|
|
Please Like Us On Facebook
 |
|
|
COUNTING BLESSINGS
A Simple Gift
During the month of NOVEMBER Reverend
Glenda and Reverend Judy invite us to join them in intentionally setting aside time to count our blessings.
They will help us embrace the idea that when we recognize the blessings all around us, as they are, our heart and soul speak to us and guide us with inspired ideas and visions.
The practice of recognizing our blessings is a simple way to develop a constantly centered awareness, to grow in love, to know that we are and have 'enough', and to avoid judgment.
Spiritual philosopher, David Spangler, tells us that counting our blessings is not a technique we perform but a presence we embody. He says it is not an act we do, but a relationship we form with life that enables us to embrace the world.
Blessings can take many shapes. What makes it a blessing is the spirit we bring to it.
The Revs will share with us the idea that counting our blessings is simply a day-long practice of appreciation. They will help us cultivate the capacity to integrate this gentle art into our spiritual practice as an act of deep reverence.
In this month of Thanksgiving we are invited to count our blessings and name them one by one. Please join us.
Common Ground is an open accepting spiritual community where everyone is welcome.
Please join us for inspirational messages at Common Ground each Sunday at 10:30 am.
Resources
include:
Count Your Blessings, by John Demartini
The Gentle Art of Blessing , by Pierre Pradervand
A Blessing in Disguise , by Andrea Joy Cohen
Gratefulness, the Heart of Prayer , by Brother David Steindl-Rast
These
titles are available in our shop. (Quantities Limited)
Sunday Morning Inspiration
Weekly:
10:30
am
Care available during Sunday Inspiration for infants through 5th grade
Talk
titles for NOVEMBER
November 3: Receiving With an Open Heart ~ Harold Payne, guest musician
November 10: Finding Your Song
November 17: Embracing the Grace Within ~ Father Leo Booth, Guest Speaker ~ Teri Wilder, guest vocalist
November 24: Seeing What Matters
Watch Recent Talks On Video
Subscribe Today!
Robert Fields:Appearing
Sundays in
November
Thank You for Your Generosity!
Common
Ground is solely supported by the gracious
offerings of its spiritual community and
friends.
2013 Newsletter Archives
|
|
|
|
|
NOVEMBER CLASSES & EVENTS
Sunday Morning Inspiration Service 10:30 am
NOVEMBER SPECIAL EVENTS
NINTH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION ~ MEET ME AT THE HOP ~ Friday, November 8 ~ 6:30 to 9 pm
COVENANT DEDICATION CEREMONY ~ Sunday, November 10 ~ 12 Noon (reception immediately following)
CHANTING AND KIRTAN FOR PEACE with SPIRIT SOUL AND FRIENDS ~ Sunday, November 17 ~ 12:30 to 2:30 pm
THANKSGIVING POTLUCK LUNCH~ Sunday, November 24 ~ 11:30 am
THE GIFT OF IMPERFECTION GROUP DISCUSSION ~ Sunday, November 24 ~ 1 pm in the Sanctuary
CARE PROGRAM
Ages infant thru 5th grade ~ Sundays, 10:30 to 11:30 am
FOCUS ON THE ENVIRONMENT
RECYCLE SUNDAY ~ Third Sunday of the Month, November 17
Orange County Farm Bureau Certified Farmers' Markets
ONGOING
A COURSE IN MIRACLES, facilitated by Karen Akers ~ Tuesdays, Weekly ~ 12 Noon (Okay to bring lunch) ~ Love Offering
EVENING ECKHART TOLLE BOOK STUDY~ New Earth ~ Tuesdays ~ November 5 & 19, 7 to 8:30 pm ~ Love Offering
ECKHART TOLLE BOOK STUDY ~ New Earth ~ Fridays, Weekly ~ 12:30 to 1:30 pm ~ Love Offering
REIKI HEALING CIRCLE facilitated by Barbara Fukuda, Usui Reiki Master/Teacher ~ Tuesday, November 12 & 26 ~ 7 to 8:30 pm ~ Love Offering
SACRED HISTORY ~ Historical Exploration in Religion & Spirituality, with Dr. James D. Rietveld ~ Weekly ~ Thursdays (drop in class), 7:30 to 9 pm ~ Love Offering
TED Talks ~ The first Friday of each month, November 1, 7 to 8:30 pm ~ Love Offering
YOUNG ADULTS' BOOK STUDY GROUP, facilitated by Lyla Ramirez ~ Thursdays, Weekly, 7 to 8:30 pm ~ Love Offering
WOMAN'S WISDOM CIRCLE & Book Study: Still Here, by Ram Dass ~ Tuesdays ~ November 12 & 26, 10 to 11:30 am ~ Love Offering
NOW RESUMING
COMMON GROUND ADVENTURES: Hiking Group ~ Sunday ~ November 24 ~ 3 to 5 pm ~ Main Beach Lighthouse, Laguna Beach
VENUE EVENTS
Beginning Face Reading, with Marla Shaw ~ Saturday, November 9, 12 noon to 3 pm ~ $79 per person
35 for Life, with Mick Hall ~ Tuesday, November 5 ~ 7 to 9 pm
Gentle Restorative Yoga, with Renee Schwan ~ Weekly ~ Tuesdays & Thursdays ~ 2 to 3 pm ~ $10 per session
Thich Nhat Hanh/Tao Te Ching Study & Meditation Group, facilitate by Rev. Craig Phillips ~ Weekly, Wednesdays ~ 7:30 to 9 pm ~ $5 suggested (no one refused)
Development 1: Developing your spiritual path & intuition, with Bob Lewis ~ Saturday, November 9 & 16 ~ 9:30 am to 12:00 pm ~ $20 per person
Development 2: Advanced students in spiritual and psychic awareness, with Bob Lewis ~ Saturday, November 16 ~ 12:30 am to 3:00 pm ~ $20 per person
Orange County Spiritualist Gathering, with Medium Kathleen Vance ~ Wednesdays, November 13 & 27 ~ 7 to 8:30 pm ~ $10 suggested donation
Drumming for Wellness ~ Saturday, November 16~ 11 am to 12:30 pm ~ $10 per person
Be sure to look for updates and details of activities in weekly email notices.
