The Healing Power of Prayer

Question: My friend has been given a serious diagnosis and a grim prognosis. I believe in the healing power of prayer and I want to encourage my friend to not give up. I’m praying, but he isn’t getting better. How can I help him have more faith and how can I pray more effectively?

Answer: First of all, it’s not up to us to persuade our friends to believe one thing or another. If your friend has a short time left, he probably doesn’t want to spend that time hearing that he doesn’t have enough faith! Remember in Job’s time of distress, his friends tried to give him the answers they thought he needed, but really they only made him more miserable. He didn’t need their theology; he needed their love and support and he didn’t get much of that. I think there’s a lesson there for us.

That having been said, I too believe that prayer is a powerful force in our lives and that miracles happen every day. So, you can continue to pray for your friend. See him bathed in God’s loving light. Imagine him sleeping peacefully at night and enjoying his meals throughout the day. Hold a picture in your mind of you hugging him and telling him you love him, and imagine him smiling with joy as you share that tender moment. Give thanks for the medical care he is receiving. Pray for angels (cosmic or human) to minister to him. Ask God to bless him. And then detach from the outcome. You can certainly wish for him to feel better, and you can hope for his disease to go into remission. And you can trust that your love and hope are making a difference in his life. But don’t add to his stress by telling him how he “ought” to feel or what he “should” believe. You can believe in miracles and affirm that one is possible for your friend, and then let things unfold as they will, trusting that God is in the process and that nothing will ever separate your friend from God’s love.

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.

Ocean of Life

“Whether I am a small or a big wave of being, the same Ocean of Life is behind me.” Paramahansa Yogananda

Oceans are vast. Oceans are deeper that one can tell from looking at the surface. An ocean is a home for all kinds of creatures, and it provides food for even more creatures. Oceans are life-giving. The ocean connects all life within it, supports life within it, interpenetrates all life within it. The ocean is one with all the life it houses and sustains. No matter what a crab or a star fish or a sponge knows about the ocean, no matter what those creatures believe about the ocean, no matter how they understand their relationship to the ocean, the ocean remains faithful to them, inseparable from them, nurturing and sustaining them always. Isn’t the Source of our lives, the Substance of All That Is, the All-in-all… no matter what we call It (and most of us probably call It “God”), isn’t It as faithful, as present, as nurturing as the Ocean? Isn’t God the Ocean of our Lives in which we live and move and have our being? Doesn’t God surround us and fill us and connect us with all Life? Isn’t this Good News?

Yours in shared service,

Durrell+

Cathedral Survey Results

On March 1, 2009, Sunshine Cathedral participated in the US Congregational Life Survey. The results from the survey will be part of a national database and gave us good baseline information for how a typical day in the life of Sunshine Cathedral looks. This snapshot shows us our strengths as well as areas where we can improve. Here is a brief summary of the survey results:

• Out of 524 people who worshiped with us on March 1^st, 319 took the survey (an excellent response).
• 92% of survey respondents indicated they attend Sunshine Cathedral worship services 2 or more times per month.
• 16% of the respondents had attended less than 1 year, while 40% had attended from 2 to 5 years. 43% attended for 6 or more years.
• 54% of the respondents were between the ages of 45 and 64.
• 12% of the respondents were women, 4% were Black / African American, and 7% were Hispanic. Because of the way the question was framed, however, we actually believe the number of Hispanics to be higher than reported.
• 89% of respondents said they usually or always experience inspiration and joy in worship.
• 91% of respondents said that church activities help them with daily living.
• 89% identified as progressive (either very liberal, liberal, or moderate… with liberal being the largest group).
• 75% agreed that “all the different religions are equally good ways of helping a person find ultimate truth.” 12% were neutral or unsure.
• 87% said their spiritual needs were being met at Sunshine Cathedral.
• 91% said “there is a good match between our congregation and our pastor.”
• 89% felt the congregation had a clear vision, goals, and direction for ministry (and 79% indicated they were personally committed to the vision and goals).
• 72% of respondents indicated they travel less than 20 minutes to get to church.
• About a fourth of the respondents indicated they were involved in group activities in the church, and compared to two years ago, 25% of congregants are participating MORE in activities of the church while 48% are participating at the same level they did 2 years ago.
• Almost a third of respondents claimed to have leadership roles in the congregation.
• More than two-thirds of respondents said they have close friends in the congregation.

We want to thank everyone who participated in the survey for helping us get a clearer picture of what we are doing well and what we still need to do better. You can read the full reports and analysis of the reports by clicking here.

Sowing & Reaping

Healing Rays: A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection
by Durrell Watkins

“Often we hear someone say, ‘I will do it when my ship comes in.’ And I always like to ask, ‘Did you send one out?’ In other words, as you give, you receive; as you serve, you benefit.” Irwin Gregg

We are already well into autumn. Soon, the Liturgical Year will begin again with Advent and not longer after that there will be the Season of Lent. Advent and Lent both remind us about service, stewardship, worship, and daily prayer. But the truth is those disciplines benefit us year round! When we volunteer for ministries or social service, when we contribute generously and consistently to the place where our spirituality is nourished, when we give to other good causes, when we gather with others for a shared experience of worship, and when we enter into the Silence each day to commune with the God of our understanding, we are sowing seeds of love and hope, and those seeds are bound to take root and return to us an abundant harvest of fulfillment and joy. As we give, we receive. As we serve, we benefit.

Following Our Star

Healing Rays: A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection
by Durrell Watkins

"...the star is seen to be our star. It is the star of Jesus but he came that we might see it as our star." Albert Grier

Magi, the story goes, saw a star and followed it to a life-giving and life-changing experience. In ancient times, it was believed "new stars" appeared when special people were born. We may not take the story literally. After all, we must surely have doubts that an actual star rested only a few feet above a dwelling place like the Texaco star sign elevated near a gas station! But as an allegory, the story may be very true. The story tells us that as we seek and follow the light of Truth, wherever it may come from and wherever it may lead, we will find ourselves discovering what is empowering, life-giving, nurturing, and joyous for our lives. The magi represent the divine Wisdom within us, leading us always to seek and follow signs that point toward our greater Good. The star of Jesus, the Epiphany star is our star...the symbol of our spiritual growth and evolution.

Sharing the Light: Does positive thinking really work?

Sharing the Light is an Internet talk show where Reverends Durrell Watkins, Robert Griffin, and others discuss theological questions of interest to our community.

