It's Christmas!!!!

Whoa! It's here, AGAIN! Remember all the promises you made to yourself LAST year about how THIS year would be different? Well, guess what. It really doesn't matter. Here you are in this moment, the only one you have. Use it well. Enjoy what is. Be present with every feeling and know that you are a beloved child of GOD. Let this year be a celebration of your birthing into a new consciousness of who and what you are. That birthing can be painful or joyful. It's not what happens TO you it's what you DO with it that counts. May this season bring with it a new understanding of the truth of life and may it be a joyful one.
In Love and Light, Keri

Thanks and Thanks

Ok, yes, it is Thanksgiving week and thanksgiving is about that; giving thanks. So stop right now and look around you. Name ten things you are grateful for. Now name ten more. Now, try to remember to get grateful every hour. Pause and look around this magnifcent world peopled by wonderful beings and feel the gratitude. Gratitude is what opens us up to the gifts of spirit. It's one of the Keys to the Kingdom.
In love and light, Keri

OK, another month has ZOOOMed by. The Keys to the Kingdom class is complete but not over. Part of the Key to the Keys is to keep doing it: making time for spiritual growth daily, working the law of circulation through tithing of our time, talents, and treasures. Any one can benefit from the keys just COMMIT!!! More on this later.....
Supporting you all in love and light, Keri

Abundance

As I've been chatting with everyone I find a common lament; "I don't have time...." It came to me that time is a more precious commodity than money in many ways..
Remember that in God's world abundance includes EVERYTHING. When we talk about abundance we often focus on the tangible things of life but some of the most precious are the intangibles.
Also, keep in mind that there's a part of us that may not want this change in your life as much as your inner self does. What more convenient excuse that not having enough time?
Yesterday was an exceptionally demanding one in terms of time for me so I focused on knowing that through God all things are possible, plastered my truth llists everywhere so I'd run in to them, and surrendered it all, trusting it would all fall into place and of course it did.. No fuss no muss.
I am grateful.
So, today, I know the truth about each one of you is space to breathe, perfect timing, ease in every task you undertake.
Time is man made, when I focus on God I release the mold of time that restricts the flow of my life and "perfect timing" is the norm. This is the TRUTH of all of us.
In loving support, Keri

Who's got the power?

Well, for some of us the week has been filled with dealing with the aftermath of some pretty significant power. Trees uprooted, homes damaged, power outages... It made me realize how dependent I am on order in my outside world in order to feel safe inside. It's easy for me to feel all light and love when the power's on but cut that off and suddenly my world goes sideways and I forget where the real power is. Inside me that is. I can choose to feel differently in any situation. There are times when, in my humanness I just plain forget that I can choose to know that all is in divine order, that there is a power greater than anything I can imagine that has got my back every time despite appearances. I know this is the Truth of each one of you, also. Maybe all this ruckus is just God trying to get our attention. What do you think?
In Love and Light,
Keri

Come Play With Me

I'm so excited about the opportunity to work with a group of like minded people on putting principle to work in their lives! If you don't know what I'm talking about you haven't heard about the Keys to the Kingdom Class starting Sept. 14th. It's seven weeks of real practice in putting spiritual principles to work in your life. If this sounds like something you'd like to participate in let Rev. Donna or me know by Sept. 7th so we can get the materials ordered for you. Got questions? Drop us an E-mail or give the church a call. It's always more fun to exercise with a group so join us for join us for a spiritual work out.

Always holding the light,
Keri

Search for the Pearl

The other day a friend of mine shared this thought with me from a book she was reading; "search for the pearl, not the oyster".
I LOVE that. So often in my daily life I'm looking for the oyster..."why is that like that (judgement)" "those people are so...(negative thought)" "if only...(never quite satisfied). I've decided that I'm searching for the pearl in every situation. I'm choosing to know that God, the good, is behind it all no matter what the appearance is. Instead of oyster stew, I'm jazzin' up my life with the pearls. How about you?

Holding the light,
Keri King RScP

Think About This...

