[tmtranscripts] N. Idaho TeaM 10/27/02

[RickGiles]

North Idaho Teaching Mission Group
Topics: Shaping Light,Service, The Urantia 
Movement, Leadership
Teachers: Elyon

October 27, 2002

*	Elyon (Jonathan TR):  Greetings to you, 
this is Elyon again, happy to be among you 
to share.
	You each are guardians of light, though 
perhaps a more appropriate word would be 
custodians, for light is in your custody.  
However, both words serve their purpose, for 
it is of vital importance to preserve light, 
to not be one who distorts but one who 
transfers light with clarity, sharpness.  
Yet, as one who is in custody of light, it 
is not a custody of being captured, for you 
are all motivated -- as I witness this -- to 
spread light, to radiate, to give it out so 
that others may benefit from illumination.
	I am pleased with your discussion of my 
suggestion last week, discussing how you 
shape light.  You have brought up good 
metaphors and illustrations of how this may 
take place.  I will bring one more comment 
to this discussion, and that is as you share 
spiritual light be it in the form of 
conveying knowledge of things spiritual, 
wisdom gained from your experiences, or the 
helping hand of one human being to another 
in need, this broadcast of light takes form 
as it shines upon another individual.  So, 
as we had discussed that shaping spirit 
using the metaphor of a balloon or a vessel 
circles around the shape of spirit within 
oneself, you also bring shape to light by 
permitting it to be shed upon another.  
Letting your light shine, as any source of 
illumination provides, lights up objects in 
its proximity.  In darkness visible 
discernment of shape is difficult.  With 
illumination shape is recognized.  So, 
extending beyond oneself you bring form to 
light by letting it radiate upon another and 
letting that other be illuminated that their 
shape be revealed, and in so doing they see 
within themselves the potential and the 
degree of actual presence of that light that 
they too may give out to others.
	I have not prepared a lesson.  Instead 
rather I wish to join your prior 
conversation and make some other comments.  
You have spoken of service, and I have heard 
the phrase of serving God as well as the 
desire to serve others in need.  I begin by 
saying that the easiest form of service to 
be had is serving God, for each one of you 
is solely the desire of the Father to be His 
communion comrade.  Though the Father is 
aware of all that transpires throughout the 
vast universe, His divine abilities are such 
that without distraction He is singly 
focused intensely upon each one of you.  And 
this draw of God towards you is the divine 
desire for human experience.   Therefore, as 
you rise in the morning you have already 
begun your service to God.
	Michael and Mother Spirit are two 
creator personalities who have more causes 
than the Father.  The Father’s supreme 
desire is your experience.  On the other 
hand each Creator Son and Creative Spirit 
have universes to build and to settle in 
Light and Life.  This begins the ministry 
service to others.  Here enters variety in 
task, in value, in method.  Recall that 
Jesus said, “Whatsoever you do for these 
little ones you do for me.”  It may be said 
that living your life is an unceasing 
service to God the Father who indwells you, 
and such a conscious practice the human 
engaged aware of this relationship is 
developing the skills that Michael and 
Mother Spirit seek so that you may help 
their other children.
	You have spoken of service as small 
acts, individual endeavors, short periods of 
benefit, and you have pondered the value and 
some means whereby you may engage in 
apparently bigger acts of service, those 
that entail coordination of people to 
effectively reach a service goal or to leave 
a larger imprint upon humanity of spirit 
manifestation.  These are the considerations 
that you have that bring delight to the 
Creator Son and to the Creative Mother 
Spirit.  When Michael was leaving this world 
he said, “Go forth and proclaim the gospel 
to all the world”,  and this indeed is a 
large task even on a small world like 
Urantia.  Therefore you and I may take that 
as priority one, any form of service.  It is 
not to say that tying the shoe of a little 
child is not service if you do not preach 
the gospel to that little one, for you know 
with a short interval of thought that this 
incorporates doing unto others as you would 
have them do unto you.  The gospel is 
preached in deed as well as word.  Herein is 
the stumbling point for many an organization 
that undertakes service, for it is easy to 
lose track of the primary objective -- in 
our case, promoting the gospel -- and become 
mired in the orchestration of the various 
tasks that result from gospel enlightenment 
within yourselves and sharing.  Soon 
deliberations begin over the mechanics, how 
to host a function, how to collect and 
distribute recycled jackets, how to feed 
hungry people.  I am not saying these ought 
not to be undertaken, for there is great 
need on this world for such ministries.  I 
simply stress the prominence in any 
motivation of revealing the love of the 
Father to all and demonstrating that among 
mankind you can love one another.  Then it 
is up to you the degree to which you wish to 
carry this gospel to the world.
	There is an expression I witness many of 
you say as you leave your residence that you 
are “heading out”. I find that humorous, for 
where is the “in” that you are exiting from?  
As one who has lived quite some time, 
residence has shifted so often that it does 
become indiscernible what is home and what 
is “out there”, for the borders, the 
boundaries, of home grow increasingly large.  
In that view, going forth to preach the 
gospel to the world means that you can be at 
home and out in the world at one and the 
same time, that even your small acts within 
the limitations of a neighborhood are as 
valuable as crusades across the planet.  
Conversely, the needs of another halfway 
around your globe are just as important as 
the needs of your next-door neighbor.
	I applaud your sensitivity and your keen 
observations of need, for you recognize that 
human upliftment spans the spectrum from 
physical needs all the way on up to the most 
fulfilling of all human hunger, and that is 
personal intimate experience with God and 
all the assurances derived therefrom.
	Much inspiration has occurred in many 
lives drawn from the study of the life of 
the master.  His method of ministry and 
outreach has been repeated, the taking into 
confidence of a few, the development of a 
corps, and the extension of that ministry to 
the multitudes.  I know you recognize that 
it would not be feasible for each of you to 
undertake preaching tours of the nature of 
Jesus’ activities of his time.  But the 
principle of engaging others in your task is 
good, and you know the range of 
personalities that Jesus enlisted in his 
corps.  Their talents were varied not only 
horizontally in the sense of what they could 
perform, how they could function such as a 
treasurer or speaker or usher, but they were 
varied in degree of spiritual sensitivity.  
Some were pacific, some complacent, some 
nearly militaristic.  This variety is 
beneficial.
	As I began by saying that Michael has a 
cause, and that is Light and Life for 
Nebadon, each one of you provides the 
variety for him to complete his task.  
Saying this, my motivation and goal is for 
you to recognize that your horizontal 
talents do not make you greater or lesser 
than another but part of the team.  Never 
sell yourself short if you feel less 
enlightened than someone else, for the 
method that Michael employed here when he 
was on earth enlisted many individuals that 
one in an academic sense would say were 
unqualified.
	Well, as any good conversation proceeds, 
one must not hold the floor for too long.  
Therefore I am hoping to dialogue with you 
at this time.

