In his talk on Sunday, Rev. Blake Isaac mentioned a special type of prayer Flower referred to as a sacrificial prayer.  Her practice was to pray for travelers every day.  I first read about this in ‘The Collected Works of Flower A. Newhouse’ a few years ago and it spoke to me.  My practice is to pray for those who are suffering, especially those who have no voice.  What cause or world need speaks to your heart?

“A sacrificial prayer is one of faithfully giving time daily to pray for a certain world need.  This need could be world hunger, peace, disease, freedom, drug abuse, insanity, animal or child abuse, or the safety of travelers.  The pray-er must commit to this daily prayer for the rest of his life.  The sacrifice benefits both the pray-er and the cause for which he prays.  When a faithful soul takes on this type of prayer, all of mankind benefits.  The Light of Christ becomes firmly rooted in that person.” (The Collected Works of Flower A. Newhouse, Vol 1, p 195).   

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We’ve all heard it said that there’s always two sides to a story and then there’s the truth.  From Rev. Lucy Wold’s talk this morning, we learned the Akashic Records hold the ultimate truth of what really happened.  The reality of any event is much more than just the sum of words and actions delivered.  We bring to every situation intention, motivation, feelings, and energy which influence our words and actions.  In turn, others react not only to our words and actions but to the subtle influences of our intentions, feelings, and energy.  This makes uncovering the truth quite difficult because our words and actions can be quite incongruous with our motivation and the energy we put forth.  The Akashic Records record not only our words and deeds but our thoughts, feelings, and intention.  Therefore, we require the constant monitoring of our thoughts and feelings as well control over our words and deeds.  Our ability to introspect is key to understanding ourselves and recognizing what is truly motivating us.  Reflection is necessary to review past actions and reactions so corrections can be made when similar circumstances arise in the future. We should not become consumed in feelings of regret or guilt when reviewing the past.  Rather they should serve as a focal point for learning and overcoming mistakes.  What is it we are really trying to accomplish? What are our true intentions and expected outcomes when dealing with others?  This is what creates the energy behind what we do and say and it is what the Creator sees when He looks into the heart of each individual.  A good deed done with impure intent destroys the goodness of the deed as the intention is the soul of the deed and what determines its value.  The Akashic Records, therefore, hold us accountable not only for what is seen but for what we hold in our hearts.  It becomes apparent, therefore, that we learn to ‘know thyself.’

(thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by a spark from another person.  Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.”  Albert Schweitzer.

Lent was a struggle for me this year but as I sat in church on Friday night I realized we are not here to grow in isolation.  We are each responsible for the garden of our own hearts.  But it is not enough to simply tend our gardens and make them beautiful.  While we must be vigilant in tending our garden to keep negative qualities from taking root and choking out the flowers of truth and goodness, we must also keep the gates of our hearts open so others may find an easy entrance.   Many hearts are surrounded by high walls which make them difficult to penetrate.  But what is the benefit of a well tended garden locked behind a fortress?  Would we set a lovely table and then ask no one to dine with us?  Let your love flow freely and offer it as a gift to others.  Let your heart be an island of peace for those who are weary or lost.  And likewise, seek out the heart of others when the flame within you needs rekindling.  A peaceful world begins within each individual heart but is only realized when our hearts unite as one.

(thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

P.S.  I will be on holiday for several weeks and will likely not post until I return.  I hold Holy Expectancy in my heart as I embark on my adventure and I hope to have new insights to share when I return.  Blessings to you all.

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What does it mean to you to love God?    I’ve been thinking about this a lot during our ‘Studies in Greatness’ theme this Lent.  Love of God appears to be a resounding quality expressed so beautifully in the lives of all great souls.  I was particularly struck by St. Therese’s words, “Love God for everyone and love everyone for God”.   The words “Love God” have flowed to me often since then and I have found comfort in them.  I am one who wakes during the night when my mind is heavy with worry and in the quiet of night my concerns loom greater than in the light of day.  But recently I have found myself repeating those words, “Love God” whenever the concerns begin to swell up like a wave about to overwhelm me.  Gently, these words seem to disarm my worries and the wave of concern recedes.  It is as if these words flow from my higher self gently bringing me back to right focus.  I liken it to a musician playing music in a great orchestra.  We are all playing our parts but so often we become distracted with what is before us and we take our eyes off the Master Conductor.  Soon we have lost our place, lost our rhythm, and are no longer connected to Heaven’s music.  We feel lost and anxious.  But the Master Conductor is always there just waiting for us to look up again and focus with intention upon His baton. 

(thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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How well do you listen?  We’ve all experienced a conversation with someone who is distracted or is concentrating more on their reply than on what we’re saying.  It’s not a pleasant experience.  We also know how different it feels when someone gives us their undivided attention.  When we truly listen to another we are saying to them, ‘you are of value; you are worthy of my attention’.  In order to listen we must allow our small self to take a back seat and engage the intention of our heart and the discipline of our mind.  The same is true when we close our eyes and listen to the still Voice of God.  It is available to each one who is willing to set the small self aside and take the time to go within and make the connection.  Each time we sit in the quiet stillness and engage both our hearts and minds, we honor the Divine within.  In the stillness we listen and hear our hearts say, ‘You are of value; You are worthy of my attention’.  Let us honor the Divine that is ever before us (whether our eyes are open or closed) by practicing the art of listening.

(Thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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I recently hired a dog trainer to help me better control my dogs.  I quickly learned I am the one most in need of training.  It begins with establishing the hierarchy.  Apparently, I’ve been sending a message to the dogs that we are all equals and I have not established myself as alpha in the pack.  The trainer explained my dogs are not bad dogs, they’ve just never been asked to behave properly.  In fact, I will be doing my dogs a great service by establishing my alpha status because without that hierarchy, they feel a great deal of stress about the responsibility of protecting and being in charge.  My willingness to take the reins allows them to relax and feel secure.

Inwardly, a hierarchy also needs to be established.  In my inner life I must establish who is in charge.  I can either allow my personality self to sit at the helm or I can hand the reins of my life over to the Divine.  I hadn’t considered the unnecessary stress we create when we allow ourselves to think we are in charge.  But truly it is when I impose my will that I subject myself to the most stress.  When I surrender and accept what God brings to my life, I relax and feel His hand working in my life.  By surrendering ourselves to God, we allow ourselves to relax knowing we are secure, we are loved, and we are always cared for.   The reins of our lives belong to God but He will never take them from us, he will only receive what we are willing to freely give away.   

‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?’” (Luke 12:22-26)

(Thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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Have Thine own way, Lord!  Have Thine own way!
Thou art the potter, I am the clay.
Mold me and make me after Thy will,
While I am waiting, yielded and still.
..
Have Thine own way, Lord! Have Thine own way!
Hold o’er my being absolute sway!
Fill with Thy Spirit ’till all shall see
Christ only, always, living in me.

We sang this hymn at the end of the service on Sunday.  The words were written by Adelaide A. Pollard after she heard an elderly woman pray, “It’s all right Lord.  It doesn’t matter what You bring into our lives, just have Your own way with us.”  This prayer of ultimate surrender is so appropriate for Lent. 

I have always preferred the analogy of the potter molding the clay more than that of a sculptor who whittles the stone.  The whittling away of unwanted or unneeded aspects seems to indicated there are parts of ourselves we should reject or dismiss rather than incorporate or transform.  In contrast, the potter lovingly molds the clay until the entire piece is complete. 

May Christ’s likeness shine through each of us more perfectly this Lent. 

(Thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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Open my heart, O God
Give me courage to love beyond my fear
 
I am in awe of all the truly compassionate souls who are willing to let their hearts break so another can begin to heal.  I don’t think you can be truly compassionate without being willing to let your heart break.  What a wonderfully generous gift this is.  The practice of compassion is holy as it asks us to enter into another’s sorrow and pain. When we feel true compassion, we are moved inwardly. 

We have all felt compassion for someone we dearly love who is suffering and we would do anything to release our loved one from their suffering.  Imagine if we felt this way towards everyone?  When I think deeply about this I feel myself pull back fearful I could not bear the sorrow associated with opening to such deep compassion.   Is this why we turn a blind eye to those most in need, the strays and the homeless?  Are we afraid of how deeply we are capable of feeling another’s pain?  There is much pain and sadness in our world but it is only transformed through our willingness to bear it.  Christ is our supreme example of compassion.  I used to think we had to be detached from feeling another’s pain as it didn’t belong to us.  But I believe Christ allows Himself to feel our pain and through this loving sacrifice He transforms suffering.  I believe we too must be willing to carry another’s pain and in so doing Christ transforms us all. 

