Pathways of Light Miracles News, 10/99 p. 2

Miracles News Fall 1999

He Is My Friend • What Is a Church Without Walls? • There Is No Will but God's • Being Love's Advocate • Weekend Lesson • My Name Is Love • More Fall '99 Articles
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He Is My Friend -- by Rev. Wenona Thomas

A friend of mine recently said, "I don't know
exactly what it is you see in me. I don't
understand why you like me." I replied, "I know
exactly what it is I see in you. It is this...

I see the hand of Love at work.
I see a gorgeous process... birth.
I see my transformation manifest.
What is it that I see in you? I see myself.
I see myself with outstretched arms.
I see your wings rise to the wind.
I see you off with ease. You fly.
So beautifully you fly.

I celebrate Love's joyous cry.
I rest and am at peace with you.
There is no rush... no need to do...
I see you smile and hear you laugh.
I found my Self and you are there.
My Self, my Self, I found you at last!

And in the loss of night so near,
I hear you rise, a silent cheer.
I see you stand, and glory you display.
A call for innocence... innocence you crave.
With courage and with might
you face each dreamy day.
Declaring, praying, Love cannot be taken away.

I see a whole, healed, perfect human being.
And in that Light you begin to change.
A human? No. Let me look again.
Ahh! Oh yes! Hello. Hello.
I see my Lord, my God. He is my Friend."

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What Is a Church Without Walls? -- by Rev. Petra Sundheim

Is it the church of the new millennium? The one expressing the spiritual task now upon us -- to embrace our oneness and see another as our one Self... a change in consciousness, where we let go of our beliefs in separation?

My first hearing of a "church without walls" was in reference to Pathways of Light, a spiritual college in Kiel, Wisconsin, where I was ordained after completing 22 courses. Its mission is to help people discover and live from Inner Wisdom. To put it in "religious terms," it is to listen to the Inner Voice of the Holy Spirit, the voice of Love.

Pathways of Light courses are based on a three volume phenomenon called A Course in Miracles. In the words of Jesus from the Course, we all have a moment-to-moment choice to listen to the voice of fear (the ego) or the Voice of Love (Holy Spirit) in us. What would the world be like, if we all claimed our true Essence? Peace... joy... love...

Not so fast... the world is a mess, many live in stress and chaos. The earth is convulsing and spitting out its inhabitants. Trauma, guilt, abuse, violence... is getting our attention. Is it possible to see peace in all this? If it is not Love we see, it is a call for Love. Could we picture unhappy and hurting people as covering their true Essence out of fear?

We know that fear begets fear and only Love can make a difference. We have the power of Love (God) within us to support us, and Masters of Love to coach us. Jesus said, "The Kingdom of God is within you." Our sanctuary is within.

How much time do we spend there? It is in quiet listening and reflection that soft answers come. It is in the pauses of our doing that we can go within and be in an inner space of peace simply for the asking, by saying, "I could see peace instead of this (disturbing thought, person or situation)."

Our willingness is all we need to discover a way of being in a peaceful state regardless of what is happening at the surface of our lives. From an inner state of peace and rememing Love, we will handle crises far more effectively and without taking in the damaging effects of fear.

A block to our peace, love and joy is our judgments and emotional baggage. We release our baggage through forgiveness, which is really the same as healing. Forgiveness is not about excusing wrong doing. It is about healing my reaction or experience of an event or incident. It is about feeling my feelings and letting them go.

Forgiveness always is a gift to ourselves to release and let go of the past, our resentments and demands that others be the way we want them to be. True spirituality is not possible without dealing with our stuff. Some of us have to take time out to do this clearing. Once we are willing to face our pain, Inner Guidance will provide the opportunity and support. A 12-step or support group, a therapist, spiritual counselor, coach or confidant can hear the feelings needing to be expressed, the confessions that need to be heard without judgment. These are healing moments, holy moments. These breakthroughs dissolve the walls of separation between us and ourselves, others and God.

When we experience being in relaxed, listening silence, it informs our doing from our Higher Self. When we let go of control, feel our feelings and live in present moment mindfulness, we see more clearly. When we choose to see the true Identity of ourselves and others as spiritual Beings of Love and Light, we change our minds.

When we change our minds, we change our lives. When we recognize we are spiritual beings having a human experience, we can choose to see a forgiven world waiting for our Love, beginning with ourselves. We let go of the walls of separation. This is a "church without walls."

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There Is No Will but God's -- by Rev. Mary Stoelting

One of the most important truths I am being led to remember again and again is that God's Will is the only will in Reality. God's Will includes giving All of Itself to All of Itself. Nothing is outside of this Will of giving All to All. This means that All that Is is eternally the same -- no time, no space, no differences. This is God's Love, giving All to All, eternally.

God's Will is Oneness. Oneness is all that is real. If an idea is not coming from Oneness (All having All, All being All), the thought is an illusion, coming from the idea of being separate, or different from oneness. There is no will but God's.

Remembering there is no will but God's is the vehicle to return my mind to the truth. Truth is true and nothing else is true. How can I be upset with what is just a dream? Why would I throw away the experience of peace for an illusion? I can overlook it when I remember it never happened. The dream is just a dream. There is no will but God's. Everyone is safe in the Mind of God, no matter what the dream looks like. False ideas are just false ideas and nothing more.

