Center for Spiritual Living Midtown

Let Prosperity Flow - Rev. Paul Gonyea

When we begin to see Life as a continual flow of energy, we can begin to adjust the way we relate to that flow. We can stop looking at ourselves as having to be the Source of any good in our life. That takes a lot of pressure off. We can recognize that our Spirit, our Higher Self, is our connection to the Creator, because it has its source in the Universal Flow of Life. We can begin to see that our experience on this physical plane is like a stream, and our spiritual essence is like a spring flowing out of the ground. Emerson wrote, “Place yourself in the middle of the stream, and you will be impelled with no effort to a right and perfect contentment.” The source of the spring that feeds the stream of our life, our ultimate source, is a great underground river that never runs dry.

Closing the Deal - Rev. Paul Gonyea

"The hard part is, agreements are not always as clear as we would like them to be. Sometimes we aren’t sure exactly what we want, and sometimes we aren't sure what we have once we get it. That’s still no excuse for not keeping commitments to our Self as well as we possibly can at our present level of awareness. It’s all part of the spiritual learning process. We don’t have to be completely certain all the time that we’re doing the right thing; we just need to be open.  Who knows; if we do, we might even learn something about ourselves that we needed to know. And we might end up having a lot more fun in the process."

A Deep Release - Rev. David Barrett

"Oh, how we gloss some events over in our lives! Believe it or not, our subconscious mind has a way with dealing with all the myriad of things that have come at us in the past, that are coming at us now, and may come at us later in the future. It’s a protection mechanism from the Universe so that we are not so overwhelmed. But there comes a time where we need to release it all for good, so that we stand at a new beginning point, free from any subconscious patterns that may be binding us. Those constricting bands are in Mind only, and that is where those bands are cut."

So, What's the Problem Here? | Rev. Paul Gonyea

"When we get outside of ourselves and notice what other people are dealing with, our problems often look so much smaller than they did before. I like to think that I have earned my problems by right of consciousness, and that finding the answer is its own reward. The issues I have to deal with in order to grow, and to move forward on my spiritual path, have been custom-designed by my own inner wisdom to help me learn the things my soul needs to learn. When I finally solve all the problems I have now, I have no doubt that I'll receive a whole new set. Only the new set will be even more exciting and interesting. It's just like a video game; the reward for succeeding at any level is the right to play at a whole new level!"

Dangerous Prayers | Rev. Paul Gonyea

"In order to broaden and deepen our connection with all of Life, we need to practice being spiritually present every moment of our life, which means having an open heart, an open mind, and open eyes. We must be able to look at what is in the world, really and truly --- the beauty, the joy, the opportunities; the suffering, the pain, the inhumanity --- and not try to use prayer to deny it, to ignore it, or to explain it away with some simplistic spiritualized explanation that we learned in some book or seminar. This decision to be open and accepting of 'what is,' is one of the most dangerous things we can do in this new and deeper way of praying because it doesn't allow us to hide behind our intellect or our assumptions. It requires us to see what we see, and to relate to it as God relating to God, without letting our ego or our intellect get in the way. But until we actually try it, we don't realize how hard it can be."

From Russia, With Love Rev. Paul Gonyea

“In the introduction to The Science of Mind, Dr. Holmes tells us that one danger of this teaching is that we spend too much time on theory and not enough time on practice. I agree completely. I believe one of the best ways to practice spirituality is to get out of our comfort zone and to travel the world. I recently returned from a trip to Russia and, like so many other places I've visited, I had many chances to practice what I believe. Sometimes it was hard, and other times it was magical. Come by our Center this Sunday and I’ll share some spiritual lessons learned while visiting the biggest country in the world!”

Never 'Alone' Ranger- Rev. David Barrett

With the release of The Lone Ranger movie this week, I thought it appropriate to point out that the Lone Ranger was never alone. He had Tonto at his side, and Silver, too. So it is a fine time for us to remember that we are never 'alone' either. We may not have Tonto, and we may not have Silver, but we have something greater... we have the Divine aspect of ourselves with us all the time. Even in the moments where you feel like it is only you against the world, there is an aspect of you that has the way out, there is an aspect of you that knows what the answer is, there is aspect of you that is courageous for the circumstance. We will investigate that Divine aspect this Sunday.

The Bayes’ Theorem in our Lives Rev. David Barrett

How can a minister of the 1700’s have something to do with our everyday living? Everything! It is the theory that a subjective degree of belief rationally changes to account for evidence. This is the basis of Religious Science, so we will explore how this one man’s thinking changed the world then in the 1700’s and how it is still working in our lives today

What Are You Looking For? - Rev. David Barrett

As we head into the kick off of the Summer, I ask, “What are you looking for to happen in your life this summer?” Once you name what you are looking for, the world around you conspires for you to make it happen. Then I ask, “What are you looking for in a Spiritual Center?” Again, Once you name what it is the Center does for you, the world again conspires. Finally, the deeper question, “What are you looking for within yourself?” The answer is no different…. Whatever it is you are looking for within yourself, the world conspires to show you what it is.

Does Your Mother Know? - Rev. Paul Gonyea

The first thing our mothers teach us is how to love unconditionally. No matter what we do, they will continue to love us. They have to; it’s in the contract. You can be an ax-murderer, you can start a war, you can bankrupt a corporation. Mom doesn’t care; she’ll still love you. That doesn’t mean she won’t put her two-cents-worth in to tell us what she thinks of our behavior. But she’ll never disown us, even if we try to disown her. It’s a bond that may get strained, but it will never break. That’s a lesson that will stand us in good stead when we start creating loving relationships with other people. It keeps us from bailing out the first time they do something we don’t like.