Urge To Serve Sunday Service

Each day I commit to serving others. No matter how big or small my effort, I serve to create a better world.

Gifts of the Season

Although I am writing this blog on Christmas Eve Eve, surrounded by brightly wrapped gifts and bags, am imagining that the Christmas experience is over, all my presents have been sent. Although I know what is in the ones, I am sending, I do not know what is in the gifts I will be receiving. I could guess, but part of the beauty of gift exchange at Christmas is the mystery of what is under the wrapping. Of course, the Truth is that the only thing that is in the bags and boxes is Love!

Now no matter what your CHristmas was like, it is a thing of the past. As the year is drawing to a close, there  are  a few practices that we can do to bring conscious completion to the year.

First, acknowledge the amazing year! What good gifts did you receive ... the ones you were truly thankful for? Did you have good health this year? Did you enjoy friendship and love? Did you have  a job? Did you like your job? Did you create anything new? Did you travel anywhere? Did anyone treat you to a meal or a cup of coffee? Did you bless someone by something you said or did? Did you pay your bills?

For every welcome gift, give thanks.

Sometimes, the gifts we received din't look like anything we ordered. It wasn't on our Christmas list or any other list. It could have looked like a broken agreement, a loss of job or pay, a diagnosis of disease, a loss of a friendship, or any other of a myriad of experiences that often make up the human condition. 

Why would I call these unwanted experiences  gifts? Each one calls us to be more observant, to look for the good, to trust the process and to continue to pray. Each one calls us to a higher consciousness of love, compassion and forgiveness. 

For every unexpected gift, give thanks. 

Now is time to start getting ready for the new year. It is an opportunity to accept and release the past -- both the wanted and the unwanted. Remember that no matter how it was packaged, every gift came loaded with Divine Love.

Every Gift is Filled With Love

Seeing With God's Eyes Sunday Service

On this Winter SOULstice I choose to let go of any darkness within, knowing that tomorrow will bring event more light into my life, brightening every aspect of it.

And So It Is!

Lessons from Santa

You may think that the lessons from Santa include the advice of the song: 

You better be good, You better not cry, You better not pout, I'm telling you why...Santa Claus is coming to town." 

However, the lessons that I want to talk about are the lessons in clarity  Santa showed us last Sunday. We had Christmas brunch at Adele's. The children were excited. the adults were having a good time visiting with friends.  Santa was very clear about who he was (the star of the show,) and what he expected. He explained how it would be. Santa was very clear. There was no talking among the adults. The children were very quiet. Santa read them "The Night Before Christmas" and when the children started to join in, he let them know that it was his story to tell. He was friendly when the children were getting their presents, but he made them promise that they wouldn't open any presents until he gave the word. They all opened their gifts at the same time, and then they cleaned up the wrapping paper! It was amazing to watch him. He was a jolly Santa and there was no doubt in  anyone's mind, who was in charge.

1. 

   Santa at Adele's 12/14/14

   
   

   But what about you? What about me? Do we know that we are in charge of our lives? Do you remember to watch your thoughts? Do you remember to watch your words? Do you remember that you are always co-creating out of your inner beliefs?
2. This is a great time of year for all of us to remember that it is up to us.
3. If you feel that life happens to you, you will be victimized.
4. If you feel that life happens, by means of you, you will feel exhausted trying to keep it all together.
5. But if you feel that life happens through and as you, you will feel empowered and enlivened. Let's choose our to use that One Power in intelligent ways.
6. 
   

Prepare Yourself Sunday Service

I use this busy time of the year to practice the presence and connect to others on a deeper level, thus TRULY spreading holiday cheer. And So It Is!

Summer of Winter Sunday Service

Today I remember those who answered Spirit's call to serve and dedicate myself to always answering God's call to me, knowing I make the world a better place when I do. And So It Is!

Summer of Winter

" During Winter it is Summer underneath the surface of the earth. And it is this Summer under the surface of the earth in the Winter time that makes the roots of the plants to thrive."   Alicia Hamberg

In our journal we are asked to consider what happens in winter. Are you taking time to deepen your roots, your connection to Source? These are the roots that help you grow.

How will you create fallow time in which your roots grow stronger?