In this episode of Sharing the Light, Sunshine Cathedral’s Senior Pastor Durrell Watkins speaks with Light University Academic Dean Robert Griffin and Michael Diaz, Volunteer Coordinator / Miami Outreach Coordinator. We invite you to join us for an enlightening conversation on Sharing the Light.

Why did Jesus say he was dying for his friends?

Q&A by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor

Question: Why did Jesus say he was dying for his friends? What does that mean?

Answer: I have no idea if Jesus said he was dying “for” his friends. Remember, Jesus didn’t write the gospels. People wrote those stories 40 – 70 years after Jesus’ death, so lots of words have been put in Jesus’ mouth that Jesus probably never said.

In ancient Greek culture, warriors who died defending the city-state were said to have “died for the people”. Perhaps the gospel writers saw Jesus in this way — willing to put himself on the line to make changes in the world and to empower people on the margins. While he was defending the sacred value of all people, he was killed like a warrior dying for his people.

When Dr. King was killed in Memphis, didn’t he die for the sins of racism, violence, and classism? Didn’t he live and die to improve the lives of others? It doesn’t mean God wanted him to be harmed; it just means that the love of God was so powerful in him that he was willing to risk death to bless people’s lives. Maybe that’s what the writers of the gospel were suggesting about Jesus.

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.

Knowing Who We Are

Healing Rays: A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection
by Durrell Watkins

"[Human-beings are] Life and Intelligence expressed." Myrtle Fillmore

Have you ever noticed that we tend to think of people in the past (Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Teresa, Socrates, Buddha, Jesus, Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, Sojourner Truth, etc.) as being "great". But we think of ourselves as being insignificant. Or, because we feel insignificant, we pretend to be great, exaggerating our accomplishments and taking credit for things we didn't really do. Or, we allow ourselves to believe that we are pretty good, but our neighbor or enemy or "those" people are evil, nefarious, beneath contempt.

In reality (divine Reality), we are ALL an expression of the One Life, the Infinite Intelligence. If we don't know or believe this Truth, then we may not live up to our enormous potential, but that doesn't change who we really are. We are (ALL) children of God. The divine Spark we see in Dr. King or Mother Teresa is also in us. Once we really see it in ourselves, then we'll tend to see it not only in the heroes of the past, but in all people. And when what we see is divine, what we experience will more often be divine!

Spiritual Resources

Sunshine Cathedral is now offering three new resources to help you on your spiritual journey. The first is a book called A Treatment A Day: a book of and about prayer. The second is a book called Progressive, Positive, & Practical Encouragement for Spiritual Leaders (recommended for clergy and lay leaders of churches of every size). The third is called Fairy Dust: Using Affirmations to Unlock the Magic of Life. They are available here. A limited number of copies are in the bookstore at church, and A Treatment A Day is also available at Amazon.com.

PBS Special and Rev. Robert Griffin HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean: A deadly cycle of stigma and secrecy

Early this summer, Rev. Robert Griffin was invited by Micah Fink of PBS to take part in a taping of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean specifically focusing on homophobia and religion in Jamaica through the outreach of Sunshine Cathedral in Jamaica.

The Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting in association with the M∙A∙C AIDS Fund and the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism made this project possible as they focused on stigma and discrimination that prevents people around the world from accessing HIV prevention, care, and treatment services they need. This is particularly true in areas of the Caribbean, such as Jamaica, where anti-sodomy laws and concerns about violence put vulnerable populations at extreme risk.

The first of the five-part series will begin airing on the PBS series World Focus on Tuesday, September 22^nd; please check local listing for timing. Also, web videos of all five pieces are also going to go live on the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting website early next week as well. The videos will, we believe, be available internationally at http://pulitzergateway.org/the-glass-closet/.

For our associates in the New York area the series will kick off on Tuesday with two events, a viewing of the series at the Columbia University’s School of Journalism at 4:00 PM followed by a reception/panel discussion at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. Seating is limited so if you plan to attend please RSVP to RSVP@pulitzercenter.org.

We are uncertain as to how much of Sunshine Cathedral will be presented in this special; however we invite you to watch the series.

Micah Fink is an Emmy-nominated producer specializing in international affairs, public health, national security, and environmental issues. Micah’s work has appeared on Wide Angle, Frontline, National Geographic Television and ABC News. He has written for print, magazines, and the web. His recent work, Glass Closet, explores the intersections among homophobia, violence, stigma, religion and the disease in Jamaica.

Isaiah's Message

Q&A by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor

Question: You preach a message of optimism and self-esteem. But how do you account for biblical messages like the one in Isaiah, chapter 64 that says, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags”?

Answer: There are at least three contributors to the Book of Isaiah. They each speak from their own perspective. The second contributor to Isaiah, for example, believes that a day of healing from Yahweh is on the way. The third contributor, however, is sometimes hopeful and other times desperate. “Third Isaiah” (the last ten chapters of the book) is the writer of the passage you mention, and he has a hard time maintaining a positive outlook. His gift to us is his honesty about his struggle. That doesn’t mean we should emulate his despair.

The writer believes that God has been unfairly harsh in punishing people for their mistakes and the harshness of God’s punishments cause the people to doubt God’s goodness, and their doubt leads to more mistakes. What a vicious cycle! I don’t believe God punishes people for their mistakes (though choices have consequences… we may be punished “by” our mistakes, but nor “for” them), and even Third Isaiah knows that. He says, “Yet, O God, you are our Parent; we are the clay and you the potter — we are all the work of your hands” (v.8). When he’s thinking clearly, he knows that God is good. When he focuses only on the hardships of life, he blames God for those hardships, saying things like, “No other god would treat its servants in such a way!” (v. 4).

Yes, one of the three writers of Isaiah during a moment of crisis believes that God isn’t terribly fair. But he shows us how such defeatist thinking doesn’t serve him, and how his natural bent is to hope anyway. In a weak moment, Third Isaiah may have imagined God was treating him like dirty rags, but that isn’t the big picture of Isaiah, or of the bible.

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.

Sharing the Light: Transformation vs. Salvation

Sharing the Light is an Internet talk show where Reverends Durrell Watkins, Robert Griffin, and others discuss theological questions of interest to our community.

In this episode of Sharing the Light, Sunshine Cathedral’s Senior Pastor Durrell Watkins speaks with Light University Academic Dean Robert Griffin and Michael Diaz, Volunteer Coordinator / Miami Outreach Coordinator. We invite you to join us for an enlightening conversation on Sharing the Light.

Moderator of MCC Calls for Prayer Regarding the Death of a Gay Man in Jamaica

This past week, the LGBT community around the globe learned of yet another horrific attack on a gay man that resulted in his death.

