Sermon Notes: October 11, 2026

What Sets Your Soul on Fire? - Rev. Sheryl Padgett, DDiv

What Sets Your Soul on Fire
Sermon Notes
Main Theme: Zeal is the spiritual power of enthusiasm, inner motivation, and forward movement. It is not frantic activity, loud emotion, or fanaticism. True zeal is the steady inner fire that arises when we are connected with Spirit, guided by wisdom, and willing to express our unique purpose. Unity recognizes zeal as one of the Twelve Powers—spiritual capacities already present within each of us.
Unity’s Power of Zeal: Zeal is represented by Simon the Zealot. Its color is orange, and its physical center is traditionally associated with the medulla oblongata at the base of the brain. Zeal empowers us to begin, to persist, to motivate ourselves, and to bring energy to the good that is ours to do.
Charles Fillmore on zeal: Fillmore described zeal as “the impulse to go forward, the urge behind all things.” Zeal is the inward fire that keeps us from becoming stagnant or resigned. It is the divine energy that says, “There is more life to live, more good to express, and something mine to do.”
Zeal is more than excitement: A motivational event, a new plan, or a burst of inspiration can make us feel energized for a while. But spiritual zeal is deeper and more lasting. It arises from within when we remember who we are, reconnect with our purpose, and allow divine life to express through us. The word enthusiasm is often linked with en theos, meaning “God within.”
Spiritual zeal may be quiet: Zeal is not always dramatic or visible. It can be the person recovering from illness who takes one more walk, the person who stays openhearted after disappointment, the volunteer who faithfully serves, or the person who begins again after a dream has not worked out as planned. Zeal is persistence rooted in faith.
Purpose gives zeal direction: Meaningful accomplishment is rarely the result of never failing. People such as Thomas Edison and Charles Schulz kept learning, adjusting, and trying again. Healthy zeal says, “I will continue to listen, grow, and express the good that is mine to give.”
Zeal needs wisdom: Fire in a fireplace gives warmth and light; fire outside the fireplace can destroy. In the same way, zeal without wisdom can become anger, rigidity, obsession, harmful ambition, or the need to be right. When our energy is fueled by fear, ego, or the need to prove ourselves, we can lose our peace, relationships, and authenticity.
A warning from Fillmore: Fillmore cautioned that zeal can become overly focused on outer forms, opinions, or religious rules, consuming our vitality and leaving little room for real spiritual growth. The point of spiritual practice is not to win an argument or appear more religious. It is to become more loving, awake, free, and available to Spirit.
The Tower of Babel: Babel reminds us that ambition without spiritual grounding leads to confusion. The people wanted to build a tower and “make a name” for themselves. There is nothing wrong with building, achieving, or dreaming—but when our motivation is comparison, fear, or ego, we become scattered. We do not get closer to God by proving ourselves. We draw close by awakening to the divine presence already within us.
Seek first the kingdom: Jesus taught us to seek first the kingdom of God. When we seek love, truth, inner guidance, and the good of all, our outward activity becomes an expression of Spirit rather than an attempt to earn worthiness or control life.
Growing Healthy Zeal
•       Honor divine discontent. Restlessness may be Spirit’s invitation to grow, heal, serve, create, or release an old pattern. It may be time to move forward.
•       Clarify your desire. Ask, “What wants to be expressed through me?” Focus less on what you do not want and more on the life, healing, relationship, service, or creativity you truly desire.
•       Practice dedication. Zeal is not a passing feeling. It grows through faithful action: writing the page, taking the walk, making the call, offering the apology, saying the prayer, or beginning again.
•       Let wisdom lead. Before acting, ask: “Is this mine to do? Is this motivated by love or fear? Will it bring more peace, healing, and good? Does it honor others as well as myself?”
•       Take the next step. We do not have to wait until we feel completely confident or energized. Often energy follows action. As we move toward a divine idea, insight, support, strength, and opportunity begin to appear.
Reflection: What is the Spirit within you calling you to bring alive? Perhaps it is your health, a relationship, forgiveness, creative expression, service, or a long-neglected joy. The divine fire within you has not gone out. It may be covered by fatigue, grief, doubt, or disappointment—but it can burn brightly again through prayer, wisdom, community, and one faithful step at a time.

