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Below are the 8 most recent journal entries recorded inIncandEssence's LiveJournal:

Sunday, May 7th, 2006
_7:47 pm_[indigowombat]	The Challenge of Tolerance Hello, my friends. Thank you for joining me here. I’d like to take some time today to share with you some thoughts on the value of tolerance, and the challenges that are encountered as one pursues this ideal.( Divergence and Diversity Collapse ) ( Limits of Tolerance Collapse ) ( Intolerance Through Ignorance Collapse ) ( Tolerance Through Cooperation Collapse ) ( Tolerating Intolerance Collapse )It is the philosophy of IncandEssence that we must honor and respect not only our own essence, our own expression of who and what we are, but the essence of others as well, even though they may be quite different from us, and think and behave in ways we find inconceivable. It is our philosophy that every person has their own unique light to shine into the world, and that if we close ourselves to the light of another, we are all the lesser for it. By striving to meet the challenge of tolerance, we can help each other, and help ourselves. Diversity is this world’s greatest gift, and if we let it, it can enrich our lives beyond our capacity to imagine. This is why the mission of IncandEssence is to help every light shine.May your flame burn brightly and strongly, and may you find beauty in the light and inspiration of others. Thank you, and be blessed. (Comment on this)
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006
_5:15 pm_[indigowombat]	April Financial Report There was no church income or monetary expenses during the month of April. I personally paid 45asadepositonafutureNeuroprideT−Shirtorder,tocoverthecostofcreatingthelogo,incasenoT−Shirtorderweretogothrough.Whenanorderisplaced,thatamountwillbedeductedfromthecostoftheT−Shirtorder,andIwillreimbursemyselfforthe45 as a deposit on a future Neuropride T-Shirt order, to cover the cost of creating the logo, in case no T-Shirt order were to go through. When an order is placed, that amount will be deducted from the cost of the T-Shirt order, and I will reimburse myself for the 45asadepositonafutureNeuroprideT−Shirtorder,tocoverthecostofcreatingthelogo,incasenoT−Shirtorderweretogothrough.Whenanorderisplaced,thatamountwillbedeductedfromthecostoftheT−Shirtorder,andIwillreimbursemyselfforthe45 deposit (the full amount of the order will be paid out of program funds, with the total amount minus 45goingtotheT−Shirtcompanyand45 going to the T-Shirt company and 45goingtotheT−Shirtcompanyand45 reimbursed to myself for the deposit). If we are close to enough requests and donations to cover an order, but need extra funds to push it over, I will reallocate funds out of the payroll budget to make sure we can get the T-Shirts out.So far, there are requests for 3 T-Shirts in the Waiting List, and none as yet in the Production Queue, as no donated funds have yet been received. If donations are not forthcoming, funds from the operation of the forthcoming Neuropride website will be used to place the order, which would probably mean that any T-Shirts requested will be delivered sometime in late July. Every donation will help this process happen more quickly, but one way or another, anyone who requests a T-Shirt will get one. Both additional donations and additional requests for t-shirts will be called for, however, before we can go forward. At this point, it seems unlikely that I will be able to produce T-Shirts in time for the local Whole Earth Festival, as I was hoping. What will be, will be. I will continue to put my efforts into promoting this cause, and reap what results I can. (Comment on this)
Sunday, April 30th, 2006
_5:37 pm_[indigowombat]	Redefining Religion Welcome, my friends. I’m honored by your presence. This community is blessed by your company.I understand that many of you have questions. I thank you for bringing them here. They serve the growth of this ministry.While I will do my best today to convey to you my own personal answers to these questions, it is not my wish that others should take my answers as their own. It is not my place as a minister to supply my listeners with answers to be taken as is, but rather to provide inspiration and guidance for those seeking their own answers.( Definition of Terms Collapse ) ( Uses and abuses of these terms Collapse ) ( My spiritual belief system Collapse ) ( IncandEssence as religion Collapse ) ( IncandEssence as a ministry and future church Collapse ) ( Community programs Collapse )I hope that these words have answered some of your questions and helped to set your minds and hearts at ease with regards to my intentions for my ministry. If you have any further questions, I will be happy to answer them as best I can. Thank you for your time and interest. May your lives be blessed with inspiration and joy. (Comment on this)
Thursday, April 27th, 2006
_6:30 pm_[indigowombat]	The Neuropride Awareness Program I’m very pleased to announce the debut of the IncandEssence Ministry's first community program: the Neuropride Awareness Program.Neurodiversity is a form of human diversity that has only recently begun to be recognized, and many are not aware of the concept or its implications. The following is the official message of the Neuropride Awareness Program to educate the public about neurodiversity:( The Neuropride Message Collapse )It is the mission of this program to distribute this message as widely as possible, to help both the neurodivergent and the neurotypical understand and feel positive about this very real form of diversity. I have already begun to spread this message by creating and maintaining the neuropride LJ community. On June 1st, 2006, the official Neuropride website will go live, and through that website, the ministry will continue to promote this important message in every way possible.Spreading the message via the internet is not enough, however. For that reason, I have designed an official Neuropride T-Shirt. The T-Shirt is printed on the front with the Neuropride Logo and the web address of the Neuropride website. On the back of the T-Shirt, the Neuropride Message is printed in full, and the website address is again included.It is my committed intent to get these T-Shirts out to every single person who wants one, so that the message can be spread as widely as possible. The production and distribution of the T-Shirts will be entirely paid for out of funds that have been allocated to our Neuropride Awareness Program, from donations to the IncandEssence Ministry. For details on how donated funds are allocated, please see this post.Whenever a request for a T-Shirt is submitted, the request will be placed in a Waiting List. As program funds become available to fulfill requests in the Waiting List, they will be moved from the Waiting List to