Both my nephews in Saskatchewan are farmers. They are very aware of what is needed to ensure a healthy harvest.Occasionally they will plant winter wheat, a variety of wheat planted in the fall, allowed to germinate and grow young plants. the plants stay in that vegetative state until spring, when they continue growing to maturity. 

I think it must have taken a great deal of faith to believe that those tender plants would survive the long, cold Saskatchewan winter.

Do we have faith enough in our beingness that we know that even in the hardest, coldest  and barren of times that something within us is strengthening us?

What would it take to build that consciousness?

I believe it takes persistence and practice. It takes the willingness to get up, dust yourself off and start all over again.It requires a personal connection with the Divine by which any name you call It/Him/Her.

You are ready to grow spiritually and you will remember God is all you need in every situation.

My sister Kathy and her son, Jeff Hoiness

Time To Connect Sunday Service

This holiday I choose my own traditions. I fill my soul with whom I spend my time, how I celebrate, and how expansive I feel.

Time To Connect!

Be Grateful In All things

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it reminds me to practice gratitude. For many people Thanksgiving is a special time with family and friends, sharing favorite foods and enjoying each other's company. I know that for many people football is part of the tradition. I For some families it is an afternoon of playing cards and relaxing with friends.

I know that each of us has our own memories of Thanksgivings Past. So I know also that some people have painful memories of Thanksgiving.

I was talking to a friend recently who told me that her worst Thanksgiving ever was one year when she was in France. There weren't even any turkeys anywhere!

For others the worst Thanksgiving could have been one filled with arguments. disagreements and anger.Not everyone's family is functional.

Nevertheless, what a great opportunity to remember all the things to be grateful for...all of your talents and abilities... your friends and family...your knowledge...the Presence of the Divine...freedom to choose and the Law of Mind.

Gratitude multiplies your good. Lavish praise on the Universe and the Universe will respond by bringing more good to you.

May this be your best Thanksgiving yet!

One of the best videos on gratitude I have ever experienced is Louis Schwartzberg's video on gratitude. Please enjoy.

Centers For Spiritual Living Ordination

Our Vision: “Global Heart” 

1. We envision the emergence of the Global Heart to balance and guide the further evolution of humanity. 

2. We see a world free of homelessness, violence, war, hunger, separation and disenfranchisement. 

3. We see a world in which there is generous & continuous sharing of heart and resources. We envision a world in which forgiveness, whether for errors, injustices, or debts, is the norm. 

4. We see a world in which borders are irrelevant. 

5. We see a world which has renewed its emphasis on beauty, nature and love through a resurgence of creativity, art, and aesthetics. 

6. We see a world in which fellowship prospers and connects through the guidance of spiritual wisdom and experience. 

7. We envision a world in which we live and grow as One Human Family. We envision "UCSL" as a bridge across the illness and illusion of separation thereby dynamically empowering the vision of Global Heart. 

8. We envision "United Center for Spiritual Living" as united and actuated by this compelling vision of a healthy world (a world experiencing Global Heart) & is ardently committed to bringing this vision forth through its ministries & its transformative teaching. 

9. We see "UCSL" as a global community of people pervasively caring for and about each other and the entire human family, thereby bringing the gift of active compassion to the world. Our local churches and communities become "points of inspiration and influence" effectively advancing the vision of Global Heart.

The Centers For Spiritual Living Ministerial Code 

Prayer of Gratitude Sunday Service

Every moment of every day, I experience a resounding feeling of having enough. I give thanks for it being so, and I know tomorrow brings even more.

Favorites

This Sunday we will be celebrating the ordination of three of our ministers -- Rev. Karyn Allen, Rev. Bruce Fredenburg and Rev. Pattie Mercado. Ordination is my favorite celebration. It signifies so much. In the Centers for Spiritual Living ordination handbook, it is written :
 " A Rite of Passage:

In some denominations, ordination is part of graduation from seminary.  In the Centers for Spiritual Living ordination is conferred upon a minister who has completed practitioner training and ministerial training and who has successfully performed as a minister in a field church or ministry.  The ministry of this individual has been reviewed by the Office of Licensing and Credentialing at the Centers for Spiritual Living Home Office.  S/he has been interviewed by a panel of his/her peers who made the recommendation of his/her ordination to the Leadership Council.  It is this Council that grants the office “Ordained Minister” to successful candidates.

