I am including a link to the Kelowna church where Dr. Kenn Gordon is newly back home from the New Orleans Ministers' Conference. Dr. Kenn is newly chosen as the first Spiritual Leader of Centers for Spiritual Living, a new organization formed from the combination of two organizations, International Centers and United Centers, which were split apart from one another in the early 1950s.
Enough said - just enjoy the video of Dr. Kenn, introduced by Dr. Deborah Gordon, co-pastor of the Kelowna Centre.
Our merged family of churches, each a teaching center, looks forward to our renewed leadership with enthusiasm.
Blessings,
Darrell
Monday, February 27, 2012
Monday, December 19, 2011
Celebrating my Ordination
This past summer, the Centre for Spiritual Living, Saskatoon, hosted a New Thought conference titled "The Oneness Gathering", which was well attended. Keynote speakers were Rev. Dr. Suzanne Rubin and Drs. Kenn and Doborah Gordon, and there were many distinguished Pastors, Staff Ministers, and Practitioners from across Canada and the western U.S.A.
On the day prior to the main conference, there was a gathering of ministers in a discussion group. Just the day before that, I was told that I would be called away from the group for a panel interview regarding ordination. Three senior ministers, generally having the title of "Doctor", conduct this interview. Following a period of questions, I was sent out to a waiting area for several minutes, then called back to be informed that the panel was unanimous in recommending me for this honour.
I should explain that, unlike most churches, ministers are not ordained after passing their training period, but are 'licensed'. Then then work under the supervision of an ordained pastor, with annual reporting and an annual licensing fee. Their title of "Reverend" may be withdrawn should they retire or fail to be approved annually. There is a point system for ordination which results in the removal of the annual restrictions - the title becomes permanent unless removed for cause by the main organization.
The panel's recommendation was ratified by the Board of Directors at the Asilmor, California conference in late July, and so The Saskatoon Centre held a wonderful ceremony and celebration on November 19th for me and my colleague Shari Beckton, where they fussed over us to a high degree. It amounts to being given "tenure" if compared to the academic world.
Although my health has wavered this year, things have gone on without much effort from me. My books have been converted to e-books by www.lulu.com, and they are now available on iTunes as an Apple e-book in both the U.S. and Canada. They will also be available in some other e-book formats via Amazon and other online bookstores.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
THE PRACTICE OF CHRISTIAN JUDGMENT
I had coffee with a friend of long acquaintance some time ago - we had not met in months if not years, and I looked forward to catching up and exchanging news of our lives.
Not far into our conversation, he enquired about my religious activity. In particular, he wanted to know if it was Christian. As usual, I had a complicated answer, but I was really not feeling up to a deep discussion at that moment. There had been a loss in the family, and I was tired from the affairs of the week. As a result, my responses were, I felt, not quite up to par.
I am used to this kind of questioning from Christians, and I am past the point where I feel insecure about my chosen path, as I might have felt, say, ten or twenty years ago. But I always sense a kind of judgmentalism in the questions, as if I am not measuring up to some standard that others have chosen to set. Our group, although it has Christian roots, is generally not regarded as quite "Christian enough" for the more fundamentalist crowd.
This used to arouse in me some anger, but now it just calls up a sort of sadness, to think that those who claim to follow Jesus have not caught on to the teaching, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
The other thing that emerged in our conversation was a subtle kind of ‘sell job’, using the language unique to his chosen path, which of course did not have the same meanings for me. Each spiritual group will adapt the English tongue to illustrate their concepts. The repeated use of one particular catch phrase appeared to me to imply that this was something he had ‘got’ and I might not have ‘gotten’.
Our study of Spiritual Law is no different. It too brings with it an extensive set of definitions, words and phrases which we have adapted to have unique meaning for us. If each path of faith thinks that their definition or use of a word is the only correct one, it becomes hard to have a meaningful discussion. I made no effort to bludgeon my friend with the ‘in’ language that we have adapted to help ourselves in understanding Divine Principle. To do so would have been insensitive and even cruel.
I try to express my enthusiasm for the path of Religious Science without anyone feeling that I am ‘selling’ it to them. There are many paths, and ours is not for people who need something more rigid or more authoritarian, for example.
