Universal Life Church

ULC SEMINARY NEW FEATURE!!

Universal Life Church News Feed!

The ULC Seminary has a new feature! It's called RSS, which stands for Real Simple Syndication.

I know that a lot of you don't necessarily have time to visit the ULC Seminary site as often as you'd like, but you still want to be kept up to date with the latest news, sermons, products, etc. So now we have a solution!

You can put our RSS newsfeed onto your personal webpage. I don't mean you have to have a website, but rather the free personalized webpage that is available through Google, Yahoo, MSN and AOL.

To add the newsfeed to your personalized page, go to www.ulcseminary.org/blog and scroll to the bottom.

There you will find small boxes at the bottom to add the feed. The feed address, if required (Google requires it) is below:

http://www.ulcseminary.org/blog/?feed=rss2

For your convenience, I have added the buttons on the front page of the site as well. Just click the appropriate button and follow the instructions. I personalized my MyYahoo page as well as a Google page for myself.

To make a personalized Google page, I went to www.google.com and clicked the 'personalized home page' button at the top. I created a free account, then added content. The above feed link is what I used. I edited my Google page to allow as many feeds to show as we currently have.

As we add more feeds, you can allow more to show. Yahoo allows up to 30 to show at once, which will give you access to a lot of information. You can also edit it to show the blurb.

If you are having trouble, find the button on your personalized page that says, "Add Content". The feed listed above is the content you want to add. Just copy and paste it into the box.

The feeds update daily or more often as the mood strikes. Sometimes it will update several times a day. You'll get a headline of the article and you can decide if it interests you. If you'd like a short summary of the article, you can edit your preferences to show that.

I hope you get a chance to take advantage of this opportunity. We, at the seminary, are doing everything we can to keep you up to date and informed. We'll be posting the announcements on the feed, as well as the site itself, along with any new training segments, articles, products and more.

Thanks again!

Rev. Amy Long

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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 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

Paganism

Welcome to Paganism for the New Age.

This course is an introductory course to Paganism and offers, upon its completion, a Masters in Paganism degree.

The course is 20 lessons long, sent to your email box once a week. You will learn about the different beings, beliefs and important knowledge about Paganism.

It is worth 4 elective credits in the Seminary.

The course differs from the Wicca study course in that all Wiccans are Pagans, but not all Pagans are necessarily Wiccans.

The interesting course studies the many different facets of Paganism including the various Gods, the Holidays, the rituals and the old stories.

This is a great opportunity to enhance your knowlege of Paganism. As ULC Ministers, we pride ourselves on our breadth of knowlege about all belief systems. The more you study, the more you begin to recognize the similarities, rather than the differences.

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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 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

Online Sermons

Satan in Heaven

By Colby Braden

Where is Satan? This may seem like a very unusual question to ask but most Christians don't know the answer. Is Satan on Earth now? Is he ruling people in Hell? or is he bound by Michael in Heaven?

The purpose of this short study is to discover where that old dragon is and what he is doing.

Let's start off by following his track a little bit. We know for a fact that he has been on Earth before in "person" so let's go to Genesis and see where we can find him.

Genesis 3: (1) Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the

field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea,

hath

God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Now unfortunately some Christians believe that this "serpent" was a

real

live walking talking snake. But that is far from the truth. If you read

Revelation 12:8 you can see that Satan is referred to as that "old

serpent"

Revelation 12: (9) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,

called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was

cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

The word "old" as it is used here should be translated "ancient" which

makes this a direct reference to that old serpent in Genesis. Here is

portion of this verse from the Revised Standard Version (RSV).

12: (9) And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent...

So Satan was on Earth in "person" in the Garden of Eden. (Note: You can

also check Ezekiel 28:13)

Was Satan still walking around on Earth after that? The answer is yes

and we can prove that by going to the book of Job.

Job 1: (7) The LORD said to Satan, "Whence have you come?" Satan

answered the LORD, "From going to and fro on the earth, and from

walking

up and down on it."

Well here we have Satan on Earth at the time of Job. This verse also

proves that Satan was given the power to go anywhere and pretty much do

anything he wanted to on Earth.