For the minister being ordained, the ceremony is the fulfillment of many years of study, commitment and growth.  Most importantly, it is his/her affirmation that ministering to the spiritual growth of others is his/her life time dedication.  Ordination is a celebration with the minister as s/he affirms his/her sacred commitment to spiritual service."

What a joy it is to officiate in this ceremony for three of my favorite people! Many colleagues, family and friends will be attending. It is a true celebration. The ceremony itself is heartfelt and sacred.

Although the ceremony itself has changed over the years, after integration, the intent is simply to provide a ritual that is a rite of passage from one level of consciousness to the next.

Yolanda, me, Rev. Bruce Fredenburg 01/20/2014

 

Rick Dale,me, Rev. Karyn Allen 1/20/2014

Rev. Pattie Mercado, me, Fred Mercado 01/20/2014

Your Movie Script Sunday Service

Every day I experience my creative gifts, my prosperity, my health and my relationships in a more expanded way from yesterday, knowing I am Divinely equipped to thrive. And So It Is!

And So It Is!

A Place Called Home

I have lived in many places from the tiny rural villages I was raised in, to cosmopolitan cities. Each one has a special place in  my heart.

When I knew I was being called to southern California, I was living in Calgary, Alberta. Calgary is a great city, close to the mountains. I has a view of the mountains (on a clear day) from the window of a junior high school classroom. I first came to California in May of 1993. The weather in San Diego was welcoming and warm. Everywhere there were palm trees. (Some of you know that I saw palm trees in my long term vision back in 1985.)
But the most surprising tree was the jacaranda trees. I had never seen a tree bloom in color before.

Last May I took some pictures of jacaranda trees.

Laguna Niguel Jacaranda

There are so many exquisite plants and trees here. I trust that we all remember to be open to their beauty. 

The trees are phenomenal but it is really the people I remember.

The cute surfer in Hawaii, sitting under a tall palm tree on the beach in Waikiki,who I returned to see many times. 

The wonderful men and women in my first center in beautiful Bonita, who helped me establish myself as a teacher and speaker.

The wonderful men and women here in San Clemente who continuously call me to my greatness, who share their hopes and dreams with me, and who remind me to rise to my higher self.

What surrounds you? What vegetation reminds you that you are home?

Dr. Judith Orloff San Clemente Workshop

THE ECSTASY OF SURRENDER:  With Dr. Judith Orloff; 

12 Surprising Ways Letting Go Can Empower Your Life Workshop in San Clemente 

December 6, 2014 1:00 p.m. Click here to take part. INCLUDES FREE BOOK WITH TICKET! 

Dr. Orloff's message is that you can sabotage your health, success, and longevity by pushing too hard. Surrender is the antidote to stress in a world that relentlessly conspires to interrupt creative thought. Surrender boosts your brain's endorphins--euphoric, opiate-like pain killers--and serotonin, a natural antidepressant that allows you to relax, have more fun, and succeed more wildly than ever before. Though surrender may seem counter-intuitive to making your goals happen, it can actually be the magical factor that facilitates this and relieves gridlock. Life becomes easier and more blissful when you can let go. 

Through passionate examples from her own life and those of thousands of patients and seminar participants who she has taught the art of surrender, Judith suggests, instructs, guides, makes you laugh and cry, and then just let go! When you come to the end of THE ECSTASY OF SURRENDER you realize that you are free to be who you are--finally and truly--and you are happier and healthier for it! This book is a friend to everyone who wants to conquer stress, live longer and healthier, and a life-long resource to return to again and again. 

New York Times bestselling author and UCLA psychiatrist, Judith Orloff, M.D. has created a results-oriented book that shows readers how to thrive in our modern, task-heavy, constantly-wired lives. She considers this her most important book for compelling reasons.

National Bestseller, THE ECSTASY OF SURRENDER reveals everything you will ever need to know about when to let go versus when to assert control - the secret formula to vibrant health, longevity, wellness, healing, success, pleasure, and happiness. The powerful promise of this book, from succeeding in business to falling in love to accepting death, is letting yourself be catapulted beyond the ordinary to view all of existence in extraordinary terms.

