Living Room For the Soul, 
Living Room for the Soul is a theme running through my mind: as I renovate my living room, as I complete work at church, and as I think about what most spiritual explores long to experience. I type these words on Christmas morning after moving my 50-year-old fireplace mantle, to a new wall I just finishing drywalling and painting a few feet away, as I did away with a very dark door and window I never liked. Poof they’re going, and a new beautiful uniquely designed wall has replaced them! I know as I stand in peace at the center of the swirling winds of this work, I create living room for my soul, which will help me expand my awareness of my soul and the Field of Infinite Possibilities that surrounds and enfolds me.
Wow, what I thought! As I stand looking at my renovation project, I try to visualize, what the next part of the project will look like! And oh my, so many thoughts run through my mind: what would this look like; or would it look better like… And how the heck am I going to do this, when there is not anything that would support the weight of the given object.
Home Renovation Projects, I know you have seen those shows on TV! That’s what I am going through at home, by myself! But it is also what we are going through at our Spiritual Home, both it completing the renovation we started a year ago, and thinking about how we might expand and open up our church to the spiritual explorers in search of what we have. The truth is many, if not all, religious organizations over the past decade have dwindling attendance and income. This is the result of many factors. A primary factor is there has been a shift away, from the old image of God, as a tyrant who expects you to follow all the rules, and “the Church” which is here to enforce all those rules! So, we better straighten up or we will go to that burnie place after we die!
Well I know, neither of us agree with this idea, so, what can we do about it? We don’t agree with the idea, yet it is still there! Across the spectrum of religions, it is a stagnant idea most follow, but are slowly falling away from, yet are stuck like old worn glue to, because they don’t understand there is another way to fill the deep longing of their soul! It’s like that very beautiful mantel above my fireplace. I knew it would look much better on that new wall I just built, although there was a little mental ambivalence. When I tried to take the 50-year-old object off the brick fireplace, it wouldn’t move! I struggled and I struggled with it, and little by little I developed a little space, but then there was no more movement! Yikes! Finally, after some time and effort, I just got my little sledgehammer out and beat it off!
Well some ideas have been with us for a very long time, and while we might not agree with them and believe we don’t believe them anymore, we need to do some soul searching, recognizing what is holding us back, and just let them go! Only then can we engage the faculty of faith to lift us up into awareness to create living room of our soul. Yes, there can be living room of our soul, think about that for a moment. When we consciously live in an awareness of our soul, it feels like a completely different reality, and yet the same. There is a spaciousness of awareness, where we suddenly sense and see the spiritual dimension and Its laws and principles in a completely different way. It is a way of being and living in sync with the Creative Force of all the universe. This Living Room of the soul is where we can begin to explore our spiritual nature and learn to live in awareness of the creative energy of the universe. When we see our Spiritual home in this same manner, we see our Sunday Celebration not as a duty that has to be done or else; but rather a place we can come commune with the Divine and connect with others, to help remind us, the Infinite One is always just a breath away. This is one reason we redesigned our sanctuary into the Living Room for the Soul this past year; now we must move from the physical into spiritual dimension of our reality.
Just something to think about! I See the Light in You! Rev. Doc. Patrick
