The Sights and Sounds of Christmas

As I walk past houses in my neighborhood, I image that I see family and friends gathered to celebrate the holidays. They are sitting around the fireplace reminiscing about good times and bad.

I hear the laughter that can only be born from familiarity enjoyed in relationships that have spanned years or even decades of shared lived experiences. I am moved as I sense the tears they shed for the losses they have endured.

The savory fragrances of sage, thyme, and rosemary mingled with the sweet scent of freshly baked pies waft on the breeze as I stroll by the open kitchen windows.

In my mind, I see the table adorned with fresh flowers, greenery, and red candles befitting the season, all placed perfectly at the center and surrounded by the best china, finest silverware, and sparkling crystal that only makes an appearance on the most special occasions.

I marvel at the shimmering lights on the tree centered in the picture window that proclaims, “Christmas Time is Here!”

I sense the sugar-fueled excitement of children eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Jolly Ole Elf himself and the frenzy of parents racing to ensure that their children are not disappointed come Christmas morning.

All of the sights, and sounds, and smells take me back to a time and place when I was at the center of that kind of activity during the holidays. I am reminded of the joy, excitement, and comfort I felt surrounded by family, friends, and community.

My only regret is that I did not fully appreciate it. I know that not everyone has had or will have that experience, though it is my prayer that each and every one may feel the embrace and love of another.

If you are blessed to have family, dear friendships, or a close community, I encourage you to cherish them, nurture them, give them your time and energy, show up for them, be authentic with them, and above all do not take them for granted.

And if you know someone who could use the embrace of family, friends, or community during the holidays or at any time during the year, please reach out to them. You may never know the difference you make in another’s life.

Happy Holy Days!

A Time of Letting Go

This past Wednesday was the beginning of Lent. In traditional Christianity, Lent is observed as a time for sacrifice, penitence, repentance and self-denial. It is a common practice in Catholicism as well as many Protestant traditions for adherents to abstain from eating meat, other foods, or to give up certain behaviors as means of demonstrating self-sacrifice. They purportedly encourage this practice in order to honor the pain, suffering and sacrifice of Jesus.

In Unity, however, we teach that Lent is, as cofounder Charles Fillmore stated, “A season of spiritual growth, a time for progressive unfoldment.” ¹ We do not focus on the aspects of sacrifice; rather, we observe Lent as a time for releasing and letting go of the thoughts and the resulting behaviors that limit the unfoldment of our true nature – Christ.

On Monday morning during my meditation time, it came to me as knowing that now is a time of purification which requires letting go. Immediately, my mind went to, “What more do I have to let go of?” “What if I don’t want to let go?” “Is letting go going to be painful?” Fear crept in. I immediately felt my resistance.

Fortunately, I was willing to remain seated on my meditation cushion, breathe deeply, reclaim center, and remain open to the messages that followed. The first was that we are always free to choose. Further, that the only choice we are asked to make is whether or not we are willing and ready now to awaken to our Christ nature. When we answer ‘YES’ we open to allow the Universe to support us in our decision.

The messages continued with the knowing that we do not need to work at letting go. We only need invite the awareness of our Christ nature to awaken in our hearts and minds through the practice of prayer, meditation and contemplation. We need only, as the master teacher Jesus instructed, “Seek first the Kingdom of God” (Matthew 6:33), and to know that the “Kingdom of God is within” (Luke 17:21).

As Mr. Fillmore also stated, “When we can blend and merge our mind with God-Mind the way is open for the Lord [the Spiritual activity of the I Am, the Christ²] to glorify us and to lift us into a higher, purer, more spiritual state.” ¹ We then attract into our life all that reflects and supports our expanded awareness. All that is not in harmony with our “higher, purer, more spiritual state” will fall away because we will no longer be attracting it to us. We do not need to know what we must release. It will be revealed to us as we are ready to know it. Further, letting go will only be painful if we attempt to hold on to that which is no longer in resonance with us.

Lent, for us, is not a time of self-sacrifice. It is a season of awakening to a greater awareness of the true Self, the Christ in expression. It is also a time of surrender, to truly “Let go, and Let God.” We are asked to let go of our resistance and allow the life of Christ, the full potential of our true nature, to live in and as us.

This Lenten season especially is a time of letting go and letting God, not only for me as I leave my role as senior minister, but for all of us. That we are observing Lent seems divinely ordained.

