STRANGE PREACHER SUBSTACK INDEX ON SFN

It required a great power, a mighty influence, to free the thinking and living of the Western peoples from the withering grasp of a totalitarian ecclesiastical domination. Secularism did break the bonds of church control, and now in turn it threatens to establish a new and godless type of mastery over the hearts and minds of modern man. The tyrannical and dictatorial political state is the direct offspring of scientific materialism and philosophic secularism. Secularism no sooner frees man from the domination of the institutionalized church than it sells him into slavish bondage to the totalitarian state. Secularism frees man from ecclesiastical slavery only to betray him into the tyranny of political and economic slavery. [195:8.4]

We know that Machiventa was the ‘mighty influence’ referred to above and one has to wonder given that we now face GLOBAL political tyranny and economic slavery if it might be necessary for him to return to help us overcome this challenge?

The Revelators continue:

Materialism denies God, secularism simply ignores him; at least that was the earlier attitude. More recently, secularism has assumed a more militant attitude, assuming to take the place of the religion whose totalitarian bondage it onetime resisted. Twentieth-century secularism tends to affirm that man does not need God. But beware! This godless philosophy of human society will lead only to unrest, animosity, unhappiness, war, and world-wide disaster. [195:8.5]

One could say that Secularism is something of a jealous god. It has long craved and even now demands complete allegiance. It has a growing resentment towards traditional religious devotion and is lining up to make such devotions illegal. Indeed, anywhere godless secularism has acquired the balance of power one of its first goals is the eradication of the faithful, a rather peculiar proclivity.

...Jesus referred one phase of the kingdom to the future and did, on numerous occasions, intimate that such an event might appear as a part of a world crisis. [170:4.15]

I think that it is fair to say that we are witnessing the beginnings of the first man-made disaster of truly global proportions. The Melchizedeks are the Emergency Sons, always first on the scene to help salvage wayward planets from catastrophe. There certainly is room for speculation that such a global disaster, as we now face, could be sufficient to merit the attention of the Melchizedeks, and if they were to send any then why not the vice-gerent himself?

The Master told us: “And when the kingdom shall have come to its full fruition, be assured that the Father in heaven will not fail to visit you with an enlarged revelation of truth and an enhanced demonstration of righteousness.” [176:2.3]

I think we can all agree that the first part of the excerpt above as being the FER itself but the second element has not yet manifested and it would not be a stretch to imagine that this could be a response to the growing global crisis. The revelators teach that, “Times of great testing and threatened defeat are always times of great revelation,” [195:9.3] and, Heaven knows, this is true. I have been frankly astounded by the revelations of the last three years.

For all the pomp and ceremony, for all the apparent decorum and delicacies, we have only the thinnest veneer of civilisation. Scratch the surface and you find a ferocious brutality and chaos bristling to be free. Truth is not loved by the majority. Presently, the majority are motivated by convenience and ease. It is the twenty first century and many are so peasant minded that they subconsciously believe that “the power to feed carries with it the right to rule,” and they unflinchingly bend the knee to those that provide the bread. They resist, with almost murderous rage, having to think their way through a proposition. What’s more ugly, is that they consider their blind acquiescence to this power a virtue, regardless of the fact that by bending the knee they are selling their children [and ours] into slavery. In this age of endless irony, the Virtue Signallers are, in fact, signalling the absence of virtue.

It is worth noting that the next age, the so-called spiritual age, will be a time in which people will strive for a quality of thought. The implication is that we are currently passing through an age during which quality thinking is not prevalent, the sufferings of the age being an indirect consequence of the lack of this. Given the recent turn of events this seems quite prophetic. It certainly seems hard to argue against.

It seems clear that western civilisations are crumbling as a result of ideological and moral subversion. This subversion, whether brought about through Machiavellian design or spiritual ambivalence, is giving birth to a global tyranny that is being spearheaded by a powerful but corrupt elite. The teachings warn that we need to protect ourselves “against the unfair and enslaving practices of unjust minorities who may be able to entrench themselves behind political, financial, or ecclesiastical power.” The cleansing of the Temple by the Master teaches that “Shrewd, wicked, and designing men” should not “be permitted to organize themselves for the exploitation and oppression...” Interestingly, “This episode also demonstrates that Jesus did not look with approval upon the refusal to employ force to protect the majority of any given human group.” [173:1.11]

It certainly seems like economics, information, and institutions are being weaponised against the public in order to reduce the general population to “economic & political slavery”. We are warned: “… an ideal society cannot be realized when either the weak or the wicked lie in wait to take unfair and unholy advantage of those who are chiefly actuated by devotion to the service of truth, beauty, and goodness. In such a situation only one course is practical: The "golden rulers" may establish a progressive society in which they live according to their ideals while maintaining an adequate defence against their benighted fellows who might seek either to exploit their pacific predilections or to destroy their advancing civilization.” [71:4.16]

Nor need we fear such a move, if it is God’s will, for we know that: “All the forces of evil and the hosts of sin shall not prevail against this human fraternity of the divine spirit.” [157:4:5]  (1747.3)]

So, we are faced with one of two choices: we either fight to retrieve our world from the growing gloom of tyranny and the despair and tragedy that ever follow in its wake or we find some way strike out on our own. Undoubtedly, if we do nothing we, along with our children, will be consumed by the growing darkness. But should we, or could we, withdraw and endeavour to establish a more progressive society on the fringes of the collapsing civilisation? Or should we stand our ground and fight for the establishment of a better world? That’s a tough call. Both have their merits.

We are taught that “The spiritual impetus of nominally accepting Hellenized Christianity came to Rome too late to prevent the well-started moral decline or to compensate for the already well-established and increasing racial deterioration. This new religion was a cultural necessity for imperial Rome, and it is exceedingly unfortunate that it did not become a means of spiritual salvation in a larger sense. ” [195:3.8]

Many of our current prophets assert that our current cultural pathology is distressingly similar to the final days of Rome [even Egypt]. We have allowed corrupt and venal men to occupy the seats of power in our countries, and they are – literally and figuratively – selling us out before our very eyes. Without question, this ascendancy of the corrupt is in part a response to the failing spiritual immunity of an aging religious structure whose spiritual power, allure, and influence is waning to socially dangerous levels. Consequently, “paganized and socialized Christianity stands in need of new contact with the uncompromised teachings of Jesus; it languishes for lack of a new vision of the Master's life on earth. A new and fuller revelation of the religion of Jesus is destined to conquer an empire of materialistic secularism and to overthrow a world sway of mechanistic naturalism. Urantia is now quivering on the very brink of one of its most amazing and enthralling epochs of social readjustment, moral quickening, and spiritual enlightenment

.” [195:9.2]

Perhaps I am making too much of this. Perhaps the phase of the kingdom we are passing through refers to the grave danger that occurs “when most men will speak well of kingdom believers and many in high places nominally accept the gospel of the heavenly kingdom. Learn to be faithful to the kingdom even in times of peace and prosperity. Tempt not the angels of your supervision to lead you in troublous ways as a loving discipline designed to save your ease-drifting souls .” [178:1.10]

Our current trials might simply be a lesson to teach us the importance of not abandoning or the dangers inherent in neglecting our spirituality and faith, as opposed to a dramatic global crisis that might merit divine intervention.

