Attitude

The struggle is real.

And so is the solution.

Every pageant contestant can tell us about how they value world peace. It's a simple cause to advocate because it is of universal concern - excepting, of course the fanatics out there.

We're thinking globally, but want for ways to act locally.

And let's think very locally --- very micro.

I was washing dishes this morning when I felt like I needed a sandblaster to clean one plate. With each revolution of my hand, I grumbled. I complained. I cursed the stuck-on bits of food.

I noticed that it felt like I was massaging my plate.

The motion of my hand changed as the context of this chore changed. I became mindful. I became relaxed. I became. I was the focused Karate Kid of dish washing.

The work is going to always need to be done. I learned a great deal about how an attitude can change things.

Maybe instead of let there be peace on Earth...

Let there be a global attitude adjustment, and let it begin with me. [Smile]

If you liked this message, please donate to paypal.me/JohnMeeks

Peace be with you!

Bringing New Thought and zombies together

Unity and New Thought students! My book is on sale today! Learn about The Twelve Powers by Charles Fillmore through the eyes of a Walking Dead fan. It is a great book for small group study. Buy your copy today via CreateSpace and Amazon.

Beyond the zombies: 'The Walking Twelve'

"It's more than just zombies."

When I first heard of 'The Walking Dead,' I assumed that this series was not for me. I was not interested in watching gratuitous violence and gore for a mindless indulgence.

After being urged by a friend, I took a chance on TWD during a holiday weekend. Thanks to Netflix and a well-timed AMC marathon, I was able to get caught up in time for the second half of the fifth season.

I learned to love what became a mindful indulgence for me. What I mean by mindful is that, instead of just mental chewing gum, watching TWD provides me with much more food for thought than most television. This was an open door for me to explore spirituality through Rick Grimes and his circle. What makes the 'good' guys good? From there do they draw their strength? What can we learn from them?

Basing my thoughts on The Twelve Powers by Charles and Cora Fillmore, I explain what values each character represents to me and how these values apply to our everyday lives.

My book 'The Walking Twelve' is a look at TWD from a New Thought perspective. I believe that it would be great for individual reading, a book study group, or curriculum for high school and/or young adults.

Buy your copy today! From proceeds from this book, I will be donating to the Southeast Region Youth of Unity in gratitude for the Truth lessons that I received growing up.

BUY YOUR COPY TODAY

Life, Love and Lilies: The Sanctified Self - A Book Review

This is one homework assignment that I take joy from!

After a relaxing Presidents Day weekend of hosting friends from Atlanta, including a post day trip to the Nation's Oldest City, I received a very thoughtful gift.

Brenda Bunch Strickland gave me an autographed copy of her book, "Life, Love and Lilies: The Sanctified Self." Even though the weeks have passed since then, I knew that the time would finally be right for me to read Brenda's thoughts on life, love and lilies.

Thankfully, after a school year of challenges, I sat down in a quiet waterfront park here in Bath, Maine to enlighten myself with Brenda's unique perspective. I managed to breeze through but also to savor her words like the sweet summer air around me and the cooling waves of the river at my feet.

Firstly, don't let the title fool you. This book is specially created for those who believe that being 'sanctified' is about as rarified as becoming a saint or a martyr. In reality, Brenda shares her thoughts about how we can achieve our potential as spirits in the material world.

For this lifelong journalism student, Brenda skillfully breaks down the who, the what, the when, the where and the why of our very existence. With as much reason as passion, she takes me on a journey into purpose, existence and the road ahead. The usual baggage of sin, fear and guilt are set aside so we can learn to travel light.

And what a trip it is. Brenda understands that it takes universal thinking to understand the universe. She does not limit herself to one path or condescend on other beliefs to make her points. She embraces all that is good and I know that the good returns her gentle hug.

Yes, the bookstores are populated with religion, new thought, new age and all that could keep a thinker occupied for centuries. Yes, we may never grasp the answers to all of life's questions in this lifetime. Brenda, however, has a worldview that make her efforts worthy of recommending to all who want to begin somewhere.

Central to her book, in my opinion, is the Bible verse from the Book of Matthew. We are to behold the lilies of the field as they toil without worry for their sustenance. This has been misread by many to think that we can just sit there and expect good to come our way. In practical terms, Brenda explains that even the most leisurely and lovely among us have work to do as the lilies serve to hold the ground together in the face of erosion. We, too, have our work and we too can lay down our worries to make room for the best that we deserve.

