Love

July 1, 2012 – Self Love Through Forgiveness

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7/1/12 Rev. David McArthur

July. Freedom. We only get freedom if we are willing to do self love. Otherwise we let a lot of things hang on and control us.

Lao Tzu, in the Tao Te Ching, wrote, “The Master stays behind; that is why she is ahead. She is detached from all things; that is why she is one with them. Because she has let go of herself, she is perfectly fulfilled.”

Anita Moorjani, as a girl at a Catholic school in Hong Kong and a Hindu of Indian heritage, was very much the outsider in her classes. Repeatedly the subject of cruel bullying throughout her school years, she recalled, as an adult dying of cancer, how so much of the time she had felt bad about herself. But she knew that being bound this way was not ok. In her near death experience she saw how this led to her deadly cancer. However, she also saw this wasn’t who she was at all—but that she was a magnificent spiritual being, and that should never be hidden. “I am a magnificent spiritual being!” Filled with this knowledge her body would not support the cancer, and on what was expected to be her deathbed, she became free of the cancer.

The way to spiritual freedom is forgiveness. We are trapped in perceptions of ourselves which are not true. Forgive yourselves and those “bullies” in your memories. They have journeyed with you long enough.

Steve Backman, trying to deal with his “bullies” by drinking, drove his car one night into one driven by Chris Loukas. With nearly every bone in his body broken, Chris Loukas hovered near death in a coma for six weeks, but eventually roused. Finally, unable to tolerate his anguish any longer, Steve braved the Loukas family and asked if he might see Chris. He begged Chris’ forgiveness, and Chris opened his arms and they hugged and wept. And they both were freed.

Enter into freedom through forgiveness—of others and of yourself. Love yourself enough to let go of all that stuff! Be free. Be who you really are—a magnificent spiritual being! It starts when you love yourself enough to let go of yourself. “Because she loves herself enough she is fulfilled.” “I choose to be free and live in my fulfillment.” When you make that choice it really gets fun!

June 24, 2012 – The Heart Path to the Christ

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6/24/12 Rev. David McArthur

There are those who, in great pain, have prayed to Jesus for help and have gotten it. Others have prayed to Krishna and have touched incredible love. Some do not attribute this beautiful, powerful experience to Jesus, Buddha, or Krishna, and yet their experience is very real. There are those, too, who find deep in their being a voice that says, “Do not put your faith in another. Get about helping yourself!”

Those who call on Jesus call on someone who stepped into the consciousness of the Christ, of that infinite wisdom, an incarnation of God. Is Krishna an incarnation of God? Of course he is! We are all talking about beings of consciousness that have traveled before us and are available to us according to how our soul calls. There are those too that have to do it themselves, but we are all doing the same thing. It’s an awareness of the higher self (Atman) and an awareness of connection with the all, the cosmic soul (Brahman). And it’s ok to get help upon the way.

It’s about learning to love a little more. In her book Love Without End, Glenda Green spoke of her conversations with Jesus. To Jesus, the heart is sacred. He said that it integrates your own unique character with that which is beyond your own comprehension. She goes on to tell us that Jesus said that the highest intelligence is love itself. “Love alone holds the ultimate secrets and solution of existence.” Repeat, “Love alone holds the ultimate secrets and solution of existence.” If you have an experience with Jesus or Krishna, it is love. If you look inside yourself for answers, it is love you have found.

If you want to do it through Jesus, thank God! If you want to do it through Krishna or Hindu chants or through lighting the candles of a menorah, thank God! You are the love of the divine, here, now! Live it! Experience it! Enjoy it!

June 24, 2012 – The Heart Path to the Christ

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6/24/12 Rev. David McArthur

The Heart Path to the Christ

There are those who, in great pain, have prayed to Jesus for help and have gotten it. Others have prayed to Krishna and have touched incredible love. Some do not attribute this beautiful, powerful experience to Jesus, Buddha, or Krishna, and yet their experience is very real. There are those, too, who find deep in their being a voice that says, “Do not put your faith in another. Get about helping yourself!”

