Becoming Ordained Online for Free

Become an Ordained minister with a single click

by JODY BARBER  

There has always been countless conflicts and bloodshed over religious matters.

These conflicts, or ‘Holy Wars,’ are a thing that I have always found both odd and sad.

For the most part, religions almost always promote love, understanding, peace, unity, and salvation on some level.

However, there have been more deaths as a result of differing beliefs and misunderstanding than casualties due to war.

I think that it’s time to find people who want to embrace religious tolerance and peace— so that’s exactly what I did.

After some time researching, I found the Universal Life Church.

Jody Barber


This church started in 1959 as a religious organization based on a central belief:

“Every person has the natural right (and the responsibility) to peacefully determine what is right as long as it does not infringe on the rights of others.”  

In more recent times, they have expanded past their original location of Modesto, California and moved to a primarily online organization.  There is still a church building in Modesto, however.

The ULC is a strong supporter for the freedom of religion, immediately stating that its members welcome and accept all faiths. Another ground-breaking achievement that the Universal Life Church has committed itself to is ‘free legal ordination for life.’

They believe that no outside force can determine if a person is to be ordained – only God. Therefore within minutes, you can become one of the ULC’s 20+ million legally ordained ministers.

I was elated at finding this church. All religious organizations seem to promote ‘religious tolerance’ until it’s no longer convenient, but this church was actually committed to not only religious tolerance, but religious love and understanding.

I was, however, instantly skeptical of the free ordination—I could not believe that someone would/could give it away so freely.

I have been a follower of a not-so-mainstream faith for many years, and was deeply interested in ministry.

Naturally, I did not believe that someone who was certified to license a minister would license me, due to my choice in faiths.

When I found the ULC, I immediately contacted various clerks of state in Georgia to validate that this type of organization was legitimate—it was! So I, too, became one of the ULC’s many ministers.

After my ordination, I further examined the ULC’s wide range of tools for their ministers.

The online church website is filled with tips on how to improve your ministry, information on perform weddings of different faiths, a collection of minister-submitted sermons, and prayer requests among many other things, including the ordination form.

The church really seems to take an interest in helping their clergy along their religious path.

So, if you’re interested in ministry and believe that all faiths can exist together in this world, the Universal Life Church might be the place for you.

*******************************

 

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. 

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.

 

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.  
 

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Becoming An Ordained Minister

The Universal Life Church
from Issue #7 March 2004

This was written before the Universal Life Church Seminary was created.  Since then, the ULC offers a lot more in the way of courses, training and overall credibility.

