ARCHIVES 2022
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 Ohio State University has officially registered a trademark for the word "The," a word that now is officially part of the school’s name. “It’s deeply meaningful to the school's identity,” OSU spokesperson Ben Johnson said. ‘“The Ohio State University’ has been a rallying cry in our community for years."
“The divine name from Exodus, ‘I Am that I Am,’ illustrates our own divinity. ‘I Am’ is in every creature, atom, galaxy, flower, fish, and human. Our lives are stories of how our "I-am-ness" came to be and how it flowers into a unique and beautiful expression of the Divine One, the image of God that comes to birth once in a Universe in us.” – Matthew Fox Affirmative prayer: Today, I claim my spiritual identity, realizing that Spirit knows me by the same, divine “I am” essence that applies to all life. I affirm the great, unending truth: God is, and I Am. God is love, peace, and goodness. Therefore, I am love, peace and goodness. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  NBA Hall-of-Fame guard Gary Payton donated $2.5 million to the NBA’s Unfinished Business initiative, a program created to help minority-owned small businesses in local communities. "We’re trying to get people back on their feet and help small businesses re-open and stay open.” To date, the program has contributed $7.5 million to small businesses.
“When we live each day with kindness, compassion, and communicative love, there is no business left unfinished. There are no regrets or words we should have said but didn't. There is no need for closure.” - Tyler Henry, Between Two Worlds Affirmative prayer: Today, I bring my attention and dynamic energy to an undertaking which has gone unfinished long enough. Just as the Divine loves me unceasingly into full realization, I now fulfill a task which was awaiting completion. Clarity, love, and action are the order of this day. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  Justine Lindsay made history when she was selected to the Carolina Panthers’ cheerleading squad as the sport’s first out transgender woman to cheer in the NFL. “This is a moment I will never forget and I cannot wait to show what this girl has to bring." Justine disclosed that she was trans on paperwork for her audition for the team, but the squad director said it was her talent and integrity that won her the spot.
“Let the fog burn away so that we can see each other clearly. So that we can see beyond labels, gender or skin color. Let the light be so strong that we see all people as neighbors.” - Harold Kushner, American rabbi and author Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, I celebrate the truth of pure spiritual beingness in every blessed soul. I give thanks that I am and we all are expressions of pure Spirit, created in It’s image no matter our gender or race. We were cast in God’s great production of a wondrous life made real. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  A Buddhist nun, Jeong Kwan, has been named Asia’s foremost culinary icon. As a young woman, she entered a temple in South Korea and, what started as a chore in the monastery became her spiritual practice: a decades-long journey into Zen practice that would lead her to master the principles and techniques of temple cuisine. Her food, she says, exists to preserve the wellbeing of planet Earth and all its sentient beings.
“Food preparation is an act of worship, choosing foods consciously, making good stewardship choices. We are physical beings and God meets us in our physicality, in our experiences that are most tangible and sensual.” – Beth Stedman Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, I’m thankful for the food that nourishes my body and soul. I thoughtfully take in this daily blessing, allowing it to give me strength and comfort. I prepare my food with gratitude and mindfulness, and with a dedication to living the life that Spirit intends for me. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  The summer solstice is when the sun is its furthest away from the equator, making it the longest day of the year. All spring, you've been planting seeds, starting projects, and embarking on new beginnings. It's once the summer solstice pours sunshine all over your world that you get to see what those seeds have since grown into. It's a day to indulge in the thrills that life offers.
"Summer solstice is a celebration of the return to light, reminding us of the light within and the potential of our cosmic sense of unity. It is about awakening. It is about an omnipotent symbol of ascension and the ultimate triumph of light over darkness." – Natalie Kuna Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, today I lift my face to the sun. I lift my spirit to this longest day of brightness and to the promise that life is good. I bask in the warmth of a Life Presence that invites me to play hard, give much, and to be a conduit for all the love in the Universe. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  Juneteenth was yesterday, June 19. It symbolizes the end of slavery and commemorates the reading of President Abraham Lincoln's General Order #3, which announced the freeing of slaves. It became an official national holiday in 2021 when President Biden signed the measure into law. On hand for the celebration was 94-year-old Opal Lee, who advocated for the June 19 holiday most of her life.
