The Christmas Story Within

The Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner 1898

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name [was] Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou that art] highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou among women. And when she saw [him], she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Yahshua. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:

And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the fruit of thy womb.

(Luke 1:26-38, 41,42)

__________________

For too long we have been taught the scriptures are stories about people separate from ourselves, living thousands of years ago. We have not understood the relevance of each allegory, person, and situation as they pertain to our lives today. If the truth be known, each person and event in the Bible is happening within you at this very moment! Yes, that's right, the Bible is all about an ascension of consciousness within man.

Do you realize the virgin, able to birth The Christ, has always been resident within you? When scriptures speaks about a "virgin" they are referring to the pure, innocent and perfect spirit within each of us. It is not just alluding to a woman who has not had sexual relations with a man. The Bible is a spiritual book and must be understood by the Spirit!

Webster's Dictionary defines "virgin" as free of impurities or stain, caste, and unspoiled. We all originated from this virginal state of consciousness. It is our source and true life. Mary said, "Be it unto me according to your word (not the belief of man.) Mary was in tune with a consciousness which was pure, free of impurities and saw no evil. She viewed everything through the pure innocent eyes of a child. Because of this virginal consciousness, she was able to manifest The Christ.

My name is Mary Lou as you know. Many years ago I looked up the meaning of Mary in the Greek and was greatly surprised! I expected to read a highly spiritual meaning, pointing to a great destiny. What I found was quite different. Mary means, "rebellious and obstinate" and was derived from the Hebrew name Marion, Moses's rebellious sister. How could this be? God had chosen a woman with a name meaning rebellious to birth The Christ? Why? The Spirit began to bring illumination and it became crystal clear.

Mary was a picture of the soulish consciousness of all humanity in its rebellious and obstinate state. Through Mary, we are able to understand what must happen within our consciousness before we are able to birth The Christ. As Mary heard the voice revealing her destiny, which was utterly impossible for the mind of man to believe, she believed! She was able to tap into the pure innocent spirit of truth within her, and look past the physical realm, into the virginal realm of spirit. It is from the pure innocent spirit of truth, this virginal place, The Christ will be birthed from within each of us.

Remember Christ said, "Let the little children come unto me." This is referring to the pure innocent child like spirit within each of us. Our virginal spirit is holy in thought and belief. Within Mary, the rebellious state of all mankind, lies a pure virgin. A place of no negativity, no wrong belief, and no conception of evil. It is our pure and perfect spirit. A pure immaculate sea of energy for birthing the Savior, our Christ.

So what does our virginal spirit begin to hear which helps it awaken? A beautiful message of truth and supernatural destiny.

"Hail -or start waking up, you are highly favored.
God is within you and you are blessed."

When we first begin to hear the message we become confused and troubled. It is foreign to the carnal mind and not what we have been taught. We become troubled because like Mary, we have had a "cast in our mind." A bound way of thinking. Remember Christ was wrapped, swaddled and laying in a manger. This is exactly where your Christ has been! Tightly wrapped in the beliefs of this physical world and swaddled in the grave cloth of a realm of duality.

The angel (messenger within) keeps assuring us during this time of awakening, "Don't be afraid, you are highly favored with God." And not only that, within you is the seed of God and it will be your Savior. You will bring Emanuel, God is with us, forth from your womb where it has been hidden in darkness. It will be called, The Off Shoot of the Highest God, and will be the Savior of your life. This Christ will reign over your humanity and bring you into an awareness of Oneness with all.

We question, "How can this be? I am not complete in myself. I need another to complete me. The answer soon comes! The power of Holy Spirit will overshadow all you believe to be reality in the physical realm. Everything trying to hold the birth of The Christ back, making you believe you are not worthy, nor able, will be overshadowed by spiritual truth. When this takes place, YOU will be supernaturally able to birth that which is in you....God!"

Not only you, but humanity still believing they are in the 6th month (limited time of physical man) shall have a leap within their spirit and begin to believe they too, can bring forth the son within them!

The true Christmas story is unfolding within you at this very moment. Within you is the virginal spirit able to birth The Christ! The shepherd (Christ consciousness) which has been in a darkened field mentality, is beginning to hear the message of good news about the birth of a savior. You are starting to see His star in the heavens (an illumination of the Christ in your consciousness) which is able to lead you to full view of Christ. When you have seen The Christ, you will never be able to go back the way you came! You will embark on a journey of higher and higher consciousness until your virginal spirit can no longer carry the life growing within you. At this fullness of time (no time) you too, will bring forth God-life. You will manifest infinite life with no beginning, no end, and no limitations! A life which only sees from a virginal consciousness of pure love, joy, and peace!

Can you see where the true story of the birth of Christ is really taking place? It didn't just happen 2,000 years ago. It is happening now in this 21st Century too!

Let the spirit open your consciousness........all the Bible is happening within you. Remember on the road to Emmaus, Christ explained the scriptures beginning with Moses, and revealed they were all about Him. They are all about you too, if you are able to see through spiritual eyes.

The Bible is your story........you falling asleep to your oneness with God..........you in a state of believing in separation........... you birthing the Christ child whose comes to know, He and the Father are One........you awakening out of a death mentality ......you ascending in consciousness as Christ is lifted up.........you fully awakening to the fullness of Christ within you....you ascending into a heavenly place in your consciousness where you are ruling and reigning over your humanity...you knowing as Mary came to know....

NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH GOD (in you)!!

New Beginning Ministries

Mary Lou Houllis

Post Office Box 31

Tarpon Springs, FL 34688

www.newbeginningministries.com

Trans Siberian Orchestra - Old City Bar

"...If you want to arrange, this world we could change it..."

Jacob Glass' Toolbox - Lesson 7: Absorbing Loss

We all experience loss. As we spiritually mature our response to loss changes. The Universe, the Great Mother Tao is ready to start over again every single moment. We can absorb loss and begin again from an even deeper place of peace and serenity.

Jacob's Toolbox - Lesson 6: The Pollyanna Principle

We invoke the world we choose either consciously or by default. What are you focusing on?

Jacob's Toolbox - Lesson Five: The "Don't Know" Mind

The "don't know" mind is a very eastern concept of becoming humbly teachable which decreases our resistance to our good. When we let go of concepts, we open up to Universal Wisdom. When we let go of our attachments to what we think should or should not be happening, we can be shown the Greater Wisdom and even new possibilities we never considered before.

Jacob's Toolbox - Lesson 4 - Taking Leadership of Your Mind

We are hypnotized from birth by the voices of the world which teach us a lot about fear and following the crowd. Each of us can awaken to our own inner-Guidance and find that when we do it is possible to thrive no matter what is happening in the outer world. Do not renounce leadership of your mind to anything outside of you.

Jacob's Tool Box - Lesson 3 - Act As If

Jacob's Tool Box - Lesson Two - Create a Vacuum

Create a vacuum = Pay it Forward

Jacob's Tool Box - Lesson One - Best Week Ever

Bridging Heaven & Earth Show # 84w/ C. Russell & P. Armitage

Craig is one of Canada's leading spiritual teachers and we are honored that he is coming to the United States specifically to be on "Bridging". He has been on the spiritual path since the age of 14. His studies began with the "Infinite Way" teachings of Joel Goldsmith and continue with the Ascended Master teachings of the Great Cosmic Light Beings. In his powerful private sessions, Craig brings through Angel messages, healing presences, and ascension treatments.

Paul is a master musician whose music has an essence that is magic. It evokes a higher state of feeling and inner clarity through its entirety. It's the kind of music that heals in the most gentle way. It allows the listener to expand and explore that part of themselves that is pure love.