Now let's go to the New Testament and see what the old serpent is doing

there.

One of the most crucial points of the New Testament was when Satan

tempted Christ.

Luke 4: (1)And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan,

and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,

(2) Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat

nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

(3) And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command

this

stone that it be made bread.

(4) And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not

live by bread alone, but by every word of God.

(5) And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him

all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time.

(6) And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and

the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I

will I give it.

(7) If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

(8) And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan:

for

it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt

thou serve.

Now Satan is trying to tempt and deceive Christ and we know he is doing

it "in person", but if you look at verse 8 you see that Christ has

rebuked Satan by saying "get thee behind me".

This is also recorded in Matthew Chapter 4 and Christ rebuked Satan.

Matthew 4: (10) Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for

it

is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt

thou

serve.

When Christ said "get thee hence" and "get thee behind me", they mean

that Christ rebuked the devil and when Christ rebukes a devil or demon

they go back where they came from. In other words Christ put Satan in

his place.

If you do not believe that Christ has the power to rebuke demons and

devils then you should not be a Christian. This rebuking is the last

time you see Satan here on earth in "person" until he is ejected by

Michael.

I will return to this latter but now I want to go to some Scriptures

that proves that Satan in being held in Heaven. Let's analyze

Revelation

Chapter 12 verses 7-12

Revelation 12: (7) And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels

fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,

(8) And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in

heaven.

(9) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the

Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into

the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Now these verses show that there is a war in Heaven (this hasn't

happened yet) and that Michael kicks Satan out of Heaven. This is

fulfillment of the prophecy in Daniel 12:1

Daniel 12: (1) And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great

prince

which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a

time

of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that

same

time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that

shall be found written in the book.

This "time of trouble" is the tribulation of Anti-Christ*. And the

"standing up" of Michael is when Satan is cast out of heaven. Both of

which has NOT happened yet. To further document this let's go to 2nd

Thessalonians Chapter 2. (* Note: Anti-Christ is just another one of

Satan's names)

2 Thessalonians 2: (6) And now ye know what withholdeth that he might

be

revealed in his time.

(7) For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now

letteth will let , until he be taken out of the way.

If you read the first part of this chapter you will see that it is

talking about Christ's second advent (vs. 1-3) and that the "son of

perdition" must be revealed before Christ's second advent (vs. 3-4).

So what is withholding Satan? You just read it in Revelation, it is

Michael. He is the one that must be taken out of the way.. i.e. kick

Satan out of Heaven so that Satan can be "revealed" on Earth. Again

NONE

of this has happened yet.

Let's go back to Revelation and take another look at 12:9

Revelation 12: (9) And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent,

called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was

cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Now notice that this verse says "which deceiveth the whole world". Now

Satan's spirit and his children "deceive" the world but he defacto is

not deceiving the world and won't until the Great Tribulation.

Also notice it says "his angels were cast out with him". do you see any

fallen angels roaming around today? No you don't and you want to know

why? They are bound in Heaven with their master. You don't believe me?

Then read Jude.

Jude 1: (6) And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left

their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under

darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

That great day (the sounding of the seventh trump) has not happened

yet.

If you want to know what it means by "kept not their first estate" and

"left their habitation" you will have to read Genesis Chapter 6 in

which

these 'fallen' angels took in marriage the daughters of Adam and

produced giants.

Let's return to Revelation.

Revelation 12: (10) And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is

come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power

of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which

accused them before our God day and night.

I want you to notice it says that Satan is accusing us (our brethren)

BEFORE God day and night. If Satan has been accusing us before God and

since God is in Heaven common sense would say that Satan is in Heaven.

12: (12) Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe

to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come

down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but

a

short time.

What is this "short time"? Well it's the tribulation of course. So you

know this hasn't happened yet for if Satan was still here it would not

have been a "short time" now would it?

And to further prove all of this has NOT happened yet refer back to

verses 4-5 of this chapter and you will see that verses 7-12 all happen

AFTER Christ's first advent.

Revelation 12: (4) And his tail drew the third part of the stars of

heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the

woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon

as it was born.

(5) And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with

a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

Verse 5 is referring to Christ's birth and his ascending to heaven.

