Thursday, June 30, 2016


[ We have seen God’s mercy and wisdom: how shall we respond? ] With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity.
— Romans 12:2
J.B. Phillips New Testament

“Reaching For The Light”
Mind in 
Transcendence … p 52

We well know the mind stirs the imagination, invoking images both real and fanciful. It is less well known, however, that within this phenomenon of the mind lies our most precious human resource; the ability through imagination to transform thoughts of the mind into the realm of the supernatural. Thus may we visualize ourself suffused in the Light of God’s presence, His Love a salve to our soul.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Wednesday, June 29, 2016


There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!
— Romans 5:5-8
The Message

“Reaching For The Light”
Abiding Self-Worth … p 51

We are as nothing without Love: love of ourself and love of others. Love lies within the soul, the very core of our Being. Left to lie dormant and unused, our capacity for love ever diminishes such that we become but an empty shadow of who we are meant to be. When taken up and used, love is that which reveals our humanity and gives reason for our Being.

Love — in reality a divine providence — is accessible through the twin character traits of Selflessness and Truthfulness. These, in turn, require that, in all humility, we entrust ourself to God. Thus may we quiet the turmoil of the mind to reveal the Light of the soul and our divine spirituality. And only thus may we know peace within, coupled with a deep and abiding sense of self-worth.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Tuesday, June 28, 2016


I have loved you just as the Father has loved me. You must go on living in my love. If you keep my commandments you will live in my love just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and live in his love. I have told you this so that you can share my joy, and that your happiness may be complete. This is my commandment: that you love each other as I have loved you. There is no greater love than this—that a man should lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I tell you to do. I shall not call you servants any longer, for a servant does not share his master’s confidence. No, I call you friends, now, because I have told you everything that I have heard from the Father.
— John 15:9-15
J.B. Phillips New Testament (Phillips)

“Reaching For The Light”
Happiness … p 50

For all too many Happiness is but a daydream nourished by faint hope. Others have overcome such reverie by rediscovering their childlike trust to know that Happiness is no longer illusory, but is in fact wondrously real.

The rediscovery of our childlike trust awakens in us our spiritually inner self and gives Light to the very soul: We know beyond faith that God lives in us and we in Him.

Happiness is not a state of mind, something to think about and make real. Rather, it is one of surrendering in all humility to God, that His will may be done. Happiness is made whole, and our Purpose revealed, only when this wondrous gift is shared with others.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Monday, June 27, 2016


The Life-Light was the real thing: Every person entering Life he brings into Light. He was in the world, the world was there through him, and yet the world didn’t even notice. He came to his own people, but they didn’t want him. But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves. These are the God-begotten, not blood-begotten, not flesh-begotten, not sex-begotten.
 John 1:12-13
The Message 

“Reflections From Infinite Mind”
Our Birthright 
Reclaimed … p  58

Unfurl your brow, sit back and take stock of your life as only you can know. Herein lies truth, the very foundation of life itself and the first of the building blocks already embedded in our true spiritual Being. Consciously or unconsciously, it is this that we seek to rediscover and reclaim; this alone that enables us to be who we really are — the perfect child-of-God.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Sunday, June 26, 2016


And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
— I Corinthians 9:25
King James Version of the Bible 

“Reaching For The Light”
A Tug of War … p 49

That no one likes being told what to do is not an indictment of our character. The sense of disquiet occasioned by such an admonition stems not from personal shortcoming, but goes directly to the dichotomy of our very Being: the mortal body and the immortal soul.

Custom and belief have long acquainted us with a mode of living conducive to bodily comfort, while at once antithetical to the true source of inner peace and harmony; that of the divinely God-given soul.

For our own well-being and that of others, it is clear that we have a personal responsibility to achieve a balance between worldly pursuits and spiritual enlightenment.

