Center for Spiritual Living Midtown

SOM Basics I - A Better Kind of God- Rev. Paul Gonyea

"The Truth is, this Power can only do for us what we allow it to do. And what we allow it to do is limited by what we believe it can do, and what we believe we deserve. In other words, if our idea of God is limited, like the image we believed in as children, then our life will also be limited, because the life we live can never be greater than the kind of God we believe in. However, if we believe that God is Infinite Mind --- if we believe that It is Life, Love, Light, Peace, Power, Beauty and Joy, and if we believe that it is Pure Consciousness, endlessly evolving in the world IN, AS, and THROUGH us --- that gives us a whole lot more room to grow."

2014 is a Controllable Thing- Rev. David Barrett

Janus is the Roman God that is two-faced, one face looking backwards, and one looking forward. January is named after this God. To look back at the prior year, a time to tie up loose ends, and be grateful for ALL that transpired in 2013. And to look forward, not in anticipation, but in expectancy, in the knowing that 2014 doesn't happen to us... that we actually happen to 2014.

What Child Is This? - Rev. Paul Gonyea

"The Christmas story about a child, born  into a dangerous and inhospitable world, should show us that there is always a seed of hope, a spark of joy, being born inside of us, ready to grow into something that will change our life. It can come to us even when our world seems to be falling apart. Metaphysically speaking, this child, the Christ child, is not the Messiah, at least not in the physical sense of the word. Instead, it is a Divine Idea; it is a newborn spiritual consciousness that's perfectly capable of saving us, not from original sin, but saving us from the consciousness of limitation that

the world tries to impose upon us from the day we are born." 

How Far Away is Christmas Island? Rev. David Barrett

For some refugees, it is 200 miles from the island of Java to Christmas Island, an island of refuge of Australia for those being persecuted for religious reasons. Thousands of people are risking their lives for this freedom. So 200 miles stands between them and their freedom, but some of us have shorter distances between where we are now and our sense our freedom lies. Some have a distance keeping them from their 'freedom', some have time keeping them from 'freedom', some have people keeping them from their 'freedom'. But we know something greater, we know the distance to freedom and it is a lot shorter distance than you think. We'll find what that 'distance' is on Sunday.

Always the Last Leaf to Fall - Rev. David Barrett

As we going into this season of change, we realize that our entire lives are about change and it seems like there are three ways to approach it: 1) Be the first leaf to fall and follow the mood of the minute; 2) Be the leaf to fall in the middle of Fall when all the other leaves seem to fall; or 3) Be the last leaf to fall, holding on for not wanting to change. None of these are good nor bad, but there is a 

deeper choice, a deeper knowing when the right time is to make a

change.

How Thank You Heals - Rev. David M Barrett

As we get into the month of November, there will be a lot of references to gratitude and thanksgiving. I will do my part and share with you an ancient Hawaiian teaching that uses GRATITUDE as a healing step in returning to wholeness in any situation. Gratitude is greatly misunderstood in Treatment as well as in the healing process, so we will get to the root of it, the root of THANKSGIVING, in Treatment, in healing, in Living.

Got Wow? - Rev. Angela Harmom

Got Wow!? Life is full of moments. Some we remember. Some we forget. Usually the "Wow moments" are remembered. 
Wow moments can be from whale watching in Maui to the passing of a friend within a month of become aware of a cancer diagnosis. Emotions and feelings run the gambit, but we grow from both when we are open and willing. Of course one appears more challenging the other. Without it how would we know the difference? Life Sunshine and Rain! How do we raise our vibration through the tougher Wow moments of life as well as maintain a zest for life? We are energetic beings full of life! We can align with our greatest good or worse outcomes. 

This Sunday, I invite you to consider aligning at a higher vibration.
Generate more and lasting life enhancing Wow moments. Take the high road even when the lesser seems preferred. Demonstrating compassion for self and others through the difficult times. Get more Wow ! out of life.

Money to Spare Rev. David Barrett

We are ending our Prosperity Series on the idea that there is enough money in circulation in our lives, not only to meet our present demands, but also enough money to spare. The Universe matches our understanding of prosperity, so we need to reach for an understanding  greater than what our current circumstances require. THINK BIG, think REALLY BIG, when it comes to money circulating in and through your Life. It is all about circulation. Money does not come to us to be stagnant…it comes to us to flow through our lives, and on this final talk on prosperity, we align ourselves with a greater understanding of being in the FLOW, being in the circulation, of the abundant Universe.

EMERSON ON COMPENSATION| Rev. Paul Gonyea

"Everything in our physical experience has two sides, because that's what gives each side its own special flavor, and makes the whole that much better. Call it "creative tension" if you want. Rain makes us enjoy the sun a little more, and vice versa. Hot weather makes us appreciate cold weather. Food tastes better when we're hungry; we appreciate water more when we're a little thirsty. Walter Starcke, in his book, It's All God, says this is because everything finite needs a complement to complete it, to keep it in balance. The left brain needs the right brain. An inspired, creative business idea needs a logical, feasible economic plan. The intuitive complements the rational. The problem arises when the two parts are separated, or when we try to separate them. That's when things get out of balance, at least temporarily."

Are We Having Fun Yet? Rev. Paul Gonyea

"I think that time spent laughing is the closest to our god-self we ever get, especially when we're laughing with those we love. Psychologists tell us that couples who laugh together a lot argue less, they make love more, and they have a lower rate of divorce and separation. That's not surprising. We really can't laugh and be angry at the same time. When we stop taking ourselves and our problems so seriously, we can stop keeping score. We can stop waiting for the other shoe to drop whenever things are going well. We can start looking at the "fun periods" as being the norm instead of the exception. We can enjoy the present, instead of worrying about the future."