SEASIDE CENTER FOR SPIRITUAL LIVING
Seaside's Vision is to be a spiritual nexus inspiring people to live their dreams.
Our Purpose is: Celebrating our Divinity, Loving our Humanity, Serving our Community.

Today, our subject matter is 'How to Use It'. How to use this Power. How to use Spirit in our life. For the last couple of weeks we have been going over the basics of Religious Science, which is known as The Science of Mind. It was brought forward by Ernest Holmes, who is the Founder. In 1927 the Church was incorporated and Ernest Holmes said this is no great revelation - the mind - I just kind of sat down and studied all the mystics, the philosophers, and the great religions and compiled what appeared to be a common thread of truth through them all and put it in this book and now we're calling it 'The Science of Mind'. And, around that a group of people were going; "Yah, that does make sense. Sure." All of a sudden it comes to a realization that God is a loving Power. That this Power works in our life at the level of our embodiment. And what we were talking about last week as to 'What It Does' is that 'what It does' is to express in our life through us. Today it is a matter of 'How to use It' in our life.

I was talking to our neighbor yesterday, when I was walking around trying to figure out this morning's message and I shared with Dr. Harold Bloomfield, today I'm going to talk about 'How to Use It' and he shared with me: "Yes, Christian, I think it is true that 'the meek shall inherit the earth', they just must first become more assertive." I thought about what Harold said and it began to make sense. Because, one of the things in New Thought is that we get these principals of truth and it's like yes God is wonderful, and abundant and is flowing and I have to open up to it, but, then we have to do something with it. So often we become passive with these great principles and that doesn't necessarily make it work in our life.

Ernest Holmes, the Founder of Religious Science, writes in the book 'The Science of Mind' from the chapter I am speaking on today called "How to Use It": It's easy enough to rush around shouting that there are no sick people, but this will never heal those who appear to be sick. It's easy to proclaim that there are no needy. Anyone can say this, whether he be wise or otherwise. If we are to prove such statements to be facts in our experiences, we shall be compelled to do more than announce a principle, no matter how true it may be." We must be compelled to do more than just announce a principle. How to use It is to become more assertive in our life. It's not a passive philosophy.
Houdini shared an interesting story from his childhood. When he was a young guy, ten years old, he was growing up in his family. His dad was a Rabbi and would always say 'God will provide'. But, they went through a great deal of poverty. There was not much income in the house. And so, at the age of ten, one day, when they were struggling for some food, Houdini grabbed a hat and ran out to the city. He set the hat open on the ground and began to do some magic tricks. When the hat became half filled with coins and money, he thought that was good enough and he came home and before he went into the house he took all the coins and stuffed them in his dark curly hair and in his cuffs in his pants and up his sleeves. And, he walked in and he said, "Mom, shake me." She replied, "What are you talking about? I'm too busy." And he said, "Oh, Mom, shake me." and was persistent enough until his mom shook him and all the coins fell out of his hair and his hat and his cloths. And he said, "You know, Dad is right, that God will provide, but also God helps those that help themselves."

We must move. We must take some action in our life if Spirit is going to show up. It is great to read this material, but how to use It is to use It, is to apply It, is to be willing to attempt to believe when things do not look like they should be believed in. It's great taking the classes, but I'll tell you, we do not become spiritualized because we received a diploma or because we received a license. One does not become ordained through an institute. One becomes ordained by the presence of God. One becomes more spiritually in touch when they begin to have that experience. How to Use It is to get in touch, is to think, is to feel, is to practice. The classes are wonderful. The diplomas are terrific, just so long as they are a right of something that is going on at a deeper level.; just so they are a passage to a greater understanding; so one has the experience in their life. It's about moving out of the head and into the heart.

As I share these words from 'good ole' Ernest Holmes, or I shake that Bible in front of you like a 'good ole' Preacher man, quoting scripture or the mystics or the philosophers, I do that not as proof, but I do that to illustrate. As I share my revelation, or my experiences, or my insights, I share my experiences that might help illustrate or help one's thinking move to a place, but one begins to know the truth as they live it. God helps those that help themselves. It is about the experience. It doesn't do us any good to go around shouting, 'Hey, Spirit is going to take care of us.' and then sit home and just wait. Too often I watch Religious Scientists say, 'There is no sickness.' as they are hacking and coughing and sneezing. It is essential that we begin to prove this in our life.

