'FULFILLING VISION' - A sermon by Carlton D. Pearson

Oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] Oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] I've got a hammer [Applause] [Applause] between my brother and my sister [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] Oh [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] davidandnicky y'all did it again thank you so much love that song love you guys Marlon preached the message in the last service about the hammer and Yanni alluded to it it was perfect I wish I could remember to think but I'm not a wood is lonely we have such a variety of offerings of this church and I'm always fascinated by the diversity of expression and experiences every Sunday and throughout the week it's always a great joy great to see the Reverend joy Crutcher here this morning his son Terrence [Music] later on we're gonna receive or did we already see it yeah we already see the offering for to support what the foundation he's one of the most dignified compassionate forgiving humble men I've ever known he is hurting and he has been hurting for years Terrence is the only loved one he's lost he's lost a lot of loved ones children families all in the same year that Terrence and the rest of the family by the way they're here two of y'all but he's always had a open warm conciliatory I never felt an ounce of bitterness or antagonism or anger from him deep hurt but it never converted into anger and we we use York you had you become more angry and more antagonist akin possibly that energy would have filled this country at this this culture it's kind of like what's happening in Washington we took our the culture took its lead from the president and there's been all this bullying and anger and in you don't have that spirit thank the Lord you don't have that spirit [Music] so and all the other things we do and say about you that's outstanding it's a great teacher to all of us and we love you dearly and respect you highly and to support you with our whole hearts my theme this morning is fulfilling vision I just had cataract surgery and these glasses is not working I I they tell me I have 20/20 vision but I don't yeah there's like floaters you know because they put they takes the lens out I didn't know this I didn't go to get surgery I went there to get a new prescription for my glasses lenses which weren't working and then they checked in so Fonda that I had cataracts so they they're in the early stages but I said go ahead and to handle them now they tell me I have 20/20 vision but they put fluids in there so those little things are jumping around and I think it's a fly and it's mosquito I slapped myself the other day thinking it was something wrong so vision is important to me and sometimes we is one thing to have vision and to have or what as one thing to see or to have vision or in for vision to have you when you you did fulfilling vision means to fill it full or to full fill the vision fulfills to bring to completion or to bring you to reality or to achieve to literally realize something desired promise or maybe predicted how often do we do that we want this service and this ministry to be impacting first pact a second barber ass we just just speaking to smaller crowds effectively and I said yes it does if I didn't have much larger crowds through the internet through my weekly presentations which are thousands I'd be depressed because I would fell because I shifted emphasis to a more expanded consciousness that my audience has fallen off and I not having impact it's not that I'm that I'm in the numbers but I am into impact how we are we impacting the planet or the culture or the country or the lives of many people because I think the message that we embrace and that embraces us here is comprehensively powerful and that we'd have less tension and anger and vice on the planet if more people thought universally and with a certain ideology of oneness unitarianism one is not in the religious sense or in the denominational sense necessarily but in the conceptual spiritual concept and consent of us being one recognizing that we relate to each other that there's more that we have in common then that we don't so fulfilling the vision of the House and University vision is the faculty that or state of being that that means you're able to see or perceive or visualize what do you visualize it involves imagination creativity some bit of fantasies some elements of superstition if you will it's the little bit of insanity you had to be kind of crazy to think that we can do all the stuff we plan to do psychologists say there are one out of five people you meet are mentally ill I often say count down the number five down the road mental health and mental illness are not the same thing some people are just not mentally whole mentally healthy that doesn't mean they're mentally ill they're just not up to par Woodrow Wilson the 28th president of the United States said this and this is very powerful I want you to pay close attention you are not here merely to make a living you are here in order to enable the world to live more amply with greater vision with a finer spirit of hope and achievement you are here to enrich the world and you impoverish yourself if you forget that errand you impoverish yourself in effect your soul if you forget Aaron and Aaron's is just a short journey you know undertaking in order to to deliver or collect something we make errands all the time it's specially extended to a purpose if you have a particular gotta run some errands running errands we all are here with an error and part of your vision as an individuals to be to complete the errand but you need to know the errand is we need to corporately know what our errand is what our purpose is what our plan is what our vision this is the theme of the month vision really for the next year or two its vision will never stop being a theme of this ministry