Dear Friends,

It was a quiet morning as I sat in my meditation chair to pray, meditate and read. When I turn on my crystal healing lamp, I am in gratitude and surrender the day unto God.
This particular morning in the semi-darkness, as I switched on the light , I was struck by the intuitive thought this is like the GLOW of GOD within me and within all. I meditated on the Glow of God within and how simple it was to just switch on my light. God is like that light bulb, It just needs us to switch on our own God Glow. The Light is always there ready, willing and able to warm the body with love, tenderness and compassion. It is there to help us see clearly without blame or judgment. It is there to help us move past fear to love. For Love is all there is in God’s Glow. The consciousness glow within us becomes the light that awakens the consciousness of people we are with.
The Glow of God within affects everyone.

We have all heard the saying, just turn on the light and the darkness in the room dissipates. WE can be that light. When we remember who we are, God in form, Light in action, Glow within , we affect not only ourselves, but everyone around us.

This brings to mind the Mills Brothers Song “Glow Little Glow Worm”
Glow little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Lead us lest too far we wander
Love’s sweet voice is calling yonder
Glow little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Hey, there don’t get dimmer, dimmer
Light the path below, above
And lead us on to love!…

Even a simple glow worm can remind us God’s Light is in everyone and everything. Be that GLOW and Shine today!

Allowing the Glow of God to Shine,
Abigail and Steve

Dear Friends,

Last Wednesday, Rev. Dr. Deborah Johnson was the guest minister on the AGNT series, and one of her statements stayed with me. She said,
“You may not be able to change the circumstances, however you always have a choice to change the LENS in which you perceive
the circumstances.”
This is such a simple, yet true statement and one we often forget. Circumstances, situations, challenges are all part of our LIFE experience.
We may not be able to avoid them, however we always have a choice as to HOW we look at them.

Recently, in our day to day life, the roads around the Poway, and San Diego area have been torn up for repair and repaving. Our own street has flags at every house and the road crews have been moving up and down our street for weeks. Some intersections have been blocked completely. Once I needed to make a U turn to find another way home. The round-about-way took me 30 minutes when the original way, without road work, would have taken me 5-10 minutes. I could not change the circumstances of road repair, however I could find a different and new way home, or stay and complain in the traffic.
During these road repair weeks we have found multiple ways to get where we want to go and have become more familiar with other neighborhoods in Poway and San Diego. We just broadened our horizons.

I also began to look at the road construction workers and appreciated how they are serving the community. These men and women are working long hours in the sun or even at midnight to make the repairs necessary for US, and for our benefit. Instead of complaining we need to be sending a thank you and a prayer for their safety as they work so diligently all day. Each one of these workers have a family to go home to, and I am sure their loved ones want them to come home safe and secure after working in the streets.

On a world note, we can either see horrible things happening in the world,
(yes there are crisis’s,) and/or we can see the world going through birth pangs to bring in a better, more beautiful, more secure, more compassionate world. What our intentions and visions are, is what happens. The Universe brings forth our thoughts into form. SEE the Good and it will manifest.

Wherever you are and what ever you are doing, you have a choice to view every situation as a positive opportunity to learn, grow, try something new and/or
be more compassionate.

Be open at the top, see through a NEW LENS, and give thanks.

Seeing through a new lens,
Abigail and Steve

Dear Friends,

“WHAT is behind door number 3?”
There used to be a popular TV Show where contestants would open the door of their choice. Maybe it was a refrigerator, a desk, a TV or even a new car behind the door. It was always a surprise!

We always have a choice to ask the question not ‘WHAT is behind door number three?’, but “WHO is behind door number 3?” As we go through life we tend to put on many faces and literally become different people as we go through our personal doors during the day. The nurturing mother in the morning getting her kids off to school, may become the focused, no-nonsense leader of a company the rest of the day. A cook in a restaurant, focused on food and preparation, may be the winner of a triathlon on the weekend. We all have various responsibilities, focuses and purposes and sometimes we are like chameleons as we move from one role to another.

