Enrich Your Life With a Spiritual Mindset: Part 4 | Rev. John Riley

With joy and gratitude, I welcome grace. With joy and gratitude, I welcome grace. Would you affirm that with me, together with joy and gratitude, I welcome grace. And today we continue our journey of developing our spiritual mindset. That mindset that allows grace to express in our lives, that allows that wonderful experience of wholeness and love, that warmth, that comfort, that comes with that energy of grace, which is always present. We are in our fourth series, fourth talk on developing a mindset, a spiritual mindset, using the masterful teacher’s beautiful prose poem called The Beatitudes. And what I know for certain beyond anything else, is that when you adopt and develop your spiritual mindset, your life is transformed. Yes? Yes.

The Beatitudes: Blessed Are the Pure in Heart

All right, we’re on the same page. So today’s first beatitude is blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall seek God. Blessed are the pure in heart. What emotion does that bring up when you hear those words? Blessed are the pure in heart. I hear you whispering to them. I know you’re not cold and dead out there. That’s good. That’s a good sign. What emotion does that bring up? Blessed are the pure in heart love. Beautiful. What else? Innocence. Peace, confidence, optimism. One more time. Optimism. Thank you for bearing with me, Rick. Acceptance. Babies. That’s a beautiful image. When you think about this, put together the blessed of the pure and heart for they shall see God. What thoughts come to mind? What ideas, what thoughts come to mind for you? What do I need to do? What do I need to be blessed with a pure heart? Anybody? Be more like my dog. That’s probably, I’m gonna end it right there. That’s gotta be the best answer ever, you see, because my answers have always been, oh, I’ve got to be perfect, pure. I’m not always pure. I’m 100% pure John Riley. That’s as bad as best as it gets. But sometimes we have this idea that I have to be transcended already. Anybody else feel that way or think that way? Sometimes. Just sometimes. Sometimes it, it kind of, the words kind of sound like blessed are the pure and heart. You better bring it now, buddy. But that’s really not what this is about. Because this is not about being a saint. This is not about being saintly Saint John Riley. Yeah, no, that’s not gonna flow. Thank you. You’re eminence that will, that’ll all go with that. It’s not about being a Saint 24/7 right? It’s not about being that perfect pureness all the time. It’s more, it’s something to strive for and to work at and to develop within our lives. So rather than being a saint, I actually like to read this from Eric Butterworth. He wrote this in his book, “Discover the Power Within You”. This beatitude suggests the tremendous insight that will be yours when you develop an inward purity of thought. So let’s just break that down. When you develop it, it’s going to be an ongoing thing that we need to work with. Are we all good with that? There’s no magic snap of the fingers that you’re automatically and magically there. It’s something that we develop. Lift up your eyes and get your thoughts centered on the good, the true and the beautiful. And you will see God. This requires discipline of thought. Oh my gosh, the D word. This requires discipline of thought, for one. Does not easily see beauty in ugliness, life and sickness, or abundance in poverty. 

Developing Awareness and Shifting Perspectives

So just take a moment to, to sink. Let that sink in because we are here to develop that awareness. We’re here to work with that awareness so that at some point we can see the wholeness in sickness so that we can see the beauty in what we perceive as ugly. So that we can see the abundance in what we are experiencing as poverty. But I’d like to suggest that you don’t start there cuz that’s our human tendency, right? Is to start with the big things in life. Those big ticket items. Let’s start with the little things. Last week we had a guest speaker, Dr. James Doty, and he had a wonderful talk. If you weren’t here, you can catch it on our website. But he talked about the stickiness of the brain. Do you remember that? The stickiness of the brain and our brain is sticky and it’s designed to retain things that we perceive as threats. Now there aren’t too many saber tooth tigers running around, hunting us down anymore, but those threats that we experience in life, even the things that, the small things, right, the things that annoy us, the people who look at us sideways, the people who, you know, say something maybe that doesn’t, my ego doesn’t like so much. Those little things are sticky. They stick to us cuz anything, anything the brain perceives as a threat is going to develop is going to, we’re going to retain it naturally. 