because we're building a new church half of the 30 million has been raised we need another 15 million or so to get it done we're moving downtown everybody's not on board with that some people will ride it out and stick with us some people will just not participate in most churches about 18% of the people carry 80 percent of the burden this church happens to have some substantial members pastors been moving about we have people on who will be visiting you and talking with you about any commitment you're able to make so that we can build us this building and get in there pretty much debt-free we have an errand but what beyond building a new building and moving the location geographically what impact do we want to have on the city I like packed out houses I love the crowd energy you feel like you're making an impact but more important than a packed out place or space is an impacting life who are you impacting who are you influencing what do you feel not just about the worship experience which is very important but beyond that in our worship we should define who is to define our purpose why are we here first of all we're here individually all the Spiritualist in' and shaman and mystics of the ages have said we're all here because we know something and you offered her to be saved but we've forgotten what we know and we stopped knowing and started believing what somebody told us or somebody taught us and we put what we know aside what we're doing now and I am if this a so after six and a half decades as I'm beginning to reclaim and reconnect to what my soul knows and I'm going into my soul which I believe carries the syllabus of my life if you don't go within you'll go without the syllabus is the course of my life the cause of my life and some of the classes in my life so I'm learning and reconnecting with that and it does in some way conflict with what I've been believing Yana made reference to the hammer being Jesus in her life but sometimes it's misused religion has harmed a lot of people and distorted and twisted a lot of people Jesus is not about religion is about a relationship and a person that you believe in his principles you don't have to call him the Lord you don't even have to call him God though we tend to do that but if you like the way he lived and the things he said and what he did and the men packed he had you might embrace him a little bit more [Applause] vision is energy vision is movement of mine vision is thought vision is imagination people tribute this next statement to Albert Einstein well actually bursar everything is energy and that's all there is to it that's the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality it can be no other way this is not philosophy he says this is physics max the energy to the well let me read just the way he says it okay ain't got nothing but that that's the frequency of the reality that's the frequency what your frequency is what you think about most frequently because what you think about you bring about what is the focus of your thoughts if it's Nick Lin lend me give me let me have beggin you're the victim you're always heard everybody's against you that will become your console reality if you say I'm not just a victim of circumstances I'm a victor over circumstances a whole different energy takes you carry yourself victoriously not ashamed not apologetic and you must be confident enough to the place where some people accuse you of being arrogant if nobody ever accuses you of being arrogant you're probably not confident enough if everybody is saying good things about you you ain't doing nothing you you got it's it's a law of physics anything in motion causes friction President Truman said if you can't take the heat get out the kitchen and he said that before air conditioners were in homes so being in a hot kitchen trying to prepare a meal with no air condition and you can't take it you got to get out of there so what what is your kitchen and I'm not talking about the back of you what is your kitchen what are you doing with your life and what are we doing with our lives and how are we making an impact or having an impact on a people one of my favorite verses when it comes to vision is from the book of Habakkuk and the name in Hebrew actually needs embrace which is to hold someone or hold something closely in your arms especially a sign of affection or protection or projection or figuratively to be embraced by vision so one thing to have the vision and another thing for the vision have you to feel this this this vision of hope and victory and survival it's an urge it's an itch it's a grind the vision is not just something you see it's something you feel there's an urge there's an itch there's an unction there's a compunction you you you you that's almost sensual it's a it's it's a pain it's a it's a prick it keeps you alive it wakes you up I'm not I'm not kept alive at night with problems I'm kept alive I mean awake at night with solutions I'm thinking of all these solutions every time I come here when I come on the grounds and in any anywhere I go Maura and I were in Washington DC at the it's called the new zine z 'm for religious diversity religious freedom and we had a packed out crowd they saw the movie American heretics which features our church and our story and so we've been doing these panel discussions he's gonna be doing a live tonight for Chicago and I in the effort what is it something and ebert theater the guys that put their thumbs up or down that's what I was saying Roger Ebert and then I'm gonna do it next week I think I might even actually go there but there's a huge discussion around American heretics here we are the largest Unitarian Universalist Church in the country right here in Tulsa the original name of this church was All Souls lib liberal Church then they changed it to two Unitarian but this was always a liberal Church the term liberal you used to incite anger and