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Things to Remember

I Am As God Created Me

12/6/2022

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"I am as God created me" is the title of three separate A Course in Miracles Workbook lessons (W94, W110, W162). The idea also features in other lessons (e.g., W219: "I am not a body. I am free. For I am still as God created me" and W260: "Let me remember God created me".)

We need these reminders, for when we forget that God created us, we forget What we Are. And when we forget What we Are, we forget What we have within ourselves – Love, Peace, Joy. That forgetfulness leads us to pursue a futile journey to find those things outside our Self.

Remembering that we are as God created us is a step in coming to our senses and returning to our True Home.


In this guided meditation for the Miracle Network UK, I reflect on the idea that "I am as God created me" and on the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32).
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The Kingdom of God, the Presence of God

9/9/2021

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“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things [which you need] will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)
 
The kingdom of God is where God is present and where His Love is manifest. The instruction might therefore be rephrased in more modern language to: ‘seek first the Presence of God and God’s Love…’

Where are we to seek? The kingdom of God, we are told, is in our midst (see Luke 17:21). This must be so, for God is “over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:6).
 
The kingdom is a state of being where we let God reign in us and lead us. Since “God is Love” (1 John 4:16), to accept His rule means to accept His Love; to trust in It and to share It. We then become instruments of His Love.

(Excerpt from the book Reflections on God's Love: Prayers and Inspirations.)


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The Joy of Being

9/9/2021

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After a busy few months at work, I'm taking a break this week... and focussing simply on being. 

This morning I woke up early, with more energy than I've had for a while. Overnight, there had been a storm and, though it had passed, the sun had still to break through the ground-level clouds.

I stepped into my garden, and stopped awhile to take in a newly unfurled rose bloom; raindrops on the petals of the hydrangeas; a single wild strawberry - just about ripe enough to eat; an almost-perfect spider's web.

Thank you, God; thank you, Life, for simple pleasures - and for the joy of being present in the moment.
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Dwell in Your Love

8/2/2021

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It's funny what ends up happening when I don't make - or stick too rigidly - to my own plans.

Last Thursday morning, after a good night's sleep, I woke with the tune of 'Morning Has Broken' in my mind - and with words to set to that tune. Three verses, straight away. Then another two as I ate my porridge.

I love it when ideas simply flow: no effort, no thought. Simply grace.
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Photo by Jozef Fehér from Pexels
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The Lord's Prayer - An Alternative Version

31/12/2020

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Our Father,

Perfect Love,

We turn again to You.

Guide us;
help us to love,

so that Your Will be done,

on earth as in heaven.

Give us this day
that which we need.
Fill us with hope and trust.

Help us to forgive
our brothers and sisters
(and ourselves as well);

and to look on them
as you look on us.

Give us strength to resist temptation.
When we are tempted, let us choose peace.

Deliver us from our fears.

For what You love is safe.

And Your love remains
forever and always.

Amen.

Featured in the book The Kindness of Presence.

Why, you might ask, would we want an alternative version of the Lord's Prayer?

Well, there are a couple of reasons why I felt moved to write this interpretation.

First, no matter how inspired or inspiring words may be, there's a risk that with over-familiarity they may lose their power to stir and transform us. (Think of how moved you feel when you hear an amazing piece of music for the first time. You listen to it over and over again. As the days, weeks and months go by, the intensity of your response to the music may fade. You still like it, but it no longer inspires or affects you to the extent it did when you first heard it.) Adjusting the words may help us to engage with the prayer more deeply again. (To pick up the music analogy again, maybe you discover a fresh new cover of an old favourite song.)

Second, for me, a prayer should be heart-felt. It should be authentic. How can I pray authentically using a set prayer if some of its words confuse me, or if I disagree with them?

In the Lord's Prayer, there are a couple of things I struggle with:
  • We ask God to forgive our debts (or trespasses or sins). We've made mistakes, certainly. We've turned our back on God; cut ourselves off from awareness of His Presence. We have forgotten What we are (a Child of God), and we know not what we do. But when a child acting in ignorance or forgetfulness makes a mistake, do we as parents require them to ask for forgiveness? As Lesson 46 of A Course in Miracles puts it, "God does not forgive, because He has never condemned". Forgiveness is vital (I made it the theme of my novel, Escape to Redemption) - but, it feels to me, it isn't God who needs to forgive. More, it's we who need to forgive one another - including ourselves.
  • We pray to God, "Lead us not into temptation". I may be misinterpreting this line, or perhaps its original meaning may have been lost in translation or prior to transcription - but, for me, it's clear that God (Who is Love) would not lead us into temptation. We'll certainly face temptation - temptation to judge others, temptation to diverge from our primary goal of seeking and living the Kingdom of Heaven. But surely the source of that temptation isn't God? 
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Photo by Julia Volk from Pexels
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Top of the (spiritual) pops

