Awakening

Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus? 

Oh, what memories that question stirs in me.  Having lived all my life in the “Bible belt” I have heard that question asked far too many times for my comfort.  And yes, there was a time in my life when I also asked that question. However, my question today is not whether you have a relationship with Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.  Instead, I ask, “Who is Jesus and what does he represent to you at this point in your spiritual journey?”

Christianity is the predominant religion in this country. Christians have a relationship with Jesus through the story of his birth, death and resurrection, the foundation for Christianity.  A recent survey by Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life shows that more than 78% of Americans identify themselves as Christian. Christianity is pervasive in our culture; therefore in America there is no escaping a connection with Jesus, regardless of what we believe about him.

My personal relationship with Jesus has evolved considerably over the years.  It began when I was 10-years old.  The minister at the church where my family was attending came to our house, and after he convinced me that I needed to accept Jesus as my savior, I did.  As I reflect back on that day now, I can honestly say that I “professed” to accept Jesus.  I was baptized sometime soon after.   “Great!  If that’s all it takes,” I thought; “I am good to go.”

My family didn’t attend church regularly, so I soon lost my personal connection with Jesus through religion even though I continued to live within the Christian culture of small town Georgia.  However, at fourteen, when I got to high school, I became involved with a group of “church-goers,” so I started going to church again.  The preacher soon convinced me that I was a back-sliding sinner, so I repented of my sins, confessed my belief in Jesus and was baptized – again!

I swallowed the whole Jesus story hook, line and sinker.  I felt guilt when I thought about anything that even hinted of sin, and since that’s about all fourteen year old boys think about, I was feeling a whole lot of guilt and doing a whole lot of praying for forgiveness. 

To make a long story shorter, I went through many years believing that Jesus was Lord and Savior and that he died on the cross for my sins.  And, I harbored a great deal of shame and guilt as a result of my belief that I was not worthy and that I could never be worthy.

Fast forward to my late twenties and early thirties when I began exploring the concepts of the New Thought movement through Unity and Religious Science; I was introduced to a Jesus that I had never before considered.  He was a brother, a way-shower, a guide.  He was grace and love. He was no longer the great exception, but the great example of the possibility and potential for me.  He was one who had awakened to the Christ – the Divine Idea of each of us.  This new vision of Jesus inspired hope for me.

I do not claim to know the truth about who the historical Jesus was, what he actually said and did, or whether the narratives presented in the Canonical Gospels or the letters of Paul in the Bible are fact or mostly fiction.  Even those who have researched the topic for years do not agree.  I have come to the decision that it really does not matter how much, if any, of the Jesus story is factual.  What matters is one’s personal relationship with the Jesus story.  My personal relationship with Jesus today is one of pupil to teacher.  My desire is to allow the Jesus that we meet in the Gospels to teach me the path to my own salvation; salvation from my limiting thoughts and life patterns.

I am currently exploring the Jesus story as the story of awakening which we can, if we choose, allow to serve as a template for awakening to the Truth of who we are.  We are the Christ. That same presence is within each of us.  When we explore the Jesus story though this lens, we see that Jesus experienced the steps of awakening that we all must take. His path was in a dramatic fashion that most of us will not experience, but there are day-to-day analogies we can learn from even in his spectacular moments.  As we explore the journey of Jesus from his baptism to his ascension, we will discover that he outlined a path for us to walk.  If we adhere to the path, we will know our truth – the Truth that sets us free. 

I hope you will join us on Sunday mornings, beginning August 18, at 10:00 a.m., as we walk together the path that Jesus walked; the path that leads to awakening.

Choose Happiness

This Sunday I will complete the series of lessons based on Michael A. Singer’s book, The Untethered Soul, with a talk entitled “Unconditional Happiness.”  In his book, Mr. Singer posits that life is actually quite simple, that we only need to make one choice in life; that choice is whether we want to be happy or not.  He asserts that, “Once you make that choice, your path through life becomes totally clear.” 

My assumption is that every one of us, if asked, “Do you want to be happy?” would respond with a resounding “Yes!”  If it is indeed a choice, and I fully believe that it is; why do we ever choose to be unhappy?  We would certainly choose happiness over unhappiness.  Or, would we? 

