Unity of Wimberley

GAIN Resilience and Reduce Stress

In keeping with our month of gratitude, we are borrowing from a Science of Mind article by Greg Hammer, M.D. “GAIN” stands for: Gratitude, Acceptance, Intention, and Non-Judgment (which also tags onto last week’s talk about Nonresistance.) We will explore a 3-minute practice that leads to greater mindfulness, a fuller heart, and a more peaceful existence. Quality-of-life improvements often require a shift in our daily routines. This one is simple, easy to remember, and practical!

Gratitude: Not Just Giving Thanks

Have you ever tried giving thanks for something BEFORE it came to you? If you have, did you try FEELING as though it were already there? One of the great teachings in New Thought is to express gratitude for all that you need or wish to bring into manifestation as you are praying for it/visualizing it. This kind of gratitude puts one in a place of total surrender to the Highest Good, and it prepares the heart for receiving. In this season of Thanksgiving, let's lift our gratitude up a notch to use it as a powerful tool for bringing forth good not only for us, but for all. It's good to give thanks for that which one can see---even better when it cannot yet be seen

Nonresistance: The Doorway to Peace

If you haven't encountered this term before, it may not mean what you think it does! It is not about changing or ignoring our current reality, but shifting our response to it. Nonresistance is an excellent practice for those who wish to examine energetic attachment to people, places, things, and feelings. The result of this practice is a more peaceful heart and mind, and an opening for more expansive gratitude. Since gratitude is our theme for the month, let's see how practicing nonresistance helps us to appreciate every aspect of our lives in a new way.

Timing is Everything

From delivering the killer comedy routine or sinking the shot at the buzzer to snapping the perfect photo of your adorable pet, timing is everything. Some may call it luck, or fate or synchronicity. What if there was a way for us to always be in the right place at the right time? Today (with the “extra” hour of sleep we gained from the end of Daylight Saving Time), let’s explore how that’s possible.

The Good Steward

If we have a divine right to all the good of Spirit, we have an equal responsibility to remain vigilant in our spiritual practices. This touches upon all areas of our lives: managing our finances with good practices and gratitude, giving to others selflessly and cheerfully, practicing thanksgiving for all things large and small, keeping the flow of good circulating. Let’s encourage each other as we make our lives and the world better by practicing the principles we know with good faith and consistency.

Wait.

If ever there has been a year of “wait and see” it has been 2020! We have been asked to wait to see what is going to happen as a result of living through a pandemic, wait and see when a vaccine is going to be available, wait and see how or when we will be able to come back together in person and love all over our people! Among these many distractions I have been reminded time and time again to check in and ask myself “Where Am I Today?” This Sunday we will revisit what it means to dig deep into our spiritual tool box to navigate uncertainties, insecurities, big changes in our lives and the importance allowing Principle to work for us while we WAIT

Blue Moon October

We’ve been fascinated by the magnetic pull of the full moon since the beginning of humankind. This month, we have two opportunities to experience this powerful natural phenomenon. And while we’re gazing skyward, let’s explore how these cosmic events spark our inherently abundant and creative passions… and what we do with all that energy!The heart has known the wilderness, however, and carries its wildness into the ever-unfolding adventure of life. It’s what makes life unpredictable and juicy!

Strong Back, Soft Front, Wild Heart

In our wilderness of persistent spiritual seeking to “belong” to ourselves, our God-selves, we naturally develop the strong back of one who knows who he or she is, who knows resilience and confidence. But along with it comes the soft front, the vulnerable strength that embraces and welcomes life and its challenges with faith and courage. The heart has known the wilderness, however, and carries its wildness into the ever-unfolding adventure of life. It’s what makes life unpredictable and juicy!

Move In, Be Civil, Hold Hands

Once we have begun to “belong” to ourselves, standing alone or standing with others, we must use our authenticity and vulnerability to connect with other humans in ways that undo our conditioned responses to them—-those learned through our family culture, societal programming, and personal insecurities. Rather than rejecting those with whom we disagree, we move closer to begin to discover who they REALLY are. Rather than dismissing a casual offending comment, we summon our courage to speak truth to the situation. Rather than always seeing strangers as “other,” we move toward our commonalities and shared experiences so that we participate in those shining moments of observing the achingly beautiful Christ Spirit.

Fitting In, Or Belonging

Maya Angelou said, “You are only free when you realize you belong no place---you belong every place---no place at all. The price is high. The reward is great.” This may not seem logical, but it contains great truth. We spend a large part of our lives trying to FIT IN with life and with other people. The cost of this is postponing the ability to truly BELONG, not just to our “tribe,” but belonging to ourselves in the spiritual sense. We are comfortable and fulfilled in ourselves, no matter where we are or with whom we are traveling in any given moment. Spirit is our Source for this great and profound shift in Being.