Unity of Walnut Creek

2025-02-16 February 16, 2025 – “Cultivating a Heart of Peace” Rev. Johanna van Gelder Rev. Dr. Johanna van Gelder explores the transformative power of cultivating a heart at peace during the Season for Nonviolence, drawing inspiration from Senator John Lewis's commitment to seeing the divine spark in every person - even those who opposed him. She distinguishes between acting from a heart at peace versus a heart at war, showing how justification and "horribilizing" can escalate when we resist returning to love. Rev. Dr. Johanna van Gelder offers practical tools for this daily practice, including listening to the body's wisdom, inviting just two percent more love, and channeling beloved mentors in difficult moments.

2025-02-09 February 9, 2025 – “Discover a Deeper Love” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin invites us to discover a deeper, more embodied love by exploring the surprising spiritual pathway of longing - that deep yearning within us that we so often suppress or run from. Drawing on the rich history of Saint Valentine, Rumi's poetry, and her own transformative experience on a recent retreat, Rev. Kristin reveals that our longing is not a sign of lack but is itself the return message from the Divine - the very connection we seek. She encourages us to welcome our longing, honor the sacredness of our bodies, and allow this reunion to lead us home to the everlasting pool of love that lives within each of us.

2025-02-02 February 2, 2024 – “A Brief Mystery of God” Guest Speaker: Greg Tamblyn Greg Tamblyn brings his unique blend of humor, music, and spiritual curiosity to Unity of Walnut Creek in this delightful exploration of life's biggest mysteries - from the nature of God to love to cosmic connection. Through original songs like "A Brief History of God" and personal stories - including a memorable tale about a destroyed guitar that became an unexpected blessing - Greg Tamblyn invites us to embrace wonder and humor as our healthiest responses to the unknowable. He reminds us that whether through string theory or mystical wisdom, we are all connected as vibrating strings in one cosmic symphony, and that seeking understanding serves us far better than demanding certainty.

2025-01-26 January 26, 2025 – “The Divine Gender Dance” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin delivers a powerful and deeply personal exploration of the divine feminine and sacred masculine, tracing how patriarchy disrupted the original wholeness of creation and wounded humanity's collective spirit. Drawing from scripture, history, and her own childhood experience of being denied the role of acolyte simply for being a girl, she illuminates how the suppression of feminine energy has left us all feeling insecure and out of balance. Rev. Kristin calls us to welcome home the fragmented parts of ourselves, embrace both sacred masculine and divine feminine energies, and commit to healing through grace, compassion, and courageous truth-telling in community.

2025-01-19 January 19, 2025 – “Not My Problem, Or Is It?” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin delivers a powerful message about the interconnectedness of all our actions, drawing from a Burmese folk tale about a king who dismisses a small drop of honey on a windowsill - only to watch it escalate into the destruction of his entire kingdom. Weaving in the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi, Rev. Kristin reminds us that no action is too small to matter, and that we are all caught in an "inescapable network of mutuality." She encourages us to ground ourselves in spiritual power, embrace right action, and recognize that our very presence - however we show up - has profound impact on the world around us.

2025-01-12 January 12, 2025 – “The Hidden Gifts We Exchange” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin invites us to discover the hidden gifts exchanged in every interaction - from a chance conversation with a young server in Costa Rica to a silent encounter with a great horned owl on a hike. Through the charming story of a boy who frees an owl and discovers he has already received the gift of animal communication, Rev. Kristin illuminates how presence, wonder, and openness reveal the magic woven through our daily exchanges. She encourages us to show up with full attention, listen with our hearts, and dwell in possibility - trusting that spirit reveals our hidden capabilities through the connections we share.

2025-01-05 January 5, 2025 – “Dissolving Drama & The White Stone Ceremony” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin opens the new year by sharing the delightful children's book "Jolly the Llama Who Helps Dissolve Drama" - the sequel to last year's beloved "Chip the Monk" - drawing out profound spiritual teachings about releasing drama through stillness, refusing to engage in gossip, and remembering that drama is simply "the great forgetting" of love. She then guides the congregation through Unity's traditional White Stone Ceremony, a ritual rooted in biblical history where each person receives a single guiding word from Spirit to carry as their north star throughout 2025. Rev. Kristin invites everyone to embrace both intentions - dissolving drama and evolving into their truest selves - as they step into the new year lighter, freer, and more connected to divine love.

2024-12-31 December 29, 2024 – The Gift Is You

2024-12-29 December 29, 2024 – “The Gift Is You” Ron Salazar, L.U.T. Ron Salazar delivers a heartfelt and humorous message reminding us that we ourselves are the greatest gift we can offer the world. Drawing on Charles Fillmore's 1923 Christmas talk and Paul Hasselbeck's teachings on divine purpose, Ron explores how our intuition connects us to our truest selves and how giving and receiving gifts are equally sacred acts of love. He encourages us to carry the Christmas spirit of generosity and blessing into every day of the year - whether in a crowded mall or a quiet moment - because the love within us is always present and always worth sharing.

