What It Really Means to be Happy - News From Heaven

In this episode, we’re exploring passages from Swedenborg’s "Secrets of Heaven", number 3938.

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News From Heaven is a video series from offTheLeftEye designed for people who want to better understand Swedenborg’s thought in his own words. Each week, host Curtis Childs takes a brief section of one of Swedenborg’s works and delves into the meaning behind it, highlighting key concepts and showing how even the most abstract ideas can be put to work in our daily lives.

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Curtis Childs is the Director of offTheLeftEye at the Swedenborg Foundation. While obtaining his degree in communication studies from Oakland University, Curtis experienced an internal battle with depression that led him to question God and his lifelong interest in Swedenborgian theology. After a period of intense suffering, he recovered from his depression with the help of modern medicine, therapy, and a return to the spiritually uplifting messages he found in Swedenborg’s writings. Now, Curtis is applying his education and desire to help others find peace through Swedenborg’s insights by producing and hosting weekly webcasts.

[bettyabote]

We fine pleasure in charity serving God by serving people. Thanks Curtis.

[germccor]

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy Name,
thy kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those
who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever. Amen.

[sitoxl]

I'll be watching it again through out the week, thanks .

[lizzyjesus.]

Another interesting video. Thanks so much

[janniroberts]

"Can't we get to a place where life is happy and we're actually all glad that each other exist, and everybody is on board and is hopeful." That is such a beautiful message. I think it will take each one of us individually moving to this place to make it become that community. I think in this world, the pleasures of evil and falsity are so strong it takes a lot of intention to gain more want for goodness and light. But I also believe that the more we focus on the Lord and the goodness, the more natural it becomes. I find myself now, after studying Swedenborg and following the messages on OTLE, just seeing the good in people right away and looking at situations through the lens of good. Looking past the 'mess' and seeing the ' masterpiece.' If you can look at this world, situations and people as all things that God has given to you to everything is to teach us how to be more loving, caring, and compassionate to that when we get to go home .... we can become part of a beautiful, loving community.... everything that we do here is preparing us for an eternal so how we live and treat people matters very Thank you Curtis and OTLE for helping us grow in a good you are a blessing....

[ZenMaximus]

Ohne of the best episodes so far (for me personaly)
Heartfelt thanks

[sashadence]

What I liked here is the idea that it's a process and we all start from the 'wrong' end, that is, we start from the deceptive, evil pleasures. That sounds to me like 'original sin' which makes a lot of sense. What I would love to hear is more discussion on the backing-and-forthing (yes, that is a word, I just made it up) of what gives pleasure because in my own experience, I can feel this great pleasure in doing smthg good and the next morning I'm back at square one as if that had never happened and I'm wanting something that's not good for myself or anyone else. But this was a good one - thank you!

[Nillaine]

Hi team,
Today I received the cards (and a hand-written greeting card), thank you so much for your efforts!
I didn't know I would receive anything and it was such a pleasant surprise when I saw the Swedenborg Foundation logo on the envelope :D. I've been a long-time watcher of your show and I really regret being so far away (I'm in Bulgaria, in the EU) Not being able to travel to meet you guys and see a Swedenborgian church in real life. There's practically no one around me that gets even close to sharing my beliefs. Your gesture has made me feel like I'm not alone. I watch and listen to your shows every single day. Swedenborgs' work has had a wonderful effect on my inner life and my connection to God. I really hope and pray that you will have sufficient funding to continue doing what you're doing and continue expanding to spread these amazing messages. I also hope that you will have a chance to visit Europe more and have events over here, so that I can actually get to meet some of you guys in person and participate more!
Speaking of participation, do you accept any volunteer work or contribution work? Lets say design work, for example?

[rickrouse]

I never thought about this but it must be true that loving charity does more then just make your inner love and life better but it upgrades your entire being. As a spirit you will grow more powerful, more beautiful, more wise and more like yourself. This is probably why Swedenborg said that serving the lord actually makes you feel more free when many would think you feel like more like a slave, a happy slave but a slave nonetheless. Does this sound like a paradox to anyone else? To serve the lord completely is to be set free completely and to live for your true self. On Earth it makes no sense but in heaven to be a servant is also to be a free spirit, mind bending. Anyone else struggle with this concept?