What if we didn’t have to pick which door to BE in the moment?
Last week we talked about our life being our story. Our values, attitudes and intentions do create our life story, and we have a choice to keep that which is sacred and mindful in all our our roles and responsibilities. A nurturing mother can be compassionate with a client, co-worker or someone who works for them when there are challenges or difficulties. A cook and a triathlon competitor can take the qualities of detail, perseverance and striving to do his or her best at both roles.

The WHO is different than the WHAT. WHO you are as a spiritual being enters into and flows into whatever job, role, or position you have. You are a Spiritual Being, Divinity in form, Love in Action, God on earth. How you choose to DO God, BE a Spiriutal Divine Being or show up as Love in action, is up to you.
Be who you truly are behind closed doors as well as opened doors.

So when someone asks WHO are you? or WHO is behind door number 3, you can honestly answer, I AM behind All Doors. For the Great I AM is God in me, as me always moving through me. I choose to authentically BE IT in all I do.

Choosing To Be God as Me,
Abigail and Steve

Dear Friends,

In the morning I like reading an affirmation, short story, book, poem or verse that truly picks me up and reminds me of who I am. I am not just part and parcel of this great universe, or God, Spirit, Divine Energy, I AM IT.
So many of our Masters have told us such and yet we, on some level, do not believe it. I am reading a book right now, titled, “I AM the WORD” channeled by Paul Selig. He/They say we are the Christ. The Christ Consciousness will come again, not in the form of one man, but in our form, in all of us. It is up to us to bring the Christ Consciousness on earth. We can’t do that if we do not believe it. You are what you believe.

I know many people of different faith traditions find the word Christ hard to hear. Let us substitute God, or Divine Love or Buddha Consciousness. Jesus the Christ was a man who embodied the Christ essence, the Christ/God principle, the Highest Consciousness. One thing I am realizing, how often I say, I am becoming the Christ. Selig says, You are the Christ. Everyone is the Christ. However not everyone recognizes this Truth due to fear, anxiety, pain, ego and misinformation passed down over thousands of years. Two ways to look at this truth. We are like artichokes. We have all the spiny, sharp edges on the outside, and yet on the inside is the heart of the artichoke. The heart is in every artichoke, like the Christ Consciousness is in every human. There may be many spikey, hard, thick humans, yet the heart of God/Christ is in everyone. We just have to peel away each spiky leaf/fear thought one at a time.
Or think of a cocoon, just waiting to birth the beautiful butterfly. We have lived in our cocoon of doubt and fear all our lives, and yet we were always intended to be the beautiful Christ Consciousness. It lives in us ready to be birthed!

On an errand, I was affirming I am the Christ and I see the Christ in everyone. In the midst of my affirmations, a woman almost ran her car into my car while pulling out of a parking space which immediately stopped my affirming. I felt irritated at her as she waved to me. With that wave, I realized my consciousness had dropped. Could I see the Christ in her? Could I see that the Consciousness of the Christ, of God is in everyone and in every situation. There is no place the Christ Consciousness cannot present itself. It was a simple wake up call to always know the truth of who I am in all situations.

Yesterday I was picking up supplements at my Chinese Medicine Doctor’s
office. The young lady behind the desk was slow and couldn’t find what I had called and asked for. She finally said, after a long search they were out of that supplement. In my mind I thought, “Why didn’t’ she tell me on the phone she didn’t have it.” Then I remembered…. to think in my mind and heart (not out loud), I am the Christ and I see the Christ in her. Funny thing happened, my artichoke spikes receded and I found something to say to make everyone laugh. The tense energy was diffused. Spikes in, Heart out!

“When Mother Teresa helped a dying leper, she saw “Christ in all his distressing disguises.” She was not only helping a leper, she was also loving God. When you and I see the good in others, we are loving God and changing lives. Someone once said, “Your attitude toward another person may be the first step in releasing that person’s greatness.” (Aug. SoM magzine, Rev. Dr. Ron Fox) That greatness may be the Christ Consciousness.

I will continue to affirm I am the Christ (Consciousness)and I see the Christ in everyone. I want to help release the greatness in people. Let us all see the Christ, The God Essence, The Buddha presence in everyone we meet and especially those who push our buttons and irritate us.

