Today I want to share with you a very short affirmation that I learned from a prayer by Rev. Dr. Johnny Coleman (1920-2014). She was a powerful New Thought Minister who founded a mega church in Chicago, Christ Universal Temple, as well as the Universal Foundation for Better Living. I heard her speak several times, including her personal story of healing from an incurable illness that spiraled into a crisis of faith, led her to the teachings of Unity, and her own calling to ministry. She spoke boldly of the racism that she encountered in her early studies of New Thought, but that pushed her to find her truth and gave her the freedom to create a phenomenal environment of faith and confidence, granting her not only healing, but the title of "the First Lady of New Thought". The affirmation? "I am sheltered from that which is false."
Over the last few years, there has been amble social research on escalating confusion in America about what is true and what is false, and what is simply unknown. This confusion, sometimes referred to as 'erosion of truth', began prior to the Pandemic, but obviously escalated in a time of uncertainty and isolation. Yet disinformation and outright lies continue to promote division, feed hate, and obscure reason. With this in the background, our focus today is our individual spiritual practice, our personal path and understanding which defines our relationship to God, as we navigate January, 2024. I add to that my belief that God includes all creation (including all people). Affirming, praying for shelter from the false, is one way to find peace without feeding further conflict and ill-will.
Tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day. Within the national recognition of his struggles, his achievements and sacrifice--his truth--is another powerful opportunity to deepen your spirituality in 2024. Over the last few years, as I contemplated the divisions and struggles, the world's current military wars and our violent cultural wars, I have thought, "Where is our Gandhi, where is our Martin Luther King?" These were human beings who had their own personal struggles, but over time they grew to manifest deep spiritual understanding. They accepted their role, leading a painful, resolute--yet loving--path to social change, with two over-seeing commitments: non-violence and love. If you have yet to read Martin Luther King, Jr., his life story and writings are another powerful way to begin 2024. (Susan Nettleton)
"Civilization and violence are antithetical concepts." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
And from his speech, "Where Do We Go From Here?" (1967)
"And so I say to you today that I still stand by nonviolence...Darkness cannot put out darkness; only light can do that...I have also decided to stick with love, for I know that love is ultimately the only answer to mankind’s problems...He who hates does not know God, but he who loves has the key that unlocks the door to the meaning of ultimate reality."
For poetry: https://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/.../LightofYour/index.html
https://sufism.org/origins/rumi/jewels/rumi-a-prayer-2 https://www.saltproject.org/.../martin-luther-king-jr-by...