Quotations Used in the Sunday Message
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"Connecting…Belonging…Growing Together" 02-22-26 Annual Mtg Sun
Core Statement:
“Connecting With Others In Spiritual Community Lends Support, Inspiration & Strength In Togetherness” sv
Scripture:
1 Corinthians 14:26 (NRSV)
26 What should be done then, my friends? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up.
1 John 1:7 (NKJV)
7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another…
Matthew 18:20 (ESV)
20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
Psalm 133:1 (NRSV)
1 How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!
Philippians 1:27b (NASB)
27b…you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together…
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NRSV)
11 Therefore encourage one another & build up each other, as indeed you are doing.
Philippians 2:4 (ESV)
4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Special Readings:
At its core, a tribe serves as a fundamental source of belonging and emotional security. One of the greatest human fears is social exclusion, which leads to feelings of isolation and loneliness. Tribes offer a protective space where individuals feel seen, heard, and valued. In these groups, people develop a shared language of values, symbols, and rituals that reinforce bonds and create a deep sense of solidarity. Our tribes tell us we matter and we can make a difference.
--Dr. Mike Courtney https://branchesblog.com/2024/10/12/the-importance-of-being-tribal/
In a time when virtual connections often replace genuine human interaction, how do we bridge the gap between online networking and actual, meaningful belonging? By realizing how important it is to find your tribe, we can open the door to real friendships, support networks, and growth chances that remind us of our shared humanity.
The Benefits of Finding Your Tribe: *Emotional Support and Resilience *Common Purpose and Motivation
*Enhanced Social Connections and Battling Loneliness *Personal Growth and Self-Improvement
--Anshuman Mahajan
Quotes:
Think back to the most important experiences of your life, the highest highs, the greatest victories, the most daunting obstacles overcome. How many happened to you alone? I bet there are very few. When you understand that being connected to others is one of life’s greatest joys, you realize that life’s best comes when you initiate and invest in solid
relationships.
--John C. Maxwell
When we seek for connection, we restore the world to wholeness. Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful as we discover how truly necessary we are to each other.
--Margaret J. Wheatley
When we are 'separate' we are vulnerable and are more likely to underestimate the self… Being in community forces us to cultivate a deeper sense of intimacy with one another, to notice one another and value one another's gifts.
--Sobonfu Some
Belonging to a tribe—a close-knit community of shared values, interests, or identity—is essential for human well-being, providing profound emotional support, a sense of purpose, and identity. It fosters mental health, reduces loneliness, and offers safety, helping individuals thrive rather than just survive.
--Google AI Overview (Importance of belonging to a Tribe)
Some people think they are in community, but they are only in proximity. True community requires commitment and openness. It is a willingness to extend yourself to encounter and know the other.
--David Spangler
Community means strength that joins our strength to do the work that needs to be done. Arms to hold us when we falter. A circle of healing. A circle of friends. Someplace where we can be free.
--Starhawk.
Dare to reach out your hand into the darkness, to pull another hand into the light.
--Norman B. Rice
The spiritual path is not a solo endeavor… We are in it together and the company of spiritual friends helps us realize our interconnectedness.
--Tara Brach
Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.
--Helen Keller
“Celebrating Love…Radiating Light” 02-15-26 Valentine’s Day
Core Statement:
“Celebrating Love’s Dynamic Power, We Radiate It Forth To Heal & Uplift” sv
Scripture:
Song of Solomon 4:7a (ESV)
7 You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you.
Mark 12:31 (NRSV)
31 The second [commandment] is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Deuteronomy 4:29 (NRSVUE)
29 …You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you search after him with all your heart and soul.
Zephaniah 3:17 (NKJV)
17 The Lord your God in your midst… He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.
Romans 13:8 (NASB)
8Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
1 Peter 4:8 (NCV)
8 Most importantly, love each other deeply, because love will cause people to forgive each other….
Special Reading:
Love… is something that we nurture and grow, a connection that can only be cultivated between two people when it exists within each one of them – we can only love others as much as we love ourselves… We cultivate love when we allow our most vulnerable and powerful selves to be deeply seen and known, and when we honor the spiritual connection that grows from that offering with trust, respect, kindness and affection.
--Brene Brown
Unity Reading:
…The love of God must be felt in the heart. It cannot be described, and one who has not felt it can have no concept of it from the descriptions of others. But the more we talk about love, the stronger it grows in the consciousness, and if we persist in thinking loving thoughts and speaking loving words, we are sure to bring into our experience the feeling of that great love that is beyond description-the very love of God.
