August 9th, 2008, Chungpadong, Seoul, Korea
Welcome Remarks:
Yeon Ah Nim:
Good afternoon, brothers and sisters!
It's so hot outside, right? But even in this hot weather we know that we all need to receive God's everlasting water of life, right? Aju!
We're always honored to have you here in the sanctuary, and for those who are joining us via internet we're also welcoming you as well.
Welcome brothers and welcome sisters!
Hyung Jin Nim:
Brothers and sisters, we had a tremendous Chil Pal Jeol celebration on August 7th, just amazing. True Parents first time spoke publicly after the helicopter accident; I'm sure all of you saw that. They were able to come to the podium and read a speech. That was just such a really courageous display. We're so proud of True Parents. Also at the same time all the True Family came to support True Father, to give love, and we had a wonderful time with True Parents after the ceremonies. When we went up to the room True Mother was there, and she was resting because she has still a brace on. When In Jin Nunna (Nunna=elder sister) and Kwon Jin Hyung were massaging her feet and Sun Jin Ah was massaging her hands, Mother looked like she was in heaven, "All the kids are massaging me. It's just so wonderful!"
And a tremendous thing: Just a couple weeks ago True Father announced - he gave us the direction - that In Jin Nim, who is our 2nd oldest sister, will be the American head Continental Director. She is right here! Give it up for In Jin nim, everybody! Give it up! (Applaus). We are so confident in our Family. She'll gonna do an amazing work in the States. She really raised us all, a lot of us, the younger group. We grew up with In Jin Nunna, with her leadership, her compassion, her concern for us, her understanding, opening always our heart, pushing us to higher limits of enlightenment, of realization.
We're so confident that also in the States she'll be able to evoke that same experience for so many of our wonderful brothers and sisters, so many of our wonderful blessed families who are now really excited for this amazing new era in America. Let's give it up once again for our sister! Give it up!(Applaus). Can we do a big Saranghaeyo (We love you)? Can we do it? One, two, three....Saranghaeyo! You got it, In jin Nunna. Thank you so much, guys!
Every time we come up to service let's remember, we are not only observing service. Let's participate! Really, let God hear us today! When we sing our worship songs, let's sing out (loud). Let's express ourselves. Let's pray together. We want to meditate together, really give service together, with all our heart, really praise and give worship together. We wanna welcome you again. Let's remember, we're not observers today, we are participators, and we'll do a fantastic, glorious service for God and True Parents. AJU!? Yes, brothers and sisters. God Bless!
Yeon Ah Nim Message:
As my husband said, last Thursday, August 7, there was Chil Pal Jeol ceremony at Cheon Jeong Goong. True Father and True Mother came and they gave a message based on Peace Message 13. As you all know, True Parents are still on recovery, so they have to wear this plastic body brace to support their spinal cord until they heal. And the doctors prescribed them to wear these until 30th of August. So they're planning to have a little party to celebrate that little small victory.
We also on this day, let us also celebrate small victories in our life in the midst of challenge. Let us also celebrate True Parents' victory today as well.
Brothers and sisters, we love you so much and we believe in you.
AJU!
Interesting story:
Before we start, we like to start with something a little bit interesting. I heard a very interesting story. There was a whole crew on a ship; and they were out on a stormy sea; and all of a sudden, lightning came crashing into the boat. The boat was split in half, and it started sinking. Then the captain yelled out at the top of his lungs, "Is there anyone here that knows how to pray?" And one of the seamen raises his hand, and says "I do Captain; I know how to pray." And the Captain said, "Start praying, we're going to put on our life jackets, we are one life jacket short."
Alright, you got it, you got it. (Laughter). A little late, a little late (more laughter). A little late, but you got it guys.
Alright, come on, let's stand up. You guys got it today, I think. Right?
True Parents Declaration:
Right hand up; left hand on our heart. Let's do it.
These are my True Parents, the Eternal King and Queen of Peace, and Liberator of God's heart. They have saved me from my past, they have blessed my future, and they give me True Love, Forgiveness, and Happiness today; and I choose to receive it. My mind is awake; my heart is opened wide, and from this moment, I change forever. In my name, Aju.
Main Sermon:
Brothers and sisters, today I would like to talk to you about living the dream. You know, if it is true that we are to live the blessed life, then we must live and accomplish the dreams and desires that God has instilled (put) in our hearts. God gave us those dreams; He is the creator of those dreams that you hold in your hearts. And so, it is so important in our lives that we try to actualize and realize those dreams. But how do I know which dream to pursue?
There are many dreams that we have when we are young . For example, when I was young, I wanted to be a fire fighter at one stage. Then I wanted to be a police man; then I wanted to be a professional skate boarder. Then I wanted to be Bruce Lee. Then I wanted to be a football player. So many dreams like these.
