From: owner-tml@circuit1.teamcircuits.com on behalf of
RickGiles [rickgiles@prodigy.net]
Sent: Saturday, November 09, 2002 9:11 PM
To: tml@circuit1.teamcircuits.com
Subject: [tml] N. Idaho TeaM 10/27/02
North Idaho Teaching Mission Group
Topics: Shaping Light,Service, The Urantia Movement, Leadership
Teachers: Elyon
October 27, 2002
* Elyon (Jonathan TR): Greetings to you, this is Elyon again,
happy to be among you to share.
You each are guardians of light, though perhaps a more
appropriate word would be custodians, for light is in your
custody. However, both words serve their purpose, for it is of
vital importance to preserve light, to not be one who distorts
but one who transfers light with clarity, sharpness. Yet, as one
who is in custody of light, it is not a custody of being
captured, for you are all motivated -- as I witness this -- to
spread light, to radiate, to give it out so that others may
benefit from illumination.
I am pleased with your discussion of my suggestion last
week, discussing how you shape light. You have brought up good
metaphors and illustrations of how this may take place. I will
bring one more comment to this discussion, and that is as you
share spiritual light be it in the form of conveying knowledge
of things spiritual, wisdom gained from your experiences, or the
helping hand of one human being to another in need, this
broadcast of light takes form as it shines upon another
individual. So, as we had discussed that shaping spirit using
the metaphor of a balloon or a vessel circles around the shape
of spirit within oneself, you also bring shape to light by
permitting it to be shed upon another. Letting your light shine,
as any source of illumination provides, lights up objects in its
proximity. In darkness visible discernment of shape is
difficult. With illumination shape is recognized. So,
extending beyond oneself you bring form to light by letting it
radiate upon another and letting that other be illuminated that
their shape be revealed, and in so doing they see within
themselves the potential and the degree of actual presence of
that light that they too may give out to others.
I have not prepared a lesson. Instead rather I wish to join
your prior conversation and make some other comments. You have
spoken of service, and I have heard the phrase of serving God as
well as the desire to serve others in need. I begin by saying
that the easiest form of service to be had is serving God, for
each one of you is solely the desire of the Father to be His
communion comrade. Though the Father is aware of all that
transpires throughout the vast universe, His divine abilities
are such that without distraction He is singly focused intensely
upon each one of you. And this draw of God towards you is the
divine desire for human experience. Therefore, as you rise in
the morning you have already begun your service to God.
Michael and Mother Spirit are two creator personalities who
have more causes than the Father. The Father’s supreme desire
is your experience. On the other hand each Creator Son and
Creative Spirit have universes to build and to settle in Light
and Life. This begins the ministry service to others. Here
enters variety in task, in value, in method. Recall that Jesus
said, “Whatsoever you do for these little ones you do for me.”
It may be said that living your life is an unceasing service to
God the Father who indwells you, and such a conscious practice
the human engaged aware of this relationship is developing the
skills that Michael and Mother Spirit seek so that you may help
their other children.
You have spoken of service as small acts, individual
endeavors, short periods of benefit, and you have pondered the
value and some means whereby you may engage in apparently bigger
acts of service, those that entail coordination of people to
effectively reach a service goal or to leave a larger imprint
upon humanity of spirit manifestation. These are the
considerations that you have that bring delight to the Creator
Son and to the Creative Mother Spirit. When Michael was leaving
this world he said, “Go forth and proclaim the gospel to all the
world”, and this indeed is a large task even on a small world
like Urantia. Therefore you and I may take that as priority
one, any form of service. It is not to say that tying the shoe
of a little child is not service if you do not preach the gospel
to that little one, for you know with a short interval of
thought that this incorporates doing unto others as you would
have them do unto you. The gospel is preached in deed as well
as word. Herein is the stumbling point for many an organization
that undertakes service, for it is easy to lose track of the
primary objective -- in our case, promoting the gospel -- and
become mired in the orchestration of the various tasks that
result from gospel enlightenment within yourselves and sharing.
Soon deliberations begin over the mechanics, how to host a
function, how to collect and distribute recycled jackets, how to
feed hungry people. I am not saying these ought not to be
undertaken, for there is great need on this world for such
ministries. I simply stress the prominence in any motivation of
revealing the love of the Father to all and demonstrating that
among mankind you can love one another. Then it is up to you
the degree to which you wish to carry this gospel to the world.
