Unity Church of Dallas - Past Special Events page 2

Larry Dossey
The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things;
Weaving the Magic & Mastery of Prayer and Nature
Monday, April 3, 2006
7 - 9:30 pm
Cost: $30

Long hailed as one of the founders of mind-body medicine, physician Larry Dossey directs our attention to simple sources of healing that are available all around us in The Extraordinary Healing Power of Ordinary Things.

An influential advocate of the role of the mind in spirituality and health, Dossey spent 10 years researching the relationship between prayer healing before writing best- elling Healing Words. As a healing art, Dossey says medicine must address not only our bodies, but our minds and spirit as well. He will explore healing treasures whose power has been overlooked or forgotten: risk-taking, optimism, listening to music, doing nothing while nature takes its course, tears, dirt, and the role of mystery and miracles in our lives. Accessible and inspirational, his teaching provides hope for those interested in low-tech, low-cost and readily available remedies.

Larry Dossey, M.D., is a former internist and chief of staff at Medical City Dallas Hospital and former co-chair of the Panel on Mind/Body Interventions, National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Institutes of Health. He is the author of seven other books, including the bestselling Healing Words. He lives in Santa Fe.

"I used to believe that we must choose between science and reason on one hand, and spirituality on the other, in how we lead our lives. Now I consider this a false choice. We can recover the sense of sacredness, not just in science, but in perhaps every area of life."

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Dr. Edgar Mitchell, Sc.D.,
Capt. USN (Ret) Apollo 14 Astronaut
Developments in Consciousness Studies
Sunday March 19, 2006
2 - 4 pm
Cost: $30

On Jan. 31, 1971, Dr. Edgar Mitchell, then a U.S. Navy captain, embarked on a journey through outer space of some 500,000 miles. That historical journey ended safely nine days later on Feb. 9, and resulted in his becoming the sixth man to walk on the moon. Admiral Alan Sheppard and Colonel Stuart Roosa were the other two men of valor, accompanying him to make the journey possible.

On Sunday Dr. Mitchell will provide an overview of his work in consciousness research, including results of frontier experiments at the Institute of Noetic Sciences, and in Europe. Audience participation and questions will be a significant part of the workshop.

He is the author of Psychic Exploration: A Challenge for Science and The Way of the Explorer. As a lecturer, he delivers 25-30 addresses annually on cosmology, human potential and topics relating to the evolving future of the species on planet Earth. His most current lecture series discusses the implications of recent discoveries in science as they affect our individual lives in the home, workplace and society-at-large. Dr. Mitchell’s honors and awards include the Presidential Medal of Freedom, USN Distinguished Service Medal, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, NASA Group Achievement Award (three times), Explorers Club Man of the Year, Legion of Goodwill, Hors Concours Award and an induction to the Space Hall of Fame.

"Suddenly from behind the rim of the moon, long, slow-motion moments of immense majesty, there emerges a sparkling blue and white jewel, a light, delicate skyblue sphere laced with slow swirling veils of white, rising gradually like a small pearl in a thick sea of black mystery—It takes more than a moment to fully realize this is Earth—home."

Spiritual Cinema Movie Night
The Consciousness of the Christ:
Reclaiming Jesus for a New Humanity
Friday, December 2, 2005
Cost: $10 at the door

www.theconsciousnessofthechrist.com

The Consciousness of the Christ presents Jesus as the most recent, diligent historical research finds him—empowering those he teaches with their own God nature, and transforming all forms of fear and oppression into love and freedom.

Writer, director, narrator Kell Kearns brings to the screen some of the most profound and respected teachers of Christ consciousness today:
• Mystic scholar and activist Andrew Harvey passionately unfolds the inner path to Christhood.
• Social architect and futurist Barbara Marx Hubbard takes the human story from its origins in the fires of universal birth billions of years ago to an evolved, emerging species of humans today who can choose a destiny of conscious union and cocreativity with the creative source of the cosmos.
• Marianne Williamson beautifully articulates A Course in Miracles perspective of absolute love, absolute forgiveness and spiritual activism.
• Dr. Gladys McGarey, the mother of holistic medicine, posits love and self-realized divine nature as the great healing force manifested by Jesus. The dramatization of Jesus, the disciples and Mary Magdalene, the scenes in the Holy Land and the music, all mix to provide a fountain of information and inspiration to support the realization of heaven among us.

Miceal Ledwith's
"Beyond the Da Vinci Code: the Secrets of the Life of Jesus You Were Never Meant to Hear."
December 3, 7 - 9:30pm and
Dec. 4, 2 - 5pm
$25 for one or $40 for both

Dan Brown’s controversial best-selling novel, The DaVinci Code, challenges traditional concepts central to many Christian beliefs. Noted theologian, Miceal Ledwith, who many will recognize from his appearance in the film, “What the Bleep Do We Know,” will dispel the hype and shed light on three of the hottest issues raised in the book from a scholar’s perspective. It is of compelling relevance for our lives as Christians today.