Of course these kinds of dreams will pass over time; but there are certain dreams that we have, that we hold in our hearts, that don't leave us. They always stay with us no matter how far we may go. No matter how we may try to forget them, they will always stick with us. For me that was (the dream) to make a difference in the church.
I know that for every single one of my brothers and sisters it's the same thing: (They also have the dream) to make a difference, to make a positive impact, to really allow the church to find its pride and let society see that we are an amazing community. Give it up (applaud) for our blessed families, give it up!
You see, this dream can never go away. Father has announced the change from the indemnity age to the liberation age. You see, in the indemnity period we were like military. My brother usually puts (expresses) it like that. We were in tents like soldiers. Those who couldn't follow were judged as unfaithful and pushed out.
But in the age of liberation, we must move from judging others to forgiving others and ourselves. We must move from judgementalism to improving and empowering other people, in their lives, in our communities. We must move from simply maintaining our righteousness to helping others become great, to be their best, and to fulfill their God given dreams and potential.
You see, in the age of indemnity, those who pursued their dreams, or went to school and pursued careers, were called selfish. They were called "not helping the providence". But you see, in the age of liberation, because of the great victory of True Parents, they have opened this age. We are really to (should really) pursue the dreams that God has given us. For young people (it means) to get our educations, to pursue the great potential that God has instilled in our hearts. And to allow that (potential) to support the church community, spiritually, materially, and with your talents. That's a sign of tremendous commitment, a sign of tremendous faith in this age of liberation and complete release.
You see, we must be a community that is mature, understanding that one member's success in life is our entire community's success. You see, when we are proud of each other, when we can help each other grow and blossom, when we create the support structure and network, in which we are investing to help others in our community to succeed, then there is no stopping ( then nothing can stop) this amazing Unification Church community. Brothers and sisters, give it up for the Blessed Central Families!
You know, True Father had a dream. He had a dream to free God, an amazing dream to liberate God, to create His family, to bring Him joy. And everybody mocked him at first. They laughed at him, persecuted him, imprisoned him; and they wished him dead; but he kept watering that dream. He kept moving everyday, pressing through doubt, pressing through fear, pressing through uncertainty. And then the seed began to grow. The seed began to spread across this world. Now we have blessed central families in over 183 nations of this world. Our blessed central family community is world wide.
You know, when we see that, I am reminded of a story, a Chinese story, known as the miraculous bamboo. It all began with a seed and a farmer, who was out in the mountain side in China; and he had a dream. If he could grow this miraculous bamboo, it would provide him the material for his house, it would provide the material to sell. The leaves could be made into tea leaves, and they were very precious at that time. He planted the seeds in little spots.
As he planted them, he watered them every single day. One year went by, and no growth. So he had to plant other things, little crops that would grow up quickly, so that he could feed his struggling family. Another year went by. Only the crops were blooming and harvested, but the bamboo.... nothing was showing, nothing was happening.
The seasons went by, another year. Three years passed ... nothing. He continued to haul (carry) water everyday. Everyday trying to water his dream, to water his hope, to water for his future, to give the investment that he believed would come back in a harvest.
Another year went by. Now the people were mocking him, the people were saying "You're crazy. What are you doing, going and watering the dirt. There is nothing that is going to come from those spots." Another year went by, four years. The neighbors at this point quit (stopped) laughing. They were no longer even caring anymore. The final year passed. Five years passed, and the farmer was tired now of hauling those buckets everyday. Tired of watering his dream, tired of working so hard to feed his struggling family. He stared hopelessly at those spots, "There can't be any life possibly after five years; I must have watered them wrong. I must have done the wrong procedure. I must have done something wrong along the way, and now, that is why I can't reap this harvest."
Despair rocked (attacked) his soul. Five years he poured into that dream; into his hope for a better future. But the dream mocked him.
But then one day, all of a sudden, they heard screams from around the village. Everyone was gathered around his spots; and they could see from about 20 feet away, from the street. They could see little green sprouts that were starting to emerge.
Brothers and sisters, this is a real bamboo. In six weeks, 80 feet of bamboo stock grew, five years after watering it every single day. At that point, the bamboos grew and grew. He eventually grew a grove, a forest; and at that point his dream came to pass. He was able to feed his family.
What did he learn? He learned how to plant a seed for his dream. He learned to do the daily things to take action towards that dream. He learned to ignore others who said that it was impossible, that it was not happening, that he was crazy. He learned to push past his own fear and doubt and keep taking action; and he learned to have faith, when there was no reason to have faith.
You see, now when he passes those bamboo groves and goes through his village, he is smiling, because so many of other villagers are now carrying their own buckets to their own spots to grow those miraculous bamboo.
