Day 59

Today's Lesson:

The following ideas are for review today:

41) God goes with me wherever I go.

How can I be alone when God always goes with me? How can I be doubtful and unsure of myself when perfect certainty abides in Him? How can I be disturbed by anything when He rests in me in absolute peace? How can I suffer when love and joy surround me through Him? Let me not cherish illusions about myself. I am perfect because God goes with me wherever I go.

42) God is my strength. Vision is His gift.

Let me not look to my own eyes to see today. Let me be willing to exchange my pitiful illusion of seeing for the vision that is given by God. Christ's vision is His gift, and He has given it to me. Let me call upon this gift today, so that this day may help me to understand eternity.

43) God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him.

I can see what God wants me to see. I cannot see anything else. Beyond His Will lie only illusions. It is these I choose when I think I can see apart from Him. It is these I choose when I try to see through the body's eyes. Yet the vision of Christ has been given me to replace them. It is through this vision that I choose to see.

44) God is the light in which I see.

I cannot see in darkness. God is the only light. Therefore, if I am to see, it must be through Him. I have tried to define what seeing is, and I have been wrong. Now it is given me to understand that God is the light in which I see. Let me welcome vision and the happy world it will show me.

45) God is the Mind with which I think.

I have no thoughts I do not share with God. I have no thoughts apart from Him, because I have no mind apart from His. As part of His Mind, my thoughts are His and His Thoughts are mine.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I'm posting this a day in advance, since I'll be in Sedona tomorrow - and I'm certain I'll witness all kinds of miracles there! I'll be back live on Thursday.

Day 58

Today's Lesson:

These ideas are for review today:

36) My holiness envelops everything I see.

From my holiness does the perception of the real world come. Having forgiven, I no longer see myself as guilty. I can accept the innocence that is the truth about me. Seen through understanding eyes, the holiness of the world is all I see, for I can picture only the thoughts I hold about myself.

37) My holiness blesses the world.

The perception of my holiness does not bless me alone. Everyone and everything I see in its light shares in the joy it brings to me. There is nothing that is apart from this joy, because there is nothing that does not share my holiness. As I recognize my holiness, so does the holiness of the world shine forth for everyone to see.

38) There is nothing my holiness cannot do.

My holiness is unlimited in its power to heal, because it is unlimited in its power to save. What is there to be saved from except illusions? And what are all illusions except false ideas about myself? My holiness undoes them all by asserting the truth about me. In the presence of my holiness, which I share with God Himself, all idols vanish.

39) My holiness is my salvation.

Since my holiness saves me from all guilt, recognizing my holiness is recognizing my salvation. It is also recognizing the salvation of the world. Once I have accepted my holiness, nothing can make me afraid. And because I am unafraid, everyone must share in my understanding, which is the gift of God to me and to the world.

40) I am blessed as a Son of God.

Herein lies my claim to all good and only good. I am blessed as a Son of God. All good things are mine, because God intended them for me. I cannot suffer any loss or deprivation or pain because of Who I am. My Father supports me, protects me, and directs me in all things. His care for me is infinite, and is with me forever. I am eternally blessed as His Son.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I haven't traveled too much for more than a day or so to do work, so this is the first vacation of any length I've had since I started studying this Course. Even in Arizona, I see the world through the eyes of love. Everyone I see looks different to me because I see them as Sons of God. I'm so grateful for everything I'm learning and applying! I'm looking forward to traveling today to Sedona, where we'll check out the vortexes and really find out about the spirituality of the area. It's all GOOD!

Day 57

Today's Lesson:

Today we will review these ideas:

31) I am not the victim of the world I see.

How can I be the victim of a world that can be completely undone if I so choose? My chains are loosened. I can drop them off merely by desiring to do so. The prison door is open. I can leave simply by walking out. Nothing holds me in this world. Only my wish to stay keeps me a prisoner. I would give up my insane wishes and walk into the sunlight at last.

32) I have invented the world I see.

I made up the prison in which I see myself. All I need do is recognize this and I am free. I have deluded myself into believing it is possible to imprison the Son of God. I was bitterly mistaken in this belief, which I no longer want. The Son of God must be forever free. He is as God created him, and not what I would make of him. He is where God would have him be, and not where I thought to hold him prisoner.

33) There is another way of looking at the world.

Since the purpose of the world is not the one I ascribed to it, there must be another way of looking at it. I see everything upside down, and my thoughts are the opposite of truth. I see the world as a prison for God's Son. It must be, then, that the world is really a place where he can be set free. I would look upon the world as it is, and see it as a place where the Son of God finds his freedom.

34) I could see peace instead of this.

When I see the world as a place of freedom, I realize that it reflects
the laws of God instead of the rules I made up for it to obey. I will understand
that peace, not war, abides in it. And I will perceive that peace also abides in
the hearts of all who share this place with me.

35) My mind is part of God's. I am very holy.

As I share the peace of world with my brother, I begin to understand that this peace comes from deep within myself. The world I look upon has taken on the light of my forgiveness, and shines forgiveness back at me. In this light I begin to see what my illusions about myself kept hidden. I begin to understand the holiness of all living things, including myself, and their oneness with me.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I woke up this morning to a mourning dove outside my window here in Desert Hills, AZ. The sun is just coming up over the pool, and the hot tub is steaming in the morning chill. It's a beautiful first day of vacation!

Although we had some weather delays in getting here (there is currently a blizzard in Minneapolis), everything works perfectly. We got here in time to see the Scottsdale chorus Sweet Adeline show where we saw some old friends from Fargo and some friends from Minneapolis. We got to our house here in Desert Hills and unpacked and soaked in the hot tub.

On the plane on the way here I met a gentleman who is a video producer and magician from Minneapolis who has also studied A Course in Miracles (you can really cut to the chase in conversation when you are committed to bigger small talk!). It was so interesting to talk to him about his take on what we're learning here and to feel confident in the dialogue. We are hoping to stay in touch and maybe collaborate on a corporate project sometime in the future. I'd call that a miracle!

Day 56

Today's Lesson:

The review for today covers the following:

26) My attack thoughts are attacking my invulnerability.

How can I know who I am when I see myself as under constant attack? Main, illness, loss, age and death seem to threaten me. Al my hopes and wishes and plans appear to be at the mercy of a world I cannot control. Yet perfect security and complete fulfillment are my inheritance. I have tried to give my inheritance away in exchange for the world I see. But God has kept my inheritance safe for me. My own real thoughts will teach me what it is.

27) Above all else I want to see.

Recognizing that what I see reflects what I think I am, I realize that vision is my greatest need. The world I see attests to the fearful nature of the self-image I have made. If I would remember who I am, it is essential that I let this image of myself go. As it is replaced by truth, vision will surely be given me. And with this vision, I will look upon the world and on myself with charity and love.

28) Above all else I want to see differently.

The world I see holds my fearful self-image in place, and guarantees its continuance. While I see the world as I see it now, truth cannot enter my awareness. I would let the door behind this world be opened for me, that I may look past it to the world that reflects the Love of God.

29) God is in everything I see.

Behind every image I have made, the truth remains unchanged. Behind every veil I have drawn across the face of love, its light remains undimmed. Beyond all my insane wishes is my will, united with the Will of my Father. God is still everywhere and in everything forever. And we who are part of Him will yet look past all appearances, and recognize the truth beyond them all.

30) God is in everything I see because God is in my mind.

In my own mind, behind all my insane thoughts of separation and attack, is the knowledge that all is one forever. I have not lost the knowledge of Who I am because I have forgotten it. It has been kept for me in the Mind of God, Who has not left His Thoughts. And I, who am among them, am one with them and one with Him.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I'm on my way to Phoenix - our flight got cancelled last night, so we're off again this morning. It's been blizzarding in Minneapolis, so we're hoping all is well today. It's so fun to be in this new mindset - what could have been an upsetting hour sitting on the plane last night until they brought us back to the gate and cancelled the flight was nothing more than a delay - knowing that all is perfect! A miracle!

Day 55

Today's Lesson:

Today's review includes the following:

21) I am determined to see things differently.

What I see now are but signs of disease, disaster and death. This cannot be what God created for His beloved Son. The very fact that I see such things is proof that I do not understand God. Therefore I also do not understand His Son. What I see tells me that I do not know who I am. I am determined to see the witnesses to the truth in me, rather than those which show me an illusion of myself.

22) What I see is a form of vengeance.

