Carol has an amazing story about a set of purple chairs that she created almost 25 years ago to serve a specific purpose in the church she was leading. She left, the church is gone, but the chairs keep showing up to serve the same purpose. Rev. Bill points out how Consciousness and Spiritual Principle are at work.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Carol has been thinking about the diversity that exists in the world around us, and was reminded about the richness when each person shares their gifts in a way that brings uplift to everyone. Rev. Bill agrees, and points out the contradictions that are inherent in the current efforts to eliminate efforts toward Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

There is a mental and spiritual process of decluttering which Carol finds to be very similar to the spring cleaning (or yard sale season cleanup) that we do in our physical space. She and Rev. Bill discuss how the process is the same with our inner life, including our desire to hold on to "stuff" that has served its purpose and is past its usefulness.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

There seems to be a lot of change underway - even more than usual. Carol observes that sometimes things change all at once, or sometimes it comes about gradually. Each time it happens, she tries to remember that the impact will pass. She and Rev. Bill explore how we see ourselves before, because of, and beyond the changes.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Carol has noticed that some people are intentionally avoiding news of the world around them to avoid the disturbance and distress that can accompany it. She and Rev. Bill agree that it's important to maintain an awareness, while not being consumed by it. Together they agree on the importance of the mantra, "I know nothing... now what can I know?"

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Artificial Intelligence is getting a lot of attention. Carol and Rev. Bill discuss if it's possible that AI is a great way to expand and deepen our spirituality. Or that it could be a major obstacle to our spiritual growth.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

The pandemic lockdown was five years ago, and Carol recalls that when everything stopped people were talking about getting back to a new normal. Now, it seems that the religious or spiritual lives of many have not resumed. Rev. Bill observes that when we're faced with a new challenge we can respond in a new way, or try to keep doing what we've always done.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Carol has found that a lot of people are feeling like they don't know what to do, with all the fear and hesitance that comes from the lack of clarity. Rev. Bill points out that world and national events, plus local ones, can feel overwhelming, making us simply want to ignore it all. But it's important to pay enough attention so that when Divine guidance shows up we'll understand how to take our next step.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Rev. Bill is solo again, taking on a fundamental topic: We want to know why things happen, especially "bad" things that happen to us, or other "good" people. And when we do a prayer for something new and different, we want to know how it's going to come about. Rev. Bill explains that both questions ought to be off limits.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

The New Thought philosophy tells us we can "look a fact in the face and know something better". Rev. Bill is solo today, talking about one of his favorite topics - the Pivot. It's the specific technique we can use to overcome a tendency toward the experiences we've always had to invite something new, and wonderful.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Carol points out that scripture says that Death and Life is in the power of the Word. She and Rev. Bill dive into the tremendous power of words, especially when they are focused and activated in a practical prayer. (Rebroadcast from episode 86 on 1/25/2023).

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

For the 200th episode, Carol wanted a topic that is especially intriguing and uplifting. More fundamental than growth, the Universe is expanding in all ways, so the conversation is about how we are expanding in our spirituality, too. Rev. Bill (as usual) takes the discussion back to the fundamental concept that we are already 100% spiritual, and what expands is our awareness of it.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

A listener is having trouble with intrusive thoughts about tripping and falling, and is concerned that this repetitive mental activity could be drawing a problem into his life. Carol's experience is that the negative thoughts are coming from within, so the best place to start is an internal dialog to change the thoughts. Rev. Bill adds that it's not our thoughts that create our experience of life, but our beliefs. He suggests a technique to pivot from the undesired experience to what would be preferred instead.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Carol wants to talk about AI. Can it can enhance our expression or risk dulling our minds? She and Rev. Bill explore the rise of Artificial Intelligence and its impact on creativity, spirituality, and human thought. The conversation turns to AI-generated prayer, offering a fresh perspective on tradition, technology, and the soul of spiritual practice.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Carol has noticed that many people have a tendency to think of God in human terms, to anthropomorphize the Infinite. Rev. Bill has some ideas about why this happens, the two discuss the challenges and benefits of letting go of the idea of a Guy in the Sky.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Our money says "In God We Trust", and Carol thinks it shows that we all share a common belief that we're carrying with us at all times. Rev. Bill agrees, mostly, and points out that we can trust the Infinite to create according to our beliefs even when we don't like what we're believing in.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Carol has been a leader in three different religious denominations, and has found one consistent element throughout, which is the hunger for truth - for what is true? Her answer suggests that each of us has what is true for us. Rev. Bill takes the New Thought perspective and goes back to the Ultimate Truth that there is ONLY God, showing up differently for/as each of us.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Things happen - "bad things" - and Carol has found that people get paralyzed by fear that they'll get worse, or catastrophe will ensue. She and Rev. Bill explore how we can all turn to the Principles underlying the New Thought teaching, and the foundational source of the power of Practical Prayer.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

People around Carol are insecure about meditation - afraid that they're going to do it wrong,that they'll choose the wrong technique, or an unsuitable teacher or guru, or that they won't be able to stay awake, or sit still, olr whatever. Rev. Bill reminds us that we can't figure it out ahead of time, so the thing to do is meditate, then see how it went, then either meditate that way again, or try it a different way.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.

Carol has a notion of a Sacred Contract - an agreement we make as we begin our human lives about who we're here to be, and what we're here to do. Rev. Bill has a similar idea that we are born with a unique set of skills, abilities and possibilities, and our opportunity is to figure out what they are and how best to use them. They wholeheartedly agree that predestination, where we have no free will, is hogwash.

Thank you for listening to the Practical Prayer podcast - please invite your friends to listen!

There's more information about the podcast, and the classes and resources to bring Practical Prayer, more fully into your life at be-the-light.com.

This podcast is supported by listeners like you. We’re grateful for your tax-deductible donation at newthoughtphilly.org or donate using PayPal.