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October–December, 2022

Miracles News, October–December, 2022

 

My holiness
shines bright
and clear today.

© 2022, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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October-December, 2022

There Is No Peace Except the Peace of God

by Rev. Myron, Jones, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

For several years now, I have asked Jesus to clarify the daily Workbook Lessons and from that clarity, I write whatever comes to me. This year, I stepped way out of my comfort zone and started sharing this contemplation on YouTube.

So now each lesson so far is available there. I discovered that I enjoy sharing in this way and the feedback I receive is a bonus. If you would like to join with me in this way, here is the link to my channel. https://www.youtube.com/c/MyronJonesOMC. For those who prefer reading over watching a video, the lessons are available on my website. https://forgivenessisthewayhome.org/

The following is from Lesson 220. I am sharing this one because I had a lot of positive feedback on it and because it was helpful to me.

“I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.”

“1. There is no peace except the peace of God.

Let me not wander from the way of peace, for I am lost on other roads than this. But let me follow Him Who leads me home, and peace is certain as the Love of God.

I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me.”

All I have to do to remain at peace is to make peace my goal and to keep turning to the Holy Spirit for guidance when I lose my peace. Peace is not something I find in the world or that I achieve through changing something in the world. It might seem like the world is my problem and that I need to change something there, but that is not true. The world is an outward manifestation of an inner condition. It is simply the effect of something in the mind. If I am not peaceful, I need to look within for the problem and for the answer. Both are right there in my mind. 

Gratitude for Simple Practices

Trying to change the world is like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. The bullet is still in there and causing damage, and it’s probably going to keep bleeding. If you got shot, you would go to the doctor to have the bullet removed, the wound cleaned and properly bandaged. The doctor would then tell me what to do to heal properly.

My mind is confused when I think something in the world needs to be changed for me to be happy. I call on Dr. Spirit to remove the wrong-minded thoughts, to clean up my thinking, and to advise me on how to see this differently. 

After that, I fill my mind with the truth so that I don’t fall back into the same old thinking. I have learned that one-minute meditations are very helpful. I pause in my day so that I can let my mind return to its natural state if only for a moment or two. Then I bring peace and joy back into the world. I feel so much gratitude for these simple practices that have shifted my thinking in a permanent way.  

From Cate Grieves

I read this from Cate Grieves, who has used the Course to awaken in the world and to achieve the peace of God: 

“What I came to see was that if I desired anything in this world — even the smallest thing – just for an instant — I lost the peace. The most subtle of an idea that my happiness could lie in something in this world — took me out of it. 

“The desire for the peace of God has to be our only desire. Here is the answer — no compromise is possible in this. (Lesson 185) I am here to say that this is possible. I’m not extra ordinary. I’m not special. I just didn’t compromise.” 

I Saw the Light

Oh my gosh! Suddenly I saw the light! I saw that this is the answer for me. From Lesson 185, “I want the peace of God. To say these words is nothing. But to mean these words is everything.” And, “No one can mean these words and not be healed.” Then I looked again at what Cate said. She said that she lost her peace if she desired anything in the world. And she said she wasn’t special or extra ordinary, just that she didn’t compromise. I knew, absolutely knew, that this is right and that I can and must do this. 

So for the next few days, I watched my mind with interest to see what I valued more than I valued the peace of God. I also wanted to see how it is that wanting something in the world moved me out of the peace of God. Here are some of the things I noticed. 

I Was in Peace Until…

I was in peace until I passed a mirror and thought I had to lose some weight. Just like that, I was no longer at peace. That thought was followed by many others. I wondered what to do about my body and what it means that I am having so much trouble losing weight. I started thinking about what I ate that day that I shouldn’t have. At that moment in which I decided that I need to lose weight, I lost my peace. Or that my body identity, the image I present to the world and that I think of as me, became what is important to me. I was no longer at peace. 

And Another Time

Another time, I was at peace until I wished my son would call me or that I could visit him. Then I felt sad and lonely, and my mind thought up a special relationship story about this and was off and running. I had been happy and at peace, and I had a simple thought of missing my son. I didn’t think how much I love my son, which would not have disturbed my peace and would have, in fact, brought me more joy. Instead, I thought he should be here with me, that I would be happier if he were here. I wanted the world to be different so I could be happy, and in that thought, I was no longer in peace. 

