 |
|
One of the "names" we use for the One Power, One Presence we sometimes call God is "Good Without Opposite". We also teach that God is omnipresence, so put together that means that God, which is Good Without Opposite, is EVERYWHERE present, all the time. That sounds great in a normal moment of time, but what about when you receive the news of a likely-terminal diagnosis, or a pink slip from your boss, or see the padlock placed on your foreclosed home?
The first thing to remember is that we are always living in two "worlds". We live our fully human lives in this manifest world of form, and we live our eternally Divine life in the realm of Spirit. This is always true, regardless of whether we are remembering it or not.
The eternal, timeless world of Spirit is the realm of the Absolute, which is Pure God, Pure Good, unchanged, unchanging, and unchangeable. This realm of Spirit is everywhere-present, right here and right now. This is what Jesus was talking about when he told us that the Kingdom of Heaven is within and among us. In the relative world of form, NOTHING is permanent or lasting! Everything which had a beginning has a middle, and will have an end, including my human lifetime and yours. That's just the way it is in the world of formed things.
How do we reconcile and integrate the Truth of Good-Without-Opposite and the fact that things happen which are anything but good? We are each an expression of the One Mind, and we each have our individual mind; the Divine Mind is the realm of the Absolute, and our human sense-mind relates primarily to the relative world. Our egoic mind has important work to do keeping us safe and such, but it also functions according to the various thoughts and beliefs which it has accumulated over the years; surely we'd all agree that those thoughts and beliefs are not reliable.
In any moment of anger, fear, resentment or any other human feeling, we have the option to exercise our free will. We can choose to pause, center ourselves, and move forward in awareness of our True identity and the omnipresence of Good. Or not. In any moment of error-belief (which could also be called sin), we have the choice to believe the error thought or to stop, remember Truth and respond from the awareness of Good Without Opposite. Sometimes I actually do choose to do that. Other times, not so much.
Because we create our life experiences through the thoughts and beliefs we hold in mind, every time we choose to live in fear or any other 'negative' state, we strengthen the mental wall we've constructed between our human world and the Kingdom of Heaven consciousness which is always present. These habitual choices create the apparent evidence of something bad or evil in our lives.
Since we are all connected in consciousness, my thoughts and beliefs in lack, limitation, error, etc., affect your thoughts and beliefs. This is sometimes called mood contagion. The more we choose to live in fear, the more prevalent fear becomes. The more we choose to live in anger, the more prevalent anger becomes. Generation upon generation upon generation of humans adding error thoughts to error thoughts have come together to create the less-than-good experiences we encounter here in the relative, human world.
No matter what is happening, God, Good-Without-Opposite, IS always present. It is our free-will choice whether to place our attention (our consciousness) on Omnipresent Good or on the appearance of something other than Good, which has been created from our collective error-belief. We do not look at war and call it good; war is not good. It is not an expression of God. War is the creation of centuries of human error-thought. Sickness is not good. It is not an expression of God. Sickness is the creation of human error-thought. Poverty is not good. It is not an expression of God. Poverty is the creation of centuries of human error-thought.
As long as we live in this world, "bad" things will happen. That's just the way it is. Sometimes we'll experience illness. Sometimes we'll lose our jobs or our homes. That's just the way it is. Even Jesus reminded us that there will always be troubles. In those moments, we have the same choice we've had all along: we can pause, center ourselves in the Truth of Omnipresent Good and move forward from that awareness, or we can choose to react from the victim-belief that there is some other power ruling our lives.
Only one of those choices results in peace. You have free will. Choose well.
Blessings! The Divine in me recognizes and honors the Divine in you,
 
|
Living Through the End of Life
Saturday, August 15, 9:30-12noon
The Five Wishes is a document which meets the legal requirements to guide your medical care in the event you are unable to do so yourself. It has been called a "living will with a heart and soul". In addition to appointing a person to make medical decisions for you and guiding them in the types of treatment you would like to receive or not receive, it also discusses comfort care and spirituality. (You should, of course, consult your attorney if you have unusual concerns)
Karen MacDonald, the Health Ministry Manager for ICS Tucson will facilitate our morning together. Rev. Nita will open our gathering with song and prayer, and be available to speak with participants if desired throughout the morning.
|
Spiritual Education and Enrichment (SEE) Classes
|
Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. Each of these classes are offered on love offering basis, facilitated by Rev. Nita, and Unity Institute SEE credit is available for each of these classes. Please speak to Nita if you're curious about credit classes.
CLASS SCHEDULE:
Meditation Practices continues: Saturdays, 8/1, 8/8; 8:30 - 12:00noon.
The Creative Process: Wednesdays, 9/2 through 9/30; 10:30 - 12:30pm
Metaphysics 2 (No prerequisite- there are four metaphysics classes, the numbers simply designate content area) Thursdays, 9/3 - 10/1: 6:30 - 8:30pm
Prosperity: Saturdays, 9/5 - 10/3: 9:30 - 11:30am
|
Got Questions? Upcoming Topics from our Q/A Series
|
Over the coming weeks, our Sunday lessons will be based on YOUR questions, and they may also serve as the basis for future newsletter lessons. If you've got questions, please reply to this email and ask away. Your replies go directly to my inbox- no one else will see your questions but me, and I will never divulge who asked any particular question. Chances are, if you've got a question, others have the same question and just haven't asked it. Here are some upcoming questions:
8/2: We are supposed to go with God's loving and perfect flow, living life in positivity, but people can be overpowered with negativity and holding on for dear life to survive. Isn't it important to "resist" the temptation to give up and give in to unbearable odds?
8/9: If heaven and hell are not actual places, where do we go after this life? Where are my loved ones? What about people who almost die and report stories about going to heaven,like that little boy and the brain surgeon who wrote that book?
8/16: I know we can't fix other people, but what about when we see people making really, really bad decisions or we have a legal or moral obligation to do something?
9/06: About the movie, "The Connection"... How could Spirit (we) possibly be divided? What about the "proof required by ego?
9/13: What about evolution?
9/20: What is our soul? Is it the same as our spirit?
|
|
Support Unity Spiritual Center of Peace through AmazonSmile
|
 You can help support our center every time you shop at Amazon.com just by selecting us to receive a portion of each purchase. You pay nothing extra, and we'll receive .5% of every purchase. (Please Note: When you search for us, look for Unity Spiritual Center of Peace Tucson. Thanks!)
|
|
CHILDCARE IS ALWAYS AVAILABLE DURING SUNDAY MORNING SERVICE
Our Sunday School teachers look forward to sharing Unity principles with your children aged 4-12. Our nursery is available for the very young ones, as well. We provide professionally trained and screened childcare for those ages 0-3, so that you may enjoy attending service while knowing that your little ones are well cared-for.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
There are many things which need to get done here in our center, and Susan Smith is working to make it easier for you to become involved. Please check at the information table to see what might be fun for you to do.
INTERFAITH COMMUNITY SERVICES (ICS) RESOURCES & OPPORTUNITIES
To volunteer through our affiliation with ICS, contact their Volunteer Coordinator, Tori Carlson, either by phone at 520-297-6049 ext. 217 or visit their website
|
|
|
|
|
|
