For Sunday December 29th, 2019

Hello to all, humans divide energy into arbitrary fragments. We choose this, that, and other to define all we observe. Everything is separated and labeled into easy-to-think-of categories. It is this, our concept of separation, which gives rise to conflict.

And yet, similar to waves on an ocean, all energies are part of a unitary movement, a completeness from which nothing can be separated, a Oneness. If we dispense with separation and learn Oneness, we can solve conflict.

May we sit this evening to see with the widest possible clarity. May we see separation as an illusion. May we absorb into Oneness.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday December 22nd, 2019 - I forgot to attach this image

For Sunday December 22nd, 2019

Hello everyone, what happens when you say, "I love you," to your own heart? This simple act of self-healing can bring a sense of ease, and fortitude in difficult times.

In this sometimes chaotic, battered world it can be a chance to 'catch our breath'.

May we sit this evening for our very personal selves. May we bring ourselves to peace within. May we breathe in love.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday December 15th, 2019

Hello all, Krishnamurti claims that wisdom is born of an abundance of compassion, and further, compassion comes from knowing our innate connection. 

Proof of Krishnamurti's comment can be seen in the current propensity toward separation and division. You can watch it nullify compassion and push us away from wisdom. To counter this we each have the opportunity to see some piece of ourselves in every other person we meet, and treat them accordingly.

May we sit this Sunday for the connections we all share. May we treat each other as fellow humans. May we love one another as we are loved.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday December 8th, 2019

Hello everyone, perhaps not absolute saints but the rest of us can be seen as having two motivators. There is a part of us which is continuously connected to Universal Consciousness, and there is a part which has been consciously separated from Universal Consciousness, our personal ego. The need, for those who strive to love outwardly, is to identify where our daily impulses are coming from.

The fruits of the ego, anger, fear, and revenge, are powerful, addictive, and temporarily satisfying. But the fruits of the spirit bring contentment, an encompassing satisfaction, inner peace, and kindness toward self and others.

May we sit this Sunday for the capacity to identify and choose well from among the impulses that arise in our lives. May we have the courage to search for higher guidance, and the strength to follow it.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday December 1st, 2019

Hello everyone, there are thousands of years of teachings about how to make the world a better place. They all agree on how to do it – make yourself better.

If every drop of ocean water could and would self clean, the entire world's oceans would be immaculate.

May we sit this Sunday for the beauty, insight, wisdom, and love required to self-clean. May we see ourselves clearly and have the courage to act. May our inner work be in keeping with Divine Will.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday November 24th, 2019

Hello everyone, Vincent Van Gogh says. "The heart of man is very much like the sea, it has its storms, it has its tides, and in its depths it has its pearls too." 

Harsh antagonistic attitudes of individuals create the storms. The swing and sway of public opinion can be as regular as the tides. And the pearls, the true pearls of the heart are found in the many strangers who pitch in to help each other in times of disaster. 

May we sit this Sunday for those who are caught up in natural disasters, for those caught up in disasters of their own making, and for the beautiful friends and strangers who willingly dive in to be of help.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday November 17th, 2019

Hello everyone, science tells us that all the planets, stars, and galaxies are in their exact positions because all of the others are in their own exact positions. It is the great harmony of nature, the great balance inherent within Universal Consciousness.

Humans, with the free will to separate themselves from Universal Consciousness, have drawn themselves out of balance with a love of power, wealth, and the various attractions of material sensations.

Yet the connection to Universal Consciousness is still there. It can be found in an appreciation of nature, the laughter of a child, and in meditation.

May we sit this evening for our own connection. May we find our internal balance. May we 'set things right' within our own hearts.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday November 10th, 2019

Hello to all, the entities of the higher realms have an exquisite love for us, in spite of some horrific human foibles on our part. The depth and purity of their love allows them the ability to accept our shortcomings.

We would do well to try for the same. If we strive to look lovingly upon those who do harm, as we are loved, we bring ourselves closer to the prophesied goal of Oneness on Earth. 

May we sit this evening for the ability to reach beyond our limited foibles. May we find a love which encompasses all. May Divine Will be our constant guide.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday November 3rd, 2019

Hello everyone, the preciousness of life doesn't change. We can have good days and difficult times. We can have personal glory and be made to feel a fool. But the preciousness of life remains.

