It’s been a full and joyful weekend here at Unity—beginning Friday night with the lighthearted energy of Laughter Yoga and flowing all the way into Sunday’s deeply centering Akashic Records Meditation.
Today is Ash Wednesday, marking the beginning of Lent. Early in my Unity journey, I learned a beautiful acronym for LENT: Let’s Eliminate Negative Thinking.
It’s a gentle invitation to become more aware of the thoughts we entertain and the stories we tell ourselves. Over the next six weeks leading up to Easter, you may wish to take this on as a spiritual practice. It’s amazing how quickly we can drift into negativity when we’re not fully present or mindful. Let this season be an opportunity to pause, notice, and gently shift back into truth.
As we enter this sacred season of Lent, I invite you into a transformative new series called Meeting Jesus Again—an opportunity to rediscover the life, teachings, and consciousness of Jesus with fresh eyes and an open heart. Each Sunday, from Ash Wednesday through Easter, we will explore Jesus not simply as a figure from history, but as a living presence and a model of awakened love. Together we’ll look beyond the familiar stories to the deeper spiritual wisdom he embodied—his courage, his compassion, his radical inclusivity, and his unwavering trust in the Divine within. My hope is that this journey will help each of us experience Easter not just as an ancient event, but as a personal awakening to the Christ-light that longs to rise in us. May this Lenten season be a time of reflection, renewal, and spiritual rebirth as we “meet Jesus again”—perhaps in ways that surprise, uplift, and bless us all.
FACE Model: A Simple Way to Live in the Presence
In Sunday’s message, we explored the FACE Model—four gentle pillars for living more consciously in each moment:
F—Focus (place your attention on what matters right now),
A—Allow (let your experience be what it is without arguing with it),
C—Curiosity (ask, “What is happening here?” rather than “What’s wrong?”), and
E—Embodiment (come back to the body—breath, feet on the floor, the wisdom that lives within).
Presence isn’t another task; it’s what emerges when we stop resisting this moment. Try this daily: pause for one conscious breath; Focus on what’s here, allow what you feel, bring Curiosity to the moment, and embody your awareness by softening your shoulders and feeling your breath. These small, consistent practices open us to the abundant life Jesus promised—available now, not someday.
May this year invite us into deeper awareness, expanded possibility, and the joyful knowing that as we live our light, we bless the world. Together, we affirm: There is always more good seeking expression through us, and it begins right here.
You are a blessing in my life,
Rev. Patricia Bessey
