I was blessed in marriage with Natasha six years ago today. Yesterday after Sunday service we went out for lunch at the Café Rouge opposite the Chislehurst pond. Natasha’s family took David & Olivia to their home, so we could enjoy our meal with only Bronwyn to keep us company. Thankfully she provided little distraction as she slept for most of the meal.

After the meal we went for a walk. We were remembering the details of the ceremony six years ago and the events surrounding it. We reflected on the progress we’ve made as a couple, which can be measured by the three children we’ve had so far. We also looked ahead, thinking about the direction our couple would like to take in the next few weeks/months/years.

When people try to woo each other or express their romantic affection for each other, the concept of eternity is often implied – “my love for you will last forever… my love will never die… I will love you for all eternity” – but inversely the idea of being stuck with someone for eternity is a commitment many fear to make. Six years seems like a long time from our perspective,

but in the grand scheme of things it’s not long at all. Those of you who’ve been enduring married bliss for 30+ years probably are thinking, “You’ve barely scratched the surface! Wait until this-or-that happens…” and you’re probably right. But right now, I like the idea of spending eternity with Natasha, learning all the complexities of each other and exploring the infinite ways of expressing greater love for each other.

To everyone else blessed at the 400 million couples 5th phase holy marriage event: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

During my design & technology classes, which specialised in electronics, I was taught a clever way to remember the names of the terminals of a transistor: eggs, bacon chips. The first letter of each word represented the first letter of the terminal, eggs for “emitter”, bacon for base and chips for collector. Although I’m a keen scientist, please don’t ask me to explain how a transistor works – those DT classes failed to teach me anything else, really – but I do remember something cool about how transistors could be applied to amplify current with only a small change of voltage.

Basically, if a small change of voltage takes place at the base, then a small current can be amplified to a large current via the collector and emitter. (Maybe a person more knowledgable in this area can explain it more elegantly.)

I recently reflected on this property as a good analogy for how God works in my life. Often God wants to create a big impact in my life, but first I have to make a small condition to allow God’s grace to pour into my life.

Me on my own –> small difference

My (small) portion of resp. + God’s (cosmic) portion of resp. –> BIG DIFFERENCE

Withouth fulfilling my portion of responsibility, God cannot bless me. When I do make that small condition, God will bless me abundantly.

A small example to illustrate my point:

Today I went out on the streets around the Lancaster Gate headqarters to do some street-witnessing. Every Wednesday at 2pm all the HQ staff strive to go out to do some grassroots level outreach. I enjoy it as it helps me to keep spiritually sharp and, as someone who doesn’t have spiritual children, gives me an opportunity to find someone to whom I can offer True Parents’ blessings.

If I’m honest, I wasn’t pumped up this afternoon, feeling a little demotivated. “I’ve got a lot of work to catch up on,” I told myself. “Maybe I can skip the witnessing this week.” But my conscience reminded me that I enjoy witnessing and that going out for only an hour would be a good thing to do. So I went out with Reamonn and Christine.

The hour itself wasn’t spectacular; I spoke with a few interesting people, but failed to really connect with them. At the end of the hour, I wanted to buy a few snacks for the prayer evening that would take place later that day, so I popped into the Tesco Metro in the middle of Queensway. Having picked up a packet of Maynards Wine Gums (which are significantly better than the Tesco own brand wine gums) and McVities milk chocolate hob nobs (buy one get one free!) I walked towards the checkout.

Just as I was about to join one of the queues, I recognised an old friend examining some products on a display. I’ve known Abbas, a fellow UCL graduate who is currently studying to become a medic, for many years. God has somehow led us to each other on several occasions, once in 2002, again in UCL between 2005 and 2008 and now in 2010. We spoke briefly, catching up on the most important news, but importantly I was able to recover Abbas’ phone number (which I had lost when I misplaced an older handset).

Walking back to 43 Lancaster Gate, I felt that God wanted me to meet Abbas again, but of course that would never have happend if I had remained at my desk in the office. All I had to do was provide the bacon; God took care of the eggs and the chips.

I jumped onto the DLR between Lewisham and Stratford yesterday to join some brothers doing some wintessing to promote an event taking place at midday this Saturday (at Ithaca House on the Romford Road, just in case you’d like to attend).  Any journey on the DLR tends to be more scenic than the underground, and as the train approached Stratford I was able to see the progress taking place to prepare for the London 2012 Olympics.

When I found Simon and Jeff, we agreed to do about 20 mins of leafletting and outreach before meeting to discuss some issues in McDonald’s.  Although I’ve been doing street-witnessing at least once a week for the past month or two, this morning I suddenly found myself struggling to get going.  I walked along the street just looking at people, always hesitating to make an approach.  Once I reached the corner of the road, I decided to sit on a public bench and gather my thoughts, or rather empty my thoughts.  I realised that my mind was overwhelmed with many thoughts and concerns, deadlines, people to call, jobs to do etc.  What I needed to do was realise that God accepts me and would accept any offering I make in that moment if I chose to offer it sincerely.  After all, none of my other concerns would be addressed there and then.