We are offered avenues wherewith to challenge the current trend: cease to sponsor the social systems and industrial policies of Western civilization. This would imply not only that we should ‘cease to sponsor’ but that we should actively seek to sponsor that which is better. This presents multiple challenges in the interregnum, between abandoning the old and not yet having established the new. However, there is inspiration to be found in the Cross. The Cross reveals a tremendous light to those that have the faith to see. It is the ultimate symbol of loving service, of the bestowing of one’s life for the enhancement of all life, of an all consuming and fearless love for both the Great Father and the brotherhood of His divine children - the worship of the One expressed in service for the many, it is the great symbol of that unflinching courage which recognises its duty and dares to do it regardless of the consequences. Above all the Cross reveals the courageous abandonment of what was and the daring faith required to establish what could and should be.

The Revelators teach us that: If the Christian church would only dare to espouse the Master's program, thousands of apparently indifferent youths would rush forward to enlist in such a spiritual undertaking, and they would not hesitate to go all the way through with this great adventure. [195:10.10]

How many times have the brethren asked “but what is the Master’s Program”? What does he prescribe?

The answer is there: cease to sponsor the social systems and industrial policies of Western civilization. Reform the social contract - exalt the Great Father, Family, and Fatherland, promote justice and eschew corruption, foster and protect freedom of thought and expression, honour service, condemn and punish treason and treachery, exalt trustworthiness and reward faithfulness.

We need a community of spiritual people who: “delight in bearing one another's burdens; [who] actually desire to practice the golden rule.” Who know how and who will abundantly and knowing fully the cost willingly bear the fruits of the spirit.

We are warned that “The overstressed and isolated morality of modern religion, which fails to hold the devotion and loyalty of many twentieth-century men, would rehabilitate itself if, in addition to its moral mandates, it would give equal consideration to the truths of science, philosophy, and spiritual experience, and to the beauties of the physical creation, the charm of intellectual art, and the grandeur of genuine character achievement.” [2:7.9]

The hope of modern Christianity is that it should cease to sponsor the social systems and industrial policies of Western civilization while it humbly bows itself before the cross it so valiantly extols, there to learn anew from Jesus of Nazareth the greatest truths mortal man can ever hear - the living gospel of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man. [195:10.21]

STRANGE PREACHER SUBSTACK INDEX ON SFN

It required a great power, a mighty influence, to free the thinking and living of the Western peoples from the withering grasp of a totalitarian ecclesiastical domination. Secularism did break the bonds of church control, and now in turn it threatens to establish a new and godless type of mastery over the hearts and minds of modern man. The tyrannical and dictatorial political state is the direct offspring of scientific materialism and philosophic secularism. Secularism no sooner frees man from the domination of the institutionalized church than it sells him into slavish bondage to the totalitarian state. Secularism frees man from ecclesiastical slavery only to betray him into the tyranny of political and economic slavery. [195:8.4]

We know that Machiventa was the ‘mighty influence’ referred to above and one has to wonder given that we now face GLOBAL political tyranny and economic slavery if it might be necessary for him to return to help us overcome this challenge?

The Revelators continue:

Materialism denies God, secularism simply ignores him; at least that was the earlier attitude. More recently, secularism has assumed a more militant attitude, assuming to take the place of the religion whose totalitarian bondage it onetime resisted. Twentieth-century secularism tends to affirm that man does not need God. But beware! This godless philosophy of human society will lead only to unrest, animosity, unhappiness, war, and world-wide disaster. [195:8.5]

One could say that Secularism is something of a jealous god. It has long craved and even now demands complete allegiance. It has a growing resentment towards traditional religious devotion and is lining up to make such devotions illegal. Indeed, anywhere godless secularism has acquired the balance of power one of its first goals is the eradication of the faithful, a rather peculiar proclivity.

...Jesus referred one phase of the kingdom to the future and did, on numerous occasions, intimate that such an event might appear as a part of a world crisis. [170:4.15]

I think that it is fair to say that we are witnessing the beginnings of the first man-made disaster of truly global proportions. The Melchizedeks are the Emergency Sons, always first on the scene to help salvage wayward planets from catastrophe. There certainly is room for speculation that such a global disaster, as we now face, could be sufficient to merit the attention of the Melchizedeks, and if they were to send any then why not the vice-gerent himself?

The Master told us: “And when the kingdom shall have come to its full fruition, be assured that the Father in heaven will not fail to visit you with an enlarged revelation of truth and an enhanced demonstration of righteousness.” [176:2.3]

I think we can all agree that the first part of the excerpt above as being the FER itself but the second element has not yet manifested and it would not be a stretch to imagine that this could be a response to the growing global crisis. The revelators teach that, “Times of great testing and threatened defeat are always times of great revelation,” [195:9.3] and, Heaven knows, this is true. I have been frankly astounded by the revelations of the last three years.

For all the pomp and ceremony, for all the apparent decorum and delicacies, we have only the thinnest veneer of civilisation. Scratch the surface and you find a ferocious brutality and chaos bristling to be free. Truth is not loved by the majority. Presently, the majority are motivated by convenience and ease. It is the twenty first century and many are so peasant minded that they subconsciously believe that “the power to feed carries with it the right to rule,” and they unflinchingly bend the knee to those that provide the bread. They resist, with almost murderous rage, having to think their way through a proposition. What’s more ugly, is that they consider their blind acquiescence to this power a virtue, regardless of the fact that by bending the knee they are selling their children [and ours] into slavery. In this age of endless irony, the Virtue Signallers are, in fact, signalling the absence of virtue.

It is worth noting that the next age, the so-called spiritual age, will be a time in which people will strive for a quality of thought. The implication is that we are currently passing through an age during which quality thinking is not prevalent, the sufferings of the age being an indirect consequence of the lack of this. Given the recent turn of events this seems quite prophetic. It certainly seems hard to argue against.

It seems clear that western civilisations are crumbling as a result of ideological and moral subversion. This subversion, whether brought about through Machiavellian design or spiritual ambivalence, is giving birth to a global tyranny that is being spearheaded by a powerful but corrupt elite. The teachings warn that we need to protect ourselves “against the unfair and enslaving practices of unjust minorities who may be able to entrench themselves behind political, financial, or ecclesiastical power.” The cleansing of the Temple by the Master teaches that “Shrewd, wicked, and designing men” should not “be permitted to organize themselves for the exploitation and oppression...” Interestingly, “This episode also demonstrates that Jesus did not look with approval upon the refusal to employ force to protect the majority of any given human group.” [173:1.11]

It certainly seems like economics, information, and institutions are being weaponised against the public in order to reduce the general population to “economic & political slavery”. We are warned: “… an ideal society cannot be realized when either the weak or the wicked lie in wait to take unfair and unholy advantage of those who are chiefly actuated by devotion to the service of truth, beauty, and goodness. In such a situation only one course is practical: The "golden rulers" may establish a progressive society in which they live according to their ideals while maintaining an adequate defence against their benighted fellows who might seek either to exploit their pacific predilections or to destroy their advancing civilization.” [71:4.16]

Nor need we fear such a move, if it is God’s will, for we know that: “All the forces of evil and the hosts of sin shall not prevail against this human fraternity of the divine spirit.” [157:4:5 (1747.3)]

So, we are faced with one of two choices: we either fight to retrieve our world from the growing gloom of tyranny and the despair and tragedy that ever follow in its wake or we find some way strike out on our own. Undoubtedly, if we do nothing we, along with our children, will be consumed by the growing darkness. But should we, or could we, withdraw and endeavour to establish a more progressive society on the fringes of the collapsing civilisation? Or should we stand our ground and fight for the establishment of a better world? That’s a tough call. Both have their merits.

