We all have our unique ways of expressing ourselves. We can also make ourselves pretty miserable trying to get others to express themselves the same way. Ashleigh Brilliant once wrote that “I need a map of your mind to avoid the most dangerous areas.” Wouldn’t that be helpful! Some people have a very off-the-wall sense of humor. A person like that can be fun to be around and most entertaining. It is often difficult, however, to engage that same person... Read more
For the last few weeks we’ve been exploring the introductory chapters of the Science of Mind by Ernest Holmes. We know what “It” is, we know how “It” works, but now we’re down to the nitty gritty: how exactly are we to use this Thing. When people approach me about a change they want to see in their lives, I always ask them two questions. The first question is: what do you want? Regardless of what their answer is, the... Read more
What is it that opens your heart? For me, often the answer is music. There are some melodies that are hauntingly beautiful. When they are accompanied by exquisite harmonies and inspiring lyrics, that music opens the floodgates of my heart and touches something deep inside my soul. I see evidence in our community that I am not alone. Music lifts and transcends. It pulls us to memories and deep desires. There are many songs that uplift me. Like many other... Read more
I’ve been feeling extremely vulnerable lately. It started last Thursday when I got sick with bronchitis and could not to go to work; I’m still recovering. I’m not used to feeling sick or at least so sick that I can hardly move, let alone trying to do all the things I normally do on a weekly basis. It’s left me in the position of relying on others, even to the point of having someone pick up medication for me. Beyond... Read more
Years ago I used to spend a considerable amount of time in my other favorite church – and it’s one I’m sure many of you are familiar with, and many others may be members. The church was The Church of Skiing, and for years it was my weekend practice to be up on the hill communing with nature. Years later when one of my congregants would confess to me that he wasn’t present on Sunday because he was skiing (he... Read more
I thought I’d risk being one of many people writing this week about Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Everyone pretty much knows the story of his life, his historical speech in Washington, D.C. and his tragic death. I don’t want to focus on any of those events. I want to focus on what allowed him to succeed where others didn’t seem to be able to do so. He had a dream – I know, you’ve heard that and it’s... Read more
The other day as I was preparing this blog, a congregant came to me with her story of discovery. It wasn’t the first time by any means that she had seen ‘the Thing’ acting in her life, but as with everyone there are times when It seems more present than others – and this was certainly one of those Moments. She described to me how she had had a deep conversation with a friend about her future, and how she... Read more
Right now as this New Year is still shiny with possibility, many of us are turning to our interior skies to commune with what we know is our internal power that helps to create our reality. When Ernest Holmes, the founder of what would become the Centers for Spiritual Living, completed his seminal work The Science of Mind, he chose to call this power “The Thing Itself”. This was Holmes answer to the age-old question about who and what exactly... Read more
With the arrival of all the New Year’s resolutions last week I’ve heard, more than once, “It’s about time I .” It’s about time. I got to thinking about that while I was listening to a program on NPR this past weekend about how time is inconsistent from one person to another. “HUH?!?” you might be saying. I know that was my first thought. But then I got to thinking about it. If you’re a five-year-old waiting for Santa... Read more
Recently Michael Wheeler wrote an article entitled “Marines Don’t Do That: Mastering the Split-Second Decision. In it he quoted Major David Dixon, who recently retired from the US Marine Corps. According to Major Dixon, Marines are taught the concept of “Marines don’t do that” during their training. It got me to thinking about how I react in life and what I “don’t do.” I’m usually the one who speaks up and makes at least a few people uncomfortable if someone... Read more
The Principles of Spiritual Living
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