2007-06-03. Be Firm In Your Faith
Rio Rancho #147
Topic: Be Firm In Your Faith
Group: Rio Rancho TeaM
Teacher: Merium, 0802-AB-Jack, Dani
TR: Gerdean
Opening
Drumming & Cherokee Prayer: Almighty God, through whom all power is given, I send the sound of my voice singing toward heaven. By your leave, Lord, I send the sound of my voice, singing toward heaven. By your leave, Lord, I shall live today.
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: By your leave, Lord, I will address Your children – I am one among many who are assigned to assist in the uplift of humanity, to bring about the light of truth, to expand understanding, to herald change – progressive change – even as we sink our feet into the earth, there to plant ourselves as firmly grounded in the work of the realm.
Lesson
The work of the realm begins in your mind, through your choices. It extends in and through your vehicle, which carries you into your exterior environment, in your atmosphere, your presence, and as it impacts on those you encounter in your home, in your neighborhood, in your city-state nation globe. And so it is they sing, “Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me.” Let there be light and life across the land, and let me live in it as my perpetual, eternal estate, as a child of God and a citizen of His Kingdom. In this stronghold of identity, let us bond and intermingle in grace. Therein we will discover the way, the divine path, right living, which eventuates on earth as it is in heaven.
I honor your presence here today and speak to that in you which is unused to being addressed, that aspect of your inner life which you generally only share with yourself. And thus you can hardly know if it is real or if it is only real to you. If it is real to others and to you, then there is somewhat of a confirmation of your perceptions, and when these are tested over time, added to and pruned as necessary, there results a healthy organism, a society, one in which people delight to bear the burdens of others, for it is not an imposition or an obligation but a delight and privilege to serve in love.
It is, in fact, a testimony to the fear and desperation of the many on this earth who despair of circumstances that are beyond their control, and yet allow that which is beyond their control to consume them such that they have no peace of mind, no connection left with the still, small voice that was within, and is within, and will be within. Therein is that mustard seed, that grain of truth that when you say, “I believe, Lord. Help my unbelief,” truth reveals itself. The universe responds to your sincere questions, your need to know, your desire to eliminate error and to embrace goodness.
You who are born of the spirit, who have knocked and to whom the door has opened, who know the sound of the Master’s Voice, are those who are called to hold fast to your living faith, for that is the power that will advance you and your situation whether it is cosmic, global, metropolitan or integral to you.
I am going to remain unidentified, but I have enjoyed my visit with you today and am going to pass the microphone, as it were, to Merium, your cherished friend and “babysitter.” Have a good day.
Group: Thank you. Come again.
MERIUM: I am here to bring in some fresh air and sunshine. Isn’t it wonderful that spring has sprung?
Group: Um-hum, yes, wonderful.
MERIUM: And indeed, summer is merrily approaching. Isn’t it wonderful to not have to wear (those of you in this culture here) heavy coats for a season, that you might “lighten up” and feel refreshed by the very wind beneath your wings. Hear the birds, feel the breeze, listen to the laughter of that which is new, untried, untested and is anticipated to be all and more you hoped it would be.
Anticipation is such a wonderful emotion/feeling. When you can wake in the morning with positive anticipation of what the day will bring, you immediately have invited God into your life, for you have asked that it be filled with wonder, solidarity, opportunity and responsibility – all of which are characteristics of our Universal Father.
By your leave, Father, we rejoice in being like You. Therefore, help us understand how You are that we might know how You want us to be when we grow up. We live in You. And we find You in our peers. We see You within them, each and all, looking out upon the world from the mortal perspective and seeking the opportunity to encourage, reinforce and confirm the spirit reality of one another.
For what this does is it allows you to see God reflected back to you when you look at them, for they seek the same from You. To the extent that there are pieces missing in the connection is no reflection on anything except that you are still being formulated. You are still incomplete, each and all of you. And so it behooves you to be patient with one another, even as you anticipate that others will be patient with you. Are there questions?
Dialogue
Esmeralda: That last was a good thought, to help me be patient with everybody. And that way, maybe other people will be patient with us, because we are not as perfect as we seem to ourselves. It’s something to think about.
Reneau: I read an interesting thing that said the adage “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Another way of looking at it is that by helping others, they can help you. That you benefit because through your help, helping others, so that instead of just saying, “don’t hit him because you do want him to hit you,” it is more like, “give him a helping hand so that way he can help you, too,” and I thought that was a very beautiful way of looking at that. Much more positive.
Esmeralda: Another thing, too, that I am reminded of there is Jesus said when you give a stranger a drink, you are doing the same for Him. Maybe that sort of thing. I don’t think we expect to get back something just because we give. In giving, we give a lot, whether we get anything back, we get a good feeling.