John Terry, a British honorary consul living in Jamaica, was strangled and beaten to death by someone police believe to have been close to John. A note found on his bed referred to him as a "batty man" {derogatory slang for gay man} and that read in part, "This is what will happen to ALL gays."

Since 1997 Amnesty International has recorded the murders of at least 35 gay men on the island, including that of Brian Williamson, founder of JFLAG {Jamaica Forum for Lesbians, All Sexuals and Gays} and of a man serving as the Choir Director of a Sunshine Cathedral MCC congregation in Jamaica. Thirty-two incidents of mob violence directed against LGBT people have been recorded in the last eighteen months alone. In many cases, the murders were followed by crowd celebrations around mutilated bodies.

THIS MUST STOP NOW!

"There is nothing politically correct or culturally sensitive about failing to name the realities that are violently claiming the lives of LGBT people and justifying those heinous acts," said Rev. Nancy Wilson, Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches, the world's oldest and largest global LGBT organization. "'Murder music' is neither artistic form nor cultural heritage. It is, along with cries from the pulpit for condemnation and execution, and proclamations from the Jamaican Parliament advocating life in prison for so-called 'acts of gross indecency,' the instigation behind and support for not only criminal and immoral behavior, but untold human suffering," she added.

Rev. Robert Griffin, liaison to Sunshine Cathedral's MCC congregations in Jamaica, added that, "Even church-goers live in fear of detection, knowing that the safety of the sanctuary does not extend to them, simply because they are LGBT. The persecution and violence in Jamaica must stop and it must stop now!"

Though it should not matter, John Terry was both a gentleman and a generous human being, whose charitable acts included individual assistance to the poor and volunteer work with agencies, such as those dedicated to serving the mentally ill. His death, and the countless recorded and unrecorded victims of hate crimes before him, must not go unprotested by the international community.

Change is possible. Violence is endemic to no society. Good will among all and living in just and right relationship are not "insider" or "outside" concerns or standards. — They are the business of all of us who care deeply about the safety and well being of all God's children, in particular, God's LGBT children around the globe.

Join me today in:

+ Praying for an immediate end to homophobic violence in Jamaica and around the globe.

+ Contacting Sunshine Cathedral MCC in Jamaica and JFLAG, who together are working to combat the homophobia and discriminatory attitudes behind the violence in Jamaica. For more information regarding Sunshine Cathedral in Jamaica please contact Rev. Robert Griffin.

+ Reaching out, if you are a Jamaican citizen, to local religious leaders and asking for their assistance in ending the violence by preaching acceptance and tolerance of diversity.

+ Writing to The Honorable Orette Bruce Golding, Prime Minister of Jamaica at hpmgolding@opm.gov.jm. 

Tell Prime Minister Golding that you are a person of faith demanding that the violence against LGBT people stop now. Tell him religious bigotry and social sanction must no longer be used to justify discrimination and criminal acts of violence against gay people. Laws that sanction discrimination must be eliminated, and laws that protect LGBT equally must be passed.

Tell him you are part of a global community of faith that believes in the value and dignity and worth of all God's children, and that you won't give up until all LGBT people are safe from persecution and violence in Jamaica.

We can make a difference. We must make a difference. We must not give up for the sake of the safety of our community in Jamaica.

//signed//

The Rev. Nancy L. Wilson

Moderator

Metropolitan Community Churches

Mothers of God

Healing Rays: A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection
by Durrell Watkins

"We are all meant to be mothers of God, for God is always needing to be born." Meister Eckhart

Christian mystic Julian of Norwich is known to many of us for her affirmative prayer, "All shall be well, all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well." But of course, her profound and deep spirituality offers us a wealth of insights. Once she wrote, "God is the true Father and Mother of Nature and all natures that are made to flow out of God to work the divine will, will be restored and brought again into God." We may notice that even in the middle ages, Julian knew that God wasn't limited to a Y chromosome! But we also see her faith that Good flows out of God, and the Good we share is an offering back to God. When we believe in our sacred value and share that optimism and goodwill with the world around us, we are expressing the Goodness of God. And when we express God, we are actually offering our best back to God. We are here to give birth daily to divine potential! Isn't that good news?

Spiritual Resources

Sunshine Cathedral is now offering three new resources to help you on your spiritual journey. The first is a book called A Treatment A Day: a book of and about prayer. The second is a book called Progressive, Positive, & Practical Encouragement for Spiritual Leaders (recommended for clergy and lay leaders of churches of every size). The third is called Fairy Dust: Using Affirmations to Unlock the Magic of Life. They are available here. A limited number of copies are in the bookstore at church, and A Treatment A Day is also available at Amazon.com.

Another Murder in Jamaica...There is Something You Can Do

Speak Out Against Homophobic Violence

Since 1997 Amnesty International has recorded the murders of more than 35 gay men in Jamaica. 32 incidents of mob violence have been recorded in just the last 18 months. And last week, another gay man was attacked and brutally murdered in that country.

John Terry, a British diplomat living in Jamaica was beaten and strangled. A note found near his body read, "This is what will happen to all gays."

You can email the Jamaican Prime Minister, The Hon. O. Bruce Golding and tell him that as a person of faith you are calling for decisive action to change the culture of violence and intolerance in Jamaica. And join us in praying for an end to homophobic violence in Jamaica and around the world.

Here is our statement on the recent killing.

9/11 Commemoration

by Durrell Watkins
September 11, 2009


September 11th - a day that serves to remind us how dangerous religious fanaticism can be. Fundamentalism and the intolerance it breeds, as well as the violence it tends to promote, is dangerous and potentially lethal whether it calls itself Muslim, Hindu, or Christian.

In 2001 I was living about 60 miles outside of Washington, DC. I was stunned as I watched on CNN a plane fly into the World Trade Center (NYC was only a four hour drive from my house at the time). While I was trying to make sense of what happened, another plane struck a tower. I remember saying, "We're under attack." Of course, the Pentagon was also attacked, and another plane landed in rural Pennsylvania.

Friends from Texas called me to make sure I wasn't "too" close to the planes that were raining down from the heavens. Less than a year later I began a second master's degree in New York City. People in the City still responded with sorrow and near disbelief when they spoke of the terrible day in 2001.

It's 8 years later.
Religion is still used to divide, wound, and intimidate.
Politics seem no more civil than they were almost a decade ago.
Racism along with political discord and religious fundamentalism all conspire to keep power and privilege in the hands of too few.
The oppressed and marginalized attack one another rather than banning together to demand equal opportunity and "liberty and justice for all."

