Category: choice

The Hallways of Life by Rev Rhoni Tretsven

Hello beautiful souls, recently I have had the privilege of having many conversations concerning what I name as the “Hallways of Life.” You know the pesky place that feels like you are in the doldrums. Nothing appears to move in any direction for us to understand where we are going, what our next step is, and there isn’t any light for us to see ahead to our future. Where is that door or window to let us out and unleash our talents to the world? I have many times ended up in that hallway. Wondering, wishing, watching. It is when I let go of how things “should be”, and trust the Divine Self, all will be revealed as I am to know it.

During one of my “stays” I, like most of us turn to books for inspiration or even a glimmer of how to escape the darkness of my mind. Yes, ministers are human too. As I scrolled through a few “Self Help” inspirational video’s, I happened upon a monologue given by Steve Harvey the host of Family Feud. It was about “Jumping” to your highest potential. I feel it is not just inspirational, but it gives us the gift of remembering who we are.

Steve Harvey did this impromptu monologue between tapings of the show. What I truly embrace is he encourages people to take a leap of faith and pursue their God-given talents and dreams, rather than staying in a safe but unfulfilling existence. He encourages us all to “Jump.” He explains, everyone has a gift: emphasizing that every individual is born with a unique gift or talent. This isn’t just about traditional artistic abilities; it could be anything from networking to cooking, teaching, or even landscaping. He further tells us, you have to jump to use your gift. To truly live and achieve success, you must take a chance and jump off the cliff of life. This means stepping out of your comfort zone and dedicating yourself to your gift. The parachute won’t open immediately. Harvey candidly warns that when you first jump, your parachute (success, support) will not open right away. You’ll likely face setbacks, failures, and hardships – you’ll hit the rocks and get some skin torn off.

Eventually, the parachute must open. This is the core message of hope. He assures listeners that if they persist and keep believing, their parachute will eventually open, as it’s a promise from God. He cites his own life experiences and God’s faithfulness as proof. Staying safe means never knowing your potential.

Harvey argues that if you choose to remain on the cliff, never taking that leap, your parachute will never open. You’ll never truly discover what God has in store for you or experience the abundant life you’re meant to have. Bills will always be there. He addresses common excuses like I have bills. He points out that bills exist whether you jump or not and living a life of just existing is not truly living.

As he continues, we suddenly understand this is a call to action, inspiring each one of us to overcome our fears, embrace our potential, and take the necessary risks/steps to live a life of purpose and fulfillment. I promise it will move you in many ways. I am grateful I can share some of my ah-ha moments along my journey of life with all of you, and the path I took to “see the light” and realize it is not an oncoming train.

He has written a book with the title, “Jump” if you choose to explore more.

–Namaste – Rev. Rhoni

 

Giving Peace a Real Chance in 2025 by Rev. Sue Oliver

This week’s theme is based on John Lennon and the Plastic Ono band’s iconic song “Give Peace a Chance,” sung in 1969 as a Vietnam war anthem (their YouTube video). The song’s main lyrics “All we are saying is give peace a chance” are even more relevant and important today than they were back then. These days, the internet, social media, and various channels predominantly broadcast the bad news – conflicts, wars, and other crises in the world, such that peace can seem like an everdistant dream or fairy tale. Yet, spiritual wisdom and our own experiences as metaphysicians remind us of the great news: peace doesn’t start on the world stage – it begins within. In Religious Science, we speak of a “world that works for all” – one that is ever emerging and evolving, despite appearances to the contrary.

Although I can and do experience various human emotions, such as fear, doubt, worry, anger, sadness, and others, in reaction to events in my life and around the globe, there is always an inherent peace at the center of my being, my true identity. Even when I feel irritated when someone cuts me off in traffic or outraged at some injustice in another country or our own, peace is still a possibility for me to choose…or not.