Brian is a world-renowned teacher, healer, and workshop leader. He is the inventor of the Quantum Disk and author of the new book, "The Rhythms of Nature." His workshops help to stimulate the Thymus Gland of the human body via awareness and insight of the true structure of the molecular levels and the balancing and projecting of energy and emotional vortex centers. Brian's intention on this "Bridging" show is to perform seven chants for balancing the Chakras with drums and a Tibetan bell.

Bridging's website is: www.HeavenToEarth.com

Mindfulness in the Brain - Michael Spezio

Michael Spezio discusses the effects of centering prayer and contemplative reflection on neural networks. Dr. Spezio is an assistant professor of psychology at Scripps College.

Spezio appeared at USC on October 25, 2006 to speak about "Mindfulness in the Brain: A Study of Contemplative Practice in Relation to Neural Networks of Social Judgment and Meta-Awareness" as part of the USC Templeton Lecture Series.

Previously he was a postdoctoral scholar in social and affective neuroscience in the Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences and at the Brain Imaging Center at the California Institute of Technology.

Miksang Photography 'Quiet MInd Series'

Its not about recreating the sun, its about removing the clouds

Quantum Factor with filmmaker, William Arntz -What The Bleep

An intriguing interview with the producer, director of the award-winning movie, What The Bleep Do We Know? In this episode, William Arntz discusses the ways in which new ideas in science and quantum physics, and many long-held beliefs behind spirituality and religion are now merging, and how that converging of new science with age-old beliefs, would inspire producer, director, William Arntz to co-create the films,"What The Bleep Do We Know!? and "What The Bleep!? Down The Rabbit Hole." This episode, with host Alison Hill, first aired on PBS affiliate KBDI-Channel 12, Denver, Colorado 2006 / LostArtsProductions.com

Paula Gloria w/ Miceal Ledwith, "What the Bleep Do We Know?"

Quantum Consciousness, Quantum Mind STUART HAMEROFF (P.1)

Stuart Hameroff goes through a wide array of quantum mind concepts. I hope you enjoy

His personal page http://www.quantumconsciousness.org/

Quantum Consciousness, Quantum Mind STUART HAMEROFF (P.2)

Miceal Ledwith, Ph.D on God, Science & Religion 1 of 2

Miceal Ledwith, Ph.D on God, Science & Religion 2 of 2

The Metaphysics of Frosty the Snowman

What do an old silk hat, corn cob pipe, button nose, and boots have in common?? They all belong to a lump of snow called Frosty, the Snowman.

To the general public, Frosty the Snowman stands for joy. The joy of living. The joy of laughter. The joy of hearing children play. The joy of spontaneity. The joy of meaningful work. The joy of being with the people you love. Frosty, the Snowman symbolizes all of that. He is joy personified.

Most people, when they hear the words, Frosty, the Snowman, break into a smile. A gleam appears in their eyes. Children ages 3 to 93 identify with Frosty’s playfulness and zest for life. But Frosty represents much, much more.

When the traditional Christmas story is read, it’s either the Gospel of Matthew or Luke that are used. In each of these Gospels you find beautifully-told pieces relating the miraculous birth involving both the Divine and the human. The authors of Matthew and Luke also seek to place the birth of Jesus in a particular historical and cultural setting. Jesus is the son of poor Jewish parents, but is also described as a descendant of Israel’s greatest king, King David. His birth is given a definite time and place.

But, there is something totally different in John. There’s no nativity, no shepherds, no Magi, no star in the sky, no heavenly hosts, not even so much as a Mary and Joseph.

John’s gospel instead is some rather esoteric sounding language about something called “The Word:” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” Several verses later you read, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt amongst us” Then, not too many more verses after that, Jesus is suddenly baptized and begins his ministry. If John’s account were all we had to go on, we might be celebrating Christmas a little differently.

What John’s Gospel tells us is the Word became real, became flesh, became incarnated and became a living, breathing part of us.

Christmas is an incarnation story. It is the saga of the Incarnating Christ in each of us. It is the chronicle of our unfolding Christhood.

So what does this have to do with Frosty the Snowman? Think about it: Frosty came to life one day, dwelt among us and told us It would be back again one day. The metaphor is obvious.

Joyfulness, not struggle, is the message. Laughing and playing, dancing around in a silk hat, ball cap, boots, sandals or barefooted is the message. We are here to enjoy this Earth experience to spend this incarnation, happily, healthily and prosperously to dance and play and create and achieve until we melt away.

From Frosty, we can learn a new set of “Three R’s”:

I. Release any worries about the future, and put your attention on now.

II. Recognize the Source: It’s not in your hat - it’s in your heart!

III. Reaffirm Joy, no matter what!

And KNOW that you cannot be separated from your good, from God, because you and God are one! And that is cause for JOY!

Can Science Know the Mind of God

With truth, understanding, and reason in the balance, UC Berkeley's Phillip Johnson makes a persuasive case for the reality of the mind of God arguing against the naive idea that all reality can be explained in terms of purely physical and material causes. His lecture is thought-provoking.
Series: "Focus on Origins" [3/2002] [Humanities] [Show ID: 6290]

Quantum Factor Featuring Dr. Joe Dispenza (What The Bleep?)

Quantum Factor is the PBS television interview show that explores the nature of reality and the mysteries of the mind! This episode features Dr. Joe Dispenza, D.C. research scientist, author, lecturer and practicing chiropractor whose ideas have been featured prominently in the movies, What The Bleep Do We Know!? and What The Bleep? Down The Rabbit Hole. Dr. Dispenza discusses how the brain functions, the mind / body connection, and how our thought-patterns and emotional addictions form our reality. He tells us that we can effectively rewire our brains to create new possibilities and exciting new realities. This episode, with host Alison Hill, first aired on PBS affiliate KBDI-Channel 12, Denver, Colorado. 2006 / LostArtsProductions.com

Jeff Foster on the Never Not Here Program, Show #33

Never Not Here can be a radio show. Just turn up the volume and go about your chores. www.lifewithoutacentre.com


There is a growing sense that freedom cannot be found in philosophies, religions, ideologies; that it cannot be located in books, or reached through lifetimes of intense spiritual practice; that it cannot be passed on by enlightened or awakened spiritual masters; that it cannot be owned, cannot be taught, cannot be captured.


There is a growing sense that this freedom is all there is.

Jeff Foster on Never Not Here, Show #34

Find Jeff at:
http://www.lifewithoutacentre.com

Hidden Truth Of Mind And Matter this will make you think!

These are some hard facts about the world you think you live in...You truly will come to find you have far more control over it then you think.

Want a perfect world? All you have to do is think its possible and work towards it and it may very well happen. We are doing it right now as you watch this.

Consciousness what is it? Its all there is and ever will be. You are masters of your reality.

Reality is built out of thought. Masters of thought are masters of Reality
However you can not eliminate the thinkers...

The Science of Mind - TREATMENT

Awakening from the Egoic Mind-1, Talk by Gina Lake

Gina Lake speaks about how to detach from the egoic mind and awaken to your true Self. After having a spiritual awakening in 1999, Gina has dedicated herself to writing and teaching about awakening and finding one's life purpose. She is the author of Radical Happiness and five other books, which teach about the deeper happiness that comes from being true to the real Self. She is also an astrologer and a channel with a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology. She and her husband, Nirmala, a spiritual teacher in the Advaita tradition, live in Sedona, Arizona. Her website, http://www.radicalhappiness.com, offers free e-books, book excerpts, a monthly newsletter, and recordings of talks.

