Pardon My Overshares

Pardon My Overshares
When I came out to myself, I came out to the world (and btw world, in case you forgot, I’m still gay!). And it was such a liberating and life-giving experience that it taught me to live my life openly, gladly, and as much as possible without shame or fear (or at least in spite of fears).

And so, I may “overshare” on occasion. I share my doubts, my challenges, my victories, my hopes, my joys. I share about my battles with (and various victories over) depression. I shared about my detached retina, long healing process, and the joy of finally having better vision than before the incident. I shared when loved ones passed from this life experience to whatever is next. I share about my long, complicated, and often dysfunctional relationship with the scale. I share about coming of age in the world of AIDS and living well as a long term survivor. Recently I’ve shared about a fairly brief experience of Bell’s Palsy (and the exciting and rapid improvement that followed).

I am not looking for sympathy (well, not from the masses...I have my personal sympathy providers and I’ll call them when I need them). I’m not looking for anything, actually. What I want to do is share that living a life of faith is not necessarily a life of constant ease, but it can be a life of constant hope and joy that is frequently renewed. I want to show that faith can help us find and employ tools that will enable us to conquer, survive, learn from, or reinterpret the challenges in life. Faith can even give us the power to laugh and laughter, as it turns out, is healing.

I simply want to be a credible witness to the truth that while experiences come and go, we always have the power to hope, to love, to laugh, to keep moving forward. We can demonstrate blessings in the middle of uncertainty, and we can experience love, peace, gratitude, and optimism regardless of the circumstances at hand.

I don’t always do it as well as I’d like. I can feel defeated or overwhelmed or afraid like everyone else, but I do try to remind myself that I don’t have to stay stuck in those feelings forever. And when I change my attitude about something, I almost always, to some degree, also change my experience of it. And I hope that is encouraging to others who may be facing difficulties.

So, forgive me for the overshares, but I offer them as gifts, and like all gifts, if they don’t appeal to you, “accidentally” leave them in the car and forget about them (possibly regift them later). But if they do encourage you, I am so glad and that alone makes it a blessing for me.

—Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins
Sunshine Cathedral
Ft. Lauderdale

New Thought Anglican and More

Intersections: New Thought, Anglicanism, and Other Traditions 

Sunshine Cathedral (Fort Lauderdale) 

By Rev. Dr. Durrell Watkins

People often refer to Sunshine Cathedral as a hybrid. They will say the message is “therapeutic”, the atmosphere is “loving”, the mission is to facilitate positive change in the world, and the liturgy is “uplifting.” Perhaps those realities are reflected in Sunshine Cathedral’s affirmation: “Sunshine Cathedral is a different kind of church where the past is past and the future has infinite possibilities.”

Some will say Sunshine Cathedral is New Thought Anglican, some will say it’s Science of Mind meets Methodism. Some call it a Positive Thinking church, others High Church Universalist, still others will say it is New Thought with Ritual and evangelical passion. Some will call it Catholic Light and Liberal. One leader in the congregation has said, “If the Episcopal Church and the Unity Church had a baby, it would be the Sunshine Cathedral.” Another lay leader calls SC the “happy Church.”

Catholics, Protestants, Eastern Orthodox, Pentecostals, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Humanists, 12 Steppers, and even a Wiccan or two have all found a home at Sunshine Cathedral, and people from many traditions have mentioned there is a moment in almost every service that reminds them of their former traditions while offering a new experience as well.

I am the Senior Minister of Sunshine Cathedral and I bring a blended/hybrid background and worldview to my role. A confirmed Episcopalian, certified Reiki Master, and Kriya Yoga initiate with seminary degrees from Protestant seminaries (Union Theological Seminary and the Episcopal Divinity School), I am also ordained in Metropolitan Community Churches (founded by an ex-Pentecostal minister, Troy Perry); I am ordained as an independent/Old Catholic priest (by my SC pastoral predecessor, Pentecostal minister/Old Catholic Bishop/MCCer/New Thoughter Rt. Rev. Grant Lynn Ford), and I am an ordained Divine Science minister (Divine Science, a New Thought philosophy, was founded by Quaker Malinda Cramer and almost simultaneously by Presbyterian Nona Brooks). Between my predecessor (Bishop Ford) and me, Sunshine Cathedral has been led for over 3 decades by Liturgical New Thoughters! No wonder there are so many different experiences of our wonderful Cathedral!