So we need to work at letting those go. We need, it’s like, you know, you’re driving down highway five in, in the middle of the state here, and you pull off at a, wherever you’re pulling off at and your windshield is covered with what, what do you do? You clean them. You gonna gold star Paul? See, I was gonna just let them be there and complain about it. Yeah, I was gonna roll down the window and stick my head out cuz I can’t see through the window anymore. No, right away you clean it. And if we don’t clean our consciousness, that’s our experience in life. We’re seeing through the lens of all of those sticky bugs in our brain, we’re seeing through the lens of all of the little things, the knits, that, that just bug us. That wasn’t me. That was Spirit. You can blame Spirit. That wasn’t a bad dad joke. I take full credit for those. But if we don’t clean our lens, that develops into the enemy, that develops into victim consciousness, that develops into defensiveness simply because we haven’t taken the time to cleanse our lens, to clean our lens, to allow ourselves to see more clearly. And that’s really what this beatitude is all about, is to create that space where there is a purity in heart, where you have a clean lens, where you can see the world from a new perspective. And we need to retrain our mind to do that on a regular basis. We need to retrain our mind to be able to see the appearances in the moment.

Cleaning the Lens for Clarity and Peace

You know, sometimes we go through life and we have a situation. All of a sudden we’re at the end of the day tense and stressed and angry. Not you, of course, John, you for myself. And then I have to clean my lens. But what if we could do that every moment of the day? What if we can realize, oh, there’s a bug in my eye, let me just wipe it out. Let me just clean it right now. And that’s what this is really about. This beatitude is about developing that mindset so we can go through life and be able to drive through Central California and not worry about the bugs. There will be bugs in our life. Yes, yes. Yeah. It just is just how you’re gonna look at it. So this is an inside out job, right? We have to clean our lens from the inside so that we can see ourselves clearly, so we can see ourselves as pure in heart. So we can see ourselves as what Rusty, you know, talked about, that idea that you are that divine presence, you are that expression of love. You are that, that divine wisdom being expressed into the world. And so when something, you know, comes up in life, we need to deal with it in the moment. Or at least that’s the goal. So just think about, you know, does anybody have anybody in their lives that annoys them? Don’t say their name, I know I can, I can see. So, you know, someone’s out there nudging the other person. He’s talking about you right now. So just notice, notice when you know those things are coming up. And can you see beyond those appearances? Can you see beyond appearances? You just know that you’re in the flow and it’s okay. See, this is what forgiveness is really all about. It’s about clearing that inner lens of our bugs so that we can see another person clearly, so that we can start to see that divine nature in someone else, regardless of what’s happening on the outside. Because we know that that’s not the whole of them, even though clearly they’re wrong and I must be right. That’s not the whole of them. And when I’m wrong, that’s not the whole of me. I am more than that decision. I’m more than that, that word that spurted out. I’m more than that action. I’m more than those thoughts. And when we can understand that moreness within us, then we can see that more clearly in someone else. So can you take and hold a different perspective? That’s really what this is about. Can you hold multiple perspectives about an individual out there, for example, and that yes, in the past they may have done this. And yes, in the present they may be doing this, but there’s something more in that person. Can you see something different? Can you see from their point of view, can you hold that perspective? You may not agree with it, but can you hold a different perspective? Can you understand what they may be going through or their suffering?

