IN FEBRUARY, THE SLEEPING EARTH IS COMING ALIVE, beneath the chilly winter world the fires of renewal are burning brightly.

Up in Punxsutawney Pennsylvania, the Ground Hog Festival on February 2 is an anticipated event. Crowds gather at Gobbler's Knob to see if the groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, will see his shadow when he pokes his head from out his burrow. If he does, 6 more weeks of winter can be expected, if not, then spring is on the way! The beginning of February has long been associated with weather predictions for the ensuing weeks as is evidenced by the traditional poem:
If Candlemas Day* be sunny and bright, Winter again will show its might. If Candlemas Day be cloudy and grey, Winter soon will pass away.

So don't worry if some of your New Year's resolutions are off to a slow start. A little rain at beginning of the month seems to herald sunnier times just ahead.

By the middle of the month, it's time for Valentine's Day, a day to remember not only your sweetie, but friends and family, all those you love. February is named for the Roman goddess Februa, mother of Mars and goddess of passion and love. What fuels your fire? What feeds your passion through a bleak winter's passing? Give thanks and think about what seeds you might plant in the upcoming Spring.

The article quoted Frederick Buechner, "Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and in the pain of it, no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch and taste your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is grace."

Buechner is speaking to the fullness and abundance of life and that includes those times that we often would discount or want to discard. From the boredom and pain as well as the excitement and gladness, we can strive to find God and that which is sacred, Divine. Sacred strivings carry us to the fulfillment of the highest and best that God has created us to be.

So if you are bored, confused, or just want to seek a new direction in your life, asked yourself: "What is it that I strive for in my life?" and "Do I consider this a sacred striving?"

As I began to think about this New Year and considered setting some new resolutions, I thought back to years past and once again realized how many past resolutions failed to materialize. Truthfully, I had very little passion about them. So, I asked myself the question, "What is that I want to strive for in the New Year? What is sacred about this striving?" Immediately I knew that I wanted to get back to consistently exercising again. Is this a sacred striving for me? YES!

It's not the exercise that I want, it is to have good health. This is sacred for me, because as I age (I will be 65 by the time you read this), I want live life fully. I want to work for many more years, for the pure pleasure of following my bliss -- that which I love - that which brings fulfillment.

If you consider something as sacred, that is where you will invest more of your time and energy. If you consider your relationships as sacred, you are more likely to avoid destructive conflicts and you will be happier. If you consider your body as sacred, you are more likely to be careful how you treat it and you will be healthier.

At anytime one can perform a spiritual heart check. What is my heart urging me to strive for? Is this a sacred striving? Chances are this will lead you to your bliss!

Happy Sacred Strivings,
Rev Allen Moss

Myrtle Fillmore did just that. She lived a very productive life with great health after her healing from tuberculosis in 1888. Grandma, Mother of Charles Fillmore, lived with Charles and Myrtle, did all the cooking and caring for the children. Grandma was 9 years older than Myrtle, and Myrtle was 9 years older than Charles. Grandma made her transition in March of 1931 at the age of 95.

Both Charles and Myrtle strongly believed in regeneration, believing that death was unnecessary if humans could just change our consciousness about death and the body's ability to regenerate.

According to Neal Vahle, author of Torch-Bearer to Light the Way, the Life of Myrtle Fillmore, Myrtle wrote letters after Grandma's death indicating that it was too bad Grandma couldn't believe strongly enough in regeneration and had to experience death. Then, sometime between March 1931 and October of that same year, Myrtle had a change in consciousness. Something happened that led her to believe that her future work could be better accomplished "on the other side" and she had a revelation about her own death.

She spent a couple of weeks saying good bye to her friends and staff members at Unity Village even as Charles protested her revelation. According to Neal Vahle's research, when Myrtle had completed her work in progress and said her farewells, she went to sleep and made her transition very peacefully. What was not recorded anywhere that Neal could find was what happened to cause such a change in consciousness for Myrtle. That's the rest of the story that I personally would love to know. Anyway, when you look at the way she made her transition; you have to agree what a way to go!