--Charles Fillmore Talks On Truth
Quotes:
Nothing glows brighter than the heart awakened to the unseen light of love that lives within it.
--Guy Finley
No other love no matter how genuine it is, can fulfill one's heart better than unconditional self-love. True unconditional love starts from you to you. Stop waiting on others to give it to you.
--Edmond Mbiaka
Let's dare to enter into an intimate relationship with God without fear, trusting that we will receive love and always more love.
--Henri Nouwen
Prayer is a communication tool which strengthens your relationship with God.
--Gift Gugu Mona Ph.D.
Your heart is where your inner light resides. It is part of every sacred journey to reconnect with your inner light, step into your divinity, spread the light of love before you, return to the essence of love, and inspire others to do the same.
--Molly Friedenfeld
When love, the universal magnet, is brought into action in the consciousness of our race… It will harmonize all the forces of nature and will dissolve the discords that now infest earth and air.
--Charles Fillmore Talks On Truth
Happiness and peace will come to earth only as the light of love and human compassion enter the souls of men.
--David O. McKay
Love is what we were born with. Fear is what we have learned here. The spiritual journey is the relinquishment - or unlearning - of fear and the acceptance of love back into our hearts. Love is our ultimate reality and our purpose on earth. To be consciously aware of it, to experience love in ourselves and others, is the meaning of life.
--Marianne Williamson
All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.
--Charles M. Schulz
"Honoring A Century Of Black History Commemorations” 02-08-26 Black History Month
Core Statement:
“Acceptance Of Our Differences Helps Us Practice Inclusivity, Equality & Healing” sv
Scripture:
Ephesians 4:28b (ESV)
28b …Let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
Galatians 3:28 (ESV)
28There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female,
for you are all one…
2 Chronicles 15:7 (NIV)
7 But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.
Ephesians 4:31 (ESV)
31Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you…
1 Corinthians 12:26 (ESV)
26"If one part suffers, all suffer together; if one part is honored, all rejoice together."
Special Readings:
2026 marks a century of national commemorations of Black history. Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson, George Cleveland Hall, William B. Hartgrove, Jesse E. Moorland, Alexander L. Jackson, & James E. Stamps institutionalized the teaching, study, dissemination, and commemoration of Black history when they founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life & History (ASNLH) on Sept 9, 1915. In 1925, when Dr. Carter G. Woodson planned the inaugural week-long observance of Black history, he could hardly have anticipated the imprint he would leave on the world. From Negro History Week to Black History Month, ASALH has carried forth the tradition…
For our 100th theme, the founders of Black History Month urge us to explore the impact and meaning of Black history and life commemorations in transforming the status of Black peoples in the modern world… Dr. Carter G. Woodson, as director of the Association… built Negro History Week into an African American and American cultural institution. He set the themes and provided materials to illustrate the contributions people of African descent had made to the movement of history and modern culture. As his contemporary W. E. B. Du Bois put it, “He literally made this country … recognize and celebrate each year a week in which it studied the effect which the American Negro has had upon the life, thought and action in the United States. I know of no other man who in a lifetime has unaided built up such a national celebration.”
--https://asalh.org/black-history-month/about/ (compiled)
Key contributions of African Americans to the U.S. include:
* Economic Foundation & Labor: Enslaved people built much of the country's early infrastructure and produced, cultivated, and harvested essential commodities like cotton and tobacco, forming the backbone of the early U.S. economy.
* Scientific and Technical Innovation:
o Medical Advancements: Dr. Charles Drew pioneered blood plasma research, and Dr. Daniel Hale Williams performed one of the first successful open-heart surgeries.
o Inventions: Garrett Morgan invented the traffic signal and gas mask; Lewis Latimer improved the lightbulb; Granville T. Woods developed crucial telegraph systems for trains.
o Space & Agriculture: George Washington Carver revolutionized agriculture with crop rotation; Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson were critical NASA mathematicians.
* Cultural and Artistic Influence: African Americans created or deeply influenced nearly all American popular music, including jazz, blues, rock and roll, R&B, soul, and hip hop. Literature and poetry by figures like Maya Angelou and Langston Hughes have shaped American letters.
* Military Service: From the Revolutionary War to the present, Black soldiers have served, including the Civil War infantry and the Tuskegee Airmen of WWII.
* Social and Political Progress: Through the Civil Rights Movement, leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and others forced the nation to live up to its constitutional ideals, resulting in landmark legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
* Entrepreneurship: Madam C.J. Walker became the first self-made female millionaire. In 2021, Black-owned businesses generated $206 billion in revenue.