In THE ECSTASY OF SURRENDER Judith has created 12 essential choices for a powerful, healthy, abundant, and fearless life. Each chapter guides readers through specific ways they can apply surrender to success, money and communication, relationships, love and sexuality, the divinity of the body, illness, pain, aging, death and beyond. Dr. Orloff teaches you how to shut off an overactive mind to achieve inner calm, and how to stop worrying and pushing too hard so you can feel more peace of mind.

THE ECSTASY OF SURRENDER:  With Dr. Judith Orloff; 

12 Surprising Ways Letting Go Can Empower Your Life Workshop in San Clemente 

December 6, 2014 1:00 p.m. Click here to take part. 

Dead Trees Don't Lose Their Leaves Sunday Service

I remember always that I am flexible and strong, bending and flexing, knowing that life's wind will always die down and I remain standing strong. And So It Is!

The Gift of Friendship

Over the years I have noticed something strange about myself. i was always a very sensitive child...at three years old sobbed about Bambi's mother being shot when the story was being read to my older sister. I still make certain I have lots of tissues in my purse when I go to the movies no matter whether going to an animated feature or a love story. I can easily put myself in the characters place and feel their heartbreak or despair. 

However, in my own life letting myself feel and express sadness is almost impossible now. I don't know when it started but I do not like it. I don't want to feel cold-hearted or unresponsive.

I feel like there is a iceberg around my heart. I want to cry, but I can't. It feels fake, forced and inauthentic. What has happened to me?

Maybe the events of life have hardened my heart, or maybe they have desensitized me to the facts.

I wonder if other metaphysicians feel the same way.

My twenty-plus year friendship with Dr. Jane Claypool is a heart-wrenching example. I benefitted so much from my years of friendship with Jane.We laughed together often. We prayed together often. I wonder if we cried together. Right now I do not know.

Please stand with me for an open heart, unprotected and ready to give and receive love. In the 198o's a group of Canadian singers recorded the song "Tears are Not Enough." They may not be enough but they are a start.

The Faith Factor Sunday Service

When in doubt, I step into the realm of possibilities where solutions lie, healings occur, and abundance is a plenty. And So It Is!

I feel so used.

How can I serve today? 

There are times in our life when we feel really useful. We may feel everything is going well, we have direction, we have connections, and we are being called upon by others for assistance. These are the times to reflect upon the idea of being used.

Some of us do things out of guilt or obligation. Some of us do things because we believe it would really benefit another. Some of us do things because we really feel we have to make a name for ourselves. If we take a step back and look at ourselves through eyes outside of ourselves, we may find a clear answer to our purpose and place in this world.

Being used, in a Spiritual sense, is remembering that the I AM presence, God, Spirit, is moving through us. We are a beacon, a channel, a direct source from Spirit through to our actions. When we allow God to move through us, rather than making things happen, the actions can come with grace and ease. The idea is to remember throughout our day to continue to ask, "What is moving through me today?" "How can I be of service?" "Use me where I am needed most." These are all statements/ questions that will bring us closer to a realization we seek.

Also, when we understand the way of Spirit moving through us, it is easier to know we are not alone in this world. We have the Universal Consciousness which is working together for our collective good. When we allow Spirit to use us, we not only experience the benefit  to the recipient but the benefit to ourselves.

Today, when we go about our day, ask ourselves, "In what way is Spirit expressing through me today?"

photo: Rodney Brown https://www.flickr.com/photos/rosneybronze/

More Than You Were Looking For Sunday Service

 With joy I recognize that everything I always wanted is right where I am! I am grateful for the abundance of all good. I am grateful for all the connection in my life. I am especially grateful for the support of my friends in this community.

Why I Do Not eat Onions

When I was a small child growing up in a prairie village in Saskatchewan, I was a curious and empathic child. I was three years old, my older sister was in school, and my brothers were not yet in the picture. I had a great imagination and I liked playing by myself. I liked to twirl and make my skirts float up. I liked to look up at the clouds and imagine that they were goddesses, and animals, and ships. I liked to think about life.