I hope that you consider looking up this great book to read for yourself! To order a copy ($20 plus shipping), call 404-734-8827, email brenstrick@gmail.com, or visit www.brendastrickland.us.

An open letter to Boston

In ‘Atom Smashing Power of Mind,” Charles Fillmore writes, “The great and most important issue before the people today is the development of man's spiritual mind and through it unity with God.”

Although tragedy has befallen your city and our nation, I affirm that our connection with Spirit continues in earnest because it is our mission to transcend the physical world of pain and seek our true existence as children of God.

I stand with you in prayer and contemplation and reaffirm our continued unity with our creator.

We live again

In “Talks on Truth,” Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore urges the disciples of Christ to ‘raise the dead.’ The shrouds of death may not be visible to our eyes, but we each know a Lazarus who awaits the quickening that only Truth can provide for being born anew.

When the sun rises each morning, our physical bodies go through the movements and motions of the day, but often without purpose. The routine of our lives becomes the shroud that cloaks our brilliant spirits from the dynamic world of the living.

Those who truly live are able to consciously live each moment of their day with an awareness of all that we do. The roads each morning are populated with self-driving drones that happen to have someone sitting In the driver’s seat.

The coffee that is supposed to sharpen our senses creates a false reality of being awake. We know this because our make our daily commute in a fog of unconsciousness that may be punctuated by the perfunctory ‘good morning’ and saluations that we share with our colleagues.

When we work this way, we are mere instruments or tools that are part of a larger, lifeless machine that pays our wages but does litle to foster the life that we wish to support. We prosper in our pay but atrophy in our daily transactions with our clients and customers.

Many of us openly wonder if our ideals are dead. We recall the years of our youth when we dreamed of a world where we were truly following our ambitions and surrounded by hope.

Since those halcyon days, we are led to believe that adulthood has no time for our starry-eyed optimism as it is not practical or relevant to what we are doing today. The only thing missing is a death certificate.

The naysayers and critics around us think that they are helping us when they discourage us and they shame us into believing that we cannot achieve our potential. We fail to realize that ego-driven attitudes serve to keep us underfoot so our so-called friends can climb over our metaphysical corpses.

These crosses that we bear in life and the caves in which we entomb ourselves do not have to be the end of our story. The message behind Easter is that we can breathe new life into ourselves and resurrect the spirit within us that wants us to live the life that we are truly mean to enjoy.

When the sun rises on Easter Sunday, this is a moment of clarity for us to seize and embrace. We can remove the shroud and we can push that rock that blocks our own caves. We can step out into the daylight and claim the rest of our lives with joy knowing that we are living eternal life as taught by the story of Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection.

Our mental and physical withdrawal from our world can and will be reversed by finally appreciating that our presence requires our presence. Besides simply showing up wherever we go, we must enter every room and every place with the essence that expresses our true being.

As Fillmore said, death is the cessation of our vital functions without capability of resuscitation. We know that death is a lie in this sense. Our time for resuscitation is now. Our time for applying the story of Easter to ourselves is now. Our time for being born again is now.

Happy Easter!

