Lilies of the Field

put on. …Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

“…Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of there. …O men of little faith. Therefore do not be anxious…your heavenly Father knows what you need (before you ask).

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” (Matthew 6:25-33).

J esus’ lessons are filled with parables and metaphors, stories and symbols that were meant to help his people understand a new

way of thinking and improving their lives. As beautiful as they are, His metaphors are sometimes a little challenging to make sense out of, especially from our perspective, 2000 years later. The parable of the lilies of the field is one of those.

In part He says: “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall

Issue # 40

UPWARD BOUND J *O*U *R *N *A *L

SPIRITUAL LESSONS FOR YOUR PERSONAL GROWTH

Lilies of the FieldLilies of the Field Photo by Art Holt

Today we think in terms of the need to work and make a living, buy a house and car and clothes; save for our retirement and the children’s college education and vacation travels; and on it goes. That’s just the way it is. We can’t even begin to imagine abandoning all those efforts and activities, putting our energies instead into sitting in the lotus position all day while God puts a shelter over our heads, food on our tables and gas in our new SUV. And, rightly so. I don’t think that is what Jesus meant, at all.

There is a popular saying that “you gotta do what you gotta to do.” That idea hasn’t changed since antiquity; we all have a purpose to fulfill. The point of Jesus’ parable and the popular saying is for us to focus on what is ours to do, right now, and do it today. And if we do that, tomorrow will take care of itself. We live in the NOW moment and this is where we need to place our attention.

That doesn’t mean that we’re here completely on our own, and without anything to look forward to . God has a plan for our lives, each and every one of us; a plan greater than anything we have ever imagined for ourselves. I believe that from the bottom of my heart; it has been my experience. And I have also experienced good and wonderful things being added to my life, things that have come out of the blue, completely unexpected and impossible for me to have created. These ‘things’ happen to all of us, all the time, no matter who we are or where we go. Sometimes they are little things, almost insignificant, and sometimes, even those small things can and do change our lives.

Are they random luck, serendipity, simple

coincidence or something far greater? Some might call those things ‘Grace.’

Would you live your life any differently if you knew that God is always a step ahead of you, setting up opportunities for your joy and pleasure? There is no circumstance so difficult, no time or space or place so remote that God is not with you, and at the same time, way ahead of you preparing another act of love for you. We need to become aware that our joy is God’s pleasure because we are loved with an everlasting love.

I always wonder, but I never worry about what the

subject will be for the next issue of Upward Bound Journal. I just know that when I put my mind to it, IT will unfold. As I was contemplating this issue, several little ‘awakenings’ crossed my path.

I have to admit that I rarely pick up on the first ‘hint,’ it generally takes a mild whack with the cosmic two-by-four to get my attention, but God’s swing is really quite gentle and eventually I become alert enough to see the next one coming before I wind up with a lump on my head. This time it has been a news story, a little book, a best-selling novel, the preparation for the class Dottie and I are teaching, and a few memories recalled.

A heart-warming news story provides a

wonderful illustration. Dirk Pratt went to see a movie. ‘Big deal,’ you’ll probably say, but going to that movie actually changed his life. In one scene the movie’s character went to his computer and ‘Googled’ his own name, to see what the internet had recorded about him. Dirk began to wonder the same thing about himself and Googled ‘Dirk M. Pratt.’ What came up was a comment from a writer who was searching to find Dirk Pratt. The writer turned out to be his daughter, Francesca, absent from his life for 27 years because she had been told that her father had been killed in a diving accident. Likewise, Mr. Pratt had been told, way back when, that his daughter had died from an insect bite while visiting her South American grandparents when she was just a pre-schooler.

They were reunited in time for him to find out that he is about to become a grandfather. Francesca, now married and all grown up, is going to have a child of her own.

It’s a touching story and a wonderful example of God’s Grace, opening up a whole new tomorrow in the form of serendipity. Going to the movie, the idea of Googling his own name, and the timing of Francesca’s internet search all came together in a way that no one could have pre-arranged, reuniting two people who longed to find each other and never gave up hope, despite the lies they were told that kept them apart for so many years.

Divine Coincidence is not something that you can arrange or even predict. It is simply a way that you can know you are receiving God’s abundant love,

U P W A R D B O U N D J * O * U * R * N * A * L

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and is often a key step in putting your life back on track or setting the direction for your life that will lead you to fulfillment.

One cannot explain the chance crossing of paths or the odds of being in the right place at the right time that we all have experienced. SQuire Rushnell, author of When GOD Winks at YOU, describes an experience that is hard to believe, but one that actually happened.

For twenty years Mavis Jackson drove past the Crystal Cathedral in Anaheim, California, and nearly every time she told herself that someday she would stop and attend a service. Then one Sunday morning she decided to actually do it. And on that first Sunday morning, she arrived early and found a seat right in the middle. Three thousand people followed and filled up the glass ceiling pyramid. At the end of the service she stood up and waited for the throng to clear the aisles, finally speaking to the young lady who had been sitting next to her.

“Wasn’t it wonderful? I’m so glad I came here today,” she said.