We are a “different kind of church.” Our spirituality is “progressive, positive, and practical.”

It turns out that our New Thought/Anglican/Ecumenical style is not without precedent (though surely our presentation of it is somewhat unique).
*Divine Science minister W. John Murray was a Catholic priest before becoming a Divine Scientist.
*David Alkins was an Episcopal priest who became the dean of Brooks Divinity School (a Divine Science ministerial school).
*F. Bernadette Turner was a psychologist and an Episcopalian who became a Divine Science minister and then later in life was ordained a Deacon and Priest in the Episcopal Church.
*Unity co-founder Myrtle Fillmore had a parent who was Episcopalian.
*Healer Agnes Sanford was the daughter of Presbyterian missionaries who married an Episcopal priest. Her theology, prayer techniques, and healing methods were very compatible with (often indistinguishable from) New Thought; she also experienced glossalia (praying in tongues)...she has been claimed by Protestants, Charismatics, and New Thoughters!
*Divine Scientist Emmet Fox grew up Catholic.
*Jospeh Murphy was a psychologist and a Catholic priest before becoming a Religious Science and a Divine Science minister.
*Mystic Emanuel Swedenborg was a Lutheran whose allegorical interpretation of scripture still influences New Thought Christians.
*Religious Science founder Ernest Holmes was a Congregationalist before studying Christian Science, getting ordained in Divine Science, and starting the Religious Science/Science of Mind movement.
*Fenwicke Holmes (Ernest's brother) was a Congregationalist minister who became a Divine Science minister and was instrumental in the early days of the Seicho-No-ie movement
*Church of Truth founder Albert Grier was a Universalist minister for decades before embracing New Thought.
*Norman Vincent Peale was a Methodist turned Dutch Reformed minister who embraced and taught many of the New Thought principles extolled by Ernest Holmes, Emmet Fox, and the Fillmores.
*Herman A. Spruit was a German born "Old Catholic" with Dutch ancestory. His family became Methodist and he later returned to Old Catholicism, becoming consecrated a bishop in the Liberal (Old) Catholic tradition and starting his own mystical (theosophy influenced) Old Catholic denomination (Apostolic Catholic Church of Antioch...sometimes referred to as New Thought or New Age Catholic).
*Franciscan (Roman Catholic) priest Robert Rohr presents a mystical Christianity that is very compatible with New Thought adherents.
*Episcopal Bishop John Spong for years has been a popular guest of Unity churches.
*Leo Booth is a Unity minister who was previously an Anglican priest.

The openness, the freedom to investigate and experiment, the personal connection to mystery and wonder, the self-empowerment and optimism, and the bonds of a community devoted to both mind and heart, thinking and feeling, liberation and love is what a mixture of the mainline traditions and “new thought” can offer. Indeed, it is what one is likely to find at Sunshine Cathedral.

An article explaining the relatedness of New Thought and Anglican spiritualities was written in 2003 (see below) by Educational Psychologist Deb Whitehouse (who was married to an Academic Philosopher and New Thought practitioner/scholar Alan Anderson). Whitehouse was an Episcopalian who found her way to New Thought. When reading her historical perspective, Sunshine Cathedral will make even more sense to those who call it their spiritual home.

(To read Whitehouse’s article “New Thought and the Anglican Tradition” Click HERE)

Blessings in a Stormy Time

Re: Waiting for Hurricane Irma to Hit South Florida

Spent the last couple of days talking with people who are evacuating, and with people who are staying. Each has her or his compelling reasons, but what has been beautiful is how people are supporting one another. Those leaving are being offered places to stay by friends, relatives, and in some instances even strangers. Those staying are encouraging one another and helping one another stock up supplies and put up shutters. If good wishes, kind words, and heartfelt prayers were money, almost everyone I know would be a millionaire right now. Even the veterinary clinic was hopping today with people getting anti-anxiety meds for their pets in case the storm should frighten them. Even love of animals is thick in the air right now. 

