Honor and Glory
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Robert and Terry Kauffman
April 28, 2024 Atlanta, Georgia
Terry Kauffman — It certainly is a delight to look over this company of angels. We have such a wonderful opportunity to allow heaven to be known on earth right now in this moment as we are with one accord in one place. It's a particular joy for me to be able to share this time, and I would like to begin with a poem that I wrote, I think it was about 20 years ago.
“There’s magic in the air today
Can you feel it? Can you sense the significance of this hour?
Do you know your vital part in it?
For each one who serves our King has a specific responsibility to bring heaven on earth through the simple tasks and interchanges right at hand.
Each day is completely new, different in texture and feel and, as we remain true to our purpose, the magic of Life is revealed so naturally and with such ease.
As the magic of our consistent right living moves out into the world,
there are those who are stirring in their slumbers and are beginning to awaken—anxious to find their way Home.
That magic moment of confirmation may be catching the glint in another’s eye, or in a kind word of encouragement—a smile.
And through our consistent yielding to the Father, the inexorable drawing force of Love is abundantly available for those who have touched the magic to begin to know for themselves that, indeed, heaven is known in this day and that they also have a part to play.
Can you sense the significance of this moment and your part in it?
I wanted to start with that poem because to me it highlights in very simple terms our individual responsibility, which has never changed—to be the means for heaven to be known on earth and to extend that invitation on a consistent basis to our worlds. I know for myself that as a child I had a very distinct feeling—I don’t know that I would actually call it knowledge—but I had a feeling that I was different, that I was special. Not special in the way of better than, but I knew that I was here to bring light, lightness, joy, peace. I had a recurring dream of a glowing spiral path reaching into heaven, and I was walking up and up and up that spiral—it was a comforting dream (although probably perplexing at the time) which I never forgot. I knew at a very early age that there was purpose to my life. So, when I met Bill Bahan, Sr., in the early 70’s and he and Joe Houlton gave the lively presentation using “Charlie the Magnetic Man” to a group of hippie student chiropractors in Davenport, Iowa, I was hooked. “Ah, here’s what I’ve always known—now this makes sense!” And I’m sure we all have similar stories of that time when we were so grateful to be able sense our purpose and to move with life.
Now it’s one thing to awaken, it’s quite another to follow through on that impulse. It takes something, doesn’t it? There have been many people throughout the centuries who have followed through and moved on that impulse. For the last few weeks I have been thinking of the word “pioneer” and how in every era there have been pioneers, those who have been compelled, and exhibited boldness to go where others have not dared to go. So many character qualities come to mind relative to this, that assist in this process: courage, perseverance, resilience, follow through, and of course many other qualities. These ones saw opportunity where others saw a void; they saw potential where others saw difficulty. They had vision—not just vision that sidesteps the immediate situation as it is, but vision which recognizes the potential in the situation exactly as it is, and sees the myriad creative possibilities!
I found a paper by Uranda entitled “The Naturalness of Perspective Vision” and I am going to read a paragraph from that service, and the excerpt actually is entitled “Heaven on Earth”. Uranda begins: “We should remember.”
Now, I just had to stop right there. When I saw those three words, I said to myself, “Wait a minute. Uranda was a very specific person and he wasn’t saying those words for us to just kind of skip over.” He didn't say we could remember, or it might be a good idea if you remembered, or maybe sometime read this over and get back to me next week. He said we should. And then I looked up the word “remember” and a few of the short definitions are: bring back to consciousness; keep in your memory; to not forget; So if we think about those words, “We should remember”, he is actually saying we need to bring “all that I'm about to tell you” back into your consciousness, keep it in your memory, and do not forget it. So that kind of got me sitting up in my chair after I first read those three words. I thought this is important stuff. Here is the quote:
“We should remember that all the faithful ones back through the centuries, all those who have served the Lord in whatever capacity, who stood out as shining lights, as prophets in various ages, and those in humble positions, all the way through since the time of the fall of man, have contributed something to this hour. Their lives have kept sweetness and reality, understanding and love alive in the world. They are the ones who have softened the hardness and bitterness of the world. They have kept it a place where life could be worth living. They were the pioneers; and we think of the pioneers who came to this country seeking religious freedom. They fought for higher ideals and stood for them. Perhaps their understanding, their action, was not always what we recognize as being in harmony with reality; but at the same time we have to remember the limitations of the world that then was, and we have to remember their limitations of vision. They did not have the same opportunities that we now have. There have been hundreds of thousands and millions of people who have walked along the way of life and lived and worked and sacrificed so that this hour could have the meaning that it does have.”
