For Sunday September 27th, 2015

Hello all, non-judgement is essential if we are to face the difficulties of this world with a loving heart. To compassionately accept that people are exactly where they are, that the world is exactly what it is, is step one. It can be a big step.

Getting outside of our typical human responses is a matter of setting them down and letting them go. The phrase "Thy will be done" is a calling to do just that, to set our own very human responses aside. 

May we sit this Sunday for that simple yet effective step, for "Thy will be done." May it be done within us. May it be done around us. May we join fully with Thy Will.

Thank you,

Richard

Oops on Sunday September 20th, 2015!

Sorry about that guys. I had a packed week and put too much into the weekend. Apparently I don't have the energy I can remember having some years ago and went through a total mental flame-out.

As an after thought replacement here's something I learned in an acting class that turned out to be useful in other areas as well.

One way of telling if an actor is truthful is to watch them with the sound off. Without the distraction of words it's easier to get a 'gut feeling' about someone. This turns out to be true during our political theater season as well. Sometimes you can get a better insight into the character of a person in this way. Try it - and good luck to us all!

With love,

Richard

For Sunday September 13th, 2015

Hello everyone, the Kevin Costner movie "The Guardian", while being a bit brutal at times due to Hollywood's appetite for shock, ends with the message of a spiritual helper. The final scene indicates that someone unseen was assisting in a rescue operation at sea. 

If you remove the Hollywood sensationalism you'll find a bit of truth, we often benefit from 'outside' assistance. While it is unwise to overly rely upon such help it is always good to ask for and be appreciative. 

May we sit this evening for appreciation for the helpers who are with us in times of need, whether we're aware of them or not. May we ask for help when needed. May we appreciate what we receive. May we join in when asked. 

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday September 6th, 2015

Hello all, there are those who are distracted by living in this time of adamant and polarized attitudes. Shock is prized over substance in our politics, celebrated in our media, and some are blind to the difference. What to do when talking with friends, family, and others who hold tightly to favored concepts? Here's a quote:

"Remember the beautiful ever, and look for the agreements rather than for disagreements ..." ‪#‎EdgarCayce‬ reading 1535-2

Even though differences can leap quickly to mind we always have much more in common than we know. Under the heading of "I am closer to you than breath itself" commonalities are always worth the search, are always worth cherishing, because they lead toward the greater truth of Oneness. 

May we sit this evening for the strength and courage, the non-distractedness, to see our commonalities, forgive our frailties, and celebrate a greater truth within.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday August 30th, 2015

Hello all, reports of the refugee crises in Syria, ending up in Greece, are heart-wrenching. This evening may we petition God to send its Light down upon all involved. 

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday August 23rd, 2015

Hello everyone, our cultural fascination with impressions of strength and certainty, often out of a need for comfort, has ironically become a great weakness. 

Imagine a conversation where people tended to say, "I agree with ______" or, "I have experienced _____" or, "My understanding is _____." They would, in effect, be weaving a thread of their lives into the fabric of humanity.

However, we are often so proud to say, "I am a _______" and in doing that we create divisions, separations along national lines, personal viewpoints, opinionated stances, and an endless array of rapidly evolving fringes. With each such declaration we move further away from the awareness of Oneness.

May we sit this evening for such awareness in our own lives. May we recognize signs of separation in others. May we find that which will reach out and heal.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday August 16th, 2015

Hello everyone, in this time of political rancor, social strife, religious intolerance, and inflexible personal attitudes, it may help to realize the depth of the lesson we're learning. Our lessons are clearly universal and well known, be kind and love one another. However, the manner in which we learn those lessons is entirely up to us. When we learn gently, lovingly, and therefore a bit more quickly, the path is simple and straight forward. But when the path is difficult, fraught with obstacles and hard choices, it paradoxically becomes richer. Reason - the more we've been through, the more we bring to the final result.