Affirmation
The Spirit of God is alive within me. I am energized, inspired, and guided by wisdom. I enthusiastically accept my good and move forward to fulfill my divine purpose. And so it is. Amen.

Sermon Notes: October 4, 2026

Paws, Peace, and Presence - Rev. Sheryl Padgett, DDiv

Paws, Peace, and Presence
The Spirit of St. Francis — Sermon Notes
Our animal companions teach us many things: unconditional love, patience, responsibility, joy, and sometimes the humbling truth that hearing their name does not necessarily mean they intend to come. Perhaps their greatest lesson, however, is presence. Animals invite us out of the worries of yesterday and tomorrow and into the sacred gift of this moment.
St. Francis of Assisi understood this deeply. More than 800 years ago, he recognized all creation as one sacred family. He spoke of Brother Sun, Sister Moon, Brother Fire, Sister Water, and Mother Earth. Francis did not simply admire nature; he experienced the Divine Presence shining through it. His spirituality calls us to look beyond the ordinary and see God everywhere—in the sunrise, the trees, the birds, one another, and the animals who share our lives.
The story of the Wolf of Gubbio captures this spirit. While others saw a dangerous creature and wanted it removed, Francis called it “Brother Wolf.” He looked beyond fear and behavior to recognize need and relationship. Whether understood as history, legend, or spiritual teaching, the story invites us to see beyond appearances. Where the human mind sees separation, Spirit sees connection. Where fear sees an enemy, love asks, “What is needed here?”
Our pets often help us practice this awareness. A dog does not spend the day regretting last Tuesday. A cat does not lie awake worrying about career decisions. Animals live in the present. When we sit quietly with them, pet them, walk them, or simply watch them rest, they remind us to pause. For a moment, we stop rehearsing the past and planning the future. Presence meets presence, and love happens.
Animals also reveal the unconditional nature of love. They do not care about our income, our accomplishments, our appearance, or whether we completed everything on the to-do list. They offer companionship, comfort, laughter, and loyalty. They sit beside us when we are grieving. They greet us when we come home. They teach us that sometimes love does not need advice or answers—it simply stays.
St. Francis reminds us that spirituality is not about escaping the world. It is about becoming awake enough to recognize God within it. Even near the end of his life, while suffering illness and failing eyesight, Francis sang praise through his Canticle of the Creatures. He remained aware that he belonged to something larger than his pain: the great, sacred web of life.
As we bless our animals, we also give thanks for the blessings they have already brought to us:
•       Love, laughter, companionship, and comfort
•       Patience, responsibility, playfulness, and rest
•       A reminder to live in the present moment
•       An expanded heart and a deeper capacity to care
•       A living connection with the beauty and mystery of creation
This week, practice Paws, Peace, and Presence:
•       Pause long enough to notice the life around you
•       Choose peace whenever possible
•       Practice presence with the people, animals, and natural world entrusted to your care
When we become truly present, we discover what St. Francis knew: we are surrounded by God. Sometimes that Divine Love comes through sunlight and birdsong; sometimes it appears in a friend’s kindness; and sometimes God comes running toward us on four paws.

Affirmation
I am one with God and one with all creation. I see Divine Life everywhere. I choose peace, practice presence, and open my heart to love. I bless all creatures, and I am blessed by them. And so it is. Amen.

Sermon Notes: September 27, 2026

Making Room for a Miracle - Rev. Sheryl Padgett, DDiv

Miracles are not necessarily violations of natural law. They may be moments when we recognize divine possibility, grace, guidance, and love in ways we had not been able to see before. Rev. Tom Thorpe reminds us that when an event does not fit our current understanding of natural law, we often call it miraculous; our understanding may simply be incomplete.[unity]

The main question is not only, “Do miracles happen?” It is also, “Am I able to recognize a miracle when it is right in front of me?” We can miss the sacred in ordinary life when we only expect dramatic events. Jesus continually invited people to notice God’s presence in familiar things: seeds, birds, lilies, bread, children, and daily acts of love.