We have been gifted with a place to get this schooling, to learn such lessons. We've been given an opportunity to apply ourselves to grace in difficult times.

Let us sit this Sunday with the awareness of where we are, of what we've been given, and of what we've been challenged with; to bring the beauty of heaven into this world.

Thank you to all who bring good news,

Richard

For Sunday October 27th, 2019

Hello to everyone, as long as a sense of separation remains within us we will continue to have the problems we now face in the world. There is a deep 'knowing' available, to all of us, of the interconnectedness of all people. It is our long-prophesied hope.

Practicing forgiveness, compassion, and gratitude brings us closer to knowing that connection.

May we sit this evening for the fullness for which our hearts yearn. May our many connections become clear to us. May Divine Will be done.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday October 20th, 2019

Hello to all, history shows that humanity is moving away from the acquisition and application of external power – from the divine right of kings, to the signing of the Magna Carta, to the end of slavery, to suffragettes, to civil rights, to Tiananmen Square, to the Arab Spring; and toward the authentic power of the heart, with the acknowledgement of the sacredness of human life. 

There are still hold-outs, desperately clinging to money, political influence, and military might. But the arc of history will complete itself. The human heart will shine through because compassion is not a luxury, it is a necessity for life. Compassion may well begin from pain, but achieves its fullness in joy.

May we sit this Sunday the 20th for the opportunity to engage compassionately with others. May we bring forth the best of our hearts - to someday arrive at joy.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday October 13th, 2019

Hello everyone, it is possible to love someone who is in a state of fear, and if they are angry. It's even possible to love someone despite whatever 'wrongs' they may have committed.

Doing so can be called the beginnings of unconditional love, reaching out to others. It's also essential to do so for ourselves. 

The self-honesty which brings an awareness of our own internal difficulties is also a loving doorway for viewing the same difficulties in others. Then the forgiveness we wish for ourselves, once given, can be extended.

May we sit this evening for our own forgiveness. May we extend it to others. May we begin to touch upon Unconditional Love.

Thank you all,

Richard

Re: For Sunday October 6th, 2019

Hello to all, the following quote was written in 1921, after WWI; published in 1946, after WWII; and still holds true today:
"The world has not been prepared to accept or even comprehend the new cosmology until now... The world needed to suffer to in order to understand the simplest of universal principles, the unity of man with man and with God. The world of men had to reap the harvest of its seeds of hate, selfishness, and greed it had been sowing for centuries. It had to reap this harvest in order to learn that universal law is inevitable and inescapable."

So we are teaching ourselves, apparently through the process of elimination, that nothing else works.

May we sit this Sunday for what is variously known as Universal Law, Ultimate Truth, connection to Source, the One way, Oneness, and many other cultural names. May we connect within ourselves. May we bring it forth on Earth.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday September 29th, 2019

Hello to everyone, no kindness is ever wasted however small it may be. Even the effect of a simple honest smile, given once, lives on within who is smiled at. 

Imagine for a moment a straight line running from now into the distant future. Now imagine another line starting from exact the same place but angled just a tiny bit, only a fraction of a degree. In the years of our lives the final outcome of those two lines can be far, far apart. 

That's what a simple honest smile can do over the course of a lifetime. You don't know until the end how much change you've actually made with it. 

May we sit this Sunday for the smiles we give and share, for laughter which may come, and for the tender lives we touch in loving ways. 

Thank you, 

Richard

For Sunday September 22nd, 2019

Hello to everyone, weather intensity is increasing around the globe and lava has erupted in urban areas of Hawaii. Is this only a scientific phenomenon or is Gaia trying to scratch an itch?

The phrase 'minimum level of spiritual glue' refers to the lowest amount of human compassion required to keep the planet operating smoothly. If we see Earth as a living thing, capable of experiencing a degree of irritation; and we see human compassion as a healing force – then we have a responsibility in this world.
Prior generations may have described this concept as 'punishment or reward from God' but a more enlightened view carries less victimship and more of a call to action. 

May we sit this evening for the value of honest, heart-felt compassion.  May we see the lost souls of the world as brothers and sisters. May we be the Light we were born to be. 