I read these books that are filled with great stories. The "Chicken Soup" stories -- read them -- they are so compelling. I was watching, last evening, a story about the guy who was the head of Virgin Records. Branson -- you know, the rags to riches story. I read these anthologies of people who started in horrible situations and have become multimillionaires. I read stories of those that are born with deformed bodies and just cannot function physically and have achieved great success in their life. I listen to those that have come from a broken, dysfunctional family and are now in most ideal situations. I read these stories that are compelling, that touch the heart deeply. I sit there and as amazing as these stories are, for these individuals that have called upon the presence of God, the amazing part to me is not that God has answered the call, it's that all of us are not calling upon the Spirit the same level in our life. That some have chosen to wimp out, if you will. Listen to individuals, who... a guy, whose face is absolutely disformed, fall in love with his soul mate and be happily married, while other people are complaining in their life that they don't look good enough, their bodies aren't hard enough, they're not thin enough, they're not buffed enough. Listen to someone who becomes a multimillionaire, coming from a place of poverty who didn't have any legs. Here we are with two legs, walking into another Prosperity Seminar, listening to principles that if we had applied from the first seminar we had gone to, we'd be living that dream.

I remember Dr. Peggy Bassett, a great Minister of Religious Science, President Emeritus of this movement, towards the end of her career, ended up in a wheel chair. A lady, of great dignity, unable to speak clearly, but willing to put herself, before the people, in a wheel chair and share from her heart and move people in a deep way. Yet, I listen to individuals afraid to join Toastmasters because of their fear of stumbling or bumbling with their words. I mean... join in on Tuesday mornings, here. How to use This is to step into that fear. People tend to be afraid to move in their life because they are not going to look good or they are going to fail. So what!!!!! So what, if you fail! No big Deal!!! You pick yourself up, again, and you begin to apply yourself. This is how you use It in your life. You be willing to step forward; to go for it; to attempt to be all that you were intended to be, because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. It's not going to come someday. It is here, for us to live. You know, this Kingdom of Heaven is not that place that we are going reach in some ethereal aspect of our being. Thy Kingdom's come. It's here, now. It is about living in that Spiritual way, here, on earth.

How do you use It? You begin to call upon that Power. You do not need to be a ragster. You do not need be in a body that doesn't work. Call upon it! The amazing part is that people forget to call upon that Spirit. How do you use It? You call upon it in your life. This is just the basic stuff. It shows up.
I remember, this summer, I was watching a little guy, in a swimming pool, holding on to his dad's neck. The guy was about three years old and they were in the shallow end. This little guy was just holding on to Dad, just so completely cool. He had it all under control. Then, the dad started to walk down into the deep end a little bit. Just pleasantly, gently, playfully saying, 'deeper, deeper, deeper' and you could see the panic that began to come across this little guy's eyes. Now, Dad was still touching the bottom. There wasn't any problem, but the fear that came into this little guy's eyes... Now, if he was big enough to step back and to analyze the situation, he would realize that he couldn't touch the bottom any more in the shallow end than he could when he was in the deeper end. He was as fully dependent upon his dad in the shallow end, when he was holding onto him, as he was as his dad walked into a little deeper water. But all of a sudden, the concept, the shift, the stuff that went on inside of him, began to create the intensity within his life. This is how he was using It, in that moment. He was using It in a way that created fear; that created anxiety in him. We use the principle; we call forth this life essence in our life with our fears, with our worries, with our anxieties, with our concerns. God says, "Sure, you want to worry about it, let me give you something to worry about." You say, "How could it get worse?" God says, "Ahhhh, let me show you how!!!" Let's get rid of that one from our vocabulary. People say, "Why not me?" Well, Spirit will show you why not. Some challenge goes on in your world, you say, "Why me?" Well, Spirit will show you.

