There comes a moment in every growth journey when inspiration is no longer enough. We may feel motivated, hopeful, and ready for change—but eventually life asks something more of us. Life asks for willingness. Not force. Not struggle. Not perfection. Willingness. The second gateway of personal growth is reclaiming your will—the quiet inner power to choose again, begin again, and follow through on what matters most.
Will Is Not Harshness
Many people misunderstand willpower. They think it means gritting your teeth, pushing harder, or criticizing yourself into change. True will is gentler than that.
Will is the part of you that says:
- I can pray for one minute today.
- I can take one healthy step.
- I can begin where I am.
- I can stop making excuses.
- I can choose peace now.
Sometimes reclaiming your will starts small. Better sixty seconds of spiritual practice each day than one hour once a week. Consistency transforms us more than intensity ever will.
Until I began rereading Everyday Enlightenment: The Twelve Gateways to Personal Growth, I never thought much about “my will.” Recently, I stopped doing my spiritual practice. As a minister, I felt shame and guilt. These are practices I teach, and I value living in integrity.
As I sat with my 13 Months coach, she gently reminded me that I had a great deal to process, and simply being present while allowing my body and spirit to adjust was important. Eventually, my spiritual practice found its legs again. Not all at once. Some days I journaled. Other days I prayed. Slowly, I returned to practice—and discovered it had evolved into something that fits my life even better now.
Remember What You Have Already Done
If you think you lack willpower, look back.
You have already done hard things.
- You learned skills.
- You kept commitments.
- You survived seasons you thought would break you.
- You raised children, built relationships, held jobs, endured heartbreak, and kept going.
The evidence of your strength is already written in your life.
Finish What You Start
One of the greatest drains on the soul is repeatedly abandoning ourselves.
- We start with excitement... then quit.
- We make promises... then break them.
- We dream... then retreat.
Every unfinished promise chips away at self-trust.
But each completed act—no matter how small—restores dignity.
- Finish the walk.
- Make the call.
- Clean the drawer.
- Write the note.
- Say the apology.
- Keep the promise.
- Self-respect is built one kept promise at a time.
It is interesting that in the book, Dan Millman talks about “just do it.” For me, as a person in recovery, it took time to believe I was worth living differently. I had many stops and starts, broken promises to myself, and broken promises to God—as I understood God then. Until one day, I decided: No more. Once the decision was made, my will stepped forward to support it. And as every person in recovery knows—whatever the recovery may be—you choose each day not to return to what once had power over you.
Boundaries Are an Act of Will
Sometimes reclaiming your will means saying no. Not because you are angry. Not because you are selfish. But because your life energy is sacred. You do not owe your time to everything that asks for it. A healthy “no” often creates room for a wholehearted “yes.”
Forgiveness Frees the Will
Dan Millman writes: “Forgiveness is giving up all hope for a better past.”
How much energy is lost wishing yesterday had been different? Forgiveness does not excuse harm. It releases your life from being chained to it. When we forgive, we reclaim the power trapped in resentment. When we let go, our will becomes available again for love, service, and creation.
Love Is the Highest Will
Ernest Holmes reminds us that love is the only reality. Love creates tolerance, understanding, harmony, and peace.
- Will without love becomes control.
- Discipline without love becomes punishment.
- Boundaries without love become walls.
But when love guides the will, our choices become healing.
This Week’s Invitation
Where in your life are you being asked to reclaim your will?
- Begin one small practice?
- Finish something incomplete?
- Set one boundary?
- Forgive one burden?
- Trust yourself again?
Choose one thing. Do it today.
That is how freedom begins.
Blessings on your journey,
Rev. Gayle
I recently went through a period where I struggled with my spiritual practice. It started to feel more like a to-do list than a meaningful way of deepening my relationship with Spirit. Then something simple—but powerful—occurred to me: Spirit is ever-present. Right here. Right now. In the middle of our everyday lives.
Using Everyday Enlightenment by Dan Millman, we’re going to take a deeper dive into this spiritual school we call daily life. Each week, we’ll explore one of the gateways which he says “…form our stairway to the soul.”
This first gateway is about discovering your worth. It begins with a fundamental truth: you are One with the Power and Presence of the Divine. That means your worth has never been lowered, compromised, or damaged by circumstance. Your worth exists as a fact of life.