Selling your religion to others in a judgmental manner is a mark of insecurity - as if you need everyone to believe as you do in order to have your choices ratified. By all means tell me what it has done for you - I will celebrate with you - but it is like a prescription medicine: I am not always healed by taking the same pill that healed you.
All I ask of a friend is to celebrate with me the things that have enriched my life. I look for affirmation, not denigration.
Coffee, anyone?
Rev. Darrell Gudmundson
Not far into our conversation, he enquired about my religious activity. In particular, he wanted to know if it was Christian. As usual, I had a complicated answer, but I was really not feeling up to a deep discussion at that moment. There had been a loss in the family, and I was tired from the affairs of the week. As a result, my responses were, I felt, not quite up to par.
I am used to this kind of questioning from Christians, and I am past the point where I feel insecure about my chosen path, as I might have felt, say, ten or twenty years ago. But I always sense a kind of judgmentalism in the questions, as if I am not measuring up to some standard that others have chosen to set. Our group, although it has Christian roots, is generally not regarded as quite "Christian enough" for the more fundamentalist crowd.
This used to arouse in me some anger, but now it just calls up a sort of sadness, to think that those who claim to follow Jesus have not caught on to the teaching, “Judge not, lest ye be judged.”
The other thing that emerged in our conversation was a subtle kind of ‘sell job’, using the language unique to his chosen path, which of course did not have the same meanings for me. Each spiritual group will adapt the English tongue to illustrate their concepts. The repeated use of one particular catch phrase appeared to me to imply that this was something he had ‘got’ and I might not have ‘gotten’.
Our study of Spiritual Law is no different. It too brings with it an extensive set of definitions, words and phrases which we have adapted to have unique meaning for us. If each path of faith thinks that their definition or use of a word is the only correct one, it becomes hard to have a meaningful discussion. I made no effort to bludgeon my friend with the ‘in’ language that we have adapted to help ourselves in understanding Divine Principle. To do so would have been insensitive and even cruel.
I try to express my enthusiasm for the path of Religious Science without anyone feeling that I am ‘selling’ it to them. There are many paths, and ours is not for people who need something more rigid or more authoritarian, for example.
Selling your religion to others in a judgmental manner is a mark of insecurity - as if you need everyone to believe as you do in order to have your choices ratified. By all means tell me what it has done for you - I will celebrate with you - but it is like a prescription medicine: I am not always healed by taking the same pill that healed you.
All I ask of a friend is to celebrate with me the things that have enriched my life. I look for affirmation, not denigration.
Coffee, anyone?
Rev. Darrell Gudmundson
Friday, December 17, 2010
SPIRITUAL TOOLS FOR A BETTER LIFE
In a recent class, a student spoke out honestly and explained that he had made a serious effort to use the Science of Mind teachings in his life, to little effect. Other approaches had worked better for his particular issues, he said. While I was not surprised, I was a little concerned that other members of the class might lose confidence in the effectiveness of the approach I was teaching, at a critical stage where faith was a necessary ingredient.
It is a quality of faith-based processes that without faith, they don't work. People trained in science, such as myself, are often frustrated by this, and they are tempted to ignore or even ridicule processes that rely on faith as an essential ingredient.
We know that social systems rely on faith to work. Faith and trust are related, and without trust, no one would buy or sell. Without faith, no one would invest. Remember there was a time when no one had faith in science, and so we failed to derive the many benefits of the scientific approach. Today is is one of our most vital tools. It should be no surprise that faith is essential to anything in which the human mind is involved.
We often forget that science is only a tool, and that it is not our only tool. It is the same with any spiritual tool. Prayer is a tool for applying human consciousness to call upon the Divine. We cannot grasp what the Divine is, any more than we can grasp what a magnetic field is - we just know what it does. Affirmations are a tool to place a new idea into our unconscious - to build our faith in a new idea. Then we are guided through life by our unconscious thought process - at a deep level, no one knows why that works either.
