Graduation
Yesterday’s message was about graduating to the next level, in celebration of the many students who are graduating from High School, College or other programs at this time of year. We were entertained and inspired by the Generation Peace Academy Choir who performed 3 songs for us, setting a lively and and thoughtful tone for the message. Hopefully I’ll put up the video of their performance next week. We also viewed a short video of random people answering the question, “What are you afraid of?”
Graduating from a learning environment or training period and taking the next step is often a fearful place to be. It can be joyful, hopeful and fearful all at the same time. Pastor Heather offered examples from her own life and the lives of others about facing our fears in order to fulfill our unique individual calling in life. She spoke about the importance of becoming a whole person through internal character education and developing our unique talents and skills, as a foundation for how we will live the rest of our life.
Genius
Through her message which was enhanced by quotes and video, she showed us how we are each capable of being a genius in our own way. In western culture our concept of 
genius is often related to IQ, however the definition she used was from the Chinese character which means a person born with rich and profound creativity or a talent given by heaven. We are each born with profound creativity and unique gifts, however it is up to us to develop our potential and use it in a productive and loving way.
The message was punctuated by humorous anecdotes about overcoming fears and recognizing that all of life is a learning and growth process. I’m sure it was comforting to those 25 or 30 graduates in the audience who are taking that big step into the next stage of their lives. It was just as inspiring to their parents and elders who are also facing new stages of life such as the “empty nest”, relating to adult children, and perhaps preparing for retirement or the possibility of eventually becoming a grandparent.
In Pursuit of Happiness
Everyone wants to create a life they love, and yesterday’s Sunday Celebration supported that pursuit with clarity and motivation. If you missed it, don’t worry there’ll be another inspired message next week. Join us here at 10:00 AM. If you’re not in the area, come back to this site often, visit the Video and Podcast pages, and comment on posts as we discuss more of these ideas and offer support for your life’s journey.