Storm clouds may be rolling in, but hope is also blowing and love is making land fall long before rain ever does. Even in this time of uncertainty, blessings abound, and for that I am very grateful. (dw)

In Defense of Joel Osteen (sort of)

In Defense of Joel Osteen (sort of):

I don't share Joel Osteen's politics. I find his understanding of scripture to be overly simplistic and his theology to be shallow at best. 

I do appreciate Joel's commitment to sharing a positive attitude. And, I do not begrudge him the success of his ministry. People judge him harshly because of his huge congregation, and the apparent affluence of his ministry. But success isn't necessarily a "bad" thing and if people flock to his services by the thousands, they must feel they are receiving something useful from the experience. Are they more hopeful? Kinder? More generous? More determined to grow spiritually? If so, then how could I condemn a ministry that apparently brings healing to human hearts? 

I don't know the helping ministries his church offers. Do they feed people? Offer education? Do they have support groups? Do they have hospital visitation teams? Do they pray for the sick, the lonely, the fearful? I don't know the answer to these questions, but I wouldn't simply assume that they don't. In fact, for so many people to find their church compelling I would be more likely to assume that they do offer life-enhancing ministries to people with various needs. 

Earlier today, there were many posts on social media condemning Osteen's church for not opening up their property to displaced people after Hurricane Harvey. Since then, there are reports that they have done so. Were they planning to do so all along? Were they, like so many, overwhelmed by the suffering and needed some time to decide what they could do? Were they reluctant to become a temporary shelter until they were criticized and then changed their minds? Again, I have no way of knowing, but it does seem as if they are now helping people displaced by the storm. Why they are doing it isn't for me to judge. I assume human compassion has something to do with it.

As I said before, I don't share J.O.'s politics and I disagree with certain points of his theology. But I also assume from his success that people are getting needs met in his church, that they are supporting it with time, talent, and treasure because it is important to them, and that it is at least possible that Joel is motivated by high ideals and goodwill even if he and I disagree on many things. 

I can disagree with Joel without needing to be jealous of his success or demonizing his every action. There are people who use religion to promote hate, defend bigotry, and sow discord (Jefress, Falwell Jr., Robertson, and F. Graham come to mind)...I can't tell (so far) that Osteen is in that camp. I don't have to sign up for the Joel fan club, but neither do I need to paint him as evil. There are bigger (or at least more hateful) fish to fry. I have no energy for attacking Joel Osteen...and unlike some of the Bible thumping glitterati, Joel actually seems to give people hope and affirm their dignity...and that is something I can appreciate. 

Healing Prayer

I need to say that I believe in healing. Not just the body's natural impulse to strive toward wholeness (though that is pretty amazing), and not just medical procedures that ease pain and prolong life (though that, too, is fabulous!), but in something more mysterious.

I have prayed for decades for people to experience healing, and so many have. Often that healing includes remission or cure, other times, the healing looks like courage or peace or restored relationships or a quality of life that defies circumstances or a gentle release at the end surrounded by loving hearts. I don't get to choose how the healing shows up, but I've witnessed it in many ways, and each of them are profound, beautiful, and even miraculous.

I've experienced healing in my own life, from living decades with a chronic (and once considered fatal) illness, to living an active life without surgery in spite of spinal birth defects (lots of massage, chiropractic, acupuncture, and the occasional aid of a cane have been been part of making the active life possible), to a seemingly miraculous remission of cat allegories and asthma, to having a retina reattached that over time (and a couple of surgeries) left me with better vision than before the detachment! There have been some biopsies along the way as well, but so far, so good. I must admit I always get a little anxious when those come around, but somehow the anxiety passes (and isn't that a great healing?!). I have also battled depression for most of my life, but even so, I have known great joy. The depression returns, but it has learned it will not be allowed to stay uninterrupted (not as long as I have insurance and a pharmacist!).

