2003-07-29-We Watch, But You Must Make Decisions, AA

Session

Opening

Daniel(Bill): Let your thoughts rest lightly upon the pillow of God's love so that the fatigue of anxiety, fear, doubt, and guilt can drain away and leave you filled with the Spirit and Its fruits.

Father, I pray that this evening, once again, we may re-experience You in fullness; that we may recognize our kinship to You and each other; and that the light that shines so brightly upon our pathway will illuminate every hidden stumbling block, so that we may safely traverse our passageway through time on this planet of Michael's nativity and on to Paradise. Help us all to be conscious of Your nearness and to continue to allow Your Spirit to be our Source. Amen.

Ham(Bill): I am Ham. My best wishes to you all, my dear friends on this fine evening. I come with greetings from our whole staff to make you aware that even though you are one small part of the Teaching Mission, that you are also a very important part.

Lesson

Agondonter, Effort

Of course, each group is equally import to the whole in the same manner that each part of the human body is indispensable to the function of the whole body. Yes, it is a good thing when the experience of one group can be amalgamated into another group's experience so that the commonalities of Spirit function become evident to all. You are, again, like the human body in that each part has an overall purpose of functioning for the ultimate goal of allowing the personality, who indwells this body mechanism, to express himself/ herself. At the same time each part plays a different role in its individual function. The hand grasps; the foot stabilizes for locomotion; the heart beats to supply energy to the whole body and remove waste from the cells. You know the functions. I don't have to give you a science lecture as befits sixth graders. The point is that each group in this Teaching Mission is like this human body. In a larger fashion this is true in the functioning of a larger whole, at the planetary level, the constellation level, and beyond that to the Universe level; and ultimately to the level of the Almighty Supreme.

You are aware of the difficulties of being mortals, inasmuch as you dwell within your own skin. You understand, also, that on this planet, a rebellion planet, those difficulties are even greater. One of your most urgent cries that come from your hearts is to see progress move more convincingly, to believe with a full heart in the promises which have been given you. This is inherent in your agondonter status. As Aaron described it last week, we watch over you like adults watching children playing. We resist any inclination to interfere with your struggles for progress. We will not reach down and take the car from your hand and bulldoze a better road for you! We are not permitted to do that; and we are, for the most part, wise enough to know why that would not be in your best interests. The result is that you must learn on your own in terms of the doing of your daily living. We can advise you, as we do. We can make suggestions and describe the project to be learned. But YOU must do the work! We know that lifetime habits can be changed. We know because we have accomplished this. Some of us did this more in the mortal life than others. But all of us, as we ascend, do learn to overcome lifetime habits.

Why we press you to work hard (aren't we tough task masters?) is because you really can learn in a unique way as mortals, given your agondonter status, what cannot be learned in the same manner later on. What I mean by this, is, in the struggle to do the will of God on this darkened planet, having only faith, hope, and love to support you, brings forth lessons of such clarity, such brilliance, such splendor that you will, indeed, have a unique place for sharing this experience in the growth of the Supreme. To rely on your Spirit connection , without external support for guidance, develops immeasurable strength of character! It is like the difference in physical health, musculature and body functioning between two people: one who sits on their couch watching television all the time; the other who goes to the gym and works out for two hours everyday. One does the minimum to keep alive: eats, sleeps, and relaxes. The other puts out effort, makes commitments and sees immensely satisfying results.

It isn't simply that you will speed up your ascension process by doing morontial work here. It is also that you will build morontial muscle, that you will walk down the street and catch the spiritual attention of people passing by.. This isn't an ego thing. This is the kind of fragrance that Jesus exuded as he walked among his fellow men, women, and children. [At this point the TR spills his drink gesturing]

This incident [the spilled drink] suggests another comparison. When you do anything for ego enhancement the result is spilling your milk. Ego enhancement detracts from spiritual nourishment, for the milk of the Father's love is wasted when the ego takes charge and clumsily flings itself around in your life. But when you calmly approach that living Source of nourishment and thankfully take it to your heart, the nourishment is effective and you are able to share the milk of human kindness with another.

My dears, you are very brave to have come to this particular table and to allow us, your unseen brothers and sisters, to share our food with you. You are brave because you are outside of the box of most people's experience. You have dared to open the doors of your mind and your heart to this experience of universe education. But tonight I wish to say to all of you, "Take another step! Don't procrastinate any longer. Whatever it is that you have been planning to do, thinking about doing, expecting someday to do, don't do it tomorrow, do it now!" Don't put off for the morrow what can be done today. Don't put off for next week what you can do tomorrow. Yes, I feel like a trainer in a gym. Grab a hold of those weights and lift them! Exert yourself. Don't just purpose to do it next year. Now is the time!