A miracle can be a change in circumstances, but it can also be a shift in perception. We can experience a miracle when fear gives way to trust, resentment softens into forgiveness, hopelessness becomes possibility, or we recognize that we are not alone.

The story of the widow and Elisha in 2 Kings 4:1–7 illustrates this principle. Faced with debt and fear, the widow is asked, “What do you have in the house?” She believes she has nothing but a small jar of oil. Yet she is instructed to gather empty vessels, and her oil becomes enough to meet her need.[enterthebible +1]

The empty vessels symbolize openness. We make room for miracles by becoming willing to receive new possibilities rather than filling our consciousness with fear, resentment, constant worry, old stories, or the need to control every outcome.

Practical ways to make room:

Notice what is already present: Ask, “What do I have in the house?” Look for existing gifts, relationships, skills, resources, spiritual practices, and inner strength.

Create quiet space: Turn off the noise, sit in silence, pray, and become available for guidance.

Release an old story: When thoughts such as “Nothing works out,” “It is too late,” or “I am alone” appear, practice saying, “I am willing to see this differently.”

Take one faithful action: Make the call, ask for help, send the email, begin the project, forgive, or take the next right step.

Practice gratitude: Gratitude helps us see what is still good, beautiful, and possible.

The Ryder truck story reminds us that help may be nearer than we can see. When the truck broke down in the desert, an unexpected Ryder representative appeared and arranged the needed help. The problem was real, but so was grace. Not knowing the answer does not mean there is no answer. It does not mean there is no help, and it does not mean God is absent.

Mary Oliver’s simple spiritual instruction captures the heart of this message: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” We pay attention to the good already present, allow ourselves to be moved by life’s wonder, and share stories of grace so others remember that divine love is at work too.[

Affirmation:

I open my heart and mind to the wonder of this moment. Divine life is present within me and all around me. I am willing to see the good, receive the love, and welcome the possibilities unfolding in my life. And so it is. Amen.

Sermon Notes: September 20, 2026

Putting Your Life in Divine Order - Rev. Sheryl Padgett

• We continued our Twelve Powers series with the spiritual power of Order.

• In Unity, Order is represented by James, son of Alphaeus.

• Order is associated with the navel and digestive system.

• Just as the body functions best with nourishment, rest, water, and balance, our lives work more harmoniously when we put first things first.

• Divine order is not rigid control.

• Divine order does not mean everything happens according to our schedule.

• Divine order should never be used to explain away pain, illness, grief, injustice, or loss.

• Divine order should never be used to blame ourselves or others for difficult experiences.

• Divine order means recognizing that life unfolds through process.

• Jesus described this process in Mark 4:28:

  • “First the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.”

• Spiritual growth has stages.

• We may want the completed healing, answered prayer, repaired relationship, financial breakthrough, or inner peace.

• Yet often, we first see only the blade: one small sign of new life.

• The blade may be:

  • A small shift in attitude

  • A willingness to forgive

  • The courage to ask for help

  • Choosing prayer rather than panic

  • Getting up and beginning again

• Do not overlook the blade.

• Our consciousness is like soil.

• Every day, we plant thoughts, beliefs, expectations, and attitudes.

• We may plant:

  • Faith or fear

  • Gratitude or complaint

  • Resentment or forgiveness

  • Possibility or worry

• What we repeatedly nourish affects how we feel, speak, act, and respond to life.

• We do not consciously create every hardship we experience.

• We are connected to one another, affected by circumstances, and living in a world where loss and difficulty are real.

• Our spiritual responsibility is not to blame ourselves when life hurts.

• Our responsibility is to tend our inner life and choose how we will meet what comes.

• Worry is like planting poison ivy when what we truly want is a rose garden.