Were you aware that there is reliable scientific proof that we are, indeed, all connected, all one? Yep, there have been some very busy scientists conducting literally thousands of experiments that prove that at the deepest level of matter there is no separation. As a corollary to that, the "empty" space around us is not so empty but rather filled with energy so fine that it has taken this long for technology to come up with the instruments to measure it.

This really excites me, there is now proof for what we in "New Thought" have believed all along, we are one! The paradigm of separation is shifting, and we can't ignore it any longer, the world may seem big but we are intimately connected with every part of it and it is our conciousness that is the vehical for communication in this system.

I encourage you to play with this information, imagine you can feel that field of oneness and then drop a peaceful thought into that space and see what happens...you might change the world.

In Love and Light,

Keri

New Kid on the Blog

I'm so excited to be finding my place in the Unity of the Hills family. It is my joy and my priviledge to be part of what is becoming a dynamic ministerial team. There are so many possibilities opening up and I see great things for our group. Please know that I am here to serve each one of you in understanding how Spirit is working in your life.
I believe that our church will grow in direct proportion to each member's conciousness. To that end I'm looking forward to helping each of us to practice bringing forth the highest and best by applying New Thought principles to everyday life. It is a practice that has changed my life and I know it will (and probably already has) changed yours, too.
I am available for personal spiritual treatment (also known as prayer) and look forward to hearing from you either as comments on this blog or as we cross paths in life.

Know I hold the High Watch for each one of you.

Thought for Today

Impatience is what you feel when you think the future, in either hours, days, or years, will be "better" than the present. It won't.
~Mike Dooley

We are obsessed with the future. We read the Farmers Almanac, we check our horoscope, we visit our psychic, we even buy books telling us what the future trends are so we'll be in step.

Life isn't last year or ten minutes from now. It's NOW...in this moment. When we can learn to let go of fretting about the past or the future, our journey will be smoother and filled with joy. When we surrender to Spirit, we can grow and change.

Donna

Thought for Today

When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it's bottomless, that it doesn't have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.
-- Pema Chodron

We all need to know that we count in the lives of others...that we are needed.

Acceptance by others...unconditional love...that's what we want. Since we all share this need, it would be good for us to also give this same acknowledgement to the people in our lives. Their insecurities match our own.

In the company of others, there is comfort and nothing is too much for us to handle. The people in our lives need us as much as we need them.

Open your heart...share that huge, vast, limitless resource!

Donna

Thought for Today

How To Feel Great in 2008!

1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to!
3. Tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4. When you wake up in the morning, complete the following statement: My purpose is to___________ today.
5. Live with the 3 E's. Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.
6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, qigong and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants...and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.
9. Drink green tea & plenty of water and eat blueberries, almonds &walnuts.
10. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new energy into your life.
11. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, issues of the past,negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest it in a gift we call the present.
12. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class...but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
13. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and eat dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
14. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________. Today I accomplished____________.
15. Develop meaningful relationships with yourself, your family, your friends, and your higher power.

Whew!
OK, let's start with only one or two of the above ideas...it will still make a difference in your life!

Donna

Thought for Today

Grand adventures await those who are willing to turn the corner.-- Chinese saying

OK, so I know all I need is light enough to take the next step...BUT who doesn't want to see around the corner?! Sounds like the adventure lies in the willingness to turn the corner, with or without the light!

So it's about taking a risk...having faith...,courage even when you're afraid, and all that scary stuff. It's about living fully as opposed to living partially. Daring to be, to do...not cowering in the corner hoping you won't be called upon to answer...hoping you're invisible.

OK, so stand up...do the deed...take the credit...let the adrenalin flow! Turn that corner! You'll be amazed at what is waiting round the bend!

Donna

Thought for Today

It is very easy to forgive others their mistakes. It takes more gut and gumption to forgive them for having witnessed your own. ~Jessamyn West

It feels noble to forgive others their awful mistakes, but we are filled with guilt and shame when we realize they've caught us in a mistake. To take the focus off what we've done, sometimes we try to find something wrong with them. It isn't easy to claim our own mistakes...but it can be very freeing.

