For this cause I bow… unto the Father… of whom the whole family in heaven & earth is named.
— Ephesians 3:14-15

The Global Family

There is one life back of everything. There is a Universal Spirit that is the origin of everything. This Universal Life finds an outlet in & through everything that lives.

With the advancement of technology occurring at breakneck speed, we are now completely aware of what’s happening in our world even as it is occurring! More than ever we feel membership in the global family, living in the global village.

My sister is an example of a global family member. She loves to play bridge. It is her obsession. Every day she plays on the Internet. She has one partner in Australia, one partner in Germany, & one in Japan. Although they do not speak each other’s language, they speak a universal language — the language of Spirit.

I once led a church service in a Shanghai park, possibly the first of this type ever in China. We began the service singing “It’s In Ev’ry One of Us,” Chinese children gathered from all around, talking & laughing. After the invocation, the children sat down, & remained quietly attentive throughout the entire service. After finishing with “The Peace Song”, the children happily indicated how grateful they were to experience the fellowship with us. Without knowing any English, they understood the universal language of Spiritual joy ! I felt as though we were all Divine Emissaries, sent to demonstrate the commandment, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Where is my family? My family dwells in every village, city, town, country, & continent of the earth. My family is “The Global Family.”

AFFIRMATION
Today, I open my heart & welcome into my life all my long lost relatives
who are members of my global family. I greet each & every one of them
with unconditional love in my heart. Thank you God!

Rev. Dr. Rainbow Johnson
ADAAP Clergy Counselor

Embracing Change, Positively!

Yesterday, lovely gentle rain. Today, sparkling sunshine. Things are always changing.
Life is like that, always changing. Perhaps a good question for us is “Are we?”

I know we are changing. Our hair is growing. Our cells are multiplying. Our weight is fluctuating. Our bodies are reacting to what we eat, what we see, what we hear, what we think.

A better question might be “Are we changing for the better?” Are we growing spiritually as well as growing older?

Are we responding to what we see, hear, & think in a more (spiritually) mature way, or are we just reacting to the stimulus? For most of us it is both. I often don’t recognize that I am reacting instead of responding to something until some time later. Once I do recognize it, then the challenge becomes to catch myself before I react the next time… because I am almost positive there will be a next time & another next time, until I get the lesson learned.

Once I recognize that I am reacting, I can plan my future response which makes it easier to avoid reacting.

AFFIRMATION

Today I am choosing to love the weather, & all the tasks that I have to accomplish, as well as those that will be left over for tomorrow. I am choosing to love all the people in my life. I am choosing to be more aware of those situations in which I react instead of respond so that I can change in a positive way. I am choosing joy & love & happiness! Thank you God!

Rev. Dr. Rainbow Johnson
ADAAP Clergy Counselor

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
— John 14:27

… when our minds are filled with thoughts of anger, hatred & resentment, we are pouring into our body poisons in the making.  — The Science of Mind, page 255

The Exorcist

“I was so mad, I could barely breathe!” “How could he do that to me!” “I’ll show him!”
These statements are often followed by another: “I wonder why I have these recurrent stomach pains?”

Many persons feel that their anger or negative emotions are justified because of what others are doing to them. When people judge others by appearances, it may seem that way. But … would you deliberately go out & drink a cup of poison to get even with another person? That is what happens when you let negative emotions rule you.

Several years ago, in Ralph Waldo Trine’s book “In Tune With The Infinite,” he wrote of a study, which revealed that a person experiencing the emotion of jealousy emits enough poison to kill a guinea pig in a few minutes; & after an hour of intense hatred, a person produces enough poison to annihilate 80 human beings! Imagine what these self-induced poisons do to your body!

Remember that God’s universe is a beautiful demonstration of order, harmony, & love. When you clog up the Divine Flow with negative emotions, illness & unhappiness result. Exorcise all disharmonious feelings & become a Divine magnet for good.

AFFIRMATION
I am free. No words or actions can harm me if I do not allow them to do so. A person’s words or actions tell me something about him or her, but do not express my being. I am still the dynamic, deep, creative, vibrant person God created me to be. Nothing can affect me but the direct action of God, & God is Love. I am love! I am a Divine magnet.
Thank you God!

Rev. Dr. Rainbow Johnson
ADAAP Clergy Counselor

… ye shall ask what ye will, & it shall be done unto you.
— John 15:7

The Sculptor & the Clay

When Michelangelo perceived the imperfect block of marble that had been a “reject,” he saw it not. He only knew the breathtakingly beautiful form of the David which dwelt within.
One time someone asked Michelangelo how he could sculpt something so magnificent. He responded in essence that he did nothing but chisel away all the extraneous material. What an idea! He saw only the perfection & got rid of everything that did not belong.

Now, think of perfection inside a piece of marble or in a lump of malleable clay. Can you imagine yourself as the clay? Often you might feel that life is the sculptor & it is carving an indelible impress upon you.

But, in reality, that is not the case. Oh yes, it would be nice to be able to blame life for our experiences & feelings, but when we look in the mirror of living, we realize that we do the sculpting with our own thoughts!

At times we even add superfluous material to the beautiful Self, the hidden splendor, awaiting to be revealed. But remember, that which is added can also be removed. What remains in the center of the marble, or the center of the clay, or the center of you? It is Perfection.

AFFIRMATION
I am the clay & I am the sculptor. I still my mind so I can see with my inner eye the perfection that I am! All at once it is revealed to me the parts of my life that are covering & camouflaging my beauty. I make up my mind now to remove these extraneous parts one by one until the true me shines forth in all its glory. My Father & I are one. I am the sculptor. I am the clay.
Thank you God!

Rev. Dr. Rainbow Johnson
ADAAP Clergy Counselor

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…
— Psalms 23:4

Nothing happens by chance…
— The Science of Mind, page 103

Sorry! Right Number!

One of my life principles is “Nothing happens by chance”. Even if something seems like a coincidence, we say it happened for a reason. When we experience an answer to prayer, we don’t say it was just good luck, we say it was because of the Law of Cause & Effect. So, whatever happens to us, we have consciously or unconsciously created it.

Recently, I experienced such a profound example of this Divine Synchronicity, that I was totally flooded with gratitude. I’ve always praised my telephone answer machine, because it keeps me in touch with all the souls I love, even when I’m not there physically. Since I travel so much these days, one of my passions is to record big time blessings on my machine. Telemarketers have called me & told me when they get frazzled, they call my number just to listen to the outgoing message! When I get one of these calls, I say silently to myself, “Thank You, God!”

Then one day, I got the following message on my machine, & I truly “knew” God is guiding our feet into the way of peace.

A young woman’s frail voice said very haltingly, ” Uh, well, hello. I guess I got the wrong number, so I’m sorry to call you. But, uh, just what I heard on your machine made me wonderful & still wonderful, ‘cause I was feeling like killing myself, uh, & I was so sad. So I thank you for that. You have blessed my life!”

AFFIRMATION
Dear God. Today I offer myself to Thee so utterly that when I meet another person along the way, that person sees only You in my eyes, feels only You in my heart, & hears only You in my words. Thank you God!

Rev. Dr. Rainbow Johnson
ADAAP Clergy Counselor