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Lean on Him

by Rev. Georgeann Medved

There are millions of shades and variations of faith and doubt with which I face the Holy Spirit and His great Counsel. Amid all of this I ask myself what I need to do to take Holy Spirit seriously. To take Him seriously means to take Him at His holy word and to give Him the opportunity to respond to me in the way that He has promised.

I can never receive anything with anger, clenched fists, hanging head or drooping arms, only with my arms outstretched and my hands open. Perhaps because of my many doubts, I may have to start praying something like this:

“Holy Spirit, I pray to You to be with me in my doubt, confusion, anger and fear, to comfort me in my heartache and loneliness, to warm my heart with Your Love and in all of the positive and negative places. In the heights and depths of my soul, let me feel Your Hand — the soft hand that reaches out for me, the firm hand that leads me and the gentle hand that lifts my burdens. Then tomorrow I will wake up and do my work with You by my side and then I will break through the great silence that surrounds me and suddenly I will be with You.”

That’s the way it is with Holy Spirit. When I listen, Holy Spirit speaks and when I obey, Holy Spirit is right beside me. And when I ask, He grasps my hand.

A Course in Miracles tells me that Holy Spirit will not turn away anyone who asks for help and so I know I must lean on Him first, last and always.

Rev. Georgeann Medved is a Pathways of Light minister living in Columbiaville, Michigan.

© 2011, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Worshipping the God of Safety

by Rev. Susan Lewis

I’m a homeowner. This role brings with it certain expectations. As a Course student, I would call them forgiveness opportunities. Recently, I had an experience which taught me just how helpful Holy Spirit can be when I’m willing to ask for help.

I live in Maine, where it can get pretty cold. So in addition to a furnace, I’ve got a wood stove insert in my fireplace. This gets a lot of use. Earlier this fall, I began to have nagging little thoughts about getting the chimney cleaned. It hasn’t been done since I bought the house four years ago and the conventional ego wisdom says that getting a chimney swept is important maintenance.

I should also mention that I’m in a time of transition and closely watching every dollar I spend. But I reasoned that this would be a judicious use of my money because it would make me feel safe. I could then finally let go of that little voice urging me to be more responsible. (Can you see where this is leading?) I even imagined that I was performing good service to the neighborhood — I didn’t want to be responsible for a chimney fire that spread to the nearby woods and homes!

As I listened to the chimney sweep up on the roof, I was feeling pretty good about tending to this task. But then he came down his ladder and delivered the news that blew the lid off my illusion that safety could be purchased so easily. My stove, it seems, had been installed without a stainless steel liner and this, coupled with some creosote build-up, spelled almost certain trouble, said he. Sweeping my chimney could actually create a fire under these circumstances, said this nice young man. Furthermore, building codes were now calling for this to be done.

His recommendation: absolutely no fires until the liner was installed (at a cost of about $2,500). I managed to keep myself calm but I could feel my own fire beginning to burn inside. So this is what I get from the universe for doing the responsible thing? How on earth was I going to find the money?

Fast forward about three weeks: I had called another chimney sweep for a second opinion but his truck broke down the day before my appointment and he couldn’t come. Then a neighbor/volunteer fireman/sometimes chimney cleaner, who “happened to stop by,” offered to bring his ladders over to take a look. I took him up on it and when he came back later and peered into the chimney, he said he didn’t think it looked very terrible at all. He then called the fire chief in town (an informal expert on chimney codes, he explained) and we learned that while liners in a fairly new chimney like mine were a good idea, they certainly weren’t the building code in our town or most others in Maine.

Now thoroughly confused and vexed, I asked Holy Spirit to please help me look at this situation once and for all… I didn’t want to make this decision on my own or continue to live with the fear that it was causing. As I sat there, I heard Spirit, clear as a bell: “Don’t worship the god of safety.” And I realized that’s exactly what I was doing and had been for years. Spirit took me back to decisions to install a very expensive water filtration system, radon detection system and the latest and greatest of self-cleaning gutters. LOL, I had fallen hard for the god of safety!

He guided me to remember that Love’s Presence is my only real safety. All of a sudden I felt completely peaceful and realized this whole scenario was the perfect lesson for me to transform this pattern of fear-based thinking that I had taken for granted as a normal part of my existence. 

With my fear gone, the answer floated easily into my mind: Call the neighbor back to clean the chimney. Thank you, Spirit, for restoring my sanity once more!

Rev. Susan Lewis, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Hiram, Maine.

© 2011, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Recognizing When God Speaks

by Rev. Peggy Rivera

I was so happy and excited about finishing my coursework with Pathways of Light. I keep praying to God to use me as an instrument of his peace.