If we welcome it, Lent can offer us an opportunity, individually and collectively, to truly let go of our limited ideas about ourselves, to release our judgments of others, to forgive those who have stimulated pain for us, to yield to the Truth of the divine nature expressing as us and as all creation.

If we are to experience the “spiritual growth and progressive unfoldment” that Mr. Fillmore spoke about, we must be willing to let go of what we have allowed to restrict the fullness of who and what we are so that a new awareness can arise and we can give birth to the newness of life that is seeking expression in, through, and as us.

I have been called by the voice of Spirit within to question limiting beliefs about myself, my ideas of what it means to be a “minister,” my fear of speaking my truth, and many other thoughts, beliefs and patterns of behavior that I have allowed to suppress my complete acceptance of my Christ nature and to live it.

Even though it is not always easy or pleasant, I know that it must be done so something new and amazing can be formed in me and express as me. I know the same is true for all of us.

I invite and encourage each of us to take this time to practice honest self-reflection and embrace the willingness to question, “Am I willing to let go and let God have expression as me, even if I don’t understand what is being asked of me or why?” Answer authentically. No one else needs to know the answer. We are not doing this for others, although others will benefit. We are doing it for ourselves. To free ourselves. And to free the Christ within.

Additionally, for those who are part of Unity Spiritual Center Denver specifically, I invite you to question what you are willing to let go of as a spiritual community so that you can be free to more fully express and live in the fullness of who you have come here to be.

Indeed, this is a time of purification and transformation, not only for me, but for this community. There are great things in store for USCD. I know it! I encourage you all to invite awareness of what needs to be released so you can soar to new heights and bring your collective Christ Light to the world in ways that you have yet to imagine.

As I let go of my role as your senior minister, I do so knowing that it is the right thing at the right time. Even though it is not an easy thing to let go of, I trust that I am on my path of “spiritual growth and continual unfoldment.” I do not yet know where that will lead me. For now, I am content (well mostly) to be right where I am and wait for what is next to unfold in perfect divine order. I will continue to listen. I will continue to let go. I will continue to do my best to follow where I am led. I trust you to do the same.

I am grateful for my time as your spiritual leader and for your love and support along the way. You will always be in my heart wherever this road may lead.

Namaste!

¹ Keep a True Lent by Charles Fillmore

² The Revealing Word by Charles Fillmore

Mind Your Own Business - Take Two

I mentioned during service this past Sunday my appreciation for the teaching of Unity minister and author Eric Butterworth. He remains one of my “go to” sources of wisdom and source material. As I was looking through some previous posts to decide what to share this week, this one grabbed my attention, possibly because of the provocative title. It is one that I originally posted over seven years ago. It is a good reminder for me as I hope it will be for you.

Living the Truth We Know

I am currently facilitating an 8-week study of Spiritual Economics by Unity minister Eric Butterworth. I was first introduced to this book more than 20 years ago and have facilitated classes on it several times since entering Unity ministry. As occurs with many, if not all books of this kind, the teaching touches me more deeply each time I revisit it. This time has been no exception. Butterworth is quite clear and direct in his approach to prosperity consciousness. This class has been a powerful reminder of the importance of knowing that each of us is, as Butterworth says, “The self-livingness of God.” Knowing and living from this TRUTH is the key to living a prosperous life.

Unity offers some very powerful teachings related to prosperity, as well as to healing and wholeness, realization and demonstration, and other aspects of life. For many of us, once we discover Unity, we read books, go to classes and workshops, and attend Sunday services to learn the principles.

Unfortunately, it often stops there. We learn the principles, continue to sign up for the next great class or workshop, but often our lives change very little or not at all. When it doesn’t seem to be working in our lives, we may begin to question the validity of what we are learning. We may question, “If all of this is true, why do I not have enough money; why am I still single; why have I not manifested the perfect job?”  

If we are not living the prosperous life we desire, it is not because the principles we are learning are not true. It may be that we are not practicing the principles that we are learning, or that our practice needs to evolve to embrace a deeper level of understanding and embodiment. I have found this to be true for me. I share more about that below.

Unity’s fifth basic principle states, “Knowing and understanding the laws of life, also called Truth, are not enough. A person must also live the truth that he or she knows.”  We live the Truth by practicing the Truth in our daily lives. Our lives are not going to be transformed simply by a mental understanding of the Truth. To transform our lives and live our dreams, we must be willing to put into practice what we know.

