MY STORY

Thriver Thinking ..... From Survivor to Thriver: I had a severe brain injury as a result of falling off a boogie-board in shallowwater in the surf at Peregian Beach on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia in December 1995 .... as simple as that. That was over thirteen years ago. I have written my story ' which outlines howto be a victor though the worst situations in life ....... 'The Rose Water Story' can be downloaded as The Rose Water Story 6 KB. I attribute my ongoing recovery primarily to my Christian Spirituality which has brought healing, restoration and transformation of life purpose. A Christian spirituality comes as a consequence of having a ChristianWorldview. It isn'tanother Spirituality in the Post Modern Culture of many spiritualities which areall seen to be equal. It is a unique Spirituality whichintegrates the whole of life..... of the Inner, Middle and Outer Persons {Spirit, Soul (= mind, will and emotions) and the Body}. It means being a disciple of the Person of Jesus Christ, not a follower of a Church as a Corporation. Christian Spirituality could also be termeda Spirituality from Jesus Christ. The heart of a Christian spirituality is having an new identity through Jesus Christ. When you have an identity, you then have a purpose for being here. The link between an identity and purpose is the structural axis for restoration from a brain injury or maintaining a healthy direction in life for anyone. Late in 2005 I was talking to my friend Wayne Spyve. He mentioned this really wonderful concept to which something within me immediately responded. He said I should move from seeing myself as being a Brain Injury Survivor, and think of myself and others who had been through similar challenges, to seeing myself as a Brain Injury Thriver. This radically changed the way I saw myself, my relationships and my ability to influence others. My spirit kept calling out "You are a Thriver, not just a Survivor". _________________________________________ The Context Of My Brain-injury: I ran a small Landscape Design and Construction Company called ‘New Earth Systems P/L’ for 20 years doing very creative, individual designer gardens for wealthy residential clients around Brisbane . I was an artistic sort of person, a lateral thinker ..... more artist than businessman. I thought of landscape it as a three-dimensional piece of space which people walked through. This space changed with time as it grew with the time of day: shadows vs. sun patterns, boulders, colour, plants, trees, earth-forms, solid structures and water. These were the ingredients in a subtle flow of landscape design and construction. Rather an intangible product to sell and run a business with!! From this I built a structure for my life: my marriage with Harriet, business and the house plus we had a family. See the website on the house here. However as I had a focus on creativity rather then on a successful business outcomes, this led to fragmentary results. My severe brain injury was over thiteen years ago. I am now in a new season of life. I went through a real transformation of life whereby I went from being: 1. Physical Gardener (Outer Sustainability) >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> 2. Inner Life Gardener (Inner Sustainability) Inner Sustainability: In an ongoing personal sense of core value from within. Sustainability I have come to see, has to be a wholistic view on life of Inner, Middle and Outer Persons. Problems come because things do not change from the Outside to Inside but from the Inside to the Outside. This side of the accident, I have come \to see all people as made in the image or likeness of God. Even though people may be broken people, we can all be restored through Jesus Christ back into that image of God again. The result of my accident was such that I was: o In a coma for four weeks for six months. I felt like a three year old child in the first week after I woke up from the coma with no control over my actions o Had to learn to walk, talk, eat solid food all over again I had to learn everything over again .... how dress myself etc. Get my brain back together from a very scrambled state I lost a lot of intuitive ability to feel what other people are saying ..... although that has come back now The one major thing that has come out of this accident is that I am on a permanent life-long Income Protection Policy where I went from virtually no work in 1995 to where I didn't have to ever work again. I talk more about this in my story 'The Rose Water Story'. That is real God-coincidence as to how I came to have that in place four months before the accident I didn't know I was going to have. Now you cannot get these policies at all in Australia for business people. That is God.Thirteen years on, I wouldn't doing a fraction of what am doing now with principle of being synergistically linked to others. This has occurred in the following ways: Harriet my Wife: First and foremost is my wife Harriet who would drive every day to see me ..... for six months even while I was in a four week coma. Harriet drove from Chambers Flat from where we live, to Woolloongabba at the Princess Alexander Hospital. Finding a park outside the hospital and walking in made journey of at least an hour. That was a journey of 30 kms. each way. After the visit she had the long journey home again. This generous support which I received, was a very important part of my recovery. Many other patients are not so fortunate. My Family: In 2008 (now thirteen years on) it has become very close again like a little community in and of itself, all members working for the common good. This is because we all share in a common, a sustainable life of structure, spirituality and social network. I have two children .... Claire and Anthony .... they have been very supportive of me. Support from Friends: I not only had excellent support from my wife but many, many friends throughout my hospitalisation where nearly 100 ++ people came to see me over six months. Some people I hadn't seen for fifteen years. My mind was not very good then but some friends would sit and read for hours beside my bed Money from Friends: As soon as my injury occurred in December 1995, friends who I hadn't from for years, phoned Harriet from down south even in other states to see how I was. People began to send notes of encouragement to her with sometimes gifts of money. _____________________________________________________ Inner and Outer Life: Everyone of us has a private space in our lives that we carefully guard. I call it ‘The Garden of Life’ A garden is a personal space you can go out into and to enjoy the peace, the cool air, the shadows of trees, the sun shining with translucent light through tree leaves and palm fronds, the perfume of beautiful blossoms. No one else comes there except yourself and your family. Even friends do not just drop in. They are invited out there with you after you have let them into your house. Strangers who come are intruders and will be dwelt with by the police. It is the same with relationships.You have enter someone’s inner life with their consent. You do thisby valuing the person and listening intently to what they say. Bylistening intently (consciously in a rational way and unconsciouslywith your intuition), you are as it were gently knocking on the door of their inner house. If that person trusts you, they will then invite youinto the garden of their life. Then you can talk gently back and forth, establishing a relationship with them. They will then open their door of their inner life at a later time if you knock. Keeping that process going is a Sustainable Relationship. If I act suspiciously or try and crash the door with a sledge hammer, I will not be let in. That is what I call an Unsustainable Relationship. ________________________________________ Transformation of life purpose: I have developed a passion to build inner community with many people around the world, especially by e-mail. As I am on a permanent life-long Income, I have time to spend with people in a way I could never do in my busy business. Even though I cannot drive at the moment after thirteen years, I have learnt to drive on the Internet and see hundreds of people at the same time. Since 2001, I have started the following three e-mail broadcasts plus websites which have been designed free of cost for me: Brain Injury Survivor Network (BISN) for Brain Injury People': I help facilitate the Brain Injury Survivor Network and an international blog site through Blogger (see http://www.blogger.com). I have brain injury survivors all over the world I am in contact with: Australia England America Singapore Canada Zimbabwe etc. Statistics for brain injury in QLD: There are apparently 11,000 people a year in Queensland (one of seven states in Australia) who finish up with a brain injury from various causes. Of those who survive, 4000 of these people will be permanently disabled in some way with reduced brain function capabilities. Less than two hundred of these can expect to receive the quality of care and further rehabilitation they need let alone deserve. Of those with a permanent brain injury, up to fifty percent of marriages and relationships will fold up. It is a big silent epidemic in our community. You can see someone in a wheelchair but you cannot see all the invisible changes that have gone on with a brain-injury. · 'Ken and Harriet’s Place' e-mail broadcast See http://kenandharrietsplace.blogspot.com/..... to lighten up your day .... bring some fun, laughter and a different perspective on life. ·‘New Earth Community’ e-mail broadcast: A website on a new community around the world called ‘New Earth Community’ …. A community linked by the Internet in Cyberspace. This community is meant to bring a new sense of belonging with the a real discovery or affirmation of identity through the Sustainable Life. The basis of this life is one which has the ability to be continually renewed and maintained. This life has three elements to it: Structure gives order, direction, aims and overall purpose Spirituality gives ultimate significance. It is the inner room of your life which answers such questions as: Who are we as people?, What is the meaning of life?, Are we significant?, What values should I live by?, what gives identity and destiny __________________________________

