October - November 2011

Be the Light – Grow, Serve, Shine

You are invited to join a Sacred Circles book study based on "5 GIFTS for an Abundant Life" to complement the fall program, Be the Light – Grow, Serve, Shine!

Fall program offering affirmation:

"I AM an infinitely prosperous expression of God. I know God is my one and only source of all supply. I commit myself to the practice of Prosperity, surrendering any belief in separation from my Source, my God, my abundant and prosperous Self. Thank you God, and so it is."

October 2 - Be the Light - Grow, Serve, Shine!

“And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” ~ Marianne Williamson

This Sunday we begin a seven-week series that will explore five essential spiritual practices to let our light shine. It is part of our annual Fall program, “Pathways to Spiritual Living,” beginning this Sunday, October 2 and concluding on November 20, 2011.

This year our program is called “Be the Light—Grow, Serve, Shine” and includes a six-week Sacred Circle using "The 5 Gifts for an Abundant Life: Creating a Consciousness of Wealth," by Diane Harmony. Our Sacred Circles are offered in homes throughout the area. Don’t miss attending this Sunday to receive your gift, and to sign-up for a Sacred Circle.

• Music: David Rhys-Johnson and LaVon Hardison

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October 9 - The Gift of Gratitude

“When we feel that God will give us anything we may ask for, that there is no doubt about it whatever, we cannot otherwise but give expression to the very soul of gratitude." ~ Christian Larson

This week we explore the practice of gratitude. Being grateful allows us to be fully alive and in the present moment, as we cannot be holding on to the past and grateful at the same time. It also moves us out of fear and into faith. How much of our lives do we take for granted, and therefore miss the abundance that is already ours? This simple practice opens our heart to all the others, and will bring us back to our centered Self.

• Music: David Rhys-Johnson and Marylin Ball-Brown

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October 16 - The Gift of Intention

“Inherent in every intention and desire is the mechanics for its fulfillment...intention and desire in the field of pure potentiality have infinite organizing power. And when we introduce an intention in the fertile ground of pure potentiality, we put this infinite organizing power to work for us.” ~ Deepak Chopra

Our conscious intention is one of the most powerful tools we possess. When we lose ourselves in the hypnotic trance of our daily lives we can find ourselves slipping into old behaviors, with negative results. This Sunday, and in our Sacred Circles this week, we remind ourselves to focus on our intentions.

• Music: David Rhys-Johnson, Rick Brugger and Marcia MacLean

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October 23 - The Gift of Forgiveness

"Forgiving others allows you to release the energy of love into your daily living. The love you need today in your life to help you meet challenges and to maintain your own inner 'light' may still be tied to old, unresolved hurts." ~  Meredith Young-Sowers, The Angelic Messenger Cards

The gift of forgiveness is one we give ourselves. Letting go of the past and allowing new energy to fill us with creative anticipation is one of the gifts we receive when we forgive. If you find yourself in debt, and always trying to catch up and get 'present' with your bills - it is amazing how forgiveness can help.

The Lord's Prayer is a hint at how it works - as we forgive others their debts, our debts are forgiven. As we no longer hold the past hostage to our present experience we are freed to live a vibrant and healthy life now.

•  Music: David Rhys-Johnson, Rick Brugger and Marcia MacLean, and the CSL-Olympia Choir led by Denny Kautzmann

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October 30 - The Gift of Giving: Tithing, Serving and Sharing

“Your knowing the truth of the infinite and omnipresent nature of supply will set you free from the belief of lack and limitation, and as you begin to release the forms of supply and develop an attitude of giving rather than of getting, the supply will begin to flow. There is no limit to what a spiritual student can begin to give away.” ~ Joel Goldsmith

One of our most powerful gifts is the ability to give. No matter what our circumstances appear to be, there is always something we can give and thereby start the cycle of abundance in our life. Sharing our time and talent without asking for something in return is also one of the greatest joys in life. The ability to give increases our ability to receive tenfold.

• Music: Rick Brugger and Marcia MacLean

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November 6 - The Gift of Surrender

“True surrender requires an opening of the heart to the unknown. We must let go of what is known and let the grace of God reveal to us our next step, and then the next. True surrender is not an outward act but an inner process of transformation that allows us to see with God’s eyes, hear with God’s ears, speak with God’s words, and act with God’s grace.” ~ Rev. Safire Rose

The gift of surrendering opens us to the Infinite field of possibilities, sometimes called the Grace of God. This week we explore the powerful spiritual practice of letting go of trying to control and manipulate life, our loved ones, the stock market, or the economy. At some point we discover that there is a power greater than ourselves, and we can trust it.

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November 13 - Be the Light -  Grow, Serve, Shine!

“We have rediscovered that which the great, the good, and the wise have sung about— and thought about -- the imprisoned splendor within ourselves and within each other. When we constructively praise and creatively bless, life abounds with love, peace and joy. Let goodness shine forth.” ~ Ernest Holmes

Our Sacred Circle hosts, facilitators, and participants are acknowledged in our Sunday Celebration this week as we share and reflect upon the power of Being the Light. Spiritual living is all about developing a spiritual practice and using those practices as tools for better living.  We will also get an early glimpse of the Community Conversation Café the night before.

Our community is radiantly alive with the gifts of spiritual living and we celebrate it!

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November 20 -  Celebrate the Gifts

“The essential idea here is that we grow to the degree we want to grow. We grow to the degree that we mobilize resources that we may not even know we have at the moment. But because we deeply want to grow, because we have this deep love of life and love for God, then that love itself becomes a living event within us.” ~ Swami Chetananda

We are creating a culture of shared leadership, and thereby building a community that chooses to grow. Today we will share the results of our Pathways to Spiritual Living Fall program, and the wisdom gleaned from the Community Conversation Café last week. Those insights reveal to us, like a view of ourselves in a mirror, who we are today and where we are heading. There is much to celebrate and acknowledge.

We top it all off with the community celebration potluck, our own style Thanksgiving a few days early. (No potluck Nov. 27.)

•  CSL-Olympia Choir led by Denny Kautzmann

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