This

puts the chapter into context so you know that verses 7-12 are yet

future. And that proves beyond a shadow of a doubt where Satan is right

now.

Now I want to return to where Christ rebuked Satan in Luke Chapter 4.

Luke 4: (8) And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me,

Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him

only shalt thou serve

As I stated earlier to be a Christian you have to believe that Christ

has the ability to rebuke devils and demons (that includes Satan

himself) and send them back where they came from.

I want you to note that every time after this rebuking Satan is no

longer "defacto" or present on Earth in person. And every time after

this rebuking Satan can only be found in "spirit" or in the manner of

"possession" but never in person. To prove this check Mark 8:33, Luke

22:3 and Acts 5:3.. plus many other places

Mark 8: (33) But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples,

he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest

not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

In this instance Satan is present only in 'possession' of Peter but not

in person. Again Christ rebuked him out of Peter.

Luke 22: (3) Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of

the number of the twelve

Again Satan is only present by "possessing" Judas. He is not here in

person.

Acts 5: (3) But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart

to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the

land?

Once more it is Satan's spirit that has filled Ananias and not Satan

"in

person".

Only Satan's evil spirit is allowed on Earth. Just as God has his Holy

Spirit on Earth but God is not on Earth in person.

Also after the resurrection of Christ Satan was defeated.

Hebrews 2: (14) Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh

and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through

death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the

devil;

When Christ said "get thee behind me Satan" then logic would conclude

that when Christ ascended into heaven Satan had to go too. But

nonetheless this verse proves that Christ has the power to defeat Satan

and put him in his place. If you don't believe that Christ has this

power then you may need to rethink your decision to be a Christian.

If you are having problems believing that Satan and his Angels are in

Heaven then before I conclude this study we will take a quick look at

Ephesians Chapter 6.

Ephesians 6: (12) For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but

against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the

darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places .

The words "high places" should be translated The Heavenlies. It is the

same word used in Ephesians 1:3

Eph 1: (3) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who

hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in

Christ:

You can also check some newer translations like the New Living

Translation

(NLT) Eph 6: (12) For we are not fighting against people made of flesh

and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen

world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and

against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

So are real enemies are not on the Earth or even in this Earthly

dimension but rather they are in Heaven or the Heavenlies. That doesn't

make them good by any means but that is just where they are. I suppose

so that God can keep a close eye on them (I jest).

May God bless your studies of His Word

Colby

(founder, Smyrna Ministries)

colby_braden@yahoo.com

www.muhlon.com/~cbraden

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

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.

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

Online Sermons

When the lesser part does its part.

By Scott Phillips

The Reason to Keep Standing

I was walking through the house when my wife showed my on the computer screen a video of a plane flying through the air. She explained to me that it was a Jet Blue passenger plane that had been flying around in the air for a number of hours because of a malfunctioning landing gear. A short time later she called me in as we watched it slowly land with back tires first and slowly dropping the front tire gently down on the tarmac. On first glance you

could see that the tires were positioned sideways, so the momentum of the plane was going across the tire.

Almost immediately the tire started smoking and a few moments later the tire began to

ignite in a bright flame.

My wife and eye held our breath and prayed that the front tire assembly would hold. When the planed finally came to a stop, a

great relief and celebration for the safety of the plane and over one hundred and fifty occupants. My wife said, "If I was on that

plane, I would be shouting!"

As I reflected on this event, it occurred to me that the life and fortune of all these rested on a part of the plane that gets very little attention. On some yesterday someone in a airplane plant

gave special care to assemble this important part. In the meantime, maintenance crews made sure it was strong, so when trouble came, the assembly held together. When the smoke cleared and the

fire was extinguished, all of these exited the plane because a small piece of the plane played its unique role and passed the test it was designed for.

No matter your function or skill, you also play an important part.

When the pressure is on and it seems the easy thing would be to give in and give up, remember there are others who are trusting in you to stand, even when you have done all to stand, continue to stand.

You are important and you can handle it. Don't buy the lie that it is more than you can bear, you can bear it, and you can hold up, you have a special reservoir designed in you that will uphold you.

Keep Standing, no matter how insignificant you feel.

