The Good That’s All Around Us with Josh Reeves

[00:00:01] This is Josh Reeves and you're listening to the Mile Hi Church Podcast. Hey, Saturday, June 20th, 10am, John Pierre is coming to speak to us about the pillars of health. Learn how to take care of yourself, support other people as well. It's in our community center, it'll be a great workshop, it's $20. For more information, go to milehighchurch.org.

[00:00:20] At the heart of our religious science teaching is a bold, divine idea. It at first may sound outrageous, but I have learned 30 years in this teaching, 20 years as a minister this month, that it's true.

[00:00:39] The idea is that we are surrounded by an infinite good. We are surrounded by an infinite good. A good that's all around us. A good that is unlimited in its ability to accomplish.

[00:01:07] That is inexhaustible in its capacity to heal. That is infinite in its ability to know somehow for each and every one of us just exactly what we need to become that much more who we are. And before we dismiss this as just a sweet bakery shop idea, there's a catch.

[00:01:36] Our founder tells us, how much can we see? How much can we accept? How much can we find in our own consciousness that is no longer repudiated by our own denials? Whatever that is, that much we can have. You see, it's up to you. There's a good that's all around us, but there's only one vehicle that it can manifest itself through, and it's your consciousness.

[00:02:06] It's your consciousness. As positive a spiritual idea, how challenging that it's up to each one of us in our own life, in our own affairs, to let go of our not good stories, to embrace this greater good. Every year at the beginning of the year, I articulate some affirmations.

[00:02:32] And in my morning prayers, I say them every day. It's a wonderful creative process. And one of them this year is the following. My good is all around me. I engage with it profoundly. You want to say it with me? My good is all around me. I engage with it profoundly. Very good. Let's do it one more time. My good is all around me. I engage with it profoundly.

[00:03:00] And it's a cool, prayerful process to let that affirmation simmer in my consciousness for a while. Because what happens first is I think of all the ways that I can imagine good showing up that day. Putting a smile on my kids' faces, being a part of something positive happening at Mile Hi Church, blessing a new relationship, being present with someone.

[00:03:27] But as that affirmation simmers a little bit, there comes that point where thinking ends and this good begins. There comes a point where thinking ends and this good begins. And this good that is all there is can begin to inform us that it knows better than we do. That it's intelligent. That it's wise.

[00:03:52] And as we open up our consciousness, we can begin to allow it to transmute us. To take place within us before it happens around us. This great and glorious good. It's a question I've been asking myself and I invite you to ask yourself it this morning. Am I willing to allow this kingdom of good within me to govern all that is around me?

[00:04:38] Not a tyranny of worry. Not a parliament of discontent and regret. Not an executive branch of self-rejection and judgment. But this kingdom of good. This kingdom of love. Am I truly ready to let go of all of the not-self. All of the not-good story.

[00:05:04] To allow this kingdom of good to be the governing principle and power in every aspect of my life. We had a great minister. We have so many great ministers. But Roger Thiel blessed us last month with two wonderful talks. Always good for the church. Always humbling for the minister. He's so good. And he jokingly calls himself, we call him the king of acronyms.

[00:05:34] So I've actually prepared one today in honor of Dr. Roger. And it's RAP. R-A-P. Release, allow, prepare. Release, allow, prepare. If you can do these three things every day, you can learn day after day to greater embody this good that's all around you.

[00:06:00] That's very purpose is to make itself known and manifest itself in your life. And I'll put these three words in the form of three questions. What am I called to release in order to receive my good today? What work am I called to do to allow this good into my life today?

[00:06:26] And what am I doing to prepare for my greater good today? Let's start with release. What am I releasing in order to receive my good today? It'd be easy to get up in front of you here today and say, it's time to release all the bad stuff from your life. It doesn't work that way. Life is more complicated than that.

[00:06:54] That thing that has an aura of toxicity or negativity in your life. It wouldn't be there if you didn't believe it provided some sort of good for you. The real spiritual work of embracing and allowing a greater good into our life is the willingness to release the kind of sort of good stuff from our life.

