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Confidence & Concentration: Learning to stay connected long enough to hear God's Voice.

As a long time student/teacher of A Course in Miracles, I had heard of the story about Bill Thetford wanting to hear the Voice of Jesus the same way Helen Schucman heard it.

The way I heard the story is that Bill asked Helen to ask Jesus what he should do. The way I heard it is that Jesus told Helen to tell Bill that he should start every day with the words “Lord, here I am.”

Well, this is not exactly the way the story actually happened, as I just found out this morning.

This morning I happened to open up the book Absence from Felicity by Ken Wapnick and it landed on the exact page that tells the story of this incident. Ken writes: “The idea of Helen’s asking help for Bill (and others) remained an important issue for her.”

Below are Helen’s notes about what actually happened with this “Lord, here I am” story  – this is Jesus speaking.

I LOVE this – because this is precisely and exactly what I have a tendency to do – get part of the answer and then disconnect and stop listening. Then I decide I can figure out the rest myself. Jesus says concentration and confidence are needed.

So this isn’t really a message for Bill Thetford. It’s a message for me.

And perhaps it’s a message for you if you have been frustrated with not being able to consistently and clearly hear God’s Voice.

Enjoy!

 

Jesus to Helen: I can’t answer where he (Bill) asks amiss. When he asks right I have answered. He has a tendency to get part of the answer and decide himself when to disconnect. He should ask if that’s all. Since I don’t know when he’s going to ring off I have to be very short and even cryptic. It chops messages up too much.

There is also interference from three major areas:

1. He doesn’t have much real confidence that I will get through. He never just claims his rights. He should begin with much more confidence. I’ll keep my promises, but you (Helen) do not act as if you really expect him to …

2. He has to learn better concentration. His mind flits about too much for good communication. Suggest a very short phrase like “Here I am Lord” and don’t think of ANYTHING else. Just pull in your mind slowly from everywhere else and center it on these words. This will also him the realization that he (Bill) really IS here. He’s not too sure.

3. Tell him to be sure not to mistake your (Helen’s) role. If he overreacts to or over evaluates you as a person, both of you will be in danger (from your own guilt)

 

I would love to hear from you! Please post in the comment area below. What’s your listening practice? How is your concentration? How is your confidence (that God is with you and that’s God’s Voice will get through)? Do you stay quiet long enough to receive the whole message? Or do have a tendency like Bill to “disconnect” and “ring off”?

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What Happened When I Trusted God

By Linda Leland

Linda Leland here. I got myself into a really tight spot last week and decided to use it as a demonstration; a God experiment. I went ALL IN and trusted God instead of my usual manipulation and control. It was the coolest thing ever. You won’t believe what happened! I hope it inspires you to do the same.

I was flying home from the Course In Miracles conference in Las Vegas. I had one hour layover in Baltimore before my next flight to Manchester, NH.

Upon arrival to the Las Vegas airport, the monitor said my flight was delayed 20 minutes. No problem, I’ve still got plenty of time make it to my connecting flight.

After we boarded the plane 30 minutes later than scheduled, the pilot came over the intercom and told us that we were 25th in line for take-off and it would be at least another 20 minutes before it was our turn to fly.

He said our new arrival time in Baltimore was 10:15 pm.

My connecting flight to Manchester was leaving at 10:10 pm.

CRAP!

This is what my mind did. “Are you kidding me? I’m going to be stuck in Baltimore after 10 at night with no luggage. Flights to Manchester, NH are few and far between; I’ll never get out of there. Maybe I can fly into Boston in the middle of the night and rent a car. I’ll never get any sleep on an airport bench! Would that even be safe? It’s going to be hell night. Maybe I’ll have to get a hotel room. That’s a big expense. At this hour, what if I can’t find someone in Baltimore to help me come up with a new plan? This is going to cost me an arm and a leg. I’ve got a BIG problem! This sucks.”

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Then, I remembered!!

HEY WAIT A MINUTE! I’m a child of God! I say I trust God. I talk a good talk. I pray about it. I teach it and I preach it.

I am a woman of Faith and I’m going to act like it, DAMMIT.

How pray tell can I see the Power of God working in my life if I don’t give Him room?

Jesus says in the Course: “Do you really believe you can plan for your safety and joy better than He can? You need be neither careful nor careless; you need merely cast your cares upon Him because He careth for you. You are His care because He loves you. His Voice reminds you always that all hope is yours because of His care.” T-5.VII

I had to decide. So, Linda…is this just a nice little concept… or is it the Truth?

Are you going to choose fear or Love? Linda, are you ALL IN or just a casual child of God when life is smooth and comfortable? I say put up or shut up. I’m doing this.

I decided to give the whole situation over to God. I chose to trust Him with this entire shenanigan. I placed my hand over my heart and made the decision to put my trust in God 100%. I had a choice to make here. I don’t know what God’s plan is for me. Maybe I’m supposed to sleep on an airport bench. Whatever it is, I want to trust it. I decided not to do anything at all to fix this. I felt a sense of Peace wash over me. I thanked Him from the bottom of my heart.

