Center for Spiritual Living Midtown

So this is what we need to know: If the Kingdom of heaven is in each one of us, as all the great teachers have told us, and if order really is heaven’s first law, and the nature of order is beauty, harmony and balance, then this Divine Order we’re talking about must potentially be in every one of us. So when we use the term “Divine Order,” we’re not talking about trying to figure out what God wants the world to look like, or how God wants us and everybody else to behave. We’re talking, at the highest spiritual level, about bringing order to our own thoughts, and beliefs, and feelings, so that we can then move through the world with an open, inquisitive and non-judgmental mind, seeing the endless opportunities for creation that are constantly unfolding right before our eyes.

All the beautiful music that we have ever heard, or will ever hear, is the result of conscious and deliberate effort, sometimes applied over the course of many years. Skill and talent are certainly a part of it. But practice is the most reliable predictor of a successful musician, or (for that matter) anyone else who wants to become good at what they do.

Why then, are we so surprised, when we're told that becoming spiritually aware also requires a certain amount of conscious and deliberate practice? It's amazing how many people seem to think that just by showing up at church every so often, and reading a few books, they can develop a consciousness that will carry them through any of life's problems that they happen to run into along the way. Then they're surprised when it doesn't quite work that way.

What is the big deal about saying thank you? There must be more to it to it than being polite and getting along with people.” Enjoy the delightful wisdom of our special guest, Dr. Bob Deen, as he talks about the value of these two simple words, and the power they have when spoken by a consciousness that knows their true meaning. After all, good manners are always spiritually correct!

Money is kind of like fertilizer; if we pile it up and try to hold on to it, it stinks and, eventually, so do we. But if we spread it around, in the right amount and in the right places, things start to grow. That’s how abundance expands. Saying that we live in an abundant universe doesn’t mean that everything already exists; it means that we live in a universe of infinite potential where anything can be created out of what appears to be nothing, but is in fact everything. Matter is formed out of energy, but even when it becomes matter, it’s still energy, only now it’s energy in physical form. And in our life, that energy responds to our consciousness to create the things we see. Money is energy.

If we think of time as nothing more than a fixed number of minutes available to every person every day, we’re making the same mistake that people make who are obsessed with money. We’re confusing quantity with quality. Because a minute spent holding someone we love, or petting our dog, or standing on the beach watching the sun set, is worth far more than a minute spent sitting in Atlanta traffic while we’re late for another unnecessary meeting. A minute spent in the early morning sipping a warm cup of tea while we think about all the things we’re grateful for is much more powerful than a minute on a stair machine watching CNN or reading the Wall Street Journal.

In today’s world, we are seeing and experiencing so much devastation. But even in the midst of devastation, the sun shines, the moon rises, the leaves are changing, creating fall splendor. Wow! Lives are rescued, greater lessons are learned, hearts & minds stand together to lift each other up. Wow! A shift in consciousness happens! Wow, the happy! The aftermath of incredible loss triggers abundance in the outpouring of the human spirit, making a greater difference in the world. Wow, the love!

The word Wow describes life from disastrous to miraculous! Through love, faith and trust we can transcend anything to our highest Wow vibration.  How we choose to live makes all the difference. To live life in a greater way no matter what is to live a principle-centered life. Ernest Holmes enlightens many through the philosophy of the Science of Mind, to live a miraculously Wow Life! Wow, the peace!

What is the meaning of surrender in our lives? In a universe of Oneness, does it even exist? Our teaching is all about creating the lives we desire, achieving the expression of greater love,  and Greater goodness in all aspects of our lives.  Does surrender play a roll in this?  Come find out.

We all have a natural desire to be interested in life. There’s nothing wrong with that. Our mind likes stimulation. But at the same time, we also have a tendency to be lazy and impatient. Things that we’re involved with for a long time, like a marriage or a career, may start to lose their thrill after a while, especially if we take them for granted. When our day-to-day life no longer feels new and exciting, sometimes we long for a change, any change, just to shake things up so we can at least remember what it feels like to be alive. That’s why, even if someone has a very good job, or a very good relationship, many otherwise intelligent people go out and do something really stupid, just to liven things up a little.

Think for a moment about how many different things we find ourselves waiting for. One of my favorites is, we wait until we have enough time, which is pretty funny when you think about it, because I don’t know of a single person throughout recorded history who ever managed to accumulate (by waiting) more than twenty-four hours in a single day. It’s not like a wireless plan, where we can do nothing for a few days, then use those accumulated minutes to do something really amazing later on. Just like Life, time doesn’t wait for us. Either we use it or we lose it.

Because the creative cause of every experience comes from the spiritual side of life, it may be invisible, but it is strong and it is solid. If a decision in any area of our life, large or small, seems difficult, that’s only because we’re listening too closely to the world; we’re listening to our intellect, instead of listening to our inner core. Spirit always speaks from intelligence and feeling. But its most valuable characteristic is simplicity. Whenever we have a choice to make, the best answer is almost always the least complicated one. Love works and fear doesn’t. Honesty works and deceit doesn’t. Generosity works and greed doesn’t. Peace works and anger doesn’t. Joy works and apathy doesn’t. Always, always, always.