The young woman nodded in agreement. “Are you from here? Mavis asked. “No, I’m from the Midwest,” and then added,

“I’m actually here on a mission to find my birth mother.”

There was a pause before Mavis responded. “I know how you feel. A long time ago I had to give up a little girl for adoption. I didn’t want to, but…”

Another pause. “Do you remember her birthday?” the young lady asked.

“October 30th.” She said with a sigh. “That’s my birthday,” gasped the young woman. Almost beyond belief, Mavis and her daughter

were reunited on the spot. What are the odds that out of all the Sundays Mavis had passed by the church she would pick this day to enter? In searching for her birth mother, why would the young woman choose to make the trip to California now and then be led to the Crystal Cathedral? And what was it that drew them to the same row and adjoining seats? Perhaps Proverbs provides the answer. “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps” (Proverbs 16:9). And to that I might add ‘…and when to take them.’

Serendipity, Divine Coincidence, random chance or just plain good luck; some will say these events

don’t prove one way or the other the Presence or Power of God. For me, however, these are just small examples that God is ever Present and capable of arranging the most complicated scenarios for each of us, just for the sheer pleasure they will bring…and to redirect our lives when we are ready.

The reason we all don’t have such dramatic examples of Divine Coincidence is probably because we foil the experience by our state of consciousness at the time. I have come to believe that there are several factors that will be very helpful in getting into that righteousness (right thinking) state of consciousness. Jesus told us “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well” Mat. 6:33)” When our primary state of consciousness is one of faith; we are following Jesus’ words, whether we get down on our knees in fervent prayer or simply walk our walk with the quiet confidence of an inner knowing of God’s love. We have faith.

It also helps to have a sense of expectancy, not expectations – (there is quite a difference). When we are expectant we are open and receptive to great surprises and wonderful turn of events. Being expectant is truly being in the moment, free of anxiety or fear. But expectation is the ego trying to control or define some future outcome; setting us up for disappointment or worse, for things rarely turn out the way we think they should, and yet…

I’m reminded of another story from “When God Winks at You,” Expecting the unexpected. Mary was filling out her church’s annual donor form when she noticed a box at the bottom, ‘[ ] check here to tithe unexpected income.’ As she thought about the possibility of winning the lottery she agreed that she would be delighted to tithe ten percent to the church, so she happily checked the little box. Several times that day she thought about ‘unexpected income’ and decided that $50,000 would be completely unexpected, but certainly would be welcome, and give her the opportunity to buy the condo she wanted for her retirement. With that thought in mind, she affirmed the amount as if it was already was hers, and let it go.

Three days later she received a letter from her broker. In her father’s will was some stock that had only been worth pennies at the time of his death, but had unexpectedly surged and was now worth exactly


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$50,000. The following Sunday she gleefully wrote a $5000 check to the church and marked it ‘tithe on unexpected income.’ As the Pastor was blessing the offering she commented they were $5000 short of finishing the Sunday school building. Mary smiled knowing that now her church would also be receiving just the right amount they needed as ‘unexpected income.’

Norman Vincent Peale reminds us, “If you expect the worst, you get the worst. And if you expect the best, you will get the best.” I believe that being expectant is the open minded way that eliminates the worst by aligning your consciousness with God’s best for you and everyone else concerned.

Another example of opening up to God’s Presence as Divine Coincidence is the element of awareness. Serendipity happens all the time, but without our awareness, it can be just another event. I went through a rapid series of Divine Coincidences in the process of transforming my life as I entered the ministry, but they all happened so quickly that it took several weeks to sink in. Taken together the events were profound, but singularly, as they happened, they were simply a delightful series of people, places and things.

If we are to experience the full blessing of God’s intricate plan unfolding in our lives, we have to become aware of the serendipity when it happens. We need to bless it, giving thanks to our Creator for the gift of Divine Coincidence and the complex matrix of arrangements that are beyond human capacity to accomplish.

A friend of ours recently told us of her personal experience with Divine Coincidence. She and Ed were High School classmates, casual friends at the time, and after graduation the two went on independent journeys: career, marriage, children, and as is too often the case, divorce. Then came their 25th class reunion, each deciding rather reluctantly to attend, where they met once again. After dancing the evening away, they found the attraction that was missing in high school, romance blossomed, and very shortly they joined together in a marriage that would last a lifetime.

Their story doesn’t seem that coincidental until you hear the ‘rest of the story.’ The Divine Coincidence occurred just days before the reunion when Patricia and Ed each decided to go to the party

alone rather than with the persons they were dating at the time. Had either of them taken a date it would have been impossible for them to have made the connection with each other that evening. She really didn’t know why, but Pat just knew she had to go to the reunion and had to go by herself. Ed said later that the same was true for him as well. God’s plan was for them to join together; they just had to cooperate by listening to their intuition, without asking why.