So the issue isn’t your actual worth—it’s your perceived worth. In life, we tend to accept no more (and no less) than what we believe we deserve. Even the Jewish mystic Jesus taught, “It is done unto you as you believe.”
When I reflect on my own life, I can clearly see how my level of worth—closely tied to self-respect—shaped what I allowed, what I attracted, and what I settled for. At times, I set myself up to fail.
Take an honest look at your own life. How often have you undermined your own good?
- Quitting—or never beginning—something meaningful
- Settling for less than you’re capable of earning or becoming
- Staying in relationships that diminish you
- Overspending or neglecting your well-being
- Using substances or habits that slowly harm you
- Driving yourself to exhaustion or burnout
- Withdrawing, numbing out, or giving up
These patterns aren’t proof that you lack worth—they reflect what you’ve been taught to believe about your worth.
Worth is not something you earn—it’s something you recognize. Have you ever seen an infant struggle with worthiness? Of course not. Worth is inherent.
So how do we begin to reconnect with it?
- You are not alone. Your worth is not dependent on perfection. We all stumble.
- Acknowledge your past with compassion. You did the best you could with the awareness you had at the time.
- Make amends where needed. Apologize, ask forgiveness, and release what you cannot change. The past only lives if you keep carrying it.
- Trust your process. Growth isn’t linear—it moves in an upward spiral.
- Lean into grace. It already exists within you. When you act in alignment with your true nature, your sense of worth strengthens. Grace reminds us that only this moment is real—and this moment is where your power lives.
This is where the work begins—not by becoming worthy, but by remembering that you already are.
Remember:
"The winds of grace are always blowing; all we need to do is raise our sails." ~Anon
Blessings on your journey,
Rev. Gayle
Resurrection Is an Inside Job
I recently taught Spiritual Economics based on the book by Eric Butterworth. What struck me was how many people struggle with Bible quotes and references.
So as we come to the close of Holy Week, I like to look at the story of the Jewish mystic known as Jesus through a New Thought lens.
What I know to be true is this:
We all experience our own resurrections.
We all experience our own resurrections.
Some are dramatic. Others are quiet, almost invisible—even to ourselves. And every resurrection begins the same way: as an internal transformation.
I had my own.
I started drinking between my freshman and sophomore years of high school. That same year, my best friend passed from leukemia. Years later, on October 19, 2002, after a night of partying, something shifted.
I woke up knowing—I was done.
Done drinking. Done smoking. Done using.
Done drinking. Done smoking. Done using.
Something within me had changed. It was my numinous moment. The desire to self-destruct died… so something greater could live.
Resurrection is an inside job.
And it’s ongoing. I still spend time each day releasing limiting beliefs, fear, and habits that no longer serve me.
So, I ask you:
What are you ready to release so you can experience your own resurrection?
What are you ready to release so you can experience your own resurrection?
Rolling Away the Stone: What Are You Still Guarding?
When I first found this teaching, I was given a simple practice:
Put a stone in your pocket for every person, place, or thing you couldn’t—or wouldn’t—forgive.
Put a stone in your pocket for every person, place, or thing you couldn’t—or wouldn’t—forgive.
You could feel the weight.
Those stones represented resistance, doubt, and emotional protection.
We all do this. We build walls to protect ourselves from past hurt.
But the same walls that protect us… also keep us stuck.
But the same walls that protect us… also keep us stuck.
For me, alcohol and drugs numbed the voice of my inner critic—the “monkey mind” that constantly tore me down.
When I rolled that stone away, I had to learn a new way to live.
I had to quiet that voice.
I had to quiet that voice.
That meant doing forgiveness work—of others, and even more importantly, of myself.
It meant surrendering fear and doubt.
It meant surrendering fear and doubt.
As Joyce Meyer says,
“Don’t tell God you have a big problem—tell your problem you have a big God.”
“Don’t tell God you have a big problem—tell your problem you have a big God.”
And as Ernest Holmes taught,
“Change your thinking, change your life.”
“Change your thinking, change your life.”
I’m living proof.
But let’s be honest—it’s not always easy.
You have to want freedom more than you want to hold onto the pain.
You have to want freedom more than you want to hold onto the pain.
