ARCHIVES 2020
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“A moment of self-compassion can change your entire day. A string of such moments can change the course of your life.” - Christopher Germer, The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I hold myself lightly. My sense of self, the way I appear in the world, and my expectations of my performances are held in the light of God’s love for me. If it’s good enough for the Divine, it’s good enough for me! Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott Hildegard of Bingen revealed 800 years ago that lifestyle affects the nervous system. Negative feelings such as hate, anger, and fear, and positive emotions like love, compassion, hope, and joy influences our health. Prayer, contemplation, and meditation positively affect our healing.” – Matthew Fox, Hildegard of Bingen: A Saint for Our Times
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I steep myself in a mental and soulful atmosphere of goodness. Anything in my experience that is unlike the vitality of pure Spirit is healed and released. My physical self is made whole again. My life is an extension of the life of God, and I affirm that my body is a fit instrument for carrying out Spirit’s high ideals. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott "I am in love with every church, mosque, temple, and shrine. In these houses people say the different names of the one God. I am in love with every mind and heart and body. I am crazy about your every thought and yearning because through these you search for the Divine.”
– Hafiz Affirmative prayer: "Today, I embrace the indwelling Spirit at the heart of my life, all lives. I honor all faiths, thankful that all roads lead to God. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “The magnificence of your radiant self is always discovered by the infrequency of your need to take offense.” – Evan Hodkins
Affirmative prayer: "Today, my thoughts, prayers, and reflections keep me centered in a consciousness of wholeness. The opinions of this world hold no interest for me as I allow Divine Love to be my touchstone in all things. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott "Even ten minutes of meditation on the well-being of others can open our hearts and help us feel joyful for the whole day. It enables us to feel the pain of others as well as our own pain. And it curiously allows us to experience more joy.” – The Dalai Lama
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I pray for the well-being of others. I affirm their Oneness with the Divine, with myself, and with all life. The truth of wholeness, peace, and joy is revealing itself in their lives, and I give thanks for this infinite goodness. Amen.” – Rev. Scott Rosa Parks is jailed on this date in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a public bus to a white man. Following her act of civic disobedience, Martin Luther King, Jr. organized the Montgomery Bus boycott.
“Memories of our lives, of our works and our deeds will continue in others.” - Rosa Parks Affirmative prayer: "Today, I remember that there is only one Life, one Mind, one Universal Presence shared by us all. I know that my acts of kindness and freedom reverberate throughout the lives of others, as a pebble tossed in a pond. I give thanks that my life interweaves with others, and what I believe, say, and do makes a difference for good in humankind. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “There is a hidden genius in each person, which we each give expression to through commitment, discipline, enthusiasm, and passion.” – Eric Butterworth, The Creative Life
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I put a collective name to the spiritual qualities within me. I call it the “I am-ness” of my being. Absolutely, beautifully, wholly, God is and I am. I go about this day with assurance, gratitude, enthusiasm, and a promise to let God be God in my life. Thank you, Infinite Presence, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott C.S, Lewis born on this date, 1898
Theologian, Scholar, Author, The Chronicles of Narnia “To love is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one. Avoid all entanglements. But the only true place outside Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from the dangers of love is Hell.” – C.S. Lewis Affirmative prayer: "Today, as usual, I love selectively. I do not pretend to unconditionally love everyone and everything in my life. But I do make this bold move: to wholeheartedly love one person, or one landscape, or one cause. I love this one perfect image of the Divine completely, and I allow the possibility that this devotion may inspire me to enlarge my territory, that I may become more Spirit-like in my loving, in my living. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday
