© 2006 Bill and Share Beasley
© 2006 The Urantia Book Fellowship
“Are all the bills set up on auto-pay?”
“Water off?”
“Mail forwarded?”
“Where are we going to put the extra fire logs and the two boxes of spiritual books I’ve always wanted to read but never had time to?”
“It doesn’t matter, just throw them in the “Mota Home” and let’s get out of here. The longer it takes to leave, the more we get ensnared here.”
“Doors locked? Wait a minute the phone is ringing again.”
“If it isn’t God on the caller ID, don’t answer.”
The monster named “It Must Be Done Now” was always on the phone or banging at the door. For the last five years some unforeseen event had derailed us from making this long sought after journey. Not this time! We finally wised-up, at last we’re on the road! This trip of indulgent mirth and merriment across the U.S. in an RV we called the “Mota Home” was the accumulation of years of hard work. We’ll see and experience, first hand, the beauty and diversity of “God’s handiwork,” scenic byways, backwoods trails, hidden waterfalls and winery tours. We packed books on how to spot wild animals without them spotting you, cameras for every occasion, and a guide to free camping out west; we had it all. Oh yes, and a few names and phone numbers of study groups here and there. The service we had planned for the year was almost finished. We were doing our share at “IC05,” the Florida Students of The Urantia Book (FSUB) conference, Miami Book Fair, newsletters, study groups, and Urantia Foundation projects, right? It’s OK to have a glorious five-day stop in Philly for “IC05” to kick us off, and then be on our merry way!
There we were sitting at a sunny Beach Grill in St. Augustine, gorgeous sky, waves rolling in and talking with a local Urantia Book reader. The discussion, translated, is how “Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs” (basic needs must be met prior to self-fulfillment), affects our ability to serve. It was clearly interfering with his higher desires.
Ingredient #1: The opportunity to serve is a privilege.
On to a South Carolina state park for four days to organize our “stuff” and practice our “IC05” Track presentation. We took a break by walking down to the river.
Suddenly we were in a wondrous midst of thousands of mayflies, what a delightful experience! We were completely enveloped by these gentle insects that live, mate and die, their purpose fulfilled, within a mere seventy-two hours.
Ingredient #2: Eternity beckons, “Life is but a day’s work—do it well” [UB 48:7.13]
Next, a visit to my sister’s in Richmond, Virginia during a 100°+ heat wave and broken air conditioning. Hot and crotchety, tempers flair and soon loving sisters are hissing at each other! Enough of this, we are out of here!
Ingredient #3: People we love are more important than diverse ideals and pride.
(The visit was rescheduled with a reciprocally love-filled phone call.) What a start!
Our next compass heading was northeast to Villanova University to attend “IC’05.” Immediately upon arrival we were surrounded by “those without name and number.” Excitement was in the air, volunteers were scooting around, devoting their time and talents to make the sessions meaningful and the events flow smoothly. Many of them ended up missing a favorite workshop or speaker. The Conference Committee worked three years, the facilitators and presenters months, in preparation for this event. Now they are experiencing the pay-off; love emanating from attendee to attendee, seeing lives in transformation, and budding friendships.
Ingredient # 4: Service exertion leads to overflowing satisfaction and increased faith.
What started out as a little bit of service work and a lot of us got turned around.
We began to see “Spiritual Lessons” emerge in the place of self-indulgence. There are so many projects going on, that we can’t possibly do them justice here. Fear not, a solution is in the works.
Ingredient #5: Urantia Book readers are making a difference!
With eyes widened by awe, we bid our friends, new and old, a momentary good bye. Now heading for a small town outside of Pittsburgh where Jan, a Urantia Book reader and friend from Tampa, was temporarily staying. Her mother died recently and she was literally cleaning out her childhood home, by virtue of her body, mind, and spirit. She is actually considering this “thorough cleansing” as the subject of her next book. Even so, she still found time to nurture individually and collectively the children who lived in the neighborhood. As we joined Jan and the children one afternoon, we experienced how joyous, receptive, and innocent they can be. We remembered that Jesus always made time for children.
Ingredient# 6: Put yourself aside and service opportunities with their attendant benefits will appear.
We traveled through the rolling green foothills of western Pennsylvania and on to an unplanned (mechanically necessary) visit to Elkhart, Indiana. Low and behold, our company just happens to do an abundance of business there. So now we find ourselves in the middle of a personal visit with an owner and some executives of an important vendor. They asked what we were doing with our time since we retired from the business. The opportunity door opened and we flew in! After highlighting several Urantia Book endeavors, their attention was drawn to FreeSchools World Literacy, a Urantia Book project taking place in India and Thailand. A detailed explanation followed and ended with sincere interest in making financial commitments. We will follow this up as the FreeSchool program builds credibility.
Ingredient # 7: There are people in all walks of life just waiting for an opportunity to respond to that inner urge to make the world a better place.