rage and resist cincin victimization in me now they're calling me a liberal that I'm a progressive that I'm and I love the term progressive more than liberal I am free I don't have the judgments and and in the the the nobody can tell me who to love or not love what to like or not like if I want to say finally whether the place if we do want to say Jesus or read a scripture when we're all souls we are allowing people to be who they are and we don't pick them apart because they aren't what other church do you know that has a a humanitarian service work well I mean uh that's what I'm saying are you human if what did I say human what did I say before that that's what I'm saying what we want him Anna Terry is over but a humanist service where they said I'm not comfortable with dogma I'm not comfortable with doctrine I don't want to necessarily feel god I'd like to feel good I don't need a scripture and we create a safe environment for them to not the services 45 minutes my sermons the introduction used to be that long we'll be out of here in a few minutes but if we want to focus on it we might in this Circe a little more Lind a little bit more toward worship and and and so of people who want to do it to climax in the service or have this this this point of explosion in worship it's okay we don't wanna get out of hand nothing crazy but if it's a little bit more emotional which is just energy in motion rather than flat if you happen to say here a little vote somebody say Amen or like right on or I like that or I we just don't want to say I don't like that what if somebody yelled out Amen I thought it said Amen nothing I don't like it or both of them welcome here no we had to pray about that word who do you hang around that you don't agree with agreement doesn't mean sameness it's the Greek word symphony or where we get the English word symphony it doesn't mean to sound the same as certainly don't even mean to sound alike it just means to sound together without animosity often say if I'm if a woman and man have the same opinion all the time about everything what are y'all ain't necessary or if it's not a woman in the manfist couple that together that has the same opinion about everything all the time one of y'all mean I'd be so necessary I like diversity I like change and I like challenge it moves me on so I'm holding on let me read this this this one of my favorite passages are out of the scriptures of Becker write down the King James says vision the Hebrew word which would mean the revelation of the unveiling write down the vision make it plain on tablets so that the herald may run with it for the revelation the vision awaits an appointed time it speaks of the end or of an ultimate goal it speaks of an objective and will not prove false which means it will not prove fake or futile or fraudulent we actually have a vision we haven't realized it yet delays are not necessarily denials not now doesn't mean ever we're on our way to a place in the last service we have there were more of us combined in the pastor's combined what's our latest associate minister Mari yellow our intern Hispanic you can hear the accent we have our newest associate minister yog nay we have the genius Gerald who [Applause] [Music] who is the man just flows he doesn't see he doesn't he can't read words he his heart has eyes I'm almost scared to walk in the room his heart has eyes and he picks up things and he's a teacher and he's a he's he's he expounds on things he moves spontaneously and randomly and he always hits his mark Barbara is pastoral and and sensitive and compassionate she senses the needs of the people loves the people she has that feminine aspect of the masculine thrust of Unitarianism there's there's a great mix here in in the music and in the styles and and in the classes and the offerings during the week this there's not another church on the planet not just in this denomination I don't think there's another Church on the planet that's quite as diverse as this one now we have the we have the structure we have the we have the the infrastructure we're building skin around the skeletal to make this thing happen that we will have a huge amount of diversity this city is still waiting to discover that we're here our vision is that they know we're here and feel comfortable coming we'll kick in that hammond b-3 we got up we got a pipe oil we've got a hammer B through which we don't hear enough of it David is no we calling the maestro all throughout particularly the Pentecostal world that man could take that thing and and and make it you could hear words when he plays it he'll make you folks I've never danced in your life dance with that thing well we're gonna we're gonna raise the energy a little bit higher and we're gonna we're gonna go places and make this what we think it ought to be because we're gonna be the diverse not apologetically so not halfway so part of the vision is really being unitary oneness you never one verse version or versification of a whole we might have a a Buddhist mantra mantra we might repeat some something if you heard the language you realize they're saying the same thing we say in English whether it's Israeli whether it's Pakistani and whether it's agnostic whether it's poetic it's prose everything's gonna work as we're gonna not just make it work we're gonna let it work let it manifest its power without being fake in any way so here we sing also segment sections and successions of people we have all of that those outside the denominational stride or structure but who are curious for change and eager to do so they don't want to be monotone or monolithic or monotonous which means we don't want to be dull and tedious and and repetitious lacking variety or lacking interested we want to be kicking it in so though a Linga this verse says wait for it it will certainly come it will not delay though it linger how many of you have visions or imaginations or