Let us begin to get out of that concept and begin to move to a greater place of understanding. Because, so often, we tend to go to God looking for that Spiritual presence. We go to that Energy with our human condition trying to come up with a human solution, which is absolutely a futile way to do it. If we are going to go to God; if we are going to go to the Spiritual Energy; if we are going to this Life Force; if we are going to go to what ever you want It, then let's go to It and open up to the answers. Let us get rid of our attachment to the way we think it should turn out. Let us surrender our position and say, "OK, God, I'm choosing to use this Power by saying, 'I'm turning it over to this Higher Power that is for good.' And then, you become moved by It. And then, you begin to take the steps in your life that are necessary to facilitate a vehicle, or an avenue, or a channel through which the form begins to materialize in your life. The form houses your consciousness. Allow yourself to be moved by Spirit.

Ernest Holmes writes, from this chapter: Suppose: We find ourselves impoverished. We wish to change the condition. We know that it is not in accord with the Ultimate Reality; that Spirit imposes no limitations. Therefore, we knows that our apparent limited condition has no real law to support it; it is simply an experience of consciousness. We wish a definite result in the opposite direction. first, we realize that the Law of Life is a Law of Liberty, of Freedom. We now state that this Law of Liberty is flowing through us and into all our affairs. But the image of our limitation persists. Here is a definite contradiction of our statements of freedom. [Does that ever happen? You say this spiritual stuff and your life looks like... you've got to be kidding. Right here you must stop. You say your stuff and your world doesn't change.] Right here, Ernest says, we must stop... this is how you use It...stop... and declare that these images of limitation are neither person, place nor thing; that they have no power, personality nor presence and no real law to support them. We begin to fill our thoughts with the idea of faith, the expectancy of good and the realization of plenty. We sense and mentally see right action in our lives. We put our whole trust in the Law of Good, and It becomes very real to us as we definitely speak it into our being -- into our being and into the being of our affairs. You stop, you look at it in the face. So often people run around denying when they're hacking and saying they're not hacking. You stop and you look at it... and know that there is no real essence of life to support it. It is up to you to keep that body sick. Or you can say, "Heh, it's sick and you know what, the spiritual truth of this situation is one of wholeness; the spiritual truth of this situation is completeness; the spiritual truth of this situation is this. You know, when something is out of kilter in your life, it is a sign to you. It is a biofeedback system that something is out of kilter. Things don't just happen, they happen justly. Read the signs!!... that life is speaking to you because, if you don't it's going to shake you louder.

A couple of weeks ago, I was driving up in the Carmel Valley area. It gets flooded up there a little bit and there was a sign that said, "Road Flooded, Do Not Enter, Road Closed." I looked down the road and I didn't see any flood. 'It must have dried up by now.' So, I drove down a few blocks, made a turn, drove a little bit and sure enough there was a big lake right across the road. No way to go across it. I came driving back
and on the back side of that sign was: "Welcome Back, Dummy."

Life is speaking to us all the time, but are we paying attention. Are we reading the signs that are there? Are we trying to impose our way and try to say what is right and what is wrong? Who says what is right or wrong? It is up to us to believe in ourselves. The reason, a lot of times, that healing doesn't happen in our lives; the lack of the healing process, is because we go because we are looking for a healing of a situation, which in a sense is right, but we go because there is a sense of sickness; there is a sense of lack; there is a sense of unwellbeing. What we want God to do is to fix this particular situation. Because we are saying this is what's right here. But this is our little mind. This isn't how we use this Power. We use the Power of God -- and when I say use the truth is allowing It to use us -- we use it by going to God and work on embracing the Wholeness, the Completeness.

