentor local teens to reach their full potential and to provide them a real life-skills learning environment within hosted business environments. "The positive attitude I take away from the program is helping me to face the challenges ahead."

The future is coming! Actually, it has already arrived, we just got a little distracted by the details. If you have children, then you know that they continue to explore and dig and understand the world that is developing around them. "The professionals involved show us how to take care of ourselves and show us a better path to follow to avoid life's tripwires." If you have teens then you know that your ability to influence them has diminished. In fact it seems that anyone in the world, as long as it isn’t you, can be an authority on any subject. "The activities are hands-on and is a better teaching method than in school." But you also will understand that this is the bird leaving the nest, spreading their wings and attempting to establish their own measuring stick of life. Then, as sure as there will be another top 40 musician beyond Lady Gaga, another all-star hockey player, another Prime Minister there will also be another generation of Business Leaders and they are currently living amongst us. "I'm learning so many good life skills. I remember them because the activities are fun."

In the future, they will be the people to orchestrate and finance the creation of vaccines, products and services to make our lives easier and one of them will come up with a groundbreaking concept that changes the world. And that is what the YouthMBA Program is all about. Nurturing youthful ideas. "This is an amazing program that helps me plan for a better future."

Brought to you by The Shotgun Show TM, a highly effective and cleverly disguised Online Marketing “How To” platform and 21^st Century Internet Marketing Strategy for Social Media Marketing. Get with an Internet Marketing Company that knows how to leverage the new “word of mouth.”

http://shotgunshow.com

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Real Estate in Ottawa with Jasmine Brown

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613 898 4063 for Real Estate in Ottawa and Ottawa Homes for Sale. . Royal LePage Gale Real Estate are the Best Real Estate Agents in Ottawa and MLS Ottawa. Get onboard for Ottawa RealEstate.

Real Estate in Ottawa with Jasmine Brown is about buying and selling. Buying the house of your dreams or selling the property that you have outgrown. Either way, a change is in order and managing change is what Jasmine does best.

She would be happy to meet with you to discuss selling your home, provide a free market analysis, and go through her straightforward 10-point plan for a successful sale! This will help you get your home ready to sell, maximize its value, and get it SOLD- PRONTO!

Serving you as a Seller includes A free Seller's consultation & market analysis of your home, Maximizing your home's potential, Professional staging & photography

Listing your home, at the right price, Tailoring a wraparound marketing strategy to your home, Negotiating the sale with your best interests at heart and Facilitating the closing process.

Exciting as it is, home buying can also be a stressful time. Jasmine loves to house shop as much as you do and with her 10-point home buying plan, she can help you find what you need, in your price range, without wasting any of your precious time.

On the other end of the spectrum, when she serves you as a Buyer you get A free Buyer's consultation & needs assessment, Assessing your readiness to buy, Fresh MLS listings delivered to you daily, Involving the specialists you need, Home shopping tailored to your wants, needs & budget, Negotiating the purchase with your best interests at heart, Facilitating the closing process and her commitment to ongoing communication & availability. 

Brought to you by The Shotgun Show TM, a highly effective and cleverly disguised Online Marketing “How To” platform and 21^st Century Internet Marketing Strategy for Social Media Marketing. Get with an Internet Marketing Company that knows how to leverage the new “word of mouth.”

http://shotgunshow.com

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Project Calgary

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The fall in Calgary has been very lovely.  Yet another great thing about living in Calgary.

The following is a link to the Calgary Herald's ongoing story about Calgary.  "Project Calgary".  We encourage you to check it out and get involved.  It is all about taking a good look at the city and discussing way to keep making the city a better place to live. 

Check it out.
http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/neighbours/index.html

Enjoy your city.

On the cover of the...Spotlight

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It has been an eventful week at Henderson Campeau. 
The partners of the firm have the honor of gracing the cover of the most recent issue of Spotlight magazine.  The magazine highlights Alberta CAs.
It was fun to take part in the interview and photo shoot.  It was also great to highlight our approach to life and business.

Take a look.  For a pdf version visit our website under the NEWS tab.  www.hendersoncampeau.com

2011 Personal tax rates

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It is getting cold outside, winter is on our doorstep. Long gone are those dog days of summer and nice fall evenings.  Now we can look forward to warm hot chocolate by the fire, weekends at the ski hills, toboggan runs, Christmas carols and skating.

2011 is winding down, time to ensure all is in order for both your corporate and personal financial matters.

This is the link to the 2011 personal tax rates here in Canada and by province.
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/fq/txrts-eng.html

We look forward to assisting you in any way we can.

