Dear Miracle Workers,

As a boy growing up in New Jersey, we would often travel to the shore for vacations. On some of these visits we would see large flats boats that would be in the inlets of bays, or in the ocean itself. They had a large vacuum that went down to the water’s bottom, and you could see tons of sand being deposited into the well of these boats. They were dredge boats. This was done to deepen the harbor and also to provide sand for the ever-diminishing beaches. I've realized that some miracles are like this.

I am not talking here about our run of the mill type miracles we may need for: traffic, the grocery line, or an annoying co-worker. I know ACIM states, "There is no order of difficulty in miracles. One is not ‘harder’ or ‘bigger’ than another." (FIP:1:I:1-2 ) While this is true, my lived experience is that sometimes we experience persons, situations or events that require us to do a deep dive into our minds to dredge for the miracle: the loss of loved one, partner, relationship, job, or a major health crises. Recently, I have encountered allegations made against me at work based on a colleagues attempt to infer my motivation related to a conflict there. After a long period of struggle, a deep dredge, I am seeing the miracle for myself. The light at the end of the tunnel approaches but I must still forgive this person.

"But the dark journey is not the way of God's son. Walk in light and do not see the dark companions, for they are not fit companions for the Son of God, who was created of light and in light." (FIP:11:III:4:5-6) By doing the work of forgiveness we can get down in the muck of our minds and dredge for the miracle.

(originally appeared in Miracles Weekly #293, Jun. 30 2021)

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I hear many ACIM students arguing for their limitations. They are quick to say how they are not “there” yet. (Never quite sure where “there” is since we are all always here and now.) Healing and salvation keep getting put off into an imagined future. In short, the students lack confidence because they don’t see that they have mastered miracle working yet. "Confidence cannot develop fully until mastery has been accomplished." (OrEd.Tx.2.104) These students keep waiting for outer manifestations, and they don’t find them – or not enough of them. Since the inner is the cause for the outer, healing manifestations and mastery have to begin at the level of cause – the mind. The mind is the kingdom we rule, so let’s start ruling! Let’s decry that we will start collecting and focusing on all the perceptions which show us our mastery of miracles, and not collect and focus on perceptions which reinforce a separate and weak ego self. "... however much I seem to be impelled by outside happenings. I choose to see what I would look upon, and this I see and only this.” (OrEd.WkBk.335.1) We can choose to see our mastery of miracles and thus we can be confident. 24 min. SUBSCRIBE & SHARE

Dear Miracle Workers,

A common belief among most New Thought practitioners is that the essential key to health maintenance is affirmative prayer. This is believed to be the most direct way of manifesting the desired outcome. Denial prayer, on the other hand, (for some) is not considered an essential step in the process. Emma Curtis Hopkins, the founder of New Thought, taught her students the importance of denying the truth of the belief - accepted by the human mind - which gave rise to whatever untoward condition presented itself in the body. It is the denial of whatever thought caused the condition to manifest in form.

A Course in Miracles speaks of this in the teaching "Healing as Release from Fear": "The sole responsibility of the miracle worker is to accept the Atonement for himself. This means that he recognizes that mind is the only creative level and that its errors are healed by the Atonement. Once he accepts this, his mind can only heal. By denying his mind any destructive potential and reinstating its purely constructive powers, he has placed himself in a position where he can undo the level confusion of others. The message he then gives to others is the truth that their minds are similarly constructive and that their miscreations cannot hurt them. By affirming this, the miracle worker releases the mind from over-evaluating its own learning device (the body) and restores the mind to its true position as the learner." (OrEd.Tx.2.65)

As a professional practitioner, I use proven spiritual practices such as Affirmative Denial prayer to correct misbeliefs, manifest miracles and heal. Most important of all I’m open and receptive to hear God’s Divine Guidance.

(originally appeared in Miracles Weekly #295, Jul. 13 2021)

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I (Rev.Tony) have been an ACIM student since 1980, and an extremely dedicated one since 1981. Many people talk about how they threw the book in the trash, or against the wall … but I never had those experiences. Once I accepted the Course as my spiritual path in 1981 I never rejected it or moved away from it. That is not to say that I didn’t have “bad” or fearful times. I DID!! But I never gave up the Course when those were happening. I used the Course to help me through them. "You will need [the Workbook lesson ideas] most in situations which appear to be upsetting, rather than in those which already seem to be calm and quiet." (OrEd.WkBk.Rv1.4) I stayed the Course – and that has made all the difference. 22 min. SUBSCRIBE & SHARE