Unity of Walnut Creek

2022-04-03 April 3, 2022 – Atonement Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin explores the profound spiritual practice of atonement - understood as "at-one-ment" - through the remarkable story of the Amish community's immediate forgiveness following the 2006 Nickel Mines schoolhouse tragedy and the Dagari tribe's practice of uplifting those who have lost their way. She invites us to consider forgiveness not merely as a mental exercise but as an active movement toward reparation and reconciliation rooted in our fundamental oneness with all life and with the divine. Rev. Kristin offers practical steps for daily forgiveness practice and encourages us to take the first courageous action toward healing in our own lives and in the world.

2022-03-27 March 27, 2022 – Illumined Soul Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin draws from a breathtaking experience of paddling an outrigger canoe during a moon eclipse - where bioluminescence lit up the dark waters - to illuminate the path of the illumined soul. She explores how beauty and light emerge from darkness, reminding us that just as the yin-yang symbol teaches, there is always light within the dark and our inner lamp can never be extinguished. Rev. Kristin offers practical ways to walk this path - finding light in difficult times, unmasking our truest selves, experimenting with illuminating practices, and letting the ego bow in service to divine guidance. Using the metaphor of outrigger canoeing, she invites us to shine our individual lights while paddling together in the boat of humanity.

2022-03-20 March 20, 2022 – Harnessing the Storm Within Our Own Hearts Rev. Sheila Johnson Rev. Sheila Ford explores how true world peace begins with harnessing the storms within our own hearts, drawing from Unity co-founders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore and the Costa Rican poem Resur to illuminate the path inward. She offers four practical tools for cultivating inner peace - meditation, prayer, awareness of our feelings, and HeartMath coherence techniques - reminding us that before we can direct the lightning in the sky, we must first tend to the fire within. Rev. Sheila Ford invites us to become candles of comfort, burning with peace that ripples from one horizon to the next.

2022-03-13 March 13, 2022 – Holding Space Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin explores the sacred practice of holding space as a powerful healing tool rooted in Unity's founding legacy. Drawing on the example of co-founder Myrtle Fillmore's healing ministry, she presents a "Triple A" framework - Attend, Allow, and Attune - for becoming skilled spiritual space holders in a world that desperately needs compassionate witnesses. Rev. Kristin invites us to show up with open hearts, resist the urge to fix or bypass pain, and trust that the divine presence working through us can bring comfort and transformation to those who are hurting - whether a neighbor, a loved one, or an entire nation in crisis.

2022-03-06 March 6, 2022 – Peacin’ It Together Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin weaves together the Season for Nonviolence and the Lenten season, inviting us to fast from aggression, judgment, and negativity while feasting on prayer, vision, and silence. She reminds us that no person or nation can stand in the way of God's goodness for humanity, encouraging us to pray even for those who have lost their way rather than giving our power away to fear or rage. Drawing on wisdom from Pema Chodron, Valerie Kaur, and young Nicosi Johnson, Rev. Kristin calls us to do all we can with what we have, right where we are - holding visions of peace, shielding the world in love, and trusting that our inner work truly changes the tide.

2022-02-27 February 27, 2022 – Perfect Peace in Imperfect Conditions Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin delivers a powerful message on cultivating inner peace during turbulent times, drawing inspiration from Gandhi's lifelong practice of using a mantra to transform fear into fearlessness. She shares how Gandhi's childhood nanny taught him to steady his mind by repeating "Rama Rama" - comparing the restless mind to an elephant's trunk that calms when given something to hold - and invites the congregation to discover their own personal mantra through spirit. Rev. Kristin reminds us that we each have a responsibility to ground ourselves in peace through prayer, meditation, and mantra practice, so that we can be a steady hand for others rather than getting pulled into the quicksand of fear and drama surrounding us.

2022-02-20 February 20, 2022 – The Timely Metaphysics of Noah’s Ark Rev. Kristin Powell

2022-02-13 February 13, 2022 – I’m Choosing Love Today Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin shares a powerful story of a Sikh woman named Avnit who, when confronted by a stranger's hateful outburst in a grocery store, stood her ground and simply repeated "I love you" until the aggressor broke down in tears - demonstrating what it looks like to respond from divine love rather than fear. Drawing on Unity's teaching of the 12 powers, the concept of oneness, and the wisdom of compassion, Rev. Kristin invites us to build a spiritual constitution strong enough to meet any adversity with love by breaking up with our inner judge and victim, recommitting to our true selves, and choosing love today.

2022-02-06 February 6, 2022 – Synchronicity & Flow: Starting from Wholeness in the New Year Sky Nelson-Isaacs Sky Nelson explores the concept of starting from wholeness rather than emptiness, inviting listeners to shift from asking "how do we get something from nothing?" to "how do we create something from everything?" Drawing on his background as a physicist, he uses the metaphor of rainbows and frequency filters to illustrate how solutions already exist within our lives - we simply need to remove what blocks us from seeing them. Through a personal story about joining his brother's band and rediscovering his voice, Sky Nelson demonstrates the power of saying "not no" to unexpected opportunities, showing how synchronicities can guide us toward fulfilling intentions we may not even consciously recognize.

2022-01-30 January 30, 2022 – Prepared by Faith Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin traces the inspiring history of Unity's founders, Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, to illuminate how faith - not funds - has always been the foundation of true prosperity. Drawing from the Fillmores' remarkable journey of building a spiritual movement one faithful step at a time, Rev. Kristin reminds us that prosperity is an inside job rooted in divine essence rather than material possessions. She invites us to activate our innate power of faith, center in our source, and consider writing our own covenant with spirit - knowing that when we turn on this inner power, doors of unimagined possibility continue to open.

