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October-December, 2016

New Book — The Adventures of the Course Kids: Through Faith and Grace

by Rev. Barbara Adams, O.M.C.

Sharing the Teachings of the Course with Children at an Age-Appropriate Level

Sharing and modeling the teachings of A Course in Miracles with children is no different than any other life-lessons we wish to impart to our impressionable youngsters. As a retired educator, I accrued over 32 years of experience in both the classroom and as an administrator. Now as an Ordained Ministerial Counselor through Pathways of Light Spiritual College, my goal in this article is to compare teaching age-appropriate lessons at school with teaching age-appropriate lessons to our children from the Course.

As a former health teacher, I taught numerous lessons to middle school students that were developed and delivered at the children’s maturity level. Having assisted in the writing of the approved curriculum, topics for kindergarten through senior year could be identical. However, the focus, scope and sequence of the material was geared to the cognitive and emotional level of the students.

The questions, “Who’s my audience?” and “What’s my purpose?” informed my lesson planning and delivery. If the topic were Human Sexuality, my audience of elementary students would be learning about such areas as: respect for myself; respect for others; caring for my body; being kind; speaking up for myself (assertiveness); the right to say ‘no;’ setting boundaries (appropriate touch/inappropriate touch); that ‘uh-oh’ feeling and sharing those instances with parents/a safe adult; etc.

Yet the same topic of Human Sexuality offered to a high school class would delve deeply into such areas as: anatomy and physiology of the reproductive system; relationship building; respect for myself and others; rights and responsibilities of those in a relationship; abstinence reinforced, as well as teaching about safer sex practices, including contraception, use of condoms; assertiveness and rights; sexual abuse and sexual assault, etc.

As you can see the spectrum of content and delivery is quite large on the very sensitive topic of Human Sexuality. But the gifted and informed teacher can deliver that range of content at age-appropriate levels, necessarily taking cognitive and emotional maturity into consideration.

Such may be the approach with modeling and reinforcing teachings of the Course. It would be absurd, and many rightfully argue, detrimental to ask children to negate their ego. First of all, they’d look at the parent/caregiver as though they were speaking an unknown language while wrestling with the term. “What’s an ego?”

For a child, healthy ego development is necessary for self-identity. It’s what we adults do or don’t do with our egos that causes us conflict.

The first area that needs to be clarified are the terms: to teach and teacher. To teach is not simply to lecture. We all know that, no matter the age, lecturing is the quickest way to turn off the listener. However, to teach is to model; to explain; to demonstrate; to provide examples; to encourage inquiry, thoughtful, reflective thinking; to provide a stimuli and present opportunities for exploration; to talk less and listen more.

With a broader understanding of what it means to teach, the teacher then becomes…anyone who provides the above opportunities. As parents/caregivers the way we live our lives and how we encourage emotional, physical, mental and spiritual growth of our children is key. By honoring their innate wisdom that may lie dormant we offer our children one of the greatest gifts. Our task is to help them excavate that wisdom and recognize their power.

The book I wrote, The Adventures of the Course Kids: Through Faith and Grace ©2014, is geared to the 6-14-year old age group. This colorful, professionally illustrated book is my attempt to provide a springboard for teaching Course lessons at age-appropriate levels, and to encourage children to unearth their God-given wisdom.

Here’s the synopsis found on the back cover: “Grace wants nothing to do with helping out at the city’s soup kitchen.  “They’re not like us, Mom,” she protests to Faith’s request for volunteering her time. But the lovingly patient mother simply asks her daughter to see with her heart.  ‘Tell me what you see now and then again before we leave,’ Faith ask as Grace balks at entering the Hospitality House. Not surprisingly, Grace’s transformation takes place through lessons learned from the most unsuspecting teachers at the shelter.

Grace’s mother, Faith teaches by modeling, by gently questioning, by honoring, by extending love and by joining with her daughter and the guests at the House. As her daughter’s teacher, she provides the age-appropriate opportunity for other teachers to unexpectedly emerge and help her reinforce Grace’s lessons of love, trust, peace and joy, and ultimately offering forgiveness.

Following the narrative, I have provided suggested teaching techniques that parents/caregivers may use as a guide to assist them in teaching and reinforcing the lessons from the story.

The Adventures of the Course Kids: Through Faith and Grace will be made available at Pathways of Light bookstore.

“See with Your Heart” is the song written and sung by Rev. Barbara (Franco) Adams. This professionally recorded song is meant to be Faith’s song to her daughter, Grace. For ninety-nine cents the mp3 can be downloaded at iTunes.com

Rev. Barbara Adams, is a Pathways of Light minister. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) Website:
PeaceandHarmonyMinistry.org

© 2016, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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October-December, 2016

The Toilet Paper Transgression

by Rev. Robin Singler, O.M.C.