As the famous joke goes, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?  Practice, Practice, Practice.” For most of us, anything that we have learned to do and do well has taken practice. And, with enough practice, these skills become as second nature to us. We were not born knowing how to tie our shoelaces, but after someone teaches us how and we practice for a time, we no longer stop to think about it: we simply tie them. The same applies to learning the basics of mathematics. We learn addition, subtraction, and multiplication, which may seem foreign at first, but with practice, the basic principles of mathematics become a part of our consciousness, and we use them without having to think much about it.

Oneness is one of Unity’s primary principles. We teach that there is One Power/Presence which we often refer to as ‘God.’ Additionally, we teach that God is our essential nature. We are the pure potential and possibility of all that we understand God to be and our purpose in this realm of existence is to embody and express that “Allness” to the best of our ability at any given moment. Unity cofounder Charles Fillmore said,

“It is your mission to express all that you can imagine God to be. Let this be your standard of achievement; never lower it, nor allow yourself to be belittled by the cry of sacrilege. You can attain to everything that you can imagine. If you imagine that it is possible to God, it is also possible to you. Whatever possibility your mind conceives, that is for you to attain. This is the law; let none belittle himself or dwarf the Supreme by trying to annul it.”

I realize that while I have been a student of Unity and other New Thought philosophy for close to 30 years, I am still evolving in my ability to truly understand the depth of this Truth. Even though I have embraced the concept of Oneness, my Unity in God, I have not completely practiced it; in part because I have not truly grasped its deeper meaning.

Even in my daily practice, I can hold myself apart. Recently, I have gained a deeper understanding of Oneness. I am revisiting the ways I have “practiced” it and am opening to the awareness of how I can practice it is more fully so that I may KNOW it. My contemplative question has been, “How do I practice the principle of Oneness?”

As I meditated on the question this morning, the following answer came.

You must first remove your attention from the world of effect and focus solely on First Cause (God). Know your Unity in God and realize that all you perceive in the phantasmal world is an effect of your consciousness.

Turn your attention from the outer to the inner and reflect upon God. Contemplate the nature of God as Peace, Love, Joy, Harmony, Order, Unity, Beauty, and all the concepts/attributes you most often associate with God. Further, focus your attention there and merge your awareness of self with those attributes.

You may need to penetrate layers of self-conception that seem to refute your Oneness but persist until you sense that there is no secondary cause, not even that which you have previously considered to be your mind, your thoughts, or your perceptions.

Join in awareness with the One Mind, free from attachment to the world of form. And, from there invoke your power of Imagination to envision a world that embodies all the Divine Nature of God as the Divine Nature of you.

Activate your Love center in your heart space and begin to harmonize all in alignment to Love as you attract all that is in vibrational resonance with your newly awakened Unity consciousness.

Using your Faith faculty, see beyond the evidence of what is, that which is currently manifested, to perceive what is possible as you align your vision to see as God sees as you.

In conscious awareness of Unity or Oneness, know that all you could ever desire is realized first as you know your Unity in God. All that you could ever desire is here and now present as Consciousness. Know, too, that you are endowed with faculties, twelve of which Charles Fillmore discerned as The Twelve Powers of Man. These powers or faculties, which include Imagination, Love and Faith, when activated, strengthened, and embodied are your innate abilities that empower you to bring into manifestation all that mirrors your conscious awareness of what is already fulfilled in Spirit.

The consciousness of Unity in God is the ultimate definition of Prosperity Consciousness. Living from that consciousness, intentionally using your powers, brings forth demonstrations of it. First Cause/God moves through you, as you, to create that which embodies the attributes of Itself.

I have distilled from the above the following:

In order to know, truly KNOW God and all the ways God manifests, I must contemplate only God and let go of any idea of a self that is separate. I must invite and allow the revelation of God and know myself as one who can realize the full potential of all the “God-ness” that I Am.

I must release all attachment to the world of form and trust that the power, presence, and substance of God is demonstrating in perfect Divine Order in accordance with my knowing of myself as that.

I also must know that I can and will only demonstrate at the level at which I know myself in Oneness. I know, too, that I will only demonstrate “God-ness” in my life as I am able to activate, strengthen and embody the Divine faculties innate in my humanity. This is how important it is for me to know that I am the Source in expression, my Oneness in God.

My experience of wholeness, prosperity, and all that I desire depends upon it. Practicing this principle from the perspective of the deeper awareness will bring forth demonstrations in my life of wholeness, prosperity, love, peace, and joy that I know God to be. I am sure of it. It is a knowing I have for you as well.