You won’t believe what happened next! To read the rest of this article click on this link

Within 5 minutes, a girl whom I’d met days ago on my flight to Vegas found me and said she saw on her phone that my connecting flight to Manchester was delayed 15 minutes. It wasn’t leaving Baltimore until 10:25 pm. That gave me 10 minutes to make my connection.

I gave God a wink.

A few minutes later… (Enter again, the voice of doubt) “I’m sitting way in the back of the plane. I probably still won’t make my connection in only 10 minutes. I should go and ask someone at the front of the plane if they’ll switch seats with me right before we land.”

There was also a voice inside me that wanted me to tell another person and get some sympathetic attention. The beast wanted to be fed! Nope, I told no one of my situation but God.

NO. I’m not doing it.

I decided to give Thanks one more time and then I took a nap.

A couple of hours later, I was startled awake by the pilot talking over the intercom.

I had to ask the people in my row what the pilot just mumbled. “He said they’re holding the flight to Manchester for a passenger.”

HOT DIGGIDY DOG!!
I AM Loved. I AM supported.

Wait. It gets better. Right before landing, the flight attendant tapped me on the shoulder and said the pilot was going to make an announcement asking everyone to stay in their seats once we get to our gate so that I could get off the plane first.

NO, I’M NOT KIDDING YOU.

This is so fun! I don’t need to worry about anything.

I made my connecting flight without a problem. It was as smooth as butter. But that’s not the point. The REAL point is that I was at Peace the whole time and I TOTALLY would have felt Peace and Joy, even if I missed my flight!

I used to spend a lot of time trying to understand ACIM. I studied it daily. Truthfully, since I took The 40-Day Program, I’m living it. I’m using everything that happens in my life to better know God. The 40 Day Program simplified the Course in a way that helped me translate it into action. Now my whole life is a demonstration of God’s Love. It’s as if the whole world has changed.

Both Heaven and earth are in you.
Both call to you.
Which one will you listen to?

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You can wait around to feel God’s presence for another 2,000 years or you can choose it right now. That’s the thing. You have to choose it. You will hear the voice for fear but you don’t value it. You don’t answer it. You don’t try to fix it yourself. You choose to Trust God and He’ll never let you down.

Try it for yourself and see. How else will you know? Give God some room. Take a chance! Do an experiment. Use your right now life as a demonstration that God is there for you. Let His Love in. I promise you will be so glad you did.

The more we experience God’s Love, the easier it gets. But here’s the kicker…

We have to decide make room for the experience to happen.

Here’s a little trick I learned from a great teacher. Next time something happens in your life that appears to be a problem, don’t complain or worry about it for 3 days. Instead, look for all the gifts you can find there. If, after 3 days, you see the need for worry…have at it. (wink)

Take it from me. There’s nothing to wait for. It’s all right there for you now.

So much Love to you,
Linda

Remember that the 40-Day Program for Transformation begins on May 1, 2016!! Lisa will be sending out the first message and video this coming Saturday night at 10pm EST. So to get on this Love Train, click here: https://www.teachersofgod.org/40day

40-Day Program Lisa Natoli

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Catapult Yourself Into the True You

Are you ready to experience yourself for the first time?

An experience that seemed only available to some lucky ones? The ones who seem to be in the right place at the right time…

Well, no more excuses and no more dreaming, You are in the right place and this is Your time. We are here to help you reach the destination you never left.

HAHAHA – We are Joyfully! going to pull the cord, point the way… and watch you be catapulted into the True You…
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Why? Because this is why we are here:

To Know our Divine Nature and live in the Abundance of Christ Awareness…

This is the most exciting! time to be alive since the “big bang” or the beginning of time and you chose to be part of it.

The 40-Day Program is launching in just a few days (May 1st) and this can be your alarm clock in your own awakening. This is NOT just any program. This is the holographic content of A Course in Miracles presented by one of the Best! teacher/students of our time in a way that is simple to understand and apply in your everyday life. This is about Mastery. It is allowing yourself to fully awaken to the Self that God created you as. We know you can do this and we are here for you for the 40-Day Transformation and liberation you have been looking for. See some of the highlights of the 40-Day Program in the video below…
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For more info and to sign up for the 40-Day Program, click on the link below:

https://www.teachersofgod.org/40day/

Be sure and share this link with a friend or on Facebook. Thanks!

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I’ll see you online… Enjoy! 🙂

I Love you, we love you.

Bill Free
The Teachers of God Foundation

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> Please feel free to share your thoughts on any of the above in the blog comment area below! <

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How Bad Do You Want It… The Peace of God

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Deep down all I wanted, from the very beginning, was the Peace of God…

Well, here I am writing my 3rd blog article… I wish I could say that it is coming easy, but it’s not. I’m back to the same exact spot as last month. Everything I already wrote just wasn’t “right”. How do I define right? Right is when you just know it, deep down, like… This Is It. It’s just a feeling.

So I’m going to do the same thing I did last time, just speak from my heart.

We just got back from the Community Miracles Center ACIM Conference in Las Vegas, it was amazing. Can you imagine 500 ACIM lovers under one roof!!! I met all these wonderful people that until then were in my cyber world. So many hugs, so many smiles, so many people completely lit up with God’s love. It was so awesome. Quite a few people came up to me and said they loved my blog articles, so that gives me courage, the courage to write on. After all, how do you follow a blog post that is written by Lisa Natoli, or Bill Free or Linda Leland? Can you hear my heart racing?

