1/2020β
Dear %firstname%,
Thank you for your gift and your participation in the infinite flow of Abundance.
Your contribution directly supports our mission to teach and live universal Truth,
unconditional Love, and abundant Life, realized in many different ways, such as
our SpiritGroups, outreach efforts, spiritual enrichment opportunities, etc.
Charles Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, taught that ο»Ώwhen we establish ourselves in
the Consciousness of God, the whole universe moves to flow into us with its
Abundance of Life and Substance. In many ways, this refers to Jesus Christs
teaching according to Matthew 6:33: But strive first for the kingdom of God and
his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Your gift is
the recognition of the Kingdom and all that comes with it.
Your gift is the demonstration of the immutable Law of Generosity that allows us
to practice giving as Source. You are the Source of all Abundance. Thank you.
We are grateful.
Sincerely,
β
Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer
Senior Minister Unity Fort Worth
2/2020
Dear %firstname%,
It has been a while since I personally thanked you for your contribution to Unity Fort Worth and our mission to spread the teachings of our individual and collective Truths by our living example. Our staffing changes in accounting have delayed our responsiveness while also giving us an opportunity to review and ammend our practices suitable for good stewardship. Rather than summing up my gratitude in one email, I am going to catch up with my thank-you notes, capturing in this email contributions made in February 2020.
My thank-you note for the January 2020 contributions referred to Unity co-founder Charles Fillmore's understanding of perfect flow in Abundance, quoting the Gospel of Matthew regarding our opportunity to strive for the Kingdom of God first in everything we do. Today, I am quoting Charles Fillmore's contemplations on Prosperity in the Revealing Word:
"The difference between spiritual prosperity and material prosperity is that spiritual prosperity is founded on understanding of the inexhaustible, omnipresent substance of Spirit as the source of supply; the material belief is that the possession of things constitutes prosperity."
It is only a small shift in consciousness that allows us to come to understand that we are not only a part of this inexhaustible source of supply but are indeed able to give as source itself, which activates our Generosity.
Your Generosity is the demonstration of tapping into the Abundance available to all of us. Thank you for leading the way. We are deeply grateful.
With greatest blessings,
β
Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer
Senior Minister Unity Fort Worth
β3/2020
Dear %firstname%,
You are receiving this email because you have generously supported Unity Fort Worth in March of this year. If you have given in February, you already received an email only a little while ago. As I mentioned, rather than summarizing my gratitude, I decided to stick to the intial plan of acknowledging your gift at least once a month, for which we are grateful, especially in these uncertain times.
I am reminded of the story of the Israelites who were wandering the desert, led by Moses, out of their bondage in Egypt toward the promised land. At one point, the desperation and worry was so great as they continued to wander in circles that people started losing Faith in God Abundance, which led to a demonstration of God providing manna from the heavens for all to be fed. This story inspired many other stories, such as the Last Supper and taking communion, or the giving of the hidden manna and the picking up of the white stone according to John's Revelation 2:17. Ultimately, all these stories point to our ability to tap into true Generosity from the heart and without fear. And, it is with a tender heart, I am grateful to you for continueing your support as Source in spite of all circumstances. Your demonstration of giving is what allows us to continue to serve you and many others. And, as we grow into a new way of being as a community, we will prosper from the seeds of your Generosity. Thank you.
Let us affirm:
We are truly blessed with the gifts surrounding us at all times. And, as we freely share of those gifts with others, we are encouraged in the practice of Gratitude and Grace. It is such Gratitude and Grace that activates our many spiritual gifts, which resonates with our ability to be at ease. Our Divine is inspired by our actions, and we are joyfully withnessing the fruit of our service. Joy is who we are as we gratefully surrender to a new way of being. And so it is. Amen.
In deep Gratitude,
β
Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer
Senior Minister Unity Fort Worth
1/2021
Dear %family_primary_spouse_firstname%,
What a year it's already been, this new 2021. And yet, we are still standing, not by any small means thanks to your support. As a believer in the practice of Gratitude, I cherish the opportunity to share with you how we all can be inspired by some of the great Teachings that have come before us.
Eric Butterworth, in his popular work "Spiritual Economics," explained Matthew 6:33, "But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well" as follows: "[W]hen we establish ourselves in the consciousness of God, the whole Universe moves to flow into us with its abundance of life and substance." In other words, following God Reality of experiencing Abundance at all times means that we can't outgive God or ourselves. Thank you for demonstrating this principle in our community.
Let us then affirm that we recognize every opportunity to share our gifts with each other, our community, and beyond, knowing we are truly taking part in our infinite Potential and Availability. As we release any power we give to lack and limitation, we embrace with Gratitude every moment that reflects an expression of our Abundance. And so it is. Amen.