	Harold:  Is there a set design at work 
within the Urantia movement?  Are we 
fulfilling all the aspects of it?  Are there 
things we should be doing to motivate 
progress in this Urantia movement?

*	Elyon:  I respond by first recalling to 
your memory how prior to the outreach 
ministry of Jesus and the apostles they 
spent many months in training, and that when 
they were engaged in this training period 
the apostles grew restless.  They were 
motivated; they had no project as yet.  When 
the missions began then they saw the wisdom 
of their master.  Then the impatience of 
preparing gave way to the appreciation of 
the wisdom of becoming prepared.  Secondly, 
they cherished those times when they had the 
master to themselves, for as the missions 
unfolded private time became scarce.  This 
was over the course of a few years.  The 
revelation efforts you are  engaged in this 
epoch span a larger period of time, but the 
principle applies.  First, the interval of 
preparation, and that is the interval you 
have been engaged in of study, of 
encouraging others to study, developing a 
sound and working knowledge of the Urantia 
Papers.  And the movement you speak of has 
done well in encouraging this undertaking 
without forcing a ready-made doctrine of 
interpretation on this revelation.  However, 
picture if you will a box full of sand.  It 
does well to contain the sand until at some 
time there is a crack in its side.  Soon the 
sand begins to spill, a little at first 
until it opens wider and then more.  And if 
you have ever experienced the frustration 
when the bottom falls out there is no 
holding it back.  We are in transition 
towards this spilling.  One day you will 
look back upon these times of preparation 
and realize it was an entirely different 
time than the phase you will be engaged with 
at that time.  The spilling will be small at 
first and grow increasingly larger.
	There has become present within this 
movement quite a range of skills and 
talents, not only book writers and 
publishers, but those who can teach 
practices found in many of the religions 
such as meditation, those engaged in healing 
the physical ailments of others, and also 
those quite astute in the management of 
money.  And there are many other talents I 
have not listed.  This broad platform is 
important, for in this era we are not simply 
working in the area of Galilee; we are 
working across the globe.
	Some within this movement are like the 
early grain of sand that has left the box.  
I do not discourage those early grains of 
sand from spreading out.  There will be some 
grains of sand that never do leave the box.  
It appears empty but you will find a few 
still within.  There is a twofold nature at 
work: those who preserve and those who 
promote, though I suppose you could say 
there are those who promote preservation.  
Wringing as much as I can out of this box of 
sand metaphor, I would like to say that if 
all the sand left the box, what would all 
these worldwide ministers have to point back 
to say, “There is where I found it.  There 
is the answer.”  So, taking this revelation 
to the world not only entails weaving it 
into the thought-stream present in humanity 
today, but it must also preserve noticeably 
its distinction so that you can look back 
and say, “There is where we found it.”
	It is important that the Papers remain 
available, but warehouses full of books do 
not transform souls.  Therefore that second 
step of becoming known, present, published, 
and out in practice is important.  Jesus was 
successful not in the few short years but in 
the resulting centuries.  Many of his 
followers did not adhere precisely to his 
teachings, but he was successful.
	Today we are engaged in the same 
actions.  Seek inspiration of the Divine 
Indweller of what you may do, but also trust 
that your own human interests are valuable.  
If you wish to write, perform plays, join in 
hospital efforts, whatever it is, the Father 
seeks that experience.  Michael needs those 
workers.
	The nature of the evolving universes is 
change, and that applies to your movement.  
Understanding the balance and the timing of 
process should alleviate any bickering among 
fellows as to which is the right way to do 
it just as was found when Paul and Peter and 
even Abner had their differences.  You have 
been counseled through your text not to 
start another religion.  As you seek to 
uplift the religions existent upon Urantia 
today, remember that not starting a religion 
does not mean hiding a revelation.  Let it 
be known.  The revelation will transform the 
religion.  Some of it will be as the 
nourishing water of life seeping up from the 
ground below as it would if each of you were 
engaged in some religious organization and 
seeded your thoughts within that context.  
But as you know not all moisture comes in 
that way.  Much moisture falls from above, 
and this is what the package of the Urantia 
Papers does.  So, while you engage in 
efforts of seepage, let it shower as well.  
Let it be known what source you derive your 
inspiration from.
	There are factions in your society which 
cannot tolerate difference, but at this 
point in the evolution of your culture many 
are able to deal with variety, be it ethnic, 
cultural, political.  You have been exposed 
to much that is beyond what a small clan of 
people would tolerate.  Being one engaged in 
the Correcting Time manifesting as the 
Teaching Mission, I am one who adheres to 
outreach, so I encourage you to be creative, 
to help advance this movement.
	Does this help?

