Is New Thought on Life Support?

Is New Thought on Life Support? Ideas are forever...Swedenborg's allegorical approach to scripture, Emerson's oversoul and awareness of being part of god, Spinoza's monism, Bishop Berkeley's subjective idealism, Fox's Inward Light, Yogananda's belief that the soul is the individualized consciousness of god...they were around before the new thought movement and are well ensconced in the movement. I don't worry about ideas and principles...they've been with us always and will be available to us always. And properly understood and faithfully applied they will improve lives. Where I get concerned about New Thought is when we become arrogant ('what I understand and have found to work must be the only real way'), or when we lack compassion ('if you had the consciousness for health or prosperity your dreams would come true'), when we seem selfish ('I tithe so the universe will give me more money but I don't want to give you too much help because it might make you dependent and would stunt your spiritual growth'), or when we turn away from difficulties and heartaches in the name of "not wanting to give them energy" or "not wanting to make them seem real." I don't suggest that these attitudes come from animus or that they are never appropriate at least in some measure. But sometimes we make New Thought into an excuse to deny our humanity. I have honestly known people who deny grieving because they know the "truth" that their loved one is fine and god is all and pain is an illusion, etc. I hope I never become so enlightened that I can't admit when I'm sad. My fave Zen story is about a disciple who finds his master crying. The student asked why his master was crying and the great old teacher said, "because my wife died this morning." The disciple said, "but master, you've taught us that everything is an illusion." and the zen master replied, "Yes, but my wife was my favorite illusion." I am very inspired by Thich Nhat Hanh's engaged buddhism. Jesus' was an engaged spirituality...involved in justice, health care, family dynamics, community activism, food relief, counseling (exorcisms). we can learn the principles and apply them to healing injustice, systemic oppressions, inequities, etc. And thoughts and attitudes make a difference and Treatment can work wonders and the one Power is everywhere evenly present...AND, poison killed buddha and socrates, Jesus and Paul were executed, Moses (though possibly mythical) did not enter the promised land, Bahaullah spent years in prison. Enlightened folks, Truth students suffer too and there shouldn't be shame in that. We can all manifest abundance, but I might do so more easily if I don't also have to deal with racism, sexism, homophobia, struggling economies, natural disasters, etc. Prosperity Consciousness can work for everyone, and, some have to face more obstacles than others which makes the manifestation all the greater but also might delay it a bit. The "isms" (and the challenges in life) are very much in the realm of experience and they are deleterious. I can "know" nutrition for you, but I can know it while making you a sandwich. It's usually wise to tether one's camel even while trusting Allah. That's my concern...that if NT seems myopic or uncaring or doctrinaire, then it will repel more people than it attracts and the principles won't do much good if people aren't willing to hear them because the presentation seems unkind or detached from the complexities of life. The organizations, like most religious organizations right now, may decline or stagnate or need to reinvent themselves to serve new cultural and social patterns, but if the Teaching helps people feel loved and empowered and worthy and gives them tools to improve their lives without feeling judged for needing to improve their lives...then the teaching will live on forever. Will we always call it new thought, will we always have boards and schools and retreat centers?...maybe. I'm not as attached to that as I am to the message that has enriched (and a time or two even saved) my life. That message is going to be fine. And people will find it one way or another. Whether it looks like Unity-DivineScience-SOM et al remains to be seen. I think it will be fine either way...as long as the message reaches hearts and uplifts the human spirit. THIS is a particular moment in history where just such a miracle is needed. Once it occurs, few will care what we called the "magic" that brought it about.