We can embrace the experience of being found out and see it as a gift to help keep us honest. It is one of those gifts that is so well-wrapped, we have difficulty recognizing it!

Donna
__._,_.___

Thought for Today

He who believes himself to be far advanced in the spiritual life has not even made a good beginning. ~Jean Pierre Camus

There are no graduates who have completed the spiritual course. We are all teachers and students of one another.

To believe we don't need to grow anymore spiritually is a sure sign that we have more learning ahead of us. It's kind of like boasting about how humble we are!

It's great to take comfort from your faith; it's quite another to believe you have completed the course.

Donna

Thought for Today

When pain is to be borne, a little courage helps more than much knowledge, a little human sympathy more than much courage, and the least tincture of the love of God more than all.

~C.S. Lewis

If you listen to the TV ads or look on the pharmacy shelf of a store, it seems there is a medication for every type of pain. But there are some types of pain that no medication can touch. Even physical pain is often the result of the deeper pain of the mind, heart, or spirit. So courage, sympathy and the love of God may be just the answer for healing or reducing some of our pain.

Pain requently comes from fear. Perfect Love (Spirit) casts out fear. Consider the cures that can come from love...your love and the love of God.

Donna

Thought for Today

We have met the enemy and they is us. ~Pogo

We are ALL children of God. Today when you meet people in the supermarket, fellow employees, or your family and friends...look at them as if you were interacting with God, because you are!

The sacred Hindu greeting of Namaste means "I salute the divinity within you." Practice Namaste daily and you'll start to see people in a new light. We are all one in spiritual kinship!

They IS us!!

Donna

And the angels sang...

WOW! That was the consensus at Sunday morning services today! Keri King and Amanda Watson sang. They sang the Prelude, led our 2 community songs, sang Special Music, and led us in a round for Offertory!! It was beautiful, touching, and heart healing. Many of us were moved to tears. People told me they could actually feel their hearts lifting. I know I felt my own heart soar.

Music must soothe the savage beast...or breast! And we want more!!

Thank you, Keri and Amanda!! Excellent!!

Thought for Today

When Jesus said that we should not judge lest we be judged, he was stating the action of the law of cause and effect. If we wish a complete clearance from any sense of condemnation about ourselves, we must first be certain we have released all condemnation of others from our own minds.~Ernest Holmes
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After I read these words of Ernest Holmes, I picked up my Daily Word booklet and read the message saying...'as children of God we mirror to one another the divine attributes within us.' And I thought to myself...I wonder if we also mirror to one another the negative attributes within us. Hmmm.

Is the person who is critical of me simply a mirror image of my own critical inner being? Are those who sit in judgment of me a mirror image of myself sitting in judgment of others?

Yikes, once again I am confronted with the knowing that this spiritual path is about ME, not THEM. I have to release my criticism, my judgment, my "stuff" and that will allow the Spirit in me and the Spirit in others to know their Oneness.

There is One Presence and One Power. That Presence and Power is God and that Presence and Power fills everything and everybody.

Donna

Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.
Oscar Wilde(1854 - 1900)


Usually, the weakness we see and criticize in others (and find most difficult to accept or forgive) are those things about which we have not forgiven ourselves, or in which we most fear being deficient.

Look at what angers you in others. Look at the kind of person you just can't stand, and you will likely see something in yourself that you have been unable to forgive.

Letting go of our denial and facing the truth about ourselves is a fearful step.

Donna

All limits exist only in the mind, and it is only in the mind thatthey can be overcome.
- Alan Cohen
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Every action you take comes from some motive, some intention. The results you get are not because of the action, but because of the intention that drove the action. When a friend gives you a clumsy compliment, you understand "it's the thought that counts". When you attend a family gathering out of resentful obligation your presence blesses no one.

When your intentions are pure you are seeking the highest possibilities for everyone concerned. You are operating from the most God-like part of you, your pure heart, and everybody wins. When your intentions are driven by your ego you deprive yourself and others of those highest possibilities.

