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To tell the story of how I came to Unity is to tell the story of Anthony Habib—the best friend I have ever had.
I was introduced to Anthony while I was operating a small cosmetics outlet in San Fernando, Trinidad. He had recently returned to Trinidad after 17 years in Australia and two years as a Unity minister in Colombia. Every Wednesday afternoon, he invited a few of his closest friends to his tiny two-room apartment in Port-of-Spain. Seated on the floor, I devoured the entire Unity story. At these classes, I met Lisa McDowell and Corrine Baptiste. We read from Daily Word and grew to understand the profundity of its messages—spiritual content that aided me to understand and appreciate even more of my own Hindu background. Trinidad is a diverse multicultural society with three major religions: Christianity, Hinduism and Islam. Almost everyone participates in the customs and traditions of each other's religious practices with great joy and understanding while maintaining separate religious identities. When Anthony was appointed Unity minister in Port-of-Spain, he seized the opportunity to promote Silent Unity and Daily Word. The myriad people who knew him—and continuously solicited his counsel—were given copies of Daily Word and encouraged to call Silent Unity for prayer support. He invited them to his Sunday morning messages and also to attend any of his “living room classes.” My adventures with Daily Word began in the 1990s when Anthony gave me 12 copies of Daily Word to put into my brother's pharmacy. “See what happens with it in the store,” he said excitedly. Soon many of the purchasers of pharmaceuticals also came for their monthly dose of Daily Word, sold OTC. My brother also put it in his supermarket, which brought a degree of prosperity to the establishment. People even included it on their shopping lists. Today Daily Word is distributed and sold throughout Trinidad in outlets, pharmacies, beauty salons, newspaper stands and grocery stores. After Anthony officially became the distributor of Daily Word in Trinidad, my job was to circulate the books in the southern part of the island. Lisa, Corrine and I coordinated the process. Outlets were constantly sourced, and any unsold books were circulated the next month to doctors' offices, geriatric homes, and orphanages and were even left on the counters of the washrooms of Movie Towne, our cineplex. On August 12, 2007, I received a call from Anthony's sister informing me that he had become seriously ill, was rushed to the hospital, but couldn't be saved. On my 46th birthday, my best friend died. I was supposed to have met Anthony that day to celebrate. He was also going to give me 800 copies of September's Daily Word for distribution. That night, as I cried myself to sleep, I begged Anthony to talk to me. When I awoke the following morning, a copy of July's Daily Word sat face down on my bed, opened to the messages of July 30 and 31. How on earth a copy of the previous month's Daily Word found its way next to me, I can't explain. Under the message “God in Action” on July 30, I read: “When meeting a challenge or when things happen that I cannot understand or explain, I remember that beyond such temporary appearances, God's spirit is unceasingly active ... Outcomes I could not possibly have predicted come into being as blessings for me and others.” Days later, Corrine, Lisa and I met and vowed to continue the work of Daily Word in Trinidad to honor Anthony's memory and to continue providing a service that had been blessing so many lives. Anthony was passionate about his work with Daily Word, and by his example he also infused us with that passion. Our small distribution network continues with Lisa rendering yeoman service from her home, where the books are delivered from the printers and batched and sorted for distribution throughout the island. On our beautiful island of 1.3 million people, Daily Word is read by people of all faiths. For those of us who work “hands on” with Daily Word, it has literally transformed our lives. Lisa, Corrine and I share the joys of observing the growth of this enterprise as it blesses the lives of so many others. —by Angie Ramnarine, Daily Word Trinidad
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I have lived with multiple sclerosis for over 25 years. In 1993, the disease kicked into full gear, ravaging my body and rendering me a quadriplegic within 10 years. My life and my family's lives were completely turned upside down and changed forever.
I struggled with bouts of illness, feeling as if my body was completely out of control. I had periods of depression and was hospitalized several times. I had toxic medications shot into my veins and my muscles. No matter what we tried, multiple sclerosis did what it wanted to do. As multiple sclerosis continued its rampage through my body, that was indeed my perceived reality. The bottom line is that I believed in the power of multiple sclerosis. I believed it had the power to destroy my life and the lives of those around me. I believed what the doctors told me, that my body would slowly deteriorate and that multiple sclerosis would eventually take my life. I believed that I was powerless in the face of this illness and got on with adapting and adjusting myself to living with an incurable, debilitating disease. However, in the spring of 2005, several things came together, and I decided to dedicate my life to the healing principles developed by Myrtle Fillmore, cofounder of the Unity movement. She said, “I was once an emaciated little woman, upon whom relatives and doctors had placed the stamp TB or tuberculosis." Soon, however, she realized “that life was of God, that we were inseparably one with the source, and that we inherited from a divine and perfect father/mother.” So Myrtle "began to live with God, and to talk with God," and her healing came approximately two years later. When I decided to follow this idea, I was in many ways dedicating my body to spiritual science because I had no idea what the outcome would be. I made dramatic changes in my daily life and spent extended periods of time in prayer and meditation. Slowly but surely a transformation of self began, and my physical health began to stabilize. In the fall of 2005, I finally had the courage to stop taking the weekly injections. Shortly after that, I stopped taking blood pressure medicine. Currently, I'm not taking any medication for either the multiple sclerosis or the blood pressure. Eighteen months ago my neurologist told me that the multiple sclerosis was "inactive." That was the first time in 25 years that the word “inactive” had been used to describe my condition. But I believe that using that word is typical medical pessimism; the truth is, multiple sclerosis no longer exists in my life and no longer has power over me. My blood pressure is also well within normal limits and has been for over two years. I'm presently healthier and more active than I have been in many, many, many years and am now a prayer chaplain and on the Board of Trustees at Unity Center of Columbia, Mo. As I now reflect on Myrtle's journey, and my own, I see that it is the transformation of self which is the true healing. What restored Myrtle to health, and what restored me to health, was in its simplest form a change of mind. As Scripture says, we allowed ourselves to "be transformed by the renewing of our mind." The transformation occurs when we faithfully apply spiritual principles to our lives and allow God to work through us, accepting and expressing God's goodness. It does require patience and faith, but the rewards are a life filled with the abundance of God. Blessings to all, David Sapp You can read more of David's writings on his Unity.FM blog. Read David's blog ... |
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I recently renewed the Daily Word subscription for a prisoner whom I will call Michael. He is the man who murdered my son 15 years ago, on my birthday. I have sent him a subscription every year of his imprisonment.
