Tag: christianity

Soul Searching

YouTube: Soul Searching

“Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:20

While this seems like a personal warning to the modern reader, it will help to get some context. The scribes and Pharisees were religious professionals whose positions gave them special recognition. Seeking such positions often meant that it was the position itself, and not the spiritual quest, that drew their interest. If we think of Jesus referring to the kingdom of heaven as the spiritual dimension rather than a place you go when you die, then this makes sense.

To be productive, the spiritual quest must be pure, based on an honest desire to know God. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” (Matt. 5:8). If we are seeking God simply as a means of solving a problem, then our spiritual quest will only take us as far as the end of the problem. Meister Eckhart addressed this issue with this famous quote:

“Some people want to see God with their eyes as they see a cow, and to love Him as they love a cow – for the milk and cheese and profit it brings them. This is how it is with people who love God for the sake of outward wealth or inward comfort. They do not rightly love God, when they love Him for their own advantage.”

Soul searching, at its best, is really about understanding our spiritual motive. Are we seeking an understanding of the bigger picture, and how we fit in, or are we simply looking for a little milk and cheese? If we actually want to enter the kingdom of heaven, that is, if we want to experience genuine spiritual revelations, then we need to become pure in heart, to seek God for the sake of knowing God. This is why Jesus put this at the top of the list, to seek first the kingdom and all other things would be added.

We all appreciate people who want to get to know us, not for what they can get from us, but because they value us as people. These are the relationships that are most meaningful and most reciprocal.

What Is Truth?

YouTube: What is Truth?

In Unity, we refer to our teachings as Truth. What is interesting is that another religious organization might look at us and question this. They have their own version of Truth. Of course, we’ve all heard people refer to my truth and your truth. So, I raised this question some months ago: With approximately 7.9 billion people on this planet, are there also 7.9 billion truths?

Referring to our teachings, we arrive at our understanding of Truth using three points. How we view the nature of God, how we view the nature of the individual, and how we view the nature of the relationship between God and the individual. The sum of how we address these three areas is Truth, as we understand it. Because other religious organizations will address them differently, they will have a different understanding of Truth.

Our foundation statement simplified is this: There is but one presence and one power in the universe; God, the good, omnipotent. This covers our understanding of God. Each individual is an expression of this one presence and one power, the image and likeness of God. As such, the relationship between God and the individual is oneness.

Over the last several weeks, we’ve been exploring the truth about prayer, that prayer doesn’t change God, it changes us. The reasoning behind this is reflected in our understanding of God as the one presence and one power in the universe. Changeless. Prayer, therefore, becomes an inside/out proposition. We make an adjustment in our thinking and feeling. When we pray for healing, for example, we affirm that we are already whole, that the one presence and one power is now expressing this wholeness through us. That we are in a relationship of oneness with this presence of wholeness allows us to accept we have already received what we ask for in prayer. Asking, in this sense, is affirming wholeness is ours already.

What we call Truth teachings are all based on this trinity of ideas. If we get this firmly in our mind, we have the Truth that will set us free.

Praying For Others

YouTube: Praying for Others

Last Sunday’s talk on The Prayer Principle sparked the very good question about praying for others. If prayer changes us, not God, how does praying for others work?

In the ministry of Jesus, we see many examples of healing. On several of these occasions he would tell people that their faith made them whole. This illustrates the importance of individual expectation. We can apply this to prayer, a visit to the doctor, a drug intended to accommodate healing, or even a placebo. Many improvements in health have been attributed to the placebo effect. When we say prayer changes us, not God, we are really saying that we are opening our mind and heart to the healing, prospering, balancing presence of God.

When you call or write to a prayer service like Silent Unity, something significant happens within you. Knowing others join you in your quest for a solution to a problem increases your expectation, or faith. You set in motion an energy level that bolsters your faith in a favorable outcome. In all likelihood, this has a direct and favorable impact on your body. If your prayer request involves unfavorable conditions in finances or relationships, your increased expectation also increases your awareness of opportunities you may otherwise miss.

