A Bigger God

I grew up in the Catholic tradition & really experienced my faith through music as I played piano & sang for all the masses at my all-girls Catholic school in Hawaii. I remember one day as a teenager when I found out one of the girls in my rock band was not Catholic. In fact, she did not go to any church at all. This totally confused me since I thought she & her parents were some of the coolest people in the world AND they did not practice any religion . Or another time, I remember in class once, it made no sense to me why folks, who for example lived in a remote jungle, somewhere, and did not hear the cluster of letters that spelled J-e-s-u-s, were condemned for all eternity. I knew then that there were limits to my current religion or belief system, that did not sit right with my heart. I just knew that God & we are bigger than that…right?

I am happy to say that my spiritual seeking has led me to the New Thought/Ancient Wisdom teachings found in Unity principles ( www.unity.org ) and Religious Science or Science of Mind ( www.religiousscience.org ). The first time an artist friend asked me to sub for him to do the music at a Religious Science church, I thought it was so weird that they were meditating (though now that is a part of my daily practice). It really got me though when they began to read from the bible, then the Koran, then poetry by Maya Angelou, then ancient Buddhist text & a diversity of resources that shared inclusive, empowering wisdom. I had found a belief system & a compassionate community that celebrates & honors all faiths & all peoples, including those that don’t practice a specific religion . I am so grateful that in the New Thought/Ancient Wisdom teachings there is no lid on the box of God, in fact there is no box & we are constantly challenged to live & practice with spiritually open arms.

This is the new world we are co-creating & it begins by keeping that lid open, so we can ask if our current beliefs serve us and where we want to go. By continually asking, allowing, & opening to a bigger God or idea of life, we cannot help but grow as individuals while uplifting & embracing the planet as a whole. We are called not only to compassion but to celebration as well – celebration in the diversity of our beliefs, cultures, & religions.

Here is an amazing song about a bigger God called "Holy Now" by Peter Mayer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRx3gROXs0w (from Raise Me Up album)

A few more songs that celebrate a bigger God:
GOD IS... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQD0335aAbY
COLORS OF PRAISE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SZvF0aVDbA
CALLED TO BE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BOOvyNIE_RA

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Music available at www.faithrivera.com & I-Tunes