In Him, By Him, Through Him,

Scott Phillips

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

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.

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

Universal Life Church

Universal Life Church

Suicide

By Hamster - T Halloran

Good Morning America. This was a column I never wanted to write, but if what I write today can save one person sometime in the future it's well worth it. I never wanted to write this column because it deals with suicide. A topic people try to avoid until the next time a person they know takes their own life and sadly, there will be a next time. This past Saturday we filled the church to an overflowing capacity to bid farewell to wonderful young lady named Amy. As I looked around the church that day, a strange and disturbing thought occurred to me, this was not the first time one of my friends had taken their own lives nor would it be the last. God how I wish it was.

We should pride ourselves on being rational, caring and compassionate human beings. Not boastful or arrogant just happy with who we are and our place in the world. My friend Amy, seemed to exemplify those characteristics. She was beautiful with a wonderful smile and a contagious laugh. Like almost every woman I've ever respected, she also had a temper and was not the least bit afraid to express her opinion. Does this sound like anyone you know ? Because it could be anybody.

Then last night I get the call. That call we all dread and you can tell from the tone of the other person on the line that bad news is coming. In this case the call came from my Brother Crash out in Arizona. He was straight to the point; Brother I got bad news, Amy took her life today. The shock and dismay of his words went through me like a hot knife through butter. The thought that overwhelmed me at the time was WHY ? Why, would such a beautiful and seemingly happy 41 year old girl do such a thing ? It still does. That's an answer I'll never learn.

The last words she spoke to me was right after I returned from Savannah Jimmy's funeral. I ran into her at the Harvest Home Parade just as she was getting ready to go home. The Harvest Home Parade is a West Side tradition in Cincinnati, it has always marked the end of the summer season. Her words are still fresh in my mind because it was only 10 days ago. She had ask me how things went with Jimmy's funeral and I told her, it was about the hardest thing I'd ever done. Then ,she put her arms around me gave me a hug and a kiss on the cheek and said " Thanks for being such a good friend and I love you". For those words, I'll be eternally grateful.

To me, suicide is a very permanent solution to what normally is a very temporary problem. Everybody is different. I'm no psychiatrists or an expert, I'm just a fat ol' graybeard Biker who has just lost a dear friend and I'm sad and angry at losing this person. She was damned independent, a proud Biker babe in every sense of the word. Amy lived and unfortunately died by her own rules and under her terms. Amy was very intelligent and rich in things in life that really mattered, like friends. She was also a very gifted artist. All you had to do was look around the church that day as the crowd grew to an overflowing capacity. God, she touched alot of people. How many of you know a person like this?

We have all been depressed or saddened at one time or another. Experts do say that about 90% of people have thought about it at some time in their lives. That means that 90 % of the people reading this right now have thought about suicide. Chances are that those who say "I would never", are full of shit. Most people who have thought about it did so before they reached the age of 40. I'm very lucky because thankfully only about 6 people out of the thousands of people I've known the last 49 years have taken their own lives. Still, everyone of those 6 people have had a profound effect on me. Does it have the same effect on you?

Brothers and Sisters if you ever get to that point.... PLEASE call and talk to someone, anyone . Never be afraid to ask someone to listen to you or feel like you're going to be a burden. To a true friend, you never will be a burden. Call any member of the CMA (the Christian Motorcycle Association) they will be there for you. I have a great deal of respect for all my Brothers and Sisters from the CMA and the good work that they do. They pray from me everyday and God bless them for it because God knows , I need it.

You don't have to be an expert to know that we live in a very screwed up world, hell, watch the evening news to learn just how far we've fallen. I laugh when I think of people from another planet coming to earth looking for intelligent life. I watch the news, laugh and think "good luck". No one is perfect and we need to all become better listeners because when someone ask for help, we don't always hear them. Do we?

I've seen alot of my friends over the years, rolling hard down that road to ruin and do my best to talk to them, especially the younger ones. If nothing else, I can always serve as a bad example because I've been there before and maybe they can learn from my countless mistakes. If they blow me off and tell me to mind my own business, well at least I tried and will try again. I never saw Amy rolling down that road, I don't think any of us did and that is what makes this so hard.

