100th Anniversary Divine Love Retreat
There's still time for you to register for our 100th Anniversary Retreat (Sept. 10-14, 2014, 4HCC in Chevy Chase, MD, U.S.A.). While we can no longer guarantee which type of room will be assigned to late-comers, we do expect some of the bunk-bed rooms to be available and if you're coming alone or with only one other person, you can both have the lower bunks.We welcome you to join us for this precious time together, supporting one another as we turn more fervently to our Father, and as we share a safe and sacred space in which we can seek an ever greater opening of our souls and an ever greater abundance of His Divine Love into our souls.
For five days, from early Wednesday afternoon until Sunday late morning (Sept 10-14, 2014), we will spend our days in twice-daily silent prayer circle.Because FCNB's only mission is to preserve and disseminate the divine truths that came through James Padgett's and Dr. Daniel Samuels' mediumships, we do not encourage or invite contemporary mediumship during our prayer circles or during our conversations about the divine truths.Our mission is a narrow, but important one that provides protection and preservation of the divine truths as received by Padgett, thus reducing the possibility that these truths might be lost in years to come-as they were, largely, lost after Jesus' life on earth more than 2000 years ago. For this single reason, we do not preserve or disseminate messages from other mediums or information from other sources.At our retreat, we've set aside several 90-minute blocks of time during each of the three full days of our retreat for small-group heartfelt conversations. In that setting, we'll have many opportunities to speak thoughtfully with one another about what drew us to seeking Divine Love, about what moves us to pray, about the divine truths that came to us through James Padgett's extraordinary mediumship, and how seeking the Divine Love has changed us.Each time they are scheduled, participants will have a choice between three different small groups which will be meeting simultaneously. The topics for our small-group heartfelt conversations include: "Our individual personal spiritual journeys," "How we pray," "Praying from the soul," "The Prayer given to us by Jesus," "Who and what is God?" "The true meaning of faith," "Divine Love versus natural love," "Our personal experiences with receiving Divine Love," "Forgiveness," "Soul development," "Spiritual laws," "The spirit world," and "Healing Circle." If you have read the Padgett messages, you might wish to share how these messages-received so many years ago-continue to be so alive for you today.If you have a 'favorite' message from the Padgett collection, please bring it with you to share during one of our many small group conversations! We'll be welcoming Dennis Tormey, who will give us a power point presentation on Thursday morning on the life and times of James Padgett. Dennis has done extensive and fascinating research on Padgett's life and is brimming with little-known details about Padgett, his family and friends. Here is Dennis' brief description of his presentation:I am going to steal a line from the famous American radio broadcaster, Paul Harvey, to tell you about James E. Padgett - "the rest of the story." Starting with the Second World War, Paul Harvey began his newscasts with these stories, presenting forgotten or little-known facts on a variety of subjects with some key element of the story (usually the name of some well-known person) held back until the end. The broadcasts always concluded with a variation on his tag line: "And now you know the rest of the story."It is my hope to bring you those little-known or forgotten facts about the life and times of James E. Padgett, his loving wife Helen, and their three children. I also want to share a little about the lives of Padgett's friends and relationships, especially with other members of the Bar of the District of Columbia. Many students of the Padgett messages will recognize the names of those who came to James Padgett and wrote detailed messages from spirit. However, little was known about the details of their lives, most of which was lost to history - until now.
Even those not familiar with Padgett's historic and life-changing messages from Jesus and other Celestial spirits will find the details of Padgett's life fascinating as an individual who lived during one of the most tumultuous times in America.In the end, I am hopeful you will say about Helen and James Padgett: ". . .and now I know the rest of the story."
We will also be welcoming Paul King, who will offer us several power point presentations over the course of our retreat. Paul is a dedicated researcher of the Padgett messages and, in June 2012, he initiated, coordinated, and helped to complete the scanning and preserving of the archival materials currently being preserved by FCNB; this included scanning of all of Padgett's original messages (we refer to these documents as the "autographs"), Padgett's handwritten transcripts ("manuscript copies"), and the typed transcripts. Here is Paul's description of his presentation:
The first half of this presentation covers the four principle forms of the Padgett messages with a review of their characteristics and zooming in on numerous examples. Examples will reveal the condition of the documents including the types of distress suffered by the more deteriorated messages.The second half covers the six Padgett files with a review of what is in them, how they can be arranged to be more useful, how they complement the True Gospel volumes, and why it matters. We will also go behind the Padgett Files hoping to figure out where they came from and look to see if they can be traced all the way back to Mr. Padgett.