So here goes… before writing this, I just sat in silence and I asked the Holy Spirit to guide me… I gave up all desire to make it sound “good” or “witty” or “funny”. The only word I keep getting is “RAW”. That is what comes through, just be raw, share your experience.
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The next 40-Day Program is coming up in just 16 days. We have almost 1700 people already signed up and I thought, “What do I want to share. What do I really want people to hear?”

I have experiences about my transformation that I want to share about relationships, parenting, motherhood, abundance & tithing, but really, it’s just “TMI” (Too Much Information) all in one blog post. So I think I will make it a series.

I was trying to think of the one most profound thing that I took away from the first 40-Day Program I did with Lisa, and I found it. Deep down all I wanted, from the very beginning was the Peace of God.

But how do you define that? I was so used to thinking of things from the perspective of fixing things… deciding exactly what needed to happen to make everything ok. I was constantly in my head… planning, worrying, trying to fix.

Then I remember Lisa in the 40-Day Program talking about claiming, “I want the Peace of God”. How could it be that simple? How could I just ask for that. I need to ask for ALL these things to be different for me to have the Peace of God. I need my son Cole to be “cured” from his colon issues, I need my son Ryan’s OCD to go away. I need to find a job, I need to get over the embarrassment of losing my marriage and that huge house and my Lexus and that awesome Gluten Free-Vegan Bakery I started. I need to be really skinny again.
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Then I remember Lisa making it so simple, she said:

We don’t have to ask for ANYTHING TO BE DIFFERENT!

We just have to ask for the Peace of God
and then we WILL SEE IT DIFFERENT.

And that is exactly what happened…

I remember what the mornings used to be like when we first lost the house and moved into a rental home. It was total chaos… everyone yelling at each other trying to get out the door for school. Cole would throw a diaper over the balcony from upstairs, of course, right when Ryan was coming out of his room. I was like seriously… there are no accidents… How do you handle a 12-year-old child with Down syndrome still in diapers with a brother who was an absolute germ-a-phobe! Sometimes I would go outside to take the trash out just so I could cry where the kids wouldn’t see me.

So I just took that one tiny, first step… I followed what Lisa said… Ask for the Peace of God, in EVERYTHING! This is available to you too, to all of us, if we just ask.

I am not kidding that when I started using this practice of silently saying “I Want The Peace of God”, inside my head…

No matter WHAT kind of madness was going on… Things started to change!

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When my attitude changed, the whole dynamic of the house changed. I even started singing this obnoxious old song by Minnie Riperton called “Lovin’ You”. You know that one with the really, really high-pitched tune, that says “La, La, La, La”. My kids would shudder when I tried to hit that really high pitch. I would start laughing and tell them to laugh all they want, but in about 5 minutes, they were going to be walking around the house singing it too! And it really happened.

Here is a link if you want to hear the song I am talking about…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kE0pwJ5PMDg

You will crack up when you hear just how high-pitched this is…

One of the things I always thank Lisa for is creating the 40-Day Program because it opened my whole heart and mind to A Course in Miracles. It was a catalyst and it truly gave my children their mother back. Because I was so lost and in a very deep depression. It was like my spirit was gone, and I was just going through the motions, just trying to survive. I remember my ex-husband coming in the front door to take my daughter Katie to school one morning and he told me that his 95-year-old aunt had just passed away and he said that is how you are going to die, all alone, with the TV remote in your hand. And I thought how could I possibly be asking for this. Well apparently I asked for every bit of it, and this is what it took to wake me up. To wake me up to the truth of who I really am.
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So no matter what may be happening in your life,
no matter what you may be experiencing,
all you have to do is take that first step.

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Start asking for the Peace of God in every moment, and then Lisa took it a step further, she asked us to start saying “I Am The Peace of God”. Because when you change a statement from I want to I am, this is powerful, because you start to truly embody it. It takes us out of our littleness, out of victim mode and catapults us to become the truest expression of ourselves.

This is one of my favorite quotes from the ACIM text about this:

That is why Jesus tells us, “Your practice must therefore rest upon your willingness to let all littleness go. The instant in which magnitude dawns upon you is but as far away as your desire for it. As long as you desire it not and cherish littleness instead, by so much is it far from you. By so much as you want it will you bring it nearer.” (2:1-4)

Stay tuned for more blog posts in the future!

If you would like to take the 40-Day Program or tell a friend about it, here is the link to sign up:

https://www.teachersofgod.org/40day

And Remember… You ARE The Peace of God.

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How bad did I want the Peace of God? REALLY BAD!!!

AND I GOT IT!!!!

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Love,

Judy Morton

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> Please feel free to share your thoughts on any of the above in the blog comment area below! <

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How open are you sharing your spiritual life with friends and family?

Hello Miracle Worker!

Around the time when the 40-Day Program is offered (3 times a year – January 1st, May 1st and September 1st), I invite people who have taken it and love it to tell their friends and family about it.

Almost everyone who has ever taken the 40-Day Program heard about it because they either saw it on my Facebook page or they heard about it from a friend or family member.

Word of mouth rocks!

