words from unity
Leaning into the Challenge
by Rev. Michael Gott Senior Minister, Unity of Houston
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here’s a saying my friend and mentor Rev. Kathy Hearn has told me on numerous occasions that has really helped me in times of change: “The greater the shift, the greater the gift.” Sometimes when life is changing all around me, what I want to do is use my time and energy to minimize the change, to control as much as possible, to manage the unmanageable. It never yields the results I’m looking for. Now, I’m not talking about the everyday changes and slow evolution of work, health, finances and relationships. For those things, some attention to the details and managing the edges of things really pays off. What I’m talking about is the sea change. Those end-of-a-chapter and your-lifewill-never-be-the-same kind of experiences. The divorce, the loss of a business or a job, the big diagnosis. For these kinds of life-altering experiences, I have found the best thing I can do is lean into it. When the universe is truly seeking our attention, it can be profoundly rewarding to simply surrender everything.
film brief
Those are the moments in my life when I’ve been most available to Spirit. Shaken loose of my false sense of control, I am open to a new experience and to new direction. I can be made truly useful in ways I had never thought of. If you are in one of those moments, if you’ve tried everything you know, I encourage you to stop trying. Lean in to the currents of the river and you’ll be taken exactly where you need to be. FEBRUARY 3RD “TITLE TBD” with Rev. Michael Gott FEBRUARY 10TH “A Spiritual Makeover” with Rev. Howard Caesar FEBRUARY 17TH “Row, Row, Row Your Boat: The Power of Being a Captain” with Rev. Temple Hayes FEBRUARY 24TH “TITLE TBD” with Rev. Michael Gott Join us for Sunday services at Unity of Houston! 9:00am and 11:00am in the Sanctuary Spanish Service at 9:45 in the Pyramid 2929 Unity Drive, Houston, 77057
Houston
Changing Landscapes Climate Change Documentary Seeks Consensus
National Geographic Documentary Films, in partnership with Bloomberg Philanthropies and RadicalMedia, has released the new film Paris to Pittsburgh (free at NatGeoTV.com), a tribute to the impassioned efforts of individuals battling the most severe threats of climate change in their own backyards. Set against the national debate over the United States’ energy future and the Trump administration’s decision to exit the Paris Climate Agreement, the film captures what’s at stake for communities around the country and the inspiring ways Americans are responding. The film, which premiered in December in 172 countries in 43 languages, is directed and produced by Emmy Award winner Sidney Beaumont and Emynominated filmmaker Michael Bonfiglio. It features local leaders and everyday citizens telling the stories behind climate-related recovery and resiliency. The documentary illustrates the tireless innovative efforts to reduce carbon emissions, including those in former coal boomtowns such as Pittsburgh, where Mayor Bill Peduto says, “There are now more jobs in renewable energy in the state of Pennsylvania than coal, natural gas, and oil combined.
Rob Bell, the former evangelical mega-pastor turned enlightenment guru says his favorite prayer is, “Here.” Like a child that has been struggling to put the toy back together, and finally in tears and frustration thrusts it all at the waiting parent, saying “here.” I can’t manage this. I don’t know what to do. Please take the fragile pieces of my life and do something with them. Anything.
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Michael Bloomberg at the special advance screening of Paris to Pittsburgh.
NaturalAwakenings-Houston.com