Turning south we found ourselves in Indianapolis at Mike’s study group with Linda and Bob, who have driven a long way to attend. As a matter of fact, they are always willing to go the extra mile on any worthwhile Urantia endeavor. What a privilege to intimately share what comes out of the pages of The Urantia Book with long time, devoted readers! We also discovered other readers in the area who are unaware of each other. The time is ripe for connecting. “Spiritual growth is mutually stimulated by intimate association with other religionists.” [UB 100:0.2]
Ingredient #8: Set your priorities, “knock and the door will open”.
The next day we temporarily left Indianapolis and were 35,000 feet high, westward bound. Our destination was Nevada. At “IC’05” we were invited to experience and participate in “URI-NAIN”, an International Interfaith Conference in Las Vegas. This was one of those things we couldn’t say “no” to. Many participants were clergy, representing religious affiliations from many major world religions. Not only did we have the opportunity to learn about the beliefs of others, but we were also rewarded with numerous occasions to share the teachings in The Urantia Book! This conference abounded with Urantia Book readers from all over the country. The Urantia group made our presence known as a loving community, especially after preparing and serving dinner one evening!
Ingredient #9: All spiritually applied religions are vibrant and transforming.
Kansas City, the heartland of the U.S., was our next visual treat. Other than speaking at a conference several years ago and meeting some marvelous people, about the only thing I knew about this place was, “12th Street and Vine, my Kansas City baby and a bottle of Kansas City wine.” Things have changed! Mike has inspired and attracted amazing young adult reader traffic to his study group and all are devoted to these teachings. We were warmly welcomed and taken right in. Mike would have it no other way than to park the “Mota Home” in his driveway, plug into his electricity, join in the study group and stay up half the night talking. We determined Mike to be the busiest person we’ve encountered. While headed north of K.C., we marveled at his ability to juggle all those responsibilities while remaining a steadfast inspiration.
Ingredient #10: “Not enough time” is only an excuse we make to ourselves.
On to spend a few days visiting with Susan at a near-by county park, beautifully situated on a huge lake. This was a perfect spot to swap spiritual ideas, ideals and intimate life testimonies. We witnessed magnificent sunsets and even watched a storm slowly roll in, with dark cloud clusters and bolts of lightening. What a pleasure when Ken and Becky joined the three of us for several hours of heart to heart sharing of ourselves our aspirations and our goals. We talked about ideas with potential for making positive changes, not only in our Urantia community, but in the world as well.
Ingredient #11: We can all serve, in our own way, with our own talents.
(If you’re not sure of what your true talents are, ask a good friend.)
Right there at the campsite on Sunday, Susan led us in an absorbing worship service! She was to give a presentation at Toastmasters that morning and invited us to come. Her topic? “I am in love!” and went on to deliver an outstanding account of her love affair with God, finishing with a brief introduction to The Urantia Book.
Ingredient # 12: Be creative and dynamic when introducing The Urantia Book.
We’ve all heard about “amber waves of grain,” well they are there. Miles and miles and miles of them. There are also green seas of soybeans, golden walls of wheat, brown rivers of rice and an ocean of soaring sky, as far as you can see. Before we got out of Kansas, I was drowning in waves and seas and was thrilled to see arid, voluptuous hills ahead. The Rocky Mountains came into view.
Ingredient # 13: Beauty isn’t enough, variety helps, though.
Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Boulder; not only are these hotbeds of Urantia activities but they are also full of sons and daughters of God who have made commitments and followed them through. They are doing something. In Colorado Springs, Lynn G. arranged for us to visit a group of mostly new readers. An in-depth workbook of the Foreword is in progress there. Whoa, how’s that for doing something? In Pueblo we were invited to a prayer and meditation meeting at Joanne’s and then were honored with a triple-study-group potluck put together by Lynn C. She also asked us to give a presentation on some of the activities going on in The Urantia Book community and to facilitate a retreat exercise. Siblings of Pueblo, thank you for your hospitality and opportunities.
Ingredient #14: Urantia Book readers are so loveable they teach us to open our hearts to all.
One of Boulder’s weekly study group meetings puts emphasis on personal growth. Another has a youth group. A seasoned reader has managed to get a book booth on the university campus. Errol & Rochelle happened to be in town for a few days performing some of their famous skits at a local church. We were able to see a few new ones, too. Are you on the brink of committing yourself to serve and just waiting for the opportunity to present itself? Look no further. You have just been informed of a couple who not only are dedicated to reaching out with love for others, but also have a program for implementing true service in your life.
Of course Boulder is the home of TruthBook, the website designed to help us discover and share our precious revelation. We were amazed as Mo and Paula took us on a guided “virtual tour” of the TruthBook website. This is one of the most innovative and powerful tools we have for revealing the love and goodness of our Creator. Do yourself a favor and explore the sight. It is abundant with exalted art, study aids, power point presentations, question and answers from and about The Urantia Book and positive, spiritually oriented chat rooms. This space has it all.
Ingredient #15: Pick a subject, the service projects are out there.
The day before we left Boulder, Lugena hosted a lovely get-together that gave us a chance to get some good old fashion visiting in. We loved getting to know both Susan and Paula better, in addition to learning more about some of their undertakings.
