Winter 2000
Fall 1999
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Spring 2000 Winter 2000 Fall 1999 |
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by Justin Scribner
President of Communications
peacenzeal@hotmail.com
This energetic spring season has planted new life into me. Every year that goes by, every season, every month reminds me of the circular path that our lives travel in. The moon moves in phases, just as my life experiences repeat themselves. I look at the same flowers that I passed just a few months ago, when they were wilting and returning to the soil, and today I see them sprouting and smiling. I acknowledge the circle of life and dance in that knowledge.
There is an ancient Taoist parable of a farmer whose horse ran away. His neighbor offered condolences, only to be told, "Who knows what is good or bad?" It was true, for the next day the horse returned, bringing with it a herd of wild horses. The neighbor reappeared, this time with congratulations, but he received the same response: "Who knows what is good or bad?" Again this proved true, for the following day the farmer's son tried to mount one of the wild horses and fell, breaking his leg. More pity came from the neighbor, which yielded the same question: "Who knows what is good or bad?" The next day, soldiers came by commandeering for the army. The son was exempted because of his injury.
We all live different lives. We all have many concepts of what is "right" or what is "wrong". Don't judge yourself for what may be considered "bad" - when tomorrow your concept of "bad" may change. Just like the seasons, our day-to-day experiences run the gambit. We experience the highest emotions and the lowest emotions. It is truly like a roller coaster as we live our lives…treat it as it should be treated - an exhilarating ride!
In peace,
Justin
| I believe in the absolute oneness of God and therefore of humanity. What if we have many bodies? We have but one soul. The rays of the sun are many through a reflection. But they have the same source... - Ghandi |
by Santa Moore
President of Prayer
saritalou@hotmail.com
Dear Friends,
Love fills my being as I think of all of you. Thank you for shining and sharing your light. Right now I am enjoying life and all the blessings and lessons that I am experiencing. I'm enjoying serving all of you, my beautiful brothers and sisters. And I'm especially enjoying being a creature that is made simply and truly to Love. Love, Love, Love, I love loving!
All of you are such inpiration for me. You remind me why I have chosen this experience for myself. Now I am just encouraging myself and all of you to enjoy it! All of it. Even the stuff you don't understand and don't really like. Enjoy all of it, and when it's hard you can quote me..."Scars are the marks of a happy childhood." Our journey here isn't one with no curves.
We'll all have twists and turns and even hills along our path. So when you come to a point in the road that looks a little steep, become still and Thank God and then.... Keep On, Keep On! This is God's work we're doing so Keep On!
Keep Shining, Expressing, and Enjoying!
You're Loved,
Sarita
| You have powers you never dreamed of. You can do things you never thought you could do. There are no limitations in what you can do except the limitations of your own mind. -- Darwin P. Kingsley |
by Noah Hopkins
President of Service
souvenir82@yahoo.com
Comrades,
Spring is here! Beautiful clouds are filling these spacious skies where I live and rain has been falling gracefully to the desert floor. Trees are sprouting with new life, becoming green with delight. Flowers are emerging from their winter hibernation with magnificent color and zeal. I feel so blessed to be a part of this worldly cycle, this cycle of constant renewal and change. Sometimes it is not until we see change that we are able to see truth. Being outside in nature, I feel closer to truth than anywhere else. The kingdom of God does not lie in great halls of wood and stone. The kingdom of God lies within. The elements of life we see outside and around ourselves are reflections of what we see in ourselves. The Law of Mind Action represents this idea. The idea that we create the world around us with our thoughts, with what we see within.
I've never really felt comfortable with the terms most often used in present day Christianity. At my first rally, I remember one of the meditations quite clearly. Members from the same chapter took turns speaking, in a mantra style, names for the One from various faiths and traditions. I noticed how almost all of them were spelled with the simple syllable "ah" and were really easy to say. Names like Allah, Brahma, and Buddha rolled of my tongue with a simple pleasure. Then came the name "God" - a title that really doesn't seem to have much eloquence. So, I decided that I would have my own name for the world I live in. God is Love. Love is such a wholesome concept. There have been no wars over which love is the right love. Everybody knows the feeling of love. Love is what we are. The first line of Unity's first principle of one power and one presence affirms "there is only one power - the power of God the good, the power of Love at work in the Universe". This is my prayer to you. It may sound familiar.
The light of Love surrounds us.
The love of Love enfolds us.
The power of Love protects us.
