Unity of Walnut Creek

2022-08-13 August 14, 2022 – Providing Sanctuary

2022-08-07 August 7, 2022 – Receiving Sabbath Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin offers a beautiful exploration of Sabbath - the sacred practice of rest - reminding us that if the infinite source of the universe rested on the seventh day, we too are invited into that rhythm. Drawing from her transformative sabbatical in Africa, the wisdom of Jewish Shabbat rituals, Mary Oliver's poetry, and the simple elements of earth, water, fire, and air, Rev. Kristin illuminates how pausing - whether for one conscious breath or an entire afternoon in a hammock - reconnects us to the drumbeat of life and resurrects our sense of aliveness. She invites us to transform everyday acts like eating and washing into sacred communion, discovering that rest is not absence but the very portal through which we remember who we truly are.

2022-07-31 July 31, 2022 – Always Do Your Best Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin wraps up the Four Agreements series by exploring what it truly means to "always do your best" - not through overachieving or sacrifice, but by reconnecting with our authentic spiritual nature and letting it guide our lives. Using a childhood story of rebellion, the character of Forrest Gump, and a Buddhist teaching tale, Rev. Kristin illustrates that doing our best means saying no to old limiting agreements while saying yes to the freedom of spirit within us. She invites the community to consider how living these agreements - being impeccable with our word, not taking things personally, not making assumptions, and doing our best - can transform not only our individual lives but our relationships and shared spiritual journey together.

2022-07-24 July 24, 2022 – Don’t Make Assumptions Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin delivers a lively and practical exploration of the third agreement from Don Miguel Ruiz's Toltec wisdom - don't make assumptions - showing how easily we fill in gaps of knowledge with made-up stories that we then treat as truth. Through humorous anecdotes and relatable examples, Rev. Kristin identifies three common habits that don't serve us - making stuff up, needing to be right, and expecting others to read our minds - and offers powerful antidotes including curiosity, generous interpretation, and Byron Katie's inquiry process. She reminds us that the ultimate key to breaking old assumptions lies in trusting our innate spiritual wisdom and seeking to understand rather than be understood.

2022-07-17 July 17, 2022 – Don’t Take Anything Personally Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin draws a beautiful connection between the awe-inspiring images from the James Webb Space Telescope and our daily spiritual practice, reminding us that as beings literally made of stardust, we can choose to live from a vaster perspective rather than getting caught up in life's small irritations. Exploring the second of Don Miguel Ruiz's Four Agreements - don't take anything personally - Rev. Kristin illustrates through relatable everyday scenarios how old limiting beliefs keep us trapped in cycles of seeking validation or swallowing emotional poison. She invites us to ground ourselves in our intrinsic divine worth, remembering that others are starring in their own movies, and encourages us to lighten up and shine our cosmic light into the world.

2022-07-10 July 10, 2022 – Be Impeccable With Your Word Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin explores the first of Don Miguel Ruiz's Four Agreements - being impeccable with your word - through personal stories of shedding old agreements that kept her small and stepping into her authentic calling. She illuminates how every word we speak carries the creative power of God, reminding us that "in the beginning was the word" and inviting us to consider how we use the sacred "I am" in our daily lives. Rev. Kristin offers practical wisdom on releasing gossip, speaking truth, and aligning our words with love, encouraging us to see this practice not as perfection but as a liberating journey toward our divine potential.

2022-07-03 July 3, 2022 – Freedom Together Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin delivers a powerful Independence Day message exploring the deeper meaning of freedom - not merely as carefree pleasure, but as a spiritual capacity we cultivate within and share outward. Drawing on Khalil Gibran, the symbolism of the Statue of Liberty and the bald eagle, and a touching parable about two brothers choosing a bridge over a fence, Rev. Kristin invites us to recognize that true liberty begins in the "land of the I Am" and flows into collaborative, compassionate action. She reminds us that we are all needed as bridge-builders - choosing freedom over fear in every thought, word, and encounter we have each day.

2022-06-26 June 26, 2022 – Spiritual Questions and Responses Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin offers a dynamic and heartfelt message responding to spiritual questions submitted by members of the congregation, covering topics ranging from prayer and the divine masculine-feminine balance to trusting life's transitions, tithing, shadow work, and her vision for Unity's future. With warmth and authenticity, Rev. Kristin explores how prayer changes us rather than changing God, why restoring divine feminine energy is essential for healing our world, and how everyday challenges like gophers and clogged toilets become invitations for spiritual growth. She reminds everyone that the answers they seek already reside within them, encouraging deeper practice, presence, and trust in their own innate wisdom.

2022-06-19 June 19, 2022 – Manifested in His Eyes Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin delivers a heartfelt Father's Day message weaving together the stories of two remarkable fathers - Ray Kimbrell, a Marine who discovered his greatest mission in devoted fatherhood, and Bobby Flay's father, whose gentle nudging unlocked his son's hidden potential. Through these stories, Rev. Kristin reminds us that we all carry a divine inner father energy - a loving presence that sees our fullest potential already realized and loves us unconditionally beyond measure. She encourages us to trust that guiding wisdom within and offers this simple yet profound advice: show up, pay attention, and respond in love.

2022-06-12 June 12, 2022 – Forgiveness – The Fourth Pillar Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin concludes a five-week prosperity series by exploring forgiveness as the fourth and final pillar - alongside generosity, gratitude, and vision - that allows divine abundance to flow freely through our lives. She illuminates how unforgiveness imprisons us, sharing the powerful story of Stephanie Cassatley who forgave her mother's killer after 20 years and experienced profound release and healing. Rev. Kristin offers practical tools for forgiveness work, including end-of-day reflection and a writing exercise that separates facts from interpretation, reminding us that choosing happiness over being right opens the door to true prosperity and freedom.