Awakening from the Egoic Mind-2, Talk by Gina Lake

Awakening from the Egoic Mind-3, Talk by Gina Lake

Jeff Foster - Nonduality: The Secret of Spiritual Awakening

Treat Your Mind Change Your Life

How to change your thinking to change your reality

The Gratitude Diet - The Secret To The Law of Attraction

www.gratitudediet.com Here is a full 10 minutes. Well 9 minutes 44 seconds but who's counting? - Try it, enjoy it, hope you love it!!

Love & Gratitude - Visualization with Mind Movies

Slideshow created with MemoriesOnWeb, I love you all, You've given me the Kiss of Life. There are no need for words, just listen to the lyrics. Love Barbie

The Attitude Of Gratitude

What are you thankful for today?

Showing Gratitude: www.law-of-abundance-living.com

Showing gratitude and giving thanks for the blessing in our lives.

My 'Daily Affirmation' Video

I put this together as my daily affirmations video. I watch it every morning and every night, and whenever else I have the chance to watch it. When you say things like the statements in this clip, your subconcious mind will begin to believe it (that's what "second nature" means) and you won't have to conciously think these things anymore! How wonderful!
-NothingShortofAmazing

The Secret - Everything In The Universe is Energy

Everything in the universe is energy. This is the eternal law of the univers since the beginning of time. Everything is made of exactly the same thing, nothing is different, nothing is unique. Everything in the universe vibrates.

Thanks Everybody

Thanks Everybody

"If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, "thank you," that would suffice."
-Meister Eckhart

Thanksgiving Day is a major holiday in the United States. What a lucky thing for the US. It is not a religious holiday, but it carries as much spiritual significance as a secular holiday can. It is about being thankful. Nobody says what you have to be thankful for. The holiday tradition just suggests that you get together with some people you care about, eat some food and be grateful.

Gratitude is a primary emotion and one that is tied to the experience of joy. A person can’t be grateful and not have some level of pleasant emotion in the process. People who make a habit of counting their blessings tend to be happier than those who don’t.* It is right to give thanks. It is also a good idea.If one were to make a list of one’s blessings, it could be endless. The list of things to be grateful for is only limited by our imaginations. There are innumerable sentient beings, physical objects, social systems, and natural phenomena that support us. In the spiritual realm, one can only try to imagine what benefits we reap beyond the reach of our senses.

We are not in this life alone. We may be lonely, but we do not stand on your own. We are in this with a lot of other people who give their labor and their caring in ways that make our lives possible. Some people, relatives and friends perhaps, contribute directly to our well-being. Millions of others unknown to us contribute to the web of life that supports us. It is good to recall that we can’t do it all alone. We are connected, even if we tend to forget that. We are each being assisted in ways we don’t know and can’t imagine. Recognizing our interdependence is a key to enlightenment, according to many of those who have attained it.Thanksgiving can be an opportunity to loosen our grip on ego. It places us in relationship to the mysterious collection of happy accidents that led to us being at this place at this moment. It invites us to marvel at what is good in life.

Practice:

Take time this week to contemplate all that you have to be grateful for and give thanks.
Be thankful for all the blessings you have received and will receive.
Consider writing a list of things you are grateful for. Consider doing this on a regular basis. Maybe every day.Thank people who have helped you or have somehow made your life better. Do it verbally or in writing or by action.Pray as an act of giving thanks.

Enhance Hapiness and Health by Cultivating Gratitude

Prof. Robert Emmons studies gratitude for a living as Professor of Psychology at UC Davis and is Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Positive Psychology. He has just published Thanks: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, an interdisciplinary book that provides a research-based synthesis of the topic as well as practical suggestions.

Alvaro Fernandez: Welcome. Prof. Emmons, could you please provide us an overview of the Positive Psychology field so we understand the context for your research?

Robert Emmons: Sure. Martin Seligman and colleagues launched what was called “positive psychology” in the late 90s as an antidote to the traditional nearly exclusive emphasis of “negative psychology” focused on fixing problems like trauma, addiction, and stress. We want to balance our focus and be able to help everyone, including high-functioning individuals. A number of researchers were investigating the field since the late 80s, but Seligman provided a new umbrella, a new category, with credibility, organized networks and funding opportunities for the whole field.

And where does your own research fit into this overall picture?

I have been researching gratitude for almost 10 years. Gratitude is a positive emotion that has traditionally been the realm of humanists and philosophers, and only recently the subject of a more scientific approach. We study gratitude not as a merely academic discipline, but as a practical framework to better functioning in life by taking control of happiness levels and practicing the skill of emotional self-regulation.

What are the 3 key messages that you would like readers to take away from your book?
First, the practice of gratitude can increase happiness levels by around 25%. Second, this is not hard to achieve - a few hours writing a gratitude journal over 3 weeks can create an effect that lasts 6 months if not more. Third, that cultivating gratitude brings other health effects, such as longer and better quality sleep time.

What are some ways to practice gratitude, and what benefits could we expect? Please refer to your 2003 paper in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, where I found fascinating quotes such as that “The ability to notice, appreciate, and savior the elements of one’s life has been viewed as a crucial element of well-being.”

The most common method we use in our research is to ask people to keep a “Gratitude Journal” where you write something you feel grateful for. Doing so 4 times a week, for as little as 3 weeks, is often enough to create a meaningful difference in one’s level of happiness. Another exercise is to write a “Gratitude Letter” to a person who has exerted a positive influence on one’s life but whom we have not properly thanked in the past, and then to meet that person and read the letter to them face to face.

The benefits seem to be very similar using both methods in terms of enhanced happiness, health and wellbeing. Most of the outcomes are self-reported, but there is an increasing emphasis on measuring objective data such as cortisol and stress levels, heart rate variability, and even brain activation patterns. The work of Richard Davidson is exemplary in that respect, showing how mindfulness practice can rewire some activation patterns in the frontal lobes.

Now, let me give an overview of the paper you mention, titled Counting Blessings versus Burdens: An Experimental Investigation of Gratitude and Subjective Well-Being in Daily Life (note: reference below). The paper includes 3 separate studies, so I will just be able to provide a quick glimpse. More than a hundred adults were all asked to keep a journal, and were randomly assigned to 3 different groups. Group A had to write about things they felt grateful about. Group B about things they found annoying, irritating. Group C about things that had had a major impact on them. 2 out of the 3 different experiments were relatively intense and short term (keeping a daily journal for 2-3 weeks), while one required a weekly entry during 10 weeks.
Across the 3 different studies we found that people in the gratitude group generally evidenced higher-levels of well-being than those in the comparison conditions, especially when compared to Group B (the one journaling about hassles), but also compared to the “neutral” group.

In the longer study, which ran for 10 weeks, we also saw a positive effect on hours of sleep and on time spent exercising, on more optimistic expectations for the coming week, and fewer reported physical symptoms, such as pain. Additionally, we observed an increase in reported connectedness to other people and in likelihood of helping another person deal with a personal problem.

We could then say that we can train ourselves to develop a more grateful attitude and optimistic outlook in life, resulting in well-being and health improvements, and even in becoming better-not just happier- citizens. And probably one can expect few negative side effects from keeping a gratitude journal. What do you think prevents more people from benefiting from these research findings?

Great question, I reflect often on that. My sense is that some people feel uncomfortable talking about these topics, since they may sound too spiritual, or religious. Others simply don’t want to feel obligated to the person who helped them, and never come to realize the boost in energy, enthusiasm, and social benefits that come from a more grateful, connected life.

Judith Beck talked to us recently (interview notes here) about her work helping dieters learn important mental skills through cognitive therapy techniques. You talk about gratitude. Other positive psychologists focus on Forgiveness. How can we know which of these techniques may be helpful for us?

The key is to reflect on one’s goal and current situation. For example, the practice of forgiveness can be most appropriate for people who have high levels of anger and resentment. Cognitive therapy has been shown to be very effective against depression. In a sense both groups are trying to eliminate the negative. Gratitude is different in that it is better suited for highly functioning individuals who simply want to feel better - enhancing the positive.