“We have the potential to help people out of poverty, out of disease, out of slavery, and out of conflict. We can bring light to the world.” - Alicia Keys Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, today I honor the sacred right of freedom for all people. I bring light to my community and the world by illuminating my own consciousness, healing any trace of prejudice that has kept me small. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  The fathers of the U.S. have a woman, Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington, to thank for Father’s Day. In 1910, Sonora worked hard to establish an equivalent to Mother’s Day for dads. She went to churches, the YMCA, shopkeepers, and government officials to drum up support for her idea, and she succeeded. Washington State celebrated the nation’s first statewide Father’s Day on June 19, 1910. It became a national holiday in 1972.
“Dads are most ordinary men turned by love into heroes, adventurers, storytellers, and singers of song.” - Unknown Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, I honor the life-generating, protective spirit of our fathers and our father-figures. I give thanks for their goodness, their hearts, and the love that inspires me to rise. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  The 90 feet between bases in baseball is magic. It’s the perfect distance to make for lots of suspense. A speedy baserunner stands a chance of safely making it to base, but infielders also have good odds of throwing a runner out. Precisely 90 feet is key. Not 89 or 91. Turns out, 90 feet is an athletic, spiritual, geometric wonder.
“Life exists because there is precision in the Universe. The oxygen ratio is perfect; the Earth’s temperature is right on; there’s a system for replenishing air, for producing food and generating energy. We are players in this life-giving system, and we’re invited to be patrons of wholeness.” – Scott Awbrey Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, I cease fretting over the end result, and I just hang out in the God-endowed qualities of precision, wholeness, and perfect right action. I am already a winning concern because the Divine showed Its faith in me and placed me in the starting line-up of this thing called life. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  Now here’s compassion. A Utah animal shelter is partnering with an addiction rehab center to provide short-term housing for pets whose people are going through a difficult time. Through the Ruff Haven Crisis Center, furry loved ones don't have to be a barrier to getting addiction help. The shelter has served around 510 animals through their crisis sheltering program.
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened." - Anatole France, French poet and novelist Affirmative prayer: I see the Godhood in all life. I give thanks for the transparent love of animals, and for the bond between humans and pets. Infinite Presence, may the heart in these beautiful souls also be in me, that I may be love unconditionally. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  Singer/songwriter Jon Batiste was asked, “If you could hear only one song for the rest of your life, what would it be?” His reply: “It has to be something that, when you’re listening, you hear new things. It’s forever. It’s healing, regenerating. It’s giving you something that’s like a daily bread every time you hear it.” His choice of songs: “Gymnopedie No. 1,” by Erik Satie
“When we need some particular sort of music, it is the soul asking us to play it, because it is nourishment for the soul. Music is love drawn from a higher plane and distilled for human ears.” – Beverly Champion, Seven Ways to Nourish the Soul Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence. I allow the music in my heart to lead me along paths of serenity. I pray in concert with a perfectly unfolding Universe, and I am grateful that my unceasing prayer is answered by the goodness of life, everywhere present. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  June is Pride Month, when the world's LGBTQ communities come together and celebrate the freedom to be themselves. Pride events welcome anyone who feels like their sexual identity falls outside the mainstream – although many straight people join in, too. The original organizers chose this month to pay homage to the Stonewall uprising in June, 1969 in New York City, which helped spark the modern gay rights movement.
“I've been thinking about the difference between tolerating and celebrating. When you tolerate someone, it's as if you're forcing yourself to acknowledge they exist. But when you celebrate someone, you're letting them know you actively appreciate their existence. They bring something valuable to the world, just by being them.” – AJ Willingham, CNN senior writer Affirmative prayer: I give thanks for the wholeness of every person and for the beautiful ways we each express love. I am grateful for the dignity and joy of LGBTQ communities, and I celebrate the freedom of love made visible. There is no otherness. We are One, and there is blessing and goodness. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  “Forgiveness means giving up all hope for a better past.” – Lily Tomlin, from The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace, by Jack Kornfield
Affirmative prayer: Today, I release my need to change the past. I live now. I forgive. I open to all the love in the Universe and allow its tender, powerful energy to sustain me, to give me hope. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  Our school teachers – bless their hearts – are facing tough times. Teaching has always been a demanding, underpaid profession, but today’s teachers are navigating the threat of school shootings, a pandemic, and political interference in their lesson plans. "I’ve held a lot of crying teachers in my arms,” said Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association. “They are overwhelmed."