[randydiluzio]

Hello Curtis, I thought I knew what true happiness is, but you helped me understand happiness with exact clarity, thanks. This process of letting your selfish ego based desires be replaced by a willingness to serve and love for your fellow man, is this what Jesus meant when he stated: "You must be as a child to enter the Kingdom of heaven" All The Best. Good Show man!!

[jasonlora]

Thank you certis! the little show was great life is connecting us in some way or another because lately I was thinking about changing my life again I fell in to a bad drog habett and isn't it ironic I was thinking what you were talking about in your show!! God is great 🙏 he knows all things!!! God bless you certis and God bless your show!!!! One love

[jonchilds]

I can totally relate to how things I thought were so important 10 years ago I now think they are no good. Swedenborg nailed it here.

[marksingleton]

Had to think how to put this into reality on Earth. Giving up ego traits does make you well but its coping with everyone elses as well. It's a battle I've not won. But I thought about what you said and came up with this. A project for me. God eminates constant love and truth which is accepted by the celestial and shared. It is passed on down the chain to Earth and we tend to ignore it because something upset us or hit us physically. So if you were celestial on Earth you would give what is given to you to others, ONLY IN THOUGHT. You accept loving thought from God and give it to others. A spiritual hug, even to your worst enemy. But physically (the outer self) You must protect because it is limited. It's like the angel hugging the half dead. Shinning a light.

[melodydonnallie]

Hey Curtis & OTLE Team... I don't comment much these days.. ( Doesn't mean I dont enjoy the content of vlogs)But just wanted to say That *This Is So On Point* Loved it.. Gave me the reminder I needed right now.. Thank you. Much appreciated.. Much love Mx

[jhod]

Muppet Christmas Carol is perfect and hilarious and lovely.

[CableGirl]

I second Curtis on the comment about seeing horrific things happen to children in the news. Now that I have a son, 8 years old, it hits me like a sledge hammer. I think I even dwelled too hard on it to the point I questioned God- like how could you let this happen? To the most innocent of beings. I’m coming to terms. But being a parent has been one of the most enlightening, heart opening, and anxiety stricken experiences I have had.

This feeling of questioning God and following your channel’s/Swedenborg’s message actually contributed to a horrible depression that I am just now overcoming. Basically, I was stuck in a purgatory where I was kicked out of my ‘old loves’ because I intellectually (left eye) kNew they were wrong, and didn’t have a home to put my heart into. So this meaningless, purposeless abyss is probably one of the hardest parts of regeneration that I never anticipated.

Naively I thought the path would be smooth like okay, God takes away your ‘evil love’ and then directly replaces it with a love of good. No. That’s not how it happened with me. He left me in 40 days of the dessert wandering aimlessly begging for him to save me. I swear I never cried so hard in my life. That vacuum effect of taking out old pleasures and not abruptly replacing them left me with an unimaginable emptiness. To the point I started believe there was no pleasure to be had unless it was evil. Despite believing that as a possibility, I still refuted going back to my old loves. I guess that is part of the process- knowing you don’t want them regardless of how much suffering you endure. Where was this episode when I was going through all that lol. I feel like I overcome these spiritual challenges and then OTLE comes out with an episode where I can see it in retrospect. Ughhh is there any way I can bypass the suffering 🙃 would that be too much to ask that I just learn to accept truths without questioning them to the point of despair! Lol I love you guys though, without you I’d probably lost in darkness and your channel does serve as a stepping stone for all these sufferings. Except a little late when it comes to me 😆😝🕊

[timjones]

Love watching your show curtis, it always gives me a lift are you and the team coming to england any time soon?

[maxnits]

The first passage reminded me of this quote (can you guess the book Curtis w/o looking it up? :)
_"To mean minds, the inducement to follow the great of the world is so strong, that whatever is sanctioned by people of rank and wealth will command a large following, not for Truth’s sake, but from worldly considerations. The loaves and fishes still violently draw the insincere, not for the bread of life, but that they may satisfy their worldly greed, and be filled."_

[LindaCasey]

Hmmm, happiness, contentment or acceptance .. are they the same?

[annacaine]

But doesn't all this only always apply to the world of spirits and heaven, when we are dead? Aren't those who love nothing more then themselves, their perversions, money, status and possessions going to be offered heaven too, where they can immediately set about learning wisdom an love, etc, after a lifetime here of doing whatever they wanted to?