I breathed in (“I’m alive”) and then breathed out (“thank you”).  I counted my blessings (too many to count, actually) and remembered that I really want people to share what I have.  I spent the remaining ten minutes walking up and down the street rehearsing my approach in my head, so that once I finally start speaking with people, I’ll know where I want the discussion to lead.

Jeff bought me a coffee and chocolate brownie at McDonald’s (both of which were surprisingly good) during our meeting with Simon.  Jeff shared that witnessing was the hardest thing he’s done in the last decade, qualifying that statement by considering the spiritual challenge of reaching out to people’s hearts.  In my experience, it’s not very hard to stop a stranger on the street and have a jolly conversation; the difficulty is in sensing and addressing that person’s spiritual needs.

Back on the street, Simon asked me if we could approach people together.  The area in front of Stratford library was reasonably busy yet not too noisy, and now I was able to speak with people freely.  After handing out a few fliers, however, Simon confessed that now he needed a couple minutes to prayerfully reflect and get his mind together.  As he sat at the entrance to Morrison’s, I continued approaching people.  Very soon, Simon rediscovered his inspiration and purpose and we enjoyed the rest of the hour meeting some of the lovely people of Stratford.

With the national witnessing campaign coming up, I guess many of us will experience a moment or two of nervous apprehension, experienced by Simon and me today.  It happens to the best of us, eh?  I don’t think it’s a sign of doubt or faithlessness, rather it shows that we take witnessing seriously and, while we recognise our personal shortcomings, we’re willing to offer ourselves to Heavenly Father and the absolute good spirit world to work with us to reach people so they can also share the blessings we enjoy.

…and the Word was with God, and the Word was God (John 1:1)

Chieko and I go most mornings to offer some devotion in the ballroom in our church HQ and we study our scripture with some of the brothers in LG.

I don’t believe it’s a very attractive option for most of us, most of the time to get up super early, but there are times when God’s word just comes alive and finds its way into your heart, mind and soul.

We were reading the Cheon Seong Gyeong from page 1039 to about 1044, and the words felt so strong and true. I could feel the timeless spirit of truth that my mind and body almost physically responds to.

We do a bit of meditation and breathing practice after our reading and again, that is something that is easy to find difficult, something to avoid doing, but over time it can from one moment to the next bring so much blessing into our body. This morning I could feel God’s word and the breathing practice stirring around inside me and generating a special kind of energy.

The challenge is how do we find a way in, a reason, to start our day with God’s word. And I realised how Chieko and I are blessed because we caught a similar vision despite not been similar.

As we sat there in a circle with the brothers, listening to each other read, I could see what a powerful way to build trust: when we all start our day together from that same point of submitting our self to God and listening to His Word we have a chance to respect and value each other more deeply. We come together not just on our own often capricious terms but instead on God’s terms which can be relied upon.

On the car ride home, as we went through Shepherds Bush, still feeling that special kind of energy that only comes from the source, I became partially aware of True Parents’ loving behaviour towards all of us and the tradition that God has been passing on to us over the millennium: the study of His Word that has the power to impact our life.

I know often God’s words are hard to catch, understand, and sometimes they just cannot find their way in. But it only requires a bit of patience and persistence. You can find a 100 reasons why starting the day this way is not practical for your life, but if it is just one sentence, then why not start with that.

Feed yourself with something each morning that takes you deeper into who you really are, that guides you to where you are really meant to go, and where actually you long to be.

Some World Peace Blessings events held recently in the UK

Last Saturday (Feb 13th 2010)  in Bromley we held a Blessing Ceremony for five couples, although the room was filled with more than twenty people and it felt like a world gathering! In terms of religious background, we had two Hindu couples; a Jewish and Christian couple; a Muslim couple and a Buddhist gentleman. Additional support came from families and friends.

Two families had all three generations present. This included a blessed family, Matthew and Emiko Cohn with their blessed daughter, her husband and her brother – in this instance it was the grandparents in their family, George and Peggy Cohn, who came for the Blessing. For them it was a long journey from Bournemouth, but for our movement in Britain we felt it had particular significance; George and Peggy Cohn carried out an amazing job running the ‘Parents’ Association’ back in the late seventies and early eighties when there was much media persecution and concern from parents over their adult children joining the Movement.

We began with lunch together and then shared the meaning of the Blessing through two, quite detailed presentations. After a moving ceremony, each couple was given a red rose and we shared a ‘wedding’ cake together. We want to thank all those who supported, and all those who worked hard to bring people to this historic event.

Robin Marsh
Lancaster Gate, London

Recently there was excellent cooperation between the brothers and sisters of STF, other second generation young people, Central London church, UPF Secretariat and Ambassadors for Peace, who came together to hold a Blessing Seminar, Ceremony and Entertainment.