My mom was pickling cucumbers. Onions were involved.

I was playing outside and came tearing into the house for some reason, maybe it was to tell mommy something or ask for a glass of water. Whatever the reason, it was soon gone; one look at my mother and I knew that something was wrong. My mother looked devastated – tears were rolling down her cheeks, her eyes were puffy and red. I imagine I was greatly frightened; my mother from whom I had never seen anything but love (and possibly anger) was crying. I flung my arms around her legs and asked, “What’s wrong mommy?” I imagine my heart was beating rapidly too. Without a confident caring mother, what could a small child depend upon? 

Not Really My Mom

She just wiped her eyes with the back of her hands and explained, “It’s nothing, honey.  It’s just these darn onions!” She thought she had explained the whole thing, by saying it was nothing, but to me, it was not NOTHING, it was EVERYTHING. My provider, protector, and guide was made helpless, driven to tears, by “onions.” Onions must be very bad indeed.

From that day on, during my childhood no-one could get me to eat onions. My mother put them in everything, even fish sticks, and I always knew. She was always trying to trick me to eat them.  Even if I took a bite, I couldn't swallow it.  Onions would stick in my throat

For many years, I just thought I hated onions. When I was in high school, and started understanding that there was a cause for everything, I asked mom if something traumatic happened to me.  Mom told me the story. I thought knowledge would make it better. But still onions stick in my throat. Yes, I know they are good for me. It is ironic that mom was trying to help her child be a less-fussy eater, and I was unconsciously trying to protect my mother from those ”bad” things.

This is a simple example of how beliefs are formed and how they can affect our lives. It is interesting to me that simply understanding that the original belief was incorrect and even knowing the opposite is true, it has been very difficult to change my beliefs.

It is difficult to change beliefs and most of our beliefs, remain underneath the field of awareness and scrutiny. Some of us think that that’s just the way the world is. But God didn't make one kind of vegetable that was bad, regardless of my personal preferences. All creation is part of the oneness that is an expression of the Divine. 

Great chefs everywhere use onions as flavoring. It would be a good thing to change my mind about onions, so that I could have a more enjoyable life. I will continue to expand my awareness of good.

It brings me to the question, what erroneous beliefs do you have that are stopping you from living a sensational life? I don’t like onions, and that is too bad for me. However, I have managed to live quite well just the way I am.

But are there other unexamined beliefs, perhaps also starting with a childhood perceptions, that really are making a difference in my life? It is likely so.

Ernest Holmes wrote: “By far the largest part of our thinking processes are automatic, casting, as it were, the images of their acceptance into the universal Mind which reacts upon them. And thus it is that fear can bring about the condition feared while faith can reverse it.”

So I am determined to look through eyes of good and see good everywhere. I am determined to know that I am an expression of love and that everything in my life has been a response to love’s call. I am determined to use my knowledge to help myself and others. Every memory contains a gift.

And now for a little Music Therapy

Tuning into therapy

Recently I joined a Yahoo! group named Mindfulness in Education Network. Being familiar with Yahoo! groups, I was prepared to receive many emails from various members all spreading the word of Mindfulness. One of the members shared an article from the Smithsonian regarding Music Therapy. In the article it references a study conducted where participants were subjected to a favorite song, liked songs, and non-preferred songs. The brain was the focus of this study, and scans were taken while music was heard. What they found was varying brain activity that resulted in certification that Music therapy actually does work.

While I know, from personal experience, the effects of music on myself, I reflected on the music I introduced to those in my own family. When my husband and I married, the music at our reception was slow jazz and standards, none of that wedding "party" music for our celebration. The likes of Diana Krall, Steve Tyrell, Etta James, Harry Connick Jr., etc. were our choices for the reception. During our honeymoon, my husband and I mistakenly took a wrong bag and ended up with only one CD to listen to. It was the perfect CD for the serenely, tropical local. Diana Krall's Love Scenes provided the exact music needed for our memories to be created.