The world I see is hardly the representation of loving thoughts. It is a picture of attack on everything by everything. It is anything but a reflection of the Love of God and the Love of His Son. It is my own attack thoughts that give rise to this picture. My loving thoughts will save me from this perception of the world, and give me the peace God intended me to have.

23) I can escape from this world by giving up attack thoughts.

Herein lies salvation, and nowhere else. Without attack thoughts I could not see a world of attack. As forgiveness allows love to return to my awareness, I will see a world of peace and safety and joy. And it is this I choose to see, in place of what I look on now.

24) I do not perceive my own best interests.

How could I recognize my own best interests when I do not know who I am? What I think are my best interests would merely bind me closer to the world of illusions. I am willing to follow the Guide God has given me to find out what my own best interests are, recognizing that I cannot perceive them by myself.

25) I do not know what anything is for.

To me, the purpose of everything is to prove that my illusions about myself are real. It is for this purpose that I attempt to use everyone and everything. It is for this that I believe the world is for. Therefore I do not recognize its real purpose. The purpose I have given the world has led to a frightening picture of it. Let me open my mind to the world's real purpose by withdrawing the one I have given it, and learning the truth about it.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I attended a small party last night at a friend's house and the conversation centered mostly around the definition of Christianity and the distinction between love and fear. That's pretty unusual for a party, I think. It helped that five of us are from our Course in Miracles study group and there were only four others there besides us. It's amazing to me how much the small talk in my life has expanded. It just doesn't happen around me anymore that people dwell on the weather. Even though we're supposed to get a big storm here today and tomorrow, we didn't even talk about it last night. I think that's a miracle!

Day 54

Today's Lesson:

These are the review ideas for today:

16) I have no neutral thoughts.

Neutral thoughts are impossible because all thoughts have power. They will either make a false world or lead me to the real one. But thoughts cannot be without effects. As the world I see arises from my thinking errors, so will the real world rise before my eyes as I let my errors be corrected. My thoughts cannot be neither true nor false. They must be one or the other. What I see shows me which they are.

17) I see no neutral things.

What I see witnesses to what I think. If I did not think I would not exist, because life is thought. Let me look on the world I see as the representation of my own state of mind. I know that my state of mind can change. And so I also know the world I see can change as well.

18) I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my seeing.

If I have no private thoughts, I cannot see a private world. Even the mad idea of separation had to be shared before it could form the basis of the world I see. Yet that sharing was a sharing of nothing. I can also call upon my real thoughts, which share everything with everyone. As my thoughts of separation call to the separation thoughts of others, so my real thoughts awaken the real thoughts in them. And the world my real thoughts show me will dawn on their sight as well as mine.

19) I am not alone in experiencing the effects of my thoughts.

I am alone in nothing. Everything I think or say or do teaches all the universe. A Son of God cannot think or speak or act in vain. He cannot be alone in anything. It is therefore in my power to change every mind along with mine, for mine is the power of God.

20) I am determined to see.

Recognizing the shared nature of my thoughts, I am determined to see. I would look upon the witnesses that show me the thinking of the world has been changed. I would behold the proof that what has been done through me has enabled love to replace fear, laughter to replace tears, and abundance to replace loss. I would look upon the real world, and let it teach me that my will and the Will of God are one.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I spoke yesterday in Bismarck for a group of telephone workers and I'm so grateful for what I'm learning from this course because it allows me to see everything differently and, consequently, to share things differently with my audiences. My message yesterday was called "It Doesn't Have to be a Dilbert World" and we talked about the differences between the way Dilbert would see the world and the way someone in a Good to Great mindset would see it. Almost no one in the crowd had ever heard of Jim Collins' Good to Great so everything I shared with them was fresh and new. I told them about Level 5 Leadership, where when things go well in the workplace, the leader looks out the window and when things go badly, the leader looks in the mirror. I told them about the Hedgehog Concept, and shared with them how they can discover for themselves what they do best and do more of it at the place they work. We talked about how Dilbert is very passive and ends up doing a lot of blaming, but someone in a Good to Great workplace (I used Tony the Tiger as the mascot) takes responsibility and stops blaming.

I think I was the bravest I've ever been in any of my speeches yesterday. I can definitely see the shifts in myself, and can witness the effects of my thinking on my audiences. I call that a miracle!

In addition, when I got home last night, I got the mail and in it there was another big envelope from my mother, sharing a sermon from her pastor called "Death and Deity - They Go Together" which was preached on February 18. The note she wrote with it said "Jodee, I thought maybe you'd like to read this. It tells you who Jesus is. Not just a prophet but our Savior with whom God is well pleased."

I see the shift from fear to love in myself as I read through the entire sermon. I know the old me would have been angry and defensive that I keep getting these things from my mother, but the feeling that showed up most last night was gratitude. I ended up writing her a 6-page letter telling her all about what I'm studying here and thanking her for her concern and her love for me. It felt great to tell her everything about what I'm doing and what it means to me. I'm not sure whether or not I'll ever send the letter, but it felt great to write it in the spirit of Love and Gratitude. I might ask my Course in Miracles study group for their guidance - that's the beauty of having a support system in place - but whether or not I ever send it, it feels great to have written it all out.

I was watching the Oprah Winfrey Oscar interview show last night and Sidney Poitier shared a line he said from Guess Who's Coming to Dinner where he was talking to his father. He said, "You are my father. I am your son. I love you and I will always love you. But you think of yourself as a colored man and I think of myself as a man."

That really got me thinking about my relationship with my mom. She is my mother. I am her daughter. I love her and I will always love her. But she thinks of herself as a Christian and I think of myself as a spiritual Christian. Is that really so different?

The bottom line is that my attitude is so much different than it used to be regarding this subject with my mother. Instead of seeing everything she is trying to share with me as proof that I'm wrong and she's right, I now recognize her gestures as loving communication. I am very secure in my beliefs, and I'm now allowing her to make her own choices about worrying about me. I trust that she will find the peace in her faith that I've found in mine - no judgment. That's surely a miracle!

Day 53

Today's Lesson:

Today we review the following:

11) My meaningless thoughts are showing me a meaningless world.

Since the thoughts of which I am aware do not mean anything, the world that pictures them can have no meaning. What is producing this world is insane, and so is what it produces. Reality is not insane, and I have real thoughts as well as insane ones. I can therefore see a real world, if I look to my real thoughts as my guide for seeing.

12) I am upset because I see a meaningless world.

Insane thoughts are upsetting. They produce a world in which there is no order anywhere. only chaos rules a world that represents chaotic thinking, and chaos has no laws. I cannot live in peace in such a world. I am grateful that this world is not real, and that I need not see it at all unless I choose to value it. And I do not choose to value what is totally insane and has no meaning.

13) A meaningless world engenders fear.

The totally insane engenders fear because it is completely undependable, and offers no grounds for trust. Nothing in madness is dependable. It holds out no safety and no hope. But such a world is not real. I have given it the illusion of reality, and have suffered from my belief in it. Now I choose to withdraw this belief, and place my trust in reality. In choosing this, I will escape all the effects of the world of fear, because I am acknowledging that it does not exist.

14) God did not create a meaningless world.

How can a meaningless world exist if God did not create it? He is the Source of all meaning, and everything that is real is in His Mind. It is in my mind too, because H created it with me. Why should I continue to suffer from the effects of my own insane thoughts, when the perfection of creation is my home? Let me remember the power of my decision, and recognize where I really abide.

15) My thoughts are images that I have made.

Whatever I see reflects my thoughts. It is my thoughts that tell me where I am and what I am. The fact that I see a world in which there is suffering and loss and death shows me that I am seeing only the representation of my insane thoughts, and am not allowing my real thoughts to cast their beneficent light on what I see. yet God's way is sure. The images I have made cannot prevail against Him because it is not my will that they do so. My will is His, and I will place no other gods before Him.

Miracles I'm noticing:

Again, just re-reading these lessons is a great exercise in noticing the shift in my thought system. It all makes so much sense logically. I'm reminded of a retreat I attended where the topic of dialogue was the law of attraction, and the attendees were mostly students of this Course. One young woman was upset because she couldn't possibly see how her thoughts had attracted the murder of one of her friends. She understood that anything that happened to her or around her was because she attracted it there. The teacher explained that there are people in the world to whom "bad" things have to happen. That is what those people attract into their lives (that could be the subject of an entirely different post!). The teacher said that the young woman who asked the question believes that there are "good" and "bad" things in the world, and she attracted a person to whom "bad" things happen into her space. The teacher said that when we can all understand that there is no "bad" or "good" event - it is only our thinking and our judgment that makes an event "good" or "bad" - we won't attract anything that upsets us into our space.

