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.