When my children were young, music was a constant. Listening to Baby Einstein music provided them an introduction to classical music that is soothing, memorable and comforting when heard during their growth. Currently, when I have the privilege of driving my daughter and her friend to high school, the station conveniently makes it way to KJAZZ. This is my sneaky way of infiltrating their minds with music other than their preferred teenage music they so enjoy (not that there is anything wrong with that, sometimes). Being of an eclectic music taste, I want to introduce my children to as much music variety as I enjoy. I also know the power of creating memories with music. Interestingly enough, the research article referenced in the Smithsonian article mentions the correlation to favorite music and hippocampi activity, deriving the conclusion that favorite music stimulates memory recalling brain activity instead of memory making brain activity. Music + making a great memory = future memory recall + a pleasurable feeling.

Before my father passed he was in a care facility. When visiting, I brought my ipod touch and placed the external speaker near him to hear the playlist I provided for him. One of the songs I added was Andrea Bocelli's version of Amapola. As my father was in and out of sleep quite often, whenever that particular song came on he would regain his consciousness and sing along with the song while his eyes were still closed. It is such a loving memory I have of my father that whenever I hear this song, whoever is singing it, I have a direct connection with my dad.

Take a listen to Amapola and create a memory for yourself.

Namaste.

Thoughts, Feelings, Beliefs, and Emotions

Releasing to make way for spiritual healing. 

The ability to perceive or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained. - David Bohm


In this line of New Thought, Ancient Wisdom thinking, it is interesting when we enter into a relationship that has us puzzled. Unbeknownst to us at the time, we are communicating, voluntarily submitting to energy that we may not feel is in alignment with our "true" beliefs or ways of Being. Is this relationship showing up to teach us something, or are we in the relationship to teach someone else?

In the Joyous Living Journal, today's installment is titled Distribution Value Center. "You are a distribution center for the undifferentiated Life Force. It is directed through every aspect of your thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and emotions. It takes form through your health, relationships, career, finances, and every aspect of the world you live in."

If a relationship is showing up in our lives that is not serving us, it is time to look to our spirit. "..your spirit starts checking out long before your body and world start breaking down." "The yearning of your spirit is stronger than your mind." Healing of our spirit will heal all aspects of our lives. When we take the time to connect with our spirit, our answers come from guidance.

Reevaluating our lives may take courage, it may mean releasing some relationships. Making time to journal through each aspect of health, relationships, career and finances may release some trapped thoughts or emotions that have been on repeat in our beliefs. Much like eating and eliminating the waste products. Thoughts may come into our bodies, produce certain emotions, and become ingrained in our cellular system. If we are not eliminating these thoughts, they may develop into some physical manifestation within our body. Eliminating through writing gives us the opportunity to release those toxic thoughts which have been building up in our bodies. Making a ritual for those writings is another process which can be incorporated. Burning, shredding, or praying over the writings can be a way to finalize the elimination. Sometimes keeping the writings in a journal can be a ritual as well. This is a way to reflect back on the progress made and to be used as a reminder of the courage it took to take this step toward release.

Affirmation: I am courageously reexamining the directives of my distribution center.

The Vow of Prosperity

When you think of someone living spiritually, do you  think of someone living in poverty or someone living in prosperity? Old ideas about money, taught many of us to believe erroneously that it was holy to be poor. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Do you have an idea that a holy man looks like this?

Or could he look like this?

"It is right that we should be successful, for otherwise the Spirit is not expressed. The Divine cannot lack for anything and we should not lack for anything  that makes life worthwhile here on earth."                                                                                                                                   Ernest Holmes

 We have erroneously believed that the Bible says that money is the root of all evil. What it actually says is:

 "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."          1 Timothy 6:10

If our purpose, here on earth, is to express the most good that we can, to be more God-like, then that good would include prosperity.

It is time to make a commitment to living well, to living in right relationship to your Source. Since we are made in the image and likeness of God, we need to accept all good as being worthwhile.

Let's write a vow of prosperity. Let's declare that we renounce all lack, all negativity, all separation. We know that God is our Source and only good comes from God. We have more than enough in a Universe made in His Image. It is in Daniel Nahmod's beautiful song.

Resting in the Abundant Ocean Sunday Service

Resting in the abundant ocean of life, I recognize the magnificence of the Divine. One with the Source of all Creation, I celebrate the infinite good that indwells me, surrounds me and fulfills me. I rest in God and say, "Amen."
 

And So It Is! 