We receive letters from people who loved the 40-Day Program and said it has changed their life but don’t want to tell anyone they did it, because of the God and Jesus references.

Let’s look at that today!

Is your spiritual life a hidden secret?

Does it make you feel nervous to talk to others about God?

Or are you out in the open sunshine, declaring your love for the Truth?

Here is a big one: Do you tell people you love them?

Do you openly declare your love and gratitude?

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SHARE YOUR LOVE!

For me, for many years, sharing my spiritual  life with others made me WILDLY UNCOMFORTABLE.

Back in 1992, I found A Course in Miracles and I was immediately drawn to the ideas about God. I had very little religious upbringing (we went to a Methodist church as a family) but I don’t recall God being a part of our upbringing. I don’t recall having conversations about God, and certainly not about Jesus.

I was living in NYC at the time, and i had created my image as a sophisticated modern New Yorker. I laugh now at this, but there you go! I was very concerned with what other people thought about me, and I practically made it “my job” to have an image of sweetness and helpfulness that didn’t rock the boat. I didn’t like conflict (still don’t) but back then I did everything in my power to avoid it.

So even though a love for God and a love for Jesus Christ was growing in my heart, I didn’t want anyone to know!

I hid A Course in Miracles at the book of my closet, as if it was pornography. I was dating and living with a guy who was totally awesome, but who I didn’t think would be open to these idea of God or Jesus. So I kept totally quiet. When I knew he wasn’t around, I would be in Heaven with my “pornography”, my guilty pleasure: A Course in Miracles.

A couple years later we broke up (of course! How could a relationship based on secrecy last?) and then my Course back came out into the public – my coffee table in the living room!

That felt like such a huge move, even though it was my own living room and I lived alone.

I would sometimes move my Course book to the top of the bookcase in a pile of other books when guests came over … hide it a little.

I was THAT in the closet!

I didn’t want controversy and I also didn’t want people to think I was going to start a God conversation.

Instead I talked about the weather, food, my problems and difficulties, my next travel plans, what movies and books I was reading (conveniently leaving out A Course in Miracles from the list).

So that went on for a while, until finally I really wanted to talk about my love for God! I wanted people to know me, and not the image of me that I had built up. I wanted ME to know ME.

I was tired of hiding. I was wanting to share this part of my life with others.

Around this time I was starting to talk with Jesus and I didn’t know any one who was doing that.

I had an image of people who were in love with Jesus as fundamentalist extremists who preached and tried to convert others and I didn’t want to be associated with that. I had a lot of ideas back then!

And finally I decided to come out of the God closet.

I thought i would just put one little toe in the water and test it out, to see how it felt.

And you know what happened?? Nothing! haha! No one died. No one thought I was trying to preach to them. And I found out that people want to talk about God!

I started only talking about God in the beginning, and eventually I began to talk more and more about my love for Jesus. I noticed that some people got uncomfortable but the majority of people I talked with were curious.

They asked questions. They wanted to know more.

And some even bought A Course in Miracles based on what they heard from me.

Over the years hundreds of people have thanked me for being vocal about my love for God and my love for Jesus. I’m grateful for that. They say that one conversation set them on a new path, opened a door for them.

I think the biggest reason I stayed so quiet for so long about my love for Jesus is because I couldn’t explain it. I didn’t know the bible. I didn’t entirely know A Course in Miracles.

I thought people would question and challenge me and I didn’t want to have to explain myself and then screw it up.

And finally, I thought: I don’t have to explain myself!

I can simply say I’m in love with God. I’m in love with Jesus. I read this book called A Course in miracles and I love it.

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There is such freedom in being yourself.

My friend Janet from the second grade took the new 40-Day Program and she wrote about finding joy and about telling people she loves them:

My beautiful and amazing childhood friend has helped me change my way of being. I have a hard time putting in words what her program has done for me…I was “stuck” for a lack of a better words, after loosing several lovedones over the last few years. My joy is back, I truly love life. I told Lisa that at times when I was going through her program I thought I was being “punked” because each day my perception shifted and I saw my brothers and sisters as pure love and that has become my world! I’ve always been a faith based person, this program has helped me live peacefully and with joy. Lisa tells everyone she meets that she loves them, I didn’t get that for the longest time, I do now…. I genuinely love each person I meet! I love you from the bottom of my heart, Lisa Natoli xoxoxo

Thank you Janet! I love you!

And to you reading this, I love you!

Today, I invite you to:

1. Sign up for the 40-Day Program which begins May 1, 2016: https://www.teachersofgod.org/40day

2. Tell a friend or family member about the 40-Day Program (tell several people! Thank you so much!). Here is the link: https://www.teachersofgod.org/40day

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3. Tell people you love them and how much you appreciate them.

I would love to hear about how you express your spiritual life to others around you. Please leave a comment below!

Love, Lisa

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Guilt and Grapefruits

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What does guilt have to do with grapefruits? Let me explain…

I wrote this article because I totally needed it. Today is the day that I declare, “I AM DONE WITH GUILT” and I’m asking you to join me.

Guilt feels HORRIBLE! It sucks. Worst feeling EVER!! It doesn’t promote any kind of health or well-being, doesn’t help you progress closer to your goals or to God and it certainly doesn’t make you more well-behaved.