hopes that you've been waiting for for more than a year wow that's great more than two years how about 10 mostly all they'll get imagined the what's the lottery everybody waiting for that I don't even have to win the lottery I just want somebody who likes me too but it isn't in the it isn't in the shower or the jet or the or the yard or the wind itself it's in whatever you think that thing makes you feel about you what you really want wants you what you want wants you because what you want is you you want to experience yourself at the highest healthiest level possible if you ask me what's the number-one objective of my personal life it's to live and be as accurately me as possible I want to be precisely Carleton I'm still learning what that is and who that is without performing for you and without finding Who I am and being that apologetically but being free to express and experience myself on every level possible and I think when I do that I'm maximizing my own divinity bridging it to my humanity and reminding you of your divinity and how to bridge your divinity to your humanity so you can have the fullest expression of both who you are and who you aren't fulfilling the vision the word in that passage vision is Kazan in Hebrew from the word Quezada means a sight seeing a dream on valleys a time out day dreaming this is this is an inner emotional devotional commotion already vision doesn't just cause emotion and and devotion it actually causes commotion you feel on edge you feel an itch you you you you you you almost feel pain passion and compassion patience but passion I've got to do it I always just tell in my premarital counseling don't just marry somebody you you love there is somebody you almost can't live without you'll find that you actually can but ever in Italy find out that that there's not just this love it is compassion you have to feel the person feel their pathos we use this word love very casual I love you we just love everybody well I understand that but nobody could hurt you like somebody you love or who loves you so you got to go beyond that do you feel me vision has feeling me it's like do you see me do you feel me can you get me are you with me we want you to feel this energy to experience this energy and then to expressing it if you see a film that you like or go to a restaurant that you like you generally tell somebody about it if you have some kind of you see something people would you call share something online that they like when you really like something or it really impresses you you tend to share it so we'll know next week if you really like what we're doing if you share it and bring somebody with you well I heard about 3ml a burger nobody I don't I said people do what they want to do well then don't tell nobody about the movie you like would you like something you talk about it where your heart is your treasure will be also where your treasure is your heart will be so we're now in a creative growth expanding expensive move not just physically not just geographically but internally we're expanding we're experiencing we're expressing were exploring we're experimenting so far experiment has worked for the 12 years that we've combined just these two local churches but and become one wonderful diverse expression we're getting closer and we are than we've ever been there's more diversity in this crowd this morning than this church has had in 40 years this is wonderful we might have jazz we might have we might have gospel we might have blues we might have a saxophone we might have a cello and we learn how I don't want to study died of anything but fun I like diversity I often say this to you turn to the person next to you and say I'm glad you don't look like me just throw it out there right quick just as a compliment in additionally I'm glad I don't look like you I'm really glad I don't neccessarily so the reference division here is is not just a a cancer to casually daydream it's a reference to inner visuals and soulish insight of the visions of the soul of the psyche Sookie in Greek the thought life what is your spirit see what is your spirit sense we all have a sixth sense seeing as normal it's natural having vision and being possessed by one is very different vision is is there better to think about or plan the future with imagination with with creativity with with wisdom it's a it's a mental image and we all have them of what the future could or will be thank God that where we are right now in life and certainly in this country is not a period it's a comma I'm not even giving it an exclamation point it will pass and we'll fill a different kind of unity in the country willfully and find a different kind of unity in that culture we will find ourselves one again with more joy and not such pluralists not such polarities such extreme polarities we're getting closer to each other closer than we've ever been this is the first time in my life that I think I can walk around the planet without being suddenly habitually judgmental suspicious critical I like that feeling it's it's amazing hi Maura and I were having dinner in the indc the other night and he offered me a little taste of what he was drinking I don't remember what it was I don't remember seeing it necessarily but I remember feeling I feel that sometimes you don't like the taste but you like to feel I want you to focus a little bit more on feeling what do you feel and you remember the universe doesn't just judge you by what you think but by Bob why would you feel but what you think about what you feel and what you think about what you think about what you feel I sat down again and had dinner in wherever I stopped yesterday coming in and the guys suggested a daiquiri I'm not suggesting people to abuse alcohol in any way he said dr. Ally I didn't even know there was I think it's a daiquiri he might have been something else nope margarita I think it was and so I hold it a