Prof. Emmons, thank you for your time, and research.
You are welcome.

Dr Wayne Dyer - Behind Every Thought Is An Energy

Behind every thought is an energy. Our truest life is when we are in our dreams awake. The ancestor to every action is a thought. The energy that you have for creating everything that you want is in your thoughts.

Gregg Braden "Louise Hay Film" Interview 1 of 6

Gregg Braden full interview on "Louise Hay - You Can Heal Your Life" the movie, expanded version.

Gregg Braden "Louise Hay Film" Interview 2 of 6

Gregg Braden "Louise Hay Film" Interview 3 of 6

Gregg Braden "Louise Hay Film" Interview 4 of 6

Gregg Braden "Louise Hay Film" Interview 5 of 6

Gregg Braden "Louise Hay Film" Interview 6 of 6

Louise L. Hay - Loving Yourself

Learning to love and accept yourself is the first step in bringing an abundance of Love, Peace and Joy into your life. Only by loving and accepting yourself first can you begin to love and accept others.

Bob Proctor & John Assaraf on Ellen DeGeneres

Bob Proctor and John Assaraf featured on the Ellen DeGeneres show on the Secret law of attraction.

JOEL GOLDSMITH - The Thunder of Silence

The Teachings of the Transcendental Christ Consciousness

Walter Starcke: Your Humanity and Divinity

Walter Starcke: A thought-provoking modern mystic. One of the most stimulating and best-known metaphysical teachers of our time. Broadway producer, successful businessman, powerful keynote speaker and author of numerous best-selling New Thought books. www.walterstarcke.com

Walter Starcke: Made in the Image of God

Walter Starcke: A thought-provoking modern mystic. One of the most stimulating and best-known metaphysical teachers of our time. Broadway producer, successful businessman, powerful keynote speaker and author of numerous best-selling New Thought books. www.walterstarcke.com

November 9, 2008 - Twenty-Sixth Sunday After Pentecost, Proper 27 - Year A

Scriptures: Joshua 24:1-3a, 14-25; Wisdom of Solomon 6:12-16; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Matthew 25:1-13
____________

What are we to do with Jesus’ parable of wise and foolish bridesmaids? It’s not easy to be sympathetic with any of the characters here. The bridegroom sends out invitations, but shows up hours late himself and then shuts the door on half of the bridesmaids. Those maidens who get shut out are off trying to buy oil in the middle of the night, when the wedding is about to begin. Meanwhile, the bridesmaids who did bring extra oil won’t share it, and come off looking selfish and snotty.

And what shall we do with a parable that speaks about God closing the door to heaven? That much seems clear – the wedding banquet represents the joy of being in the presence of God. A month ago we heard another parable about a wedding feast, in which the king sends out invitations to his son’s wedding feast, only to have the invitations refused. Not to be deterred, he invites in whoever is standing at the street corners, and has a huge party anyway.

Once again in today’s parable, everyone is invited to the banquet. So why does anyone get shut out? They all do show up; they all do bring their lamps; they all are ready. Could the problem be their lack of watchfulness? True, the bridesmaids do fall asleep while they’re waiting; and Jesus admonishes us at the end of the parable to “Keep awake … for you know neither the day nor the hour.”

But let’s be fair – all the bridesmaids fall asleep, the wise and the foolish alike, yet half of them end up enjoying the wedding anyhow.

That leaves us with the oil. We’re told the wise maidens bring extra oil, and the foolish ones don’t. That sounds simple enough, but we’re on pretty shaky ground if we look for the easy answers, and decide that the oil represents Goodness, or Piety, or Works, or even Faith. If we do, then it starts to sound as though what’s important is the amount of oil we’re carrying around – as though we all ought to be doing extra good deeds, or praying extra hard, or living a perfect life, so that we can store up a spare flask full of midnight oil, ready to burn if the Messiah decides to pull a pop quiz at the end of days.

The pattern of Jesus’ teaching throughout the gospels simply doesn’t support that viewpoint. Instead, in his parables the invitations always go out to everyone, the pay is the same for those who start work early or late, and everyone is considered a faithful servant so long as they don’t bury their gifts.

No, it’s not that the foolish bridesmaids are shut out because they don’t have enough oil – after all, their lamps are trimmed and still burning when the bridegroom’s arrival is announced. They get excluded because they’re so worried their lamps might go out that they run off in search of extra oil, and wind up missing their grand entrance.

What they seem to forget is that God hasn’t retired from the miracle business; that in fact, God seems particularly fond of weddings, of making a little go a long way, and of keeping oil burning when it really matters. Jesus turned an ordinary wedding into a foretaste of the banquet to come when he turned water into wine. He defied scarcity with the abundance of the kingdom of God, and fed thousands from a small boy’s lunch.

According to rabbinic tradition, when the Maccabees liberated Jerusalem from the Seleucid Empire, only a single night’s worth of oil remained undefiled in the Temple. Nevertheless, the sanctuary lamps remained lit for eight days until fresh oil could be prepared. Next month Jews around the world will commemorate this unquenchable abundance as they light candles in celebration of Hanukkah.

Mindful of God’s abundance, consider the passage from the book of Wisdom that was offered today as an alternate reading in place of a psalm:

Wisdom is radiant and unfading,
and she is easily discerned by those who love her,
and is found by those who seek her.
She hastens to make herself known to those who desire her.
One who rises early to seek her will have no difficulty,
for she will be found sitting at the gate.
To fix one’s thought on her is perfect understanding,
And one who is vigilant on her account will soon be free from care,
because she goes about seeking those worthy of her,
and she graciously appears to them in their paths,
and meets them in every thought.

We don’t need to chase after Wisdom – just seeking her is enough. In fact, Wisdom herself is seeking us.

Now we can see how the foolish bridesmaids have gone astray. Instead of trusting that they can find Wisdom sitting alongside them at the gate, they run off to the marketplace of ideas in search of illumination. Instead of trusting that Wisdom is radiant and unfading, they worry that their own little lamps won’t be enough for the bridegroom’s party. So they hurry off, hoping to find someone who can sell them some security, who can take their money and hand them a nicely packaged flask of enlightenment that will be sufficient to please the bridegroom.

Perhaps if the foolish bridesmaids had trusted that wisdom is unfading, they would have stayed and greeted the bridegroom and would have been welcomed into the feast. Perhaps the wise maidens never even needed to open their extra flasks, because the banquet hall itself was so brilliantly lit.

You see, God doesn’t only perform miracles with oil and with water – the sorts of miracles that defy the physical laws of nature. God’s greatest miracles are those that defy the laws of human nature, our ingrained expectations of work and reward. We’re used to thinking that doing more gets us more, that by and large we are rewarded in proportion to our effort.

But the Bridegroom does not open the door to us because of more work, or even more faith. He opens the door to us so long as so long as we keep our lamps burning for him; so long as our faith allows us wisdom enough – a gallon of wisdom or one radiant drop – to answer his gracious invitation and await his arrival at the feast.

Rev. Cole Gruberth is an associate rector at St. Bartholomew's Church in Poway, California.

Rev. Mary, The Power of Belief, 1 of 2, 1/13/08

Why beliefs matter, remapping the brain, how creation takes place.

Rev. Mary, The Power of Belief, 2 of 2, 1/13/08

Molten Meditation - God is Love

A visual and aural meditation on 1John 4: 9,10, 16, 17

1 John 4:16 And we know and have believed the love which God hath in us. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him.

Dr Steven Chu: What Can Physics Say About Life?