I'm going to stop there for just a moment. When you think that throughout history there have been human beings who have been willing to be right just for the sake of being right; their function actually has established patterns of substance in the consciousness of the body of mankind that has opened the way and that has made it easier for those of us who are present today. Continuing with the quote:
“The fact that we have been given the opportunities of this hour, the privileges of this hour, purchased at such a price, achieved by so many people through so much effort, should make us thankful and appreciative, humble before the Lord and filled with courage in moving forward. It is not just those of us who are here who share in those privileges, responsibilities and opportunities; but those whom we represent, all Emissaries everywhere--and all responding ones who are seeking to do the will of the Lord--are included. It seems to me that when we face our daily tasks it would be wise for us to remember at all times that we are carrying on where all these others have left off, and that it is up to us to finish the work. Any task that is undertaken is of comparatively small value until it is finished. It is a lot easier to start something, generally speaking, than it is to finish it, and yet when we weigh our trials and tribulations or difficulties in the balance against those that others have worked through, to say nothing of what our great Master went through.”
I’ll stop here with the excerpt. In thinking of what the Master Himself did, He pioneered the whole range which would allow for the reconnection of human consciousness with the consciousness of God. Under the most difficult and trying circumstances imaginable, He went through the entire process of restoration within Himself to the point where heaven and earth were one. No one on the face of the earth has had to undertake what He did and yet He moved through in utter victory.
We are a body of pioneers today, pioneers undertaking the greatest and most significant venture of which we have a record in human history. That pioneering for us brings to focus the courage, initiative and follow through to let the spirit of purification work in our experience on a consistent basis. It is consistency and follow through, isn’t it, that allows for that critical component in any outworking—that of victory.
Robert and I recently watched a series on Hulu called “The Bear” which is the story of a world-renowned chef, Carmie, who inherits his brother’s sad, dilapidated, disorganized Italian sandwich shop. Carmie puts body and soul into transforming the shop with a team that we definitely could call a “rag-tag crew.” I have to admit that when I saw the first couple of episodes it was rather painful to watch. His “crew” were utterly unable to deal with the pressure and his “crew” was falling apart at the seams. But as I continued to watch, I began to see the core principle that Carmie was working with. He was only able to attain his excellence as a five-star chef because of his willingness to follow through and implement his rigorous training. At a critical point, Carmie comes face to face with the reality of the situation and at a rather dramatic moment proclaims to his team, “We cannot operate at a higher level without consistency.” And I would add, especially under pressure.
That’s true, isn’t it? Consistency under pressure. Victory under pressure. It is as we are able to meet those elements in ourselves and stay centered, letting the pressure build step by step without dissipating it, that those patterns are allowed to be cleared—not only cleared for ourselves but for those in our worlds. We are here to do what others cannot do—another way of putting that is that what we do is that which all responding ones are inclined to do. Well, we are here to consistently bring clarity where there is muddiness; peace where there is divisiveness; understanding where there is misunderstanding; love where there is hate; forgiveness where there is blame. On that basis, don’t we continue to move up that spiral I referred to earlier? We let the changes happen quickly and seamlessly. We stick with it and find that our worlds and those in our world change—like magic!