If you haven't already registered for the retreat, and would like to, you are welcome to register online at our website, www.divinelove.org and utilize Pay Pal (please add $30 for registration to cover the Paypal fee).
Or registrants may mail a paper copy of the registration form, along with payment by personal check (in American dollars) to FCNB, PO Box 6, Williamsville, NY 14231, USA.
Payment must be received no later than September 1, 2014.
Whether you are planning to attend or not, we ask that you keep all of our retreat participants in your prayers-that we may all be receptive to our Father's Divine Love as we come together to pray and to dialogue with one another.
The Ever Expanding Dimensions of Spiritual Truth
by Rev. Ron Shoemaker
A few years ago I had a vision where I found myself looking through an eye piece at an object that I thought was in perfect focus. The object I was looking at was clearly defined. Then someone turned the item on the eye piece that reset the focus slightly and to my surprise the object I was gazing at became clearer and more precisely defined. At the time, I took this as a lesson that no matter what my spiritual development and how clearly I think I see things, there is always room for growth and spiritual development, always room to experience and articulate the ever expanding dimensions of spiritual truth. Since Jesus and his disciples were on earth some 2,000 years ago, they have continued to receive more and more of the Father's Divine Love and have grown and experienced an ever greater grasp of the dimensions of His Love. And so it is with each human soul that becomes a repository of the Father's Love, from the first time His Love finds a place in our souls that It can call home, a place of welcome, the transformation begins, a journey toward the ever greater oneness with that Being that is the perfect expression of Divine Love, our Father.
Our Dear Sister Dorothy Has Moved into the Spirit World
The board of trustees of the Foundation Church of the New Birth is saddened to announce the passing of Mrs. Dorothy Bond who was a member of the FCNB board from 1991 until 2011. She was deeply committed to the divine truths and played an active part in the decisions made by the board during her tenure as a trustee. Dorothy prayed for Divine Love for many decades and was a strong contributor in the sharing of the divine truths. We rest in the deep knowing that Dorothy is continuing on her path toward complete soul transformation in the Divine Love.
We are deeply indebted to her daughter Nan for sharing some beautiful stories of the last weeks of Dorothy's life, of the deep and powerful sense of Love that emanated from Dorothy and enfolded both of them as Nan cared for her mother. We feel privileged to have a photograph of Dorothy, taken during her last month of her earthly life; her glowing countenance says more than words can express.
We ask that any of our readers who have personal memories of Dorothy please contact FCNB and we will pass along your stories to her family. This would be so greatly appreciated!
Dorothy was a frequent contributor to the New Birth Commentary and we are grateful to her daughter, Nan, for sharing the following two poems written by her mother, published here for the first time.
Believe I'll Grow
By Dorothy Bond
By Dorothy Bond
Can you see the flower in me?
If not,
Could you have faith in the seed
And wait for the bloom?
Blameless Me
By Dorothy Bond
By Dorothy Bond
I seem to need at times
to find a reason for my unbecoming behavior
Forgive me if that reason becomes you
to find a reason for my unbecoming behavior
Forgive me if that reason becomes you
TRUSTING IN GOD'S LOVE
By Joseph Babinsky
On Saturday evening, December 2, 1916, a prayer was given to the world by Jesus. The prayer was received by James Padgett. When he gave the prayer to James, Jesus made this astounding statement:
"This is the only prayer that men need offer to the Father. It is the only one that appeals to the love of the Father, and with the answer, which will surely come, will come all the blessings that men may need, and which the Father sees are for the good of His creatures."
In the last sentence of the prayer are the words: Trusting in your love. I desire to show that these words reveal the core teachings of the messages received from the spirit world by James Padgett.