The pure heart seeks to be of value, the ego seeks to be valued. The ego is insatiable; the pure heart is perpetually fulfilled. The ego leads to temporary happiness; the pure heart leads to authentic joy.

This week take time to monitor your intentions, and align them with your pure heart.

Donna

Thought for Today

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.
~Abraham Maslow
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When we can move away, or detach from our problems, it's easier to see that often we are using inappropriate tools to solve our problems. But it can be difficult to detach when we are hooked into a situation.

Maintaining a balanced view isn't possible when our nose is pressed right up against our problem. We indulge in crisis thinking and crisis thinking, like a hammer, flattens everything.

We can resolve to remember that every problem is an opportunity for growth and we will search for tools suited for our growth.

Donna

Thought for Today

"At my senses horizon
you appear hesitantly,
like scattered islands.
Yet standing here, peering out,
I'm all the time seen by you.
All creation holds its breath, listening within me,
because, to hear you, I keep silent."
~Rainer Maria Rilke

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Speaking of God, the poet captures the essence of our spiritual practice. To go within, to train ourselves to listen to the inner voice of Truth.

In the Old Testament, the center of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies...the place where the priest could meet God on behalf of the people. We now have a meeting place with God...within our own consciousness, and there our human nature meets our spiritual nature. In silence, we discover God's presence at the center of our being.

The spiritual practice of meditation is a time of refreshing but also a time of deep knowing. Today spend some time in silent communion with the Spirit within...for peace, for balance, for direction.

Donna

Thought for Today

We tend to judge ourselves for our mistakes and the difficulties we have experienced, when it is the difficulties that build our character. You are far stronger for what you have gone through.
-- Alan Cohen


When a person is disliking themselves intensely or figuratively kicking themselves around the block for something they have done or think they have done, a self acceptance affirmation may help change their thinking. "I completely accept myself as I am, without judgment."

Once you clear the negativity you can see that all of life is a lesson. You made a choice and now you are learning from that choice. It may be an easy lesson or a difficult lesson...but as long as you are learning, you are growing and becoming stronger.

Accepting yourself is a short cut to good health. Here's to your health!

Donna

Thought for Today

"You'll never understand the reason, until you look deep enough into the cut to see the emotional pain that put it there." ~anonymous


Have you ever heard the expression "they pushed my buttons?" Have you ever had your buttons pushed? Or maybe you're the one who likes to push someone else's buttons!

Whichever category you belong in, we can recognize that we all have buttons. However, if someone in our life is constantly pushing our buttons, we can set a boundary and tell them "enough!" Make them persona non gratis in your personal space!

Buttons are tender spots that cover up some pain that we haven't yet worked on or maybe we haven't even acknowledged that we have the pain. That pain could be from childhood trauma or it could be a wound we received on our way to adulthood.

When we deal with the pain behind the button, we also disconnect from our automatic reaction when our buttons are pushed. Knowing where our buttons are enables us to do the work necessary to heal and that is the key to our freedom.

Donna

OOPS! Corrected link!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfeXxkbgCVE

I apologize! Try this instead!

Something to ponder...

Recently I received a YouTube video via email. It really touched me and made a deep impression on me. I shared it with several friends. Here is what one friend in Dallas wrote about the video...


To understand everything is to forgive everything - Buddha

A friend sent me the following video from YouTube, about seeing with NEW eyes. The short video shows a young professional man who is irritated by everything - traffic, the neighbor boy on a skateboard, people taking his parking spaces, cutting in front of him and so on. He has a running commentary in his head about how awful people are.

A stranger silently hands him some eyeglasses and when he puts them on, he suddenly can see what is really going on with each person in sight. A man who reached for a cookie for his child has the label "Just lost his job." A woman sitting reading has a label that shows "Avoids relationships out of fear." A young mother with two little ones has a sign that says "Working two jobs to support her kids" and even the young man serving him coffee appears with the words "Fighting Addiction."

Click here to view video

When I watched this video, I cried and stopped to think of my own running criticism and how I judge others. How often I see only the outer appearance and forget that everyone is walking around in what Eckhart Tolle calls our "Pain Body."

