Quotations Used in the Sunday Message
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"Honoring Achievement…Celebrating Black History Month" 02-16-25
Core Statement: Pic
“Appreciation & Awareness Of African American Life Achievements Builds Bridges Of Connection & Unity” 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.
Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
23a Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…
Ephesians 4:32a (NIV)
32a Be kind and compassionate to one another…
1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV)
11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up…
Ephesians 4:25 (NRSVUE)
25 So then, putting away falsehood, let each of you speak the truth with your neighbor, for we are members of one another.
Romans 12:10 (NIV)
10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
Special Reading:
The 2025 Black History Month theme, "African Americans and Labor," is a powerful reflection on the pivotal role that the hard work of African Americans has played in shaping our country’s history. This theme underscores the diverse and significant ways in which labor—whether voluntary or involuntary, skilled or unskilled—has been at the core of the Black American experience. From the agricultural labor of enslaved Africans, which was foundational to the economic systems of this country, to the prosperous establishment of “Black Wall Street” which was a demonstration of the brilliance and resilient abilities of black corporate collaboration, this theme highlights how work has been central to both survival and empowerment. This year's theme also touches on how self-help strategies and entrepreneurship in Black communities have provided avenues for economic autonomy and resilience…
By focusing on "African Americans and Labor," Black History Month in 2025 aims to celebrate and honor these profound contributions, shedding light on how work, both historically and present-day, continues to shape the identity, culture, and economic status of our communities.
--https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/3683/Black-History-Month#
Quotes:
The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.
--Ida B. Wells - 19th/20th century journalist
As a citizen workforce, African Americans continue to chart new paths toward economic stability, personal growth, and racial uplift. From enslaved workers in the 19th century to agricultural, industrial, and professional workers in the 20th and 21st centuries, Black men and women have always been vital to transforming and tooling America.
* “With my needle I kept bread in the mouths of seventeen persons for two years and five months."
Elizabeth Keckly - Dressmaker and Business Owner, 1868 born in 1818 in Virginia, was an enslaved
seamstress who became the personal dressmaker and confidante of First Lady Mary Todd Lincoln.
* "I longed to do something for my race, especially for the girls and women; to help bring order out of the chaos we see around us.” Mary McLeod Bethune With Emancipation, African American women found success
as contract laborers in agricultural, service, and professional careers in the areas of law, education,
and business. Women like Mary McLeod Bethune aided in the building of this new labor force by
opening schools that encouraged self-sufficiency, industry expertise, and altruism among Black
girls and women. Bethune founded the Dayton Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro
Girls in Daytona Beach, Florida, in 1904. Seven years later, she opened the Mary McLeod Hospital and
Training School for Nurses to train Black women in healthcare professions.
* "Let us put our moneys together … and reap the benefit ourselves. Let us have a bank that will take the nickels and turn them into dollars." Maggie Lena Walker Independent Order of St. Luke Annual Meeting, 1901
Between 1910 and 1970 approximately six million African Americans moved from the South to northern,
midwestern and western states to take advantage of better educational and work opportunities. Known as
the Great Migration, this redistribution of labor opened the door for African American women to not only gain
more secure and lucrative work, but also to become business owners, in their own right. The period of
migration also marked an increase in Black women creating and maintaining their own financial institutions
and economic networks – including building and loan associations and mutual aid societies, like Mary Prout’s
Independent Order of St. Luke, that provided financial literacy to Black women and positively impacted the
labor and livelihoods of the larger African American community.
* "Rest is a form of resistance for Black communities recovering from centuries of stolen labor and overwork. You are worthy of rest." Tricia Hersey Founder of The Nap Ministry, 2022
Black women’s toil has helped define American commerce and labor markets since enslavement. Often
conscripted to long hours, harsh conditions, and strenuous labor, Black women often found little time and
experienced guilt in resting. By the turn of the century, African American women began to “reclaim their
time” using beauty salons as sanctuaries for pampering and rejuvenation.
--https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/moments/black-history-month (National Museum of African American History and Culture)
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
My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.
--Desmond Tutu
“Valentines Day…Focusing On Love” 02-09-25
Core Statement:
“Experiencing & Expressing Romance To Yourself Is About Tender Loving Care & Attention” sv
Scripture:
1 Corinthians 13:13 (NRSV)
13 And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.
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.’
1 John 4:16b-17
16b …God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 17By this is love perfected with us….
2 John 1:6b (NIV)
6b…As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.
Romance/Romantic Definition:
Brittanica.com
* Of, relating to, or involving love
* thinking about love and doing and saying things to show that you love someone
Dictionary.cambridge.org
* relating to love or a close loving relationship
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
Love is within us. It cannot be destroyed. It can be ignored. To the extent that we abandon love we will feel it has abandoned us. Denying love is our only problem, and embracing it is the only answer… Love heals, forgives, and makes
whole.