Who Are We In The World?

Rev. Dr. Kenn Gordon, Spiritual Leader and Rev. Dr. John Waterhouse, President of Centers for Spiritual Living speaking at the 2014 Ministers' Gathering in San Clemente, Ca.

We Are Centers For Spiritual Living

Meet the President and Spiritual Leader of Centers for Spiritual Living

Rev. Dr. Kenn Gordon, Spiritual Leader
Centers for Spiritual Living

Tonight, Wednesday October 1st, we have a huge treat for our Wednesday's Wisdom service. Rev. Dr. Kenn Gordon, the Spiritual Leader of Centers for Spiritual Living and Rev. Dr. John Waterhouse, the President of Centers for Spiritual Living and Rev. Bob Dean, the Manager of Professional Education will all be speaking. They will be speaking about who we are in the world. It is a great opportunity to hear from the leaders of our teaching who we are.

Plus we have the FAD three -- Dave Friedman, Karyn Allen and Rick Dale playing some music. Music will also be provided by Sunny Daye.

We have been enjoying the company of 200 ministers from all over the world at the Second Annual Ministers Gathering of Centers for Spiritual Living. I am so jazzed to be hosting.

Our volunteers have done amazing job with hospitality, greeting, ushering, etc. Each one deserves a lot of recognition. I am honored and privileged to know you! If you can't come to service tonight, you can catch us on live stream at cslcv.org. Service starts at 7:00 PM but live music will begin at 6:45 PM.

This is the first time we have live streamed a portion of our Ministers Gathering. I am so happy to have been the host.

Rev. Dr. John Waterhouse, President
Centers for Spiritual Living

The Tipping Point

Today is the start of a new month. In the The Joyous Living Journal, October 1st is titled The Tipping Point.  

"The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire." -Malcolm Gladwell

The idea from this daily contemplation is that we are all a part of this collective consciousness. Each action, thought, word we create, embody, and believe are connected to the collective whole. Whatever we do individually impacts our collective. If we are living in the space of the unconscious, we are not aware of our impact on this world. We may think we are of little significance to the collective. This couldn't be further from the truth. Each one of us are here in this human existence to create an energy of change. If we are in a space that is not feeling in the space of Love and Freedom, seeking a path for this change will release some of the tension to allow us to breathe a less labored breath. Healing a root cause can eliminate that tension all together. 

"Every time you release anger,forgive, or demonstrate a Spirit-filled, abundant life, which you believe everyone deserves, you are adding to the good for all. Do not doubt your impact on the Whole for one minute!" 


Affirmation: "I affirm that my own growth is in service to the growth and health and well-being of all beings everywhere. I am positively adding to the shift in consciousness toward a healed planet. 

photo sourced from: http://www.wellnessbodytherapy.com/blog/

From Awareness to Action Sunday Service

Today I accept the things I resist. I embrace them, ask Spirit for guidance, and choose to let them go. I am that powerful! And So It Is!

Celebrate Life!

Many years ago, our choir had the theme song, Celebrate Life! Some of the lyrics included:

"Celebrate Life! Celebrate Love!Celebrate all the things that you've been dreaming of,And if you try, then you will see,When you celebrate Life it's all you want it to be.When you believe in the things you do,Then your doubts depart.Look at your life in a bright new way  and joy and hope fill your heart.if you have faith in what you do, life can be great!It's all up to you!" 

 It was a melody that was very catchy and we loved to hear the choir sing sing it.
This Saturday, we will be celebrating the life of one of our greatest champions, Bill Hart. Bill and Billie, his wife of over 60 years, were major supporters of our Center, but they were more than that they were champions for our new home.  Billie made her transition while we were still in our old home in San Juan Capistrano. But she was adamant that Bill continue to support the Center. He did it in spades. Even before the former owners had agreed to a deal, Bill brought each one of his family over here to show them our new "church."  A couple of weeks before his passing, Pattie Mercado and I were visiting him in the hospital. We were there to pray with him. Before we could even pray, he asked if there something that the church needed.  Of course, he meant money and was very generous. But what I needed then is what I need now, to know that our Center is growing an evolving developing community filled with more than enough good for every occasion. I am so grateful. We are standing on the shoulders of the giants who did so much to bring this dream into reality.