My ego began to try to weave it’s way into my mind. Feelings of doubt began to seep into my consciousness. What shall I say to people? How do I get my work going? Will anyone want to accept my help? I tried to put these thoughts out of my mind. I got a message to practice patience; Holy Spirit knows when the time is right.

I started noticing that everywhere I looked I saw owl ornaments, paintings and jewelry. I realized to see that many owls suddenly there must be a message in that. I asked, “What is the message, God?”

I thought about what owls represent. They are night creatures; they are predators. What else? I listened and I heard a still small voice say, “They are wise.”

And then I heard, “You have all the wisdom you need.” Thank you God. I needed that. The wisdom of God is always available to all of us whenever we step back and ask for Holy Spirit’s guidance.

Then the day before Thanksgiving I was given the opportunity to see how far I have come since taking the courses. I got a call from my niece that her father, my youngest brother, was in the hospital very ill. She said he was going to be put on a ventilator because one of his lungs had collapsed and he was not able to breathe on his own. He was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer and pneumonia.

I felt The Holy Spirit embracing me with love and compassion. Before I arrived I knew it was going to be serious but I felt like he would be okay, at least for a while.

He has to overcome a lifestyle that has been long standing and that is one of his biggest challenges. Through this whole ordeal, I found myself very calm. I felt full of love and compassion for him and his daughter and friends.

We had many confusing messages from the hospital staff. One doctor would tell him to go home because there was nothing they could do for him. Another would come in and say he would be fine and that they wanted to start chemotherapy right away.

The last time it happened, a woman doctor came in and told us that stage four is always to just control not cure. Then she left. Minutes later she came back in and said she was so sorry and that they were treating him for cure, not control. I said, “That’s it, if anyone says anything different, we will show them the door.” I know God had a little talk with that doctor!

I had to return home and he went home the day after I left. He is weak but happy and thankful to be alive. And I was ever so grateful to God and Holy Spirit for the strength and courage they gave us.

I have learned that sometimes God speaks to us with words through Holy Spirit. Other times He speaks to us with symbols and other times He speaks through our emotions with a feeling that everything will be okay. But often He speaks to us by enfolding us with His Love. We just have to be listening by staying aware and always knowing He is with us, communicating with us, guiding us and loving us.

Rev. Peggy Rivera, O.M.C., is a Pathways of Light minister living in Miami, Florida.

© 2011, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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My Mind IS My Kingdom

by Rev. Lee Catalano

Jesus of A Course in Miracles teaches us that the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. What if the Kingdom of Heaven were in my mind? What if I were the ruler of my kingdom? Right now that is, not some far off beautiful kingdom. What does my kingdom look and feel like right now?

If I rule my kingdom (mind) and I decide who enters, what thoughts am I allowing to hang around? Rage? Envy? Murder? Yeah, that’s right, a kingdom that is mine alone is full of those attributes. There is no escaping it and anyone with an ounce of honesty knows this is the reality a lot of the time in the their kingdom. We are all the same. Some just a little more honest about our state of mind.

Right out of the gate A Course in Miracles tells us our meaningless thoughts are showing us a meaningless world. Yup, our meaningless thoughts are creating a dark and lonely kingdom within. There is no one else who decides what is within my mind. It’s all a matter of will. My willfulness actually.

Have I suffered enough in order to finally surrender yet? Am I willing to let go the rule of my lonely broken kingdom and allow Jesus to show me how to wash it clean and finally have peace?

It doesn’t matter if I am in a castle or a ditch, if my kingdom (mind) is dark I will suffer.

It sounds too good to be true. Jesus’ A Course in Miracles teaches me step-by- step how to turn the whole miserable thing around, brick (thought) by brick. The key to the kingdom Jesus would have me rule with Him is in how I perceive my brothers. Once I really begin to understand that this is a world of great suffering, that no one is any different than anyone else, I begin to fulfill my function and heal.

The sameness will never be seen on the outside, but true sight is of the mind and in knowing that we are all wired the same in our Souls. We are created equally and lovingly in the sight of and with the heavenly DNA of our Father, God.

What appears to be the incredibly unfair shake in the world begins to be turned around. We start to believe that this world is nothing more than a huge call to compassion and begin, for the first time, to feel happy as a result of answering that call.

No one rules my kingdom but me. No one can surrender my will and turn my kingdom of suffering and hatred over to Jesus other than me as well.

Every forgiven thought of hatred is a miracle. Every shared inspired idea or word of encouragement is a miracle as well. They (miracles) are all about but for my perception. Each encounter with each and every brother is another opportunity, to lay a new brick of love and happiness within my kingdom.  God is good.

Rev. Lee Catalano is a Pathways of Light minister living in Belmont, Massachusetts Web site: heavensongministrypages.com

© 2011, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
You may freely share copies of this with your friends, provided this notice and website address are included.

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