I choose today’s Reading because of what we are doing here this morning. We accomplished something. Something rather astonishing and special. A year and a half ago, some of us gathered to start book discussion groups in the hope of becoming more aware of who we were as individuals and as Spiritual Beings. That seed was planted several years ago when, as I visited with friends, sitting on their deck overlooking the Indian River Bay, one of us said, “This would be a great place for a Unity. The energy here is ripe for it.” Or something to that effect. Not sure which one of us said it, but I’m pretty sure we each were thinking it!

Those seeds, those thoughts, grew into…Unity of Rehoboth Beach. Think about what we have accomplished. Let me read this again…

From Science of Mind, May 2014

Every day is filled with delicious moments of grace, joy, freedom, and abundance. Every day, each of us does something that is transformative. Let’s slow down and give thanks.

Are you savoring your accomplishments?

I know several times in our group discussions, we have mentioned one way or another, about looking at how far we have come, especially in place of how far we THINK we have to go. And then we use that as a means to propel us forward. That is part of our passion.

Nikos Kazantzakis, author of Zorba the Greek, said “By believing passionately in something that does not yet exist we create it.”

Several of us believed in this idea or Principle that thoughts create our world, our experiences. Obviously, I did. Because I took the time, energy, courage and devotion to take the steps needed to become licensed to be able to step into this position. And, with the help of many, many friends, I got to move here with that intention.

And you, sitting here, believed enough to take time and energy and especially courage, to step into this Spiritual process that involves delving deep inside yourself, seeking the answers and the questions that move you forward in your self-discovery, and the discovery that you are Divine.

In John, chapter 14, verse 12, Jesus said, “…you shall do the works which I do; and even greater than these you shall do.”
So how do we DO these works, whether they are starting this Unity ministry or making someone’s day by sharing a smile?
For me it started with finding my passion, which is teaching, leading discussions, and helping others in whatever way I am able. Then I found a place where I felt at home…Unity. And from there, I fine-tuned my integrity. We’ll talk about integrity some Sunday. Put them all together and I have groups to lead discussions, I get to help others as needed and now we have Unity of Rehoboth Beach to reach out to this blessed community, in hopes that others find the peace that I have found.

Each of you will reach inside yourself and discover your passion. Each of you will fine tune your integrity. And each of you will find the works that are yours to do…whether it’s starting something or completing something. It doesn’t matter how small (and nothing is truly small), you will do the works that are yours to do. And in doing those works, you are blessing the Universe, each of us, as well as yourself. So keep it up…smile those smiles, help others, be of service in any and every way.

Do even greater works.

In one week, we will have enjoyed our first Sunday Celebration Service at the new Unity of Rehoboth Beach. I one week I will either be sitting here, contemplating the few tweaks that have to be performed before next Sunday or I will be panicking because the Celebration was no celebration to talk about.

This adventure has been a long time coming. I ‘found’ Unity in the early nineties. It took me a little time to get into it, mostly because I let another determine my path. But once I started attending that little church in Mechanicsburg, PA, I was hooked.

It didn’t take long before I was taking classes to discover who I really was. Then, I looked at taking these classes for credit, encouraged by one of my mentors, Rev. Erica Tranthum, to work toward being licensed by Unity.

That was a long road, but it culminated in being licensed in the spring of 2011, under the direction of another mentor, Rev. Toni Fish.

So, I’ve been here in the Rehoboth Beach area for a year and half, facilitating book discussion groups in an effort to be of service to the folks here who are looking for something more in their lives. And after a year of those groups, it was time to take the next step…apply to Unity Worldwide Headquarters for official recognition as a pioneer ministry.

And we were approved! Thinking I could get things running quickly I looked to have the first Sunday Service on Father’s Day. But, that was put on hold when I had an accident as I was heading home to Pennsylvania for the Memorial Day weekend. I’m still recovering from the broken bones from that accident.

The delay was actually a good thing. I had much more to do to prepare for the opening Sunday. There’s a lot more legal things to attend to than I had ever imagined.

But the even better thing that happened from the accident was finding out what a wonderful support group we have grown here. I had friends taking care of everything from the insurance claim to the dogs, to me when I came home from the hospital with strict instructions to not walk on the left leg or bend it.

This wonderful group of people cleaned, did grocery shopping, took the dogs for grooming, helped me from room to room, cooked and provided meals, drove me to appointments…they did all kinds of things to make sure I could concentrate on healing.