by Dan Shaurette daniel@acrimony.org http://www.ShauretteNet.com

"Every day, people are straying away from the church and going back to God." - Lenny Bruce Hello there, I'm a religious zealot. No, really. I mean, I may not carry my propaganda with me, and I certainly will not thump you with anything, but I don't mind a little pulpit action now and then. What religion do I preach? None in particular, actually. I just enjoy the subject, and I love seeing people either squirm away from the subject, or join in with enthusiasm. If I preach anything, it's tolerance. I love learning about not only the different religions people practice, but also how people actually practice their religions. America is a funny country. It is one of few nations that does not have an officially recognized or sanctioned religion. This has a lot of great perks; of which my favorite is there's no such crime as "heresy". Think about it. Isn't it liberating to know that you cannot be hanged or burned at the stake.. at least not by the government? I know it helps me sleep at night. Not only that, we work really hard to keep it that way. There's always some argument going on about the "separation of Church and State" or "the establishment clause". This all boils down to what the Constitution of the United States has to say on the subject. Well, actually, the first Amendment of the Constitution. See the framers of the Constitution took a few things for granted, believing we had certain inalienable rights. They eventually decided to write ten of those rights down, calling them the Bill of Rights, and added them to the Constitution in 1791. In any case, the First Amendment says the following: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Now if you ask me, truly, the First Amendment says all of the really important stuff that governs the freedoms we all enjoy. I can worship whomever I want, or no one at all if I should choose. I can say whatever I want, and write whatever I want, criticizing or praising anybody I choose. I can hang out with a bunch of my close personal friends who share my beliefs. Finally, I can register my complaints about anything to the government, when other people, including the government, try to mess with my rights. What a country. What blows my mind, though, is the fact that it isn't the free speech part, or the petition of grievances part that comes first. It's the free exercise of religion. This was a pretty revolutionary idea at the time, literally. Sometimes, it still seems to be a radical concept to this day. This brings me to my whole zealot status I mentioned. I love religion. All of 'em. Old, new, reformed or orthodox. Pick a god, any god. They're pretty cool by me (and the goddesses too). Wow. Love 'em. Problem was, I use to think they were all mutually exclusive. This belief of mine coming from my upbringing, as I'm sure is similar to yours, especially if you belonged to one of The Big Three religions; Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. The First Commandment says, "You shall have no other gods before Me." Again, amazing how the biggies are listed first to get the most attention. My point being, in my youth I took this to mean that all other religions were false. As I grew older, and perhaps more cynical, I realized this is a statement of jealousy. More over, it acknowledges other gods exist; this one just wants to be praised first. Well more power to Him, I say. So I started wondering, are there churches, or other religions, out there that broadly embrace all religions, or at least as many as they can list. The answer, it seems, is a big fat YES! The biggest, or at least, the most readily available and accessible, is the Universal Life Church. You may or may not have heard of this church before. What you may have heard may also be positive or negative about it. I'm all for listing the good and bad sides of everything, because I personally want to know all sides of an issue and want to help everyone make their own decision. Free exercise. Gotta love it. The Universal Life Church, or ULC, was started in 1959 by Kirby Hensley in Modesto, California. The ULC is a non-denominational and interfaith church. Its goal was and still is to legally ordain anyone as a minister of the ULC regardless of sex, race, age, creed, or religious belief. That's right, no matter what your personal religious beliefs are. The idea being that not only do you not have to shed your beliefs and ties to your current church, but you could legally preach and administer your beliefs. The practical purpose of this is to legally ordain a person to be able to perform marriage ceremonies. For anyone, no matter his or her beliefs. This ordination is legal in all 50 states because an organized church has decreed it. Many county and state governments have regulations that require the minister to be 18 or older, or that they be licensed in that state. However some states do not. Arizona, for example, states that "any licensed or ordained clergy" must perform the ceremony. Put simply, if you are ordained by the ULC, that is good enough for them. Nevada on the other hand, which is famous for its weddings, has stricter rules. A minister wishing to perform a marriage must have a congregation or church established in the state of Nevada, and they have a complex set of forms to file in advance. This should not be considered a setback of course, because as an ordained member of the ULC clergy, you can set up your own congregation. In fact, as a ULC minister, you can officiate one wedding ceremony or make it your business. You can minister at funerals, baptisms, and house blessings, whatever. You can form your own church, hear confessions, offer counseling, grant absolution, and even ordain others. They only ask that you promote the freedom of religion and that as a minister you "do that which is right." So long as you believe it is right, it is not illegal, and does not infringe another's rights, then you can do what you will. Essentially they follow a legal version of the Golden Rule. So what's the catch, right? How much does an ordination cost and what do you have to do to get one? Time was, when the church started, it was a mail order organization, and they did ask a small fee for the Certificate of Ordination. Now, thanks to the internet, anyone can get online, visit www.ulcseminary.org, fill out a form, and  voila you are an ordained minister of the Universal Life Church. Heh, it can't really be that easy, I thought. Fact is this is both the blessing and the damnation of the ULC. It is just that easy. There is no formal indoctrination, no schooling, no anointing, and no swearing allegiance to uphold an ancient dogma, which has served as the instrument of persecution.. ahem, I mean, no oaths. And no nice red uniforms, oh damn. Sorry. Since it is an automatic process, it is therefore quite easy to take advantage of the ordination process. People have been ordained as a practical joke, using false, profane, or silly names; people have ordained their pets, dead people, famous people, fictional characters, etc. The ULC lost credibility in the past because of this, but has instituted controls in filing their ordination requests. Legal names must be used in order to be valid, and people actually go through each request and only record those that are not suspicious. Even though these processes are in place, and the ordinations are legal, there are still those who deride the church and its members. Granted, the idea of going online to become a priest so you can perform a marriage ceremony is humorous. It makes for great comedy material. For example, on the NBC show Friends, when Chandler and Monica were engaged, Joey went online and got ordained so he could be the one to marry his best friends. While this is funny, I personally also think it is very sweet. The fact that this is legal, and most people don't believe it is, is what makes it funny to me. The idea appealed to me back in October of 2001. Sorry, I just had to stop and realize that was over two years ago. So much has happened since then. For me, I did it, believe it or not, in response to the September 11 attacks. I personally suffered a crisis of Faith, as I think many people in this country did. A holy war brought about the deaths of many innocent people on American soil. Things like this happened all the time in other countries. But now it was personal. Until that day, I considered myself unofficially to be an apathetic agnostic. But even I had the question cross my mind, "How could God let this happen?" This question either shored up or decimated the faith of many people. At first, I wobbled unsteadily upon the picket fence I had until then balanced effortlessly along. After the attack, I saw and heard things that made me feel the gamut of negative emotions. Horror, Fear, Anger, Sadness, and Confusion in the beginning as my TV witnessed the destruction in NY and DC. Then I had begun to feel Pride, Charity and Love again as I watched the bravery and humbleness of those at Ground Zero, NY. Then I watched the negative sides of my fellow Americans emerge -- Hate, Intolerance, Pain, Ignorance, and Prejudice. To hear stories of violence and persecution against Arabian or Muslim Americans disgusted me beyond words. Then, when I honestly thought things couldn't have seemed worse, Jerry Falwell came onto the scene. At a time of our darkest hour, when what we needed to see was the light at the end of a tunnel somewhere, his words caused a cave in. He said, "The pagans and the abortionists and the feminists and the gays and the lesbians... the ACLU, People for the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America, I point the finger in their face and say, 'You helped this happen'." To put it politely, I snapped. I wanted to do something, anything, to affirm my personal belief that in this country, people had the right to say and believe anything they liked. I found the ULC online, became ordained, and decided to form my own "church". I created a website where anyone could come if they chose, to speak their minds, share their ideas and ideals, their hopes, dreams, and prayers. Where all gods and goddesses could be worshiped, discussed, and analyzed. A place where questions about rituals, beliefs, doctrines could be answered. I don't have all the answers, so the more people who visit and communicate, the better. It's my personal effort to snub the Religious Reich.. er, Right, and proof that I finally shed my apathy. I do believe in the Divine. Those internal and external forces that elude our five senses that make us fail to prove their existence. But proof does not deny faith as far as I'm concerned, neither does lack of proof. I agree and disagree with the tenets of many religions, so I do not consider myself a follower of any particular path. But the path I am on is one of enlightenment. Enlightenment is not a destination, but a journey. A "minister" is not the same as a "preacher". Many times the terms are interchanged, and sometimes people may take what I do as preaching. I call it "rambling". I'm espousing my own beliefs. You may share them or not. I am not hurt if you choose not to agree with my points of view. In contrast, the goal of a preacher is to encourage you to do more than share their beliefs. They tell you what is right and wrong, and what the consequences of your choices are. I am an advisor, or counselor, by my nature. I am happy to give advice and help to those who ask me for it. But I do not tell people that they have to do what I say. The Universal Life Church granted me the opportunity to be recognized for what I have been all my life: a Minister. Ordained and recorded by their Registry in Modesto, California. Born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. Chartered by the Divine on a special quest: Life. In my mind, the ULC represents the great alternative religion. It has stood up to even the playing field for everyone. This is what ultimately upsets the established religions that have made their churches into exclusive clubs. Or perhaps, more accurately, have turned the Afterlife into the Ultimate exclusive club. We all pay the same admission fee to get there. Pick one, pick none, pick all of the above. If you like, take a peek at my website, www.AquariusChurch.org, the Aquarius Church of Enlightenment. I'll end this with one of my favorite quotes by Thomas Jefferson. "Difference of opinion is advantageous in religion. The several sects perform the office of a Censor morum over each other. Is uniformity attainable? Millions of innocent men, women, and children, since the introduction of Christianity, have been burnt, tortured, fined, imprisoned; yet we have not advanced one inch towards uniformity. What has been the effect of coercion? To make one half the world fools, and the other half hypocrites. To support roguery and error all over the earth." - Thomas Jefferson   *******************************   The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more.  Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.   The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.     Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Metaphysical Healing

