Bre'r Rabbit—Curing The “Mopes”

From Rev. David McArthur (edited by Mike McGuire, not reviewed by the speaker)

Journey into the heart  Bre'r Rabbit had the mopes—he had lost the race to the tortoise and other things were going wrong. So Mrs. Rabbit sent him to the Witch Rabbit deep in the swamp, and it was getting dark. This represents the journey into the heart—a difficult journey. Not everyone gets there. We usually let our brains list all the ways we are not better, not good enough, or not strong enough. Doesn't fear come right in?

First, Witch Rabbit sends Bre'r Rabbit to catch a squirrel. That's your first step—grab your squirrelly thoughts and “tie them up in a bag”.

2nd, Bre'r Rabbit has to get a snake hiding in the grass. It looks menacing. It embodies fear. When we run into the experience of fear it stops us and our knowledge of the beautiful power within shuts down. Bre'r Rabbit sweet-talks the snake and when it relaxes, he snares it, holds it up, and goes. If our attention is solely on the fearful thing, that's all we see. Do we put our attention on the threat of the snake or on the wisdom in our hearts? When our attention is on the heart and what it's telling us, we open and the knowledge comes. It doesn't mean the challenges won't cause pain. But we go into overcare, which is when we focus so much on the hurt or danger, especially for the people we care for, that we don't go to the guidance in the heart. We let fear of what could occur stop the unfoldment of the greater good. It is not that you fear something that is not really possible, but turn from the fear to the heart. Grab the snake and go.

Lastly, take that fear to the heart and follow the guidance within, even if the path is not fully seen. Bre'r Rabbit's final task was to get a tusk from the elephant in the forest. He has no idea how he'll do it, but he goes to get it anyway. The elephant runs into a tree and the tusk just falls off. Sometimes we just have to take on the fear of power we see “out there” over us. But the power (and fear) is in us. Part of the gift of taking on the fear and finding the wisdom is that the fear falls away. It no longer has power over you. That's when it's fun!

Generosity Expresses The Presence Of God  From Rev. David McArthur (edited by Mike McGuire, not reviewed by the speaker)

Kimeli, a young Maasai African, lived in a rural village that did not even have roads. He had no father, and was considered a lower human. But Kimeli admired the generosity of doctors, and wanted to be a generous doctor. And there is always the next step. So Kimeli ran away to a town that had a school, and the headmaster allowed him to attend. From there he applied to colleges in America. The University of Oregon offered a scholarship. Grants from a benefactor in Florida let him attend. Subsequently he got his masters from Stanford! If he can do it without resources...

What's impossible doesn't bother God. There is a flow of abundance that is completely inconsistent with what we “know”. But it tells us there is more to this consciousness. What this is, is when you say “yes”, that's your purpose. It constantly unfolds in our lives. And in this time of powerful human consciousness, you can always go deeper! We are on purpose! The universe opens up and provides. It is “fulfillment”. The whole universe is wired to fulfill your purpose!

On 9/11 Kimeli wanted to respond to the pain he saw in Americans. Now held in honor, he went to his tribe at “storytime”. (Without technology, they communicate through their stories.) Kimeli went and told how the generous people in America were hurting. The Maasai couldn't even conceive of a place like New York City. But he asked for permission from the elders to give his cow to the Americans. In Kenya, a person's cow is their most important possession. Having one is comfort, it is security, it is life. The Maasai were very touched by his story and decided to give 14 cows! They asked the American ambassador to receive their gift. At the ceremony a thousand Maasai in full warrior dress sang the Star Spangled Banner with their hands over their hearts!

Kimeli's response had been one of compassion and generosity. All along the way he had a consciousness of generosity. Jesus taught, as you give you will receive. Abundance comes not to us or for us, but through us. “...for God so loved the world that he gave his only son. For who so ever believes in him will not perish, but have everlasting life.” This quote is mostly used in other ways, but here are the words love and give. What is given is the Son—the divine pattern, the Christ, the Atman, the Buddha Mind, the I Am. Out of love. Jesus showed us the pattern and it is in everyone of us. God doesn't give because we ask, but because it is the very nature of the divine. God can't reject. Yes, we can reject, but it is not in God's nature. Life always flows abundantly.

And there is always the next step. This week look for the opportunity to be more generous, every day, with your time, understanding, compassion. Listen. “Divine generosity flows freely through me.” This is when it gets to be fun! It's ok to give away the cow!

What Is Love?

From Rev. David McArthur (edited by Mike McGuire, not reviewed by the speaker)

What is love, really?  Charles Fillmore, that great American mystic, said that the faculty of love is the greatest power of man, the greatest of all our capacities. “The pure essence of Being that binds together the whole human family... that joins and binds in divine harmony the universe and everything in it; the great harmonizing principle known to man. Divine love is impersonal; it loves for the sake of loving. … Like the sun, its joy is in the shining forth of its nature. … Love is the great harmonizer and healer.”

Compassion.  A woman, Nettie, remembered that when she was 12 she joined other kids in meanly ridiculing her twin sister, who was severely disabled and seen as a freak in their small town. So her mother put her alone in a room with only a photo album. It was filled with pictures of the twins since they were small. Nettie saw the pain that her sister had endured over the years. One picture was inscribed, “The doctors give me pain. Nettie makes me laugh.”  She realized what she had been doing and the hurt she had caused her sister. At that moment she changed.

Flow.  Love is always there. It flows like a spigot that's always dripping. We can choose how much to turn it on. That flow takes you to intelligence. It is intelligence, a capacity to understand that helps us resolve the differences, that illuminates and harmonizes. What unifies us rather than separates us is love. You don't have to know how.