What role did Mary Magdalene have in the Ministry of Jesus and how did she rank among the Apostles? We’ll address whether they were married, whether they had children, and whether those descendents are still with us today. Evidence from the New Testament will be examined calmly and thoroughly. We’ll also look at the evidence given by some early Christian documents that did not make it into the New Testament.

Was the Apostle Thomas Jesus’s identical twin? Known historically as Jude Thomas Didymus, half of the world's Christians in the Middle Ages looked to the Apostle Thomas, and his understanding of the teachings of Jesus, as their foundation in the faith. Those in the Tomas tradition were ruthlessly exterminated, ending with the Cathars of the Languedoc. The western church's tradition, based on Peter and Paul, continues to dominate how Christians think of Jesus and what relevance it has to our lives.

How did Jesus become a Christ? Looking at the suppressed information about Jesus’s life in Egypt and India, we are surprised to realize that the New Testament is silent on more than 80% of the life of Jesus. Was this because there was nothing of importance happening in those years, or was it that the powers that be did not wish us to know about it.? Dr. Ledwith will explore a whole new understanding of Resurrection of the Body as an event that truly happened, as well as the significance of the Cross. This segment also sheds light on the true meaning and significance rites such as the Eucharist and Baptism. The most earth-shattering question of all of course now surfaces: was Jesus accomplishing something that we were meant to imitate in every detail?

Miceal Ledwith, L.Ph., B.A., L.D., D.D., was Professor of Systematic Theology for sixteen years at Maynooth College in Ireland and subsequently served for ten years as President of the University. He was a member of the International Theological Commission for 17 years. He has lectured extensively throughout Europe, South Africa, Japan, Australia, Mexico, and North America

Interfaith Service of Gratitude

Unity Church of Dallas will join with the Dallas Peace Center to host an interfaith service of Memorial and Healing this Tuesday (November 1) at 12:00 noon in our Fellowship Hall. Representatives from a number of faiths will come together to remember and appreciate all those -- on every side of every conflict -- who have given their lives to help us grow in consciousness beyond a need for war. This is a sacred time of year in many spiritual paths -- as All Saints Day, All Souls Day, Day of the Dead and the end of the Muslim season of Ramadan, among others -- and it offers a rich opportunity to appreciate the sacrifices that allow us to move forward in consciousness, and to commit to embracing the lessons and making new choices.

Judith Orloff
The Power of Intuition and Positive Energy to Heal

We are keepers of an innate intelligence so powerful that it can tell us how to heal and prevent illness. Dr. Judith Orloff, a psychiatrist, practicing intuitive and pioneer in the new field of energy psychiatry, shows how to reclaim this intelligence. She passionately believes that the future of medicine lies in using intuition to access our body’s subtle energies for greater wellness. This sacred energy is with us at birth, throughout life and continues after death, it’s a marker of our soul’s journey. We must learn to draw upon it. Too many of us walk around exhausted, irritable or stressed out. Dr. Orloff offers a lifeline to all who feel depleted by the demands we put on ourselves and the pressures of daily life.

This workshop, based on UCD’s fall program book, Positive Energy, offers practical ways to increase total wellbeing.
You’ll learn how to:
    • Use intuition to access energies from physical to spiritual.
    • Read energy fields.
    • Combat energy vampires who are sapping you dry.
    • Avoid fatigue by not absorbing people’s pain or negativity.
    • Prevent Energy Defensive Eating, a major reason diets
      fail.
    • Stop rushing.
    • Prevent energetic overload and exhaustion from being in
      crowds.
    • Maintain your body’s physical health and subtle energy
      system.

John Kimmey
The Hopi Prophecy

The Hopi Prophecy is an oral tradition delivered in person heart-to-heart. It speaks of the challenges human beings endure in our evolutional purification process, including natural disasters and wars that result from a turning away from Great Spirit. The prophecy encourages us to return to peaceful ways and honor Mother Earth. It instructs us to examine our own lives so that we may come to a deeper realization that we are the ones we have been waiting for.

The Hopi have continuously inhabited this continent longer than any other people. Their culture, and especially their prophecies, have great importance for all peoples. Kimmey is a "white Native American"—adopted member of the Hopi and Taos Pueblo tribes—who brings the prophecy and message to the rest of the world.

John Kimmey has spent 30 years studying with Hopi elders who have passed on knowledge of the Hopi Prophecy, which he recorded in his book Light on the Return Path. He tells of the Hopi's stewardship of the land and their instructions from the Great Spirit, which are timely and urgent.