Those who call on Jesus call on someone who stepped into the consciousness of the Christ, of that infinite wisdom, an incarnation of God. Is Krishna an incarnation of God? Of course he is! We are all talking about beings of consciousness that have traveled before us and are available to us according to how our soul calls. There are those too that have to do it themselves, but we are all doing the same thing. It’s an awareness of the higher self (Atman) and an awareness of connection with the all, the cosmic soul (Brahman). And it’s ok to get help upon the way.

It’s about learning to love a little more. In her book Love Without End, Glenda Green spoke of her conversations with Jesus. To Jesus, the heart is sacred. He said that it integrates your own unique character with that which is beyond your own comprehension. She goes on to tell us that Jesus said that the highest intelligence is love itself. “Love alone holds the ultimate secrets and solution of existence.” Repeat, “Love alone holds the ultimate secrets and solution of existence.” If you have an experience with Jesus or Krishna, it is love. If you look inside yourself for answers, it is love you have found.

If you want to do it through Jesus, thank God! If you want to do it through Krishna or Hindu chants or through lighting the candles of a menorah, thank God! You are the love of the divine, here, now! Live it! Experience it! Enjoy it!

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June 17, 2012 – The Father Principle

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6/17/12 Rev. David McArthur

Father’s Day! Becoming a father is when the spiritual journey really begins!

What ‘father’ really is, in part, is pure divine principle, immutable law, that, in love, does not support choices of self destruction, even when that means telling a child who is an addict that they are not welcome in the family any longer. It is the divine love which accepts accountability. Yet it is there when the choice is made to leave the destructive living behind.

It is “fathering” an organization which reaches out and touches the world, calling forth the highest, holding a vision of what can be. It is having a commitment to the love and abundance which lead us through difficult times. It is being the instrument of that divine principle.

One of the purposes of a father is to see who we really are and acknowledge that in us, to call forth in us who we really are because there was that love that had called him forth to be who he really was.

There is divine energy flowing through the universe and life. It is a pulse in us when we are “on purpose”. When it flows through us, transformation takes place and the universe is changed. We don’t know how.

The divine ‘father’ principle is in you, whether you are a man or a woman. See the light in others, see the purpose and the light flowing through them. What is there is Father, God. Call it forth again and again.

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June 17, 2012 – The Father Principle

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6/17/12 Rev. David McArthur

Father’s Day! Becoming a father is when the spiritual journey really begins!

What ‘father’ really is, in part, is pure divine principle, immutable law, that, in love, does not support choices of self destruction, even when that means telling a child who is an addict that they are not welcome in the family any longer. It is the divine love which accepts accountability. Yet it is there when the choice is made to leave the destructive living behind.

It is “fathering” an organization which reaches out and touches the world, calling forth the highest, holding a vision of what can be. It is having a commitment to the love and abundance which lead us through difficult times. It is being the instrument of that divine principle.

One of the purposes of a father is to see who we really are and acknowledge that in us, to call forth in us who we really are because there was that love that had called him forth to be who he really was.

There is divine energy flowing through the universe and life. It is a pulse in us when we are “on purpose”. When it flows through us, transformation takes place and the universe is changed. We don’t know how.

The divine ‘father’ principle is in you, whether you are a man or a woman. See the light in others, see the purpose and the light flowing through them. What is there is Father, God. Call it forth again and again.

June 10, 2012 – Lighting the Torch of the Soul

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6/10/12 Rev. Susan Galvan

Lighting the Torch of the Soul

Lighting the Torch of the Soul is bringing the heart’s core out into the open. So often, because of our busy-ness, we put it on the back burner until, late in life, it’s still “in the closet” and we are filled with regret. What brings us power to live in the light—in the Christ consciousness?

To do it, stop. At a mosque, each person upon entering, stops and washes off the outside life and leaves their shoes inside the door, so as not to bring the world with them into the holy space. So stop, and leave your world and go into your empty space.

