"Spiritually Speaking" by Rev. Carla Golden

The Homeless Man

 It was a frigid Sunday morning. The parking lot to the church was filling up quickly. I noticed as I got out of my car that fellow church members were whispering with each other as they walked to the church.

 

As I got closer, I saw a man sitting against the wall outside the church. He was almost laying down, as if he were asleep. He had on an old crumpled coat with the hood over his head that was pulled down so you could not see his face. He had a blanket wrapped around his legs, and a much used coffee cup in front of him for anyone that would put change into it.

 

I assumed this man was homeless, and asleep, so I walked on by through the doors of the church. We began to fellowship and someone brought up the man laying outside. People snickered but no one put money in his cup much less bothered to ask him to come in, including me. A few moments later church began. We all waited for the minister to take his place and the service to begin.

 

When the doors to the church opened, in came the homeless man walking slowly down the aisle with his head down. People gasped and whispered and made faces. He made his way down the aisle. But he didn't take a seat, he kept going to the pulpit and pulled down the hood and took off his coat.

 

My heart sank. There stood our minister. He was the "homeless man." No one said a word. The minister took his Bible and laid it on the stand.

 

"Folks, I don't think I have to tell you what I am preaching about today."

 

~Author Unknown

Thoughts, Feelings and Disease

I must have received two or three small bottles of hand sanitizer this year for Christmas. How about you? It seemed to be a popular stocking stuffer at our family get-together.

This morning, as I contemplated whether to put a bottle in my purse before I headed out to do my shopping, I thought of what Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, the co-founders of Unity, would say. 

Myrtle counseled her students: "Keep your mind filled with thoughts of life, strength, health, joy, Truth and you will express these blessings. You will radiate life, joy, health, because, 'as he thinketh within himself, so is he.'" 

There is a "new" scientific discipline now called "psychoneuroimmunology", which studies the relationship between thoughts, feelings and immunity. Back in the seventies, a Harvard study discovered receptors on our immune cells for neuropeptides. Neuropeptides are chemicals produced in the brain depending upon our emotions. The result of this study determined that your immune system is actually listening to your mental talk. And how you think is how you feel. If you feel depressed or stressed out, your immune cells responds accordingly producing less T-cells and lymphocytes. Charles Fillmore and his wife, Myrtle, knew about this back in the late 1800's. Myrtle healed herself of tuberculosis through prayer and by talking to her body. 

Now, over a hundred years later, science is finally catching up with Charles and Myrtle and other metaphysicians who taught about the power of our thoughts to change our bodies and our lives. 

Holiday Grief

I am aware, this time of year, that there are many who are experiencing grief. It may partially be because I work for a hospice; but I also know from my own experience that this can be a difficult time.

As we contemplate celebrating another Christmas or Hanukkah or whatever holiday we celebrate, it is natural to think of holidays past. We recall the happy times with loved ones and some of those loved ones may be gone from our lives through death, divorce, or estrangement. We may have suffered another loss, such as a job or our health. Waves of sadness wash over us as we feel our loss more acutely at this time of holiday celebrations.

My belief is that if sadness is what we are feeling, then we should allow it to be there--to even embrace it. It is normal. The grief comes when it comes and rather than suppressing it or avoiding it we should move through it. It is part of our human experience.

What we should not do is to stay there. In the Lord's Prayer we read "And though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death...." It does not say that we should set up camp in that valley. Our minister in Chicago used to remind us that in the Bible they often used the expression "And it came to pass." He'd laugh and say, "In other words, it didn't come to stay."

Yes, it does pass. The grief does pass, the heartache, pain and sadness does lift and lessen over time. Where we are today is not where we will be next year at this time. There is always hope.

As so many people remind us in books, songs, and the sermons of ministers...it is helpful to focus on what we do have in our lives at this time. Yes, we all have losses, endings in our lives, but we all have new beginnings as well. Maybe, by helping someone else who is experiencing loss of some kind, we can be reminded of all that we have for which to be grateful.

 

The Girl Without Gloves

It was nine degrees today as I was driving to work. I was running late and drove a bit faster than usual through the local streets. As I crossed an intersection, I noticed a young girl standing by a bus stop. She was hunched over, clutching a notebook and pencil. Under her light jacket, she wore a dress with long pants underneath, as mothers used to dress their kids when I was a child. She looked painfully cold and I noticed that she wore no gloves.

In a split second, I decided to turn my car around and drive back. I knew that I had to do something to help that girl. I pulled into a bank parking lot and headed back in the other direction. I stopped the car and got out, running up to the girl, who now appeared to be 12 or 13. Her face reflected the discomfort she felt from the frigid temperature. She was attempting to tuck her cold hands under her arms for some warmth. With the notebook and pen she was carrying, she couldn't put her hands in a pocket.

I peeled off my warm leather gloves with Thinsulate lining and handed them to her, taking the notebook and pencil from her hands so that she could put them on. Big brown eyes looked up at me with such sheer gratitude that she didn't need to say a word. I reached over and tied the little scarf she was wearing around her neck and pulled the hood up on the jacket so that it covered her head.