With deepest appreciation,
β
Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer
Senior Minister Unity Fort Worth
2/2021
Dear %family_primary_spouse_firstname%,
As another month goes by quickly, we are closing in on almost an entire year of new beginnings, learning to deal with social distancing and other health and safety measures as well as the many changes that came along with the pandemic. I continue to be marveled by the ingeniousness we witness almost on a daily basis as we all learn to adapt and cope as individuals and a community.
Much of what we do is connected to an ongoing learning process, upon which living in Prosperity may be of the more challenging ones. In one of her healing letters, Myrtle Fillmore, co-founder of Unity, wrote: "The only way to become permanently prosperous and successful is through quickening, awakening, and bringing into righteous use all the indwelling resources of Spirit." Her busband, Charles, noted about righteousness that it is "[a] state of harmony established in consciousness through the right use of God-given attributes." To live in Prospierty means to live in harmony with God, allowing us to see what is already prosperious in our lives and where we are still to release some of the limitations we put on ourselves.
It is the demonstration of your Generosity that is directly connected to Unity Fort Worth's Prosperity, and we continue to evolve our ability to be good stewards of your contributions. Thank you for your continued support in our mission to bring about a more positive, progressive, and practical spiritual message to the many who are waiting to receive it.
We affirm the Abundance in which we dwell as we release any power we give to fears of not having enough. We are blessed with gifts of unseen proportions, and we are learning to wake up to such a prosperous Reality. Together, we say "We are rich in all things available to us, and we are open to receive what is already given." And so it is. Amen.
With much appreciation,
β
Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer
Senior Minister Unity Fort Worth
3/2021
Dear %family_primary_spouse_firstname%,
And just like this, the first quarter of 2021 is behind us. Much has already happened and so much more is to come. This pandemic has certainly put us on our toes, some of which has been challenging while creating many opportunities to revisit new and inspiring ways to be. It will be interesting to see how many innovations will remain as we are slowly getting back to whatever the new normal will look like.
Financially speaking, the pandemic has been especially hard on many, including our community, which is why I cannot express my deepest Gratitude enough to you for sticking with us and continuing to support us in this very important way. While we affirm the blessing we already have in the Abundance available to us, we also paid much attention to responsible stewardship over the last year.
The topic of stewardship comes up often in discussions around the Reality of Abundance, especially when there is confusion or frustration around why we do not seem to experience such Reality. The answer often lies with our ability to be good stewards. As I have shared in a sermon before, we already are an abundant community, we just need to learn to be better stewards. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) is a good example of how good stewardship is rewarded. In many ways, your contributions are an expression of such a reward as well as how abundant we already are.
As we move into the process of reopening, some new challenges and opportunities lie ahead. We will face them with a smile and much care for all of us and affirm what Jesus Christ so beautifully emphasized at the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3 & 5): "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven...Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the eart." It is through our ability to humble ourselves as to what we are given (poor in spirit) as well as showing our heart through vulnerability (meek) for that we create heaven on earth, the perfect expression of all we desire in the here and now of our community.
Today, we deny the power we give to any thoughts or feelings of limitation, especially with regard to our finances but also our ability to tap into the Abundance that is always available to us. Without such limitations in our minds, hearts, and souls, we embrace our Generosity and find ways to share it accordingly. As we are reminding ourselves of the blessing we are, we extend our gift to others in kindness and with much Love. And so it is. Amen.
Thank you for being part of our community. We are truly blessed having you.
With kindes thoughts and feelings,
β
Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer
Senior Minister Unity Fort Worth
1/2022
Dear %family_primary_spouse_firstname%,
What a year it's already been. And, thanks to you, we are still here to be Love in Action in our community, be it that of our spiritual friends or even far beyond our expanding church walls.
As you know, I always like to find some quote or other inspiration to share with you as a way to show my appreciation but also to inspire even greater awareness of the ways spiritual laws work, especially when it comes to using Prosperity and applying it correctly in our lives. One often misunderstood aspect of working with the Abundance that is available to us is direction. Direction helps us to choose according to our desires, which are aligned with our spiritual awakening process and directly linked to the way we experience Prosperity. To have direction, it helps to have a goal. In spiritual work, such a goal is often interpreted as our Divine Purpose. Today, I'd like to share how important it is for us to have a Divine Purpose, to give us direction, so that we can adequately apply our Prosperity in life.
