Unity of Phoenix

"Unity teaches that the Bible is not just history ... it's mystery, and the Bible characters are not just a cultural/historical context of people and what happened; each character also represents some aspect of us. Each character is there to teach us lessons of how we can deal with our day-to-day struggles, and how we can open ourselves to a deeper experience of God and life. The Wise Men represent those spiritual gifts in us that are seeking more expression and life. If you saw a 'bright star' in the east and knew you should follow it, would you? If you knew that it was amazing, and it was yours to experience, would you - like the Wise Men - trust that guiding star enough to take a long, slow journey to realize it?"

"In Unity, Christmas is viewed as more than the celebration of Jesus' birth; it is viewed as the celebration of the birth of Christ consciousness in each of us. Emmet Fox said the one thing that matters in our lives from birth to death is for us to find the Christ child. He says that the conscious discovery that we have this indwelling Power within us, this inner Light - and our determination to make use of it - is the birth of the Christ child. Awakening to this truth and using it can bring you everlasting peace and joy."

"One of the greatest gifts that God has given us - particularly to lift us out of moments of discouragement and despair - is the incredible spiritual power of hope. Hope is more powerful than any of us realize. Hope is what sustains us and keeps us moving forward.Hope will lift and transform us in amazing ways if we listen, trust, and open ourselves for Christ consciousness to be birthed through us and bless the world."

"In this message we are exploring the last two Unity principles. Number 4 - 'Prayer and meditation is the way that we access the Spirit of God in us.' Number 5 - 'Knowledge of these spiritual principles is not enough. We must put them into practice.'"

"The word 'religion' actually means to bind together ... but, unfortunately, people have often used religion to create exclusivity, division, separation and even conflict. Unity was formed in 1889 by Charles and Myrtle Fillmore. And while it has a Christian base, Unity doesn't believe that Christianity is the only path to God. One religion isn't better or worse than another; different religions aren't right or wrong ... they are just different paths for us to connect to the higher power of God, to the divine. This message begins a two-week series about the foundational beliefs of Unity. In this message, we are exploring the first three of the five principles we embrace."

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"The Michael Jackson song, 'Heal the World'speaks to the power each of us has, as individuals, to make the world a better place for the entire human race. The desire to heal the world is a noble goal. But is it realistic? Is it possible? Sometimes when we look at the world it's hard to imagine healing all of its ills. There is so much war, violence, crime, poverty, homelessness, air pollution, racism, bigotry and religious intolerance. There is drug trafficking, sex abuse, suicide and overcrowding in prisons. There is animal extinction. We have issues with our healthcare system, school systems and economy. Seeing so much hurt can make us a bit cynical about our ability to truly heal the world.Yet when we listen to the words of this song, we can't help but feel inspired..."

"Do you have a situation in your life that isn't working as well as you'd like? All of us have problems, and experience frustrations, failures, disappointments and heartaches. Every one of us - from Pope Benedict XVI to His Holiness the Dali Lama - experiences losses, goes through changes, and has times where we feel sad and uncertain. Andy Grammar's song called, 'Keep Your Head Up' is all about 'being of good cheer', even when things aren't working well in our lives. The song acknowledges that it's hard to be of good cheer when things get difficult; it's hard to stay calm and positive, and to believe everything is going to be okay when we're overwhelmed with challenging circumstances. But throughout it all, we just gotta keep our head up."

"All of us have withheld the truth on more than one occasion. If you catch yourself being a bit dishonest, know that you are hurting yourself and others, and make a new choice. Open yourself to real love by being more honest with yourself, your loved ones, and your co-workers. Take some baby steps and practice being honest with just one person this week. As you open yourself up to real love, and give others permission to speak freely, as well, you will truly experience the blessing of God's love."

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