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday September 15th, 2019

Hello everyone, a sebaceous cyst can be growing beneath the surface of skin without causing discomfort. It can grow quite large before some discomfort is noticed. It's when the cyst begins spewing it's contents that it really gets attention. Ironically, this messiness is an essential piece of the healing process.

A similar healing process may be at work in our society today. We are seeing a lot of messy, disgusting spew-age as old angers, frustrations, and biases are brought to the surface and being exposed. 

Our job is to acknowledge the expression and be the anti-biotic. We won't be able to 'Pollyanna' our way out of this. It will take work as our own angers, frustrations, and biases are triggered. Again, we must acknowledge the process and apply the anti-biotic of self-honesty and spiritual growth. 

May we sit tonight for the strength and courage to face others gracefully. May we face our own shortcomings gracefully. May Grace be attained and endure.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday September 8th, 2019

Hello to everyone, Confucius said:
If your plan is for 1 year, plant rice.
If your plan is for 10 years, plant trees.
If your plan is for 100 years – educate children.

To look at this in spiritual terms we must look deeper and deeper into what spirituality actually is. We may well know that the standard 'church' model of God being a punisher is insufficient. And, that's it's all to easy to become fascinated with the 'gee-whiz' of psychic phenomena. In truth, the closer you move toward pure spirituality the closer you are to loving unconditionally. This is what we must bring to all we touch.

May we sit this evening to set aside the myriad distractions of life. May quietness come to us. May love grow.

Namaste`,

Richard

For Sunday September 1st, 2019

Hello everyone, it is possible to love a spiritually lost perpetrator of dis-ease, someone who lives in a state of fear and anger. It's even possible to love someone if they have hurt you personally. Doing so is an essential step toward unconditional love, loving outwardly to others. 

And, it's essential to do the same for ourselves.

The self-honesty which brings an awareness of our own internal difficulties is also an invitation to love others despite their human frailties. The forgiveness we wish for ourselves can be extended from us to all others.

May we sit this evening for our own forgiveness. May we extend it to all of humanity. May we begin to touch upon Unconditional Love.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday August 25th, 2019

Hello to all, the Dalai Lama tells us that our enemies are our greatest teachers because they show us the places where we are less than loving. We do not have to agree with nor approve of their words and actions, but an understanding of Oneness propels us to view them spiritually. 

In this way we can pray for them. In this way we can see them as part of the entirety. In the way of 'the last shall be first and the first shall be last' we can see them equally. 

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday August 11th, 2019

Hello everyone, a belief in the use of external power and an imagined sense of superiority are a dangerous combination. It can lead a lost soul to commit horrid crimes against their fellow human beings. On the other hand, one of the guidelines for discerning the depth of spirituality in a life is how satisfied and content the person is.

How we view horrid crimes tells us something about ourselves. Does our initial anger and outrage dissolve into prayers for the victims, quite naturally, but also for the lost souls who perpetrate such things?

The biblical phrase 'the first shall be last and the last shall be first' can be seen to indicate that in the realms outside of time everyone will return 'home' in the same moment.

May we sit this Sunday for the perspective that we're all in this together, that whatever happens to a single person also happens to all humanity, that whatever is expressed by a single person also comes from all of humanity. Ho'oponopono.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday August 4th, 2019

Hello to everyone, self-awareness is a difficult and often painful path. Our inner conflicts can be embarrassing to discover, to uncover, and to share. One way of avoiding this inner and seemingly torment filled route is to follow some image of authority, by relinquishing our necessary and challenging inner work to follow preset rules we trade true happiness for temporary comfort.

But authority creates power which corrupts the leader and blinds the follower. It leads us away from the matter of our inner issues and gives a balm which fades over time.

May we sit this Sunday for the courage to dig in. May we see ourselves clearly and lovingly. May such love fully 'be' on this Earth.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 28th, 2019

Hello to everyone, many generations ago a Chinese sage named Chaung Chou dreamed he was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes fully a butterfly. He was conscious only of his happiness as a butterfly, unaware that he was Chou. After awakening there he was, fully himself again. At that point he did not know whether he was then a man who had dreamed he was a butterfly, or whether he was then a butterfly dreaming of being a man.

