Unity of Walnut Creek

2022-12-01 November 27, 2022 – Faith Like A Mountain

2022-11-27 November 27, 2022 – Faith Like a Mountain Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin opens the first week of Advent by exploring faith as both a mountain to behold and a force powerful enough to move mountains, drawing on Jesus' teaching about mustard-seed faith and her own experience leading a group to summit a 14,000-foot peak in Colorado. She shares inspiring stories of people who overcame addiction, fear, and seemingly insurmountable challenges by activating their faith through spiritual practice, community support, and releasing limiting beliefs. Rev. Kristin encourages listeners to dream big this Advent season, reminding us that as we practice faith and weed out thoughts of limitation, we make space for grace to transform our lives.

2022-11-23 November 20, 2022 – How To Make Peace

2022-11-20 November 20, 2022 – How to Make Peace Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin shares a powerful reflection on peacemaking inspired by her transformative experience at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, where she witnessed a sacred land acknowledgment ceremony and reconciliation process between the Institute and the Esalen tribal people. Drawing from Jesus's teachings in the Sermon on the Mount, she explores how we can settle conflicts quickly, look for the good in others, and practice daily reconciliation - highlighting Gary Simmons' 21-day practice of reviewing each day and reaching out to mend relationships. Rev. Kristin invites her community to consider what collective steps toward peace and unity they might take together, reminding us that when we stand centered in spirit, we have everything we need to become peacemakers in our world.

2022-11-13 Fall Series, Part 6: "Healing Defensiveness"

2022-11-12 November 13, 2022 – Healing Defensiveness

2022-11-06 November 6, 2022 – Healing Competition Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin explores how competition in relationships stems from lack consciousness and creates disconnection, offering divine purpose as the healing path forward. Drawing from the story of a young horsewoman who prayed not to win but for her horse to do its best, and the Unity men's bocce team who won by embodying joy rather than rivalry, Rev. Kristin illustrates how shifting from competition to shared purpose transforms outcomes. She reminds us that our primary purpose is to express the divine - to be the way of God rather than in the way of God - and when we ground ourselves in this truth, collaboration replaces rivalry and everyone wins.

2022-10-30 October 30, 2022 – Healing Misperception Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin uses the beloved fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood - brought to life through a playful skit on Halloween Sunday - to explore how misperceptions fuel conflict and how we can cultivate clearer spiritual seeing. Drawing from a lesser-known version of the story where Red Riding Hood trusts her intuition and creates space to respond wisely, Rev. Kristin guides the community through practical steps for expanding perception - including suspending our current viewpoint, getting curious about what we are making situations mean, and activating the innate power of imagination through the third eye center. This fourth installment of the Eye of the Storm series invites us to embrace childlike wonder and openness as tools for healing misunderstanding and responding to life's challenges from a higher, broader place of spiritual knowing.

2022-10-23 October 23, 2022 – Healing Separation Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin delivers a powerful exploration of separation consciousness - the deeply ingrained illusion that we are disconnected from Spirit, from each other, and from ourselves - and offers a path back to wholeness through communion with the divine. Drawing from Myrtle Fillmore's teachings and Gary Simmons' "The Eye of the Storm," Rev. Kristin reminds us that we are beings made of stardust who have simply forgotten our true nature, and that by returning to center through prayer, meditation, and presence, we can heal this fabricated reality of separation. She invites us to recognize our role as co-creators who can change the trajectory of humanity by remembering our oneness and mirroring divinity to one another and to future generations.

2022-10-16 October 16, 2022 – Making Friends with Conflict Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin explores the transformative practice of embracing conflict rather than avoiding it, drawing on martial arts wisdom, Chinese proverbs, and the teachings of Jesus to reveal that we have more options than simply fight or flight. She introduces the concept of "tend and befriend" as an alternative response and encourages listeners to love, bless, do good, and pray when facing their foes - whether external challenges or the inner critic. Rev. Kristin reminds us that true peace comes not from avoiding life's inevitable storms but from returning to our centered, connected selves where divine wisdom reveals creative solutions and deeper wholeness.

2022-10-09 October 9, 2022 – No One is Against You Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin opens this fall series by drawing inspiration from the ancient bristlecone pine trees - beings that have thrived for nearly 5,000 years by embodying the truth that nothing is against them. Drawing from Rev. Dr. Gary Simmons' book "The Eye of the Storm," Rev. Kristin explores how our fear-based language and assumptions keep us feeling like victims, and invites us to shift from a mindset of fear into one of faith. Through personal stories from her early ministry journey and a guided visualization, she offers the acronym REST - Root in spiritual principles, Express gratitude, Surrender in prayer, and Trust divine timing - as a pathway to remembering that life's challenges are not working against us but are portals for spiritual awakening.