You know, in my own life, too, I always wanted to make a difference in the church, but Father never told me to. He never directed me to go into ministry. He never told me to do seven years of spiritual meditation practice. He never told me to visit Japan and try to encourage the members there. Father waited for me to make my decisions. He never said, "Here's your dream, I will give it to you, and pursue it." He never told me that. He waited for me to realize what my dream was, to see how I would decide and to see how I was going to pursue that dream.
Of course I know that I wouldn't have really been able to do my own dream, if it wasn't for the support of my family, who was always giving me strength, always encouraging me along the way. You see, when we first started ministry, so many people said, "They won't last (do it) three weeks, they're not going to go too long; they can't do it forever." And of course, at that time we just kept a smile on our face, and we just kept on (continued) going forward, saying, "God bless you; thank you," and "We'll see you next week." That was our attitude. And that's our attitude today.
When we see the thousands of members that come out (to service) each weekend, we are so grateful, so humbled; we are so honored that so many brothers and sisters can congregate and worship together.
When we see less judgementalism (judging) towards each other in our communities, more forgiveness, more focus on how I (myself) should become a better person, how I can improve and empower others,
(when we see that) we are so happy and proud of our community.
You know, brothers and sisters, when you pursue your true dreams, there will be petty minded (narrow minded) people who will try to make you give up. They will criticize you for having a small dream, or for not being in line with God's providence, or they say that it's not spiritual enough (what you are doing). When you meet such people, keep a smile on your face, and say, "I'll see you next week."
Brothers and sisters, keep your attitude up! Let me tell you, God didn't create you to take up space, to just drink oxygen (breathe), to be a filler in this world (to just exist). He created you to have a purpose, to have a dream, to have a mission in this world; to truly be a miracle, to make a difference in people's lives. Don't let those minds (people) slow you down. Keep taking actions towards your dreams.
When you pursue your dreams, however, you have to remember that you will find people who are more advanced along that path than you are. You may find people who are much better than you are at your dream; but don't let that discourage you. Remember that that's very normal; that's fine; don't worry too heavily.
I heard it said like this:
There are two different types of people. One type of person looks at a fitness magazine, and says, "Oh, these people are in tremendous shape; and I can be in great shape too. Let's go and exercise."
The next type of person looks at the same fitness magazine, sits on a sofa, grabs a tub of double Dutch ice cream and says, "I'm never gonna be in that kind of shape; I can't do this. My knees are hurting. I have a slow metabolism." All of these kind of things.
We have to know which kind of person we are. Let the people who are better than you in the path that you are pursuing, be your landmarks, let them be your inspiration, your motivation for your own possible future potential. Remember that God has given you the power, the talent, the strength, the creativity to also be able to actualize it (your potential) as well. Put down that ice cream, quit (stop) looking at yourself and getting depressed. Look at yourself, and get impressed about your life.
Brothers and sisters, you've got to always have this right mentality in your heart. It is so important that we hold that in our hearts, when we are pursuing our dreams. And remember, when we are pursuing our dreams, it is so important to remember, that we are running our own race. Too many people get caught up in saying, "Hey, his job is better than mine. I thought I was talented, before I met him. I thought my husband was great, until I met my friend's husband. I thought my job was good, until I heard of his job."
Brothers and sisters, be proud of where you are, who you are. Run your own race; no need to compare. You are here to bring joy to God, not to man. Be proud of your work, be proud of your spouse, your family, your career, the work that you are doing. Be proud of your life. See, don't only look at how far you may have to go. It's so important to also realize how far you have (already) come. And God has brought each and everyone of us a long way. Let's give it up, let's give it up for God and True Parents!
You see, we may not be perfect, but we are constantly getting better. We are in a process of continual improvement. We are constantly improving in our lives; and that's the way that God intended it to be. I heard of a famous person, who wrote a book, and she wrote a little dialog with her child, her daughter. She was in a little argument, and it kind of escalated. The daughter said, "Mom, you're all grown up; you're over, you're cooked. You're ready for the KFC bucket; you're life is over." And the Mom said, "I'm not cooked. Honey, I'm not a cooked chicken, I'm just getting warmed up, and when I am finished I will be a one of a kind premium brand filet mignon."
Brothers and sisters, give it up, give it up for this courageous Mom. (clapping and cheering). And I want to invite you to say to the person next to you, "I'm going to be a filet mignon." Share it, share the blessings, share it with the person next to you, yes. You did it with pride and confidence, I saw it. You see, brothers and sisters, let's remember, too many people get caught up in thinking, "I'm too old for this. My best is past; I'm cooked. I've reached my limit. I've reached my potential. There are so many people better than me. My life can't possibly get any better."
Well, let's remember, Moses was called at the age of 80 to lead the Israelites out of slavery. Abraham was 100 years old, Sarah was 90 when God fulfilled the promise of starting their descendants with Isaac. It's not over until God says it's over.