First, let me say that there is no so-called "magic" in the prayer. Repeating the prayer 12 times a day in the morning, noon and at night, will not guarantee results. The prayer is not a new ritual to be made the central part of a new religious movement; nor is it given to us so that it can be like a holy grail placed upon an altar in a church with walls.
The prayer is given to individuals to be an encouragement toward heart-felt longings of the soul for union, connection and at-onement with God. A person already possessing yearnings in the soul for God will find revelations of great truth in the words of this prayer; and a person only beginning to awaken to our God-connection will be helped immensely to grow in their love of God by embracing and learning this prayer, and using it as a springboard to create a real and ever-increasing personal relationship with God.
Every single part of this prayer is built on feelings of trust. For example, we cannot begin to say this prayer and assimilate it, except that there is first a trust that it feels the right thing to do. When feelings of the heart are involved, each word appears nearly limitless in depths of meaning. As a person uses this prayer regularly, levels of understanding and appreciation will develop; and vistas of faith will emerge and grow. Your relation with God will expand, creating a sense that the expansion and development of the soul is without limit. At times the person who prays this prayer may desire to kneel in awe or stand with arms outstretched toward heaven, all because of the majestic process taking place between himself and the Source of all Love and Joy.
The prayer promises a new birth of the soul-for it speaks of the human as the object of God's Great Love, with the understanding that it is the will of God that we be at-one with Him through Love. It is not enough that we are made in the likeness of God and possess His image. It is true that we are the greatest of God's creation and the most wonderful of all His handiworks, that we are not inherently sinful creatures . . . but this prayer would have us know experientially that God's greatest desire is that we partake of the substance and essence of His Great Love and thereby become one with Him-new souls, His children in truth.
These are not mere words without substance. The prayer offers new birth and such promise is given unconditionally to each and every human on earth and to all in the spirit world. There is only one thing, and one thing only that can prevent the transformation of the soul, and that is us-as the prayer speaks this truth: that only we ourselves can prevent Thy love changing us from the mortal to the immortal.
Trusting in Love means that we are free to embark on a journey of personal transformation through the gentle and consistent action of God's Love flowing into our soul. This happens by invitation only - that is, the invitation of the person willing to trust the process. His Love waits for each and all of us, and it will never force itself into the heart of any human who does not want it and does not ask for it.
Trusting in Love means we trust every aspect of the transformational process-for it is a process, and not an instantaneous experience of change. It is a change that takes place gradually and requires of us a continual choice to allow the process to take place and continue within us, even though at times we wonder whether the transformation is actually occurring.
Trusting in Love means that we willingly return again and again to the Fountainhead of Love to be filled once again with the Greatest Love in all the universe. When we do not see or feel change, we trust that change nonetheless is happening. In times when we become aware through a sense that great change has occurred, we rejoice and are grateful; but then we continue to long for more of the same Love which has brought such awareness of change.
Trusting in Love means that we understand that Love, God's Love, can be felt, and that God's Love is a real experience. Trusting in Love means that we know that we are experiencing the essence of Love, and that Love does indeed have substance, real substance. Trusting in Love means that we are not fearful of Love and that we do not ever want to walk away from it.
Trusting in Love means that we no longer trust our feelings of self-hatred and feelings of unworthiness. We trust what the prayer says about us - that we are not the subservient, sinful and depraved creatures that many of us have been taught and felt from our earliest childhood. We trust that what the prayer says is true about us - that we are the greatest of God's creation and the most wonderful of all His handiworks.
Trusting in Love means we know that when we experience trouble of any sort, that God is like a very kind and affectionate Father, that He is always waiting and ready to help us, and take us gently and lovingly into His waiting arms of Love.
Trusting in Love means that we possess a deep desire to join with wonderfully kind and benevolent angels in giving all glory and honor and love to God. Our Love runs full, so that we desire to give all our Love to God and to love all His creation. Thus, the prayer for Divine Love ends with these words:
We pray this with all the earnestness and sincere longings of our souls, and, trusting in Thy love, give Thee all the glory and honor and love that our finite souls can give.