September 11, 2001 was a sad in the US.
Of course, other countries live with days like 9/11 every day.
In this country, AIDS attacked entire communities while many pretended not to notice or worse, actually blamed the victims.
Matthew Shepard and James Byrd knew what it was like to be targeted, tormented, and killed for being different.

9/11 could have been a wake-up call that caused us to look with compassion on all who suffer. It could have been an opportunity to unite for the common good making sure no one gets left out.

As we continue to argue about providing health care for all people, and as we continue to protect homophobia/homohatred instead of standing up for equality for everyone, and as we voice our disagreements by spreading misinformation, insults, and personal attacks instead of engaging in healthy, respectful dialogue, one wonders if the healing that could have followed the 9/11 tragedy has been carelessly overlooked.

As we remember a sad day in American history, let's also remember that others have also had sad and painful days. And lets use our painful memories not to justify hatred or to promote fear, but to summon the compassion and goodwill that can bring healing to our whole world. That is the Phoenix that ought to rise from the ashes of 9/11. That is the Resurrection that can affirm life in the aftermath of death. That is the spiritual maturity that may just help heal the wounds inflicted by fundamentalism of every stripe.

(posted at Kweerspirit)


Yours in shared service, 

Durrell+

You Are the Power

Healing Rays: A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection
by Durrell Watkins

"Know that you are the power you're looking for." Louise Hay

Most of our discontent comes from feeling separated from our "Source." You may imagine your Source to be the human family, or the universe, or the interconnecting web of all existence. You may call your Source "spirit" or "Goddess" or "God." How we imagine It and what we call It isn't as important as our awareness that we are connected to It. When we feel connected to Source and we feel its currents of energy flowing through us, then not only do things tend to go better for us, but even when there are challenges or setbacks, we tend to handle those disappointments with more courage, hope, and grace. The Power of Life is expressing in, through, and as us. We are individuations of the Whole, and when we remember that, we have all the empowerment we need. Right where we are, the power of life is; It's part of us and it is expressing as us. Let this thought renew your hope today.

(Reprinted from March 16, 2009)

Why is Sunshine Cathedral so different from other churches?

Q&A by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor

Question: I have found Sunshine Cathedral to be one of the most positive churches I’ve ever attended. Growing up Catholic I thought we were to be afraid of God and have a low opinion of ourselves, but the message seems to be the just the opposite here. I never get tired of hearing that God is love and I am good. And you wrap it all up in a joyful celebration that I love being part of. Why is Sunshine Cathedral so different from other churches?

Answer: Well, there are certainly other positive, festive, warm churches in the world. Unfortunately, there are also churches that promote fear, division, and self-loathing. But even those churches tend to care about the needy or at least form communities where true friendships can be formed. So, let’s not be too hard on them.

At Sunshine Cathedral our mission is to be “seekers and students of truth, empowered by spirit, sharing the light with the world.” We seek openly, rather than handing out pre-packaged answers to pre-approved questions. We are students, always learning and willing to allow our learning to take us wherever it might. We find the spirit of God to be life-giving, empowering, the source of hope and joy; and we want to share these realizations with whoever might benefit from them. Because we are non-doctrinal, open and affirming, we might seem different from more theologically rigid or narrow faith communities. We seek to be a “progressive, positive, and practical” church. If we have succeeded in being that for you, then that is a reason to celebrate. Now that you have found a spiritual home at Sunshine Cathedral, help us spread the word about this progressive, positive, and practical faith community. Others need what you have discovered.

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.

Learning to Let Go

Healing Rays: A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, M.A., M.Div., D.Min.

"My work has taught me that any pain or struggle is a signal to relax and let go. Pain and struggle are signs you are holding on to a fear, judgment, expectation, doubt or some other self-limiting thought." — Dr. Robert Holden, Shift Happens: Powerful Ways to Transform Your Life

We all are familiar with stress. But our stressful situations are often made worse by our own attitudes. Situations can be difficult, but our attachments and our "shoulds" and our resentments and our fears all keep us tied up in emotional knots. The result is we get tired, cranky, and we become less effective. Dr. Holden assures us, "The best things in life happen when you dare to let go! How good is romance when you let go
and trust... How attractive you are when you let go and relax! How effective at work are you when you let go and give yourself fully! Letting go inspires creativity, intimacy, laughter, balance, abundance, and peace."

Our attempts to control life will leave us exhausted and dissatisfied. But when we let go of our judgments and allow ourselves to be present to what is, we find we are part of creating something wonderful, dynamic,
exciting, fun, and miraculous. And when we are having THAT experience, stress is suddenly nowhere to be found. Let's let go today and be present to the possibilities that exist for us; let's be part of the joy
of being our best selves, now.

(Reprinted from February 19th, 2008)

Durrell+

© Durrell Watkins, Sunshine Cathedral, 2009

Sharing the Light: The Authority of Scripture

Sharing the Light is an Internet talk show where Reverends Durrell Watkins, Robert Griffin, and others discuss theological questions of interest to our community.

In this episode of Sharing the Light, Sunshine Cathedral’s Senior Pastor Durrell Watkins speaks with Light University Academic Dean Robert Griffin and Michael Diaz, Volunteer Coordinator / Miami Outreach Coordinator. We invite you to join us for an enlightening conversation on Sharing the Light.

Moderator of MCC on the Passing of Senator Edward M. Kennedy 1932 -2009

Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches

On the Passing of "The Lion of the Senate,"

Senator Edward M. Kennedy {22 February 1932 -25 August 2009}

Remarks by

Rev. Nancy L. Wilson

Office of the Moderator

www.MCCchurch.org

Today I join my voice to those of people around the globe who offer condolences to the family of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and express sorrow at the loss of a human rights advocate and U.S. legilative leader in the battle for LGBT equality.

Though born into a private life of privilege, he used his public life to advocate for the marginalized on many frontiers. From immigration rights to equal accomodations for Americans with disabilities; from ending discrimination against LGBT people in the work place to preserving funding for minority and women owned businesses, Senator Kennedy remained a tireless advocate for anyone who has ever found themselves on the outside looking in.

Long haunted by the irresponsible behavior that led to the death of a fellow human being, he labored to become one of the most responsible and consistent advocates for the equality of all life.

+Kennedy's life passion was universal health care. He believed access to health care to be

a basic human right.

+Ted Kennedy stood firm in his denunciation of the war, first in Viet Nam and later in Iraq,

condemning what he believed to be a senseless loss of life.

+Always an advocate for civil rights and human equality, he was an early supporter of hate

crimes legislation that would address violence against the LGBT community, and one of

the few United States Senators to courageously vote against the Defense of Marriage Act

in the fall of 1996.