Pray Without Ceasing - You're Doing It Anyway

People are often confounded by the notion of prayer but I think it's very natural and can be quite effortless. Have you ever held your breath waiting for news, hoping it was better than many feared? Wasn't that your body and subconscious saying together, though silently, "My heart is holding this situation in love and I am wishing for the best possible outcome"? And wasn't that a prayer?
Has your heart ever broke open, or even shattered (it seemed) as you considered the agony someone else was experiencing, and in response didn't your tears flow? Wasn't that your spirit touching theirs and offering the blessing of compassion, and wasn't that a prayer?
Have you ever said or even thought "good luck" while truly wishing someone a satisfying experience or a joyful outcome? Have you ever said, "be careful" to someone driving away or leaving for a trip, and was that expressed wish terribly different from asking saints or ancestors or angels to watch over your beloved traveler?
Prayer is part head and part heart,
part logic and part love,
part mechanics and part mystery,
part poetry and part principle,
part faith and part formula,
part humility and sometimes even part hubris,
part courage and part comfort offered by outrageous hope and a sense that life is meant to be good and a realization that we are all, somehow, connected to all that is and all that ever has been.
And in one way or another, don't we experience or engage in one or more of these "parts" almost every moment of our lives?
"Pray without ceasing" may not be so much an instruction as an observation that we are doing that anyway.
I bet you have prayed in the last hour or so. You may not have offered your prayer to a deity, you may not have ended the experience with an "amen," but you undoubtedly have felt hope or gratitude or love or compassion in the last hour, and I would call that prayer. See, it's not so difficult after all. 

--Bishop Durrell Watkins, D.Min.

God is here

When I don’t know “what” to pray but feel the NEED to pray, I simply whisper, “God is here.” When “God” seems like an almost arrogant or silly assumption that I know what can’t be known or understand what I in my finite human experience could not possibly understand, I replace “god” with “Hope” or “Compassion” or “Wisdom” or “Peace” or “Strength.” The Mystery beyond our naming is HERE. Somehow, that simple affirmation always comforts me. God, even God beyond God, is here. And, if God is here, God is also “there” because the infinite includes everything. So, if you are facing a struggle today, I am knowing that God (that great field of unlimited possibility to which the word “god” points) is there, with you. And so it is.

Confessions of a Struggling Optimist

Optimism is a choice for me. It isn't "natural"...that is, I didn't learn it in my home or school or even in the church of my youth. Because I was already a young adult when I embraced New Thought philosophy (the idea that we can take control of our habitual thinking and thereby improve the conditions of our lives), I had long established/programmed thought habits that fed into anxiety, shame, regret, and dread. 

As a child and young adult, I worried about almost everything. I saw the world as a challenging place where every good thing and every success could only come by means of struggle. Added to the habitually negative way of viewing the world that I was taught was a family history of depression. I not only "learned" anxiety, in some ways, I biologically inherited it!

Additionally, I was a gay child in a super conservative, fundamentalist Christian region of the country, where fear (fear of God, fear of Hell, fear of punishment, fear of not being good enough, fear of gays!) was practically in the water supply...it seemed ubiquitous, natural, normal, and inescapable. So feelings of anxiety, loneliness, and low self-esteem all seemed to come naturally to me; those feelings certainly dominated my mind for the first 20 years of life (and have paid unwanted visits from time to time ever since).

But I did discover the idea that there is a universal power that flows through and expresses as all life, that this power is the energy of life, the "stuff" from which we are made, and by changing our thoughts and attitudes and expectations we can tap into that power and direct it more usefully for our benefit (rather than unintentionally using it to reinforce our fears). If such a power exists and can be used for our benefit, then hope is reasonable, and I decided to become a person of hope. 

So for almost 30 years I have been an avowed optimist. But that doesn't mean that the first 20 years of programming went away. Some days, I still struggle. My struggles are now aided by the assurance that things will get better, that I deserve for them to get better, and that I have the ability to weather the current storm (real or imagined) and see brighter days again. The struggle doesn't last as long, or occur as frequently, but it does still happen.

I still have work to do. To this day, when I experience inward turmoil, or outer challenges, a negative voice rises within me accusing me of being a fraud: "How can I be an optimist if I'm dreading the doctor visit, or sad that someone didn't appreciate me, or worried about the success of a project?" Those old negative tapes still exist. They are buried, the volume is turned down, but they are still in storage in my subconscious. 