2022-10-02 October 2, 2022 – In Praise of Sacred Service Rev. Kristin Powell

2022-09-25 September 25, 2022 – Coming Home…A Spiritual Journey to Self Rev. Arabella Marie Rev. Bella Blackstock shares her powerful personal testimony of spiritual awakening and transformation, tracing her journey from a prison of isolation, illness, and fear to a life of freedom, purpose, and joy. She describes how a spontaneous awakening in 2012 launched a decade-long walkabout that included healing estranged relationships, battling thyroid cancer, and learning to say yes to divine guidance - even when it felt uncomfortable or impossible. Rev. Bella Blackstock reminds us that coming home to ourselves requires releasing old stories, doing the inner work of forgiveness, and trusting that when we say yes to life, life says yes to us.

2022-09-18 September 18, 2022 – Stories of Triumph & Realized Dreams (Part 2 of 2) Rev. Kristin Powell with Edna Castillo & Dimitry Doronkin Rev. Kristin presents the second week of "Stories of Triumph," featuring two powerful immigrant stories from Unity of Walnut Creek community members. Edna Castillo shares her journey from Guatemala - overcoming her father's chauvinism, bullying, and an unhappy marriage to become a certified life coach and author who now helps others heal. Dimitri Doronkin recounts his path from Uzbekistan, navigating the struggles of starting over and losing everything, only to discover that God was not distant but intimately present within him. Rev. Kristin celebrates how these stories reveal the spiritual ideals of inclusivity and equality, reminding us that diversity strengthens community.

2022-09-11 September 11, 2022 – Stories of Triumph & Realized Dreams (Part 1 of 2) Rev. Kristin Powell with Scott Babcock and Delila Brookstone Rev. Kristin opens this powerful service by inviting two community members to share their personal stories of transformation and resilience. Scott Babcock recounts his recent heart attack and the profound spiritual deepening it sparked - renewing his trust in inner knowing and inspiring him to finally pursue his lifelong dream of walking the John Muir Trail. Delilah Brookstone vulnerably shares her journey through generational trauma, addiction, and multiple attempts to end her life, ultimately finding sobriety, purpose, and healing through following the quiet voice of spirit within. Rev. Kristin frames these testimonies as expressions of human oneness, reminding us that our stories of struggle and triumph are deeply interconnected.

2022-09-08 Sept. 4, 2022 – Affirming Life

2022-09-04 September 4, 2022 – Affirming Life Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin invites us to embrace the sacred practice of affirming life - seeing, appreciating, and calling forth the goodness that is already present all around us. Drawing on the Gospel of Thomas, Unity's 12 Powers teaching, and the story of a maiden who rejected every pearl in search of something better, she reminds us that the kingdom of God is spread upon the earth and our work is simply to notice it with soft focus, open hearts, and grateful words. Rev. Kristin encourages us to move through the world like Persephone returning in spring - wherever we walk, speaking truth and appreciation, life blossoms.

2022-08-28 August 28, 2022 – Me and My Shadow Rev. Kristin Powell In this powerful message, Rev. Kristin explores the concept of shadow work - the spiritual practice of acknowledging and integrating the hidden parts of ourselves that we have repressed, denied, or cast aside. Drawing from Carl Jung's psychology, the teachings of Jesus on projection, and her own personal stories of buried anger and reclaimed confidence, Rev. Kristin reminds us that the shadow is actually the source of our highest good. She invites us to courageously shine light into our inner darkness, recognizing that wholeness, authenticity, and deeper joy await when we welcome home every part of who we are with love and acceptance.

2022-08-21 August 21, 2022 – Overcoming the Trolls Under the Bridge Rev. Larry Schneider Larry Schneider draws on decades of fascination with the human mind to explore what keeps us from experiencing our innate divinity, using the metaphor of "trolls under the bridge" - those ingrained thought patterns and attachments that block our spiritual growth. Weaving together insights from Genesis, the teachings of Jesus, Unity principles, and modern neuroscience, Larry shows how our brains are physically designed to reach higher states of compassion and connection, yet our lower-level thinking often holds us back. He offers practical tools like identifying a "dream team" of inspiring mentors and centering on core values to overcome the trolls and return to the garden within.

2022-08-14 August 14, 2022 – Providing Sanctuary Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin explores the profound meaning of sanctuary - not merely as a physical space, but as something we embody and provide for one another. Drawing from the powerful story of two families connected across generations through acts of refuge during the Holocaust and the recent Ukraine crisis, Rev. Kristin invites the community to embrace their natural calling as a place of healing, love, and inclusivity. She encourages Unity of Walnut Creek to be a wide-open space where weary hearts find rest and full cups find purpose, reminding us that we are each called to become the sanctuary we have found.

Unity of Walnut Creek - Messages