I hope you will join me in my recommitment to revisiting our Unity principles. My desire is that we invite a deeper understanding of them so that we not only have intellectual knowledge of them, but also embody them in daily living. My prayer is that these principles come alive for us in ways that we have yet to imagine.

This Thing Called Love

It’s February – the month of LOVE. This week, as I have contemplated what I will speak about this coming Sunday, I thought, well of course I’ll speak about love. It is the day before Valentine’s Day after all, the one day designated each year to celebrate love. Yet, I often struggle with how to talk about love. What is this think called ‘love’?

Attempting to define or describe love is like trying to define God. It cannot truly be done. Poets, mystics, and avatars throughout the ages have attempted to describe Love in words, but they are simply doing their best to depict a personal experience of Love.

Charles Fillmore, the cofounder of Unity, said, “We may talk about the wisdom of God, but the love of God must be felt in the heart. It cannot be described, and one who has not felt it can have no concept of it from the descriptions of others.”¹ Even though I do not claim to possess the words to adequately define or describe ‘Love’ I will share my current understanding of it.

Love, in its purest essence is God/Life/Divine Mind/Source/One in motion. It is the energy that underlies and connects all creation. Charles Fillmore also said, “Love is the uniting, joining force (energy) of Divine Mind.”² In the book of Genesis we read the authors depiction of the creation story, which is one attempt to understand the great mystery of how life began. The story says that in the beginning was God, and God moved upon the void and all things were created. I think of God’s movement as Love.

Further, in the Gospel of John we read, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God…And, the Word became flesh.” (John 1) I assert that the Word was made flesh through the expression of Love and that the word made flesh is Divine Love.

Each of us is Love in our essential nature. It is our purest delight to stand in the presence of the God of our Being, to worship at the throne of Love, and be filled with the conscious awareness of Love. Then, we are to arise and go out into the world and Be Love.

Instead, we have created a false God, an idol. We have created a God of our own image, and we worship at its throne. This God is the amalgamation of our beliefs, opinions, preferences, religion, physical body, money, possessions and history. This God has a name. Its name is “Me.”

We spend so much of our time and energy worshipping at the throne of the idolized image of “me” that we have little or no time left for the true God of our being. It is any wonder that the first of the Ten Commandments is “You shall have no God before the one true God” and the second is, “You shall not create any idols.”

This idol worship separates us from the awareness of the Love that we are. Let me be clear, there is nothing that can separate us from the Love of God (Romans 8:38). However, in our minds, in our humanity, we believe that we are separate from God, from our fellows and from all creation. In this separation, we are not consciously aware of Love. The illusion of separation results in fear. When “Me” becomes our God, we fear. Fear creates pain and suffering.

Fear stimulated by idol worship is the root cause of all the pain and suffering in the world. When that pain and suffering is left unexamined and unaided it escalates and often erupts in acts of hatred and violence. We witnessed it all around us in explicit and implicit acts of violence.

Worshiping the idol called “Me” is also evident in fanatics of all religions who are unwilling or unable to question long-held beliefs, and who are reluctant to hear and attempt to understand another’s perspective. They fear the loss of the sense of the safety and power their dogmas supposedly provide. This fear plays out in acts of violence against those who hold differing beliefs and those whose actions do not comply with their religious edicts. These violent acts may be as stringent as genocide, or as subtle as name-calling or refusal of service.

We can also witness idol worship demonstrated more subtly in the power struggles within our own government and in corporate greed that pollutes the Earth and our environment and enslaves workers in developing countries. They are all acts of violence resulting from the fear stimulated from worshiping the idol of “Me” which manifests in the beliefs in “my power,” “my money,” or “my prestige” and the anxiety stimulated by the thought of losing them.

So, how do we awaken to the transforming power of Love?

Our transformation is three-fold; it involves spirit, mind and body. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7). We are given the spirit of Love, but through idol worship, our awareness of that truth is often clouded. It requires our self-discipline to turn away from the idol of “Me” and instead worship at the altar of Love within.

We must practice daily meditation in which we withdraw our focus from the things of the world that often entice and entrance us and surrender in the silence to the Spirit of Love within. In meditation, we focus in the heart and allow the energy of Love to radiate from that center until our entire countenance is filled with Love. As we practice meditation our true Spirit of Love is remembered; we are delivered from fear and our awareness is transformed.