[00:07:18] Because you know what's underneath that clinging and attachment to those things that are kind of sort of good in our life? It's the lack of faith that there's something better for us. It's the lack of belief that if I release this thing that's giving me kind of some good but also a whole hell of a lot of pain and challenge that there'll be nothing else there for me. That's what we need to release.

[00:07:47] The belief that that greater good isn't already acting and willing to express for us if we could have the courage to release the not good enough. The not good enough. If you want to know what truly belongs in your life, let everything go. Not into the ash can, not into the trash can. Just release control.

[00:08:15] What doesn't belong in your life will go away. What really loves you, what really belongs to you, what's really there for you, it never needed controlling or clinging to in the first place. It was already going to be there for you. We never have to release people, relationships, jobs, or anything.

[00:08:42] We just have to release control, which again is the result of a lack of faith and belief that there's a power for good operating in our lives that knows a little better than we do. Now I'm not talking about the control that's kind of the discernment we need in our everyday lives as a spiritual leader here at Mile High Church. I have to exercise control. Nathan, do not put your finger in that light socket.

[00:09:10] Nathan, I love your idea for Adventures in Faith this year that we go with a full KISS theme. And each week we acknowledge a different member of KISS and dress up like that member. And the theme of Adventures in Faith will be rock and roll all night, party every day. It's a terrific idea, Nathan, but not this year. We have to exercise control and discernment in some areas of our life. I'm talking about the type of control that clings. The type of control that's built out of fear.

[00:09:40] The type of control that thinks we're unworthy of a greater good. If we can release that kind of control and learn to trust, if we can learn to allow the kingdom of good within us to govern all that is around us, we will engage profoundly with that good. And it will demonstrate in our lives. We just have to get out of the way and release.

[00:10:07] The Tao Te Ching has wisdom for us in this regard. Fill your bowl to the brim and it will spill. Keep sharpening your knife and it will blunt. Chase after money and security and your heart will never unclench. Care about people's approval and you will be their prisoner. Do your work, then step back. The only path to serenity. The Tao Te Ching was not written in English, so every once in a while it's fun to share a different version.

[00:10:37] So I'm going to do that just for kicks for me. Okay, here you go. Brim fill the bowl, it'll spill over. Keep sharpening the knife, you'll soon blunt it. Nobody can protect a house full of gold and jade. Wealth, status, pride are their own ruin. To do good, work well, and lie low is the way of the blessing. Another sign of a lack of faith in this good is when we don't believe there's enough for everybody.

[00:11:08] This is my good. I've got to hide it over here. I can't share it with anyone else. This kingdom of good that we can allow to govern our lives. It's the same kingdom of good for everyone, and there's enough for everyone. Releasing the need to cling to it is releasing the idea that there's not enough of it. Not realizing that that clingy is the very thing that stops that good from entering our lives

[00:11:37] and brings us to that point of allowing it. What am I called to release to allow this good into my life? And what am I doing to allow this good into my life? I remember I'd been lead minister with Michelle here at Mile High Church for about five minutes. And it was a few months in, and two very generous congregants gave me a call.

[00:12:03] It was near the holiday time, and they live out of town, but they were in town, and they said that they had a gift for me. And they were so excited to give me this gift that they drove to my home, and I walked outside to greet them, and they handed me a check for $100,000 for Mile High Church. And I'd like to share with you the incredible spiritual leader I am. I almost said, what? This is too much.

[00:12:33] Oh, I don't deserve this. What? Oh, this is so kind, so generous of you. Who? Who? Us? You see, you have to remember as a spiritual leader, you have to be receptive for Mile High Church. Mile High Church is an abundant church. We are so happy to receive your $100,000, your $1, and even more. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. So that's our job to receive that, but it caused me to have to pause and look at myself. You know, little old me. I don't need all of that.