It makes you feel like crap. I’m done.

Let’s start by shining a light on guilt. As always, I’m going to simplify chapter 13 of A Course In Miracles for us both. I’ll explain the grapefruits in a minute.
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First, let’s briefly define the ego.

Ego is simply the part of the mind that thinks it is separate from God. It is never, ever, not in any way and not for a minute… REAL. Think of it like a corrupt computer program that has been downloaded into a tiny corner of your mind and you set up shop there and mistakenly made it your identity. It is artful, sneaky and insidious. It has brilliantly, BRILLIANTLY concocted rules, judgments and fears to keep itself alive. This is its primary objective.
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Now, let’s define guilt…

Guilt is central to the ego thought system. It’s the power train that keeps it running. Ego must have guilt to maintain its “existence”. Guilt is what keeps us stuck in believing we are separate from God. Guilt feeds off of judgment and threatens punishment. And now our world is full of images of fear! This fear now blocks the Love that is always being offered to us everywhere. So… the condemnation, guilt, punishment cycle keeps repeating like a malfunctioning computer virus.

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And THAT is guilt’s only function.

To keep you stuck.

When you feel any level of guilt, big or small…
you have been duped!

Guilt has 1000 voices. All of them lies.

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Guilt can feel intolerable, so dark and ugly that we want to unload it any way we can. So what do we do? Instead of seeing it as false, we try to displace this guilt outside of us… onto our bodies or onto our brothers and sisters.

This projection seems to alleviate some of the fear, but what it’s really doing is hiding the real source of guilt. As long as we’re unaware of the real source of guilt, we won’t rid ourselves of it. And this brilliant scheme is exactly how the ego maintains guilt! It keeps the pain at a low enough level that we won’t seek a better way. Genius I say!

But now I’m onto you!!

Jesus says that when we project guilt onto others, it is NOT a real relationship because a real relationship only comes from unity. Instead, we’re in a relationship with our own projected image! Not so fun, huh? We’re not seeing the other as the Holy Spirit sees him. Instead we’re seeing the guilt in our own minds projected onto him. I’ll say it again because it’s so important…

This projection actually maintains our guilt rather than releasing us from it.

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I live in New England and a huge AHA moment came for me after the Boston Marathon bombing some years ago. The belief around here was that the bomber was a horrible waste of skin, an evil being who should be extinguished. There were death threats, Facebook rants and angry mobs. It was scary on top of yucky.

Then, someone said to me, “I Forgive Him because He is my brother and He just forgot who he was, temporarily. I do it all the time.”

WOW! Truth bumps! As soon as I took that into my heart I felt my entire nervous system rest. It was like the TV news cameras backed up a million miles and I could now see the Big picture. Not only was I seeing the Truth and the innocence of that brother, but I was now sensing the same in myself. I literally had just healed the 2 of us.

We are not seeing the other as the Holy Spirit sees him. Rather we are seeing the guilt in our own minds projected onto them. It’s a brilliant scheme to conceal our guilt.

We’ve got to choose to see guilt for what it is:

Trickery.

Whether I’m projecting my guilt onto a serial killer or my daughter when she takes a phone call and leaves me with all the dishes, it’s never about them and always about me and my belief in separation. More importantly, it’s ALWAYS a healing opportunity. I can use it to stay asleep or I can use it to wake up.

Another thing about guilt is that it keeps you out of
the moment of being where you are.

Here’s where the grapefruits come in.

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I was on a retreat with 50 other people and we were asked to do a group exercise where we go around the room and REALLY give the each other a hug. I mean a GOOD hug! The full-on kind where you wrap them in love and stay long enough to feel them wrap you in love. It was GOOD!

What many of us didn’t know, was that several people were privately given a grapefruit at the beginning of the hugging exercise and told to put the grapefruit somewhere on their person and not to let ANYONE know they had it during the hugging exercise.

When the exercise was finished, we were asked to share our experience hugging and being hugged. It was a heart opener to say the least. There were strong, tall, masculine hugs, warm motherly embraces, heartbeats, shy and tender moments, tears, we let Love in…well, you get picture. There were so many unique experiences!

However, when the people with the hidden grapefruits were asked to share, every one of them said that they barely even remembered WHO they hugged, never mind what it felt like, because they were so intent on not letting anyone know about the grapefruit they were hiding. It was like they weren’t even in the same room with us! They missed the whole thing!! This is exactly what guilt does to the quality of our lives… of our present moments. There is Love all around us but we are oblivious to it!

So, I want today to be the day that you join with me in disarming all guilt… big and small! Here’s why:

God’s Son is Love.
We are perfectly safe and at peace.
The ego is the opposite and totally unaware
of who the Son of God is.

Everything in the dream of separateness seems so real! Why? Because of our belief in it.
That’s why God gave us the Holy Spirit; a helper in our minds; a wake up call that reminds us of the Truth. If we practice letting the Holy Spirit guide our feelings of guilt, He will lead us to let go of what holds us in the world of illusion so we can awaken to the Love that we are.

Listen to this awesome quote from my main man Jesus. “God gave the Holy Spirit to you, and gave Him the mission to remove all doubt and every trace of guilt that His dear Son has laid upon himself. It is impossible that this mission fail.” (5:1-2)

Jesus reminds us that the only thing of real value here
is to awaken in Christ and we can’t fail at it.

