Minister's Message

September 2003

"Behold, the former things have come to pass, and the new things I now declare."   Isaiah 42:9

Well, ready or not, here it comes, our next step in the journey! I’m negotiating with my next right and perfect ministry and you are gearing up for your next right and perfect minister! Wow, what an adventure Life with God is!

Transitions are confusing ‘cause what has worked in the past doesn’t work in the future. Have you noticed that the rules are changing?

James Geick: “As singular boundaries between two realms of existence [e.g. from liquid to gas or from unmagnetized to magnetized], phase transitions tend to be highly nonlinear in their mathematics. The smooth and predictable behavior of matter in any one phase tends to be little help in understanding the transitions.”

The risk is not simply that we will make the wrong decision; it is the risk that we won’t be able to bring reality into focus and we won’t understand what’s going on.

Yet we have a road map we can follow – there are four strategies we’ve been exploring that can help us step into the future without getting stuck in the past.

Show UP! Just showing up for what is happening around us pulls us into the next Eternally NOW moment. I once heard that 80% of life is just showing up. I’ve come to realize that the other 20% is about Being Fully Present.

BE Present. Staying open and receptive to what’s really happening now allows us to shift out of the Past (the glories as well as the regrets) and stay out of future unknown filled with ‘what if’s’ (anxiety).

Tell the Truth. It may seem easier to say what you think you are expected to say – but there are several drawbacks as William Bridges explains. “First, you may get the expectation wrong. Second, the expectation may suddenly shift – in fact; it can almost be guaranteed to change these days. Third, it is difficult to be clear on what you’ve said in the past, especially, when expectations keep changing. Fourth, it destroys your mind and spirit. Telling the truth is often the most powerful action you can take.”

Let Go of the Outcomes. We can’t control what happens although we create it – by the thoughts we think and the words we use and the actions we take. I don’t know what the future holds but God does; ‘cause God, the Eternal One, is already there, preparing the way.

It’s easy to look around and say how sad it is that I’ve got to leave – just when I learned how to get around! Yet I know that there are other joys that are pulling at my heart strings and I am eager to sing a new song.

Folks ask me how can I do what I do – moving around and living with new groups of people every year or so. And what I’ve discovered is — that as I have learned not to place my trust in the outer, but to trust in my inner connection with God — Life is easy and Good. “Wherever I am God, God is. And all is well.” My dear friends, the entire Universe is reorganizing itself now that we’ve committed. I am so honored to have been along for the ride. I’m in awe. Thank you GOD for the Good that I can see and the Good that is unfolding before you and me as we go to meet our Good!

Blessings dear ones.

Reverend Marylou Palmer
minister@unityofappleton.org