On March 15, 2015 the Community Miracles Center in San Francisco, CA ordained 4 new, *A Course In Miracles* Ministers. Last month we printed the first two acceptance talks. This month we are printing the second two. Enjoy.

Reverend Jean Pope CMC Minister #84:

I have no prepared remarks. I have notes that I took from the book I've written. I have no prepared remarks because something whispered in my ear "Don't worry. When you stand up there you won't have a voice. You'll lose your voice. Stand up and say, ‘I'm grateful. Thank you.' and then sit down." Well, I've been struggling with bronchitis for two weeks now and – don't offer me lozenges, or inhalants, or anything like that — this thing has a mind of its own. It's going to stop when it's going to stop. If it chokes me up here, I'm going to really sit down. So (aside to her internal voice) — "Okay, understood."

A Course in Miracles came into my life 29 years ago. In one of his other channeled writings, Jesus Christ says don't worry about how long your journey takes because some of us like to take taxi rides and some of us like to walk. Some of us walk for miles, and miles, and miles, and miles. There's no onus on how long it takes, whatever it is. I have taken a very long walk of 29 years. I could have jumped in back then, 29 years ago. The Course was introduced to me by a new friend when I was walking with him in the woods, and I was apparently demonizing my ex-husband. Then he said to me, "Jean, have you read A Course in Miracles?" I said, "No, what's that?" Right away, as happens with us, when we have something in there, it's already there. I resonated with it. I had to get into it.

Of course, lots of things happened in the world of career, the world of ego. It's only in the last four years that I've been here in San Francisco that I've really, really passionately committed to studying the Course and living the Course.

Perhaps you'll get a flyer on your way out, if you haven't gotten it yet. I've just written a book called To Heaven and Back: A Reporter's Adventures In Two Worlds. If you fall in love with the girl on the cover – that was me at 22. (laughter) This is me now. (laughter)

I had an experience of going to Heaven. For 28 years I didn't talk about it, except to two people. One of them was Rev. Tony. We sat here about three years ago, and I had just met him. I said, "Here's what happened to me .…" He listened to me and said, "Oh, you know what? That's called a revelation." Wow! Somebody else might have said, "Were you drinking?" (laughter) "Have you started some new medication?" However Rev. Tony said, "That's a revelation." I got so affirmed. I went back and I studied the various ways that Spirit gets in touch with us. There is the near-death experience. There's out and out revelation, and there's the awareness that comes through the study of something like A Course in Miracles. There's other literature like the Course. It doesn't have to be A Course In Miracles. There's a curriculum for everybody.

In my new book I detailed what happened to me when I was in the world, and what happened to me when I was in the Real World. I can see how – if I were to do it over – I can see how if I applied the yardstick of current behavior to things that happened back then, maybe they wouldn't have been as exotic or interesting, but they would have been more truthful.

The book is not here because there was a big technological glitch. I transferred chapter 16 and asked the book setter to make it chapter 13. That blew apart the entire technology. I wanted to blame him for it. He didn't blame himself, and he didn't blame me. However, I figured it was just another lesson in forgiveness. I forgive it. I forgive the fact my book isn't here, but it will be around soon.

I want to end because Rev. Heather is going to give me the "evil eye." (Rev. Heather is sitting up front and timing people. She is trying to let the speakers discreetly know when they need to wrap up and stop talking.) No, she doesn't. She doesn't give anybody the "evil eye," ever, ever, ever! I want to end with this anecdote. I end my book with ten interesting life lessons I've learned, to date. One of them is to learn about trust. From the time I was a child, I just did not get it. What is this trust business? The Sister would say, "You've got to trust God." Yeah, why? Why? What reason? We all have gone through it. We have asked, and asked, and asked – and often we don't get what we asked for. So what is this trust business? I really had a very difficult time with it. The closest I could come to trust was believing in that Persian proverb "Trust God, but tie your camel to a tree." (laughter) To me, that's what trust meant.