• Divine order invites us to plant better seeds:

  • Peace

  • Hope

  • Trust

  • Courage

  • Love

• We nourish these seeds through:

  • Prayer

  • Meditation

  • Spiritual study

  • Supportive relationships

  • Uplifting music

  • Rest

  • Gratitude

  • Affirmations

• Affirmations are not magic words that remove all difficulty.

• They help us remember spiritual truth and redirect our attention toward the good we want to grow.

• Divine order also invites us to be open to detours.

• A canceled plan, delay, or closed door may feel frustrating.

• Yet an interruption may become:

  • Preparation

  • Protection

  • A new opportunity

  • A chance to see life differently

• Divine order does not mean being passive.

• We still take practical action:

  • Repair what needs repair

  • Have needed conversations

  • Make plans

  • Seek support

  • Take the next right step

• Like a rosebud, life cannot be forced open.

• We can prepare the soil, plant good seeds, water what is growing, pull the weeds of worry, and trust the process.

• Be patient with yourself.

• Be patient with the process.

• Be patient with God.

Affirmation:
Divine order is active in my life. I trust the process of growth within me. I release the need to control every outcome, and I open to God’s guidance one step at a time.

Sermon Notes: August 30, 2026

Learning to Let Go — Drop the Rope - Rev. Sheryl Padgett

Letting go is not giving up, denying pain, or pretending difficult things never happened. It is releasing the inner grip that old hurts, fears, and reactions have on us.

• We often live with "conditional okayness" — fine only as long as the outer world cooperates. The moment it doesn't, our mind and heart catch fire.

• The reason we suffer is not the planet or our circumstances; it is what we have stored inside.

• We have three choices when a disturbing feeling rises: suppress it, express it, or transmute it — let it relax and move through us instead of getting stuck.

• Transmutation means the trigger becomes the teacher; the irritation becomes the invitation. Nothing is wasted when we bring it to consciousness.

• Surrender is not weakness, passivity, or staying in harm. Release the panic — and still take wise action.

• The practice: when you feel triggered, relax your body, relax your grip, and breathe. Notice the energy rising rather than becoming it.

• You are not your thoughts or emotions. You are the one who notices them — the deeper Self beneath the noise.

• The Kingdom of God is within you, right now. You don't have to fight your way back to it; you simply stop leaving it.

• When the blockages clear, Spirit rises on its own — bringing love, enthusiasm, and a life of service.

• What matters most is not what you do but where you come from. Serve the moment in front of you with a pure motive.

• "Where you're not, God is" — where the small, frightened self steps aside, the Christ presence has room to shine through.

  Affirmation I release what no longer serves my highest good. With an open heart and a willing spirit, I meet each moment as it comes. I let go of fear, release my reactions, and allow divine love to flow freely through me. I am free, I am present, and I am here to serve. And so it is! Amen

Practice for the week: When you notice irritation, fear, or an old story rising, pause and ask: "Can I relax my grip and let this move through me?" Then breathe, relax, release — and return to the one who notices.

Sermon Notes: August 23, 2026

Learning to Let Go - Rev. Sheryl Padgett, DDiv

Letting go is not giving up, denying pain, or pretending difficult things never happened. It is releasing the inner grip that old hurts, fears, resentments, and disappointments have on us.

• We can build an inner “house of horrors” by repeatedly storing and replaying painful experiences.

• The past can teach us, but it does not need to control today’s thoughts, choices, or peace.

• Letting go does not mean avoiding responsibility, boundaries, grief, healing, accountability, or wise action.

• We do not let go of life; we let go of unhelpful reactions to life.

• Everyday irritations—traffic, weather, delays, disagreements, and interruptions—are “low-hanging fruit”: small opportunities to practice release.

• A pause between what happens and how we respond creates space for freedom, wisdom, and spiritual strength.

• Three practical tools for release:

  • Replace automatic negative thoughts with constructive, life-giving thoughts.

  • Use a mantra, prayer, or sacred phrase such as “Be still and know,” “Peace, be still,” or “God is, I am.”

  • Practice witness consciousness: notice thoughts and feelings without becoming them.

• When disturbance arises: pause, breathe, relax the body and heart, and release.