In "Teach Us to Pray," Charles and Cora (Charles' second wife after Myrtle's transition) Fillmore defined Divine Purpose like this: "Purpose gives life real meaning. Purpose gives joy and zest to living. When our eye is on the goal, we are not so easily perturbed. Purpose awakens new trains of thought; purpose directs these trains of thought into new fields of achievement. Really to succeed we must have some great purpose in mind, some goal toward which we are to work. But above all, we must always purpose in our heart to achieve spiritually." With purpose we have direction and with direction we align our thoughts, feelings, words, and actions to what we desire. Prosperity then is expressed along the way. And, as we learn to recognize that true Prosperity is much more than just about money, we begin to realize how often we are prosperous in our lives even if we do not recognize it.
In other words, the more we are aware of and actively engage with our Divine Purpose, the more we hone our ability to express Prosperity most adequately and appropriately in life. As we give ourselves direction, we shower our lives and that of many others with the Prosperity that is at hand. As a result, we see evidence of that showing up more and more in our everyday experiences. And, as we learn to appreciate such experiences, our Generosity continues to be stimulated and inspires the unbounded sharing of who and What we are through the means that are available to us.
Many of you might be familiar with the Book of Job, which is often seen as a discourse on why God allows evil in the world. However, Job's story teaches us also about how well we cope when everything is stripped away from us. What is left is our purpose, or, if we use Viktor Frankl's interpretation, the meaning of life. In Job 42:2, we read, "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. In Unity, we interpret this verse from the I AM perspective, suggesting that we can do all things, and that no purpose of ours can be thwarted. Through the lens of Frankl's mid-19th-century experience, we might say, nothing True can ever be taken away from us as long as we find meaning (Divine Purpose) in life.
It is my wish for you and all of us, individually and collectively as a community, that we inspire each other to get to know our Divine Purpose, our meaning in life, so that we may learn to direct ourselves toward true Prosperity in all things. As we release any power we give to our thoughts and feelings around not having enough or not knowing what our purpose is, we affirm that we use and apply our Divine Wisdom to mark the direction with unmistakable certainty. That is the path of Unity. That is the path for all of us. And so it is. Amen.
With much Love and Gratitude,
β
Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer
Senior Minister Unity Fort Worth
2/2022
Dear %family_primary_spouse_firstname%,
As always I am filled with Gratitude as I am sitting down to write this thank-you letter to you who financially supports our community and for what we stand.
Much has happened in February. We welcomed new members to our community, we had the most successful Prayer Bear drive going back many years, and we have been able to lift the mask mandatory after almost a year after we restarted our in-person services on Easter last year. February is also the month of Love (Valentine's Day), the month we remember and celebrate Black history, the month linked to Unity's Power of Strength, and the month that is attributed to purification, atonement, and cleansing (February comes from the Latin word "februar," which means "to cleanse").
However, this year, February will also be remembered when Russia invaded Ukraine. A reality many hoped would be resolved by now. And yet, we are facing much uncertainty regarding what is happening so far away. So, instead of quoting the Fillmores or focusing on Prosperity in the sense of our already existing Abundance in life, let us stand together for a moment and pray with the people in Ukraine.
"We recognize our opportunity to remember who and What we truly are as we open our hearts and minds in perfect harmony with the people in Ukraine. We lift them up in their highest Goodness so that they may reach out to their Potential to weather the storm as they find themselves in perfect Safety and Care for each other. We are not satisfied with just simple thoughts and prayers, and we use our Power of Imagination to envision what is our to do. Our actions speak loudly as we pray with Ukraine. And let this not be the last of it. No matter how small, we find purpose in allowing our Generosity to shine in whatever way we choose. We give thanks to the many who have already taken action in support of the people experiencing their darkest hours. May their example be our Guidance. And so it is. Amen."
Thank you for joining me to spend at moment together in solidarity with the Love we know to be available to all of us and that we learn to give away freely and with much generosity.
Much is to be learned by our willingness to extend our Love and Compassion to others. In fact, the same principles of Abundance and Prosperity apply to such an act of kindness as it does to show our Generosity. As we recognize our opportunity to be generous with whatever may be, we joyfully oblige and serve in this meaningful capacity.
Thank you for being such a support to our community. We appreciate you very much.
With much Love and Gratitude,
β
Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer
Senior Minister Unity Fort Worth
3/2022
Dear %family_primary_spouse_firstname%,
Another month has gone by quickly, and we are well into the springtime of this year. Springtime has much significance in pagan beliefs as well as more naturalistic religions, still practiced by ancient tribal cultures such as the Australian Aboriginals or New Zealand Maori. Like in nature, spring represents growth and renewal in our spiritual lives. It is not a coincidence that Easter and its preceding Lenten seasons fall into this time period as the Old English root word for Lent (læncte) means lengthening as in the lengthening of the days. Therefore, we lengthen our days of spiritual growth to find its conclusion at the resurrection of our true Selves on Easter Sunday. Just like a flower, we grow to bloom into our magnificent Beauty.