Mastery of thought is paramount to all else. Thus may we see only the good in others, and thus are our thoughts transcended to a higher spiritual plane whereby we instinctively manifest God’s Goodness and Love.
— Garry D. Kilbourn

Thursday, June 23, 2016


Light-seeds are planted in the souls of God’s people, Joy-seeds are planted in good heart-soil.
— Psalm 97:11
The Message 

“Reflections From Infinite Mind”
Out of Bondage … p 57 

Adrift in the darkness of despair, longings of the soul lost in the abyss of time, whither to turn but to the light whence we came. Herein lies that for which we so desperately yearn: Harmony of mind, body and soul. We have but to withdraw from the fray by freeing ourself from mundane thoughts of the self, thoughts that veil the divine light of the soul.

We begin, quite simply, by giving thanks to God, all the while seeing only the good in others. While in this realm of divine thought we are transformed. The ways of the world take on a new and proper meaning and we become one with our fellow-man, thus fulfilling our reason for being.
— Garry D. Kilbourn



Wednesday, June 22, 2016


Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
— I Corinthians 3:16 
King James Version of the Bible 

“Reaching For The Light”
Duality of 
Body and Soul … p 48

Morals and Ethics are fundamental to human well-being; traits that bespeak Honesty, Integrity and Truthfulness. They are of our divinely immortal soul; hence our lifelong providential guideposts.

That we are as well born of mortal body and must come to terms with our innate dualism, means quelling the workings of the mind; thus to give vent to our spirituality.

Invoking the soul’s spiritual emanation — a matter of becoming one with God — means quitting mundane thoughts of the mind in favour of those acknowledging God’s presence, and putting our life in His. Aught else will give inner peace and harmony.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Tuesday, June 21, 2016


Then he was told, “Go, stand on the mountain at attention before GOD. GODwill pass by.” A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before GOD, but GOD wasn’t to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but GOD wasn’t in the earthquake; and after the earthquake fire, but GOD wasn’t in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.  When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with this great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, “So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?” Elijah said it again, “I’ve been working my heart out for GOD, the GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, because the people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed your places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I’m the only one left, and now they’re trying to kill me.”
— 1 Kings 19:11-14 
The Message

"Reaching For The Light”
The Truth of Our Being in the Still Small Voice … p 47

The ever-present veil that conceals the Truth of our Being, that keeps us from knowing ourself, is of our own making; a man-made desecration of the soul. It has its genesis in our failure to acknowledge our two separate though interdependent beings: a) the divinely immortal soul and b) the physical body.

Throughout life, with little or no thought otherwise, we allow custom to instill in us aught but the ways of the world, of itself destructive of our inborn harmony. Meanwhile, the life-giving soul finds itself gravely undernourished. Left unattended, we come to know a life all too often troubled with chaos and sorrow.

Were we but to listen, we would hear God’s “… still small voice …” warning us of the disquiet within. Once having heard, we are at once overcome with a deeper sense of calm, certain of God’s overwhelming presence. We know then that all is well.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Monday, June 20, 2016


For there is no man that doth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world.
— St. John 7:4 
King James Version of the Bible

“Reaching For The Light”
Know Thyself … p 46

In life, this above all else is a certainty: We are to live by the tenets of our God-given soul. The tools to do so are an imbued birthright, forever lying within our grasp. The tenets, instinctively known to all, are those of Truth, Goodness and Love. We honour these inborn human traits by first paying homage to that age-old aphorism: ‘know thyself.’

The business of coming to know oneself, as all who venture down this path well know, is a time of ongoing self-absorption and personal honesty. Bit by bit we rid ourself of worldly demons, real and imagined, to reveal the Purity of the life-giving soul. Here there is no hiding from the Truth of our Being; neither is there any turning back from this blissful state of inner harmony.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Sunday, June 19, 2016


He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.
— Deuteronomy 32:4  more 
King James Version of the Bible

“Reaching For The Light”
Divine Rock 
of Certainty … p 45

When, with God’s help, we find ourself and come to know peace within, the enlightened soul reveals all else in life to be as an empty vessel.

Truth and Love become life’s cornerstone as we rebuild a life lost to presumed expectations of others and our own immersion in the wasteland of consumerism.

