Category Archives: Christian Based

511. Brian Longhurst

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Brian LonghurstBrian Longhurst has been aware of the reality of the spirit realms since childhood. Born in England, he moved to Canada as a young man, where he began what was to become an enduring, personal relationship with Jesus, who manifested in glory to him when Brian was 22. Jesus told him he had come to lead him back to God. From then, his encounters with the living Jesus began in earnest, a decades-long – still ongoing – journey of spiritual awakening.

After marrying, Brian returned to live in England. He now resides in Gloucestershire with his wife, Theresa.

Books:

Website: honest2goodness.org.uk

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview.

Interview recorded July 27, 2019

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:04:26 – Communing Mind-to-Mind
  • 00:08:49 – The Center of our Focus
  • 00:13:39 – The Purpose of Incarnating into Challenging Conditions
  • 00:18:36 – The Dream of Separation and Duality
  • 00:22:40 – The Intelligence of Creation
  • 00:27:15 – Encountering Jesus in Canada
  • 00:32:13 – The Encounter with Jesus
  • 00:37:06 – The Purpose of our Existence
  • 00:41:33 – Jesus Appears to a Muslim in Iran
  • 00:46:07 – Purpose in the Physical World
  • 00:50:38 – Finding Stability in Chaos
  • 00:55:35 – The Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and the Real World
  • 01:00:12 – The Profound Spiritual Awakening
  • 01:04:23 – The Great Rescue Program and Transforming Energy
  • 01:09:44 – The Three Measures of Meal
  • 01:14:30 – The Acceleration of Awakening
  • 01:18:36 – The Power of Inner Plane Servers and Beings of Light
  • 01:23:17 – Seeking the Real Jesus
  • 01:28:29 – Understanding the Book of Revelation
  • 01:32:31 – Sharing Your Story
  • 01:36:26 – Vision vs Sight
  • 01:40:48 – Holistic Blossoming and Patience in Spiritual Development
  • 01:44:59 – Seeking First the Kingdom
  • 01:49:21 – Finding the Kingdom within
  • 01:53:05 – The Correct Translation of the Bible
  • 01:58:34 – The Best Translation of the Bible
  • 02:03:00 – The Kingdom of God Within
  • 02:07:29 – Bobby Kennedy’s Visit in Spirit
  • 02:11:54 – Continuing the Conversation
  • 02:15:32 – Continuing the Conversation

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473. John Butler

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John ButlerChildhood accustomed me to nature, solitude – a sense of God which needed no explaining. Stillness, beauty, depths of love called my heart back home where it belonged. But life grew out into the world, became possessed and lost the way.

After a few unwilling years in business, I went to South America ‘To make the world a better place’. It wasn’t so easy. Alone on a mountainside one day, an inner voice said, ‘To make whole, be whole’. I realised that, before being able to help others, I first had to work on myself. Once back in England, I looked for and found a source of meditation, which opened up a whole new way of seeing.

How can I best help the world I love? This question led me through organic farming, much travel and many adventures to ever deeper understanding of the Work of Prayer.

I wouldn’t call myself a mystic though some say I am. I’m not sure what it means besides “Not this – not that”. Neither (in a conventional sense) am I very religious. “Mystic” conveys to me a wise unknowing of morning mist with only the promise of a day to come. It’s not an intellectual approach defined by man but trusting, waiting, quietly still before each blade of grass, each little bird (Mat.6,26-28) reminding us of higher, nobler government than ours.

This required attending to the moment “Now”, reminding me how much we live not present, here, but absent, lost in past or future – thought, desires and fear. But isn’t that reality? We need to look and see.

Books:

Transcript of this interview.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Interview recorded October 13, 2018.