No one consciously chooses to be unhappy.  However, we routinely place conditions on our happiness.  We choose happiness as long as everything in our world goes according to our predetermined set of conditional criteria.  Even though we resolve to choose happiness, when we lose a job, our significant other leaves us, we get sick, or something else occurs that might conflict with our plan for a “happy” life what happens to our happiness?  In these instances, happiness is often fleeting.  In order to live a life of unconditional happiness we must be willing to choose to be happy even in the midst of a life event that we consider unwanted or judge as unacceptable.  When we allow external conditions to determine whether or not we are happy, we abdicate our power to something or someone other than ourselves, and we live lives of conditional happiness.

In choosing unconditional happiness it is important for us to realize that it is not the events in life that cause us to be unhappy; it is our resistance to the events that stimulates unhappiness.  Life happens, things change, people leave, jobs end: It is the way of life.  We are either present in the moment, experiencing life and appreciating “what is” which demonstrates happiness; or we are standing in a place of pushing against what has come before or reaching for what has yet to be, thus stimulating our own unhappiness.

Happiness is a choice, and choosing unconditional happiness is a spiritual practice.  As Mr. Singer says, the path becomes clear once we make the choice to be happy.  The path to unconditional happiness requires that we practice nonresistance, acceptance and gratitude.  In order to follow that path, we must be willing to release our preconceived ideas about how life should or should not be.  Life is not going to conform to our prescript, so we are best served to “Let go and let Life;” to accept things as they are and express gratitude in every moment. There really is no other path to a happy life.

Please join me on Sunday as we explore how to traverse our individual paths and discover what it means to live a life of “Unconditional Happiness”.

Threefold Healing and Wholeness

I am at Unity Village this week enjoying the final series of classes required for me to be a Licensed Unity Teacher.  That brings me one step closer to ordination and I am full of gratitude.  My days begin at 8:00 a.m. with four hours of class focused on prayer, both principle and practice.  It is a wonderful way to begin the day.  As part of the class, we attend the daily prayer service at the Silent Unity Chapel.  It is a present reminder that the Unity movement was founded on the healing power of prayer as was demonstrated by co-founder, Myrtle Fillmore.  While Charles Fillmore is often given credit for advancing the movement, it was Myrtle who began the prayer ministry upon which it rests. 

The following is an article I wrote last year after attending a class entitled “Myrtle and Charles on Healing and Wholeness.”  One of the texts for the class is Myrtle Fillmore’s Healing Letters which is a collection of letters Mrs. Fillmore wrote in response to prayer requests that were sent to Silent Unity.  I was particularly struck by one of her letters that affirms the power of prayer, but seems to dissuade the writer from the belief that it is somehow magical.  It affirms that while prayer is a powerful practice, it is not magic, and one must take personal responsibility for his or her own demonstration of wholeness.

In her response to two statements from the writer in which he asks to be “sent some healing vibrations” and “to relieve us through Silent Unity healing,” Mrs. Fillmore reminds us all that the path to healing and wholeness is three-fold, involving all aspects of our being - spirit, mind and body.  This three-fold path to healing and wholeness applies to all aspects of our life experiences, including physical health, financial well-being, self-expression through our chosen vocation and avocation, and our relationships with others.  If we are to demonstrate the full expression of all the Good that God is as us, we must realize our Truth in spirit, mind and body.

We know that the spiritual Truth is that each of us is an expression of Divine Intelligence, Substance, and Supply, that which we call “God.”  As the allegorical story in the book of Genesis tells us, we are created in the image and likeness of God.  Not only that, but we are created to live in the Kingdom of God represented in the story as the Garden of Eden where all is provided, there is no need, and there is nothing lacking.  As in this story, God gave it all at the moment of creation, and we eternally exist in this state of wholeness and perfection.  We only “separate” ourselves from this state of being as we hold the belief that we can be separate.  It is a state that can only happen in our minds.  Thus, we must keep our minds stayed on the Truth.

The mind, as we understand it, is more than our thoughts; it also includes our feeling nature.  Since our thoughts and feelings are so closely interlinked, it is difficult, if not impossible to determine which comes first.  There are those who assert that thoughts elicit feelings, and others will argue the reverse.  Because they happen almost simultaneously in most cases, it is of little concern which arises first.  For the purposes of healing and wholeness, it only matters that we are aware of our thoughts and feelings and intervene on those that are not in alignment with our Truth.  Often, our feeling nature will alert us when we are out of harmony with our spiritual Truth.  Any feeling that does not have its foundation in peace, love or joy can be our signal that our thoughts are off track and are in need of investigation and realignment.  We establish a consciousness of healing and wholeness as we keep our thoughts and thus our feelings in alignment the Truth of our being.  It is this consciousness which establishes the foundation for the demonstration of life experiences that embody the fullness of our Truth as it opens us to receive the divine ideas that we are to bring forth into manifestation and sets the stage for our action.