Enjoy the start to the winter.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

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The holiday season is here, and that means opening your heart to giving. Not only to those close to you, but to those that really appreciate a helping hand.  We should make a habit of giving throughout the entire year and not just at Christmas. This Dec 3, 2011 is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. This is an international observance promoted by the United Nations since 1992. We encourage you to participate in this day, at a local level, and think about giving back to those in need.Check out this link for how to celebrate in Calgary. http://www.calgaryidpd.ca/From an accounting perspective, I will discuss a few tax breaks that are available to persons with disabilities. People who qualify can take advantage of the credits available.Disability tax creditA disability tax credit can be claimed if you have a severe and prolonged mental or physical impairment which restricts your ability to perform the basic activities of daily living, such as: speaking, hearing, walking, feeding, dressing, and performing the mental functions necessary for everyday life. If the disability qualifies, it must be certified by a doctor, who will then complete this form: T2201For 2011 the federal disability credit is $7,341.  This amount can also be transferred from the dependent to the caregiver.Amount for infirm dependentAn individual may claim an amount for dependants age 18 or older, provided they are dependent on the individual because of a mental or physical disability. DependantA dependant is defined as a person who at any time in the year is dependent on an individual for support. This includes the individual's or the individual's spouse's or common-law partner's• child or grandchild; or• parent, grandparent, brother, sister, uncle, aunt, niece, or nephew (if this person is resident in Canada at any time in the year).For 2011, the federal credit is $4,282Registered disability savings plans (RDSPs).Family members, and other authorized contributors are entitled to establish registered disability savings plans (RDSPs) if they are related to individuals with a prolonged and severe physical or mental impairment.RDSPs are designed to help parents and others save and provide for the long-term financial security of a disabled beneficiary.The tax treatment of RDSPs is very similar to that of Registered Education Savings Plans. The contributions to the plan are not tax deductible, investment income accrues on a tax-deferred basis, and withdrawals from the plan are taxable to the beneficiary to a certain extent. Disability support deductionsEligible disability supports expenses may be claimed as a deduction if the following conditions are met:• the expenses were incurred to enable the individual to:– be employed,– carry on a business (either alone or as an active partner),– carry on research or similar work (for which the individual received a grant), or– attend a designated educational institution or secondary school where the individual is enrolled in an educational program Example of such payments include: note-taking services, voice-recognition software, tutoring services, talking textbooks, job coaching services, reading services, full- or part-time attendant care services provided in Canada

The disability support deduction is available only to individuals with disabilities; it is not available to people who support them.

Other tax credits include amount for eligible dependents, child care expense deductions, amount for children, medical expense credits, and caregiver amounts. 
Check out this not for profit organization that works with people with disabilities for social activities and lots of fun.  http://www.betweenfriends.ab.ca/The following is a link to the Government of Canada’s resource for people with disabilities. http://www.pwd-online.ca/pwdhome.jsp?lang=enIf you or somebody you know qualifies for these tax deductions and credits please ensure you are using them. Have a great day.

Children's art amount

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Happy spring.  At the office we are busy meeting personal clients, completing corporate year ends and excited for yet another personal tax season. It's nice to see everyone this time of year and do a little catching up.

With the 2011 personal tax season here, there are some additional credits available in 2011.  Probably the most common credit will be the children's art amount. 

All the details can be found by following this link: http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/tx/ndvdls/tpcs/ncm-tx/rtrn/cmpltng/ddctns/lns360-390/370/menu-eng.html

For clarification or just to arrange a personal tax meeting please get in touch with us.

Have a great week

How Do I Get Out of Debt?

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Do you know someone who hates their job, who thinks that they are worth more, that feel dissatisfied, who wonder why is life so hard, who were never taught anything constructive about money?

They say that we fear public speaking more than we fear death, but we fear most of all is talking about money. We are taught that money is the root of all evil, but in reality it is the hoarding of money that brings out the worst in mankind. Everyone needs money for food, shelter and clothing. Money can enrich our lives by giving us the time and resources to help others. The proper management of money is an integral element of a long and healthy life.

Every day we witness the negative effects of mismanaged money. People buying what they can’t afford, throwing away what they need and creating financial anarchy in their lives. In return, families are destroyed, illness abounds and the human race has become desperate. Desperation is not becoming, and it seems that few of us are untouched by the world financial circles.

We know that we like to spend it, we don’t want to talk about it, we don’t want to admit to ourselves that there is a problem and we like to believe that having more money is the answer to our problems.

All that stands between you and the life that you want is a system, a process, a strategy. Isabelle Denis has gone from $300,000 in debt, to having a net worth of more than a million dollars. Her process is proven and if you apply it, you will achieve a life without the repeat of stress every 30 days. Or you can rely on Plan B: ‘’If I win the lottery, then I would be able to make my dreams come true!’’