You can’t do life wrong!

You don’t need to feel guilty about anything!!

You’re here to learn, to grow, to gain experience and wisdom. Jesus says, “You will first learn of peace and then awaken to it.” SHAZAAM!

Jesus also says that the Holy Spirit will gently guide us away from fear and guilt. Take that in! We are gently guided so we don’t get scared. Relax. Don’t over think it. Be patient and trust this Loving process with an outcome that is sure. IT’S GUARANTEED.

So, Let’s be done with guilt. Are you with me? From this day forward, our job is to practice seeing the light in every brother. Simply stated, as we accept the truth, we will see the truth. This is how we delete the corrupt “program” of guilt.

You can not do this without your brother.

The guiltless Son of God is all there is to see.
The Holy Spirit will show us our brother’s innocence
so we can see it without fear.

So, from this moment forward, when you feel guilt creep into your mind, whether in yourself or in another, don’t try to remedy the illusion to make yourself feel better. Instead, see it as merely a mistaken belief and toss that grapefruit up to the Holy Spirit who has the perfect remedy.

Holy Spirit will turn our illusions to Truth instead of
us giving truth to our illusions.

Today is the day. I’m asking you to take my hand and we’ll do this together.

I love you,

Linda Leland

Teachers of God Foundation Team Member

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> Please feel free to share your thoughts on any of the above in the blog comment area below! <

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I Am, God Is, You Are… Pure Presence

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The Self that knows no fear and never left Its home in God…

In this video blog (scroll down for video), I point to A Course in Miracles Workbook Lesson 94 to reach the Son of God in you. This is the Self that never sinned, nor made an image to replace reality. This is the Self that never left Its home in God to walk the world uncertainly. This is the Self that knows no fear, nor could conceive of loss or suffering or death. This is you…
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The experience of enlightenment available right now.

I am as God created me, I am the SELF – for this one thought would be enough to save you and the world, if you believed that it is true. I have discovered lessons from A Course in Miracles that reveal the experience of enlightenment available right now!
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[su_spacer]If you remain as God created you, appearances cannot replace the truth, health cannot turn to sickness, nor can death be substitute for life, or fear for love. All this has not occurred, if you remain as God created you. You need no thought but just this one, to let redemption come to light the world and free it from the past.

Pure Presence… This is the truth in what you are and this is your release.

In this video I talk about my favorite 24 workbook lessons and how just a couple common ideas are your ultimate release.
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Pack your bags, we’re goin’ home!

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Ready?
This is sooo! Exciting!

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“I am as God created me.”

This single thought, held firmly in the mind, would save the world. This is your release!

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I AM, YOU ARE, GOD IS… Pure Presence.

I Love you.

Bill Free

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> Please feel free to share your thoughts on any of the above in the blog comment area below! <

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Abundance – Is It Spiritual?

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Ok, so here is the honest-to-God truth… I am so scared to write these blog articles! I have written one so far, this is my second, and I have erased what I have written about 20 times.

One of the most important things I have learned through applying the teachings of A Course in Miracles is to be the truest expression of myself. Lisa and Bill are ALWAYS encouraging this in all of us. So I am going to S-T-R-E-T-C-H outside of my comfort zone, and share some details about my “story” and how I came to be what I call myself now, an abundance teacher.

It has always been so important to me to be liked and one of the reasons that I struggle with this blog article is that I feel that if I tell you the truth about my path, that people will think I am REALLY weird. So I have been trying to write this and to “be spiritual”, to say the “right” thing and it just doesn’t work. Because it’s fake, because I don’t ever want to pretend anything.
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So here goes, this is straight from my heart to yours.

It is my greatest desire to inspire others to break free from fear, to shift and see only love, and to live a life filled with a love of God and to share their light with the whole world…

Ok, are you ready? I used to only care about being RICH, I mean, RICH. I used to have a career before I had my children and I made a lot of money. When I got married, my husband made A LOT of money in a short period of time, like over 5 million dollars. We bought our dream home for 1.6 million dollars in a gated community, I drove a Lexus, I had TWO Nannies, yup, you read that right, two! I could buy anything I wanted at any time… and so on, and so on.

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The Love Of Money
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When we drove through the gates of our new neighborhood for the first time, I made a CD with the theme song from “The Apprentice”… Do you remember that song, “Money, Money, Moneeey… Moooooooooneeeeey! It’s almost cathartic to admit it!

I had three kids, and two of them had the label of “special needs”… I felt like a victim. And I constantly had people tell me that my life was so hard and they wondered how I could possibly go on. My son, who had severe depression, anxiety and OCD, was suicidal. I will never forget the day that he threw himself onto the hood of my car as I was driving down our huge driveway, and begged me to run him over.

Amidst all of this chaos, I just started praying. That was huge, because I was a lapsed Catholic, and I truly believed that if there was a God, he never would let my child suffer like this, how could he let me suffer like this, and he gave my other son Down syndrome… so why would I ever have any faith.

One day, I just got down on my knees, next to my bed and I asked God “If you really exist, I want you to literally rain down on all of us.”
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Then guess what happened???