A wife asks her husband, a computer systems analyst, “Could you run to the store and pick up a carton of milk and, if they have eggs, get a dozen?” A short time later, he returns with 12 cartons of milk. His wife stares at his purchase and asks incredulously, “Why in the world did you buy 12 cartons of milk?” To which he replies, “They had eggs.” Affirmative prayer: "Infinite Spirit, I enter the season of shopping with a deep appreciation for the beloved souls in my life. My love is made visible with gifts of my time, actions, and exchanges of affection. this season and always I live generously. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “We have faced challenges in the past: the tension between selfishness and generosity, between fear and hope, between division and unity. And what was it that brought the reality of America into closer alignment with its promise of equality, justice, and prosperity? It was love. Plain and simple. To love our neighbors as ourselves is a radical act, yet it’s what we’re called to do. We must try, for only in trying, only in listening, only in seeing ourselves as bound together in what Dr. King called a “mutual garment of destiny,” can we rise above our divisions and truly heal.” – Joe Biden
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I love my neighbor as myself. I love as I am loved. I uphold, encourage, and defend others as I am secured by the Divine. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “Thank you, Loving Creator, for family and friends who gather remotely, in person, or in spirit around our Thanksgiving table. Thank you for being our guiding radiance and our unending source of goodness. Thank you for food, shelter, clothing, and our abundance. Thank you for challenging us, urging us by your grace to grow deeper and more whole. Thank you for the amazing gift of our life, for the complexity and beauty of the human person. Thank you for the magnificence of our Universe and the nurturing gift of our planet. Thank you for sleep that restores, prayer that strengthens, friendship that comforts, laughter that releases, tears that heal, hearts and bodies that mend, minds that find meaning, arms that embrace. Thank you, Loving Creator. Amen.” -Joyce Rupp, Out of the Ordinary
“I want us to start talking about this great Love, helping each other to cook, do the wash and mending, and care for our beautiful animals. I want us to start singing like traveling minstrels about this extraordinary Existence we share, as If you, I, and God were all married and living in a tiny room.” - Hafiz
Affirmative prayer: "Today, Infinite Spirit, I am passionate about the life I share with others, and about the persons with whom I share this life. In the silence, in words and deeds, and in my prayers, my devotion is unbounded. It is bright, ever at hand, and celebrated. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott Many spiritual teachers speak of the value of being with our anger in a conscious, skillful manner. Richard Rohr says we can get to the bottom of our anger by facing the sadness that’s underneath it. Evan Hodkins says, rather than being dull with our anger, to be bright with it and alchemize it into understanding. Thich Nhat Hanh teaches that the best way to heal anger is to have compassion. Understanding that the other person is suffering, and that we can help.
Affirmative prayer: "Today, Infinite Spirit, I am awake to the shreds of anger within me. I have the maturity, patience, and wherewithal to feel the sadness that’s at the heart of it, and to skillfully transmute it into forgiveness and acts of healing and right action. I give thanks, dear God, for this evidence of your love. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “Whenever we shine our Light into another's life, it leaves a timeless mark, a lasting radiance. It teaches how we can heal our world. Light shared stirs up the embers of compassion, the greatness of Spirit that is everyone's true gift to this world.” – Roger Teel, This Life is Joy
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I shine a light in dark places. I give my time. I am empathetic, encouraging, generous. I say a prayer for the least of these, and see others in the light of sincere, absolute love. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott An American visited the renowned Polish rabbi, Hofetz Chaim, and was astonished to see that the rabbi's home was a simple room filled with only books, a table, and a bench. "Rabbi," asked the tourist, "where is your furniture?" Chaim replied, "Where is yours?" "Mine?" asked the puzzled American. "But I'm only passing through." To which Chaim said, "So am I, so am I." - Tales of the Hasidim
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I am fully present in my actions, my conversations, my work, my meanderings. The allness of my life’s journey is found in each moment, in every smile. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “Freedom can be found in the brief pause between stimulus and response. For example, can we expand the pause between our spouse's annoyed words and our angry or hurt reaction? Can we change from self-righteous indignation to compassionate understanding?” – Douglas Abram, The Bok of Joy
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I live mindfully. I am less compulsive, slower to react. I allow myself to be with another in the spirit of Oneness. We are kindred souls. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “All of our years on earth, we have thought of ourselves as finite and limited, limited by our education, environment, or finances; so we have limited ourselves. If, however, we knew that we are one with the Father, and that all that the Father has is embodied within us, we would know that we are a child of God who has been given dominion over all that is, and to whom the Father has given His allness.” - Joel Goldsmith, Realization of Oneness; the Practice of Spiritual Healing
