Easter a Joy for Everyone

 Sunday April 20, 2025

Easter a Joy for Everyone

            Easter is a joyful celebration that symbolizes renewal, hope, and new beginnings. For many, it marks the resurrection of Jesus Christ and is a time of deep spiritual reflection and gratitude. Churches are filled with uplifting music, vibrant flowers, and messages of love and triumph, bringing families and communities together in celebration of faith and the promise of new life.

           For those who do not observe Easter as a religious holiday, the day still offers plenty of opportunities to create joyful memories. Springtime festivals, egg hunts, and family brunches are just a few ways people gather to enjoy the season. Parks come alive with color, laughter, and the sound of children playing, while homes are decorated with cheerful themes of renewal and spring.

            Whether rooted in spiritual belief or simply embraced as a cultural and seasonal tradition, Easter brings people together. It's a chance to pause and appreciate the beauty of life, the warmth of connection, and the joy of shared moments. No matter how it's celebrated, Easter has something special for everyone.

Keep the faith!

Rev-Bates

 

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Emerson nailed it!

            

Sunday, April 13, 2025

As Within, So Without

                Thoughts, beliefs, and ideas we've been carrying around. But here's the good news—right now, we can start thinking differently. We can create new beliefs, let go of old baggage, and shift our experience in real time. Jesus put it powerfully when he said, “Let the dead bury the dead.” In other words, let the past stay in the past. Today is a chance to hit refresh—choose hope, build confidence, and start something new.

                 Change starts the moment we realize it’s time to change. At first, it might not be obvious to anyone else—but as we start feeling more grounded, more sure of ourselves, that inner shift creates a whole new energy around us. And that energy? It draws in people, opportunities, and situations that match the new vibe we’re putting out. Emerson nailed it when he said, “Who you are speaks so loudly, I can’t hear a word you say.” Our energy—our mindset—speaks louder than anything else. The more we believe in ourselves, the more life starts reflecting that belief back to us.

                 And as we let go of the past, we can also let go of everything tied to it—guilt, shame, confusion, money struggles—you name it. None of that defines who we are. Like I once told a young guy, your past doesn’t get to tell your story. It was just something you went through. And if we keep replaying it in our minds, we’re just signing up to go through it again. But if we release it, we make room for something better—something new. And who knows? Maybe even a miracle or two.

Keep the faith!

Rev-Bates

 

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As Within, So Without

                      The mystical Neville wrote in his book, "The Search":  "To attempt to change the world before we change our concept of ourselves is to struggle against the nature of things.  There can be no outer change until there is first an inner change.  As within, so without.  I am not advocating philosophical indifference when I suggest that we should imagine ourselves as already that which we want to be, living in a mental atmosphere of greatness, rather than using physical means and arguments to bring about the desired change.  Everything we do, unaccompanied by a change in consciousness, is but futile readjustment of surfaces.  However, we toil or struggle, we can receive no more than our subconscious assumptions affirm.  To protest against anything which happens to us is to protest against the law of our own being and our ruler-ship over our own destiny."

                     Neville’s teaching here strikes at the heart of true transformation—one that begins and ends with the self. When we attempt to mold external conditions without first altering our internal assumptions, we are merely shifting appearances without touching the root cause. Our outer world is a mirror of our inner beliefs, and unless those beliefs evolve, the reflection remains unchanged. The "mental atmosphere of greatness" he refers to isn't just positive thinking—it's a deep, embodied knowing that we are already what we seek. This isn’t about denial of present circumstances but the mastery of consciousness, where we move from reacting to creating. To imagine oneself as already successful, healed, or fulfilled is to align with the creative power of the imagination, which Neville regarded as divine.

                  Moreover, to rail against external hardships or obstacles is to misunderstand their purpose. These conditions arise from the very assumptions we carry within—some conscious, many not. When we protest or resist them, we miss the opportunity to learn what our inner world has been projecting. Neville’s mysticism invites us to take radical responsibility for our lives—not in blame, but in empowerment. Every outer condition is feedback, showing us the state of our consciousness. If we desire peace, abundance, or love, then we must live inwardly in that vibration first. By changing our assumptions, we don't just shift outcomes—we shift reality itself, aligning with the eternal truth that we are the operant power in our own lives.

 Keep the faith!

Rev-Bates

 

En Espanol:  Rev Bates en español, El Camino a Una Vida Maravillosa

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