We are taught that “The spiritual impetus of nominally accepting Hellenized Christianity came to Rome too late to prevent the well-started moral decline or to compensate for the already well-established and increasing racial deterioration. This new religion was a cultural necessity for imperial Rome, and it is exceedingly unfortunate that it did not become a means of spiritual salvation in a larger sense.

” [195:3.8] Many of our current prophets assert that our current cultural pathology is distressingly similar to the final days of Rome [even Egypt]. We have allowed corrupt and venal men to occupy the seats of power in our countries, and they are – literally and figuratively – selling us out before our very eyes. Without question, this ascendancy of the corrupt is in part a response to the failing spiritual immunity of an aging religious structure whose spiritual power, allure, and influence is waning to socially dangerous levels. Consequently, “paganized and socialized Christianity stands in need of new contact with the uncompromised teachings of Jesus; it languishes for lack of a new vision of the Master's life on earth. A new and fuller revelation of the religion of Jesus is destined to conquer an empire of materialistic secularism and to overthrow a world sway of mechanistic naturalism. Urantia is now quivering on the very brink of one of its most amazing and enthralling epochs of social readjustment, moral quickening, and spiritual enlightenment

.” [195:9.2]

Perhaps I am making too much of this. Perhaps the phase of the kingdom we are passing through refers to the grave danger that occurs “when most men will speak well of kingdom believers and many in high places nominally accept the gospel of the heavenly kingdom. Learn to be faithful to the kingdom even in times of peace and prosperity. Tempt not the angels of your supervision to lead you in troublous ways as a loving discipline designed to save your ease-drifting souls .” [178:1.10] Our current trials might simply be a lesson to teach us the importance of not abandoning or the dangers inherent in neglecting our spirituality and faith, as opposed to a dramatic global crisis that might merit divine intervention.

We are offered avenues wherewith to challenge the current trend: cease to sponsor the social systems and industrial policies of Western civilization. This would imply not only that we should ‘cease to sponsor’ but that we should actively seek to sponsor that which is better. This presents multiple challenges in the interregnum, between abandoning the old and not yet having established the new. However, there is inspiration to be found in the Cross. The Cross reveals a tremendous light to those that have the faith to see. It is the ultimate symbol of loving service, of the bestowing of one’s life for the enhancement of all life, of an all consuming and fearless love for both the Great Father and the brotherhood of His divine children - the worship of the One expressed in service for the many, it is the great symbol of that unflinching courage which recognises its duty and dares to do it regardless of the consequences. Above all the Cross reveals the courageous abandonment of what was and the daring faith required to establish what could and should be.

The Revelators teach us that: If the Christian church would only dare to espouse the Master's program, thousands of apparently indifferent youths would rush forward to enlist in such a spiritual undertaking, and they would not hesitate to go all the way through with this great adventure. [195:10.10]

How many times have the brethren asked “but what is the Master’s Program”? What does he prescribe?

The answer is there: cease to sponsor the social systems and industrial policies of Western civilization. Reform the social contract - exalt the Great Father, Family, and Fatherland, promote justice and eschew corruption, foster and protect freedom of thought and expression, honour service, condemn and punish treason and treachery, exalt trustworthiness and reward faithfulness.

We need a community of spiritual people who: “delight in bearing one another's burdens; [who] actually desire to practice the golden rule.” Who know how and who will abundantly and knowing fully the cost willingly bear the fruits of the spirit.

We are warned that “The overstressed and isolated morality of modern religion, which fails to hold the devotion and loyalty of many twentieth-century men, would rehabilitate itself if, in addition to its moral mandates, it would give equal consideration to the truths of science, philosophy, and spiritual experience, and to the beauties of the physical creation, the charm of intellectual art, and the grandeur of genuine character achievement.” [2:7.9]

The hope of modern Christianity is that it should cease to sponsor the social systems and industrial policies of Western civilization while it humbly bows itself before the cross it so valiantly extols, there to learn anew from Jesus of Nazareth the greatest truths mortal man can ever hear - the living gospel of the Fatherhood of God and the Brotherhood of Man. [195:10.21]

we invite the International UB Readership to join us all on Zoom:Join the Zoom Meeting:
 

https://urantiabook-org.zoom.us/j/87099272744

Meeting ID: 870 9927 2744

Find your local number:

https://urantiabook-org.zoom.us/u/kdedFy7k1o

Read Full Essay on the Jubilee Here

TUUFF will be co-hosting the event with The Center For Unity  

we invite the International UB Readership to join us all on Zoom:

Join the Zoom Meeting:
https://urantiabook-org.zoom.us/j/87099272744

Meeting ID: 870 9927 2744

Find your local number:

https://urantiabook-org.zoom.us/u/kdedFy7k1o

Gumpi Andrew Cohen: What was the characters of apostle Andrew? [4/26, 7:50 PM] Meta AI:

The characteristics of Apostle Andrew include. . . 

Gumpi Andrew Cohen: What was the characters of apostle Andrew? [4/26, 7:50 PM] Meta AI:

Spiritual Desire - Andrew was sensitive to the things of God and wanted to have fellowship with God, as seen in John the Apostle's account of Andrew's relationship with John the Baptist and then with Jesus of Nazareth,

Teachability -  Andrew turned to follow Jesus at the bidding of his previous mentor, John the Baptist, showing that he was teachable and willing to learn. -

Availability -  Andrew was not so stuck in his lifestyle that he was unwilling to change course or do something better, like following Jesus and doing what Jesus wanted him to do.

Faith - Andrew had to have great faith to leave everything behind to follow Jesus, as Jesus had no money, no fancy house, and no job

Friendliness -  Andrew is shown as one who introduced others to Jesus, such as his brother Simon to Jesus, a small boy to Jesus, and a delegation of foreigners to Jesus.

Solution-Oriented - Andrew was solution-oriented, as seen in the story of the boy with the loaves and fishes, where he brought the boy to Jesus, and Jesus used those small portions to feed a crowd of five thousand men.

Global Outlook - Andrew showed a global outlook by ushering the foreigners to meet Jesus, realizing that the good news of Jesus was for every man, woman, and child from every tribe and nation around the world. [4/26, 7:47 PM]

Here are the characteristics of Peter as described in the Urantia Book.

Comically impulsive character - Peter was known for acting on his impulses, which sometimes led to him getting into trouble.

Disciples’ unofficial leader - Peter was often the spokesperson for the disciples and was one of Jesus’ inner circle.

Excitable - Peter was excited about his relationship with Christ and was enthusiastic about serving Him. - *Committed*: Peter was committed to Christ and gave up his career and home to follow and serve Him.

Repentant - Peter repented of his sins, including denying Christ three times, and reaffirmed his faith in Christ.

Weak in the flesh - Peter had a strong spirit but sometimes let his fleshly weaknesses get the better of him, leading to mistakes and failures.

Inconsistent - Peter was inconsistent in his walk with the Lord, sometimes having great successes followed by failures. - *Outspoken*: Peter was outspoken and sometimes spoke before thinking, which led to him saying foolish things.

Headstrong - Peter was headstrong and sometimes tried to tell Jesus what to do.

Miraculous gifts - Peter had miraculous gifts and was used by God to perform miracles.