Affirmative prayer: "Today, my prayer is a remembering that I am in God’s heart, that I am one with the Infinite, heir to the life, love, and substance of pure Spirit. It is God’s pleasure to welcome me home, always, and to enfold me in the richness of this beautiful life. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “We have come into this exquisite world to experience ever more deeply our divine courage, freedom, and light.” - Hafiz
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I look up and feel the light of a cosmic Presence on my face. I look within and know the freedom of one who is blessed by Life. I rest in the peace of this moment, content, wanting for nothing. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “We lie in the lap of immense Intelligence, which makes us receivers of its Truth. When we discern honesty, and virtue, and justice, we allow a passage to its beams.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I make an agreement with myself, with others, and with Spirit to live by the virtues of truth, kindness, and integrity. I have been called to express the good of God in my words, thoughts, and actions. Thank you, Infinite Presence, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “The essential role of worship is to link together microcosm and macrocosm in thanksgiving or praise for our amazing existence in the Universe. Worship's task is to allow us to discover -- or rediscover -- this truth of our being essential members of this thing called Life.” – Matthew Fox, The Coming of the Cosmic Christ
Affirmative prayer: "Today, Infinite Presence, I give thanks for my extraordinary place in the Universe. I revere the originating source of all life, the generations that came before me, and the evolutionary process that conspired to bring me into being. With gratitude, I commit my heart and soul to living as the one-of-a-kind miracle that I am. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “We are all seekers, not because something is missing that we must struggle to find. We search for more because we are made of more.” – Roger Teel, This Life is Joy
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I seek the Good of God, knowing that infinite love and power are ever present in my life and await my recognition. I know that what I am looking for, I am looking with. Thank you, Infinite Presence, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “Having an argument with someone is sometimes like a game of chess, except the board is flowing water and the chess pieces are made of smoke. You can make all the moves you want; it will not affect the outcome of the game.”
– Jerry Seinfeld Affirmative prayer: "Today, I shall quibble with integrity! While vigorously engaged with another, I will hear my companion, rather than think about my next words. I shall seek to understand, rather than be understood. All the while, I remember that we are connected, one in Spirit. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott “The true Self is infinite. It has no boundaries. Pure essence. Pure light. Engulfing the mind, soul, and body with Its radiance.” - Alberto Villoldo
Affirmative prayer: "Today, I release the illusion that I am less than the pure Being created by the Divine. I am what I recognize in all others: pure essence, pure light. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott FRDIAY THE 13TH
“Friday the 13th was once considered the day of the Goddess, a day to worship the divine feminine in all of us, and to honor the cycle of creation and the potential for new life. The number 13 also represents change. An even 12 feels complete, but adding one more element to the dozen can be off-putting and even downright scary. Thirteen territory is the place of transformation, newness, and creation.” – Scott Awbrey Affirmative prayer: "Today, I celebrate the divine feminine in myself and in my sisters and brothers, honoring the spirit of renewal, creativity, and wholeness in us all. I embrace the fear of new surroundings, and I bravely go where other Spirit-centered souls have traveled and shined brightly. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott VETERANS DAY
During World War II, Jimmy Durante was doing a show for veterans, and had told his staff that he could only do a short monologue and leave quickly. But he stayed on stage much longer than planned. When asked why, he pointed to two men in the front row, each of whom had lost an arm in the war. One had lost his right arm and the other had lost his left. But, together, they were clapping loudly and cheerfully. Affirmative prayer: "Today, I honor the veterans of our nation, for their service and sacrifice. I revere the spirit of men and women who join together to meet their duty. And I join my hands and heart with others in fulfilling the sacred missions to which we are called. Thank you, God, forever. Amen.” – Rev. Scott |
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