That took a while for me to understand - and I'm still working on it. But if my thoughts are meaningless (they have no meaning apart from the meaning I've put there), and I am upset because I see a meaningless world (I've apparently put meaning to the fact that it's meaningless - and that engenders fear), it would stand to reason that my upsetting thoughts are a product of my own mind, not the Mind of God. God did not create a meaningless world - I did. The thoughts I have are images I have made, so whatever I see (and whatever I attract into my space) reflects my thoughts. The fact that I see a world where there is suffering shows me that I am not allowing my real thoughts (those thoughts I create with God, not the ones I make) to come through. If I am living and seeing through the eyes of my will, that is ego, and that will keep me stuck. My will is God's will and I will remove the barriers I've put in the way of living in that understanding.

I'm guessing if I really think about it, I can remember all kinds of examples of these five lessons in my life. I need only think about things that upset me and it almost always ends up that my ego is trying to run the show. I go back to the Four Agreements and remember the second one: "Don't take anything personally." That's what my ego wants me to do.

One of my favorite sayings is "It Is What It Is" - no judgment, just observation. As I realize this, I can make new choices in the moment and can shift my thinking from fear to love. That's a miracle!

Day 52

Today's Lesson:

Today's review covers these ideas:

6) I am upset because I see what is not there.

Reality is never frightening. It is impossible that it could upset me. Reality brings only perfect peace. When I am upset, it is always because I have replaced reality with illusions I made up. The illusions are upsetting because I have given them reality, and thus regard reality as an illusion. Nothing in God's creation is affected in any way by this confusion of mine. I am always upset by nothing.

7) I see only the past.

As I look about, I condemn the world I look upon. I call this seeing. I hold the past against everyone and everything, making them my enemies. When I have forgiven myself and remembered Who I am, I will bless everyone and everything I see. There will be no past, and therefore no enemies. And I will look with love on all that I failed to see before.

8) My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.

I see only my own thoughts, and my mind is preoccupied with the past. What, then, can I see as it is? Let me remember that I look on the past to prevent the present from dawning on my mind. Let me understand that I am trying to use time against God. Let me learn to give the past away, realizing that in so doing I am giving up nothing.

9) I see nothing as it is now.

If I see nothing as it is now, it can truly be said that I see nothing. I can see only what is now. The choice is not whether to see the past or the present; the choice is merely whether to see or not. What I have chosen to see has cost me vision. Now I would choose again, that I may see.

10) My thoughts do not mean anything.

I have no private thoughts. Yet it is only private thoughts of which I am aware. What can these thoughts mean? They do not exist, and so they mean nothing. Yet my mind is part of creation and part of its Creator. Would I not rather join the thinking of the universe than to obscure all that is really mine with my pitiful and meaningless "private" thoughts?

Miracles I'm noticing:

Just re-reading and re-typing the above lessons shows me how blessed and grateful I am to be studying this Course and to be sharing it with you who read this. I know we are creating wonderful community here, and as I read and understand and live these Truths, I see my life shifting around me.

I delivered the opening keynote last night for a Minnesota statewide college DEX convention in Duluth. After my presentation, I chatted with Ian and Robb from an art institute in Minneapolis and was very delighted with who they really were. They were so genuine and open and it was a very refreshing conversation. I am so encouraged and excited to have them - and others like them - join the workforce. They are bright and positive and ready to take on the world. I asked them what their plans were when they finished their degrees, and Robb told me what he would be doing. He said it's not so much what he wants to do but what he will be doing. I had mentioned in my speech that those who have a burning desire will have no doubts about accomplishing whatever they want - the challenge is that so many of us don't have that burning desire. Robb and Ian do. That's a miracle - a shift in focus from fear to love!

Day 51

Today's Lesson:

Today we begin a 10-day review period for the previous 50 daily lessons. We are to begin the day by reading the five ideas, and the comments included. The idea is to emphasize the relationships among the first 50 of the ideas we have covered, and the cohesiveness of the thought system to which they are leading us.

1) Nothing I see means anything.

The reason this is so is that I see nothing, and nothing has no meaning. It is necessary that I recognize this that I may learn to see. What I think I see now is taking the place of vision. I must let it go by realizing it has no meaning, so that vision may take its place.

2) I have given what I see all the meaning it has for me.

I have judged everything I look upon, and it is this and only this I see. This is not vision. It is merely an illusion of reality, because my judgments have been made quite apart from reality. I am willing to recognize the lack of validity in my judgments, because I want to see. My judgments have hurt me, and I do not want to see according to them.

3) I do not understand anything I see.

How could I understand what I see when I have judged it amiss? What I see is the projection of my own errors of thought. I do not understand what I see because it is not understandable. There is no sense in trying to understand it. But there is every reason to let it go, and make room for what can be seen and understood and loved. I can exchange what I see now for this merely by being willing to do so. Is not this a better choice than the one I made before?

4) These thoughts do not mean anything.

The thoughts of which I am aware do not mean anything because I am trying to think without God. What I call "my" thoughts are not my real thoughts. My real thoughts are the thoughts I think with God. I am not aware of them because I have made my thoughts to take their place. I am willing to recognize that my thoughts do not mean anything, and to let them go. I choose to have them be replaced by what they were intended to replace. My thoughts are meaningless, but all creation lies in the thoughts I think with God.

5) I am never upset for the reason I think.

I am never upset for the reason I think because I am constantly trying to justify my thoughts. I am constantly trying to make them true. I make all things my enemies, so that my anger is justified and my attacks are warranted. I have not realized how much I have misused everything I see by assigning this role to it. I have done this to defend a thought system that has hurt me, and that I no longer want. I am willing to let it go.

Miracles I'm noticing:

These practice periods will be very welcome as I begin to make the ideas part of my everyday thoughts. I'm noticing that it is much easier to remember the thoughts we've been studying when I see them in the review here. I really am starting to get this stuff!

I've been inspired by the people who have been inspired by watching The Secret on Oprah these past two weeks as well. I've been thinking about the woman on Friday's show (Oprah's second show about The Secret) who had some trouble reconciling The Secret with her Christianity. She said The Secret told us to put our trust in ourselves, not in God or Jesus, and that was troubling to her. She seemed to have some trouble with the concepts because she heard Neale Donald Walsch, in his part of The Secret, saying that you will never stand in judgment to anyone, so you can go out and do anything you want in your life without having to worry about judgment. She said she did believe in hell, and believed that if she didn't believe in God and Jesus, but rather put her belief in herself, she would go to "hell."

I must admit, this brings up some memories of when I first started studying A Course in Miracles. It seemed too comfortable to believe what I was learning, and that went against all the difficulties I had experienced with my Christian upbringing. I can relate to the fear that this woman was feeling. What I also realized was that the answers Michael Beckwith, James Ray and Oprah were giving this woman - that the universal laws - including the Law of Attraction - describe the nature of the way God works. Michael said Jesus was speaking the language of the Law of Attraction when he said "pray believing you have that you may receive." That's The Secret in a nutshell.

If you make choices that are limiting, you will be limited. God gives us free will, and based on the choices we make, we will be accountable. Jesus also said "the kingdom of Heaven is within," and James is asking the woman to consider that the kingdom of hell could be within us as well, depending upon the choices we make. Michael said the kingdom of God is actually within us and we are either participating in the realm of ever-extending good, or cutting yourself off from the realm of ever-extending good. We are not anticipating good, we are participating. Life is magnificent - the presence, the power the love is everywhere, and we can choose to participate now, not hoping that sometime in the future we will be rewarded. So all of these laws open us up to be full participants in our lives.

I heard that so much differently than I would have before doing the Course, so I can understand why people might have trouble with these ideas if they're coming from their old mindset. The things I love most about the Course and also The Secret are that neither asks us to give up anything from our belief systems, but each adds another layer to that. Even Gary Zukav in his interviews with Oprah on her soul series on XM tells us not to use anything as a new dogma, but to consider possibilities. I love that! And as I open my mind more and more, I see how this open space allows for so many more possibilities and inclusion. I see how if I am a Son of God, as the Course teaches, I don't have to wait to experience the kingdom of Heaven.

It's all soooooo good!

Day 50

Today's Lesson

I am sustained by the Love of God.

Today's idea holds the answer to every problem that will confront us today, tomorrow and throughout time. We have traditionally believed that we are sustained by everything but God. We have put our faith in trivial and insane symbols like pills, money, "protective" clothing, influence, prestige, being liked, knowing the "right" people, and an endless list of forms of nothingness that we endow with magical powers.