• Meditation is not about stopping thoughts. It is practice in noticing, returning to the breath, and becoming present.

• Each moment of release makes us more available for love, compassion, creativity, wisdom, and life.

Practice for the week: When you notice irritation, fear, or an old story arising, pause and ask: “Can I relax enough to let this move through me?” Then breathe, relax, release, and return to the awareness of God’s Presence within.

Affirmation

I release what I no longer need to carry. I bless the past, learn from it, and let it rest. I am not my fear, my worry, or my old story. With every breath, I let go. With every breath, I receive peace. I am free to meet this moment with courage, compassion, and grace. And so it is! Amen

Sermon Notes: August 16, 2026

Strengthened by Divine Purpose - Rev. Sheryl Padgett, DDiv

Many of us have asked, “What am I going to do next?” But beneath that question is an even deeper one: “Who am I here to be?”

Our purpose is not necessarily our career, occupation, or role. Jobs change, careers end, and circumstances shift, but our deeper spiritual purpose remains.

“A goal is a tangible desire with an end result, but your divine purpose is really a way of living.” — Edwene Gaines

Our Universal and Individual Purpose

Our universal purpose is to express God. Our individual purpose is the unique way we express that divine nature through our lives.

The universal purpose is the “what.”
The individual purpose is the “how.”

We each have a unique way of expressing Divine Love, wisdom, compassion, creativity, healing, service, or joy. The world does not need us to become someone else. It needs us to become more fully who we were created to be.

“The human mind may devise many plans, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will be established.” — Proverbs 19:21

Jesus as Our Example

In Unity, we understand Jesus as demonstrating the Christ nature that lives within each of us. His life showed us what is possible when we fully express the Divine within.

“The one who believes in me will also do the works that I do, and in fact, will do greater works than these.”

Our purpose is not merely to know God but to express God.

Charles Fillmore reminded us:

“The Truth you know is the Truth you use, otherwise it is just theory and has no power to change your life.”

Love, compassion, forgiveness, and spiritual truth become powerful when we put them into action.

Discovering Our Purpose

Purpose is often revealed through the things that touch our hearts.

Ask yourself:

• What needs healing or changing?

• What breaks my heart?

• What do I wish someone would do something about?

• Which of those things would I actually enjoy helping to change?

• Where do my compassion and my gifts meet?

We are not called to solve every problem in the world. We are called to find our particular piece of the earthly puzzleand bring our unique gifts to it.

Trust the Next Step

We don't have to know the entire path before we begin.

Rev. Sheryl shared her own unexpected journey from engineering into ministry. What began as a surprising inner nudge became a series of “go” signals—doors opening, people appearing, and opportunities falling into place. There were also “stop” signals” when a path clearly wasn't right.

And sometimes we encounter what Unity calls “second force”—resistance that appears when we begin to change.

Resistance doesn't always mean we're on the wrong path. Sometimes it is simply an invitation to ask:

“Is this divine guidance, or is this fear trying to preserve the familiar?”

Purpose Requires Commitment

Eventually, we have to stop simply thinking about our purpose and begin living it.

Commitment means giving our time, energy, talents, skills, and resources to what we feel called to express. It means letting go of the safety net and being willing to say yes to the next step.

St. Teresa of Avila reminds us:

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours,
No hands but yours, no feet but yours.”

Christ has your hands.
Christ has your voice.
Christ has your eyes.
Christ has your heart.

What will you do with them?

The Invitation

We don't have to wait for a dramatic revelation or a letter from heaven telling us our purpose.

Our purpose is already here.

It is expressed in the next conversation, the next choice, the next act of courage, and the next opportunity to love.

You are not here by accident. There is something of Divine Love, wisdom, compassion, courage, and creativity that can be expressed through you in a way it can be expressed through no one else.

Don't wait for your purpose to arrive. Live it. Be who you came here to be.

Affirmation

The Presence of God lives and moves through me.
I release the need to know the entire path.
I listen for divine guidance and take the next loving step.
I am here on purpose, and my life is a blessing.