Each of you have your own Trainer. He dwells within you, your pre-personal fragment of the Father. He is trying to get you to lift your thinking, to change your mind, to push beyond the limits that you have set for yourself, to do more than you think possible. You can benefit; and you can do it. But it will take work, for, after all, that is the only way we ascend in this universe. It is through work. Yes, there is rest; there is recreation, etc. But tonight I am calling you to get back to work!

This is not an indictment on your progress (nervous laughter). Don't be discouraged with my words. I feel like the coach at half time. You've done great in the first half. Let's do even better in the second! I am finished.

Bob D.: Can we ask questions of you tonight, Ham?

Dialogue

Teaching Mission, Organization

Ham: Absolutely. I was about to say that, but assumed you all knew that habit. Yes, please, Bob. Do you have a question or a concern?

Bob D.: I had a question on my lips, ready to ask you, when you said, "Just do it!" sort of thing. At the conference there was some discussion about developing some sort of a non-profit entity aside from the Teaching Mission but paralleling it in a sense. We don't want an organization or association that would actually supplant the Teaching Mission, which we really feel is for a spiritual purpose, but it seems increasingly with conferences, with the preservation of the TeaM archives, and certain things, that there is a need to have some sort of a surface organization or association. I was wondering about this whole thing, about not getting caught in the ego. It seems there is always that potential, when you do things, to have that quagmire. I was wondering if you had any insight from your level that could help guide our thinking about facilitating some kind of a service mechanism that would provide a basis for doing some of these things. I hope that question is clear.

Ham: We have been urging some groups to make connections with your culture in such a way as to spread the Good News. Your culture is no longer tribal, at least not in this country. The need for an institutional skeleton and structure is therefor unavoidable, yet highly fraught with potential problems, as you all know. There is an organization, which you are cognizant of, whose structure is minimal and whose purpose is tightly focused. Beginning with two people in the mid nineteen thirties it now embraces millions. I am referring to Alcoholics Anonymous. This program is a spiritual program and was fostered by the Angels of Progress at the same time that the Urantia Papers were being delivered. The success of this organization is due to its clear cut goal, its twelve step spiritual program, and its refusal to become involved in anything other than its single issue goal...to maintain sobriety among its members and to help the alcoholic who still suffers.

Now you can't imitate the structure of AA necessarily. But you could review it and ponder some of its methods, if you are interested.

Bob D.: Yes, I will. Actually, I will find out a little more about it.

Ham: A minimally organized spiritually structured movement can be done. That is why I mentioned this program which in the course of sixty plus years has gone from two to millions. You would also discover that the twelve step program is very familiar, for we have been teaching a similar course, but with differences in words and larger concepts. I don't know that I can say anything more that would be of assistance.

Bob D.: I appreciate that. The focus to maintain and to help those who still need help, as I take those two ideas, seems to be the focus of any association related to the mission or the Urantia Book, to maintain the community that we have, and to provide insight to those that may want exposure to what the community believes in. This would be an emphasis and a goal.

Ham: Correct. This would be very analogous to Alcoholics Anonymous in goals, yes.

Bob D.: I appreciate this. Thanks.

Ham: Okay. Are there others of you who wish to address Coach Ham? (Laughter, then silence) Well, it is better than Ham and cheese. (More laughter)

Teacher Contact

Bob D.: We missed you at the conference. I wondered if I felt you, or was that just my desire to hear from you?

Ham: Whenever you are thinking about a teacher there is a good chance you are getting a knock on the head. Yes, of course I was there. I was with you, Bob. If I was in my ego days, back many, many years ago, I might be regretful. But my friends spoke well. You all were marvelous. We would like you to take some of the energy back from that to kick start everybody. That actually is part of the reason for my pitch tonight! Questions? Comments? Objections?

I know it is a cliche in your culture, "Do it now!" But it is a good one. Whatever it is you need to do, do it now! Don't wait because you will learn in a context that will give you the most character growth. Yes, you will learn it eventually, Mansion World Three, Four, Five, whatever.

Ken:...six, seven.

Ham: It is not an option whether you learn it or not. Well, then, if there are no further questions or comments, Klarixiska has asked to close our evening together. Will you all stand as is your custom. Let each TR capable of opening their mouth consider taking the opportunity. I merely tell you that she desires to speak.

Closing

Klarixiska(Virginia): This is Klarixiska. As the fresh air of the morning brings the dawning of a new day, so Father, we would pray that the fresh air of change might touch each heart and mind so that as their day dawns spiritually, the walk they take will be breathtakingly beautiful because of the willingness to move in these areas and in these directions. Help us, each one, to be brave in change. Take away the fear and replace it with freedom. Take away inhibition and free it with the opportunities that each one has. Go with each one, that as they open up, they might be reassured by seeing Your truth, Your beauty, and Your goodness, not only in other people, but reinforced in their own lives. We thank You, Father, for this universe, for this planet, and for the ability to change. Amen.