9/11 - From grief to grace

I was teaching English at Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville, Florida when the towers fell. My heart sank when I received word from our security officer that the World Trade Center was struck again. I recalled the time in 1993 when the World Trade Center was first attacked and it never occurred to me that these mighty towers would crumble like my heart would that horrible day. The outcry was swift and brutal against those whom we believed to be behind this act of terrorism that killed over 3,000 people. The anger was understandable, but it often manifested itself in violent words and actions that victimized innocent people who happened to share a faith that was perverted by an evil few. Having returned home from the United States Air Force, where I served as a medic at Dover Air Force Base, the memories were also fresh of being part of the ceremony in which the bodies of those who perished in the attack on the U.S.S. Cole were repatriated to America. I also knew that, as a new Uniteens sponsor that I could do something to make a difference in how we reacted to this crisis. Through fate or Divine Order, our Uniteens group had a lock-in scheduled for that weekend. While our original purpose was to have fun, we faced a more solemn task when we gathered for our weekend sleepover. That weekend, we prayed and meditated over the tragedy that befell our world and we prayed and meditated over the world that we were responsible for co-creating with God. Moving forward, I challenged myself and our Uniteens to reach out in Spirit to find the common good in all. After that lock-in ended, I decided that I would incorporate ecumenical lessons into our curriculum. I found a book that was based on the HBO documentary, "How Do You Spell God?" I also purchased a copy of the video to share with the Uniteens. I felt that it was especially urgent to learn more about world religions and faiths because, when I was in junior high school, I held onto the belief that we were either Christians or we were nothing. It was simply how I was raised as a young Baptist before I joined Unity. This was no simple task, but I chose to make it engaging and joyful for our children. We created mandalas, we performed service projects and we connected with other Uniteens' groups in the spirit of the world that we wanted to see become a reality. I also decided to leave my own complacent comfort zone and attended Saturday meditation at our local Buddhist temple. I also attended synagogue in the San Jose area of Jacksonville - and attended my first Bar Mitzvah. These were the lessons and gifts that I wanted to use to ensure that over 3,000 people did not die in vain. Healing is not easy, but it was something that I felt that it was a task that we were all up to taking up as a cause for life. We can still observe 9/11 through enlightening ourselves to vanquish the darkness of ignorance and hatred. This is our call and this is our cause to ensure that future generations will never have a day like was had on that fateful Tuesday. Epilogue: This morning I attended Sunday morning worship service as usual, but was treated to something unusual. One of the Uniteens who attended our lock-in during that week in 2001 started volunteering in our Sunday school today. I am very proud of her for not only enriching her life through Unity, but serving a new generation of Unity students in a spirit of love and light!

Young Hollywood

"I AM big. It's the PICTURES that got small." - Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard

When I took film making class at the University of North Florida, I made it a mission of mine to see as many classic films that I could find. Hollywood's magical machine had a way of telling stories once upon a time. Although a little worn around the edges from competing with new media, the motion picture is still the art form that surpasses the rest in defining our popular culture. The past is prologue in our lives and Hollywood provides us with a parable in honoring those who came before us. Before there was a Steven Spielberg, there was a D.W. Griffith. Before there was a Natalie Portman, there was a Gloria Swanson. Before there was a Brad Pitt, there was a Montgomery Clift. Our heritage is the legacy of those who blazed a path for us. Yes, Hollywood is preoccupied with youth. Yes, the youthful demographics are what prompt filmmakers to be fickle and flighty in who they package to be the next star. What will never change is the work after which we pattern our new plots and stories. You might ask me what in the world does a fantasy world have to do with the one we live in today. I would answer that we and the entertainment industry have a great deal in common. We can ill afford to discard our past for the sake of embracing the future. The Bible cautions us to honor our fathers and our mothers for we can live a long life from such respect. This, metaphysically, does not mean that being nice to our parents will extend our life expectancy. It means that by recognizing our elders in the flow of life, we understand that longevity is not a vice but a virtue. The picture was big for me when I was a youth and listened to my church elders. I scarcely knew who they were and I always wanted to know what they knew because they were a fountainhead of wisdom that would help me on my journey. One woman comes to mind when I think about my times in Grenson Hall - our fellowship hall - after our Sunday worship services. One woman of advanced age was a faithful attendee of our church. She had a faded tattoo on her arm that she extended to me in friendship. We always exchanged pleasantries and conversation as I staffed the doughnut table that was our YOU fundraiser to support our local, regional and international functions. She, like Rev. Bonnie Grenson, always wanted to take home a small treat for dessert. In return for her doughnut or cookie, she always placed her love offering in the YOU basket and she always paid me back with a smile I left for college and, when I returned, she was no longer there. I learned that she had made her transition. That is not the only thing I discovered about my late friend. Ann was a survivor of the Holocaust. That explained her faded tattoo. She chose a spiritual path in Unity that I trust helped her with her transition. I miss her because I could have learned a lot more from her, but I appreciate the influence that Ann had in my life. The pictures in our world only get small because we allow them to. We must open our eyes to the big picture that we are all big and that our presence must never shrink in the infinite Light, Power and Glory of God. And, when I am in the twilight of my own years in this mortal world, I hope that I will be honored even a fraction of the way I honored Ann and many of my brothers and sisters like her.

"The stars are ageless, aren't they?" - Norma Desmond, Sunset Boulevard

Power to the people!