+Kennedy's words framed the debate on and battle for marriage equality: "This Amendment

{DOMA} would make a minority of Americans permanent second class citizens of this

country....And it would write discrimination into a document that has served as a historic

guarantee of individual freedom."

Standing for the freedom of people everywhere, Ted Kennedy fought to end apartheid in South Africa and discrimination at voting polls in the United States. He worked for peace in Northern Ireland and to ban arms sales to dictators in South America.

MCC Board of Administration member, John Hassell, worked with Senator Kennedy and his staff on their 2003 commemoration of the life and work of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and later in reauthorizing the United States global AIDS initiative known as PEPFAR. "I worked with the Senator's staff in organizing an indepth committee hearing on the need for strong American leadership on AIDS," John recounted. "I have never encountered a politician as deeply committed to lifting those on the margins as Senator Kennedy. A champion for the least of these has now passed the torch to us and we should be steadfast in meeting the challenge."

In one of his last public speeches, he called for "closing the book on the old politics of race and gender, and group against group, and straight against gay." He called us, as human beings, "to rise to our best ideals."

Senator Edward Moore Kennedy was, like many of us, a person of contradiction --- large in his hopes and dreams; urged toward action by his own faults and failings.

As I mourn his passing today, I pray that we may all honor the call to rise to our best selves and offer that as a living tribute to his life, knowing that although we have lost a comrade in the earthly battle for equality, we have gained a heavenly advocate.

//signed//

The Rev. Nancy L. Wilson

Moderator

Metropolitan Community Churches

Good News Is Still Needed

Healing Rays: A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, M.A., M.Div., D.Min.

"With God, I can do all things! But with God and you and the people you can interest, by the grace of God, we're going to cover the world!" Aimee Semple McPherson

In the last few weeks, I have been bombarded with prayer requests by people who have discovered they have serious health challenges. In this same time, people have spoken to me about their struggle to reconcile sexuality and spirituality. Finally, during this same period of time, I have received what I affectionately call "hate-mail" from Internet viewers who say that our message of inclusion and affirmation is not only wrong but offensive to God. It's been an interesting few weeks.

What all this communication (both the requests for support and the unkind accusations) tells me is that we are very much needed! There are people who still struggle to believe that God loves them just as they are. There are people who are facing difficult realities and who are making life-changing decisions and they need hope and wisdom and loving community as they face their circumstances. And, there are misguided souls who continue to spread hate and fear as they insist that God shares their prejudices. Whew. We have lots of work to do.

Of course, in Reality, we are all made in the divine image and we are all connected in the universal Web of Existence. Because this is true, there is hope and encouragement for everyone. But who will share this good news? Those of us who have been liberated by it! So, let's continue to support our church with time, talent, and treasure. Let's continue to pray for all who are on our prayer list. Let's continue to invite more and more people into our faith community. Let's develop our daily spiritual practices and let's keep Sharing the Light with the World!

Durrell+

© Durrell Watkins, Sunshine Cathedral, 2009

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America to Extend Equality to LGBT Clergy & Lay Leaders

On Friday, August 21^st, delegates to the National Convention of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to “find a way for people in publicly accountable, lifelong, monogamous same-gender relationship” to serve as officially recognized ministers of that church body, effectively equalizing the norms and standards applying to heterosexual and homosexual clergy alike.

“We rejoice with our brothers and sisters in the Evangelical Lutheran Church who have prayed, worked and witnessed for this day,” said The Rev. Nancy Wilson, Moderator of Metropolitan Community Churches. “Though many have raised concern that this vote for inclusivity and equality will either split the denomination or lead to a mass exodus of those who disagree with the vote, I believe it speaks to the truth that equality is not a ‘liberal’ or ‘conservative’ issue, but one of justice; and justice, as our sister Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook has so aptly put it, ‘cannot be partitioned.’ I believe that the ELCA and the Christian Church at large will be stronger and more unified for this vote of conviction.”

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is the largest Lutheran body in the United States, with an overall membership of 4.6 million people. The vote by its predominantly Mid-western constituency may signal an overall movement in the nation toward wider acceptance and support of LGBT equality among middle Americans.

The Lutheran body joins the Episcopal Church and the United Church of Christ as mainline denominations extending equality in the ministry to its straight and gay leadership alike. While the vote upholds the primacy of conscience, allowing individual congregations to decide whether to call gay clergy or lay leaders into active service, it nonetheless “affirms the vision of Scripture and its prophets: a house of prayer for all God’s people,” said The Rev. Wilson. “The ECLA has joined a growing movement of the faithful who understand and affirm that sexual orientation and gender identity are gifts of God intended to be celebrated and affirmed.”

“We welcome our brothers and sisters in the Lutheran Church,” she continued, “who now stand with MCC in praying for the day when the church of Jesus Christ will be one family of equals.”

//signed
+ The Rev. Nancy L. Wilson
Moderator
Metropolitan Community Churches

Finding a Spiritual Path

by Rev. Donna Schaper, Senior Minister, Judson Memorial Church (NYC)

If one more person says to me that they have ignored or ill-attended their spiritual life, I will scream. I will scream softly, but I will nevertheless scream. Why? Because it is not a big deal to find a spiritual way. Visit a worshipping congregation — more than once — and be open to the people there (most of whom think they have ignored their spiritual life), to the music (none of which is perfect but most of which is beautiful and touches one of the demographics in the room), look at the light in the windows (even though some days it will be foggy). Listen to the sermons but don’t use the preacher as your spiritual surrogate. Become your own person. Enjoy a couple of hours a week attending to your inner life so that your outer life will have vigor and matter to at least one more person than you.

If you are church-shopping or in spiritual life deficit, come check us out… We welcome you with your own joys and your own limits.

[Though written for Judson Church in NYC, this reflection is appropriate for us here at the Sunshine Cathedral. “Come check us out… We welcome you with your own joys and your own limits.”]

How do we keep shame, regret, and fear from creeping back into our consciousness?

Q&A by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor

Question: We are given such a positive message and warm experience at Sunshine Cathedral every Sunday morning. How can we maintain that feeling of joy and optimism during the week, Monday — Saturday? How do we keep shame, regret, and fear from creeping back into our consciousness?