Billie Hart, Mary Didelot and Bill Hart 2012 

We call our memorial services celebrations of life. It is great to remember our loved ones and all the good that we have from being in their company. It is even more important to tell them while they are here in physical form. It is mind-expanding to realize that some part of that loved one lives on in each of us. It will be a part of our beliefs or perceptions. The good that is ours with anyone continues long after they die.  I know that every time someone asks me if there is something I need, I will think of Bill Hart.

How often do you celebrate your life? It really is worth celebrating.

EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS

The beautiful lyrics in the song, Everything I Have Is Yours, are a blueprint for living a heavenly life. Hear these words as a message of love from the Universe to you and come explore this song further with us this Wednesday night, September 24th at Center for Spiritual Living Capistrano Valley at 7:00pm.

EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS

By Rick Dale 

Copyright 2003

AND IT’S HEAVEN, WHEN YOU ARE CLEAR

BUT TO STAY THERE YOU, HAVE TO BE HERE AND NOW

YOU HOLD THE KEY TO EVERYTHING

BUT WHAT WILL YOU DO

WHEN YOU HEAR THE ANGELS SING...

EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS

EVERYTHING YOU SEE IS MINE

ALL THE TREASURES OF THE WORLD

ALL THE BEAUTY THAT YOU FIND

ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS CHOOSE

ALL YOU REALLY GOTTA DO IS DECIDE TO ACCEPT IT INSIDE

YOU PICK YOUR LIFE, IT’S UP TO YOU

I GIVE YOU ALL, WHEN YOU GIVE TO EACH OTHER

THOU ART MY CHILD, I AM IN THEE

SO WHY ARE YOU EMPTY WHEN YOUR LIFE IS FULL OF ME

EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS

EVERYTHING YOU SEE IS MINE

ALL THE TREASURES OF THE WORLD

ALL THE BEAUTY THAT YOU FIND

ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS CHOOSE

ALL YOU REALLY GOTTA DO IS DECIDE TO ACCEPT IT INSIDE

YOU’RE IN HEAVEN, NOW YOU ARE HERE

BUT TO STAY HERE YOU MUST BE AWARE OF WHO YOU REALLY ARE

YOU ARE THE KEY THAT OPENS THE DOOR

SO OPEN YOUR MIND AND FIND OUT WHAT LIFE IS FOR

EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS

EVERYTHING YOU SEE IS MINE

ALL THE TREASURES OF THE WORLD

ALL THE BEAUTY THAT YOU FIND

ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS CHOOSE

ALL YOU REALLY GOTTA DO IS DECIDE TO ACCEPT IT INSIDE

EVERYTHING I HAVE IS YOURS

EVERYTHING YOU SEE IS MINE

THE SUN, THE MOON AND ALL THE STARS

AND EVERY SINGLE THING THAT SHINES IN THIS UNIVERSE BELONGS TO YOU

ALL YOU REALLY GOTTA DO IS DECIDE TO ACCEPT IT

IT’S UP TO YOU MY BELOVED

ALL YOU GOTTA DO IS LET IT IN, LET IT IN

ACCEPT IT, INSIDE

Test of Trust Sunday Service

I understand that every person in my life is a reflection of me. Letting go of judgment, I choose to see beauty in all people in my life. And So It Is!

Compassion and Connection

The whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness of the interdependence of all these living beings, which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another." Thomas Merton

This video is the Charter for Compassion and is beautiful to see all the different  ages cultures and regions represented.

It is the golden thread of truth running through all religions to care for others. In our journal today, we are encouraged to connect when we are feeling ashamed or defeated. Brene Brown, the current researcher on shame states that we must stop trying to be perfect. She further encourages us to stop trying to hide our imperfections from our loved ones but rather to have the courage to tell the truth about our experience to someone whom we can trust. Please reach out if you are feeling discouraged or alone. I would love to be of service as would all our ministerial staff and practitioners.

If you would like to be more compassionate, watch the following video, in which Jason Silva shows how we are hard-wired for compassion. He shows six-month old babies responding with compassion. He also shows us how we can increase our compassionate responses.

I trust that you will enjoy.