Especially during this time on earth, this cycle, we are being called to be the pioneers. Our challenge is to stay centered long enough. and with enough pressurized substance. to actually let heaven be known on earth on a consistent basis. The time is now—we have come to offer the blessing of our KING to all the nations as we stand with Him and finish the work. Robert, I will send it over to you.
Robert Kauffman — Thank you, Terry. It fills my heart to hear you speak. That was lovely. Terry and I have worked very closely together this week, and that in itself has been a bit of magic. I'm going to begin my portion by also reading a poem, but in this case it wasn't written by me—it's actually the words of a hymn written about 1972 by Carolyn Rhodes, called “We Have Come.” Now, I was going to play it as part of the pre-service music but we couldn't find it recorded anywhere. I also promised Terry that I'm not going to sing it because I only know the base part, and anyway, it’s the lyrics I want to talk about. They have remained quite meaningful to me over the years. I've always seen them as a description of victory for mankind on earth. And these thoughts percolated in my mind as I was memorizing the words and then working with Peggy Gretsch as she coached us for a performance at the Glen Ivy. I sang it then with great passion; now I'm just going to read it.
We have come to offer Thy blessing,
Thy holy dwelling place on earth.
Honor and glory we bring to the nations;
Thy spirit surely now has its birth.
“We have come to bring Thy dominion,
Thy healing word an open door.
We share again our holy communion;
The morning stars together sing forevermore.
Yes, for me, these words describe the victory fostered by the Emissary pioneers, both recent and past. In its simplicity emerges a compelling force. At the time I first sang it I was particularly taken with two phrases. One is poetic and stirring: “The morning stars together sing forevermore.” The other, I always identified as a mission statement: “Honor and glory we bring to the nations.” How that captured my enthusiasm for the passion, the grandeur of our collective mission! My consideration of these phrases over the past week has led me to a new understanding of this wondrous vision.
Mind you, this was the mid-1980’s and the “Healing of the nations” was a hot topic at the time. I was a bit enthralled by the notion of bringing “honor and glory to the nations”—to actually create a “holy dwelling place on earth.” Recently I just reread Chris Foster's novel, “Bearers of the Sun.” If you haven't read it, a very brief synopsis would have you following the paths of five angels incarnate through their developing years until they finally reconnect by the end of the story. There is a clear-cut destiny laid out before them. And this was no rag-tag crew either. We join one of them as he travels to a Hyannis Port beach where he joins JFK, to counsel him at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis. This was heady stuff! It seems there were no bounds for angels in human form who follow their integrity—learning to hear that “still, small voice.”
Now as I say, I found such specific purpose to be absolutely thrilling—magical. And as Terry confided, it was a purpose that I, and we, knew we were ordained to put into action. So much so that when I left Glen Ivy in 1994 I moved directly to the East Coast to join forces with others at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. We worked as members of the NGO Community there (NGO means a Non-governmental Organization). It has always fascinated me how such a simple phrase: “Honor and glory we bring to the nations” can become a guiding star, a directive in life. I felt greatly honored to be able to fulfill the values and principles which I held so dear and to follow my integrity “to the nations.”
Heady stuff indeed! I did manage to travel to and fro in the world, as it is said, but the time came when I began to understand that this was perhaps not everything I needed to be doing. It had seemed a reasonable response at the time—filled with great camaraderie, hospitality, cross-cultural understanding, working together with great passion—much as Chris described in his book. Yet I knew there was something missing, something in my consciousness was needing to go through a shift, a change beyond simply being enthralled in the world.
David Brooks, a prominent author and inquirer into the human condition, has written something that I find very useful in exploring this idea of consciousness. In his recent book, “How to Know a Person”, he cites some very interesting research into how individual human beings create the world they live in. I'd like to read a couple of passages:
“Like any artist, each person takes the experiences of a lifetime and integrates them into a complex representation of the world. That representation, the subjective consciousness that makes you you, integrates your memories, attitudes, beliefs, convictions, traumas, loves, fears, desires, and goals into your own distinct way of seeing.” To summarize, we literally create our own worlds in our own image. And he goes on to say:
“People don’t see the world with their eyes; they see it with their entire life…. Your senses give you a poor-quality, low-resolution snapshot of the world, and your brain is then forced to take that and construct a high-definition, feature-length movie.”