“Teachers are the most important members of society because their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth.” - Helen Caldicott, Australian physician Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, I hold those who teach in high regard, just as the Divine does every time they answer the bell. May our teachers have the resources, energy, and respect that allow them to do their holy work with success and joy. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  Hello dear ones. I’m using today’s Reflection to let you know of a small change in my schedule. Beginning this week, I’m taking weekends off. I’ve been sending Daily Reflections seven days a week for three years. Whew! Now, I’ll send them just Monday-Friday. I pray that you know all the time how good life is and how loved you are! – Rev Scott
“Weekends are like confetti floating in the air in slow motion. In the evening they reach the ground, and you hope a bit of wind could blow on them so they could fly a bit longer.” - Alain Bremond-Torrent, Running is Flying Intermittently A prayer for today: “Give us the grace of tender seeing. Help us to recognize and honor the wise one who lives at the core of our being. May we be able to let go of our work at the end of the day. Teach us to end the day slowly, thoughtfully, gracefully. Soften the driven part of us that we may learn to relax and offer all we are and all we do as a bouquet of life at the close of each day.” – Macrina Wiederkehr, Seven Sacred Pause  “Some stars are so far away that their light has not yet reached the earth. Could the same be said about the bright ideas, virtues, creativity, and dreams of our own lives?” - Macrina Wiederkehr, Seven Sacred Pauses
Affirmative prayer: Today, I am open and receptive to divine encouragement. I wait expectantly for inspired ideas and creative sparks to find their way into my consciousness. I am ready to shepherd sacred dreams into form, to see the ideal made real. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  When Shahzeb Anwer traveled from Pakistan to Alabama to have surgery, he found much more than good health care. The people of Birmingham provided him a place to stay, meals, drove him around town, and cared for him post-surgery. Not only was the operation a success, his new friends had become family. It was only natural that, when he returned home to Pakistan to be married, he invited the entire Alabama city to the wedding.
“You can kiss your family and friends goodbye and put miles between you, but you always carry them in your heart, your mind, because you do not just live in the world. The world lives in you.” - Frederick Buechner, Telling the Truth Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, I give thanks for my beloveds, holding them in gratitude and high blessing. May the love we share feel like answered prayer, that they may know their gracious place in the heart of Life. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  Nuclear fusion scientists from 35 countries, working together in France, had an historic moment when they successfully generated and sustained enough fusion energy to power a house for a day. Fusion, which is a process that occurs naturally in the sun, promises a virtually limitless form of energy. Mastering it could save humanity from climate change. “Energy is life,” said one scientist. “Biologically, socially, and economically.”
“Einstein said that all matter, all life, is energy. Doesn’t it follow, then, that we can tap into this universal energy? That, indeed, we are one with it? We harmonize with the energy and love of the Universe by right of consciousness. Through prayer, meditation, and mindful living we align with this vital force and we are supercharged to live as Spirit intends. That’s powerful; we are powerful.” – Scott Awbrey Affirmative prayer: Today, I consciously align with the love and power of God. My mind is a conduit for universal life energy. My prayers, thoughts, and actions are in keeping with Divine will. Thank you, Infinite Presence, forever. Amen.  Hood River, Oregon, arborist Tyler Roth went way above the call of duty when he rescued a cat that was stuck at the very top of a tall Douglas fir. The cat, named "Fievel," had been stuck in the tree for more than two days when Roth began his ascent. It wasn’t easy and not without some risk, but when Tyler reached the cat, he spoke lovingly to it, offered it a bit of food, and, after he secured her, yelled down to the owner, "The cat is in the bag!" The video is amazing.
“The whole business of the Divine is to care for you, to love you with an everlasting love, to note your slightest cry, and to rescue you.” – Emilie Cady, Lessons in Truth Affirmative prayer: Infinite I give thanks for the nimble and brave work of our guardians. May their whole lives reflect their bold and charitable nature and may we all get to experience the courageous champion that dwells inside of us. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  Earth's inner core, which was thought to be a solid ball of compressed iron alloy surrounded by a liquid outer core, might actually be a bit mushy, researchers have discovered. An article in “Physics of the Earth and Planetary Interiors” suggests that the core ranges from hard to semisoft to liquid metal. "We're finding a whole new hidden world."
