RECENTLY, I RECEIVED SOME "BAD" NEWS THAT WAS VERY UPSETTING. I thought to myself who can I call to discuss this news? Who can I turn to in my time of need?

Immediately, the thought occurred to me: call on God! So I found a quiet place and turned within. There was no need to tell the story, to go over the negative details; God already knew my need. So, in prayer I discussed the news with God and I felt so much better. Probably better than I would have if I had discussed the news with a human. There was no telling of the story and all of its negativity - the what ifs, the shoulda, woulda, couldas, and if then propositions - in my conversation with God. Speaking to God, I was able to leave my burden with God, say what I want from this situation, and leave the conversation with a positive expectancy that all will be well.

Perhaps this is a benefit from any challenging situation. Learning to go within and then learning to let go and let God can offer such relief. Now every time I begin to rethink the situation, I remind myself by saying "thank you for sharing, but we have already turned this over to God."

Eric Butterworth wrote in Discover The Power Within: "Prayer is not something we do to God but to ourselves. It is not a position but a disposition. It is not flattery but a sense of oneness. It is not asking but knowing. It is not words but feeling. It is not will but willingness."

Growing up in the Southern Baptist church left me with the practice of beseeching prayer, begging God for something specific. Finding Unity turned my whole prayer life upside down in a very good way. I let go of the idea that God is some type of supernatural, superman person and began to know God as a force always present within me and everyone else. I know now that God works through me and through you, and my beseeching prayers are more of a call to action for me to "get moving."

Turning within and speaking with God reminds me that God and I are one. There is no need to ask, only to know through my feelings that God is always with me, that God is a part of me and together we can meet any challenge. Real prayer is what we live 24 hours a day and occurs when our thoughts, feelings, and actions reflect our formal prayers. Living with integrity means being at one with myself so that when I pray, I can expect the highest and best results for my soul's unfoldment. Seeking transformation better equips me to deal with discomfort and tension, and this is real spiritual growth. Transformation allows me to stay in my discomfort long enough to allow it to inform me, not define me.

I received an email from another Unity minister who closed her email with "the love of God unfolds us" - a little different take on our prayer for protection, "the love of God enfolds us." The love of God unfolds us in ways that are for our highest and best, even when the appearances don't seem right to our human sense. Real Truth-filled prayer means that we trust that God is unfolding us as we continue our spiritual transformation in this business called life.

Love & blessings,
Rev Debbie

POSITIVE PRAYER IS THE FOUNDATION OF UNITY. The Unity of Tampa Pastoral Care Team is here to assist you in prayer in a variety of ways.

Every Sunday, we have a prayer chaplain in the library after the 11 am service to pray with you in person. We have several new chaplains, so there are new faces in the library. If you have a prayer need, whether it is for strength and faith to face a challenge in life, or a chance to say a prayer of gratitude, please stop in to see us. It is not necessary to elaborate on the details of your prayer need if you are uncomfortable doing so; you can simply request a prayer for healing, guidance, or whatever topic you like.

All prayers and conversation are confidential, so please do not feel slighted if we do not mention the topic to you again in future conversations. Once we have released your prayer request to God, we have faith that your challenges are being worked out through divine order.

You can also fill out a prayer request card, found in the back of the church pews. If you would like a prayer by phone, you can indicate that on the card, and a minister or member of the pastoral care team will call you. Prayer request cards can be turned in to Clara in the bookstore. These requests then go to the prayer team. Only your first name is sent (or the first name of the person for whom you are requesting prayer), along with the topics you indicate for prayer. The prayer team member will hold your request in prayer for two weeks.

After that, the prayer request card is sent to Silent Unity in Missouri for another full month of prayer. Twenty- four hours a day, seven days a week, there is someone praying at Silent Unity for all requests that have been sent there.

We are always looking for new members for the Prayer Team! Please give your name and contact information to Clara in the bookstore if you are interested in participating. You will receive an e-mail or phone call from the team leader with one to three names, usually every three weeks. You need only include them with your daily prayer and meditation for two weeks.

There are two phone lines at the church to call for prayer. To hear a daily inspirational message, call The Dial-A-Prayer line at 813-870-0731, extension 302.

If you would like a chaplain to call you for prayer, or if you would like to have someone fill out a prayer card for you, call the Chaplain Prayer line at 813-870-0731, extension 301.

The pastoral care team sends CDs of the Sunday services and monthly notes to homebound members who can no longer make it to church. We also provide homemade chicken soup to homebound members or members facing challenges such as prolonged illnesses or the death of a loved one.

Remember that prayer blesses the chaplains and prayer team members as much as it blesses those of you requesting prayer! We thank you for the opportunity to serve you!

Carol Ann Borchert

I CONTINUE TO BE AMAZED BY THE UNITY MOVEMENT. Rev. Debbie and I went to Unity Village last month to attend a workshop entitled "Thriving in Unity."

My thoughts going out there were that this was going to be a class on how to grow your church or to help grow the Unity movement. I guess I was waiting to find that flaw that tells me that Unity is not so different from other organized belief structures. Boy, was I happily mistaken.

First of all, I was awed and amazed by Unity Village. What a beautiful facility in a beautiful setting! You can actually feel the energy of Unity's roots - the heart of our church. Rev. Debbie and I even got a chance to observe Silent Unity prayer chaplains at work. One of the biggest gifts we received was being allowed to sit with one of the prayer chaplains in the Vigil Chapel for a half hour in the silence.

