Thinking Becomes Experience

A few bullet points to jog the memory of those who attended service Sunday, April 28, 2013   -   To read the full text, click here.

·        Many people approach their lives as though the events of the day are going to dictate whether or not they’re going to feel good or bad about the day at any given moment.

·        Unity teaches that our way of thinking creates the experience of our life.

·        No circumstance, condition or person can “make” us feel this way or that.

·        How we feel in response to anything is up to us.

·        When we identify someone or thing as the cause of what we’re feeling, we give our power away to that someone or thing.

·        Do you want to live a powerless life?

·        Do you believe in the possibility that your way of thinking creates the experience of your life may be true?

·        Have you ever experimented with changing your thinking and observing how your experience changes?

·        All too frequently when conditions don’t seem to be falling into place – according to our expectations – we suddenly drop our whole spiritual outlook, cycle back into negative emotions and then carry those negative emotions forward into a negative experience.

·        “Attitude is a little thing that makes a BIG difference.” Winston Churchill.

·        Myrtle Fillmore, co-founder of Unity healed herself from an illness and her lifelong belief that she would always have that illness. She did this using prayer and meditation after she changed her way of thinking about her condition.

·        There is biology to our belief.  What we believe not only effects us mentally and emotionally, but the work of Dr. Bruce Lipton demonstrates it also affects us physically.

·        Really understanding, that our way of thinking creates the experience of our life is a light that will illumine, enliven, and bring clarity to:

o       Affirmative prayer

o       Forgiveness

o       Self-awareness

o       Our relationship with others, the world, our health, and

o       Our awareness of the Presence of God

·        This week, if you’re willing, trying up-leveling your thinking when you find yourself in negativity and see how your experience changes.

Love Follows Forgiveness II

A few bullet points to jog the memory of those who attended service Sunday, April 21, 2013
To read the full text, click here.

·        Last Sunday we talked about forgiveness. In lieu of events that followed during the week, considering forgiveness was prescient.

·        Did you get upset this past week? Did you get scared, angry, or frightened? Did you practice any forgiveness?

·        Last week I said, “Forgiveness is the key to Happiness.” Perhaps that could be restated, “Forgiveness is the key to inner peace.”

·        The question going forward is not "How guilty is that man," but "How do I stand in the sight of the Father as to my ideas about his guilt?

·        Romans 13:8, “Owe no one anything except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.”

·        Where might Paul have gotten this crazy, wild, radical idea that we should love one another?

·        Perhaps from the words of Jesus found in John 13:34-35, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. As I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

·        “Your thoughts should at all times be worthy of your highest self, your fellow man, and God. The thoughts that most frequently work ill to you and your associates are thoughts of criticism and condemnation. Fill your mind with thoughts of divine love, justice, peace, and forgiveness. This will pay your debts of love, which are the only debts you really owe.” (Prosperity (Charles Fillmore)/page123)

·        How forgiveness works, and “Why should I forgive?” is a mystery to many.

·        (How) Forgiveness removes the “painful emotional charge” from the event and allows us to experience the memory of the event without the pain.

·        (Why) Holding onto negative emotions is ultimately damaging physically.

·        We all share a common purpose beyond our goals and aspirations in the world: to reclaim our rightful inheritance as Children of God, and return “Home;” return to the awareness of Heaven. We would do well to keep our eyes on that prize while we go about our business in the world. Our thoughts should at all times be worthy of our highest self, our fellow man, and God. But what about when it hurts? What about when we are so consumed with fear, anger, guilt, etc.?

o       When our thoughts bring us hurt; forgive.

o       When our thoughts bring us fear; forgive.

o       When our thoughts bring us guilt, anger, shame, etc.; forgive.

·        When you are looking for inner peace for any reason; forgive.

Love Follows Forgiveness

For those who were at service on Sunday, April 14, 2013, a few bullet points to jog your memory.

To read the complete text of "Love Follows Forgiveness" click here.

• Beyond all the goals and aspirations any one of us might have in the world, do you think our deepest interests are really separate, unique and individual?  I don’t.