I have five or six different kinds of hammers in my garage... a carpenters hammer, a welder's hammer and a ball-pein hammer for pounding metal, a rubber hammer for jobs where I don't want to leave marks, a wooden hammer for pounding on chisels, a heavy brick hammer, a sledge hammer, and so on....there's also a tack hammer. Each one is good for the job for which it was intended, and if we choose the wrong hammer for the job, we should not blame the hammer if we get poor results.
Spiritual tools are no different. It depends on the job you are doing. In our class, Science of Mind 101, we taught about three kinds - meditation, affirmations and treatment. Others we did not discuss would be simple centering, being in the moment, the 12-step process, and on and on.... The number of spiritual tools cannot be counted.
The Science Of Mind 100 series tools are meant for beginners who want to learn to manifest 'stuff' or 'conditions' in their life. They help to set what Wayne Dyer calls "Intention", in his great book "The Power of Intention". Later in the course of the teaching, students typical open their minds to focus on pure qualities of Spirit, knowing that the 'stuff' and 'conditions' of their life will take care of themselves.
It is a quality of faith-based processes that without faith, they don't work. People trained in science, such as myself, are often frustrated by this, and they are tempted to ignore or even ridicule processes that rely on faith as an essential ingredient.
We know that social systems rely on faith to work. Faith and trust are related, and without trust, no one would buy or sell. Without faith, no one would invest. Remember there was a time when no one had faith in science, and so we failed to derive the many benefits of the scientific approach. Today is is one of our most vital tools. It should be no surprise that faith is essential to anything in which the human mind is involved.
We often forget that science is only a tool, and that it is not our only tool. It is the same with any spiritual tool. Prayer is a tool for applying human consciousness to call upon the Divine. We cannot grasp what the Divine is, any more than we can grasp what a magnetic field is - we just know what it does. Affirmations are a tool to place a new idea into our unconscious - to build our faith in a new idea. Then we are guided through life by our unconscious thought process - at a deep level, no one knows why that works either.
I have five or six different kinds of hammers in my garage... a carpenters hammer, a welder's hammer and a ball-pein hammer for pounding metal, a rubber hammer for jobs where I don't want to leave marks, a wooden hammer for pounding on chisels, a heavy brick hammer, a sledge hammer, and so on....there's also a tack hammer. Each one is good for the job for which it was intended, and if we choose the wrong hammer for the job, we should not blame the hammer if we get poor results.
Spiritual tools are no different. It depends on the job you are doing. In our class, Science of Mind 101, we taught about three kinds - meditation, affirmations and treatment. Others we did not discuss would be simple centering, being in the moment, the 12-step process, and on and on.... The number of spiritual tools cannot be counted.
The Science Of Mind 100 series tools are meant for beginners who want to learn to manifest 'stuff' or 'conditions' in their life. They help to set what Wayne Dyer calls "Intention", in his great book "The Power of Intention". Later in the course of the teaching, students typical open their minds to focus on pure qualities of Spirit, knowing that the 'stuff' and 'conditions' of their life will take care of themselves.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
I AM A FAN OF JESUS
Recently there have been ads on my Blog page that say, "Don't be a fan of Jesus". I only have limited control over the type of ads that people choose to display, but I want to make it clear - I AM A FAN OF JESUS!
The teachings of Jesus are the deepest and clearest expression of spiritual understanding that I know of. Sadly, most traditional churches either ignore or do not understand the deepest meaning of what Jesus said. I don't want to paint myself as a great Bible scholar (I am not), but as a student of metaphysics, I do have a grounding in the fundamental principles that underlie the teachings in the gospels.
Over the centuries, it has been a fundamental mistake to worship the messenger and miss the message. As a culture, we got so wrapped up in the divinity and uniqueness of Jesus that we failed to see him as the Divine Example for us, not the Divine Exception.
Monty Python, in the movie the Life of Brian, came closer to the truth than many churches have done. In the story, Brian hears the message of Jesus, and rushes to tell others about it. Ignoring the message, those others fall down and worship Brian, as he runs from them in horror and frustration. We have done this to Jesus, and thankfully, there are a few who do teach peace and the reality of the Kingdom within us.
The teachings of Jesus are the deepest and clearest expression of spiritual understanding that I know of. Sadly, most traditional churches either ignore or do not understand the deepest meaning of what Jesus said. I don't want to paint myself as a great Bible scholar (I am not), but as a student of metaphysics, I do have a grounding in the fundamental principles that underlie the teachings in the gospels.