Then get quiet. Come into the moment—no past; no future—step out of your exhausting story into where you are clear and still. Where your heart knows no limits. Experience that warmth of love. It is always there within, whether we are in it or not. It is where nothing is missing or needs fixing or re-arranging. Experience the lightness of being and gratitude which lifts the heart. Where you are at peace.

Next, appreciate your abundance, even the traumas you had which are part of what got you to this point. And appreciate each other. We each need an ally, a friend to point out our blind spots, to bring us back. This is not a solo journey. Together we move to where we want to be. Support each other’s dreams. Do not practice “dream-icide” upon yourself or others.

Finally we each need a plan. It might change, but follow. How do we recognize our plan—that we are manifesting the Christ consciousness? It’s when we light up. It’s doing things for which we are enthusiastic (en-theos, which is Greek for “filled with God”). It’s doing things that energize us. Remember you don’t have to know how, just what. In expressing your heart’s core values wonderful things do happen in ways never expected. Keep listening, opening, following. Affirm, “I am open and willing to allow the Christ to express in me, through me, as me!” “I am open and willing to allow the Christ to express in me, through me, as me!”

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June 10, 2012 – Lighting the Torch of the Soul

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6/10/12 Rev. Susan Galvan

Lighting the Torch of the Soul is bringing the heart’s core out into the open. So often, because of our busy-ness, we put it on the back burner until, late in life, it’s still “in the closet” and we are filled with regret. What brings us power to live in the light—in the Christ consciousness?

To do it, stop. At a mosque, each person upon entering, stops and washes off the outside life and leaves their shoes inside the door, so as not to bring the world with them into the holy space. So stop, and leave your world and go into your empty space.

Then get quiet. Come into the moment—no past; no future—step out of your exhausting story into where you are clear and still. Where your heart knows no limits. Experience that warmth of love. It is always there within, whether we are in it or not. It is where nothing is missing or needs fixing or re-arranging. Experience the lightness of being and gratitude which lifts the heart. Where you are at peace.

Next, appreciate your abundance, even the traumas you had which are part of what got you to this point. And appreciate each other. We each need an ally, a friend to point out our blind spots, to bring us back. This is not a solo journey. Together we move to where we want to be. Support each other’s dreams. Do not practice “dream-icide” upon yourself or others.

Finally we each need a plan. It might change, but follow. How do we recognize our plan—that we are manifesting the Christ consciousness? It’s when we light up. It’s doing things for which we are enthusiastic (en-theos, which is Greek for “filled with God”). It’s doing things that energize us. Remember you don’t have to know how, just what. In expressing your heart’s core values wonderful things do happen in ways never expected. Keep listening, opening, following. Affirm, “I am open and willing to allow the Christ to express in me, through me, as me!” “I am open and willing to allow the Christ to express in me, through me, as me!”

June 3, 2012 – From Pet Peeves to Peace

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6/3/12 Rev. David McArthur

There’s a down-side to our spiritual growth, which is knowing we can and need to transform our feelings of frustration, irritation, even rage; our Pet Peeves.

We spend so much time in non-peace—hostility, anger, upset, Righteous Indignation!—but it’s lying to ourselves. It’s not harmony; we don’t feel our spiritual truth. We need to shift, to get to the heart. We know how. And we now know we can extend that shift to those around us so that we are in harmony together.

But when we do shift, we ask ourselves, “Why did I wait all that time?” It’s because when we indulge in our pet peeves, it feels good! But we stay out of our peace. And by practicing our little peeves that don’t matter we build up our non-peace pettiness to have when it does matter. So ask yourself, “What am I here for?”

There is something within each of us that, the longer we are on our spiritual journey, the more loudly it calls to us. Jesus taught that the Christ peace is from within, from the being that you really are. Look at the little things. When you move in peace you are that presence which moves through you.

When the Roman soldiers arrested Jesus, and one had an ear cut off, Jesus healed it, saying, “No more of this.” No more hostility, it was time to heal. Because of that beautiful peace in all of us, we hear, “no more of this; time to heal.” It is time we go about this. Get out of your irritation and into peace. Focus on your heart and go to that love and compassion there. You can have compassion for someone who doesn’t know any better. Gandhi quickly forgave the ruffians who beat him up, realizing they did not know any better. They did not know, either, the feeling of seeing the beauty in another.