Ernest Holmes wrote, “Peace stands at the door of your consciousness and awaits your acceptance of It.” (Holmes Reader on Change, p.59) Thus, we do not need to chase peace, as it is present and available in, though, and as each of us – here, now, and always. Similarly, the Vietnamese Buddhist monk, Thich Nhat Hanh taught, “Peace is present right here and now… every breath we take, every step we take, can be filled with peace.” (Peace Is Every Step) Our task is not to search for peace, but to wake up to it, moment by moment.

Well, to be honest, I frequently fall asleep at the consciousness wheel and forget this spiritual truth for myself and others. So, I don’t always give peace a chance in my own life, let alone in the world. Holmes reminds us that “even one individual grounded in peace can uplift a group caught in conflict.” (Science of Mind Magazine, 1955) This is the ripple effect of spiritual practice and the power of a spiritual community like CSL Tucson, where we can remind each other of our divine identity that is peace, love, prosperity, and so much more.

So, how do we respond, instead of reacting, to the dissonance and challenges that we might experience in today’s world? How do we know and affirm a peaceful world that works for all, even when it can seem so futile?

We can start right where we are, with even the smallest of peaceful thoughts and actions: spending a few minutes each day in meditation and affirmative prayer, speaking words of peace instead of criticism, choosing to see others – even the most difficult ones – as expressions of the Divine, sharing a smile, offering a random act of kindness, and, of course, participating in the CSL Tucson community. These actions are not trivial – they are the real work of spiritual peacemaking that feeds and waters a world that works for all.

Let this be our affirmation and action: Peace begins with me. Peace moves in me, through me, and as me, into the world. I am giving peace a real chance today. And so it is!

–Rev. Sue Oliver

We Are All…. by Mariann Moery

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Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and right doing is a field. I will meet you there. — Rumi

 

 

 

I don’t know where your political, mental, spiritual or emotional energies are now, but for many of us it’s all a whirling haboob bringing nothing but hot wind and wtf [whiskey tango foxtrot (: )] . Doesn’t matter where we stand, sit or fall.

So, for me, it is time to return to one of the most amazing stories of reclamation and love triumphant that I have ever had the great gift of knowing about.

Father Gregory Boyle, Jesuit priest, has spent the last 30 years creating and building one of the most successful street “ministries” ever. HOMEBOY INDUSTRIES is the largest gang intervention program…in the world. Thousands transformed – hundreds buried. Homeboy Industries has grown to include multiple businesses all run by homies who have found their way there. (Homies is the preferred term now – since there is no gender exclusion.) Father Boyle, or “G” as he is known mostly has baptized many in prison, some more than once. Once they are part of this, they remain so – a fall from ‘grace’ simply means a delay in being welcomed back ‘home’.

Homeboy’s only and unwavering principles:

We are ALL unshakably good – no exceptions.

We belong to each other – no exceptions.

Why is it that the simpler the rule, the harder it is to actually follow?

Father Boyle’s books are available through Abebooks.com, Stacks Books, and likely, Bookmans locally, as well as Amazon. Maybe Tattoos on the Heart is already on your own bookshelf. His latest, Cherished Belonging, is a fine place to start but they are all worth a read and the realization that the most amazing things are indeed possible.

I periodically try to remember that we are all living essences of God and despite actions to the contrary, that is the actual Truth. My experience is quite mixed. The more separate the ones identified as “transgressor” are from my world, the easier they are to accept and love.

However, when the “transgression’ happens on my turf: physical, emotional, mental – well, my response tends to be guided with a lot that happens on the lower end of Life choices.

Because it is all by choice. True we have been trained not just in this life, but through centuries of “might makes right”, Manifest Destiny forever, and so on.

And, yet an alternate view of the rules above has been with us for just as long. From Jesus the Christ to Islam (which actually incorporates them) to say nothing of the Baháʼí.

We probably aren’t the mother in Cherished Belonging who while visiting her son in prison, waits for the guards to be momentarily distracted and then reaches into her bra and pulls the still warm burrito from his favorite store with the comment ‘it’s the special one’.

But we do all have those opportunities to share rather than glare. It usually is f’ing hard. From fear, from disdain, from simply not understanding.