"Most problems created on the Two-Hearted Path begin when we follow our compulsive minds and leave the gift of spiritual guidance in the dust of our disregard. In contrast, when we bring our spirits home to our hearts, and become One-Hearted, our potentials come alive." —John Kimmey, The Hopi Prophecy and the Time of Purification

C. Norman Shealy, M.D., Ph.D.
Life Beyond 100, Secrets of the Fountain of Youth

Wednesday, January 18, 2006

7 - 9 pm

Cost: $20

Life Beyond 100 begins by investigating the evolution of medical care in this country, revealing its excessive use of drugs, its risks to life and wellbeing, and the fact that medical treatment itself is now the number three cause of death. So how do we avoid getting trapped in a failing medical system? By healing from within and learning to alleviate the psychological and physical stress that fuels premature aging.

With a cutting-edge combination of techniques, Life Beyond 100 offers a research-backed program for optimal health that includes normal foods, selected supplements, moderate exercise, and a half-hour of “self-regulation” each day (deep relaxation, meditation, etc.) to reduce stress. As a counterpoint, Dr. Shealy provides the most ambitious—yet medically grounded and commonsensical—longevity program available. Life Beyond 100 is not about erasing wrinkles or other superficial anti- ging techniques. Based on real science, it’s about reclaiming vitality and rejuvenating the soul so we can approach age 100 and beyond with active, healthy minds and bodies. http://www.normshealy.net/index.html

C. Norman Shealy, M.D.,Ph.D. is a neurosurgeon trained at Massachusetts General Hospital after medical school at Duke University. He has taught at a number of prestigious universities including Harvard and is the founding president of the American Holistic Medical Association. His protocols for management of depression, migraine, fibromyalgia and back pain are increasingly being integrated into hospitals and private practices. He holds nine patents for innovative discoveries and has published twenty-two books and over 300 articles.

The Indigo Evolution
Friday, January 27, 2006
7 pm
Cost $10

Has the human race finally evolved to a higher reality? Our children are coming into the world with their eyes wide open, ready to play their role in creating a world of compassion and peace. Are we witnessing a major leap in human evolution, what Jean Houston calls “Jump Time”? Many believe we are on the brink of a global awakening, and that the Indigo Children are here to show us our highest potential. The INDIGO Evolution asserts this is much more than an imaginary fancy: Indigos are changing the world. This film features interviews with Ram Dass, Gary Zukav, Doreen Virtue, Neale Donald Walsch, Dr. Emoto, Don Miguel Ruiz, Dr. Ilchi Lee, psychologists, and doctors, and with the children themselves. www.theindigoevolution.com

Rev. Edwene Gaines
Prosperity Plus Workshop
Sunday, January 29, 2006
2 - 5 pm
Cost: Love Offering

If you are ready to learn and practice the
principles of true prosperity, this workshop will
answer your questions and inspire you to act.
Imagine if you could achieve a life of true prosperity,
enjoying:

A vitally alive, healthy body through which you experience relationships that are always satisfying and intimate, honest and nurturing
Work you love so much that it’s not work —it’s play
All the money you can spend

Edwene shares with humor and joy the four spiritual principles of prosperity ... Finding yourdivine purpose, forgiveness and worthiness, tithing and giving and setting clear cut goals. “Living at this exceptional level is not only possible—it’s right there for you,” Edwene Gaines explains, “if only you abide by these four spiritual laws of prosperity.”
Edwene guarantees that this event will change your life...if you are teachable.

Gaines, an ordained Unity minister, has been delivering her inspirational, life- changing message to audiences of all faiths at workshops across the country. Gaines has made 100% commitment to the transformation of the abundance consciousness of Planet Earth. Edwene’s first book: The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity, A Simple Guide to Unlimited Abundance was released September 7, 2005.

http://www.prosperityproducts.com

Master Stephen Co
Experience the Energy of Your Own Life Force
Thursday, Feb. 9
7 - 9 pm
Cost: Love Offering

Powerful and effective techniques to harness your life force.

Learn to quickly flush stress out after a hectic day. Experience Tibetan Power Breathing to quadruple your energy level in less than 10 minutes. Stop negative people from draining your energy. Activate your heart and crown chakras to flood your bodies with Divine Love, Peace and Bliss!

Master Stephen Co, senior disciple of GrandMaster Choa Kok Sui, is the author of Your Hands Can Heal You, and one of only two Master Pranic Healers in the world.

Please visit Master Co’s web site: yourhandscanhealyou.com and view CBS News coverage online.

Listen to my Heart: The SONGS of David Friedman
A joint production benefiting the music departments of
Unity Church of Dallas and Unity Church of Fort Worth.

Weds., Feb.15, 7:30 pm at Unity Church of Fort Worth
Sunday, Feb.19, 7 pm at Unity Church of Dallas

Suggested Love Offering: $10

Featuring: Melinda Allen, Debbie Dacus, Todd Hart, Neil Mowles and Jenny Thurman.
Music Direction by Jeff Lankov.