"Take care," I said, holding her by the arms and looking into her eyes.

"Thank you," she said with tears welling up in her eyes.

I got into my car and headed off to work feeling good about what I had done. It didn't matter that I would be late for work. What mattered was that a young girl had warmer hands and wasn't at risk for frostbite.

I'm not writing about this to brag about what I did. I'm writing about it because we all will have hundreds of unexpected opportunities to give during our lives. When I saw that young girl with no gloves, my mind was thinking about work and what I needed to do when I arrived. I  could have driven on to work, but in one moment the awareness of that girl's obvious discomfort cut through everything else and I knew that I had to go back. I could not go on to work knowing that this girl was waiting for a bus with hands that were exposed to dangerously cold temperatures.

It is these kinds of unexpected opportunities to give of ourselves that present themselves and require a quick response. We have to be ready to go with our hearts and be in the moment. It can be easy to look the other way and think someone else will stop and help.

In this instance, I believe that it must have been reassuring to this young girl that there are strangers that are willing to help. And for me, I realized that regardless of how cold my hands might be without my gloves, my heart felt warm and good about what I had done.

God Lives Under His Bed

I recently received this story from a friend, the story's author unknown. But it touched my heart and I wanted to share it with you.I have known people like Kevin who have this very simple faith and trust. Enjoy!

I envy Kevin. My brother Kevin thinks God lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night.  He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom, and I stopped to listen,

"Are you there, God?" he said. "Where are you? Oh, I see. Under the bed..."

I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first time the very different world Kevin lives in.

He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2), there are few ways in which he is an adult.

He reasons and communicates with the capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the sky because angels carry them.

I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life? Up before dawn each day, off to work at a workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.

The only variation in the entire scheme is laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother with her newborn child. He does not seem dissatisfied. He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05am, eager for a day of simple work.

He wrings his hands excitedly while the water boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores. And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays! That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger inside.

"That one's goin' to Chi-car-go!" Kevin shouts as he claps his hands. His anticipation is so great he can hardly sleep on Friday nights. And so goes his world of daily rituals and weekend field trips. He doesn't know what it means to be discontent. His life is simple.

He will never know the entanglements of wealth of power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that one day they may not be. His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the carpet, his heart is completely in it.

He does not shrink from a job when it is begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks are done, Kevin knows how to relax. He is not obsessed with his work or the work of others. His heart is pure. He still believes everyone tells the truth, promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of argue.

Free from pride and unconcerned with appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God. Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an "educated" person to grasp. God seems like his closest companion.

In my moments of doubt and frustrations with my Christianity I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith. It is then that I am most willing to admit that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.

It is then I realize that perhaps he is not the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to God's care.

Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.

And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God lived under his bed.

Kevin won't be surprised at all!

Giving Thanks for Detours

A friend told me her experience of taking a trip and encountering a sign that said, "Detour Ahead". She was upset because it would delay her arrival time at her destination. With a growing sense of impatience, she turned off the main road and followed the arrows that pointed her in a new direction. Fear was also welling up within her because she was alone in her car and there was no other traffic. What if her car broke down in this desolate area where no one seemed to be but her? She continued on and came up over a hill where before her she witnessed the most beautiful sunset that she had ever seen. It was as if the scene had been painted just for her. Her eyes welled up with tears and she caught herself saying "thank you".

What this friend realized in that moment was that there can be gifts that come from the detours in life. If we can be patient and trusting of the Universe or God, something good is usually waiting for us along the way.

In my own life, I have often encountered detours. Where I thought I should be was not where I was and I experienced feelings of frustration and impatience. But later, in hindsight, I realized that I had been exactly where I needed to be. There were no coincidences. The detour gave me a chance to learn important lessons and make a difference in the lives of others that I encountered along the way. I saw where we came together in synchronicity to do our work together.

My husband and I are ministers and we had been looking for a church to serve when I heard about a position as a coordinator of a mentoring program for mothers. The program was wonderful and I enjoyed helping it to grow.  Then our funding was pulled and the program needed to continue on a volunteer basis, which it has continued to do quite successfully. But I needed to find another job. I was able to go to work for the same charity but as a hospice volunteer coordinator. While I was upset about leaving the other program, I have truly enjoyed my work in hospice and have learned new skills and shared different gifts.

When you encounter a detour in your life, remember that great gifts can come through these changes in direction. Keep a positive attitude and know that just around the corner or over the next hill you may find something or someone waiting for you that will be a blessing in your life in ways that you can't even imagine. Life is an exciting journey and even more so with the unexpected detours. Give thanks and enjoy the ride!

Roger Ebert and Reincarnation

When you think of Rogert Ebert, chances are you think of movies. Roger has been a movie critic for many years in Chicago. I used to watch his show every week when I lived there. He and Gene Siskal were a great team. Sometimes I would agree with Roger and sometimes my views would more closely match those of Gene's.

