 against day five of the year and it's day five of the workbook lessons of The Course in Miracles. How joyful it is to train your mind for inner peace, to train your mind to be tuned in to God, to the Holy Spirit, to Jesus, to be happy. No small gift, happiness, peace, joy. No small gift and it's a gift to yourself. It's a gift to the whole universe. It's a gift that we've been praying to give, praying to extend and we're smack dab in the middle of it. So some of you know over the years when I practice The Course in Miracles workbook lessons and and actually what has come to mind whenever there is a twinge of upset the practice internally is workbook lessons five six seven eight five six seven eight and today yes workbook lesson number five our first Friday of the year and here we are on workbook lesson number five. I am never upset for the reason I think and you know if that was a mantra you had and you you just held to this mantra that would be very very very helpful in starting to change your mind about your mind about turning away from darkness and toward the light about releasing anything any scraps of judgments grievances because this lesson is is the first one where Jesus is really bringing in that idea of upset what is an upset it's it's a grievance and it there are no small grievances or big grievances you know grievances hide the light of the world of the world in me grievances hide the light of Christ from my awareness so the whole point of forgiveness is to let go of the grievances so today we join together in that you know maybe this is the first day of your I am never upset for the reason I think ministry how's that for a title I don't think I don't think that names been used if any of you were starting starting out feeling to start start a ministry I am never upset for the reason I think ministry that's a sweet one so I'm feeling yeah in terms of ministry you know today well I really woke up feeling I am among the ministers of God what does that mean well our ministry is a ministry of happiness and joy and glee and love so when we're in our ministry we're in the beatitudes that Jesus was talking about 2,000 years ago it's a ministry of the state of mind of the beatitudes that's what it is is it organized no it's not really organized but it's it's an attitude it's a state of mind it's what's in your heart that radiates out and let you let the light of God's love radiate out through you and yeah I'm gonna be part of a in-person online gathering today of the ministers of God gathering over 70 of us in person and online and and basically everyone who wants to be a teacher of God is a teacher of God the key word is want do you want to be you want to take your your place in the in the mind in the in the great awakening by being the light of the world and radiating that light out to everyone in everything use every moment to radiate the love of God don't hold back a single moment there's no there's no time to delay now is the time and that's beautiful because it takes it to a vast vast experience where you start to realize that every loving thought by anyone anywhere at any time is is a contribution to shining the light of God it doesn't really matter what the culture is or what the physicality the location it doesn't matter what the earthly identity is it doesn't matter there's it's not a ministry of position it's not a ministry of of orientation in terms of cultural norms or learn things it's a ministry of joy just it's a ministry of the moment so that's what you're I'm never upset for the reason I think ministry is it's the ministry of the moment remember that when you're in the ministry of the moment you're in you're in that ministry and this is just a way of clearing the mind of anything that's not joy so let's jump into it lesson number five I am never upset for the reason I think this idea like the preceding one can be used with any person situation or event you think is causing you pain apply it specifically to whatever you believe is the cause of your upset using the description of the feeling in whatever term seems accurate to you the upset may seem to be fear worry depression anxiety anger hatred jealousy or any number of forms all of which will be perceived as different this is not true however until you learn that form does not matter each form becomes a proper subject for the exercises for the day applying the same idea to each of them separately is the first step in ultimately recognizing they are all the same when using the idea for today for a specific perceived cause of any upset of an upset in any form use both the name of the form in which you see the upset and the cause which you ascribed to it for example I am not angry at fill in the blank for the reason I think I'm not afraid of fill in the blank any name you want for the reason I think but again this should not be substituted for practice periods in which you first search your mind for quote sources of upset in which you believe and forms of upset which you think result in these exercises more than in the preceding ones you may find it hard to be indiscriminate and to avoid giving greater weight to some subjects than to others it might help to proceed the exercises with the statement there are no small upsets they are all equally disturbing to my peace of mind that examine your mind for whatever is distressing you regardless of how much or how little you think it is doing so you may also find yourself less willing to apply today's idea to some perceived sources of upset than to others if this occurs think first of this I cannot keep this form of upset and let the others go for the purposes of these exercises then I will regard them all as the same then search your mind for no more than a minute or so and try to identify a number of different forms of upset that are disturbing you regardless of the relative importance you may get apply the idea for today to each of them using the name of both the source of the upside as you perceive it and of the feeling as you experience it further examples are I am not worried about for the reason I think I am not depressed about for the reason I think three or four times during the day is enough and I just was praying a bit on on what from the text could support us today in our beautiful I am never upset for the reason I think ministry so here we go from the beginning of chapter 10 this is given us for support today in our lesson nothing beyond yourself can make you fearful or loving because nothing is beyond you time and eternity are both in your mind and will conflict until you perceive time solely as a means to regain eternity you cannot do this as long as you believe that anything happening to you is caused by factors outside yourself you must learn that time is solely at your disposal and that nothing in the world can take this responsibility from you you can violate God's laws in your imagination but you cannot escape from them they were established for your protection and are as inviolate as your safety God created nothing beside you and nothing beside you exist for you are part of him what except him can exist nothing beyond him can happen because nothing except him is real your creations add to him as you do but nothing is added that is different because everything has always been what can upset you except the ephemeral and how can the ephemeral be real if you are God's only creation and he created you eternal your holy mind establishes everything that happens to you every response you make to everything you perceive is up to you because your mind determines your perception of it God does not change his mind about you for he is not uncertain of himself and what he knows can be known because he does not know it only for himself he created you for himself but he gave you the power to create for yourself so you would be like him that is why your mind is holy can anything exceed the love of God can anything then exceed your will nothing can reach you from beyond it because being in God you encompass everything believe this and you will realize how much is up to you when anything threatens your peace of mind ask yourself as God changed his mind about me then accept his decision for it is indeed changeless and refusal to change your mind about yourself God will never decide against you or he would be deciding against himself ah there's the support no cause outside my mind so it must be I'm never upset for the reason I think and it must be that I'm just holding on to a grievance just holding on to a grievance if I'm upset nothing but my thoughts affect me if I'm choosing attack thoughts if I'm choosing judgments if I'm choosing grievances then I have to take responsibility for my peace of mind and the first step of the five six seven eight solution is the that's the solution of reversing the belief that there's an external source an external cause happiness is an internal matter health is an internal matter joy is an internal matter freedom is an internal matter and God's well being the kingdom of heaven within is an internal matter so what a joyful way as we leap into the new year here we are Friday first Friday of 2024 that's right lesson number five I am never upset for the reason I think if you have to just make a song out of it it goes through the day and just notice if you start to feel anything that's not extreme happiness and joy then just notice ah let that little nudge come oh that's right that's the lesson of the day coming in I'm never upset for the reason I think and that's the first step in freedom that's the first step toward the gateway of eternity within and we just read that in chapter 10 beginning there time and eternity you know cannot really coexist but both of them are in you while you believe that in the split mind so today by choosing eternity you are choosing the present moment the holy incident and if you choose to get preoccupied with time ideas thoughts of the past or the future time ideas they they come from the ego they're not coming from God God wills you perfect happiness right now and that is thank God for God's will okay lots of blessings I'm gonna have a beautiful day with the ministers of God I see you all in that beautiful light shining the light of God's love and I send my love to you