Spirituality and Religion Menu
How are we are loved by and connected to God, or Spirit, or giver of life? How do we understand and express our relationship with God?
Free At Last: How Oneness Consciousness Overcomes The Trauma/Empire Consciousness Loop
by Dr. Michael Obsatz - March 2025
"'Early childhood abandonment, abuse, and neglect result in Trauma Consciousness. The infant/child feels out of control, and lives totally dependent on parents and caregivers. Without their support, the child will surely die. Alice Miller writes about this in The Drama of the Gifted Child. The young child is forced to adapt to a family system which is hierarchical and dominating. The culture, living in Empire Consciousness, is one of isolation, scarcity, fear, and control..."
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Cheap Grace, Expensive Grace, Expansive Grace
by Dr. Michael Obsatz - March 2025
"'I Forgive You. Now Go and Sin No More'
Jesus shares one clear message about grace. Grace means that one is forgiven for negative, mean, or destructive actions by God, oneself, and other people. But that is not the end of it. "Go and sin no more" is about one's willingness to learn from one's mistakes and negative actions. And, to no longer repeat them..."
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We are NOT the World: Maintaining Internal Stability in an Unstable, Volatile World
by Dr. Michael Obsatz - February 2025
"Since much of the world still lives in Empire Consciousness, there will always be instability all around us. Empire Consciousness focusses on fear, scarcity, power, mistrust, domination, violence, shame and hierarchy. These always lead to polarization, addiction, destruction, panic and emotional and physical pain and death..."
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Love Is Our Motivation, Navigation, and Inspiration
by Dr. Michael Obsatz - November 2024
"As the world lives in Empire Consciousness, with its domination, hierarchy, competition, scarcity and fear, we can choose to live in love -- our motivation, navigation and inspiration. Oneness Consciousness is the pathway to love and making love the main ingredient in our lives. Love is to be found everywhere, in everyone and everything..."
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How Do You See God?
by Dr. Michael Obsatz - October 2024
"God can mean many different things to people. Here are just a few of the conceptual
ideas related to who God is:
God is Life-Force-Energy Universal love -
God is Father/Mother -
God is a punishing parent, demanding conformity to God's will -
God is grace-filled Deity in the world..."
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God's Healing Plan
by Dr. Michael Obsatz - August 2024
"The world’s heart is aching, breaking, shaking...
But God has a healing plan, and you are called...God's Healing Plan...I am Whole, Holy, and Grace-filled...I am whole...I have thoughts, feelings, a mind, a body...I am grateful to be whole...I am holy...I am a sacred creation of God, of the Universe... Nothing more or less than anyone else... I am grateful to be holy..."
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Scarcity, Scared, and Sacred
by Dr. Michael Obsatz - August 2024
"Have you ever thought about the word "scarcity?" It means not enough -- not enough money, power, space, resources. The word "scare" is close to scarcity.
Fear comes with "not enough." ...
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From Blurry Vision to Spiritual Oneness Clarity
by Dr. Michael Obsatz - July 2024
"My recent cataract surgery revealed how blurry my vision had been these last few years. I wonder if the world, and especially the US, needs cataract surgery to start seeing life, people, and the earth more clearly..."
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Holy Opportunity: Finding Meaning In Our Lives
by Dr. Michael Obsatz - May 2024
"It is a miracle that we exist at all. We have been born into a world of complexity -- small, helpless, and completely dependent upon our families and caretakers. Since those who care for us are imperfect, they will likely project some of their fears, insecurities, and limitations onto us. We are wide open, receptive, and totally vulnerable to whatever is given to us..."
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Spirituality and Religion
Storytelling in Small Groups
Storytelling about spirituality and religion. Quotations and insights from various authors.
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Model and Introduction to Process Thought, also known as Process Theology
By David Tillman
A link to an YouTube introduction to Process Though, also know as Process Theology. Plus Process Thought model you can download.
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Your Spirituality - Take a Look
By David Tillman
Paul Pruyser’s Seven Diagnostic Variables.