What if we each could SEE others' Pain Body and feel the shift of compassion that this new knowledge would bring? What kinds of changes would occur for us and for those we meet?

My prayer is that I remain open and aware of others - giving up judgment and loving them exactly the way they are and exactly the way they are not.

**************************************************************

Let's put on "new glasses" this week and try to SEE or FEEL others' Pain Body. I know how it feels when others judge me unfairly. Dear God, let me remember that when I'm ready to judge others.
Donna

Modern Day Parable

The Hungry Fisherman
(excerpt from Mr. Everit's Secret: What I Learned from the World's Richest Man by Alan Cohen)

“I've been watching you from the bridge for a while, and I notice that you keep the little fish and throw the big ones back into the stream. Why is that?”
“Simple,” he answered. “I have this frying pan here that's about nine inches wide.” Still holding his fishing rod with his right hand, the fisherman leaned over, picked up a small cast-iron skillet, and held it up so I could see. “Only the little fish fit in the pan, so those are the ones I keep.”
I couldn't believe his reasoning. “Then why don't you . . .” I started to ask, but was interrupted by the short blip of a police siren at the top of the bridge. I scurried up to find a cop parked behind my car.
“This your car, mister?”
“That's right, officer.”
“You can't park here; you're blocking the shoulder. You're gonna need to move it, or else I'll have to give you a citation.”
“Sure, no problem.”
I got into the car and started for home. My strange interaction with the fisherman had rattled me. What a peculiar way to fish! I picked up my cell phone and dialed Mr. Everit.
“So you met the hungry fisherman,” he answered.
“I sure did. What a weirdo! The guy was just wasting his energy on small fish. He'd sure save himself a bunch of work and eat a lot better if he just got a bigger frying pan!”
“Absolutely correct. Yet he's no weirder than anyone else who's hungry for money or anything.”
“What do you mean?”
“Remember you asked me why you don't have everything you want, and how to get more?”
“Yes?”
“Get a bigger frying pan.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
“The frying pan is your mind. The fish represent your income, or anything you want more of. If you want to increase what you receive, the first step is to make a place for it in your mind. Think bigger thoughts; paint grander dreams. You can go to a gold mine with a tiny wheelbarrow or a huge one, and you will come away with a volume of gold equal to the size of your container.”
I began to feel irritated and nearly veered across the road into an oncoming car. “But what about the supply and demand?” I shouted into my cell phone. “And economic indicators? And focus groups?”
Mr. Everit laughed. “Do you think I built this huge successful factory by listening to what other people told me was available?” he asked me. “Most people measure themselves by other people's measly frying pans and think that's all they can have. Only those who ask for more can get more, and only those who know more is available, ask.”

Mark Your Calendar...

Sunday, May 25th...

Phil Jones will be at Unity of the Hills for a Didgeridoo workshop from 6-8PM. Love offering only.

Winder Lyons and Carla Quincey are leading a discussion on "A New Earth" from 4-5:30PM at Unity of the Hills.

Tuesday, May 27th...

Lunch Bunch is studying "The Four Agreements" and they have some wonderful, thought-provoking exercises too. 12 noon on Tuesdays at Unity of the Hills.

1st & 3rd Wednesdays...

Keri King is leading a discussion on Wednesday evenings at 7PM on a book by Ernest Holmes, "This Thing Called You."

Saturday, June 7th...Float Trip on the Buffalo River! Call the church for more info.

Thought for Today

"Every memorable act in the history of the world is a triumph of enthusiasm. Nothing great was ever achieved without it because it gives any challenge or any occupation, no matter how frightening or difficult, a new meaning. Without enthusiasm you are doomed to a life of mediocrity but with it you can accomplish miracles."
-- Og Mandino, 1923-1996, Author and Speaker
**********************************************
The most exciting, innovative, and successful projects depend on enthusiasm. Enthusiasm can take you places that skill and education cannot.The word enthusiasm is derived from the roots en...in or within...and theos...God. It means having God within or being one with God. People who use this gift carry a special kind of energy.They bring warmth and feeling to their relationships and vigor and freshness to their activities.