Mentally, we must engage the practice of denials to cleanse the mental body of thought energy that is based in fear. Using denials, we refuse to give any energy or power to fear thoughts and invite the power of Love to clear them away. Following denials, we continually affirm the truth of Love.  Charles Fillmore offers the following affirmation to condition the mind with truth:

“I am the abode of love. I am filled and thrilled with the mighty magnetic forces that love uses in doing its work. I am powerful and active to do only good, and I see only goodness and purity everywhere.”¹

Additionally, it is important to read spiritually inspired books, poems and treatises on the power of Divine Love. In addition to books by Charles Fillmore, and other Unity authors, I recommend On Love by Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. As Paul said, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2).

Lastly, but certainly no less important, the transformation must take place on the physical plane as well, meaning through our actions. I suggest doing at least one thing each week that stimulates some level of fear when you contemplate doing it. If considering it elicits fear, you can rest assured that some form of idol worship is at play. For example, if you are inspired to reach out to an old friend you haven’t seen in years, and the thought stimulates fear for you, chances are very good that there is some aspect of the “Me” idol that is ostensibly being threatened. It may be the fear of being rejected. If so, I encourage you to hold yourself with empathy and compassion and allow the fear to be present. Do not attempt to resist it or deny it. Softly breathe into the heart. Invite the power of Love to fill your heart and radiate outward. Feel yourself totally embraced in Love. Allow Love to transmute the fear. Then, in faith, step out and do the thing you were inspired to do.

This is especially true when the fear is related to sharing our unique gifts and talents, connecting with others through acts of love and compassion, and sharing loving expressions of mercy and justice. We can trust and know that our actions are inspired by the Love that we are. Each time we allow ourselves to face the fear, allow Love to transmute it, and act from inspiration, we strengthen our faith and awaken more completely to the transforming power of Love.

Love is the power that transforms us. Love is the power that transforms the world. As we awaken to the conscious awareness of love, our hearts and minds are renewed, and our lives are transformed. When we are transformed, our lives become active expressions of Love and the world is transformed.

This is my prayer, “May humanity awaken to the transforming power of Love, and may I lead the way.”

 

¹ Talks on Truth, The Development of Divine Love
² Metaphysical Bible Dictionary

 

Jesus and Living Prosperity

One of my favorite quotes is from Marianne Williamson, speaker, teacher, and author of numerous books, including A Return to Love, which includes the statement, "We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone." Our mission, should we choose to accept it, is to realize this truth and live from this truth, and in doing so, bring forth the kingdom of God into manifestation.

In a nutshell, this is the essence of living a prosperous life, a life in which we express our innate glory in our work, relationships, physical wellbeing, and our finances. If we are not currently living that experience, it is not that we do not possess the capacity; it is just that we are continuing to project a false image of ourselves which is not in alignment with our Truth, the Glory of God; thereby we are drawing to us demonstrations of our unbelief. So, what do we do; how do we move from where we currently find ourselves to where we desire to be?

What are we to do when we look at our bank balances and see that there is not enough money to pay all the bills? What are we supposed to do when a relationship that we have committed to for life changes and the person we thought we were going to grow old with decides that is no longer the plan? What about when we go to the doctor, and she tells us that we have a serious illness? What do we do when we find ourselves in a dead-end, mind-numbing job? How are we supposed to pull ourselves out of these conditions, transform our experiences, and live prosperous lives?

 Do Not Worry

The master teacher and way-shower, Jesus, gives several good suggestions, not the least of which is found in Matthew 6:31 & 33 in which he says, "Do not worry...but seek first the kingdom of God...and all these things shall be added to you."

First, do not worry. Worry keeps us in the cycle of manifesting what we do not want. Worry is the mental activity of resisting the condition which we want to change. Most have heard the adage, "what you resist persists." This is true because of the law of attraction which states that like attracts like. The law of attraction works by drawing us to people, places and circumstances that reflect the energy of our thoughts and feelings. It is important to remember that the law of attraction works on thoughts as well; one thought of lack attracts another similar thought and so on. When we worry, we are thinking thoughts of lack. When Jesus says, "do not worry," he is encouraging us to stop focusing on the condition, and instead focus on the Truth which is the kingdom of God present here and now.

The kingdom of God, to which Jesus refers, is as Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore says, "not a place in the skies but an ideal state in creative mind, ready to be ushered into the minds of [humanity]." Jesus says, "The kingdom of God is at hand," and "the kingdom of God is within you." As Unity minister and author, Eric Butterworth, says "it is not somewhere to go, but something to be." The kingdom of God is represented by the Garden of Eden in the allegorical creation story found in the book of Genesis, a state of consciousness in which we know that we are created as the image and likeness of the One, and in which we know that all is provided in every moment.

