I am Minister James Browning, a native Washingtonian. I grew up in a rural countryside on a farm in Virginia from the age of 2 until 10. This is where my spiritual journey began. My grandmother who raised me between these ages was a very spiritual person. She taught me about respecting and honoring Mother Nature. She also understood and demonstrated the use of many spiritual principles. I learned about natural healing and the use of herbs from grandma at a very early age.
I moved back to Washington, DC at the age of 10. After living in the rural country side, the city was very big and exciting to me. I grew up with my Mother, brother and Stepfather. I continue to give honor to my stepfather even though he is no longer on the planet. He taught and exposed me to a great number of things. I was curious about life and was drawn to the fast life in the streets. My teenage years were very challenging and I had a few run ends with the legal system.
My Mother was a very strong person with many principles and she insisted that I live by those. After dropping out of high school, she had to apply tough love, that lead me go live with my sister. I still continued with my illegal activities. Thank God for my sister who recognized that I was headed to the prison system, she insisted that I go into the Air Force and get off the streets. As I look back she saved my life and I thank her so much.
I spent four yeas in the Air Force and got the opportunity to see the world. This experience really helped me to grow up and take responsibility for myself. I was able to get my high school diploma, while I was in the Air Force. The military was a life-changing experience; however, this is where I was introduced to illegal drugs that truly took my life in a new direction. Once I returned to civilian life, I was able to get a great job, but I continued to get deeper involved in the drug trade. You can say I became a major drug dealer. I was more addicted to making fast money than the drugs. I was always excited about making the next big deal. This life style affected my family. I wasn’t the best father or husband and I paid the price for that. Thank God I had a praying mother and grandmother (on the other side) that was asking God to show me grace. I lived this life style for well over twenty years.
I’m sharing this because it’s not where you start, but where you finish. There may be someone reading this information that may benefit from it, if they raise their consciousness they will be able to change their life. Even though I was living in two different worlds, God continued to guide me to a higher consciousness. The first step to higher consciousness started for me in 1972. I took a motivation course called “Dare to be Great” which I learned the power of positive thinking. In 1973 I read a book by Dick Gregory called “Cooking with Mother Nature” after reading this book I was inspired to become a vegetarian. When I stopped eating flesh, I could feel a shift taking place in my body and spirit. I began to get more in touch with my higher self. The next step toward my spiritual evolution started in 1977 when a good friend told me and five other associates about Transcendental Meditation. All of us agreed to attend the introduction class; I was the only one that showed up. Thank God I made that step. I truly believe when the student is ready, the teacher will appear. I have been meditating for over forty years and I’m an advanced Siddha Meditator, but I still consider myself a student because there is so much more to learn.
In 2006 I had another opportunity to grow spiritually. This happened when I experienced an appendicitis attack causing it to burst. Twenty-five minutes after arriving in the emergency room I was taken to the operating room to have an appendectomy. I was told that it was a simple process; however when it comes to operations nothing is simple. When the doctors went in to remove my appendix, they hit a blood vessel. This caused me to spend a total of five weeks in the hospital. As I lay in bed, I kept asking myself how did I allow my body to get this toxic. What I realized I had allowed myself to slip back into some of my old habits of drug use. After being clean for so long my body had a reaction and not only did I fall back into old habits, I also was really thinking about getting back into the drug business. Now I realize that wasn’t the plan that the universal God force had for me. While lying in the hospital, I began to communicate with the God force on a continuous basis. I felt I had experienced a few opportunities to pass over to the other side, therefore I made it clear to all of the spiritual beings that were in charge of my life force that I wanted another opportunity to fulfill my purpose for being here this time. I used all of my spiritual knowledge to get myself out of this destructive situation. I used affirmations, visualizations and prayers as my defense weapon. The reason that I’m able to share this story with you is because the God force wanted me to complete my purpose also.
I grew up in the Baptist church, and I practiced this traditional religion until I was in my mid-thirties. Although I believe in Jesus, something still was missing for me. I had a very hard time believing that you live on the planet just trying to figure out life and then you die and go to heaven or hell. I tried very hard to accept this concept; however that didn’t sit well with my spirit. I ventured out on a path to get a deeper understanding of what was going on with my spirit. I began reading spiritual books and attending classes that helped to raise my consciousness. I was attracted to a new spiritual community and philosophy that felt right for me, again the student was ready and the teacher appeared. I was led to attend a Unity church in Baltimore. This where I found what my spirit was seeking. Unity is part of the new thought movement.
I don’t understand why they call it new thought because this knowledge was here before Jesus came. Jesus is the one who really tried to open the spiritual eye of the western society to understand this old teaching. It is a very basic teaching that simply states that the spirit of God lives within us. We don’t have to look outside of ourselves to experience God and we don’t have to die a physical death to have an experience with God. This means we are an individualized expression of God, each and everyone on this planet can live a happy, healthy, prosperous life. You simply need to know how to apply the spiritual laws of the universe. I know I had a spiritual calling on my life for over thirty years. I have been avoiding this calling for a long time. I know and feel the time is right now. I have decided to take up my calling and become a beacon of light, for those who ae seeking a deeper spiritual journey, 'The Holistic Ministry' will help you raise your spiritual consciousness.
I love learning and education; I received an Associate in Art, Degree in Business Management from Strayer University 1980. I completed my Bachelor’s Degree in Ministry, from the University of Sedona in October 2009; I received my ministry licensed and ordained in October 2009. I’m currently enrolled in a Doctorate of Ministry Course. My Goal is to complete the Doctorate program in near future. I was inspired by spirit to start the Holistic Ministry in the Summer of 2009. I was given clarity and direction from spirit to move forward now.
Only through the power of God I’m able to move forward. “TO GOD BE THE GLORY”