[00:13:03] I'm not deserving. I'll do just fine with this. It called me to have to look at my own prosperity consciousness. Not just what am I doing to allow my good, but can I stop doing all the crap that I do to refute it in this area and that. We have to do that work of allowing our good in. Because when we refute it, we're saying no to this good. We're sharing our lack of faith in this good.

[00:13:31] My good is all around me. I engage with it profoundly. Am I truly ready to allow this kingdom of good within me to govern all of my life around me? We believe in the golden thread here at Religious Science, which usually means that we like to talk about the similarities in all great faiths. But it's not just in faiths. It's in music. It's in TV shows. It's in good conversations at coffee shops.

[00:14:01] This truth runs through everything. It's in folklore and mythology. And in particular today, I've been thinking about the folklore of the vampire. You ever hear anyone talk about vampires in church, Barbara? Okay, I hope I don't mess it up. But the vampire, I like the vampire lore because the vampire symbolizes fear, right?

[00:14:23] And isn't that interesting that the vampire or fear can only come out in the evening because sunlight or attention, true knowledge would disintegrate it. And in particular, I like this mythology of the vampire that they show up to your door at night. But in order to enter, you have to invite them in. Our house or our consciousness is a sanctuary and fear cannot enter unless we invite it in. Taking another approach.

[00:14:53] What if the vampire was our abundance? That's right, the abundance vampire. And what if, and maybe you're like me, you spent years and decades building up this consciousness of fear, of damage control, of not enoughness, of refuting good and actually believing it's not possible for you. Because if it showed up, it might melt all of this layers of not self that we've come to believe in.

[00:15:19] So what if your abundance came knocking on the door of your consciousness right here and right now? Would you be willing to welcome it in? Would you be willing to invite it in? Not just allow, but invite this greater good into your life. And it sounds like an easy yes, but this is what it means. It means I have to release that not good story to live my best story.

[00:15:46] I have to release the stories of victimhood and blame that may be accurate, but are keeping me from my greater good today. My life will no longer be operated by a tyranny of victimhood. It will no longer be operated by a parliament of blame. It will no longer be ruled by a sense of not enoughness. This kingdom of good, I allow it to govern all that is around me.

[00:16:16] And it demonstrates in incredible ways. Ernest Holmes wrote a beautiful piece called, My Own Shall Come to Me. From far and near, my own shall come to me. Even now it is coming to me and I receive it. My own is now manifesting itself to me. And I see and know its presence. My own shall know and respond to me. My own cannot be kept from me.

[00:16:44] Neither can I keep my good away from me. I receive my good now. My own shall find me. No matter where I go, it will follow and claim me. I cannot hide myself from my own. My own shall come to me even though I deny it. For there is nothing in me that can hinder it from entering and taking possession of my soul. My own is now expressed. And I love this term, my own, for our good.

[00:17:13] This good that's all around us, it's not alien. It's not foreign. It's not unknown. It's the very truth of who you are within you before it happens. It's every great thing that is about to take place, incubating itself in your heart and your soul, already present like a divine seed. All we have to do is familiarize ourselves with the truth of who we are.

[00:17:41] And when we do that, we allow this good in. So we release, we allow, and then we prepare. We want to prepare for this good every day like we're about to meet our best friend. We want to prepare for this good every day with anticipation like we're going to eat at our favorite restaurant. We're going to prepare for this good every day because I live not in my judgment of this day that is before me,

[00:18:08] but I live in this day that the divine has made for my soul, for my heart, that is governed not by worry or regret or people-pleasing, but by the kingdom of good that is within me and is all around me. What am I doing to prepare for my good today? I have a homework assignment for you if you choose to accept it.

[00:18:34] Three times a day, every day this week, stop, pause, and ask yourself, what is the story I am telling myself about my good right now? What is the story I am telling myself about my good right now? You can set your phone alarm. It annoys me. I like to find anchor points in my day. When I'm toweling off, when I get out of the shower, or I ask myself, what is the story I'm telling myself about my good right now?