Is your life full of stress over money? Do you ask yourself-How Do I Get Out of Debt? Learn how to be Debt Free and methods for Getting Out of Debt using money. Get answers and Debt Advice and Help Me Get Out of Debt.

 

 

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PODS Moving and Storage in Ottawa

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PODS Moving and Storage in Ottawa provides storage units that are made of a steel frame with specially designed, aluminum skin panels. The top is a translucent, durable polymer material that allows ambient light to pass through which illuminates the inside of the container. Plus, there is a light-weight steel roll up door.

At PODS Ottawa, we bring the container to you, place it in a convenient spot and leave you to load and unload at your own convenience. Unlike standard roll-off containers that tilt and drag, PODZILLA's innovative design keeps the contents level as the container is gently loaded and unloaded onto the delivery truck. And unlike a rental truck, there are no ramps to ascend with heavy loads, no strenuous lifting and no moments of panic when unloading. The advanced hydraulics simply and securely raise the PODS container with your belongings onto the PODS' truck, lower it onto the bed, secure it and away it goes. For self-storage in Ottawa, we store the container in one of our secure Storage Centers.

PODS Ottawa storage units are designed to accommodate a typical household. Larger households will require multiple storage units. In general, each 8x7x7 container may accommodate 1 room, each 8x8x12 container may accommodate 2-3 rooms, and each 8x8x16 container may accommodate 3-4 rooms. As every household is different, the customer is responsible for assessing the container capacity for their belongings. Container sizes are approximate with the 8x8x16 container reserved for long distance moves. Our scheduling technology permits flexible delivery and pick-up days for convenient loading and unloading. PODS containers can be delivered and picked-up based upon the day of your moving requirement, schedule permitting.

PODS Ottawa provides moving and storage in Ottawa and services to most major markets. Moving longer distances may require the movement from one secure facility to another. PODS Ottawa is the ideal solution to pack and unpack your belongings only one time and store them in our secure warehouses when needed. When moving in Ottawa you will find that most movers pack and unpack your possessions several times when moving and storing them. We recognize the need to offer loading and unloading flexibility and we do not limit the time the PODS container can stay on your property. In some areas local ordinances may be applicable, so you may want to check with your local authorities.

877-770-PODS (7637) PODS moving and storage in Ottawa with storage units for moving in Ottawa. Our storage units are bright with an easy roll up door. Easy self storage and moving with PODS Ottawa.

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Ottawa Executive Business Coaching with Robert Hargrove 1

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Hello, I am Eric Deschamps of Breakthrough Coach. Let me ask you a few key questions… Are you a successful entrepreneur who longs to be an industry game-changer and trendsetter? Are you ready to get past your organization's sticking points and turbo charge your revenues and profits? Would you like to experience a significant break-through in your business in the next 100 days or less? Then Ottawa Executive Business Coaching with Robert Hargrove can get you the results you need.

Robert Hargrove has guided almost 30,000 people through a program called “The Leadership Transformation Experience,” he has served as a Director of the Harvard Leadership Research Project, and has coached an amazing assortment of leaders at all levels. Many of the people he has worked with went on to become CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, top government officials, valued middle managers, sought after Directors of non-profits, principals of schools and heads of hospitals.

Then listen carefully, because the Business Accelerator I am about to describe could very well be the opportunity you’ve been looking for! I am looking for a few good entrepreneurs to participate in a groundbreaking experiment in the National Capital Region! This opportunity is called the Ultimate Entrepreneur!

The Ultimate Entrepreneur is the rare chance for owners of small and medium size businesses to have direct access to some of the best executive and business coaching resources available at a significantly reduced cost. Let me get right to the point. I have spent countless hours meeting with business owners and entrepreneurs from the greater Ottawa area. And after listening to them and hearing about their dreams and their challenges, I began searching for the best way to help them get the results they are looking for.

During my search to provide world-class coaching to business owners like yourself, I crossed paths with Robert Hargrove of Masterful Coaching, one of the greatest business coaches in the world! Robert has years of executive coaching behind him, and has helped Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies grow and increase their profitability significantly. He is an accomplished author and speaker.

As Robert and I got to know each other, we discovered that we share the same passion… To empower business owners to grow their companies and achieve game-changing results! We are passionate about helping you get the results you’ve always wanted! So we’ve devised a rather bold and daring experiment, to see how much of a "game-changing" difference we really CAN produce for a small business owner like you. Robert & I are recruiting a very dynamic, but intimate, group of entrepreneurs who may not have big bucks to spend on world-class coaching, but have big dreams for their business and understand the value of having a coach in their corner to help them turn those dreams into reality.  For more information, keep watching.

