July 14, 2007 & Heaven & Hell

Rev. Carlton Pearson is getting a lot of media attention and is being called a "heretic" by some Christian leaders, as he speaks about his revelation that there is no hell. He teaches that whether we are sinners or saints, God redeems us all in the end as this is the nature of a loving God. And in this I agree with him. But, I would go further and declare that there is no heaven either, for heaven is not a destination, but a state of mind ... a realization of the In-dwelling Presence of God. Let's affirm this Truth and know that it is so:

Recognizing the infinite Truth of Being, I recognize and know that there is only God, only Good. And in this recognition of the All-ness of God, I embody the "Kingdom of Heaven" right where I am. All the Love, Peace, Harmony, Joy and Happiness that God Is .... is available to me and I accept my Good now. I do not let my mind wander to a "heaven out there" as I know I can accept my "heavenly conditions" in this life experience. I do not delay my Good by thinking that my Good is beyond this moment, for I simply embody and embrace the Good that is mine today. I give thanks to God for my Good knowing that it is mine now. And I embrace with gratitude all those who participate in my demonstration of Good, always. And I know and accept that my attitude of gratitude continually provides me with Good and more Good, now and always. And so it is.

Keep the faith!
Rev. Bates

July 13, 2007 & Dr. O. C. Smith

After my morning meditation this morning, I have been thinking off and on all morning about Dr. O. C. Smith and how powerful his ministry was. He was my teacher and my ideal as a minister of the science of mind ... because he lived his teaching. His Sunday messages are now being sold at: www.cityofangelschurch.com/events.htm ... and I have listened to each of them several times. The following is the last treatment he wrote for the City of Angels Church Sunday bulletin:

I believe in my prayer and the answer to it because I believe in God’s unfailing willingness to give me the kingdom, which is the immutable law of good. I do not make attempts to coerce or influence God because I realize that I am already one with God. As the result of this awareness, I expect, accept and receive every good thing that life has to offer. I believe, I know, and I act. I have accepted my
partnership with God, therefore today and every day what God has given me in abundance, I share with others, because God’s wellspring of good
never runs dry. And So It Is.
- Dr. O. C. Smith, November 2001

July 12, 2007 & Unity

This week the current Pope has stated that all religions other than Catholicism are "wounded" and are not of the "true" church ... and this morning while a Hindu clergyman was presenting the prayer for the opening session of the U.S. Senate, Christian protestors had to be removed. [The American Family Association had called for protests against the Hindu clergyman being allowed to present the prayer.] Religion has become very divisive in our current American culture and in other parts of the world ... let's not let "religion" divide us ... let us know that "In God" ... we are One:

Today I recognize only One ... One God ... One Life ... One Presence, infinitely individualized in Its expression of Life. I know that this Spirit that has created me, has created All of Life. I know that "in It, I live and move and have my Being" ... and this is true for me and for All people. And ... I know as the great mystics have known, that "in me, It lives and seeks to express Itself through me and as me" ... I accept and know that there is no limit to God's infinite expresssion "as Life" ... and that each of us are "expressing the Life of God" at all times. I can affirm and know .... as can all people, that "I and the Father are One" ... and this "infinite "I" is within me and within everyone ... It is the "In-Dwelling" Presence of God that is my very life. It is the power that God has given me to choose ... to be ... and to do ... that which expresses the love, the joy, the harmony, the peace and the wisdom of God in all ways and in all things. I bless all people as "expressions" of the One Life. Knowing that each individual is always being and doing their best ... for themselves and for all others ... I release any judgment in my mind and see rightly the Truth of all people now. And so it is.

Keep the faith!

Rev. Bates

July 11, 2007 & False Ideas

Just in case there are those of you who do not read the comments to this blog, I received this question yesterday: "Question: How does greed tie in with all of this? Specifically, is a greedy person coming spiritually from a space of lack and limitation? Or are they simply affirming their abundance? If that person recognizes that there is plenty to go around, then why does he want more or feel that there's never, ever enough? Any thoughts, comments?"

I would just like to note that "greed" is of the "competitive mind" ... a person who entertains a "greedy" state of mind will never be satisfied or happy ... because "greed" wants to have more ... not to share, not to put to good use ... but to satisfy a sense of limitation that is fearful. Our work then is to know that "greed" is a "false idea appearing" ... and is not the "true" person ... but an apparition of the self that is working through an unresolved issue. Let us affirm the Truth for everyone today:

Knowing that there is only One Life and this Life Is God, I know and accept that everyone I meet and everyone I know is part of this One Life. And in this knowing, I realize, believe and accept that All people are One in the image and likeness of God. So, I lift my thoughts above the fog of human interpretation, and I interpret only goodness and love as the Truth for everyone who comes into my experience today and every day. As I unify in my mind with this Principle of Goodness, I feel a greater enthusiasm for life and a greater enthusiasm for participating in the human experience as It presents Itself to me today. I see only the Good ... only God ... and in so doing I affirm the Presence of God within me now ... and within All people. And what a glorious feeling this is ... to know that God Is All ... and All Is God. And so it is.

