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Articles, Activities, Classes & Special Events
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Greetings!
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The focus of our Sunday lessons has been the contemporary business classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey. Many (perhaps most) of those who have read and benefitted from this book had no idea that they were being invited to implement universal spiritual principles and practices into their lives. This is an example of something that I find useful as an indicator of spiritual value: Truth is True for everyone, no matter what. It doesn't matter if the intended audience is a class of Harvard MBA students or a group of Unity students. Truth benefits everyone.
Habit #5 - Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood
We must be willing to listen, with open hearts and minds, to what is really being said by the others in our lives. We have a tendency to see things only from our own perspective, which frequently means that instead of listening to what is really being said, we fill in the gaps with our own preconceived notions of what we think is being said. Our lives unfold more peacefully when we allow others to actually tell us what they are trying to say, and when we actually listen and hear their Truth.
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As we give, we receive. "Do unto others that which you would have them do unto you". We would like to be heard and understood. As we grant that blessing to others, we will receive it in return. "I will listen to what is being said before I begin formulating my own response. I will pause before speaking, and if uncertain, ask for clarity before I respond."
Habit #6 - Synergy
When we accept and understand that - in our humanness - we are not ever able to see the whole picture, or know all of the facts, we can become willing to set aside our ego-brains a bit and allow That Which is Greater Than Us to come through. When we open our minds and hearts to each others' wisdom, we allow it to settle into our own consciousness, where it grows and bears rich fruit. This is where miracles happen! We set aside our beliefs that only that which has ever happened can happen, and we remember that laws we don't yet know about are operating even though we don't understand them. When your wisdom is joined with my wisdom, something more than just the sum of the parts emerges.
"Where two or three are gathered, there I AM in the midst of them." When we come together in shared intention, holding the High Watch, we open a way for the Holy Spirit, the activity of Wholeness in expression, to do the work of transformation in, through, over, around, and within us. As we learn to open our hearts in non-resistance to the best possible outcomes, to outcomes we cannot yet even imagine, synergy is the "something higher and better" which comes forth. Just a baker leaves room in the pan for the loaf of bread to rise to its perfection, we must leave space in our lives for our own Christed Perfection to raise us up. "I will leave open space in my life (and my relationships!) for Spirit to surprise me."
Habit #7 - Sharpen the Saw
In the day-to-day living of life, we must remember to take care of our own internal and external maintenance needs. When we sense that self-care is required, we must make it a priority. We must remember our basics- daily prayer and meditation, ongoing willingness to listen, taking care of ourselves physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. If we do not maintain our own "machine" we will eventually stop being effective in whatever it is that is ours to do. It is much better, far wiser, and way more sane to invest time and effort in regular maintenance than to put it off, and find ourselves in need of major repair and recovery! Biblically, the story of Martha and Mary is instructive. Martha is so busy doing things that she is not only resentful and angry, she is putting those outer things ahead of the more important thing, which is listening to the Christ. Within our five basic Unity principles we are reminded that prayer and meditation are the tools that we use to cultivate and maintain our awareness of our true identity as Divine Beings. Jesus went apart from the others regularly to pray, meditate, and listen. We must always remember to return to our Source, making it an inviolable habit. We must close our closet door daily and pray. "I begin each day with prayer and meditation. I remember that the busiest days with the longest to-do lists will benefit the most from my willingness to invest time in prayer and meditation."
 Rev. Meghan Smith presents"Illuminate Your Brilliance"
June 16th, 9:30 - 12:30
$25.00 suggested offering
Rev. Meghan Smith returns on Saturday, June 16 to facilitate the journey to activate the rainbow of living light within you through vibrational tones, empowering meditation, and personal exploration and exercises for each chakra. On Sunday, June 17th, , Rev. Meghan will also present our Sunday lesson. For more information, download the flyer.
We will be starting a new evening meditation service, and are wondering what day and time would best serve most folks. The service, which incorporates space for music, contemplation, prayer, community, and Silence is tentatively scheduled to be conducted once a month. If this sounds interesting to you, and you might wish to participate, please reply to this email, and we'll put you in touch with the facilitator. Thanks!
Child care and Sunday School is always available for kids
Our Sunday School teachers look forward to sharing Unity principles with your children aged 4-12. If you've got questions, please speak to our YOU teachers: Cindy Cawthorne, LUT, Barbara Richman, LUT, Judyth Willis, and Sunni Adams. Our nursery is available for the very young ones, as well.
Some closing thoughts...
Our 5th Unity principle is that it is not enough to know the basic principles of Truth, but that we must also put those principles into action. I recently heard a Unity minister state his opinion that, if we are truly willing to live the Truth that we know, it doesn't really matter what the first four principles are, because by living in alignment with whatever Truth we do know, we cannot go astray. And, if we don't put the Truth we know into practice, it doesn't matter how much we "know", all of the Truth principles in the world are not going to do us any good. We must make the move from head to heart, and practicing the 7 Habits will help us to do that.
If you've missed any of the Sunday lessons covering these habits,visit our website. You may listen to audio online, or click on the "details" tab to download mp3s. Once downloaded, load them into your mp3 player or burn them to CD and take them with you in your car, or wherever you have time to listen. Email them to your friends! While you're online, also visit Unity Online Radio. You'll find literally thousands of hours of podcasts covering every possible topic to support your spiritual journey. If you're feeling blessed by any of the lessons you find online, I hope you'll consider clicking on the "Donate" buttons you'll find here on this newsletter, on our website, or at the Unity Online Radio website. Your contributions help assure that these resources remain available to you and your fellow travelers along the journey. Thanks for considering supporting us in this way!
Rev. Nita
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Upcoming Sunday Lessons
6/3: Habit #6 - Synergy
6/10: Habit #7 - Sharpen the Saw
06/17: Guest, Rev. Megan Smith
06/24: Guest, Rev. Jim Marshall
07/01: Bondage or Liberty, Which?
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