I am truly blessed. And I hope they realize who they are and how grateful I am for the service they provided and still provide. I can drive now, but I can’t mow the grass, can’t get the dogs to the groomer, can’t even get groceries.

So, what is this message all about? Not sure. Another attempt to thank those people who have gone out of their way to help me, and yet, I know that service to others is what love is all about.   And I know that those people who have helped me have done so from their heart.

And so I am so grateful, as the song goes, so blessed. Thanks you my friends.

Who’s ministering to you?

As I sit here at home, pondering my life experiences, I wondered who is ministering to you. Now I could say that means, “Who is ministering to me?” And then I followed that with all the things I do for myself, daily, to help me through the day.

I have the Daily Word, and other spiritual type messages that are sent to my email account, and reading through and pondering them is part of my morning routine. I also make it a point to cruise through Facebook and read and ponder the many positive and spiritual messages that are posted, often reposting the ones that I believe would be appreciated by others on Facebook.

Then I also have several reminders that are timed on my phone, reminding me to remember PEACE, or SEND LOVE, or I AM GOD MANIFESTING. These messages chime into my day as wonderful reminders to take a break from the day-to-day routines that we allow ourselves to get into, often forgetting what is really important-to just BE.

Being limited with my movement (automobile accident two weeks ago), I can go as far as my deck and sit out there and let nature minister to me. I listen to the birds, and watch them fly from feeder to tree to another tree. I watch for the hummingbirds, and marvel at their tiny wings full of energy. I grumble for a short while at the squirrels and how they devour the bird food and scamper around chasing each other. The tree frogs sing their songs and I just smile.

ANYTHING in nature, ministers to me and I allow myself that time to receive it. No negativity about the squirrels, just truth….they eat more bird seed than the birds get! I don’t let the fat that I can’t walk down to the waterfront and watch the ducks, or the sun shine on the water, or look for crabs and fish in the water. I know that will be there when I am able to walk again.

The point in all this is, we have to receive the gifts of ministering as they are-where they come from. And so, I acknowledge here, one more area where I minister to me-I adjust to the fact that I require assistance to live and to have my dogs taken care of while I recover from this accident. Sometimes that is so very difficult when one is used to taking care of most of their needs.

I’ve had to adjust to a lot. And I am so very thankful that many friend have stepped up to assist in all this and continue to do so.

So, I ask again-“Who is ministering to you?”

Now that we’ve gotten over our chocolate and sugar buzz from all the Easter candy that we said we weren’t going to touch, but did anyway, I thought I’d add a few words to the celebration.

As a Licensed Unity Teacher and a metaphysician, I look at the Easter season differently than most, whether Christian or not. No just from a metaphysical point of view, but from my own personal point of view. What am I experiencing as I walk through the Holy Week?

Palm Sunday is a time of Celebration. What am I celebrating as my spiritual journey moves forward? I could look back a see where I have traveled from, moving from childhood attending a traditional Sunday School and Church Service through my search for a place to belong to finding Unity. My personal journey was fraught with a variety of stumbling, falling, and getting up again, but still a celebration to the successes on the way.

And what of my thoughts? The throngs of cheering people along the road to Jerusalem are all good thoughts. My thoughts have changed from self-doubt and victimhood to thoughts of power and joy. And I take these joyous thoughts into Holy Thursday.

Maundy Thursday…the Last Supper. An evening of betrayal. How have I been betrayed? How have I betrayed myself? What did I learn about those situations? About myself? Did I allow myself to be betrayed?

Good Friday-the Crucifixion. When was I crucified? By who? When have I crucified myself? What does it mean to be crucified? How can one recover from crucifixion?
Easter Sunday-resurrection! When have I experienced a resurrection? What caused it? What did I do when it happened? Did I do anything after the resurrection?

I love a good question, mostly because it makes me think. And in my classes, I tend to ask questions in hopes that my students think. For in thinking, we learn and grow.

God is good.

There is only good.

How can God (or Goddess, Buddha, Spirit, whatever word you wish to use to refer to the Divine, because there is no word that can truly be used to define that which is), be anything but good. Just look at Nature…and all that it entails. The variety in itself is amazing. The colors, the variety, the pleasure that it entails when we partake in its splendor….how can one discount that there is only good?