Join Robert Hargrove, Fortune 500 Executive Business Coach with Eric Deschamps of Breakthrough Coach in Ottawa for Ultimate Entrepreneur, an exclusive Management Coaching, Business Mentor program.

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Custom Athletic Screen Printing Montreal

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Finding Custom Athletic Screen Printing in Montreal is cheaper and easier than ever.

When it comes to team sports, your identity is what defines you and your athletic jerseys are the most prominent definition of that identity. Around the world the greatest sports franchises are built on their colours, their names, their numbers and their logos. And although you may not be playing for millions, your identity as a part of a team is worth millions.

Lets face it, no matter what you pay for Athletic Screen Printing, it has to look good, because it instills confidence in the wearer and win or lose, it helps to look good in the post game celebration.  Techniques for screen printing have come a long way since team sports were invented. There is a broad range of specialty products for customizing any type or style of athletic jersey, t shirt or garment. Using a variety of specialty inks and printing techniques it’s possible to create special effects that will make your image stand out!

There is a 4 color process print for photo realistic images, high gloss ink for a wet-look print, glow-in-the-dark for eye catching designs, and vintage style discharge prints which produce an incredibly soft-hand feel. There are also a number of other processes and combinations that make your idea possible, no matter what you are imagining. There are also water-based inks that will give your garments a very soft-hand feel, which gets softer the more you wash it!

But teams are only limited to sports. What about Paramedics, Firemen and Police Departments? These are also teams that need to be readily identified. One of our specialties is the decorating of safety garments for use in the technical fields of Law Enforcement, Fire Prevention, Emergency Medical Services and Security fields. We use specialty inks like Retroreflective, Fire Retardant & Fluorescents. We also carry 3M ® Reflective vinyl for custom cad-cut graphics that can be heat applied to many articles that are impossible to screenprint on.

Get your team the right identification. And if you are wondering what 5 Color spot print is, are looking for metallic and fire retardant ink, inkless dye, custom appliquéd felt letters for custom team shirts, athletic jerseys or Custom Athletic Screen Printing in Montreal, then look no further.

Custom Athletic Screen Printing Montreal for fire retardant ink, inkless dye, custom appliquéd felt letters, custom team shirts, athletic jerseys or Custom Team Shirts,

Custom Apparel and Team Jerseys.

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Ottawa Executive Business Coaching with Robert Hargrove 2

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Hello, my name is Robert Hargrove of Masterful Coaching. Over the past decade I have helped to deliver over $7 billion in new revenue to clients with equally exciting profit windfalls. I regularly get requests from owners of small and medium-sized businesses to help them grow their revenue, but my rather lavish rate structure makes my coaching virtually unavailable to them. I normally charge Fortune 500 CE0’s, and Venture Funded Silicon Valley Start Ups astronomical rates. $100K to $300K a year, plus in some cases a percentage of their increased revenue. While I love working with entrepreneurs and small business owners, my expensive consulting rates have made this impossible… until now!

Several months ago, I met Eric Deschamps of Breakthrough Coach, and he challenged me to change my thinking about this so that I can do what I really love... Help small business owners like you! He said, “Robert, there is a way YOU CAN help the more deserving, ambitious and success-destined small business owners in Ottawa… IF you’re open to a bold and utterly “experimental” approach.”

So together we came up with a plan to recruit a small, “elite” group of entrepreneurs, say, a dozen seriously focused, ambitious and dedicated business owners. I thought "What if?” What if we developed a group-mentoring version of my "one-on-one" private consulting model, and mentored 12 ambitious, well-deserving entrepreneurs in a unique, live “group setting” for one day a month over a 15-month period?

Here is the answer to that “What if?” We are creating a powerful and unique small business growth accelerator that will tackle a wide range of opportunities and issues. And we are launching that group right here in Ottawa through Breakthrough Coach! The objective is to engage in breakthrough thinking to take you and your business to a different place. Our goal is to help you experience a significant BREAKTHROUGH in your business in 100 days or less, and to repeat that cycle every 100 days! Just imagine what your business could look like 12-15 months from now!

We want work with a special group of CEO’s, founders, and business owners… We are looking for individuals who refuse to be average and are determined to be industry game-changers and trendsetters! Our goal is to attract owners of small to medium businesses that have a track record of past success and who are convinced that they are destined for far greater achievements.

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Accomplishments by the Obama Administration and Congress on LGBT Equality

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No one should rest until we have full LGBT equality.  But progress is being made.  In its first term, the Obama Administration has...

By Andrew Tobias | Contact DNC treasurer Andrew Tobias is the author of several books, including The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need and The Best Little Boy in the World.