Master of Metaphysical Healing

Final Essay

This course begins with a bang and just gets better. The thing I enjoyed most about this course was the introduction it provided to the system of spiritual and traditional healing as it is practiced in South Africa. The selection and training of spiritual healers as it is practiced in that society and as explained by the personal experiences of Rev. Katharine Lee Krüger. This was fascinating and in fact, made me a little envious. I wish our own system could involve alternative practices to such an extent and in such an enlightened manner.

I always enjoyed the insights Rev. Krüger provided on the practices of other cultures including the San of the Kalahari.

This course was not just information and theory however. It contained serious practical information about the practice of healing. It provided specific pointers on how to deal with contaminated energy for example. Its explanations of soul loss and soul retrieval were detailed and useful. It is the first description I have ever seen of this process that actually explains enough of the process to enable actual application and practice. The same type of useful detail was provided for past life regressions and other techniques. Another interesting aspect of this course was the explanation of absent healing. Again the practical details are useful enough to actually facilitate application. I also enjoyed the useful information on reading auras as well as the background information on anatomy and physiology.

In addition to this practice information the student was provided with some very sound advice on ethics and the administrative and business aspects of being in practice as a healer. Even though much of this information was set in the context of South Africa where healers work within a defined legal code, I felt it was useful to anyone in any setting who might wish to practice spiritual healing in a competent and professional manner.

By Rev. Robert Nelson

Universal Life Church Minister

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The Universal Life Church, is free place to become ordained,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button to get started today.

The ULC Seminary was created to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. The  Universal Life Church has grown over the years and its Seminary has added the continual growth of the church.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Becoming a Reverend

by Diane Steinbach -- Staff Writer

Last month I talked about making life-lists to help solidify one’s goals and make sometimes abstract thoughts into concrete actions to be achieved. 

As I wrote that article, I included a long standing dream of mine of becoming ordained. Again, I don’t want the actual hassles that come with a life of servitude, but just something to hold over people’s heads and help me get a discounted rate at the Super 8 motels.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a spiritual person, having grown up in the Catholic church has however beaten the joy of creation out of me and replaced it with an aching feeling that all that kneeling and chanting was just the evidence of yet another cult. I believe in God, but am still not sure how to define him . . . or her. I believe in Jesus, but am not sure that he wasn’t just a really cool hippy with a lot of great ideas. Obviously I haven’t gotten it all figured out yet.

To complicate the issue, I am a psychic medium, (you heard me) and have long been able to peer through the veil of this world into the next one. What am I seeing? Experiencing? Is it heaven? Hell? Or just another layer of existence we don’t yet understand. Ok, maybe Rod Serling did, but not the rest of us.

So, as I sent off October’s Cynic column, I began to do the easiest thing on my life-list; get ordained online.

I began this adventure with a Google search of free instant online ordinations. If it ain't free and instant, it ain’t for me. I found lots of places that would ordain me for a price, ranging from 150 bucks to 250 for the "starter kit." Too rich for my blood! 150 bucks? That’s like 5 nights-worth of Chinese delivery! 

After a few hours searching (I was also doing laundry, so the total search time may be off) I came up with two instant online ordinations. 

The first site I found was ‘Compuchurch.com’ where I became a minister through their "Minister O Matic" page. Honest! You just can’t make up something that good! As a member of the cyberspace Universal Life church, I am sure I will be inundated with both snail mail and email regarding what a minister needs to buy in order to tend his flock.

I wasn’t really satisfied with the ‘Compuchurch’ deal though, as I am a God-fearing woman (no lie, I am scared sh**less!) and didn’t really want to reach the pearly gates to be sent to the cyber-heaven all of us internet minister get shoved into. Hence, I continued my search.

Next, I found the ‘Spiritual Humanism Church’ that would happily ordain me in an instant, but wouldn’t provide any kind of certificate that I could flaunt under the noses of the real religious muckity-mucks I wanted to piss off. Um, I mean... oh, never mind. I did kind of dig their philosophy of science and logic, but without the certificate, forget it.