Answer: How many years did we hear that God was angry with us, or that God’s love somehow excluded us? How many years were we presented a picture of God as a distant and disapproving relative? If we received that message in our formative years, and carried it around for 30, 50, or 70 years, then it might take a few years of hearing something consistently positive and nurturing to replace those old messages. I suggest that you keep coming to Sunshine Cathedral week after week (or, if you were to move, find a similar progressive and positive thinking church to attend). Read inspiring, loving literature. Spend time daily in meditation, simply experiencing the goodness of God’s presence. Come to our Sunday evening services to hear in-depth teaching sermons. Take a Light University class. Read Spirit & Truth, and watch Sharing the Light on the Internet. Surround yourself with positive people who recognize the sacred value of all living beings. Beliefs are just thoughts that we’ve rehearsed until they became habits. Once we rehearse the positive, uplifting, thoughts consistently enough, they will begin to shape our worldview. So just keep hearing the Good News over and over until it becomes part of you.

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.

Sharing the Light: Where Do We Go When We Die?

Sharing the Light is an Internet talk show where Reverends Durrell Watkins, Robert Griffin, and others discuss theological questions of interest to our community.

In this episode of Sharing the Light, Sunshine Cathedrals Senior Pastor Durrell Watkins speaks with Light University Academic Dean Robert Griffin. We invite you to join us for an enlightening conversation on Sharing the Light.

Books for Studying the New Testament

Q&A by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor

Question: I am interested in studying the New Testament. I would like to review the books in chronological order and by author. Is there a textbook or books you would suggest that I could buy?

Answer: An excellent introduction to the New Testament (including historical and contextual information), is The New Testament: History, Literature, and Social Context by Dennis C. Duling (Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth, 2003). If I remember correctly, he dates Mark about 6 years earlier than I do (I believe Mark was written about 70 CE), but otherwise, I think Duling is a very reliable source. Another really good resource is The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings by Bart D. Ehrman (NYC: Oxford University Press, 2000/2004). Enjoy your studies!

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.

Intention + Commitment = Success

Healing Rays: A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, M.A., M.Div., D.Min.

“Let us waste no further time looking for the secret of success or the key to happiness. Already the door is open and whosoever will may enter.” Ernest Holmes

When we think of a great human being, who comes to mind? Mother Teresa? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.? Nelson Mandela? Each was talented and intelligent to be sure; but what seems to be the greatest contributor to the difference these people made is their willingness to give their all to something they believed in. A full commitment to something larger than them is what made these people great.

When we set a clear intention to do something and make a full commitment to it, the Universe seems to conspire with us to guarantee our success! The all-inclusive, interconnecting Spirit of Life is always willing be our partner in any venture that is motivated by goodwill and that is fueled by our clear intention and total commitment.

It is better to set a goal too high and only achieve 80% than to set a goal too low and achieve 100%. The 80% of the grand goal will usually prove to be more than the 100% of a modest goal. Let’s believe in ourselves, set lofty goals, commit to those goals, and trust the Power of Life to support us as we pursue them. We can overcome obstacles and achieve wonderful results in our lives.

Durrell+

© Durrell Watkins, Sunshine Cathedral, 2009

Arthur Nobile, Jr. plays Widor on the Rodgers/Ruffatti Organ

Remembering Hiroshima

Today is the 64^th anniversary of the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima. From that attack, about 144,000 people were killed (about half from the initial blast, the others from wounds and illnesses that resulted from the blast). Over the next few decades, hundreds more would develop cancer or leukemia as a result of the radiation from the attack. Most casualties were civilians.

I am glad that no other war has ended in nuclear holocaust; and I do hope that nuclear weapons will never again be used.

I’m not writing to defend or condemn the actions of a war that took place decades before my birth. I know the Japanese Empire was given an ultimatum before the attack was launched and I know that Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor is what officially drew the U.S. into WW2. I’m not interested in rehashing the rationale for the use of such deadly force at Hiroshima; nor am I interested in trying to discern if in the end such action was ethical or necessary. What’s done is done.

What I do want to do today is honor the lives of innocent people lost in every war. I want to acknowledge the horror of Hiroshima, the brutality of war, and the sacredness of human life. And, I want to express an on-going wish for peace in the world and a constant desire for the day to come when conflicts can be settled by means other than violence.

For those who lost their lives at Hiroshima in 1945… Rest in peace.
For all who have lost their lives because of any war at any time… Rest in peace.
For those who risk their lives in service of their country… May you never be unnecessarily placed in harm’s way.
And for our world that longs for peace, justice, and stability… May an Abiding Peace bless us and keep us, now and always. Amen.

Arthur Nobile, Jr. on the Rodgers / Ruffatti organ

Arthur Nobile, Jr., will be featured in concert at the Sunshine Cathedral on Saturday, August 22^nd, at 8:00 pm. Tickets are available online here or in the Cathedral office.

Sharing the Light: How Can I Be Good Enough?

Sharing the Light is an Internet talk show where Reverends Durrell Watkins, Robert Griffin, and others discuss theological questions of interest to our community.

In this episode of Sharing the Light, Sunshine Cathedral’s Senior Pastor Durrell Watkins speaks with Light University Academic Dean Robert Griffin on the subject of “How Can I Be Good Enough?”. We invite you to join us for an enlightening conversation on Sharing the Light.

Choosing Our Destiny

A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, M.A., M.Div., D.Min.

“We build our future, thought by thought,
For good or ill, yet know it not.
Yet so the universe was wrought.
Thought is another name for fate;
Choose then thy destiny and wait,
For love brings love and hate brings hate.”
— Henry Van Dyke

My grandmother was an elementary school teacher. But she didn’t become a teacher in the conventional way. She didn’t go from high school to college and start teaching at 22. She got married at 17 and decided to go to college two years later. It was during WW2 and there was a teacher shortage. She entered a special program that allowed one to get a teaching certificate without a degree. She went to college for one year and then started teaching. Of course, after the war, the state raised the standards for teachers so that within a few years all teachers were required to have a Bachelor’s degree again. However, those who had received the non-degree certificate where allowed to keep teaching (but they were paid less than degreed teachers).

My grandmother decided she wanted to complete the degree, so every summer for 10 years she went to school until finally she did complete her Bachelor of Science in Education degree. Her sister got her degree in the exact same way and went on to earn a Master of Education degree, and their brother earned a Bachelor’s degree and two Masters’ degrees after serving as a pilot in WW2. All three retired from the profession of teaching.

What’s the point of this bit of family nostalgia? Just that these relatives demonstrated to me that achieving goals may not be quick or easy, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t possible. We may have to find creative ways to achieve our goals. We may have to wait years before our dreams are fully realized. But deciding on a goal, believing it is possible and remaining committed to it until it is realized however long it takes is the recipe for ultimate success. By choosing to be committed, optimistic, and determined and by not giving up too soon, we may find that we are able to do exactly what we had always wished was possible. As it turns out, most of what we wish for really is possible. Our job is to “choose then [our] destiny and wait…” Let’s keep moving forward toward our goals!