stake I normally have a glass of red wine he brought this this margarita then he brought another one I [Music] didn't have to ask for it when he came back the second time I didn't I wouldn't know by looking at just pointed at it and I figured if he actually sees that gesture he'll break nothing what I won't spoke in tongues and it wasn't Holi goes out there now having mono like this delicious anything watch he drew I liked it because I felt a little something I wasn't crazy I wasn't sure but I felt a little something I liked a service where I feel something not just here it I feel it I like a conversation that I feel I like a song that I feel even if I don't like the lyrics if the sound resonates with my spirit sometimes you go to a movie you ease you can see it at several times before you get all that's in it but I go to movies that that leave me with a feel of residue talk to me somebody I want you to spend some time over the next several weeks and months investigating your feelings and when something dies do an autopsy personally study what killed it and why I died even if it was supposed to die I've been doing a lot of autopsies cuz a lot of stuff has died in my life that I burst and it died prematurely in my opinion and I was stunned summer was because of suicide homicide some things I killed and didn't mean to some some things were precious to me others killed and other things around my life and it died by natural causes but all of those deaths impacted me and I'm in mourning about some others I rejoice or it's easy for me to let some things go wrap your arms around yourself once again where we have the moment for people to stand each Sunday remembering somebody that died I actually remember something that died the feeling the memory of the feeling you've heard me say offer when you say you love somebody you're saying you love the part of yourself that you experience when you with that person the same would be if you said I can't stand so and so you're saying I can't stand how the aspect of me that manifests when I'm with that person so the only person you'll ever love not love like or not like as you everything starts and stops with how you experience you vision is not just something you see is something you experience and ultimately express [Music] send it out to the universe I want to experience myself I want to experience what I see and better express what I see which is often a smile a nod and embrace touching another human being affirming them I got out of the uber in DC the other day and for some reason I felt to reach over and touch the gentleman shoulder it was a Ava's a foreigner and just do like that and he said thank you brother drove away and I realized I'd left my car and my phone in uber and I forgot who was with me but I had whoever was with me call my phone and in seconds this guy turned that car around he came back and brought me my phone and I gave him a tip that was much larger than I would have given him I'd already put one on the phone but I gave him another one but that little gesture made him come quicker and I did that twice while I was in DC I'm have to stop traveling alone I but I didn't know that but that little embrace I mean I literally grabbed his shoulder just sort of squeeze it like that and I wanted him to feel my appreciation of him and he did I could tell when I touched him but I didn't know that I was gonna need him seconds later we used to saying he's got the whole world in his head he's nothing when you have your cell phone in your hand you got to hold so it'd have been devastating if he didn't come back be kinder be more gentle be more sensitive notice the people around you especially if they're not being noticed by others not try to make eye contact give them the love signed a peace sign just start spreading it everywhere we love you we believe in you our best is yet to come as a culture as a people god bless and God [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] hey we're so happy you're visiting with us online today we love connecting with people all across the country and around the world sharing our powerful message of love beyond belief there's something new happening here you can now join all souls as a virtual member our virtual membership is designed for friends who live outside of Tulsa Oklahoma and who want to engage with all souls in a meaningful way you can be part of an expanding family a global family really wherever you are if you live in Oklahoma Ohio or Orange County California Canada or Cameroon by becoming a virtual member you'll be able to deepen your connections with members and friends here in Tulsa and with members wherever you are each week you'll receive special All Souls content tailored for you our virtual members virtual members have access to pastoral care the personal prayers and also receive invitations that exclusive web events you can learn more and if you're ready you can become a virtual member today by visiting All Souls Church org forward slash virtual membership we're grateful our ministries are having a positive impact on your life and we want to share the good news of love beyond belief with more and more people so no matter what we need your support to keep this ministry growing and thriving so please consider making a gift today you can do so by texting love be be for loved beyond belief to seven three to five six or simply visit our websites you are a blessing in our lives may you be blessed and be a blessing [Music] you

Channel: All Souls Unitarian

Views: 4,017

Rating: 4.8165135 out of 5

Keywords: All Souls, Unitarian, Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Universalists, Universalism, Sunday, service, sermon, minister, Fulfilling Vision, vision, impact, imagination, creativity, goals, timing, insight, soul, spirituality, Carlton D. Pearson, Contemporary

Id: Y8kGGkQW56k

Length: 38min 52sec (2332 seconds)

Published: Sun Sep 08 2019