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Holiness, Speed Bumps and L-L-Love

by Rev. Michael Ciavarella

There is nothing that my holiness cannot do. Wow! Is that powerful or what? If I am holy and there is nothing that my holiness cannot do, that must mean that I cannot fail. That must also mean that I am invulnerable. If I cannot fail and I am invulnerable, then it follows that I can live eternally.

Speed bump! Whoa! Hold on! I don’t think that I want to live eternally. I don’t even think I want to do 100 years. The past 58 were pure agony with the exception of a few smiles here and there. Yet, those smiles were all temporary. Nothing good lasts.

With that last sentence, I can feel the tugging of Holy Spirit as He brings me back to center. Let’s add, “In this world of form, time and space.” Nothing good lasts in this world of form, time and space. Okay. This has been a correction in thought. Isn’t that what this Course is supposed to be about?

The Truth is, only what is good and loving lasts. Those things are eternal. That is what makes up the Kingdom of Heaven. Well, here comes another bumpity-bump in the road.

It’s this whole “L-L-Love” thing. You see, l-l-love hasn’t been very good to me. Any time I have ever expressed l-l-love to a woman, including my wife when I was married, it came back to rip my heart out right from my chest. Other romantic relationships after the marriage proved to be no better. So, anytime “L-L-Love” comes up in the Course, I get the heebee-jeebees.

Oh, here comes Holy Spirit tugging at me again. It seems that when I think of Love, I equate that with romance and sex. Well, what do you expect? I am a man, after all. What other kind of love is there? Love is a lot of kissing and making out and, well, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to know where I am going with that.

Tug…tug…tug. Okay, so there is more to Love than romance. You see, most guys have a problem using the word love with other guys in the thought. But, Love comes in many colors and flavors. Most guys believe love is only about one thing. Most women claim that there are many, many forms of love. I have had this argument with almost every woman I have ever known.

Holy Spirit sees Love as an understanding that if you Love a brother (either gender) you are loving yourself. After all, there is only One of us “out there.”

There is nothing weird about Loving outside of the romantic structure of this world. All religions teach Love. Traditional Christianity talks about Agape Love. Agape is unconditional. There is nothing new in any of this. “Love thy neighbor as you Love thyself.” That’s one of the Ten Commandments. In our understanding it goes, Love thy neighbor in order to Love thyself and vice versa.

Needless to say, I have been grappling with L-L-Love since I became a student of the Course. I have caused my Mind Healing Partner, Rev. Cerise Smith, to pull her hair out over me and this issue. She’s nearly bald now. Not really.

I have come a long way, but I still have a ways to go. I’ll keep working on this. As the thought comes around, would you all hold me in the Light? This could be the speed bump that is keeping me in hell.

Rev. Michael L. Ciavarella is a Pathways of Light minister living in Oak Lawn, Illinois. Read more of his inspiring Healing Journal articles on the Pathways of Light web site.

© 2011, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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In Honor of My Mentor

by Rev. Carol K. Springer-Witfoth

Occasionally I wake in the night. Several years ago, I did that on a Thursday night and turned on my radio to bore me back to sleep. There was a man named Gary Renard being interviewed on one of those nighttime talk show hosts. My interest peaked when I heard him use the word Oneness a couple of times. Renard had written book titled Disappearance of the Universe. After the interview was over I went back to sleep but not before I promised myself I would buy the book.

The next morning I called my favorite bookstore and reserved their only copy of Disappearance. I picked it up when I got off work that Friday night. I sat down with the book and all I did that weekend was read.

Saturday afternoon I called a little local bookstore because I had seen a copy of A Course in Miracles, which Renard referred to more than once and reserved a copy. The store owner told me I would probably like Path of Light by Robert Perry, too. I picked up both books and after checking out A Course in Miracles, I decided to wait a couple of weeks to start it on January 1. My introduction to the Course came in Path of Light. I felt as if I had come home.