To practice enthusiasm, let others know when you are excited about something. Throw yourself into your projects. Be known for your eagerness, your curiosity, your willingness to give it all you've got. Proclaim your passions. Hold nothing back.

Any type of community can act like a big echo chamber, spreading the enthusiasm around, and even creating more enthusiasm when it fades in one individual. Your individual enthusiam can inspire your home, your spiritual group, and even your town.

Give me an E, give me an N, give me a T, give me an H, give me aU...it's all about U!!

Donna

Join Keri King's class at 7pm the first and third Wednesday night at Unity of the Hills.

It is a book discussion group based on the book, "This Thing Called You" by Ernest Holmes.

If you need some inspiration or transformation...this is the class for you!!

I am loving it! Come join us!

Thought for Today

Have patience with all things, but first of all with yourself.
- St. Francis de Sales
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Before your busy day carries your attention away, take a moment to collect yourself. Take some time to "create your day" by being silent.

Start the day with five or ten minutes of silence. Close your eyes,and focus on your breathing. IN and OUT, letting all your thoughts pass by without taking your attention away. Just let your thoughts float along like leaves in a stream...without judgment or fear...just floating away out of sight. Be patient with yourself. If you can't sustain five or ten minutes of silence, spend as much time as you can. Each day it will become easier.

At the end of your silent time, as your peaceful interlude begins to be over, be thankful for the opportunity to be alive and be thankful for this silent time. A simple "Thank you, God" will do.

Then, throughout the day, take a few seconds and just breathe. Before a meal, have some silence. Before a phone call, close your eyes, take a breath and be silent for a moment. At every opportunity, take some time for intentional silence and conscious breathing.

Those silent moments can add up to a full day of peace. A full day of peace helps you stay with your spiritual, physical, and emotional practices. A full day of peace can be the beginning of a new life.

You'll feel better physically, and your mind and spirit will be still...and you'll be ready to be the best you can be today.

Peace, be still.

Donna

Thought for Today

Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.
- George Bernard Shaw
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Just as a happy thought can transform our faces from a frown to a smile, a positive thought can transform our life from doubt and stress to good outcomes. We can re-create our lives by changing our minds...to be willing to be more God-like...to assert our God-power of creativity.

You don't have to keep repeating your past if you don't like the way the past has been. You can create your future...beginning right now.

Change your thoughts...change your future.
Donna

Thought for Today

Appreciation takes courage and considerable resolve. It's the highroad, and not everyone is willing to take it. … You are saying no to blame, to resentment, to revenge, to violence in any form–from badmouthing others, to kicking the dog, to berating a person. You are saying no to victimhood, to martyrdom, to passing the buck, to criticism , and to demeaning yourself or others.
-- The Power of Appreciation by Noelle C. Nelson

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The first of anything is touched with special appreciation...first love, the first star of evening, a baby's first words, first day of school, first job. They are signals of change...profound and irreversible.

If we could meet each new day, each new person, each new experience as if it were the first, our lives would change. We'd realize that:

By falling, we learn to get up.
By not knowing answers, we look for truth.
By feeling sick, we seek a remedy.
By losing touch with God, we reach out for something more.

Today is a unique gift...I will appreciate the lessons and the
experiences.

Donna

Thought for Today

Truth, like surgery, may hurt, but it cures.
- Han Suyin
******************************************

A decision to be relentlessly honest in response to all situations in our life is part of integrity, self discipline and inner trust. A truly integral life offers peace and serenity.When we're certain of the truth of our own life, it's easier torecognize truth in the lifes of others.

Our inner turmoil eases up and every decision, every choice becomes easier when we are committed to total honesty.Thomas Merton said, "We must be true inside, true to ourselves, before we can know a truth that is outside us."

Donna

Healing Meditation tonight

Tonight at meditation I will be facilitating a healing meditation...healing for body, of course, but also spiritual, mental, and emotional healing too. If you're interested in healing, come to church (Unity of the Hills, Hwy 248, Branson, MO) tonight at 6pm.

