The sunflower is amazing. It is not only a beautiful flower, but it’s also a food source. Its seeds are nutritious and can be ground into flour and oil. Additionally, there are non-food uses such as in dye, medicinal products, and as treatments for the hair and skin. The history of the sunflower can be traced back to 3000 BC, as it was cultivated by the American Indian in what is present day Arizona and New Mexico. Yes, the sunflower is amazing!

But, the sunflower also has a message of truth to share with us…

Continue Reading

Let us not be distracted by the world, as it is the goal of fear to distract us. We acknowledge what is going on in our world and lives, but we are not limited by it. A Course in Miracles tells us we are here to arise in glory every day and allow the light of peace that is within us now to shine upon the world throughout the day. This is our purpose and our function. Remembering this every day is so important for the accomplishment of peace…

Continue Reading

It is hard to believe we are getting near the end of 2020. This has been a year like no other in my lifetime. A worldwide pandemic would seem like enough to get our attention, but there have also been many other things that have become real wake-up calls for us. So, is it the end of the world?

It seems to me that the end of the world has always been on people’s minds. I remember as a little girl growing up in the outskirts of Portland, Oregon…

Continue Reading

From the perspective of A Course in Miracles, when we dwell in fear, we are deceiving ourselves about our reality. As we are told in the Course, if there could be an opposite to love, it would be fear, but what is all encompassing (love) can really have no opposite. Therefore, when we dwell in fear, we are denying not only our reality of love but our real power. We are living a lie, and the lie is costing us…

Continue Reading

Throughout the ages, Christianity has painted a picture of God as jealous, vengeful, and full of righteous wrath. The Bible is filled with stories that told us we’d better watch out or “God is gonna get us.” Even the most beloved stories have a dark cloud hanging over them. The story of Noah and his ark, for instance, fills many children’s books, and is found in many nurseries on blankets, mobiles, and wallpaper. But no matter how cute the story may appear…

Continue Reading

Typically as summer rolls around, we feel a sense of freedom. Schools are out of session, vacations from work are planned, the cold winter weather turns warmer, and summer, for those of us who live in the United States, brings to mind our country’s birthday and its struggle for freedom. This year, the pandemic has given us all a different experience of summer…

Continue Reading

For more than a quarter century, we have published The Holy Encounter in printed form. While technology has advanced and expanded into digital options, we have found that many of our readers (including ourselves!) still value a printed copy. This is true for many seniors, for those in areas with unreliable internet access, and also for readers in correctional facilities.

Recently, you may have noticed a delay…

Continue Reading

Isn’t it interesting how we can remember significant moments in our lives? I can remember this story about our son Jeffrey when he seven years old like it was yesterday because it still is teaching me a powerful truth.

I remember how he came home from school, requested to use my office and computer and then hurried up stairs to begin his important task. His request was so adorable I agreed and stepped away to allow him the privacy to do what he wanted.

As I walked by my office and glanced in the room, I saw…

Continue Reading

One of the most asked questions by students of A Course is Miracles has to be, “How can I hear God’s Voice?” This workbook lesson gives us a rather different answer than the traditional “how to” answer, for it says you already are listening to God’s Voice! It tells us that there is a part of our mind which “is in constant communication with God, whether you are aware of it or not,” but there is another “part of our mind that functions in the world and obeys the world’s laws. It is this part that is constantly distracted, disorganized and highly uncertain.” So the question is not “How can I hear God’s Voice?” as much as…

Continue Reading

Since we are all staying home more and watching streaming channels on television, I happened to see, once again, the movie, What’s Love Got to Do With It? It’s the life story of singer Tina Turner: Her rise to fame, her detour into fear, and her re-emergence as she recognized her worth through love.

As a child, Tina had an extraordinary voice, and when she met her husband-to-be, Ike Turner, “a star was born.” Her life was not easy. Although Ike taught Tina the business, he also gave her “the business:” his abusive nature left Tina with physical and mental scars.

It was through the help of a friend that Tina found a purpose and value to her life…

Continue Reading