At the beginning of this year, I re-affirmed my commitment to healing my mind through the teachings of the Course, and the journey has been a continual, if not painstaking, process of digging deeper into ego beliefs and releasing them. Redoubling my efforts to heal my mind with the Holy Spirit has been a wonderful blessing filled with ups, downs, revelations and setbacks, similar, I am sure, to what others experience as awareness of the ego thought system increases in our minds.

In the past couple of months, I have become increasingly more sensitive and aware of the on-going barrage of ego belief thoughts and the tension and confusion they bring. The chaotic swirl of damning thoughts can be overwhelming; one moment I am fantasizing about the future, and the next I am attacking a brother or a present situation, getting wrapped up in fear and feeling justified in my attacks.

Recently, I was sitting at my desk at work so overcome with these thoughts that I had to stop my work and journal about them and the anxiety they were causing. I noted that my True Self must be pretty “effing” strong and stable to hold up against the barrage of ego BS that obscures it all the time, and I asked desperately for Holy Spirit to help me in that moment of panic.

As I was writing this plea for help, a co-worker walked to the bathroom that is right next to my office and started yelling profanities. “WTF? Who used the bathroom last? Who didn’t replace the toilet paper roll; are people that effing lazy??” Hoping to get her to pipe down quickly, I responded immediately that I didn’t know who used the bathroom last. But as the moment passed, I remembered that I was the one who used the bathroom last, and had simply forgotten to replace the roll for the next person. So, I was the guilty one!

I covered my mouth to quiet my raucous laughter at this ridiculous scenario as it all became so clear: This was a perfect illustration of ego projection of guilt. Forget you made up the world to project a false belief, and then blame the false world for the pain it causes you. Someone had made a simple mistake, but not to the ego! A toilet paper transgression is always a just cause for guilt, right? And isn’t my mistaken belief in separation from my beloved creator the same simple mistake that this toilet paper episode represents? What my lovely co-worker didn’t know is that I had made a simple error that the ego belief system was judging as a sin worthy of damnation, resulting in the expression of explosive anger. But this seemed awfully familiar to me due to my mindfulness practice, and it all made perfect sense.

In that moment of realization and laughter, the tension that had been building inside me was released and I was able to see right through the chatter of ego nonsense, thanks to my Brother’s bout of toilet paper rage. I bless her for showing me the innocence beyond all the trivial forms I perceive with my body’s senses, and I thank myself for forgetting to replace the roll so that the healing circumstance could occur. There is truly a divine purpose to all the silliness around us. There is always a reason to attack according to the ego belief system, but that’s okay, because each reason for attack can always be used to step back, call on Holy Spirit within, and receive healing relief. Praise God for that!

Rev. Robin Singler, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister who lives in McCloud California. Email: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

© 2016, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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October-December, 2016

The Greatest Gift

by Rev. Robert Joseph Thompson, O.M.C.

The greatest gift… that I give to me,
is listening to Guidance, from Eternity.

To be quietly still… is my sacred choice,
while awaiting Eternity’s “Still Small Voice.”

This is also The Gift… you may give to yourself,
no matter the matter… Heaven will help.

If you know in your heart…
that God will speak to you,
you just need be still…
and His Voice will come through.

Once upon a time, at 1:30 a.m.
in the morning, Divine Guidance
woke me with clear instructions
for a major change in my life,
that I did not want to obey.

The suggested change was too great,
requiring me to give up, in my
opinion, too much! So I tried to
modify, through negotiation with God,
a sort of middle path, or compromise.

I was sitting up in bed,
with the light on, when God
spoke again, but, not
“in a Still Small Voice!”
It was quite loud, and
echoed in my small bedroom!
“You have heard my words…
do what you will!”

I received an immediate image of
Pontius Pilate, washing his hands!
The message seemed quite clear.
“Obey, or I am washing
my hands of you!”

In order to come to peace,
I had to obey! Thus I had to give up,
a very great earthly and spiritual
treasure. By allowing this
to happen, I did, eventually,
after much turmoil, come to peace.

Shortly thereafter, I was given more
than I had given up! Included in what I received, was…
all I had given up! and… much… much more!

Now, 12 years later, I am acutely aware,
of the stream of continuous
blessings, that have flowed through
my daily life since then!

The greatest gift… is listening to Guidance… from Eternity!

Complementary Retreats are part of our “ongoing hospitality at Bumpity Road.”  Over night guests are welcome. You may call me anytime at 1-608-617-4439.

Rev. Robert Thompson lives in Portage, WI. Email: thetwowolves2@gmailcom Website:
bumpityroadretreat.com

© 2016, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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October-December, 2016

What Does Being a Teacher of God Mean?

by Rev. Linda Wisniewski, O.M.C.

