Dear Spiritual Family,
From Psalms 100:4 “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him and bless His Name.” In the video message for this week, the focus is on praise.
Something very powerful happens when we move in the energy of authentic praise. It lifts our spirits and enables us to “shake loose” the grip of ego. A basic tenet of spiritual teaching is that in order to set things right, we must first see things right. We would add to that, we must also feel them right. In other words, engage our hearts in the process.
The song, Oyaheya written by Rickie Byars has long been a favorite of mine (Rev. Steve). In this message, I share broadly from this piece because I see it as a beautiful gateway to feel deep praise, to lift us into greater awareness and help us bring to life the higher good that we want to experience. Two of the four verses are:
I am lifting in the Love of the Wholly, Holy Spirit.
Oh what a Joy, God is being!
Praise the Spirit all day long. Praise the Spirit all day long.
There’s a silence in the stillness of the Wholly, Holy Spirit.
Oh what a Light God is shining!
Let us see It everywhere. Let us be It everywhere.
And after each of the four verses:
Oyaheya, ohyaheya, oyaheya, hallelujah.
Oyaheya, oyaheya, oyaheya, Hallelu.
True praise is a gift we all can use to remind us of God’s Love, that quality of Love that Mary speaks of in this message. This “praise and thanksgiving” opens the gates to the greater expressions of the Indwelling Christ that we all are. And the “Wholly, Holy Spirit” loves nothing more than to join the Holy Chorus of our praise!
We love you,
Rev. Steve and Mary
Going Deeper
- What chant or other music do you find helpful in elevating your consciousness? In helping you loosen the grip of littleness?
- Will you share from your “list” of what you want to see in your immediate world/in the world in general?
- How can heartfelt praise energize that vision?
We would love to read your thoughts in the comments below.
God bless you. We love you,
Rev. Steve and Mary
Going Deeper on Zoom – Wednesday, September 7
This group meets on Wednesdays from 6 to 7:15 pm CT following a new video message. To learn more, Email Mary McIntosh.
Definitely enjoyed hearing you sign in Sunday’s sermon! I love the song “For You” by Leslie Sanazaro as it reminds me that I am responsible for the effort but leave the results in God’s hands. I especially liked the reference to humility being an aspect of love. Humility is that space that I leave for Spirit to teach, inspire or even comfort me in times of confusion or strife. If I’m not teachable, I have no room to receive from Spirit. Once again, thanks for your song on Sunday.
Whoops! First sentence should read: Enjoyed hearing you SING.