You know what to do.  A four year old liked to go to the house next door. One day his mother watched as he crawled up beside the neighbor on the front porch swing. The man had recently lost his wife of many years. As she watched her son coming back home, she asked what he did there. He answered, “I helped him cry.” If a four year old knows what to do, so do you. Remove that which separates us. You are love. It takes us from that place of separation to that place of wholeness and harmony. It goes far beyond the walls and heals and harmonizes. Feel the spigot open as you say, “I am a radiating center of divine love.” YES YOU ARE!

Self forgiveness

Prosperity is experienced as you  open up and allow Spirit to bring forth through you a greater wholeness (that divine intention) into your life. As taught by Edwene Gaines, the second principle of prosperity is Forgiveness.

The hardest part of forgiveness is self forgiveness. The vision we have goes beyond the consciousness we have—we can see beyond where we are-- and that vision will carry us forward. However, without self forgiveness, we experience guilt and get down on ourselves. Since the world we experience is a creation of our thoughts, feelings, and attitudes, when we think things like “I am not that good” or “Life's not that good. I can't really trust God.” we choke down our spiritual pipeline. We are no longer open. We get defensive and strive to protect ourselves.

In Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert writes of how we are disappointed in ourselves for lacking the discipline to accomplish our dreams. However, after such disappointment, we can open to our greater wholeness if we forgive ourselves. She likens self forgiveness to kindly and encouraging motherly love. Like a mother holding you saying,”That's ok. I love you just the way you are.” Such self forgiveness frees us from the judgment of how we view ourselves.

There are times in our lives when we have caused pain to others. What we manifested then was very limiting. We can move beyond the guilt and its limitations with self forgiveness, self compassion. Say “I am willing to forgive myself and stop beating myself up for it.” It's the self compassion that heals. This is a most important step and it will free your heart. It will free you for facing you tasks at hand.

So open up and let the love of God in. Begin to deliberately give yourself forgiveness and compassion, and that spirit of divine creativity can begin to flow. Affirm “I am loved, special, and important. God loves me and so do I.”
 
from Mike McGuire, Prayer Team
Summary of Rev. David's sermon

Transform barriers to your good

To prosper, we have to transform that which blocks out our good. We need to remove or transform the barriers of anger, resentment, hate, and fear we have built which block our propserity from flowing. We need to unburden ourselves, to free ourselves. Forgiveness is not about the other person, it is about letting go of our pain again and again until it is gone. To do this, we need to bring the awareness of the goodness of God into the feelings of hate, etc. You must really want to be free of the burden. Ask for the pain to be healed. Bring the love and compassion, that Divine Presence into the pain to be healed. Find it in that deep peace. That Divine Love has the power to free us, to lift us.

Affirm: “Divine Love lifts me, frees me, and prospers me.”

from Mike McGuire, Prayer Team
Summary of Rev. David's sermon

A Place of Peace Within You

We live in a world where there is a lot of turmoil, but within you there is a place of peace.

In your workplace you may find people who are critical and unappreciative, but within you there is a place of peace.

You may find times in your family when people you care about are frustrated and not understanding, but within you there is a place of peace.

Daily the news reports war and violence, but within you there is a place of peace.

There are those in government and positions of authority that will make decisions that you recognize do not serve the greatest good, but within you there is a place of peace.

When you drive on the highway there are people who follow too close or cut in front of you, but within you there is a place of peace.

There are times when it seems like you have more to be done than you have time for, but within you there is a place of peace.

There are times when you are relaxing and phone solicitors call and disturb your rest, but within you there is a place of peace.

There are times when financial needs seem greater than the resources, but within you there is a place of peace.

There are invitations in your life to respond with righteous indignation at the callous or insensitive actions of others, but within you there is a place of peace.

What we contribute to the world depends not on the things that are in our lives, but on our responses to them.

Thank you for contributing your peace.

-- Rev. David McArthur

This Prayer's for You

Many people were moved by the video below that we played at the April 5th Sunday Service. So I am posting it here on my blog so that you may conveniently veiw it again whenever you need a moment of inspiration.
--Rev. David McArthur

Moving from Fear to Love

"There is no fear in love; but perfect love cast out fear..."
1John 4:18

The change in our world from a world of fear to a world of love doesn’t just happen. It is a change that I participate in creating by my choices.

When I hear of frightening events, do I blame or seek to understand?

When people at work are mean or unreasonable, do I justify myself or communicate with care for them?

When people are uncommunicative, do I reject them or communicate because I care?

When I disappoint myself, am I judgmental, or forgiving?

When I am criticized, do I attack or understand my attacker?

When I see a need, do I help or avoid?

In ordinary events, do I choose to feel true care for those I’m involved with? Will it work?

With love,
-- Rev. David McArthur

Inner Peace - Nonjudgment

Judgment is the biggest obstacle to inner peace, and to world peace.

In this video I discuss how our everyday life experiences give us daily opportunities to develop spiritual muscle, maturity, and wisdom, by remembering to choose peace and acceptance rather than harsh emotional judgments.

Compassion and Understanding

The healing power of compassion frees and restores wholeness to both victim and attacker.

In this video I explore the healing power of compassion and understanding. The experience of deep caring compassion is a state of consciousness that broadens into a level of understanding in which we recognize that the assailant and the target are both victims of the destructive power of hate, fear, judgement and blame. Through the development of mutual understanding and compassion, both the victim and assailant can experience healing and wholeness.