Durrell+

© Durrell Watkins, Sunshine Cathedral, 2009

Pastor Responds to Tel Aviv Shooting at Gay Community Centre

The Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor of Sunshine Cathedral MCC in Fort Lauderdale, FL, reads a statement responding to the shooting in Tel Aviv, Israel, on Saturday evening, August 1, 2009, which killed at least three people and injured at least 10 others.

How Can I Get My Faith Back?

Q&A by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor

Question: I’ve been struggling with a lot of difficulties. I don’t even think I have faith any more. How can you get faith back once you’ve lost it?

Answer: I wouldn’t worry about your “lack” of faith. You probably have more faith than you realize. Faith is just the willingness to imagine new possibilities. There is probably something in your life that you can imagine being different, in which case you are not totally without faith.

The other day I was feeling a little annoyed about something when suddenly, out of the blue, I remembered a very funny story and I immediately laughed out loud. I went from irritable to joyous in the blink of an eye! Why? Because I stopped thinking for a moment about something that made me miserable and started thinking about something that made me happy… it was that simple and I physically felt better after I changed my thoughts to something happy. We can choose our thoughts, and we can choose the ones that feel good. We really do have that power.

Psychologist Holden says: “happiness is only ever one thought away at most. One fresh perception, one new belief, one innovative thought, one powerful decision, one moment of surrender, one instant of complete openness is all it takes to experience a world of difference.” Can you imagine anything in your life being different? If so, then you have faith. Use that faith to consider something that brings you joy. Even if the joy only lasts for a moment, then you have a wonderful moment to remember and that may bring more joy. I wish you many blessings.

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.

God Sees Goodness

A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, M.A., M.Div., D.Min.

“Thou, God, seest me perfect.” The Upanishads

It makes me sad to see people trying to earn God’s favor. The Creative Power of Life expresses through us. It doesn’t merely put up with us; It needs us. We are how the divine Presence knows Itself. We are how It expresses Itself. God doesn’t look at us from far away and see sin and depravity. God looks at all of creation as we might look in a mirror; and God smiles approvingly at the beautiful reflection.

We make mistakes, of course. We don’t always remember our divine potential. We don’t always live in the power of Love that we are. But the truth of our being is that we are enough. Transcendent Life expressing in, through, and as us is always enough. We are good enough. And as we embrace this truth, we experience more hope, more joy, more freedom in our lives.

Let’s pray this week, “Dear God, you see goodness when you see me. May I see that same goodness and live into it and trust its truth now and always. Thank you, God! Amen.”

Durrell+

© Durrell Watkins, Sunshine Cathedral, 2009

If God Isn’t the Author of the Bible, How Can It Still Be Important to Me?

Q&A by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor

Question: I grew up believing that God actually wrote the bible and that it was literally true from the first page to the last. I now doubt those assumptions, but I wonder what importance the bible has. I don’t want to throw it out, but I can’t believe what I once did about it. Can you help?

Answer: The bible has many authors covering more than a millennium and touching at least three continents. The writers spoke a variety of languages and none of them knew our continent even existed. The bible writers were clearly influenced by their own cultures and experiences and we’ve learned some things since their time. However, they honestly struggled to find meaning in life and to embrace hope in difficult times. They faithfully and creatively recorded their ideas and as we read the songs, poems, sermons, letters, legal documents, and stories they created we find inspiration to ask our own questions and to pursue truth and meaning as courageously as they did. We may come to different conclusions and we may express our findings differently, but that doesn’t mean their journeys can’t have a positive impact on our own. The bible writers (none of whom knew they were writing anything that would eventually be included in a “bible”) were trying to know, serve, and share God. We are inspired, comforted, challenged, and encouraged by their efforts, even as we recognize God has much more to say to our hearts than we may find in any collection of writings.

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.

Are We Enough?

A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, M.A., M.Div., D.Min.

“I know that I am enough. There may be religions and philosophies that agree with me, but that’s not why I am enough. I am enough because I was born to express life, and life is always enough.” Dr. David J. Walker

We have goals, of course (and we need them). And we are proud of our achievements (and rightfully so). But let’s not let our achievements define us. There are times when we have false starts or when we make mistakes or even when we fail. Are we no good at such times? Of course not! We’re the same people we were in the times of success, accomplishment, and celebration. We can keep our trophies polished and admire them from time to time, but we learn good lessons from the mistakes, and we bounce back from the failures, and the disappointments don’t last forever (and sometimes they turn out to be blessings in disguise). The point is there will always be ups and downs. We can appreciate the ups, but our value doesn’t depend on them. We are Life in expression, at all times. In good times and bad times we have sacred value and enormous potential. We are enough. When we believe that, the ups won’t leave us conceited and the downs won’t leave us in despair. At all times, we are enough. And that’s enough to know, isn’t it?

How Do We Know There Is a God?

Q&A by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor

Question: I am… a scientific person (civil engineer)… [To me] everything has an equation, an answer that can be proven… My question is: How does one know that God really exists if we cannot physically (visually) see Him?

Answer: If God is a person on a throne in the sky, then “He” will always feel distant and perhaps even unreal to us. But there are other ways of understanding God. Theologian Paul Tillich described God as the “Ground of Being”. Jesus said that God is “spirit”, and the word he used for spirit is the same word that can be used for wind or air or breath. St. Paul, quoting an ancient Greek poet, said that God is That in which we live and move and have our being. The writer of the New Testament book of 1^st John said, “God is love…”

If we think of God as just a bigger person with magical powers who answers some prayers and punishes misdeeds, then obviously the scientific mind (or any critical thinker) will have trouble embracing that image. But if as the mystics have always said (including Jesus and Paul), God is the Source of life, then we can see God in ourselves, in nature, in our loving relationships, in our creativity, in beauty or peace or joy.

I think of God as All-that-is, and I know that the Whole must be more than the sum of Its’ parts. God is what I call this All-in-all, but that is my choice. I could call It Spirit, or the Inward Light, or That in which we live and move and have our being, or the Ground of Being, or Love, or a thousand other things. God is simply my word for ultimate reality, and I believe in reality because I experience it.

My guess is that you see God (or Love or the Energy of life or the Web of existence… what’s in a name?) every day. Reason tells me that there is a Source, and faith tells me that that the Source is good. My choice is to call it God, but whatever you call it, I bet you already experience it in profound ways.