Oh, that’s right…if you look at all the ‘bad’ things in the world, then one could say there is ‘bad. But what caused the ‘bad’? Was it God (I’ll use that term since it is the most recognized)? Not likely. Most likely, it was something we humans have done or failed to do. If you take a look at the Bible, in Genesis we are given dominion over the earth and the animals therein. Yet, have we done so? So many species are extinct or on the verge. We have not taken care of the environment at all.

Thankfully, many are making headway in reversing that trend, but we have much more to do.

We are a part of God and God is a part of us. In fact, everything is a part of God and God is a part of everything. So, there is good in everything.

This is where it gets interesting.

How can there be good in the happenings in the world that destroy cities, towns and villages? How can the forest fires be good? Or the hurricanes? Or the winter we have had this year?

Look around folks….there IS good there. You may have to look for it, but as you get better at it, it’s easier to find. Think about the humanity that gets together and helps after events such as these. That’s the good. Maybe it’s the neighbor that helps with the shoveling. Maybe it’s the kid selling lemonade. Maybe it’s the food drive, or the clothing drive or the way money just shows up when someone needs it.

Humanity has SO much potential. I believe we are barely scratching the surface with what we can do for each other. And as we become more open, enlightened, conscious…whatever you wish to call it, more will be done. More will happen. More people will be opening their hearts to others.

Maybe it will be you. We all have a way to make this wonderful world a better place. As I ask my group mates- “What is mine to do?”

Lent begins tomorrow.  Most folks look at this time as a time to give up something….oh, chocolate or coffee or some other item that is so hard to go without.  And a few others look at this time to try to be more Christ-like.  This is something I have tried to look at as we go towards the Easter celebration of resurrection. And resurrection is looked at by us Unitics as a time to rejoice for OUR resurrection from old thinking to new ‘thoughts’.

Well, let’s go a step further as we enter the Lenten time.  Let’s look at it as a time to let go of things that no longer serve us.  That means thoughts that are hanging in the back of our minds, old thinking that we hold on to for whatever payback we are receiving, let them go.  Let go of that self-talk that is keeping you from expressing the beautiful person you are.

Let go of hurts that you are still dragging through your memories and heart.  That pain is no longer serving you.  Your heart yearns for joy, and peace, and love. Forgive yourself and others so you are able to move forward.

Let go of those habits that are holding you back from who you can truly be.  Maybe it’s smoking.  Maybe it’s eating unhealthy foods all the time.  Maybe it’s drinking too much alcohol.  Maybe it’s not exercising. Maybe, like me, it’s picking at your fingers. 

Your ‘resurrection’ is the very next moment after your choose to life a different life from the one you are living now.  You don’t have to wait for Easter.  Be resurrected now.

Ah, New Year, new you.  Isn’t that how the saying goes?  And then there are the resolutions we make and hope to be able to keep, at least, to some degree.

I saw something the other week, not sure where exactly, about the idea of a New Year’s THEME instead of a resolution.  I think it would go something like this: let’s say instead of resolving to be a better person, give up something or another, etc. we choose a theme to be our guide; our conscious, as it were, to be the subject of our ‘resolve’ for 2014.

So, I could choose peace as my theme for 2014.  That would mean I would work on peace through out every part of my day, in every form.  Being at peace with myself.  Showing peaceful actions and intentions toward others and in the situations that are presented during the day.  Keeping a peaceful mind as much as possible.  Allowing peace to fill me as I eat.  Choosing foods that were ‘peacefully’ harvested for consumption. 

Get the point?  Instead of giving up chocolate (which we know is a difficult thing to do for some folks!) or promising to exercise more (which often falls to w the wayside after two weeks), we choose an action that can cover the whole of our lives.

Here’s another example: choose love as your theme.  That means loving your neighbor as yourself.  Which means you have to love yourself.  Which means you have to take care of yourself.  Which means you have to exercise, and eat right and meditate or pray or contemplate or whatever is your spiritual practice.  And if you don’t have a spiritual practice, you get one.  Journal.  Do yoga or Ti chi.

See how taking a theme can be so much more encompassing and yet, so simple.

So, my theme is love.  Not hard to understand for those who know me.  I have always thought love was the answer to everything.  And I am including more spiritual practices in my day.  And I have already started an exercise program.  The hard part is going to be my diet. But I’m not giving that part up.  Just some simple changes on ALL levels of my life to make me more aware of the Christ being that I am.