All we need to do is look inside ourselves for the Answer to all our ills and troubles. The Love of God will protect us in all circumstances. It will transport us into a state of mind that nothing can threaten, nothing can disturb, and where nothing can intrude upon the eternal calm of the Son of God.

Today's lesson is a declaration of release from the belief in idols, which is anything we've put in the place of the Love of God. We are to repeat it to ourselves often today. Repeat it, think about it, let related thoughts come to help us recognize its truth, and allow peace to flow over us like a blanket of protection and security.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I tell myself that it's difficult to meditate because my mind is so wild and active. Yet all the lessons we've been given over the past 50 days are really great ideas for meditation. What I am learning is that meditation is only difficult because I say it is. When I can relax into the thought for the day, and allow the peace of God to take over, which is my birthright, after all, meditation doesn't seem so daunting.

Why, if we know about the benefits of being quiet, being still, listening and allowing, don't we take the time each day to just be quiet? Why don't we do what we know? Where is the breakdown?

Let's make a pact with ourselves today to take 10 minutes sometime during the day and be still. There is absolutely no way each one of us can't negotiate 10 minutes of our day to stillness. Wayne Dyer says he meditates at red lights. If each red light is about 2 minutes and if he stops for 20 red lights a day, that's 40 minutes right there. He says there will always be someone to tell him he needs to go if he doesn't see the light turn green - that's what car horns are for!

I love my time in the mornings when I read this lesson and think about it enough to write something here. It has become my ritual and it is the precursor to the 10 minutes of stillness. What are you noticing in your own life?

Day 49

Today's Lesson:

God's Voice speaks to me all through the day.

It is possible to listen to God's Voice all through the day without interrupting your regular activities in any way. God's Voice is the part of our minds which is calm, always at rest, and wholly certain - that is the part where truth abides. The other part is constantly distracted, disorganized, and highly uncertain - the part that functions in the world and obeys the world's laws.

We simply need to identify with the part of our minds where stillness and peace reign. It is there despite the idle chatter that fills up the other part.

If we are still and open up our minds, sinking deep into the peace that waits beyond the frantic sights and sounds of this insane world, we will reach our real home - our home with God.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I ran into a former co-worker of mine yesterday and as I stopped to chat with her, all those distracted, disorganized, negative, heavy thoughts were immediately engaged. I asked her how she was doing and she proceeded to tell me about everything that was wrong in her life. She was so upset about one particular person that she said she wanted him fired (he's a newspaper reporter and she didn't like something he had written in the paper). Then she went on to tell me about my other former co-workers - who she liked and who she hated. After she had dumped all that, then she asked about my work. I told her it was fabulous and I was very happy. She asked about travel and I told her that I do travel quite a bit. She then went on to say how she loves living blocks from where she works and would never want to travel like that. All I could say to her was something like I wish her the best and hope everything turns out the way she wants it to.

I felt physically heavy and burdened after I talked to her. Those kinds of people just don't show up in my space anymore. I couldn't stop thinking about her and how easy it could have been to jump into that pity party - that's what the old me would have done. But I just couldn't. I carried her sorrow and pity and anger with me for a while that afternoon until I remembered something Wayne Dyer said in one of the many CDs I have. He said when he encounters people like that, he just sends them a silent blessing and moves on. So I did that. As soon as I did, the weight was lifted and the light came back. I know that that was God speaking to me underneath all the heaviness. I'm grateful for that encounter - and I can give thanks "for giving" me that experience so I can remember how to make conscious contact with the Voice of God and can also forgive myself for having been like that sometime in my life.

Day 48

Today's Lesson:

There is nothing to fear.

Today's lesson is simply a statement of fact. It is not a fact to those who believe in illusions, but illusions are not facts. In truth there is nothing to fear. It is very easy to recognize this. But it is very difficult to recognize it for those who want illusions to be true.

The presence of fear is a sure sign that we are trusting in our own strength. The awareness that there is nothing to fear shows that somewhere in our minds, though not necessarily in a place we yet recognize, we have remembered God, and let His strength take the place of our weakness. The instant we are willing to do this, there is indeed nothing to fear.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I write another blog called You Already Know This Stuff, and on Thursday I was writing my Thursday's With Jodee post where I ask a question to get the dialogue going. The question I was going to use on Thursday was "What are your fears?" but I always start the dialogue by answering the question first. When I tried to do that on Thursday, I couldn't think of an answer to that question, so I must be getting this idea for today. I had to use a different question. As I've been training my mind to believe that there are only two ways to see the world, through the eyes of fear and through the eyes of love, I notice that love is starting to win out in nearly every case.

I'm also noticing more and more when I talk to my mother how often she seems to see things through the eyes of fear. In nearly every conversation we have there is some reference to being careful, watching out, or some other indication that there is fear of something. It's just an interesting observation and it doesn't affect me the way it used to. Now I just notice but don't take it on for myself.

Where do you see fear (or not) in your life? What are you noticing?

Day 47

Today's Lesson:

God is the Strength in which I trust.

Today's idea reminds us that of ourselves and by ourselves we are too apprehensive, anxious and fearful to trust in our our strength. After all, our ego is running the show and our ego wants to keep us unpredictable and untrustworthy. To believe that we can trust in ourselves alone is to justify fear, anxiety, depression, anger and sorrow. The lesson says, "who can put his faith in weakness and feel safe? Yet who can put his faith in strength and feel weak?"

God is our safety in every circumstance. His Voice speaks for Him in all situations and in every aspect of all situations, telling you exactly what to do to call upon His strength and His protection.

Today we are to spend four five-minute practice periods in which we search for situations in our lives which we have invested with fear, dismissing each one by telling ourselves:

God is the Strength in which I trust.

The lesson says that the recognition of our own frailty is a necessary step in the correction of our errors, but it can't stop there. That will hardly give us the confidence we need, and to which we are entitled. We also need to gain an awareness that our confidence and strength - which is in God - is fully justified in every respect and in all circumstances.

The intention for today's practice periods is to reach that place of deep peace inside ourselves. When we are able to let go of all the trivial things that are on the surface of our minds and reach down below them, we will reach the Kingdom of Heaven inside of us where there is perfect peace, and where nothing is impossible. This is where the strength of God abides.

Miracles I'm noticing:

Today's lesson reminds me that I do not have to do anything alone. I'm reminded of a huge turning point in my own life last March when, in a moment of frustration with my career, I seriously considered throwing in the towel and just getting a job. I remember distinctly throwing my hands in the air and saying, "I can't do this alone." That same afternoon I received a call from the man who was to become my new business partner, telling me about his own business (also a sole proprietorship) and how he had sold a big idea to a large client. I'll never forget his words: "I can't do this alone." It was then that I realized I wasn't a SOLE proprietor, I was a SOUL proprietor. And together we could do so much more than each of us could do alone - and that we would always have a Senior Partner since God would always be the Strength in which we both trusted.

I'm also thinking about Steve Farber's newest book The Radical Edge in which he gives us four change-the-world guidelines. Those are:

1) Define what you mean by "world" and get clear on how you want the world to be different from the current reality."
2) Act as though your every action has a direct impact on the world.
3) Don't judge yourself based on the outcome of your efforts. If you succeed, don't take credit for it; if you fail, don't blame yourself.
4) Never, never, ever try to do this alone.

I think of Steve and these four guidelines often. I have a wonderful support group - this Course in Miracles group I study with each week - to bounce ideas around with, to ask questions of, to support in their own change-the-world ideas. Re-reading Steve's writing - both this book and his first book The Radical Leap - gives me new ideas and supports me in my own beliefs and ideas for making a difference in the world.

The real miracle for today is that I'm having lunch with Steve Farber here in Fargo! I met him in 2004 in Minneapolis, and he endorsed my book. We've kept in touch, and he e-mailed me a couple of weeks ago to let me know he'd be speaking in Fargo for a client and asked if I wanted to meet him for lunch. I'm so excited to talk with him since a lot has changed in my life since we last spoke in person in 2004. And Steve is on my Vision Board - along with Oprah, Ellen, Deepak, Wayne, Marianne and other people I want to meet (he's to the right of Oprah, right under "Live Your Best Life" and right above "Dare to Dream"). That's a miracle to me!

Day 46

Today's Lesson:

God is the Love in which I forgive.

