Mother’s Day Service

Last in the Series: 6 Steps to Spiritual Maturity:
Step 5: I commit to developing a conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation.
Step 6: I demonstrate spiritual maturity by practicing these principles in all areas of my life.

I always like to start my message with something personal or exciting and will do so this week. However, as I am writing this, I am waiting for a technician from Spectrum to arrive and troubleshoot my internet. If you were watching on Sunday right in the middle of the service, I lost connection. I came back on in time to complete almost the whole service and it went out again. What I don’t understand, and I don’t need to, is that Deana was able to continue broadcasting and finish up. So I chalked up Sunday’s debacle to it being Mother’s Day and the lines were being overloaded with families gathering in the way we do now by either Face Timing or Zooming. Well, I was wrong with that assumption. I was doing the Midday Faith Lift today and it happened again. So, there you have it why the Spectrum technician… something is wrong with the internet.

Well, we are in the ninth week of social distancing and staying at home. How are you doing? Who could have ever imagined anything like this in our lifetime! Please let me know if you have a need that we can help with.

The last two steps from the Six Steps of Spiritual Maturity were the focus of the message on Sunday. They are:

Step 5: I commit to developing a conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation, and

Step 6: Knowing and understanding the laws of life, also called Truth, are not enough. A person must also live the truth that he or she knows.

Prayer is not about changing God or removing the bumps in the road. Prayer is about changing us.

Prayer is synchronizing oneself in consciousness with the cosmic flow, which is God’s eternal willingness.

God can do no more for you than he can do through you. If you are not taking time to slow down and plug in, you are going to be out of step.

Here are tips for creating a habit of prayer…

1. Recognize your need for prayer…
2. Don’t be afraid of catching a habit
3. Have a morning routine
4. Build prayer into everyday tasks that just require hand…  e.g. laundry, cooking, mowing…
5. Pray with someone on a regular basis… prayer partner
6. Instead of saying you need to pray, just start praying
7. Make a commitment to prayer…
8. Write down answered prayer
9. Remember the more you pray the more you want to pray

For Step 6: “Merely owning a deluxe set of bodybuilding equipment does not produce physical improvement. Gains are made only when these tools are consistently used. In the same way, comprehending the nature of God and humankind, understanding the power of the mind, and knowing how to pray will not stimulate spiritual growth unless applied to daily living.” — Keys to the Kingdom

God works through each of us to bring more of God’s life, love, and wisdom into the world. Know that God is with you in whatever action you decide to take.

Next Sunday I will begin a new series from the book What’s in the Way IS the WAY by Mary O’Malley. You are going to enjoy this series.

I have kept the best for last. If you have read this whole message you will get the gift… this coming Sunday we will have an award-winning singer/songwriter whose music runs deep… live from Richmond, VA: Claudia Carawan. Google her and listen to her great music. You will love her… she will be here with our own Deana. What a great lineup…

Speaking of lineup…  have you contacted Rev. Elizabeth to let her know what you will be offering for the Talent Show? It has been postponed from next Sunday night but it will still be happening, just at a future date.

You are a blessing in my life,
Rev. Patricia Bessey