Knowing others are praying for you and with you boosts your faith. Letting others know you are praying with them boosts their faith as well. I sometimes tell people that I will hold them in prayer at a specific time, and I’ll encourage them to join me at that time. This, I believe, is a good way to boost faith. Jesus said where two or more are gathered in my name, I will be there in the midst of them. He obviously understood the power of people praying for one another.

The important point is to remove all feelings of supernatural connections and communications with God. We are expressions of God and prayer is one way of affirming this truth. When you pray for another, release the negative energy you may hold and affirm the truth of who they are and what they are capable of expressing. We are not, in any way, praying to overcome God’s reluctance. We are affirming God’s presence. Simply telling someone you are holding them in the highest light is one of the most powerful prayers you can offer. Expressing your belief in them will bolster their belief in themselves. This is the faith that makes us whole.   

The Perfection Trap

YouTube: The Perfection Trap: Five Ways to Get Out

When Jesus said we should be perfect as our heavenly father is perfect, we may think he was setting a pretty high bar. Sometimes just being good is a tough job. Being perfect? Living through one day without making a single mistake may be asking a bit much.

While we should all strive to be the best we can be, there are some areas where we strive for perfection, at least conceptually, that we would do well to revisit. I’ve listed five.

1. Spiritual Perfection: The trap is the belief that we are supposed to reach a place where no more growth is possible, we’re at the top. We do not reach spiritual perfection; we realize that we are already spiritually perfect.

2. Earth is a school: This is a common model held by many. The trap here is the possibility of feeling like you are perpetually stuck in the fifth grade. The way to avoid this trap is to release this model.

3. The condition of your body reflects the condition of your soul. The trap is believing that if your body is aging or ill, your soul is flunking its tests.

4. Your thinking can impact the health of your soul. The trap is the belief that your thinking is powerful enough to alter the nature of your soul. Thinking affects the quality of your experience, but it has no impact whatsoever on the makeup of your soul.

5. Your spiritual imperfection interferes with your relationship to God. The trap is the belief that God responds to your states of consciousness like a human being would. Nothing you think, say, or do can change your relationship of oneness with God.

These, of course, are not hard and fast rules, but it never hurts to take a fresh look at the basic ideas that guide our spiritual thinking. We may have latched onto ideas that made sense in our early, exploratory years, but no longer do. Earth as a school was a big one for me. Laboratory might be a more stimulating metaphor. The point is, we want to make the most of our life in the body. Finding ways to free ourselves from false or limiting beliefs will go a long way in this direction.

The Gift

YouTube: The Gift

When we think of the gift Jesus gave to humankind, our doctrinal conditioning will take us to his death, the notion that he gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins. I like to think of this gift in a dramatically different way. He dedicated his life to teaching the truth of our oneness with God.

The Franciscan monk, Richard Rohr, made a very telling observation that he calls the great comma. It refers to a statement found in the Apostle’s Creed. The line and comma in question is this:  

“…I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried …”

The comma Rohr points to is the one between the “…born of the virgin Mary, He suffered under Pontius Pilate…” That comma represents 33 years, the entire life and teachings of Jesus. This is the gift he gave and the creed passes right over it.

Matthew’s account of the immaculate conception embodies the gift of Jesus’ teaching. This conception, imparted by the Holy Spirit, is symbolic of our receptivity to the deeper aspect of our own soul. Jesus taught his followers to go into the inner room, close the door, and pray to the Father in secret. That is, lay aside for a time the influence of the intellect, the Joseph aspect, and assume an intuitively receptive attitude. Advocating a direct experience with God was a refreshing approach. For those who were raised believing they were separate from God, the notion of the kingdom of God within would not have been an easy concept to grasp. But once that seed was planted, it would not be easy for the new believer to return to the old way of thinking.

The Christmas story is our story. I am not convinced that Jesus envisioned his message reaching beyond the world that he knew, but I think he would have found great satisfaction in knowing that his gift is still being given to people like you and me.  

Gateway To Intelligence

YouTube: Gateway to Intelligence

Call upon the wisdom of the Infinite

This week we’re exploring divine intelligence and its expression through us as order.