Today's lesson is the first mention of the concept of forgiveness the way the Course defines it, which is quite different from our conventional definition.

According to the Glossary of Terms from A Course in Miracles, forgiveness in the conventional sense is:

Giving up your resentment towards another and your right to punish him, even though you keep the perception that he sinned against you and that you are justified in resenting and punishing him. According to the Course, this forgiveness cannot forgive, for it affirms that the other sinned and thus is worthy of condemnation (yours and his own). It also affirms that you are holier than he, because he sinned and you forgave.

According to ACIM:

Giving up your false perception that another sinned against you and that you are justified in resenting and punishing him. Releasing this perception automatically releases your resentment and desire to punish. Releasing another not from what he did, but from "what he did not do," from your misinterpretation of what he did. This can forgive, for it frees your mind of resentment and releases the other from the accusation of sin and guilt. The rationale behind forgiveness is that sin is now real. It is a wrong perception of attack. Attack has no power to do real harm, because what is real cannot be harmed or changed in any way.... Forgiveness is salvation.

Today's idea says that there must be condemnation before forgiveness is necessary. Those who forgive release themselves from illusions, while those who withhold forgiveness are binding themselves to illusions. As we condemn only ourselves, we forgive only ourselves. Fear condemns and love forgives. Forgiveness thus undoes what fear has produced, returning the mind to the awareness of God.

Again today we are to think about today's lesson for three five-minute periods. If we are doing the exercises well we should have no difficulty in finding a number of people we have not forgiven. The lesson says that it is a safe rule that anyone we do not like is a suitable subject. Mention each one by name and say:

God is the Love in which I forgive you, [name].

The purpose of these practice periods is to put us in a position to forgive ourselves. After we have applied the idea to all those who have come into our minds, we are to tell ourselves:

God is the Love in which I forgive myself.

Miracles I'm noticing:

This lesson and the entire concept of forgiveness have been really difficult for me to grasp throughout my three-year study because I'm so conditioned to think of forgiveness in the conventional sense, where I forgive you because I'm somehow better than you or I'm right and you're wrong, or something like that. But I do understand that by not forgiving someone else - especially when I think about what the Course says about forgiving them for what they did not do (because it's all in my mind anyway) - I can see how by holding on to resentments, I keep them with me and I'm the one who is hurt by my own resentment. It should stand to reason, then, that I would be freed from those resentments by forgiving - both the other person and myself.

I'm thinking about what I heard Michael Beckwith say on the Oprah show Thursday during the segment about The Secret. He said forgiving is simply thinking that you are grateful to God "for giving" you this experience because there is a lesson in every experience. I like that.

I'm also thinking about the Amish school shooting that happened in October of 2006. Here is a link to an article about the forgiveness the Amish community immediately showed. A quote from the article says it all: "The hurt is very great, but they don't balance the hurt with hate."

That story is another great example of the good that can come from every tragedy. If we believe that everything happens for a reason, perhaps the reason in this tragedy is to show us the amazing power of forgiveness. When we can thank God "for giving" us even tragedies, we release all the anger and hostility we might otherwise hold on to.

Think about what happens when we hold on to resentments. Jack Canfield said on the Oprah show on Thursday that if a woman holds on to resentment about a "failed" marriage, for example, she will never be able to be in another relationship because a potential partner will recognize that she is still in that old relationship by keeping her attention focused on her resentment and hostility.

Today I will practice forgiving my resentments so that I can make room to forgive myself.

Day 45

Today's Lesson:

God is the Mind with which I think.

Today's lesson reminds us that we do not know what our real thoughts are. What we think is real is not what is real. Nothing that we think we see is anything like what vision will show us. We have been domesticated away from the Mind of God, which is our real Mind. We really think with the Mind of God who created us. Thoughts do not leave their source, so our thoughts are in the Mind of God just as they are in our own minds, which is where He is.

Even though the Mind of God has been covered with our own thoughts, and our own beliefs about what is real that have cluttered our minds over the years, those thoughts that we thought with God in the beginning are still there, completely unchanged. This foundation remains unchanged. This is the foundation we will be trying to reach as we practice today. This is an exercise in holiness.

Miracles I'm noticing:

As I become more awake and live my life through what I'm learning in this Course, I notice that my conversations are shifting toward the Mind of God. I may not realize it at the time, but in thinking back over the conversations I had yesterday, I notice that my intention is always toward the light that I know is inside me. A friend called last night to share some really great news with me about his career, and we began talking about The Secret and vision boards. He's been struggling with creating his own vision board because he just doesn't know what he really wants. I mentioned to him that his life was so amazing and things are really happening for him - what could he create by being really intentional if this is what is showing up without even really knowing what he wants? That led us to a great conversation - well, it was more of a monologue on my part because the words just kept coming. I shared with him what I'm noticing in my own life and how he is exactly where he needs to be because I know in my own life that God is the Light in what I see (yesterday's lesson). I'm so much more confident in my own Knowing that it is easier to reflect what I see in others because I see Light.

We talked about what I've learned about myself over the past 4 years or so, right up to December when I named my Genius during Dick Richards' Genius Workshop, which gave me access to an entirely new opening. My friend kept telling me that he wished someone could just tell him what he should want and what he should do, and I totally understood what he was saying because there was a part of me that used to be like that, too. I understand now that when we are working on finding our own Genius and giving it a name, it means we have to do some work, and part of that work is looking inside for those parts that we might rather ignore. Sometimes our Genius shows up as what others might consider a weakness - it's really a strength dialed up a couple of notches. For example, all my life people told me I was "too" something - too intense, too driven, too passionate - and what I realize is that that's my Genius (Inviting Dialogue) showing up on overdrive. As I learn to listen more and talk less, I learn, too, and that's what dialogue is all about.

Last night I realized in talking with my friend that dialogue also involves talking, which I heard myself doing more of than usual. As I've been working on balancing this Genius, I realize that there have been times I haven't said everything I want to say, and that has left me at times with a feeling of uneasiness. Last night I may have overbalanced on the talking side, but I told my friend that's what I noticed and the conversation was very authentic.

When I realize that God is the Light in what I see (from yesterday) and that God is the Mind with which I think, and that they have never left me despite all the clutter I've put in the way, it becomes much easier to be authentic. Intention is everything at this stage for me.

What are you noticing in your own life?

Day 44

Today's Lesson:

God is the light in which I see.

Today's idea takes yesterday's one step further. It tells us that we cannot see in darkness, and we cannot make light. In order to see, we must recognize that light is within, not without. This light is with us always, making vision possible in every circumstance.

Today's practice asks us to think of the lesson with our eyes open, and then close them, repeating the idea several times more. We are to try to sink into our minds, letting go every kind of interference and intrusion by quietly sinking past them. Our minds cannot be stopped in this unless we choose to stop them.

We should experience some sense of relaxation, and even a feeling that we are approaching, if not actually entering into light. The lesson tells us to be determined not to forget to repeat the lesson several times throughout the day today.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I'm reminded of the highway patrolman who stopped me on Thursday. He didn't give me a ticket, but the warning was to "slow down." To me that is a physical manifestation of today's lesson. I find myself breathing deeply much more often recently as the busyness of each day seems to bring on more activity and more "stuff." It's been automatic for me to breathe deeply, and my friend Gina noticed that as I do that, I allow myself more breathing space. It happens automatically, but I do notice that my unconscious mind is asking for that space, so I know I need to create it for myself.

This morning the radio came on to wake me up, and the first story I heard had something to do with allowing guns in the home, from what I could gather. I heard one of our North Dakota legislators say something like "if someone broke into my house at 2 in the morning, I would shoot him so many times he would leak like a watering can when I was done." During my first meditation this morning, he came to my mind and instead of being angry with him over his abrupt and rather definitive language, I thought of him and sent light to him. I realized that in order to heal the world, I cannot fight anger with anger - in fact, it's not about fighting at all. I can understand how people can get riled up to join in anger and how charisma can be misguided. I choose to send light with my charisma, and when I can get ego out of the way, what is left but love and light?

I will choose today to connect with the light of God, the light in which I see everything.

What are you noticing in your own life?

Day 43

Today's Lesson:

God is my Source. I cannot see apart from Him.

Today we begin to understand the distinction between perception and knowledge. Perception is not an attribute of God. God's realm is the realm of knowledge. Perception is what we think we see through the body's eyes. Knowledge is what we Know because of God. God has given us the Holy Spirit to act as the Mediator between perception and knowledge. Without this link with God, our perception would have replaced knowledge forever in our minds. With this link with God, our perception will become so changed and purified that it will lead to knowledge.