So, finally, I found Universal Life Church (may or may not be affiliated with the cyberspace Universal Life Church) at ulcseminary.org. They had it all; instant ordination, a certificate I can print out at home and a philosophy based on love and kindness. Bingo. I filled out the information, and printed out my certificate, and voila!

Now I realize I still need to buy a few items in order to marry my lesbian friends and perform other rites of passage, but that’s okay. I kind of like being part of some kind of religious organization again, and I am holding my head a bit higher now that I am officially a Reverend. 

I am ordained now through two different sites, just to make sure it sticks. That makes me not only a Reverend, but a Reverend to the second power. R2. Granted, I am not a real religious scholar, but maybe that’s what religion needs. More real people and less sheltered hypocrites.

I am hoping the alumni organizations for my Catholic grammar, high school and college aren’t reading this, as I really enjoy getting asked for money and reading about the successful marriages and childbearing of old classmates. Really. I do. 

In any case, that’s my brief journey of enlightenment. Stay tuned for more information on a possible church I might start . . .  Perhaps the ‘Universal Church of Tofu,’ or ‘Reverend Diane’s 3-D house of God.' 

I will start working on the bumper stickers.

Universal Life Church Seminary

*******************************

 

The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have classes in Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, two courses in Metaphysics and much more. 

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.We also offer many free wedding ceremonies for your use.

 

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.  
 

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar

Becoming Ordained

by Diane Steinbach -- Staff Writer

Last month I talked about making life-lists to help solidify one’s goals and make sometimes abstract thoughts into concrete actions to be achieved. 

As I wrote that article, I included a long standing dream of mine of becoming ordained. Again, I don’t want the actual hassles that come with a life of servitude, but just something to hold over people’s heads and help me get a discounted rate at the Super 8 motels.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a spiritual person, having grown up in the Catholic church has however beaten the joy of creation out of me and replaced it with an aching feeling that all that kneeling and chanting was just the evidence of yet another cult. I believe in God, but am still not sure how to define him . . . or her. I believe in Jesus, but am not sure that he wasn’t just a really cool hippy with a lot of great ideas. Obviously I haven’t gotten it all figured out yet.

To complicate the issue, I am a psychic medium, (you heard me) and have long been able to peer through the veil of this world into the next one. What am I seeing? Experiencing? Is it heaven? Hell? Or just another layer of existence we don’t yet understand. Ok, maybe Rod Serling did, but not the rest of us.

So, as I sent off October’s Cynic column, I began to do the easiest thing on my life-list; get ordained online.

I began this adventure with a Google search of free instant online ordinations. If it ain't free and instant, it ain’t for me. I found lots of places that would ordain me for a price, ranging from 150 bucks to 250 for the "starter kit." Too rich for my blood! 150 bucks? That’s like 5 nights-worth of Chinese delivery! 

After a few hours searching (I was also doing laundry, so the total search time may be off) I came up with two instant online ordinations. 

The first site I found was ‘Compuchurch.com’ where I became a minister through their "Minister O Matic" page. Honest! You just can’t make up something that good! As a member of the cyberspace Universal Life church, I am sure I will be inundated with both snail mail and email regarding what a minister needs to buy in order to tend his flock.

I wasn’t really satisfied with the ‘Compuchurch’ deal though, as I am a God-fearing woman (no lie, I am scared sh**less!) and didn’t really want to reach the pearly gates to be sent to the cyber-heaven all of us internet minister get shoved into. Hence, I continued my search.

Next, I found the ‘Spiritual Humanism Church’ that would happily ordain me in an instant, but wouldn’t provide any kind of certificate that I could flaunt under the noses of the real religious muckity-mucks I wanted to piss off. Um, I mean... oh, never mind. I did kind of dig their philosophy of science and logic, but without the certificate, forget it.

So, finally, I found Universal Life Church (may or may not be affiliated with the cyberspace Universal Life Church) at ulcseminary.org. They had it all; instant ordination, a certificate I can print out at home and a philosophy based on love and kindness. Bingo. I filled out the information, and printed out my certificate, and voila!

Now I realize I still need to buy a few items in order to marry my lesbian friends and perform other rites of passage, but that’s okay. I kind of like being part of some kind of religious organization again, and I am holding my head a bit higher now that I am officially a Reverend. 

I am ordained now through two different sites, just to make sure it sticks. That makes me not only a Reverend, but a Reverend to the second power. R2. Granted, I am not a real religious scholar, but maybe that’s what religion needs. More real people and less sheltered hypocrites.

I am hoping the alumni organizations for my Catholic grammar, high school and college aren’t reading this, as I really enjoy getting asked for money and reading about the successful marriages and childbearing of old classmates. Really. I do. 

In any case, that’s my brief journey of enlightenment. Stay tuned for more information on a possible church I might start . . .  Perhaps the ‘Universal Church of Tofu,’ or ‘Reverend Diane’s 3-D house of God.' 

I will start working on the bumper stickers.

Universal Life Church Seminary  

**********************

The Universal Life Church is a great place to become ordained and to learn how to become a minister.  

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.  

Spirit Quest

Spirit Quest – The Book

Rev. Nick Federspiel, M.Min.