Len Sweet in Postmodern Pilgrims recounts a letter a physician wrote to a church-related magazine:
Today I visited an eight-year-old girl dying of cancer. Her body was disfigured by her disease and its treatment. She was in almost constant pain. As I entered her room, I was overcome immediately by her suffering, so unjust, so unfair. Even more overpowering was the presence of her grandmother lying in bed beside her with her huge body embracing this precious, inhuman suffering.

I stood in awe, for I knew I was on holy ground... The suffering of innocent children is horrifying beyond words. I will never forget the great, gentle arms and body of this grandmother. She never spoke while I was there. She was holding and participating in suffering that she could not relieve, and somehow her silent presence was relieving it. No words could express the magnitude of her love.

(Thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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A new year holds so much promise.  It’s the epitome of new beginnings and second chances.  I always buy a new journal to begin the New Year and its empty pages offer hope for the possibilities of the New Year.  Each day I begin again with a clean page, an empty canvas.  And while the events of my outer world may not change, each time I turn the page I have an opportunity to experience my life differently.  I choose the story I will write; I choose how I will experience each day. 

This year I am committed to viewing my failures differently.  I read a statistic about New Year’s resolutions that said, “Four out of five people who make New Year’s resolutions will eventually break them. In fact, a third won’t even make it to the end of January”.  I have been that person.  When we break our resolutions we often feel a sense of failure and we may allow our discouragement to dissuade our efforts.  But this isn’t an all or nothing endeavor.  We all will stumble.  It is helpful to see our stumbling not as failure but as a point along the trail where we are handed a mirror and asked to take a closer look.  What we do in those moments define the progress we will make.  As we move through the year and evaluate our progress, we should ask not only how we are doing with our resolve but how is the process changing us.  Have you gained more understanding about yourself or others?  Have you soften through the process?  Have your shortcomings taught you more compassion?  You may find you are transformed in ways you never intended.  Embrace your journey.  Happy New Year.

(thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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Rev. Lucy Wold spoke of a spiritual truth in her recent talk that always gives me pause.  She mentioned we need to be dissatisfied with ourselves in order to grow spiritually.  I think this is absolutely true.  At the same time, there is an emphasis in our culture to learn to see ourselves as worthy, to accept ourselves as we are, and to recognize that we are enough.  I think there is also merit to these ideals because within our culture there exists a great deal of self loathing that can be quite destructive and spiritually debilitating.  And so, I have struggled to reconcile these ideas.  How is it that I can be worthy, accept myself as I am, and feel I am enough while also understanding my limitations and the need to overcome them?

Here is what came to me in meditation:  “You are confusing your value with your journey.  God does not value you more when you overcome some quality of your lower nature.  Your value is constant in God’s eyes.  You have worth because you belong to Him.  But your journey back to God does require the overcoming of your lower nature and so He rejoices in all your successes.  Imagine it like this.  God has given you each a piece of holy clay.  It is holy because it is made of His essence; it is a piece of God.  With this clay you are asked to mold His likeness.  Only when you are able to reveal His image will you truly know Him.  This is your journey.  Each piece of clay has equal value because each has the same potential.  Your living, your consciousness, and your choices mold the clay revealing how well you know your Creator.”

Christ has demonstrated this journey so beautifully.  He continues to be our perfect example.  Because He Lives, we continue to be inspired, uplifted, and encouraged.  Let us make our clay more beautiful in the year to come.

(thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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Weekly practice: Aspire to enter into the Christ Spirit, taking yourself beginning with the physical plane and ascending to the highest reaches you understand, into the aura as well as attention of your Lord.