--Ernest Holmes
Quotes:
Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14.
In honor of one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, through later folk traditions, has become a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.
---www.Wikipedia.com
You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.
--Buddha
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
When we make the choice to fill our heart space with unconditional love, our worlds blossom into a beauty far greater than we have known.
--Rio Godfrey
Love is our essential nutrient. Without it, life has little meaning. It’s the best thing we have to give and the most valuable
thing we receive… You will learn a lot about yourself if you stretch in the direction of goodness, of bigness, of kindness, of
forgiveness, of emotional bravery. Be a warrior for love.
--Cheryl Strayed
By doing the work to love ourselves more, I believe we will love each other better.
--Laverne Cox
Love yourself first and everything else falls into line.
--Lucille Ball
You can't pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.
-- Norm Kelly
“It’s Not About Willpower…” 02-02-2025
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
The Higher Self is whispering to you softly in the silence between your thoughts.
--Deepak Chopra
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
"Letter To God/Self…Envisioning Forward" 01-26-25
Core Statement:
“Opening To Divine Imagination Helps Us Envision Infinite Possibilities Forward” sv
Scripture:
2 Timothy 4:7 (NASB)
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith…
Philippians 4:8 (NIV)
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
1 Kings 4:29 (ESV)
29 And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding beyond measure, and breadth of mind like the sand on the seashore,
James 1:5 (ESV)
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God…
Luke 18:27 (NIV)
27 Jesus replied, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (beyond outer appearances to unknown possibilities-sv)
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…
Unity Reading:
…Observation shows that the purer the mind 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
God-Mind is…constantly seeking to release its perfection in you…when you ask for its guidance and place yourself, by prayer and affirmation, in mental touch with it, there is a great increase in its manifestation in your life.
-- Charles Fillmore Christian Healing
Special Reading:
The human brain has a natural tendency to give weight to negative experiences or interactions more than positive ones… Psychologists refer to this as negativity bias. “Our brains are wired to scout for the bad stuff” and fixate on the threat… Consciously focusing on and experiencing positive situations more thoroughly actually helps build new neural structures in your brain… By doing this periodically, you’ll rewire your brain, making it more likely to notice positive things in the future.
-- www.skillpath.com/blog/how-to-be-more-positive
Quotes:
We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
--Cynthia Ozick
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.
--Epictetus
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
Every moment of your life is infinitely creative and the Universe is endlessly bountiful…
--Shakti Gawain
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
Set your intention, and trust the universe to take care of the details.
--Mike Fotheringham
Today is your day to dance lightly with life. Sing wild songs of adventure. Invite rainbows & butterflies out to play.
Soar your spirit and unfurl your joy.
--Jonathan Lockwood Huie
“A New Vision…A New ‘White Stone’ Name” 01-19-25
Core Statement:
“There Is Universal, Energetic, Creative Power In The Spoken Word Or Name” sv
Scripture:
Isaiah 43:18-19 (NRSV)
18 Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. 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.
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...
John 1:1,3 (CEV)
1 In the beginning was the one who is called the Word. The Word was with God and was truly God… 3 And with this Word, God created all things. Nothing was made without the Word.
This is exactly what the Word is – the working power of God…Persistent meditation upon the Truth contained in the Word of God opens the mind to Spirit. The Word of God is the revelation to man of the powers and possibilities of his own being…
-- Charles Fillmore Keep A True Lent
Romans 12:2 (NRSV)
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Revelations 2:17 (NKJV)
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.
Jeremiah 33:3 (NRSV)
3 Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
Psalm 119:105 (NASB)
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
Unity Quote:
A change of mind effects a corresponding change in the body. If the thoughts are lifted up, the whole organism is raised to higher rates of vibration…But first there must be a renunciation or letting go of old thoughts before the new can find place in the consciousness.
--Charles Fillmore Twelve Powers of Man
We can't be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don't have something better.
--C. JoyBell C.
We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.
--Maya Angelou
Names are a part of every culture and are of enormous importance… Generally, in cultures with a sense of ancestry, children get their names from the totems and family trees of their parents. In some cultures, names are taken from events which happen during the pregnancy of the mother or shortly after the birth of the child, and in others, names are divined through incantation. In some cases, the name given at birth is only the first of several names a person will bear in life. When this happens, the new names are given to mark important milestones that occur… Regardless of when, why, or how often it happens, the giving and receiving of a name is an event of major importance… (Compiled/paraphrased)
--www.BehindTheName.com
To have God speak to the heart is a majestic experience, an experience that people may miss if they monopolize the conversation and never pause to hear God's responses.
--Charles Stanley
A vision is not just a picture of what could be; it is an appeal to our better selves, a call to become something more.
--Rosabeth Moss Kanter
The visionary starts with a clean sheet of paper, and re-imagines the world.
--Malcolm Gladwell
White Stone Experience:
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.