FEDERAL LEGISLATION SIGNED INTO LAW

1. Signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which expanded existing United States federal hate crime law to include crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability -- the first positive federal LGBT legislation in the nation's history
2. Repealed Don't Ask/Don't Tell
3. Signed the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Treatment Extension Act

POLICIES CHANGED

1. Reversed US refusal to sign the UN Declaration on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
2. Extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees in 2009 and, further, in 2010
3. Lifted the HIV Entry Ban
4. Issued diplomatic passports, and provided other benefits, to the partners of same-sex foreign service employees
5. Committed to ensuring that federal housing programs are open to all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity
6. Conceived a National Resource Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Elders -- the nation's first ever -- funded by a three-year HHS grant to SAG
7. Banned job discrimination based on gender identity throughout the Federal government (the nation's largest employer)
8. Eliminated the discriminatory Census Bureau policy that kept our relationships from being counted, encouraging couples who consider themselves married to file that way, even if their state of residence does not yet permit legal marriage
9. Instructed HHS to require any hospital receiving Medicare or Medicaid funds (virtually all hospitals) to allow LGBT visitation rights
10. Required all grant applicants seeking HUD funding to comply with state and local anti-discrimination laws that protect LGBT individuals
11. Adopted transgender recommendations on the issuance of gender-appropriate passports that will ease barriers to safe travel and that will provide government-issued ID that avoids involuntary "outing" in situations requiring ID, like hiring, where a gender-appropriate driver's license or birth certificate is not available
12. Extended domestic violence protections to LGBT victims
13. Extended the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover employees taking unpaid leave to care for the children of same-sex partners
14. Issued guidance to assist tenants denied housing on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity and banned LGBT discrimination in all HUD-assisting housing and HUD-assisted loans 
15. Issued a National HIV/AIDS Strategy praised as "long-overdue" by the Task Force, Lambda and others
16. Issued guidance to 15,000 local departments of education and 5,000 colleges to support educators in combating bullying
17. Cut back authority to discharge under Don't Ask/Don't Tell from hundreds of generals to just 6 civilian appointees, effectively ending discharges while working toward a permanent end to the policy.
18. Led the fight that reversed a 2010 UN vote removing sexual orientation from the list of things people should not be killed for 
19. Launched the first-ever national study of discrimination against members of the LGBT community in the rental and sale of housing
20. Determined that Section 3 of DOMA is unconstitutional
21. Determined that LGBT discrimination should be subject to a standard of "heightened scrutiny"
22. Stopped defending DOMA, leading to "dramatic changes across the country and the federal government in the way that lawyers and judges see legal challenges brought by LGBT people - and, slowly but surely, in the way that LGBT people are able to live their lives" 
23. Filed an unprecedented brief detailing the history of discrimination faced by gay, lesbian and bisexual people in America, including by the federal government itself -- the single most persuasive legal argument ever advanced by the United States government in support of equality for lesbian, gay and bisexual people
24. Vacated a court order that would have deported a gay American's Venezuelan partner 
25. Begun recognizing joint bankruptcy petitions filed by same-sex married couples
26. Endorsed the Respect for Marriage Act
27. Reduced the deportation threat faced by binational LGBT couples
28. Authorized military chaplains to perform same-sex weddings on or off military bases
29. Upped the nation's commitment to fighting HIV/AIDS at home and abroad
30. Launched a muscular, game-changing campaign for global LGBT equality, highlighted by the Secretary of State in a half-hour address to the United Nations
31. Extended the gender-based employment discrimination protections of the 1964 Civil Rights Act to transgender employees
32. Added an LGBT representative to the diversity program at each of the nations 120 federal prisons
    

