A woman once said, “I wish I had your faith!” What she did not realize is that she had all the faith she could ever need or use–right inside of her. We ALL have that same faith, from the beginning, as children of the Most High. Ours is to learn to USE it rightly! This first Sunday of Advent, we start that time of readying ourselves to celebrate that gift of God’s presence within us, from the beginning, but made visible with the birth of the Christ Child, Jesus! We are called to weave this, and the succeeding gifts of Advent, into our everyday lives; to make this season a time of re-awakening to the Truth of our being: In the world, but not of it, we DO go from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18) as we ready ourselves to celebrate God in us, through us, as us!!

The people who settled our country were a strong, determined lot, who carried a vision that could not be denied! They had the courage to blaze trails where none had gone!  They dedicated–and risked–their lives to the accomplishment of this cause! There was absolutely NOTHING lukewarm about them! They had a faith in God’s purpose, in and through and as them, that burned hotter than the noonday sun or the campfires at night! These same qualities live within us, today! We can reach within and draw them up to accomplish any God-ordained thing to which we set our minds and hearts! Rather than discovering new lands in the world, we are, this week, invited to discover them within! They are waiting! They are rich in beauty and all the bounty of Spirit! Forward ho!!

Sometimes, the world can seem too big, too powerful, too dangerous, scary, daunting and on and on! The operative word, here, is “SEEM!” When we look at the world from a “world view” it does, indeed, appear more than we can handle, and we are tempted to retreat, rather than forging ahead with whatever plan or purpose we have in our hearts! Let us, however, take a look at it from a GOD perspective! David, the small-in-stature-but BIG-in-FAITH lad who slew the giant carried five stones in his bag! These five stones represent ideas–statements of Truth–with which we can slay those fears that would conquer our hearts and enslave us! We are invited, this, week to take these five ideas, familiarize ourselves with them and make them PART of us, to be used whenever needed! We are invited to remember that there are BOTH a David AND a Goliath within each of us; and to choose wisely how we will respond!

What a fun time we have at Halloween! It’s that one day of the year when it is PERFECTLY OKAY to be a KID again–and many of us take full advantage of that opportunity!! We dress up as ghosts and goblins, or super heroes; the choices are limitless! What we may fail to realize is how often we wear masks and costumes during our everyday life! Sadly, some may, in error, choose costumes and masks that represent something LESS than what we ALL are in Truth; perfect, whole, glorious emanations of Divine Mind! So, let us frolic on this day! Laughter and make-believe are good! But let us remember, tomorrow and the rest of the year, to present the TRUTH of what we are, too–it is, we’ll fid EVERY BIT as magical!! And, whether or not you have already discovered it; just as FUN!