2024-12-24 December 22,2024– "Airy Fairy Joy"

2024-12-22 December 22, 2024 – “Airy Fairy Joy” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin delivers a delightful and thought-provoking Advent message on joy, weaving together childhood wonder, astrology, and spiritual transformation to illuminate how joy is not merely a fleeting emotion but a deep, ever-available truth accessible through faith. She explores how the magi - learned astrologers who followed a star - were overwhelmed with joy upon finding the Christ child, and draws parallels to our own spiritual breakthroughs and the dawning Age of Aquarius. In a magical surprise, the Grinch himself appears to share his testimony of transformation, reminding us that no one can steal our joy when it lives within our hearts.

2024-12-15 December 15, 2024 – “Peace Like Water” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin explores the deep connection between water and peace during this Advent reflection, drawing on the imagery of desert wadis, the shepherds' starry night, and Jesus' encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well. She invites us to recognize that when fear or a sense of lack disrupts our inner calm, we can return again and again to the living water within - that deep well of Christ consciousness available to all. Through meditation and spiritual practice, Rev. Kristin reminds us, we become a peaceful presence that naturally flows outward, calming those around us and helping create the world we long to share.

2024-12-08 December 8, 2024 – “Fire Up Love” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin explores the powerful connection between fire and love during this Advent message, drawing from ancient fire-gathering traditions, the Christmas story of Zachariah, and the poetry of Rumi to illuminate how divine love ignites and transforms us from within. She invites us to enter the center of love's fire - to be consumed by it and become it - sharing moving stories of how open-hearted love can heal even the most callous encounters. Rev. Kristin reminds us that our sacred hearts, like those of Mary and Jesus, are meant to blaze openly, shaped by both grief and joy, compelling us to spread revolutionary love far, wide, and deep.

2024-12-01 December 1, 2024 – “Grounded in Faith” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin invites us into a richly embodied exploration of faith during this Advent season, weaving together the Christmas story characters of Mary, Elizabeth, and Zachariah to illuminate how faith is not merely a transcendent idea but something we feel, carry, and birth through our very bodies. Drawing on Unity teachings, ancient Egyptian mythology, and everyday moments of intuitive knowing, Rev. Kristin encourages us to welcome spiritual guidance with the same willingness Mary showed - accepting what wants to come through us and taking the next right step. This message reminds us that grounded faith moves like a strong, rooted tree - not easily shaken by life's winds - as we prepare to rebirth the Christ consciousness within.

2024-11-27 November 24, 2024 – "Designing Our Abundance Blueprint"

2024-11-24 November 24, 2024 – “Designing Your Abundance Blueprint” Rev. Kristin Powell In this inspiring conclusion to the eight-week Abundance Project series, Rev. Kristin invites listeners to move from inspiration into action by designing a personal abundance blueprint rooted in the truth that everything we need already resides within us. Drawing on the stories of Unity co-founders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore and activist Lynn Twist, Rev. Kristin illustrates how disciplined practice and committed action can transform dreams into reality. She introduces the LIFT practice - Living Into Feeling Tone - as a daily tool for expanding consciousness and encourages the community to embrace their visions with courage, reminding us that our greatest breakthroughs await just beyond the threshold of resistance.

2024-11-17 November 17, 2023 – “Healing Abundance Shadows & Values Conflicts” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin guides the community through powerful shadow work as part of the Abundance Project series, exploring how disowned parts of ourselves - those traits we were told were unacceptable - create blocks to our abundant good. Drawing on Carl Jung's depth psychology and the wisdom of King Solomon, Rev. Kristin leads a guided meditation to help listeners identify, befriend, and reintegrate their shadows, transforming inner conflict into wholeness. She connects this personal healing work to the collective, reminding us that each individual who reclaims their power through the divine "I am" contributes to the healing of community and country alike.

2024-11-10 November 10, 2024 – “Many Channels, One Source” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin explores the powerful concept of our co-creation covenant with Spirit, reminding us that we are each clear channels for divine good and that every person in our lives serves as a potential channel for our abundance. Drawing from the story of Jesus raising Lazarus, Rev. Kristin illustrates how we must first honor our human emotions - clearing grief, anger, and fear from our channels - before miracles can flow through us. She emphasizes that our perception of others directly determines how much good they can bring into our lives, inviting us to widen our perspectives and ask for help as we step fully into our sacred agreement to be embodied expressions of Spirit in the world.

2024-11-03 November 3, 2024 – “The Law of Circulation” Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin explores the law of circulation through the powerful metaphor of the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee, illustrating how the flow of giving and receiving creates abundant life. Drawing from Derek Rydell's Abundance Project, she reveals three essential components - having, giving, and receiving - and shows how the simple practice of conscious breathing can reconnect us to our inherent wholeness. Rev. Kristin invites us to slow down, fill our own cups first, and recognize that everything we need already exists within us, reminding us that true abundance flows from an internal source rather than external circumstances.

2024-10-27 Abundance Project, Part 4: "Seven Gifts that Give You Everything" Rev. Dr. Johanna van Gelder explores the transformative power of giving as part of the Abundance Project series, drawing from Derek Rydell's teaching that whatever is missing in our lives is what we are not giving. She illuminates seven "abundance activators" - giving out, giving away, giving up, giving in, giving thanks, giving to yourself, and forgiving - showing how each practice opens the channel for spirit to flow more freely through us. Using personal stories and the beautiful metaphor of a dried fern returning to life with attention and care, Rev. Dr. Johanna van Gelder reminds us that our source of abundance is not external but the infinite invisible energy within.

Unity of Walnut Creek - Messages