In this life we often find it difficult to understand the thinking and opinions of other people. Yet here is anecdotal evidence of fully becoming a completely different species. Perhaps this indicates the level of connection which actually exists in the our world, but we typically fail to attain.

May we sit this evening with awareness of a grand underlying connection. May we see how we block ourselves in, holding ourselves away from each other. May we open ourselves to the foundation of our universe.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 21st, 2019

Hello everyone, 'the overview effect' is NASA's name to describe the cognitive awareness change that many astronauts have experienced. 

"It is the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, "hanging in the void", shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. From space, national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide people become less important, and the need to create a planetary society with the united will to protect this "pale blue dot" becomes both obvious and imperative."

"It's hard to explain how amazing and magical this experience is. First of all, there's the astounding beauty and diversity of the planet itself, scrolling across your view at what appears to be a smooth, stately pace... I'm happy to report that no amount of prior study or training can fully prepare anybody for the awe and wonder this inspires." ~Kathryn D, NASA Astronaut (cited in Robinson et al., 2013, p.81)

"The thing that really surprised me was that it [Earth] projected an air of fragility. And why, I don't know. I don't know to this day. I had a feeling it's tiny, it's shiny, it's beautiful, it's home, and it's fragile."
— Michael Collins, Apollo 11

"If somebody'd said before the flight, 'Are you going to get carried away looking at the earth from the moon?' I would have say [sic], 'No, no way.' But yet when I first looked back at the Earth, standing on the moon, I cried." ~Alan Shepard, NASA Astronaut (cited in Nardo, 2014, p. 46)

Let us sit this Sunday for the beauty we all can experience when we are open.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 14th, 2019

Hello to everyone, the truth of unconditional love lives within us – we have covered it over with self-based biases, judgements, and attachments – but it is the unmistakable core of our being.

Returning to that core is essential, the Earth and humanity depend upon it.

May we sit this evening for even a glimpse of our cores. May we share the good we find. May we be a benefit to all by our very existence.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 7th, 2019

Hello to all, Loreena McKennitt's version of the ancient song Bonny Portmore is a cry for ecological wisdom.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hleg0nrh4x8
It tells of the selling off of all the trees on the 'bonny' isle of Portmore to England's shipping industry, and the deep sadness of that choice. 

As we can see in our own time, the headlong rush toward money and commerce can have irreversible effects.

May we sit for wisdom on Sunday night. May we find the strength and the courage to act with compassion. May the greater 'we' learn this lesson well.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 30th, 2019

Hello everyone, in this time of social and political discord it is well to maintain a greater perspective. All trees are different yet they work together to feed and protect each other, because nature is based on cooperation.

The essentials of life are the same all over; food, shelter, love, respect. To withhold these is to deny a natural order. 

May we sit this evening for the inner Light which illuminates our steps. May we have the courage to follow. May our choices be our blessings to the world.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 23rd. 2019

Hello all, the term 'coddiwomple' means to travel purposely toward an unknown destination, to embark on a journey without being sure of its end. We are told our spiritual journey is toward Oneness. But, not having been there we travel on faith. The future holds whatever it may hold and on we go.

May we sit this Sunday for the willingness to travel when our steps are unclear. May we be guided from our hearts, no matter how little we can see. May little beauties give us strength to move on to the greater Beauty beyond.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday June 16th, 2019

Hello everyone, when there is dissension within a family group it's the overall greater family love which keeps the difficulties from going a step too far, from breaking the bonds of the family. In 1861 the difficulties overwhelmed the love of family, and of country. The bonds were broken and war occurred.

What bonds need nurturing today?

May we sit for bonding that may occur when people are open. May we sit for bonding that can still be made with those who are un-ready to listen. May we strengthen the bonds we already have.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday June 9th, 2019

Hello to all, those whose desire is to love outwardly may well find the turmoil of the outward world distressing. Those who cling to external power as a way of fulfilling selfish desires have yet to learn a simple truth – the fruits of the spirit never spoil because love is the only true power.

Loving kindness, compassion, and harmlessness will secure the future for us all.

May we sit this evening for the personal strength and courage to be good shepherds during this spiritual transition.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday May 2nd, 2019

Hello everyone, to purposely choose someone who has done you harm, who has wronged you in some manner, and then decide to love them anyway, is to take a step toward Unconditional Love.

