[tmtranscripts] S.E. Idaho Transcript 11-16-01

[Bill Kelly]

S.E. Idaho TeaM

11-16-01

Opening Prayer by Virginia:   Father God, Mother Spirit, We thank you for
the path that has led us to where we are.  We thank you for the promise
that you will and do make us more than where we began.  We ask that you
would continue to alert us to the areas of our lives that need to be swept
and cleaned.  I pray that you will be with those who especially need our
prayers, service, and love.  May we remember that each is our brother and
sister and that we don't know it all, nor what we would do if we had gone
in their path.  Make us gentle; make us generous; make us kind; make us
loving; help us to be what you are.  Amen.   

(Long pause)

Daniel(Bob S.): This is Daniel.  Sorry for this delay.  My friends, my
students, my children, we your elders greet you this evening with words of
encouragement, with words of commendation, with words of awe.  For you
continue to amaze us.  Your understanding of last week's lesson as
demonstrated in your earlier discussions this evening, was, in our
judgement, nothing short of "A"work!  So give yourselves, all of you, a pat
on the back.  Your understanding of the concepts we have attempted to lay
before you appear to be well understood.  That provides us with the
confidence necessary to continue our work to assist each of you along the
path which you have chosen.  To that end tonight's lesson will be given by
another with whom you are well acquainted.  So that is where we will go
next, unless there are questions.  May we pause briefly to deal with
questions or comments if there are any.  Hearing none, we shall proceed.
Stand by.

Abraham(Bill): Greetings, I am Abraham.  It is wonderful, once again, to be
in your midst, my friends.  The opportunities for me and this staff of
which I am a part in this day and Age of Correction are extremely
satisfying, are highly soul saturating in terms of their flavor and their
vitality.  

This TR is going to be an illustration of my lesson, for you are what you
eat. (Gasps and laughter, followed by many comments about lesson topic)[Ed.
note: The refreshments just before this lesson were banana splits and the
TR did a fine job of consuming his plate.]  My dear friends, I am not going
to dwell on this truth at the material level only.  Your reaction of
laughter suggests to me that you recognize the truth of that statement.
Let us think for a moment about the cuisine of the soul, the nourishment of
the whole person, not merely the satisfaction of physical hunger. Yes, you
are becoming what you take in to your spiritual nutritional system.

Just as you must make choices when you pile up your ice cream with its
condiments in order to make a champion banana split, so must you choose
what you will pay attention to in order to put together the supper of
spiritual nourishment.  In a real sense then, in the spiritual and mindal
realm, you are what you pay attention to.

The great apostle, Saul of Tarsus, known as Paul, wrote much truth in his
letters to the fledgling congregations that he had personally assisted in
birthing.  Among the truths that he spoke was the concept of paying
attention to higher truths.  After he had listed a number of virtues he
advised the congregation at Phillipi to think on these things, rather than
engage in worry, gossip, or other lessor activities.  Paul was right, for
what occupies your attention becomes, through the mind, the nourishment for
the soul.  

Now, my friends, think about what occupies your attention during the course
of a day.  What are the activities you focus on?  How much time do you
allocate to these activities, and what is the basis for this allocation?  I
remind you that we have always advised that you keep your balance; so at
the onset of this contemplation do not suppose that I am bringing a hidden
agenda which advocates spending undue amounts of time in one activity at
the detriment of others.  Rather, I ask you to look honestly at how you
send your time on a daily basis, but look at this without self criticism.

I am not asking you to do this now.  I am making an assignment, however.  I
do wish you to contemplate this during the course of the next several
weeks.   I know that your days differ.  Make a log of each day and write
down how much time you spend in each activity.  At the end of the week try
to catagorize your activities in terms of larger groupings such as: chores,
recreation, service, stillness, worship, and many others.  These are just
examples and not categories you must use..  Develop your own.  If you will
do this, it will assist you in discovering how it is that you occupy your
time, what it is that you pay attention to by this time allocation.  

I want you, also, to note what you think about.  You could have
reminiscence, remembering the past; you could have worry, anticipating
future problems; you could have gratitude as you contemplate the gifts that
are yours; you could have resentment as you think back over the wrongs that
have been done to you; you could have thoughts of forgiveness.  The playing
field is very broad.  

Please do not become obsessive/compulsive in completing this task or you
will have no fun at all in complying with my request.  The purpose of all
this analysis is to develop a baseline, which means a clear picture of
where you are at this point in terms of what  you pay attention to in all
the aspects of your life.

I sense a certain amount of discomfort in your minds, a feeling that the
term paper is too long for the few credits the course is offering you.  So
I will extend the time.  I would like your papers turned in before Christmas.

Virginia: Keep a log for five weeks, is that what you are saying?

Abraham: No, my dear, one week is sufficient.  But some of you will have
interruptions that preclude completing this assignment in the course of
seven consecutive days.  Therefor, if you only get a couple of days done in
the first week, move on into the next week.  Eventually you will be able to
complete seven days of analysis.  This will meet the course requirements.  

I will stop at this moment to see if you have other questions or protests.

Ken: Will it do any good?

Virginia: Abraham, thinking in terms of a baseline, where we are now, I
wish you would have asked us to make a baseline ten years ago, or twenty
years ago.  Because it isn't where we are, it's how far we have come...

Bob S.  I'm not sure that's the point.

Virginia: I'm not either, Bob.

Bob S.  I think he wants us to look at what we are doing.