Then one day I was in a seminar. Rev. Tony says it's okay to belong to other churches. I don't belong to another church. I belong to another fellowship where the teacher, Samuel, is an out of body, loving entity of unconditional love. One day I'm in his seminar and I'm struggling with this concept of trust. Who do I trust? When? How? What is trust based on? A friend of mine said, "Jean, the way to do it is just go over it in your head, over and over again. ‘What is trust? What is trust?' Samuel will pick it up and if it's relevant to the group he will talk about it." Oh, I've been around for 25 years. How come I've never heard of this technique? So I used it. The sixth time it went into my head "What is trust?" Samuel said, "Let's talk about trust. What is trust? Who do you trust?" First he gets answers from the audience. Finally he stops everybody and says, "No, no, no. This is what you trust. You trust that you are Light." When he said that – Wow! That was the answer I had sought all my life. I trusted that I would not fail an exam and I did. I am Light. I went bankrupt and was filled with woe. I am Light. My lover left me. I am Light. I don't know how this bill will be paid. I am Light. I don't know which path to take. I am Light. Sometimes I don't know how to raise my child. I am Light. I am feuding with my landlord. I am Light. I'm afraid the world will end tomorrow. I am Light.

That's what is good about the truth. It withstands all interpretations and applies in all circumstances. It can't be modified. It can't be watered down. And aren't we lucky that it's eternal? (applause) ♥

 
Reverend Kim Wilson CMC Minister #85:

I'm glad we have joined. I started crying, weeping, because I felt my cover had been blown. All of a sudden. I felt like — the jig's up! You know — it's over! It's fine. Ahhhhh. That's how I feel about my relationship with Community Miracles Center. That's what I want to start with.

I want to thank Ed Pruitt from my hometown, Lubbock, TX. We were in Sedona studying with The Circle of Atonement and David Hawkins, back in 2007. We had taken the kids and gone with several other people from Unity in Lubbock. Driving back, Ed said, "I'm fixing to go to San Francisco for the CMC's A Course In Miracles conference. You should come." I thought, "How the heck is he going to San Francisco when we live in Lubbock?" We don't do that. We don't really go anywhere. "Okay" I said, "I'm going." If he's saying he's going, and says I should be going, then I should say I'm going and go. So I did.

In San Francisco, first thing we did was walk down to where the Conference bookstore was in the Holiday Inn Golden Gateway and out walks Rev. Larry Bedini. "Hey, how you doing?" Two steps behind him is Rev. Tony. Is he always two steps behind Rev. Larry? (laughter) Then, Rev. Larry really embraced me.

So after that Conference in 2007, I attended the one in 2009, and then again in 2011. I don't really know what happened, but after that I began studying ACIM-1. I took on the commitment — a ten week commitment. (Students make successive ten week commitments to join ACIM-1) However the thing about that commitment was I just knew (motions toward Rev. Tony to speak directly to him) other than seeing you at conferences, Rev. Tony, I didn't have a deep conversation with you very often (now back to the audience). Somehow, deep inside, I knew that if I committed to Rev. Tony, anything – if he ever got his hands on me he was never going to let go. (laughter) That really got my attention. Then I thought, "Oh, well, I can handle him." (laughter) Anyway, I did make the commitment. I was gonna do ten weeks of ACIM-1. It wasn't about the minister thing. Ten weeks became ten more weeks. A year went by.

Then we had ACIM-2, and that's when you have a partner every month. Rev. John Williams, our "Padre" minister, was my first partner. He was like boot camp! Eight o'clock, open the book. Don't talk about the weather. "Um, can I just say what the temperature is?" Rev. John was so on it. He made me do the lesson. We'd read the lesson together. Then we'd meditate. No "chit-chatting," no excuses — that's what we were doing. I was so thankful for that. The next month he was going to be ordained here in San Francisco and it was like, "Oh my gosh, I guess I have to go back to San Francisco." So I came to San Francisco again, and saw him ordained. (Rev. John Williams is the CMC's 73rd minister ordained on February 16, 2014.)