You cannot know the beauty that comes from such a decision without experiencing it first hand. To deeply, honestly, actively be loving to them is to bring a bit of God to Earth.

May we sit for the forgiveness which allows such love. May we forgive ourselves for any time we may have missed the mark in the past. May we love each other as ourselves.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday May 26th, 2019

Hello everyone, we all have opportunities to perform a loving action for someone else. It can be inconvenient for us to take on, or it can be for someone we find distasteful, or it can challenge our personal stereotypes and thinking patterns. But when the impulse comes from above we would do well to follow it as it can lead to a spiritual enhancement or upgrade of both parties. To not follow such impulses is to continue living without the upgrade and the beauty which ripples outward from it.

May we sit this evening for the ability to hear spiritual impulses, the courage to follow them, and the upgrades to the world which follows.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday May 19th, 2019

Hello to all, let us keep in mind that separation is an illusion. As we meet others, some of whom we will disagree with, let us see our greater connection rather than our divisions. If we could see deeply enough into other people, possibly through the 'windows of the soul', we would find much of our own lives reflected there; concerns, problems, joys, and love. 

May we sit this Sunday for that deeper sight. May we spend the time listening. May we look deeply. May we find ourselves in our searching.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday May 12th, 2019

Hello everyone, it has been said that one version of a perfect life is to be born highly spiritual as babies naturally are, losing that spirituality as a result of living life in this material world, then regaining that lost spirituality in your later years. 

This fits under the heading of a perfect life due to the vast learning process involved in moving from materiality to spirituality, and to the ineffable beauty of remembering the experience of ecstatic joy. 

May we sit this evening to further that process along. May we recognize what's available to us, open ourselves to the wonder of what can be, and give our will over to the freedom of Divine Will.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday May 5th, 2019

Hello everyone, laughter is under rated, sidelined to sitcom laugh tracks, kid's shows, and comedy clubs it's usefulness as a cleanser is easily missed. And, a quick look at the evening news will show how far we have to go before achieving conscious Oneness. There is serious work to be done. 

This is not to say that a light-hearted attitude is all that's needed get the job done or that you should view serious work light-heartedly. But, if you yourself are Light-hearted, you will do the much needed serious work far better.

Laughter yoga groups abound, somewhere below the mass public radar. They are cleansers of human fear and anxiety. Laugh each day, even if you don't feel like it – especially if you don't feel like it. And, once each week laugh until you get a belly-ache. The laughter may lead to crying and yawning, both excellent cleansers as well, but will leave you more free.

May we sit this Sunday with a smile. May this 'secret weapon' cleanse our attitudes. May these new attitudes bring us internal peace from which to do our work.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday April 28th, 2019

Hello to everyone, it is said that as the pure white Light of God shines through the stained glass window of your soul, your individual beauty is brought to shine upon the world. 

Our job is to keep the window clean, free of the scratches, dirt, and cloudiness which so easily poor forth from our human psychology and frailty. Personal discernment is essential.

May we sit this Sunday for the clarity of our shining. May we bring our personal beauty fully into the world. May God shine through us onto all others we meet. 

Thank you all,

Richard

A TED Talk that goes well with this evening:

https://www.ted.com/talks/casey_gerald_the_gospel_of_doubt?language=en#t-1071703 

For Sunday April 21st, 2019

Hello everyone, Charles Whitfield has defined humility as the willingness to learn more about ourselves, or in other words, the willingness to have doubt. Absolute surety can be a self-made prison as we search our way forward in this life. It can stop us from seeing and close us off to what is and what may be. Absolute surety can be the end of openness and wonder.

None of us can know the full truth. The true full truth is beyond human consumption. The human body cannot contain it. Yet it must be moved toward. 

May we sit this evening for the willingness to see ourselves clearly, without the obstruction of surety. May we trust in a higher good. May we reach out to touch that which cannot be seen, which can only be known in the realm of the heart.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday April 14th, 2019

Hello everyone, it is possible to love someone who is in a state of fear, and when they are angry. It's even possible to love someone despite how they may have hurt you personally. Doing so can be called the beginnings of unconditional love, of reaching out to others. It's also essential to do the same for ourselves. 

