|
By Dr. Christopher
Bell, Jr.
April 30, 2006
Prelude/Melody
Each of us has a little Light
We ought to let it shine
Each of us has a little Light
We ought to let it shine
Each of us has a little Light
We ought to let it shine
Let it shine
Let it shine
Let it shine
Let's combine your light and mine
And then we let them shine
Let's combine your light and mine
And then we let them shine
Let's combine your light and mine
And then we let them shine
Bringing us warmth
Bringing us joy
Clearing our minds
I. Introduction: Good morning Church!
This morning I shall talk about us and I shall hold you for only
a few minutes. But during these few minutes I need you to listen with
both your outer ear and your Inner ear.
By Your outer ear, I mean the listening that goes immediately to
the reasoning side of your the brain to be deciphered and interpreted
and to gather meaning
By Your Inner ear, I mean the listening that eventually goes to your
spiritual, inner-self to be felt, weighed, massaged, and filed
somewhere in your conscience for later retrieval as needed.
In other words, I need you to listen with your thinking, rational
self, but I also need you to listen with your feeling and emotional
self; that spiritual side of you or let's
say to listen with your conscious.
II. Definition of Comfort Zones: With reference to my subject
this morning:
By Comfort, I mean an emotional or psychological feeling of relief
or encouragement, or an emotional or psychological feeling of a
contented well-being; a feeling of being free from distress or
negative tension
By Zone, I mean the emotional space that encompasses our peaceful
psychological well-being. The space with which we emotionally
surround ourselves in order to remain contended or free from
distress or negative tension.
(NOTE: For those of us who are note-takers, you might say that my
subject is taken or extracted from the third (NO 3) principle noted
on the back of your Order of Service).
Perhaps upon reflection, you've noted
that in my definition of comfort zone, I've use the words "emotional and psychological." This
signals to you that the "comfort zone" of which I speak is a MIND
THING! In general, I'm talking about what takes place in our minds.
So I am referring to your rational mind-space and to your feelings;
your emotional or spiritual awareness space. Sometimes this
spiritual awareness space is referred to as your "subconscious" or
"your conscious or inner feelings" or "your higher self." In any
event Church, I will be using the terms "feelings" and "higher self"
or "conscious" inter-changeably.
III. Creating Comfort Zones
A. Human Beings are energy generators
Church, we already know that everything in the universe is made up
of molecules and atoms. We are told that at the molecular level of
matter, there is constant moving and vibrating of electrons and
neutrons deep within the whirling, shifting, interconnected
molecules that compose all matter.
We are told by our psychiatrists and physicists that the sub-atomic
movement of electrons and neutrons causes human beings to emit (give
off) continuous impulses of electro-magnetic energy of innumerable
wave-lengths, strengths, and frequencies. We give off these
emissions even as we go about our normal daily activities.
Our psychiatrists tell us that these electro-magnetic impulses or
waves of energy are products of our thinking and feelings as we
react to or act on what we see or sense in our environment.
Our psychiatrists also tell us that these continuous emissions of
electro-magnetic energy literally provide each of us with a small
halo that may, at times, be seen by others.
B. Body Language Signals
But in addition to emitting these waves of energy, we each by our
actions show others what we think or how we feel. By our actions, we
send out vibrations that signal our feelings in many ways.
We use our body language, or our facial expressions, or the clothes
we wear and how we wear them.
We communicate with our perfumes or colognes or with our choice not
to be scented.
We use the modulations and tone of our voice: easy or hard; pleasant
or irritable to tell others what we think and feel.
We use precise English or street colloquialisms to make certain we
communicate effectively depending on the emotional message we want
to send out.
There are tens of other idiosyncrasies or peculiarities that each
of us has developed over the years that tend to show others what we
feel and who we think we are.
C. In a philosophical sense then, we might say that figuratively,
we each carry with us a little light that is a combination of our body
language and our electromagnetic emissions and that little light
originates in us and project to others our personality, our thinking
at the moment, and our feelings (conscious) and our beliefs.
So Church, each of us is a walking, moving, posturing bundle of
physical and etheric energy which radiate and vibrate out into our
environment and transmits our state of mind and our feelings (Our
emotions) that others may discern.
This means others may often know, by just looking at us what
reception they might expect if they were to attempt to enter our
comfort zone.
