Unity Church Of Clearwater

Leddy Hammock I am not here by accident. I am here in this place by divine appointment. Since God is everywhere equally present, whenever I turn my attention to the presence of the Good, I dwell in the House of the Lord. Wherever I am–either alone or gathered with others in prayer– my heart is in a holy place. In Genesis, we read that Jacob fell asleep, alone in the wilderness; when he awoke, he declared: “Surely the LORD is in this place and I knew it not” (Genesis 28:16, King James Version). Wherever I am, wherever I journey, I can always pause and pray. I feel instantly safe and divinely guided as I affirm: “Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place!”

Leddy Hammock If only I realize that there is something wonderful about myself and all people — something worth saving! If only I believe that God is not far away from me, or too mysterious for me to understand, but right here within me, ready to be expressed! If only I listen for the guidance of the Christ within me and just trust in God’s love! If only I remember that the Spirit of God is within me and that I am a child of God, worthy of every good thing!

Leddy Hammock From lyrics to “Resolve to Evolve” by Robert D. Anderson: “You won’t find no peace of mind ‘til you learn that life can be more – You can: Resolve to evolve – Get on the spiritual path Resolve to evolve – Give your brain a metaphysical bath You can resolve to evolve – Leave your mental baggage behind It may sound strange but the world won’t change ‘til you re-arrange your mind.”

Leddy Hammock From Celebrate Yourself! by Eric Butterworth: “As whole beings, we are masculine and feminine and a well-adjusted life demands a balance between the two . . . . The missing link in the affairs of people and nations today can only be bridged by the activity of the divine feminine. There is a great need for the universal emancipation of the qualities of love and forgiveness and kindness and patience and faith and prayer. Declare your freedom by affirming: I am a whole creature In God. I walk and work in wisdom and good judgment, and I now let God’s perfect love have its way in and through me. With this balance of love and wisdom, I am an integrated expression of the activity of God. I am free and relaxed and successful. I am a radiating center of peace and harmony in the world”

Leddy Hammock Inspired by lyrics to “If You Want To Be Happy” (Words and music by Sloan Wainwright, Sue Riley, Jana Stanfield): “Don’t believe all that you think – if you want to be happy.” “If you want to be happy, be careful what you say. Resist the urge to criticize when things don't go your way. You can't make yourself feel better putting other people down. Remember words can hurt you when they come back around.” “Focus on the things you have, not what you haven't got – if you want to be happy.” “Give up control.” “Trust the Mystery – if you want to be happy.”

Leddy Hammock From Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, 1963: “As we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead. We cannot turn back.” “With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope . . . .” “With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together . . . .” “With this faith we will be able . . . to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day . . . . Let freedom ring!”

Leddy Hammock From Celebrate Yourself! by Eric Butterworth (173-4): “God’s love deep within me satisfies my longing heart and fills my soul and body with all that they require to make my life full and complete.” “I am receptive and responsible this day to divine intelligence within me which knows the needs of my body temple. I will eat sensibly, exercise regularly, and rest sufficiently. I am free from hidden hungers.” “I am a strong, confident disciplined child of God. I am established today in the awareness that my body is the temple of the living God.” “My body manifests the symmetry and perfection of God, whose expression I am. I see myself in the mirror of Truth, beholding the perfect, ideal form and shape that I desire to express in my body . . . . healthy and satisfied.”

Leddy Hammock This is the year for moving on. This is the year of overcoming. This is the year for growing strong. This is the year for a new way of thinking. This is the year for making plans. This is the year for reaching out and this is the year for joining hands.” “This is the chance to recapture the power. This is the time to abandon the fear. This is the moment, the finest hour. This is the year, this is the year. This is the year that I put into action  all my desires and all of my means. This is the year that I follow my passion. This is the year of my dreams.”

Leddy Hammock Lyrics to “Illuminate” by Sloan Wainwright and Stephen Murphy “Light the candle, illuminate your heart. Don’t be afraid of the dark . . . . Ring out the old, bring in the new, bless and release what you have to, and love with love with hope . . . . Ring out the old, bring in the new, bless and release what you have to, and love with hope . . . . Light the candle, illuminate your heart.”

Leddy Hammock Inspired by lyrics to “Everything I Need” by Sloan Wainwright and Karen Drucker: We have everything we need, for this place is filled with joy and grace to create a sacred space. I have everything I need, for I have faith and I know that there's good in everyone. I have peace. I open up my heart and let the love in. The gift that I receive is I have everything I need. And now I know, when I let go, I can live complete and whole. I’ll shine my light that burns so bright through the darkest night. I have everything I need.

Leddy Hammock Stables, by Peter Mayer In Bethlehem a manger waits, long ago and so today, Where hatred-weary people pray Love will come and lay there. And so do countless stables stand in hearts as harsh as desert lands, Rough shelters in the wind and sand, so Love will come and stay there –. Love that opens fists of hate, heaps of gold on beggars’ plates, Love that shows a kindly face to enemies and strangers. And walls of stables tremble so when winds of fear and judgment blow. For a stable hopes in Love alone and knows that Love’s the answer. Oh, Love, the prophets’ only word, the only lesson left to learn, The only end of heaven’s work, and the only road that goes there — Love that sees with mercy’s eyes, holds its arms out open wide, Threads its loom with separate lives and weaves them all together. So, may the lamps of stables glow brightly lit that light may go for miles in the darkness, so Love will find its way there.