Sermon Notes: August 9, 2026

Will — The Energy of Transformation - Rev. Sheryl Padgett, DDiv

In Unity, Will is one of the Twelve Powers taught by Charles Fillmore. Will is the spiritual faculty through which we choose, decide, direct, command, lead, and determine.

We all use our Will every day. The question is not whether we have Will, but what is guiding it. Are our choices being directed by fear, ego, habit, and old patterns—or by Spirit, truth, wisdom, and love?

Will is more than forcing ourselves to do something we don't want to do. Spiritual Will is the capacity to take an idea or inner knowing and move it into action. It is the power that says, “I choose.”

Will and Transformation

Change and transformation are not the same thing.

• Change often rearranges our external circumstances.

• Transformation changes us from the inside.

We can change jobs, relationships, homes, routines, or circumstances without changing our consciousness. Transformation happens when we begin to see differently, choose differently, respond differently, and live differently.

Transformation occurs when we stop allowing fear, resentment, unconscious habits, or old patterns to make our decisions.

“Will is the ability to choose, decide, command, lead, determine.”

Every choice helps shape who we are becoming. A small decision repeated becomes a pattern. A pattern repeated becomes a habit. A habit repeated becomes character. And character expressed over time helps shape our destiny.

Three Expressions of Will

1. The Undeveloped Will

An undeveloped Will can leave us:

• Unable to make decisions

• Overthinking everything

• Asking everyone's opinion

• Constantly making pros-and-cons lists

• Waiting until we feel completely ready

• Avoiding choices because we fear making the wrong one

Even indecision is a decision. When we continually refuse to choose, life continues moving without us.

Decision fatigue can also weaken our ability to make thoughtful choices. When we are overwhelmed by too many decisions, we may simply avoid choosing, choose what is easiest, or default to old habits.

The spiritual practice is to stop trying to force an answer from an exhausted mind. Instead, we can become still, pray, meditate, and ask:

• What is mine to know?

• What is mine to do?

• What is the next right step?

2. Ego-Centered Will

Ego-centered Will says:

• “I'm right.”

• “I don't care what the facts say.”

• “I've already made up my mind.”

• “My way or the highway.”

The ego is more interested in being right than being truthful. It seeks confirmation rather than understanding.

An example from the sermon illustrated how easily we can become attached to a belief even when reliable information shows that belief to be false. Spiritual maturity requires us to remain teachable.

A powerful daily prayer is:

“Reveal to me what needs to be revealed, and heal that which needs to be healed.”

This keeps us humble and open to greater truth.

3. Elevated or Spiritual Will

An elevated Will chooses from truth, wisdom, love, and divine principles rather than fear, impulse, or ego.

It asks:

• What is the truth here?

• What is best for all concerned?

• What choice aligns with my values?

• What action would love take?

• What am I being invited to become?

A strong Will is not one that can never be moved. A strong Will is one that can be guided by truth.

Developing the Power of Will: W-A-Y

Bil and Cher Holton offer a practical way to strengthen our Will using the acronym WAY.

W — Work the Principles

Unity principles are not meant simply to be spoken; they are meant to be lived.

If we affirm that God is everywhere present, then God is present in difficult conversations, uncertainty, disappointment, and challenge—not just in moments that feel good.

If we affirm that we are divine expressions of God, we must learn to stop treating ourselves as though we are unworthy, broken, or hopeless.

Our spiritual principles become powerful when we practice them in daily life.

A — Access Spirit

When facing an important decision, we often research, compare, ask friends, read reviews, make lists, consult the internet, or even ask AI.

But do we pray?

Do we become still?

Do we listen?

Spiritual Will includes making room for divine guidance. Sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is stop talking long enough to hear the still, small voice within.

Guidance may come through prayer, meditation, scripture, another person, a dream, an inner knowing, or a deep sense of peace.

Y — Yield

Yielding is not giving up our power. It is releasing our resistance and aligning with a greater wisdom.

Jesus expressed this principle in the Garden of Gethsemane:

“Not my will, but Thine be done.”