May we sit this Sunday for the wisdom to see the world lovingly. May we treat ourselves and others kindly, knowing we are all on a greater journey, knowing we are all One in the end.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday August 9th, 2015

The first time I tried to send this I got a lot of bounce backs, so...

Hello all, there is a computer simulation which tests whether being 'good' or being 'bad' is the stronger position in the long run. There are four basic attitudes for a player to have:

Jesus, self explanatory – always nice

Lucifer, also self explanatory – always bad

Testor, which is most often nice but still bad from time to time

Tit For Tat, which is very simple – be nice first, then equally match whatever the other program does whether good or bad, then go back to being nice again

It turns out that even if you set up a situation where there are lots and lots of 'Lucifer' players and only a few 'Tit For Tat' players, as long as there are enough 'Tit For Tat' players that they will occasionally meet, in time 'Tit For Tat' will win overall.

This corresponds well with our souls' journeys here on Earth. Over the course of human history there are enough of those who are here to help, no matter how many 'lost souls' there may be, that the spiritual transformation of Earth cannot fail. May we sit this evening for our spiritual centers. May we play our parts lovingly and well. May we see results in our own lives. 

Thank you,

Richard

A better explanation of the computer simulation can be found at;

https://www.wnyc.org/radio/#/ondemand/104010

For Sunday August 2nd, 2015

Hello everyone, looking for serene beauty within extreme difficulties can be daunting, and yet wonderful. When that which is spiritually correct is heart-breaking on a human level, where do we turn? To paraphrase Sir Water Scott, "A willow may survive a storm better than an oak tree." 

In the face of sick and dying children, when hearing incensed orators, or dealing with our own mortality, a calm overview can be helpful. Not that any one thing is specifically right or wrong but can it be weathered with wisdom? 

May we all look within during our times of difficulty. May we take the time. May we find the quiet space. May acceptance accompany good actions. 

Thank you all,

Richard

For Sunday July 26th, 2015

Hello everyone, the lengthy childhood of human infants drives scientists a little bit batty, in comparison other social animals reach adulthood very quickly. As they busy themselves with evolutionary and reproductive theories perhaps they're missing the point. 

Perhaps, under the heading of 'and a small child shall lead them,' it is us the adults who need the long exposure to spirituality which children naturally bring. Children, having come so recently from spirituality, show us how to see the world through new eyes. They remind us of the joys of wonder. They provide us with giggly love when happy and invite us to reach for empathy when sick or upset. 

May we sit this Sunday for the gifts which children can bring. May we treat each child we meet as a precious piece of the future. May we allow a child to lead us there.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday July 19th, 2015

Hello everyone, as we know, 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. 

Here's a thought experiment: Imagine a straight line running from now to far into the future. Now imagine another line starting from the same place but angled just a tiny bit, only half a degree.  In 10, 20, or 30 years 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 July 12th, 2015

Hello all, on this day when Vaughn Boone is 99 years and 1 day old let us look at what a life of service can be. For him, it has included being a singer, musician, ventriloquist, spiritual teacher, etheric surgeon, husband, father, friend and helper to many, many people. It has been an exemplary life, and he is not alone.

A life of service is a mixture of interest and talent infused with compassion, things we all have. If each of us were to follow our interests and use our talents with all the compassion we can muster the world would absolutely change, not only personally but the entire world.

May we sit this evening for this change. May it occur within us, around us, and for us. May it benefit all.

Thank you,

Richard

For Sunday July 5th, 2015

Hello everyone, we are meant to grow, to move beyond our current selves into the unknown, just as a seed is destined to become a flower, something it has never been.

However, in our righteous desire to connect with the divine, and by the mechanics of our psychology, we often diminish the divine to bring it within our mental grasp. In seeking to connect with the immeasurable, we have defined it in measured terms - and cheated ourselves out of our need to reach and grow. 

May we sit this Sunday for the release of expectations, of what we know, of what we think, of all the known. May a pure and loving spontaneity well up within. May the Divine draw us forward.

Thank you,

Richard