Life and enthusiasm were the first topics for our Advent season. Love and understanding were the subject of last week. Today we’ll look at power and strength as the third of this four-part, pre-Christmas series. Intelligence and order will be the fourth.

How do we come to identify and name a characteristic of God? We can look for biblical passages such as this one: “Ah Lord God! It is thou who hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thy outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for thee” (Jeremiah 32:17). We can look at tradition that declares the omnipotence (all power) of God. Or through simple observation we can see countless expressions of power in everything from the volcano to the seed growing silently.

The power of God empowers us with the strength we need to carry on with our life. Those times when we feel our strength is waning, we affirm God’s limitless power works in and through us to give us the boost we need, when we need it. We remember Jeremiah’s inspiring words, “Nothing is too hard for thee” and we might add, “for thou art centered in me.” As an inlet and outlet to the everlasting power of God, I meet each day knowing that nothing is too hard for me.

Visualize God as a power center within your being. Imagine this power radiating out through your every atom and cell, expressing as the strength of optimism. One of Charles Fillmore’s favorite affirmations goes as follows:

“I fairly sizzle with zeal and enthusiasm and spring forth with a mighty faith to do the things that ought to be done by me.”

Such an empowering prayer! As we saw in our first lesson on life, we know that life, zeal, enthusiasm, power, and strength are all interconnected, one power expressing in a variety of ways. This one power is our God center, our very center of power. Stir up this power with words, visualizations, meditations, actions, and any way that comes to you. A simple smile given to a passing stranger can empower them in ways you never know. Remember, nothing is too hard for thee, and thou art centered in me.

Tapping Your Center of Power

YouTube: Tapping Your Center of Power

Life and enthusiasm were the first topics for our Advent season. Love and understanding were the subject of last week. Today we’ll look at power and strength as the third of this four-part, pre-Christmas series. Intelligence and order will be the fourth.

How do we come to identify and name a characteristic of God? We can look for biblical passages such as this one: “Ah Lord God! It is thou who hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thy outstretched arm! Nothing is too hard for thee” (Jeremiah 32:17). We can look at tradition that declares the omnipotence (all power) of God. Or through simple observation we can see countless expressions of power in everything from the volcano to the seed growing silently.

The power of God empowers us with the strength we need to carry on with our life. Those times when we feel our strength is waning, we affirm God’s limitless power works in and through us to give us the boost we need, when we need it. We remember Jeremiah’s inspiring words, “Nothing is too hard for thee” and we might add, “for thou art centered in me.” As an inlet and outlet to the everlasting power of God, I meet each day knowing that nothing is too hard for me.

Visualize God as a power center within your being. Imagine this power radiating out through your every atom and cell, expressing as the strength of optimism. One of Charles Fillmore’s favorite affirmations goes as follows:

“I fairly sizzle with zeal and enthusiasm and spring forth with a mighty faith to do the things that ought to be done by me.”

Such an empowering prayer! As we saw in our first lesson on life, we know that life, zeal, enthusiasm, power, and strength are all interconnected, one power expressing in a variety of ways. This one power is our God center, our very center of power. Stir up this power with words, visualizations, meditations, actions, and any way that comes to you. A simple smile given to a passing stranger can empower them in ways you never know. Remember, nothing is too hard for thee, and thou art centered in me.

The Love Dynamic

YouTube: The Love Dynamic

Love, expressed as understanding, is our topic for this second week of Advent. As we consider the love dynamic, it should become clear why new understanding for a word so familiar is important.

Most of you are probably aware of the statement I make concerning the action of love:

Love draws to me that which is for my highest good, and dissolves that which is not.

When asked about the greatest commandments, Jesus said to love the Lord your God with all your mind, heart, and soul. The second is to love your neighbor as yourself.

God is love (1John 4:8), drawing to us that which is for our highest good and dissolving that which is not. To love the Lord our God is to recognize this is happening now and always. This is the ultimate affirming attitude toward God. To hold this same thought for others is the highest, most freeing form of prayer we can utter. To pray, Love draws to you that which is for your highest good and dissolves that which is not, is freeing both to you and to the one for which you speak it.