A musical journey through the trials, tribulations and joys of the human experience.

Journeying deep inside one’s heart can be exhilarating, life altering, even painful, but invariably it’s worth the trip. Emotions may be unique to every one of us, but collectively, more than anything on this earth, they remind us we’re alive. No one captures this aspect of the human spirit more brilliantly than David Friedman. And he does it with songs. Now we have the chance to experience these feelings in David’s captivating new musical revue, Listen to my Heart.

An Evening With DAVID ROTH
Special Guest Appearance by
the Turtle Creek Chorale
Saturday, February 25th at 7:30 PM
Cost:$20

Presented by UNITY CHURCH OF DALLAS
Benefiting the Turtle Creek Chorale (www.turtlecreek.org) and
National Speakers Association North Texas Chapter (www.speaker.org)
Tickets available by call 214 526 3214 ext. 102 or at the Unity Church Book Store
"David and his music will touch you to the very depths of your soul. He’ll make you laugh and cry, inspire you to rise and fly..."
Jack Canfield, co-author, Chicken Soup for the Soul series
www.davidrothmusic.com

Dr. Susan G. Shumsky
How to Have Conversations with God

Sunday, February. 26, 2006 2 - 4 pm
and Monday February 27, 2006 7 - 9 pm
Cost: $25 for one evening or $40 for both evenings

Deep within the heart of every soul is the desire to experience and communicate directly with God. The divine presence is not the exclusive property of great saints, sages and holy men. Everyone is a child of God and worthy to receive the blessings of Spirit.

In the first part of this entertaining and profound experiential workshop, Dr. Shumsky will inspire you to listen to the “still small voice” within and to have direct conversations with God. She will reveal how miracles have taken place in her life by trusting that divine voice and how you can trust it, too.

In the second part, Dr. Shumsky will introduce proven techniques for opening your heart, mind and spirit to the riches of inner divine contact. She will lead a guided meditation, which will open the pipeline to Spirit and begin the flow of divine guidance, love, healing, wisdom and inspiration from the center of being within.

In this meditation, you may:
• Pass through the seeming veil that has separated us from God.
• Experience the supernal light of the divine presence and Holy Spirit directly.

• Heal ego blockages that have prevented clear, inner divine contact and communication.
• See, hear and feel the holy presence through Divine Revelation®.
• Receive messages and answers to practical questions from the “still small voice” within.

Dr. Susan G. Shumsky, speaker, Doctor of Divinity, and author of Divine Revelation, Exploring Meditation and Exploring Chakras, has practiced self- development disciplines since 1967. She has taught yoga, meditation, prayer, and intuition to thousands of students in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the Far East. She is the founder of Divine Revelation, a complete technology for contacting the divine presence and listening to the inner voice. She travels extensively and continually, facilitating workshops, seminars, spiritual retreats, as well as tours to India and other sacred destinations.

Dr. Howard Cohen
Wednesday, June 7, 2006 7 pm
“What you always wanted to know about Jews but were afraid to ask.”

Dr. Howard Cohen is a student of his own tradition and history, a student of the early church, how it emerged from and related to its Jewish background, and the history that surrounded the writing of the Gospels.
Dr. Cohen has been studying history and religion at SMU’s department of religion and Perkins for over 30 years, and has been teaching Judaism to Christians and Christianity to Jews since 1975.

Mat Boggs and Jason Miller
Sunday, June 11, 2006 7 pm
3 Secrets to Life Long Love...Brought to You By Two Bachelors!

Mat Boggs and Jason Miller, authors and producers of "The Search for America's Greatest Marriages," have scoured the nation interviewing America's most amazing married couples. Their message, filled with humor and inspiration, will help you to deepen the connection and rekindle the romance in your relationships, as they share the Marriage Masters' secrets to Life Long Love.

Dr. Eric Pearl
Wednesday, June 14, 7pm
Essence of Healing

Internationally recognized healer and best-selling author Dr. Eric Pearl has appeared on Fox TV, The Other Side, Sally Jesse Raphael, Coast to Coast AM (with Art Bell and George Noory), Extra, Leeza and countless television and radio programs worldwide. He's spoken by invitation at the United Nations, presented to a full house at Madison Square Garden and his seminars have been featured in numerous publications including The New York Times.

As a doctor, Eric ran a highly successful chiropractic practice for 12 years until one day when patients began reporting that they felt his hands on them - even though he hadn't physically touched them. For the first couple of months, his palms blistered and bled. Patients soon reported receiving miraculous healings from cancers, AIDS-related diseases, cerebral palsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, birth disfigurements and other serious afflictions. All this occurred when Eric simply held his hands near them. And to this day, it continues.