FIRST, I am a practicing Minister at a college campus chapel, but I don’t consider myself a “spiritual man.” What! you exclaim how can that be? A believer I am, yes; a Christian historian, yes; an apologeticist, yes; but a sitting cross legged and humming spiritualist – ah - No. One Spirit Quest e-lesson inspires one to send a grounding rod to the center of the earth! Now, I am a dual discipline educated engineer, and WOW, I know that will be a project. The earth has a radius of 3,912 miles plus or minus some ruts in my ranch road. My ranch is in oil and gas country and anybody around here will tell you that a drilling operation of that scope using typical fifty foot steel drill stem will take 414,672 pieces of it! Now just to get that delivered will take 4,000 semi truck loads of drill stem, and OMG what will the federal drilling site land use permit look like!

See, that is my problem. Everything in my life has been accompanied by a sanity check and cost benefit and time study analysis. My project sanity, cost benefit analysis, spread sheet and power point ” for Spirit Quest is about an 8 hour reading session, an 8 month study project; (30 ULC e-lessons); $70.00 tuition and the benefit, aside from the spiritual, is 5 ULC credits. Rev. Amy Long, the author, says at the top of page 8 of 312 pages that I am to start with a project title: “MY SPIRITUAL GOALS” and I quote: “in nice big letters:

• Learn the spiritual tools to protect oneself against a negative life,

• Learn the secrets of spiritual growth

• Learn where you fit in the universe!!!

• Make room in your life for love and joy….. and so much more…..

Okay! Let’s drill! Ah, But why?

Amy Long relates a story of a woman at work on the receiving end of an (unjust) tirade. She “took a deep breath, closed her eyes enough to imagine her grounding cord, the onslaught of negative energy slammed into her, dropped down her grounding cord to the center of the planet;” sort of one’s lightening rod. A ‘strike’ is grounded.

A Rose is a Rose … One loves roses, at least the ladies, and when a guy slips up, he likes them also as that seems to be what men get for the ladies when, well, Mars fails to align properly with Venus. What are we to do we do with the perfect rose? “This rose has the ability to collect negative energy, a personal ‘NCG Enterprise force field’ when it withers get (create!) another.” Each time one uses (up) one’s grounding cord and protection rose one creates another, each better through spiritual exercise and practice then its predecessor. Ever better successors make for more enjoyable successes. Chance favors the prepared; but (you) leave nothing to chance, keep a protection rose handy at all times! It will drive everyone else that is not a spiritual horticulturalist completely nuts.

One seems to be exposing roses to danger which ruins its beauty – better the rose than you! I am not sure why a rose, perhaps its beauty puts the spiritual enemies into a false sense of security. Amy Long says when the overloaded rose explodes it leaves a vacuum in the energy force field to be filled ASAP with one’s good energy. That energy comes from one’s on-call gold sun – one’s ‘Ra.’ As in Egyptian Amun Ra, all things good radiate from the sun. I call this one of life’s “truisms:” bad people hurt good people – or try. Amy Long puts it simply, “Bad people destroy what good people create.” Your ‘gold sun’ is your spiritually sensitive positive energy source. Destroying the negative and the old spiritual junk one replaces it with a new rose and grounding cord. The Good News is the more one practices the sequence the better one becomes at doing it and the greater the realized benefits.

I paraphrase a recent ULC course statement that said that: science wished it could peer into the mind of God and see his will interacting with his energy to create all we see and use. I added in my Sunday sermon: in which He is (was) well pleased. Amy Long in chapter seven, “As you know your body is made up of energy.” What would a scientist say? The formula is mass (your body) is equal to your Energy plus the speed of your golden sun light squared i.e. E=MC2

“From your comfortable spot,” Amy says, “and while sitting in the center of your head, I’d like you to imagine that you can see far into the universe … until you see an area that is clean and pure.” A Christian minister might be reminded of Heaven. “and collect,” she continues, “its cosmic energy, clean, pure, light the healing energy for your body.” Hmmm, then perhaps to an engineer does this mean ‘your mass’ equals God’s willed energy, us created in his image, thus all energy in him is in us (you) times the speed of his delivered identity speed = ‘light healing energy’ to you squared. Mathematically, therefore you equal God’s Willed Spiritual Energy (WSE) cubed (3). Bring on that golden sun! You = WSE3 Perhaps that is not perfect math but it makes the point – you are a lot of energy.

Chakras? Chakras! “Your body as you may be aware,” Amy reminds us, “is made of energy, a point on which spirit and science agree.” (i.e. my ‘you’ = WSE3 ). “Chakras” are the control center for your energy for your body (page 111). Amy Long continues: “Your fourth chakra is your heart chakra … where people get the idea that ‘things come from the heart.’ This sequence of chakras crowns one’s head where knowingness is … where epiphanies come from…”

I have to ask if we are peering out into space to find the pure energy, are we talking about one of the fundamental elements of the universe? Did God, who created it all, create pure energy regions within the universe? Science says all the known mass of the universe leaves the majority of its matter unaccounted for. Since matter is the storehouse for energy, according to the laws and the theorists of physics, then perhaps the vast “dark matter,” the missing invisible matter as physicists referred to it, is at least in part, this pure cosmic energy. It is invisible, as ‘pure cosmic energy’ might well be considered to be. If so there might well be an unlimited abundance of it for our ‘ChakRas’ to control and use for creating and recreating an ever improved self conscientiousness. The sun is the visible energy of the universe and the dark matter is the invisible pure energy of cosmos and God’s will awaiting your discovery. Go for it!

