Have you ever had a decision to make in your life and just can’t figure out what to do? It might be as simple as what movie to see with a friend or it could be making a major career move. I know in my own life there have been times I over-analyzed a situation to the point that I thought my brain was going to explode, but still didn’t have a solution that I felt good about. When Ernest... Read more
One of the turning points in my life came out of the mouths of babes, in this case my four-year-old daughter. “Who’s Jesus,” she said. Interesting question, I thought. And difficult at the time for me to answer as neither myself nor my wife Deborah attended a church in those days. So, to answer her question we turned to a church that a friend had recommended to my wife and embarked on a journey that has taken up the rest... Read more
GREAT MOTHER GOD! Rev. Dr. Nirvana Reginald Gayle As we approach Mother’s Day, it’s imperative that we honor and celebrate the Cosmic Mother of all creation. The genesis out of which all motherhood is based. The cosmology of the feminine face of God. The original grand Goddess. I have always said that there was Mother God long before there was a father God. Our earliest cosmology and spirituality as a species points to the worship of God as Mother long... Read more
The other day when I was driving through one of the main intersections in town I spotted three people making their way through a crosswalk. They caught my attention because one of them was a man in a wheelchair. The crosswalk was a bit tricky to navigate because he had to first cross a small section where cars were making a right hand turn, then get up onto a small island, before then making his way across the much larger... Read more
Have you ever wanted something – REALLY wanted something! – but, when it was placed before you there was a moment of hesitation before you accepted it? It’s happened to me. It seems that many of us have a problem saying “yes.” We can be so focused on needing something in our lives that when it (whatever “it” is) appears we find ourselves questioning the arrival. The packaging (or the form in which our good comes to us) may not... Read more
With spring in the air, many of us are taking time to get outside and enjoy the sunshine. And it may be that there is good reason to do just that. I came across a study recently that made me think about a common phrase we often hear in New Thought circles: pray and move your feet. The study was done at Stanford University, and it involved having college students complete one set of tasks while seated and a second... Read more
“The mind that dies every day to the memories of yesterday, to all the joys and sorrows of the past — such a mind is fresh, innocent, it has no age; and without that innocence, you will not find God.” J. Krishnamurti Is your mind getting old? Is it showing wear and tear of holding on to anger, sorrow, disappointment or loneliness? Are you forgetful? Do you search for the right word more than occasionally? In Perlmutter’s book, Grain... Read more
There is an old Spike Milligan poem which tells the tale of a little girl who upon learning that the world is round and is spinning, calls out to her dad: “it makes me feel quite giddy.” I like that poem because it reminds me that we are all very small, and that as generation after generation of human beings have layered up the world with all material and wonderful things, there is a bigger thing happening at any given... Read more
A number of years ago when I was still a young minister, a congregant told me the story of why she hated Easter. “When I was a child, my house went into mourning and I could never understand why all the other kids were so happy, and sharing presents. “My mother told us in graphic detail how Jesus was tortured to death, and then she would serve us lamb, after telling us Jesus was the Lamb of God. It was... Read more
This past Sunday I spoke on the topic of “Clearing Our Path.” The very concept that our paths need to be cleared implies that there is something to clear. We had a lively discussion about what that might be, as well as what our part is in acknowledging blockages. If there is something that appears to be in your way, blocking the path to your goal, the first step is to recognize the block. Beyond that we need to step... Read more
The Principles of Spiritual Living
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