Well, back in July, Roger Ebert wrote a very interesting article about reincarnation in his "Journal" or blog. The article was "The Quantum Theory of Reincarnation". I found it to be fascinating. Roger, like most of us, has evolved in his thinking over the years and I'm sure that his physical challenges have had an impact on his views of life, death and spirituality.

Anyway, take a few minutes and read what he has to say. http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/2009/07/everymans_guide_to_quantum_the.html

Feel free to share your comments.

The Mockingbird That Sang Beethoven

A minister friend of mine shared this terrific story of how even the smallest act has an effect, changing the world to some degree.

Bonnee Joy, a gifted composer, died in the prime of life. At her memorial service, a friend told of how a mockingbird used to sing regularly outside Bonnee's window on summer nights.

Bonnee would stand at her bedroom window, peering into the darkness, listening intently, marveling at the beautiful songs the mockingbird sang. Then, musician that she was, Bonnee decided to sing back. So she whistled the first four notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. With amazing quickness the mockingbird learned these four notes and sang them back to Bonnee. And in perfect pitch, Bonnee was astonished. Then, for a time the bird disappeared. But one night, toward the very end of her life when Bonnee was so terribly sick, the bird returned and, in the midst of other songs, several times sang those first four notes of Beethoven's 'Fifth.'

The beloved friend telling this story at the Memorial Service said, with tears in her eyes, "I like to think of that now, somewhere out there is a mockingbird who sings Beethoven because of Bonnee.

Divine Appointments: A Follow-Up

On September 13, I blogged about Divine Appointments and shared a wonderful story about Tom and Rita and how they came into one another's lives. On the very day that I posted that story, my husband and I had our own "Divine Appointment" encounter.

We had decided to go walking in a park that is about six miles from where we live. We are fortunate that there are many parks in this area and so we have much to choose from. My husband chose this particular one. We walked about a mile and a half and then decided to turn around and walk back. We talked as we walked and were deep in conversation when I glanced down the path and saw a man that looked familiar. I said to Bob, "That man looks like Craig." Craig is our classmate from seminary at Unity Village. We had graduated seven years before and had seen some of our classmates occasionally at conferences, but we hadn't seen Craig in about six years.

As we continued to walk and got closer, the man looked so much like Craig that I was stunned. But Craig lived in Nevada. It couldn't be him. But it was. As we came up to one another we all hugged. He was with a friend of his that lived in the area. It turns out that he was in town for a music conference. We chatted for awhile and then said our goodbyes, shaking our heads at the synchronicity of the meeting.

Have you ever been thinking of someone and then picked up the phone to hear their voice after they have called you? Last year, I began to reach out to some old friends that I had been thinking about. It was good to reconnect. There was one college roommate that I could not find. Just this week, she found me on Facebook.

Whether it's about us setting an intention or the energy or power that we call God or Love at work in our lives, these things happen. We can look at them as a coincidence or "small world", but maybe we should see them differently, as I mentioned in the article from September 13. Maybe we should acknowledge them as an important encounter that happens for a reason and that we have set in motion through our inner desire or an intention that we have set. If we believe that there is but one Mind and that we all share that Mind, then that could also explain it.

Even if we do not have an explanation that makes sense to us or that we feel comfortable with, it is enough to just accept it is a gift from the Universe. The joy that comes from seeing someone we haven't seen in years is reason enough to give thanks and for which to feel grateful.

"The Lost Symbol"

This last week I had the H1N1 flu. It was the perfect time to read Dan Brown's new book, The Lost Symbol.

Like most everyone else in this country, I read The Da Vinci Code. I didn't read Angels and Demons, although my husband did and he enjoyed it, being an ex-Catholic. But this latest book I actually like more than The Da Vinci Code.

The story itself unfolds over a 12 hour period of time and is fast-paced and frantic--just like his other best-seller. It weaves in the past history of characters through flashbacks and memories and forges ahead to a crescendo and climax that may or may not shock the reader. Suspenseful and harrowing and packed with mysteries and secrets, the story does keep you reading long after you have said that you need to put the book down to get something else done. Just one more chapter...thank goodness they are short.

The backdrop of The Lost Symbol is Washington, D.C. and the reader gleans much historical information about our nation's capital and about our forefathers, many of whom were Masons. They were also Deists, and not fundamentalist Christians, which I already knew. Those who are fundamentalist Christians will probably be burning this book and proclaiming Dan Brown as a heretic, just as I'm sure some Catholics did after The Da Vinci Code.

It was the spirituality and underlying theme in this book that I found to be the most exciting and which ultimately won me over as a true fan of Dan Brown. For a book considered as "fiction", there is an incredible amount of "Truth" in its pages. Perhaps Dan Brown can finally get people to believe what the world's most sacred spiritual texts have revealed, but that we have not yet fully comprehended or embraced.

Brown's novel speaks of a time of enlightenment and transformation--of order from chaos. As I observe what is happening today in our country, with those who would use fear and paranoia to hold back change and transformation, I can't help but hope that this chaos that we are experiencing is part of a new birthing of cosmic consciousness.

My final word....buy copies of this book and pass it around.