Karma, the old saying is: good karma begets good karma, and bad karma, well, is not so good. Almost at mid book (page 135) Amy Long brings up karma, “at its most basic level is the law of balance … if you are a fan of Star Trek the Federation of Planets was formed when all the Earth was at peace … obviously that has not happened yet … energy is intensity and intensity is karma …” and Page 143: “When you are operating out of love (certainly good karma projected to reinforce others’ gold suns) then one is:

• A perfect being

• God Loves you, (as)

• By perfection,

• For perfection,

• Your success is guaranteed.”

I know that is the way it is: John 15:12; GNV: This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Genesis 1:28-31: God created man and women in his own image (his conscientiousness image i.e. Genesis 1:26) of which he was well pleased. Finally in Genesis 2:4: “and that is how the universe was created.”

How is spirit communicated is the topic for chapter 19 which says: “When scientists were (are) searching for life out in the universe they projected numbers as a basic means of communication between two species assuming intelligent life will understand them.” A true fact as numbers were part of the symbolism, which includes our solar system, aboard the Voyager space craft, now well out of the solar system and still functional. When and if it finds an alien species I trust they will be all of good karma. Amy Long says the number ‘three’ is a good number as in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for example, the “3 triads” include: stop, look and listen; love-fear-anger; and love-trust-hope, etc.

Want more fun out of life? Amy Long says sex is the closest some people get to saying a ‘spiritual Hello’ to a partner, and “the other benefit of sex is that ‘done right’ … try sending gold bubbles of hellos to you partner and see what the response is to the energy from your chakra to their chakra.” I’ll quit there on this one!

What happens if you get stuck along your spiritual journey? It happens to all of us. “If I get stuck” Amy Long writes, “on a word or a concept that I don’t understand or that I am not ready to hear, then nothing afterward makes any sense … if your mind is closed to new ideas and new people you will quickly find yourself stuck …” One has to use all the tools to get unstuck and resurrect creation energy – one tool being meditation.

DREAMS are the stuff of lesson 25. I don’t know about everyone else, but if I am stuck I dream – even ‘Walter Mitty’ a bit. What could I be if I get unstuck? My dream answers that thus to me day-dreaming is not all bad. Amy Long calls it astro-travel using your trance-medium channels. “When you are asleep, you go through your third chakra, connected to a silver cord of energy (pg 251) which connects your physical body to your astral body … something you can visualize during meditation … genuine dreaming is when you review the events of the day and process them. It is what you do when you are working through a problem. This is why people always say I’ll sleep in it.”

Alas, I have tinnitus. When I get a good night’s sleep and perhaps including a good karma dream, I awake tinnitus free. If I go to sleep ‘stuck’ and awake unrefreshed, then my tinnitus ruins my next day. I suppose in that case my astro-traveling went no where. I failed to connect to my ‘healing energy.’ It may be defined as a dream, but to me it is reality. Frankly, a pure spirit, roses, grounding cords, silver cords and astro-travel aside, or included, the failure to rejuvenate one’s creative spirit is a creative energy power failure; or put another way a stuck spirit, which all leads to bad physical health. Regardless of how any self help spiritualist like Amy Long, or any others, define the benefits of spiritualism, the bottom line is if one desires to live a happy healthy life physically and emotionally, to be perceived as a great person, a nice person, one who Jesus will not blot out of the Book of Life (Rev. 3:5) then one needs to pay serious attention to the concepts of spiritualism.

The truth will set you free, if you recognize it that is. Rev. Amy Long writes, “The way to determine this (a truth or a lie) is fairly simple you put up a rose for a truth or a lie. The rose stands strong and tall if it is the truth. If it’s a lie, then it withers.” (Maybe the lie’s captured negative energy explodes it.) These days lies and scams are omnipresent because of the failure of religion to reach enough people and the laziness of people to accept spiritualism and religion over the last two generations (post 1960s). One reason for that are politicians who restrict the morality and teachings of ethics inherent in most religions, Eastern and Western, from being taught to the young and impressionable while in school. “In the ULC Seminary there are tons of belief systems represented … People search until they find what they are looking for .., Pg 313.” I hope they have their silver cords connected so that their ‘Chak-Ra’ control center always is in need an upgrade to keep pace with the ever increasing collection of willed spiritual energy inherent in the universe, as God made it, and available to us all.

“Be Well.”

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The Universal Life Church, is free place to become ordained,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button to get started today.

The ULC Seminary was created to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials. The  Universal Life Church has grown over the years and its Seminary has added the continual growth of the church.

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Four Gospels

ULC

The Four Gospels Course

by Rev J. Duguay

What does "Blessed" really mean?

by Rev JoAnna Duguay

After doing more research I would have to say that the Sermon on the Mount and the Beatitudes have a much bigger and profound meaning to me now.

“And seeing the multitudes, he went up into the mountain: and when he had sat down, his disciples came unto him: and he opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called sons of God.

Blessed are they that have been persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 

Blessed are ye when men shall reproach you, and persecute you, and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.”

Matthew 5:1-12 A.S. Version

According to Scripture, those who are blessed are those who are poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those that hunger for rightness, those who show mercy, the pure in heart, those who seek after peace and those who are persecuted for rightness. In other words; the low of the low (as defined by our society today) are blessed by God.

What does it mean to be 1) poor 2) a mourner 3) meek 4) to hunger and thirst for rightness 5) merciful 6) pure in heart 7) peace seeker and 8) being persecuted?

For me these eight blessings mean the following:

Poor: Poor here does not mean having no money, living in the slums, homeless, etc. What it means is those people who choose to live an uncomplicated and unbusy life. Those who choose not to let money, fame, their job or even their relationships define who they are. Being humble and knowing your place in world.