There is no will but God's. The universal Love of Oneness cannot be changed into specialness and individuality. It can't really happen. Loss can never really happen, only in our dreams. There is no will but God's. Heaven is Oneness. Hell is belief in separation. Separation can be believed in and experienced in dreams, but never in reality. This important recognition is my salvation. It is my way Home. I feel so grateful when the Holy Spirit reminds me of this again and again. I seem to need it often.

As I take this to my daily life, I can consciously reinforce the habit of stepping back, relaxing and inviting the Holy Spirit into my mind. I can do this as I wash the dishes, or vacuum the floor or clean the toilets. I can do this as I am talking to someone. There is no limit to my opportunities to step back and let Holy Spirit lead the way. As I am willing to practice this, my stepping back muscles become stronger and it becomes easier as I go along.

There is no will but God's. There is no will but God's. This becomes my healing mantra to remind me of the truth, again and again. Ahh... I can relax now and step back once again. Only Love is real. If its not Love, it is a call for Love and the only response is Love. That is God's Will. There is no will but God's. I am willing to remember the truth and rest in God's Love today.

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Being Love's Advocate -- by Tamara Pifer

Why advocate for things that don't exist? You may be thinking, "Hold on a minute. What's wrong with being a person that double checks things and is cautious?"

Yes, be thoughtful and be thorough if you please, but advocate for LOVE. Be Love's advocate. Ask yourself, "Is this what Love would do? Is this the most loving expression possible?" I have to wonder how I can be true to the Love and truth in which I was created by playing the devil's advocate. It seems like a harmless enough role, and even one often meant to protect and encourage caution, well-being and even safety. This I understand.

However, we know that our thoughts, words and deeds are powerful and literally create energy. So, I'll not play the devil's advocate any more. Instead, I'll advocate for Love, for understanding and for remembering Who and What I really am -- a Child of God. Made from and in the image of Goodness, with a heritage so rich, abundant and true, that upon remembering, it is clear that the old role of devil's advocate doesn't fit. It is a roll that, although seemingly harmless, is in reality not only futile, but also reinforces the old thought patterns that I am choosing to let go of.

There are hundreds of old thought patterns that I am realizing I no longer need and that, in truth, serve no purpose, except to perpetuate the illusion. That is to say the illusion of me, separate from my true Self -- God.

As I recognize each limiting thought process, I find comfort in the truth. That frees me to let go, and loosen my grip on the old stifling thoughts and behaviors. With the confidence of all of Creation holding me up, I open my hand and release my grasp, so that the old ways float away from me, no longer needed.

Sometimes this is easy. Other times it is more difficult. It can be like letting go of a balloon, or it can be like setting down a smoking gun.

If I feel frightened or threatened, I may grab a gun to protect myself from what I believe is scaring me. Yet all the while, I am surrounded by all the help I need. It might be in the form of angels, or God's messengers of truth -- a friend, a minister, or even my own true Self. They are offering me, "Tamara, put the gun down and back away." These are the times when the old thought patterns seem so intrinsic to who I think I am that I believe they actually serve me; that they are who I think I am. My true Self knows otherwise.

And just like someone who truly knows it will be okay and that the gun serves no purpose, except to keep me from my true Self, they do not demand, hurry or rush me. They simply offer, "Put down the gun and back away." Release that which frightens you and move on.

As I trust and believe and find confidence in my safety, I do set the gun down and slowly back away. Sometimes I can literally turn my back and walk away. Other times I have to back up slowly, keeping my eyes on the gun just in case fear grips me and I must reach again for what I think is protection.

Not every old thought pattern or belief is a smoking gun. Sometimes they're just a child's familiar blanket, like the one I carried around and had to have to feel secure enough to fall asleep. I don't sleep with that old blanket anymore, because I am secure enough now to be without it. It lives tucked away in a special box like a certificate of graduation from my childhood.

Old thought patterns are not in and of themselves wrong. Often they are simply old patterns carried from the past that we still think serve us. We may not even know how we adopted these beliefs and patterns. But as we grow, we remember Who we truly are. We become willing to see, hear, feel and know God's Truth, our truth, my truth, and we let these old patterns go. We are secure in our right mind that all is well in our world.

Little steps, baby steps, walking, running, and jumping hurdles are all part of the wondrous process of waking up from the dream, the illusion, to find ourselves smack dab in the middle of our true SELF!

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Weekend Lesson -- by Tom Szpond

One summer weekend I was backpacking with my 7-year old son. We were under the unrelenting sun and in the 90 degree heat, and I was worried about sunburn for both of us. In the evening, we walked around the lake at which we were camped. First we went up the shady side, and then around into the sun again. After going around a marshy area, we had our choice of going through the trees or staying along the shore for the home stretch.

I suggested the cool shade of the trees. My son wanted the shoreline. I thought about it later: I chose the shadows, while he chose the light. As if that weren't enough, as we walked down to the shoreline he blurted out, unexpectedly and nonchalantly, "You're such a worry wart! You're always worrying about something. How about a little bliss-love-peace? You never know what a little B-L-P might do."

My Name Is Love -- by Rev. Christine Anderson

I hear my "ancient" Name.
I recognize my Name because the
Truth is in my memory.
I call to my own Name for my release.
Heaven is shining in me now.
I have found my one True Self.
My name is Love.

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He Is My Friend • What Is a Church Without Walls? • There Is No Will but God's • Being Love's Advocate • Weekend Lesson • My Name Is Love • More Fall '99 Articles