Looking Beyond the Past and Embracing Compassion

So this last week I had an experience where somebody from my past was, you know, I was in the midst of a distant past and it was a feeling of, oh God, here we go. Ever have those feelings? Or is it just me? But immediately, because I’ve been working on this, this came to mind and it’s like, okay, be pure of heart. This is not who this person is. Whatever that was in the past, whatever is going on in the present, whatever might happen in the future, I simply looked beyond all of that. And I held that person in my heart. I held that person allowing myself to be, to see through that stickiness. And that enabled me to show up differently. That enabled me to show up in a way that was kind and compassionate. There wasn’t really much interaction, but in my heart and in my mind, there was a world of interaction. You, you know, those people, pretty much everyone in our life, when we think about them, we have a story about them. And sometimes it’s a beautiful story and sometimes it’s a painful story. And you know, I warned them, you don’t want to go walking down the dark alleys of my mind. But it’s being able to shift those thoughts within us and that dialogue within us just so that we can come to that situation with that openness, with that purity of heart, and to be able to look beyond appearances. And then look for evidence of the source. Look for evidence of source in the daily, in the daily life. I love you. You know, Butterworth, you can think about it. We go outside and we see the beautiful flowers. We see the trees that are just, you know, full canopy right now. And we can go out and meet our friends and have our delicious coffee. Thank you. Thanks to our hospitality team. We can, you know, greet people. We can say hi to our friends and we have this experience in life. Yeah, does anybody have that? When you’re leaving Unity. The talk today, you’re gonna be doing that today. I’ll be taking notes, who’s not sharing.

Expressing Compassion and the Power of Affirmative Prayer

When we can express, we can express compassion for another. And really, this is what affirmative prayer is all about. It’s holding somebody in that state of knowing their oneness. That’s it. Cause if I can hold you in that, when you can’t hold yourself in that I can lift you up, you can lift yourself up. It’s that spiritual energy that allows us to commune together, to be together, to help each other and lift each other so that we can realize that that grace is ready here and allow it to flow. Eric Butterworth said, you are not here. You are not in the world to set it right, but to see it rightly so. How are you seeing the world covered with bugs? Or can you cleanse it and see the world from a new perspective? He continued by saying and right seeing is the passport from illusion to the heaven of accomplishment. The things that we wanna do in life, the things that we want to create in life. The life that we want to live is lived by seeing life rightly, by seeing ourselves rightly by living in it from that perspective. So in his book, discover the Power Within Me, he had this affirmation. I see the world as it is. Sorry, I see the world not as it is, but as I am and I am in spiritual Unity with God. I see the world not as it is, but as I am now, that’s a spiritual truth. It is true regardless, because you cannot see the world except through your own lens. So how do you want to show up in life? How do you want to experience that? If you want to change the way you’re experiencing life, then clean your lens and develop that purity of heart. Develop that idea within you. And so Neil Douglas clots, he wrote the book prayers of the Cosmos, which I’ve been using through this as well through this series. And he takes the Aramaic that Jesus Jesus may have spoken, spoken and translates it directly into English. What he talks about is that this idea of pure and heart can also mean those who are consistent in love. And doesn’t that give it a different meaning? Being consistent in love, showing up as love, expressing harmony, as love, expressing, being in a relationship, being on your job, doing, doing your spreadsheet, you know, doing coding, your financial, I dunno, what else do you do at work? It’s been so long.

Living as Peacemakers in Daily Life

Write sermons, Create sermons, write talks. Yes, thank you. That is a full-time job. His affirmation was aligned with the one are those who live, whose lives radiate from a core of love, for they shall see God everywhere aligned with the one are those whose lives radiate from a core of love, for they shall see God everywhere. Our next beatitude comes right after it. And it’s so important because that first beatitude that I just read, blessed of the pure and heart is so fundamental for us, our experiences in life. It’s so important that when you come from life with that perspective, with that discipline, with that practice practice of whenever the bug hits your windshield of cleaning it off, when you come from that perspective, it makes this one very easy. Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God.

Embracing Your Divine Identity

So first, do you understand that you are a beautiful, wonderful child of God? That you are the expression of Spirit, that you are one with the I am. Do you understand that? Is that something that you can hold with me for a moment even if you don’t agree with it, right? Unity’s third, second principle of the I am principle that God is with substance and the intelligence innate in every person and in all creation. So let’s just hold that for a moment. So if you are truly one with that source right then and you are a true God and a true child of God in Spirit, if that’s you, then, then how does that express through you in life? Because what Butterworth says, I love the way he says this, you are truly one with source, a true child of God in Spirit. Lowercase s in theory, in idea. That’s what you are capable of. That’s what you’re here to express. So you are it. And how are you? How are you showing up in life? Because you only become that expression, in fact an index expression when you are attuned to the infinite. When we hold this spiritual mindset that we are one with allness. And when we start to express from our noble self, from our higher self, from our better self, whatever word you wanna put in there, the self that Dr. Doty talked about that higher self where ego can serve, can be of service to it.

