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My Friend

by Rev. Georgeann Medved

The Holy Spirit lives forever,
way beyond my days on earth,
and as His Child my soul receives
His guardianship at birth.

Although He is unseen by all,
He never leaves me day or night,
He knows my fears and assures me
that everything will be all right.

He lends me fearless strength and
purpose, keeps my hope and courage
strong, fills my mind with God-like
thoughts and my spirit with a song.

When my journey on earth is over
and I’ve reached my trail’s end,
Holy Spirit will stroll beside me;
my old and dear familiar Friend.

As I leave behind the only place
I’ve known, I’ll hear Holy Spirit’s
Voice softly whisper, “Welcome
Home, child, welcome Home.”

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

© 2010, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Morning Prayer

by Rev. Georgeann Medved

Each morning I summon Holy Spirit to search my soul to see if there is anything but love within me. I implore Him to replace all that is not joyful in my heart with the goodness in His. I pray for Him to plant the fruit of His Spirit in me and make it mature and to help me stay near to Him so that I will only bear good fruit. I invite Him to completely fill me with His gentleness so that it will flow out of me into the lives of all around me.

I ask that Holy Spirit’s peace will rule my heart and mind to such a degree that others will sense it when they are with me. I pray for the help to pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may spiritually manifest another.

I humbly request the faithfulness that knowing Holy Spirit produces and even when I am suffering spiritually, emotionally, mentally or physically I pray to be patient so that I reflect Holy Spirit’s character. I pray for kindness always. I hope His kindness flows through me so that I will do good to everyone.

I want to be faithful so that I may be trustworthy in all things. I want to have the meekness and gentleness of His Spirit. I also pray to be self-controlled in my thoughts, words and habits.

In prayer I submit myself to Holy Spirit because without Him I can do nothing.

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

© 2010, 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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Excerpts from Course 904: Putting God First

Course 904 teleconference is being offered by Rev. Annie Arbona

What does it mean to put God first? God is Universal Love. In God all is one Mind, with no differentiation. The ego is the idea of separation from oneness. Putting God first is the same as putting oneness first — recognizing that we are one with our brother in Universal Love, or God. It means being willing to see past all the forms of separate identities to the common ground of Universal Love that resides everywhere. It is seeing the truth about All That Is and that there is nothing else.

Putting God first means softening our grip on believing in the illusionary forms of separation — letting go of believing that what is not of God’s Oneness could be real. Putting God first means letting the Holy Spirit guide our thoughts… letting the Holy Spirit help us in letting go of belief in separate bodies and individuality.

We are always choosing between God and ego… between Oneness and separation… between Love and fear… between Truth and illusions.

Read Workbook Lesson 166, ¶’s 1-4. (W-pI.166.1-4) Jesus is bringing to our attention that, if we do not accept God’s gifts, we will not be aware that “all things are given you.” (1:1) We are learning that when we believe the physical world is “certain, solid, trustworthy and true,” (2:4) we are trying to deny God’s gifts and make a world on our own, different from What God has given us. In doing this, we are forgetting our true Home in Heaven and are wandering far from our true Identity as an extension of Love and losing contact with our true Nature as part of God. 

When we deny God’s gifts, we think we have to suffer to preserve this strange world of separation we made. What strange ideas we are choosing to hold on to. Inherent in choosing to see a world of differences and individuality, we pretend we are weak and vulnerable. We pretend that the world outside of us is the cause of our thoughts. We deny the power of our mind. We deny that we are choosing to be separate from our Source. In our illusionary ‘life’ scripts, we unconsciously punish ourselves for this choice for separation and choose to believe we are a separate identity that is weak, suffers, and eventually dies. 

Read Text, Chapter 8, Section VI, ¶ 4. (T-8.VI.4) The story of the prodigal son helps us realize what we are doing to ourselves. It helps us understand why we have an underlying belief in our unworthiness and guilt. It helps us understand why we are full of doubt and punish ourselves and believe we are weak.

Jesus wants us to understand that, even though we sought for individuality and specialness, we are still God’s only treasure. God still sees us as He created us — as pure Love — and does not recognize our illusions of being separate or different from Him.

Return to Workbook Lesson 166 and read ¶ 5. (W-pI.166.5) Jesus comforts us with the realization that, even though we wander aimlessly within the dream realms of being separate from God, we are still part of God and we can’t give away the great treasure God has given us.

Read Workbook Lesson 166 and read ¶’s 6-8. (W-pI.166.6-8) We are learning that we are choosing our poverty in exile. We are choosing self-pity. We are choosing tragedy. We are choosing self-deception in order to maintain our replacement of individuality for the gifts of God, which are shared with all.

Process: Slowly reread ¶’s 6-8 and let the message of these words sink in. Think of how the script of unworthiness, limitation, weakness and ‘justified’ self-pity has been written into your perception of yourself in your life. Think of ways you are still hanging on to a limited self-identity.  Become aware of how you consistently think about your identity — who or what you believe you are.

To help you with this, think of ways you think you are limited, weak, inadequate or that you are lacking. Think of ways you may see yourself as suffering or feel you are a victim of something outside yourself. Think of ways you may be still placing the blame on something or someone outside your mind. Write notes on these thoughts about yourself and your life experience thus far.

Now reread ¶ 7 and recognize that this is referring to what you wrote. Ask the Holy Spirit for help in changing your mind about your identity.

