[tmtranscripts] N. Idaho TeaM 02/17/02

[Rick P. Giles]

North Idaho Teaching Mission Group
Topics: Practice, Performance, Mood, Mode, Analogy of an Orchestra, 4-Wheel
Drive
Teachers: Elyon, Tomas, Lester

February 17, 2002

*	Elyon (Jonathan TR):  Greetings, I am Elyon.  It is my pleasure to be with
you to experience your joys and to witness your hardships, to share in the
fellowship and the support that comes therefrom.  Today I wish to hit upon a few
topics, interweave them somewhat.
	We have two words to work with today: practice and performance.  I wish to
address these words by indicating the difference which I am sure is obvious, for
performance is an action of display to be witnessed by others, either enjoyed or
judged, where practice does not require an audience or recognition of any sort. 
The phrase "practicing the presence of God" is very appropriate for its context
of humility, self-forgetfulness, the mere act of practicing rather than
performing the presence of God.
	One knows, who has ever undertaken any sort of discipline or training, that
there are days when one has not the mood to practice or perform.  This is a
condition of feeling which bears upon the abilities of the individual.  You may
not have declined or lost your skill; your methods are still at hand, but your
mood conditions its functionality.  So must you apply focus in order to
penetrate
the mood barrier to engage the method and bring about the results.
	The Urantia revelation defines faith as a mode of living.  I take "mode"
and place it alongside "mood" to heighten the difference between them, for a
mode
is an avenue of action that has conditions, conditions which define it.  That
mode does not change because of those definitional conditions.  Were the
definitions to change it would be an entirely different mode.  Mood is
similar in
its conditional effects, but mood is not as confining or defining as is mode. 
Faith is a mode of living and can be undertaken regardless of mood, though mood
will affect how you feel during your faith-mode actions.  Here is where practice
becomes important, for it is in the repetitive application of method that
you can
pursue through any mood to accomplish the goals that your faith-mode strives to
reach.
	Jesus spoke of self-forgetfulness, and you know that he did not imply
ignoring oneself, abandoning all responsibility of self maintenance,
preservation, and safety.  Rather it was along the lines of forgetting
performance and setting yourself to the task of practice.  He assured all that
your fruits will reveal the work of the Father in your life.  By faithfully
living the spiritual life it will show.  Of course what also can be woven into
these considerations is the understanding that habits are contributory to
effective practice and for the continual maintenance of your faith mode.
	I give you these various comments to mull over during your days ahead and
to extract meanings therefrom.  I have with me teachers anxious to address you
and will leave the podium and allow their approach.

*	Tomas (Gerdean):  I am Tomas, good afternoon.  I am glad to be with you and
to share in your communion.  My channel is distorted.  It well may be because of
the nature of the day, the mode o' day that acknowledges this as the last
gathering with this northwest team for my friends Gerdean and Thoreau as well as
for me in this context, but I will be around in the event anyone picks up my
pattern.
	One of the nice things about a morontia life is the different perspective
allowed from the mortal perspective.  The farther view which is shared in part
with the midwayers, who are not so limited in their perspective as you, is
indicated in the parable, the analogy, of the orchestra.  The more global
picture
of this symphony would indicate that there are many groupings of
instruments, the
string section, for example, and the brass.  There are the drum and the piano. 
Whereas we have looked at this symbol of living reality in the family of the
teacher corps proponents, we also share with you the farther view which would
perhaps allow for you to be the strings while the other movements in the greater
Teaching Mission are afforded the roles of the trumpets, trombones, tubas,
coronets, flutes, piccolos, and other implements of music.  In this way the
picture begins to perceive of the global movement of your advancement into
enlightenment in that the planet itself is the orchestra, the movements upon it
in concert, soothing the savage beasts and exalting the theme; lifting the
souls,
spirits, and feelings of the participants and the audience, those who benefit
from the larger symphony.  All of Urantia will benefit by the making of music
that is shared in this greater symphony.
	It will require, however, a great quantum leap once more, another huge leap
of faith, that the universe is unfolding as it should, that there is a plan and
that you all are players, participants, and, too, as you practice you know where
you are in the performance.  You know in the large as you know in your personal
life when to play and when to let others play.  In this way we will eventually
raise the consciousness of humanity to a point of crescendo and culmination in
praising creation, this shrine of Nebadon, Michael's seventh bestowal arena.
	Just as you have had to learn to love and abide by one another, so will you
also learn to love and abide by those of your fellows who constitute your cosmic
neighbors in the flesh.  But be devoted to your task.  When you have such
commitment and consecration to your field, you will not be led into areas where
you have no business being.
	What an arena this is you exist in and on!  We commend your ability to
withstand the vagaries of the human existence.  We rejoice with you in
recognizing the lights as they come on, the sun as it rises, the hope of the
dawn
that is surrounding you.  The fact of all these other workers in the greater
field ought to be a tremendous encouragement to those of you who have worked
as a
vanguard in cultural isolation.  Surely the vision of this ability to make music
together with your peers is enough to encourage you to work through those
passages of notes that have been designed and created for you to master and
play,
perform, for this great piece which will triumph in Light and Life.  I love
practicing my instrument with you.  I enjoy when we get together and all
make our
warming up sounds; when I can hear you off key and toning up, lightly playing
over the scales, enjoying the act of potential.  How grateful I am to you
all for
your consideration of the spirit that guides you into harmony, that realm
wherein
we know and enjoy the presence of God here and now in this awed orb in time and
space which we are calling our home.
	"At home" is a state of mind.   I add that so that you won't think that as
I am in Albuquerque I am not at home here as well.  Delightful flock, precious
friends, avid students, noble workers, the moving finger writes and having writ,
moves on.  Thank you.

	Ginny:  Thank you for your lessons here with us.  We hope to hear from you
at some point.

*	Tomas:  Like the others before me and with me, call upon me, and I will
visit with you.  I am an extension of I AM.

*	Lester (Jonathan):  Hello, this is Lester.  Guess what.  I am going to
speak about four-wheel drives!
	Pavement is a wonderful thing, for it allows for the speedy progress of any
traveler, and your gatherings as today indicate how convenient it is to be on
mutual paths where each one of you stays in your lane and helps one another
progress.  But, as you know, even our lord and master was willing to go off-road
to commune, to sup, with the so-called publicans and sinners, those not unlike
myself at one time, to run into that rough territory and to drop it into
four-wheel drive and crawl over that rugged terrain in order to bring
counsel and
to bestow light and to reveal love.  This is the service mode.
	Two-wheel drive is worship and fellowship and communion where the terrain
is light and smooth and accommodating and attracting.  But those who have found
the highway are underway.  Those who are off on the shoulder are reaching, and
you are gaining in your skills at leaving the highway, finding those who are
struggling through rough terrain, and guiding them onto the highway.
	Well, I am not much for long and lengthy sermons, so I will part from your
company an enjoy your levity.