All-or-nothing - Peter was an all-or-nothing kind of person, which sometimes led to him going to extremes. Here are some of the characteristics of Apostle Paul

Persistent - Paul was converted around A.D. 34 and was executed at Rome about A.D. 67, which means his earthly life and labors spanned some 33 years. He traveled 12,000 miles and visited approximately 50 cities in his evangelistic endeavors.

Patient - Paul was an apostle to the Gentiles par excellence, so much so that the church became predominantly Gentile by the end of the first century. He was scarcely dry from his immersion when he began his preaching to the Jews of Damascus, with no apparent success entered into the record.

Courageous - Paul was stoned, dragged outside the city, and left for dead. He rose up and left the city, proceeding toward Derbe some sixty miles to the southeast. He would revisit the churches previously established, even the deadly Lystra, in order to confirm the disciples and exhort them to continue in the faith.

Humble - Paul would humbly recede into the shadows for the moment, that the gospel might not be damaged. This was not the last time that this gracious servant of Christ would yield in a matter of expediency for the sake of his kinsmen in the Lord. - *Uncompromising*: Paul would not stand for the defection from the truth, refusing to yield to the heretical clique, even “for a moment.

Yielding - Paul was forced to defend himself against malicious charges hurled against him. A portion of that defense is found in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.

Ethical - Paul diligently strove to “take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men.”

Forgiving - Paul wrote: “At my first defense no one took my part, but all forsook me: may it not be laid to their charge.”

Here are the characteristics of John as described in the Urantia Book

Youngest apostle - John was the youngest of the twelve apostles, at twenty-four years old when he became an apostle.

Unmarried - John was unmarried and lived with his parents at Bethsaida.

Fisherman - He was a fisherman and worked with his brother James in partnership with Andrew and Peter.

Personal agent of Jesus - John functioned as the personal agent of Jesus in dealing with the Master's family, and he continued to bear this responsibility as long as Mary the mother of Jesus lived.

Close association with Jesus - John was very dear to Jesus, but not necessarily the "disciple whom Jesus loved."

Personal aide to Jesus - John, along with Peter and James, was assigned as personal aides to Jesus soon after they became apostles.

Here are the characteristics of Matthew as described in the Urantia Book.

Tax collector - Matthew was a tax collector, a publican, and a customs officer for the Roman government.

Wealthy - He was a wealthy man, living a luxurious life.

Intelligent - Matthew was intelligent and well-educated, with a keen business sense.

Honest - Despite his profession, Matthew was an honest man, and his integrity was recognized by Jesus.

Spiritual hunger - Matthew had a spiritual hunger and was seeking a more meaningful life.

Loyal - Once he became an apostle, Matthew was loyal and dedicated to Jesus and his fellow apostles.

Gifted writer - Matthew was a gifted writer and record-keeper, which served him well in his role as an apostle and in writing the Gospel of Matthew.

Detail-oriented - Matthew was detail-oriented and meticulous in his record-keeping and accounting.

Faithful - Matthew was faithful to Jesus and his teachings, even when faced with great challenges

More tomorrow!

May the Lord God our universe Father bless you abundantly let us now focus on the way to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom.

Today we begin another day in Jesus's name, a day full of hope and strength for the missions to come.

Are we here on a mission? well, those who choose to be in a mission are on a mission. Only those who choose to.

A mission in its nature brings purpose and it's a wonderful thing. Call me a missionary or whatever - I like missions :) especially spiritual ones :)

A dominant mission in our area is to bring souls to The Father by proclaiming the good news, that we are all God's children and that he is Our Father. why is it good news? it is because when there is a family relationship, love arises more naturally. and this is also the truth - we are God's faithful children.

Let's follow the truth today in God's name, as this is what he wills us to do. it's abi in the air this mission to follow the truth, because where should I even begin? truth is a wide reality. and I say : ask for guidance, because following the truth by yourself doesn't work. a co-operation is needed here, between you and The Spirit of God and The Spirit of Truth.

Well, Good Luck with your mission today whatever it will be. I wish you all the best with what you are doing. 

Let's live a purposeful lives with deep meaning. DEEP MEANING !

Regards,
Onesmas 

When mind is thus endowed with the ministry of the Holy Spirit, it possesses the capacity for (consciously or unconsciously) choosing the spiritual presence of the Universal Father—the Thought Adjuster. But it is not until a bestowal Son has liberated the Spirit of Truth for planetary ministry to all mortals that all normal minds are automatically prepared for the reception of the Thought Adjusters. The Spirit of Truth works as one with the presence of the spirit of the Divine Minister. This dual spirit liaison hovers over the worlds, seeking to teach truth and to spiritually enlighten the minds of men, to inspire the souls of the creatures of the ascending races, and to lead the peoples dwelling on the evolutionary planets ever towards their Paradise goal of divine destiny
 

Prayer has great power my brothers and sisters,

It can turn a hard person into a soft and pleasant person. how? Because prayer brings you to the knowledge that there is someone above who can help you and others, things you cannot do, there is someone who can! and it releases unnecessary weight from you.
For me, many times the power of prayer combines with the power of imagination and then the prayer is even more tangible towards God, and this gives me the power to continue forward.

Imagination is such an amazing thing, I can see things that I wouldn't see without it, I always enter a space full of light and I see people in a brighter light, happier, more passionate, I look at life from a higher perspective, more like God, and it helps me .
And prayer is my hope for better days, for days when there is romance between me and God, that my dreams with him come true, and prayer is also my place to thank God for who he is and simply let him be him and me be me.

Thank you for the wonderful powers given to us by our superiors, our kind parents, and we hope for better times. We are all in difficulties, some more and some less, but life will smile at us all in the end, if we worship, pray, confess, give thanks, serve, and 

We're not just born to increase numbers in our communities but only to make a difference and a change to impact generations yet unborn

Spreading love is the most precious gift God has ever blessed man with and so whenever we practice it, we become His witnesses. Therefore let's join hands to make this world a better place for everyone most especially the underprivileged.

I know much is coming, but dear Lord I am yearning for your support, lift me up and let me be what you want me to be, I know you knew me before I was born.

Truth is coherent, beauty attractive, goodness stabilizing. And when these values of that which is real are co-ordinated in personality experience, the result is a high order of love conditioned by wisdom and qualified by loyalty. The real purpose of all universe education is to effect the better co-ordination of the isolated child of the worlds with the larger realities of his expanding experience. Reality is finite on the human level, infinite and eternal on the higher and divine levels.” 2:7.12 

Regards,
Onesmas.

For me Jesus is the creator of the universe who descended on a divine mission to show the Father's love to all the inhabitants of the earth.

He is someone very charismatic and magical in his energies, very cordial and warm, very knows what to do with every personality he meets. someone very special.

He is my brother and father, both, it can be a bit confusing how to refer to him sometimes, as brother or father, but usually I refer to him as father. Because he has fatherly qualities.

He is my savior from my difficulties, although I am also my own savior, no one will do the work for us, but yes Jesus can help a lot if we repeatedly ask for his help from the bottom of our hearts.

I appreciate you Jesus for all the things you have done for my brothers and sisters, I have brothers and sisters who dedicate their lives to you and only you and this is something I would like to learn from others - how to dedicate my life to divinity, to you and to God.