There are also the "rare" instances we all hear about...the person who comes out of the extended coma, the person for whom there are no more treatment options who somehow survives, the person who was never supposed to walk again who somehow does at last, the spontaneous remissions that can't be explained. And even though these "Lourdes"-like cures and second chances may be rare, that they happen at all seems to give us permission to hope that they will happen again, and again.

I'm sitting with these thoughts of healing because so many people are facing health challenges right now, or maybe for personal reasons I am particularly aware of them right now. And so I have been praying a lot for people in need of healing. As I said above, I don't get to decide how the healing shows up, but I trust that the energies of prayer are carried on currents of compassion that do reach those for whom we pray and that our prayers make a difference. When I know someone is praying for me, the comfort is as real as it is indescribable.

I have prayed for people and marveled at their recovery; and I have prayed for people and grieved that their situation did not improve as I had hoped. And yet, I trust that the loving energy emitted by prayer was a gift every single time, and that somehow, in ways I may never know, something was better because I took the time to wish someone well and to affirm possibilities that might not be obvious to everyone.

I believe in healing, even when I don't see it, even when it happens in ways that I may not recognize, even when it comes in ways other than I would have chosen if the choice were mine to make; I believe in healing, and I am stubborn enough to hope for miracles.

During my AIDS ministry in the 90s I learned that it cost me nothing to summon hope for someone. In those days my promise to people was, "as long as you hope, you can trust that at least one other person is hoping with you." I am resurrecting that promise for whoever needs it today. If you are trying to summon hope, I will hope with you. I can't promise any particular result (I don't sell snake oil, but hope is free and I will cling to it stubbornly on your behalf).

I really do believe that hope, compassion, and prayer make a difference, and at least sometimes, that difference may even seem miraculous.

(Durrell Watkins - prayer companion, dealer in hope)

A Weary but Committed Optimist

I am an optimist, not by nature (by nature I'm a cynic) and not by nurture; by nurture (the way I was reared) I am at least a 4th generation worrier. But by decision and determination and practice, I am an optimist, even when it's difficult to be (which of course is when optimism is needed the most!).

Optimism by choice can be exhausting.
When people PASSIONATELY will defend easy access to military grade weapons no matter how many innocent lives are lost to them, it's hard to remain optimistic.
I really am not asking you to turn in your derringer, or if you live in the piney woods of East Wherever, I am not asking you to stop hunting; we are just talking about reasonable restrictions on some types of weapons. Our own past and other countries have shown that such sensible actions will reduce gun violence.

When a group finally achieves civil rights and some measure of social equality and the immediate reaction is legislation that says all of that is void as long as someone says their religion demands discrimination, it's hard to remain optimistic.

When individuals make terrible choices, and their entire religion or culture or ethnicity is blamed (even by people seeking high office)...when that sort of unmasked bigotry seems to flourish, it's hard to remain optimistic.

When haters and lunatics gain power because ridiculously high numbers of people don't vote, it's hard to remain optimistic (and when those who do get power make it even harder for those who wish to vote to do so, it's hard to remain optimistic!).

When hate and fear, homophobia and transphobia, racism and xenophobia, misogyny and violence, hate speech and demagoguery seem to have all become mainstream, it's hard to remain optimistic.

BUT I WILL. I must. I have given too much of myself, offered too many sacrifices on the altar of  the gods of optimism to give up now.

What if my efforts to maintain and share optimism utterly fail, what if there is evidence to show me that it will fail? I will remain optimistic anyway!

What if some days my optimism feels false and naive? I will cling to it all the more stubbornly!

What if some days, and today could be such a day, optimism feels like a heavy load almost too much carry? Then I will drag it behind me, however slowly, but I will not let it go.

Some days, it's hard to remain optimistic. So what? It's too precious a gift to let go. That we have been given the power to choose optimism means we have also been given the responsibility to to do so. And when enough of us do so, and we remain optimistic long enough, things do change for the better. We've seen it; we've lived it.