Pain Is a Choice

I had pain, and I remembered that pain is a choice. Jesus tells us this in many ways. In Chapter 8, The Body as Means or End, he says this. 

“Sickness is a way of demonstrating that you can be hurt. It is a witness to your frailty, your vulnerability, and your extreme need to depend on external guidance. The ego uses this as its best argument for your need for its guidance. It dictates endless prescriptions for avoiding catastrophic outcomes.”  (T-8.VIII.6:1-4)

I was using pain to avoid knowing I am an eternal and Divine Being, the Son of God. I was using pain to keep myself in the illusion and bound to the ego. In other words, I was using pain to avoid the peace of God. Is that insane? 

Choosing Again

I was doing yard work, and it was very hot. While I thought about that and felt like I needed it to be cooler, I was miserable. I could not sustain the peace of God as long as my mind kept going back to how drained I felt. Or while I bemoaned how the high humidity felt like I was trying to breathe hot water. I wanted the world to be different. I chose something other than the peace of God. 

But in each of these circumstances, I chose again. I remembered Lesson 185. I remembered that, “The peace of God is everything I want.” I know from years of doing this work that I cannot simply say that I am not going to think certain thoughts and they stop. But I know that if I want these thoughts to be removed from my mind, they will be. The Holy Spirit responds to our slightest desire for healing.

So, This Is What I Did. 

I saw that when these stray thoughts came into my mind, and I found myself wanting something besides peace, I immediately lost that wonderful, joyful peace. I reminded myself that the peace of God is everything I want. So, I asked the Holy Spirit to heal my mind of the belief that anything else can make me happy.

I didn’t try to stop missing my son. Instead, I asked for healing and began to anticipate that healing. I am watching my mind and my feelings to see what it is like to feel only love for him and no need at all. 

I didn’t try to stop caring about how I looked. Instead, I started watching for a change, not knowing what that would look like. I assumed it would be a change that does not leave me feeling guilty and afraid. In fact, I anticipated feeling free! How that occurred or what it looked like was not my business. My desire for this healing is my part, the rest is for the Holy Spirit, and He does not need my help. 

I Was Fine

When the heat index where I was working was 102, I was fine. I was hot, but I was not suffering. I was at peace. Knowing it could be that high and higher all next week, I was at peace with that. I was not worried about it and had no reason to dread it. I didn’t feel like calling my family or friends and asking them to commiserate with me. And I didn’t feel like finding somewhere to place blame. I was at peace. 

I spent a few days watching my mind going back to the painful but familiar way of seeing the world. Seeing it as something to change in order to be happy and seeing in the world something I need. But now I see that the peace of God really is everything I need. I hear the ego-mind trying to pull me back into the illusion of need. And I notice the thought that some things are not easily dismissed. But I will happily continue this practice. Like Cate, I will not compromise. I love this! 

Regina’s Tips 

There is great peace in knowing you are eternal presence, witness to appearance and experience, but forever unaffected by them. Knowing yourself as This is the peace of God. It is the only answer that answers all problems immediately. It is the only truth, and it is already true now. All that needs to happen for the peace of God to be your genuine experience forever is to let go of identifying with anything that is temporary, and return identification to the only thing (non-thing) that is always here as yourself.

Rev. Myron Jones, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Westlake, Louisiana. Read her inspiring Healing Journal articles on the Pathways website. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Myron’s website is: http://www.forgivenessisthewayhome.org  www.youtube.com/c/MyronJonesOMC

© 2022, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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October-December, 2022

A Strong Spiritual Relationship

by Rev. Larry Glenz, Ordained Ministerial Counselor

A Course in Miracles have had such a positive effect on the way I look at my life. Like the great majority of us, I have experienced challenges that required a heavy dependence on Holy Spirit.