If we start from a distance, it’s a start. Checks written, clothes donated, holiday meals served – but if we truly desire a better world – not just for thee and me – but for all. This is the best possible time to start. Everywhere.

It really is beautiful, and hard.

In Peace, Mariann

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world. — Anne Frank

Remember Who You Are, Sharon Whealy RScP

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“You are a powerful, loving, and creative child of God. You are very loved.”

For the past several weeks, I have been drawing a card from Doreen Virtue’s Archangel Oracle card deck to help me ground my week. This week’s card was “Remember Who You Are,” a great reminder as I begin navigating a career change at 65 years old. I have been doing bookkeeping for decades, and I’m good at it; it is easy for me, and it is safe. It is also something I have been feeling complete with for a while now. Did I mention bookkeeping feels safe?

As I consider creating something entirely new, I have been experiencing self-doubt, procrastination, and fear. What if I’m not good enough? What if no one wants what I have to offer? What if doing something that feels like my soul’s calling won’t support me and pay my bills? What if, what if, what if …?

When we were kids, if we asked our mother, “What if …?” she would reflect the question back at us, saying something like, “Well, what if …?” She would not even entertain a question rooted in what is essentially fantasy thinking. Why is it that when we imagine a new future for ourselves, our first thoughts are all the ways things could go wrong, rather than imagining all the ways things could go right?

The expanded message of the card reminds us:

“You are made in the image and likeness of your Creator, so you embody aspects of all those qualities. Your inner Divine light is pure and bright in truth, and no mistakes can undo God’s handiwork of true perfection. Don’t be afraid of your power, your magnificence or your wisdom. When you succeed, you inspire others. When you change your life so that it’s more aligned with your interests, you inspire others. Be powerful! Be magnificent! This is who you are.” Archangel Oracle Cards ~ Doreen Virtue

When I pulled this card from the deck, I knew this was exactly the reminder I needed. I am Spirit incarnate; my inner Divine light is pure and bright in truth. Who am I to hide that light in self-doubt and fear? There are no mistakes in God’s world, and I am guided in this new venture. Changing my life to be more aligned with what my soul is calling me into allows me to step into my wisdom, my power, and my magnificence. When I align with my soul’s calling, I align with Spirit’s highest expression of Itself as me. I am powerful and magnificent.

And so are you!

My reminder to myself, and my reminder to you, is that we are all made in the image and likeness of our Creator, and that God, Spirit, Life is best served when we allow ourselves to shine brightly, to own our wisdom, to be in our power, to follow our dreams, and be magnificent.

–Sharon Whealy, RScP

I Want to Live in Peace: Claiming My Right to Self-Determination by Chris Wheeler

In a world that often feels divided by politics, algorithms, and echo chambers, I find myself yearning for something simple and profound: peace. Not just the absence of conflict, but a deeper peace—a freedom to live authentically, to communicate my values without fear, and to participate in the ongoing progress of humankind.

Freedom to Express, Freedom to Forgive
I want to be able to speak my truth, whether or not it aligns with any group or ideology. True freedom means not being forced into silence or conformity. It means being able to share ideas, ask questions, and even make mistakes without the threat of persecution or retribution.

But freedom of speech is only part of the equation. I also want to improve my ability to forgive, even when forgiveness feels undeserved or difficult. Forgiveness isn’t always the obvious or easy choice, but I believe it’s essential for healing and moving forward—both personally and collectively. By practicing forgiveness, I can help break cycles of resentment and open doors to understanding.

Doing the Work of Inclusion and Humility
Inclusivity doesn’t happen by accident. It requires effort, empathy, and a willingness to listen. I want to do the work necessary to be inclusive, to recognize my own biases, and to make space for voices that have been marginalized or silenced. That means practicing humility—acknowledging that I don’t have all the answers and that every human being has inherent worth.