The presence of Love watches over us.
Wherever you are, Love is
And all is well.
With love and light,
Noah
by Pat Anderson-Williams
International Y.O.U. Coordinator
you@unity.org
In our Winter issue I talked about change being a constant good. The Peace by Piece program is experiencing a change; with a new "qualifier" that has been added to the application process. We have modified the Laws of Life essay writing contest that began in 1987 by Sir John Templeton. It was an effort to aid youth in understanding that the world operates on spiritual and moral principles just as it does on the laws of physics and gravity. The contest also serves to honor the written word from a youthful point of view. It has proven to be a tool that allows the writer to delve into the depths of their being and share their sacred values. Allow me to share an excerpt from one of this year's PPP essays.
"The three laws of life or what I consider to be laws of life are:
self-respect, never make pre-judgements (on others),
and live life to the fullest. Remember, respect self,
do not judge by first appearance and enjoy life." - 15 year old from Trinidad
As a means of touching a deeper part within International Officer candidates, they are writing these essays as a part of their candidate application. Many of you will have the opportunity to read each of them at conference 2000.
Any of you could start a similar contest in your school, social group, or your chapter. It can be modified to meet your needs; it doesn't need to be a contest. A service project in the making perhaps. Feel free to contact me if you would like more information. Actually I 'd like you to give me a call or e-mail just to chat. I want to hear from you!
Thank you Y.O.U.!
Pat Anderson Williams
Dear Friends,
Most of us pray or meditate to experience GOD. We have all heard the bible verse, "Be still and know that I am God.", and we practice it quite literally. And while prayer and meditation are powerful ways of connecting ourselves to Spirit, there are others which we often overlook. How many of us can say that we let go and let GOD speak, write, draw, sing, or dance through us on a daily basis? We've all done it, whether it was while running for office and not knowing where the words you spoke came from, or drawing something which you didn't know lived inside of you, we've all done it. We've done it when we are dancing and a Leroy concert and shedding our anger and pain. Once we forget to care about who may be watching and release ourselves to the music, that is no longer us.
Dancing is something I am very comfortable with and I am able to release to the power of music very quickly, but poetry is something else. I may have written a dozen poems in my life. And only recently have I discovered why. When we express creatively and surrender ourselves to the process, we usually create what we aren't aware of. We often write things we thought we'd released, or sing a song that reminds us of something we've ignored. I can easily stay in my comfort zone and dance out my agression and sing away frustration, but I will ask of myself what I am asking of you...
Do something scary! Begin journaling, and singing in public.
Do something scary! Create your own dance to perform, write a poem for a friend.
Do something scary! Next time you're in class and the teacher asks you to draw something don't say,"I can't draw. No, I mean I really can't draw."
When you feel this way about whatever you are doing know this,"It is our light, not our darkness we are frightened of." We have been afraid to completely let go and tap into the creativity that makes us brilliant. Why? I don't know, but I'm a bit scared too, so let's do it together.
- Sarita
This is a short half page location dedicated the thoughtful recomendation of quality literature worth your time and resources. Books so good, they bascially read themselves are intended to fill this delightful section...
The Way of the Peacful Warrior - Dan Millman
A wonderful story of a young athlete and his new and uncommon teacher. Socrates shows young Dan the ways of the warrior who can achieve anything through the power of his mind. This book reinforced many ideas I already had about inner strength and the boundaries of our power and also showed new ways to approach daily living. I loved it! - Justin
Siddhartha - Herman Hesse
An insightful look into the life of a young man following an unknown path. He is introduced to religion at a young age as his father is an elder in the Hindu tradition of Brahma. Siddhartha and his good friend Govinda, seeking enlightenment, leave their homes and join a nomadic group of minimalists. This book came to my attention at a time when I was seeking direction in my life. Very insightuful and reaffirming of divine order! - Noah
Paths are Many, Truth is One - S. G. McKeever
A very simple and straightforward comparison and discussion of many world religions. The author shows the underlying similarities and common themes in all religions. This wonderful book is a fast read and a thought-provoking inspirator. - Justin
The Tao of Pooh - Benjamin Hoff
So it turns out that one of the world's greatest Taosit masters isn't Chinese, or a venerable philosopher, but is in fact none other than that effortlessly calm, still, reflective bear, Winnie-the-Pooh! This book shows the basic philosophy of the Way, Taoism, through everybody's favorite cartoon bear! - Justin
Jesus and Buddha - Marcus Borg
Ever wondered the difference between Jesus and Buddha? There isn't much, I'll tell you. This book compares quotes of the world's greatest teachers and shows us that no matter who we admire or worship, we are all following the same steps to a higher place in our lives. - Justin