RESPECT & INCLUSION

1. Endorsed the Baldwin-Lieberman bill, The Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009, to provide FULL partnership benefits to federal employees
2. Released the first Presidential PRIDE proclamations since 2000
3. Hosted the first LGBT Pride Month Celebration in White House history
4. Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Harvey Milk and Billie Jean King, joining past recipients such as Rosa Parks
5. Appointed the first ever transgender DNC member
6. Testified in favor of ENDA, the first time any official of any administration has testified in the Senate on ENDA
7. Hired more openly LGBT officials (like these) in its first two years -- more than 150, including more than 20 "Senate-confirmables" -- than any previous administration hired in four years or eight
8. Sworn in Ambassador David Huebner
9. Changed the culture of government everywhere from – among others – HUD and HHS to the Export-Import Bank, the State Department, and the Department of Education
10. Appointed Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, instead of conservatives who would have tilted the Court even further to the right and virtually doomed our rights for a generation.  To wit (quoting McCain): "I've said a thousand times on this campaign trail, I've said as often as I can, that I want to find clones of Alito and Roberts.  I worked as hard as anybody to get them confirmed. I look you in the eye and tell you I've said a thousand times that I wanted Alito and Roberts.  I have told anybody who will listen. I flat-out tell you I will have people as close to Roberts and Alito [as possible]."
11. Named open transgender appointees (the first President ever to do so)
12. Emphasized LGBT inclusion in everything from the President’s historic NAACP address (“The pain of discrimination is still felt in America.  By African American women paid less for doing the same work as colleagues of a different color and a different gender.  By Latinos made to feel unwelcome in their own country.  By Muslim Americans viewed with suspicion simply because they kneel down to pray to their God.  By our gay brothers and sisters, still taunted, still attacked, still denied their rights.”) . . . to the first paragraph of his Family Day proclamation (“Whether children are raised by two parents, a single parent, grandparents, a same-sex couple, or a guardian, families encourage us to do our best and enable us to accomplish great things”) and his Mothers Day proclamation ("Nurturing families come in many forms, and children may be raised by two parents, a single mother, two mothers, a step-mom, a grandmother, or a guardian.  Mother's Day gives us an opportunity to celebrate these extraordinary caretakers") . . . to creating the chance for an adorable 10-year-old at the White House Easter Egg roll to tell ABC World News how cool it is to have two mommies . . . to including the chair of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce along with the Secretary of the Treasury and the President of Goldman Sachs in the small audience for the President’s economic address at the New York Stock Exchange . . . to welcoming four gay couples to its first State Dinner
13. Recommitted, in a televised address, to passing ENDA . . . repealing Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell  . . . repealing the so-called Defense of Marriage Act
14. Spoken out against discrimination at the National Prayer Breakfast ("We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are -- whether it's here in the United States or, as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.")
15. Dispatched the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to call on the Senate to repeal Don't Ask / Don't Tell
16. Launched a website to gather public comment on first-ever federal LGBT housing discrimination study
17. Appointed long-time equality champion Chai Feldblum one of the four Commissioners of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
18. Produced U.S. Census Bureau PSAs featuring gay, lesbian, and transgender spokespersons
19. Appointed Retired Colonel Margarethe Cammermeyer, an early public champion of open service in the military, to the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services
20. Publicly invited the shunned MIssissippi high school prom student to the White House
21. Successfully fought for UN accreditation of IGLHRC (the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission) -- against Republican attempts to block it
22. Convened the first-ever anti-bullying summit to craft a national strategy to reduce bullying in schools
23. Launched stopbullying.gov
24. Awarded $13.3 million to the LA Gay & Lesbian Center to create a model program for LGBTQ youth in the foster care system
25. Tweeted to 5.7 million BarackObama followers and nearly 2 million WhiteHouse followers the President's "It Gets Better" video
26. Embraced that campaign with heartfelt messages from, as well, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Agriculture (aimed particularly at rural youth), the Secretaries of Education and Health & Human Services, the Secretary of Labor (in English and Spanish), the Director of OPM and LGBT members of the White House staff
27. Issued a Department of Justice video urging kids to call a Justice Department toll-free number if their school is aware of bullying but taking no action
28. Held the first ever White House conference on bullying prevention, led by the President and First Lady
29. Hosted first-ever White House transgender policy meeting
30. Emphasized the positive value of Gay-straight Student Alliances (GSAs) and advised the nation's school districts of their legal responsibility to allow establishment of GSAs
31. Appointed the first openly gay man to serve on the federal bench
32. Nominated the first open lesbian US attorney
33. Nominated the first openly gay US attorney to serve Texas
34. Forced the Tehachipi Unified School District to prevent and respond to gender-based harassment 
35. Acknowledged in federal court the U.S. government's "significant and regrettable role" in discrimination in America against gays and lesbians, arguing that DOMA is unconstitutional. ("This is your U.S. Justice Department, folks, forcefully, stunningly taking on the homophobes in Congress and a huge Obama WIN." -- Rex Wockner) 
36. Appointed open lesbian activist to West Point advisory board
37. Used the President's annual United Nations address to say, "no country should deny people their rights because of who they love, which is why we must stand up for the rights of gays and lesbians everywhere."
38. Presented Janice Langbehn with the Presidential Citizens Award for her role in securing hospital visitation rights
39. Convened the first-ever White House LGBT Elder Housing summit
40. Endorsed the Student Non-Discrimination Act and the Safe Schools improvement Act targeting discrimination and bullying based on sexual orientation and gender identity
41. Endorsed marriage equality

The Administration will continue to make steady progress on our issues whether we help strengthen its hand or not.  But the stronger it is, the faster that progress will come. 