As I neared the end of the year and the completion of my first reading of A Course in Miracles, my Little Voice nudged me to see what else might be out there. Google led me to Pathways of Light. Let me say here that there is nothing little about my Little Voice. I know Who it is. Most people call it Holy Spirit. I have lots of names for it. Beloved. Big Kahuna. El Jeffe Supremo. He doesn’t care what I call Him. All He wants is to be called. I stray.

I ordered my first course and requested a mentor. That is how I met Robert Mills. Robert became my teacher and friend. My hunger for the healing and teaching in the Pathways books amazed me. I went through them quickly. One evening, during our session, Robert commented on how quickly I was working. It didn’t seem quickly to me. He asked if I knew why. I could only respond that it was a comfortable pace for me and made me happy.

The Little Voice encouraged me to go forward and be ordained. Following my ordination there were no more courses with Robert Mills as my teacher and friend.

I was shocked when I learned of his transition. I wished him Bon Voyage as I do all who cross over. And then I knew the answer to his question about my working quickly along in the courses. Robert Mills was to be my mentor. Holy Spirit knew about Robert’s time line and wanted to make sure I learned from my mentor. It was my honor to learn from that wise man.

Robert has been in my thoughts lately. I want to take this opportunity to remember and honor him. I want to share with his loved ones what a privilege it was for me to be have him as my mentor. On more than one occasion he spoke of his family. You were blessed and loved by him. I was blessed to have him as my teacher.

Bon Voyage again Robert! You are honored and remembered fondly in the Light of God.

Rev. Carol K. Springer-Witfoth is a Pathways of Light minister living in Lincoln, Nebraska.

© 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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The Story I Tell Myself

by Rev. Barbara Siegel

“The story I tell myself is…” This is a simple phrase that my friend Evonne, a psychologist, introduced me to. This little phrase will help you see what illusions you are trying to make real.

“OK, but what do I do with this phrase?” you may ask. Let me explain further.

Evonne introduced me to this phrase about four weeks ago. It was after my father had transitioned and I was talking to her about whether or not I would go to the funeral. Since I am in St. Louis and the funeral would be in Denver, this was not a simple decision. It would involve air travel and hotel for both myself and my husband. Evonne looked at me and said: “So, the story I tell myself is?” I looked back at her rather surprised. “What do you mean by that?” I asked. She explained to me that this was a term she had learned in a new type of therapy she was using. She went on to say how we all tell ourselves stories when we are facing decisions, the unknown, or something that we are trying to understand.

I realized Evonne was absolutely right. I had been telling myself a story, and the story I told myself was that my husband and I had driven to Denver a few months before my father’s passing, stayed several days and had a good visit, and I really said my goodbye to my father when I left. If you read my article in the last Miracles News, you will remember that leaving was very difficult for me and it took me several weeks to get back to “Normal.” I felt I didn’t want to go through that again. But, perhaps even more, the story I told myself was that the funeral was for the “current” family, the one he had married into 40 years ago. His new wife had two young adult daughters when they married and my father and the daughters became very close, so much so that when the daughters married and had children, those were the only grandchildren he was ever close to. He never bonded with either my children or my brother’s children. So the story I was telling myself was that this funeral would be for the current wife, the two daughters and the now adult grandchildren. Going to participate in this would be a very painful reminder that, to a great extent, he had turned away from his biological children and their families.

What a great tool this little phrase turned out to be! By verbalizing “The story I am telling myself,” I actually was able to clarify my feelings and concerns. I decide not to go to the funeral and observed the time I knew the funeral was being held in prayer and meditation. I was totally at peace with my decision.

Since that conversation with my friend, I have used “The story I am telling myself” countless times, but I added something new to it and that is, “What is the new story I am telling myself?“

Let me give you another example. Last week, my husband and I went over our new monthly costs. We just downsized into a lovely, but small condo, changed health insurance carriers, and cut out as many things as we could find to cut to bring our cost down. Unfortunately, at the same time, my husband’s work as an independent consultant went down about 75%. So, when we did our new monthly budget, our overall gain was zero. I went to bed that night feeling disillusioned and fearful. As I lay there, I thought: “What is the story I am telling myself?” and proceeded to say it to myself. “The story I tell myself is that we just can’t find anymore places to cut the budget, that we just can’t get anywhere, that I am not getting new counseling clients or new students, that the company he works for is in a real financial downturn, and that eventually, we will run out of the savings that we are now using to make up any shortfalls at the end of the month.”

