Unity Spiritual Community in Citrus Heights

What obstacles do you perceive to be blocking your success or happiness? A while back I read “Merle’s Door” by Ted Kerasote. It is a great book about a man and his dog. The “door” in the title refers to a dog door that Ted installed a couple of years after Merle came to live with him, and how, in giving Merle this independence, Ted released much control over the dog, changing the dynamics of their relationship. 

When I moved into my current duplex, I installed a dog door for my Papillon Yoda, the first one…

Are there times when your dreams seem to be in a holding pattern, and you keep running around the same circle looking for a way out? Times when you feel stuck, stalled or short-circuited? If so, sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey! 

In our high-pressure, goal-oriented society, we sometimes forget that life unfolds according to divine timing. There is a natural rhythm to our progress, with periods of high accomplishment followed with times of inactivity. Know that there is real work being done in these…

Does it ever seem like as soon as you get it figured out, they change the rules? One of my favorite bumper stickers is “Shift Happens.” Yes it does, it surely does. Have there been shifts in your personal life or in our country or our world, when nothing was ever again the same?. 

I think of my own life and two major shifts—the first was signing myself in for 28-day inpatient treatment for alcoholism in 1988. The second was leaving a successful career in software to attend ministerial school in 1998. What…

Are you a Scarlett? Are you plucky and passionate? Do you sometimes struggle needlessly? Or are you a Melanie? Are you serene and loving, always seeing the best in people? The truth is that we all have qualities of each of these iconic women of the old South. 

And for the men, are you an Ashley or a Rhett? Like Ashley, do you value tradition and family, or are you a bit of a maverick like Rhett Butler? The enduring qualities of these characters created an unforgettable story. 

I have recently become aware…

Do you ever find yourself deflecting your good? It could be as simple as not accepting a compliment, or just failing to recognize the goodness of life that surrounds us. 

There are a couple of Ukrainian women who live around the corner from me. They raise tomatoes, peppers, oranges and roses in their front yard and often sit on the porch in the evening, enjoying the delta breeze. One of them is my mother’s age and wears a kerchief around her head. The other is near my age and often has her pet cockatiel…

John 9:1-3 
As he walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him.” 

This passage, seeming to indicate various causes of illness, has long baffled readers. Whereas we would like simple explanations for life’s challenges, we are presented with more complex causes—ones that display the wondrous…

One of my fondest memories is of an Easter Sunday when I lived in Orlando. I began the day at a lakeside sunrise service led by a community Christian church. Later, I attended the Easter service at Unity and had lunch with some friends from the congregation. That evening I went to a Native American drum circle at a local metaphysical bookstore. 

Similarly, the Christmas holidays included honoring the return of the light on the winter solstice, and the Christmas Eve candle lighting service at Unity…

I’ve been fascinated by the strange loops that occur in life. Strange loops, often used in the illustrations of M.C. Escher, are cyclic structures that arise when, by moving only upwards or downwards, one finds oneself back where one started. The eldest of my brothers, Rick, and I have shared a lifetime of strange loops. In our twenties, I pursued training in software while he attended a Bible college. I continued my software career and became a public utility specialist. Rick led a Christian school in…

Unity is a grown-up religion, despite what your relatives may say. To those who don’t regularly attend Unity services, some of our teachings may be interpreted as overly-optimistic, light-weight or underdeveloped. But those of us who have been involved with Unity principles for a while know that they have a way of sneaking up on us. 

Take the Law of Mind Action for instance. This Law defines the creative power of thought, sometimes described as “Thoughts held in mind produce after their kind.” Most of us…

There is a rhythm to a year in the life of a church. We cycle through basic teachings, move into series that are more cutting-edge or specialized in their focus, only to cycle back through the basics once again. This rhythm reflects the spiral fashion in which humans move through life lessons and incorporate new ideas. 

Each time we spiral back through basic teachings, we see them from a higher level. We’ve had time to process the previous lessons, and can see more of the deeper Truth being conveyed. As we…