But the thing I enjoy the most is that we have a program willing to take a serious look at issues not too many shows are willing to take on: the dangers of texting while driving, teens dealing with their gender attractions, bullying, transgender issues, special needs students, eating disorders and type casting people based on body size. And every episode, friendships triumph through it all. In other words, Love Wins!

I need to see Love Winning on my TV screen…I want to live it in my life…I want our church to teach this and our members to prove it.

Here’s to Love!

So whose church is it? Well, from my point of view, it’s God’s church. It’s a vehicle as all Religious Centers are, through which the Divine reminds us of our connection to God and each other. The Divine Idea was birthed through a woman named Netta Holmes and the leadership was passed down to four other ministers (I’m the most recent) for its care and continuance.

From another point of view, the Center belongs to the members who say, “I’m in! This is my Spiritual Home.” The members then take on the portion of the care and nurturing that works for them. With the 500+ official members we now have, if everyone did some form of service, we would have a well run Center with no volunteer burnout. Please hold that Vision with me.

From an even different point of view, the Center/Church belongs to the future. We are hopefully caring for the organization so it in turn will care for us and others when we and others need it. It’s said in the Bible, “before they call I will answer.” I believe that a Church needs to evolve to answer the calls that will be placed on it. If the Church is a vehicle for God to work through, are we keeping the vehicle in working order? Are we upgrading it to be relevant with current affairs? As a member of CSL, that is my job, and the job of every other members as well.

I’m confident all will be fine while I’m away. CSL is in good hands with a great staff, ministers, Board of Trustees, and volunteer involvement.

Heather and I have worked to bring you all a great line-up of Sunday speakers, many offering afternoon workshops. The theme for those two months is “A Summer Wisdom Sampler” because every speaker is a bit different from your standard “Kathianne” fare, but equally delicious.

I ask everyone to support me in this much-needed mini-leave by becoming even more involved in CSL through the summer. This is your Center; share it with family and friends!

What I do know for myself, is that I don’t want what happened to cripple me and my ability to be an epicenter of good in the world. I’m not in Boston, I’m not a paramedic, I’m not able to search for clues about what really happened, but I am here and I can be kind and loving and considerate in the world in which I walk. I can pray for rapid healing of those affected. I can give money to the victims to help pay for medical costs. And I can pray to be the instrument of God’s evolutionary plan for humankind.

What I guess I’m saying is that I don’t want to be stuck because of someone else’s actions. Then pain and fear and hatred win. I want to let Love win through me and in me. In the end, Love always wins.

Who’s with me?

I am glad the issue is getting so much attention however. It has to make people think…why would any group of people be denied what everyone else can take for granted? If Biblical reasons are used for this form of discrimination, then where is the separation of church and state? Plus, if we are going to form a Bible based government, soooo many things will have to be outlawed, like shellfish, bacon, working on Sunday, most modern fabrics, cussing — oh my!

This week I invite you to pray with me that the Supreme Court uphold the Divine Idea that is at the heart of our Constitution, that all are created equal and should have an equal opportunity to the pursuit of Happiness with the person they love.

Accomplishments:

In 2012, we were asked to be Grand Marshals for the Gay Pride Parade based on our long history of being an Inclusive Community.

We are so financially solvent (money in the bank) that we are able to renegotiate our current mortgage and we are being “courted” by another bank. It’s nice to be wanted.

We got our permanent occupancy certificate, thanks to the hard work of Thomas Mead and John Brodrick, RScP. This has been a two-year process of proving we fulfilled city regulations when we built our new facility.

We had one of the best pledge campaigns in Church history, with totals over $2,000,000.

We were able to contribute significantly to spreading the “Centers for Spiritual Living” message by not only contributing to our National Organization, but also by supporting other Centers throughout the Nation and especially in the Northwest.

We added live streaming to our Sunday offerings.

We were able to add Rev. Debora Gay to the ministerial staff to focus on Member Development.

What we want to focus on in the near future is:

Providing events, services, retreats and activities where People Experience God.

Developing people into their full potential.

Expanding our influence of Good in the area and in the World.

Grow by at least 20%. We realize that CSL is a Divine Idea held in the Mind of God and CSL has clothed itself in a large and beautiful building that wants to be filled. We also realize we didn’t build the new facility for the people in the room. We built it for the people who would seek us out to be given Hope when they hurt, Faith when they fear, and a place to celebrate the Miracles of the Spiritual Life.

It was a wonderful meeting. I can’t wait to see what 2013 brings.

First, we will miss him like heck.

Second, we will get through the coming month as best we can without him. Luckily most of the wheels are in motion for communication functions and any marketing required for Easter. I have a weeklong retreat in March and it will take a while to create a comprehensive job description so we can post the job position. Therefore, I doubt interviewing can begin before April.

Third, production responsibilities are now being handled by Beverly Daugherty. That includes lighting and sound.

Fourth, Rev. Debora Gay is taking over the Stewardship functions Michael was involved in.

Fifth, the part of Michael’s job we will be hiring for involves communication, both internal and external, marketing and PR, with a heavy emphasis on Social Networking.

Sixth, Rev. Barbara Novak will be doing announcements for a while, until Rev. Debora feels comfortable joining her with that duty. I am also looking into recruiting some volunteer “MCs” to help out with this task.

Thank you all for your flexibility during this time of change.

Yes, there will need to be some shifts and adjustments around here. Michael was such a creative person, a big hole is created by his leaving. But holes are made to be filled and I imagine people will step up to fill in the gaps.

Remember, when we live in the consciousness of connection, we can be confident that one person’s good is a blessing to all, often in ways that take time to be revealed.

So, here’s to Rev. Michael and his new adventure in the Big Apple. And here’s to the adventure that awaits all of us at CSL.

So what does that make me? Maybe Spiritual and Multi-religious. Or another term I heard recently, Inter-spiritual. All Faith Traditions can add to my Spiritual Growth and development. This particular path can seem a bit messy and it’s not for the folks who feel most comfortable with hard and fast rules so they know when they’re winning…or losing. But for someone whose God has grown larger than the boundaries of one religion, being Inter-spiritual can be a wonderful thing, and a great name to call ourselves.

I think many of us still fall into the old “better be good or God will get you,” “do I deserve this?” “God is testing me” mindset. This keeps us separate from God’s Life, and worse yet from our own Divine Self.

I think it’s time for CSL to start the rebranding of God, meaning that God is not only Good, but a big enough Good to handle mankind’s ills. Big enough to lift us out of our addictions, petty attitudes and unskilled behaviors. Let’s set God free of the “Santa Claus/naughty or nice” branding and create for ourselves and others the image of God as Love Itself. Love so big all it can do is embrace, comfort, and heal all who turn to it.

There’s a Good for me and my Good is My God.