“Yikes”, I thought! “So, your whole story is one of lack not only for you, but for your husband and the company he works for as well! Why don’t you tell your self a new story?” And so I did. I told myself a new story of abundance. A new story that my husband’s company is going to have a wonderful new year and he will have many new clients as will I. A story that our needs are met and exceeded and all is exactly as it should be. I repeat this story to myself whenever I feel my ego wanting to introduce the old story of lack and fear.

All this seems to fit in so perfectly with A Course in Miracles. We tell ourselves stories, illusions that we then believe and project out. Naming it a story helps to see that it is an illusion and changing the story to what we want to attract is so much more helpful. Yes, it may still be an illusion, but it becomes one of Love rather then fear.

So, what is the story that you tell yourself? What is the story you tell yourself about your abundance, your relationships, your job, your relationship with yourself and your Higher Power? What is the story you would like to tell yourself? What do you want to see in this new year? I encourage you to release yourself from your old stories and start anew. 

Love and Blessings for a wonderful year!

Rev. Barbara Siegel is a Pathways of Light minister living in St. Louis, Missouri.  Web site:Btheblessing.com

© 2011, Pathways of Light. https://www.pathwaysoflight.org
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Two Ways to Let Go of Fears

by Rev. Sharyn Zenz

As we get closer to the holidays, it seems that my fears of lack seem to creep into my thoughts more and more. It is also the time of the year that property taxes are due. So, my ego seems to work overtime at this time of the year! Whenever I am not at peace and these ego thoughts start to creep into my mind, these are a two of the exercises that are very helpful to me:

1. I sit quietly with Jesus and picture myself in a classroom. Then, I picture myself writing on the blackboard every fear thought that has been cropping up in my mind. I talk to Jesus about them and ask Him to help me forgive myself for thinking those mistaken thoughts.
He is always so happy to answer my requests when it comes to forgiveness! He says He really wants me to get it — that I am innocent, along with everyone else. He reminds me that the opposite of Love is fear, and if I am constantly aware that I am holding His hand, I would remember the Love and forget about the fears! Since our Father only knows of Love, there is nothing else. So all those thoughts I have been dwelling on are false and can never be true since only Love is Real.

Jesus then hands me an eraser and asks me to go to the blackboard and erase all of those mistaken thoughts that I have been having. He reminds me that all I ever have to do is erase the mistaken thought and remember only the Love that I am and that is true forgiveness. Wow, this is powerful to me. I then walk away with a clean slate and if thoughts of lack, or fears of what if’s, or how is this going to happen, enter my mind, I quickly remember the eraser and picture myself erasing all of those thoughts. It is amazing how easy this is to do and how it really works!

2.  Sometimes at night if I wake up and am going over and over in my mind some thoughts of a particular incident or thoughts of not having enough to pay this or that, or whatever the thoughts are that are keeping me awake, I get out of bed and stand up. Then I bend over as if I was going to touch my toes, and I stay in that position picturing all those thoughts emptying out of my head. I remain bent over until I feel that all the thoughts are completely gone.

When I stand back up, I ask Holy Spirit to “please fill my mind with only thoughts of You. Fill it with the thoughts that You would have me think.” I then sit quietly with Holy Spirit, and you know it is amazing that they really are gone and I can’t even remember what thoughts I was ruminating about! Try it. It really works.

Today as I sit here writing this article, I am reminded that even though this world seems real — it is not. Even as I think of everyone else and they seem separate from me — they are not. We are all connected to God and we are all one Light. As I remember to extend the Light that I am to others and help them to see their Light, this world is filled with more Love and more Light. Even when I think of getting a job, or where am I going in 2011, I am reminded that my only job is to extend the Love that I am, and the only place to go is within.

Rev. Sharyn Zenz is a Pathways of Light minister living in Luxemburg, Wisconsin. She serves as the Office Liaison for Students/Facilitators at Pathways of Light.

© 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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