His patients' healings have been documented in six books to date, including Eric's own international bestseller, The Reconnection: Heal Others, Heal Yourself (HAY HOUSE), soon to be published in its 15th language. Based in Los Angeles, Eric elicits great interest from top doctors and medical researchers at hospitals and universities worldwide, including Jackson Memorial Hospital, UCLA, Cedars-Sinai, the VA Hospital, University of Minnesota, University of Miami Medical School and the University of Arizona - where he addressed physicians at the request of Dr. Andrew Weil and where new research programs are currently underway, with their highly anticipated findings to be published later this year.

Master Steve Co
“Energy: The Missing Link for a Loving, Fulfilling
Relationship”
Wednesday, June 28th, 2006
7:00-8:30 PM

Relationships are built and destroyed
by energies created by our thoughts,
emotions and opinions. Master Stephen Co will share with you the PRANIC HEALING® simple, step by step techniques on how to disintegrate the conscious and subconscious negative energies lodged in chakras, meridians and auras. Learn how to stop repeating the same negative energetic conditions that manifest as repeated failed relationships. He will also guide you in powerful mediations to improve the "Heart Connection" so many relationships lack. You will practice the techniques in class so you can be confident in applying them immediately. Master Co co-authored the book “Your Hands Can Heal You” with Eric Robins M.D. to instruct people on using the Energetic Approach in physical and emotional healing.

Rev. Gary Simmons
Integral Leadership and Church Growth
An Integral Approach to Healthy Church Growth and Development
Rev. Gary Simmons
Director of Peacemaking Services
Association of Unity Churches International

A two-day seminar
July 7-8 , 2006, Unity Church of Dallas
7 – 9 pm Friday, July 7 & 9 am to 4 pm Saturday, July 8 (lunch on own)
Cost: Love Offering

When most people are asked how to improve a church, they say all it needs is more people and more money. Then it would have more energy, more volunteers, more activities, more space – everything a church could want. Right?

In fact, the answers are quite different. Rev. Gary Simmons works with churches all over the country on behalf of the Association of Unity Churches International. He offers this workshop about church development to explain that development may not be the same as growth. Growth moves from small to large, simple to complex, less to more. Development moves from inside to outside, from principle to demonstration. In other words, the success of a church is about the people who are already there – most likely you!

In his workshop, Gary explains how a church really works and how each of us – not just the ministers – plays an important role in its success. What changes in leadership and organization are needed to cultivate more ownership of the church’s future? How can the church create authentic pathways for people who are already participating in the church to take more meaningful roles? Which programs engage an individual’s innate desire to make a positive difference in his or her church and community? These questions underlie the integral approach to church development.

This workshop, sponsored by Unity Texas, will attract ministers, board members and key church leaders from Unity churches throughout the Metroplex. It is open to anyone who wants his or her church to fulfill its divine potential and who wants to be part of that exciting process.

Rocco Errico, Ph.D. Th.D
Mysteries of Creation: The Genesis Story
Sunday, July 9, 2-4pm
Cost: $25

This seminar is based on Dr. Errico’s new translation of the Genesis creation narrative directly from the ancient Aramaic Peshitta text. Broaden your understanding of and become familiar with the roots of your past. Learn how the biblical creation narrative defines who and what we are, our social status, and our unique role within the cosmos.

Venture into the ancient Near Eastern world of Sumer, Egypt, Babylon (Chaldea), Canaan, and Israel with Dr. Errico. The early Mesopotamian world provides the broad setting for the Genesis creation story and the Adam and Eve legend. To more appropriately capture the idea of the biblical epic, we must realize that the Hebrew account of creation emerged out of the Near Eastern pool of gods and goddesses, culture and mysticism.

This illuminating and provocative seminar brings clarity and understanding to the following topics: The Mystery of God’s Origin, What is God?, God and the Human Soul, The Secret of the Divine Names, The Term Adam, Sexuality and Creation, Monotheism and Polytheism, Human Responsibility, and more. . . .

Dr. Errico has a comprehensive understanding of the Near Eastern culture and an incisive grasp of the deep mystical and metaphysical meanings in Scripture.

He offers you keys which will unlock many mysteries and bring new light to subjects that for too long have been mired in confusion, ignorance and misinterpretation.

Dr. Errico will also speak at the 9 & 11 am services

Raphael Cushnir
Setting Your Heart on Fire: Two Questions That Can Change Your Life
Sunday, July 30, 2-5pm
Cost: $20

What if you could fall absolutely in love with every moment of your life? What if you could use love’s transformative radiance to break through any personal block, including those about career, relationships, family, weight, self-esteem, and addiction?

All of this is possible when you learn how to “Live the Questions.” Doing so requires you to become more open and present than ever before. Based on both of Raphael Cushnir’s books, this safe and supportive workshop will help you to:

Experience all emotions with willingness and compassion, Uncover and transform your limiting beliefs, Employ acceptance as a tool for positive change and Create a life of ease, joy, and exquisite connection.