May the victories of optimism in our memories inspire us to embrace it again and again, day after day, and never let the tides of fear, hatred, and division wash away our holy optimism. May optimism energize us to do what we can, to say what we must, to stand tall until we are knocked down, and even then to dare to believe that more possibilities exist for us.

I am a weary optimist, but an optimist nevertheless. Just owning that truth fans the flames of peace and joy within me. I remain a preacher of the Gospel of Optimism. Now, it's time to put that optimism work; please join me in doing just that. (dw)

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.

Breathe. Pray. Choose.

Sometimes things happen quickly, challenges come one after the other, and emotions whirl mightily like a wind storm; if we aren't careful, we'll get caught up in that and create a tragic tale of how life is unfair and mischievous forces are out to get us. But a deep breath (or 30), a brief prayer, and a choice to see things differently can calm the storm and what was getting ready to play out as a tragedy (or least a really bad melodrama) on the stage of our minds is reduced to an annoying moment, soon forgotten and replaced with hope, peace, and a trust that something good is at hand. Today's power words: Breathe. Pray. Choose.

Progressive, Positive, Practical Religious Webcasts

SHARING THE LIGHT WEBCAST

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q9SvRqRX-1U

Affirmative Prayer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnU5c7A7lnM

Ancient Wisdom-New Thought

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HF5NcQZKVE

Can We Follow Jesus Without Worshiping Him?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbWs2e7OGaA

Celebrating Same Gender Love

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

Do Progressive Christians Believe in Jesus?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_fGE05nzz8

Does the Bible Condemn Homosexuality?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXIIHnglPq4
Doubt As Part of Faith

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHZvL4FQSmA
Gay By God

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgTpz2wa4ms

God In and Beyond Religions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOzWWhWm5EM
God Within-What Do We Mean?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpwknJifB-8
Healing From Fundamentalism

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KelbEBJZA3Y
Is Christianity the One True Religion?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K35kOAbRnjI
Is Christmas Relevant in the 21^st Century?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTWJLhc47Ro

Is Jesus Relevant for LBTG People?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGsWYAE10JI

Is There a Science to Prayer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-yfsvyOhuY&feature=youtu.be

Prayer & Healing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YmzECgXbZw&feature=youtu.be

Prayer & Prosperity

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

Spirituality of Free Thinking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnbtFgkwe-g
The Danger of Biblolatry

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcRxH9jA6_Y
The Truth About Santa

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MHEolRsbWQ

Where Do We Go When We Die?

SERMONS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5K4Z_EK054

Face Everything And Rise (Rev Dr Durrell Watkins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpJiG-Nte4g

God Bless the Child (Rev Cindy Lippert)

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

Hoping, Waiting, Working (Rev Dr Durrell Watkins)

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

Messages from the Pool Man (Rev Cindy Lippert)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGeZp0-jpxY

Moabite Pride: Rethinking Homophobia’s Favorite Biblical Story (Rev Dr Durrell Watkins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4nQfoz1W_g

Our Reason for Hope (Rev Dr Durrell Watkins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVK0CiMP03o

Rethinking Fire Insurance Religion (Rev Dr Durrell Watkins)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2uBFCdhND0

We Are Captains of our Souls (Rev Dr Durrell Watkins)

Sunshine Cathedral Recommended Reading

SUNSHINE CATHEDRAL SUGGESTED READING

            In August Sunshine Cathedral started offering a list of three books each month for SC members to consider reading. One book is to help to with biblical studies, the second is for theological enrichment, and the third is for self-help/empowerment.  The recommendations for August – October (as well as a sneak peak of November and December recommendations) follow:

August: (Bible) Understanding the Bible: An Introduction for Skeptics, Seekers, & Religious Liberals by John A. Buehrens (2003). Understanding the Bible is written by a Unitarian Universalist minister. “In making accessible some of the best contemporary historical, literary, political, and feminist readings of the Hebrew and Christian scriptures, UTB encourages all who would find in the biblical heritage an ally and not an enemy in the quest for a more just and humane world.”