Rising Above the Noise
It’s easy to get swept up in the chaos and negativity amplified by social media algorithms. These digital forces often reward outrage and division, making it harder to see each other’s humanity. I want to rise above that noise. I want liberty and justice for ALL—not as slogans co-opted by partisan politics, but as real, lived values that guide our actions.

The Right to Learn and Dialogue
Education is a cornerstone of freedom. I want the ability to educate myself without censorship or ideological gatekeeping. I want safe, open dialogue where people can share ideas and experiences without fear of being attacked or ostracized. Progress depends on our willingness to listen, to question, and to grow together.

Learning from the Past, Shaping the Future
I don’t want to recreate some imagined “golden age” or demand adherence to any prescribed religion or philosophy. I want to learn from our shared history—the triumphs and the mistakes—so we can build something better. My actions, not just my beliefs, can be an agent of change.

Balancing Individual and Collective Rights
Personal freedom is essential, but it must be balanced with the rights and freedoms of others. Societies achieve this through laws, dialogue, and institutions that mediate conflicts and promote mutual respect. It’s not always easy, but it’s necessary if we want to live in peace.

My Commitment
I claim my right to self-determination. I commit to doing the hard work of inclusion, humility, and forgiveness. I will speak my truth, listen to others, and strive to be an agent of positive change. I want to participate in the progress of humankind—not as a bystander, but as an active, compassionate, and thoughtful citizen.

Let’s choose peace. Let’s choose understanding. Let’s choose liberty and justice for all.

–Chris Wheeler

Yes, Now. By Chris Wheeler

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Consider the following: I have the tools to re-define the reality of my life when I use them.

I was thinking the other day that I would very much like to feel like I am making progress in all the directions I wish to go. I was hoping to reframe my perceptions and feel good enough to feel like I was making headway. Very often that is as far as it goes, and I remain locked into old thinking loops. Sure sometimes I am doing better than I’m feeling but real progress at a rate I would like takes getting to some positive emotion like excitement or anticipation. Regular meditation is one of my life practices. I often join my wife on a zoom Transcendental Meditation call that began during Covid. The opening before the meditation includes interesting things that often speak to the genius of nature. After the meditation an inspirational thought or a poem. On this occasion I got exactly what I needed.

Our True Heritage
Each moment you are alive is a gem,
shining through and containing earth and sky,
water and clouds.

It needs you to breathe gently
for the miracles to be displayed.
Suddenly you hear the birds singing,
the pines chanting, see the flowers blooming,
the blue sky,
the white clouds,
the smile and the marvelous look
of your beloved.

You, the richest person on Earth,
who have been going around begging for a living,
stop being the destitute child.
Come back and claim your heritage.
We should enjoy our happiness
and offer it to everyone.
Cherish this very moment.
Let go of the stream of distress
and embrace life fully in your arms.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

This quote reminded me that what I seek is actually there all the time I need to remember to keep thoughts like that forefront in my mind. All I really need is to be persistently aware.

–Chris Wheeler

Yes, or No? By Sharon Whealy, RScP

“We cannot live a choiceless life. Every day, every moment, every second, there is choice. If it were not so, we would not be individuals.” Science of Mind p.143.3

I recently listened to Eugene Holden’s self-Mastery Academy podcast (episode 4) with Rev. Melissa Moorer-Nobles, and they were talking about connecting with our Yes! The conversation quickly turned to the power of our No! Rev. Melissa shared a job she said yes to, despite her knowing it was not the job of joy she had declared she wanted. Within three weeks, she knew her yes should have been no, and she left the job. The topic turned to why we say “yes” when we should be saying “no”.

In our teaching, we are urged to the “yes” side of things; say yes to the opportunity, say yes to Spirit! Sometimes, however, saying no is more aligned with our goals and desires. Why do we say yes when we know we should be saying no? For me, some answers are fear you won’t like me if I say no, or that I will disappoint you, FOMO (fear of missing out), guilt, a sense of duty or obligation, or a need to fix a situation. Saying yes when I mean no results in unhappiness, selfcriticism, and growing resentments. It can also be a confirmation that yes, I really did not want that.