Source: eQaulity.org

In Honor of the Single Mother on Mother's Day

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This is to honor the single mother onMother's Day.
Single mothers have one of the hardestjobs in the world.
She has to work hard both in andoutside of the home and take care of her children.
She is often reviled by the mediaand politicians.
She is occasionally characterizedas being immoral. She is judged for being single, and she is judgedif she has a boyfriend.
Mothers have been judged forworking outside the home when their children are young.
But the single mother is often judgedif she is not working outside of the home.
There all kinds of reasons a mother issingle; her partner may have left her or let her down in some way.Her partner may have passed away.
The single mothers I know work veryhard. They juggle jobs and children. They sometimes do not have allthat they need. They manage to make do with what little they have.
She is every day caring for her children, going to work, taking buses, and often having little timefor herself.
Sometimes, the single mother let'ssomeone else care for her child, a mother or a grandmother, or someother friend.
Her heart breaks at being away from herchild, but she is doing what she feels best.
Today is mother's day, I want to honorthe single mother.

She has one of the toughest jobs in theworld.
She loves her children and giveseverything she has.

Does God Have Wrath? by Father Anthony Coniaris

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The scriptures clearly refer to the wrath of God (e.g. Nahum 1:6; Jeremiah 10:10; Psalm 90:7-10; Romans 1:26-28). Is God furious at the world?

The Orthodox answer to all three questions is "No."

God does not have a hostile attitude toward the world. We may be hostile toward God, but God is not hostile to us. Instead, God loves us. Furthermore, the cross of Christ has nothing to do with "satisfying" God's wrath, but rather, is a clear expression of God's love. "The Cross does not presuppose the hostility but the love of God. 'For God so loved the world...'" (vii)

Despite the passages that speak of God's wrath, "the anger of God is not portrayed in the Bible as a fundamental attribute of God, but rather as something transient" (4). Numerous verses communicate this:

• He does not retain His anger for ever because He delights in love (Micah 7:18).
• In overflowing wrath for a moment I hid My face from you, But with everlasting love I will have compassion on you (Isaiah 54:8). 
• For His anger is but for a moment, But His favor is for a lifetime. (Psalm 30:5)

God's anger is never capricious or arbitrary, but designed to lead sinners to repentance. It is directed against evil, and it is the counterpart of love. "God's anger is not the antithesis of love, but the counterpart of love. Just as God loves goodness, so He hates evil which seeks to destroy goodness" (11).

God does not hate human begins, but God hates the evil deeds, attitudes, and motivations that are opposed to human flourishing. Put another way, God hates the sickness, but does not hate the sick person (19).

This is not a play on words, as C. S. Lewis eloquently argues:

For a long time I used to think this a silly, straw-splitting distinction: how could you hate what a man did and not hate the man? But years later it occurred to me that there was one man to whom I had been doing this all my life-- namely myself. However much I might dislike my own cowardice or conceit or greed, I went on loving myself. There had never been the slightest difficulty about it. In fact, the very reason why I hated the sins was that I loved the man. Just because I loved myself, I was sorry to find that I was the sort of man who did those things. Consequently Christianity does not want us to reduce by one atom the hatred we feel for cruelty and treachery. We ought to hate them. Not one word of what we have said about them needs to be unsaid. But it does want us to hate them in the same way in which we hate things in ourselves: being sorry that the man should have done such things, and hoping, if it is anyway possible, that somehow, sometime, somewhere, he can be cured and made human again. (69-70)

God's anger is righteous, and is expressed against sin, injustice, and evil. With this in mind, we may retain the use of wrath language as a powerful antidote to our own sinful habits:

The language is strong because that is just how we should speak to enemies who seek to destroy us. Especially spiritual ones. Anger--righteous indignation-- must always be directed against sin and evil. This is why St. Nikodemos and other saints of the Church call on us to hate and abhor sin, which is our greatest enemy since it jeopardizes our very salvation, depriving us of God's grace in our journey toward theosis (union with God in Christ)." (20-21)

St. Theophan the Recluse illustrates how we might practice holy anger:

As soon as you observe a passion [such as cheating lying, hatred, anger, unforgiveness, resentment, jealousy, envy, pride, gossiping, lust, or greed], try to stir up anger within yourself against it as quickly as possible. This anger is a firm rejection of the passion. The passion cannot be sustained unless there is sympathy for it, but any sympathy is destroyed by anger, and the passion will leave or fall away at the first manifestation of it. (23)

Clearly, this is a whole new way to view "Be angry and sin not" (Psalm 4:5; Ephesians 4:26).

The anger of God is not a fundamental divine attribute, but "a tragic necessity, a calamity for man and grief for God. It is not an emotion He delights in, but an emotion He deplores. 'For He does not willingly afflict or grieve the sons of men' (Lam. 3:33)" (34).