Awareness of the Holy,.Providence, Faith., Grace or gratefulness,
Repenting., Communion, Vocation
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Why Do You Believe What You Believe?
By David Tillman - October 2022
"We did an exercise at a recent church confirmation class that I found insightful. The question was, “What are the sources of your and others’ beliefs?
Re-Charging My Battery
by Dr. Michael Obsatz -
April 2024
"There are various items that I must charge regularly to keep them going. My electric toothbrush is one. My cell phone is another. And I have a charger for my car battery when it gets too low. I don't drive it all that much.
I started to think about spiritual re-chargers for our internal soul batteries.
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Heaven on Earth
by Dr. Michael Obsatz -
May 2024
"Today, my wife and I went to Kelly and Kelly Garden Store --- for its big opening of the season. I brought my camp chair and found a comfortable and shady place to sit near the offices. There were tall trees all around me -- oaks, willows, pine trees. Every possible shade of green..."
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"Radical Resilience" and Our Soul’s Purpose
by Dr. Michael Obsatz -
March 2024
"It is remarkable how resilient we are. We are blessed to be able to bounce back from disappointment, betrayal, negativity, criticism, bullying, loss, and hurt.
Richard Rohr calls this ability "radical resilience." When we look at our life's challenges, it is amazing what we have overcome..."
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Every Day is Christmas -- A Unity Christmas Carol
by Dr. Michael Obsatz -
December 2023
"Every day is Christmas
Sending love throughout the world.
Seeing the Divine in everyone
And a Oneness flag unfurled..."
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Our Resurrection Experience
by Dr. Michael Obsatz -
March 2024
"We live in a material, physical world. At some point, we experience a worldly Insurrection -- some major hurt or abandonment that breaks our heart. This comes from living in an Empire with Empire Consciousness with its focus on power, domination, hierarchy, competition, scarcity, and fear..."
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Try Meditation to Relax and Find Inner Peace
By David Tillman
Meditation is a way to shift your attention from the outside world to the silence within you. Meditation allows your mind and body to rest and rejuvenate.
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A Prayer for the Journey: From Empire to Oneness Consciousness
by Dr. Michael Obsatz -
October 2023
"The news is filled with war, violence, and crime. In my circle of people, there are repeated cases of illness, depression, loneliness, and despair. I try to be a good listener, and be a support for dozens of people, near and far...."
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"Living in the Light" is Living in Delight
By Dr. Michael Obsatz - September 2022
"We are "delight-ful" creatures. We are full of light and love and joy and kindness. When we live in the "light," we see our Divine selves, our best selves, our perfect selves. We believe in abundance, not scarcity, and equality over oppression and marginalization, and domination.
Spirit-Centered Living in an Empire-Obsessed World
By Dr. Michael Obsatz - February 2023
"Jesus pleaded to us to be IN the world, but not OF the world. For Jesus, the world was filled with negativity, hatred, and violence. We have to live IN the world, but we don't have to take on the many worldly ways and beliefs. There is another path, another way of being..."
Christmas, Oneness Consciousness, and the Delivery Man
By Dr. Michael Obsatz - November 2022
"The Christmas song, "Mary, Did You Know?" has a line in it that states, "the child who you delivered will soon deliver you." It is a powerful message and equates the birthing of a child with "deliverance" for its mother..."
Who Are We to Think as if We are Right?
By David Tillman - December 2022
"I am curious, who are we to think, believe, and act as if we are right? That we alone hold the ultimate and only truth..."
Don't Make Assumptions: "Souls in Smaller Bodies" are the Real Christmas Message
By Dr. Michael Obsatz -
December 2022
"In his book called "The Four Agreements" Ruiz tells us to not make assumptions about other people. I am reminded of the motto: "You can't tell a book by its cover."
Moving from Sin and Error Pining to the Real Meaning of Christmas: Lovers of All of Creation
by Dr. Michael Obsatz -
December 2023
"In America, Christmas has become a time focused on buying presents for people to show how much we care about them. Much is made of the birth of Jesus, and how he was praised as a King and Lord. The real meaning of Christmas, however, is the opposite of Kingship and Lordship..."