We’ve heard the saying, “‘No’ is a complete sentence.” When we say no to something, we often follow it with an explanation of why we’re saying no, when no reason is necessary. In her book, Getting in Touch with Your Inner Bitch, Elizabeth Hilts suggests using the phrase, “I don’t think so” when having to turn a request down. No explanation and no excuse, it is a simple “I” statement that says no politely, leaving no room for push back.

“Our correct choice will be part of the working of the Law. All doubt and fear must go and, in their place, must come a faith and confidence, for we shall be led by the Spirit into all good. SOM, p.272.2

To get in touch with our “sacred no,” we must first be clear about our goals, desires, and values. Is saying ‘yes’ to this in alignment with my highest good? Am I saying ‘yes’ out of fear, guilt, obligation, or need? We must also examine if our ‘no’ is aligned with our highest good. Am I saying ‘no’ out of fear, smallness, safety, or not wanting to change? Being still and going within helps us center into the right choice.

“If we have to make a choice and feel we do not know which or what to choose, we must be still in our own consciousness and know that the Spirit within us knows which of these ways is the right, and most constructive way, and will guide us.” SOM, p. 273.1

A lot is going on in the world to say no to racism, deportations, stripping of our government, and leaders who don’t seem to have the people’s best interests at heart, to name but a few. It occurs to me that as I contemplate owning my no, I am simultaneously saying yes to human rights, democracy, honesty, and integrity. For everything I say no to, I am saying yes to something greater that is wanting to be called into expression.

–Sharon Whealy, RScP

My Wish for You by Linda Bullock

I love life and I enter into the joy of living. I enter into companionship with others, into cooperation with them. And I know that something within me reaches out and embraces the whole world. Something within me blesses everything it touches, brings life and happiness and joy to everyone. (Living the Science of Mind, pages 188-189)

This is my last article for the CSLT newsletter. Big changes are afoot, and the accompanying mixed emotions are floating around in my head.

I’m on record on our CSLT video saying that I came to find community and I found that and so much more. Pat Masters was in my first Foundations class taught by Reverend Donald Graves. What a gift to know Pat! I enjoyed the Services, especially the music of David Prouty. I have continued to learn from Science of Mind teachings.

Ernest Holmes says ALWAYS EXPECT THE GOOD. Have enthusiasm and, above all, have a consciousness of love. (SOM, page 184) Like my program of recovery, spiritual growth works best one day, one practice at a time.

The community of CSLT is significant to my spiritual growth. In early 2014 I was blessed to become a grandmother and moved parttime to Lake Havasu City for 5 years. I quickly found the local CSL and participated whenever in town.

I understand that in life Truth doesn’t change but so much else does. I am going to miss the people of CSLT, my fellow board members past and present, the practitioners, the musicians. Of course, streaming the services from a distance is possible, but that doesn’t give me the opportunity to smile and say Hello in person and give hugs. I will miss your sweet faces. If I have interacted with you since my time at CSLT, I hope I have been kind.

I know for CSLT leadership the strength and a willingness to be open to the varying needs of the community that may have not yet been expressed or nurtured. I know a dynamic time is ahead, that growth is being demonstrated. I know financial concerns are resolving.

I am releasing and letting go as we sing in Rickie Byers song. I have benefitted from ‘this or something better’ in my search for a new place to call home. I strive to be positive and use the spiritual tools I’ve learned. I know all will be well. I know the same for you.

From Roger Teel’s This Life is Joy, “… I see you as a Child of Light. I see you guided and directed by an inward Spirit that leads you unerringly on to the path that is just right for you. I see you strong and whole. I see you blessed and prospered. I see you courageous and confident. I see you capable and successful. I see you free from every limitation and all bondage of any kind. I see you as the spiritually perfect being that you truly are.”