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.

Sharing the Light: A Progressive View of the Way, the Truth, and the LIfe

Sharing the Light is an Internet talk show where Reverends Durrell Watkins, Robert Griffin, and others discuss theological questions of interest to our community.

In this episode of Sharing the Light, Sunshine Cathedral’s Senior Pastor Durrell Watkins speaks with Light University Academic Dean Robert Griffin. We invite you to join us for an enlightening conversation on Sharing the Light.

Why aren’t my prayers doing any good?

Q&A by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor

Question: None of my prayers seem to work anymore. I’ve prayed for people to get well, and they’ve gotten worse! I’ve prayed for financial blessings but I still struggle. I’ve even prayed for my love life but I’m still alone. Why aren’t my prayers doing any good?

Answer: Abraham Heschel wrote, “Prayer cannot bring water to parched land, nor mend a broken bridge, nor rebuild a ruined city; but prayer can water an arid soul, mend a broken heart, and rebuild a weakened will.” If we think of prayer as a magic bottle that will release a wish granting genie, then we may find ourselves disappointed when the wishes don’t come true. But if prayer is the change of attitude that helps us change for the better, then the better “us” can create a better life for ourselves.

Begging creates desperation, and a desperate spirit is not a receptive spirit. Prayer, rather than begging, is more of a release. Try sitting in the Silence. Just breathe. Feel gratitude for the solitude of the moment. Know that at least for that moment, all is well. Just relax and experience the peace of quiet breathing. That is centering prayer, and it will almost always leave you feeling better. I find such prayer to be effective.

Another formula you might try is affirming your good rather than begging for it. Affirm that Good is at hand, and then allow it to come however it may. It may not look exactly like your desire, but sometimes it will, and sometimes it will even be better. Such a prayer can be very simple: “Dear God, I relax in your presence and know that your grace is enfolding me and my dear ones now. I trust your grace to provide for every need and to bring wonderful blessings into manifestation at the perfect time and in the perfect way. Thank you, God. Amen.”

When I was in college, I complained to a wise older friend that my prayers weren’t working. She could tell I was quite anxious. Her answer to me was brilliant. She said, “Never pray hard. Always pray easy.”

If your prayer helps you experience a moment of peace, then it is a perfect prayer. And once you achieve a peaceful state, you may find that specific blessings find their way to you as well.

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.

Avoid Desperation

A Progressive, Positive, Practical Weekly Reflection by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, M.A., M.Div., D.Min.

“Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” Jesus, Matthew 6.34

Have you ever been desperate? Perhaps you were looking for a lover, or even just a date. But you were so anxious about finding someone that you actually spent more time worrying about not finding someone than meeting new people. People aren’t attracted to desperation. But, once you “gave up”, and relaxed, suddenly people started noticing how attractive some of your qualities are. People noticed that you are funny, or charming, or kind and they wanted to spend more time with you. Some of them probably asked you out, or you asked one of them out and they joyously accepted the invitation. That’s actually a very good life lesson — whether we are dealing with health, finances, career, friendships, or any other issue, it’s important to remember that desperation only attracts more desperate conditions. Hope, peace, confidence… these attitudes attract the more harmonious conditions we deserve and desire. When desperation starts to sit in, try to relax. Don’t worry about what could go wrong down the road. Meet the day at hand with hope and confidence. Desperation isn’t helpful. Hope, however, is.

Why Do We Call Jesus “Teacher”?

Q&A by the Reverend Doctor Durrell Watkins, Senior Pastor

Question: Why do people call Jesus the “Master Teacher”? I was raised to believe Jesus was divine, and that he was my savior. This “Master Teacher” talk is new for me.

Answer: I think “Teacher” is a great title for Jesus. I don’t often use the word “Master” because of its hierarchical and abusive connotations in our culture; but for me, Jesus is certainly a Great Teacher! Remember this story from the synoptic gospels — “…a man ran up, knelt down before Jesus, and asked him, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ And Jesus answered, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.’” He then went on to teach the man an important lesson. He taught him that generosity was more important than legalism, but notice what else happened. He asked “why do you call me good?” He didn’t ask “why do you call me ‘teacher’?” Can you imagine a more powerful, relevant teacher in human history than Jesus?

There is a wonderful saying in the South, “You can’t teach what you don’t know and you can’t lead where you won’t go.” Jesus knew that he was one with God, and so he teaches us that we, too, are one with God. Jesus stepped out in faith to heal and help others, and so he teaches us that we, too, can be channels for miracle working power in our world.

We can think of Jesus as “Lord” (over against forces of oppression in our world) or as “savior” (rescuing us from loneliness and despair) or even as “redeemer” (showing us our innate dignity and sacred value), but Jesus is also a great teacher pointing us in the direction of hope and healing and happiness by his words and example.

Thinking of Jesus as a Teacher doesn’t diminish his importance; in fact, because he knew his oneness with God, he can show us ours. He can teach us the Truth, because he knew it. And because he teaches us, we know it too.

If you don’t like the other titles people have used for Jesus, e.g. “savior,” then “Teacher” is a great alternative. If you are satisfied with the other titles for Jesus, “Teacher” is just one more appropriate and biblical word to add to the list. Whatever else Jesus is for us, he is undoubtedly a wonderful Teacher.

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If you have questions about faith, the bible, the church, or sexuality & spirituality, you can email your questions to durrell@sunshinecathedral.org, or go to the Ask the Reverend Durrell Watkins page and click on the link there. Rev. Durrell Watkins will answer your questions and publish the answers here and in the weekly SunBurst. Your name will always be withheld, so only the actual question and the response will be published.

Sharing the Light: Liberty and Justice for All

Sharing the Light is an Internet talk show where Reverends Durrell Watkins, Robert Griffin, and others discuss theological questions of interest to our community.

In this episode of Sharing the Light, Sunshine Cathedral’s Senior Pastor Durrell Watkins speaks with Light University Academic Dean Robert Griffin. We invite you to join us for an enlightening conversation on Sharing the Light.

Love

From the videographer: I asked my couples friends on myspace to send me photos of themselves for this project. I felt it would be nice to put a face on the issue of same sex marriage. Some of these couples are legally married in California. Most are still dreaming of legal marriage in America. All are wonderful, loving couples who deserve equality. If you like this video, please share. Spread the word that love is never unequal and that marriage is a civil right that everyone in America deserves.

Prop 8 the Musical

starring Jack Black, John C Reilly, and many more from FOD Team, Craig Robinson, John C Reilly, Rashida Jones, and Sarah Chalke.