2022-06-05 June 5, 2022 – Generosity – The Third Pillar Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin explores generosity as the third pillar of prosperity, using the vivid metaphor of fleas in a lidded pot to illustrate how self-imposed limitations block our natural flow of giving and receiving. She invites us to examine the subconscious beliefs about money and wealth formed in childhood - such as the notion that poverty is noble - and to release these "lids" so we can participate fully in the spiritual law of circulation. Through heartwarming stories of everyday kindness and unconditional giving, Rev. Kristin reminds us that generosity flows in countless forms and always returns multiplied, encouraging us to affirm together: "I am wealthy and generous."

2022-05-29 May 29, 2022 – Gratitude – The Second Pillar Karen Drucker Karen Drucker explores the transformative power of radical gratitude - not as a spiritual bypass that dismisses pain, but as a practice that holds space for both devastation and joy simultaneously. Through personal stories, humor, and song, Karen Drucker invites us to find even the smallest spark of gratitude during life's darkest moments, sharing how shifting "I've got to" to "I get to" can change everything. She reminds us that gratitude is a daily practice that brings us back to presence, opens our hearts to community, and helps us truly see one another in a world that desperately needs connection.

2022-05-22 Prosperity Series, Part 2: Vision In this heartfelt message, Rev. Kristin explores vision as the second pillar in the Prosperity Series, inviting us to recognize how our dreams, creations, and choices ripple outward to prosper the world in ways we may never fully see. Through the story of Leo Stefano - whose simple desire to keep his son safe led to the creation of the Dove Bar - she illustrates how even small acts of creative response can generate abundance across generations. Rev. Kristin encourages us to allow pain to push us forward until we are pulled by a greater vision, casting a collective replacement vision rooted in joy, equality, and conscious oneness.

2022-05-15 May 15, 2022 – Build on a Foundation of Faith Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell launches a new prosperity series by sharing her inspiring personal story of following divine guidance to move from the Midwest to California - a journey marked by synchronicities, trust, and spiritual flow. She explores how faith serves as the essential foundation upon which all prosperity is built, defining faith as a deep knowing in the heart that transcends proof or explanation. Drawing on the biblical teachings of "ask and it is given" and the mustard seed parable, Rev. Kristin Powell invites listeners to identify what they truly know, strengthen their connection with spirit, and release the mountains of doubt that block their good.

2022-05-08 May 8, 2022 – Mother: Divine and Earthly Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin delivers a heartfelt Mother's Day message exploring the Divine Mother as both the allness of God - that permeating, nurturing presence available to us at all times - and the eachness of divine feminine qualities within every person regardless of gender. Drawing on the mystical vision of St. Andrew, the story of Mary weaving scarlet and purple threads, and the wisdom of Julian of Norwich, Rev. Kristin invites us to weave together our humanity and divinity into a seamless whole. She encourages us to find our own sacred power spots where we can be spiritually nurtured and refilled, so we may then carry the mother's gifts of compassion, tenderness, and unconditional love back into a world that deeply needs them.

2022-05-01 May 1, 2022 – FEAR…Friend, Foe or…? Rev. Verona Garland Rev. Verona Garland delivers a vibrant and deeply personal exploration of fear, inviting us to see it not as an enemy but as a growth opportunity woven into the oneness of spirit. Drawing from the Science of Mind textbook, personal stories, and her own vulnerability about facing cataract surgery, she offers three powerful tools for dancing with fear - faith, thinking God thoughts, and remembrance of who we truly are. With warmth, humor, and infectious enthusiasm, Rev. Verona Garland reminds us that fear is simply faith misplaced, and encourages us to face everything and rise.

2022-04-24 April 24, 2022 – Sacred Heart, Sacred Home Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell draws a powerful parallel between the regeneration of Krakatoa after its catastrophic eruption and humanity's capacity for spiritual renewal, reminding us that what may appear to be breakdown is actually breakthrough. She invites us to uncover rather than recover - peeling back the layers of expectation and false narrative to reveal the sacred truth beneath, much like pulling back heavy ground cover to find fertile soil ready for new life. Through the Hawaiian practice of Ho'oponopono and the Celtic wisdom of expecting to find light in one another, Rev. Kristin Powell encourages us to breathe, heal, and plant new life as we participate in the emergence of a new earth born from awakened consciousness.

2022-04-17 April 17, 2022 – Rise Up! Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell delivers a powerful Easter message exploring how resurrection is not just a historical event but a daily spiritual practice available to each of us. Drawing from her own transformative experience on a vision fast in Death Valley and the inspiring story of a young woman who overcame crippling anxiety through changing her thoughts, Rev. Kristin Powell offers a practical acronym - RIGHT - standing for Resurrection, Inquiring and Investing in joy, Gratitude, Heart care, and True thoughts. She reminds us that the depth of Easter comes not from skipping over life's challenges but from rising through them, carrying our wisdom forward as we awaken each morning to the truth of who we are.

2022-04-10 April 10, 2022 – The Garden Path Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell weaves together the parable of a bird nesting peacefully beside a cascading waterfall with the story of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane to explore what true peace means - not the absence of chaos, but an unshakable inner calm found through surrender and non-resistance. Drawing on the examples of Gandhi and Peace Pilgrim, she invites us to lay down our weapons of judgment, fear, and defensiveness, and instead lean into life's difficulties with faith and openness. Rev. Kristin Powell reminds us that a few souls in harmony with the divine will are more powerful than multitudes out of harmony, encouraging us all to be like that little bird - sitting in peace, singing our song of truth, and walking in the light.

2022-04-07 April 3, 2022 – Atonement

Unity of Walnut Creek - Messages