We are also encouraged to use three five-minute practice periods today, one as early and one as late as possible in the day. This Course demonstrates how important it is to be quiet and Know our Source. The lesson assures us that our perception will be changed and purified - but we have to slow down and be still.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I'm becoming more aware all the time of the importance of stillness and quietness in my life. All the great teachers and authors who speak of our link to spirituality in any area of our lives tell us that meditation and stillness are essential to our whole person growth. I find that as I start to get very busy, I'm given subtle and not-so-subtle reminders that stillness is an essential part of my own personal growth (see a previous post about my experience with the highway patrolman).

Today's lesson proves - in the spiritual sense - something I've been teaching in my manufacturing training, and shows how everything is connected. One of the quotes I've been using for the past 4 years in my Job Relations training comes from an HR group in Minnesota. It says:

We are measured not by what we are, but by the perception of what we seem to be; not by what we do, but by how we appear to do it.

Notice the word "perception." Today we learn that perception is not an attribute of God - it is our human way of seeing. God Knows. We perceive. I think the best way to get beyond perception - ours or others' - is to have a conversation. When we can be very aware of our intention in any given moment, and are certain that our intention is loving and, as today's lesson tells us, through God as our Source - we can deal with our own and others' perception much differently than if we saw perception the same as we know knowledge.

What do you see as the distinction between perception and knowledge in your own life? How might these distinctions move you to a higher level of understanding?

Day 42

Today's Lesson:

God is my strength. Vision is His gift.

Today's lesson shows us why we cannot fail in our efforts to achieve the goal of the course. We will see because it is the Will of God. When we remember that it is His strength and not our own that gives us power, we understand better how we cannot fail. It is God's gift rather than our own that offers vision to us. This gift is available at any time and in any place - we cannot help but be in the right place at the right time.

Miracles I'm noticing:

Although it is sometimes difficult to understand when we try to use our rational human mind, today's lesson provides some comfort when we consider events and situations we can't immediately rationalize. I listened to Oprah on XM radio on Thursday as she interviewed Gary Zukav and she had a very difficult time understanding how situations like war and gang activity and Darfur could possibly be demonstrations of a loving universe. Gary was very confident in his answers, even though Oprah couldn't quite grasp his belief. Gary said every situation brings with it lessons and opportunities to learn and grow to be more loving ourselves. As he continued in his conviction, which was very similar to today's lesson, Oprah slowly started to understand. Her mind was open, and you could just hear her start to see what Gary was explaining.

I think if we can all have open minds whenever we enter into any conversation, we are bound to learn something new - either we will learn that our own ideas are validated or we will learn something new from someone else. That is the definition of "dialogue" - suspending assumptions for the purpose of learning something. Since we cannot but be in the right place at the right time, according to today's lesson, we can receive God's gift of vision whenever and wherever we are.

Listen for opportunities to learn something new. Notice how open your mind is to new ideas or to validation for your current ideas. God is your strength. Vision is His gift!

Day 41

Today's Lesson:

God goes with me wherever I go.

Today's lesson really starts getting to the heart of what this Course teaches. When we think about the current state of the world - with all the loneliness, abandonment, depression, anxiety, worry, misery suffering and fear - we can see how today's lesson really is the opportunity to overcome all those heavy emotions.

We have tried so many "cures" for what we see as "the ills of the world," but we have been acting on the effects, not the cause. If we are treating symptoms of dis-ease that isn't even real, what might we be able to "cure" if we get to the root cause?

We have learned over the past few lessons that our minds are part of God's and we are very holy, our holiness envelops everything we see, our holiness blesses the world, there is nothing our holiness cannot do, our holiness is our salvation, and we are blessed as sons of God. However, today's lesson says that we probably still don't really believe all this. We are conditioned to look at the heavy clouds of insane thoughts which represent all we see around us. We see the clouds and think the sky is gray, when really the sky is always blue - it's just that the clouds sometimes get in the way of the blue sky - of the truth. The light is always there beyond the clouds - we just have to trust it and find it within.

God is the light behind the clouds and He is with me wherever I go. As we start really thinking about this statement and take it to heart, we begin to see that the answers to the problems we see in the outer world are within us as God is within us.

Miracles I'm noticing:

I got a book in the mail today (well, it probably came yesterday, but I got it today when I went outside to get today's paper) called "Hard Optimism: How to Succeed in a World Where Positive Wins." Coincidence? The book tells us how it is possible to create hard results from something as traditionally "soft" (in the business world) as positive thinking. One of the quotes at the very front of the book is from my hero Ralph Waldo Emerson:

The ancestor to every action is a thought.

So if the thought is from within us, where does that thought come from? Today's lesson makes it so much easier to trust those thoughts if I know that God is with me wherever I go.

The world is all abuzz over Oprah's interview on Thursday with the people from The Secret. Think about the way we can alter the entire universe now that we've got so many more people thinking about ways we can really make a difference in the world instead of looking for ways things won't work. Think about all the creativity and innovation that can manifest when given fertile ground in which to work.

Yesterday before I started on my 5-hour journey back to Fargo after speaking to the group in Mankato, I stopped to see a friend of mine who works in Mankato. She and her husband both work in the same office building - a shopping mall transformed into an office building (very cool) - and she showed me his office, warning me that he was very busy and probably wouldn't be able to stop and say hi. As we walked into his office, he stopped what he was doing and asked a couple of questions about why I was in Mankato, what I was doing, etc. It turns out his business is a management company that helps businesses succeed, including helping startups with all the steps they need to take in that phase. We talked for probably a half hour, and he gave me all kinds of great advice as my business, Bock's Office Transformational Consulting, grows into the next stage. He even gave me the name and phone number of a woman he has helped grow her company - in a very similar genre as mine. Coincidence? I don't think so.

I had stopped at Barnes & Noble on my way back to my hotel the night after the speech in Mankato and picked up Wayne Dyer's "Ten Secrets for Success and Inner Peace" on CD, so I popped that in on my way back home. Wow. Have you ever read a book (or listened to one on CD) and thought, "I wish I'd have written that"? This is one of those for me. It's so in tune with everything I think. I'm so grateful for Wayne Dyer in the world.

I also bought a little book called "When God Winks At You." It's all about coincidences and what they really mean. Hmmmm.

Just notice what seem to be random coincidences. What if God really was with you wherever you go. Would those events seem to be as random then? What are you seeing in your own life?

Day 40

Today's Lesson:

I am blessed as a Son of God.

Today's idea begins to show the fun of this Course. Today's exercises take little time and no effort. This shows the power of positive thoughts. As we think about the message today, we are to add several of the attributes we associate with being a Son of God, applying them to ourselves. We are to think about this throughout the day whenever it occurs to us. The format may be like this:

I am blessed as a Son of God. I am happy, peaceful, loving and contented or I am calm, quiet, assured and confident.

Whenever we remember to repeat the idea for today, we are to think about it - preferably every ten minutes.

Miracles I'm noticing:

Wow. I had quite the day yesterday. I spoke last night for the Minnesota College Business Professional of America State Convention in Mankato, MN, which is a lot further away from Fargo than I originally thought. I was working away yesterday around 1:00, and thought I better check Mapquest to find out how long it would take to get to Mankato and Mapquest said it was about 5 hours away. I wasn't packed or ready at all and I was scheduled to speak at 8:00.

So I hurried and got packed and stopped to get gas and was on the road by 2:00, but it wasn't looking like I was going to have much time at all to get ready (and I needed to iron my shirt!). I punched the address into my GPS and told it I wanted to arrive by 6:00. The GPS told me I would be there by 7:26, so I was 1 hour and 26 minutes behind my estimated arrival time.

I tuned into my beloved XM radio Channel 156 - Oprah and Friends on the way and heard an amazing interview with Oprah and Gary Zukav, author of Seat of the Soul. It was a fascinating interview and I was very into it. In fact, I even called in and left a message for Oprah there telling her how wonderful I thought it was. I was so into the show that I didn't really realize that the highway patrol car I passed was waiting for me.

So I pulled over and the patrolman was very polite. He asked if I was watching my speed and I had to admit that I was - and told him I was going to be late to a speaking engagement in Mankato. He told me that a patrol plane had clocked me consistently at 80 - 81 mph in this 70 mph zone. (It was consistent because I had my cruise set there.) He took my licence and registration and went back to his car. When he came back, he asked more about what I was speaking for, what I do, how I got into that, and other very engaging questions. Then he folded up the ticket in his hand, and handed it through the window and said, "well, there's your written warning," and proceeded to tell me the best way to get to Mankato the quickest way.