Elena: Well, we certainly need one another. I have an example, a kind of minor irritation going on with my neighbor but right before I left, my dog Barney jumped over the fence – right through the electric fence that I just put up – so the neighbor, even though we were not on the greatest terms yet, although we’re both trying to be on good terms but not yet smooth, they came around and let me know that Barney was out, so we really do need one another to lend each other a helping hand, like you said, because it certainly does come back and I still don’t know what I’m going to do about Barney but …
Esmeralda: Even after a $1,300 fence.
Elena: Yeah.
Reneau: Build a higher fence.
Men-o-pah: Maybe raise the voltage up a little higher.
Elena: I’ll have to do that and just continue the training and not get discouraged.
Reneau: Do you take him for a walk?
Elena: Yeah! This morning we went over to SIPI and went all around the campus.
Reneau: Maybe there’s a way up a fence that curves inward so he can’t jump over.
Elena: That’s a good idea. I’m entertaining anything towards a solution.
Men-o-pah: Well, there is an adjustment to raise the voltage in the fence.
Elena: When I get home I will call the guy and arrange it. I hate to do that.
Menopah: Well, he needs to get the message that he’s not supposed to do that. [Group all talking at once] Hard case. [Group: further group discussion about animal training for cats and dogs]
0802-AB Jack here. You sound like you’re building an armed camp over there! (Group laughter)
Elena: Well, I feel like I am! Yeah! I don’t know what to do, so what should I do?
JACK: Well, you certainly got right to the heart of it, didn’t you. That is: animal training. Much of what civilization entails is animal training. You either train your animal to behave in a way that is agreed to by others in your community or you have anarchy and constant warfare. You need to work these things out, indeed, but animal training is constant.
Even when animals are trained, they can “go off.” They can be triggered by some kind of subconscious cue or get their electro-chemical wires crossed and fritz out for a minute because, as somebody said earlier, you aren’t perfect. You aren’t complete. There are errors in your constitution. And so there are “hard cases,” as you say. And yet, it comes down to the hard truth that those who cannot and will not abide by rightful and reasonable regulations need to be exterminated or set off somehow so that others can be about the business of stabilizing society.
Esmeralda: Hmmm. That sounds like a deep thought.
JACK: It’s not only a deep thought, it relates to many of the problems you are facing here on this planet in terms of your incessant warfare, your criminal element, the defectives that remain to multiply and weaken the strains of the culture that seeks to advance. There are some very real issues that are to be dealt with and they are illustrated very well in your situation with Barney.
Esmeralda: Actually I was thinking maybe he would use the word “Bush.” (Chuckles)
JACK: Well, that’s a dog of a different color. You’d better edit that out. I know people who get statements like that from “pseudo-celestials” get very upset. It doesn’t reflect well on our culture.
Elena: Well, I shouldn’t put Barney to sleep, though.
Menopah: Not until you’ve tried everything.
Reneau: More restraint.
JACK: If he isn’t hurting anybody, it makes the situation even more unjust, because you love the animal; you have already invested dearly in his well-being; and the efforts you go through to relate to your friends and neighbors, in terms of your relationship with the animal, indicate your commitment and your sense of responsibility, even your ethics and your morals. And so it is representative of you as a human being how this animal responds to your training or not and how your society looks at and thinks of you as its owner.
And so it does get extremely personal, and if you were to find that he was incorrigible and needed to be either institutionalized or put down, you would certainly want to know who those were who would stand beside you as a valiant soldier of the circles who did everything — everything, everything, everything! – in your power to train the beast to behave himself under the circumstances that are required.
On the other hand, if he’s going to be such a crackerjack, perhaps he needs to be trained in how to be a capitalist and then he can win prizes of some sort. (Chuckles)
Esmeralda: He is a prizewinner! He only has the one fault. He only recently learned how to jump the fence.
JACK: Does anyone out there know how to keep a dog from jumping over a fence? How high is the fence now? (About 6 feet.) Oh, it’s not high enough. If he is a real “bounder” you need 8 feet! And there are greyhounds and other muscular animals that think nothing of 12 or 14 feet. You need a kangaroo to keep him company. (Further group discussions about the fence) So what shall we do then? Build a 12-foot fence between here and Mexico? (Group reactions) And who is trying to keep whom out. Or in? And for what reason?
Esmeralda: Well, between here and Mexico, nobody is trying to keep us in; we’re just making a poor effort to keep them out.
JACK: Well …
Esmeralda: But then that gets us into a much deeper subject.