“Above all else, I want to see things differently.” (W.28)

I was introduced to ACIM in 1994 through Marianne Williamson’s book, “A Return to Love.” At the time I was 44 years old and going through a divorce from a 19-year marriage with two teenage boys. I had been a self-proclaimed agnostic through my adult life to that point. With no belief in Inner Guidance, my confidence in the direction of my life was at an all-time low.

“I trust my brothers who are one with me.” (W-181)

My close friend, Kevin Murphy, and I were both in a similar situation in our marriages and we were living together paying alimony and child-support. With his encouragement, we went to see Marianne Williamson in Manhattan and we bought the three books of A Course of Miracles. We started the Workbook together and we have shared our spiritual studies together ever since.

In fact, our lives have paralleled now for almost 50 years.

In 1972, I was a 22-year-old teacher and coach. Murph was a 12-year-old student athlete who played two sports I was coaching – wrestling and lacrosse. I coached his two older brothers at the same time. All three I called Murph.

With that humble beginning as rookie teacher and a seventh grader, it would seem impossible to predict the powerful relationship that was to develop. However, I did actually predict it. Murph showed me his high school year-book over decades later. I wrote in it, “This is just the beginning for us. We are going to be friends all our lives.” We both find it amazing that I wrote that in 1978.

And here are some parallels that our lives have taken. We got divorced the same year and lived together in the mid-90’s while trying to straighten out the new situations in which we found ourselves. We both remarried in 2001/2002. We both became immersed in ACIM and other spiritual literature for the past quarter-century. I became a minister for Pathways of Light. Murph left a highly lucrative job at the top of his field in options trading to become a spiritual author.

And in these last few years, we are now sharing the title of “cancer survivors” as patients at Memorial Sloane Kettering in NYC. We both have endured multiple cancer treatments and now we are also being treated with Hormonal Therapy.

“Let miracles replace all grievances.” (W-78)

Over the years, Murph and I had talked about eventually doing something together that would make a difference in the world. Guided by his Higher Self, he recently presented a plan to me to work with the teen and young adult population at Memorial Sloane Kettering. They have a “Teen Cancer America” lounge sponsored by Roger Daltrey and Peter Townson of classic rock band, The Who.

Working with teens has been the path of my adult life. Murph has a plan for us to teach young people that they can learn to “be in sync with our Soul.” That is the mission. Things are starting to come together.

We have created a curriculum with lessons and animated videos designed to help this under-served community — teens and young adults with cancer. We have created a series of questions dealing with their beliefs about having a “soul” and being able to access it. We have written assessments to measure the changes in their minds from start to finish. We want to get them to think about connecting with their Higher Power to change the way they are looking at their lives.

We are highly motivated and guided by our own “Souls” or Inner Guides. We are in the very beginning stages of this project. And there is nothing that either of us would rather do.
We are being led by Spirit and believe we can help these kids. We don’t need to raise any money. Our services are free. Our Guide is infallible in His wisdom and power. And we are grateful to have Spirit lead the way and guide our plans.

And we can’t wait to see the good that comes from our situation as cancer patients and survivors.>

Rev. Larry Glenz, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Long Beach, NY. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Website: larryglenz.com

© 2022, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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October-December, 2022

Forgiveness Brings Happiness

by Robert and Mary Stoelting, founders of Pathways of Light

In all our years of working with A Course in Miracles, we have found that forgiveness and happiness go together. As we are willing to let go of our false ideas of being separate and alone following the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we experience a sense of freedom and joy that comes with fulfilling our true function.

Forgiveness guides us to look past this world of separation to see our oneness with our Creator and every brother. We willingly shed our judgments in favor of healing and blessing our brothers. With Holy Spirit, we are safely led out of the dream of separation to find the eternal Love that has always been ours.

In the preface of ACIM, we are told, “Forgiveness is the Holy Spirit’s great learning aid in bringing this thought reversal about. …As we learn to recognize our perceptual errors, we also learn to look past them or “forgive.” At the same time we are forgiving ourselves, looking past our distorted self concepts to the Self That God created in us and as us.” (ACIM Preface, xi)

We are now in the 46th year of our marriage. At the time we felt that Holy Spirit brought us together for a purpose. For the most part in the early days we still had a lot to learn about what true forgiveness was and how it would bring us the greater sense of peace and happiness we are now experiencing.