Keep the faith!
Rev. Bates

July 10, 2007 & Money

On my way into Palm Springs this morning I stopped at an ATM machine to get some money. Many people contact me concerning money and other financial issues. I know that money is never the issue ... money is impersonal, it has no power of its own. And most importantly our lack of money has little to do with money .... but instead is only a reflection of our ideas and beliefs about Life and our place in the Universe. In order to heal our issues concerning financial abundance, we can ask ourselves if we hold any of these ideas in our mind: 1) do we carry a sense of loss from a past experience? ... 2) do we believe that in some way we are not "good enough?" ... 3) do we hold the idea that there "is never enough" in our mind? .... and lastly, 4) do we believe in duality concerning money: the haves and the have-nots? .... these are the thoughts and beliefs that obstruct the flow of money and all good things in our lives. Let's work on them with this treatment:

In this One Mind which is God that includes all "created" Life, there is enough and more for everybody. The Master Mind Jesus stated, "all that the Father (provider/Creator) hath is mine" ... and I affirm this as the Truth for me now. The Universe is a Unity ... and so I unify in my mind with All that Is Good, All that Is Plenty, and I now accept my life as evidence of the abundance in the Universe. I forgive, "give up" ... any and all ideas or beliefs that I have accepted at any point in my life that limit my ability to be prospered ... or to have all the money I need when I need it. I accept myself today and every day as a prosperous individual ... I have the consciousness of plenty. My consciousness is clear of any negative thoughts or emotions about money ... I love money ... and have all the money I need all the time. My faith in my ability to actualize money in my experience is un-obstructed ... I have a powerful attraction to money ... and money is powerfully attracted to me .... now! ... And so it is.

Keep the faith!
Rev. Bates

July 9, 2007 & Energy

This morning my alarm went off and instead of hitting the "snooze" button, I turned it off and slept an extra two hours. I am fortunate as not everyone has the flexibility in their schedule as I do. But it also reminded me that oftentimes we are so busy with our lives that it takes an experience like "over-sleeping" to get us to slow down. Personally, I find that my mind can get so filled with ideas and the contemplation of ideas that it is difficult for me to go to sleep and stop the conscious thinking. At the same time, I know that there is plenty of time for everything and so I do not need to lose sleep in order to accomplish and think through the ideas that surface in my mind. And in this knowing I can affirm that this is the truth for me:

There is only One Mind and this Mind is Spirit and this Mind is my mind now. As I align myself in mind, to this Spirit, I partake of Its energy, Its life and Its Divine Order. I allow myself to be filled up with energy, with clarity of mind, and with the motivation to accomplish that which I am to accomplish today, fully aware and fully awake in the present. I pay special attention to my recognition of the presence of Spirit in my life today and also observe the presence of Spirit in all those who come into my experience either physically or spiritually. I feel the spirit within myself and within all people today as I move into this blessed life experience with more joy, more happiness and more love ... all moving through me from the Spirit that Is All, In All and for All. And so it is.

Keep the faith!
Rev. Bates

July 8, 2007 & Getting in the Spirit

It is Sunday morning and the weather forecast is for 115 degrees today in Palm Springs. This change in weather reminds me that life is constant change and we get to choose how we respond to the conditions in our environment. In the physical, very hot weather can be uncomfortable as can many things that we deal with in our lifes, so we take control of our thoughts and set the tone for the day in our mind through prayer:

Today and every day I accept that I am in God and of God. I am immersed in this One Mind that is God. And in this Mind I can accept into my mental household a unity with joy, happiness, harmony and love. I am alive and in love with this experience called Life today and every day. I am open and receptive to wonderful new experiences today. I embrace this day knowing that it is the perfect day for me to expand my awareness of who I am and my place in the Universe. I allow myself to be loved today, to be prospered today, and to be friendly and responsive to all who come into my experience. I know that my mind attracts to me only those people, places and things that are a benefit to me. I know that the Universe supports me through these people, places and things and supports all those who participate in my life today. This idea is the truth for me and is a joy for me ... today and always. And so it is.

Keep the faith!
Rev. Bates