These contributions have been made despite centuries of systematic discrimination and oppression, highlighting a resilient and foundational role in shaping American society.
--AI Compilation-Google Search
Quotes:
We must never forget that Black History is American History. The achievements of African Americans have contributed to our nation's greatness.
--Yvette Clarke, U.S. congresswoman
Won't it be wonderful when Black history and Native American history and Jewish history and all of U.S. history is taught from one book. Just U.S. history.
--Maya Angelou, writer and civil rights activist
There is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it. If only we’re brave enough to be it.
--Amanda Gorman (youngest inaugural poet in U.S. history)
Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that.”
--Martin Luther King Jr., “Love Your Enemies” Sermon (1957)
Just don’t give up what you’re trying to do. Where there is love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.
--Ella Fitzgerald
“Importance Of Spiritual Community…Valuing Connection” 02-01-26 New Member Sunday
Core Statement:
“Believing We Should Handle Everything Alone Creates Isolation & Loneliness” sv
Scripture:
Proverbs 3:5 (NIV)
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding…
Ecclesiastes 4:9-11 (NIV)
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor: 10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up. 11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone?
Proverbs 27:17 (NIV)
17 As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Philippians 2:4 (ESV)
4Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…
Special Reading:
One of the greatest barriers to connection is the cultural importance we place on "going it alone." Somehow we've come to equate success with not needing anyone. Many of us are willing to extend a helping hand, but we're very reluctant to reach out for help when we need it ourselves. It's as if we've divided the world into "those who offer help" and "those who need help." The truth is that we are both.
--Brene Brown The Gifts of Imperfection
Quotes:
The spiritual path is not a solo endeavor… We are in it together and the company of spiritual friends helps us realize
our interconnectedness.
--Tara Brach
There is no true joy in a life lived closed up in the little shell of the self. When you take one step to reach out to people, when you meet with others and share their thoughts and sufferings, infinite compassion and wisdom well up within your heart. Your life is transformed.
--Daisaku Ikeda
We are called to be strong companions and clear mirrors to one another, to seek those who reflect with compassion and a keen eye how we are doing, whether we seem centered or off course … we need the nourishing company of others to create the circle needed for growth, freedom and healing.
--Wayne Muller
Individuality doesn’t just mean individualism—standing alone. It means developing one’s unique gifts, and being able to share them for the enjoyment of oneself and others.
--Frances Moore Lappe
If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be your purpose in life? It is other life; it is love, which gives your life meaning. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge, the joy of growth.
--Mitsugi Saotome
When we feel love and kindness toward others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to
develop inner happiness and peace.
--The Dalai Lama
“It’s Not About Willpower…” 01-25-2026
Core Statement:
“Indwelling God, Heart-Wisdom, Is Our Higher-Self Will Guiding Us For Good” sv
Scripture:
Proverbs 11:2 (NRSV)
2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace; but wisdom is with the humble.
Luke 22:42b (KJV)
42b …nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
Psalm 51:6 (NRSVUE)
6 You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
Romans 7:22 (ESV)
22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being…
Ephesians 3:16 (NRSVUE)
16 I pray… that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit…
Matthew 6:33 (ESV)
33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Psalm 16:7-8 (NIV)
7 I will praise the LORD, who counsels me; even at night my heart instructs me. 8 I keep my eyes always on the LORD.
Unity Quote:
Let the God within you express itself through you in the world without… The mind of the spirit will guide you in perfect ways, even in the minute details of your life, if you will let it do so.
--Charles Fillmore
Special Reading:
Most of us live… between two polarities – the Ego Mind and the True Self… Sometimes our Ego Mind will dominate and sometimes our True Self will be in charge, and that’s OK and normal. This is where awareness is very valuable… Our ego mind is our false self – the conditioned self – who is not in touch with who we really are. It feeds on the vibration of fear and lives through a paradigm of Win/Lose… the True Self is who we really are and is connected to the All That Is [God]… It operates through the paradigm of Win/Win… When we are living as our True Self, we feel a sense of expansion… this feeling is quietly powerful, humble and connected.
--www.nicolebayliss.com.au/the-ego-mind-vs-the-true-self/
Quotes:
Relying on willpower, especially to do something you don’t want to do, is a losing strategy in the long-run. I’m proposing a better strategy: use intrinsic motivation as your guide. Intrinsic motivation comes naturally from an inner desire [Higher/God Self] rather than from an external goal, restriction, or limitation that’s often supported by punishment or reward.