Discover the Power Within You - Eric Butterworth
A fantastically inspirational read for those who know enough about Christ but can't seem to find his signifigance in YOUR life. It is almost a HOW-TO book for those things in life that require much more than one or two steps...how to succeed, how to pray, how to let your light shine! - Justin
The World's Religions - Huston Smith
This book is acclaimed as the encyclopedia of religion. We all know little things about other religions, but we've never really been taught it all. Smith shows every detail of all theologies here and shows us, the students, that indeed there are many paths, but one truth. - Justin
Illusions - Richard Bach
This is one of the first books that I ever heard read at a YOU event. Bach's words represent the inherent magic in life and inspire creating the world that we wish to seek and live in. Please note that Richard Bach does have and flys a biplane wherever he travels. - Noah
Y.O.U. Visionaries Club |
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| Choose 5 books you wish to read from the following list. Titles following ° are recommended selections. | |
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Books that will assist your study
The following books are not to be read and reviewed for your Visionaries application, but are instead listed as study helps. The information contained in these books will prove very useful to your Truth study. They should be obtainable for loan or purchase from your local Unity bookstore.
Application
A brief report is to be written for each book read, consisting of:
Then, submit reports to your sponsor for review. Your sponsor needs to sign this application as does your minister. Send the completed application to Pat Anderson-Williams, P.O. Box 610, Lee's Summit, MO 64063. Application must be received one month prior to the International Y.O.U. Conference, at which you will be installed as a Visionaries Club member.
Name _________________________________________________
Church ________________________________________________
Address ____________________________ Phone _____________
I have read this applicant's reports and I support this Visionary!
_____________________________________ (Sponsor's signature)
I understand that the work on this project has been completed and I support this Visionary!
_____________________________________ (Minister's signature)
Peace by Piece Manifesto |
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In our vision, we see up to ten delegates per year from our International ministries being awarded Peace by Piece Program scholarships to attend the International Youth of Unity Conference. We also see a position forming for a Peace by Piece delegate to act as a liaison to the International team, to interact with the other International delegates, to lead an International delegates regional business meeting at Conference for those delegates from other countries, to write articles for Youth of Unitimes, and to assist with the travel arrangements and itinerary for the International delegates who attend Conference.
Our hope is that someday in the future International delegates will serve as International Youth of Unity Officers so that the Youth of Unity can truly serve the world on a global level. We hope to see the Youth of Unity reach past the United States into the world to teach peace from all edges of the globe, and to reach into the hearts of the world's youth to propel the wheels of change towards global peace. We see this peace reaching all the hearts of this world and beyond in God's perfect plan of divine harmony for us all.
With Hope and Peace,
Kristen Hare, Gavin Tenold, Kent Bernhard
1996-97 International Youth of Unity Team
United Nations Appeal for Non-Violence |
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Entitled "Ghandi & King: A Season for NonViolence", this United Nations session convened on January 30, 1998 with a mandate to positively affect this community as well as the entire world. For those not familiar with "Ghandi & King: A Season for Nonviolence"...it is the 64-day period declared by the Ghandi Institute for Nonviolence and the Association for Global New Thought, as the "season" which occurs each year between the anniversaries of the assassinations of Mohandas Ghandi on January 30 and Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4. The International Y.O.U. has compiled for these 64 days, 64 ways to practice nonviolence in everyday life. The visit to the United Nations was a superb start for the Season for Nonviolence global peace program.
Presenting to the United Nations were International Youth of Unity Co-Presidents Nathan Miller from Overland Park, KS; Stacy Moscow from Mesa, AZ; Mariah Landers from Merced, CA; and Andrew Griffin from Cork, Ireland, as well as International Y.O.U. Director, Cherie Larkin from the Association of Unity Churches in Lee's Summit, MO. Their presentation convincingly illustrated the need to consciously reduce violence, abuse and feelings of aggression globally, as well as increase the need for the acceptance and understanding of different cultures, religions, customs and beliefs. Through this season, one is encouraged to truly understand the beauty of diversity and honor the inherent worth in every human being. Cherie Larkin adds, "It is with Christ in heart and mind that these young sentinels of peace carry the mantel of Unity's message of nonviolence throughout the world."