That was truly a miracle - an angel sent to remind me to S-L-O-W D-O-W-N ... not just on the road. He was also an angel because he allowed me 3 minutes to practice my elevator speech for Bock's Office Transformational Consulting and our new focus which will be announced in the next couple of weeks. What an opportunity to be truly grateful!

Then last night after my speech, one of the deans at the college who is an advisor to this student group (and who, by the way, won 3 awards last night for her participation and mentorship) told me that she has always wanted to be a speaker and she's been kicking around those ideas for her retirement in the next year or so when she moves to New Hampshire to be closer to her grandchildren. She asked if I needed an Eastern division for my company. As we got talking, it turns out her education, training, and experience (her genius) fits into a niche we are lacking: curriculum development and active facilitation. When I checked e-mail this morning, she had already sent me a note along with her credentials. Wow! As she told me last night: "there are no accidents."

For sure! I am TRULY blessed as a Son of God!!!

Day 39

Today's Lesson:

My holiness is my salvation.

Today's idea starts out by asking us, "If guilt is hell, then what is its opposite?" We first have to answer for ourselves whether or not we believe that guilt is hell. We learn today that we are dealing only in the very obvious, which has been overlooked in the clouds of complexity in which we think we think.

The idea today is really very straightforward. The lesson tells us that we have already said that our holiness is the salvation of the world. We cannot give what we do not have. A savior must be saved, otherwise he could not teach salvation. Once we recognize that our salvation is crucial to the salvation of the world, we will begin to see that the whole world stands to benefit. Our holiness means the end of guilt, and therefore the end of hell.

Miracles I'm noticing:

Today's idea really shows me how much my religious upbringing focused on guilt and fear. The first time I read that guilt is hell, I almost felt guilty for believing it, which just proves how unconscious my feelings of guilt had become. If that were true, then I really was living in hell without even thinking about it. Since then I've become more more conscious of my feelings of guilt, and have consequently chosen not to let guilt run my life. I can say with confidence that I do far fewer things out of obligation these days and am very conscious of the freedom that gives me in my daily life.

I also notice that I am much calmer and more accepting of the fact that my holiness really is my salvation. It used to be difficult for me to believe that I really could be worthy of what this Course teaches. I've been conditioned to believe that I am sinful and unclean and that it really would be very egotistical of me to believe that I could possibly be deserving of much at all in this lifetime. I've been taught that salvation is mine because Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and my eternal reward will be realized in Heaven - after I die. What would give me the slightest idea that I could possibly be rid of guilt and deserve holiness right here right now?

I realize now that it is very egotistical to believe that I know better than my Creator what I deserve right here right now. When I try to block the holiness that is my salvation, I am denying myself - and the world - the salvation that is ours. I cannot give to the world what I do not have. According to the way I've been taught, by shutting off my own salvation, I would be doing the same to the world. By denying myself the gifts my Creator has given me, I have been unconsciously doing the same to the world. It is no wonder this Course talks about the upside-down thinking we have come to believe.

If guilt is hell, what is its opposite? My holiness is my salvation from this.

Day 38

Today's Lesson:

There is nothing my holiness cannot do.

Today's lesson demonstrates the power of one person's thoughts on the whole universe. There are no restrictions to the power of my holiness. It is totally unlimited because it established me as s Son of God, at one with the Mind of my Creator.

It may seem a little odd to believe we each have this much power. After all, we've been trained and conditioned to believe exactly the opposite. But through our holiness the power of God is made manifest. And there is nothing the power of God cannot do. So my holiness can remove all pain, end all sorrow and solve all problems. If I am holy, so is everything God created. I am holy because all things He created are holy. All things He created are holy because I am holy.

It's a lot to take in, but think of what each of us could do in the world if we really believed this. It will take some practice, which is why the lesson is set up to involve four practice periods throughout the day, each of five minutes. We are to think about any sense of loss or unhappiness, whether it's difficult for us or for someone else. Then we are to think:

In the situation involving _______ in which I see myself, there is nothing that my holiness cannot do.

In the situation involving _______ in which __________ sees himself, there is nothing my holiness cannot do.

Miracles I'm noticing:

Our Course group met again last night and each gathering brings us closer together as a group, but also allows me a wonderful opportunity to learn from and to share with them what I'm seeing and experiencing. I spent the entire day yesterday (except for a break in the middle to meet for lunch with some of my friends from the Course group for a birthday celebration) working on my business plan for my business. Even in a task like that, I can see and celebrate what I'm learning about myself and the world. As I realize my own holiness, I see that everything I think about for potential clients and business affiliates can have the effect today's lesson tells us. There is nothing my holiness cannot do, so I know that my business will have those effects on the clients we work with in helping them enhance employee engagement at their organizations. As I bring together best-in-class providers of their own areas of expertise, all of us will share that vision of holiness, and together we will be able to help and support our clients in healing the world.

This surely involves a shift in focus from fear to love - and that is the true definition of a miracle. I'm excited to be more intentional about that for myself and everyone I work with or speak to.

There is nothing my holiness cannot do.

Day 37

Today's Lesson:

My holiness blesses the world.

Today we start to see how one person (I) really can be the salvation of the world. My purpose is to see the world through my own holiness - the world and I are blessed together. The lesson says that no one loses; nothing is taken away from anyone; everyone gains through my holy vision. This idea is the end of sacrifice because it is available to everyone. And each of us is entitled to everything because it is our birthright as children of God.

The lesson goes on to say that there is no other way in which the idea of sacrifice can be removed from the world's thinking. Any other way of seeing will inevitably demand payment of someone or something and, as a result, the perceiver would lose; and he would have no idea why he is losing.

We are to practice today's lesson four times throughout the day, for five minutes at a time. It is to be used while thinking of objects as well as people. It is particularly helpful to apply it silently to anyone we meet, especially if someone seems to cause an adverse reaction in us. As we offer a silent blessing to someone else, we automatically keep it in our own awareness.

Miracles I'm noticing:

Recently I've begun to see how I am much more confident in talking about what I'm learning here and in other study I've been doing over the past four years or so. Where I used to rely on books and studies to validate and verify my own thoughts, I can think of two examples yesterday where I didn't take any reference materials with me and just talked from my heart. I was interviewed on a radio talk show yesterday about my book (The 100% Factor) and I didn't do any preparation at all - I just talked. I remember a day when I would have been very nervous about having anyone ask me something spontaneously - especially something that was being aired or recorded - because I wouldn't trust that I knew what to say. The other incident yesterday was with a client as we were planning their annual leadership retreat. I didn't take anything with me other than my book, and just talked about what I've come to know about leadership and passion and inspiration in the workplace. I even quoted my new (and higher) rates (it's been 2 years since this client has worked with me) and didn't flinch. They accepted the rate and said they would pay me whatever I ask as long as I deliver what I say I will. I told them I guarantee it.

I noticed this, too, when I was interviewed for Lisa Haneberg's podcast a couple of weeks ago. I felt very confident and articulate as I spoke from my knowing, not from what I thought she would want to hear.

This new knowing might not seem to apply directly to today's lesson, but when I consider that my holiness blesses the world, I can see how each of those encounters really did come from my holiness and that is why I was confident (note: not cocky - cocky is ego, confidence is Spirit). I very much know the difference now. My ego kept me small and insecure in meetings and interviews, even though people from outside might not have noticed because I worked so hard to put on the right face and say the right things. But I know the difference. Listening to Spirit is SO much easier - and I know, from this study, that it's supposed to be easy.

This Course is all about the distinction between love and fear; but it does not aim at teaching the meaning of love because, as it says in the introduction, "that is beyond what can be taught. It does aim, however, at removing the blocks to the awareness of love's presence, which is your natural inheritance. The opposite of love is fear, but what is all-encompassing can have no opposite." That is very reassuring and helps me see that it is my holiness - through Spirit - that blesses the world.

What are you noticing?

Day 36

Today's Lesson:

My holiness envelops everything I see.

Today's idea extends the idea for yesterday from the perceiver to the perceived. As the lesson tells us, we are holy because our minds are part of God's. And because we are holy, our sight must be holy as well. "Sinless" means without sin. You cannot be without sin a little - you either are sinless or you're not. If our minds are part of God's, we must be sinless, or a part of His Mined would be sinful. Our sight is related to His Holiness, not our our egos, and therefore not to our bodies.