Thank you for existing in the universe and far beyond, in Paradise and Havona and the super-universes. And thank you on this occasion also to your partner Nebadonia, and it is interesting that you never had a partner in your life in Urantia but you do have a partner in your life as Michael of Nebadon. Apparently, in your mission as Jesus, you didn't have time for a partner and that would have only caused you trouble.

Good luck to all of us with the perfect presence of Michael-Jesus, to be in his peace. Amen. 

Regards,
Onesmas 

Religious Experience through the Church

H. N. Wieman

The Method of Spiritual Fellowship

The church and the home are designed to promote a precious fellowship. He who never experiences it, whether found in church or home or elsewhere, misses one of the greatest goods of life. But church and home should not monopolize this fellowship; rather they should be the nursery of it, where it is fostered and grows and whence it spreads out into other social groupings.

There are three kinds of association highly prized by men. All three can be found in the church at its best. We shall call the first sympathetic, the second instrumental, the third organic. The third kind is the best. It is described in the New Testament by such phrases as being members one of another, being branches of a single vine, or in such statements as: "Ye in me and I in you that ye all may be one." It is the rare and excellent kind of fellowship which constitutes the Kingdom of God. It does not exclude the sympathetic and instrumental types of association. On the contrary, it ought properly to include them; but it is more than they.

1. Sympathetic and Instrumental Association

Sympathy, taken in its original sense, means feeling together. Sympathetic association is one in which the people associated share the same feelings, the same thoughts, the same aspirations, the same hopes and purposes. A shared experience is deepened, sweetened, and intensified through the sharing of it. The psychology of this has been intensively studied and is now well understood. Each who has the experience acts as a stimulus on the others to intensify the feeling, if it is a feeling that is shared, or to make the thought more vivid and compelling, if it is a thought, to make the aspiration more absorbing and thrilling, if it is aspiration that is shared.

If it is a painful experience, such as a sorrow, a disappointment, a danger, the sharing of it somehow makes it sweet. Blessed are they that mourn if they mourn together as a beloved community, for in thus sharing the experience they shall be comforted. In sympathetic association there is q magic which transforms bitter grief or loss or disappointment or tragedy into something precious. The fellowship of sympathy touches the evils of life, and by the magic of that touch it makes them yield a fragrance. They become beatitudes. Jesus was speaking, not to isolated individuals, but to a beloved community when he said: "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake, rejoice and be exceeding glad. For so persecuted they the prophets that were before you." Not only would they have fellowship with one another in this persecution, but also with the great prophets that went before them.

Yet, if a fellowship were merely sympathetic and nothing more, if it did nothing to remove the causes of grief and pain and disappointment, and if it did not constructively change the evil situation resulting from these causes, save only to sympathize, it would be an inadequate kind of association. Precious as sympathetic fellowship may be, taken by itself alone it is not sufficient. It ought to be an accompaniment of instrumental and organic association. It is like a climbing vine; it needs these others to provide the strong-frame on which to climb.

Instrumental association might be called association for good works. It serves as an instrument for doing things. It does things which are helpful to its own members and to others. Almost all the charitable work of the church is of this sort. The church has sought to provide wholesome recreation, to improve education, to rectify some of the economic evils. It has applied itself as an instrument to fight the use of alcoholic liquors, to limit long hours of labor, to overcome corruption in politics, etc. It has also greatly improved its organization for helping its own membership in any time of need. All this belongs to the instrumental phase of association. It is so plain and simple and commonplace that it is probably the first thing which comes to the mind of anyone who considers the value of any association, whether in the church or outside.

2. Organic Association

Over against association for sympathy and association for service is association for personality-building. We call it organic. In organic association the members do not necessarily share the same feeling. Of c6urse they may, and often do; but this sharing belongs to the sympathetic, not the organic, aspect of their association. If the association is organic, each must have, over and above the feelings he shares with others, those feelings which are the peculiar expression of his own unique individuality. But the members interact on one another in such a way as to intensify and vastly enrich the feeling of each, however different their feelings may be from one another. In this association they have thoughts which are not shared. They may differ greatly in their ideas about things. But they interact on one another in such a way as to clarify and magnify the ideas of each. They have purposes and aspirations which are not shared; but they interact in such a way as to extend the scope and accuracy and effectiveness of the purpose and aspiration of each.

Nevertheless in organic association there is profound mutual understanding. While one does not think just as the others do, he knows what they do think. While one does not feel about things as the others, he knows. how they feel. While he does not strive for the same end they may strive for, he knows what is the aspiration and striving of their lives. This deep mutual understanding is what makes their interaction in difference so helpful, so clarifying, and so creative. This stimulating interaction of diverse personalities who have profound mutual understanding of one another fosters and magnifies the individuality of each. Yet each unique individuality is organically and co-operatively connected with the others; just as the limbs of the human body, while totally different from heart, lungs, yet are so organically connected that each in its own unique diversity fulfils a function that nourishes, sustains, and enriches all the others. Thus individuals who enter into organic association with one another are members one of another. They are branches of a single vine. Each abides in the other that they all may be one.

This stimulating, sustaining, diversifying spiritual co-operation and mutual understanding need not exclude sympathy and service; but it is far more than they. It is the kind of fellowship Jesus and the disciples had with one another. These individuals were not all molded according to the same pattern. They did not come out of the process of fellowship like so many bricks, each thinking, feeling, saying, doing the same. Quite the contrary was the case. Under the stimulus of this fellowship each began to grow into a full-orbed individual. Each thought about matters in a different way; each felt differently, spoke differently, reacted differently. Yet each was so organically related to the others in profound mutual understanding, at least so long as Jesus was with them, that each fulfilled his own peculiar function and made his own valuable contribution. Each brought the whole group to a focus in himself, yet the focusing in each was very different from the others.

It should be noted that the early church was not primarily an instrumental association. It was not first of all devoted to service or good works. We do not find that it concentrated its efforts immediately on providing wholesome recreation, or fighting political corruption, or bringing justice into the economic system, or improving the schools, or opposing slavery, or d6ing any good works in marked degree except to dispense charity. It was organic rather than instrumental. It was an association devoted to saving souls; that is, it fostered, enriched, and exalted the individualities of its members until these outcasts, these down trodden and crushed, these slaves and riff raff rose up in towering strength to dominate the age. Such magnified and developed personalities could and did, in the course of time, enter into instrumental association for the purpose of doing good works, removing causes of evil, transforming conditions, and reconstructing the world.

We do not mean to suggest that the church should refrain from good works. On the contrary, it should do even more than it is doing. It should be an instrumental association as well as organic. But first of all, we claim, it should be organic. Its first and greatest function in the world is to bring people together in such a way that they can interact in deep organic community, with profound mutual understanding. It should quicken to life and to abundant growth those impulses, aspirations, and personal attitudes wherein the individual comes to largest fulfilment of his utmost possibilities. This is individual salvation; but it is also profoundly social. The individual finds fulfilment through interaction with his fellows. And as he increases in spiritual stature his interaction becomes increasingly creative of greater personality in himself and others.

It should be noted that this kind of association does not exclude solitude. On the contrary, it requires seasons of solitary, private meditation and worship; for only in solitude can one assimilate the suggestions he has received from others. Only in solitary "waiting on God" can he organize the new impulses which association has stirred within him. He must digest what he has gathered. If he does not do this, he becomes superficial. He ceases to have originality. He becomes incapable of interacting creatively. His capacity for association sinks to the level of the sympathetic and the instrumental. Only as seasons of solitary, private assimilation and organization alternate with seasons of association can his interaction with others serve to develop the powers and possibilities of himself and his associates. Only so can he participate in organic association.