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I was so touched by everyone who shared their stories during our Advent series.  These talks created a sacred space where we were united ever deeper as a spiritual family.  I appreciate all who shared and all who held the space for those who allowed themselves to be seen in such an authentic way.  I recently heard a talk on vulnerability by Brene Brown where she said the original definition of courage came from the Latin word ‘cur’ which meant heart.  She said courage originally meant to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart.  In showing this sort of courage, these speakers gave us a rare gift of connection.  We saw that what makes us vulnerable also makes us beautiful and lovable.  Through their stories we felt our own struggles and fear as well as beautiful moments of joy and love.  Thank you to all who helped create such a powerful Advent series.   As we prepare our gifts to Christ this year, our hearts overflow with gratitude for the blessings we continue to receive from Him.  I look forward to sharing the joy and blessings of Christmas with each of you.  Merry Christmas.

(thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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Weekly practice:  Pay heed to Christ entering you.

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Rev. Blake Isaac spoke this past Sunday on ‘Christ's Influence Upon Our Character’.  If you missed his talk, I would highly recommend listening to it online.  He made the connection between consciousness and character and how our character reveals outwardly what we are developing on the inner.  He described consciousness as how we understand God’s will for our life and character as the manifestation of this understanding.  In other words, consciousness is the knowing and character is the doing.   It reminded me of a quote by Maya Angelou who said, “We do the best we can with what we know, and when we know better, we do better”.  The more our consciousness expands to understand the mysteries of life, the more responsibility we have to live these principles.  Our consciousness and character together reveal where we stand on our path to God.  Our spiritual journey is a continual process of deepening our understanding of spiritual principles and then putting into practice what we have come to know.  Each day we verify our awareness of truth by the way we choose to live.   What do your choices demonstrate about your character?

(thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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Weekly practice:  Place your focus on the Christ work which would include consideration of all peoples throughout the world from continent to continent and nation to nation.

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This time of year I often go through my home and find things I can give away.  Since we tend to accumulate more stuff at Christmastime, it seems timely to clean out the old to make room for the new.  Fortunately, as my children are now mostly grown, we have less need to accumulate more stuff.  However, it still feels necessary to give away whatever is no longer needed or useful.  This outer activity seems to reflect what I’m also feeling inwardly.  There is an inner need to examine what no longer serves us, what we’ve outgrown, and what may be holding us back spiritually.  As I go through my physical stuff, I often recall the usefulness or enjoyment the item once brought even as I now feel ready to let it go.   My inner process is no different.  Before I choose to let go of some quality or behavior, I often reflect on how I perceive it once served me.  We have not accumulated our inner qualities randomly.  Rather, at some point, they were deemed useful, even necessary.  But, like our physical stuff, we outgrow certain traits and behaviors.  Their usefulness diminishes.  These qualities can almost feel like old friends; they may have been with us for many years and have seen us through difficult times.  Perhaps it is our sarcastic nature that helped hold people at bay, our pride that is quick to bolster our confidence, or our judgmental nature that assures us of being right.  There is a reason we chose each of these qualities and a need we’ve had to maintain them.  But perhaps we are ready now to let something go.   Each quality needing to be transmuted has a story.  Listen to its story, be open to what it has to teach you, and in love release it into the transforming Light of God.

(thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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Weekly practice:  Reflect on the Christ Spirit beginning with His will, His love, and His consciousness.  See it entering the aura of the earth from the causal level downwards to the physical dimension.

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Rev. Phyllis Isaac shared a story in one of her talks that has stayed with me.  She told of two nuns who were very close friends.  When one of them made her transition she was able, for a time, to communicate with her friend who was still living in this dimension.  She explained to her friend that when one passes over they review the life just completed.  First they are shown what was possible, then what was realized.  She expressed heartbreak at realizing the disparity between the two scenarios.  I often think about that story and wonder how my two scenarios will differ.  With each new year I am more motivated to manifest what is possible.  Recently, I journaled about this idea of learning to take full advantage of each moment and to make the most of my days.  Here is what came to me:

“Remember who you are.  You are a soul disguised in an earthly robe.  Do not allow yourself to lose your true identify.  When an actor takes the stage, no matter how much he loses himself in that role, does he not also maintain his true identity?  This is what you must learn to do.  Each lifetime is given you as an opportunity for great possibilities.  The material world creates the theater for your soul’s journey.  The journey is the vehicle through which your soul ascends.  Do not allow limited thinking or fear to keep you from realizing the potential that is within you.  You are a soul, forever a part of God.  Meditate on that.  Learn what it means; become what it offers you.”  

(thoughts and reflections by Andrea Chinn-Parillo)

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