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As
I begin to write the message for this week, much of what I am thinking
is  reflection.
My thoughts take me back to a few months ago when the owner of the
Corridor in Palm Springs, California, asked me to go visit the property.
The property, a preservation project of the old Palm Springs Hotel,
which had been left vacant and decayed, is the Corridor. He had
been working on this project for over three years and finally it was
ready for occupancy. >
see photos at www.palmspringscorridor.com
The
reason the owner asked me to visit the property was that he felt there
was something very special and spiritual in the atmosphere of the
courtyard. He felt so strongly about it that he was offering me
the opportunity to use the courtyard for the Way
To A Wonderful Life presentations. I was intrigued.
But, not having seen the property I envisioned the courtyard to be
similar in size to many of the courtyards in Los Angeles...... scaled
down and more courtyard by name than in space. Many of the
courtyards in Los Angeles are more wind-tunnels than courtyards.
But then, I dismissed all my preconceived ideas and it occurred to me,
that I was looking at something with suspicion rather than trust.
Was I believing that something Good was coming to me, or was I believing
in something else? In other words, was I
becoming a "double-minded man, unstable in all his ways?" -
was I losing sight of Infinite Good and my trust in the Infinite?
No.... of course not. So, I planned a trip to Palm Springs.
As I drove
into Palm Springs on Highway 111, past the sagebrush, the drifting sand
and the glorious mountains, I began to feel a sense of something new,
something more than I had experienced before. Driving past the
route to the Palm Springs Aerial Tram that has
been named the "eighth wonder of the world," I
began to feel a building enthusiasm for visiting the Corridor. So far,
none of this was new to me, and I could not see anything visibly that
would make me feel more enthusiastic than normal as I drove past the tan
and sand-colored buildings along North Palm Canyon Drive, but I did.
I had visited Palm Springs often during the past two years as a frequent
guest speaker for Rev. Richard Drasen's, Palm
Springs New Thought Church for Today (Sundays at the Hilton Hotel in
downtown Palm Springs). So, this was not a road
less-traveled for me. But still, I could sense something wonderful
was coming into my experience.
Immediately when I saw the Corridor I knew
that it was something special. It almost shines amidst the typical
colors and style of the buildings in the surrounding area. Its
colors are bright, cheerful, and inviting. As I walked into the
interior courtyard I felt like I was in a small village, rather than a
center for commerce. The courtyard is immense .... with terrific
mountain views as a background ... an outdoor chapel.... the interior
buildings, a 1920's house that has been preserved, the bungalows that
had served as winter get-a-ways for the famous and not-so-famous for
years, all appeared together as the most marvelous sight.... if I had
been dropped from the sky blindfolded into the courtyard I would never
have been able to guess where I had landed! This could be a small
village anywhere .... but here it is, in Palm Springs!
As I walked
through the courtyard, I could feel the "Presence" so strongly
that all the tension I felt in my body from the drive immediately
vanished. I felt a surge of energy flow through me that was
exhilarating! I know that there "is no
spot where God is not," but the feeling of the Presence of the
Presence is so strong here that it is invigorating.... Daniel
Nahmod's "God Makes Me Want To Sing,"
lyrics kept running through my mind and before I knew it I was singing
and so happy to be here!
As I sat down on the grass
and looked out over the outdoor chapel to the San Jacinto mountains
taking in the breathtaking view..... I could envision meditation
services here, music, art and craft shows ... I could see families,
friends, all types of people, sitting in lawn chairs, sitting on the
ground, laying in the grass, listening to spiritual messages that bring
them closer to their awareness of the Presence of God in the world and
in their lives - out in the openness of the courtyard. Will
this be an ordinary church service?.... No... but then I am not an
ordinary minister ..... this is for someone who is "open at the
top" as Dr. Ernest Holmes often stated ..... and that I am.
The Corridor is God's creative-ness working through the hands, minds and
hearts of man... this Truth is so evident here.... even the extreme heat
of the summer did not diminish this evidence..... and God has called me
to it .... and I have chosen to let God do it..... through me. "It
is the Father that doeth the work. The Father works and I
work."
And
So It Is!
Living
The Way To A Wonderful Life,
Henry
Lee Bates
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