The body, or the physical, is the final aspect of establishing the demonstration of Truth in any aspect of our lives.  From the consciousness of Truth, we open ourselves to the wisdom, understanding and imagination, as well as other faculties of our nature which co-founder, Charles Fillmore, indentified as “The Twelve Powers of Man.”  We open to the guidance that is available to us in the quiet of our peaceful, loving, joyous minds, and we use our powers of strength, will, and power to move forward, and take the action that we are called to take in order to bring forth into the physical realm the manifestation of a body, career, relationships, and bank account that mirror the Truth of our nature as God in expression. 

Thus, spirit, mind and body must be three-in-one, as one, in order that we may demonstrate healing and wholeness in all areas of our lives.  Myrtle Fillmore encourages us to, “Daily declare that your spiritual life and world, your mental life and world, your physical life and world are unified and that you are expressing harmoniously the ideas of the Christ Mind on these three planes.”

Boldly, Courageously

I was touched by your expressions of gratitude this past Sunday in recognition of my five year anniversary as Spiritual Leader at Unity of Arlington.  Thank you for sharing your love with me. I have a wonderful vivid memory of preparing for my first visit as guest speaker and musician here in 2007.  As I meditated, I heard very clearly the words, “You are going to be their minister.”  While I shrugged it off and even argued with the voice, somewhere deep within I knew it was true.  I did not know how it would happen, but I had a knowing that somehow it would.  I could not be more delighted to affirm the truth that “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).  As I contemplate these first five years and envision what is to come, I know that I am being called to a greater expression of who I have come here to be, not just at Unity of Arlington, but as I live in the world as well.  I trust that I am not alone as I have heard others in our community express similar thoughts.

In my recent messages based on the book, The Untethered Soul, by Michael A. Singer I have talked about the ways we restrict our souls from their fullest expressions.  Whether it is the mind that will not be quiet, the walls of our psyche that keep us imprisoned, or the elaborate structures of the ego that we build to protect ourselves from the pain we fear, we often prevent ourselves from living courageous, wholehearted lives.  I have often heard the adage, “You teach what you need most to learn,” and I have certainly proved that to myself over the course of this series.  This series has given me the motivation to explore for myself the areas in which I do not allow my soul to express “untethered,” and discover how I can I change that.  It is my greatest desire to live life wholeheartedly and soulfully, and to encourage each of you to do that as well.

While I will complete the series on The Untethered Soul when I return to the platform on Sunday, August 11, I have begun researching my next series which I am calling “Wake up with Jesus.”  I have been reintroduced to Jesus, the man who is the epitome of living life courageously and wholeheartedly. I see him as our guide to living a life of “the Untethered Soul,” and I look forward to exploring that with you.  The writer of the Gospel of Luke gives us a glimpse of the power of conviction that Jesus displayed at the beginning of his ministry.

"He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.  He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him.  Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.'

Then he rolled up the Scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down.  The eyes of eveyrone in the synagogue were fastened on him.  He began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." – Luke 4:16-21

According to this scripture, soon after being baptized by John and later tempted by Satan in the desert, Jesus entered the synagogue in Nazareth and proclaimed his mission to all who were listening.  After reading from the prophetic writing of Isaiah, he boldly stated that he was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy.  He was not shy or hesitant about claiming his anointing by the Holy Spirit nor did he shrink from his authority to teach the truth that would loose the ties of bondage, restore sight to the blind and set free the oppressed.  He stated his intention clearly, and according to the gospel narratives he never wavered.    Whether or not this account is factual, and many biblical scholars believe that it is not, this story, like many stories in the Canonical Gospels, is told by the writer of Luke in order to share what he believed to be true, a very basic tenet upon which the Christian movement was founded – Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one of God.