Return to Workbook Lesson 166 and read ¶’s 12-15. What is the result of the Holy Spirit’s touch on you? (See 12:2)

When you open your mind to the Holy Spirit, what are you to do with the gifts you are offered? (See 12:4)

What do those who choose the lonely road not understand? (See 13:2)

How do you teach them? (13:5)

What do your sighs, tears and fears teach them? (See 14:1-4)

What are you entrusted with when you change your mind? (See 14:5-6)

What are you asked to become? (See 15:2)

What are you asked to be witness to? (See 15:4)

Read Workbook Lesson 167,  ¶’s 1-2. (W-pI.167.1-2) Jesus emphasizes throughout the Course that the only real life that we have is the Life we share with God. And because the Life we share with God is eternal, there is no death. The idea of death in this world is just a false idea. We are helped to understand that the idea of death has entered when we are not supremely happy or when we are not in perfect joy. 

Process: Think of times when you hold on to perceptions and their resulting feelings that are not supremely happy… As you go through your day, let the Holy Spirit show you when you are holding on to these perceptions during the day… Then open to letting the denial of your true Identity in God be replaced by the Holy Spirit with the truth that you are not separate from God.

To reinforce this, go to the poster, “I Am Willing to Put God First” from the back cover of your binder. Read it thoughtfully. As you read each line, focus on being willing to let go of all belief in loss, sorrow and death. Focus on letting your willingness to be happy grow. Now soften and relax even more. Go to your Inner Teacher, Who resides in your mind… Let your Inner Teacher bring more insight into your awareness…

Note: Course 904 is being offered through a weekly teleconference by Rev. Annie Arbona starting Feb. 3rd from 7-8 p.m. Call 1-800-323-PATH to register for course materials.

© 2010, 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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The One About My Hospitality

by Rev. Stephan Mead

I’ve only told this story a couple of times. Apparently, my mind is still providing a safe haven for some guilt and shame. Isn’t free will great!

A couple of weeks ago, I was attending a weekend conference of almost 1,000 people who, along with me, belong to a fellowship whose main purpose is basically to help others with a common affliction to lead a happy and peaceful life based on spiritual principles. Besides larger assemblies that are held several times a year, it is quite common for much smaller groups of us to meet a couple of times a week. One of the highpoints of the conference is reconnecting with friends and loved ones that I haven’t been in touch with for awhile.

“Hey Steve,” a friend asked, “Does that guy Dave still go to your meeting on Sunday night?” “If he does, I guess I won’t be seeing you there, as I can’t stand to be in the same room with him.”

Before I replied, I got quiet for a minute. I had known Dave for 15 years. He looks like a wild animal, and smells even worse. Sometimes the aroma from his urine soaked clothes actually makes ones eyes water. Dave lived along side the freeway in some bushes about two blocks from my house. For years and years, he would stop by for a cup of coffee, maybe a sandwich and a couple of bucks. Dave was known at some meetings because we welcomed (?) everyone and always had a pot of coffee on. I finally replied to my friend, “You can be certain that Dave won’t be at the Sunday meeting or, any other meeting.”

It was late December, 2006. I had been an ordained minister for about three months and I felt filled with gratitude and love from all I had learned going through the ordination process. The weather in Seattle had taken a turn for the worse; the city was almost shut down because of an unusual arctic ice storm.

Dave was coming by my house more and more frequently. I started to not see him as my brother, but rather as a bother.

One evening he asked if he could spend the night on my living room floor. The outside temperature was in the teens and it was snowing. My internal response to his very existence went from, “he’s a bother” to “I hate him! Why can’t he be grateful for all that I’ve given him over the years?” “Why doesn’t he go find a shelter?” “I’ll never get the stink out.”

Very reluctantly I said, “Yes, you can stay tonight.” The very next evening, Dave came by and asked to stay again. With even more reluctance (just short of open hostility) I again agreed.

The third evening I was ready for him. When I got home, I turned out the downstairs lights and spent the evening in my room… probably reading the Course!

Early in the morning on December 23rd, the doorbell rang and my first thought was that it was Dave looking for another hand out. Was I ever wrong! At the door was a man from the coroner’s office with my business card. He said he found my card on a transient that had frozen to death during the night, and could I make an identification?

I didn’t hate Dave anymore. I couldn’t believe what I had not done for him. I never felt worse than I did right then ever! I told this story to a couple of people and the feedback was “Steve, don’t feel badly, you did what you could.” The problem was I did feel badly and I didn’t do what I could have.

Welcome to my heart Mr. guilt and Mr. shame, please stay for a very long time!

Now, three years later, I am reacting emotionally to the “Dave experience” like it happened yesterday. “How can I see this differently?”

In A Course in Miracles, the word “shame” isn’t even mentioned until the 24th chapter. I read the chapter again asking the Holy Spirit for a new experience. Not surprisingly, I got exactly that.

With considerable effort, I tried to empty my mind of the judgment I had rendered on myself. The words of chapter 24 flowed into my heart and I realized that my friend Dave gave up his life for me, so I could make a correction in my thoughts that had been keeping me from seeing the truth, “God gave you and your brother Himself, and to remember this is now the only purpose that you share.” (T-24.l.7:5)

And in the next paragraph, “You would oppose this course because it teaches you you and your brother are alike. You have no purpose that is not the same.” (T-24.1.8:6-7)

Thank you my friend Dave for the love you have given me!

PS. If you’re ever in Seattle and need a place to stay, chances are I won’t turn you away!

Rev. Stephan Mead is a Pathways of Light minister living in Seattle, Washington.

© 2010, 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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