A.R.E. Meeting for 11/28/16

We received a "Merry Christmas" card from ARE Virginia Beach Spiritual Growth Program. We also got a book in the mail, edited by Richard Copeland, titled "Unlocking Hope." This book contains letters received by ARE's prison outreach program.
   
After our meditation and prayers we read a few of the life changing letters. Letters from various prisons requesting books and expressing gratitude for "...so inspiring my soul and strengthen my walk..." sparked a discussion on solitary confinement, experiences writing inmates letters via the ARE prison outreach, working with people released and attempting to integrate and adjust to society again or experiences with homeless people.

 A backward look brought one lady greater faith and the realization she was well protected in a city's poor, tough neighborhood working the graveyard shift. Mostly men came at 2 am from bars into the donut shop for coffee. She  later learned the kind, polite homeless man she befriended was being paid to beat people up. So none of the men ever gave her any problems.She let him sleep in the backseat of her car while she worked all night.

 And so ended our lesson on "Faith." Next month we begin chapter 6, "Virtue and Understanding." John will step in again if Martinaya is unable to join us.

Our experiment is on page 49.  "Select a situation in which you need greater faith to bridge the space between your conscious perspective and a a deeper more insightful awareness.  Pray at night for a dream to strengthen your faith in your chosen situation."

Faithfully yours,
Sylvia Raye

A.R.E. Meeting for 11/21/16

Happy Thanksgiving!

Never have I felt gratitude as deeply as when I realized the adult sleeping on a nursing home hard tile floor was a homeless adult offspring! No pillow, sheet or blanket. A temporary spot on the floor!

Continuing our discussion &  lesson on faith, we read down to the experiment on page 48:  choose and write down the name of one person with whom you frequently feel frustrated or irritated because you don't think he behaves or believes  in a way best for his own growth.  Daily during the coming week, replace such thoughts and affirm:  divine forces are active in that persons life.  God cares about and will guide him in experiences he needs.  Log situations in which you experience this kind of faith in another person.

The experiment you do is your choice, the one on page 47 or any in the Faith chapter that appeal to you.

Gratefully, faithfully yours,

Sylvia

A.R.E. Meeting for 11/14/16

To open our meeting, Cindi read an analogy from ARE comparing our development and progress in the first four ASFG chapters to the progressive development of notes on the musical scale as described by Ouspensky and another author.

We finished reading and discussing the chapter on Faith. We discussed our experiments and shared some good stories illustrating faith. We read up to and including the second experiment in the experiments book. We choose experiment 2, or any other you may choose if another better suits your situation.

Faithfully yours,

Sylvia Raye

A.R.E. Meeting for 10/31/16

We read in the chapter on Faith, the section "Need of Faith." We had a good discussion both on what faith is and areas we may personally benefit having stronger faith.

We are continuing to do the first experiment in chapter five of our experiments book, on page 45.

Or you are free to choose another experiment on an aspect of faith that better interests you.

Faithfully,

Sylvia