3. Organic Association as Adjustment to God

Organic association is the most profoundly religious kind of association. Through it the individual and the group share most fully in the cosmic working of God. There is a cosmic process which works to make the whole universe more organic. It is God. It works to develop individuals, both human and subhuman; and it works to interrelate these individuals so that they all can be members one of another, tach in diversity fulfilling a function of vital importance to all the others, each sustaining the others and magnifying them, and in so doing finding itself most richly nourished and magnified. Trees and grass and sky and water and earth and beasts and men become increasingly interdependent and mutually supporting. The goal of this movement toward organic interdependence and mutual development of individuals is poetically expressed in the words- "The lion shall lie down with the lamb." The ultimate value of all good works and instrumental service is to provide conditions which are favorable to this work of God--the development of organic interaction between all men and between men and the rest of the universe.

4. The Personal Experiment

The personal experiment which we propose consists in the individual participating in the associations and activities of the church in such a way as to find or achieve the kind of fellowship we have called organic. The personal technique by which this is accomplished is too subtle, intimate, and variable to put into any set of rules or to describe to another. But certain suggestions can be made to guide the experiment.

One should occasionally take time to look back over his experience and examine himself to ascertain whether he has actually attained this fellowship in some measure. He should endeavor to discover and cultivate in himself those attitudes, that way of approaching and dealing with people, talking and listening to them, which will enable him to enter into organic association with them. Above all, he should have seasons of solitude and private worship to use in the way previously described.

If one earnestly seeks this most precious fellowship we believe he can find it. It will grow with him through the years, transforming the world for him and making all things more dear. Through it he enters into organic fellowship with God who works to make the universe more organic. Through organic fellowship with men and beasts and things a man finds God and lives in God and God in him. It is necessary to the best religion; it is indispensable to us.

Religious Experience through Crisis in Individual Growth and Social Experience
H. N. Wieman

Salvation Through Crisis

1. The Problem of the Crisis

A crisis is dangerous. It will make us or break us. Like a wave we must ride it to victory or be whelmed beneath its flood. One becomes suddenly ill in the midst of an important undertaking. It is a crisis. Out of such illness some men have risen to a great career; others have been dragged down to ruin. The son who has been carefully reared is discovered to have stolen money. It is a turning-point in the life of the family, leading to greater mutual understanding and co-operation, if rightly met, or leading to deeper disaster if wrongly treated. The investment which was to pay for the education of the children vanishes in the bankruptcy of a firm. It calls for a reorganization of life purposes and transformation of habits whereby powers and possibilities are brought to light that might have remained forever hidden; or else the family sinks and sinks. Someone dies under whose love and shelter we have lived. How shall we meet the crisis?

Crisis generally wears the face of disaster. But it is not disaster; it is opportunity, if we make it so. But it rests with us and the way we avail ourselves of God. It is the fateful moment when we must change our ways for good or ill. It is the turning-point whence paths diverge. It is the situation in which old habits no longer suffice to produce desired results. Either they produce no noticeable results at all, or very unexpected and undesired ones.

The chief thing to note about a crisis, from the standpoint of this section, is the fact that it requires a reorganization of our habits. Therein lies its peril and its promise. Our old ways of life are disrupted. We must seek out new ways. How shall we do it? The practical problem, which we always try to formulaie and solve in this section, is expressed in this last question. When old habits no longer work and we are forced to seek new ways, how shall we conduct ourselves in order to find the way of salvation and escape the way of ruin? How to meet a crisis. That is our problem.

2. How Not to Meet a Crisis

There are three wrong ways to meet a crisis. One is to fail to see it. The second is to see it and fear. The third is to be so custom bound and muscle ridden that we cannot change our ways and meet the strange new demands that are made upon us. Let us consider each of these in turn.

Often crises come and go, the backwash sweeping men off their feet, and the men never discover there is a crisis until they find themselves struggling in the wreckage and it is too late. They are so busy doing the little thing that is directly at hand. They do not take time, as every man occasionally should, to draw apart from the continuous succession of one little thing after another, and look deeply into the events of life, and fate abroad, and so be in a state of mind to catch the significance of a crisis when it begins to loom. They do not mount the watch tower of worship. It is easy to become so engrossed in the daily grind that we cannot see the crisis in its beginning. Again, some people are so blindly optimistic that they refuse to see anything which does not sustain them in what they happen at the time to want to do. Blindness to the fact of crisis is probably the most common fault and the most common reason why men are hurt instead of helped by critical situations when they arise. They simply do not see the need of reorganizing their lives and readjusting their habits. They are not alert; they are not sensitive to those changes which betoken the oncoming of a crisis. They may note the signs that indicate a change of weather, as Jesus said, but they do not observe the signs of the times. While Noah builds the ark they laugh him to scorn. So the flood comes and finds them unready.

The second wrong way to meet a crisis is in fear. Sometimes, strange though it may seem, fear is joined with blindness. If we are afraid the easiest way is to hide the head in the sand and ignore what is going on. Sometimes it is something else than the crisis which causes us to hide our eyes in fear and so remain in ignorance of the critical nature of the situation. Again, it may be some sign of the crisis which makes us shut our eyes to any further developments of it.

But this is not always the way fear affects men. It does not always make them shut their eyes to danger. But it has other effects just as harmful or worse. It is never the right way to meet a crisis. While it does not always blind, it probably always distorts the vision and prevents us from seeing things precisely as they are; and crisis is a time when, above all others, we must see things as they are. Fear confuses the mind and renders our thinking inaccurate; but crisis is a time when we must think profoundly, comprehensively, accurately, and swiftly. Fear disorganizes the will and prevents us from reaching a final conclusion and taking definite action. It is likely to throw us back into all sorts of wasteful and vacillating and futile practices just when we need most of all to conserve all our time and strength and resources. Next to blindness, fear is the worst thing that can befall us when we face a crisis. Possibly it is worse than blindness, at times.
 

But when we say that fear is the worst way to meet a crisis we must note a distinction. A crisis ought to stimulate us. It probably always
does when we face it and recognize it for what it is. This state of stimulation might be called a state of fear; that is, it is a state in which our latent powers are aroused, the action of heart and lungs quickened, the blood courses more rapidly through all the arteries, the total rate of metabolism is accelerated. But there is a vast difference between that state of stimulation in which we are given most complete command over all our powers and that state in which there is the stimulation of fear, but a stimulation that confuses and disorganizes the personality. It is this last which we condemn as the worst way to meet a crisis.

The third wrong way to meet a crisis is by persisting in old ways, refusing to modify and reorganize our habits, and, if need be, our total way of life. This may be due to stubbornness or conceit; it may be due to lack of plasticity in our habits, we being physically and mentally muscle bound and rigid; or it may be merely due to lack of imagination. But crisis requires change on our part, oftimes swift and radical change. Except ye turn and become as a little child ye have not the plasticity required to enter the Kingdom of Heaven by way of a crisis.

3. The Right Way

Knowledge of the three wrong ways to meet a crisis helps us to see what is the right way. Rightly to meet a crisis and ride it to victory we must be alert, fearless, and plastic. These three requirements should be stated a little more fully.