GOD/Christ is within us, moving through the day as us. How will that look
for you?!

Try something tomorrow morning. As you wake up, see and feel yourself as God, LIGHT, Love, Christ, Buddha. Before you get out of bed see the Light Energy of God flowing through your crown chakra and moving in and through all your chakras. Feel your Divinity as a Light Christed BEING. When you get out of bed say, I am the Christ, I am God Light, I am Love. I am putting on my earth suit, my cocoon. When I acknowledge the Christ in me and in all, I am then released and soar as the butterfly.

Releasing the Christ in Me,
Abigail and Steve

Dear Friends,
Have you ever had a “Push Through” day? There are those days where you wake up, and in spite of a morning spiritual practice, the day looks endless and all you want to do is sit or sleep. I have those days myself. I call them my
“push through” days. Just recently I had one of those. I was sitting in my chair after meditating and reading and I just didn’t want to get up to “get things done.” I said a silent, “Help me God through this day.” So I continued to sit… until all of a sudden I got up and began my first job, boil some eggs. It was if my legs, arms and body knew what to do and when to do it. After that I checked my computer, still feeling like I am pushing through. Then I made the bed, ate breakfast, still feeling like I am pushing through, wrote some letters of reference for friends, scheduled a couple zoom meetings, still feeling like I am pushing through, soothed some hurt feelings from an email, created agendas and updates for scheduled meetings, made some phone calls, bought some birthday gifts. and the day went on. At some point I showered and went out to do errands. Throughout the day, I continued to feel like I was pushing through. I realized by the end of the day, I had accomplished far more than I thought I would. I knew it was the simple prayer, “Help me God through this day.”
No matter what we are doing, where we are, or how we are feeling, God is within us doing the work. There are times we must consciously let God take over and push us through the day. I gave a simple example and I know there are many people going through very tough times right now in life. Pushing through isn’t as simple as I had it. However the simple prayer “Help me God through this day” still works. The more we rely on God to move us through the day, clear our path, open doors of opportunity, block what no longer serves us, and show us different perspectives, we gain energy, time and endurance to handle all types of challenges or inconveniences.

Remember, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us reJOYce in it!”

Letting God Push Me Through,
Abigail and Steve

Dear Friends,

“I bless and give thanks for teachers. Teachers change the world by opening the minds of their students, expanding their horizons and creating new paths of possibility and achievement. Teachers sow seeds of creativity that blossom into inspiring thoughts and kindled imaginations.” (August Daily Word)

This week I want to honor all teachers. Children, young adults and adults will be going back to school with many mixed emotions. They may be fearful due to the pandemic, joyful to see their friends, worried they are not up to grade level, and anxious to start a new school year.

I understand these feelings from both points of view, the teacher and the student. As a former Kindergarten and First grade teacher, I loved getting back into the classroom, setting up the bulletin boards, reconnecting with the other teachers, making lesson plans and reading up on all my students. Usually we had a “pre-opening,” where parents and students can come into the classroom, meet me, look around and become familiar with the rest of the children. Today, this is not the case. I have talked with several teachers and the opening of school is definitely not the same. Teachers will be teaching in the classroom again, as well as teaching students online. Some of my retired teacher friends have substituted doing the online teaching. Each one said it was difficult keeping the young children’s attention. Teaching in this manner is more stressful than normal and I know of one teacher in particular who said she may need to take an early retirement mid-year.

So I ask all those who are reading this newsletter to pray for ALL teachers, administrators, aides, custodians, bus drivers, knowing the Divine Wisdom
and Intelligence, Love and Joy of God/Spirit is within them, guiding, and directing their lessons, and interactions with all students, parents and colleagues. Teaching is a “Calling.” So we pray all teachers prepare themselves soulfully and spiritually.