Abraham: Thank you Bob.  This is true.  This is not to be done in order to
compare yourself, either with your previous performance or with your ideals
for the future, Letah, my dear.  It is, in fact, just to see where you are.

Ken: It's inevitable.  We always compare ourselves.

Abraham: Protests!  I hear protests!  (Bursting laughter)

Bob D.  Methinks thou doth protest too much! (More laughter)

Ken: I didn't mean to interrupt....(laughter)
 
Abraham: Yes, you did.  But that is quite okay!  Of course you will make
comparisons.  I understand that.  But I want you to know that this is not
my intention.  It is simply an analysis that I am asking you to do.  I
think you understand the purpose now.

The second step in this process will be in the future, but I will allude to
it.  Once you get a fair and honest estimate of how you spend your time,
then the co-creational phase will begin.  You will have to evaluate whether
you are satisfied with this picture of yourself, or do you  wish to
increase the amount of time that you do this activity, or think along these
lines, or diminish this other activity or thinking.   Since it is true that
you are what you eat, that you become the things you pay attention to, then
you shall choose to become that which you ingest spiritually.  

The universe is one vast school.  This assignment will be continued in
various formats for a very long time.  Indeed, in the morontial experiences
there is a built in technique of self review and evaluation along with the
external review and evaluation process.  I know that it may not be the best
news to you when you feel tired and rundown to be told that you have more
work ahead of you. (Chuckling) But the work takes on a different character
once the mortal experience is completed and you are morontia beings.  It is
easier in some ways and more enjoyable.  

So, my friends, let us set before us a truly nourishing meal so that we
don't become sluggards whose only ambition is to feast on banana splits.
(Laughter).  Spiritual athletes eat the strong meat of spiritual
nourishment so that they may run the race of eternal life with success.  I
have no qualms about your eventual completion of these goals.  Thank you
for listening.  My peace I share with you.  Shalom.

Ken: Abraham, would you explain the external evaluation you mentioned?

Abraham: In the universe method of education a task is set before you.  You
are given instruction on the best way to accomplish that task.  After the
task is completed there is the evaluation by your teachers as to how
successful you are in completion of that particular task.  If you are less
than fully successful, you are further instructed in the areas where you
are deficient, or where you need to try a different method.  Once again,
the task is attempted until you have achieved mastery.  So the external
evaluation is in the nature of the task itself and is also done by
personalities who are your teachers.  Is that understandable?

Ken: Yes, very much.  Thank you.

Abraham: We have another personality well known to you who will be our next
speaker.  One moment please

Minearisa(Bob S.): This is Minearisa.  My children, I greet you at the
conclusion of this most beautiful day on Urantia, at least in your area.
My travels take me worldwide and I have enjoyed viewing Urantia in its
totality. It is, as you know, a most beautiful place to live.  You are
blessed with its geological beauty and its variety of climates.  

I have not participated directly in recent lessons due mostly to demands
upon my time which took me away from this assignment.  I trust the lessons
you have been given have been satisfactory and judging on the basis of your
response earlier tonight, I see your growth is progressing satisfactorily.
I expect my time will continue to be split; and if that is true, I will be
in and out.  But, as you can see, we have a good variety of competent
teachers, so I feel confident the work will proceed satisfactorily.  That
is the essence of my comments tonight.  There is another who now wishes to
address you.  One moment please.

Aaron(Bill): I am Aaron.  Good evening to you all.  While it is somewhat
true that Abraham has stolen my thunder, it is also not true, for we
teachers are not limited to a one ring circus performance.  We have at
least three rings going at once in our dog and pony shows.   I am joking,
of course, but you get my gist.  We are all capable of a variety of methods
in presenting truth.  I wish to make a few comments about spiritual
flexibility.

When you think about effective exercise there is a tendency to neglect the
flexibility side in favor of aerobic and strength training. Many people do
not understand the importance of flexibility training in the exercise
regime.  Because they fail to do the necessary stretching and flexibility
developing exercises, they can harm themselves with their strength
training, in particular.  

The analogy here is apt, for the purpose of Abraham's assessment process is
not to further rigidify your lives into obsessive/compulsive
compartmentalizations which rob you of joy, fun, and flexibility.  The
purpose of the assessment is to allow you a realistic starting point for
planning a life which will include, to a significant degree, increased
flexibility in how you are living from moment to moment.

Jesus was a very flexible person.  He would stop a heavy discussion,
teaching situation or sermon because there was someone in need in the
audience.  Once he even left the room where he was speaking to go out in
the street and talk with a child. His flexibility upset the rigidity of his
religious contemporaries.  They preferred cut and dried lives.  But Jesus
moved with the flow of the Spirit within.  Think about these thoughts and
relax all your anxieties about this "horrendous assignment".  Take it as a
gift that you do for yourselves, that you may, in your spiritual exercise
program ,gain more flexibility and strength, so that your fortitude will
increase, and so will your joy.  Thank you for listening.  I am Aaron.  I
have been told that our time has elapsed.  I wish to offer a final prayer,
if you will stand and join me, please.

Let us offer our lives as a prayer.  Father within, our perfect Self in
process, we give to you our imperfect self that you may fuse with us,
gaining personality as we gain immortality.  We teachers pray for these,
our younger brothers and sisters, that they may continue to keep on
stepping forward, walking the life of faith with their attention focused on
Christ Michael and their intention successful in approximating his faith.
Until we meet again may we all walk ever more strongly toward that light
that shines ahead of us, the light of our eternal home on Paradise.  Amen.