Raphael Cushnir, a popular contributor to O, The Oprah Magazine, has been a teacher, activist, screenwriter, and film director. His own heart was rekindled after a period of profound grief. His first book, Unconditional Bliss: Finding Happiness in the Face of Hardship, was twice nominated as Best Personal Growth title of the year and introduced the “Living the Questions” process. His new book, Setting Your Heart on Fire: Seven Invitations to Liberate Your Life, was just released in paperback. For more information: www.heartonfire.org and www.livingthequestions.org.

Raphael will also speak at the 9 & 11 am services

Venerable Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche
Non-Violence: Compassionate Activity for World Peace
September 7, 7-9 pm
Cost: $20

The practice of non-violence is not passive acceptance or indifference to a problem but rather dynamic activity which generates the causes and conditions for both personal and global peace.

For almost 20 years now, Khenchen has traveled and taught extensively in Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines and the United States. He is also senior instructor at the annual Palyul New York Retreat Center and continues to visit twice a year each of the Palyul dharma centers he has established here in the United States. His warmth and wit, his deep understanding of the Western mind, and his ability to speak to all levels of students at once make him one of the most highly respected and revered teachers of Tibetan Buddhism today.
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Abraham’s Path:
A Walk for Peace and Tolerance

Sunday, September 10
1-4 pm
Music and potluck refreshments throughout the afternoon

Join us as representatives from many faiths come together to walk a symbolic “Path of Abraham” on the Unity Church of Dallas grounds – allowing the patriarch of three great religions to represent the possibilities of peace, tolerance and understanding that are so urgently needed in the world today.

Opening Ceremony at 1:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall
Closing Ceremony at 4:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall

The Abraham Path Initiative was co-founded by leaders from the three religions that trace their roots to the patriarch Abraham: Judaism, Islam and Christianity. They have been joined by representatives of many other faiths that share a commitment to healing religious conflicts across the planet. The Initiative is committed to creating an Abraham Path that will allow pilgrims to retrace the route of Abraham and his extended family from Harran, in present-day Turkey, through Syria, Jordan, Israel and Palestine, ending at the Tomb of Abraham in al-Khalil/Hebron.

The September 10 event is intended to further the consciousness that will allow this ambitious vision to be realized. Representatives of a number of Dallas area religious centers will form a miniature version of the Abraham Path on the Unity Church of Dallas grounds. Guests will be invited to make the symbolic journey from one spiritual oasis to another, culminating in a combined ceremony, concert and pot luck lunch in Unity Fellowship Hall.

“Affirming an underlying unity among the religious factions in the Middle East has never been more challenging,” notes Rev. Ed Townley, Associate Minister of Unity Church of Dallas, “and it has never been more urgently needed. We believe that the Abraham Path Initiative will provide a channel through which people of all faiths, all over the world, can make a statement that the spiritual principles of respect and right-living common to all faiths are more important than the religious differences that seem to separate us.”

Hosted by Unity Church of Dallas on behalf of the Abraham Path Initiative, an international organization committed to creating a pilgrimage route in the Middle East following the footsteps of the prophet Abraham as an expression of faith, tolerance and shared spiritual values.

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Two Events with Bishop John Shelby Spong

A Pebble in My Shoe
Written & directed by Colin Cox
Starring Stephan Wolfert, Dawn Stern & Mike Peebler
Friday & Saturday, September 15 & 16 at 8 pm
Cost: $20

Bishop John Shelby Spong is well-known at UCD and is hailed all over the world for his brave series of books that shed new light on the Bible. This play by noted playwright Colin Cox is about the bishop’s extraordinary life. It follows his journey from a homophobic, racially bigoted upbringing in the 1930s South to his understanding of a multicultural Christianity for a New World.

Spong's autobiography, Here I Stand: My Struggle For a Christianity of Integrity, Love and Equality, traces with great honesty how he overcame not only his own prejudices but those of his church in order to ordain the first openly gay priest in the Episcopal Church and the first woman priest in England.

Set against the human rights conflicts in the American church and the United States during the later half of the 20th century, "A Pebble in My Shoe” is an inspirational tale for the faithful and disbeliever alike.

The best-known of Spong’s 19 books is Rescuing the Bible from Fundamentalism. More recently, he wrote Why Christianity Must Change or Die and A New Christianity for a New World. His latest book is Sins of the Scripture: Exposing the Bible’s Texts of Hate to Reveal the Love of God.
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Rt. Rev. John Shelby Spong
The Sins of Scripture
Monday, September 18, 7-9pm
Cost: $25

"We are not used to thinking of the Bible and sin in the same breath. The Bible is thought of as a Holy Book, the Word of God. Yet the Bible tells us of God's anger being so great that God drowned all human beings, but the eight members of Noah's family in the Great Flood. It tells us that God killed the first born male in every Egyptian household on the night of Exodus. It tell us of God stopping the sun in the sky to allow Joshua to kill more of his enemies.

