April 26, 2011

We stand in the present moment, in the now. It doesn’t matter where we are; we are always in the present moment, nowhere else. And anything we experience is in the present moment, nowhere else. So any effect we experience is in the present moment. Since cause and effect are one, the cause of any effect or experience is in the present moment. Any effect can be healed when we realize the cause is present when the effect is. A miracle is always now! It stands already here in present grace in the only interval of time that fear and separation overlook. It’s no wonder we miss the miracles washing over us at any given present moment.

If we realize the cause of any effect is in the present moment, we know we can change the cause, even if we think the cause is in the past. Since the past is over, gone, and not real now, we can change the cause that brings the unpleasant effect in this moment. If we think the cause was in the past, we know it isn’t the cause of the present effect.

If the effect is fear, we may think that something caused that fear in our past. But today, that idea that caused that fear is not true because we realize our fears are caused only by our thoughts in this moment. Right now, in this moment, I can change the thought about why I am afraid and realize that my fear was unfounded. I may have a mistaken thought or deduction, or I may have believed and idea that someone taught me about why I should be afraid.

Every moment is a new present moment in this life. Whatever went before it is over and done. Each moment is fresh and a new start. Each moment is unencumbered by the previous. The miracle of a new thought comes every moment. A new choice is presented with every new moment. We have the choice to let go of our old past thoughts that caused fear in our minds and see a new effect caused by the choice to see with the vision of Spirit. Or perhaps all w can do is be wiling to entertain the idea that there is a vision from Spirit to see with. When we are so caught up in the way we have always seen and thought about things, it is easy to overlook the present moment and the Truth it is holding out to us. But, we must be in the present moment and look in the present moment to see and experience all that God has placed within us and the peace love and joy of knowing who we really are. Let go and let the blessing of Love wash over you.

April 19, 2011

When we think of salvation, we usually think of it as something that comes in the future. We also think of heaven as a place we go in the future. Some have a goal to become enlightened in this lifetime. All of these ideas come from our tendency to cling to the idea that time and space are real. We think that our forgiveness of each other or even of ourselves will show a result at some time yet to come. While this idea may seem to manifest itself in this way, it is certainly not a given, not a truth.

The real world, the world where God abides, and therefore we abide because we are One with God, is not a world of time and space. It is exempt from the limitations of time and space. The world of Oneness is the world of Now, this moment. There is no other time or space than the present moment. All else is a memory, the past, or the future, a projection. Understanding this idea, or at least being willing to entertain the thought that this idea might be possible, is essential in understanding salvation. If we are One with God, we must live in the real world God created, not the world of our own making. But, we are so used to the world of our own making we have lost sight and touch with the world that is actually ours. We have lost sight and touch with the Divinely created world we actually are living in, but fail to recognize.

Salvation is the recognition of the God created world we are really living in. It is the remembrance of the reality of who we really are and the reality that we are all One with God and each other. It is the recognition that we are whole as God created us and that we never left that holy relationship, even thought we denied it for a time. In this moment, which is the only aspect of time that is real, salvation reassembles all that we are, all that we ever were, and all that we ever will be into the One Self we are. This Self can never be separated, can never be defiled, and can never be hurt. This Self is the Divine reality of who we really are.

At this time of Easter, the time of resurrection, we remember that Jesus showed us we are not limited by the body. Jesus showed us that life is everlasting and cannot be snuffed out by physical death. Yes, the body will pass from us. It is inevitable in the physical world. But life does not end in the falling away of the body. Life is not limited by the idea of time or space. Life is now. Life is not in the past or the future. Life is in the present moment. Salvation is the process by which we remember who we really are. It is the little willingness we give to allow Spirit to remind us of who we really are and who our brothers and sisters really are and that we are all One with God. Be in the present moment and allow salvation to heal you and so heal all the world.

Happy Easter! We invite you to join us this Sunday, April 24^th at 11:00 am for our Easter Celebration at MCC San Jose in the Fireside Room at Grace Baptist Church. You are also welcome to join us for breakfast hosted by Grace Baptist Church at 9:30 am in the Fireside Room.

April 12, 2011

God’s gift to us is limitless. All is possible in that gift. There is no circumstance that cannot be addressed, no problem that cannot be solved, and no wrong that cannot be made right. The gracious light of God shines in its radiant love on all of creation, melting away each shadow we think we see and that we think holds us back.

The power of God is ours for the natural use of all of us. God’s power is mighty above all else, yet gentle kind, and loving in its gracious love of all. Recognizing that light within us is the recognition of our true Self. It is the remembering of the Self God created and the recognition of the Divine Presence within us we have always been and ever will be. Nothing can put out this light within us, for it is God’s Will that we be that light.

We are the only ones who doubt that light. We are the only ones who doubt the Divine Presence in each other. God has shown us the light of who we really are, reminding us of our Creation and God has Willed us to recognize that same Divinity within each other, bringing salvation to our brothers and sisters as we recognize it in ourselves. What a gift we give each other in this world, to release each other from the chains of separation and specialness. We allow each other to be freed into the awareness of our limitlessness. We place ourselves in the awareness of the abundance of our Oneness, knowing we are united in our reality.

May we let go of the temptation to wall ourselves off from the Oneness of God. May we let go of our attack thoughts, our thoughts of lack, and our thoughts of limitedness. Look to each other and see in each one the light of the Divine Presence pouring through each one’s eyes, reflecting back to us the Light of God that shines brightly within us. God Wills us be who we really are. So how could we possibly be anything other than that? Just for a moment, stop and be still. The ancient call of the One is there in our ears, in our mind. Welcome that call and recognize the Love of God that radiates through all of Creation around and within us. Be aware. This is our home, this is our salvation, this is the moment we are aware of who we really are and recognize we are One with God and each other.

April 5, 2011

We are creators as God is Creator. We are co-creators with God. God created us so and so we must be so still as the creation never leaves its Source. The creation remains one with the creator as they can never be separate. Creation’s law is such; that each idea the mind conceives only adds to its abundance, never takes away. This is true no matter what our thought, no matter what our wish. We can deceive ourselves about who we are, but we can never make ourselves what we are not.

The miracle of healing, the reawakening of our Oneness with God and each other, is dependent on the understanding that cause and effect are one. We have been taught and learned that they are separate. If we strive to heal the effects in our lives without the cause, we will only shift the effect to other forms. We tend to mistake the effects of separation for the causes of separation. If we can never be separated from God, how could we possibly be separated? Our mistake is that we thought we could be separated in the first place. As long as we think we can be separated, we can never heal the separation. The root cause is merely our own thought that we ever could be separated and that idea is in direct conflict with creation’s law.

What is true will always be true. Whatever ideas or perceptions we have get in the way of that truth and may distract us from that truth for a time, but we always hold that truth deep within us. Perhaps we have forgotten it is there, or we have believed that our mistaken perception is true, but no thought can change the truth of our Oneness with our Creator. Once we are willing to look at the possibility hat the cause of our separation is the ideas and thoughts we believe, we can change the root cause of our unhappiness; our belief that we actually can be separated.

Every moment is the perfect time to let this mistaken thought change. We can wish again to be One with God   We can be just a little willing to let the idea of Oneness with God be true. This miracle is possible when we listen to the call of the ancient memory within us. We recognize that call and the reminder it speaks of. The memory of who we really are comes flooding back to us. And we recognize the Oneness of God, each other and ourselves in that moment. Let it be so.