Yielding means trusting that Infinite Wisdom sees more than we can see. We may see only one page of the story while Spirit sees the whole book.

Sometimes our greatest transformation begins when we stop asking, “How can I make this happen my way?” and begin asking, “What is Spirit inviting me to know and become?”

The Power of Choice

We cannot control every circumstance or every person. We cannot determine everything that happens in our lives.

But we can choose:

• What thoughts we entertain

• What stories we believe

• How we respond

• Whether we remain open or close down

• Whether we act from fear or faith

• Whether we listen to ego or Spirit

• Whether we remain stuck in the past or move toward the future

Joshua's ancient invitation still speaks to us:

“Choose this day whom you will serve.”

Every meaningful transformation begins with a choice.

Maybe your next choice is to forgive. Maybe it is to set a boundary. Maybe it is to ask for help. Maybe it is to take better care of yourself. Maybe it is to release something that no longer belongs in your life. Maybe it is simply to stop allowing your past to determine your future.

Transformation does not happen all at once.

It happens one choice at a time.
One prayer at a time.
One courageous step at a time.

Our Power of Will is the energy that moves us from possibility into action and from intention into transformation.

Affirmation

I am a powerful expression of Divine Will. I choose from truth, wisdom, love, and Spirit. I release fear and ego, listen to my inner guidance, and courageously take the next right step. I am willing to be transformed.

Sermon Notes: Aug 2, 2026

Living Untethered: The Human Predicament - Rev. Sheryl Padgett, DDiv

This week's message continues our study of Michael Singer's Living Untethered and explores one of the central questions of the spiritual life:

How are you doing on the inside?

Most of us spend enormous energy trying to arrange the outside world so we can feel peaceful inside. We believe happiness depends on circumstances—our relationships, finances, health, work, or the behavior of other people. But as long as our peace depends upon conditions, our inner life will continue to rise and fall with every success and disappointment.

The Human Predicament

Singer describes the human predicament this way: throughout life we resist painful experiences, and those unresolved experiences become stored emotional patterns, or samskaras. These stored impressions create our likes, dislikes, fears, and expectations. We then spend our lives trying to manipulate the world to avoid discomfort and recreate pleasant experiences.

When life matches our preferences, we feel good.

When it doesn't, we suffer.

The problem isn't life itself; it is our resistance to life.

The Paradigm Shift

Spiritual awakening begins when we stop asking:

"How can I make life go my way?"

and begin asking:

"How can I remain open to life, even when it doesn't?"

This is the paradigm shift.

Unity teaches that we are not our thoughts, emotions, or circumstances. We are the divine awareness that witnesses them all. When we remember our true spiritual identity, we stop trying to control every external event and instead cultivate inner peace, acceptance, and trust.

Working with the Heart

Every experience carries energy. If we resist that energy, it becomes trapped within us. Instead of flowing through, it creates emotional blockages that influence our future reactions.

Neither Suppression nor Expression

Many people believe they have only two choices when difficult emotions arise:

• Suppress them.

• Express them.

Singer offers a third path:

Allow them.

Allowing means fully experiencing the emotion without identifying with it, acting it out, or pushing it away.

A helpful question to ask is:

"Can I feel this without needing it to be different?"

When emotions are allowed to move through us, they no longer become stored patterns. Over time, old wounds lose their power, and we experience greater freedom.

Joy and Grief Can Coexist

One of the most moving parts of the sermon was the story of a bride who, after receiving a terminal diagnosis, chose to marry the love of her life while she still could. She walked down the aisle barefoot because cancer treatments had swollen her feet too much for shoes.

That wedding was filled with joy.

Only a week later, she entered hospice, and shortly afterward her memorial service became another sacred gathering where tears and laughter existed side by side.

This experience reminds us that grief and joy are not opposites. Both are expressions of love.

As Stephen Levine observed:

"The people we know that are the most joyous are the ones that are willing to face their grief and their pain."

Healing doesn't come from avoiding pain. Healing comes from allowing love to move through our pain.

Living Untethered

The human predicament is believing that peace depends on changing life.