Leddy Hammock Inspired by lyrics to “Search the Sky,” by Sloan Wainwright: “Search the sky for that star, star of light, star of love – bright enough to guide believers from afar, seeking their rumored newborn King. And when we wish upon it, we wish for our only gift, peace around our troubled world, peace within ourselves. Search the face of the child, shining with the spirit of Christmases in your heart, and all that joy shall easily be restored. We’ve traveled such a long way – we’ve forgotten what for. Then we gaze upon the face of that child and hope for the only gift: peace around our troubled world, peace within ourselves.” Search the sky – and your heart – for that star of light, star of love.

Leddy Hammock Inspired by “A Quiet Christmas” by Michael Gott: My heart longs for a quiet Christmas, far from the hurry and the noise, for peace on earth meets peace of mind. I can slow my mind. Just breathe, don’t run away, just breathe, and leave the cares behind. I know I don’t have to hide. I can find a quiet place inside. My heart longs for a quiet Christmas, far from the hurry and the noise, where peace on earth meets peace of mind. Suddenly, there’s the joy, there’s the peace. I am ready for a quiet Christmas.

Leddy Hammock Inspired by lyrics to “Still Yourself” by Richard Mekdeci: “Your path is true. There’s a guiding light that shines inside of you.” “Still yourself. Still yourself. In the silence you will find your way.” “Still yourself. Still yourself. Still yourself and heal yourself. The strength you seek is just a breath away.” “Strength flows from stillness like a fountain, Like a mountain against the sky.” I am still and I am strong.

Leddy Hammock Inspired by “I Made Room for Grace” by Sue Riley): When I stumble, I won’t be defeated, since I make room for grace. I stop resisting. I make room for grace. I just step aside, open up a space, and make room for grace. Now the blessings arrive every day, since I made room for grace. A Unity Thanksgiving table blessing: “Thank You for this time and place, this food, this life, blessed by Your grace. Amen.”

Leddy Hammock Inspired by lyrics to “If I Were Brave” by Jana Stanfield: I refuse to listen to the voice of fear. So, the voice of courage whispers in my ear: “You cannot fail.” And the wind always fills up my sail. Like the mighty oak sleeps in the heart of the seed, there are miracles in you and me. I am brave enough to move ahead, where true believers dare to tread, and never lose faith even when losing my way. I trust the hero in me. I am brave!

Leddy Hammock Inspired by lyrics to “What I Hold Onto” by Sue Riley & Melinda Wood Allen “With the hard-earned wisdom I have now, I wouldn’t do again what my old self would allow. Letting go of all the blame and heartache, now I see. I’m getting closer to a new, more peaceful me. I’m holding on to what I want to keep. I feel lighter, I sleep better, its love that’s holding me. Now I can stand back and see: The past is the past, but the future’s up to me. What I hold on to holds on to me. Resentments I carried wouldn’t let me be free. My new religion is live and let be. What I hold on to holds onto me.”

Leddy Hammock Inspired by lyrics by Steve Gillette in “A Little Bit of Solitude” — Thank You, God, for the patience to stand back and be kind. I keep my mind and heart always open to a sense of wonder. I know there’s no such thing as falling under one “spell” or another. We know we're getting closer to a far better place, and we know we're getting there and we know what it takes. My “Godspell” is the Gospel – the simple good news of the Christ way: “It takes a little bit of solitude, a whole lot of gratitude, a truly loving attitude to live in this world today.” Inspired by lyrics by Steve Gillette in “A Little Bit of Solitude” — Thank You, God, for the patience to stand back and be kind. I keep my mind and heart always open to a sense of wonder. I know there’s no such thing as falling under one “spell” or another. We know we're getting closer to a far better place, and we know we're getting there and we know what it takes. My “Godspell” is the Gospel – the simple good news of the Christ way: “It takes a litt

Leddy Hammock There is a lesson to be learned in every experience. Every lesson is worthwhile and we teach as we learn. Whatever we go through, it’s what we grow through that counts. Life is a school. What we used to call “problems” we now call “projects.” The inner Teacher sends a message: peace and harmony.

Leddy Hammock “Speak to Him, thou, for He hears, and Spirit with Spirit can meet- Closer is He than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet” — “The Higher Pantheism” a poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson “All I ever wanted and all I ever needed was already there. Closer than the sunlight, nearer than the air.” – “Nearer than the Air” a song by Michahel Gott “Multitudes in the valley of decision! Fortunes have been lost, opportunities passed up, chances for happiness gone glimmering, and minds left seething with unrest because many individuals have not schooled themselves in the fine art of making up their minds” (Eric Butterworth in “Making Decisions the Easy Way” — p. 159 in Celebrate Yourself! We don’t have to flip a coin to know what to do.