Jesus’ statement is an unequivocal declaration of his presumed life purpose.  According to Luke’s Gospel, this event is the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and it set the tone for all that was to come.  He began his ministry in the same way he lived it, with courage and conviction.  It is an example of the way that Jesus approached his life and the work that he was here to do.  He owned his truth and he lived it, and by doing so he engendered criticism and persecution.  Yet, he did not allow his detractors to dissuade him in his mission.

Jesus was not the great exception; he was the great example.  He is our way-shower.  Just as Jesus did, each of us must choose for ourselves what our mission in the world is to be, declare it boldly and live it courageously.  Just as Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, so are we. The difference is that he was willing to boldly claim it and live it.

Now is the time for each of us to open ourselves in order to accept the baptism of the Holy Spirit, claim our anointing, and allow ourselves to be the vessels through which the Spirit of God pours into the world.  Each of us is here to share the good news - the Kingdom of Heaven is here and now - to all who are open and willing to receive it; proclaim that the Christ of our being sets us free from the bondage of fear in the moment we realize it; assist humanity in seeing ourselves and all creation as manifestations of the One Life; claim and live a limitless life and help others open to the unlimited potential and possibility that they are; and proclaim now, this day, this moment replete with the Glory of God.  Let us stand with Jesus and state emphatically, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

May we choose to claim our truth and stand firmly in it.  When we fully commit ourselves to living the truth, not allowing anything to dissuade us, we will truly live the life of “The Untethered Soul,” and we will live life wholeheartedly.  This is my prayer for you, and for me.

Christ is born!

I just returned from visiting with my family in Georgia where I was given two opportunities in as many days to have conversations with my first cousins about Unity philosophy and how Unity differs from orthodox Christianity.  Although there were several “sticking points” that we did not agree on, our differing beliefs about the essential nature of humanity was most striking. Some of my cousins found it difficult, if not impossible to fathom that Unity teaches that we are born, not into original sin, but into original blessing.  While Unity teaches us that we are innately innocent and that each of us is an expression of Absolute Good, many of my cousins have been taught and continue to believe that human beings are innately sinful and bad.  It was a sobering reminder considering the school shootings in Connecticut last Friday.

As I heard the reports of the shootings last Friday, my heart broke for the families of the children who were killed and for all those who were suffering the pain of loss as a result of the event.  My heart also broke for the young man who shot and killed all those people.  What intense pain must he have been suffering!  How much hurt must he have been enduring in order to hurt so many others in that way? What could possibly stimulate so much pain in a human being?

There is only one answer: The belief that one is born sinful and unworthy and separate from God, thus separate from others and separate from his or her Essence.  This one belief is the primary cause of all suffering in the world, and suffering is the primary cause of all injurious acts against others or self.  As long as we continue to teach our children that they are innately unworthy, we will continue to create a society that hurts.

While I agree with those who believe that we as a society we would be well served to make more responsible decisions regarding the availability of firearms, the use of firearms is not the cause, but a symptom of society’s suffering.  Let us not use the power of our thought and word to focus solely on treating the symptoms.  Let us, as people who believe in the essential goodness of human beings, instead begin to focus more adamantly on curing the cause, which is spiritual dis-ease.  We are called to do everything within our power to teach our children, regardless of age, the Truth of their spiritual nature - that they are the very essence of all that is good and holy.  Using Unity terminology, we must teach them that they are each the ‘Christ,’ born to bring light and hope to the world in their own unique and special ways. 

We teach best the Truth that we know, and we teach best by example.  Each of us is being called to allow the light of Christ to reveal any aspect of our own consciousness that does not fully accept this Truth for ourselves, to surrender it to the Christ and allow it to be transmuted in the Light of Christ.  Let us recommit ourselves now during this week before Christmas to the rebirth of the Christ in our consciousness so that we can be the ones who stand with the master teach Jesus and say, “For this I was born into the world, to bear witness to the Truth.”  Let Christ be the Light of Truth that shines in us, through us, as us to a world that is still living in darkness.  Let us be the ones who bring a renewed wholeness to a world that is suffering from the spiritual dis-ease of separation.  May the Truth that we know set us free.

Christ is born today.  Christ it born today.

Election 2012

In large part due to social media, such as Facebook and Twitter, I have, during this election cycle, learned more about the political positions of my friends, family and acquaintances than at any time in the past.  Some of them have surprised me with their impassioned posts.  That most of the posts were derogatory, some vitriolic, against one candidate or the other is what I found most surprising; in fact, I was a bit dismayed by them. 