--meghan@cloudsanddirt.co
As you meditate and become more spiritually attuned, you can better discern and recognize the sound of your higher Self or the voice of God speaking to you through words, images, and sensations.
--Jack Canfield
“Ego thinking" refers to thoughts and motivations primarily driven by self-centered desires, fears, and a need for external validation, often focused on personal gain and image, while "inner spiritual knowing" represents a deeper, intuitive sense of understanding that transcends the ego, feeling more like a quiet, clear knowing without the need for rational explanation, often associated with a connection to a higher power or universal truth.
--AI Generated (Google)
Virtually every spiritual tradition teaches that your higher Self is the presence of God within you.
--Wayne Dyer
Never allow your ego to diminish your ability to listen.
--Gary Hopkins
Ground yourself in the knowledge that your soul is wise and will lead you toward your greatest light… It's where your
power resides.
--Jodi Livon
"Visioning Forward… Letter To God/Self " 01-18-26
Core Statement:
“Open To Divine God-Mind Imagination We Envision Infinite Possibilities Forward” sv
Scripture:
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
Colossians 3:2 (NASB)
2 Set your minds on the things that are above, not on the things that are on earth.
John 15:5 (NRSVUE)
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit…
Luke 1:37 (NRSVUE)
37 For nothing will be impossible with God.
2 Timothy 4:7 (NASB)
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith…
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)
11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Unity Reading:
…Observation shows that the purer the mind [having released old belief patterns] the greater it’s capacity to receive and interpret the ideas imparted to it by Spirit…Those who cultivate communion with the Father within become conscious of a guiding light…
--Charles Fillmore Atom Smashing Power Of Mind
Special Reading:
“To be spiritual is to create”; when we create, we are physically bringing the essence of our soul into the physical world. We are making our soul tangible. Creativity is the language of our souls and when we express our creative energy with the world, we are rightfully aligning with who we are at the core. When we adopt these practices, nurture this mindset, and take pride in our unique gifts; this is when the magic happens, and your creativity abundantly flourishes and flows.
--Elizabeth A. Vesneske: paragraph compiled from Ernest Holmes writing
Quotes:
There’s a reason a car’s windshield is way bigger than its rearview mirror.
--Attributed To Many
Every moment of your life is infinitely creative and the Universe is endlessly bountiful…
--Shakti Gawain
Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.
--Albert Einstein
Our imagination is God’s ingenious gift that hands us the privilege of romping and playing in realities that we can’t see
only because we’ve yet to create them.
--Craig D. Lounsbrough
Imagination invites us to breathe, to dream, and to be fully present to the wonder of it all.
--Kayti Christian
If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.
--Robert Fritz
Dream and give yourself permission to envision a You that you choose to be.
--Joy Page
Cherish your visions and your dreams as they are the children of your soul, the blueprints of your ultimate achievements.
--Napoleon Hill
“White Stone Experience…Naming Your Intention” 01-11-26
Core Statement:
“Inner God-Self Whispers A ‘New Name’ To Us…Setting Our Intention Forward” sv
Scripture:
Isaiah 43:19 (NRSV)
19 I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.
Psalm 40:3a (NKJV)
3a He has put a new song in my mouth…
Psalm 143:8b (NASB)
Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul.
Revelations 2:17
17He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says... To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
Romans 7:6 (ESV)
6But now we are released from the law, having died to that which held us captive, so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit...
Psalm 119:105 (NRSV)
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Unity Quote:
We find there is in man a knowing capacity transcending intellectual knowledge ….One should give attention to this…whispering of Spirit in man. It is not of the intellect and does not originate in the skull. It is the development, in man, of a greater capacity to know himself…
--Charles Fillmore 12 Powers Of Man
Quotes:
Step out of the history that is holding you back. Step into the new story you are willing to create.
--Oprah Winfrey
Never underestimate the power you have to take your life in a new direction.
--Germany Kent
Be strong, trust God's word, and trust the process.
--Germany Kent
In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into
crystal clearness.
--Mahatma Gandhi
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.
--Lao Tzu
The secret of change is to focus all your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
--Socrates
Set your intention, and trust the universe to take care of the details.
--Mike Fotheringham
White Stone History: The White Stone Ceremony is an ancient ritual of new beginnings. In Jesus' day, when a person was released from prison, they were given a white stone to represent their new start. Each of you has been given a white stone to signify your freedom. Through meditation you will receive a word or phrase symbolizing a new start - a vision/intention Spiritually recognized to guide you forward into the new year. We are now free to take our next spiritual step!