That movie may be very interesting and even compelling at times, but it does all extend out of the old earth and the old heaven. And this is where the shift began for me. I began to realize some 20 years ago that the ascension of my own human consciousness into the new heaven would require much greater attention to the principles and training I had once known. During the last four years, Terry and I have spent time with others in Tone of Life and the Temple of Light services, and out of that a very different perspective has emerged.
Two weeks ago Yujin Pak, and before him, Stewart Berger and David Barnes, drew together a particular focus on the perspective of the Master during His final days on earth. In different ways they have touched on His last prayer—which has been called the Prayer of Intercession. In it, He declares: “I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” Yujin also referred to the illusion of how we see time. He emphasized that the Master's words can be experienced now, as if He speaks to us now as He says: “… as thou, Father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.”
That just fills my heart and mind with wonder. Now, this past week, working with Terry on this service, my mind has remembered just how absolutely critical the First Great Commandment is, and how it describes a powerful point of focus within this raising-of-consciousness business that we're involved in. Let me read it: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.”
How simple that seems. Simple, except for those two little words, “with all”. These words appear to stand in the way of all the planning and dreaming and loving and controlling that fills the minds of mankind—all that stuff that is common practice in the old earth. You could call these two little words the “trip-wire” for mankind. And given the precariousness of our times, it is now imperative that we begin to honor our full covenant with the LORD.
Martin spoke unceasingly of the work we must do to fulfill this covenant. I’d like to read a portion of a service he gave in 1970, later entitled, “Exact Alignment.” [greatcosmicstory.blogspot.com/2024/04/exact-alignment.html] I see in this excerpt a pathway beyond the trip-wire I just mentioned. Here's what he says: “Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. The will of God is done in heaven. When man is in place what occurs in heaven instantly occurs in earth. The human view of God's will has tended to be a second-hand concept. If it is done in heaven, someone needs to find out about it so that at some later date it may be instituted on earth.
And a bit further in the passage, he says: “I have pointed to the larger field of world events, but exactly the same thing is true from the standpoint of personal experience in the little things of life. The Plan of God, the Heavenly Plan, is designed so as to bring this lagging state of affairs up to date. The evidence of this being done was spoken of as the shortening of the days. There is a thinning out of the dense cloud that has surrounded man, so that the heavenly impact penetrates more quickly and the reaction, consequently, comes more quickly. The delay between the original action and the reaction is not quite so lengthy; there is not so much of a lag as there has been in centuries past.” Martin goes on to acknowledge how the usual human activity is quite literally, “old stuff.”
“Someone who is letting God's will be done in earth as it is in heaven updates them: This is what we are here to do: to let the things which come to us be the means by which God's will can be done in earth now, as it is being done in heaven now. Then the thing is updated. When we do that we find that the things we handle are not what we thought they were. They are transformed by the creative action of God's will—which is allowed to work in the earth now, as it is in heaven.”
I would point out that the lag between what is done in heaven and a person's reaction to it on earth is actually pretty well known beyond the training of the EDL ministry. I take part in a number of recurring sessions with friends who come from very different spiritual backgrounds. As we take deep dives into questions of values and consciousness and spirit they are quite aware of the need to be stewards of their thoughts. They have well-established habits which allow them to pause and reflect. They ask themselves simple diverting questions whenever they notice their minds drifting into extraneous thoughts. These serve as a means of giving them space, such as: Is this thought really more important than what's right here in front of me? Is there really any purpose to giving into this turbulence?