There is an expression I witness many of you say as you
leave your residence that you are “heading out”. I find that
humorous, for where is the “in” that you are exiting from? As
one who has lived quite some time, residence has shifted so
often that it does become indiscernible what is home and what is
“out there”, for the borders, the boundaries, of home grow
increasingly large. In that view, going forth to preach the
gospel to the world means that you can be at home and out in the
world at one and the same time, that even your small acts within
the limitations of a neighborhood are as valuable as crusades
across the planet. Conversely, the needs of another halfway
around your globe are just as important as the needs of your
next-door neighbor.
I applaud your sensitivity and your keen observations of
need, for you recognize that human upliftment spans the spectrum
from physical needs all the way on up to the most fulfilling of
all human hunger, and that is personal intimate experience with
God and all the assurances derived therefrom.
Much inspiration has occurred in many lives drawn from the
study of the life of the master. His method of ministry and
outreach has been repeated, the taking into confidence of a few,
the development of a corps, and the extension of that ministry
to the multitudes. I know you recognize that it would not be
feasible for each of you to undertake preaching tours of the
nature of Jesus’ activities of his time. But the principle of
engaging others in your task is good, and you know the range of
personalities that Jesus enlisted in his corps. Their talents
were varied not only horizontally in the sense of what they
could perform, how they could function such as a treasurer or
speaker or usher, but they were varied in degree of spiritual
sensitivity. Some were pacific, some complacent, some nearly
militaristic. This variety is beneficial.
As I began by saying that Michael has a cause, and that is
Light and Life for Nebadon, each one of you provides the variety
for him to complete his task. Saying this, my motivation and
goal is for you to recognize that your horizontal talents do not
make you greater or lesser than another but part of the team.
Never sell yourself short if you feel less enlightened than
someone else, for the method that Michael employed here when he
was on earth enlisted many individuals that one in an academic
sense would say were unqualified.
Well, as any good conversation proceeds, one must not hold
the floor for too long. Therefore I am hoping to dialogue with
you at this time.
Harold: Is there a set design at work within the Urantia
movement? Are we fulfilling all the aspects of it? Are there
things we should be doing to motivate progress in this Urantia
movement?
* Elyon: I respond by first recalling to your memory how
prior to the outreach ministry of Jesus and the apostles they
spent many months in training, and that when they were engaged
in this training period the apostles grew restless. They were
motivated; they had no project as yet. When the missions began
then they saw the wisdom of their master. Then the impatience
of preparing gave way to the appreciation of the wisdom of
becoming prepared. Secondly, they cherished those times when
they had the master to themselves, for as the missions unfolded
private time became scarce. This was over the course of a few
years. The revelation efforts you are engaged in this epoch
span a larger period of time, but the principle applies. First,
the interval of preparation, and that is the interval you have
been engaged in of study, of encouraging others to study,
developing a sound and working knowledge of the Urantia Papers.
And the movement you speak of has done well in encouraging this
undertaking without forcing a ready-made doctrine of
interpretation on this revelation. However, picture if you will
a box full of sand. It does well to contain the sand until at
some time there is a crack in its side. Soon the sand begins to
spill, a little at first until it opens wider and then more.
And if you have ever experienced the frustration when the bottom
falls out there is no holding it back. We are in transition
towards this spilling. One day you will look back upon these
times of preparation and realize it was an entirely different
time than the phase you will be engaged with at that time. The
spilling will be small at first and grow increasingly larger.
There has become present within this movement quite a range
of skills and talents, not only book writers and publishers, but
those who can teach practices found in many of the religions
such as meditation, those engaged in healing the physical
ailments of others, and also those quite astute in the
management of money. And there are many other talents I have
not listed. This broad platform is important, for in this era
we are not simply working in the area of Galilee; we are working
across the globe.
Some within this movement are like the early grain of sand
that has left the box. I do not discourage those early grains of
sand from spreading out. There will be some grains of sand that
never do leave the box. It appears empty but you will find a few
still within. There is a twofold nature at work: those who
preserve and those who promote, though I suppose you could say
there are those who promote preservation. Wringing as much as I
can out of this box of sand metaphor, I would like to say that
if all the sand left the box, what would all these worldwide
ministers have to point back to say, “There is where I found
it. There is the answer.” So, taking this revelation to the
world not only entails weaving it into the thought-stream
present in humanity today, but it must also preserve noticeably
its distinction so that you can look back and say, “There is
where we found it.”
