Choose Hope in Southern California: A Modern-Day Johnny Appleseed in L.A.

There is a A Modern-Day Johnny Appleseed in Los Angeles. Brent Green has had a colorful view of the world all his life. He uses that gift to bring Hope, Peace and ambiance to his neighbors.

Brent owns GreenArt Landscape Design, Inc., so he brings color and joy to his clients every day. However, the real story lies in how he transformed a barren, barred-window, bleak looking neighborhood into an oasis. His tale was featured on CBS Sunday Morning, November 29th.


Along with changing the face of his neighborhood, Brent began at age 30 planting his age in trees each year in the city of Los Angeles. His love of plants and greenery, along with his design skills, continues to light the way for others to follow his example.

Watch a video of the story below.

Watch CBS News Videos Online

This one man is making a difference. Will you Choose Hope, just as he did? What will you do to show your choice?

The Peace Choice Begins with the Children

If you were looking for how to start your child or children along the path of making good choices, here is a suggestion: Begin by blessing them.

From "Bright Light News"

"Mark Your Calendars for the 1st Annual City-Wide Children's Blessing service. Light of the World Christian Church (LWCC) partners with The Childrens Bureau, The Legacy House, Drive-By Prayer Vigil, Stop the Violence-Indy, and other religious, civic, and not for profit organizations which offer services to children and parents to anoint and bless the children in our community. The blessing service is for children between the ages of 6-12. We'll see you on Sunday November, 22nd at 5pm."


Light of the World Christian Church is located at 4646 Michigan Road, Indianapolis, Indiana.



We can make a difference -- one person at a time.  Show that you've made a choice for Peace.

Besa: One Way Albanians Choose Peace

Today I present to you the concept of "Besa" -- an historic example of how to Choose Peace.


Besa, is a code of honor, which still today serves as the highest ethical code in Albania. Besa, means literally “to keep the promise.” One who acts according to Besa is someone who keeps his word, someone to whom one can trust one’s life and the lives of one’s family.

Apparently this code sprouted from the Muslim faith as interpreted by the Albanians. The help afforded to Jews and non-Jews during the 1930's and 1940's should be understood as a matter of national honor.

The Albanians went out of their way to provide assistance to German Jewish refugees. Remarkably, they competed with each other for the privilege of saving Jews. These acts originated from compassion, loving-kindness and a desire to help those in need, even those of another faith or origin. 

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And This Is Why Choose Peace Is Back...

...not that Choose Peace ever actually "left" the scene. Let's say it was just in the background for a while.
Someone's choice for Hope, however, revived the mission. An Indianapolis father, whose son was threatened at gunpoint inside his home, was proudly wearing a Choose Peace button in a news interview.

I almost missed it. You know how you often listen to television news, while doing something else, without really looking at the screen. Something told me to look up at just the right moment...

Watch this 2-minute video. About 1:43 into it, you will understand.

How many buttons and button-wearers will it take for us to effect discernible change?

We can make a difference -- one person at a time. Let's do this! Get your Choose Peace buttons, for yourself, your family, and your friends. Show that you've made a choice for Peace.

The Choice Continuum Explained

DecideToChoose - The Choice Continuum: Explained

One year has gone by and peace continues to elude us.

So, I had to answer this call; the mission is incomplete. This post explains the parts of the Choice Spectrum, but we as individuals must make the choices for ourselves. 

	Choose Peace, that there may be peace both within and around you. Choose to think peacefully. Choose to speak peacefully. Choose to act peacefully. It is difficult to have any of the other seven choices without Peace. Believe that we can have universal peace – one person at a time. PEACE - in the most regal of colors: purple (violet).
	Choose Hope, for to live there must be hope for the future. Hope springs forth immediately from Peace. Peace maintained helps to cultivate and nurture Hope. HOPE, like the blue in the sky above, compels us to look upward.
	Choose Life. The desire to live is sometimes all that stands between life and death. It is also impossible to take another life when you are truly at Peace. So Choose Life, otherwise nothing else follows. LIFE - portrayed in green, like so many of the vibrant things on Earth.
	Choose Love. Love yourself. Love others. Love the planet Earth. You take care of that which you Love. LOVE - in a blood red hue because just like our blood, we need Love to live.
	Choose Joy. Find something every day to be joyful about. Choose to feel joy about living, loving, laughing. Choose to find Joy in the people, places, and things around you. JOY - in the color yellow to mimic brightness and light. There is no darkness in Joy.
	Choose Health. We must have Health to appreciate Peace, Hope, Life, and Joy. Take care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally. Live well. HEALTH is portrayed in vivid, glowing orange – much like the inner flame of our life force. Health burns bright when well tended.
	Choose Truth. Truth emancipates. Truth enables. Truth, left plain, holds no burdens. Genuine Joy and real Love thrive in Truth. TRUTH - in indigo, an integral part of Peace. Love + Truth = Peace
	Choose Faith. Faith follows Truth. With the absence of faith, all that remains is darkness. So have Faith in yourself, your fellow humans, and in Being. FAITH is rendered in black and white to show the stark, clear difference between darkness and light.

 

Together, The Choices are a continuity, a spectrum, just the same as white light is divided by a prism into seven distinct colors (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet) and many connecting hues in between. Once we have embraced them all, the pure white light of Being shines and cannot be hidden. Without them, you have the absence of light – total darkness; thus, the eight choices.