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| Movie Discussion Group (Zoom): Mon, 2:00 PM
WINGS Book Study Group (Zoom): Tue, 12:00 PM
Wednesday "Faith Lift" Meditation: 7:00 PM Table Talk Thursday (Zoom): 12:00 PM
Exodus Class (Zoom): Thur, 3:00 PM
Sunday Service: 10:45 AM
Sunday Social (Zoom): 12:00 PM |
| | | | | Hi Everyone,
Hip, Hip, Hooray! Something wonderful happened on Sunday! The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Football Team won the NFC Championship game and are on their way to Superbowl LV (55) right here in Tampa. Yes, I am a Bucs Fan, but being a Bucs Fan is not easy. The last time the Bucs even made it to the playoffs was back in 2007. Oh, my WINGed readers, I hear you saying, “Why is she talking about football?” Well, my husband and son have taught me much about sports and the value they can have as a distraction and for entertainment purposes. So, even though there were a few nail-biting moments, all of the yelling and jumping that was going on in our home Sunday evening was a lot of fun!
I can also share with you that being a Bucs Fan has also taught me something important about faith and the hopefulness of each new season. Interestingly, the Daily Word lesson on Saturday (the eve of the big game) was on Faith. It begins with the statement, “Faith is the power that frees me to let go of personal control. I don’t have to manage my way through everything.” That is so much easier to say than to do and perhaps it is not even that easy for some of us to say. I also liked the line: “With faith, I surrender and find myself guided in ways that may surprise me. I release the need to have everything figured out in advance.” Wow, Emmet Fox reminds us in his book The Sermon on the Mount that outlining everything in advance is akin to “swearing out an oath” which is much discouraged by Jesus. He explains that when I decide, “Well, if this happens, I will do this and if that happens, I will do that and if she says this, I will say that” and so on. This is shutting out the action of the Holy Spirit and not allowing God to act in the present moment. Allowing the action of God in the present moment requires faith!
I decided to search further to see what Charles Fillmore had to say about faith. He covers faith in several places, but one that I found was in his book The Twelve Powers of Man. In the chapter “The Development of Faith” he points out several places in the Bible where faith is required and where faith is developed. In the story of Peter (whose name was originally Simon, meaning hearing, perceiving until he had listened to Truth in a receptive manner which opened his mind to the “next degree of divine order, which is faith”) we learn that with new spiritual development came a new name – Peter. Anyway, in the story Peter sees Jesus walking toward the boat on the water and with his focus on the Christ, he begins to walk out on the water in spiritual faith, but he becomes distracted by the wind and waves (outer appearances) and becomes afraid. At this point Peter begins to sink; then, the I Am (spiritual power) calms the wind and water and there was “no longer any doubt of faith’s ability to rise above negative consciousness.”
Charles Fillmore goes on to say that, “It is not necessary that the one who touches the button of faith shall understand all the intricate machinery with which he makes contact” and I say that is very good news because there is still so much to understand about faith. I sure am glad I do not have to understand fully before I can put faith to work in my life.
So, if we can draw a lesson from the Bucs’ long road to victory, it might be that maybe we should have gotten the best quarterback sooner! The good news for our lives is that God does not make us wait for eighteen years (for the next Super Bowl), or any length of time for our victories because we have the best “quarterback”— the Christ within, directing our lives right now!
Thank you all for indulging my football analogies today! I affirm victories for all of you right now! Oh, and if the Bucs win the Super Bowl you might be stuck with some more football analogies!
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| | If you'd like to join us on Zoom, the login info is:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81007092426?pwd=SlUrRzU3MWhpZEx2bW96NTNlbW1tZz09
Meeting ID: 810 0709 2426
Passcode: 865284
Peace, Love and Faith,
Cynthia
Todays
photos are from November 2019 when I went to my first ever live Bucs
game at Raymond James Stadium. That was before this winning season when
we could still buy tickets for one game. I had a wonderful time, and
we won that game, too! |
| | | | | | | | | Your Weekly Affirmation:
“HERE AND NOW, THE ABUNDANT LIFE OF SPIRIT IS DOING ITS MIGHTY HEALING AND ENRICHING WORK IN THE MIDST OF ME.”
THANK YOU, GOD! |
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