Ingredient #16: Hosting affords bonding not available in other situations.
Out of Colorado we headed north toward Coeur d’Alene, Idaho to experience a new format for introducing Urantia Book concepts without mentioning The Urantia Book. We scheduled our trip to arrive on Monday evening, the night Cosmic Cafe was in session. About 12 people attended, a few were Urantia Book readers. The topic for the evening was “Time & Space.” We were extremely interested to see how this theme could possibly be tantalizingly interwoven with spiritual truths presented in The Urantia Book. This two-hour session was a dialogue of questions and opinions (not answers). Thomas and Aurora did a splendid job of facilitating. They constantly steered the conversation toward the beauty and symmetry of our Father and how his natural laws coordinate time and space for ultimate goodness.
Ingredient #17: Spiritual content can be incorporated, regardless of the subject.
A day’s ride north of Coeur d’Alene across the Canadian border lies Invermere, a quaint, independent town nestled in a valley between two large mountain ranges. This is the home of Roy, a woodcrafter extraordinaire and retired Unity Minister. We spent three wonder-filled days with him, exploring, sharing and learning. So much so that we didn’t even have a chance to talk about a training program for teachers and leaders that he and Eef have developed and practiced over a period of several years. Entitled SpiritQuest, it is a three-session program designed to develop personal spiritual growth while gaining skills to pass on this thrilling quest both in and outside of the Urantia community! These seminars, 1) Truth, 2) Beauty, and 3) Goodness, will debut at several locations in 2006.
Ingredient # 18: Build it and they will come.
Upon entering the U.S. via Alberta/Montana we headed east toward Chicago and the 50th anniversary celebration of the printing of The Urantia Book. We were excited. After arriving in Chicago we attempted, and failed, to parallel park the “Mota Home” (34 feet long) in a parking spot on Diversey Parkway. We ended up in a CVS parking lot for the weekend and checked into a motel. Those of you who have been to Chicago know this only requires taking out a second mortgage on your home for each night you spend there. Our excitement wasn’t dampened though and we directed ourselves toward the festivities. Our anticipations were high. People on different sides of “the creek” were present, talking, hugging, and laughing. We envisioned this gathering as an opportunity to begin repairing broken boards on a still existing bridge, and we were not to be disappointed. From the opening remarks to the final goodbyes the atmosphere was charged with healing spirit.
Ingredient #19: Miracles never cease!
As we left Chicago and headed for home in Florida, our minds were occupied with many things. Homesickness, kids, and grandkids took up a lot of space. Even so, our desire to share the experiences of meeting the remarkable individuals we encountered burned brightly, especially the heartwarming realization and good news that, contrary to the bombardment of all the horrible media news, people are going about doing good. They are making the world a better place through touching the people and the communities around them. This is happening all across America, in and out of the Urantia movement.
Ingredient #20: Divine Order prevails!
Most people we spent time with were saturated with ideas and willing to contribute in whatever way they could, willing to implement projects they hoped would make a difference in the people and world around them. They are “doing” something. We visited and listened in awe to far more people than we have room to mention. We discovered various individuals working on similar projects and if connected could be of great help to each another. More good news, there is now a place where this can happen! TruthBook.com has offered a section where Urantia Book readers interested in service can work on things together. We all can get, give, and exchange ideas and formulas for serving right in our own communities or even internationally. Listed below are a few of the active service projects and some only at the idea stage, waiting for your energy. Please go to the website and share your ideas, experiences and inspirations. Your creative contributions make far more of a difference than you realize, think exponentially.
Log on to truthbook.com, click on the “spiritual chat room” on the top tool bar and scroll down until you find “Service with a Smile.”
Ingredient #21: Do something, “service—more service, and increased service”.
Imagine when you are on the Mansion Worlds, you are watching the universal broadcasts and are able to see the exponential effects of all that you’ve done! I am sure my thoughts will be “Oh, how much more of a difference I could have made.”
Ingredient #22: Give until it hurts, we’ll never pass this way again.
We started out to explore “God’s handiwork” in nature and discovered it abundantly in the Fruits of the Spirit in His diverse and delightful children we encountered along the way! Thank you Father for so many recipes for soul growth on this trip.
Ingredient #23: But wait, there are more lessons! Sooner or later we run out of time. (pun intended)
The Urantia Book came into our lives in 1971. We were both immediately enamored with its truth. We raised our four children using it as our guide. Our hearts burned with a desire to serve this revelation but material responsibilities required our full attention. Through necessity, we became entrepreneurs and as Divine Order prevailed, we found ourselves serving this revelation in far more ways than we ever could have dreamed, for example: Conference Committee members and Speakers for The Fellowship,UAI, and Florida Students of The Urantia Book (FSUB), in addition to participating in Newsletters, Retreats, Worship Services, and Urantia Foundation activities. Thank you Father in Heaven!
P.S. This narrative is truly collaborative as sometimes “I” is Bill and sometimes it’s Share.