IV. Human Energy Emissions and body language inside our Church
Church, this church is one place in addition to your home where we
should be able to feel comfortable when we meet and greet each
other. This church should be a place where our community members,
each of us should be able to open the boundaries of our emotional
comfort zones and to allow our own vibrations to meet and resonate
with others and to be able to acknowledge each other with a smile
or a hand shake or a "How
are you?" hug.
But this merging of comfort zones can only be done if we
individually WILL to allow it to be done. I say again, this merging
of comfort zones can only be done if we individually WILL to allow
it to be done.
Let's face it, the building and maintenance of your comfort
zone is an individual thinking and feeling phenomenon that started long ago.
We each have the power to close off or shut down our comfort zone
boundaries or to allow the vibrations of our "feelings and thinking" to resonate with like vibrations from others.
(Insert Joke here about: The signal light exchanges between a large
steamship and a small lighthouse located on a rocky coast, where in
the steamship is on a collison course with the lighthouse.)
VI. Suggestions to expand your comfort zones
Church, here are several suggestions that I and several leading
psychologists, theologians, and prophets and master teachers agree
might help you to expand your comfort zone in a healthy spiritually
pleasing manner.
1. Believe that you are a divine creation: Realize that the world
you observe with your five senses is not the only world there is.
There is the spiritual world within you and within everybody. Affirm
to yourself that this is possible and true.
2. Believe that you in your spiritual world can link in a dialogue
deep within the collective subconscious mind with other humans.
There is energy that radiates from you like a solar flare that
allows you to communicate with and connects you to others. Our
psychologists refer to these radiations as etheric energy.
3. Believe and understand that each human being is in fact an "organic
tuning fork" that
is vibrating at varying frequencies and is receiving vibrations from
others depending on his state of mind,
his awareness and his feelings. And with this in mind just try to
be your own sensitive, relaxed self; and then:
a. Try to eliminate ugly thoughts you have about yourself
b. Try to send out positive thoughts which are thoughts that show
respect and concern for others.
c. Try as needed for your own togetherness to send out signals that
ask for understanding, a kind word, or a hug and conversation if
needed.
4. Know and Believe that you have the ability to communicate
telepathically. And once you have convinced yourself of this fact,
follow the most important guidelines ever passed to us from the
spiritual world: Love thy neighbor as thy self. Make this a daily
affirmation.
5. Try affirming the idea that others are your brothers or your
sisters and that you are a part of an "Us" and
there are no more
"Them" here at Davies Memorial UU Church. Begin by looking at
yourself as a member of this human family called "Us" where you can
"Share you Joys and sorrows, share your toys and cheers, and share
your talents and blessings, and give comfort to those who need it
6. Note the number of times you use the pronoun "I" in
an hour's
conversation and then eliminate some of the usage. Instead of
talking about yourself so much inquire about others.
7. Remember to look for and expect the fullness of the divine forces
and energies that create and sustain life in everyone to always be
with and within you, and that often you must slow down and talk
positively to yourself to allow these forces to carry you forward
with their flow.
8. Believe and know that in some unfathomable way the fullness of
the sacred, the divine, is attempting to operate in you and in the
people you see. Remind yourself that the other person you see is
not his or her body alone, but that both he or she and you have a
spiritual self that is always operating. Realize that your spiritual
self can connect by prayer and/or meditation/ and or positive
self-talk with the spiritual universe surrounding you, and with the
life creating and sustaining forces of which we are all a part and
that from such contact we might extract fortifying energies.
VI. Conclusion: So church, what have we talked about today?
We described how we all have developed psychological and spiritual
comfort zones and that comfort zones are a product of our thinking
and feelings and beliefs.
We described the phenomenon of etheric energy that each of us
radiates into our environment and how along with our body language
we allow others to sense what we are thinking and feeling.
We suggested, summarized, and reflected on the several "thinking
and feeling" adaptations that have been endorsed by noted philosophers,
psychologists, ancient prophets, and Master teachers. And these
"thinking and feeling" adaptations were noted as means by which we
might expand our comfort zones, or means by which we can make more
porous the boundaries of our comfort zones. These thinking and
feeling adaptations we have mentioned will help us to communicate
with each other in ways beneficial to our own spiritual growth, and
will broaden our sense of belonging to this church community.
Church, my time has expired and so I say to you. And so I say to
you:
Now if you're in a comfort zone
And afraid to venture out
Remember once upon a time
We all were filled with doubt
So take that step outside
And smile and say "hello"
Then kiss your comfort zone goodbye
And close and lock the door.
|
