Center for Spiritual Living Midtown

The Spiritual Path, Part 3 – Practical Purification - Rev Ursula Lentine

On the Spiritual Path, when we’re trying to wrap our brain around so many different concepts, it can be difficult keeping our priorities straight. Understanding the metaphysical laws and principles, taming the ego and interacting with others can be mentally and emotionally challenging. Where do we find the practical, hands-on applications to navigate the path? If you’d like to gain a greater understanding of the Spiritual Path and how to operate on a higher level, join Reverend Ursula Lentine to learn some simple actions steps we can take to get us from where we are to where we want to go.

God Isn’t Mad at Anybody - Rev. Paul Gonyea

“I don’t think many people feel that God is mad at them personally. However, I do believe there are more and more people who think that God either is, or should be mad at the same people they themselves are mad at. The problem is, it’s a very short leap between that belief and the belief that we are justified in hating, punishing or controlling those people who we believe are making God mad. In other words, some people have somehow decided that they are entitled to be the instrument of ‘God’s righteous anger’. This idea has been around a long time, but it still appears to be alive and well. And unfortunately, there is no end to the cruelty, prejudice, separation and pain that can come from this kind of thinking. That’s where most of the violence we’re seeing today is coming from.

Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow - Rev Paul Gonyea

Because we (wrongly) perceive our life as a constant and uninterrupted flow, and because we almost never pay attention to what we’re thinking, our thoughts usually drift aimlessly between the past and the future. We see yesterday as the cause of today, and today as the cause of tomorrow. And we see ourselves as simply the carrier of the thoughts and the experiencer of past events. But the unbroken chain of causation that we think we see is no more a smooth and constant flow than a movie we see on the silver screen

Manifest Your Destiny - Greta Counts

‘Manifest Destiny’ represented a great time in American history of the ‘collective belief’ in a mission to grow and expand.  The unfoldment of this expansion is a perfect example of the human potential that exists in each one of us.  As individuals we can direct the creative process with intention to manifest our heart’s desires of health, wealth, love and success.  Join Greta Counts in an “active” pursuit of personal expansion to integrate the philosophy, attitude and belief inspired by Manifest Destiny.

Finding Your Inner Hero - Rev Paul Gonyea

"In the eyes of most people, a hero is someone who does something that they could never see themselves doing. But a heroic act doesn't always have to be a dramatic, flaming, rooftop rescue. It also includes those quiet acts of everyday heroism that don't show up in the newspaper: the mother or father who stays up all night with a sick child; the single parent who goes to work every day to support his or her family; the person who quietly but firmly refuses to go along with something unethical or unjust. All these things require great courage and noble abilities. And they are all completely possible for anyone who has the spiritual awareness and uses their inner strength to accomplish them." ~Paul Gonyea

Dreaming of America - Rev. Paul Gonyea

“I believe the reason this country has become, and remains, such a powerful presence in the world is not because of any physical characteristics. It is because we represent an idea. And that idea, if you think about it, is a Divine idea. The word “divine” simply means, if you look it up in the dictionary, “coming from God.” Which means, in terms of the way WE describe God — as a perfect Loving Intelligence, creating the world through us, in accordance with consistent and unchanging physical and spiritual laws — that the principles upon which this country was founded were nothing more or less than spiritually grounded ideas and beliefs and desires that supported our inherent desire to live life in a better and greater way.”~Paul Gonyea

Easy Like Sunday Morning Living! - Rev Angela Harmon

I instantly liked the song ‘Easy Like Sunday Morning’ by Lionel Richie, released in 1978. It was a reminder to relax and enjoy life. Along life’s way one can get off course, which can be gauged by asking things like, ‘Am I enjoying life? How do I make life more enjoyable? How do I have more fun, or how do I approach life easier right now? Is something or someone pushing my buttons? How do I stop the alarm from sounding? How do I deactivate the button that’s been pushed?’ Through heightened self-awareness, aligning with higher self and active practice of the SOM principles, being easy (peaceful) becomes a way of living.

My Dad Could Beat Up Your Dad, But He Wouldn’t. - Rev Paul Gonyea

Personally, I find it very refreshing to be dealing with a Power that’s both understandable and predictable. I like being connected with a Power that I know will work with me the same way that I work with it. I like not wondering what kind of a mood God is in today. I’m glad to know that God is never too busy. In the Introduction to the Science of Mind, Dr. Holmes calls God “The Thing Itself.” As far as I’m concerned, I don’t care what we call it, as long as I know what to expect. I like knowing that it always listens, it doesn’t make mistakes, it never goes on trips, and it never sleeps. As fathers go, that’s a very compelling package.

AFFIRMATION:God is neither man nor woman, neither Father nor Mother. God is the ability to honor other people, the intelligence to learn right from wrong, and the joy of family and friendship. God is the ultimate power but it has no need to prove itself. As the power of Love, it is able to heal any separation, to restore any loss and to fill any void. I honor the presence of God in every person as both the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine in perfect balance. ~Rev. Paul Gonyea

Short Thoughts about Orlando and Consciousness - Rev Paul Gonyea

Brief thoughts about our consciousness as Religious Scientists and how we can consider our consciousness around events such as Orlando this past week.

Hope Springs Eternal - Rev Paul Gonyea

Many of us use hope to keep us from experiencing the logical consequences of our choices and actions, and that’s where it causes us problems. We look at an experience in the physical world, as it appears right now and we compare it to the way we wish things actually were. But instead of seeing the disparity between what we’re experiencing and what we want, and changing our belief, or changing our expectation, or changing our behavior, we start hoping harder and harder that something different is going to happen. We hope that things will change on their own, without our having to do anything different.