Embracing Flexibility and Letting Go

The way I know that I’m practicing this is really by looking backwards. So this morning I’d set up a meeting with the board. I have a homework project that’s due next week where I’m supposed to bring the board together and, and run through what’s called a genogram experience with the board and then report on it. Well, and, and I made a little machine, which I’m not gonna tell you about cuz some of you will experience it later. At some point. I think that was the experience machine, to have an experience. So we can go through having an experience and then we can talk about it in the structure in which we were going to talk about the history of our, our spiritual community. Well, at last it was all working at home. I brought it in here and it broke. It wasn’t working. And I’m like, well, I know how to fix it, but I just can’t fix it today. And I was thinking to myself, you know, it’s okay to be upset. Like, yeah, but it is, it’s no big deal. I’ll just, I’ll pivot. Yeah, but it’s okay to be upset, John. I know ego. Just chill out. See, I would’ve been pretty annoyed. I would’ve been stressed. I would’ve been frustrated. How can I fix it now it’s like, okay, I’ll just, I’ll just let it go. No big whoop. And then this morning I’m, you know, we have our meeting right after the service at 11: 30 for an hour. And I get a text from my wife Tiffany, saying, by the way, we need to leave at 11: 30. I’m like, well wait a minute, because I forgot that we are going to see the book of Mormon this afternoon in the city. I dunno, maybe I’ll convert. But you see, here’s the thing. If it’s not on the calendar, it doesn’t exist.

Cultivating Inner Peace and Serenity

This last week we flew to Irvine to see my oldest daughter’s thesis art show. It was fantastic. We flew back the next day where in the evening, Ray did one of her performances. And then yesterday Ray did her second per dance performance for dance connection. And Ethan, we had to take over to a party and then pick up from a party cuz they didn’t want to drive. And we’re okay with that and all of a sudden it’s like, oh yeah, we’re going to see Booker Mormon and it’s not on the calendar. And now I, and now I have to cancel my meeting with the three board members that could make it. Sorry I didn’t get to you in time. Shame. I know. They were so looking forward to it. Now, before, what kind of stress would I have held? Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. It’s not on the calendar. Okay, but it wasn’t on the no back. Back, okay. But you know, it had to be No, no. The answer is just, okay, that’s how I know that I’m moving in that direction of blessed other peacemakers because I’m not ticked off by it. You know, remember that person that I asked you to think about and or encourage you not to point to the other person. So how can you look at that other person in a different way? We’re all busy, you know, it’s okay. I won’t get the assignment done. I won’t fail. I know you’re all pleased about that,It’s okay. So it, the way we move through these and the way we start to develop this mindset is to become very like a baby, as Frank said, like a child. Just say, oh, okay, that ain’t it. What’s next? It’s to not let it stick to us. It’s to clean that lens. Oh, it’s sticky. Okay, I’ll just clean it. It’s no big whoop. And if you start with the small things, then the big thing that occurred earlier in the week for me, the big thing becomes easy. Becomes, ah, wow, I have grown. Can you feel that difference? Can you find something in your life today to just be aware of your thoughts and be aware of how you’re reacting to things? And it’s not like you have to be the peacemaker for everyone on this side of the room, you’re gonna like everyone on that side of the room. It’s not that kind of bridge. It’s creating that peace within me so that I can show up peacefully so that I can show up. And when I can show up peacefully, then I can help others show up peacefully. So blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons and daughters. Children of God.

Embracing the Light Within: Becoming Bringers of Light

Eric Butterworth likes to look at this particular beatitude as if it’s like turning on a light, the light doesn’t have to go in and say, okay, shoe darkness, everyone out. Hoo, the light just shines and the darkness recedes. That’s all we need to worry about is keeping that light within us, on working on this beatitude and helping us build that consciousness so that we may take our place in the world as bringers of light rather than purveyors of darkness. So let’s move to our affirmation, Felix. I’m gonna read this a couple of times just to allow you to digest it and absorb it and then all.