Next Wednesday evening at 6pm Keri King will be leading meditation. Afterwards, at 7PM, Keri will be facilitating a class based on a book by Ernest Holmes, "This Thing Called You." Excellent topic to aid your spiritual growth!

For more activities and spiritual meetings, check out our new, updated website...
www.unityofthehills.org

Make this a fabulous day!

Thought for Today

Change. It has the power to uplift, to heal, to stimulate, surprise,open new doors, bring fresh experience and create excitement in life. Certainly it is worth the risk.
--Leo Buscaglia


Change has a negative connotation for some of us. It's much easier to keep our minds closed and our attitudes and behavior rigid. We never have to take the risk of uncharted territiories. Our life then becomes predictable and dull.

The joy of life is living life as an adventure...new plans, newopinions, new information, new enlightenment. Then we have flexibility when we meet changing situations. Life is fresh and exciting.

Change your mind, change your life!

Donna

Thought for Today

If we do not change direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed.
-- Chinese proverb
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Following a spiritual path may not necessarily cure a specific anxiety, fear, or obsession, but it can provide the moral support and faith you need to follow through with your life journey. It can provide you with a sense that you are not alone in the universe, and that there is a source of love for you that is unconditional and that is always available to you.

No-one can pursue a spiritual path and remain unchanged. Whether you plan it or not, your direction will change.

Be aware of where you are headed...that's the direction you'll go!

Donna

Thought for Today

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever...
-- St Francis de Sales, 1567-1622
*********************************************
Jesus, Buddha and all the masters knew the value of going apart from the crowds...not merely to get away but to pray, to recharge, and to remember their connection with spirit...to keep their inner peace.

We can "go apart" without traveling to a faraway place. We have a sanctuary that is always ready and waiting. It is the protection, the peace and the comfort we find when we enter into conscious communion with God. Times of prayer give us the renewed vigor to face the world again...refreshed and empowered...and with our inner peace intact.

Nothing can disturb the calm peace of my soul.

Donna

Thought for Today

Service is the rent you pay for room on this planet.
- Shirley Chisholm

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Service is a spiritual practice reminding you of your oneness with others. It cultivates the quality of commitment. It assures you always have more to give. As you create a metaphysical vacuum more goodis called forth to fill it with matching energy.

Expend yourself in service, and watch the universe expend itself for you.

YOU ARE NEEDED by Elizabeth Searle Lamb
You are needed where you are.
As in the heavens
each and every star
fills appointed space
so you fill that place
where God has need.
Oh, do not doubt...
Your hand held out
to help a friend,
your love to warm
an empty heart,
even your smile
to light the dark.
Walk serene in grace;
you are in your needed place.

Blessings of service, Donna

Thought for Today

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia."
----- Charles Schultz

More than 100 years ago, author Robert Louis Stevenson offered the following tips for maintaining a positive attitude. They still apply today.

How to be Happy
Make up your mind to be happy. Learn to find pleasure in simple things.
Make the best of your circumstances. No one has everything, and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.
Don't take yourself too seriously. Don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortune that befalls other people.
You can't please everybody. Don't let criticism worry you.
Don't let your neighbor set your standards. Be yourself.
Do the things you enjoy doing but stay out of debt.
Never borrow trouble. Imaginary things are harder to bear than real ones.
Since hate poisons the soul, do not cherish jealousy, enmity, grudges. Avoid people who make you unhappy.
Have many interests. If you can't travel, read about new places.
Don't hold postmortems. Don't spend your time brooding over sorrows or mistakes. Don't be one who never gets over things.
Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.
Keep busy at something. A busy person never has time to be unhappy.
Robert Louis Stevenson Poet, Novelist & Essayist (1850 - 1894)

Don't forget...Worry is the interest paid by those who borrow trouble!

Don't worry, be happy!!
Donna

Thought for Today

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.
-- Auguste Rodin, French sculptor (1840 - 1917)

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You are mightier than any situation or experience which can come to you. The consciousness of Christ within you is mightier than anything outside yourself.