May we desire God's Love above everything else, and may our Heavenly Father's Love take possession of our soul. God bless us every one.
Letters to the Editor
"I am a seeker for, and a lover of God. His Mercies endure forever and I am so thankful and grateful to know it . . . I was brought up as a Pentecostal Christian-largely raised by my grandmother, a minister, who was a loving and patient woman of God . . . she always encouraged me to have a relationship with God, and it took many years for me to get to the place in my life where I am ready to do that. . . two years ago I rededicated my life . . with a fervency and desire that sometimes seems almost overwhelming, I have a river of life glowing out of me these days . . . I am interested in your teachings on Love and would be happy to receive any literature you would be willing to send me . . . your brother in Christ, S.N.
". . .Thanks for the prompt reply and a bit of info about your spiritual journey or quest!! I would like to receive the booklets you described along with the True Gospel Revealed Anew by Jesus four-volume set. I will take you advice and start with volume 1 when I receive them... Appreciate your heartfelt response and explanations, great advice either way. I will have to read the Padgett messages when I get the books and decide such as you did for yourself. I will say I'm seeking a journey that not only will help within but how I/we change in our help and attitudes towards others and making this planet better for us and future generations. Some well-meaning folks tend to get involved in only the "after" and not the present-the material present we are all in at this moment. Needs to be balance; I hope I don't fall into the "what's in it... for me" trap that many fall into. Hope you understand what I mean." S.D.
"…Thank you for the very inspiring and always beautiful newsletter. Well, my life appears to be much like a roller coaster, full of highs and lows…I think I'm getting more of a clear idea why things are sometimes chaotic and I suppose what it comes down to is lack of discipline and not staying focused on what I know that truly helps and heals. I was thinking that I would like to take the "Lighthouse Healing Study Course" again….I feel I need to make or renew some vows in my journey that is so much a part of me that I must strengthen….I send my love and blessings and wish to share these words: "When a man or woman has the conviction that he or she is doing the work that God gave him or her to do, there is a zeal and a courage in his or her soul that all the forces in this world cannot destroy…" Love, J.H.
The Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, we recognize that Thou art all Holy and loving and merciful, and that we are Thy children, and not the subservient, sinful and depraved creatures that our false teachers would have us believe. That we are the greatest of Thy creation, and the most wonderful of all Thy handiworks, and the objects of Thy great soul's love and tenderest care.
That Thy will is, that we become at one with Thee, and partake of Thy great love which Thou hast bestowed upon us through Thy mercy and desire that we become, in truth, Thy children, through love, and not through the sacrifice and death of any one of Thy creatures.
We pray that Thou will open up our souls to the inflowing of Thy love, and that then may come Thy Holy Spirit to bring into our souls this, Thy love in great abundance, until our souls shall be transformed into the very essence of Thyself; and that there may come to us faith-such faith as will cause us to realize that we are truly Thy children and one with Thee in very substance and not in image only.
Let us have such faith as will cause us to know that Thou art our Father, and the bestower of every good and perfect gift, and that only we, ourselves, can prevent Thy love changing us from the mortal to the immortal.
Let us never cease to realize that Thy love is waiting for each and all of us, and that when we come to Thee, in faith and earnest aspiration, Thy love will never be with-holden from us.
Keep us in the shadow of Thy love every hour and moment of our lives, and help us to overcome all temptations of the flesh, and the influence of the powers of the evil ones, which so constantly surround us and endeavor to turn our thoughts away from Thee to the pleasures and allurements of this world.
We thank Thee for Thy love and the privilege of receiving it, and we believe that Thou art our Father-the loving Father who smiles upon us in our weakness, and is always ready to help us and take us to Thy arms of love.
We pray thus with all the earnestness and longings of our souls, and trusting in Thy love, give Thee all the glory and honor and love that our finite souls can give.
