Dear Spiritual Family,
Much has transpired in our Nation over the last week and we speak to this in our video message to you today. It is clear that this is a time to be more deeply grounded in who we are and what gifts we are capable of giving.
Mary opens with a reading from I Corinthians 13. It is one we are all familiar with that speaks to the power of love. And as my scripture reference, II Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, and of love and of good discipline.” (I cheated a little and put love first.)
And Paul reminds us here that our Creator didn’t include fear in His creation. And as that fear, in any of its forms is relinquished and let go, the Truth of Love and authentic power becomes clear to us.
The gifted singer, songwriter and philanthropist, John Denver came to a place in his life, where he sought with great vigor, the deeper life – the greater understanding. He found it, in part, in A Course in Miracles. He was encouraged by two of its foremost teachers – Dr. Jerry Jampolsky and his wife, Diane Cirincione. Our dear Texas friend, Tom Horne called to our attention recently, a song by John that was not published before his passing in 1997. It’s called “The Wandering Soul,” and we share the lyrics here as well as in the video:
“In this magic hour of softening light, the moments in between the day and night, the instant when all shadows disappear, the distance in between the love and the fear. There’s a longing deep within the wandering soul. It’s like the half that understands it once was whole, like the two who only dream of being one. Like the moon whose only light is in the sun. There’s a danger in forever looking outside. You start to believe that all your prayers have been denied and you forget the sound of your own name, and thus begins the suffering and the pain. I wanted an answer; I wanted a way. I wanted to know just what to do and what to say. I wanted a reason, I wanted to know why. Can there be Heaven right here on Earth and peace inside? Inside my heart, inside my soul, within each part and in the whole? There’s a promise in the journeys of the mind.
“You begin to believe that there are miracles you will find, and that someday you’ll remember who you are, the seed within a bright and shining star, that’s like the flame that lives within a hungering heart, that only awaits a gift of love for it to spark, into a fire that burns forever, endlessly, like the river that can’t help but meet the sea.
“In this magic hour between the dark and the dawn, in the space between the silence and the song, suddenly the mystery is clear
That love is only letting go of fear.
“Love is the answer and love is the way. Love is knowing just what to do and what to say. And love is the reason, love is the why. And love is the Heaven right here on Earth and peace inside. Inside your heart, deep in your soul, within each part and in the whole. Love is the answer. Love is the way. Love is in knowing just what to do and what to say. Love is the reason, love is the why. And love is in Heaven right here on Earth and peace inside.”
The deepening that John Denver found and shared so powerfully here, offers hope for each of us as we let go of fear and find the love that God is and that God has given us. Centered in this Love, we know what to do and what to say, and we hasten the realization of Heaven here on Earth.
We Love You,
Rev. Steve and Mary
Please note: Tom Horne sings, so beautifully, The Wandering Soul at the end of Rev. Tomas De Leon’s July 14, 2024 Lesson. You can find it on YouTube here. Blessings!