It takes courage to roll away the stone… and step into the light.
You Were Never Meant to Stay in the Tomb
What would your life look like if you truly believed this:
You are a unique, individualized expression of the Divine.
You are loved—unconditionally.
And you have a purpose that only you can fulfill.
You are loved—unconditionally.
And you have a purpose that only you can fulfill.
It’s time to be brave.
Get out of the stands. Step into the arena.
Get out of the stands. Step into the arena.
No one else can live your life for you.
The Christ Consciousness Within You
This isn’t just theology—it’s awareness.
What we call Christ Consciousness is the realization that we are connected—that love, unity, and our divine identity are essential to who we are.
Even our founders pointed to this deeper truth in the United States Declaration of Independence:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident… that all are created equal… endowed with unalienable rights… Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
What if these aren’t just political ideals…but spiritual truths waiting to be embodied?
Easter and the Law of Renewal
So, this Easter, the question isn’t just what happened then—
It’s what is happening within you now.
Are you ready to become more fully present to the life that is seeking to express through you?
Easter reminds us:
We are always being invited to rise.
We are always being invited to rise.
To release.
To renew.
To become.
To renew.
To become.
So, I’ll leave you with this:
What are you ready to rise from… and who are you ready to become?
Blessings on your journey,
Rev. Gayle
I didn’t grow up in a religious household. I’m not sure either of my parents believed in God—it wasn’t something we ever talked about. My dad’s religion was golf at 6 a.m. every Sunday, and my mother had her “conversations with Gert,” sitting at her bedroom window, gazing out at Mt. Si as she reflected on life.
So, when I look at this High Holy Week through a New Thought lens, it’s not meant to be sacrilegious. It is, for me, a way of honoring the Jewish mystic known as Jesus of Nazareth.
Palm Sunday is often seen as a celebration—and it is. But it is also something more. It is a moment of deep inner commitment. A moment when a decision is made, not because the path is easy, but because it is true.
Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey—a symbol of peace and humility. Crowds gathered along the road, spreading cloaks and palm branches, shouting, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” Jerusalem was the spiritual and political center, especially during Passover, so this was not a quiet or accidental moment. It was a deliberate, public declaration.
And here’s the question that lives underneath it:
What if Palm Sunday is really about the courage to say yes before you know the outcome?
Metaphysically, Palm Sunday represents the conscious choice to step into your higher identity. The “entry into Jerusalem” becomes a symbol of entering a new level of awareness—of accepting a calling that will stretch you.
If you had told me at any point during my first 50 years that I would become a minister, I would have laughed at the absurdity of it. And yet, somewhere in me, I found the courage to say yes. Looking back, I can see there were many moments when the call was there—I just wasn’t ready to answer.
Saying yes is not passive. It is an act of spiritual bravery.
Jesus didn’t drift into destiny—he chose it knowingly.
So, the question becomes personal:
Where have you said yes in your life?
And maybe more importantly—where are you avoiding the call?
And maybe more importantly—where are you avoiding the call?
Your yes might look like:
- Choosing something meaningful without needing every detail mapped out.
Paul and I chose to be married in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We had a date, and I had a dress. We trusted that we would find the rings and the place once we arrived—and we did. - Leaving what is familiar to begin again somewhere new.
I’ve done this more than once in my life. I wouldn’t call it easy, but it has always been an adventure—and it has always stretched me in the best ways. - Speaking truth with compassion, even when it’s uncomfortable.
As a minister, I sometimes have the opportunity to have hard conversations—ones I know may not be easy to hear and are necessary for the good of the whole. - Trusting your inner compass over what others say is best.
If I had listened to my family and friends every time they questioned my choices, I would have missed many of the experiences that have become the richest stories of my life.
Because here’s the truth: the same crowd that shouted “Hosanna” would later reject the man they once celebrated.
Which raises a deeper question—are you living for applause, or are you living in alignment?
In a world shaped by 24-hour news cycles and constant social media noise, it’s easy to confuse popularity with truth. But truth is not determined by consensus. It is revealed through inner knowing.
Palm Sunday is the beginning of Holy Week—not the end.
It is the moment where something shifts. Where a decision is made. Where a person steps forward, not because they have guarantees, but because they are willing to trust what is calling them.