In the New Testament the words of Paul have been used to oppress women, to persecute homosexuals and to feed the dark stain of anti-semitism. The gospels are also quoted to sustain religious hatred and to justify religious imperialism.

I intend to look at the Bible honestly and deeply, to separate its wheat from its chaff and to develop a way to use the Bible to enhance life not to diminish life."
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John Dominic Crossan
Paul: An Appealing or Appalling Apostle?
Friday & Saturday, Sept. 22 & 23
Cost: $20 Friday, $60 Saturday or $70 for all

Lecture 1 (Fri 7:30-9pm)
The World of Paul & Roman Imperial Theology
Paul’s interpretation of the life of Jesus has to be understood in terms of the Roman Empire and Jesus’ counter-imperial theology.

Lecture 2 (Sat 9-10:30am)
The Mission of Paul: Paul & Luke
Our twin sources for Paul are his own authentic letters and Luke's Acts of the Apostles. What does it mean when Luke disagrees with Paul or expands beyond his information?

Lecture 3 (Sat 11am-12:30pm)
The Message of Paul: Paul & Justice
Paul’s radical message of equality may have applied only to those within the Christian community.

Lecture 4 (Sat 1:30-3pm)
The Legacy of Paul: Paul & Gender
Of permanent concern is Paul's position on gender. What was Paul’s view of women, and how did he later become so reactionary?

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Dr. Michael Nagler
Workshop sponsored by Dallas Peace Center
Friday & Saturday, Sept. 29 & 30
Cost: free

Friday, 7-9pm --The Search for a Nonviolent Future

Saturday 10am-noon -- Spiritual Practices that Lead to the Making of Peace

Dr. Michael Nagler, founder of the Peace and Conflict Studies Program at UC-Berkley and author of The Steps of Nonviolence, will discuss recovering human wisdom in a time of violence. Sponsored by the Dallas Peace Center with UCD.
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Stephen Simon and
Neale Donald Walsch
Conversations with God, the movie
Wednesday, October 4, 7-10:30pm
Cost: $10

The book series Conversations with God was a huge success that introduced millions to ancient spiritual truths like those taught in Unity. Now comes the movie, produced and directed by Stephen Simon, known for his Spiritual Cinema Circles. The movie tells the true story of Walsch, who at the lowest point in his life asked God some very hard questions. The answers he got from God/within became the foundation of the books that sold more than 7-million copies and were translated into 34 languages. The film chronicles the dramatic journey of a down-and-out man who inadvertently becomes a spiritual messenger and best-selling author.

Stephen Simon and Neale Donald Walsch will be present and available after the movie for Q&A and book signing.

To purchase tickets please go to: www.SpiritualCinemaNetwork.com

Neale at Lake: Photo by Ben Lipsey Courtesy Spiritual Cinema Circle

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Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth
Vic Simon and Jimmy Langkop
Friday 10/13 7-9:30 pm
Cost: Love Offering

From director Davis Guggenheim comes the Sundance Film Festival hit, An Inconvenient Truth, the story of Al Gore’s crusade to halt global warming. After losing the 2000 presidential election, he decided to make a last-ditch, all-out effort to help save the planet from irrevocable change. In this eye-opening portrait of Gore and his "traveling global warming show”, Gore is seen as never before -- funny, engaging, open and on fire about getting the truth about this "planetary emergency" to ordinary citizens before it's too late. The movie introduces on facts about global warming and what you can do to help.

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Deepak Chopra
Life After Death - The Burden of Proof
Wednesday, October 25, 7pm
Brief remarks and book signing
Cost: $10

Deepak Chopra explores the ultimate mystery of human existence.

In his international bestseller How to Know God, Deepak Chopra used his unique knowledge of cutting edge physics and the world’s great wisdom traditions to create a journey to the heart of the spiritual experience.

Now, Chopra probes with those same tools into the greatest mystery of our human experience: What happens to us when we die? Christianity, Buddhism and Islam all make their contributions, but ultimately Chopra finds his most profound answers by looking to the anomalies physicists are trying to explain and exploring how the ancient sages of Vedanta dealt with the same issues. By marrying science and wisdom, Chopra builds his case for an afterlife in which our most essential self uses the end of life to pass over into the next lifetime.

Inspiring, brilliant and encouraging, Deepak Chopra has written a remarkable new book. Fascinating in itself, it also contains a great gift: an antidote to our fears, so that we can see clearly the infinite arc of birth, death and the life beyond.