We lost it all! The house, the car, the nannies, the company, jewelry, savings, our entire retirement, even my damn fancy bicycle that I had to sell.
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Falling house
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Then I went in the opposite direction and I decided to give my whole life over to God, and I found a very strict spiritual teacher and I was taught that the only way for me to find God was to renounce every material thing and want NOTHING! I became immersed in guilt and shame and was told that I was not worthy to have a relationship with God, but I was supposed to believe that this teacher was at a much higher level than me, that they had the connection with God and I could only reach God through them… I was taught that I was worthless, and many of my friends and family turned away from me because they felt I had become fanatical, and they were right.
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So you can imagine, when I found out about A Course in Miracles I resonated so much with these teachings.

I can honestly say that through this work, in finding A Course in Miracles and doing these programs, that I found EXACTLY what I was looking for: Myself! I now understand that I created ALL of it. I brought these experiences to myself so that I could awaken and I have nothing but gratitude for every single moment of it. It took me falling that low, to bring me to the truth, I am worthy, I am a light in this world and I have so much goodness and love to share, AND SO DO YOU!!!

I have truly and finally let the past go. This quote from the course sums up how I choose to see it now:

“How can you who are so holy suffer? All your past except it’s beauty is gone, and nothing is left but a blessing. I have saved all your kindnesses and every loving thought you ever had. I have purified them of the errors that hid their light, and kept them for you in their own perfect radiance. They are beyond destruction and beyond guilt. They came from the Holy Spirit within you, and we know what God created is eternal.” (T.5.IV.8:1,2,3,4,5,6).

Isn’t that beautiful, and it is true, for you, for me, for all of us.

So this path has taken me full circle, and what I realized is that it IS ok to live in abundance, and I’m not talking about just with money, I’m talking about living in a place of abundance in relationships, in our jobs, in our faith, and in every area of our lives, including having an abundance of peace!
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Do you want to know my secret, how I left all my fear of money behind?

I STARTED GIVING MONEY AWAY!

Yup, that’s what I said, I started to tithe and it is the single most powerful tool I have found to give up all fear of money.

“How is that possible?” you ask? How could giving money away when you feel like you have almost NONE, help you to overcome your fear of having no money! Well that’s what tithing DOES! And it has brought me to a place of complete trust in God.

It is an amazing process and it starts with giving 10% of all money that comes to me back to God, in other words, to where I am spiritually fed, which for me, is the Teachers of God Foundation. I acknowledge God in every penny that comes my way and when I tithe, I just release it for it’s absolute highest good. It literally feels like giving money to God, putting it into the flow to help others to experience this same kind of transformation and freedom.

What I have found now is that God is providing everything that I need, I trust Him completely. What tithing has done for me is it helped me to give up my “attachment” to money and live in total trust in God. Acknowledging that he is taking care of me and my children and all of us, in every moment.

If you would like to hear more about my journey into abundance through tithing I invite you to listen to a radio interview I did with Lisa a few weeks back on her Unity FM Living in Joy radio show. Here is the link to that episode:

https://www.unity.fm/episode/LivingInJoy_030416

The Teachers of God Foundation will also soon be offering a new online course on Abundance… stay tuned as this will be launching in the next few months!

Thank you for taking the time to read this and I am so honored to be able to share this with all of you, my mighty companions.

I love you,

Judy

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> Please feel free to share your thoughts on any of the above in the blog comment area below! <

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Routine. Shake it up. Dealing with distraction.

“When you have learned how to decide with God, all decisions become as easy and as right as breathing. There is no effort, and you will be led as gently as if you were being carried down a quiet path in the summer.” -A Course in Miracles

Hello Dear Friend,

You are the light of the world.

Lesson 61 from A Course in Miracles has been my new favorite workbook lesson for the past two years. I love it so much I even put it on my license plate – ACIM-61.

It’s a daily reminder to myself that: 

“I am the light of the world. That is my only function. That is why I’m here.”

It’s a great reminder to me. Remembering that I am the  light of the world is THE ONLY REASON I’m here!

Knowing this really simplified my life.

When I remember this – all my days are easy and effortless.

I’m in the moment.
I’m remembering God.
I’m remembering Who I am.
I remembering that none of what I think I see is real.

I’m the light of the world. End of story.

Where is my problem now?

Bill and I just arrived back home to Maine from a 3-week trip – one week in San Diego and two weeks in Guatemala. It was amazing. We love traveling and seeing the dedication and commitment of people who want to know God and to know their Self – their True Self without illusions and without fear.

I woke up this morning thinking about what I wanted to share in a blog with you and the #1 thing I have noticed lately – most noticeable as we travelled through airports – is a world that’s disconnected and distracted.

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What happened? How did almost the whole world become so hypnotized?

This was me for a while  – always checking my phone for new messages, constantly checking Facebook … forgetting to check in with Christ … sleep-walking through life.

I was in a haze, in a blur, looking at cute cat pictures, watching videos, seeing what the rest of the world is doing.

Then I made a deliberate conscious decision to be present without electronics – just to see what new things might occur.

I decided to UNPLUG in order to PLUG INTO GOD.

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Suddenly, I felt calm, clear and more focused.