Usually, when I feel badly about feeling badly, I am able to remind myself that optimism isn't a choice I made 30 years ago; it's a decision that I FIRST made 30 years, and it's a choice I must continue to make daily. When I remind myself of this, I start to forgive myself for being overly critical of myself, and I begin again affirming my value, daring to know that things can, ought to, and must get better, and I start remembering the many things for which I can be grateful. I start to see the good that outweighs the bad, the good that the bad can't take away, the good that is waiting for me beyond the bad...sometimes, I even notice that the bad isn't as bad as I first imagined. 

I share this because optimism saved my life. It got me through bouts of depression, including the worst bout of my life about 5 years ago. It also helped me cope with spinal defects, get my weight under control, and even live a healthy life, in spite of a chronic diagnosis, for a couple of decades now. Optimism has helped me survive professional challenges, has made it possible for me to see 22 countries so far, earn multiple degrees, and find and share my life with the true love of my life. 

I believe in optimism, I depend on optimism, and I am grateful for optimism. And I know as well as anyone that optimism is a daily choice, there can be set backs, and it may not come naturally to some of us. But just because we have some troubling days or some old thought habits pay us an unwanted visit, that doesn't make us frauds or failures...that just reminds us (to borrow from A Course in Miracles) to "choose once again." When we hit a rough patch, that's when we need optimism the most, and we can choose the power of optimism again.

There remains a universal power, we are part of it and it is part of us, and we can use it to improve our lives. We can remind ourselves of this fact as often as we need to, and as we do, things start to get better again. So, I remain an optimist. Some days it takes more effort than others, but I still believe that it's worth the effort. And so it is.

What Are We Really Praying When We Say the Lord’s Prayer?

What Are We Really Praying When We Say the Lord’s Prayer/Model Prayer/Prayer That Jesus Taught Us?

A Reflection by Rev Dr Durrell Watkins

Creator which are in heaven…

            Infinite, omnipresent Spirit…

Hallowed be thy names.

            You are known by many names, all of which affirm your goodness.

Thy kin-dom come…

            May I become aware of your presence in my life…

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

            May your goodness be made manifest in my life.

Give us this day our daily bread…

            Your grace is equal to every need…

And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors;

            And as we release past hurts we are free indeed;

And lead us not into temptation…

            You never lead us into error…

But deliver us from evil…

            But instead you lead us from all that would keep us from flourishing…

For thine is the kin-dom and the power and the glory forever.

            For you are all presence, all power, and all love throughout eternity.

Amen.

            And so it is.

National Day of Prayer

Prayer is always active in the deepest recesses of our souls.

The prayer is not always voiced or brought to conscious attention, but it is very real and always present. If we were to put the prayer of our hearts into words, it would take the form of one of several phrases, such as, “let there be peace on earth” or

“let my hope be renewed” or

“comfort and strengthen my loved one” or

“may justice prevail” or

“grant us wisdom” or

“may something good come from this situation.”

But whatever the words would be if we were to choose words, the real prayer is simply the wordless longing to know that we are held forever safe in the embrace of unconditional, everlasting, divine Love.

And so it is that on this National Day of Prayer we turn within to recognize the prayer of our hearts, the holy desire to know that ultimately all is well, the silent affirmation that we are forever part of the universal Life that is the source and substance of every life.

Ocean of wisdom,

Light of hope,

Warmth of holy Fire,

Love that will not let us go,

Breath of life,

Field of unlimited possibilities,

Today may we be aware of our unity with all beings, with all worlds, with the universe and all that is beyond.

Today, may our willingness to trust that we are one with All That Is give us courage, peace, gratitude and joy.

And today, as the Hindu and the Humanist, the  Mormon and the Muslim, the Jew and the Jain, the Protestant and the Pagan, the Catholic and the Christian Scientist, the Buddhist and the Baha’i express hope, awe, wonder, gratitude, and goodwill, as each prays in her own way, as each reveres That which he calls Sacred, may we know that not only are we one human family, but we are sharing the universal experience that we call prayer; and in this remembering, in this  sharing of the power of prayer, may we love more and may our love motivate us to live in ways that will bless the whole world.

Amen.