Those who Mourn: Mourning and being blessed seem like a contradiction, doesn’t it? By mourning, I think this passage is trying to convey mourning of spiritual matters. Seeing sin and evil in the world and feeling it’s consequences. Seeing a friend or loved one choose the “wrong” path. A mourner is one who can sense the rightness and wrongness of the world and feel overwhelming burden of trying to right the wrong or make it right.

Meekness: This word definitely does not mean you let other walk all over you and become a victim. It means strength under control. Instead of becoming angry and yelling or screaming, you take a breath and become calm and determine the right way to deal with things. A meek person desires peace and chooses to be humble in all things.

What is it to hunger and thirst after righteousness? I like to call it “rightness.” Like the ULC motto claims. “Do that which is right.” It means even in the hardest decisions of life, you are going to choose the high road, the road that takes you upstream, not downstream. The road “less traveled.” Never ever compromising what you know is right even if it makes you very unpopular.

Merciful: Those who show compassion on people others won’t. Forgiving where others will not forgive. Knowing God’s grace is all that separates us from the darkness and sharing the light with all who need it.

Pure in Heart: Simplicity. Living life in it’s simplest form. Not bragging, not showing off, not judging. Believing in miracles and seeing the light through the darkness. 

Peacemaker: A uniter not a divider. Seeking the “peace profound” in each and every part of life. War is never of God.

Those who are Persecuted: Staying your ground when it seems like the whole world has a different viewpoint or belief than yours and not being afraid to share it.

The older I get the more I realize the real meaning or significance of my life is who I am on the inside and how I react to the world around me. It’s not about money, fame or power. It’s not about rushing to a decision but trying to determine that which is right and doing it. Never letting someone else make a decision for me. Being willing to travel down roads untraveled, unmarked or with no directions. Simply traveling your own “True North. The direction you were meant to travel regardless of the consequences.

In conclusion…….. Life is a Journey, not a Destination!

Rev J. Duguay

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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

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Chaplaincy Studies

Certification Essay ~ Master of The Chaplaincy Studies

Candidate: Rev. Daniel P. Woodring

Resume: Rev. Daniel P. Woodring is a Minister, Author, Spiritual Advisor, Chaplain, and Certified Life Coach. Dan is the Spiritual Director for the Center for Spiritual Consciousness – an organization with a stated mission of Helping Individuals Reach Spiritual and Human Potential. Dan has combined over 30 years of experience with advanced academic credentials in spiritual ministries, leadership, and team building. Dan has helped thousands with his book “No Regrets, a Comprehensive Guide and Work Book for Mapping Your Life’s Journey – Regardless of Age.”

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In the process of completing this 20 session Master of the Chaplaincy Studies course with Universal life Church, I also participated in a 6 week Hospital Chaplaincy Program through West Chester Medical Center. With completion of these programs, and as of this writing, I am a volunteer Hospital Chaplain at the West Chester Medical Hospital.

There were many discoveries and awakenings during the process of taking these programs. One of the more significant was ten questions requiring much thought and deep medication for the answers. Here are the ten questions and my deep discoveries:

1. What calls me to ministry?

I am called by an inner knowing, the Spirit within, to a personal mission of “Helping Individuals and Organizations Reach Potential.” This mission came to me about 30 years ago. To me this means helping individuals with their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual needs. In the past I was focused on working with individuals and businesses. Today I am being drawn to focus primarily on helping in the area of individual emotional, mental, and spiritual needs.

2. What is my personal experience of illness, suffering and death?

My first and most formative experience of death and suffering was with my mother who died of cancer at and early age of 58. Mom was diagnosed with cancer of the liver and was given 6 weeks to live … or could extend the time line somewhat with chemo. She chose the six weeks, and during that time helped all those around her with a deep understanding of love, faith, suffering, death, and dieing. It was a blessing to all those who came to visit her. We had many personal “chats” that left me with a deep positive experience about God working in and through other people during times of suffering and death.

My second personal experience was quintuple heart by-pass surgery on myself in 2003. What a great lesson this was for me … receiving personal and powerful ministry, especially from my wife but many other care givers, family, and prayer warriors. The ministries received included physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual and represented a balance of what I see now as a part of my personal ministry.

3. Where was God in that experience?

As said by many people at the time and since, “God was all over this situation.” God used many people for the flow of His love, peace, and compassion, and healing.

4. Who am I? Do I know myself intimately?

I am a child of God, a spirit having a human experience. I am love and peace; I feel I am continually growing in self-realization ~ knowing myself more intimately on a daily basis; knowing the power of God within.

5. What do I hope to gain? What do I hope to give to this ministry?

This experience or ministry is not about “gain”, it is about “Being”. I hope to be an instrument of God … and give or allow the power and grace of God to flow through me to others.

6. What do I expect to learn from this experience that may be my “growing edge”?

I expect this to be an experiential learning lab … learning from the experience of others in the group, group leaders, patients we visit, and authors of material we will read. The “edge” will be growth in the process of learning to “Be”, to do what is mine to do.

7. Who will guide me and support me in this ministry?

First and foremost, the guidance and support come from the Holy Spirit directly, and then indirectly through my wife, family and others praying for me.

8. Why do I want to be a “hospital chaplain”?

I have had confirmation from others that “this is excellent venue for use of the talents God has given to you.” It has thus become a passionate desire.

9. Can I minister to patients/families that are of different faith or no faith?

Yes; I have had education and training in comparative religions and feel comfortable in this situation

10. Can I minister without praying after each visit?

Yes; ministry to others takes many forms. Individuals or families need someone to listen, give comfort, be compassionate, give hope, and, sometimes that means just our “presence” is all that is needed. Asking first if prayer is appropriate is always a good idea.