the Production Queue, on a first-come, first-served basis. Once a requested T-Shirt is in the Production Queue, it will be in the next batch of T-Shirts to be produced and shipped.The average level of donation necessary to fund the production and shipping of a single T-Shirt is estimated to be somewhere between 20and20 and 20and25. Once a few batches of T-Shirts have been produced and shipped, a more accurate estimate will be available, as variables such as proportion of oversized shirts requested and average cost of shipping are factored in.If you are requesting a T-Shirt, and decide that you would like to make a donation to the ministry to help fund this program, a donation of $20 per T-Shirt will grant you the option of expediting your T-Shirt request. If you choose to exercise this option, your request will immediately be placed in the Production Queue, and your T-Shirt will be in the next batch of T-Shirts produced. Of course, you may feel free to make a larger donation if you like, to help us make sure that every person who requests a T-Shirt will receive one as quickly as possible. Even if you do not choose to make any donation, however, your T-Shirt request will still be honored. It will simply take longer, as your request must then move through the Waiting List before being put into production.The reason we are committed to fulfilling every single request for a T-Shirt, even for those who choose not to donate, is because every person who wears one of these T-Shirts is serving this program, just as surely as those who choose to make a donation are serving the program. The important thing is getting the message out there, in whatever ways we have at our disposal, individually and collectively.( Estimated Time to Fulfill a Request Collapse ) ( How to Request T-Shirts Collapse ) ( How to Make a Donation and Expedite a T-Shirt Request Collapse )Thank you for your interest in and support of the IncandEssence Ministry, and the Neuropride Awareness Program. Together, we can help every light shine! (Comment on this)
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006
_6:04 pm_[indigowombat]	Financial Policies It is our policy at IncandEssence to be completely open about the usage of all funds donated to the ministry. The allocation of donations is simple, and is described below.( Financial Policies Collapse )Together, we can help every light shine. Thank you for your interest in supporting IncandEssence. (Comment on this)
_5:00 pm_[indigowombat]	Hello, my friends. I’d like to take a moment to share my vision for the IncandEssence Ministry with you.The philosophy of IncandEssence is that every person has a flame of Spirit, Passion, and Truth to shine into the world. Our goal is to help every light shine. Our mission is to promote, celebrate, and empower all forms of diversity in life and love.The broad spectrum of human diversity is the most underutilized resource in our society. Every person has a unique inner flame to express to the world, and yet there is a pressure to think and behave in a manner that conforms to the majority, simply in order to survive. For those individuals who are unable to adapt to this unnatural demand of conformity, there is a substantial negative effect on their quality of life. And we all pay the price, as the strengths their differences could bring to us all are lost.The Ministry of IncandEssence is commited to helping radically diverse individuals to find and express the strengths of their diversity, that it may empower them to live happier and more productive and satisfying lives, and so that the radiance of their unique vision of the world can be harnessed for the betterment of society as a whole. We will accomplish this by creating, maintaining and implementing programs that will promote the awareness of the positive value of diversity to society, programs that will bring strength, hope and validation to those whose diversity has challenged them in ways they have not yet been able to surmount, and programs that will provide direct, functional aid to improve their quality of life and help them integrate successfully and happily into society, without sacrificing that which makes them unique.There is much work to be done, and many in need of aid. The ministry is small, and currently exists only through the agency of myself, Rev. Matthew A. Young, the programs I am creating, and those I am planning to create. But from this spark shall grow a flame to light the world. Our first program, to celebrate and promote the awareness of neurodiversity, is about to debut. And from the fruits of this endeavor shall come the resources to implement other, farther-reaching programs, as the ministry evolves into a church with the resources and drive to celebrate and empower diversity in an ever-increasing number of forms.Soon to come are details on how the ministry’s resources are to be allocated and distributed, to be followed by the official debut of our first community program. Thank you for your time, and may your inner flame bring light and warmth to the world. (Comment on this)
Sunday, April 23rd, 2006
_3:32 pm_[indigowombat]	The IncandEssence Meditation A meditation is a structured framework of imagery which can be used to help us access our sense of personal strength and spiritual truth. It is a tool designed to allow us to harness high-order abstract concepts that can profoundly affect our sense of quality of life, as well as our sense of purpose and meaning in our lives. A meditation is thus a powerful tool for personal growth.The IncandEssence Meditation was developed by Reverend Matthew A. Young of the Universal Life Church, in April of 2006. It is in a continual state of development, and is expected to increase in utility and effectiveness as its development unfolds. It is inspired by the primal elemental imagery of a flame.( Symbolism Collapse ) ( Posture Collapse ) ( Imagery and Technique Collapse ) ( Guidelines for Use Collapse )This is IncandEssence. Used properly, it can be a tremendous tool for growth, strength, and control. Tend your flame responsibly, and it will serve you well. (5 Comments \|Comment on this)
Thursday, April 20th, 2006
_6:17 am_[indigowombat]	Welcome to IncandEssence Greetings! I am the Reverend Matthew A. Young, an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church. It is my committed intent to assemble and lead a congregation of the Universal Life Church, to be known by the official name of IncandEssence: A Universal Life Church.( The doctrine of IncandEssence Collapse )IncandEssence: A Universal Life Church is my own light to shine into the world. Through this church, I will support the acceptance of diversity, primarily diversity in sexuality and in neurology, to begin with. More information will be available soon. Thank you for your interest. (8 Comments \|Comment on this)