Blessings, Abigail and Steve

Dear Friends,

“A father and son were walking on the beach and every so often the boy picked up stones and pebbles and put them in his pocket. Soon he found walking difficult and asked his dad to pick him up. His dad did but told him he needed to rid himself of the stones and pebbles.
As you and I go through life, we pick up stones along the way. When we turn to Spirit for help, It responds, ‘Put down the stones of disbelief, doubt, fear and resentment. Make your burden light. Move within and remember I Am always with you” (Science of Mind Magazine, August, Rev. Dr. Ron Fox)

This past week I was very much like that little boy. We had/have an Interfaith Awareness Week coming up and I was worried about the Opening Ceremony Program Sunday, August 8th . I wanted everything to be smooth as silk. The gentleman putting the Opening together seemed to not be responding to my emails or texts. He kept asking for videos of our speakers and music, which I had sent him many times previously. I was in a near panic thinking he may not be able to pull this off. After talking with him, I found out his computer was being fixed and he was using another computer which did not have all his info on it. He was also having other serious challenges in his life. Once knowing what he was going through, I felt more compassionate.

We finally had a “practice” run and he had everything in order. He only needed to work on his presentation in-between the speaker and music videos.
When we finished the run through, all I could do was let go of my worry, doubt, and anxiety pebbles. So Steve and I prayed !!!! Go figure!

“God is Greater than the burdens you are carrying. Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you.” Psalm 56:22

There are times we just have to cast the burden on the Lord and let go. I think that is one of the most difficult lessons to learn, because, if you are like me, I tend to blame myself when things go wrong even if I was not the one directly responsible for it. I felt responsible for the entire week, when in reality this is God’s week, not my week. God’s Will be done, not my will be done.

This experience taught to be compassionate, because we never know what people are going through, and to view life from different perspectives.
I continues to know all IS in Divine Order and Timing and God is in charge.

Letting Go of Heavy Pebbles,
Abigail and Steve

Dear Friends,

“TIME FOR A TUNE UP!”

The Universe is designed to grow, expand, and evolve in all ways. We as humans, in this universe, are also designed to grow, evolve and ever expand physically, emotionally and spiritually. We are all part of God’s Divine Design.
If we feel our lives are veering in a direction we do not wish to go, it is time to
STOP, PAUSE, and TUNE UP Ourselves.

There are 3 Ideas I would like to share with you today on PAUSING and TUNING UP.

1.Get support. If we want to grow, we must take time for a regular spiritual tune-up.
When we tune up our cars on a regular basis it improves the fuel economy, lowers emissions, improves engine performance and restores its pep and power.
When our back is “out of whack” we go to a chiropractor for an adjustment to realign our spine.
For our Spiritual support, we can go to a practitioner, minister or prayer partner to help us see the Truth of our being in times of crisis and challenges.
We also go to our faith tradition’s service, take spiritual education classes, workshops and webinars, to help tune up our mind and heart.
In order to grow and evolve we must find the time to get a spiritual tune up!

2.Evaluate when and where you would like improvement in your life and be teachable in those areas.
Be humble and honest with yourself. Stop making excuses. Look at any pain you may have caused another. Forgive yourself and ask for forgiveness from others. Being humble creates an inner freedom from having to protect those parts that we try to hide from ourselves and others. We begin to develop a quiet, understanding and compassionate heart.
Embrace your humanness. Our self-worth may plummet, however remember our self-worth is not attached to our human mistakes or failures. We are always the Beloved of God, worthy and blessed.
Try journaling to express your deepest thoughts. It will help reveal what you need to know, in order to grow, expand and tune up.
Keep a High Conscious watch for yourself. How others react or perceive your intentions is their business.

3.Let go of that which you don’t want and state the thing that you
do want!
Choose to let go of unhappiness, judgment and victim-mentality.
Flip an attitude of “poor me,” to “Yeah for me!”
Job loss? This is a blessing for God has a new and better job in mind with better salary, working conditions and colleagues. Vision and write down what you do want!
Health? No matter the circumstances or doctor’s prognosis, remember the truth of yourself. You are spirit, an eternal being, whole, perfect and complete. Vision God’s light flowing through every atom, cell and molecule of your body. Enlist a minister or practitioner to see and state the truth with you.
Friends? Consider everyone your friend because we are all one in God. Every person you meet in the store, at the bank, at work are friends. SEE them as such. State you have an abundance of friends! Then call someone to chat or make a date to have coffee.
Attitude? You can choose to be cranky or compassionate, sour or joyful.
State how you want to be in the world and BE IT!
Money? You do have enough. State it! Count all the blessings in your life. Give to where you are spiritually fed and invest in companies that align with your core values and spiritual principles.! Bless the money you give and watch how it blesses and returns to you in numerous ways.
PAUSE, and see where you need to Tune yourself up in life!