Leaving this world in that conscious, peaceful way would certainly be my preference over any other alternative. Can we will the way and method of our death? Will we know when the time comes? Will we go suddenly or linger? These are the questions that we sometimes ponder, yet do we ever know for sure? Certainly a transition similar to Myrtle's is my exit plan A, but it is also wise to prepare for plan B or even C. How can we properly plan how we want to be treated when the time comes? There are several steps we can take to insure our wishes are met at that crucial time in our lives.

We have a supply of booklets, Five Wishes, prepared by Aging with Dignity, available for a love offering that makes it possible for your wishes to be honored. Complete all of the forms in the booklet and then discuss it with every member of your family. This is a good exercise for people of all ages and it's best not to wait until our "senior" years to address these issues.

Additionally, now would be a good time to consider long term health care which could support Assisted Living Facilities or Nursing Home Care should that become a reality. It seems to me that there appears to be some years in between living happy, healthy productive lives and our transitions. It's a good idea to prepare for that in between time and possibility.

My apologies for writing about a subject that certainly isn't light-hearted, yet we all will pay taxes and we all will make our transition. We have to prepare our taxes every year, why not take a few minutes to prepare for our exit Plan B? All we have to do is think about Terry Schiavo, whose life support dilemma has been in the news so often lately, to see what could happen if we don't make our wishes known.

As Mr. Spock often said in the Star Trek Series, "Live Long and Prosper!" That is my wish for you: a long, healthy, productive, and prosperous life!

Love & Blessings,
Rev Debbie Moss

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, It was not that his man sinned, or his parents, but that the work of God might be made manifest in him." John. 9:1-3

At such a question, Jesus had the perfect opportunity to launch into the lengthy dissertation regarding the nature and multiplicity of the man's sins. He might have offered any manner of reasons for his blindness, ranging from diet to karmic debt. But he did not. He stated clearly that the condition existed so that "the works of God might be made manifest." In other words, the challenge came not to be analyzed but to be overcome.

We are often cruel, rarely to others, but frequently to ourselves. We are human beings and, though the seed of perfection is planted within our souls, there are times when we fall short of that perfection. When this occurs, we face challenges. At such times we must give to ourselves the same compassion we so generously give to others and resist the urge to play with the cause-effect law.

Jesus taught this. His ministry differs from that of any of the other great religious leaders and teachers of the world in that He stressed the infinite value of each individual. We, as children of God, are loved and worthy of all good in our lives. In this spirit, Jesus introduced the concept of Grace to a world that was locked in to a belief in sin and punishment, the Old Testament law: eye for eye, tooth for tooth.

Jesus' concept of Grace is so simple that we often have difficulty accepting it. Very simply put: Grace is the love and forgiveness of God that removes and frees us from the repercussions of past errors of thought, word and deed and from its consequences. Our part in this process is to accept this love and forgiveness and to love and forgive ourselves in turn. But the world of Jesus did not understand the law of grace. They were not open to a close relationship of Father-Son with God. They only understood the cause- effect law.

After Jesus had healed the man born blind, his neighbors and those people who had known the man as a beggar began asking questions about his sin. Then came the Pharisees, who questioned him at length regarding sin in general and his in particular.

According to Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore: "The Pharisees were the religiously educated of Jesus' day," and to their minds all who claimed to do the works of the Lord were spurious unless they were members of the Pharisee cult. No matter how good the work of the outsider, the Pharisee always attributed it to an evil power. "In individual consciousness Pharisees represent thoughts that arise out of the sub- consciousness, binding man to external forms of religion without giving him understanding of their real meaning." Charles Fillmore

The man healed by Jesus symbolizes the activity of Grace. Most of us, however, retain within our consciousness certain pharisaical attitudes. During times of stress, they arise to accuse us and discredit all beliefs that conflict with their own. They demand to know the nature of our sin. Just like those who questioned the man born blind, our minds can fill with indignation when we rise above our old ways of thinking, when we accept God's love and grace in our lives and cease our cause-effect law thinking.

In some areas of our lives, and at various times, we are spiritually blind. As a result, we sin; we make mistakes, for sin is only the failure to live up to our full potential. But Jesus, who symbolizes the indwelling Christ, heals this spiritual blindness and ignorance. All too often, our thoughts and emotions return to us and badger us regarding the reasons behind the conditions, dismissing the healing entirely. The focus is on the problem rather than the solution. These inner thoughts insist self- righteously that we have sinned; we have fallen short and we must suffer. But Jesus affirmed that whatever the appearance, these events occurred, "that the works of God might be made manifest." They occurred so that God's love and goodness should express freely in our lives.

