Author: Sally

Introduction

This post is from a talk I gave for the Oakland Center for Spiritual Living on Wednesday, September 28, 2022.

The discussion that took place within the space of this talk was rich and enlightening. I hope you enjoy the talk and will consider joining our book study. I am also considering organizing a group to share The Chosen series. I imagine us watching an episode and then taking time to break bread and discuss what resonated with us from the given episode. There are forms at the end of this post for you to let us know if you are interested in joining either.

Rev Sally’s Talking Notes

Hello Everyone! It is good to see you all. I’ve got you on Gallery View so that I can see your responses tonight. If you are comfortable, please leave your video cameras on for a bit or you can use the Zoom reaction buttons to let me know how what I am showing you tonight is resonating with you. 

Let me see a raise of hands…how many of you have ever failed at something? 

How about an epic failure? Yes, I can see we are all in good company.

“Failure is not the opposite of success; it’s part of success” ~ Arianna Huffington

Tonight, we’ll be sharing a video and ideas to help us dive even deeper into this topic of “failure” andwhat we can do with it. We will be continuing with the weekly topic of Failing Forward, which was advertised, as Rev Katherine Saux said in her talk on Sunday, as Falling Forward. Either way, it is about exploring the ideas surrounding “failure.” Keywords that were given included: change, perspective, resilience, and perseverance. If you have not already done so, I encourage you to watch the YouTube video of Rev Katherine’s talk to hear more about these words.

“Failure does not mean the loss of something.  Failure occurs only if the loss of that thing takes our enthusiasm, our courage, our zest for life, our faith, our conviction, and our happiness from us; that is failure indeed.  The Power of an Idea (1965) (p. 56.3)

As we live, grow, and learn, “failure” is a given, but what we choose to do with the experience of failure makes all the difference. We are going to play a video. I was introduced to Dallas Jenkins and his video series, The Chosen, by Paul Presutti during one of our Dr. Dan noon time Spiritual Journey Meetings (look for the Journey for Spiritual Living Zoom link) when we were talking about Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well.  I must admit that I’ve been binge watching The Chosen episodes ever since. 

I’d like to put in a plug for the Dr. Dan group. If you have never participated in this noon time discussion group, I highly recommend it. As a teaser for Dr. Dan’s group, let me share with you a “mashed-up” affirmation from September 27^th and 28^th:

I am building my consciousness all the time. Hour by hour, and moment by moment, I am building good or evil, failure or success, happiness or suffering into my life by what I entertain right now. 

I vision often heavenward and dream anew. My consciousness determines the things that manifest in my life. I center my attention on God: Ever Present, All Powerful, All Wise, All Knowing and Loving. 

One more thing before we start the video, I want you to consider for yourself…

Where does your enthusiasm for Life reside? 

What is the Idea or Vision that is calling to your heart? 

What would you “go after” if you knew absolutely in your heart that you could not fail?

Play the video. Thank you.

Here is the link to the video, What God told me about my failure that led to the Chosen / Dallas Jenkins, https://youtu.be/evqanx-4XpI 

Okay, show me your reactions to this video… What did Dallas have that allowed him to proceed? (FAITH)

The Truth about failure is that it does not mean one’s idea is flawed, not valid or that the dream isn’t good enough. Failure means there is something to be learned (gained) or a course correction is necessary.  In short, failure points to the possibility that there is always something more, better and blessed ahead.

We all experience success and failure in life (like the Dr. Dan affirmation said). Just as life teaches the lesson not to allow success to “go to one’s head,” we are wise not to allow failures to consume our hearts.

Remember:

“The mind is a magnet, and we attract that with which we identify the self.” Ernest Holmes (2007). The Art of Life, p. 22,

Take a breath. 

Monday and Tuesday of this week, I participated in the annual CSL Ministers’ conference. It was held virtually and gathered over 100 of our CSL licensed ministers from around the globe. The theme was Liquid Spirit – The Rhythm and Flow of SHIFT. I bring this up because the conference introduced me to an author and his book that I want to share with you. In short, it offers ways that we can move from what I will call our societal failures more fully towards a world that works for all. The CSL Global Vision is of a “World That Works for Everyone (All).”

Some of you may already know about the book or have read it. The title is: The Four Pivots: Reimagining Justice, Reimagining Ourselves by Shawn A. Ginwright. Dr. Shawn was the keynote speaker at our CSL Minister’s conference. We have a short video to introduce his book and ideas to you. 

To start with, I really resonated with his use of the word “pivot” instead of “change.” It reminds me of dancing and using a pivot to move in a new or different direction. Let’s listen to the clip and see what resonates with you.

Play the video. Thank you.

A video was shared with the CSL Ministers group using Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/670362901.

I am open to starting a book study group to diver deeper into the book.

Know that often, things will not go as planned…and that is perfectly fine.  When failure seems inevitable, the secret to moving forward is cultivating a sense of FAITH (like evidenced by Dallas Jenkins) and everyday wonder (this month’s theme as encapsulated by Dr. Shawn’s Pivot #3 Vision) as a guide and constant companion.  

A One Sentence Affirmation: 

I persevere with the strength of the Spirit within me.

In Conclusion and Call to Action: 

There is potentially more to gain from failure than there is to lose.  Failing forward in your work means that you are growing, productive and willing to adapt.  Beloveds, go forward knowing success and failure are akin to one another. The real work is determining what’s next.   Wonder allows a person to move beyond the stigma of failure into the wonder of “What if…?”  No matter what, keep going and don’t give up.   

“Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.” ~ Robert F. Kennedy

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” ~ Ken Robinson

“Failure is success in progress” ~ Albert Einstein

A final question for this evening to contemplate: What works for you to help you bounce back from disappointments?

And so it is.

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