The self-honesty which brings an awareness of our own internal difficulties is also an invitation to love others despite their human frailties. The forgiveness we wish for ourselves can be extended to all others.

May we sit this evening for our own forgiveness. May we extend it to others. May we begin to touch upon Unconditional Love.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday April 7th, 2019

Hello to everyone, in his book The Seat of the Soul, Gary Zukav describes 'external power' as the use of military, financial, and legal processes as a means of controlling this world; and 'authentic power' as the spiritual realm of the human heart. He goes on to say that the long prophesied spiritual transformation of the Earth depends upon society, and whole countries, making the transition from a reliance upon external power to a full integration of the authentic power of the heart.

It begins with individuals. It begins with us. As we make our own personal transitions to authentic power, to guiding our lives with the deep intelligence of our hearts, we affect the world around us and bring us closer to that ancient promise of our own future.

May we sit this evening for the fulfillment of that ancient promise within ourselves. May our thoughts and actions bring it closer. May we create the foundation which we came here to build.

Thank you all,

Richard

With apologies, again!

Ok, so I just got back from a weekend of white water canoeing and am a bit tuckered out. That's why I forgot to put the date in the subject line of this week's focus. 

However, as a bonus treat, here's a video of me showing the bottom of my canoe to the sky yesterday. It's a bit blurry, but look for the red flash. It was very refreshing.

Love to all,

Richard

Hello everyone, the simplicity of this statement matches it's poignancy:
"At the most basic level, it's how we treat each other that will make the difference. As we recognize the extent of the pain and anger in the world, the importance of loving kindness becomes even clearer."

Those who annoy, those who injure, and all those who are lost, are still on their own personally crafted, but difficult, path to Oneness. May we sit this Sunday for the depth of courage and self-awareness required to extend loving-kindness to all.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday March 24th, 2019

Hello to all, we are told that the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit are charity (or love), joy, peace, patience, benignity (or kindness), goodness, longanimity (or long-suffering), mildness (or gentleness), faith, modesty, continency (or self-control), and chastity. These fruits would be well used in these turbulent times.

Not only ought we promote them within ourselves, but also celebrate them when found in others. 

May we sit this Sunday to attain the depth of spiritual connection which brings these gifts, and which the world needs so much. It's that simple, and that difficult.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday March 10th, 2019

Hello to all, the ancients tell us that the human 'surface mind' is a force of discord, pride, greed, infatuation, cruelty, and ignorance. And yet, as seeds become trees and caterpillars become butterflies, it can become more conscious. It can enter into lucid self-knowledge and realization of the Absolute Infinity within itself.

When we recognize that the Universal Mind which created and maintains the physical universe is far more trustworthy than our limited thoughts and opinions, then we can see others with more compassion. We are all 'on the path' in our own manner.

May we sit this Sunday for the deepening of our realization. May we see 'others' as part of the One. May our compassion spread over all.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday March 3rd, 2019

Hello everyone, no kindness is ever wasted however small it may be. Even the effect of a simple honest smile, given once, lives on within the receiver of it. 

Imagine for a moment a straight line running from now into the distant future. Now imagine another line starting from the same place but angled just a tiny bit, only a quarter of a degree.  In the years of our lives the final outcome of those two lines can be far, far apart. 

That's what a simple honest smile can do over the course of a lifetime. You don't know until the end how much change you've actually made with it.

May we sit this Sunday for the smiles we give and share, for laughter which may come, and for the tender lives we touch in loving ways. 

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday February 24th, 2019

Hello to all of you, someone recently noted that children will laugh and sing before they can talk, will draw before they can write, and will dance as soon as they can stand. The human need to express joy is endemic, built into us by design. 

This is why an honest smile can bridge massive gaps between people. It speaks to something deep within, something from our core.

May we sit this evening for our own joy. May we share it as comes to hand. May we bridge self-created divides with true purpose.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday February 17th, 2019

Hello everyone, imagine a tall slender flag pole stuck in the ground. Then imagine you push on one side over and over again with just the right timing. After awhile you can get it swinging back and forth a bit. If two or more join you the combined force becomes more powerful and you can really get it to sway.