You might wonder what the idea of growth and resurrection has to do with Prosperity and Abundance. It seems that when we talk about both, we relate to them as permanent states rather than increasing movements. You are correct. On the one hand, we can assess our Abundance by looking within and around us to recognize how well we are doing. On the other hand, however, we can also acknowledge the potential for infinite growth in all aspects of our lives. Remember, Prosperity is not just about our monetary value but much more about our consciousness and the many gifts we have to share in this world. As such, there is always potential for growth in areas we might still be developing and learning to be who and What we truly are.
This is why spring is such a good reminder for us to self-evaluate where we are ready to leave dormancy to become more active. We might choose to find opportunities to serve in our community or share more of our wealth in all aspects of our lives with others. Now is the time to align ourselves with nature and grow alongside itas much as individuals as a community. As we elect to participate, we choose to contribute to the growth of something truly remarkablethe awakening of Spirit in all for which we care.
On Palm Sunday, we celebrated our volunteers, without whom we would not be able to offer what we do. On Good Friday, we recognized the meaning and relevance of letting go of what no longer serves us as a necessity for supporting our growth. And on Easter Sunday, we took communion together to celebrate our community in the name and Nature of those we admire as our spiritual Lights and Wayshowers. Overall, we serve as we participate in whatever capacity we choose. Inspired by Mahatma Gandhi's words, "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service to others," we recognize what is ours to do.
Finally, let us not forget that while many of us treasure the comfort and safety of our homes, some are suffering in this world with the war in Ukraine being only one of many troubling crises. As spring means spiritual growth, it also means taking action. Let us then be inspired to take action to end this suffering one conscious effort at a time. And so it is. Amen.
With much Love and Gratitude,
β
Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer
Senior Minister Unity Fort Worth
1/2023
Dear %family_primary_spouse_firstname%,
Happy New Year to you and your loved ones. It is so good to move into a new year with you as we are all turning a new page in a possibly new chapter of our lives.
Thank you for your November and December contributions and the support you have provided us throughout the year. And, if you have been able to give above and beyond during our 12-days-of-giving campaign, I want to especially acknowledge how your gift has made a difference to our community and well beyond. Thank you for what you bring to Unity Fort Worth and its message of love and kindness at the core of all beings.
A new year is about new beginnings, and there are many inspiring quotes and messages that would be worthy of mention. One in particular comes to mind. There is a Buddhist story I really have come to love about Buddha's refusal to forgive, which seems such an odd idea at first. However, the story's conclusion teaches us something precious about life, our ability to change, and what that could mean for all of us at the beginning of this year. Here is the story:
Why Buddha Refused to Forgive
A businessman once came into Buddha's assembly and spat at Buddha. He was furious that his children, who could have spent their time earning money, meditated with Buddha instead.
Buddha merely smiled at him. There was no word, no reaction. The man walked away in a huff, shocked. He could not sleep all night. For the first time in his life, he met someone who smiled when he was spat at. His whole world had turned upside down.
The next day he returned to Buddha, fell at his feet, and said, "Please forgive me! I didn't know what I did." But Buddha said, "No! I cannot excuse you!" Everyone in his assembly was taken aback! Buddha said, "Why should I forgive you when you have done nothing wrong?"
The businessman reminded him of what he did on the previous day. Buddha simply replied, "Oh, that person is not here now. If I ever meet the person you spat on, I'll tell him to excuse you. To this person here, you've not done any wrong."
+++++++
It is hard to think of ourselves as different from yesterday and that what we experienced yesterday happened to the person we were then. And now, today, we are anew, a changed individual, ready to explore life as is rather than what it was in the past. The same idea can be applied to a community, one that is going through a transition very similar to ours. As a community, who we were yesterday and what happened to us are less relevant than the opportunity we have today to be the Truth of who and What we are. True forgiveness is to recognize that there is nothing to forgive as we become present in this very moment filled with Love and Abundance. And yet, if we happen to hold onto the dealings of the past, we are blessing ourselves by forgiving that so that we return to the new beginning we experience today.
So, I hope that this story may be as much of an inspiration to you as it is to me. Whatever your intentions, celebrations, and gratitudes, I affirm them fulfilled for you today and every day anew through the year.
Happy New Year and may you bless yourself in God Spirit,
β
Rev. Jean-Marie Schweizer
Senior Minister Unity Fort Worth
ββ