In the mid 70’s we both joined the staff of a program in the USA called, the Inner Peace Movement. Its main focus was on the practice of first noticing when we were not in a place of inner peace and, second, stopping long enough to open our minds to the Guidance of the Holy Spirit. This practice has led us on quite a remarkable journey over many years that helped us live in the world while remembering this world is not our Home.

Spirit brought A Course in Miracles to us in the early 80’s. This was very exciting to us and we felt drawn to delve deeply into practicing the principles of this transforming book every day. In 1988 Holy Spirit guided us to move to Kiel, Wisconsin where Robert’s elderly parents had built a retreat center on a lake in the woods.

As we look back we have come to realize how each new step Spirit guided us through over the years was part of training us for what was to come. In 1989 we were guided to facilitate a 3-day Spiritual retreat. With a group of 30 people we practiced following Holy Spirit’s guidance all through the three-day program.

As we shared what we were receiving with each other in the group, we all healed together as we practiced following Holy Spirit’s guidance with changing our thoughts that needed to be healed.

During this program we all shared with each other about the blessings we were receiving as we let Holy Spirit show us how to change our mind about the way we were seeing the problems we were experiencing in this world. It gradually became clear to us all that the most important ingredient to healing our minds is to be willing to quiet our minds, listen to Holy Spirit’s guidance and forgive our mistaken thinking.

We were guided over the next several years in the development of over 50 courses, including a 22-course Ministerial Training Program and a 24-course ACIM Practitioner Program. We understood that the course materials we were receiving were exactly what we needed to learn, reinforce and practice daily.

As we focused on each course and practiced what we were learning, we found that our life experience continued to gradually become more peaceful and happy. We still experienced times where we fell into the pothole of forgetfulness, but we were progressing and knew what we needed to do to forgive our fearful thoughts with Holy Spirit’s help.

We know that we have an inner Teacher Who is always there, waiting for us to allow our mistaken thoughts once again to be healed by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it seemed to us that we were slow learners, but gradually we learned that the Holy Spirit has infinite patience and knows that in truth, like all our brothers, we never left Heaven.

The Holy Spirit wants every brother to experience the happiness that comes with true forgiveness. He wants us to recognize all our unforgiving thoughts as we go through each day and learn a new way of seeing that brings us happiness.

In ACIM Lesson 121 we all are taught that as we practice watching our thoughts and are willing to let Holy Spirit lead us to look past the ego’s fearful thoughts, we are choosing a life of Love and happiness.

He tells us: “Here is the answer to your search for peace. Here is the key to meaning in a world that seems to make no sense. Here is the way to safety in apparent dangers that appear to threaten you at every turn, and bring uncertainty to all your hopes of ever finding quietness and peace. Here are all questions answered; here the end of all uncertainty ensured at last.” (W-pI.121.1:1-4)

Forgiveness is the better way. It clears away the empty substitutes that keep us searching where we cannot find a lasting answer to what we seek. It reveals the Light of truth that has always been with us, hidden only by illusions of separation and specialness.

Today, with you, we choose to accept the Holy Spirit’s help to see past illusions to the Light of Love in which we live. Let us join together in the practice of forgiveness and find the Love we never lost in truth.

Meditation — As you slowly read each part below between the dots, take the time to do what it says… relax and breathe it in… Relax, let go… and open to Holy Spirit’s help in seeing the ever-present Love of God that is everywhere…  Think of a time when something or someone upset you… …  Ask yourself, “How would Holy Spirit respond to this situation?” … …

Let the Holy Spirit lift the veil of illusions to see your universal oneness instead of separation… … You are shown the truth of your eternal Reality as one in Love with God and every brother … … You happily remember that you are safe and happy in the one Mind of God and have never left… …

Take notes on what you learned during this meditation and how you can apply it in your life to experience greater happiness and peace.  (This meditation is an excerpt from the new Pathways of Light e-course 3002: Forgiveness Brings Happiness, pages 18-19)

Robert and Mary Stoelting are founders of Pathways of Light. Website: http://www.pathwaysoflight.org Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

© 2022, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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