Suddenly, I began to have these relationships that were what I always wanted. They were loving. I didn't understand what was going to happen next — it didn't matter. I just kept doing what felt like what I needed to be doing. Anyway, I got here because of ol' John. What I've learned is "I dedicate all thought to union." (ACOL.C.5.20) That's what I've learned. Sounds good. I still want to do that, and now I get to get in there and do it. I'll keep moving on down the road.

Another thing, I gave up judgment for Lent. (laughter) My family and I were at Mass and it just came to me. They had the ashes right there. The Priest says "What are you gonna give up for forty days?" I thought, "Okay. What am I going to give up? I'm giving up judgment. But that picture's wrong, the color over there is wrong. What the hell, his robe is off center, if he didn't have his robe on he'd look like a biker!" Suddenly my mind was judging everything! The jig is up.

I began some counseling with Rev. Heather recently. This is out of a meditation that she tailored for me. We started off the meditation with this, "I and My Father are One." "I am That Which I Am." (TWOM.p.201) Think about it. Feel it, feel it. What does that feel like? "I do not know what this is for." And "I do not know ..." I want y'all to hear this "I do not know what my brother or sister needs." (TWOM.p.219) Feel that.

The Way of Mastery says to "... realize that it is not necessary to know, to interpret, and to analyze." (TWOM.p.219) There's a revelation for me — really? I thought I had it figured out, and I really already thought I knew what you needed, right? Right?! Right! Y'all all have my number.

"For Christ does not store perception and knowledge." (TWOM.p.219) As I abide in Christ, my job — to abide in Christ – just thinking about my Source, my Creator all the time. I'm going to abide in the mind of Christ and just think about God, or think about Creator or Source. "Christ, eternally in Love with all that God is, merely opens, receives and gives ..." (TWOM.p.219) Let Him know what you need. I don't know what anything is for. "Christ, eternally in Love with all that God is, merely opens, receives and gives, knowing that that which is given comes not of himself or herself, but rather through himself or herself, from infinite mystery that I have called Abba Father." (TWOM.p.219)

Then as we contemplate a little further into the meditation, what is it today that I'm going to do as I head out into my busy bee world? What am I gonna do to store up Heaven in my consciousness? What am I gonna do? Am I gonna just love somebody? I'm gonna feel it. You know just anything. Just name it. I'm going to extend love. That's all I want to do. I just want to love. You could ask it like a question, but I'm going to say, "I willingly commit to trust the flow from my Father's mind through my own, as that which empowers me to extend my treasure. My Source empowers me to extend my treasure. That's it. If I get confused and you don't want the Twinkies. You know, just shove them in my face and say, "Go! I'm done with you." Then you accept me.

Ok, with this — dedicate thought to Union. Union, it means I am the Christ that is just sitting there thinking about God. The universe suddenly blasted open the doors and started bringing everything to me. I realized it is, all an illusion that I love. I mean, let's go have some fun. Like my husband Kiko says, "Don't do no ‘rancho' Kim! Vamanos! Let's go! Let's get ‘outta' here!" No, I'm like, "We got to talk to the salesclerk. We got to talk to the people over here." The thing is I can still talk to them. I can still enjoy them. I can still love them, but I don't have to think I'm fixing something. That was the problem when I started wanting to fix something.

Okay. (Rev. Kim gestures to Rev. Heather.) Is it five minutes left, or five seconds, or what? (Rev. Heather is signaling Kim that she is out of time.) Oh! Ok, here's the last. Here is what I want to end with. I am already that which I seek. I need only allow it to guide me. While this body lasts, I will allow it to be a communication device that extends the treasure of perfect love, perfect safety, and perfect peace. I will allow this body — I gave this body to God — but I am going to allow it to be a communication device that extends the treasure of perfect love, perfect safety, and perfect peace to all who enter the vibration known as, Kim. ♥

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This article appeared in the June 2015 (Vol. 29 No. 4) 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.