..... New Earth Community ..... A community of new being and friendship .... based on a Christian Worldview. ....for a Vision of Wholeness with Sustainable Solutions for life which will continue to work in the years to come ...... ..... a life motivation and encouragement Blog Site. * Spirituality ..... gives ultimate significance .... The window of light and life ….. like a large glass window at eye level …. Is the inner room of your life which will provide plenty of understanding of your life…. Answers such questions as: Who are we as people?, What is the meaning of life?, Are we significant?, What values should I live by?, What gives identity and destiny. Life is an 'Inside-Out Approach ' to life rather than 'Outside-In Approach' to life * Social Network .... The people around us .... giving a feeling of belonging ....… multiplication and complementary effect of effort: Family & friends, Clubs and Organisations, Associations, Churches, General Community * Structure .... Like the Body without a backbone, so is life without structure: Gives order, direction, aims and achievable objectives i.e. overall purpose. _________________________________________

Welcome to the New Earth Community

‘New Earth Community’ is a global Cyberspace Community facilitated by Ken Aitken in Australia. It is community of people who have chosen to follow Jesus Christ and we have a Christian Spirituality. We believe and act in the understanding that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ 2,000 years ago, brought us into being a new way of life. This new way was demonstrated by Jesus when He here on Earth and will come to fruition when He returns.

The focus of Jesus was on an internal, invisible change of heart and not on an external, visible keeping of certain standards and religious laws. The life He presented was an internal one which flowed out in external, visible actions.

The purpose of this community is to provide further thoughts in what it means to follow Jesus Christ in the modern context. There is a great cultural world similarity between the Roman Empire of the First Century and the cultural situation of today’s culture. This is due to the great emphasis of finding ones identity instead of relying on what Father God thinks about you.