“Look underfoot. You are always nearer to the true sources of your power than you think. The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive. The great opportunity is where you are. Don't despise your own place and hour. Every place is the center of the world.” - John Burroughs, American naturalist and nature essayist Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, I look within and find a pattern of perfection at the center of my being. I see my companions and discern the God presence in them. I consider those with whom I feel angst and understand that we are connected at a Divine intersection. We all live in Spirit, whose center is everywhere. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  Researchers at the Nature Conservancy say that planting trees not only beautifies urban neighborhoods, it also helps with climate change mitigation, heat-stroke protection, better breathing, sounder sleep, stress relief, disease prevention, and defense from depression. “Trees provide so many benefits for the planet, and for our health.”
“When we see a tree, a butterfly, a flower, when we feel the evening breeze flow over us or wade in a stream of clear water, our natural response is immediate, intuitive, transforming. We find ourselves invaded by the world of the sacred.” – Berry Thomas, Catholic priest, scholar, and cultural historian Affirmative prayer: “Infinite Presence, with insight to our holy connection, I affirm that this world and lives of each of are sacred. I abide in the lap of the Divine, and hold all life as precious, meaningful, and blessed. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  Ukraine's Kalush Orchestra, which won the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this month, raised $900,000 for the country's military battling the Russian invasion by auctioning the contest's trophy. The band’s members, who were fighting as part of the Ukrainian resistance only weeks before Eurovision, received accolades from across Europe for their music.
Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, I am grateful for pure-hearted souls and for the holy work of peace-keepers. In the words of Howard Thurman, “To find the lost. To heal the broken. To feed the hungry. To release the prisoner. To rebuild the nation. To bring peace among others. To make music in the heart.” Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  The Hubble Space Telescope captured a stunning new view of a gigantic galaxy that is 100 million light-years from Earth. Galaxy NGC 474, appears to be a misshapen galaxy with no distinct edges, the result of it absorbing smaller galaxies. Astronomers think that’s what our Milky Way Galaxy – after it merges with the Andromeda Galaxy – will look like in about 5 billion years. And you thought these times we’re living in now were interesting!
“As scientists explored the world of subatomic physics, they discovered that atoms – the ultimate building blocks of all reality – looked like nebulous clouds that infinitely shaded into their environment. In short, they had no boundaries.” – Ken Wilber, No Boundary Affirmative prayer: Today, I trade my thoughts of otherness, of dualism, for the clear awareness that all life expressions are literally one. The Divine is fully present, in its entirety, at every point in the Universe, and I am included in this Cosmic affair. There is no boundary between me and the rest of creation. One life. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  The first Memorial Day commemoration on record occurred May 1, 1865, when a crowd of 10,000 freed slaves staged a parade around a race track in Charleston, South Carolina, which had been a makeshift prison for Union captives. Three thousand Black schoolchildren carried bouquets of flowers and sang. Members of Black Union regiments performed double-time marches. Black ministers recited verses from the Bible.
“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” – John 15:13 Affirmative prayer: Today, I tribute those who have served and died in war, and I pray that humankind is coming to a higher spiritual awareness, that every human soul awakens as an instrument of peace. May we be in a world where we do not live in fear, and a vision of hope, plenty, and peace is realized in our hearts and throughout the land. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  “Life infused us with the power to conceive, express, and enjoy the fruits of our creative power. We create through thought, word, and deed. We are each here to reveal the creative ideal of the Divine.” – Iyanla Vanzant, One Day My Soul Just Opened Up
Affirmative prayer: Today, in concert with the Divine, I give radiant life to the landscape of my soul and my estate. My creations, my handiwork are made visible wherever I place my attention. I manifest beauty, abundance, love, and right action. I do this on purpose for myself and for those in my orbit. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.  Asya Welz, her mother, and her grandmother all earned master’s degrees from Western Governors University and walked together in commencement. “We were the first three-generation graduates in the school’s history.” Better, still, her grandma gave the graduation address.
"Surround yourself with doers. Be around people who demonstrate their boldness." - Wayne Dyer Affirmative prayer: Infinite Presence, I give thanks for the generational blessings of our lives. How good to be in the family of humankind where faith, hope, and love are paid forward. Thank you, God, forever. Amen. |