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction to Buddha at the Gas Pump
  • 00:03:08 – A Wise Unknowing of Morning Mist
  • 00:05:56 – Connecting with Nature
  • 00:10:21 – Finding Connection in Nature
  • 00:15:16 – The Prodigal Son and Straying Away from Nature
  • 00:19:11 – The Power of Silence and Presence
  • 00:22:20 – The Gateway to the Infinite
  • 00:26:08 – Stillness and the Impediments of the Mind
  • 00:29:56 – Transcending the Ego and Accessing the Open Sky
  • 00:34:28 – The Dandi Swamis and Effortless Meditation
  • 00:38:02 – Experiencing Stillness and Spaciousness
  • 00:42:13 – The Limitations of Words and Concepts
  • 00:46:29 – The Fullness of Spirit
  • 00:50:28 – The Illusion of Separation
  • 00:54:11 – The Simplicity of Stillness
  • 00:58:06 – Accessing Stillness in the Midst of Tumult
  • 01:01:00 – The Peace and Stillness Within
  • 01:04:58 – The Expansion of Spiritual Life
  • 01:09:11 – The Absorption of Human Agony and Redemption
  • 01:13:09 – Illuminating the Darkness
  • 01:16:46 – The Journey from Darkness to Light
  • 01:20:25 – The Lamb of God and the Miracle of Grass
  • 01:24:23 – The Suffering and Sacrifice of Nature
  • 01:28:12 – Reconciling the Slaughter of a Pet Pig
  • 01:32:36 – The Nature of Light and Dark in the Real World
  • 01:36:07 – Love and Surrender
  • 01:39:38 – The 23rd Psalm and Christian Teachings
  • 01:42:55 – The Soothing Voice and ASMR
  • 01:46:15 – The Presence of God and the Real Experience
  • 01:49:24 – Understanding Oneness and Unity
  • 01:52:33 – A Chat with John

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444. Kimberly Braun

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Kimberly BraunKimberly Braun, Minister, M.A., CSP and Meditation Coach has been impelled from and within her contemplative experiences from the age of 5, with over ten of her years spent as a Carmelite monastic nun. Her Masters in theology was completed in 2001 in Washington D.C., and is concentrated upon the adult spiritual journey. As a CSP, keynote presentations are a primary tool in her personal mission to inspire others to live from the power and wisdom within them. Her style is playful, deeply inquiring, and intelligent in the synthesis of not only how to access this part of ourselves, but how to live from that place more consistently. She is a retreat and workshop facilitator, TEDx speaker, meditation faculty at the renowned Omega Institute, and fellow seeker on the path to living freely. She has three CDs and a book now available about her time as a nun, Love Calls: Insights of a Former Carmelite Nun.

She is just launching into the online world with her World Meditation for Happiness project, new online courses, and a FREE online spiritual community.

Kimberly is now available for private sessions, keynotes, and retreats. Stay in touch by visiting: www.kimberlybraun.com.

Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group.

Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded Feb. 24, 2018

Video and audio below. Audio also available as a Podcast.

YouTube Video Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 – Introduction with Rick and Kimberly
  • 00:02:56 – Early Spiritual Experiences
  • 00:06:13 – The Path to Enlightenment and Life After Death
  • 00:10:07 – The Unknown Leading to Atheism
  • 00:14:10 – Embracing the Unknown in our Spiritual Journey
  • 00:18:11 – From Passion to Confusion
  • 00:22:34 – Surrendering to Spiritual Experiences
  • 00:26:34 – A Mysterious Encounter
  • 00:29:47 – Rising Energetic Constructs and Consciousness
  • 00:33:21 – Expanding into Universal Essence and Non-dual Tantra
  • 00:37:29 – Living Life Fully
  • 00:42:04 – The Dancing Shiva and Free Will
  • 00:45:48 – The Perception of Separation and the Nature of God
  • 00:50:11 – Deepening our understanding of God
  • 00:54:19 – Achieving a Connection with Spirit
  • 00:58:23 – The Observer in Meditation
  • 01:02:29 – The Power of Observing and Allowing
  • 01:06:45 – Living in a Monastery
  • 01:10:11 – The Honeymoon Years
  • 01:13:34 – A Journey of Transformation and Service
  • 01:17:37 – Leaving the Monastery and Grieving
  • 01:20:48 – A Container for the Ineffable
  • 01:25:07 – A Magical Autumn Experience
  • 01:28:41 – The Journey of Healing and Growth
  • 01:32:16 – Tasting the Brilliance Within
  • 01:35:53 – Exploring Higher Realms
  • 01:39:58 – The Never-Ending Mystic Adventure
  • 01:43:55 – The Irrelevance of Having an End Point
  • 01:48:13 – The Mayavadins and the Vaishnavites
  • 01:51:43 – Continuing the Journey with Kimberly Bronn
  • 01:54:42 – Farewell and Gratitude

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