JACK: It certainly does, because it puts you in a position of deciding which side of the fence you belong on and when you are interested in the general advancement of the race, these peculiar situations that you become involved in, take all your time and energy.
Esmeralda: But it becomes so complex, and has so many different aspects to them. [More discussions about dog training, books on the market.] Elena: He knew I was leaving and he wanted to come with me.
JACK: Oh, I see. So he wants the universe to revolve around him. He has not learned how to share you with others. [Discussion now about getting him a canine companion.] If you can see a light at the end of the tunnel, then carry on and follow through with your commitment and he’ll be a jolly old companion for you as you sit on your porch in your rocker after you retire, with him at your feet. That’s a nice picture. It, too, represents ideals and dreams, aspirations and ambitions that are appropriate for you to contemplate.
[More about the dog.] The same could be said for Gerdean’s cat. She is young, energetic, loves to leap and chase and tear around with capacities far exceeding those of her mistress. And there are days when we wonder if we made the wrong choice because she is such a test on occasion.
Esmeralda: But very rewarding in others, I’ll bet.
JACK: The thing is, you see, there is this underlying sense of responsibility to take care of the creatures of the world, having been given dominion over them. And one of the ways that people choose to participate in the process is to take care of one of them, or more than one, as many as they can, even though some bite off more than they can chew and the animals take over, just as in some situations the inmates will take over the institution. Overcrowding is never a good idea. Animal training is something that will be necessary for you on a social level, and although they are not fun to think about, they really need to be bargained for.
Esmeralda: Will we have pets and animals in the morontia world?
JACK: That’s a trick question. If I say “no” then you won’t want to go.
Esmeralda: No, I’d still want to go, but …
JACK: If I said ‘yes’ I wouldn’t be exactly telling the truth.
Esmeralda: Then maybe I should not have asked the question.
JACK: No, you should ask the question. I just have to qualify my answer.
Reneau: Don’t they belong to a material realm, rather than the spiritual, morontial?
JACK: Yes, the animals that you know belong to the physical kingdom. The morontia world has its own flora and fauna, if you will, but they are not like these, and so for me to say you could have cats and dogs or birds in Mansonia would be a mistake. But there are companions there, companions that “embrace the combined traits of a faithful horse and an affectionate dog and manifest an intelligence exceeding that of the highest type of chimpanzee.” [Read about the spornagia on Page 528 of the Urantia Book.] Thus you will be able to be companioned by creatures who will amuse you, assist you and teach you elemental things about being, just as your pets do in this life.
And of course you will have certain responsibilities, but not to the extent that you have here because such a greater percentage of the animal nature is left behind. Let’s take a break.
[INTERMISSION]
[Further group discussions about dogs.]
Reneau: Remember when we had our conference down in the South Valley? There was something about a midwayer named Dani that was in this area.
DANI: That would be me! Thanks for saying “hello.”
Reneau: Hi! I didn’t know if you were around.
DANI: I was around. I’m around as often as I can afford it. That is to say I do have things to do but when you guys get together, since you’re a bright light in my neighborhood, I like to check in. It’s kind of my responsibility to keep an eye on you anyway, because work with other midwayers who work with you and angels, of course, who have us helping on projects all over town, all over the county, all over the state, all over the region. We have a lot to do, you know, even though much of what we do is slow motion to what we’d like to see. Isn’t that the case with everybody?
Group: For sure.
DANI: We have our own exercises in patience. Why? What did you want to talk about?
Reneau: I don’t know. I just remembered. I made an 1111 address for you guys, so I didn’t know if you’ve been able to use it or not.
DANI: Well, we have our own townhouse, you know. (Laughter) It’s not like we need to use your address, but thanks for thinking of us. Actually, I hang out on your patio sometimes. (Oh, cool!) And have been known to enjoy your company on the front porch. (How about that!) How about that! (Laughter) You thought I wasn’t paying attention, huh?
Esmeralda: Do you ever stop by and watch TV with me?
Reneau: I’ll bet only when Tiger Woods is playing
DANI: I’m not big on TV but I have been to your place a number of times, especially when I’ve seen you in the garden and in the back. I have an affinity for fairies and wood nymphs and elves and all those fanciful, imaginative creatures you have ascribed as being midwayers and vice versa.
Reneau: My garden is full of them.
DANI: There are, of course, energies specifically for growing things. And they give off energy! And so the spirit is involved in gardening. That’s one of the reasons it always feels good to go into a garden where everything is thriving and taken care of. They give off energy that you can feel.
Reneau: Be stop and smell my roses. They are just wonderful.
DANI: Oh, thanks. What color are they?
Reneau: Pink!