To be alert is to be sensitive to changing conditions, keenly aware of the dangers involved as well as of the other possibilities. Can we be sensitive to danger and possibilities of various kinds, surveying the situation in its fulness, face it squarely, feel the full stimulus of it, and yet be free of that fear that distorts the vision, confuses the thinking, and weakens the will? That is the test. These two things must be united if we are to master the crisis. We must face the issue squarely and unafraid.

Then we must be capable of changing our ways. The right thing to do in a crisis always requires some marked change in our manner of living; otherwise it would not be a crisis. Sometimes such a change requires great sacrifice. Also the good to be gained by means of the sacrifice may be problematical, depending on a venture which is by no means certain of its outcome. Furthermore this good to be gained, while it may be beneficial to others, may not be acceptable to us as a good except as we so change, our interests and ways of life as to share in the good of these others. Thus the crisis, demanding sacrifice by us, cannot be met without great capacity for transformation in our total personality and way of life.

To meet a crisis adequately, then, we must have clear vision with alertness and sensitivity; we must be fearless; and must have capacity for transforming the organization of our lives. The problem we have to solve is to discover how these three traits of personality can be acquired; for it is only by means of these that we can meet a crisis in the right way.

4. How to Achieve the Right Way

The way to be alert we have already suggested. It consists in drawing aside from the daily grind at regular intervals in order to survey in thought the total situation in which we live our lives. We must mount the watch tower and look around, figuratively speaking. To do this effectively we must relax and wait in quietness in some solitary place so that there can rise up into our mind any hidden thing which we have been experiencing but not noticing. For there are many things which enter the fringe of consciousness unnoticed, and sometimes these unnoticed bits of experience have tremendous significance for us and others. But we will never come to know them and their significance unless we take these times of quiet worshipful' waiting in which they have opportunity to rise into the focus of consciousness. Words and attitudes and expressions of the face in our associates have been saying something to us but we could not understand their meaning until the relaxation of these quiet minutes allows these experiences to enter our mind with their load of meaning. That is the reason we call this method of retirement a way of mounting the watch tower. It is a way of being alert and of cultivating alertness. If there is a crisis looming up before us, we will discover it quicker this way than in any other. If a crisis is already upon us and we have failed to note it, we will see it when we mount the watch tower.

But how can we rid ourselves of that demoralizing kind of fear which we described previously? This is one of the most important and most difficult things. Yet there is a sure way of overcoming fear. You cannot necessarily keep it from falling upon you; but when it comes you can find a cure that never fails if you learn the method of it. You can recover your self-command, restore ycur nerve, and regain clarity of vision. Fear will occasionally fall upon some of us inevitably, with all its demoralization, but the important thing is to know a method by which to escape from its clutches. We shall try to describe that method.

Stated very simply, the cure of fear is the practice of the presence of God. But that statement is hardly full enough to mean much to one who has never used the method.

One is free of demoralizing fear just as soon as he is ready to accept the facts precisely as they are. Fear of the demoralizing sort is the endeavor to make things seem to be different from what they truly are. It is shrinking, cowering, hiding, in spirit if not in body. That means trying to hide the facts out of sight and make them seem different. As long as one clings to the hope that things may be better than they seem he is subject to fear. There is record of a man who found he was going blind. As long as he clung to his failing eyesight he was fearful and depressed. But when at last he saw there was no hope, resigned himself to inevitable fact, and set to work to cultivate his sense of touch in order to become an expert flour-tester, his fear departed. The man who cannot face the likelihood of defeat and failure, but must keep these out of mind in order to sustain his courage, is still a coward. Cyrano de Bergerac said: "I have never fought with hope to win," meaning that his courage did not depend upon the hope to win. As soon as one is ready to accept the facts and commit himself completely to the course they indicate, surrendering himself to the keeping of reality, he can lift his head unafraid, alert and ready to make every possible use of circumstance, but never shrinking from reality, however grim it may appear.
Now this state of complete self-committal, this total self-surrender to reality, with consequent command over all the resources of personality, is possible when one fills his mind with the thought that underneath all other facts is the basic fact upon which all else depends. This basic fact can be called the structure of the universe or it can be called God. Whenever we commit ourselves in love to God, accepting him with affection and all things else for his sake, we are free of fear. This state of mind requires cultivation. We do ndt have it by nature, or, if we do, the conditions of civilization amid which we live have taken it from us. This state of mind must be cultivated in seasons of worship. The cultivation of this state of mind in which we feel ourselves sustained and moved by the basic fact of the world is what we mean by the practice of the presence of God. It casts out fear.

If in time of crisis one feels that he is losing his nerve, and the disorganizing chill of fear creeps over him, let him retire for a little time and be alone where he can recover this state of complete self-committal to reality for the love of God. If he has never practiced the presence of God in the manner described, he may not be able to do this. But if he has practiced it, he can in every time of need recover his poise. And becoming a master of himself, he can master circumstance. He can even master death in the sense of facing i- fearlessly and making it yield up whatsoever profit it can be made to yield to himself and his fellow-men. Many a godly man, and pre-eminently Jesus, has been able to make his own death serve him well for centuries after he was gone. We remember Latimer calling across to Ridley when the two were being burned to death for their religious faith: "Be of good cheer, Brother Ridley, for we shall this day by the grace of God light such a candle as shall never be put out." They did. Latimer turned that crisis to good account. He met it right.
The third requirement for meeting a crisis, we said, was plasticity. This is something which cannot be achieved at the last moment in the hour of need. It must be cultivated and preserved from childhood. If one has lost it he may be able to win it back by a long slow process; but it. is far better to keep it.

How can one preserve plasticity? By putting himself in the situation where he can feel awe and wonder and reverence; for awe and wonder and reverence are states of consciousness which indicate that one is reacting to something very different from the common matters of routine habit. Awe and wonder and reverence are the exact opposites of rigid routine. They constitute that precious childlike attitude which Jesus said was prerequisite to entering the Kingdom of Heaven. The reason they are prerequisite is very plain. It is because they represent in a man that plasticity which enables him to undergo transformation. Each man must seek out for himself those conditions which arouse in him the attitude of wonder, awe, and reverence. For it is these that represent in him that plasticity without which he cannot find the gateway into the Kingdom of Heaven which is opened before him by a crisis.

Religious Experience through Happiness

H. N. Wieman

The personal problem for experimentation which we have in this study is twofold: (1) How can we increase our capacity for enjoyment? (2) How can we preserve our critical moral judgment and our spiritual aspiration in the midst of these joys? The second part of this dual problem is much more complicated and difficult than the first. It arises out of the fact that joy in things as they are is likely to assume the form of complacency; and complacency is death to aspiration. How can we enjoy what is, without impairing our aspiration toward that better world which God wills to make out of this one. But we shall not treat this second part of our problem until we have first made answer to the question, how to increase our capacity for enjoyment.

1. How to Enjoy the World

Everyone has something he should be able to enjoy. What you have I do not have, and what I have you do not, but everyone has something if he will be appreciative of it. Very simple things we have in mind as well as great things, such as good food when hungry, rest when weary, trees, sky, friends, happy faces, and the like. The list of things to enjoy is endless. One may be sick and not able to enjoy food, but he has something else. Another may not have the kind ministration of affectionate hands when he is ill, but there is another source of joy for him. Our problem is to enter into full appreciation and enjoyment of these good things Our happiness might be many times greater than it is if we had the mental attitudes which enable one to appreciate to the full all the good things round about. Let us mention some of the wrong mental attitudes which must be corrected if we are to enter into the fulness of that JOY which should be ours.