A Nobel Laureate and distinguished physicist, Chu is credited with developing new methods to cool and trap atoms with laser lights. This groundbreaking scientific research uses advanced optical technology and has implications not only for physics, but also for biology. Presented as part of the Hitchcock Lecture series at UC Berkeley.
Series: "UC Berkeley Graduate Council Lectures" [5/2004] [Science] [Show ID: 8592]

Los Angeles Center of Religious Science

Dr. David Walker pastors this science of mind learning center, teaching principles for a happier, healthier life. Science of mind has been proven reliable, and can be used by anyone.

This Is America - 1006 - Deepak Chopra, Life After Death

Join host Dennis Wholey for a personal conversation with Deepak Chopra, author of the book "Life After Death".

A Prayer for Word Peace - Robert Brezenski

(6m 11s)

I BELIEVE - Program 117 - Church of Christ, Scientist

"

Join host Dennis Wholey for a conversation about Christian Science - beliefs and practices - with Phil Davis of The First Church of Christ, Scientist.

The One - Poem by Robert Brzenski

Inspired by BEAT POETRY this prayer speaks to the unity of community.
(6m 19s)

New Thought Lectionary: 4th Sunday before Advent (Proper 26)

Date: November 2nd, 2008

Theme: Growing together as the body of Christ

Topic: Christ, Mankind's Indwelling Interpreter Of Scripture

Key verse: Jesus said, ‘Nor are you to be called 'teacher', for you have one teacher, the Christ [Matthew 23:10].

Reference Scriptures: Matthew 23:1-12 ‘Jesus asserts that Christ is the only reliable interpreter of scripture’.

Other Reference Scriptures: Joshua 3:7-17 ‘Israel crosses the Jordan’.

Psalm 107:1-7, 33-37 ‘Thanksgiving for deliverance’.

1 Thessalonians 2:9-13 ‘Paul’s faith and example’.

___________________________________

In today’s Gospel reading Matthew 23:1-4, Jesus of Nazareth uses rhetoric, reasoning and political language to condemn a specific group of spiritually blind religious leaders, in his own faith. They rejected the eternal, indwelling Christ, who Jesus proclaimed as mankind's only indwelling Lord, and true interpreter of scripture [Genesis 1:26-27, Matthew 22:41-44, John 14:6]. They refuted Jesus' assertion that all humankind have direct, eternal, Spirit-based relationship with Abba Father, through the indwelling Christ and the Holy Spirit, as revealed in scripture [John 1:1-5, 17:20-21].

Jesus teaches that his followers must proclaim the Gospel of Christ. However in interpreting scripture, he makes it clear that all human beings have only one true interpreter of scripture – and that interpreter is Christ, the Word, in the spiritual core of all persons [Matthew 23:10, John 1:1-5]. The Bible confirm this also by declaring that the Law was given by Moses but that grace and truth were revealed through Jesus of Nazareth [John 1:17-18; John 14:6, Romans 1:16-17].
Jesus' radical teachings in today’s texts are Christ-centered and Spirit-based. They do not focus on Jesus' physical person and personality. Jesus probably centered his gaze on the close relationship the community of Israel had with God through Christ, I AM THAT I AM, before they chose to proclaim Moses as their human intermediary between God and them [Exodus 3:14; 24:9-11]. This eternal, intimate, Spirit-based relationship with Abba Father was the center of Jesus' prayer life for those who choose to follow him [John 17:20-26].

In Matthew 23:8-12, Jesus advised his disciples to call no man, including himself, Father, instructor or teacher. These radical statements by Jesus suggest the urgent need for mankind to again contemplate and appropriate this Christ-centered, Spirit-based foundation of the Good News of the Gospel of Christ. Jesus teachings bring new inner spiritual meaning and symbolism to his life, cross, death, resurrection, ascension, second coming and the body of Christ. They shed new light on the human experience of kingdom living in the spiritual kingdom of heaven within us and in our midst [Matthew 6:33, Luke 11:1-13; 17:20-21].

The Bible declares that Jesus of Nazareth was the full visible manifestation of the Godhead [Trinity] bodily [Colossians 2:9]. Jesus demonstrated first hand knowledge of God's grace, wisdom, love and truth, and mankind's eternal relationships of communion with indwelling Abba Father, Christ and the Holy Spirit, through our spiritual cores [Colossians 2:10-11]. With God's help, all human beings can potentially express the fullness of the Deity through the indwelling Christ, within oneself and within all people [John 1:17, 17:20-26].

Jesus saw his physical person and personality as our elder brother, the visible Messiah. He saw his incarnate Spirit, the Christ, within himself and within all humans, as the Way, the Truth and the Life, the only true interpreter of the written or spoken Word [Genesis 1:26-27, John 1:1-5; 14:6]. Jesus of Nazareth modeled this breakthrough in mankind’s individual and collective consciousness as repentance, salvation, healing, wholeness and faithful interpretation and response to God's Word through the Christ, in human souls, hearts, minds and affairs [Matthew 23:8-10, Luke 4:18-19, John 5:19, 30].

Many people believe that Jesus revealed and modeled God's Reign and mankind’s divine heritage as the body of Christ [Genesis 1:28-31]. Many proclaim that Jesus brought to light God’s eternal plan of salvation and deliverance from the bondage of sin, sickness and death, through Christ. Many teach that Jesus modeled God's eternal plan for healing broken human and divine relationships between God and each other through Christ.

Jesus’ ministry flourished because he willingly emptied himself of the carnal, mortal and worldly mind of the flesh. Jesus was not on an ego trip. Under the power and guidance of the Holy Spirit, Jesus raised in human consciousness, the knowledge and role of the invisible, eternal, indwelling Christ, to the glory of our Father, within himself in and all persons [John 3:13-17]. Jesus always made it clear that his ego personality, the Son of Man, must suffer many things. He will die and be raised on the third day [Matthew 16:21]. He always stress the exaltation of Christ as Savior, Lord, Teacher and Interpreter of Scripture [Matthew 23:10].

Like Peter, many people view the death of the Son of Man with great fear, anxiety and distress [Matthew 16:22]. Is it possible that the life, passion, death and resurrection, ascension and second coming of Jesus of Nazareth could be metaphors and symbols for the death of the mind of the flesh, which must take place within the human heart, before mankind could put on the mind of Spirit [Matthew 24:23-36, Romans 8:1-11, Colossians 1:26-27]? In today’s Gospel reading, is Jesus not summonsing seekers in all the world religions, to turn away from the mind of the flesh and turn within to the indwelling and incarnate Christ, as the only true interpreter of the spoken and written Word?

Carnal, mortal and worldly belief systems create false impressions of human separation from God and each other, through all religions. They distort, confuse and misinterpret the spoken and written Word. As eternal spiritual beings, now going through temporary human experiences, Jesus admonishes all mankind to discern and steadfastly lift up the indwelling Christ as the true instructor and interpreter of Holy Scriptures [Matthew 23:8-10, John 12:31-36].
Jesus encourages all mankind to fully re-claim our divine heritage, in and through Christ. Now is the accepted time. Now is the day of salvation. Now is the day of Christ's coming as Lord, Master, Teacher and Interpreter of the Word [2 Corinthians 6:2, 1 Thessalonians 2:13].

New visitor to science of mind religious science

I explain how science of mind fills my needs and understanding to have a connection to God. The church is also known as religious science. (8m 11s) - Jim

Dan Rather Reports: Mind Science

Alpha & Omega: Beginning and Ending a day with Afirmation

To Start Off the Day Each Morning

There is but one Life, one vitality, one energy and it is God. This is pure Mind, pure Love, pure Being. I awaken to the fullness of life. I awaken to a fresh day. I awaken with a fresh, clear, clean mind, for I know that this is the day that the Lord hath made. I know that this is the day of right action, that this is the day of fulfillment.

