A Bigger God

I grew up in the Catholic tradition & really experienced my faith through music as I played piano & sang for all the masses at my all-girls Catholic school in Hawaii. I remember one day as a teenager when I found out one of the girls in my rock band was not Catholic. In fact, she did not go to any church at all. This totally confused me since I thought she & her parents were some of the coolest people in the world AND they did not practice any religion. Or another time, I remember in class once, it made no sense to me why folks, who for example lived in a remote jungle, somewhere, and did not hear the cluster of letters that spelled J-e-s-u-s, were condemned for all eternity. I knew then that there were limits to my current religion or belief system, that did not sit right with my heart. I just knew that God & we are bigger than that…right?

I am happy to say that my spiritual seeking has led me to the New Thought/Ancient Wisdom teachings found in Unity principles (www.unity.org) and Religious Science or Science of Mind (www.religiousscience.org). The first time an artist friend asked me to sub for him to do the music at a Religious Science church, I thought it was so weird that they were meditating (though now that is a part of my daily practice). It really got me though when they began to read from the bible, then the Koran, then poetry by Maya Angelou, then ancient Buddhist text & a diversity of resources that shared inclusive, empowering wisdom. I had found a belief system & a compassionate community that celebrates & honors all faiths & all peoples, including those that don’t practice a specific religion. I am so grateful that in the New Thought/Ancient Wisdom teachings there is no lid on the box of God, in fact there is no box & we are constantly challenged to live & practice with spiritually open arms.

This is the new world we are co-creating & it begins by keeping that lid open, so we can ask if our current beliefs serve us and where we want to go. By continually asking, allowing, & opening to a bigger God or idea of life, we cannot help but grow as individuals while uplifting & embracing the planet as a whole. We are called not only to compassion but to celebration as well – celebration in the diversity of our beliefs, cultures, & religions.

Here is an amazing song about a bigger God called "Holy Now" by Peter Mayer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRx3gROXs0w (from Raise Me Up album)

A few more songs that celebrate a bigger God:
GOD IS... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQD0335aAbY
COLORS OF PRAISE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SZvF0aVDbA
CALLED TO BE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOOvyNIE_RA

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Music available at www.faithrivera.com & I-Tunes