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From Empire Consciousness to Oneness Consciousness
By Dr. Michael Obsatz - February 2023
"Don’t Fester Don’t Pester Let go of Yesterday...Be a Beamer Be a Dreamer And the Redeemer Will Come Your Way...Let your Light Shine And all will be fine..."
“How to Think Theologically” Book Review
By David Tillman
In How to Think Theologically, Howard W. Stone and James O. Duke present a well thought out framework for theological reflection in today’s world.
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From Shallow to Hallowed: From Empire Consciousness to Oneness Consciousness
by Dr. Michael Obsatz -
July 2023
"Peter Mayer wrote "Everything is Holy Now," a beautiful spiritual reminder about how he learned to see the extraordinary in the ordinary.
It seems like we have a big choice to make: Do we live in the shallow end of life, or do we go deeper into the mystery of life with all of its beauties and complexities?..."
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Centering Prayer and Meditation
By David Tillman - December 2012, rev. August 2022
Take a look at the classroom PowerPoint I presented in 2012 introducing Centering Prayer and Meditation.
The Mystical Sacred Blessing: From Form to Essence
By Dr. Michael Obsatz - September 2022
"Essence is eternal. Form changes. Essence is the core of what matters. Form is one way of expressing Essence but is not to be mistaken for Essence..."
Paper on John Polkinghorne’s reasons for saying the physical universe is ultimately “futile”
By David Tillman
Polkinghorne tells us “Whatever hopes there might be of human progress within history, they can amount to no more than a stay of execution of a sentence of inevitable futility.”
Click HereThe Three Movements of the Spiritual Life – Reaching Out by Henri Nouwen - Book Review
By David Tillman
"I have found that reading Henri Nouwen’s, “The Three Movements of the Spiritual Life – Reaching Out,” has given me model to better understand our spiritual relationship with ourselves, with others, and with God. I see the value in understanding this model as I provide pastoral care to others and with my own self-care..."
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Eight Strengths of a Faith Community from book "Deeply Woven Roots" by Gary Gunderson
By David Tillman
"Deeply Woven Roots...primary concern, as it relates to ministry, is the church needs to provide health, healing, and hope to their congregations and their extended community. He states, “Congregations are where people come together, gathered by God to serve God’s intentions of renewing and redeeming the whole world, not in domination but in love.” ... Here is a brief description of the eight strengths that Gunderson believes are markers of a faith community..."
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What Jesus and St. Francis Reminded Us About.... Everyone Needs to Learn about Healthy, Mature Spiritual Living:
By Dr. Michael Obsatz - August 2022
"How to Live a Love-Filled Life 1. Love and trust God 2. See the Divinity in Everyone, and the Oneness of all of creation..."
Paper – “American Religious Freedom”
By David Tillman
In the new democracy, established after the American Revolution, we saw a growing, pluralist religious society develop...
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GOD -- In More Than Three Letters
By Dr. Michael Obsatz - July 2022
"Concepts of God have been taught for generations. For some children, God was taught to be an old white man with grey hair and a beard. If you weren't white, you couldn't identify with God..."
Ethnic Variations in Dying, Death, and Grief
By David Tillman
Pastoral Care in Grief and Loss class – United Theological Seminary, MN - Weekly Reflection Paper
Ethnic Variations in Dying, Death, and Grief: Diversity in Universality -
Edited by Donald P. Irish, Kathleen F. Lundquist, and Vivian Jenkins Nelson
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Discovering the Present Moment
By David Tillman
Discovering the Present Moment When Our Mind is Thinking about Our Future
Paper on The Theology of Paul Tillich
By David Tillman
Paul Tillich calls the statement of truth of the Christian message the “message,” and the interpretation of this truth as the “situation.”
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Freedom to Breathe a James Luther Adams Perspective
By David Tillman