Therefore I fear nothing regarding this day. From now until I go to rest tonight, my day shall be filled with the activity of God, with ease, order, joy, accomplishment. There is no strain, no stress, as I look forward to each hour.

I rest in the certain knowledge that all the life and all the love and all the good there is, is mine, and works through me in this day. My subconscious mind accepts this word.

And so it is.

Dr. Raymond Charles Barker

At the Close of the Day

I rest in the certain knowledge that the Infinite Spirit and the Divine Love are here where I am. Around me, within me, and in action through my whole being.

I now release the cares of the day. I now authorize my subconscious mind to negate any and all problems, difficulties, negatives. I take them not with me as I rest in Spirit and in Truth. I now review the day for the good that I have had. For the good of people, the good of events, the good of situations. For there has been this good in my day. This I remember and in this I rejoice.

And so I go to my rest without fear, for there is no power against me. This night I shall rest, relax in peace, and tomorrow I shall awaken with joy to a fresh, clean new day. This is the truth. I accept it, and so now I experience it.

And so it is.

Dr. Raymond Charles Barker

Phineas Quimby ~ The Great Spirit Blues

Funny Animated Video of Phineas Quimby

Dr. Phineas P. Quimby on Death, Jesus, and the Christ

Animated video lecture brought to you by Rev. Lux Newman & the Church of Spiritual Science

3D Dialogue: Christian Science

Jesse Hirsh host of 3D Dialogue interviews Eric Nickerson about Christian Science. From wikipedia.org:

"Christian Science is a religious teaching regarding the efficacy of spiritual healing according to the interpretation of the Bible by Mary Baker Eddy, in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (First published in 1875). Students of Christian Science are usually, though not always or necessarily, members of the Church of Christ, Scientist. Christian Science has no connection with Scientology and is distinct from Christian fundamentalism."

Spirit is Already Within You!

Spirit is Already Within You


God is Spirit an undivided and indivisible Whole.
God fills all time with and permeates space with the activity of Spirit's thought, light and life.


Our endeavor then, is not so much to find God as it is to realize His Presence and to understand that God's Presence is always with us and within us. Nothing can be nearer to us than that which is the very essence of our being.


Our outward search for God culminates in the greatest of all possible discoveries – finding the Divine Presence at the very center of our being.


God's Life, light and love now flow up from within our spiritual core.


Affirmative Prayer:


I know that my outer search for God is over because I have discerned God's presence within me.


I am consciously aware of the Presence Spirit within the spiritual core of all people.


I am aware of this great Reality.


I am awake to the realization of God as Omnipresence.


There is but one Life.
That Life is God's life.


Today I see Spirit reflected in every form, back of every countenance, moving through every act.


I recognize God's Life responding to me in every person I meet, in every event that transpires, in every circumstance in my experience.


I feel the warmth and color of this Divine Presence forevermore pressing against me, forever welling up within me – the wellspring of Eternal Being, present yesterday, today, tomorrow and always.


Modified from "How To Change Your Life" by Dr. Ernest Holmes.

New Thought Lectionary, October 26, 2008

23rd Sunday after Pentecost (Proper 25)

Date: October 26th, 2008

Theme: Growing together as the body of Christ

Topic: Why did Jesus of Nazareth call Christ, Lord?

Key verse: Yahshua then said to the Pharisees, "How is it them that David by the Spirit, called him Lord..." [Matthew 22:43]?

Reference Scriptures: Matthew 22:34-46 ‘Jesus’ answers and questions about Messiah and the Lordship of Christ?’

Other Related Scriptures:

Deuteronomy 34:1-12, ‘Moses views the promised land’.

Psalm 90:1-6, ‘God’s providence and human frailty’.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-8, ‘Paul’s love for and mission to the Thessalonians'.

_____________________

In today’s Gospel reading Matthew 22:34-46, Yahshua answered and asked the Pharisees, the essential questions which need to be clarified, in the Gospel of Christ. What commandment in the law the greatest? What do you think and believe about Yahshua of Nazareth as the promised Messiah? Whose Son is he? And, how is it then that David by the Spirit calls, Messiah, Lord?

Yahshua of Nazareth saw himself as an incarnate spiritual being, sent to earth from heaven, by God [John 5:30, 7:21]. His mission was to be the human model of the full manifestation of the eternal and invisible Christ, the image and likeness of God, in the spiritual core of all humankind [Genesis 1:26-31, John 10:10].

Yahshua was the fulfillment of the law [Matthew 5:17]. He was the fulfillment of God's promises in John 3:16-17. To Yahshua then, Christ was the divine and eternal Word and Presence of God, in the spiritual core of all humankind [John 1:1-5].

As Messiah, Yahshua of Nazareth always dwelt in the spiritual Kingdom of Heaven, the spiritual core of all humankind and in our midst [Luke 17:20-21]. As Messiah, Yahshua fully experienced mankind's eternal spiritual existence and at the same time, he also experienced mankind's temporary physical existence. He was both a loyal citizen in the kingdom of heaven and certainly a loyal citizen on earth [John 18:35-36, Luke 17:20-21]. Yahshua of Nazareth truly rendered unto Caesar the things of Caesar and unto God the things, which are God's [Matthew 22:21, John 18:37].

The promises of salvation, redemption and kingdom living though the Gospel of Christ, and Yahsua's claim as the promised Messiah, are based on the fact that the spiritual kingdom of heaven already eternally exists, within the spiritual core every human being and in our midst [Matthew 6:9-10, Luke 17:20-21, John 3:16-17].

God created all human beings for his glory and the kingdom living which Yahshua proclaimed and manifested, here on earth [Genesis 1:28-31, John 14:6]. Yahshua's understanding, teaching and questions about himself as both Messiah, the Son of God and Christ as Lord, in today's Gospel, were therefore logical, practical, Christ-centered and Spirit-based [Matthew 22:41-46].

The skeptical Pharisees in today's Gospel were unable to understand and answer his questions, because they looked at Yahshua and his questions through mental lenses which were primarily xenophobic, intellectual, erroneous, material and physical. They were spiritually blind, spiritually deaf and spiritually dumb. They missed the mark in thinking, judgment and the spiritual experience of mankind's basic, eternal spiritual core. Some people would say they had become spiritually dead, because of their trespassing and persistent sinning [Romans 8:1-8].

Yahshua's questions are based in the fact that like Yahshua of Nazareth, all humans are eternal spiritual beings, going through temporary human experiences. In the spiritual dimension of human lives, dwell the eternal grace, love, life, power and Truth of the Gospel of Christ, as taught and modeled by Yahshua of Nazareth [John 1:15-18].

Yahshua's answers and questions provide insight, into this often hidden and mysterious spiritual dimension of human existence and experience. This mystery is, 'Christ in you and me, the hope of glory' [Colossians 1:26-27].

Many religious leaders in all the world religions still fail to give sound, logical, Spirit-based answers to Yahshua's answers and questions about himself as Messiah, his Son-ship and Christ as Lord. The promised Messiah, in today’s text refers to a human being who is set apart, consecrated, baptized by the Holy Spirit, illuminated and empowered by God to complete a special mission. The Greek word for an individual fulfilling this role as Messiah is ‘Christos’.

Like these Pharisees, many religious people choose to focus only on the physical, mental and emotional dimensions of Yahshua's life, death and resurrection, as Messiah. They choose to overlook the essential and eternal saving work of the risen Christ as Lord, in Yahshua's and mankind's heart and spiritual core [John 5:19, 30].

Christ is not a mere man. Christ is the eternal and invisible image, likeness and life of God, in the spiritual core of not only Yahshua of Nazareth, king David, BUT all humankind, while here on earth [Luke 1:76-80].