New ideas affect our constructs of the mind and these affect the practical outcomes of our life style. What the world needs is actions of people who believe so much with their whole lifestyle in another world that they cannot help but begin enacting now.

Imagine what effect one person applying these principles can have on others. A multiplication effect influencing thousands of people. This could be you. Interested? Join this community at: aitkken@gmail.com now.

Contact Details:

Ken Aitken (B.Sc.)

E-mail: aitkken@gmail.com Australia

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A Tip on Reading Blog Sites ....

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A tip on reading blogs: After you have read the main blog writing, remember to read all the separate posts .... they do not automatically come up the main blog writing. To view photographs with a larger screen size, just click on the particular photograph and will come up a larger screen size. You can the save them if you wish by clicking 'Save Image As' in your mouse dialogue box.

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The New Spirituality

New Spirituality People:

There are two religious spiritualities vying for the modern mind:

1. A Spirituality from Jesus Christ …. there is a great need to equip the Church to answer, in the power of the gospel, the questions emerging in a culture dominated by planetary paganism, for the sake of her evangelism and her intentional Christian living. There is a further need:

• To train a new generation of scholars and leaders to understand and inform the Church of the challenge of global paganism.
• To understand the richness of the Christian gospel and the Bible’s worldview in light of the post-modern pagan option.
• To instruct members of Christ’s Church around the world about the implications of living in and witnessing to a pagan world.
• To give an understanding of the counter-cultural character of the Christian worldview to the next generation of Christians, born into a paganized culture that claims to be just and normative, and dismisses Christianity as mere bigoted “traditionalism,” by giving Christian youth an understanding of the timeless character of the Christian/pagan antithesis.

2. The New Spirituality: This spirituality is quite different to the Spirituality from Jesus Christ as described above in where they are coming from. Each is vying for the modern mind.

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The New Spirituality global paganism: There are five distinguishing characteristics of this spiritualty:

1. All is One and One Is all …. The Universe is one living organism …. The circle is used as a symbol of the unity of the Universe ….

2. All Humanity is One …. People are in the Circle and therefore need to consider other human beings as part of God. In this view, ‘You are wonderful’.

3. All Religions are One ….. They are like giant pizza. Each Religion has a piece of the pizza with a common centre with the mystical union of the divine with our humanity.

4. There Is Only One Problem For Mankind …. There are many problems in the world and these are caused by people who do not realise who they really are ….. they are lost in a metaphysical sense ….. they do not remember their divine self. They compound the problems by having illusions of who they are ….. seeing themselves as distinct from others. By realizing the divine whole of all things again, we then realise there is only one problem ….. We have lost our true self of soul and body whereby our inner and outer parts are reunited …. A healing process needs to take place

5. There Is Only One Solution …….. words are the least way to communicate with others. We need to get in touch with our feelings so stop talking. Instead get yoked together with God to go within ourselves through the sacred technologies. In so doing, we reconfigure ourselves by getting in touch with our true selves.

A useful resource paper is given below:

• Out of Spirituality into a Relationship with the infinite - personal God … Some Spirituality Comparisons between the New Spirituality the Spirituality from Jesus Christ … by Ken Aitken some_spirituality_comparisons 247 KB

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The Beginnings of a Christian Heresy Called Gnosticism:

In the time soon after Jesus in the 2^nd & 3^rd Century, a heresy of Gnosticism came amongst the later followers of Jesus Christ. This heresy led to a split or dualism in all things. There was a split between the upper more superior spiritual world and a lower downstairs material world. The material world was seen as evil. You had to get of the evil material world and be more occupied by the superior spiritual world. Special knowledge or ‘gnosis’ would lead to this awareness. The purpose of Jesus Christ coming into the world was to bring this ‘gnosis’.

Gnosticism was a blending of Christianity, Roman Mystery cults and Eastern spiritualities. The believers in Gnosticism formed themselves into communities and wrote extensively on their beliefs. This view of life was firmly put to death by the writings of the Disciples of Jesus Christ and various Christian leaders which formed the New Testament.

The 2^nd & 3^rd Century Christian Heresy lay dead for 1500 years then was brought to life again. Neo – Gnosticism began in 1945 when 50 texts discovered in clay pots in Egypt. These were translated into English by very liberal Christian scholars who saw these writings as being an alternative but valid view on Jesus Christ. This Neo – Gnosticism eventually became the New Spirituality of our age. It is really the Old Spirituality dressed up in new western clothes. The Old Spirituality of Self Enlightenment where ‘you will be as God, you will know good and evil and you will not surely die’ is found in (Genesis 3: 1-7). This was the original Temptation and Fall of Man in the Garden.