Ask, Seek, Knock

Jesus provides further instruction as he continues to teach as stated in Matthew 7:7-8, "Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you."

 

The word 'seek' can mean "to search for" or "to go in quest of" something, but Jesus could not possibly have meant that we have to search for the kingdom of God. If it is something we need to go in search of, he would not have told us that it is "within us" or that it is "at hand." In other teachings, Jesus told his disciples that the kingdom is all around, yet men do not see it. For us to ask, "Where is the kingdom of God?" is like a fish asking, "Where is water?" It is the Substance and Supply in which we live and move and have being. "Seek" in this context of Jesus' teaching means to 'look' or to 'see.' When we close our physical eyes and cease to look at the apparent condition, we can focus our awareness on the eternal Truth of our being, that which is "within" us, as us. When we remove our awareness from the five senses, and stop looking with the physical eyes, we are able to more readily see with the eyes of Spirit. This is one reason we commonly close our eyes during prayer and meditation; it helps us to change the focus of our attention. When we choose to see with spirit eyes, we can only see what is true. The eyes of Spirit only see the kingdom of God. In order for us to live a prosperous life in all aspects of our experience, we can begin today to practice seeing the kingdom of God within, and then choose to see the kingdom of God without. Practice seeing only the kingdom of God everywhere, for in Truth, it is all that is real.

I have often wondered what Jesus meant when he said what has been interpreted as "knock and the door will be opened." What follows is what came to me as I meditated on that statement. The "door" is symbolic of any thought of lack or limitation which we may be holding in our minds, a thought that we believe, and which may be the basis for the demonstration of the current condition. However, this thought which seems to be separating us from our Good, once acknowledged, may actually be a passageway between where we find ourselves now and the life that we desire to live. Once we become aware of the "door," we can "knock" on the door, and it will be "opened." We knock on the door of our false belief through the practice of denials and affirmations. It is important to deny the power of any thought which seems to be separating us from the manifestation of a prosperous life. We deny the reality of any thought which does not have its foundation in the Truth which is any thought that tells us that we are anything less than the expression of the kingdom of God consciousness. Once we deny the thought, we then knock on the door, not with our hands, but through the power of our affirmative thought. An affirmative thought is one that is based on the Truth, the kingdom of God within. When we deny that the "door" is real and knock with the power of affirmative thought, the door not only opens; it dissipates, and a new consciousness is revealed. We are then able to walk through the doorway into a whole new way of thinking and being, thus a whole new consciousness from which to demonstrate a prosperous life.

Jesus also instructs us to "ask," but Jesus does not teach that we are to "ask" as in, "please give me," but instead to "call forth" or to "claim." Jesus did not ask God to heal the sick or raise the dead. No, Jesus gave thanks for what he knew was already the Truth and then called forth the demonstration of it. As Jesus said, "ask believing that you have already received, and it will be given." (Matthew 11:24) We are to call forth through the power of our thoughts, feelings and words whatever we desire in order that we may demonstration a prosperous life.

We manifest the kingdom of God, the glory of God within each of us, thus, we live prosperous lives when we stop worrying about what we do not want, and instead focus on what we do want; choose to see the kingdom of God everywhere present, within and without; deny the power of limiting thoughts and affirm the Truth; and call forth what we desire through the power of our thoughts, feelings, words and gratitude.

A Conversation with God

Most, if not all of you, reading this post know that I have made the decision to resign my position as senior minister at Unity Spiritual Center Denver. It was not a decision that I arrived at quickly or without a great deal of prayer, meditation, contemplation, and yes, resistance.

When I entered the ministry in 1999, first part-time and then full-time in 2012, I did so following what I believed to be a call to serve – serve God and serve others as a minister. The voice I heard was very clear – “Feed my sheep.”

I believed that being a church minister was my answer to that call. I still believe that it was. Recently and over the past few months, I have become aware through my prayers and meditation that church ministry is no longer mine to do, at least not at this time. I have also heard the clear call to take care of myself and begin to make conscious preparations for the next phase of my life.