Yahshua therefore sought to remind these religious leaders that in the royal Psalm 110:1, David their most celebrated king, was a spiritually awake king. Like Yahshua of Nazareth, David discerned Christ, the Son begotten only of God, as his eternal indwelling Lord, in his own spiritual core. King David experienced Messiah as his indwelling Shepherd who was steadfast and faithful in making his internal and external enemies his footstool [Matthew 22:44].

Like many people, I also choose to call Yahshua of Nazareth ‘The Christ’, Savior and Lord, because he fully understood, experienced and demonstrated God’s original plan for human kingdom living here on earth [Philippians 2:5].

Throughout his incarnation, Yahshua of Nazareth demonstrated Christ Consciousness. As Messiah, Yahshua presented a clear and compelling discernment of the indwelling Christ, as the eternal, omnipresent and invisible Lord of his life. Yahshua's life demonstrated the crucified, risen, living, indwelling and incarnate Christ; mankind’s individualized Great High Priest and mankind's only universal, Spirit-based Savior and Lord, fully manifested in human flesh [Colossians 2:9].

Yahshua affirmed the Presence and transforming work of Christ, the Son of God, in his spiritual nature, the spiritual nature of the Jewish patriarch David and the spiritual nature of every person [John 5:16-23]. It is on this scientific, logical and spiritual basis that Yahshua of Nazareth declared the urgent human need for repentance, baptism of water and the Spirit, and turning to Christ, in the kingdom of heaven [Mark 1:14-15, Luke 17:20-21, John 3:5-6].

Yahshua sought to establish the Lordship of Christ and kingdom living in every human soul, heart, mind and life, through our individual and collective spiritual cores [Matthew 28:1John 20:21].

In Mark 1:14-15, Yahshua proclaimed the good news of God. "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news". In Matthew 22:37-39, Yahshua declared that the greatest commandment in the law is this, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with your entire mind”. He then declared that the second says. “You shall love your neighbor as yourself”. On these two commandments, Yahshua acknowledged "hang all the Law and the Prophets."

Yahshua's essential questions remains. What do you think of Jesus of Nazareth as Messiah? Whose Son is he? How is it then that David by the Spirit, calls Messiah, Lord? I now ask you these questions in the context of today's discussion. Is Christ the Lord in your heart and life? If not, why not?

New Thought Lectionary: Oct 19, 2008

Date: October 19th, 2008

Theme: Growing together as the body of Christ

Topic: Committment To Christ?

Key verse: Jesus said, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s" [Matthew 22:21].

Reference Scriptures: Matthew 22:15-22, ‘Jesus answers the question about paying taxes'.
Other Reference Scriptures: Exodus 33:12-23 ‘Moses requests God's presence’. Psalm 99:1-11, ‘Praise to God for His holiness’. 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, ‘The Thessalonians examples of faith and Christ-centered living’.

___________________

In Matthew 22:15-22, Jesus discusses the importance of proper balance between the spiritual, mental, emotional and physical dimensions of the human lives. He reminds us that all human beings should give unique and divinely ordained priority, to the spiritual dimension of their lives [Matthew 22:21]. Jesus came to reveal the eternal nature, mystery and abundance of this Christ-centered, spiritual dimension in every human life [John 10:10].

Jesus admonished his followers to make this inner spiritual dimension, the things of God, the highest priority in their lives [Matthew 6:33]. He called the outer visible physical and the inner invisible, mental and emotional human activities, the things of Caesar, the things of men [Matthew 16:23]. He stressed not only their transitory nature but also their secondary importance.

In today's Gospel reading, the Pharisees and Herodians got together and sent representative seeking to embarrass Jesus by placing him and his teaching at the center of controversy [Matthew 22:15]. They wanted Jesus to state publicly, whether he thought it was right or wrong for the Jewish people to pay head taxes to Caesar and the Roman government [Matthew 22:16-17]. Jesus discerned their hypocrisy and asked, why did you choose to tempt him [Matthew 22:18]?

Responding to their sinister intent, Jesus asked them to give him a penny and identify the image and name on that coin [Matthew 22:19-20]. They replied Caesar. He then wisely admonished them to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s [Matthew 22:21]. To Jesus, every human being should recognize their heavenly citizenship and responsibilities as well as earthly citizenship and civic responsibilities, while living here on earth [Luke 17:20-21]. Their highest priority, he admonished should be following and obeying God’s laws in kingdom living [Matthew 6:33]. They should also be loyal earthly citizens, who meet their normal civic responsibilities [Matthew 22:21].

It is interesting to note that these skeptical religious leaders believed Jesus was an impartial and true teacher from God [Matthew 22:16]. Their intention however, was to embarrass Jesus and discredit his authentic Christ-centered, Spirit-based teaching about kingdom living and the nature of the kingdom of heaven [Matthew 5:17, Luke 17:20-21]. They sought to trap Jesus into saying something offensive, so he could be further rejected by the religious authorities and at the same time be arrested and destroyed by the occupying Roman authorities.

In the Bible Caesar is symbolic of the spiritual blindness, human reason and human will, when centered in intellectualism, materialism and the things of men [Mark 8:33]. Allegiance to Caesar, the mind of the flesh, always brings rejection of the lordship of the indwelling Christ, the image and likeness of God, in the human heart [Genesis 1:26-27, Romans 8:7]. It always edges out the appropriate priority of the things of God in human souls, minds and affairs [Romans 8:6].

Allegiance to Caesar is never tempered with the Christ-centered, Spirit-based love, mercy, grace, justice and truth, which Jesus modeled [Romans 8:5]. In his response, Jesus makes it clear that every human being should be aware of one's dual citizenship. One is the often hidden, eternal spiritual or heavenly dimension of our lives [Colossians 1:26-27]. It exists within the spiritual core each person and in our midst [Luke 17:20 -21]. The other citizenship is earthly. It is physical and transitory. It exists as the outer, the visible and the physical as well as the inner invisible mental, emotional and intellectual dimensions of our lives [Matthew 6:6-10].

Jesus’ essential teaching is that all people should embrace as their primary responsibility, seeking and serving Christ in all people, loving their neighbor as themselves [Genesis 1;26-27, John 13:34]. In this way, kingdom living and the spiritual kingdom of God will be further established in our midst and within us, through Christ [Matthew 5:48]. Jesus admonishes all people to be good and loyal citizens, while living in the midst of social, cultural, economic, political and religious spiritually blind systems, which reject the indwelling Christ and exclude the things of God.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus stresses the importance of recognizing and prioritizing the changeless realities and principles of this inner spiritual dimension of our lives. He taught that this prioritizing could be achieved through Christ-centered spiritual mindfulness and the daily practical application of his teachings. I believe, the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, 6 & 7, best presents the concise summary of these things of God and the kingdom of heaven, which Jesus revealed and modeled.

Christ-centered, spiritually awake, human beings in all all the world religions are the light of the world and the salt of the earth [Matthew 5:13-15]. Christ-centered humans let their light, the indwelling Christ, so shine before men that they me see their good works and glorify our Abba Father, who is in heaven [Matthew 5:16]. By daily practical application of the inner spiritual meaning of Jesus’ teachings and following his wise response to these skeptical religious authorities, with God’s help, all people can find the hidden secrets to true Christ-centered. spirit-based prioritizing, lasting joy, deep abiding peace, divine favor and social justice.

Truth About The Self

All the Power that ever was or will be is here now.

I am a center of expression for the Primal Will-to-Good which eternally creates and sustains the Universe.

Through me its unfailing Wisdom takes form in thought and word.

Filled with Understanding of its perfect law, I am guided, moment by moment, along the path of liberation.

