Inclusion Conference 2011

If you or someone you know is intrigued by the expanding consciousness of Oneness and Inclusion and what that means for organized religion, spiritual communities and our individual roles in the human family... then join us in Chicago (July 28-31) for an amazing opportunity to deepen the dialogue and explore the possibilities of Inclusion Consciousness!

Bishop Carlton Pearson, author of God is Not a Christian and the Gospel of Inclusion - and his wife Gina Pearson will host 4 days of amazing speakers, presenters and interactive dialogue on the cutting edge conversations of expanding consciousness in our time.

Among the featured presenters; you'll have the opportunity to hear and be in active dialogue with:

Bishop John Shelby Spong - retired Episcopal Bishop and long time change agent - author of many books including Why Christianity Must Change or Die.

Rev. Dr. Michael Beckwith - Founder of Agape International Spiritual Center - a transdenominational and New Thought Spiritual Community and author of Spiritual Liberation.

Pastor D.E. Paulk - born and raised 3rd generation Pentecostal preacher - leader and change agent - Senior pastor of the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Atlanta, GA - and author of The Holy Bible of Inclusion and I Don't Know, the Way of Knowing

Pastor Chad Holtz - Methodist minister who was removed from his post after a facebook post in which he agreed with the premise of Rob Bell's book Love Wins.  Chad's latest writings can be found at: ChadHoltz.net

Randy Potts - the grandson of Oral Roberts.

Gina Pearson will host a special session for women as well.

Of course Leela and I will be there as will many other wonderful contributors to the conversation.

Conference registration is ONLY $189.00 - this is an amazing price!  Where else will you be able to spend time with the speakers and authors listed above for several days and participate in meaningful dialogue that will contribute and shape the evolving consciousness of Oneness on the planet?

It's going to be an amazing experience - spread the word, share the post... hope to see YOU in Chicago.

Recovering the Mystic Self

In the July Science of Mind magazine article Holmes tells us that a mystic is one who has a “deep, inner sense of Life and his unity with the Whole.” He goes on to recognize some of the great mystics of the ages, past and present. Today we can confidently add Holmes’s name to that great role call. The dictionary defines the mystic as one who has a pursuit of communion or identification with, ultimate reality. And it is toward that definition that Holmes’s work becomes a valuable tool on the journey.

You see, like Jesus, Buddha and other great mystics, Holmes believes that each of us is destine to be a mystic in our own right. He removes the “mystery” and provides us with a tangible pursuit of union with Divine Reality through our own application of spiritual principles. In the declaration of principles or What We Believe, he states “anyone may become a revealer of this truth who lives in close contact with the indwelling presence.”

Awakening the mystic within begins with the recognition that you are more than what meets the eye. You are more than your body, more than the roles you play, more than what others think of you, or for that matter what you think of you! As you begin to take this idea into meditation and contemplation, you become more and more acquainted with the ultimate reality of the universe. This is what Holmes is driving at by a “conscious courting of the Divine Presence.” How wonderful to awaken to your true identity as an emanation of universal Love, Truth and Beauty. The truth is you were born in this awareness; every one of us comes to this world with a deep inner sense of our unity with the whole.

So, are you ready to re-claim your mystical self? Are you ready to stop courting ideas of lack, limitation, and not-enoughness? Are you ready to roll up your belief in the material world as your source and supply and number it with the things once thought to be real? If so, then you are ready for the adventure of a lifetime! You are ready to live, move and have your being in the awareness of God consciousness. Your reward for stepping out on this adventure? Nothing less that truly knowing that you are, and have always been, whole perfect and complete. And like Holmes and others before him, you’ll know first hand that living life as a mystic is the sanest thing you can do.

Your Internal GPS (The Principle of Divine Guidance)

In the June Science of Mind magazine article from Ernest Holmes we read about the principle of Divine Guidance. He presents us with the idea that we are surrounded by an Infinite Intelligence and that anybody can access and use this guidance who permits themselves to. This guidance, he states, is God’s gift forever delivered. What a marvelous idea!

I once had a teacher who would ask me questions about my future plans, dreams and aspirations – and often I would find myself saying “I don’t know.” I felt distressed about the many options before me. To which she would respond rather simply with “Well David, suppose you did know…then what would your answer be?” She understood the principle of divine guidance. She understood that there was something within me that did know and that all I needed to do was to call upon It. In fact there is something within each of us that knows exactly what the answers are to any challenge or situation facing us. I think of it as having an internal GPS device. I recently purchased a GSP device for my car and I absolutely love it! Even on the regular routes that I know well, I like to see the path it recommends to me.

It seems that in today’s world we are faced with so many choices, about everything! Which one is the right one for me? how can I be sure? These questions have passed though everyone’s mind a thousand times. Holmes provides us with some simple guidelines at the end of the article for calling on this guidance and trusting that it will respond. But we must call upon it and trust in it. And to the part of our little mind that wishes to doubt, fret or worry let us turn to Emerson, who reminds us that “The voyage of the best ship is a zigzag line of a hundred tacks. See the line from sufficient distance, and it straightens itself to the average tendency. Your genuine action will explain itself and will explain your other genuine actions. Your conformity explains nothing.” (from Self-Reliance)

In other words, you have an internal GPS. The Universe knows where you are. Now, tell the universe where you want to go (state your destination) and trust the route that unfolds. This is one course you can’t get lost because at every turn in the road, God is present and divine guidance is waiting to be called upon. In the words of Raymond Charles Barker, “Divine Mind? You know what to do, now do it!”