[00:19:03] When I drop my daughter off for school, I'm going to ask myself, or Rainbow Day Camp, shout out, starts tomorrow. What is the story I'm telling myself about my good right now? When I put my head on the pillow to go to bed at night, I'm going to ask myself, what is the story I am telling myself about my good right now? And if you're honest about it, and I'll be honest with you, sometimes the answers are horrifying. My fear of this.

[00:19:33] My judgment about this. My story about that. My stress about this. How is this good that's all around me going to profoundly enter my life if I won't let it? If I continue on in these stories that dismiss or tell myself why I'm not worthy of my good, or that can't embrace it in the here and now. My good is all around me. I engage with it profoundly, which means I need to prepare for it,

[00:20:03] which means a willingness to have a new story. You never have to look for your good. As a wise Mile High minister said, look for it right where you are and praise it. It's always right here and right now. And the best way to create more good in your life is to praise it right here. It's here. It's now. And as we engage with it, as we embody it, it grows into our lives.

[00:20:31] To prepare means to make ready. To prepare means to make ready. What am I willing to do to make ready for my good today? Not to prove itself, but to enter into it completely right here and right now and to see what happens. To watch for it. There's two kinds of preparation, we might say. One is grounded, again, in this word of control,

[00:21:01] but I don't necessarily mean it in a negative way. It's, I'm going to have the dinner party at 6.30, and Greg's going to sit right here, and Cindy's going to sit right here, and Bobby's going to sit right here, and then Alice is going to bring in the dinner at 6.45. It's going to be really good. Yes, there's a Brady Bunch reference in there. And it's going to happen this way. It's where we are planning and preparing it, just the specific way to happen. And sometimes when it happens just that way, it's excellence. It's like a dance. And yet, the good that we're preparing for,

[00:21:27] we can have a feeling of, but we have no idea what it is. And that's the most exciting thing about it, that this good is so incredible, so surprising, so infinite in its ability to demonstrate and accomplish, that we can never be fully ready for it. We can only be as prepared as possible for it to reveal itself, not in some big overall gift, but in this very moment.

[00:21:56] That secret that resides in every conversation, that truth that can reveal itself in every invitation, that opportunity to embrace that good that is present for us always. My good is all around me. I will engage with it profoundly. I will allow the kingdom of good within me to govern all that is around me.

[00:22:23] I will release and let go of control and trust in this good. I will do the heavy labor of allowing it into my entire being. And I will prepare for it in each and every moment, prepared to receive it with glee. We're going to close this talk a little different. I've written a prayer for me, which means it's for you too.

[00:22:51] And I invite our incredible prayer practitioners to stand and join me, including our four new graduates. I align my mind with abundant spirit. I release my heart from false attachment. With effort toward the well-being of my soul, the fruits of the effortless come into view. My vision is real. My intention stays true.

[00:23:19] I make my way with spirit, and spirit reveals the way. I pray for no things, but to know things. To know the wholeness in which my life is embraced. To know the true intentions of others. To know the love that's really there. I pray to understand my connections with those no longer here, and to strengthen my bonds with those who are. I pray to trust in the precious nature of those I daily encounter, and to believe in the magic of each moment, to reveal sacred truths.

[00:23:48] I pray to experience the spirit that is life, in all its mystery, in all its wisdom, in all its guidance, and in all its grace. Knowing an infinite good surrounds us. May each of us create that space in our heart, that opening in our relationships, that transparency within our consciousness. Not to force,

[00:24:17] but to simply be open for this good to arrive. To assert itself. To insist on our well-being. To reveal to us our healing. To remind us of the divine secrets that we are forever one. To uplift us courageously into living boldly, vulnerably, transparently, and emphatically. As the best who we are we can muster.

[00:24:47] For when we have this good, we have the secret of all that is. And all of our days are but the forthcoming, and the telling of this great and grand good. We let it be, we let it become, and so it is. Amen. Thanks for listening to the Mile High Church podcast. This podcast is made possible by the generous contributions from listeners like you. To make a donation, please visit milehighchurch.org.