Think of love, not as a thing that can be given or withheld but as a perpetual action. At this very moment, as you read or hear these words, know that the action of love is drawing to you that which is for your highest good. Do there appear to be obstacles to your peace, success, health, prosperity, or harmony in relationships? Then know that these obstacles are being dissolved right now. If we are tempted to feel undeserving, we let love dissolve this feeling. Love is not a thing we earn. It is the very nature of the creative life force that is loving us into existence. All feelings of undeserving are based on our misunderstanding of the unconditional nature of God as love.

Affirming this love dynamic is active in us and in our life right now is key to experiencing the spiritual birth we celebrate during this Christmas season. With this understanding, we open our minds and hearts to the more abundant life that we know can be ours.

The Tie That Binds

YouTube: The Tie That Binds

“Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”. (Matthew 16:19).

I have always been curious about how Matthew connected this saying to Peter’s recognition of Jesus as the Christ. It never seemed to quite fit. For me, it seems better suited as a reminder of the connection between the quality of our consciousness and the quality of our external life. If we believe a certain thing is true, for example, we tend to express that belief in our life. The belief is what we bind on earth. The invisible laws of manifestation we set in motion is what we bind in heaven.

I once spoke with a young woman who said, “People never take me seriously.” She then went on to name about three examples where her opinions were dismissed. If you continually affirm that people never take you seriously, chances are good that people will stop taking you seriously.

The question is, does affirming people never take you seriously actually cause people to comply with your expectations? Or, do you just latch on to those situations where this seems to be the case? I bought a Jeep Wrangler from our daughter. Now, everyplace I go I see many Jeep Wranglers. Did the whole world run out and buy Jeep Wranglers just because I did? I don’t think so.

The principle contained in the statement from Jesus basically says whatever gets your attention will tend to show up because you look for it. It becomes inevitable. If you want to be taken seriously, then it would be a good idea to stop saying no one does.

This is just an example, but it plays out in many ways in our life. There is a definite connection between what we believe (bind on earth) and what we latch onto from the river of events that flow through our life (bind in heaven).  

Manifestation Principles

YouTube: Manifestation Principles

J Douglas Bottorff

It occurs to me that the ministry of Jesus focused on helping people experience better health, prosperity, and more harmonious relationships by applying spiritual principles. As I began jotting these down, I quickly came up with twelve. To begin, he emphasized the spiritual nature of God, the importance of forgiveness, acknowledging the intuitive promptings of the Father, accepting that it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom, the need for faith, the attitude that you have already received what you ask for in prayer, singleness of eye (imagination), letting go of spiritual preconceptions, the need to be born of spirit, persistence, don’t follow the crowd, and break the worry habit.

These ideas are scattered throughout the gospels and are not presented as a specific formula to follow. We’ll drill down into each one of these ideas in today’s talk. Here, I want to point out the mental and emotional emphasis Jesus put on his teachings. As a mystic, he would have focused on the importance of a firsthand experience with God. However, he would have also understood that many in his audience would not make this kind of breakthrough, but that would not prevent them from reaping the benefits of a spiritual change of mind.

If we think of God as Spirit, the creative life force that stirs in and through us at all times, we want to be aware that our mental and emotional atmosphere influences the way this creative energy displays in our life. When Jesus said it’s the Father’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom, we accept the truth that this creative process is bias toward our highest good. We do not think of prayer, as someone has suggested, as a means of overcoming God’s reluctance. We think of prayer as a way of cooperating with God’s willingness.

In light of the twelve principles I’ve listed, our prayer is grounding ourselves in these ideas at different times throughout our day. We develop a general attitude of optimism, or faith that greater good is now unfolding through our life. Jesus, of course, highlighted many other principles we can add to this list, but the important thing is to stay aware of how we are using our faculties of faith and imagination. Just the single thought that it is the Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom is enough to raise your level of expectation to a healthy place. The more of these principles work through your mind and heart, the better off you will be.