FREE Introductory Positive Spirituality Course (7 Lessons, 12 minutes or less each)

7. THE CHRIST METHOD OF HEALING

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwBDulWOp4g&feature=youtu.be

6. WHAT'S A MIRACLE?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X66rV0X6jvk&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw&feature=c4-overview

5. REASONABLE, RELEVANT RELIGION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGQo220K_-8&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw

4. SAVED FROM WHAT?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfi5ZMjeOnk&feature=player_detailpage

3. RESPONSIBILITY WITHOUT BLAME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0J7AyBD0Hg

2. IS THERE A SCIENCE TO PRAYER?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGsWYAE10JI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DEGsWYAE10JI&app=desktop

1    1. OMNIPRESENCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqEIejhV9Rk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw

Omnipresence, Is There a Science to Prayer?, Responsibility Without Blame, & Saved From What?are discussions with Rev Dr Durrell Watkins, Rev Cindy Lippert, and Practitioner Candice Gee

Reasonable, Relevant Religion is a discussion with Rev Dr Durrell Watkins, Rev Dr Will Mercer, and Rev Cindy Lippert

What’s a Miracle? is a discussion with Rev Dr Durrell Watkins, Rev Dr Will Mercer and Rev Sedare Coradin Mercer

The Christ Method of Healing is a discussion with Rev Dr Durrell Watkins, Rev Sedare Coradin Mercer and Rev Cindy Lippert

These lessons can be used individually or one after the other as an introductory course in New Thought metaphysics. These resources are available for you to use them as you will. 

Durrell Watkins is ordained an MCC minister (since 1997), Certified Reiki Master (since 2001), ordained Divine Science minister (since 2011) and an initiate in the Kriya Yoga meditation method (since January 2014)

Durrell is the Senior Minister of Sunshine Cathedral in Fort Lauderdale, FL

He holds degrees from Henderson State University, Goddard College, Union Theological Seminary, and the Episcopal Divinity School with additional studies from the College of Divine Metaphysics and the United Divine Science Ministerial School.

Cindy Lippert is ordained a Divine Science minister and is formerly licensed as a Unity minister. She is the past president of the International New Thought Alliance. She has completed theological courses of study from the United Divine Science Ministerial School, the Unity Institute, and the Samaritan Institute.

Candice Gee is ordained as an Interfaith minister and is a practitioner and ministerial student at Agape International Spiritual Center in Culver City, CA.

Will Mercer is a retired attorney, former chaplain, the President of the Divine Science Federation International and the Assistant Minister of the United Divine Freedom Church of the Healing Christ in NYC where he also has a very active wedding ministry. He is a graduate of the Lola Pauline Mays Seminary and is an ordained Divine Science minister.

Sedare Coradin Mercer holds a Master’s degree in Finance and is a graduate of the United Divine Science Ministerial School. She is the founding minister of United Divine Freedom Church of the Healing Christ in NYC, the President of the Divine Science Ministers Association, and a member of the INTA Governing Board. Before becoming a Divine Science practitioner and minister she was active in the I AM movement.  

Progressive Spirituality Discussions

WHAT'S A MIRACLE?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X66rV0X6jvk&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw&feature=c4-overview

 

REASONABLE, RELEVANT RELIGION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGQo220K_-8&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw

 

SAVED FROM WHAT?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfi5ZMjeOnk&feature=player_detailpage

RESPONSIBILITY WITHOUT BLAME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0J7AyBD0Hg

IS THERE A SCIENCE TO PRAYER?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGsWYAE10JI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DEGsWYAE10JI&app=desktop

OMNIPRESENCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqEIejhV9Rk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw

Spiritual Discussions

REASONABLE, RELEVANT RELIGION

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGQo220K_-8&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw

 

SAVED FROM WHAT?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfi5ZMjeOnk&feature=player_detailpage

RESPONSIBILITY WITHOUT BLAME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0J7AyBD0Hg

IS THERE A SCIENCE TO PRAYER?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGsWYAE10JI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DEGsWYAE10JI&app=desktop

OMNIPRESENCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqEIejhV9Rk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw

Sharing the Light: Progressive Spirituality Discussed

WHERE IS JESUS NOW?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRaUncgghlM

IS CHRISTIANITY THE ONE TRUE RELIGION?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KelbEBJZA3Y

STOP GAY BASHING FOR JESUS

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qCz-MO0PRg&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw&index=1&feature=plcp

COULD WE EVER BE LOST?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaJa5IEM0dU

DO PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IN JESUS?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQhosYQSroM

WHAT IS PROGRESSIVE CHRISTIANITY?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kb-ctsKbvPw

SAVED FROM WHAT?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfi5ZMjeOnk&feature=player_detailpage

RESPONSIBILITY WITHOUT BLAME

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0J7AyBD0Hg

IS THERE A SCIENCE TO PRAYER?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGsWYAE10JI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DEGsWYAE10JI&app=desktop

OMNIPRESENCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqEIejhV9Rk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw

Responsibility Without Blame and other Lessons in Spirituality

RESPONSIBILITY WITHOUT BLAME
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0J7AyBD0Hg

IS THERE A SCIENCE TO PRAYER?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGsWYAE10JI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DEGsWYAE10JI&app=desktop

OMNIPRESENCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqEIejhV9Rk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw 

Discussing Metaphysics

IS THERE A SCIENCE TO PRAYER?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGsWYAE10JI&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DEGsWYAE10JI&app=desktop

OMNIPRESENCE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HqEIejhV9Rk&feature=c4-overview&list=UUi1vfps751gSRdDZIIzhkvw

Become aware of the power

Sunshine Cathedral Daily Spirit & Truth Reflection

Tuesday, November 12

Become aware of the power Rev. Dr Durrell Watkins

"We are aware of a great Intelligence within ourselves that helps us climb the hills of life..." Carrie Munz

A woman from Boston was visiting New York for a conference. When it was time to leave the conference, she had the most difficult time hailing a cab. She wasn’t accustomed to the New York vibe and while she stood meekly, barely raising her hand as cabs drove by, no taxi driver noticed her. Any driver would have been happy to take her to the airport, but they just didn’t notice her. Finally, a driver did see and stop for her.
We can’t take advantage of what we don’t notice. As we become increasingly aware of the divine Power within us, we can trust that power more and allow It more fully to meet our every need.

Prayer Treatment: There is unlimited Energy within me; as I take notice of It, I can direct It to bless my life. I have the power; I choose to acknowledge It now. And so it is!

 

New Thought Spirituality

This video from 2010 was promoting that year's INTA Congress. The chat about New Thought and our ecumenical community is still interesting and soul-nourishing. Conversation with Dr Christopher Bazemore. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yAgPC_nTzxs

Affirmative Prayer

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9SvRqRX-1U&feature=em-comment_received&lch=email&lc=2ytrziTjMnEQSLhe8Hgy0OtoidY0nX5NatzCO5Sda5k

Posted on Youtube Nov. 14, 2009

Six Prayer Lessons

http://www.sunshinecathedral.org/Small%20Group%20Resources/LentenPrayerLessons.pdf
Six Prayer Lessons for Lent (2013)
Sunshine Cathedral

Sunshine Cathedral Holy Week Prayers

Prayer for Holy Week (by Durrell Watkins)

Holy means “whole” and this Holy Week is a reminder of my wholeness, my goodness, my right to experience hope, joy, and well-being. Maundy Thursday reminds me to love myself and to love my neighbor as I love myself. Good Friday reminds me that difficulties, even extreme difficulties happen, but they can never touch the Real me and they cannot define my life nor have the last word in my life. Holy Saturday is the day of waiting between Good Friday and Easter, and it reminds me that if my Good had not YET come to pass, or if I have not YET noticed it, that I should not give up hope. And Easter, the day of renewal, the day of new beginnings, the day of hope fulfilled, the day where Life demonstrates that It is the one Reality, Easter Sunday reminds me that hope is never wasted and joy is always possible. I bless these final days of Holy Week and allow the messages these days offer to bless me. All is well. And so it is.