	Harold:  Yes.  It seems that all 
religions take origin in a leader.  The 
Urantia movement is almost singly doing  
without a leader.  Is that part of the plan 
to not concentrate on a leader to direct it, 
or is that in the process of being fulfilled 
too?

*	Elyon:  This undertaking is somewhat 
different than those you cite.  Firstly, 
small organizations with a leader often 
dissipate when the leader is no longer with 
them.  Secondly, those movements that do 
survive often deify their leader.  In the 
case of Christianity they were correct.  As 
you know from your reading of the text each 
epochal revelation had a pivotal figure or 
figures such as Adam and Eve.  Why I bring 
up Adam and Eve is so I may segue into my 
next point, and that is their goal was the 
education and enlightenment of those who 
entered the Garden training centers and then 
to send them back to their clans that they 
may uplift their own peoples.  My point is 
that this revelation outreach effort is 
taking perspective of not one powerful 
leader but a multitude of little leaders.  
Each of you is like the ones trained in the 
Garden to return to your homelands.  You see 
this in this Teaching Mission.  No one 
teacher runs the show.  No one TR is the 
sole voice.  This is true across the entire 
Urantia movement.  It will be difficult, for 
this variability of leadership often, given 
human nature, brings fighting.  Who’s right?  
Who’s wrong?  What’s appropriate?  What’s 
inappropriate?  But trust me, it is most 
powerful in its effectiveness and strongest 
in its durability.  If Adam and Eve had 
traveled the entire world teaching everyone 
they ran into it would be months or perhaps 
years before those tribes would have lost 
the vision after they, Adam and Eve, left.
	I point to the melchizedeks who have no 
leader.  By being such they each have become 
leaders.
	One other note, though it is wise to 
offer correction to any individual you may 
note to be on a wayward tangent to the 
purposes of the revelation, it is also 
beneficial to support the variety, to 
tolerate the differences of approach so that 
those who do have leadership initiative are 
not squelched or ridiculed.  Support them 
even if their undertakings are not your 
preferred approach.
	Do you have more comments?

	Harold:  That is clear and interesting.  
I wish that those in leadership roles now 
could hear that and accept diversity.  It’s 
been a problem for those in authority.

*	Elyon:  True indeed.  To return to the 
box of sand, when one is comfortably 
carrying the box it feels powerful, 
controlled.  When the box starts to leak 
there is a scramble to maintain that 
authority.  It is natural in human nature, 
and the transition will be somewhat rugged, 
but eventually the attempt to maintain the 
borders will appear useless and futile.  So, 
those like yourselves can offer the ministry 
of initiating that seed thought that will 
allow the growth of accommodation coupled 
with the awareness that each approach is 
acceptable.
	As I have pointed out, the revelation 
must not disappear.  Some personalities are 
well suited to preservation and will fight 
to the death to not have the revelation 
altered or destroyed.  This is good, for 
there will be many who, like Paul the 
apostle, will weave the revelation into 
other thought-streams and change the color.  
And that too is good, for I know each of you 
found the revelation through these other 
paths.  You within the movement are the ones 
to plant the seeds of understanding.

	Harold:  Thank you.

	Elyon:  You are welcome.
	I observe that the grains of sand in the 
hourglass are falling through, and I will 
take my leave at this time.  I love you all.  
As our master often said, be of good cheer.  
Farewell. 
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