Ongoing weekly classes continue as scheduled. Check our At-a-Glance Calendar for information.
|
|
|
|
|
CALLING ALL CRAFTERS, READERS, ARTISANS AND VENDORS
It's Holiday Boutique Time
As the winter holidays get under way and people begin thinking about decorations and giving gifts, Common Ground is ready to join the festivities of the season by presenting a Holiday Boutique on Sunday, December 8, from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm.
As in the past, artisans, vendors, readers, and crafters from both Common Ground and the community at large are encouraged to reserve a space.
Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The boutique will take place immediately following Sunday service.
Anyone interested in participating as a seller or reader can find out more information here. Application deadline is December 1, 2013. Questions may be directed to The Revs or to info@embracehumanity.com.
During the Holiday Boutique, there will be an Open House to celebrate Common Ground's new location. Friends, family and supporters of the spiritual community are invited to tour the facility and enjoy holiday hospitality.
The doors of Common Ground will be open wide to welcome visitors. Everyone is invited.
|
|
|
|
|
PLAYING TO STRENGTHS
Learning from the Sandy Hook Tragedy
The popular theory of 'six degrees of separation' brings home the thought that it really is a small world.
The idea that everyone and everything is six or fewer steps away, by way of introduction, from any other person in the world is demonstrated by the following story of one family's tragedy that has directly touched the lives of friends and family of Common Ground.
Most of us have seen from afar the heartbreaking aftermath of the Newtown, Connecticut, school shooting last December. For some of us, the tragedy is very near.
Jan Bates, a foundational Covenant member at Common Ground, brings us the following story of courage and compassion.
Jan's son, RJ Bates, is a scientist at a biotech company in San Diego. In the course of his employment he developed a deep friendship with the parents of one of the children who was killed in the Sandy Hook tragedy.
Avielle Rose Richman, who was born in San Diego, was a 6-year-old first-grader when she was killed in the shooting along with 26 other people.
From the depths of her parents' grief came an idea: What if we could tell by looking at the brain whether someone is prone to violence? And then do something to prevent it?
The idea came to Jeremy Richman and his wife, Jennifer Hensel, only a few days after the former San Diegans lost their daughter. Jeremy and Jennifer, both scientists, have since turned their idea into the nonprofit Avielle Foundation, which aims to fund and coordinate "brain-health research" into what triggers mass shootings and other seemingly random violence.
The issue that resonated with them, because of their scientific backgrounds, was looking into why the brains of some people go haywire. "That plays to our strengths," Richman said."Jen and I, we're the kind of people who have to do something. Avie was such a happy, curious person. We needed to leave a legacy for her."
Scientists are studying the brains of homicidal and non-homicidal juveniles to see if there are differences in the parts involved with impulse-control and empathy.
If certain pathologies can be imaged in the brain, then measured and understood, there might be ways to identify people at risk for violent behavior. And then there might be a way to intervene, through counseling, education or drugs.
That's the idea anyway, the idea born of tragedy.
Find out more about the family here.
This story is an intimate reminder that we are all connected. We 'inter-are'. What touches one of us touches all of us. When one of us cries the rest of us have salt on our shoulders.
Common Ground is pleased to add The Avielle Foundation to the list of worthy recipients of monthly tithes from the offerings of the spiritual community.
The mission of The Avielle Foundation is to prevent violence by fostering brain health research, education, and policy; and community development, engagement, and responsibility. The foundation will do so by directing resources to support:
1. Breakthrough research in brain health, bridging behavioral and biochemical sciences
2. Community-based initiatives and programs which strengthen connectivity, empathy, and understanding
Giving back to the world is an important aspect of Common Ground's mission and vision. A balanced integral approach is reflected in conscious selection of 501c3 qualified programs and institutions to which Common Ground provides tithes each month.