You can do it too!  I sent out a Prosperity Prayer Program last week, add that as a start to your Spiritual path for the New Year.  Or go to yoga.  Or try journaling.  There are so many ways to do a simple thing or two to make a change.  Remember, it’s all energy.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of attending the Celebration Service at Unity of Frederick, MD., my home Unity.  My minister, Rev. Toni Fish suggested an abundance program that has had great success.  I wanted to share it with all of you.  Maybe you’d like to give it a try.

Prosperity Prayer Program (PPP)

Here is an ‘opportunity’ to begin the New Year with a Prosperity Consciousness.  This is a program for realizing and demonstrating abundant prosperity in your life and for centering yourself in that ‘…peace that passes all understanding.’

Here’s is the Program:

• Establish a specific date to start your program.  I’m starting January 1^st.
• There are ten statements of Truth.  Write out one statement each day a journal. (You could have a journal specifically set aside for this Program.)  Meditate on it with feeling and direct concentration for at least 10 minutes.  Following your meditation time, write down in your journal the thoughts that come to you.  Be sure to do this daily.  Because there are 10 statements of Truth, you will go through the entire list at least 4 times. It takes at least 40 days to realize Truth at a consciousness level. Any break in the process loses the energy build up.  Therefore, you will have to start at day one if you miss a day.
• After writing your thoughts, make three lists: one of what you want to eliminate, forgive and release from your consciousness and your affairs; one of what you want to demonstrate; and one of what you are grateful for-including at least 6 things from your present day experience.
• Tear up, burn safely or in some way “Throw away” the eliminate list.  Write a new “What do I want to demonstrate” list each day.  Add to the gratitude list each day.
• Share your time, talent and treasure on a regular basis during the Prosperity Prayer Program.  Giving is a spiritual practice that never fails to produce results because the Law is “give and you shall receive.”

Here are the Ten Truth Statements:

1. “The Spirit of the Living God within me is not only the giver of all good gifts, the supplier of all supply, but is the gift and the supply itself.  God is the fulfillment which fills full my every desire.  God ever dwelling within me is ready and willing at every moment to recreate or renew my body and mind or to manifest through me as anything I need.  Today I begin to truly understand that money is not my supply.  No person, place, or thing is my supply.  My consciousness of the presence and power of God within me is my supply.  Therefore, God can do no more for me than God can do through me, through my consciousness (what I think and feel and believe to be true), through my faith and through my vision of a greater good.  So before I attempt to raise money, first I must raise my conscious awareness, understanding, and knowledge of the all-providing activity of God within me as my supply.”
2. “Have faith in God.  Verily I say unto you, whosoever shall say unto this mountain-Be thou taken up and cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that what he says will come to pass; he will have it.  I say unto you, all things whatsoever you pray and ask for, believe that you receive them and you shall have them” Mark : 11:22-24
3. “Light! Light! Light! Let the prospering healing light of the Christ within me penetrate and banish all fear, anxiety or worry from my mind, heart, and body.  I clothe myself safely round with the pure light of the Christ, into which nothing negative can enter and out of which only good can come.”
4. “Large sums of money, big happy surprises and rich exciting ideas come to me now-under grace, in perfect ways for my personal use and I use them wisely.”
5. “Let me learn to think of dollars as I do leaves or fruit on trees, as the natural and inevitable result of the law active within.  There is truly no need to worry or be anxious when the tree appears to be bare as long as we are conscious of the Truth that the Law is even now operating within the tree to bring forth fruit after its own kind.  The same law active within the tree is active within me, so regardless of the appearance of a “bare tree” in financial matters, I let the law do its perfect work in me.”
6. “I lift up my thoughts and feelings to be aware, to understand, and to know that the Divine Presence I AM is the source and substance of all my prosperity.  I am conscious of the constant activity of this Divine Presence of Infinite Prosperity.  Therefore my consciousness is filled with the Light of Truth.”
7. “God’s will for me is supreme good.  God’s will for me includes health, wealth and inner well-being.  I am willing to do the good will of God-which is the open door to the fulfillment of all my dreams for greater good.  God’s good will manifest in my life now.”
8. “I am a radiating center of Divine Love.  Love fills my heart with harmony.  Love fills my mind with kind, helpful thoughts.  Love fills my lips with words of praise and cheer.  Love fills my life to overflowing with peace and prosperity. Whatever the need or problem, Divine Love is the answer and I am the perfect expression of Divine Love now.  Divine Love fulfills my every need.”
9. “Strength, strength.  I am one with the strength of the Christ within.  I let all burdens fall from my shoulders.  I let all anxiety drop from my mind.  I let all fear slip away from my heart.  I let all outer affairs be released.  I let every shackle be loosened.  Divine Strength is making wise and true adjustments in every phase of my life.  I relax, rejoice and let it.”
10. “I have faith in the prospering power of God as it works mightily in me now.  I have faith that all things are now working together for my good and I am working with them in the wisdom and power of Spirit.  I have faith in the perfect outcome of every situation in my life, for God is in absolute control.  My faith makes me whole.