I would say there is a certain victory to be attained by using such techniques to allow one to hold steady through life's pressures. As Terry was mentioning, sometimes such questions and habit patterns are useful. But in the end, it's not about trying to control our thoughts, or controlling anything from the standpoint of the “old stuff.” Martin has always implored us to actually live within the new heaven. In the 1980’s, I often heard the phrase: ”Come out of her my people!” It is a matter of keeping open in mind and heart the space for our love for God until that love is allowed to fully emerge and to flourish. We've been greatly blessed with instruction concerning the absoluteness of alignment in God but now is the time to finish that work; to come forth wholly and completely; and to understand that loving God “with all” is not an impossible task. It is ever-present with us; the great potential of mankind is to actually rise up to consistent living within the new heaven—and consequently call forth the new earth. Only thus will we actually bring honor and glory to the nations.
I'd like to finish with a small excerpt from Uranda, from a selection titled “The Spirit of Fulfilling the Law” [TSS 1:36]. This passage moves me more deeply than almost anything I’ve ever heard; it captures my heart every time I hear it.
“When the longing for Him is so complete, so all-consuming, that nothing else matters, when the yearning for His love is so complete that there are no other considerations, when the willingness to yield to Him is so deep and all–consuming that nothing else is left in heart or mind, then He will receive… For He has been waiting long—loving patiently—and waiting.”
So today I celebrate the fact that we can let go of all of our planning and scheming and defenses—all the “old stuff”—and simply love God as He has desired us to do from time immemorial. Terry and I would welcome any comments you might have to contribute to our conversation.
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Pamela Gray — Robert and Terry, I thank you for your passion; and isn't it that passion that has kept us in the core of the flame, once we touched it. Terry you spoke of remembrance—once we touched it, we couldn't forget. When you truly remember you never forget. It's that passion that has guided us throughout all the different cycles we have experienced around the spiral. That passion was kept alive in our heart, and it has done the work that needed to be done as individuals, and all of a sudden we come together with this brilliant Host of Heaven; the stars singing together as one.
Linda Bahan — Thank you beloved friends, Robert and Terry. You speak of that First Great Commandment and as we learn to live in that place it's with all, and out of that springs the Second Great Commandment that doesn't require work, it just is, that we love one another. That's what I felt throughout this hour, the reverberation of the love that I have been so privileged to know with the two of you over all these years, and with many more that are here in our company today. In the spirit of love I know you all.
Bill Bahan — It's wonderful to be with you today in this passion. I felt that passion in each of you; I felt it in your very core, and it speaks to my very core. What a privilege to be together now in this passionate love for the LORD, for the truth, and to let the world catch fire because we truly are the Light on a consistent basis.
Deborah Starrs — Robert and Terry, my heart is full. This is delightful! No dreams and schemes going on here. No great grandiose plans, but the all-consuming passion of love, the Truth of Love. “Make plans? God laughs.” I keep hearing that, and we have had some delightful chuckles with you today. Spirit is light giving and it is lighthearted, even though there are some serious considerations going on in any given moment. There are serious situations to enfold and let the light shine into; there are serious situations to radiate the power of love and attunement. We do all this because we are delighted to do it, and to do it together. Thank you so much. I haven't met you in person. but it's good to know you.