The organizations to which Common Ground tithes are meaningful programs where people from the spiritual community and its friends are already serving with heart and hand, and supporting with time and treasure.
|
|
|
|
|
TITHING 2013
May All That We Give and All The We Receive Be Blessed and Multiplied. As We Give, So Shall We Receive ~ Common Ground is truly blessed and in turn becomes a blessing in the world
Common Ground
reaches out to the global community through our
spiritual
practice of conscious giving.
Giving back
to the
world
is an important aspect of our mission and
vision. A
balanced integral approach is reflected in
conscious
selection of 501c3 qualified programs and
institutions
to which Common Ground provides tithes each
month.
Recipients of Common Ground 2013
tithes
include:
IONS
(Institute of
Noetic Sciences), advancing the science of
consciousness and human experience to serve
individual and collective transformation; Kiva,
empowering people to lift themselves out of
poverty;
Project
HOPE School, (Homeless
Outreach Program in Education), helping
children without permanent homes transition
into the mainstream educational system;
Walking
Shield, helping to improve the
quality of life for American Indian families;
, The Humane Society of Dover-Stewart County, a not-for-profit organization rescuing abused, abandoned and neglected animals and placing them into good homes, and The Avielle Foundation, a non-profit foundation created by the parents of a child victim of the Sandy Hook killings, aiming to support and protect vulnerable loved ones and to strengthen communities through brain health initiatives and community engagement.
The organizations to
which
Common Ground tithes are meaningful programs
where people from the spiritual community and
its
friends are already serving with heart and
hand, and
supporting with time and treasure.
|
|
|
|
|
COMPASSIONATE OUTREACH
As We Give, So Shall We Receive
Common Ground is pleased to support the meaningful efforts of non-profit organizations that are doing good things in the world to benefit others.
Finding creative ways to participate blesses everyone.
One of the 'new' programs that the spiritual community will be invited to support on an ongoing basis is the Military Family Coupon Project.
It's easy! Just don't throw away expired coupons.
Instead, give them to military families who can use them to shop at overseas military base facilities up to 6 months after the coupon expiration date.
Give coupons a second chance to be used and at the same time show support
for U.S. Army, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Marine families who are stationed overseas.
Beginning Sunday, November 10, coupons can be dropped into the coupon collection box located in the kitchen at Common Ground. Collection will be ongoing.
This is something everyone with a pair of scissors can do. It is a perfect way to reach out through being creative, conscious and resourceful. Only "Manufacturer's Coupons" can be used.They can be from the newspaper, dispensers in grocery stores, tear-pads, and elsewhere as long as they state "Manufacturer's Coupon" on them.
Happy clipping!
Another meaningful outreach to the local community involves supporting the Irvine Animal Care Center and the quality care they provide for abandoned animals.
This Outreach Project is currently underway. Donations may be brought to Common Ground for delivery to the shelter.
The shelter offers a variety of programs including the Extended Care Program, which cares for animals that are not adopted within the first 45 days; the Enhanced Care Program, which provides for animals that have been injured or neglected or are in poor condition; and the Third Chance for Pets Program, which transfers animals from overcrowded shelters outside of Irvine that otherwise may not find a home.
Please take time to help care for creation and at the same time give a furry friend an opportunity to start a new life in a loving home.
WISH LIST:
Food (The shelter primarily uses Science Diet brands but is happy to accept any brand):
- Dog and Puppy Food (dry or canned)
- Cat and Kitten Food (dry or canned)
- Peanut Butter (not chunky)
- Soft Dog Treats (like Natural Balance Treat Rolls or Solid Gold)
- Hard Dog Treats (biscuits, milk bones, etc)
- KMR Kitten Replacement (powder form only)
- ESIBLAC Puppy Replacement (powder form only)
Toys:
- Cats (ping pong balls, jingle balls, scratchers, cat nip, cat toys, etc.)
- Dogs (chew toys, plush dog toys, squeaky toys, KONGs, etc.)
- Hard Plastic Children's Pools
Kennel Supplies:
- Martingale Collars - Leashes, Harnesses - Gentle Leaders & Clickers
- Heating Pads - Cat & Dog Beds- Towels & Blankets - Fleece Bedding Materials
- Cat Carriers & Dog Crates
- Snuggle Puppies & Kittens - Housebreaking Pads - Cat Litter Scoops - Cat Litter
- Frontline/Advantage
- Exercise Pens with Topper
- Trash Bags
- Latex or Vinyl Gloves (assorted sizes)
- Hoses (75 ft long Heavy Duty)
|
|
Common Ground is a Teaching-Learning
Center where people bring their very
souls
where people grow one another by sharing what
they
know where people learn spiritual
practices to
support them in working with the complex
possibilities
of today's world
May you count your blessings as an act of deep reverence
|
|
Common Ground is pleased to present 
O God, when I have food,