Shifting sands, once an insecure foothold, instead become our divine rock of certainty. We learn to give freely of ourself in selfless Love, at once uplifting our soul and bestirring all that is good in others.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Thursday, June 16, 2016


My soul wrestled together therein; and I was confirmed in doing it. I stretched forth mine hands on high; and my soul shined in the wisdom of him, and he lightened mine uncunnings (or he enlightened my unknowings, or my ignorances). [My soul wrestled in it; and in doing it I am confirmed. My hands I straight(en)ed out into high; and in the wisdom of him wailed my soul, and mine uncunnings (or my ignorances) he lighted.]
— Sirach 51:19
Wycliffe Bible (WYC) 

“Reaching For The Light”
Spiritual 
Enlightenment … p 44

Like most things, life is made easier if we but keep it simple. Let Truth and Love be our providential guideposts: Truth of Being and Love of God.

Neither thoughts of the mind nor exercise of will, in themselves, provide an awareness of God’s Love. Freeing the mind of mundane thoughts allows thoughts of God to awaken our spiritual Being: a selfless plea for God becoming one with us, that we may be and do as He is.

Truth of Being is none other than acknowledgement of our spiritual self; our inner Being; our divinely immortal soul.

Truth of being and Love of God are harmonious inseparables, making us whole.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Wednesday, June 15, 2016


Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
St. Matthew 5:3 
King James Version of the Bible  

“Reaching For The Light”
Chasm 
Ephemera … p 43

The chasm is wide which separates those in the fullness of God’s Love from those in life who “… labour and are heavy laden …” (St. Matthew 11:28). It is a chasm which blinds the poor in spirit from knowledge of God; one not of His making but of man’s alone, and man’s alone to heal.

He of heavy yoke must look within for God’s presence, the life-giving Truth of Being. Thus may he bear witness to the inner Light of the soul radiating God’s Goodness and Love.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Tuesday, June 14, 2016


And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.
— St. Luke 15:31 
King James Version of the Bible


“Reaching For The Light”
Birthright 
Reclaimed … p 42

Experience affirms that life’s ofttimes difficult path is made easier with a friend at our side; one that we instinctively know will be there for us through good and the not so good: So it is with true friends.

And so it is as well in our relationship with God. As our faith in Him deepens we sense His presence in all that we think and do, taking comfort in knowing that God lives in us and we in Him. Thus do we reclaim our birthright: again made whole.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Monday, June 13, 2016


Are you listening to me? Really listening?
— Matthew 11:15
The Message 

“Reaching For The Light”
He That Hath Ears 
To Hear … p 41

The true inner self is revealed not by what is said but by what is left unsaid. Witness the oft-repeated Scriptural metaphor which bears directly on this human character trait: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.”

If we are to hear the unspoken, not to say the withheld, word — that which reveals one’s true Being — we must consciously engage our spiritually enlightened sixth and seventh senses: that which “hears” emanations of the soul, and that which understands. We achieve this by being still within while giving equal attention to both forces, the audible and the divinely inaudible.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Sunday, June 12, 2016


After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
— St. Matthew 6:9-13 
King James Version of the Bible

“Reaching For The Light”
Thy Will 
Be Done … p 40

We ask of God in the Lord’s Prayer that “His will be done in earth as it is in heaven,” seemingly forgetting that such a plea may sometimes be at odds with our personal will.

Our own spiritual well-being demands that we at all times honour our undertaking to God, manifesting our love for both Him and our fellow-man, and doing unto others as we would like done to us. Meanwhile, and no less so, the mind is asserting its role in shaping our day-to-day conduct. How to reconcile what at first blush appears to be a contradiction of opposing forces, becomes the nagging question.

Were we to reflect, even for a moment, on this conundrum we would find the answer within the Lord’s Prayer itself. In exercising our will as a child of God thoughts of the mind become transcendent, reflecting His presence. By its very nature, our will becomes one with that of God’s: Our entire Being is given over to doing as God does and is.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Thursday, June 9, 2016


“You’ve heard me tell you, ‘I’m going away, and I’m coming back.’ If you loved me, you would be glad that I’m on my way to the Father because the Father is the goal and purpose of my life.”
— John 14:28
The Message

“Reaching For The Light”
Life’s Purpose … p 39

In the struggle for personal identity, that we may come to know our purpose in life, we do battle on two fronts: that of freeing ourself from mundane social norms while at once striving for spiritual enlightenment.