Miracles I'm noticing:

This lesson reminds me of an introductory philosophy class I took in college - logic. If A = B and B = C, then A = C. If our minds are part of God's (A = B) and God's Mind is sinless (B = C), the our minds must be sinless (A = C). Logically it makes sense. It's just that our minds have been trained illogically all these years. This Course is simply a course in mind retraining. It may seem logical when it's put down like this, but that doesn't mean it will be an easy process to retrain. That's why the lesson gives us specific actions to take to help us understand this new way of seeing. The lesson reminds us that this process should be effortless, so the retraining should not be stressful - in fact, with practice, this new way of seeing and being in the world feels very natural to me. It's almost like coming home to something I've known deep down all my life. Exclusion has always felt uncomfortable to me, whether that be in my religious training or in any conversation where someone is "right" and someone else is "wrong" - or where someone is "good" and someone else is "bad."

When I've been able to get outside those labels, it's been much more comfortable for me to do or say or be anything. So see for yourself where you might notice a level of comfort or discomfort around today's idea. The discomfort is simply an indicator that there might be another way to look at things - and see whether it's your ego's discomfort. You might be pleasantly surprised to note that the letting go will feel much more comfortable than the holding tight that your ego wants to do.

Day 35

Today's Lesson:

My mind is part of God's. I am very holy.

This might be difficult to believe because it might not describe the way we see ourselves now. It reminds me of that part of "The Secret" movie when Loral Langemeier tells us to use the affirmation "Money comes easy and frequently." She says there will be a part of us that thinks "I'm a liar. This is hard." But that's where the practice comes in.

Today's lesson says that this describes what vision will show us. It may be difficult for anyone who thinks he is in this world to believe that he is very holy. But the reason we think we are in the world is because we do not believe our minds are part of God's and that we are very holy.

We are to repeat today's idea to ourselves, and then close our eyes and search our minds for the various kinds of descriptive terms in which we see ourselves - including all the ego-based ones, whether positive or negative. All of these are equally unreal, because we do not currently look upon ourselves through the eyes of holiness.

After we have named each attribute in our minds, we are to add:

But my mind is part of God's. I am very holy.

Miracles I'm noticing:

The more I read and speak and train and study, the more I see the connections between this Course and the evolution of the collective consciousness of the people who surround me. I understand today's lesson from a different perspective, but it has been nearly four years of study. I do understand, too, however, that it is possible to make a choice and to have all of this understanding come in an instant. I know, too, that if we have trouble thinking of ourselves as holy because we think it is arrogant, or because we have been taught to be humble, or for any number of other reasons, we are not seeing ourselves as our creator created us. It is actually more arrogant to believe we know better than our creator and to believe we are not holy really does rob the world of our gifts.

Just notice for yourself ways your own gifts are celebrated in your life. Step into that magnificence. You'll know it when you feel it, and pretty soon you will start to see it because you believe it. Let us know what you're observing so we can celebrate with you!

Day 34

Today's Lesson:

I could see peace instead of this.

Today's lesson is a great reminder that the world I see outside is a direct result of the world I see inside. If I see the world as fearful, depressing, or anything other than peaceful, that's the first sign that I have fallen back into my old way of seeing. As the lesson says, "it is from your peace of mind that a peaceful perception of the world arises."

In each of the daily lessons, we are asked to devote five minutes or so to practicing the thought for the day. We are to search our minds for fear thoughts, anxiety-provoking situations, "offending" personalities or events, or anything else about which we are harboring unloving thoughts. Note them all casually, repeating the idea for today slowly as we watch them arise in our minds, and let each one go, to be replaced by the next.

Miracles I'm noticing:

This daily practice ends up being kind of a like a meditation practice in disguise. I don't know about you, but the word "meditation" has always intimidated me. I know what I need to do, and I know about the benefits to just being still. So the daily lessons allow me to get past my preconceived notions about my perceived inability to meditate.

I'm thinking that this religion situation with my mother (see previous posts for a better explanation) was put here exactly for this purpose for me. As I've been studying the Course for the past two years, I find that there are far fewer situations that cause me to be upset, so this is one that has shown up to be my practice subject. When I think of it like that, I can really be grateful - and grateful not just that she sent me that package (I must have needed a big reminder!), but grateful that my parents gave me the religious foundation they gave me. After reading through all the literature in the packet, I'm also so very grateful that I've found this group of friends and this Course because it feels so much better to me than the old patriarchal and exclusive study I was raised with. It's validation to me that I really can see peace instead of that.

Day 33

Today's Lesson:

There is another way of looking at the world.

Today's lesson shows us that we can shift our perception of the world, both inside and outside ourselves. Whenever anything tempts us to become disturbed, we are to think about the situation and say to ourselves: "There is another way of looking at this." Merely remembering today's idea the instant we become aware of distress will be a great reminder that we are actually inventing the world we see.

Miracles I'm noticing:

This reminds me of a video training program called "Everyday Creativity." It is narrated by DeWitt Jones, a photographer from the National Geographic. The premise is that there is always more than one right answer. He shows how the same beautiful photograph takes on a completely different dimension by simply changing lenses. It's a great analogy to reinforce today's lesson.

Since my opportunity to see miracles this week happens to be through the lens of my current training situation, I'm reminded how the training we're doing calls for each participant to look at more than one possible action each time he/she works on solving a problem with a person he/she supervises. We may think our initial reaction to anything is the only way to see the situation, but today's lesson tells us there is another way to see it as well.

I'm thinking now of our Tuesday evening Course meeting in which I was upset about my mother sending me information about her church. When I know that there is another way of looking at the world, I can see how easy it is to shift away from upset in that situation, too. One thing I absolutely love about this work is that it is so transferable - and it sticks. I remember the lessons so well and can always see immediate applications. Each week I get a chance to reinforce my learning with a dedicated group of close friends. What better way to learn! Is there something we can take from this experience and transfer to classroom education? Hmmmm ....

I'll be preparing a business plan for my business this next week, and one thing I want to include is a plan for taking the transformational opportunities my company will be offering to businesses and offer it to schools as well. I think I'll include something about my experiences in adult learning here and see whether it might apply to students, too. All we need to do is to realize that there is another way of looking at traditional education.

Lesson 32

Today's Lesson:

I have invented the world I see.

This lesson is another chance for us to understand the theme of cause and effect. I am not the victim of the world I see because I invented it. It's pretty difficult to be the victim of what I have invented. If it's all made up anyway, then it should become easier and easier to give up what is distressing and make up something new. This applies to everything I see on the outside, and everything I see when I close my eyes.

Again, this will take practice because it may seem rather foreign to us. So the lesson asks us to take time really think about today's idea - with things we see with our physical eyes, and things we see in our own minds.

Miracles I'm noticing:

It's no coincidence that today's message from TUT is as follows:

Looking for the gift in a situation, Jodee, typically means there's a belief that the situation's outcome could have been better. And thinking that an outcome could have been better, only happens when there's a belief that one's joy could have been greater had there been a different outcome. And thinking that one's joy hinges on the outcome of any time-space occurrence, almost always means that some cool cat somewhere, has ever so briefly forgotten not to interpret events with their physical senses alone, that all the elements, then and now, are lining up in their favor, and that their own happy feet needn't have missed a beat. Bust a move - The Universe

I continue to see how what I'm learning here applies to the training I'm conducting this week. My goal for my business is to integrate spirituality and business, and every day I become more and more clear about how I might be able to do that. I stopped to see another client on Wednesday and am noticing how what I'm learning is causing me to be much more confident with my consulting advice. I will be doing more work with this other client because I was able to be genuine and authentic and they realized, I think, that this candid and sincere conversation is exactly what they'd like to continue with their own staff.

Yesterday we talked about how whatever we're doing with our supervision in the workplace is made up - it's all a game - and if it's not working, we can just make up something else. That has taken me some time to really get in my own life. I've been so busy reading and listening to other people to form my own opinion, that it's nice to remember that somewhere along the way the people who are now "authorities" had to make up whatever rules we now consider to be standards. I was thinking yesterday: I love Emerson and read his writing as often as I can because I feel so validated in my own thought process. But he didn't have Emerson to read when he was alive, so where did that information come from? He probably kicked around his own ideas with friends like Thoreau. They probably read Plato and Aristotle. So where did Plato and Aristotle get their ideas? I think there is really something to being quiet and going within. We really do know all this stuff anyway. It's just a matter of getting rid of what isn't working. It's a matter of understanding that it's all invented.