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