From the exhaustless riches of its Limitless Substance, I draw all things needful, both spiritual and material.

I recognize the manifestation of the Undeviating Justice in all the circumstances of my life.

In all things, great and small, I see the Beauty of the Divine Expression.

Living from that Will, supported by its unfailing Wisdom and Understanding, mine is the Victorious Life.

I look forward with confidence to the perfect realization of the Eternal Splendor of the Limitless Light.

In thought and word and deed, I rest my life, from day to day, upon the sure Foundation of Eternal Being.

The Kingdom of Spirit is embodied in my flesh.

The Christ Within - Raymond Teague

The Christ Within

It is not I, but the Christ within who does the work.

These words traditionally begin the Silent Unity Prayer Service that takes place at Unity Village and throughout the world. By repeating them silently or aloud, we center our consciousness and still our meandering minds in preparation for prayer.

Let's take a closer look at the phrase: It is not I, but the Christ within who does the work. The "I" is easily understood as the personal self or individual will; some might say the ego or human side of our being. The perspective of the "I" is limited and too often grounded in personalities and preconceived outcomes. We believe this was Jesus' understanding as He taught us: "I can do nothing on my own" (Jn. 5:30).

The "work" referred to in the sentence is also readily understood—it is the job of prayer, which is always to bring our consciousness to an awareness of God as the only power and presence and of ourselves as whole and perfect children of God.

What exactly is "the Christ within" that does the sacred work? Why is its domain "within," and "within" what? To answer these questions, we consider the word Christ and its relationship to Jesus and to each person.

Defining the Christ

Let's look at the words Jesus, Jesus Christ, and the Christ. Jesus is the man, the historical person of the New Testament times. Jesus is our Way Shower or Elder Brother who provides a direction and an example for all humankind to follow.

Christ is a title added to Jesus' name. The word comes from the Greek Christos, meaning "anointed." Jesus was so called because He was considered anointed by God.

Jesus recognized His own divinity, but more important He recognized the divinity of all God's creation. He knew that God anoints each person, "you anoint my head with oil," and repeatedly directs us to recognize our own God nature. "You (emphasis added) are the light of the world," (Mt. 5:14). Paul adds to this idea: "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27).

The Christ is the presence of God with which each person is anointed at creation. It is the eternal essence of God that is our true spiritual nature. It can be called the spark of God that ignites the human flame.

Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, Unity's co-founders, were clear and succinct in their realization of the Christ within: Charles states, "Christ is the mind of God individualized." And Myrtle says, "Christ is the life principle within each of us." Unity's early theorist, H. Emilie Cady, was equally direct in her explanation: "The Lord is the Christ of our own being."

So you can see that the Christ within is actually the very presence of God at the core of our beings, that it does its work by simply being recognized. Remember that we remain spiritual beings no matter what appearances may suggest to the contrary.

It may also be helpful to consider how the Christ fits into Unity's concept of the Trinity. God is universal or Infinite Mind. The Son is God's Idea, the Christ of God. The Holy Spirit is the Expression of the Idea. In other words, the Christ within is the Idea from the Mind of God that is given expression in human forms. It is the presence of God within doing God's work and will.

Why Go to the Christ Within?

Years ago after our house burned to the ground, a longtime friend gave my wife and me a copy of a metaphysical book from the 1920s titled The Game of Life and How to Play It by Florence Scovel Shinn. The book was tremendously soothing at the time, and both my wife and I read the slim volume over and over for several years.

One of the author's affirmations that gave me great comfort was: "least this burden on the Christ within, and go free." It was my first exposure to the concept.

Myrtle Fillmore perfectly captures our need and reason to cast the burden on the Christ: "When you truly go to the Christ within yourself, instead of to your own thoughts, you will receive whatever you need. And unless you heed this instruction, drop the unwise things you have been insisting upon, and begin to think of God in you and about you as the total fullness of every good, you will seem to go through an eternity of confusion and lack and hungering. You must direct your prayers up—not up in the skies, but up into God consciousness.... Then you will speedily dissolve the old error beliefs and their counterparts in the manifest world."

As a new student of Truth with a loss to overcome and a life to rebuild, I began to bolster my subconscious with the affirmation I cast this burden on the Christ and go free and to catch a glimpse of its tremendous value. I started to sense the power of going within and to achieve what Dr. Cady describes as "a definite inner revealing of the reality of an indwelling Christ through whom and by whom come life, health, peace, power, all things." I then felt at peace to reevaluate priorities, relocate, and begin a new job.

In going to the Christ within, we are journeying to a place of true comprehension, to a level of awareness unclouded by our human thoughts and desires, to a consciousness in which God speaks directly to and through us.

Paul says that through God's spirit within we "may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth" (Eph. 3:18] of God's fullness. What a capability!

When we have true comprehension, all heaven breaks loose. As Myrtle Fillmore puts it, "The light of the Christ Mind enables one to see all things in right relation, so that peace can prevail." The right relation is that God, good, is omnipotent, and nothing is ever really separated from God.

This light of the Christ Mind that Mrs. Fillmore refers to is the peace, stillness, or silence in which Elijah was able to hear God (1 Kings 19:11-12). Metaphysically, first Elijah experiences the noisy and distracting wind, earthquake, and fire of mortal mind—without hearing God. Then with the ceasing of physical resistance and intent, in the "still small voice" of the King James Version or, interestingly, the "sound of sheer silence" in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, Elijah hears God.

We turn to the Christ within because doing so puts us in touch with God's attributes, which are inherent to the Christ within and are therefore part of our true nature. We express the Christ within us through the twelve attributes or powers as enumerated by Charles Fillmore: love, faith, understanding, wisdom, imagination, zeal, strength, will, life, power, renunciation, and order. The peace we receive through these attributes enables such Christ ideas as resolution, forgiveness, healing, prosperity, success, and happiness to come into our experiences.

"I Am" Statements of the Christ Within

"I am who I am" (Ex. 3:14), God tells Moses. God's spirit as the "I Am" is present within us as the Christ.

In The Gospel According to John, "I Am" statements made by Jesus can guide us to an understanding of the Christ within. Consider the relationship of these statements to the truth of your being:

"I am the light of the world" (Jn. 8:12). As we have discussed, the Christ within provides the illumination that we need to comprehend truly and rightly.

"I am the gate" (Jn. 10:7). The essence of God within us is our gateway to the life of abundant love and harmony that God intends for us to have.

"I am the good shepherd" (Jn. 10:11). Challenging "wolves" dissolve into their "native nothingness" when faced from a consciousness centered in the presence and power of God.

"I am the resurrection and the life" (Jn. 11:25). On a very practical level, our fears and worries and limitations die when they come into contact with the Christ within. Then our minds are renewed or resurrected to see God's will, which is always good, going on in all situations, conditions, and relationships.

"I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn. 14:6). We can use books, tapes, talks, magazine articles, sermons, churches, religions, or whatever we want as tools to help us focus on God's presence. Indeed, Jesus tells us that above all else, we should "seek first the kingdom of God" (Mt 6:33 NKJV). In actuality, though, all these tools have the same purpose: to direct us to the Christ within, for it is within us that Jesus says we find God. "The kingdom of God is within you," He says (Lk. 17:21 KJV).

"I am the true vine" (Jn. 15:1). We can grow spiritually straight only by turning to the Christ within.

These "I Am" statements make effective affirmations to direct our attention inward so that we can experience God's presence.

The Christ Within Is Universal

Christianity does not have a monopoly on the Christ within. We recognize it in all people, whatever nationality they may be or on whatever spiritual path they may walk.

The Christ is the universal presence of God at the center of every individual. It is God's gift to you.

We in Unity salute the Christ in you!

-Raymond Teague