(Theology) The Gospel of Inclusion: Reaching Beyond Religious Fundamentalism to the True Love of God by Bishop Carlton Pearson (2006). The Gospel of Inclusion…written by a Pentecostal bishop who stopped believing in Hell. He now calls himself a “metacostal” (combination of metaphysical and Pentecostal theologies); he is an ally of the LBGT community, a universalist (believing that God’s love embraces everyone regardless of their religious affiliation and that no one is ultimately excluded from the divine Presence), and his personal journey has led him to believe that the true good news (gospel) is a message of inclusion, not fear and punishment. His atonement theology might not match up exactly with what is taught at Sunshine Cathedral, but he nevertheless believes that all people are “saved” (“Muslims, Jews, atheists, everyone”).

 (Self-Help) I Can Do It: How to Use Affirmations To Change Your Life by Louise Hay (2004). Louise Hay needs no introduction to the New Thought and New Age crowds. She is a woman who has for decades embraced more and more of life and taught others to do the same. In the worst days of the AIDS crisis she helped people living with AIDS do so with less fear while learning to love themselves. She models forgiveness, optimism, and the courage to embrace the power that is within us all. A trained Religious Science minister, Louise Hay’s ministry has been writing, public speaking, and publishing. Her books tend to be small, easy to read, easy to apply, and simply powerful. Her small book, I Can Do It offers short lessons followed by sample affirmations to use in daily spiritual practice to improve health,

finances, creativity, relationships, self-esteem, and more.

            September: (Bible) The Sins of Scripture: Exposing the Bible’s Texts of Hate to Reveal the God of Love by Bishop John S. Spong (2005). Retired Episcopal bishop John Spong addresses how the bible as been misused against the environment, women, gays, children, and how it has wrongly been used to promote anti-Semitism and present God as a blood-thirsty ogre. He concludes his study by offering the possibility of a progressive reclaiming of both the bible and Jesus.

(Theology) Without Buddha I Could Not Be a Christian by Paul F. Knitter, PhD (2009). Theologian (professor at Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York) Paul Knitter looked to Buddhism to help him navigate a crisis of faith. As a result, he became a more committed, if pluralistic, Christian. Rethinking notions of prayer, the afterlife, and even “God”, Knitter concludes that Buddhist philosophy can actually enrich the Christian experience.

            (Self-Help) Change Almost Anything in 21 Days: Recharge Your Life with the Power of over 500 Affirmations by Ruth Fishel (2003). Author and meditation teacher Ruth Fishel experienced healing and recovery in her life and seeks to help others do the same by showing how we can retrain our minds with consistent positive thoughts. From bad habits like procrastination to severe problems like addiction,

one can find ways of moving through life’s challenges and experience improvement. We each must do our own work, but Ms. Fishel helps the reader understand just how to do so.

October: (Bible) What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality by Daniel A Helminiak (1994, 2000). Catholic theologian Daniel Helminiak warns against viewing biblical teaching as having the last word on sexual ethics. He also concludes that the bible "supplies no real basis for the condemnation of homosexuality."

(Theology) Saved From Salvation by Durrell Watkins, DMin (2014). Saved From Salvation chronicles a journey from fundamentalism to a ministry of spiritual humanism. The book tackles homophobia and heterosexism, looks at the bible and human sexuality and the spirituality of celebrating one's innate nature. The book also looks at non-theistic religion, progressive Christianity, liberating language, prayer, and ministry that affirms the sacred value of all people and that seeks to build community rather than enforce stale, antiquated dogmas. The final pages offer a real hope, a genuine faith, a practical spirituality that can be shared by believers and skeptics, Christians and non-Christians, seekers of truth and makers of meaning of every type. 

(Self-Help) Transform Your Life by Barbara King (1995). Founder of Atlanta's Hillside Chapel, Dr King applies metaphysical principles to the bible to help the reader overcome fear and transform her or his life through the power of prayer.

