May 27, 2012 – Celebrating the Gifts and the Source


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


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”.

May 13, 2012 – The Divine Mother Feeling


5/13/12 Rev. David McArthur

There are many paths of spiritual growth. Motherhood is one of them. Fondly, we recall our mothers’ counsel and comfort. “If this is the worst thing that happens to us today, then we’ll be ok.” “If you ever want something, come and talk to me.” And even on her deathbed, one mother rallied herself to open her eyes and tell her daughter, “Everything is just fine.”

Author Patricia Grabow, recounting some of the most difficult times in her life, stated, “There’s something about hugging your mother after you’ve come through a bad time yourself.” When you hug your mother, you are stepping into the energy, the aura, that is Mother—the expression of divine mother. You are in the arms of the one who has said, “Yes, I’ll be mother to you.” No matter the journey and mistakes you’ve made. It is tangible. You can feel the love.

Your mother is that expression. It is an amazing gift to you that she allows the divine presence of love to flow through her in spite of her difficulties. Sometimes, struggling through difficult patterns herself, her ability to allow the flow was severely limited; sometimes she was just not able to allow the flow at all. As you recall those moments, hold yourself in compassion; hold your mother in compassion. Open to that divine mother who gave birth to your divine, infinite being. Allow that love to heal you and to heal your mother.

And there is always mother’s wisdom. No mother would put their child to bed on the top bunk in Super man jammies. Even as the family around the dinner table complains of their many failures that day, she declares “Let’s celebrate! If it’s true that from our biggest failures we learn the most, then today was great—we learned a lot!” It is that you were loved by Mom just because you are. She lets that divine love flow through to you.

We all have this divine mother in us. Affirm, “The divine mother’s love fills my heart and flows through my life!” That makes this a very happy and blessed Mother’s Day. Bless you!

May 6, 2012 – Tithing – Tool of Abundance


5/6/12 Rev. David McArthur

There’s more than just meditation. There are other tools. Chas. Fillmore, in Prosperity, said “It is perfectly logical to assume that a wise and competent Creator would provide for the needs of His creatures in their various stages of growth… Temporal needs would be met by temporal things, mental needs by things of like character, and spiritual needs by spiritual elements.” In the physical, the spiritual tool is giving. The primary, central tool is tithing to open to and touch that level of vibration, but the teaching of tithing has been much abused.

Tithing is protective in nature, not allowing us to get involved with lack. When you start, you shift your relationship with God. You’re saying, “I know I’ll be taken care of, so I can give this back to God.” It affects all aspects. Finances stabilize. You shift from a frightened child asking for protection, to that of an adult partnering with God. It’s not about winning the lottery, but of getting on with your life. There is nothing that isn’t already given you. You are loved whether you tithe or not. The question is, are you going to let it flow through you or will you “get and hold”? It’s about “attunement”. There is only one mind.

A Quaker church in the 1940’s experimented with the law, and planted one cubic inch of wheat. After tithing it’s yield they planted the remaining 9/10’s. They continued for six years. The tithe alone at the end exceeded what would have normally been the whole amount gained without tithing! A mathematician among them projected that if the process continued for 6 more years, there was not enough land on earth to plant the twelfth year’s 9/10 of wheat.

Are you willing to have an expanded flow in your life? Malachi 3:10, “ ‘Test me in this,’ says the Lord Almighty, ‘and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.’ ”