This spirituality has become very global …. a rising tide of neopaganism is on the increase. I recently heard Dr. Peter Jones address this issue speaking at a Conference on this theme in Queensland, Australia. He is part of a global organisation called Christian Witness to A Pagan Planet (CWiPP). CWiPP desires to be a global communication centre that broadcasts a gospel - driven, worldview response to pagan spirituality as well as recruiting, equipping, and mobilizing a network of fearless Christian leaders. The goals of CWiPP are:

• To train a new generation of scholars and leaders to understand and inform the Church of the challenge of global paganism.
• To understand the richness of the Christian gospel and the Bible’s worldview in light of the post-modern pagan option.
• To instruct members of Christ’s Church around the world about the implications of living in and witnessing to a pagan world.
• To give an understanding of the counter-cultural character of the Christian worldview to the next generation of Christians, born into a paganized culture that claims to be just and normative, and dismisses Christianity as mere bigoted “traditionalism,” by giving Christian youth an understanding of the timeless character of the Christian/pagan antithesis.

See the website at: http://www.cwipp.org/ Dr. Peter Jones has written and has many books which are available in the Online Store section of the website. See http://www.cwipp.org/Library.asp for viewing archives of CWiPP Newsletters.

See the section for viewing his online books at http://www.cwipp.org/shop.asp?action=cat&catID=7965 Two of his excellent books are:

• · ‘Gnostic Empire Strikes Back’ by Peter Jones .... Gnostic Empire Strikes Back sounds the alarm of the New Age threat, comparing it to the ancient Christian heresy of Gnosticism.

• 'Spirit Wars by Peter Jones' …. Spirit Wars demonstrates that at the dawn of a new millennium, two world views (the only two) collide: pagan monism and theism–the earth goddess or the God who made heaven and earth. At the heart of our culture wars are Spirit Wars.

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The Historical Influence of Jesus Christ

Too many Christians appear almost apologetic about their faith. Christians have cause for celebration. Christianity gave the world the principles of social justice, equality, freedom and democracy, and such institutions as schools, hospitals, orphanages, and the Red Cross, the world's greatest charities, foreign aid missions.

Christianity introduced such humanitarian concepts as abolition of slavery, abolition of slums, reduction of poverty, prison reform, abolition of cruelty to animals and abolition of child labour, unsafe factories and long working hours. No other religion has such a record of humanitarian social justice.

See this Blog Site which explores in detail the historical Influence of Jesus Christ .... The Christian heritage.

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A Spirituality from Jesus Christ

So what is understood then by “A Spirituality from Jesus Christ”?
Included in this section ....

• A Biblical Spirituality
• The Roman Empire
• The Christian Church Sequence
• Back to the Future
• The Historical Influence of Jesus Christ
• The Newly Emerging Church

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A Biblical Spirituality….. an Overview of a spirituality from Jesus Christ:

A Christian Spirituality is based on what God has revealed through His son Jesus Christ and His Word the Bible.

It is based on an everlasting covenant that God initiated when He created man in the beginning. This covenant

exemplifies God’s unconditional love for us, His grace and His mercy towards us through the death and resurrection

of His son Jesus Christ. He has made a way for us to be accepted for who we are and not what we have done.

The essence of a Spirituality from Jesus Christ is God coming to us in the human form of Jesus Christ.

it isn’t about making us so we can find God or Jesus Christ being another spiritual prophet leading us to

God. God wants us to be with Him forever ….. He is passionate about us ….. He comes to us.

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A Spirituality from Jesus Christ results from a Biblical Spirituality which begins with the Bible. There is a truth concerning God and the whole of life. It was a

‘True Truth’ communicated by God who sees the whole Cosmos as the large picture plus you and me as part of the detailed small picture. Seeing God is

the Creator of all things, God knows the final truth. This truth was communicated by prophets and seers over many years and finally in person in Jesus of

Nazareth who was God Himself in human form. These truths were collated in the Bible which consists of sixty six books written by people who didn’t often

know each other over 1500 years ++, yet whose writing manifests an amazing unity. In this unity there is even a mathematical sequence which flows from

beginning to the end.

The books of the Bible are divided into two sections: The Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the story the nation of Israel which

predicts the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah came in the person of Jesus of the New Testament as the New Israel. There are some striking parallels

like an intricate Biblical clockwork within the bigger Biblical clockwork. This gives us even great confidence in the Word of God as the Word for the Old and

New Testament.

The Covenant a Biblical Overview … In the Old Covenant of the Old Testament is the New Concealed and in the New Covenant in the New Testament

is the Old Revealed … Jeremiah 31: 31 “The time is coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel.

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A Christian Spirituality ...... new covenant with the house of Israel .....

A Christian Spirituality is built on anunderstanding that you and all things around you are here by a Special Creator who is the Infinite Personal God. See the Blog Site which discusses this understanding in detail: http://christianspiritualitykog.blogspot.com/

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