It is important that the Papers remain available, but
warehouses full of books do not transform souls. Therefore that
second step of becoming known, present, published, and out in
practice is important. Jesus was successful not in the few
short years but in the resulting centuries. Many of his
followers did not adhere precisely to his teachings, but he was
successful.
Today we are engaged in the same actions. Seek inspiration
of the Divine Indweller of what you may do, but also trust that
your own human interests are valuable. If you wish to write,
perform plays, join in hospital efforts, whatever it is, the
Father seeks that experience. Michael needs those workers.
The nature of the evolving universes is change, and that
applies to your movement. Understanding the balance and the
timing of process should alleviate any bickering among fellows
as to which is the right way to do it just as was found when
Paul and Peter and even Abner had their differences. You have
been counseled through your text not to start another religion.
As you seek to uplift the religions existent upon Urantia today,
remember that not starting a religion does not mean hiding a
revelation. Let it be known. The revelation will transform the
religion. Some of it will be as the nourishing water of life
seeping up from the ground below as it would if each of you were
engaged in some religious organization and seeded your thoughts
within that context. But as you know not all moisture comes in
that way. Much moisture falls from above, and this is what the
package of the Urantia Papers does. So, while you engage in
efforts of seepage, let it shower as well. Let it be known what
source you derive your inspiration from.
There are factions in your society which cannot tolerate
difference, but at this point in the evolution of your culture
many are able to deal with variety, be it ethnic, cultural,
political. You have been exposed to much that is beyond what a
small clan of people would tolerate. Being one engaged in the
Correcting Time manifesting as the Teaching Mission, I am one
who adheres to outreach, so I encourage you to be creative, to
help advance this movement.
Does this help?
Harold: Yes. It seems that all religions take origin in a
leader. The Urantia movement is almost singly doing without a
leader. Is that part of the plan to not concentrate on a leader
to direct it, or is that in the process of being fulfilled too?
* Elyon: This undertaking is somewhat different than those
you cite. Firstly, small organizations with a leader often
dissipate when the leader is no longer with them. Secondly,
those movements that do survive often deify their leader. In
the case of Christianity they were correct. As you know from
your reading of the text each epochal revelation had a pivotal
figure or figures such as Adam and Eve. Why I bring up Adam and
Eve is so I may segue into my next point, and that is their goal
was the education and enlightenment of those who entered the
Garden training centers and then to send them back to their
clans that they may uplift their own peoples. My point is that
this revelation outreach effort is taking perspective of not one
powerful leader but a multitude of little leaders. Each of you
is like the ones trained in the Garden to return to your
homelands. You see this in this Teaching Mission. No one
teacher runs the show. No one TR is the sole voice. This is
true across the entire Urantia movement. It will be difficult,
for this variability of leadership often, given human nature,
brings fighting. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? What’s
appropriate? What’s inappropriate? But trust me, it is most
powerful in its effectiveness and strongest in its durability.
If Adam and Eve had traveled the entire world teaching everyone
they ran into it would be months or perhaps years before those
tribes would have lost the vision after they, Adam and Eve,
left.
I point to the melchizedeks who have no leader. By being
such they each have become leaders.
One other note, though it is wise to offer correction to any
individual you may note to be on a wayward tangent to the
purposes of the revelation, it is also beneficial to support the
variety, to tolerate the differences of approach so that those
who do have leadership initiative are not squelched or
ridiculed. Support them even if their undertakings are not your
preferred approach.
Do you have more comments?
Harold: That is clear and interesting. I wish that those in
leadership roles now could hear that and accept diversity. It’s
been a problem for those in authority.
* Elyon: True indeed. To return to the box of sand, when one
is comfortably carrying the box it feels powerful, controlled.
When the box starts to leak there is a scramble to maintain that
authority. It is natural in human nature, and the transition
will be somewhat rugged, but eventually the attempt to maintain
the borders will appear useless and futile. So, those like
yourselves can offer the ministry of initiating that seed
thought that will allow the growth of accommodation coupled with
the awareness that each approach is acceptable.
As I have pointed out, the revelation must not disappear.
Some personalities are well suited to preservation and will
fight to the death to not have the revelation altered or
destroyed. This is good, for there will be many who, like Paul
the apostle, will weave the revelation into other
thought-streams and change the color. And that too is good, for
I know each of you found the revelation through these other
paths. You within the movement are the ones to plant the seeds
of understanding.
Harold: Thank you.
Elyon: You are welcome.
I observe that the grains of sand in the hourglass are
falling through, and I will take my leave at this time. I love
you all. As our master often said, be of good cheer. Farewell.