Ever since I got ordained as a Pathways of Light minister in 2005, I thought of myself as a teacher of God. But I was focusing on the form and not on the true content.

I thought being a teacher of God meant having students and teaching them about the Course or ACIM Practitioner courses. I thought it meant preparing others to become ministers.

I thought being a teacher of God meant having my own ministry or giving workshops about Course related topics. I love facilitating these programs but does this give me the title teacher of God?

Well, this summer was very quiet and initially I became saddened because I thought I had failed at being a teacher of God. So I asked Holy Spirit, “What does it mean to be a teacher of God?” Holy Spirit led me to the section in the Manual for Teachers titled: “Who Are God’s Teachers?” As I read, I began to realize how upside down my thinking was and how I was thinking of teaching as the world thinks of teaching.

“The role of teaching and learning is actually reversed in the thinking of the world.” (M-Intro💯1) “It seems as if the teacher and the learner are separated, the teacher giving something to the learner rather than to himself.” (M-Intro💯3) “Further the act of teaching is regarded as a special activity, in which one engages only a relatively small proportion of one’s time. The course, on the other hand, emphasizes that to teach is to learn, so that teacher and learner are the same. It also emphasizes that teaching is a constant process; it goes on every moment of the day, and continues into sleeping thoughts as well.” (M-Intro💯4-6)

Wow! Have I been mistaken? Seeing myself as a teacher of God was really seeing how the ego interprets this important spiritual lesson. Thinking with the ego, I saw myself as separate from those with whom I was joining. I saw myself as having a special role that gave me special value and a special title. I also thought of it in terms of putting special times on my calendar in which I would be engaged in “teaching.” And what about the rest of the time? Was I not teaching?

The second paragraph of the Teacher’s Manual goes on to say:“To teach is to demonstrate. There are only two thought systems, and you demonstrate that you believe one or the other is true all the time.” (M-Intro🔢1-2) “This is not done by words alone. Any situation must be to you a chance to teach others what you are, and what they are to you.” (M-1:3:4-5)

The Course also says we teach what we need to learn; so in teaching that God’s Son is guiltless and innocent, I am teaching myself that I am guiltless and innocent and this is my salvation and the salvation of the Sonship. Another way the Course puts it is teach only Love because that is what I am. And how does one demonstrate this?

The Course further talks about this in the Manual for Teachers Section 4: “What are the Characteristics of God’s Teachers?”

“God gives special gifts to His teachers, because they have a special role in His plan for Atonement. Their specialness is, of course, only temporary; set in time as a means of leading out of time. These special gifts, born in the holy relationship toward which the teaching-learning situation is geared, become characteristic of all teachers of God who have advanced in their own learning.” (M-4💯4-6)

So what are the characteristics of a teacher of God? This too is laid out in the Manual for Teachers, on pages 9-16: Trust… Honesty… Tolerance… Gentleness… Joy… Defenselessness… Generosity… Faithfulness… Patience… Open-Mindedness…

So these questions kept whirling around in my mind: Am I demonstrating these qualities in every encounter I have? Do I demonstrate patience in the line at the grocery store? Do I demonstrate open-mindedness if someone has a different opinion than me? Do I demonstrate trust in Holy Spirit’s guidance?

Am I honest with myself or do I pretend to be more “spiritual” than I am when I really don’t feel spiritual and am sucked into ego thinking? Do I demonstrate peace and trust when things don’t happen in the time I want them to?

So as a teacher of God, my own mind has to be healed, otherwise what am I teaching? It’s not that I have to be completely healed before I join with others, but I have to be honest about what needs healing and not be ashamed to share where I need healing for fear that others won’t “see me as a teacher.”

So, who are teachers of God? The Manual for Teachers states: “A teacher of God is anyone who chooses to be one. His qualifications consist solely in this; somehow, somewhere he has made a deliberate choice in which he did not see his interests as apart from someone else’s. Once he has done that, his road is established and his direction is sure. A light has entered the darkness… He has entered an agreement with God even if he does not yet believe in Him. He has become a bringer of salvation. He has become a teacher of God.” (M-1.1:1-4, 5-8)

I thank Holy Spirit for straightening out my upside down thinking of what I thought was a teacher of God. Now I ask that I be shown how to demonstrate this moment to moment and, with Holy Spirit’s guidance, I will be shown. I see myself more as a mind-healing partner, where we join and share what we need to learn to awaken from the illusion and return to Love.

Rev. Linda Wisniewski is a Pathways of Light minister living in Plymouth, Wisconsin. E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

© 2016, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this copyright notice and website address are included.

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