November: (Bible) The Power of Parable: How Fiction by Jesus Became Fiction about Jesus by John Dominic  Crossan (2012). Bible scholar Amy-Jill Levine says of this book, “Crossan recovers the profundity, and the provocation, of the biblical tradition.” Crossan is one of the foremost Jesus scholars alive today as well as being a theologian, bible scholar, and historian. Crossan examines both the tales that Jesus imagined to make moral and spiritual points, as well as what was later imagined about Jesus pretty early in the development of the Christian tradition. Crossan argues that much of what we read about Jesus was always intended to be read as parable rather than history.

(Theology) Living the Questions: The Wisdom of Progressive Christianity by David M.  Felten and Jeff Procter-Murphy (2012). Using the wisdom of top Christian scholars and progressive leaders, this book is an excellent introduction a progressive view of the Christian message and life.

(Self-Help) The Power of Your Subconscious Mind by Joseph Murphy (1963) is a classic but its message is timeless and universal. Learn how to tap into the power of your subconscious mind to improve health, develop peace of mind, solve problems, and experience more happiness in your life.

December: (Bible) Meditations on the Good News: Reading the Bible for Today by Debra Haffner (2013). This Unitarian Universalist minister offers readings of scripture that are life-giving and liberating rather than cumbersome and fearful. She says, “As I begun studying Scripture, I felt joy to learn that the bible has hundreds of passages in which God is delighted with us. It is replete with messages that life is to be enjoyed here and now…”

(Theology) Science and the Search for God by Gary Kowalski (2003). Praised by scientists and theologians, this easy to read book by a Harvard educated minister suggests that science and religion are natural allies and both can help us move beyond materialism to a worldview that embraces “consciousness and spirit.”

(Self-Help) Help-Thanks-Wow: The Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott (2012). A writer and deeply spiritual person, Lamott believes that prayer ought to be kept simple. Her simple and sweet book of about 100 pages makes that case quite well.

Buy these books from Amazon by using the Amazon icon on the Buy & Donate page at www.sunshinecathedral.org.  

I Remember

I REMEMBER

I, like everyone else, remember September 11th, 2001 when New York City and Washington, DC were attacked by hijacked aircraft. I remember the fear, the loss, the pain. I remember other things as well.

I remember the world extending concern, good wishes, and compassion in that moment of despair.
I remember communities coming together to raise money, clean up rubble, help wounded people, and comfort one another in a time of grief. I remember that a decade later, the master mind behind the 9/11 attacks, Osama bin Laden, was killed. I don't rejoice at any killing. I might have preferred he be captured, tried, and incarcerated. But in any case, there was a sense of closure.

A lot was lost on 9/11, but so much more was spared, and good things were stirred within us. Heroism, compassion, resilience...the best of our humanity overpowered a moment of tragedy.

I have other remembrances, today. I remember that 9/11 wasn't the first, last, or largest tragedy to impact the human family.

I remember that the US government went 7 years without officially responding to the AIDS crisis. I remember that lives were lost because we failed to summon the better angels of our nature in time to contain a pandemic. I also remember when effective medications were finally released and people started living well with HIV, having real hope for long lives.

I remember growing up in a very homophobic environment, too scared to even admit to myself that I was gay, living in shame, fear, and confusion. I remember all those feelings rushing back to mind when Matthew Shephard was brutally killed for being gay. I also remember when Vermont started offering legal civil unions to same-gender loving couples and when Massachusetts first allowed same-gender loving people to marry, and that since those initial breakthroughs marriage equality has gained a lot of momentum. 

 I remember when Don't Ask, Don't Tell was overturn and LBGT people could serve openly and proudly in the US military. I remember that we have made a lot of progress.

I remember that our nation's history includes slavery, Jim Crow, and bloody battles for civil rights. I also remember that on November 4th, 2008, the 44th president of the United States was elected and he is a person of African descent.

