Memorial Day Weekend and Your Inner Knower

This is Memorial Day Weekend – It is a time of remembrance of those who are not here with us. Typically we call to mind those who have gone on in war. And, more broadly, this can also be time is one of honoring all of those who have died leaving a legacy of meaning and richness for those who remain.

To view this week's video on YouTube, click here.

When I think back to people in my life who have made sacrifices on my behalf , when I think of people who have given something extra that I might be OK, some of them in heroic ways, others in quiet service,

I realize that it was never what the person owned that touched me, it was never what they had stashed away in possessions or possition, rather, it was the treasure they had in heaven. By that I mean their consciousness. It was their willingness to live their lives for some greater good for all.

I encourage you to pause several times during this Memorial Day weekend, to remember those people who have passed on, who have made a significant contribution to your life and freedom, becasue of their consciousness of service. I invite you to decorate your mind with their memory, so that some of the values from which they lived their lives may continue to live in our world.

Service Music May 24, 2020

Opening Song

Christopher Fritzsche

Amen Alleluia by Gary Lynn Floyd

www.garylynnfloyd.com

Song into the Prayer

Christopher Fritzsche

America the Beautiful Lyrics by Katharine Lee Bates Music by Samuel A. Ward

Pretalk Song

Jan Garrett and JD Martin

Red Rock Jan Garrett & JD Martin

https://garrett-martin.com/index.html

Offering Song

Christopher Fritzsche

I Always Know What I Need to Know by Karen Taylor-Good

https://www.facebook.com/KarenTaylorGood.StoweGood

Closing Song

Christopher Fritzsche

Blessed Always by Rickie Byars

https://www.rickiebyars.org/

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Spiritual Oneness and the Shooting of Ahmaud Arbery

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May 10, 2020 Mother's Day Virtual Service

 

In many countries around the world, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. Some countries celebrate Mother’s Day in March, others in April. I grew up in a country where Mother’s Day was not widely known as a celebration. When I learned about the beautiful practice of honoring motherhood in all its forms on a particular day, I had already immigrated to another country. So I called my mother to wish her Happy Mother’s Day. I’ll never forget her response. She said, oh Edward, every day is Mother’s Day.

To view this week's video on YouTube, click here.

As we continue our focus this month on Listening to our hearts to discover our Soul purpose, I invite you to consider this: that every day is an opportunity to acknowledge and celebrate, not only motherhood in all its forms, but also that aspect of the Divine within us that embraces, loves, includes, nurtures, and knows us. Think of that divine something within as your heart.

When we practice listening to our hearts, we become better at relating to others authentically and compassionately. When we do, the realization that we are always connected grows in us, and we are guided to the most compassionate choices and ways of being with one another.

Let’s begin our service today by saying Thank you to all of those who gave birth to and nurtured another life. It is the most important job and responsibility for one to take on. I am grateful for the continuity and the rhythm of Life Itself. I am thankful for the Divine Wisdom ever-present and available. I am grateful for that Inner Voice that never leads us astray. We still our minds and open our hearts and listen.

At the end of today’s service we have a beautiful tribute to mother’s and grandmothers in our community. The tribute was prepared by Bette Smith, one of the behind the scenes team members who work tirelessly every week to bring our virtual service to life.

So please stay tuned for that.

And our community announcements are given by a mother daughters team

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Listen to Your Heart

There is an inner divine urge, a purposefulness of Spirit, that resides within each of us at all times: our soul -- and It has the ability to know what it wants.

To view this weeks video on YouTube, click here

Imagine that with me, that there is such a divine urge within you, and it knows what it wants. Not only that, but the more you and I become aware of it and listen to it, the more our lives become a reflection of the holy splendor that lives in us.

Our founder, Dr. Ernest Holmes, said that understanding our unity with the Divine is the beginning of wisdom. “You may be sure of this,” our founder also said, that “there is an integrity to your soul such as you will find nowhere else in the Universe.”

And so, I invite you, this month, on a spiritual journey to rediscover what your heart, your soul, wants to express through you for the greater good of all. And I invite you to begin or continue, a regular practice of listening to its gentle and powerful message.

There is a good reason why the words heart and soul are sometimes used interchangeably. It is a clue as to the nature of what is at the center of our beings: Love, a love that embraces, includes, and affirms. Ah, when we listen to that voice, surely we will take our place in the world as an ambassador for compassion, sharing, forgiveness, and service.

My blessings to you,

Photo by Ian Schneider on Unsplash

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Are you a rebel, or are you a nonconformist?

The path of the nonconformist!  Not conforming, is not the same as rebelling.  It is the result of being deeply in tune with the creative spirit that exists within you as a unique expression of life.

To view Sunday, April 26, 2020 Celebration Service, click here.

Music by Christopher Fritzsche, Amy Bishop, Cricket, and Tom Yanes.

Prayer practitioner, Jeff Basham.

Right after a service broadcast, you are invited to receive a free five-minute confidential one-on-one prayer from one of our licensed practitioners. You can connect to our virtual Grinton Chapel at 9:30 am, 11 am, and 12:30 pm. Here is the link: https://tinyurl.com/grintonprayer

Warmly,

Edward Viljoen

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

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April 19, 2020 Virtual Think Outside The Box

To view this week's video on YouTube, click here.

What do you use your beautiful imagination for?

Do you pour your creative energy into worrying about the worst-case scenarios?

I was brought up in a household where that was considered to be the responsible thing to do. 

In Science of Mind, I learned a better way to use my creative power by imagining the world the way I would like to see it.  I invite you to consider this week what a bright beginning for you might be. What new direction would you like to see emerge for you, for your loved ones, and for our world? And then, importantly, I invite you to take time to sit quietly and use your beautiful imagination, to do what Don Miguel Ruiz describes as dreaming a new dream for creation.

Photo by Erda Estremer on >Unsplash

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April 12, Sunday Virtual Celebration

April is a month of spiritual opportunities to deepen faith. For example, Passover, the timeless story of the journey to freedom, Easter, the moment of resurrection, takes place in April. Whether a person is Christian, or Jewish, or a Religious Scientist like I am, or something other, these stories, as well as the birthing of spring in nature, can be metaphors for us, encouraging us to trust that everything passes and that after every period of darkness, there is a new beginning.

To view the serivce on YouTube click here.

Our music today is provided by Eddie Watkins Jr., Bobby Jo Valentine, Karen Drucker,  AND we have a special contribution at the end of our service from one of our families. Eli and Ari Glaser will close us out with a duet that you don't want to miss.

All our community announcements and more information can be found at www.cslsr.org

Dr. Edward Viljoen, author of The Power of Meditation, senior minister at The Center for Spiritual Living, Santa Rosa 

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April 5 2020 Sunday Celebration Virtual Center for Spiritual Living

To view this week's service video on YouTube, click here.

Music by: 

Christopher Fritzsche,
Cricket,
Gary Lynn Floyd,
Karen Drucker, and
the One Heart Choir

Prayer by Rev. Siota Belle

Message by Dr. Kim Kaiser

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