This is a rough analogy for prayer. The vibrations which emanate from us will combine with others of the same frequency. The more pure our vibrations can be, free of the contaminations of the lower self, the more powerful they will be. So, our job is to pray at the highest level we can attain. 

Let us sit this Sunday for the purity of our efforts. May we find what we need to cleanse from within. May our efforts always be in keeping with Divine will.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday February 10th, 2019

Hello to all, sitting with the pain of tragedy is understandably uncomfortable. We tend to protect ourselves from the discomfort, sometimes by 'fixing' the tragedy with good intentions, sometimes by turning to blame and anger. Offering a 'fix' is to deny the pain while blame and anger creates a hardening in our hearts. 

Yet it is sitting with pain that can soften us. As an ancient saying goes, "God enters our lives through the wounds in our hearts." 

May we sit this Sunday to accept that tragedy occurs in this world. May we acknowledge it fully, and offer our love in return. May acknowledgement and love open our hearts, and lead us forward.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday February 3rd, 2019

Hello everyone, in today's world we often find ourselves drowning in information, gorging on emotional rhetoric, and yet starving for wisdom. If we seek 'foods' that include a sense of ethics, a degree of benevolence, unbiased judgment, human compassion, experiential self-knowledge, self-transcendence, and non-attachment; there we may find wisdom.

May we sit this evening for our own spiritual nutrition. May we discern that which is not fulfilling. And, may we find that which fills our hearts to over-flowing, that we may share with all.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday January 17th, 2019

Hello everyone, from the book "Living Your Divine Life" -- "The enlightened person perceives the Infinite Splendor of Divinity in all beings and the Christ's kingdom 'near you,' among you,' and 'within you.' This is a state of being where every thought and act in life is a spiritual exercise, and our reality is the thought of God manifest in human form." - Orest Bedrij 

It's clear that humanity is far from this divine goal. We tend to operate within an often unrecognized fog of prejudices, biases, self-absorbed desires, and many distractions. And yet - it is our destiny to attain exactly that ultimate spiritual reality.

May we sit this Sunday to release all things of the smaller self, that we may hear the whispers of the larger Self. May we remember that we are already One, and that separation is our own illusion. May we see far beyond ourselves.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday January 20th, 2019

Hello to all, as we come to see the Divine at work in all people and things, our hearts open and gratitude flourishes. It also works in reverse. Focusing upon gratitude opens our hearts, where Oneness emerges as through a fog.

Writer A.J. Jacobs started with something small, a simple cup of coffee. His efforts to thank those responsible for it took him around the world. 

https://www.ted.com/talks/aj_jacobs_my_journey_to_thank_all_the_people_responsible_for_my_morning_coffee#t-917095 

Oneness, being that it is an all encompassing One, can be approached from every direction that exists. May we approach it this Sunday evening from within. May we see that we are all connected, spiritually. May we act, knowing we are all connected in the physical as well.

Thank you all,

Richard

https://www.ted.com/talks/aj_jacobs_my_journey_to_thank_all_the_people_responsible_for_my_morning_coffee#t-917095

For Sunday January 13th, 2019

Hello to all, "We must recognize that the suffering of one person or one nation is the suffering of humanity." - Dalai Lama

For those who know we are all One; whether we inflict it, or condone it, or justify it, or allow it while looking away, we are complicit in the suffering of humanity. 

With all the wars, famine, pestilence, dis-ease, political strife, and personal challenges adrift in the world at this time it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Yet there is always something within our reach. Tom Sawyer credited Kathi Ann Middendorf with changing the attitudes of an entire division of IBM by simply smiling honestly and saying, "Hi" as she walked down the hallways.

May we sit this evening to recognize suffering, to see our complicity, and to find ways of helping no matter how seemingly small.

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday January 6th, 2019

Hello everyone, we were created with the seed of unconditional love deep within. We have the ability to love someone who is angry, someone who is fearful, we can even love someone who has done us wrong. To do so is a beginning for unconditional love on earth.

It's also important to love ourselves unconditionally. The self-honesty through which we expose our frailties must be matched by the self-love to release them and forgive. This same forgiveness can be extended to others.

May we sit Sunday evening for our own forgiveness. May we extend it to others. May we begin to touch upon bringing Unconditional Love to Mother Earth.

Thank you all,

Richard