You Are A Spiritual Being

In the May issue of Science of Mind magazine article from Ernest Holmes, we gain some wonderful insights into his view of spirituality. These excerpts come from his first book, "Creative Mind", and provide a wonderful view into his consciousness in the early stages of what became a 42 year career of published spiritual ideas! Holmes addresses what it is to have a spiritual life.

How refreshing it is to know that to have a “spiritual life” does not require any external add-ons. The car you drive, what you eat, or your exercise program cannot bring you a more “spiritual life.” The only thing that that is truly required is your trust in Spirit. When you come to trust and rely on the Spirit from which all things come, then, and only then, are you leading a spiritual life.
For many of us this may be a tall order, as we have been acculturated into a society that revolves around material goods and mass consumerism. Breaking this spell does not have to be a complicated matter. Begin asking yourself where everyday things and objects come from. It won’t take you long to realize that everything, your coffee cup or the chair your sitting in, all came from the invisible realm. That is, they began as ideas in someone’s mind. This is the Universal Mind to which Holmes frequently refers. Holmes is really telling us that we are free to live as unique individuals. Being spiritual means knowing the ultimate source from which all things come.

Holmes also places a strong emphasis on the freedom of the individual soul. He states: “The Almighty has put the truth into your own soul; look there and there alone for it.” The bookstores are filled with authors who will tell you how to be more spiritual and how to interpret and analyze various aspects of your life, but only you can correctly interpret what is unfolding in your experience. After all, you have just as much access to the intelligence of the universe as any other person. Holmes understood this. His message is one of spiritual liberation—to become familiar with, trust, and know your own innate goodness, intuition, and connection to the whole.
You are a spiritual being; travel well!

Bold Belief

It was Goethe who said, “Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” Ernest Holmes is a fine demonstration of that truth. This month’s article strikes a chord that makes me profoundly aware of both his boldness and genius. How awesome and inspiring are his words as he confidently declares that there is one power, one presence, and one truth running through the ages, all mystical teachings, teachers, and sacred writings.

Let us contemplate for a moment the assertion that throughout time and history there has been, and still is, a Universal Intelligence behind /all and expressing through all/. Not only that, but through the vast diversity and creativity of human expression, in both the religious and secular realms, there is ultimately one truth being expressed in infinite ways. Now that is a bold claim!

But here is where the pure genius of Holmes’s work comes in. Just at that magical point when your consciousness has been expanded and stretched to its limits, he turns around and makes it personal!

This magnificent power that you have contemplated is in you, right now. You can use this power to literally change your life. Holmes tells us that if we require a better God, then we should believe in one. In other words, stop waiting for something or someone “out there” to help you create the life you want. Take charge of the direction of your thoughts and beliefs, and in so doing take charge of your life.

As we welcome the return of spring, I invite you to take on a bold belief. Get quiet for a moment and ask yourself: “What bold idea or belief is waiting to emerge in my life?” What would it look and feel like for you to really embody, as your true nature, the belief in your perfection, wholeness, prosperity, and love vibration?

What have you got to lose? After all, you have the creative power and genius of the entire universe behind you. Go for it!

To read the full article of Ernest Holmes - pick up the April Issue of Science of Mind Magazine

PRESS RELEASE: Rev. David to be honored at Morehouse.

Rev. David Alexander will be inducted into the Martin Luther King Jr. Board of Preachers at Morehouse College on April 2, 2009.

This event will occur as part of the 22nd Annual College of Ministers and Laity Program. It is also the period of the College's 142nd Science and Spiritual Awareness Week, March 29th through April 5th 2009. This year's theme is "The Mature Spirituality of a Renaissance Man." The speaker is Rabbi David Saperstein, the director of Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, Washington DC. The prestigious Gandhi, King, and Ikeda Community Builders Prize will be awarded posthumously to Yitzhak Rabin, former prime minister of Israel and Nobel Peace Prize winner. The ceremonies will take place in the Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel on the campus of Morehouse College. Among the others to be inducted is Rev. David's dear friend Bishop Carlton D. Pearson.

Rev. David Alexander will also be the featured speaker at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, a New Thought embracing Pentecostal Church, at the invititation of Senior Pastor D.E. Paulk on Wednesday evening, April 1, 2009.

Rev. David has been dedicated to the work of Inclusivity and broadening the reach of New Thought's message into the world. Beginning with his friendship and collaboration with Sharif Abdullah, author of Creating a World that Works for All and director of the Commonway Institute and continuing with his outreach to Bishop Carlton Pearson during his "fall from grace," Rev. David continues to seek out new ways to connect the transformative principles of New Thought with the current issues of the day. Teaming up with cutting edge Inclusion leaders like Bishop Carlton and Pastor D.E. Paulk, Rev. David is helping to heal the separation and isolated exclusive thinking between the New Thought and Pentecostal Christian faith traditions, thereby spreading a message of a way of life that honors all paths to God and promoting spiritual tools for personal transformation that help make the world a better place.

(photo credit: Carl Studna)

Blog ReNewal

Greetings everyone - It's been a while since my last post and I'm excited to announce that this blog will have regular postings once again!

I now have a monthly column published in the Science of Mind magazine The column is Philosophy in Action - and is intended to be a follow up the the Ernest Holmes published article.

On or after the 15th of each month - that article will be posted here - so you the reader can post comments, ask questions and otherwise interact with the column and Holmes article.

Of course, I'll continue to publish other content as well.

I hope you'll enjoy this new feature and will spread the link to your friends.