29/12/2020

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At this time of year, it's traditional for radio stations to count-down the top 10 Christmas carols, or the top 100 hits of all time. In that spirit (and in no particular order) I'd like to share this play-list of hymns, chants, and uplifting contemporary songs with a focus on oneness or universal love.
  • Ubi Caritas   A Taizé chant which translates as, "Where charity and love are, there God is".
  • This Little Light of Mine - Odetta   Jesus is recorded to have said, "I am the Light of the world". We all have the Light in us, but are we going to hide it under a bushel or, as this gospel song puts it, will we let it shine?
  • Stand By Me   I remember Ben E King's version of this song from my childhood days. The link is to the Songs Around the World cover produced by Playing for Change, an organization which promotes peace through music.
  • The Christ In You - Waterboys   The Waterboys are probably best known for their hit single The Whole of the Moon, but they also performed this song about seeing the Christ in one another, or 'looking with the eyes of Love'.
  • Lord of the Dance    I recently rediscovered this hymn, which I remember singing in primary school. I struggle to sing the lyrics of many Christian worship songs, but the words of Lord of the Dance resonate with me: "'I am the life that'll never never die; And I'll live in you if you'll live in me. I am the Lord of the dance,' said he."
  • Providence - Lisa Mitchell   I'm not sure of the story behind this beautiful song by the talented Lisa Mitchell, but for me it's about living in the moment and, as Quakers might put it, 'waiting on God'. It gives me goose bumps whenever I listen to it. 
  • Love Shine A Light - Katrina and the Waves   A winning Eurovision song contest entry from Great Britain. "Love shine a light, in every corner of my dreams. Let the love light carry. Let the love light carry. Like the mighty river, flowing from the stream. Let our love shine a light, in every corner of my dreams." Amen to that! 
  • The River is Flowing   While on the subject of rivers!... I've sung this as a round at Young Quaker gatherings a couple of times.
  • Lord of All Hopefulness   Another hymn from my primary school days which I'd love to sing with other people again.
  • Caravan of Love   "We'll be living in a world of peace. And the day when everyone is free. We'll bring the young and the old. Won't you let your love flow, from your heart..." Why don't they sing this in churches? (Or maybe they do?)
  • Hymn - Vangelis   No words in this one, just beautiful instrumental music which recalls my mind to peace. (Could be played at weddings or funerals alike.)
  • Where Is The Love? - Black Eyed Peas and U2   I hesitated before including this one, but it's a relevant message and a great tune, so why not?

Bonus track. Here's a piece of piano music (including rain sounds and binaural beats) which I find works well in place of a mantra at the start of a period of meditation. For the last few weeks I've been listening to it for 10-15 minutes a day, and - whatever the science - it certainly seems to put a smile on my face.

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Meditation: "I rest in God"

3/10/2020

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"I am the true vine...
Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."
(From John 15)
"I am the true vine" (John 15:1)  is one of several I am sayings featured in John's gospel. Many people interpret these sayings as Jesus making certain claims about himself... He, Jesus of Nazareth, is the true vine. He, Jesus of Nazareth, is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). And, by the way, "No one comes to the father except through me" (John 14:6 continued).

It feels to me that, when Jesus spoke in those terms, he was speaking of his innermost Identity, his eternal Self, or Spirit. We might call it the Christ Self, at one with God. It is the Self beyond birth and death; unlimited by time and space and eternally present: "Before Abraham was born, I am" (John 8:58).

Jesus identified with his eternal Self. But the Christ Self isn’t limited to the person of Jesus, because the Christ Self has no limits. Jesus’ True Self is our True Self as well.

Seen in that light, how might we interpret his words about the True Vine?

To “remain” in the Christ Self is to abide in it. We might experience a state of “I am” awareness from time to time. Last week, a meditation facilitated by Eckhart Tolle helped to still my thinking mind and expand my identity beyond the small, temporal, self of Peter Parr - so that I spent an hour or so in the kingdom of heaven. But what if those excursions into Oneness became not the exceptions, but the norm? That would be remaining in the vine.