Over the centuries, it has been a fundamental mistake to worship the messenger and miss the message. As a culture, we got so wrapped up in the divinity and uniqueness of Jesus that we failed to see him as the Divine Example for us, not the Divine Exception.
Monty Python, in the movie the Life of Brian, came closer to the truth than many churches have done. In the story, Brian hears the message of Jesus, and rushes to tell others about it. Ignoring the message, those others fall down and worship Brian, as he runs from them in horror and frustration. We have done this to Jesus, and thankfully, there are a few who do teach peace and the reality of the Kingdom within us.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
SHH......IT HAPPENS!
When we adopt a lifestyle of spiritual practice, and begin to move our spiritual understanding from the head to the heart, there are gradual changes that enter our life. The study of the Science of Mind is one such practice, as it opens up an avenue for understanding the Bible at a deeper level, and also introduces a more effective approach to prayer. Combine this with meditation or any other technique for inner mind exploration, and you will find these changes will show themselves.
Co-incidences
One such change is the appearance of coincidences. We call them GMCs or "God-Managed Co-incidences" because things will happen to you that seem entirely beyond random chance. In fact these things are likely around you all the time, but your focus on the materialistic business of living will have blinded you to them. As you sharpen your intuition, these things will become obvious.
Harmony and Flow
Another change is that the flow or harmony of your life will start to improve. Again, much of it will be driven by the changes in your perception, in that you will see the flow of things - but that does not mean there will not be real and effective changes in the harmony of the workplace, the neighbourhood, and within family relationships. People often find that the annoying people in their life, the gossipy neighbour, the whining relative, the needy child, will either change, or else they will no longer pick you as their target. You will have been 'immunized'.
To the point of this story, however, you likely cannot completely eliminate all negative events from your life. If you can, I will want to know your secret. We live in a world in which random events occur and what we do through our practice is to tilt the odds by removing ourselves from the chaos. We change the odds toward the positive through our change in belief.
But, stuff still happens - often when we let our thoughts drift to the negative side, but even when we have done what we can, we still have to live in the world, unless we are so rarified in our thought that we can float to the clouds.
Conscious Response, not Unconscious Reaction
That is when the third major change shows up. When things do not go our way, how do we respond? In fact, do we react rather than respond? Our reaction to the negative event is the greatest change of all. How do we handle a setback, and accident, or even a death (other than our own)? The Science of Mind teaches us to be RESPONSIBLE, that is, ABLE TO RESPOND, not just react. Reaction is the unconscious experience of an event, while responding is the conscious experience of an event.
An Example
The other day I was cutting oak mouldings to trim an archway in our kitchen. To fit it around the cupboard edge, a careful cut had to be made. I followed the age-old advice and measured not once, not twice, but three times before setting my saw. Then I proceeded to cut on the wrong side of the pencil line! Shh........it happens!
The moulding was particularly expensive, and I had prefinished it with several coats of lacquer. There once was a time when this mishap would have been followed by rage, curses, perhaps some foot-stomping. What would all that have accomplished? Nothing, but that would not have stopped me in the past. As it was, we considered whether to buy another piece ($25 for oak) and finish it (about $8.00 for another can of spray lacquer) or whether to patch in a Quarter inch sliver, about two saw blade widths. The latter is what we are doing.
Nothing in this world is perfect. The Bible tells us this. The entire physical world is an approximation, an estimation, of a pure and perfect idea. That's why we can imagine a perfect circle, but no one can make one. Atoms and molecules are lumpy things. But as we approach perfect understanding, though we see "as through a glass, darkly", we make the way as smooth as possible for ourselves, and for all who know us.
Co-incidences
One such change is the appearance of coincidences. We call them GMCs or "God-Managed Co-incidences" because things will happen to you that seem entirely beyond random chance. In fact these things are likely around you all the time, but your focus on the materialistic business of living will have blinded you to them. As you sharpen your intuition, these things will become obvious.