I remember that on December 7th, 1941, the Japanese Empire attacked Pearl Harbor. I remember that following that, Japanese Americans were unfairly imprisoned in their own nation just because of their ethnic heritage, and I remember that on August 6th, 1945 the first time any nation used a nuclear weapon in war was when the United Stated dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Three days later Nagasaki also experienced nuclear devastation. Today, Japan is a democracy, a major economy, and an ally of the nation that they once attacked, a nation that retaliated with world changing force.

I remember that a prayer that we use weekly at Sunshine Cathedral is actually the gift of a witness of the atomic bombings of Japan, Masahisa Goi, who prayed (as we do each week), "May peace prevail on earth."

And today, I remember two journalists who were brutally killed in Syria and I wish their families comfort in the days and months to come.

There are many sad events in history to remember, and we should remember. But let us also remember the healing that followed, the opportunities that sadness could not take away, and the hope that remained for better days.

Today, I remember 9/11/01, but I also remember that pain was not invented that day, nor did pain win that day. Hope is always the indestructible force, and so while I remember events from the painful past, I also remember that we always have the power to hope and work for a better tomorrow. Let's do remember that we have the power of hope.
 

Blessings,

 

Rev Dr Durrell Watkins

Senior Minister 

Sunshine Cathedral 

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.  

Words of Wisdom

Words of Wisdom

"The more we hold to divine perfection, in thought & feeling, the better is the creation that we see in the outer." Helen Zagat

"I accept my good; I accept abundant supply even though I cannot see the way in the outer. Now is the time. My declaration brings it forth. I give thanks. I give thanks." Helen Zagat

"Since there is but one Spirit and this Spirit is in you and in everything, then everywhere you go you will meet this Spirit. You meet this Spirit in people, in places and in things. There is a Divine Essence permeating everything, flowing through everything, becoming all things."  Ernest Holmes

"We grow into the things that fill our thoughts..." Emmet Fox

"Jesus...constantly made a point of his at-one-ness with God...We separate ourselves from God when we pray to God afar off, as it were, instead of realizing that God dwells in us & we in God." 

Emmet Fox

"You are individualized Spirit..." Thomas Troward

"Buried in every one of us is God." Neville Goddard

"Everything is alive with the Divine Life." HB Jeffery

"To be a progressive Christian involves affirming 'God in all things and all things in God.'”  

Bruce Epperly 

"There is no power adverse to God." Daisy M Baum

“Omnipresence! The many in the One and the One in the many; the All-Knowing, All Powerful One. All forms and forces are the expressions of Omnipresent, Intelligent Substance.” Nona Brooks

"Since there is but one Substance, one Mind, one Life, I must be in eternal unity with that One that is All in all." Fannie B James

"There is but One Presence in the universe, and I am one with that Presence." 

John Randolph Price

A Progressive Epiphany

A Progressive Epiphany
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO9OB7zH5l0

a sermon about the long history of progressive spirituality

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

Theological Discussion (God-Talk)

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

We Remember, Give Thanks, & Hope

World AIDS Day Prayer (2013)
Rev Dr Durrell Watkins

Spirit of Life,
On this World AIDS Day we remember those who died too soon from complications of a virus that has taken too many.
On this World AIDS Day we remember those who lost loved ones to the epidemic.
On this World AIDS Day we remember those who dedicated their lives to raising awareness and improving access to treatment.
On this World AIDS Day we remember those who never gave up hope.
On this World AIDS Day we remember those who had to face not only the pain of dis-ease and the terror of the unknown, but also marginalization and demonization from those who chose to "blame the victim."

On this World AIDS Day we give thanks for those who survived the most frightening days.
On this World AIDS Day we give thanks that life-saving medications were discovered and that treatment options get better all the time.
On this World AIDS Day we give thanks for complementary therapies.
On this World AIDS Day we give thanks that miracles have happened among us.

On this World AIDS Day we continue to hope for a cure.
On this World AIDS Day we wish for those who are not infected to remain uninfected and for those who are infected to remain optimistic and to live abundantly, joyously, and in good health.

Omnipresent, all-inclusive, eternal Love,
Receive our prayers today and rekindle within us a desire to live, to love, to share, and to make our world a better place.
Amen.