Prayer for Self Fulfillment (by Durrell Watkins)

I am one with the Spirit of Life. I am a perfect idea in Divine Mind. I am how the Absolute knows Itself. I am a child of God. This is where I place my focus today, on my unity with the All Good, on the perfect Substance of life. As God is Good and I am of, in, and forever loved by God, Good is my inheritance to claim right now. I turn away from any appearance that would suggest Life is anything but supportive of me, benevolent, gracious, abundant, joyous, and filled with wonderful opportunities. Where I may have been distracted by dis-ease, I now change my focus to God, the All Good, the Source of life and abundant Health. Where I was worried about what could go wrong in the future, I NOW choose to experience optimism about the blessings that are already on their way into my life. If I have been troubled about money, I release those worries and focus instead on the Abundant Universe in which I live, and I affirm “There is Good for me and I ought to have it!” If there have been conflicts, I bless the situation saying, “peace! Be still;” and I know that something good will emerge from the situation. This day I choose to know that heavenly riches, which include health, happiness, harmony, opportunity, wisdom, safety, AND prosperity, are supplying my every need. And so I give thanks and I allow my good to be made perfectly manifest today and every day. Amen.

 

Prayer for Sunshine Cathedral (by Durrell Watkins)
God of many names, Mystery beyond our naming,
O how we love Sunshine Cathedral! We are so thankful for a place and a community where dogma is replaced by honest searching, where the past is past and the future has infinite possibilities, where we are constantly reminded of our sacred value, where healing happens in so many ways, where self-hatred is confronted with the power of Love, and where privilege is denied and the dignity of all people is celebrated. Thank you, God, for the far reaching ministry of Sunshine Cathedral. It is a healing ministry, a justice ministry, a ministry whereby your grace is given body in the world. We affirm blessings for Sunshine Cathedral and we expect it to continue to grow and thrive and prosper. May Sunshine Cathedral continue reaching more people and more kinds of people, becoming ever more diverse and far reaching, and may Sunshine Cathedral continue to be a blessing to the community and beyond. We support our wonderful church with time, talent, and treasure, and with love and goodwill, and with positive speech and with daily prayer.  Sunshine Cathedral is a blessing to so many people and will yet bless so many more. And again we give thanks. Amen.

 

Prayer for  a Loved One in Need (by Durrell Watkins)
Omnipresent Love,
N. is experiencing difficulty, but I choose right now not to focus on the difficulty but on her/his goodness and on your will that her/his life be full of joy. Problems can be solved, and until they are solved, you give us the grace and the courage and the strength and the hope to endure and move forward toward the solution, even when we don’t know how or when that solution will come to pass. N. is your child, your light shines within her/him, and your grace is equal to her/his every need. And so it is that I bless N. in your name and I affirm that she/he deserves Good and her/his Good is already at hand. Let it now be made manifest in the best possible way. Amen.

I am

I am
“The Spirit is truthful and takes us at our word. If we say, ‘I am foolish and ignorant,’ it lets us be what we say we are.” Emma Curtis Hopkins


One of the biblical names for God is “I AM.” I wonder if that is why Jesus only followed the words “I AM” with positive statements. “I AM the true vine”, “I AM resurrection and life”, etc. Even in his most painful hour when he asks for water, he doesn’t say “I AM thirsty,” he says, “I thirst.” We can acknowledge an experience without identifying with it. What are we pulling into our I-AM-ness? When you say I AM, you are using one of God’s names; don’t use it in vain. Following Jesus’ example, always follow “I AM” with something good (and NEVER with anything negative).


Prayer Treatment
I AM a person of power. I AM wise and wonderful. I AM filled with light, love, and joy. I AM forever blessed. Amen.