Knowing the truth of your unity with God allows you to let go of any fear or personal problem.You can rest in the assurance that God is with you, in you, every moment.

Every life experience, past or present or future, can be a blessing and a time of learning because God within is all power and might.

Let go and trust God!
Donna

Thought for Today

Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink,taste the fruit.
- Henry David Thoreau

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Do you put off enjoying life today because you are dreaming of what you want in the future? Do you think today has nothing good for you because of unpleasant memories of the past?

In Spirit there is neither past nor future. The only time of Spirit isthe eternal NOW, the present moment. Expect the blessings of life to appear here and now. Let go of thoughts of elusive tomorrows and release the sad experiences of the past. Today...the eternal NOW...is the only time to be and to enjoy the blessings of God.

Affirm: Now is the only time in Spirit. All good is manifest NOW!
Donna

THE KABBALAH CENTRE INTERNATIONAL

Counting of the Omer. It began April 21 and continues through the month of Taurus and ends on the holiday of Shavuot. These 49 days are also called "Days of Smallness," and are infamous for their low energy. That is why we do not make any decisions or actions, like buying a house, signing contracts, opening new businesses, getting married etc. until this period is over.
It's a time when we tend to feel a lot of judgment, towards ourselves and others. The best thing we can do to counteract this heaviness is to exude the spiritual quality of love.

But what is love, really? The Hebrew words for love, ahavah, and one, echad, have the same numerical value [Hebrew letters also have a numerical value.] This teaches us the great secret that real love is when I am one with someone else. If my finger gets burned because it touches a hot stove, do I get angry at my finger? No, because I feel it is a part of me and I am concerned about its pain.

True love is when we can feel another is part of us the same way we feel our finger is part of us. To help us better understand love, we can look at the qualities that are the opposite of love:

Judgment
Impatience
Intolerance

The opposite of love is when we don’t have awareness of this oneness, when it's all about me. Things must be my way and it’s not OK for the other person to evolve in their way.

This month, it's all about injecting love into our lives. This means paying attention to how many times we find ourselves in a place of judgment, lack of patience, lack of tolerance, or simply lack of allowing others the room to grow and go through their process.

During the Omer, in this period more than any other period, without expressing love we will draw judgment. But if we give love, we will draw love.

As I focus on unconditional lovefor all people around me

the dark forces within are cast out.In the past I have felt hatred for certain people

but now as I picture those people in my mind I feel only love.Light washes over them and me

and I recognize the common thread that we share –the spark of the Creator.

My heart opens as I wish them joy and fulfillment,

peace and greater understanding.

We are one soul.

Greater compassion and humanity awakens within

for those around me - my family, friends, neighbors.

Those positive feelings fan out towards all humanity.

Love washes over everyone bringing greater peace,

understanding and harmony throughout the world.

Thought for Today

Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undistorted. Only in a quiet mind is there adequate perception of the world.-- Hans Margolis

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We cannot be at peace with anything or contribute to a peaceful world unless we understand what it means to calm our own troubled hearts. The price of peace is the willingness to be still and present within ourselves. ~ Hans Margolis

Peace is not the absence of the challenging, the disturbing, or the unsettling. Peace comes from our willingness to greet the encounters and experiences of our inner and outer world, without prejudice, resistance, or fear. We learn to live in a way in which we have no enemies to struggle with and no battles to win.

The challenges that come to us we no longer perceive as threats to get free from, but as invitations to learn the lessons of peacemaking. We discover that peace is not a destination to be reached but a way of living, relating, speaking, and being.

Wishing you quiet waters...
Donna

NEW! Unity Village Rose Garden

Personalized brick pavers are available to be placed in the rose garden to celebrate family, friends, or special moments for a $125 donation. They will be engraved with the wording of your choice, up to two lines with fourteen characters per line. This will be a permanent commemorative to all who visit this sacred place. A certificate of recognition suitable for framing will be sent to you.

Call Diane Shireman at Unity Village, 816-524-3550 for more information.

OPEN REMARKS

Good Luck Donna