Angela Wildeman — Terry and Robert, it is a privilege to call you both friends and to serve together over many years. Your words today brought to remembrance a dream I had this week, in which I came downstairs in the morning to find my husband already up and about. I said to him that I had a dream of Uranda, something that I had not personally had before. But your words of so much clarity brought it back to life now in this hour. Whereas we spoke of our LORD and KING, the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Life, in my dream I was working in the garden, doing something that I did for many years, caring for a sanctuary in Dahlonega, Georgia. I walked around a corner, having been thinking of how to keep at bay frustrations that I had about things that were my responsibility to meet in the world at that particular time, and I turned a corner, and lo-and-behold Uranda was standing there. He put his hand on a tool, a hoe or a rake, and just smiled at me. Stunned, I looked at him and then walked over, and he just hugged me—and I was grateful for all that the Spirit of Truth has brought to my understanding in the years that I have been here. In this dream I said, “Uranda, it can be so frustrating.” And he shook his head and he just said, “People will disappoint you, but we have much work to do.” And he handed me some garden tool and he said, “You keep doing the work!” And then “poof”—the dream was over and I was awake and downstairs in my living room. We all are very unique and we each have something that no other person brings; the world in all of its upheaval and activity will bring frustrations. But it is the Love of the Truth, and us living our lives, that meet it squarely and keeps the Golden Thread alive until possibly, one day, we are able to meet Uranda again in person here in this earth, and we finish the work that we are here to do. Thank you so much my friends, for your lovely words.
Anne Blaney — Maybe some of you don't know that Robert is a painter and Terry is a gardener, and I think we saw both of these activities demonstrated today. I thank you both, for painting a picture of the garden that we are meant to be in and move in, with so much behind what you presented today. I can feel the experience and the consciousness that is present your presentation and it makes me appreciate the ability of the angel to encompass such a range of experience, encompass the fact that many have gone before who have brought us to this point, with profound thankfulness and humility. And at the same time encompass the “right now” experience of the absolute requirement that we bring these capacities into a state of readiness and openness. As you were indicating, the LORD is ready to come right in when there's a place prepared. That's what I feel you painted and tended, that we have such a such a responsibility and privilege to prepare a place for Him—and here we are, doing it in an increasingly more conscious way, and we're doing it together. I couldn't help but think how much more we are experiencing than, for example, in configurations in the past. We really truly are prepared; we have been prepared, we have been tended, and there's such beauty in that. So thank you for the garden and the painting that you both did for us this morning, with so much behind it and in it. Lovely.
Marsha Bogolin — Thank you for all that everyone has said. I totally agree. What you have brought has been an absolute delight. It's very significant. And I feel you have brought forth an action, a will that is in heaven, that we are pioneers now, and that we are here to finish the work. All that you expressed made that feel so delicious and vibrant and doable. Thank you, I love you both.
Yujin Pak — Thank you Marsha and others; I want to follow up by underlining a few of the words that were spoken. We are here today to do what others cannot do, and we can do because of the vision, the understanding and the training that we have. What we do the responding ones in the world will do. What tremendous responsibility and possibility. Robert, you said when the longing for Him is so complete that nothing else matters, that there are no other considerations. When that is truly so, we are lifted up into a different state. What is that state? It’s a state of Glory of Oneness with the KING. Because of the completeness of our passion for Him, then we are morning stars singing together forevermore—something unseen on earth—then we bring honor and glory to the nations. And we bring not only blessing, attunement to people, to the nations, but we bring honor and glory, and the majesty of the identity, and the expression of the KING to the nations—because in our passion, the conscious knowing of being His Body, bringing His glory, His honor to the nations, is so vivid. We are here to do this; the pioneers to do this today. How wonderful.
Robert Kauffman — I'd like to say one more thing. Love of the LORD, total love of the LORD, we have a word for that. It's trust, It's trust that we are capable of doing what is asked of us. It is trust that the LORD has always provided for us, provided what we need and what it is we can do. Thank you all for your comments; very beautiful. Terry is there anything else you would like to add?
Terry Kauffman — Well I'm am so humbled and so thrilled with the opportunity that I've had to be able to share with you today; and I feel that we're moving into territory that requires specific and deliberate action. Wasn't that what the pioneers did? They couldn't be haphazard. They had to utilize specificity, deliberateness and wisdom. I look forward to the new adventures on the horizon as we continue with honor and glory together.
1 comment:
What a beautiful, complete, comprehensive Service this has been! Our true Purpose on earth is to love God with All our heart and with All our soul. I Thank both of you for this wonderful Service
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