Durrell Watkins
Sept. 4, 2012
Spirit & Truth Magazine

Divine Supply

“I bow to the One who shares everything…I bow to the ever Bountiful. I bow to the Unlimited.” From the sacred songs of the Sikhs


We live in an abundant universe. Look how extravagant, even wasteful Nature is. Consider the Field of infinite possibilities. Imagine all the talent in the world, all the ideas that have been and all that will be, and consider the uncountable number of breaths you have already taken in life. When we remember how opulent life is meant to be and how generous Life really is, we can participate in the circulation of divine supply and release all fear of lack and limitation. Our good is at hand!


Prayer Treatment
My good is at hand! This is how it must be, and this is how I now allow life to unfold. Abundance is mine. I receive it. I give thanks for it. And so it is.


Durrell Watkins ("Spirit & Truth" magazine, Sept. 1, 2012)

Q&A with Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins: Are There Things God Can't Do?

Question: I think I heard you say recently that there are things God can’t do. Isn’t God omnipotent?

Answer: That’s the question that people have wrestled with forever. If God is all powerful, then why doesn’t God fix everything that is wrong, especially when faithful people ask God to do so? The conclusion is often something like this: If God is all powerful, God isn’t necessarily all-good; and, if God is all-good, then God must not be all powerful.

I would prefer a God that is all-good but that can’t necessarily do all things (for instance, God apparently can’t override an individual’s will, God doesn’t seem able to prevent natural disasters, God can’t rig elections or lotteries or sporting contests, etc.) to a God that could do all things but for some unknown reason chooses to not heal all the brokenness in the world.

A book that disturbed me and helped me (those ideas that threaten our preconceived notions often prove to be the most helpful) in the early 90s was Rabbi Harold Kushner’s When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Kushner’s conclusion is that God is good but unable to do everything, which for him is preferable to the idea of a God who can do everything but chooses to allow good people to suffer anyway.

The word compassion means “to suffer with”…I believe God is infinite compassion, that is, God is with us in our trials, blessing us with ideas, with opportunities to make friends and summon hope and courage from our own depths, sharing our tears and our laughter, nudging us to do all we can for ourselves and for one another, and in the process we discover we are as resilient as we are fragile, that miracles are possible but they aren’t forced on us (or denied us) from on high, but are the result of our own choices, thoughts, attitudes, and actions.

I believe in prayer. It focuses us and reminds us of our connection to all life and to the Source of life. It lifts us up beyond despair and then we are able to see and seize many more opportunities and possibilities than we considered before. But prayer isn’t, for me, begging God to do what God wouldn’t do without our begging, and might refuse to do anyway. That is neither a powerful understanding of prayer nor a flattering understanding of God.

Rather than thinking of God as omnipotent, I tend to think of God as omnipotence. Rather than being a separate being that is all-powerful, God for me is All Power but can only do for us what It does through us.

It’s rather like any of the natural laws that once we understood them and learned to cooperate with them allowed us then to do the previously believed impossible (organ transplants, flight, space travel, instant global communication, etc.). The power to do these things has always existed, but we never benefited from it until we learned how to cooperate with it. The power needed us to be able to help us.

Prayer helps me tap into divine power, and then I can learn to direct that power more and more beneficially, but never in this process is my own responsibility for my life taken from me.

Middle Ages Christian mystic Meister Eckhart said, “God is the innermost part of each and everything.” Prayer helps us turn within to that power and presence, to commune with it and cooperate with it. But that is different than something beyond us denying our wishes or occasionally granting them. I really believe that what God does for us, God does through us. Our hands are God’s hands and the most powerful answer to prayer is when we let ourselves be our own answers to our prayers.

Jewish theologian Abraham Heschel wisely taught, “Prayer cannot bring water to parched fields, or mend a broken bridge, or rebuild a ruined city; but prayer can water an arid soul, mend a broken heart, and rebuild a weakened will."

I believe that God is good, is the everlasting, ubiquitous energy of life (“spirit”) and contains within Itself all possibilities, AND that as amazing as that is, God can still only do for us what God can do through us. God needs us to be willing participants in the flow of blessings. Our spiritual journeys help us learn how to cooperate more effectively with God, and as we grow we find our prayers watering arid souls, mending broken hearts, and rebuilding weakened wills. And for me, this is the good news.

- Durrell Watkins