Known worldwide as the author of over 45 books translated into 35 languages with over 20-million copies sold worldwide, Chopra continues to transform our understanding of the meaning of health. He is the Founder of the Chopra Center at La Costa in California, focusing on the connection of mind, body, spirit and healing. His latest book, Peace Is the Way, won the Quill Award.

For more information: www.chopra.com or 888 4 CHOPRA

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Gregg Levoy
Follow Your Callings: A Hands On Workshop
Sunday 11/5 1:30-5:30 pm
Cost: $25

A calling is any leap you want to make in your personal or professional life that will align or re-align you with your passion and sense of purpose, with your deepest values, with a fit between who you are and what you do. It is an urging from the deep Self that tells you what is needed to make your life come true.

This dynamic, humorous and hands-on workshop will take a creative approach to the challenges of listening and responding to those calls. While honoring a calling’s essential mystery, Gregg also will explore the questions that bloom naturally in the presence of any call: What does it ask of us? How do we tell the true call from the siren-song? How do we handle our resistance to it? What happens if we say no? What happens if we say yes? And what are the steps to take? Please bring writing materials.

Gregg Levoy is the author of Callings: Finding and Following An Authentic Life. As a fulltime lecturer and seminar-leader in the business, educational and human-potential arenas, Gregg has keynoted and presented workshops at the Smithsonian Institution, the National League of Cities, Microsoft, the American Counseling Association, the annual Unity Healing Symposium, Esalen Institute, Omega Institute and others. He is a former columnist and reporter for USA Today and the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Gregg will also be speaking at the 9 and 11am services

http://www.gregglevoy.com
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Posipalooza!
Friday, Jan. 26, 7pm
Tickets $15 in advance / $20 at the door at the Unity Bookstore

Friday, January 26, 7pm

Karen Taylor-Good

Tickets $15 in advance
$20 at the door
Purchase in the Bookstore
Unity Church of Dallas
6525 Forest Lane
Dallas, Texas

Greg Tamblyn

David Roth

Karen Drucker

This concert is being hosted by UCD, produced by Itoi Ministries and co-sponsored with Unity Church of Fort Worth, Unity of Arlington and Center for Spiritual Living. It features positive spiritual music for all faiths.

Posipalooza! features four of the best New Thought musicians in concert - Karen Drucker, Karen Taylor-Good, Greg Tamblyn and David Roth. For one night only, these powerful musicians will bring you to laughter and tears through their amazing music and message.

PosiPalooza Artist Workshop:
"Freeing the Artist Within"
Saturday, Jan. 27, 1-3:30pm
Cost: $30.00

Freeing the Artist Within: Singing, Songwriting, Making Sense of it All come join David Roth, Karen Drucker, Karen Taylor-Good, and Greg Tamblyn as we wrestle in the joyful mud of music-creation, songwriting, and more. ALL levels, hands-on!

This workshop is for songwriters, poets, performers and non-performers alike. You will have a chance to ask specific questions and have a panel discussion with these award-winning singer/songwriters. If time allows, participants will have a chance to have their work heard and critiqued. With the combined talents and personalities involved, this will be an afternoon you won't want to miss!

New Thoughts on Parenting
Laura Shepard
Feb. 24, 9am-5pm
Cost: Love Offering

Are you using spiritual principles as a parent or teacher? If you have any dealings with children, Laura Shepard offers non-traditional and very successful ideas about child-rearing and education for kids. She will use a variety of resources, including her own experience as a mother and home-schooler, to push the envelope of modern parenting. Participants must read Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn prior to this one-day workshop. Come prepared to share personal insights and questions from each chapter.

Karma and Rebirth from a Buddhist Perspective
Bhante Wimala
Feb. 25, 2-4pm
Cost: $20

The philosophy of Karma teaches us the importance of every thought and action in our day to day living and how it shapes the quality of our life. It teaches us the cause and effect relationship of our thoughts, words and actions. The teaching of Karma help us to understand the nature of the energy that shapes the unfolding moments of life and how the past, present and future of each individual is linked through unseen forces of our psychic energy. As you understand Karma you will understand the course and the source of your own happiness and unhappiness, joy and suffering. This understanding will greatly help you in creating a happy and meaningful life.

Bhante Wimala is a Buddhist monk, originally from Sri Lanka, who is known throughout the world as a spiritual teacher and humanitarian. Bhante Wimala is the founder and spiritual teacher of: the Samadhi Buddhist Meditation Center in Tupadly (Prague), Czech Republic; the Triple Gem Society in Princeton, New Jersey, USA; and the Theravada Buddhist Center in Nairobi, Kenya. He is the author of the books "Lessons of the Lotus: Practical Spiritual Teachings of a Traveling Buddhist Monk," and "Poems of Awakening." He also have several meditation CDs and documentary videos.

http://www.bhantewimala.com.