In the one instance the singular pursuit of worldly ways is revealed for its emptiness, while the struggle for spiritual enlightenment can but lead to inner Peace and Harmony of mind, body and soul.
— Garry D. Kilbourn




Wednesday, June 8, 2016


For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
— Philippians 2:13
King James Version of the Bible 

“Reaching For The Light”
Agent For Good … p 38

In coming to know our own true spiritual self we are doubly blessed: we as well become an Agent For Good, able to show others the Way.  It follows, not unexpectedly, that selfless giving to others is life-giving for all.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Tuesday, June 7, 2016


The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
— Job 33:4
King James Version of the Bible

“Reflections From Infinite Mind”
Seek and Ye Shall Find … p 56 

Every day, every moment we are living a lie so long as we deny or, quite simply, do not know our true inner spiritual Being. The demons that hold us in servitude, that deny our peace of mind, that drive us to hopelessness and despair, are not of our true self. They are aught but our own mortal ego holding sway in the pursuit of blinding materialism as an end in itself. That which is our true self is, and forever will be, an expression of Divine Mind, that which gives life to and governs all in nature. It is this — the breath of God — we seek. Giving ourself over in complete faith into the hands of God, subsumed in selflessness and humility, all the while knowing of His goodness and love, sets us free.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Monday, June 6, 2016


Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold, but let God remold your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves toward the goal of true maturity.
 Romans 12:2
J.B. Phillips

“Reaching For The Light”
The Still 
Small Voice … p 37

Those who themselves have heard that ’still small voice’ know that God speaks to us. And so it was when, on each of three successive days, the words ‘God is my soul’ were heard uttered: spiritual enlightenment made large; no less than a life-changing experience.

The soul — that which gives Life and is Life beyond the body — is the source of inner harmony and of all else that defines our humanity. When the soul is allowed to play its proper role in life whereby thoughts of the mind become those of God’s divine Goodness and Love, we experience a spiritual transcendence to become one with God. Only thus may we serve both God and our fellow-man through Truth and Purity of soul.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Sunday, June 5, 2016


The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you’re thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God—except that he not only knows what he’s thinking, but he lets us in on it. God offers a full report on the gifts of life and salvation that he is giving us. We don’t have to rely on the world’s guesses and opinions. We didn’t learn this by reading books or going to school; we learned it from God, who taught us person-to-person through Jesus, and we’re passing it on to you in the same firsthand, personal way.
— I Corinthians 2:10-13 
The Message

“Reaching For The Light”
The Gift of Life … p 36

To the extent we allow ourself to be held captive by our own body consciousness, oblivious of our true spiritual Being, we are as the blind leading the blind: aught that is good can come of it.

The Gift of Life is given, not that we be all things to all people, but that we may be and do all that God is. By its very nature we have a duty to honour that which we have been given. We alone, in the presence of God, must, in all reverence surrender to His care that we may work out our own salvation.
— Garry D. Kilbourn

 

Thursday, June 2, 2016


Jacob woke up from his sleep. He said, “GOD is in this place—truly. And I didn’t even know it!” He was terrified. He whispered in awe, “Incredible. Wonderful. Holy. This is God’s House. This is the Gate of Heaven.”
— Genesis 28:16-17 
The Message

“Reflections From Infinite Mind”
Human 
Wonderment … p 35

Largely unbeknownst even to ourself, we are a creature of wonderment: would that we recognized our divinely spiritual nature — that which God has given us; that which is Life itself.

We hear a voice within, instinctively knowing it to be the soft, though declarative, voice of God. Through intuition and understanding we sense another’s unexpressed emotion; we alone silently putting words to it. Such inborn transcendent traits, when understood and acted upon, affirm our humanity.
— Garry D. Kilbourn


Wednesday, June 1, 2016


And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
— Isaiah 30:21 more 
King James Version of the Bible

“Reaching For The Light”
In God’s 
Likeness … p 34

Even a well-earned sense of complacency in life should at best be viewed as but a temporary resting place: more to be feared than favoured.

That God is a living presence within us requires more than that of resting on our laurels; more than mere profession of faith. We must as well actively declare His presence, “doing unto others as we would have them do unto us.”
— Garry D. Kilbourn