Affirmative Prayer

Get ready for some "easy listening" in an energetic New Thought way! It's easy to listen to and understand the message Bob Sima portrays in his songs. As a singer and songwriter, Bob shares his musical journey, beginning with how he spent many years in the corporate world "Activating the Power of Maybe" until he decided to say "Yes" to his musical gifts. You'll hear some portions of four of his songs during the show. You can also go to BobSima.com to purchase or listen to his music.

What does prayer mean in the Unity tradition? How is the annual Unity World Day of Prayer acknowledged? Beverly talks with Amy Cousins, an ordained interfaith minister, certified grief recovery specialist, and spiritual counselor who has been prayer chaplain coordinator at two Unity churches. Amy describes the part prayer can play in every aspect of our lives and how Unity World Day of Prayer can help ground us and give us the freedom to be our best selves. She leads us in a meditation about being the Light for ourselves and others. Beautiful!

Do you remember "Yours, Mine and Ours," a top-grossing comedy in 1968 starring Lucille Ball and Henry Fonda? It was based on a true story of a widow with eight children marrying a widower with 10 children, and then having two more kids. However, it wasn't the truth. Lucille Ball was even afraid of the stepdad. Tom North is one of those terrified kids from the original family. He tells what it was like to be a child living behind the scenes in a family filled with domestic violence and child abuse. Life isn't always as it appears, and even the worst of circumstances can eventually evolve into a fulfilling life. But what a bumpy ride it was.

If there really is an afterlife, what is it like? Author Roberta Grimes is a graduate of Smith College and a business attorney, but her personal experiences and research have led her on a different path-finding out what happens after death. What does this have to do with self-forgiveness, seeing our family, friends, and pets, time travel to other civilizations, and quantum physics? Ernest Holmes, founder of Religious Science, always encouraged us to be "open at the top" for new ideas ... and here they are!

Pranic healing has been around for a long time, but it is just starting to be understood in the Western world. Master Glenn Mendoza, M.D., says there is an energetic anatomy, as well as a physical anatomy, that can be healed. We all have the ability to understand and use this principle of clearing out the negative and leaving room for the divine healing energy that alleviates suffering and helps us live in an optimum way. For information about pranic healing and workshops, go to www.pranichealingusa.com.

Paramahansa Jagadish is an American-born master healer and spiritual leader who is known globally for his karma clearing and ancestral healing work. He has started The Prayer Project, a global movement that invites all of us to participate for three minutes, three times a day, in prayers that bring peace and healing to the world. For more information about how to participate and to download a copy of The Prayer Project book, go to www.prayer-project.com.

Rev. Mark Gilbert has been going through his own spiritual evolution ... from federal government leader, to minister, to writer and now, to global services coordinator at Centers for Spiritual Living. Mark describes, with loving appreciation, how the world is evolving and how we're evolving with it. How can we understand and combine multiple world views and have the world become a better place because of it? How can we hold that same highest view of ourselves and our family and friends? Mark ties these concepts together beautifully on the show, and you can find out more on his (aptly named) website, www.consciousbridge.com.

David Leonard, senior minister at CSL Huntsville, Alabama, has led Circle of Love Gatherings for more than a decade. He explains the new paradigm of more people listening from the heart rather than just with the mind. Chuck Hunner started his labyrinth journey in 1998 and describes how walking a labyrinth opens up a new way to have whole brain (right/left) thinking. Find out about the October 13–17 Circle of Love Gathering at www.circleoflovegathering.com. For Chuck's beautiful labyrinths and SOM jewelry, go to www.goldenspirit.com.

Paul Graetz is pastor of Metropolitan Community Church in Atlanta. He tells us how he found his way from a Pentecostal upbringing to a New Thought way of life. He has transformed his thinking from feeling like he has to appease or appeal to that separate, dualistic God that many of us remember to recognizing the divine spark within. What a journey he has had! Dr. Paul explains how the act of simply "allowing" and recognizing "divine discontent" can open us up to the next part of our spiritual journey. Listen to his inspiring affirmative prayer at the end of the show.

Have you been involved in funeral planning lately? Did you know that embalming is not required in the 50 states; and neither is a coffin or casket for a ground burial? The Federal Trade Commission has a Funeral Rule booklet that is good to know about before you need it. It requires disclosure from funeral homes before you pay money or sign on the dotted line. It could save you a lot of money and anxiety. Joshua Slocum, executive director of the Funeral Consumer's Alliance, tells us how we can be more proactive in planning for that ultimate day. Go to www.funerals.org for this and much more information.

"Bless your clutter. Yes, you heard right. Bless it. Bless everything in your life that is superfluous, broken, burdensome, and overwhelming-because it is all here to teach you an important lesson, perhaps the most important lesson there is: what really matters." Lauren Rosenfeld cowrote Breathing Room: Open Your Heart by Decluttering Your Home with Dr. Melva Green, from the A&E show, Hoarders. This is a refreshing way of looking at making room around your body, mind, and soul. Ahhhhh.

Rev. Beth Linguri is an American who discovered the heart of her ministry in Geneva, Switzerland. She has been on her own "hero's journey"-called to the chaos of the opportunity-creating the Center-and finding the gift in it all-the weekly Sacred Circles that bring peace-minded individuals together to create an idea that is bigger than themselves. To attend, find out about, or contribute to the Center for Peace annual conference taking place August 22–24 in Geneva, go to www.newthoughtconference.com. To assist with work to be done at the Center through volunteering, being a practitioner, or helping with its ministry, contact Rev. Beth at centerforpeacegeneva@gmail.com.

Author Dennis Merritt Jones discovers what he wants to know and then writes his next book about it. His latest book, Your (Re) Defining Moments: Becoming Who You Were Born to Be, describes each of us as we start out, newly born, without the external influences of anyone or anything. That is our authentic self. How do we live life so we can be that person we were meant to be? He reminds us that "Imitation is Suicide." What would your life be like if you were not imitating who people thought you should be?

Author Brenda Strickland grew up in the Unity tradition, so she understands what it means to experience the pervasive, all-encompassing energy of a creative intelligence in her everyday life. It helped that she was "prayed up" and living her belief when she was diagnosed with a disease in 1987. After learning a lot about herself, she had her last episode with the disease in 1998. Lilies hold a special significance in her life and are a metaphor for how the divine intelligence is at work in the world. To find out more about Brenda and her book Life, Love, and Lilies: Everyday Spirituality, go to www.brendastrickland.us.

What is your "error" belief that keeps you in poverty/lack or in relationships that keep you down? Dr. Patrick Cameron says that we can discover our blockages, face them squarely, and release the power they have had over us to go from fear to faith. Find out how he works with Karen Smith, a single mother of four whose husband moved out of the country and nearly out of their lives. Dr. Patrick's affirmative prayer is for Karen and the rest of us. You will want to listen again and again.