Lessons From Unity Cedar Rapids

The poet William Blake wrote: "For everything that lives is holy, life delights in life.”  What transformation would be wrought if this was the lens through which we view ourselves, our lives, and our world!  To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

"Hope is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart...it is not the same as joy that things are going well or a willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not because it stands a chance to succeed.”-Vaclav Haval In this service after election day, Rev. Debra Williams encourages you to anchor yourself in hope as you continue to do what is good and just.   She will call you to remember that you are a point of light and healing in the world as you instantiate divine love. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

November 1st is "All Saint's Day" and the service is dedicated to the memory of those who have transitioned. We will also remember those who died this year as a result of COVID-19. Hebrews 12:1 shares that, "we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses" --those who still live within the great heart and mind of God and who continue to love us and bless us with their lingering and present wisdom. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org

Voltaire wrote: "If God created us in God's own image, we have more than reciprocated."  At times, we project our anxieties, biases, and negative self-image onto God, creating a rather capricious, fickle, and unreliable deity. Rev. Debra challenges you to unmask God and discover the transformative power of God's true nature. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

Topic: "A Brave and Startling Truth " Rev Debra Carter Williams A poem by Maya Angelou serves as the central theme of Rev. Debra’s lesson: We must confess that we are the possible We are the miraculous, the true wonder of this world That is when, and only when we come to it. This lesson is an affirmation of the possibilities that lie within us and before us. It is a celebration of the miracle that you are and your ability to co-create a world of peace, abundance, and well-being for all! To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

God is both immanent (indwelling and permeating all creation) and transcendent (greater than all creation). However, the poet and mystic, Hildegard of Bingen, wrote: “You are encircled by the arms of the mystery of God.” In other words, the indwelling God envelopes us and bathes us in Divine Love as we experience challenges, but calls us to know that the One Presence and One Power in the universe is greater than anything we experience. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

James 1:7 affirms that in God there is “no variation or shadow due to change.” How do we reconcile the unchanging nature of God with the constancy of change in life? Indeed, the “times they are a-changin’ "as poet Bob Dylan reminds us. Perhaps the ability to experience change points to the dynamic of transformation itself. Perceptions must shift, attitudes and beliefs must realign, and unhealthy behaviors must be released. However, even during the most difficult seasons of change, we can rely on the sure and unfailing guidance of Spirit to help us navigate the challenges we face. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

I Corinthians 13:5 shares: “Love does not insist on its own way.” Therefore, true love requires us to let go of a desire to control or to be overly directive—even overly helpful.  We must love in a manner in which the person we love feels free.    Using the book by Thich Nhat Hanh as the basis of the series, as well as the teachings of Jesus and our foundational Unity principles, Rev. Debra Carter Williams will explore four important elements of loving relationships that are integral to compassionate engagement with the world. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

Joy Thich Nhat Hanh writes: “If there is no joy in love, it is not true love.”  But, is true love really without struggle? This lesson explores the meaning of joy and how it can be experienced, along with other emotions, in relationships of trust and mutual respect.   Using the book by Thich Nhat Hanh as the basis of the series, as well as the teachings of Jesus and our foundational Unity principles, Rev. Debra Carter Williams will explore four important elements of loving relationships that are integral to compassionate engagement with the world. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

Loving Kindness: While loving-kindness expresses as selflessness, watchful care, thoughtfulness, and gentleness, it is rooted in our intention to love and our ability to deeply understand and recognize another’s joys and struggles.   Using the book by Thich Nhat Hanh as the basis of the series, as well as the teachings of Jesus and our foundational Unity principles, Rev. Debra Carter Williams will explore four important elements of loving relationships that are integral to compassionate engagement with the world. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

VISION: We began January with a call to write a new life story ---one founded in the truth that is inscribed within us.  We end the month with a call to see ourselves, our spiritual community, and the world with renewed spiritual clarity and focus.  Come and learn how to open your eyes and SEE! To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

For Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The Beloved Community wasn’t a utopian fantasy, but an achievable goal.  In the Beloved Community, love, kindness, compassion, and inclusion, replace injustice, hatred, violence, and discrimination.  Jesus called this the Kingdom of Heaven.  Spirit is calling Unity Center of Cedar Rapids to live even more fully into The Beloved Community as we seek to share the wonder and joy of God’s Love. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

Every week, we end the Sunday service by singing these words: "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me." This is a powerful statement of intention, but what does it mean when faced with the struggles of life and the present condition of the world?  To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

TS Eliot wrote, “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language and next year’s words await another voice.” As we begin the New Year, an opportunity to write a new life story is set before us—one that announces the infinite possibilities within God’s intention for our lives and for UCR.  To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

Youth and Family Ministry Co-Directors Mary and Joshua Haun share their views on how our humanity need not be seen as a problem impeding our spiritual growth. Rather, our humanity always points us back to our divinity... reminding us of the miracles ready to express in, through, and as us! Joshua and Mary Haun began their spiritual journeys in 2013. Since that time Spirit has guided them to dig deep to heal their mind and excavate old ideas and beliefs, using their relationship as the foundation of their healing. They are devoted to God and use A Course in Miracles as their path to atonement.  Ordained as ACIM Ministers in 2015, Mary and Joshua are the co-founders of Living Prayer Ministries and currently serve as the directors of the Youth and Family Ministry at Unity Center of Cedar Rapids, IA. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

Unity has historically viewed the season of Advent as an inner search of mind and heart. Co-founder Charles Fillmore spoke of Unity and Advent on January 24, 1923, radio broadcast called “Christ Mind, the Second Coming of Christ.” He said, “Christ is an idea in the Divine Mind,” and highlighted the universality of the Christ, the divine essence that dwells in every human being. Fillmore said people with preconceived, human notions of the “second coming” are bound to be disillusioned. “They are simply looking in the wrong place to discover the Advent." To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

Rev. Paul Hasselbeck will help us kick off the Advent season with a little Christmas metaphysics.  Metaphysics means “beyond the physical”, so Rev. Paul will go beyond the literal story and show us how we can apply the Christmas story to our own lives, today.  Rev. Hasselbeck is one of Unity’s leading authorities on metaphysics.  He is a well-respected “heart-centered” metaphysician, author, speaker, workshop leader, educator, radio host, and minister.  His genuine passion for clarity and precision guides people to awaken their awareness and deepen their understanding. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

You might be overloaded on the gratitude topic (is that possible?), but Laura will try to bring a different perspective to it. She will express the board’s appreciation and gratitude to all our volunteers, but also a message of faith.   Laura is the current president of the UnityCR board of trustees.  She’s a longtime member, and former Youth and Family Ministry director. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/

The Internet, social media, and being too busy seem to be a recipe for what we are now seeing as a narcissistic or “me only” culture. We have little time for anybody, including ourselves most days. For some of us, our sense of belonging feels to be slipping away. How do we navigate this new terrain with the inclusion of peace, harmony, and community? Sandra will walk us through the underlying truths of the “me” culture and invite us back to Unity’s Five Principles which are alive and vibrant in every situation. We will discover and uncover our own power in these times and be reminded how to live the presence of God regardless of the cultural terrain. To learn more please visit http://unitycr.org/