To allow my inner harmony to be restored, I forgave Michael and have prayed every day for him to find peace with God. Two years ago I received a letter from him. He had begun writing it hundreds of times through the years but hadn't finished for fear of creating more pain for me and my family. He told how he had done everything he could while serving a 28-year prison sentence to destroy himself and everything around him. But no matter how angry he was, two things remained constant in his life: his grandmother's presence and the monthly delivery of Daily Word. Reflecting on his actions and the suffering they caused, Michael finally realized his anger was with himself. He has gotten to this point of realization from the Daily Word that he receives from the woman who should have hated him the most—me. He could not find the words to say how sorry he was for the pain he has caused and how thankful he is to me for being part of his finding himself. Through compassion received, he has looked around and found so many blessings. He has thanked me for opening the door to his soul. He believes God is restoring him to be a whole, caring, giving person. He has repaired his relationship with his father and, most important, has shown his grandmother that her love and support were not in vain. Michael knows he cannot change the past but, with God's guidance, is going forward as a humble man. What he is certain of is that the Daily Word I have sent him over the years has changed his life. And he is grateful for that and the peace he now finds within himself. —Delrose Bender, Minn.
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Dear Mom and Dad,
Blessings upon you both during this great month of birthdays for our family. If we were all collected up near Lee's Summit, I'd suggest we drop by Unity Village for a birthday brunch in the cafeteria and a stroll around the grounds. It just dawned on me right now how the layout of the place made for a lot of options on a summer day; like how you could take in the dazzling sun and brilliance of the rose garden and the big fountains, with some of the spray being blown on you. I even remember the smell of the water that had coursed through those ancient water pipes. The place is an endless series of peaceful spots. A more secluded one that I also enjoyed was the quiet spot about 30 meters northeast of the cafeteria parking lot. It has a small area with some benches and vine-covered trellises for shade with some small plantings of little flowers. It's named the Myrtle Fillmore Grove. It's so peaceful and quiet that I've sat down there on the benches and nodded off to sleep. Such antidotes to the sturm und drang of our world are all around us. Out on the routes at night, we stop occasionally and black out our lights. Just about every soldier I've ridden with remarks about how the stars are so prominent in the more rural area of our northern route. It's similar to the good nights of viewing I remember out in your backyard, watching the vast arm of the Milky Way galaxy that wraps around our solar system, a streak of meteorite plume every few minutes. Well, I have to get back to work now, but it's been good pausing to connect across time and distance with you all. Have a great birthday. See you all pretty soon. Much love and respect, Robert Sgt. Robert Mills |
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Who would think I would meet a Catholic priest, a physician from the Mayo Clinic, a woman from St. Louis who rode the train here, two gals from Middle America who worked making gun stocks and were leaning toward the Buddhist tradition and a woman from Trinidad who owned an organic cosmetic company and two day spas—all at a meditation retreat at Unity Village! What an experience! What a joy!
—JB, Centralia, Ill. Unity has brought me great comfort and support through the difficult times in my life. I am so grateful for your continued love and prayers. —Sonia Barbata, Covina, Calif. Unity is a way of life, not a doctrine, and it's the most wonderful way of life we've ever known. —JE and RE, Trenton, Mo. Thank you so much for all the good you do. My mom introduced me to Unity many years ago and I have been a long-time Daily Word subscriber. I frequently call Silent Unity for prayer requests and always feel so blessed by the kind and loving prayers that are shared with me. I know my confidence about outcomes and feelings of peace increase tremendously knowing my situation is being prayed for. I have had many challenges with my son, who has been in jail. He is currently in a halfway house, is working, and seems to be on the right track. It's so hard not to be fearful for him, but whenever I feel like worrying, I start reading some Unity prayers or affirmations and turn my thoughts around. I just called this morning regarding a work situation with my husband, and I know the prayers are working. Thank you! —LR, St. Louis, Mo. Your prayers have been my hope and strength through hard times in my life as well as the lives of my family and friends. God bless you all and thank you for all the prayers, from the bottom of my heart! —KD, Sterling, Va.
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2010 Unity Institute Lyceum
April 15 and 16, 2010
This year’s Lyceum will explore Biblical studies, ethics, theology, science and religion, and new perspectives on some of Unity’s foundational concepts. The event is free, but seating is limited. Click for more information.
