On Sunday January 19, 2014, Rev. Judy Junghans addressed the congregation at the Community Miracles Center in San Francisco, CA. What follows is a lightly edited transcription of that lecture.

My Tuesdays belong to God because I take more time to enjoy myself, to enjoy my happiness, to do what makes me happy. My will and God's Will are one. God wills only happiness for me. I take that literally.

I was thinking that all it takes for me to be really happy is to let go of what was never real - the past. Like today's lesson said, we only see the past. We need to just find ourselves totally in the present. In the present moment all there is is happiness. All there is is joy. So when I find myself out of joy, my prayer is, "Take it from me Holy Spirit."  Seriously, just take it.

I don't know what Heaven looks like to you but for me it is freedom. On Tuesdays - though I do this every day - I get up, I do a little exercise, I make my tea, and I spend an hour doing the lessons, writing, and reading other spiritual things. I've done this now for many, many, years. It is part of the thing I do. It's really not a strict routine; I can go a day or two without it. I always look at the lesson, and I always am so aware that if we are able to start the day with that mindset, it makes the day so much easier. Even if we veer off, it's more in our awareness, and we can get back on track faster. 

One of the things I like to do is go from room to room doing whatever shows up. I just bounce around the house. Sometimes I'm out in the garden and that might lead me downtown to get something. I get a lot done on those days. I like to get a lot done. Getting things done really makes me happy. I like having things organized and clean. I don't think I'm compulsive - I don't do this every day all day. For me, it is a pleasure, so that's what my happiness is. I also enjoy good weather in my garden. It's important for us to know what makes us happy.     

Forty years ago, a job application asked, "What is my goal in life?" It was the first time I was ever asked that. I wrote down, "to be happy." There were two women interviewing me. When they looked at that answer, they looked at each other quizzically. Then I thought, yeah, maybe that was a stupid thing to say or maybe a little trite. Now I realize I was wise beyond my years. It was the smartest thing I ever said. My goal is to be happy. I don't know why I veered off that, but I have. I've made the world's idea of what is important, important to me. But I'm willing to get back on track. I'm very willing - very very willing.

Miracle Lesson 66 says our happiness and function are one. We are 100% responsible for our own happiness - no one else. But first we have to know what happiness is. You have to get in touch with your feelings. What are you doing when you are feeling happy? What are you thinking? What are you seeing? Create more of that. Put yourself in those positions more. If you aren't happy, it just means you've missed the mark somehow. 

You need to realign with Spirit, with your Soul's purpose, and with your own happiness. I found that I really need to ask for help and be willing to be led like a small child. Small children know how to be happy. They just are. They just are happy.  And if they're not happy, they let you know it. (laughter) Then, you can do something about it.

In my Tuesday morning class we read from Chapter 2, "The Illusion of Separation - The Reinterpretation of Defenses," "Denial should be directed only to error, and projection should be reserved only for truth. You should truly give as you have truly received. The Golden Rule can work effectively only on this basis." (OrEd.Tx.2.25) Then it goes on to explain the defenses we have: intellectualization, withdrawal, dissociation, detachment, flight, distantiation, regression, sublimation, and "... other so-called ‘dynamic' concepts which are profound errors due essentially to the misuse of defenses." (OrEd.Tx.2.25-34) We had this list of words and the examples given, and one of the students seemed bogged down in the definitions, which for me were really clear. I hope I wasn't rude to her. "They are all defenses and they are all errors. Don't get bogged down in the definitions." That's exactly what the ego wants us to do - get bogged down in that, looking at the past, not allowing ourselves to see what is right now in our present, in our present happiness.

We have to remember that the ego is nothing - a no thing. We're doing everything to ourselves. We're allowing ourselves to be happy. We're allowing ourselves to be miserable. (Rev. Judy shudders.) (laughter)

I love the Course. It says it's very simple, and then it goes on for thousands of words. (laughter) Deny only the denial of God. That's our main error, that we're denying the Oneness and the One Goodness. Again we're reminded, "Truth will correct all errors in your mind." (OrEd.WkBk.107.11) First we have to align with Spirit because if we're not aligned, we're nowhere. That's why we start the day with the lesson of the day, or just being still, allowing our memory of God, peace and life to wash over us.  It doesn't take that long  - I spend a lot of time - it doesn't have to take that long.  And during the day it can only take a second to reconnect with that. That's why we're doing this work, to have that connection available to us all the time.

Again, every day I read this:
"What would You have me do?
"Where would You have me go?
"What would You have me say, and to whom?" (OrEd.WkBk.71.11)

It's aligning with that power; we need to find that peace within ourselves. If we don't feel that and have that, we're not going to align with it. One of my favorite quotes is about .... My little problem seems to be that I get angry. This is my first emotional reaction to most things - anger. The Course says, "Anger is never justified." (OrEd.Tx30.70) "Faith in the eternal is always justified, for the eternal is forever kind, infinite in its patience, and wholly loving. ... Yet it can unite only with what already is at peace in you, immortal as itself." (OrEd.Tx.19.69) There is loving all around us, but if we are in this insanity thing without even the awareness or willingness to allow love to come in, it can't. We have to set that up at the beginning of the day. 

From today's reading, "How Should The Teacher of God Spend His Day?" I love the line, "There is one thought in particular that should be remembered throughout the day. It is a thought of pure joy, a thought of peace, a thought of limitless release - limitless because all things are freed within it." (OrEd.Mn.16.6) That's why my Tuesdays belong to God. I still have my beginning routine, but then right after that I go into my 8:00 a.m. ACIM-1 class. Then I'm really concentrating on the Course for two hours. It is such a blessing to be able to do that class. It really, really is.     