•  We all share one common interest: internal peace.

•  Internal peace is found through knowing and expressing the Love of God.

•  Once we recognize we all share one common interest, how could we hate, judge, or justify our anger?

•  Distress is the inseparable partner of hate, anger, fear, guilt, etc.  When we are in distress we are maintaining barriers to the awareness (and expression) of Love’s Presence.

•  Forgiveness dissolves all these barriers allowing us to remember the experience of Love. Love follows forgiveness.

•  Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, defines forgiveness as, “A process of giving up the false for the real.”  Perhaps this definition could restated as, “Giving up the idea of finding peace in the temporary for the eternal.”

•  Mr. Fillmore also said, “It is through forgiveness that true spiritual healing is accomplished.”

•   “Forgiveness is not for other people. It is for our ourselves so we can heal and move on.”

•  Forgiveness is the key that opens that Gates of Heaven for us.

Leader of the Pack

For those who were at service on Sunday, April 7, 2013, a few bullet points to jog your memory.

To read the complete text of "The Leader of the Pack" click here

 

•  My wife, Jane, and I recently adopted a young dog whose "manners" left a little to be desired, particularly when it came to understanding her bathroom is outside.
• I quickly turned to advice from Cesar Millan, "The Dog Whisperer" vis his book Be The Pack Leader.
• Many of the things Cesar Millan said areas applicable to the spiritual journey as they are to modifying dog behavior.
• One of the things he mentioned is that he noticed after moving to America from Mexico that many Americans live primarily from their intellect.
• Spiritually speaking the intellect is not wise. It is not the home of wisdom. It's job is to carry out the orders it is given.
• A healthy intellect carries out "to the letter of the law" the instructions it has been given.
• An unhealthy intellect argues back and forth, endeavoring to prove it is the highest authority… something more than the “carry-outer” of instructions. Misguided intellect wants to ascend to the seat of authority, usurp God, and be the pack leader… which it is not.   
• We must demand of our intellect – during the inner argument for authority – to surrender to wisdom. 
• I contend there are only two voices from which our counsel comes: The voice for Love and the voice for not Love.
• The voice for Love we might also call God, or Jesus, or the Holy Spirit “speaking” to us. 
• The voice for not Love is the voice that advocates everything but Love. We could call this voice ego, or devil, or Satan. 
• There is a moment when we can call ourselves “Pack Leader,” but that is temporary. 
• The voice for Love will always only tell us one thing, that we are love.
• The voice for not love will always tell us we are limited, that we are not good enough or smart enough, of strong enough, or capable.  It’ll also council us to accept fear, guilt, shame, hate, anger, jealousy, hopelessness, etc. 
• The Pack Leader sets the tone for the pack. The Pack Leader determines what is acceptable and what isn’t. This is where you get to be the pack leader; you establish that the pack of lies the ego is always foisting on us are not true.
• When those thoughts and feelings arise, be the pack leader and deny their truth. Do not let them take control of your thoughts. The Pack Leader requires the pack to stay behind him and follow him.  Tell those lies, “Get thee behind me…” (MT 16:23) 
• Once you’ve established your dominion over negativity you surrender to the voice for Love, God, your Pack Leader.
• Like Jesus, we are all followers. (Not my will but yours...)
• Cesar Millan says in the book, Marley and Me, that the Grogan family related to Marley as a name and a personality. 
• He also says that is the last way to relate to your dog. 1st: animal - 2nd:dog - 3rd: breed - 4th: name and personality. Relating to your dog as a name and personality will not result in effective communication.
• I suggest we have to relate to other people at the highest level: Spirit. 1st: Spirit - 2nd: Human - 3rd: Societal differences - 4th: Gender - 5th: Name and personality.
• It's no wonder that communication is so difficult when we relate to others with what we have least in common, name and personality.
• Here's an exercise you can try to redirect your awareness of others to that which we have entirely in common, Spirit., I invite you to speak this phrase silently to yourself as you encounter other people: “I am another one of you. Together, in Love, we are One.”