My heart goes out to her Husband Mark ( MO) and their kids, her mom and dad and her sisters and to all of her friends who are feeling what I am today. Please, if you need help or need to just talk call someone or pray because God always listens. In closing this month I want to leave you with a passage I read by Jimmy Buffett in his new book " A salty piece of land" I came upon it just as I was preparing to attend Amy's memorial service. It could not have come at a better time . It said; "grief is like the wake behind a boat. It starts out as a huge wave that follows close behind you and is big enough to swamp and drown you if you suddenly stop moving forward.

But if you do keep moving, the big wake will eventually dissipate. And after a long enough time, the waters of your life get calm again, and that is when the memories of those who have left begin to shine as bright and as enduring as the stars above." Peace...........Until next month... Hamster

Spiritual Sermons

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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 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

Paganism

Universal Life Church

Why I became a pagan

By Jamie

Growing up I had always belonged to a Methodist church. During my teenage years I was particularly close to the church probably because of their strong youth group program. It gave me something to do on weekends when I was bored and also gave me a sense of belonging and filled a need I had at the time. I basically knew nothing else at the time. I had even considered (very breifly) becoming a minister.

I grew up in a isolated rual comuntity on a dairy farm. I was always very close to nature. On a farm sometimes closer than I really wanted to be. I went through phases where I was closer to the church and other phases where I was farther away.

When I grew up the church was much less fun than I rememberd it as a teenager in the youth group. We no longer took fun field trips and played volleyball or softball on a hot summer day. I became somewhat disenchanted. I found it very dry and stuffy. Basically it had reached a dead end.

I found myself longing for the connection yet tiring of the lecturing and hypocracy. During my marriage I felt obligated to occasionally attend church. Yet I was feeling increasingly disenchanted and left each sermon feeling drained and empty instead of uplifted. I got to the point where I beleived less and less what was being fed to me.

I wanted the freedom to make up my own mind what I beleived instead of just following along with the program. One particular part of X-tianity that bothered me was the jesus thing.

I never understood why did some guy 2000 years ago have to be horribly tortured and mutilated and die a slow agonizing death for me to be forgiven. Nope, I just dont buy that.

I tried telling myself it was just symbolic, but I just don't beleive it. Don't get me wrong I beleive jesus was a good man and a great teacher and had some good ideas. But, I beleive if the Goddess wants to forgive me she will simply do so, and why exactly do I need forgiveness?

We are all human and that is the way we were made. It's simply our nature and we dont need to go around apoligizing for it all the time. We are all here as a learning process. We all choose our paths and make our mistakes and eventually after repeating them over and over hopefully learn something from them. But back to what I was saying... I went through a divorce and some painful times.

I really needed some spirituality in my life. Unfortunately the church i was attending just was not meeting my needs for many various reasons. I wasn't going to the Methodist church and I wasn't about to go back. I just wasn't comfortable there any more. Only this left me with a void in my life. Being divorced I no longer felt obligated to keep up the pretense of being a "good christian" I was finally free to explore new directions and I began to feel the call of the Goddess. I could go to any church I wanted.

I briefly toyed with going to a spiritualist church, but there were none nearby. I was simply not interested in attending any of the christain churches nearby. It turned my stomach to think of going back there. If your a christain reading this I dont mean any disrespect. It just wasnt doing it for me.

You're welcome to beleive whatever you beleive and if that is what you need in your life and makes sense to you then that is where you need to be at this point. I however did spent over 30 years of my life in such a church so I feel that entitles me to at least express some of my own opinion. Just don't let it bother you.

I began to realize from my interest in the paranormal that many of my friends online were pagans or wiccans. I didn't really understand what this meant, but I did know that they were really interesting and really neat people. I decided to learn more of my own accord. Nobody approached me and I had to do quite a bit of research to find out what it was all about.

The more I read and learned the more interesting it seemed. It was like what I had beleived my entire life. I heard the goddess calling and I answered that call. An online friend of mine put me in touch with a Unitarian church. They in turn put me in touch with a wiccan who was forming a learning group.

I sometimes wonder if she has any idea how much that tiny bit of information she gave me helped me. I seriously doubt it. Its Shocking what a little change can do for your life! I suddenly felt in touch with the universal diety again.