Am I here to add to the tensions of this world or to add peace? It’s my choice.

For this week shift from irritation to peace at every opportunity because you are the peace. It is not the peace which you are finding, but the real YOU. “I am the presence of peace here and now.” Because it is who you really are. Yes you are, and you are magnificent!

May 27, 2012 – Celebrating the Gifts and the Source

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5/27/12 Rev. David McArthur

We are spiritual beings, working on expanding our awareness, but our minds focus on the concrete. If you really want to know, you have to give up your judgment of how things look. Jesus said, “Do not work for food which spoils, but food which does not spoil.” It starts by a shift to awareness of the Source, from which the goodness flows. A shift to the awareness of your connection to the presence of the divine. When you focus on the giver, the Source, the true gifts are known.

Even in great pain from losing a loved one or from suffering tremendous guilt, value the beautiful life there. See the gift that was given. See the gift in the willingness of an addict to say, “I need help.” See the gift of those who can provide the skills for recovery and healing. God is good all the time. When we see the real gifts, we recognize the source and can touch it with our hearts.

You might ask, is there goodness when a wonderful being dies young? A life whose promise would never be fulfilled? You hear the answer, “It’s only God, and God is absolute goodness, so it’s all good.” That’s a hard teaching. But would you rather not have had the wonderful time with this person just to avoid your sorrow? What was there was the gift of goodness. It doesn’t mean we don’t travel through pain, through loss. But when we see the real gift, we touch the soul. Look for the real gift, even if the part of the journey you are on is difficult now. Look for the Giver, the Source, always there caring for you throughout your life.

Enjoy the gift; enjoy the giver!

May 20, 2012 – Pinocchio – The Choice That Leads to Mastery

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5/20/12 Rev. David McArthur

We desire to master the material realm to draw forth all we need so we can accomplish what we came for, and to master our spiritual being to bring forth our very highest. In a marvelous story, “Pinocchio”, Geppetto, a creator symbol, brings forth this limited being, Pinocchio. Given life, he first has to master the experience of growth. He joyfully goes to school, but this is a world of choice and, like we do, Pinocchio gets sidetracked by fame and fortune. When he wants to go back home, he isn’t allowed to leave; he is caged. There is something which happens when we give our power to something outside of ourselves– we can’t go home.

Jesus said, “You cannot serve two masters.” Not both faith and things. Pinocchio goes back to school—but then, again, leaves for Pleasure Island. He joins a group which tells him what to want. When our validation comes from outside, we lie to ourselves. What will fulfill you? Out there, “they” tell you, expressing their ideas. We want to cover up our fears by getting “their” approval. We need to learn self awareness, become aware that we had been experiencing “fact”, not cause.

We are not our animal body. We were on our journey long before developing that. Pinocchio, expressing his animal awareness, becomes a donkey and has to go down into the mine to work, out of the light. It wasn’t easy, but he ran from the island. He returns home, but it is empty, Geppetto is not there. This is one of the most difficult parts of our journey. It is the dark night of the soul, when you look within and do not find a presence there. It is when we have entered into the density, the belief that we find validation without. We have looked outward because the fear of lack and separation is greater than awareness of our God. You have to look deep into your fears in your subconscious, the ocean, and Monstro, the whale dives deep. Pinocchio, swallowed by the whale, finds Creator—Geppetto—who doesn’t become powerful and make everything better—no, he just loves Pinocchio, just the way he is. Love transforms Pinocchio, and the presence flows through him. He builds a fire, the transformative power, which provides the way out. Pinocchio dies (to the belief he is the physical) but is brought back to life by the Blue fairy, who brings awareness of his spiritual power. From choosing love, he becomes a real live boy, as we become real live spiritual beings able to allow the flow of love within, of overcoming fear of lack and separation.  We came to take the part of real live spiritual beings, and live “happily ever after”.