These sorts of revelations always stimulate additional questions. So, I had my own conversation with God about it which I captured in writing. I decided to share it here in case it might spark something in you. I did not edit except to correct spelling and typos, and to add punctuation and footnotes. Here is what ‘God’ had to say to me -

Five Ways to Release Your Imprisoned Splendor

This past Tuesday, I began facilitating a study of the book Spiritual Economics by Unity minister and author Eric Butterworth. In alignment with that, last week I began a series of Sunday messages based on the book. As I thought about what I wanted to share in my blog post this week in relation to that, I was reminded of a post that I wrote nearly 8 years ago soon after I arrived at Unity Spiritual Center Denver (then Unity Church of Denver). While I have changed a few things here and there, I thought I would share it again here.

Several years ago, I read and listened to the recording of the book Break Out: Five Ways To Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life, by Lakewood Church Pastor and bestselling author, Joel Osteen. At the time, I used the book as inspiration for several Sunday morning lessons. I often get a kick out of listening to Pastor Osteen’s reading of the book. And I am often triggered by some of his theology. However, when I am able to reinterpret some of what he says, I am often inspired by him.

Mr. Osteen inspires and encourages with the message that our first “Break Out” must occur within our own minds:

"When you break through in your mind, believing you can rise higher and overcome obstacles, then God will unleash the power within that will enable you to go beyond the ordinary into the extraordinary life you were designed to live."

On the surface it sounds like a message that one might hear from any Unity or other New Thought teacher. However, what strikes me about Mr. Osteen’s message, and it is not in alignment with our teaching, is his reference to a God somewhere ‘out there’ who is eagerly waiting to bless us, provided we increase our faith by utilizing the five practices outlined in his book.

Further, that “he” (God) will take us beyond our own self-imposed limitations provided that we put him first. Mr. Osteen says that God will “favor” us by taking us beyond our current condition, whether physical, financial, relational, or other. It seems evident that his message is that when we win God’s favor “He” will reach down and perform a miracle for us.

As evidence for his assertion, Osteen cites examples of physical healings, job promotions, unexpected encounters that lead to increased prosperity or notoriety, as well as others. His message speaks of a capricious deity whom we spur into action through our devoted worship.

I would be in complete agreement with Mr. Osteen if he had instead stated,

“When you break through in your mind, believing you can rise higher and overcome obstacles, God, the power within, will be unleashed enabling you to go beyond the ordinary into the extraordinary life you were designed to live.” 

In Unity we teach that God is “the power within,” and that power is unleashed when we release our resistance to it.

As Unity minister and author, Eric Butterworth, states in Spiritual Economics,

“The important Truth is that you are a spiritual being with the Allness of Infinite Mind within you. Whatever your need may be, the answer is not to get God to give you more through some divine slight-of-hand process, but rather to uncover and release your own “imprisoned splendor.”

The God of our understanding does not perform miracles, if by ‘miracles’ we mean physical demonstrations that supersede Spiritual and Universal Laws, nor does God “favor” one person over another. Each of us has the power within that when realized, activated and released will produce demonstrations, in alignment with Law, that others may see and call “miracles.”  However, we will know as the Master Teacher, Jesus stated, “It is the Father within that does the work.”

Charles Fillmore, the co-founder of Unity, stated,

“All true action is governed by law. Nothing just happens. There are no miracles. There is no such thing as luck. Nothing comes by chance. All happenings are the result of cause and can be explained under the law of cause and effect.”

While I deeply respect Joel Osteen, and what he presents in his book as “Five Ways To Go Beyond Your Barriers and Live an Extraordinary Life,” I propose that Unity also provides us with five ways to increase our faith and move beyond our self-imposed limitations and live life extraordinarily: they are known as the Five Basic Principles of Unity. Although they are not traditionally presented as action steps, these five truths can serve as guiding principles for our lives if we know how to put them into practice.

I would like to offer the following restatement of the five basic principles of Unity as positive action statements. Each is followed by an affirmation I offer that may help us make them an integral part of our daily spiritual practice thereby unleashing our “imprisoned splendor” and allowing us to live extraordinary lives.

Please note that ‘Good’ as used here is not an evaluative word, as in ‘good or bad’; nor is it meant to represent anything of form, as in “goods” that we might receive. Instead, it is used to represent the nature of the Divine.

First –Dare Bravely to believe that there is only God, the Absolute Good, and none besides God.

I believe that there is one power and one presence. I believe that the nature of that power and presence is absolute beauty, order, life, harmony, love, unity, abundance, and all the Good that I can imagine. I believe! I release my unbelief.

Second –Claim Unabashedly the Truth of your Divine nature.

I am created in the image and likeness of the one power and one presence endowed with its nature; therefore, God is all the Good that I am.