I've been going to my wiccan learning group for a year now. I affectionately refer to them as my coven. Its been very interesting and far from being tired of it I still have tons to learn and Im still very excited about paganism and wicca. I no longer feel a void in my life spiritually.

I have found the path I was looking for, or rather she found me, and it feels like Im finally home. Wicca is an earth centered religion. That means that nature and the earth is sacred to us. We aren't here to use nature as we please. Nature isn't here to only to serve us. Rather we exist as a part of nature. The cycles of the sun and the moon are also important to us as are the seasonal changes.

They remind us of the circle of life and how the universe operates. Another thing important in Wicca is the recognition of the Goddess as a female instead of a male. We beleive that divinity is not seperate from us in some lofty place, but omnipresent all around us in every thing.

Wiccans are not evil and don't worship satan or the devil. One of our most basic tennants is not to harm others. We sometimes worship in a temple or church, but just as often outdoors in direct connection with nature. We don't worship by sitting on a pew and having people telling us what to beleive.

We worship by participating, chanting, singing, dancing, and feeling the conneciton with the divine powers. Magick is often a part of Wicca, but not in the way you think. Spells are more often like prayers asking for help in our daily lives much as other religions do. Its just a different manner of doing so.

So why all the tools and robes and stuff you ask? Its not necessary and many Pagans don't use any special equipment, yet many do. Its simply used to set our worship apart from our daily lives and to help set the mood for a more spiritual atmosphere. Blessed be!

May the goddess smile upon you.

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

Ordination with the Universal Life Church, is a free and lifetime ordination, so use the Free Online Ordination, button. We also make available many free wedding ceremonies for your use, as well as funeral ceremonies and other types of ceremonies.

 

The  ULC, run by Rev. Long, has created a chaplaincy program where you can earn the coveted title of Chaplain. We also have a huge selection of Universal Life Church materials to help you with your professionalism and confidence.  I've been ordained with the Universal Life Church for many years and it's Seminary since the beginning and an amazed by the frequent upgrades and new functions of the seminary.
 

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Online Sermons

The Spark of Life

In Him By Him Through Him

What can you say to the things of life and circumstance? What can be said to those times when words are weak to describe the feeling that is deep within your soul? When a child is born, there is no way to communicate the joy of looking into the eyes of a new human soul? The same sort of mystery when you stand in the company of the sorrowful as a loved one has passed from this world.

When you look into your children's eyes and the closed lids of the breathless, both leave you speechless in wonder and awe. Life in its essence when it arrives and departs you can sense the unseen reality of eternity.

I wonder what it was like for those simple shepherds to behold the face of the Christ child. And then to consider the feeling of the soldier who's spear pierced the side of this same human flesh and to behold the revelation as one stared at this same wrapping of life, when life had left it dead and without the spark.

The greatest wonder of all is to consider when Mary turned and beheld he that was dead, alive. When the disciples looked in wonder at the risen Christ. When Thomas looked at the hands and gazed into that chasm in his side. When life had been lost, to see it recaptured in he who was dead but was yet alive, vibrant with an even deeper dimension of life, the spark of life had become a flaming inferno of eternal reality.

In a short period of thirty three years, life began and ended in the humanity of a single man. However and thankfully, in a short seventy two hour period life returned never to leave again. When life returned, it would never leave and this miracle of recaptured life, would ignite a hope of humanity to propel people into the ends of the world with a zeal for this man who recaptured life from death.

To consider my life, the life of my children and those I love. To consider that life is like a whisp of wind that blows across the fields of our life, there is hope to recapture what has been lost. Life in a moment will ignite into an eternal day. That is the hope we have when we gaze upon the departed. That as we see their eyelids closed, in another world and another day, they are opening their eyes in a kingdom that shall never end.

Living today and knowing that Hope is just beyond my last breath,

In Him, By Him, Through Him,

Scott Phillips

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The Universal Life Church is a comprehensive online seminary where we have multiple classes in Christianity, Wicca, Religious Philosophy, three courses in Metaphysics. a course in Buddhism, a re-vamped course on Shamanism, and much more.

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

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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