It is so important to know, that until God calls us to the other side, we have a purpose to fulfill on this earth.
Brothers and sisters, what can we learn today? God has given us dreams to fulfill. He's given us a purpose. He's planted them (dreams) in our hearts and in our minds; and we have to know that we have a purpose, we have value, we have an identity, we have true cosmic potential that God has invested into us. We are not here to just take up space, to be filler, to just drink oxygen (to just breathe).
We have to truly be able to believe and actualize the blessed life. You see, no longer are we in the age of the judgmental period, of the indemnity period. True Parents have truly been victorious. Now is the age of liberation. We must learn to forgive each other, forgive ourselves, learn to build our dreams, and empower others to build their dreams as well.
See, let's plant those dreams, let's water them daily, let's ignore the nay sayers (those who say no) that say we can't do it, the archangels that may come in your path. Press through that fear and doubt, and have faith in yourself, (even) when there is no reason to have faith in yourself (when it is almost impossible to have faith); and God will show you that your bamboo will grow.
Don't sit around and get depressed about yourself. What are we going to do? We are going to sit around and get impressed about myself. And if somebody says "You're cooked," you've got to declare to them, "I am not cooked yet, I am a one of a kind premium filet mignon." Brothers, and sisters, check this out, give it up for True Parents! (clapping and cheers)…filet mignon!
If we do that, we will find ourselves with more victory, more illumination, and more peace; and we will live that blessed life that True Parents have blessed us to live. Brothers and sisters, one more time, give it up for True Parents, if you can accept this message. (cheering and clapping).
Meditation:
Let us now focus our energy into our final homeland meditation practice.
Let us now visualize ourselves, not in this sanctuary, but in a beautiful grass meadow, that we are walking along. We can notice the soft caress of the wind. I invite you to pay attention to the softness of the grass, and how the earth is supporting us, how the earth is lifting us, and how we are not standing on top, but we are being lifted up, and supported.
With each footstep we will see beautiful flowers that bloom right near our feet, almost magically.
As we look to our left, we will see a beautiful, peaceful stream that is meandering down. Let us hear the sounds of that stream, and imbibe the freshness of that energy. And as we look forward, we will see a beautiful pine tree forest, cedar wood, beautiful fragrance.
As we look towards the heavens, we will see a blue sky, limitless and vast. And as we look ahead we will see our precious True Parents are waiting for us. Let us walk towards them. Let us be seated before them. True Father, with his right hand, places his hand on top of our head; and True Mother, with her left hand, places her hand on top our head. They are praying for us, and anointing us.
If there are things that we would like to report to True Parents, any wrong doings in the past, let us offer those burdens as a report to True Parents; and let us receive their new blessing. Let us feel the power of that blessing flow through us, like a wave of energy, from the top of our heads, all the way down to the bottom of our feet. We can feel each cell in our body, become totally new, completely revived and rejuvenated.
We can see our spirit body illuminating in the 12 directions. As we receive this blessing, let us breathe in deeply, and in our hearts, let us say, "I am alive." And as we breathe out, let us say, "Thank you." Second inhalation, as we breathe in, "I am alive;" as we exhale, "Thank you." Final inhalation, as we breathe in, "I am alive." Final exhalation, "Thank you."
Final Prayer:
Father, we thank You for this day that You have blessed upon us. Father, we are truly victorious before Your eyes. Father, we know that when You look at us, You see victorious children, You see illuminating children. Father, You see children that are filled with peace, that can spread Your blessings to this world. Father, we pray that we may realize that the precious dreams that You have instilled within our hearts are those that are given by You. And Father, let us have the courage to press through, to achieve and realize those dreams.
Father, let us have the courage to move forward, past criticism, past those that may not believe in us, Father, Arch Angels that may try to stop us on the way. And let us realize that truly we can make a difference in this world. Father, You have given our tremendous community, the brothers and sisters here, their families, their children, amazing potential, cosmic value. Father, You have instilled within them hopes of the future. And Father, we pray that they never let go of that courage, of that strength, of that overcoming power.
Father, we thank You so much for being with us today. We know that You are in happiness, that You are in joy today, looking at Your children, celebrating You, worshiping You, giving thanks, and returning glory to You.
Father, we thank You for this day that You have blessed us. Please be with all the brothers and sisters who are joining us through the Internet, all around the world. Please be with each one of their families, that You may bless them with divine health, that You may bless them with great protection; that they may truly live the blessed life, have great connections and relationships in their lives and truly shine before history.
Thank you, Father, for giving us the strength, giving us the wisdom, and giving us the continual opportunity to become better, and to empower others. Thank You so much. We pray these things, with the everlasting love, and our grateful hearts, in our names, Aju.