Interestingly, many of my “friends” on Facebook, some of whom are the very same ones who posted these comments, are keenly aware of the concepts of the “law of attraction,” “law of mind action,” and “mental equivalents.”  It amazes me that when it comes to politics even those of us who believe that “what we think about comes about” and that “what we resist persists” still focus on what we do not want, rather than on what we do want.  Most of the conversations, emails, and social media posts I have seen focus, not on what they like and value about the candidate they favor, but on what they dislike most about the opposing candidate. 

We know that we are powerful creators, and that we attract ourselves to people, places and situations according to our thoughts and feelings.  When two or more come together to focus on something, whether it is what is wanted or what is not wanted, the creative energy is magnified.  When millions of people come together to focus on what is not wanted, the possibility of creating what is not wanted increases exponentially.  Our government is us: those who hold elected positions reflect our consciousness.  If we want something different in Washington, we must first become something different wherever we are.

We must ask ourselves whether we want to manifest a governing body in America that reflects the energy of resistance and opposition, or a government that reflects the energy of our heartfelt desire for good.  We only need observe the way our government is now “working” to know which we are currently experiencing.

I would like to encourage us to take a few moments to engage in the following practice: instead of concentrating on the “evils” of the opposing party or candidates, focus on the principles you value, such as freedom, safety, security, prosperity, and self-reliance.  Imagine that you are now experiencing all of those qualities in abundance. How do you feel?  Now, extend that feeling energy out into all areas of our country, and then out to the entire world.  Know that feeling for all humanity.  Next, see our governmental leaders embodying those qualities and holding them as sacred values.  Experience gratitude for those who are willing to lead our country with those values deeply realized.  Thank them for their willingness to lead.  Relax, knowing that the Universe responds to your energetic focus.  Trust that all is well, and that the candidates who embody those ideals are leading America now.

And, so it is.

The Healing Power of Music

“In time, probably, there will be schools of healing based on music, where patients will be taught how to center themselves in the harmonious Christ mind. The body will then respond, for it is mind, has its foundation in mind, lives in mind, and is moved upon by mind.” – Charles Fillmore

Charles Fillmore, the co-founder of Unity, was a man of his time in many ways, yet a man ahead of his time in others. In the quote above, Fillmore postulates that music has healing power, a theory which modern neuroscience is now proving to be true. According to a paper published in Nature Neuroscience, a team of Montreal researchers discovered that music triggers the release of dopamine in the areas of the brain associated with the feeling of pleasure. Music has also been found to boost the immune system, lower stress and decrease the heart rate in cardiac patients. Additionally, researchers at Cal State University found that children who are hospitalized were happier during music therapy than during other play activities. This research shows that music affects the brain, and that the effect is most often a greater sense of happiness and emotional well-being.

Studies, such as the one conducted by Carnegie Mellon University Psychology Professor, Sheldon Cohen, show people who are happy, lively, calm or exhibit other positive emotions are less likely to become ill when they are exposed to a cold virus than those who report few of these emotions. There are many studies that show the correlation between emotions and physical health and healing.

It follows, that since music produces a neurological response in the brain which promotes the feeling of happiness and the feeling of happiness contributes to physical well-being, then music, whether directly or indirectly, contributes to physical as well as emotional health thereby proving that Charles Fillmore’s postulate was correct.

Fillmore also said, “The spirit of music is within all of us. When we have developed and brought it forth; when the quickening, harmonizing life has entered the physical, by the union of God with man, then we will realize that there is a power in us which will produce harmony. And harmony is health. Bring harmony into your life by singing and praising. Everybody should play and sing. We should rejoice in the divine harmony. We should sing songs of joy and of love and of peace and of the unity of the Spirit.”

There is currently a facebook page entitled “World Singing Day” which is the brainchild of Scott Johnson from Boulder, Colorado. His premise is simple; music has the power to heal and help join the world together in peace. His invitation is to join others from all over the world in a day of singing on Sunday, October 21. It involves no sponsorships, endorsements or commercialism, just a joining together of people in the joy of music and singing. We at Unity of Arlington are accepting his invitation and will participate during the 10:00 am service this Sunday. Join as we explore, through message and music, Charles Fillmore’s lessons on the power of music and singing. Come sing with us!