–And so it is with love. Linda

Transitions by Linda Bullock

Spirit understands adversity as opportunity. Spirit is able to work for the good in all things. As I encounter difficult transitions in which I doubt the good which is unfolding, I remind myself there is a higher plan in motion with which I can consciously cooperate. As I face my resistance to change, as I choose to align myself with events as they are unfolding, I find in my acceptance a sense of tranquility, a promise of safety. Change embraces me as I myself embrace change. Transitions: Prayers and Declarations for a Changing Life by Julia Cameron.

Sometimes difficult circumstances are the impetus for change. Such is life and in the midst of personal change I am relying on the promise of safety and occasional sense of tranquility. We are preparing to sell the house that has been our home for 24 years. I don’t want to focus yet on all the change this house has seen, the life changes retirement and health decline have brought, the 5 dogs and 3 cats no longer with us, the friends who enhanced our experiences. That will be part of my grieving, reliving the joy and the pain. There is work to be done now.

This is a time I need my faith to be strong and my physical strength to be sustained. There will be opportunities to assume more of the decision-making in the ongoing elements of a big move, to ensure safety for my husband and pet throughout, to plan and adjust to a new community which will be very different from our rural one.

This is a time when I need to release my reluctance to ask for help, to remember that I am part of the Living Spirit. Julia Cameron affirms on page 94; Today I place my trust in universal love. I open my heart to receive care and comfort from unexpected sources. I allow my good to come from many quarters. I surrender my fixed ideas as to what best serves me. I open to the innovative grace of my unfolding life.

This is a time to be grateful for new experiences, new conveniences, new relationships ahead. I am grateful that this move is our choice, not one necessitated by disaster. I am grateful that technology accommodates ease of ongoing communication with likeminded individuals despite physical distances. I am grateful for Science of Mind teachings that overcome fear and anxiety. I am grateful for the practice of affirmations, such as the following from Ernest Holmes in Creative Ideas, page 27.

Today I do affirm that I am divinely guided and that the Spirit goes before me and paves the way. There is that within which knows what to do and how to do it, and it compels me to act on what it knows.

I accept this guidance as now flowing forth into action through me. Therefore I shall do that which I should do, I shall know that which I need to know, I shall encounter those new ideas I need. With nonresistance and complete acceptance, I let the inward stream of life carry me safely and surely to the accomplishment of my every good purpose.

May all your transitions be peaceful.

–Love, Linda

Gratitude. Good for the Soul. Good For the Whole Person. By Chris Wheeler

I am grateful because I cultivate gratitude.

Gratitude can be the pathway to stability in my outlook on life.

Biologically our brains focus on contrast and possible negative consequences because our primal selves want survival. Negativity is a natural tendency that very often can end in despair.

Gratitude helps me focus on the things and situations that contribute to my well-being.

Consciously we are aware of less than .01% of the sensory cells being activated each second. Normally this is a good thing – if we were suddenly aware of all of the different things touching our body, smells reaching our nose, tastes lingering on our tongue, sounds hitting our eardrums and light-rays entering our eyes all at once, we would go into overload and be unable to focus.

Sometimes it’s good to suspend the filter and increase awareness.

The next time you are eating delicious food, take a moment to close your eyes, focus on the pleasant sensations being generated in your mouth, and be grateful for 1) your tongue, 2) the food or both. Doing this not only makes me grateful and happy – it makes my food taste much better.

The next time you are listening to a favorite song, focus on the beautiful combination of sounds, and be grateful for 1) your ears, 2) the music, or both. Remember the emotions you experienced the first few times you listened to a favorite song? This can help you reclaim that initial joy.

The scope of gratitude can expand exponentially.

I have placed “Gratitude Rain Showers” on my to-do list because it gives me the opportunity to practice gratitude as free flowing consciousness. This once-a-month event (the fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:30 on CSLT Zoom channel, email office for Zoom information) is a great way to start regular practice of listing gratitudes.

Nurturing a heart that is full of gratitude I find it easier to interpret my world as a place of unlimited potential and good. I prefer to live in the world I intend to live in rather than a world of pessimism.

God created ALL Things. Who am I to judge God’s results.

–Chris Wheeler

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