I love how in the Urtext – the original un-edited manuscript of A Course in Miracles – Jesus spends most of the first 5 chapters teaching Helen Schucman and Bill Thetford to be better listeners so they can devote more time to him and get their own tasks and work done more easily and effortlessly.

Jesus was training and guiding Bill & Helen – as he is training and guiding us – to quiet our minds and hear His Voice.

If you pay close attention, you start to notice that you are not really listening when you are constantly checking your texts and emails all day long.

How many times a day do you stop your activities and quiet your mind to listen to God’s Voice?

The workbook lessons of A Course in Miracles is a great way to train yourself to stop your activities at least once an hour to sit quietly and acknowledge the truth, to remembering Who you are and Who walks with you.

What is your morning routine? Do you immediately check your phone or do you have quiet time?

Do you acknowledge Christ at the beginning of the day and ask what miracles He would have you perform for that day?

I can tell you that when I began “to go within” first in every activity – Seek ye first the Kingdom of Heaven – my life became effortless.

If you feel that your life has been too much externally focused and not enough internally focused within, what habits and routines can you change today?

Do it today.

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I would love to hear from you!

How can you change your routine to be more aware and present in your life?

 Leave a comment below on how you deal with distractions.

Thank you!

Love,

Lisa

One great way to shake up your routine is to SAY YES TO LAS VEGAS!

Come join me and Bill and many other Course in Miracles teachers in Las Vegas April 8, 9, 10, 2016.

This is an incredible weekend of workshops and meals together. The current price is $649 and includes all lunches and dinners. Please make sure when you register to click our names Lisa Natoli and Bill Free as the ones who inspired you to enroll.

See you there!!

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Want the Peace of God? It's simple.

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So, you know you want the Peace of God. I mean, who wouldn’t?

You say you want the Peace of God. You affirm it. You DEMAND it DAMMIT and you don’t ever want to settle for anything less!!

Me too, my friend. Me too.

However… and listen well…

There is one thing you must have in order to experience the Peace of God.

Without this one thing, it’s just not going to happen.

What is this ONE THING you ask?

Is this ONE THING when you’re good enough? Addiction free? Better educated? Highly revered by others? Wearing a hot new designer outfit? Have the perfect relationship? When the children are well-behaved and successful? Wealthy? You’ve memorized A Course In Miracles? Thinner? Perfect? Loyal? Selfless? Holy? Dead?

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You certainly don’t have to wait until you’re dead.

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Nope! None of those things will bring you the Peace of God.

So, what is the ONE THING? What is the Golden Key to the Peace of God?

Here goes… are you ready?

Wait for it…

The answer is Faith.

You must Trust in the goodness of God in all things.

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. “How do I do this?” “What does it look like?” “I want to but I’m not there yet.”

Yes, you ARE there if you want to be.

It’s actually much simpler than we make it out to be. (I adore “simple”.)

First of all, Trust has to happen in the NOW. There is no other way. I challenge you to see if you can “trust” in the past. Go ahead… give it a try. Be trusting yesterday or last year. Are you trying? Now, see if you can trust in the future. Can you trust tomorrow or next summer? Go ahead… I’ll wait…

(twiddling my thumbs…)

It’s impossible, right? You can’t do it! You can only Trust God in this “right now”. You’re not taking responsibility for your life unless you take responsibility for this moment. “Now” is the ONLY place life can be found. “Now” is the only time you can practice Trust. Faith only happens in the present moment.

So, the simple practice is this.

1) What do you see that’s happening right now?
2) Accept it.
3) Trust it. Trust God. Trust His plan. Let God’s glories unfold.
4) Thank you God.
5) Repeat.

This is Faith.

The alternative is worry, anxiety, guilt, planning and controlling. This is what we do when we decide not to Trust God’s Plan and rely on our own plan instead. I mean, when we’re sick, diseased, worried and stuck, why would we think that we know how to create peace? Our plan is always based on fear, littleness and separation and will fail every time. We fight fear with fear. Not to mention, we aren’t leaving any room for God. Einstein once said, “You can’t solve a problem with the same mind that created it.” I know… smart guy, right?

But God can.

Let’s start with this. “I’ve made quite a mess and now I’m lost in it. I have done all of this and I must undo it but I have no idea how.”

God does.
But you have to Trust.

And do you know what will build that Trust so that it gets bigger and bigger?

Experience.

You have to do steps 1-5 and not just talk about it.

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The way in which we achieve maturity along this pathway is to be finally willing to let things be just as they are? That’s Trust.

Jesus says in A Course In Miracles, “What could you not accept, if you but knew that everything that happens, all events, past, present and to come are gently planned by One Whose only purpose is your good?”

Knowing this, what can you not accept?

Trust and allow everything NOW.

Herein lies the Peace of God.
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So much Love to you,

Linda Leland
Teachers of God Foundation Team Member

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> Please feel free to share your thoughts on any of the above in the blog comment area below! <

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For more info, inspiration, and guidance similar to what’s described above — check out the Teachers of God Foundation’s listings of programs, events and other online offerings.
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To sign up for the 40-Day Program for Transformation – which begins on May 1, 2016 , click the link below to register (FREE!):
https://www.teachersofgod.org/40day
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Join us each Friday for A Course in Miracles meeting live-streamed at 10:30am EST!
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