And it eliminates that which does not belong in our experience. We do not need to tell God how to fine tweak the situation. Spirit will tell us how to fine tweak it. That may look like going to a doctor for antibiotics; or it may look like going to an herb shop; or it may just look like sitting out on the cliff and communing. The key, here, is going to Spirit to experience our Completeness and our Wholeness, not trying to take our human perspective and saying, "God, this is the way it should be." Do we want to do that?
Friday, I was doing an Ordination out in Hemit and I thought it would be fun to fly Kalli out for lunch in Palm Springs first and then over to Hemit in the afternoon and then come home by plane late at night. And we were right between the storms. So, I called the weather service. I ask the weather service in the morning, "The clouds look like they're breaking, can I make it?" and they said, "No, we don't recommend it." So it started to clear up later in the day, right around lunch time. The skies were blue. So, I called and the said, "Well, going over the pass into Palm Springs there is this convectional activity, which is what creates the thunderstorms and the big clouds. We do not recommend it. Then, when you fly into Hemit it's going to be real milky. It could turn to fog anytime. And, by the time you get back in the evening, the fog, the marine layer is going come in. You won't even be able to see the ground. So, we don't recommend going." So, here it is late afternoon and I thought I'd call one more time and they just said, "NO!!!" I looked and the sky was clear. I looked out at the Passes and I knew I could make it. Then I remembered that flood sign. Why am I asking, if I'm not going to listen. So, I drove... and it was wonderful. But, it seemed the whole time the sky would have been clear enough to fly. I got back and the fog wasn't that thick, I'm sure I could have put the plane down. And I began to question why did they say this? Maybe I should never listen to them again. Then, it suddenly hit. One does not need to question, afterward. If Spirit has spoken. You may not know the real reason. But, if you were attached to a particular answer for a particular purpose and there was a full spectrum of other energy that played in that you would not even begin to know. I don't know... maybe I would have crashed, who knows what it would have been? But, if I tried to fit it into this little parameter, I'm coming from such a small inductive place. Spirit sees deductively. Spirit sees the whole. Let us remember to go to God. Let us remember to call forth that Presence in our life. And when It speaks let us read the signs. Let us listen to what comes forth and not have to second guess, but begin to believe the direction in which we are directed within our life.

We go to Spirit, a lot of times, because something doesn't feel right in our life. Something's out of balance. Something isn't healthy in the affairs of the body. And, the reason we know that is because it doesn't feel right inside. Right? This must mean that at the core of our being is the good; is the whole; is the completeness. Because, when we are away from that, it doesn't seem right. So, it's nice to be able to use that as the parameter to get us back on course. To get back on course is to surrender to that Essence, that Power, that Life Force. And to allow It to guide you. But, I listen, sometimes, to people do their prayers that they learn back in their upbringing; that they learned in a certain way. They pray these words because they were taught to pray this particular way. What I have come to discover is that praying in a particular way; saying a particular prayer; doing things in a particular way because this is the way that is by rote, is no different than praying to a golden calf. Because there is something that says, "This way is going to work." ... well, this golden calf is going to deliver the goods. Or praying to a concept of God is no different than the pagans who used to pray to their idols which was a concept of God to them. If we can begin to let go of the concepts; if we can begin to let go of the structure and go to Spirit and open up and allow ourselves to be moved so we know what steps to take, then we will be treating our mind, our being, our soul, and consciousness in very powerful, healing, embracing way.

Treatment... and I talk about treatment, it's as if when one goes to a medical doctor and gets a physical treatment, when ones works with a spiritual practitioner, they get a spiritual treatment in the realm of mind, so we call it a spiritual mind treatment. It's a type of prayer, but we tend to call it treatment. Ernest Holmes talked about treatment in this chapter: Treatment is an intelligent energy in the invisible world. It is a spiritual entity in the mental world and is equipped with power and volition -- as much power and volition as there is faith in it given to it by the mind of the one using it -- and, operating through the Law, [which is basically saying it is done at the level you believe] It knows exactly how to work and what methods to use and just how to use them. We do not put the power into this word, but we do let the power of the Law flow through it and the one who most completely believes in this power will produce the best results.

Allow yourself to be touched by Spirit so what occupies your mind is the Spiritual Entity of your wholeness of your completeness. And so, if there is an area of your life that can use some empowerment, some healing, some flow -- you move into a spiritual place and connect with Spirit and allow your mind to be filled with this Spiritual Entity. And so, the words you speak do not come from your human mind or the human conditions that are prompting your human mind, but rather, allow the thoughts, the feelings to be moved and prompted from within. Allow that to come through your mind and your awareness. Do you get the difference here? This is how you use It. It's this simple. See, what It does is It does it through you. And the way It works is through a Law, which is basically what Jesus says is 'done unto you as you believe.' And how you use It is you get out there and you use it. So. my challenge to you, this week, is to remember how to use it.
God bless us all.

Rev. Christian Sorensen

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