I’m sure you have seen that our Colorado governor has issued a statewide stay-at-home order. I think it is in our best interest to comply. It’s also in our best interest to remember that this too shall pass.

Today I recorded this coming Sunday’s message from church. For awhile, I’ll be recording from a hidden bunker somewhere on the Colorado Plateau.

Email me if you want or need to talk: jdbottorff@gmail.com

Warmest Blessings,

Rev. Doug

Friends, here’s the link to the updated Daily Inspiration page.

Hello friends,

Here is the latest collection of Meditations and Daily Inspirations. Let me know if there is something you want me to address.

Meditations and Daily Inspirations

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YouTube: Unleash Your Spiritual Power

Audio: Unleash Your Spiritual Power

It is often in times of uncertainty that spiritual ideas become clearest. Something about the world we are used to seeing changes. We’re reminded that what we think of as reality is a rather thin veneer that may not be as reliable as we once thought. We are sharing one of these moments now.

The spiritual dimension, though unseen, becomes our stabilizing factor. The fact that we do not see a solution with our physical eyes prompts us to open our spiritual eyes a bit wider. Our infatuation with surface trivia, which drives so much of both our media and social media, is suddenly seen for what it is—worthless dribble whose only value is its ability to capture our short-term attention.

When we’re met with the kind of change that we’re seeing in the appearance of this corona virus, it takes awhile for us to come to grips with it. But then we say, “Okay, this thing is here and it’s time to take action.” We’ve taken a major first step simply by acknowledging the fact that there is a situation. We become proactive by addressing our physical needs and taking basic precautions.

From the spiritual perspective, our primary interest is to tap into our bedrock of fearlessness. That is, our true essence is not subject to the challenges of the body and environment. Yes, we have a body and we have an environment, but we are much more than this. The closer we get to this true center of power, the more effective we become in handling our affairs.

Many on the spiritual path seem to take a rather passive approach of thinking God will take care of the problem and all you have to do is pray and trust. The life, love, power and intelligence of God manifests through us. Think of yourself as God’s point of influence, with your life as a unique opening through which the infinite flows into the visible.

We will move through this time of uncertainty and we will come out of it stronger and even more deeply rooted in our spiritual values.  

Youtube: The Gift of Uncertainty

This is today’s video offering. I am posting the links to video messages and audio meditations on our website, which you can find at this link: Meditations and Daily Inspirations.

I hope you find these helpful.

YouTube: This Battle is Not Yours

Friends,

This is the first of what I hope to be a daily posting as we move through our “social distancing” quarantine. Please let me know of any subjects you would like me to address in this abbreviated format.

Blessings,

Rev. Doug

Dear Friends,

I thought it would be good to create a healing meditation for this interesting period that we are sharing. It’s a little over thirty minutes, so find a time when you can relax and listen. I have pirated the background music and I could not find the artist’s name. Otherwise I would have given him or her credit for their beautiful art. Let’s hope they are willing collaborators in our effort to calm things down. Click to listen: Healing Meditation

Dear Friends,

I thought it would be good to create a healing meditation for this interesting period that we are sharing. It’s a little over 22 minutes, so find a time when you can relax and listen. I have pirated the background music and I could not find the artist’s name. Otherwise I would have given him or her credit for their beautiful art. Let’s hope they are willing collaborators in our effort to calm things down. Click to listen: Healing Meditation

Dear Friends,
I want to give an update on our thinking at Independent Unity. I just learned that the White House issued the recommendation that no more than 10 people gather, so at this juncture we feel it is most prudent to suspend Sunday services until further notice.  

I will be recording video talks, so our normal online offerings will continue as usual. I may add additional short messages and perhaps some online meditations through the week. The church office will remain open, so feel free to call if you have questions or just want to talk. Also, my email is jdbottorff@gmail.com. I always appreciate hearing from you. If you’re not on our regular email list, let us know and we’ll add your name. I will be using this list to issue updates and announcements as needed.

Your health and well being is our first concern. As your minister, I am here to support and encourage you in every way I can so please stay in touch. Our board members are also available to talk and answer questions you may have. This time will pass, and I think we will learn much from it. We have a great group of people who are very supportive of one another and I can see this as only getting stronger.

We hold to our truth that there is but one presence and one power at work in our lives, in our church, in our nation and in the world. I see this as a time when our rather fragmented nation can put aside differences, roll up our sleeves and work together with our leadership to bring this unusual development to a successful conclusion. We do this with the fearless assurance that our way forward is clear, productive and is motivated by faith in the greater good that is surely unfolding.

Know that your church continues to be here for you.  
Richest blessings,
Rev. Doug

YouTube: Foundation for Prayer

Audio: Foundation for Prayer

Question: Unity was founded on prayer. Why aren’t you considering prayer as one of the principles of Independent Unity?

Answer: Unity was indeed founded on prayer, but prayer does not have a universal meaning. Those who believe they are separate from God treat prayer as petitionary, beseeching. The purpose is to request something of God or to influence God to act in a way that is either beneficial to the one making the request, or to the cause for which they are praying.

In contrast, the one who thinks of God as present, fully active and already working for his or her highest good will treat prayer as the process of bringing their thoughts and attitudes into alignment with what is true at the deepest level. And what is true? God is the only power, the power of good. The one praying is an expression of this power and can never be separate from their spiritual source. A healing prayer starts with the understanding that we are already whole, that our wholeness is now shining forth through our mind and body. That the body may not be reflecting this wholeness currently does not change the truth. Prayer is a two-fold action of first releasing the energy we’ve given to the negative appearance, and then affirming the truth of our wholeness.

Question: You’re talking about the use of denial and affirmation?

Answer: Yes. But let’s make sure we understand what we mean by these terms. Suppose you have a five-pound rock that represents a problem you are facing. You pick up this rock. If you say, “I now release this rock and I am free of its weight,” you have uttered what many consider a denial and an affirmation. Your stated denial is “I now release this rock.” Your affirmation is, “I am free of its weight.” But let’s say you don’t release the rock, that you keep holding it. You can repeat your denial and affirmation indefinitely. You can engage in some creative visualization of what it would be like to go through your day free of the burden of the rock. But you still cling to the rock.

It’s important that we think of denial and affirmation, not as words, but as actions. The words simply describe the action we are to take. We release the negative energy associated with an unwanted appearance and we allow ourselves to experience the freedom we seek. In this way we create the equivalent in consciousness to the condition we desire.