Back to the Garden

This is the 5th, and last part of a series on the Gospel of John. We have learned many things. For starters, just as with the others, we don’t know who wrote this book. We also learned that it was the last to be written, some forty years after the first, and seventy years after the death of Jesus. From the perspective of orally handed down stories, that is a very long time for stories to be circul...

This is the 4th part of a series on the Gospel of John. Episode one began with an overview of all the Gospels. My intention was to show both what they share, and how they differ. Among what they share is that we don’t know who wrote them. They are not eye-witness accounts. They were written generations later, in a different language. They differ, in that each portrays a different Jesus. In Mark, (...

Two episodes ago I started a new series on the Gospel of John. In episode one I spend some time doing “set-up work” about, not only Gospel of John, but all the Gospels. My intention was to help you understand the history of these gospels—to put them in perspective. Epiode two we dove into some of the abundant spiritual meaning in the book. Three of the major topics covered were (1) the metaphysica...

Last episode, I started a new series. A series on the Gospel of John. The Gospel of John is distinctive, and unlike the other three, which are more narrative driven. As noted in the last episode, we don ‘t know who wrote any of the Gospels. However, the Gospel of John is so radically different, that some suggest it could have been the product of an entirely different school of thought. A perspecti...

The Gospel of John is a very intriguing book. It is radically different from the other three, referred to as the Synoptic Gospels. The meaning of the word synoptic can be broken down to “syn” (together) and “optic” (seen). Literally “seen together”. In other words, you can place them side by side and see the similarity in format, style, and content. Such is not the case with the Gospel of John. Fr...

How many times have you heard someone bring up the question: what is my purpose? Have you ever thought about that question? Do we have a purpose? I have heard many people say that God has a purpose for us. A plan for each and every one of us. Is that true? If it is, what are the theological ramifications? If it is not, does that mean life has no purpose? Most people don't think about these thi...

In today's episode, we finish our review of Unity's Five Principles with a look at Principle #5 and a general overview of the Principles. When the Unity Movement began in the late 1800s, Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore never wrote anything down for the first twenty years. His reasoning was: the person I am today, is not the person I will be tomorrow. He knew that to hold a steadfast set...

In the episode, we continue our review of Unity's Five Basic Principles with a look at principle #4 which states: prayer is creative thinking that heightens the connection with God-Mind and therefore brings forth wisdom, healing, prosperity and everything good. In her book titled The Five Principles, author Rev. Ellen Devenport, begins her chapter on the fourth principle: "Prayer would se...

In this episode, we continue our discussion of Unity’s Five Principles with Principle 3 which states: “Human beings create their experiences by the activity of their thinking” The principle states that it is you who co-creates your experience(s)! That we are active participants in the creation process. If you’re like most, you’re probably thinking; How? By the activity of your thinking and believi...

Unity has Five Basic Principles that summarize our entire philosophy, our theology. In her book about the Five Principles, Rev. Ellen Debenport writes: "As well as offering tools for daily living, The Five Principles suggest answers to the great questions of existence that humans have been asking since the dawn of conscious awareness." The Five Principles are: #1: God is absolute good, everywhere...

These next two weeks, Unity Spiritual Center Georgetown will be conducting new membership classes. In order to become a member of any Unity center it is not necessary to believe any particular dogma or creed. We do this for a specific reason. We teach and appreciate an open mind, and an open heart. We do so because we know that every moment is a new moment, and every day our consciousness expands...

In his book: Meeting Jesus (Again) for the First Time, biblical scholar and professor, Rev. Marcus Borg presents us with a different view of one of the most influential people in  western civilization. We, in the west, have all “met” Jesus. The image we have of him is largely dependent on the religious, or non-religious, background we come from. The book presents us with an overview of these...

This episode I will cover the first of a two-part series on a book by Unity Minister Robert Brumet titled: “Birthing A Greater Reality, A Guide For Conscious Evolution”. The conversation continues with the questions: where are we (spiritually), where are we going, and how do we get there? Brumet’s book is divided into three sections. Chapters 1 and 2 focus on the big picture of who we are and our...

This episode is based on two ideas. The first is the concept of integral theory as developed by American Philosopher and mystic, Ken Wilbur. The second on a book by Rev. Paul Smith applying the integral approach to Christianity. The title is: “Integral Christianity, The Spirit’s Call to Evolve.” From Ken Wilbur (the innovator of integral thought) comes this: “The word integral means comprehensive,...

Walk the Talk

I think we can all agree that the keynote to life is change. Everything is nature tells us that change is the only constant. We understand this intellectually. However, when change comes rapidly, or at too big of a scale, we usually find ourselves questioning the meaning and purpose of the change. Certainly these are difficult and trying days we are all currently experiencing. The changes are majo...

This past week our nation put preventive measures into place to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. One of the biggest measures was decreasing large crowd gathering. Many activities were canceled and others provided online option. Another measure we can always take for healing is prayer. Prayer, what is it? How does it work? Unity uses “affirmative prayer.”  Rather than begging God for wha...

Is God really "our father"? If God is, then what does that mean theologically? When we refer to God as our father, what kind of imagery comes to our minds? I feel fairly safe in saying that for most people the image that comes to mind is that of a larger (much larger) version of ourselves. We refer to this image as the Supreme Being. It is all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present, but it i...

The last two times I've spoken, I have talked about the Spiritual Tools we have in our Spiritual Toolbox. We say that we are not human beings seeking "a spiritual end to our lives". That instead, WE ARE SPIRITUAL BEINGS, first and foremost, and what is happening is that we are having a human experience. Because most people see ourselves as primarily human, our focus has been on the human experienc...

Let me ask you a question. How many tools do you have in your spiritual toolbox? If you're like most people, you have one: prayer. That's a very good spiritual tool to have, but it's only one. Did you know you actually have fourteen spiritual tools? Imagine the kind of life you could build if your spiritual toolbox had fourteen tools in it, and you actually used them on a consistent basis? The tru...

The abundant universe

The power of will

How big is your God?

This lesson comes from 2 books—You are the Universe by Deepak Chopra & Menas Kafatos and From Science to God by Peter Russell. In this episode, we will explore the paradigm shift on the unfolding consciousness of planet Earth. A paradigm is essentially a worldview understanding of something. Just as Copernicus was instrumental in changing the notion that the Earth appeared to be the center of the...