First is the feeling some people have that they are failing to meet some moral or religious requirement when they freely and fully enjoy such simple things as food and clothes and play. This feeling is correct only when the lesser good blinds us to the greater. How to avoid such blindness will engage our attention later. But when such blindness is not incurred there is nothing wrong in the greatest possible enjoyment of simple things. Some people have this mental habit of condemning simple joys so fixed that even when they know it is wrong to condemn them they cannot enter into them with freedom, and so their happiness is marred. This old habit must be rooted out like any other bad habit. There are many methods for overcoming a bad habit, one of which is worshipful auto-suggestion.

A much more common hindrance to enjoyment of that which is good and pleasant is worry and anxiety. We are so anxious about the future that we cannot enjoy the present. We are so fearful lest we lose our health or comfort or friends or security or other good thing that we cannot enjoy these good things while we have them. Or we are like Martha, so cumbered about many things that the one thing needful we miss. The one thing needful is to enjoy the visitor when he is present with us, whether he come in the form of a sunset, or tall tree, or a singing bird, or a child tugging at our hand, or a pleasant fire on a winter evening, or what not.

The most common hindrance of our enjoyment of good things, however, especially in America, is our restless striving after something not yet attained. There are times when we must be preoccupied with striving. A surgeon engaged in a delicate operation cannot at the same time enjoy the sunset. A man struggling to save another from drowning cannot listen to the sweet music of birds. Life must have its seasons of stern struggle when the eyes are turned away from all the sweet and lovely things around us to the end of achieving something which is not yet attained.

But our absorption in that which is not yet attained must not make us permanently unappreciative of what is already given to us. We must not be so absorbed in making the child into a good man that we cannot appreciate and rejoice in the child for what he already is. We must not be so intent on getting to the end of the picture gallery that we cannot enjoy the pictures that we pass. We must not be so preoccupied in making money for a better home that we cannot enjoy the home we already have. We must not be so strenuous in our efforts to bring the tour to a successful end that we cannot enjoy it as we go along. We must not try so hard to achieve some ultimate and unattained success that we destroy the value of every success that we ever do attain.

The only way to solve this problem is by the method of alternation. Seasons of striving and aspiration after the unattained must alternate with seasons of enjoying the good things already here. After the surgeon has completed the operation he must take some time when he can enjoy the sunset. After the terrible struggle over the drowning man there must be some time when one can listen to the birds.

This relaxation and enjoyment of the present moment, this quieting of the rush and striving after something which is still beyond us, this joy in the life which is already ours must be cultivated. Perhaps most Americans need this side of life cultivated more than any other. A good method for cultivating it is to go out for a walk in park or open country some pleasant evening, either alone or with some very dear and intimate friend with whom you do not need to talk except as mood may require. Loitering thus together or alone in the quiet dusk of evening is the best time for cultivating the attitude of relaxation. One can give himself regular doses of this kind of treatment. For many of this age it is just as needful as medical treatment in time of physical illness.

A fourth great hindrance to joy is envy. We cannot enjoy our own clothes because they are not as good as another's. We cannot enjoy our work because it does not seem so honorable as another's. Our success seems not as great as another's, hence it is bitterness in the mouth rather than sweetness. We want what another has, and so cannot enjoy our own. Naboth's vineyard, because it belongs to him and not to us, destroys all the joy we might have in our own acres. So we turn away our face and will eat no bread, like King Ahab.

Men have found joy in every kind of condition. If we cannot rejoice in the things which every man has to enjoy, then we are suffering from some perversion of mental attitude. Why do we not get more joy out of life? Why do we not enter into that fulness of joy which Jesus said he wished us to have? The fault is our own. We destroy our own happiness. How? By a mistaken Puritanic habit which will not let us surrender to the joy of the passing hour. Or by some goading anxiety and worry that has got us in its clutches and will not let us go. Or by a habit of strenuous striving which has become so fixed as a mental attitude that we cannot throw it off in periods of relaxation that should alternate with periods of striving. Or by envy of what other people have.

2. How to Cure the Joy-Killing Attitude

We have already suggested some measures for curing mistaken Puritanism and that strenuosity which has become a disease. But we can now lay down the principle for the cure of all four of these ills. The method of cure is to ascertain what is the right attitude which is the exact opposite of your wrong attitude, and pray for it persistently and regularly day by day until it grows up within you. If the wrong attitude is a mistaken Puritanism, the right and opposing attitude would be one of joyous acceptance and appreciation of every good thing. If the wrong attitude is worry, the right would be peaceful adaptation to every changing condition as it arises, with flexible readiness to use and enjoy to the utmost whatever may befall. If the wrong attitude is habitual strenuosity which cannot relax, the right would be restfulness and self-abandon to the hour of relaxation. If the wrong attitude is envy, the right is identifying yourself with the joy and success of the other so that his good becomes yours also.

3. How to Preserve Critical Moral Judgment and Spiritual Aspiration in the Midst Of Our Joys

A life overflowing with joy in the good things of this world, such as we have suggested, will dull the keenness of our moral judgment and drag down the highest aspiration unless in the midst of our enjoyment we meet four requirements.

The first of these four is to keep ourselves intensely conscious of the unfathomable possibilities for good which are inherent in this present world despite all its evil. The second is to be deeply sensitive to the fact that this present actual world is immeasurably degraded and evil as compared to these possibilities for good which are inherent in it. The third requirement is that we use this present world as material out of which to construct that other better world. This means that we must enter into the fullest and richest experience of this world, entering into all its joys as well as its sorrows; for only as we learn to experience it, know it, master it, and use it can we make it better. If we do not enter into full appreciation of the joys of this present world, as well as of its pains and evils, we cut ourselves off from the materials, the standing-ground, the leverage, and the nourishment by which alone that other better world can ever be brought into existence.

The fourth and last and greatest requirement of all which must be met if we are to enjoy the world in a spiritual way is to hold ourselves constantly in readiness to make any sacrifice whatsoever when such sacrifice seems to be the best thing we can do to bring forth that other better world. But we must understand what sacrifice means. It does not consist in being miserable. It consists in just the opposite. It consists in taking pain, sorrow, loss, and death and transmuting these into joy and goodness by making them contributory to the attainment of the best world which is the Kingdom of God. Such is the way Jesus met pain, sorrow, and death, and so could look upon the travail of his soul and be satisfied.

Any sacrifice which is not made as a contribution to the high end of attaining a better world, any sacrifice.which is made merely to demonstrate our own righteousness or to express our condemnation of evil is not only mistaken, useless, and foolish; it is positively evil. The sacrifice which Jesus recommended was, not that we lose our lives, but that we lose them in order to save them. The sacrifice he recommended was never morbid. Never refuse a joy unless the refusing of it will yield a greater joy. That is what is meant by losing one's life to save it.

With this understanding of sacrifice we can say that readiness for such sacrifice on all occasions is needed if we are to enjoy the world in a spiritual way. Without readiness for such sacrifice the joys of the world will distort our moral judgment, pervert our spiritual aspiration, and blind us to those vast possibilities which constitute the Kingdom of God. With this sacrifice, and with this only, can we enter into that full measure of joy which Jesus knew and which he desired us to have.

We have suggested two kinds of personal experiments in religion. One kind had to do with cultivating our capacity for enjoying the good things of life. The other had to do with preserving our moral judgment and our aspiration in the midst of these joys.