Throughout our lives we all encounter moments when our paths change direction, the result of choices we make or circumstances we encounter. Sometimes those changes are serious set-backs, sometimes just short reprieves from a difficult challenge, sometimes life altering, joyous and celebratory. All the while our journey is Upward Bound. Eric Butterworth, in Discover the Power Within You, says that even when we find ourselves considering temptations, we are actually trying to make our lives better, because a temptation is connected to our aspirations to go higher. If it weren’t for the aspirations we would simply be content in our negativity.

If we can grasp that God’s love for us is so great and so universal, we will see that even those who are mired in negativity, still receive the gift of Divine Coincidences and the corresponding opportunity to become Upward Bound. For the rest of us Divine Coincidences are signposts that God is watching us, loving us and planning ahead by joining us with the right people at the right time and in the right places. It is His way of letting us know that He is always there, a reminder that our prayers are heard and our path is made clear.

Like the lilies in the field, we do not need to know how or why, or even what happens next. When we live in the present moment, we live in His Presence, and tomorrow will take care of itself – (just like today has).

God bless each and every one of you, Amen Art Holt, Upward Bound Journal #40


M E D I T A T I O N I AM Created In the Image and Likeness of God

There is a part of me that is created from God, a higher part of me; the part of me that

is my Spirit self. This is the part of me I know as “I AM.” I go there now and as I rest quietly in

my favorite place of Peace and understanding, I relax and take a deep breath, slowly exhaling

and softly repeating, “I AM.” …(breathe)… “I AM.”

"I AM Created In the Image and Likeness of God." I give my attention to those words and

quietly speak them to myself in the silence: "I AM Created In the Image and Likeness of God."

As in the beginning, (Genesis 1:26-31), ... God said, "Let us make man in our image,

after our likeness;" ..."so God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created

him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them, ...And it was so. And God saw

everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good."

Knowing I am made from God fulfills a longing of my heart, for it is in this knowing that I

am able to feel God’s Presence. I have been created out of the mind of God to be His hands,

and feet, His voice, His eyes and ears, His heart. I have been created to be a visible aspect of

the invisible and infinite God. In this way I am truly one with my creator.

I take a moment now in the silence to reflect on this profound thought; "I Am created in

God's image, therefore I am one with the Lord God of my being."

Pause and reflect…

To feel that oneness, to feel God's presence, I turn my thoughts to God in prayer; ‘Dear

Lord, Your love fills my heart, and I respond to that love now. My heart sings with joy, and I

feel the warmth of Your presence clothing me softly and tenderly. You know all of my hopes,

my dreams, all of my needs and desires, long before I ask. I turn those desires over to You

now and quietly await your Divine guidance; the guidance that directs each day of my life and

all of my affairs. Each time I pray, each time I turn within to the silence, I become more aware

of my oneness with You.’

Each time I pray I become more aware of who and what I am. And so I say, thank you

God for this growing awareness of Your presence, and for the realization that you have

created me to be Your image in expression. I commit myself today to be Your hands and feet,

Your voice, Your eyes and ears, Your heart. Here I am Lord, let Your life be expressed

through my life, fully and completely, this day and everyday, now and forever more.

Thank You, God.

Amen.

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WORDS TO LIVE BY Our thoughts and words create our reality. Let us

acknowledge one thought that will impact our lives in wonderful ways. This time it’s in the form of a song I wrote, but it’s a song in need of a melody. If music is you passion, feel free to compose the tune. Then we

can all sing along together.

“Faith & Joy”

1. Life has its up and downs - It’s true;

It’s a journey that goes round and round. God gives me Faith to carry me through, And Joy as the memory to cling to.

Faith & Joy; Faith & Joy… The journey goes round and round.


It’s a journey that goes round and round. But whenever I’m down, Faith is my guide, And Joy is the God-stuff in which I abide.



It’s a journey that goes round and round. I know God’s watching, I know that God cares, ‘Cause Faith and Joy are the answer to prayers.


Thank You, God, for Faith and Joy… And the Journey that goes round and round.

© Rev. Arthur Holt 3/17/2009


Rev. Arthur Holt,

Unity Minister Dottie Holt,

Licensed Unity Teacher

Upward Bound of Unity, Inc. 10870 SW 71st Circle

Ocala, FL 34476

Phone (352) 861 - 5518

Email: [email protected]

Upward Bound Journal is a Unity publishing ministry based on Biblical

teachings and dedicated to writing and presenting spiritual, inspirational, and metaphysical principles which empower people to enrich and transform their lives.

For more information about Upward Bound email us at: [email protected] or check our website:

www.upwardboundjournal.com. Issue # 40 Upward Bound Journal is © of Upward Bound of Unity, Inc. 2009

Member: Association of Unity Churches International, SunCoast Unity Ministers Association, and affiliated with: Unity Institute and Silent Unity, publishers of Daily Word. Upward Bound of Unity, Inc. is a not-for-profit, 501(c)(3), charitable

corporation sustained entirely by your tax deductible gifts.

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Photo by Art Holt

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The Light of God surrounds us,

The Love of God enfolds us,

The Power of God protects us,

The Presence of God watches over us.

Wherever we are God Is, ...and all is well.

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by A

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Lilies of the Field