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays are my work days. I have to go into the office - too much baggage. Starts off great - I'm even good on the bus - I'm doing my meditation on the bus. I have my music playing. I walk in the office - and quite frankly it's the same old crap. It's my crap (laughter), and I know it's my crap. It just is, and I am tired of it. I am, I am tired of it. I mean gosh - really very, very tired of it. 

I have two intentions this year: Self-love and Self-respect, both with a capital "S" because if God's not included, it's meaningless. It has no meaning at all. It's often stated that the answer is in the question, or the solution lies in the problem. So at work I think about lack. I have lack of respect. I have lack of love. I have lack of support. It occurred to me that if I am to deny the error in my thinking, then I have to express only the truth. I must, myself, project the Self-love, the Self-respect, and the support I can get from Holy Spirit. I can't depend on anything outside of me. To try to is foolish. I mean, it's not going to work.  I am 100% responsible for my own happiness. So are you.  

We all know the saying, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."  (Lk.6.61) Do unto yourselves as you would have others do unto you, because you really do come first. You really do come first! We need to give it to ourselves and allow this love, this happiness, and this joy to come through us, so that we can extend it to others. Then it will be returned to us - big time. "To give and to receive are one in truth." (OrEd.WkBk.108)   

We all know and are aware when something in life is amiss. When we know this, "k-n-o-w" this, we have to no it, "n-o" it. We have to stop it. We have to really deny it. That's the proper use of denial. I think the ego sometimes says, "Don't deny. Don't be in denial." However, nothing outside of us is doing anything to us. There is nothing outside of us. If I feel a lack, I have to fill the lack. It's up to me, but I don't do it alone. Of course, the Holy Spirit is the help I need. The help is within us. "There is a place in you where there is perfect peace. There is a place in you where nothing is impossible. There is a place in you where the strength of God abides." (OrEd.WkBk.47.8) That's what I need to connect to every day. That's why I do what I do every morning. 

Many years ago there was a Miracles conference in Lake Tahoe over Easter. Tara Singh was doing the conference. He said something that struck me so profoundly, I've never forgotten it. I use it a lot in my classes. He said, "Yes, I am a 100% responsible because there is no somebody else."  There is no somebody else. When he said that I went, "Ooh!" I mean, I got it. I got it very, very well.            

Again, let's be willing to take 100% responsibility for what we think, what we feel, what we see. To do that we need to side with Cause - capital "C" Cause - and not the effect we're seeing out in the world. We have to deny error and the effects we see, and project the Cause with love. Get it out there. Basically we have to remember who we are in truth. We are the light of the world. We are not an effect in the world. We really need to take that power and use it, especially as Course people. 

Last weekend I was at a workshop for three days. It was called, "Manifest Your Mission: Align with Success, Open to Receive" put on by the Spiritual Leader University. It was fantastic. I'm really glad they're coming back to San Francisco at the end of March, beginning of April. I will be attending it again. The workshop is led by two shamans, both successful businesswomen, Kelly and Kathy. Kathy was here for Rev. Tony's 60th birthday. She was also my roommate at the "Heart Summit" held in Amsterdam a year ago. Anyway, last weekend was great. As I often do, the things that were brought up, I reinterpreted in Course language. It was really fulfilling; it was really big. One statement I made at the workshop - I do outbursts - was, "You know it's hard to be holy." They said, "I think that's going to be our byline for this workshop." And it is hard to be holy! It's hard to take that responsibility because we screw up a lot. We think we can't do it. But that is our mission, our job is to demonstrate that out in the world. The workshop helped me uncover a lot of my personal, interpersonal, and business success blocks.  And those are blocking me from my holiness, my happiness, and my success. 

As spiritual leaders, how do we manifest our mission successfully? Making good money, real money, I mean a lot of money - I'm talking about bringing a lot of that abundance energy and support in from the universe, so that we can be more in the world. Rev. Tony just sent out an email to former Supporting Members who haven't renewed their pledges, wondering why. I think that's a very good question, "You used to support us; why don't you now?" In other words, please help us grow, help us know where we might be lacking so we can fill it. I thought that was really, really good. Let's realign with success by realigning with Holy Spirit, first thing everyday. Are we truly open to receive? I know I'm not. As a matter of fact, one of the things I do every morning is write in my journal. I ask myself how much am I willing to receive, how much am I willing to be open to receive, and how much am I willing to give. Really, how much am I willing to take in and let flow out? 

Everyday, my goal is to open and receive more, so I can give more. I really trust that my Soul, when aligned with God, will be truly helpful. And the support, universal support, will come in.

So how do you start your day? Really, how do you start your day? How much are you willing to receive? How much are you willing to give? And ask yourself, who will give it if I don't? Also, who will receive it if I don't? There is no somebody else. You know it really is up to us. We need to recognize it, align with the power, and then use it. Everyday should be devoted to miracles. Tuesday just happens to be my special day. ♥ 

This article appeared in the December 2013 (Vol. 27 No. 10) issue of Miracles Monthly. Miracles Monthly is published by Community Miracles Center in San Francisco, CA. CMC is supported solely by people just like you who: become CMC Supporting Members, Give Donations and Purchase Books and Products through us.