When we face a challenge, we need not beat ourselves over the head seeking the whys. Certainly, we want to correct anything that might be amiss in order that it will not recur. This is only good judgment. We should take positive and constructive action. We must forgive ourselves for our mistakes, forgive any person, situation or condition that brought us pain, then set about to overcome the condition "that the works of God might be made manifest" in us. As a result of having had challenges and overcoming them, each of us is a stronger example of Truth.

The Law of Grace totally eradicates the cause-effect law. It is unnecessary for us to continue to pierce our souls with self-inflicted arrows. How much wiser to simply recognize a need, work to correct that condition and then give thanks to God that it is done.

Rev Enrique Amoros

Many of these people receive weekly tapes of the Services in the mail, but imagine how happy and uplifted they would feel to receive a cheerful greeting card from a friend as well. It really makes a difference in their day to know that someone in their church family is thinking of them.

During the month of February there will be a table in Fellowship Hall with names, cards and envelopes. All you have to do is select a person and the card of your choice. Then, add a quick note or signature. Clara will mail the cards on Mondays. It's an easy way to let someone know they are remembered. You can even add names to the list. Our goal is that no one be forgotten.

As February is known as the month of love, it is certainly the right time to let our housebound members know we care.

Charismatic: Only 1, hands are already in the air.

Pentecostal: 10, one to change the bulb, and nine to pray against the spirit of darkness.

Presbyterians: None, lights will go on and off at predestined times

Roman Catholic: None, candles only.

Baptists: Minimum 15, one to change the light bulb, and three committees to approve the change and decide who brings the potato salad and fried chicken.

Episcopalians: 3, one to call the electrician, one to mix the drinks and one to talk about how much better the old one was.

Mormons: 5, one man to change the bulb, and four wives to tell him how to do it.

Nazarene: 6, one woman to replace the bulb while five men review church lighting policy.

Lutherans: None, Lutherans don't believe in change.

Amish: None, what's a light bulb?

Methodist: Undetermined, whether your light is bright, dull, or completely out, you are loved. You can be a light bulb, turnip bulb, or tulip bulb. Bring a bulb of your choice to the Sunday lighting service and a covered dish to pass and share

Unitarians: Undetermined, we choose not to make a statement either in favor of or against the need for a light bulb. However, if in your own journey you have found that light bulbs work for you, you are invited to write a poem or compose a modern dance about your light bulb for the next Sunday service, in which we will explore a number of light bulb traditions, including incandescent, fluorescent, 3-way, long-life and tinted, all of which are equally valid paths to luminescence.

Course in Miracles: 1 (which is to say-everyone on the Planet/in the Universe) Light is, it does not require the illusion of a material component or vessel that is "the bulb." When you believe it, you will see it.*

Unity: 1 (possibly 2), the bulb can be made whole. Believe and affirm that the bulb is not burnt out. If that doesn't heal the bulb, there is a purpose in this current darkness. (However, if the darkness becomes too uncomfortable, Jeffrey King will bring a new bulb.)*

*Tampa Unity Choir Member Cheri Crutchfield took the opportunity to add the last two paragraphs to this humorous comparison of religious philosophies.

Your contributions to the Tampa Unity Newsletter are welcome. See our Web Site: www.unitytampa.org or e- mail: staff@unitytampa.org or contact Janet at 813- 870-0731 ext 208. All submissions are subject to approval and editing!

Among planned improvements is the removal of the landscape rocks surrounding the oak tree bed. These rocks will be replaced with flowers and decorative greenery. Anyone wishing to obtain some (or all!) of these small rocks should see Fern Kinion.

Last Spring, the Garden Club inspired the installation of the Courtyard benches; planting of the new hedges; and sprinkler system improvements. This dedicated group of volunteers has greatly improved the Tampa Unity grounds, however, maintaining the good work is an ongoing project. Please call Fern at 813-908-1687 to see how you can help or just show up on February 19 with your overalls on!!