Harmony and Flow
Another change is that the flow or harmony of your life will start to improve. Again, much of it will be driven by the changes in your perception, in that you will see the flow of things - but that does not mean there will not be real and effective changes in the harmony of the workplace, the neighbourhood, and within family relationships. People often find that the annoying people in their life, the gossipy neighbour, the whining relative, the needy child, will either change, or else they will no longer pick you as their target. You will have been 'immunized'.
To the point of this story, however, you likely cannot completely eliminate all negative events from your life. If you can, I will want to know your secret. We live in a world in which random events occur and what we do through our practice is to tilt the odds by removing ourselves from the chaos. We change the odds toward the positive through our change in belief.
But, stuff still happens - often when we let our thoughts drift to the negative side, but even when we have done what we can, we still have to live in the world, unless we are so rarified in our thought that we can float to the clouds.
Conscious Response, not Unconscious Reaction
That is when the third major change shows up. When things do not go our way, how do we respond? In fact, do we react rather than respond? Our reaction to the negative event is the greatest change of all. How do we handle a setback, and accident, or even a death (other than our own)? The Science of Mind teaches us to be RESPONSIBLE, that is, ABLE TO RESPOND, not just react. Reaction is the unconscious experience of an event, while responding is the conscious experience of an event.
An Example
The other day I was cutting oak mouldings to trim an archway in our kitchen. To fit it around the cupboard edge, a careful cut had to be made. I followed the age-old advice and measured not once, not twice, but three times before setting my saw. Then I proceeded to cut on the wrong side of the pencil line! Shh........it happens!
The moulding was particularly expensive, and I had prefinished it with several coats of lacquer. There once was a time when this mishap would have been followed by rage, curses, perhaps some foot-stomping. What would all that have accomplished? Nothing, but that would not have stopped me in the past. As it was, we considered whether to buy another piece ($25 for oak) and finish it (about $8.00 for another can of spray lacquer) or whether to patch in a Quarter inch sliver, about two saw blade widths. The latter is what we are doing.
Nothing in this world is perfect. The Bible tells us this. The entire physical world is an approximation, an estimation, of a pure and perfect idea. That's why we can imagine a perfect circle, but no one can make one. Atoms and molecules are lumpy things. But as we approach perfect understanding, though we see "as through a glass, darkly", we make the way as smooth as possible for ourselves, and for all who know us.
Friday, August 20, 2010
DON'T LISTEN TO ME!
I have been told by people for whom I have great respect that they don't always agree with what I write.
This is good, because my writing is sometimes full of speculation - thoughts of the moment, to make the reader think.
Don't adopt my thinking, even if it seems reasonable - think for yourself!
Ernest Holmes said, "Don't listen to me - listen to what I listen to." In other words, look within yourself, and see what that still small Voice is telling you.
There are a lot of people in this world. Each has been given a viewpoint, and each receives inspiration (ideas) according to his/her capacity and background. Doctors may get great medical ideas, but they may not be tuned to receiving financial or horticultural ideas. We tune our mental radio according to our interests.
Just as there a millions of plant species in the world, millions of animal types, so people get millions of thoughts - millions of inspirations. Some are received with clarity and good judgment - some are not. Some are workable, some are not. That is as it should be.
I don't expect to be agreed with all the time. I'm not fond of arguing, but I like to hear other views.
There are many ways of looking at the world. These may be different without being wrong.
This is good, because my writing is sometimes full of speculation - thoughts of the moment, to make the reader think.
Don't adopt my thinking, even if it seems reasonable - think for yourself!
Ernest Holmes said, "Don't listen to me - listen to what I listen to." In other words, look within yourself, and see what that still small Voice is telling you.
There are a lot of people in this world. Each has been given a viewpoint, and each receives inspiration (ideas) according to his/her capacity and background. Doctors may get great medical ideas, but they may not be tuned to receiving financial or horticultural ideas. We tune our mental radio according to our interests.
Just as there a millions of plant species in the world, millions of animal types, so people get millions of thoughts - millions of inspirations. Some are received with clarity and good judgment - some are not. Some are workable, some are not. That is as it should be.
I don't expect to be agreed with all the time. I'm not fond of arguing, but I like to hear other views.
There are many ways of looking at the world. These may be different without being wrong.
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