Life responds to that kind of courage. Your yes changes the trajectory of your experience.
Palm Sunday isn’t really about palm branches. It is about personal awakening. It is about the moment you choose to move forward, even when you cannot see the whole path.
So the question isn’t whether it will be easy.
The question is—will you find the courage to say yes?
Blessings on your journey,
Rev. Gayle
I remember being in a Landmark Worldwide class when the facilitator asked, “What is life?” I’ve never been fond of trick questions. It felt like one of those moments where there was a “right” answer they were waiting for—one that no one in the room was quite giving.
Eventually, the answer they offered was: “Life just is.” And honestly… that has stayed with me. Because in many ways, that’s the closest description we have of God—not a being standing apart, judging, fixing, or withholding—but a Presence that simply is.
God is not watching us from a distance, deciding outcomes. God is not withholding good until we get it right. God is Life Itself—the animating intelligence that is in, through, and as everything. There is no separation between God and creation. No “out there” and “in here.” Only One.
And yet, knowing this intellectually and living from it are two very different things.
There was a time recently when I experienced what I can only call a crisis of faith. Not because God had gone anywhere—but because I had. I had drifted into doubt, into fear, into the appearance of separation. And in that place, it felt like something was missing.
But nothing had actually changed. God had not moved. Life had not withdrawn. The Presence was still fully available. What needed to shift was not God—but my awareness. My willingness to remember. My willingness to align. My willingness to trust that what I was seeking was already here.
This is where the teaching from Ernest Holmes becomes so powerful. He makes a distinction that can completely change how we understand faith:
We are not meant to simply have faith in God. We are meant to develop the faith of God. That’s a radical shift. Faith in God still carries a sense of separation—I am here, God is there, and I hope something good happens. The faith of God recognizes that the very power that creates worlds is the same power moving through us.
It is not something we reach for—it is something we are participating in. As Holmes reminds us, belief is not passive. Belief is creative. The universe itself is built out of it. So, the question becomes: What are we believing into form?
This is why I love Spiritual Mind Treatment—Affirmative Prayer. Because it doesn’t come from a place of asking or pleading. It comes from alignment. We are not trying to convince God to do something. We are recognizing what is already true—and allowing ourselves to come into agreement with it.
And here’s the part that can be both empowering and confronting: Prayer is always answered. ALAWAYS.
The creative process is always saying yes. So, if the outer experience doesn’t match what we say we want, the invitation is not to doubt the process—but to deepen our clarity. To become more honest about what we are truly accepting, believing, and expecting. Not as a form of self-blame—but as a return to our creative authority.
The invitation is simple—but not necessarily easy:
Where am I placing my faith?
Am I waiting for life to change?
Or am I willing to align with the creative power already moving through me?
Am I living from faith in God?
Or awakening to the faith of God?
Because the moment that shift begins—even slightly—something begins to move.
A demonstration begins to take place.
And in that spirit, I want to close with a prayer from Dr. Holmes that expands our awareness beyond the personal and into the collective—reminding us that this same Presence is guiding not only our individual lives, but our shared experience as well:
MY PRAYER FOR MY COUNTRY
by Dr. Ernest Holmes, 1887 – 1960
Believing in the Divine destiny of the United States of America and in the preservation of liberty, security, and self-expression, I offer this, my prayer for my country:
I know that Divine Intelligence governs the destiny of the United States of America, directing the thought and the activity of all who guide its affairs.
I know that success, prosperity, and happiness are the gifts of freedom, and are the Divine heritage of everyone in this country.
I know that success, prosperity, and happiness are now operating in the affairs of every individual in this country.
I know that Divine guidance enlightens the collective mind of the people of this country, causing it to know that economic security may come to all without the loss of either personal freedom or individual self-expression.
I know that no one can believe or be led to believe that freedom must be surrendered in order to insure economic security for all.
The All-Knowing Mind of God contains the answer to every problem which confronts this country.
I know that every leader in this country is now directed to this All-Knowing Mind and has the knowledge of a complete solution to every problem, and each is compelled to act upon this knowledge to the end that abundance, security, and peace shall come to all.
And I know that this spiritual democracy shall endure, guaranteeing to everyone in this country personal liberty, happiness, and self-expression.
And so it is. Amen.