There is a wonderful story that illustrates this truth. Two little brothers were playing one day and, as brothers do, they got into an argument. One boy threatened to be a bad boy; the other warned, "You can't be a bad boy, because if you are, Mother won't like you." Overhearing the conversation, the mother spoke up. "Boys, you're wrong," she said. "Mother will always love you. When you're good, she'll love you with a love that's glad, and when you're bad, she'll love you with a love that's sad." (26)

God's wrath is most clearly demonstrated in God's "giving people over" to their own misguided and distorted desires. Three times in Romans, "the wrath of God is revealed" in that "God gave them over" (Romans 1:18, 24, 26, 28). God's wrath is not an active hostility toward human beings, but a reluctant and sad "letting go."

The essence of God's "wrath" is that He allows people to have what they choose. He does no more than ratify judgments which people have already passed on themselves by the path they have chosen to follow.

St. John explains it this way, And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil (John 3:18).

They pass judgment on themselves when they reject the light that comes to them in Christ, preferring to dwell in darkness. God still loves them but with a love that makes Him sad. (28)

Tragically, sin distorts our vision of God and causes us to picture God as angry, vengeful, unforgiving, and wrathful. And yet, the Hounds of Heaven (not the Hounds of Hell) continue to pursue us with God's goodness and mercy. If there is any enmity between us and God, the enmity arises from us.

The fact that God's wrath is not fundamental to the divine nature, but a reluctant and transient expression intended to lead sinners to repentance, must change how we view the cross. Contrary to popular expressions of the gospel, the cross has nothing to do with "satisfying" God's wrath. "If the cross is a personal act of violence perpetrated by God towards humankind but borne by his Son, then it makes a mockery of Jesus own teaching to love your enemies and to refuse to repay evil with evil" (39).

Instead, the cross reveals God's deep love and perfect patience.

Thus, Christ dies on the cross not as a victim to satisfy God's anger, wrath or justice; He dies rather as Victor, as the Incarnate Son of God to destroy sin and death and release the whole creation from "the bondage to corruption" (Rom. 8:21). In other words, Christ died on the cross not to save us from God's wrath but to release us from the bondage to corruption and make us "partakers of divine nature" by grace. This is God's makrothymia [Greek for long-suffering or patience]. It is not His wrath or offended justice that is behind the Cross but His long-suffering love, His makrothymia. (99)

In my opinion, the second half of the book falls short in that Coniaris argues for the impassibility of God, rendering God's anger (and patience, love, compassion, etc.) as mere anthropopathism instead of a true expression of the divine life.

In spite of this shortcoming, this short book is a helpful corrective to those who want to make wrath a permanent and predominant characteristic of God. We must never forget that the scriptures teach, "God so loved the world that he gave his Son," and not "God was so angry with the world that he killed the Son." The cross reveals God's patience, vulnerability, and deep love - not God's wrath.

Quotes excerpted from Can a Loving God be Wrathful? An Orthodox Christian Perspective by Anthony M. Coniaris

source: TheoCenTriC.

God is Never Angry- Julian of Norwich

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But notwithstanding all this, I saw truthfully that our Lord was never angry, nor ever shall be, for he is God: He is good, He is life, He is truth, He is love, He is peace; and His power, His wisdom, His love, and His unity do not allow Him to be angry (For I saw truly that it is against the character of His power to be angry, and against the character of His wisdom, and against the character of His goodness). God is the goodness that cannot be angry, for He is nothing but goodness. Our soul is one-ed to Him who is unchangeable goodness, and between God and our soul is neither anger nor forgiveness, as He sees it. For our soul is so completely one-ed to God by His own goodness, that there can be absolutely nothing at all separating God and soul.

- Julian of Norwich


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Julian of Norwich lived ca 1342-1416 (few details  of her life are known, including her birth and death dates).  It is known that she lived as an anchoress in a cell located in a church in the East Anglian market town of Norwich.  Her fame rests on Revelations of Divine Love, a text describing visions she had during a prolonged period of illness.  It was, incidentally, the first literary work in Middle English by a woman.

The excerpt above is from chapter 46 is striking in its treatment of God's wrath.  Or rather, the non-existence of God's wrath.  In our own day, when entire ministries are based upon the presumed wrath of God, Julian's remarks will come across as hopeful and outrageous in equal measure.

- Joe Rawls

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My friend Joe Rawls posted this in his blog, the Byzantine Anglo-Catholic

The Abba Experience of Jesus- God is Love, by Brother John Martin Sahajananda

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"At the center of Jesus' experience of God was the realization that human beings are greater than religion. He experienced God as 'Abba' and asked his disciples to call God, 'Abba' as well...the Abba experience of Jesus made him realize that God was not only a being but that God was love."


- Brother John Martin Sahajananda, OSBCam, from his book, You Are The Light: Rediscovering the Eastern Jesus, page 173.