We are not powerless. When we say that we lack power or strength, we are affirming not just the negative, we are telling a serious untruth about ourselves. We are all born with an indwelling and innate power that propels us into this world of the living and wakes us to a new day for the entirety of our lives. Power is not some abstract dream of absolute control. That is the abuse of our natural powers that were meant for good. Power is a natural force that we harness each day to bring about the best in our world and is a natural force that he harness each day to build a world that works for all. Call this internal engine what you want - God, Light, Spirit, Life, Truth or whatever - this is the motivation that is readily available for us all of the time. What is my motivation? What is your motivation? It depends on what your purpose is in this world That is not for me to decide for you. You must take charge and decide why you do what you do or do not do. What I do not believe in is allowing our engines to idle when our work is yet to be complete. I learned this important lesson once upon a time when I was in high school and president of my Youth of Unity (YOU) chapter in Jacksonville, Florida. Please forgive me for revisiting this topic as I have touched upon it earlier in my blog, but this experience is what directs my actions today. In the early 1980s, our church experienced a terrible split over differing philosophies about what Unity means. There were no heroes or villains, just friends who disagreed and decided to part ways. This parting of ways was never meant to be the end, but the beginning of new Unity in our community. Instead, it marked the beginning of exile for brothers and sisters in Truth who shared the same path with my church community. When I was elected to be president of my YOU chapter, I was only sixteen years old but I knew that power meant nothing if I did not express it for the good of my community. With the lessons that I learned in Unity, I reached out to our friends across town. I paid the price because this was not a popular move - especially for a Young Turk who was not supposed to know any better. Yet, I did not walk away because the Truth is what ultimately set us free from the bondage of division. I did not walk away because my brothers and sisters in Truth did not allow me to. Instead of being discouraged, I wanted to do whatever I could in my power to bring more Unity into the commUNITY. It did not matter if I was elected, appointed or chosen to do so. We have the power of ourselves and not position to affect change. Did it help for me to be a member of my church board of directors to continue bringing our Unity churches together? Yes, it did. It also helped that I was surrounded by friends and family who supported me every step of the way. When I saw our former ministers return from a long exile to visit with us, it made me proud to be a 'Unitic.' Their return marked a homecoming for the true unity that brought us to the movement in the first place. Do not misunderstand, power does not necessarily mean that we have to move mountains every day. The power that we have speaks to its own strength. Our power may manifest itself in moments, minutes, months or even beyond our lifetimes, but we do indeed have the power to make things happen. Namaste

Believe! - New lessons for YOU

Photo: (Pictured from right) May Rowland attends the cornerstone laying ceremony at Unity Church of Jacksonville at the corner of Lomax and May Streets with Rev. William N. Grenson and Rev. Dr. Bonnie S. Grenson in February, 1950 as featured in The Florida Times-Union.

This is a lesson that comes from a time of crisis - over half a century ago. When May Rowland wrote "Dare to Believe," it was a world that lived under the shadow of the Cold War. She wrote in her book of daring to believe in Truth through all crises big or small. Today, the Berlin Wall no longer menaces Western Europe and we freely exchange with China and Russia. We still face new situations and challenges that seem today as formidable our adversaries were once back then. I have created "Believe!" based on Rowland's desire to promote right thinking in a modern world by adapting her classic book into a series of lessons for today's youth. I have geared the lessons toward the basics of Unity that form the foundation for the principles that today's Youth of Unity are learning and promoting. I am self publishing this material and am shipping my book to those who wish to pay for a copy. Please see my PayPal link to order a copy today!

You are an angel!

Years ago, when I was a delegate to regional and international Unity retreats and conventions, I was blessed to enjoy Karl Anthony's talents as a great singer. Although I could not carry a tune in a bucket or keep a key (I was booted out of chorus in elementary school, natch!), I loved hearing Karl serenade us with "Angel, angel, you are an angel...I see an angel in your eyes." This week, I have an angel in my life who has blessed me with a $1,500 donation to my upcoming pilgrimage to Israel. I am almost halfway there and I am more than a year away from heading out with Rev. John A.V. Strickland and the Atlanta Unity delegation to the Holy Land. Anything, I have learned as a Truth student, is possible if I put my heart and my soul into achieving my goal. My benefactor shall remain nameless as requested, but we all know that this person's light shines brightly through their faith in me to be the best delegate that I can be. If you would like to donate to my cause, no contribution is too small. Please see my previous post about how you can help. Anything is possible when we set our sights on putting UNITY in the commUNITY! Namaste.