Other discoveries and reminders included a close look at a compassionate approach to my ministry. Some of the key points included:

 It is not about us … it’s not about ego … God is the source

 We volunteer for pastoral ministry because we are needed

 God has given us the authority

 Matt 25:34-37, 40 … Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.”

 Healing and miracles: we are called to perform healing and miracles … to bring the assurance of God’s love to those who suffer. Remember the promise and anointing: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12)

 Together we are the body of Christ … empowered by the Holy Spirit

 Our calling: “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” (John 20:21)

 Together we possess gifts of compassion, understanding, wisdom, peace, comfort, healing and prayer to offer the sick and suffering

 A cure for an illness may not always be forthcoming, but healing is always possible … healing of their fears, doubts, guilt, anger, loneliness, etc.

 Sympathy vs. empathy: Sympathy ~ feeling sorry for; more sentimental emotion than supportive action; more pity than compassion. Empathy ~ to move emotionally into another person’s skin attempt to comprehend the level of pain or loss. Compassion is empathy’s companion

 At times, our only ministry is the ministry of “presence”

Probably one of the biggest reminders was the fact that we should always recognize and practice the “Theological Order” of ministry. The following needs to become a part of us as we deliver pastoral care:

 The essential task of pastoral care visits is to increase the patients’ awareness of God’s presence in their lives … and to be the focus of prayers

 God is in all the incidences and events surrounding our ministry

 Our ministry is bringing God into the lives and experiences and help patients with their spiritual growth

 Our ministry is to help patients recognize God in the experience of sickness and be able to articulate that understanding … to develop an openness to God’s presence.

 Today medical science acknowledges that physical cures are more attainable when spiritual healing has occurred

 The psalmist advises simply, “Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

In the final analysis, this chaplaincy study is but one piece or skill set that will help in my ministry to others. As Spiritual Director for the Center for Spiritual Consciousness, the tools, discoveries and skills learned will help me BE a better instrument of the Universal Force.

“WHAT COULD IMPROVE THIS COURSE?” Here are some ideas:

 A more user friendly system to post and share information with others taking the course. I still don’t know how to access others’ work or find “The Forum”

 Adding insightful questions (as noted above) that would help students go deeper into themselves and look at motives and decision points of becoming a chaplain.

 Requiring some kind of Verbatim midway through the course

Thanks for the opportunity … keep up the good work.

Respectively Submitted:

Rev. Daniel P. Woodring

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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

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Wiccan Studies

I enjoyed this course tremendously! In October my dad came to live with me after a massive stroke left him bedridden. Between his care and 6 children of my own, I had a busy busy time! I did try to keep up and loved the info I learned! My dad passed on 4/23 and I now have the time to sit and do this essay.

I've been a Solitary Wiccan for a couple of years now, worshiping the sacred as immanent in nature. I am raising my sons in the ways of the earth and it's cycles. This course has clarified the religion for me, although I still feel it's a religion all your own.I've taken your class teachings and my experiences and strengthened my knowledge in the craft and my perception of the world around me.

I learned to add my energy in ritual by the elements.

Earth-Body and movement. Swaying back and forth to the rhythm of my chants, radiating heat and energy of my physical life force.

Air- In ritual I add air when I speak aloud my intentions or wishes.

Fire- Rhythm by clapping or stomping.

Water-I can connect to my intentions of my rituals through touching hands of others.

I feel witchcraft usually begins on a personal level with spells for health,love or wishes. As we mature in the craft, we become more adept at raising power and using it for the good "all" around us!

My wand is my dearest treasure. I made it from a fallen Oak branch. It has beautiful natural grain and devots where I inserted crystals for calm, balance, peace, happiness,and protection.

Season after season, nature shows her wonders, beauty and growth. Sometimes she even shows her grief. Flower petals fall,leaves blow in the wind and plants go dormant or die. This cycle repeats over and over in life. We made a special garden between my pet cemetery and our wetlands, that is a dedication to all those we've loved and lost in this lifetime or those we send intentions for. A bleeding heart bush for my Grandma, Lilly of the Valley patch for the needy in Haiti, and a newly planted patch of daisies for my dad. My children bury stones and pieces of wood they've found on our land in honorment of a deceased pet ,friend or relative. We have large rocks circling this area where we can sit, reflect, meditate and remember! There is a natural stream that flows next to it and the sound of the water is relaxing and spiritual. Here is where I hear a whisper within me that says" I am the Goddess inside of you. I am wisdom, compassion,magic and grace. Look deep inside yourself and you will find me." The magic of Wicca is love,and the right path for me. This course has definitely proven that for me. I'm proud that Wicca is an accepting, open minded faith that celebrates diversity and considers us all to be children of the same mother. Our temples are our gardens,backyards,beaches and porches. I feel no one is born Wiccan, but it's a belief system that emerges in our hearts and souls.It reflects who each of us are in this miraculous world with personal integrity and respect for Mother Nature in honorment of the God's and Goddess. Thank you for the lessons learned and the empowerment to achieve greater knowledge of the craft.

Blessed Be.

Barbara B Decker

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Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is free,  and lasts for life, so use the Free Online Ordination, button.

As a long time member of ULC, Rev. Long created the seminary site to help train our ministers. We also have a huge catalog of Universal Life Church materials.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and have loved watching the continual growth of the seminary.

Try our new free toolbar at: ULC Toolbar