2022-01-23 January 23, 2022 – Healed by Love Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin takes us back to the roots of the Unity movement, sharing the powerful healing story of co-founder Myrtle Fillmore, who transformed her lifelong illness through the revolutionary understanding that as a child of God, she could not inherit disease. Drawing from Myrtle Fillmore's healing letters, Rev. Kristin guides the congregation through a spiritual health treatment and reminds us that our bodies are temples of divine love deserving reverence and care. She honors the recent passing of Thich Nhat Hanh, weaving his teaching on the illusion of separateness into a call for holistic healing - of body, mind, relationships, and world - through the ever-flowing tonic of divine love.

2022-01-16 January 16, 2022 – Can MLK’s Dream and Yours Both Come True? Dr. Brenda Wade Brenda Wade delivers a powerful and heartfelt message connecting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream with the energy of the Chinese zodiac's Tiger Year, challenging listeners to move beyond spiritual comfort and into meaningful action. Drawing from her personal journey through depression, anxiety, and her awakening through Unity, Brenda Wade calls on spiritual communities to bridge divides - digital, racial, educational, and social - by using their unique gifts and talents in service to others. She emphasizes that intention must be paired with courageous action, urging everyone to activate their "tiger energy" and contribute to making King's dream of equality and love a lived reality for all people.

2022-01-09 January 9, 2022 – Aim Me, An Arrow for the Divine Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin invites us into the new year with the rich metaphor of spiritual archery, exploring how we can align our thoughts, feelings, words, actions, and body language as arrows aimed toward our highest divine potential. Drawing from Khalil Gibran's "The Prophet," Lakota wisdom, and the Japanese practice of kudo, Rev. Kristin encourages us to open ourselves like a bow - strong yet receptive - and surrender to spirit's guidance. She reminds us that "missing the mark" is simply an invitation to try again, and that by clarifying our spiritual goals and practicing with reverence, we become living arrows aimed toward our fullest awakening in 2022.

2022-01-02 January 2, 2022 – A Brilliant New 2022 & White Stone Ceremony Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin opens 2022 with the powerful revelation that "abracadabra" is rooted in the Aramaic phrase meaning "I will create as I speak," inviting the community to recognize the sacred creative power of their words. She explores how our vocabulary shapes our reality - how limiting words compress possibility while expansive words like yes, love, and imagine open us to new creation. Rev. Kristin then guides the congregation through the beloved White Stone Ceremony, where each person receives a word from Spirit to serve as their guiding light for the year ahead - a hidden manna written on a stone symbolizing freedom and new beginnings.

2021-12-31 January 2, 2022 – White Stone Ceremony

2021-12-26 December 26, 2021 – Christmastide Giving Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell explores the sacred season of Christmastide as a time of generous giving, weaving together the story of 13-year-old Abraham Olagbegi - who chose feeding the homeless as his Make-A-Wish gift - with the biblical gifts of the Magi to illuminate both social and spiritual dimensions of generosity. She invites us to release judgment, embrace curiosity, and see the divine wholeness in every person, recognizing that temporary circumstances never define someone's identity. Rev. Kristin Powell shares her own journey with tithing as a spiritual practice, encouraging us to step into the flow of giving and receiving that opens doors to epiphany, abundance, and deeper connection with the breath of life itself.

2021-12-24 December 19, 2021 – Abiding Joy

2021-12-19 December 19, 2021 – Abiding Joy Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell delivers a radiant message on the nature of abiding joy as an inherent, unshakeable quality of our divine nature during this Advent season. She reminds us that joy is not something external that can be taken from us, but rather a fixed and stable state of being that resides within - accessible whenever we release the ties that bind the mind and relax into the truth of who we are. Through stories of tap dancing in the park, the Dalai Lama's infectious laughter, and a neighborhood hokey pokey celebration, Rev. Kristin Powell illustrates how joy multiplies when shared and how opening ourselves to divine ideas naturally leads us into joyful expression. She invites us to embrace our Christ nature with zero tolerance for self-deception, unbinding our minds like unwrapping a gift to reveal the light and abiding joy within.

2021-12-12 December 12, 2021 – Infinite Love Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell delivers a heartfelt message on the infinite, boundless nature of divine love and its power to transform even the darkest circumstances - from wartime enemies sparing the Ponte Vecchio bridge to Mother Teresa's lifelong devotion to loving Christ in "all his distressing disguises." She reminds us that fear is simply false evidence appearing real, and that love is always chasing us, waiting for us to surrender to its embrace. Rev. Kristin Powell invites us to ask one guiding question throughout our days - "Am I helping or hindering love right now?" - as a practical path toward mastering love and becoming courageous, vulnerable channels for its infinite flow.

2021-12-05 December 5, 2021 – Deep Peace Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell explores the journey toward deep inner peace, sharing her personal experience of navigating uncertainty during a family health crisis as a doorway to spiritual surrender. Drawing from the Christmas story of Joseph, the legacy of Peace Pilgrim, and her own practice, Rev. Kristin Powell offers three transformative steps for cultivating peace - accepting circumstances as they are, aligning with the divine through prayer and trust, and then acting from that place of clarity. This heartfelt message reminds us that conflict is not the enemy but an invitation to remember our true nature as peacemakers in a world that deeply needs our light.

Unity of Walnut Creek - Messages