The spiritual path teaches that peace comes from changing our relationship with life.

When we stop resisting, our hearts become more open.

When our hearts open, love flows more freely.

When love flows freely, we discover that God's presence has been with us all along.

Key Takeaways

• True quality of life is measured by your inner experience, not external success.

• Resistance creates suffering and stores emotional patterns.

• Freedom begins when we stop trying to control life and begin opening ourselves to it.

• We are not our thoughts or emotions—we are the divine awareness observing them.

• Healing comes through allowing emotions to move through us rather than suppressing or acting them out.

• Joy and grief can coexist because both arise from love.

• Peace is found not in changing life but in opening our hearts to it.

Affirmation

I release my resistance to life. I welcome each experience with an open heart. I am the peaceful presence of God, free to love, free to heal, and free to live fully in this sacred moment.

Sermon Notes: July 26, 2026

The Heart, Rev. Sheryl Padgett DDIV

• Opening humor: Joe and Sylvia’s toothbrush joke gives us a laugh, but it also points to a deeper truth: emotions can rise quickly, and what happens inside us is not always visible on the outside.

• Main theme: This message moves from the mind to the heart—the spiritual or energy heart where we experience emotion, love, fear, grief, longing, and connection.

• Life as teacher: Every situation can teach us something if we are willing to pay attention. Life is not always giving us what we want, but it is always offering us a chance to awaken.

• The mind and its layers:

• Here and Now / superconscious: Our direct awareness of God, the still place beneath the noise.

• Samskaras / subconscious: Stored memories, emotional patterns, and unhealed impressions from the past.

• Personal thought / conscious mind: The running commentary of likes, dislikes, judgments, and reactions.

• The impersonal mind: This is the part of mind that reasons, imagines, creates, and asks bigger questions. It helps us move beyond self-centered reaction and into intelligent participation in life.

• The heart works differently: The mind thinks in words and ideas, but the heart communicates through feeling. Feelings are vibrations, and they often move through us like waves.

• Emotion defined: Emotions are changes in energy. They are not your identity; they are something you experience.

• Awareness is the key: The goal is not to control every thought or emotion, but to stay seated in the seat of self and observe what is happening without becoming lost in it.

• Personal example: The stalled-car moment and the song about opening the heart illustrated how quickly irritation can rise—and how important it is to notice the energy shift.

• The seat of self: In Unity language, this is Christ consciousness, divine awareness, the spiritual Self. It is the place where we can say, “I am having this feeling, but I am not only this feeling.”

• Closed heart: When the heart is blocked, energy feels weak or stuck, negative thinking increases, and life can begin to feel cold, heavy, or mechanical.

• Open heart: When the heart opens because of an outside trigger, it can feel wonderful, but that openness may change when life changes.

• Samskaras matter: Old emotional impressions can shape our moods, choices, relationships, and future if they are never released.

• Witness consciousness: When we are centered in Spirit, we can observe thoughts and feelings clearly instead of being swept away by them.

• Three heart states:

• Blocked: Little feeling, suppression, distance.

• Triggered open: Emotion rises through a memory, song, scent, or moment of safety.

• Fully flowing: Love becomes a channel of oneness, and divine life moves through us freely.

• Scripture connection: Jesus says, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water,” which beautifully describes the open, flowing heart.[biblegateway +1]

• 12 Powers connection: As the heart clears, the spiritual faculties become more available. Faith becomes trust, understanding becomes clarity, love becomes flow, and strength becomes steadiness.[unitychapelhill +1]

• Core invitation: Notice what is happening in you without becoming what is happening in you.

• Spiritual maturity: We do not deny pain, grief, or uncertainty, but we also do not let them define us. We let them move through us and teach us.

• Beneath the mind’s noise and the heart’s history is a quiet Presence that is not anxious, confused, or fragmented. When we live from that center, confusion gives way to clarity, fear gives way to trust, and healing begins.

Affirmation: I remain centered in the presence of God. I witness my thoughts and feelings without fear. I release what no longer serves my highest good.I live in clarity, peace, and divine love.