“No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Christ-consciousness.” (Interpretation of John 15:4)

“I [True Self] am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me [in a state of awareness of your True Self] and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

The fruit being referred to here is of the Spirit. In Paul’s letter to the Galatians, he writes of the fruits of the spirit as being "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). 

A similar list appears in A Course in Miracles, where characteristics of God's teachers are listed as trust, honesty, tolerance, gentleness, joy, defencelessness, generosity, patience, faithfulness and open-mindedness (Manual for Teachers, Section 4).

We’re all branches in the same vine, so these are the fruit we each will bear - but only if we abide in the Vine so that Christ’s is the vision with which we see; His the one mind with which we think.
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A prayer to begin the day

30/8/2020

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Dear Lord
Fill my heart and mind and soul
with the awareness of Your Presence.
Be my gentle Guide throughout the day.
​Amen. 

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The promise of God

4/7/2020

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One of my favourite parables in the New Testament is the tale of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). God has given His promise that he will never forsake us. Though we may wander, he is ready always, standing at an open door, to welcome us Home with loving arms. He cannot abandon us, because we are and forever will be a part of Him.

But we also have His promise in another sense of the word. When we say that a musician or sportsperson has promise, we mean that they have great potential. This is true of all of us. We hold the promise not to be great in a worldly sense, but to be God-like. To realise our Self as He created us and to be His loving presence.

God's promise is not idle, but a guarantee - surer that anything in this world. If we have God's promise, there can be no insurmountable barrier to realising it. It isn't a question of 'if', but only 'when'.

A happy outcome to all things is sure.

"God's promises make no exceptions. And He guarantees that only joy can be the final outcome found for everything. Yet it is up to us when this is reached; how long we let an alien will appear to be opposing His..."
​

(A Course in Miracles Workbook, Lesson 292)
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How do we love our enemies?

21/6/2020

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In online Quaker Meeting for Worship this morning, someone spoke about Jesus' exhortation to love our enemies (see Luke 6:27). She asked how can we love our enemies, in particular those in positions of power. (Donald Trump, not the most popular figure among liberal-minded Quakers, got a specific mention.)

After several minutes, I felt that familiar pounding in my chest - and knew that I had to speak. It's the first time that I've given vocal ministry in an online Quaker Meeting. These are the words which came to me:
How do we love our enemies?
How did Jesus love his enemies?
What did he say on the cross?
"Forgive them, for they know not what they do."
Jesus didn't agree with his enemies; with those who crucified him. He didn't like what they did. But he forgave them.

Forgiveness is an unconditional expression of love. It's central to the teaching of A Course in Miracles. Indeed, The Course might easily have been called 'A Course in Forgiveness'.

The Course tells us that forgiveness is our function (Lesson 62 of the Workbook); that it's the key to happiness (Lesson 121); that it offers everything we want (Lesson 122). In my new book, Encounters with A Course in Miracles, I devote a chapter to exploring what forgiveness is - and how we can open ourselves to forgive.

To quote from Encounters, "In the world's eyes, to forgive a person means to pardon them for some wrongdoing. Their action caused us hurt but, because we're nice people, because we're charitable, we deign to forgive them. They're guilty and deserve condemnation, but instead we overlook their offence.

"In the Course, forgiveness is something very different. It's a letting go of judgment, which helps us to see one another as we really are. It's the prerequisite for recognizing our oneness with our brothers and God."

But how do we forgive Donald Trump (or insert here the name of your own personal bogeyman)?

To understand the how of forgiveness, we might begin with the why. Forgiving another is a way of loving ourselves. To forgive means to let go of guilt. It doesn't matter whether the guilt is directed at ourselves (owned) or at others (projected). For as long as we hold on to guilt, we won't be at peace. 

Perhaps we aren't ready yet to let our hurt or our anger go. And that's okay. The first step is simply to notice our feelings. And then to acknowledge that, if we wanted to, we could choose peace instead.

Can we really see peace when Donald Trump posts his latest tweet - and once again his words go against our deepest-held values and beliefs?

Ask yourself this. 

"Is God withholding peace from us? And if God isn't, then who is? Donald Trump? If we think that, we're giving him power over our own happiness. He's not simply the President, he's become the ruler of our mind." (Encounters with A Course in Miracles.)

Encounters with A Course in Miracles will be available in July 2020. 
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    Peter Parr: Quaker, writer and former member of the British minigolf team. (Actually those are all just roles I play. Words can't describe who any of us really are.)

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