Third - Believe Fearlessly that you experience life according to the thoughts you think.

I consciously choose to release all limiting thoughts and choose positive, constructive thoughts that allow manifestations of Good in my life. I make conscious choices that support my well-being – physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. I actively practice Self Love and acceptance.

Fourth – Claim Boldly through the practice of affirmative prayer that only Good manifests in your life experience.

Through the power of prayer, I claim my Good and I open to the flow of Divine Spirit and Substance in and as my life.

Fifth – Give Courageously from the awareness that God, the Absolute Good, is all that I am and all that I have to give and all that I am open to receive.

I give freely from the eternal fount of Divine Substance and Supply. I know that as I give, I receive. I trust that I cannot out-give, nor can I ever deplete the one Source of all that I am.

I encourage us all to look at the Five Basic Principles, not as simply a stated belief system of the Unity movement, but as universal truth principles that can serve as spiritual practices for increasing our faith and expanding our consciousness so that we may rise above what we perceive as obstacles and live fully empowered and extraordinary lives manifesting so-called miracles every day.

Unleash your “imprisoned splendor” and shine!

What is Prosperity?

When you hear the word ‘prosperity’ what comes to mind first? For most, ‘money’ is the first thought. While prosperity includes money, it is so much more. Over the next few weeks, we will explore this important topic. In what follows, I share quotes about prosperity from some of the leading voices in Unity. I also share some of my reflections on their ideas.

Minister, teacher and author, Edwene Gaines, in her book The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity, defines true prosperity as:

• A vitally alive physical body to provide a comfortable worldly home for the spiritual beings that we are
• Relationships that are satisfying, nurturing, honest, and work all the time
• Work that we love so much that it’s not work, it’s play
• And all the money we can spend

In his book, Spiritual Economics, author and Minister Eric Butterworth says,

“Considered in the broadest sense, prosperity is “spiritual well-being.” This involves the whole experience of healing life, satisfying love, abiding peace and harmony, as well as a sufficiency of what Aristotle called the “furniture of fortune.” 

Isn’t that the life experience that we would all choose to live? The good news is that it is the life experience we can all choose! Because it is the Life that we already are. We choose it by thinking, feeling and acting in alignment with it. Prosperity is our natural state of being. If we are not experiencing it, we are placing ourselves outside of the natural flow of the Divine Life Energy of God.

Charles Fillmore, the co-founder of Unity, in the book, Prosperity, states,

“Jesus stressed the idea that God has made abundant provision for all His children, even to the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. The Lord has clothed you with soul substance as gloriously as He did Solomon...If you are persistent in working this idea in your conscious mind, it will eventually drop down into your subconscious mind and continue to work there where things take form and become manifest. Invisible substance, when your subconsciousness becomes filled with it to the overflowing point, will ooze out, as it were, into all your affairs.”

We come together in classes, workshops, and at Sunday morning services to strengthen ourselves and each other in the consciousness of God, the all-providing Source. We devote time and energy to renewing our minds with Truth through prayer and meditation. We commit to establishing a prosperity consciousness which, when strengthened, enables us to demonstrate the evidence of our natural state of prosperity in every area of our lives.

Fillmore further says,

“The law of supply is a divine law. It is a law of mind and must work through mind. God will not go to the store and bring food to your table, but when you continue to think about God as your real supply, everything in your mind begins to awaken and to contact the divine substance, and as you mold it in your consciousness, ideas begin to come which will connect you with the visible manifestation.” 

Simple, huh? All we have to do is keep our minds stayed on God and manifestation will occur. It is a simple concept, but it is not always easy. That is why it is important that we develop a spiritual practice that builds the consciousness of God and fills our minds with divine substance.

Fillmore encourages us to,

“Think prosperity, talk prosperity, not in general but in specific terms, deny every appearance of failure, affirm supply, support, and success in the very face of question and doubt, then give thanks for plenty in all our affairs, knowing for certain that our good is now being fulfilled in Spirit, in mind and in manifestation.” 

We can begin today to develop this as our daily spiritual practice. We can make the commitment to ourselves to be aware of what we say – not just what we speak aloud, but what we say in the quiet of our own minds. After all, it is in our own minds that manifestation begins!

Join Trish Morris, LUT and me for an 8-week exploration of the book, Spiritual Economics, by Eric Butterworth. We will meet on Zoom Tuesday evenings 6:30 – 8:00, January 11 through March 1. You may register here.