(This message is an excerpt from the Sunday lesson at the CSL Inland Empire, where Rev. Abigail was the guest speaker. Ideas for this lesson also came from writings of Abigail Schairer, CSL Seattle).

Pausing and Tuning up,
Abigail and Steve

No Prayer Goes Unheard!

I was thinking about “answered prayer” today, and realized that all my prayers have been answered, even in ways I could not imagine.
There is a song by the late Eric Hansen called, “Our Thoughts are Prayers.” I know this to be true. We live and breathe and have our being in the MIND of GOD. This Mind of God is my mind and your mind now. We continually think into it and there is nothing that goes unnoticed, unheard, or unanswered. All thoughts and prayers are acted upon.

I thought about my childhood and at age 8 I declared I was going to be a teacher, to my third grade teacher. I did get my BA in Education and even did some practice teaching in the same third grade class with my original third grade teacher!

As a child I wanted a horse and I remember looking up at the stars asking God for riding lessons. Low and behold in college the students were offered Saturday riding classes and so I signed up! Funny thing though, after some lessons and a horse that threw me, I decided maybe riding lessons were not for me. My prayer was answered, and I still had a choice (with my free will) to continue or not.

Steve and I were talking about our house and how it came to us in 2003.
Steve knew immediately this was the house for us. While walking around the house outside, Steve said, “God, show me a sign.” At that moment a grapefruit from the grapefruit tree on the property rolled right down to his feet.
Inside the house I had wanted a vaulted ceiling and when we closed on the house I was happy with everything and just dismissed the vaulted ceiling since the house had everything else we wanted. After we moved in, my eyes went up to the ceiling in the living room and low and behold we had a vaulted ceiling.
I had not noticed it previously on our visits to the house. Steve at age 13, in his electric shop classes in Jr. High, saw lighted light switches on the wall. He told himself, when he owned a house, he would install those same light switches. As we walked around the inside of our new house, we discovered it had them too!

Prayers also have a way of evolving. As a new minister in 2000 I kept thinking how wonderful it would be to have a Children’s Church. I was not sure how that would manifest until my mentor minister Dr. Juanella came to me and said she had a dream of me ministering in a child church. She asked, ” Do you want that?” I immediately said ‘YES’ and the doors opened up for me on that journey. At the Child Centered Church, Steve and I started teaching children and their parents the commonalities of religions which evolved into an Interfaith Service which evolved into founding the Poway (POINT) Interfaith Team, which evolved into being part of an Interfaith Movement and being a part of the North American Interfaith Network and Parliament of World Religions. We are still joyfully meeting people of all faiths, nationalities, cultures and countries.

All thoughts are prayers and they are always answered! God always says YES.
I like the second sentence in the quote above. If God appears to say NO, it just means there is something greater for you! There is always Divine timing for all requests. Keep your thoughts on the good and the purposeful, and as the song says, “Seek a higher consciousness” in your prayers and declarations, for they
will manifest for you. Negative thoughts will also manifest so be aware and mindful….
Just KNOW your prayer in Spirit has already been answered in the right way, at the right time and with the right people – destined just for you!!!!

Sit back and listen to this beautiful song
“Our Thoughts are Prayers”
by Eric Hansen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49aSAcIZs40

OUR THOUGHTS ARE PRAYERS

Our Thoughts are Prayers
And we are always praying
Our Thoughts are Prayers
Listen to what you’re saying
Seek a higher consciousness
A state of peacefulness
And know that God is always there
And every thought becomes a prayer
Our Thoughts are Prayers
The tools that we create with
Our Thoughts are Prayers
That Spirit resonates with
Seek a higher consciousness
A state of mindfulness
And know that God is always there
And every thought becomes a prayer

Prayerfully, Abigail and Steve