Let me know if you choose to do the program and what your results are.  I’d be interested in knowing.

Just read an article by Richard Rohr mentioning “Original Blessing” where many would place “Original Sin.” I’ll take the “Original Blessing” thank you.

Now you all will go to the Creation Story and look at it in a different mind, and that’s good. The Creation Story is GOOD. It was mentioned as GOOD each time a day was complete.
I won’t even go into the Metaphysics of the Creation Story today. Let’s talk about “Original Blessing.” I look at Original Blessing in my life. Was my early life a Blessing? Many would say NO!

WE were poor, hand me down clothes, food insecurity for a good part of my early childhood. An alcoholic Father who could be violent was not fun. And hear him beat my Mother and not being able to stop it was emotionally scarring.

My older brother and I were often brought into the fray when we were older. And my brother was in danger of being hit more than I.

Why not me? Because I was already ‘hit’ with sexual abuse.

So why am I calling this “Original Blessing”? Well look at it. I could have held this all against my family. And for a time, I did the victim thing. But I got on the recovery wagon and my Spiritual journey has helped me see how I can use this Blessing to be of service.

I am able to share my story and let others know that recovery in this physical world is available. I can and have used the strength I developed to help others who may have experienced difficulties in their life.

And I can remind them that this physical body is not who we really are. We are experiencing a physical life but the main job is to connect with our inner “Being.” That Being is Love. It is Spirit. It is Peace.

So that is what I do. I expose the ‘me’ that is experiencing this life and share those experiences so others can see that growth is possible, that the journey is sooo worth it. That love is available for us all…beginning with ourselves.

Let’s give ourselves THAT gift this Holiday season. The gift of “self-love.”

I was fortunate enough to witness the marriage of my nephew to the “love of his life” this past weekend.  It was a wonderful wedding ceremony and the happy couple, John & Ashley, are enjoying a honeymoon in Hawaii.  I got to spend time with my sister and my Mother too.

After the wedding, I spent the night with a friend who happens to have an adorable bichon/havanese mix named Emma.  Whenever I visit Barbara, Emma stays with me.  She sleeps snuggled up next to me hardly even thinking of her mom in the next room.

Another thing Emma does, which we humans should take particular attention to, is ask for what she wants.  I’m sure there are other dogs and other pets; in general, that do the same thing.  She pushes her nose under your hand to get the attention she wants.  She rolls over on her back and gets the belly rub she requests.  She brings a toy when she’s ready to play.

My girls, both bichons, do that nose under the hand thing.  They do not know how to play, they are puppy mill breeders that were rescued by Small Paws Rescue, the rescue I volunteer for as a foster parent. 

They do know how to ask for attention, now that they feel safe.  And, April especially, knows how to ask for dinner!

The point here is, why do we humans, who are supposed to be so smart and evolved, NOT ask for what we want.  We do this around about way of hinting that we need a hug, or we need to talk, or maybe just some time with another human. 

But we don’t.  We think, “oh, so and so knows me so well, they should know that I need this, or want that.”  Or, that person won’t want to spend time with me.  And we fear rejection.  But we don’t know what that other person would do if we ask.

As Don Miguel Ruiz says in “The Four Agreements,” their perspective is theirs.  They don’t know your story.  They only know their own story.

He asks us to speak our truth and to ask questions when we don’t understand what is being said.  We should not assume that we know what some one’s else’s story is, or their perception of anything, including the truth about ‘your’ story.

So, let’s make an effort to ask for what we want and need.  If we need a hug, ask for it.  (Always ask before entering someone else’s personal space.)  If we need some space, say so.  If we need someone to just listen, we need only speak up.

Let’s do our part to be honest with each other in ALL aspects of our interactions.  It CAN be a better a better world. It starts with us.