DANI: I’ll look for the pink ones particularly. It’s not like I have time to sit around sniffing everything that comes into view, but I do like to stop and smell the roses. It’s been a very lightweight day here! Close to home, so to speak. It’s an informal kind of a day. I see there are sandwiches on the menu. (Group murmurs) And a vacation coming up for some of you. I didn’t get invited. And I didn’t put in for it.
Elena: Well, put in for Canyon de Chilly [pronounced d’ shay’] and come with us!
DANI: Well, they’ve got me on a job, see. (Laughter) If I can break away, I’ll come with you. When are you going?
Elena: June 16. That weekend. My friend is going to come to town and go with us, and it would be wonderful to have you with us.
DANI: If I get a chance.
Esmeralda: Any time you have a minute, drop by and we’ll sit out in my back yard.
DANI: All right then. And if I can’t make it to some of these, you know, there are others who will fill in and we can compare notes at the end of the day like people do.
Elena: Well, Dani, I appreciated the last time you came when you were saying you were going to help me drum up business and I think you probably have been doing that, is what my estimate would be.
DANI: Well, there are a lot of people out there who can benefit from what you have to offer.
Elena: I’ve hit on a little bit of a lull. I’ve gotten a little depressed about that, but I’m kind of back on track, I think again, too. So I think it’s worthwhile to keep at it.
DANI: You’re just like your puppy. (Laughter) You are bounding all over the place, jumping from one thing to another. How high can you go and how much fun you have. You are just looking for companionship and something to do. It’s just as well that you aren’t bounding constantly on this assignment you have undertaken about “Your Vision Matters” because there are other things you need to focus on, just as there are other things your dog can focus on besides his current fascination.
But don’t give up because there’s a lot to be said for your bounding. You inspire others and you are learning at the same time, and so allow what you are learning to be assimilated into your being, your consciousness, such that when you have an opportunity to put it into effect, it’s a natural extension of who you are and not an affectation of your own training.
That’s another instance of animal training. Give yourself the time you need to learn how to be all that you can be. And as you practice each new plateau of learning, you will meet the needs of those who are at that point at that time. People cannot grow any faster than they can grow. But neither should they be left to languish and get lazy, for then depression sets in. There has to be a good balance between kicking back and kicking in.
Elena: I like that. “Kicking back and kicking in.” That was really good.
DANI: Thanks! (Chuckles) There are others here, in case anybody has something else they want to talk about besides cats and dogs. (Laughter)
Reneau: I’m seeing lots of bees. Lots of birdsong, lots of bees around. Butterflies. Esmeralda: The bees! Is there any word or help on what is causing the bees to die? Paula: The bees? Dying? Esmeralda: Which would be a big, big problem in the long run.
Menopah: Better believe it.
DANI: Well, they are not all dying, only certain brands of bees are dying. Evolution is under control. You’re not killing out any breeds or species that cannot be either replaced or modified through evolution. All through the ages various orders of creatures have become extinct, but not before they steps were taken to bring humanity to where it is today. It is a part of the process, the evolutionary process.
Now of course you don’t want to go out of your way to make things miserable for a critter such that they can’t survive any longer due to your abuse! There’s no excuse for that. That’s not much better than genocide. But if it happens naturally or within the natural order, it’s to be expected. I can already see hands raised out there among those who would split hairs over what the natural order is. And we’ll probably have an opportunity to observe your discussions of this issue for a long time to come.
Yes, I too like the butterflies and the rabbits and the birds. The grackles are back. But let me bow out. I’ve been here long enough. I’ll give you back to Merium who has been playing hostess this afternoon. See ya!
Group: Thanks, Dani. Bye.
MERIUM: Well, kids, I’m going to give you an assignment, and that is to keep a job jar or a God box or a listing of wonders handy because I know that each one of you in the course of your days think. I know you think. And I know that you ponder. I know that you grapple. I know that you exalt and praise and pray. I know that you argue with yourself over points. You upbraid yourself over habits and twitter to yourself about things you would not want people to know had crossed your mind.
These are the spice of life. These are the photographs of your consciousness that reveal about you that which is within, and that is what I would like to hear about.
I do understand that you live in a material world, that you are material beings, in material homes requiring material things and food and pets. And those are fun to hear about. They always become an object lesson of some sort, and they are pretty easy to deal with since they are so germane to so many people.
But those windows of opportunity that arise when you are in your creative consciousness that would be such a joy to consider. Therein we find pathos, humor and an intimacy such that few have a chance to realize among others. Let’s peel off one of the layers of the onion that encompasses the mustard of our group, and reveal another inner layer of tender truth about our innermost self which is not only the beast which needs to learn to “heel” but the soul which seeks to “heal” and strive such that others will follow.
If you are willing.