Eleven couples were blessed amid a very beautiful atmosphere, even though in some cases only one of the couple could attend. While there were elements to improve for future occasions, it was an important stage in the development of a working system to educate and bless our contacts and Ambassadors for Peace.

One of the joys of having an STF* team present is that they mingled with the wedding guests, brides and grooms, and sang to them to create the nice atmosphere. Chris and Catherine Moloney also sang at both the beginning and the end of the programme … in fact the singing caught on, and by the end of the Marriage Blessing Ambassadors for Peace too were singing and and dancing.

After interfaith prayers from Hindu, Christian, Buddhist and Islamic faiths, Bharat Koria, an Ambassador for Peace, spoke to the audience to say that Father Moon is the source of True Love that makes the Blessing possible. The  majority of couples were re-dedicating their marriages to each other, but one couple exchanged rings in what was their wedding ceremony.

Simon Cooper and Robin Marsh gave a seminar on marriage values and the purpose of the Marriage Blessing, and Margaret Ali filled in any gaps in the event and introduced the interfaith prayers. Mr. Marsh was even able to talk about the Marriage Blessing on the radio show of one person who, at the last moment, was unable to attend and wanted other people to understand what it was all about.

The Hayashis – a well-respected elder Japanese couple were the officiators for the Holy Blessing ceremony. Our thanks must also go to Naomi Sato and Ann  Kobayashi for preparing the refreshments, and to Joyce Suda who took care of receiving the guests, grooms and brides.

*STF: Teams of young volunteers, usually on a gap-year.

If I mention Umar Faourk Abdulmutallab, I wonder how many of you would know who I’m talking about.  It might be a clue if I mention that I have seen his name in the media a lot recently.

Remember now?

…

Just in case you still haven’t worked it out, he attempted to detonate explosives hidden in his underwear on Christmas Day on a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit.  Now you remember, don’t you?

Whenever I read stories in the news media, I tend not to pay much attention to the names of the people involved.  I don’t need to remember, I tell myself, because I’ll never meet these people and the news rarely relates to my situation.  Sometimes the news gets repeated enough for the name to be etched into my subconscious memory, but I rarely make the effort to connect the names of characters in a story to the reality that these are real people.

In the case of Umar, I have an interesting privilege of actually knowing the man.  I studied at UCL during the same time he did.  I was president of the UCLU Interfaith Society during the same year he was the president of the Islamic Society.  I spoke with him on several occasions; I had his mobile number stored on my handset; we discussed the possibility of campaigning together for shared interests.

When the news first broke, the reports had quoted the wrong name (Abdul Mudallad), so by the time Umar’s picture had been released and his name corrected, the penny didn’t drop that I knew him.  It was only later, after I had received a facebook message from the current UCL Students of Faith officer, that I was made aware of the personal connection.

Journalists from the Mail on Sunday and the Wall Street Journal have since contacted me, trying to find a story, but I think I disappointed them with very little juicy information.  The bottom line is that I never developed a close relationship with Umar, understandably so with hindsight.  I tried to engage him in the activities of the interfaith society, but I failed to inspire him, I failed to win his trust, I failed to understand and address his concerns and needs.

But what difference could I have made?  Could I have saved him from the tragic destiny he now faces?  Would my extra effort to reach out to him have been just as unsuccessful?  Was it too late to reach him?  Nobody can answer these teasing questions, so I shouldn’t – and I don’t – let them worry me.  It’s in the past.  What is does make me realise is how important every person I meet is.  Who knows what impact I can have on the people I meet in my life?

Thankfully, Umar was unsuccessful in his suicide bombing attempt – otherwise this blog would be taking a far more sombre tone – but Umar now faces spending the rest of his life in prison.  I think 90 years is the sentence he could expect.  That’s dreadfully sad.  This young man, with the whole of his life ahead of him, will be unable to follow any ambitions or aspirations because he will spend the rest of his life being punished for the crime he actually failed to commit.  I’d like to find a way of sending a message to Umar, letting him know that I am thinking about him and perhaps sharing more.  Part of me wishes his sentence isn’t too long, so that he can be released from prison early enough after paying indemnity for his sin to live a meaningful and fulfilling life.  This is a time when True Parents want to give God’s blessing to all, and I think Umar should be included.

Felt like we need to get the new decade off to a focused and positive start.

In our HQs church we are just gearing up to walk a 40 day course together with the theme, ‘40 days of blessing’.

Below is the summary of the 3 part message we looked at in December 09 on how to understand God’s blessing for our life, and experience it through practising the right behaviours: it’s all about tuning into God’s perspective on love, and allowing that perspective to change how we look at our every day experiences.

Here are the latest dates for Blessing seminars and Blessings. Please check back for updates and changes.