The Prayer Given to Us by Jesus
Spanish Translation
LA ORACIÓN
PADRE NUESTRO, QUE ESTÁIS EN EL CIELO, NOSOTROS RECONOCEMOS QUE VOS SOIS TODO SANTO, CARIÑOSO Y MISERICORDIOSO, Y QUE NOSOTROS SOMOS VUESTROS HIJOS, Y NO LAS CRIATURAS SERVILES, PECADORAS Y DEPRAVADAS, QUE NUESTROS FALSOS MAESTROS DESEAN HACERNOS CREER.
QUE SOMOS LO MÁS GRANDE DE VUESTRA CREACIÓN, Y LA MÁS MARAVILLOSA DE TODAS VUESTRAS OBRAS, Y LOS OBJETOS DEL AMOR DE VUESTRA GRAN ALMA Y MÁS TIERNO CUIDADO.
QUE VUESTRA VOLUNTAD ES, QUE SEAMOS UNO CO VOS Y PARTICIPEMOS DEL GRAN AMOR QUE NOS HABÉIS OTORGADO, MEDIANTE VUESTRA MISERICORDIA Y DESEO QUE SEAMOS , EN VERDAD, VUESTROS HIJOS, A TRAVÉS DEL AMOR, Y NO POR EL SACRIFICIO Y MUERTE DE NINGUNA DE VUESTRAS CRIATURAS.
ORAMOS A VOS, PARA QUE ABRÁIS NUESTRAS ALMAS AL INFLUJO DE VUESTRO AMOR, Y QUE, ENTONCES VENGA, VUESTRO ESPÍRITU SANTO PARA TRAER A NUESTRAS ALMAS ÉSTE, VUESTRO AMOR DIVINO, EN GRAN ABUNDANCIA, HASTA QUE NUESTRAS ALMAS SEAN TRANSFORMADAS EN VUESTRA ESENCIA MISMA; Y QUE A NOSOTROS VENGA LA FE -- TAL FE, QUE NOS HAGA COMPRENDER QUE SOMOS, EN VERDAD, VUESTROS HIJOS Y UNO CON VOS, EN SUBSTANCIA MISMA Y NO SÓLO EN IMAGEN.
DADNOS TAL FE, QUE NOS HAGA SABER QUE VOS SOIS NUESTRO PADRE, Y EL OTORGADOR DE TODO DON BUENO Y PERFECTO, Y QUE SÓLO NOSOTROS, MISMOS, PODEMOS IMPEDIR QUE VUESTRO AMOR NOS TRANSFORME DE LO MORTAL A LO INMORTAL.
AYUDADNOS A NO OLVIDAR, JAMÁS, QUE VUESTRO AMOR NOS ESPERA A TODOS Y A CADA UNO DE NOSOTROS, Y QUE CUANDO ACUDAMOS A VOS CON FE Y SINCERA ASPIRACIÓN, VUESTRO AMOR JAMÁS NOS SERÁ NEGADO. GUARDADNOS EN LA SOMBRA DE VUESTRO AMOR A TODA HORA Y MOMENTO DE NUESTRAS VIDAS, Y AYUDADNOS A VENCER TODA TENTACIÓN CARNAL Y LA INFLUENCIA DE LOS PODERES DE LOS MALVADOS, QUIENES TAN CONSTANTAMENTE NOS RODEAN, Y TRATAN DE DESVIAR NUESTROS PENSAMIENTOS EN TÍ, HACIA LOS PLACERES Y ATRACCIONES DE ESTE MUNDO.
OS DAMOS GRACIAS POR VUESTRO AMOR, Y EL PRIVILEGIO DE RECIBIRLO, Y NOSOTROS CREEMOS QUE VOS SOIS NUESTRO PADRE -- EL PADRE BONDADOSO QUIEN NOS SONRÍE EN NUESTRAS DEBILIDADES, Y SIEMPRE DISPUESTO A AYUDAR Y RECIBIRNOS EN VUESTROS BRAZOS DE AMOR.
ORAMOS, ASÍ, CON TODA SINCERIDAD Y ANHELOS DE NUESTRAS ALMAS, Y, CONFIANDO EN VUESTRO AMOR, OS DAMOS TODA LA GLORIA Y HONOR Y AMOR, QUE NUESTRAS ALMAS FINITAS PUEDEN DAR.