For those who don't know, there is always at least one prayer chaplain in the Vigil Chapel, sitting in the silence and praying for all of the prayer requests for the month. The prayer cards are kept for one month in the chapel and someone is praying for them 24 hours a day for an entire month. What an incredible experience! I will be honest: I think Rev. Debbie found my ability to be quiet for a half hour much more miraculous than anything else she experienced, but now back to my story.

This course, "Thriving in Unity," was about growing your church, but not in numbers. The new paradigm of the Unity movement is summed up with "from above, so below...from within, so without." The class challenges all of the Unity churches to work with their leaders to create total integrity within the board and within the leadership.

Just as one of our Unity principles, the law of mind action, works in our spiritual community, so we attract to our community based on our belief structure and thoughts. By going deeper instead of larger, our spiritual community naturally grows with integrity and spirituality, which then has a ripple effect in our community, town, country, and ultimately and hopefully, the globe.

I give so much credit to the Unity movement in realizing that if we are to solve any of our global issues, it is not going to be up to any one leader or a group of leaders. We create our own reality, so each of us has the responsibility of "getting" our spiritual lessons individually. This is the only way we will bring world peace, and end hunger, war, and pollution.

I continue to be honored to serve our church, and if any of you wonder, just as with tithing, the more you give of yourself, the more you receive. It works - try it!

by Dr. Scott Barry

THE WORLD'S GOT TALENT! Britain's Got Talent! America's Got Talent! Unity of Tampa's Got Talent! That's right, folks, the Unity of Tampa Annual Talent Show is back! Mark your calendars for Friday, June 19, at 7 pm in the Sanctuary.

Now is your opportunity to share your talent, have a bunch of fun, and support the choir. If you are young, old, or in-between, if you sing, tell jokes, dance, recite poetry, act, hula hoop, twirl a baton, play an instrument (how about the nose flute?), do stand-up comedy, do a skit... we are looking for you!

Entry forms can be found and returned at the information counter in Fellowship Hall. All forms should be returned by Sunday, June 7th. If you need accompaniment, please see John McEwen right away. Rehearsal will be in the Sanctuary on Saturday, June 13, at 2 pm.

A love offering will be taken at the door the evening of the show. For more information, call or email Anne Marie Huggins at 813-453-7007 or ahuggins@tampbay.rr.com.

Who knows? Perhaps we will discover our own Susan Boyle that night. One thing is for sure - this show is fun and entertaining, and it's a great way to lift your spirit. Come On In!

by Denise Hall

YOU MAY HAVE NOTICED SOME COLORFUL TIE-DYE FABRIC FLUTTERING IN THE UNITY OF TAMPA COURTYARD one Sunday last month. The Tampa and Venice Youth of Unity chapters joined with Softly International to create magic pillow cases.

One of the SOFTLY missions is to provide beds and cribs for poor and orphaned children in Central America and Peru.  Another part of this project is to give each child a pillow in a decorated pillow case. 

The Y.O.U. tie-dyed the pillow cases to give them a great background color and then wrote messages of love and hope using markers and fabric paints. The pillow cases are meant to inspire dreams in the children who receive them.

This summer, the Y.O.U. will take this project to Summer Connection to give other Y.O.U.ers an opportunity to create these inspiring gifts.

If you would like to help with the donation of a pillowcase or money to buy pillows, please come by the Y.O.U. classroom or call Lynda Taylor, 933-5778. To learn more about this project, visit softlyinternational.org.

Thanks to everyone... who purchased Mother's Day Pies and Ice Cream Sundaes in May from the Y.O.U. Proceeds help send our youth to Summer Connection!

SUMMER IS UPON US! IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN IN OUR SUNDAY SCHOOL PROGRAM, please take a moment to thank their teachers for the excellent job they did this year. Now it's time for them to take a well- earned break. Many thanks to Annie Blackburn, Carolyn Borton, Wendy Plant and Maria Toro, who have stepped forward as Summer Sunday School Teachers!

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL

Another opportunity to assist in the Youth Ed Department is during Vacation Bible School, June 8- 12, from 9 am to noon. This year's program is Heaven on Earth - Where God's Love Starts. Volunteers are needed to help with snacks, activities, etc. You can sign up in the Youth Ed Area.

FALL TEACHERS NEEDED

Also, new Sunday School Teachers are needed for the fall. If you have thought about teaching, but have been challenged by the commitment, remember that the teachers work in teams. You are not alone! Be sure and speak to Jean Wynne or Jennis Thomas if you are interested in making a difference with our young people in the fall.

TUCAN CONTINUES

The Youth Choir performed on May 17th at the 11:00 service. The next TUCAN session will be a five- week Visual Arts program - with painting, clay, paper mache', and more! Three art teachers have agreed to share their time and talent. The session culminates with a Youth Art Gallery display for our congregation to visit. To participate or volunteer, sign up in The Youth Ed Area.

JEAN WYNNE RETIRES

Youth Education Director Jean Wynne is retiring after 18 loving years of service to Unity of Tampa. Jennis Thomas will act as interim director until a permanent director is found. Please feel free to approach him with any questions, concerns, or suggestions. And don't forget to say a few words of thanks to Jean for her years of service. She will be staying on as Director through Vacation Bible School and, of course, will continue to be

INSPIRED BY THE FUN SHE HAS HAD VOLUNTEERING for years of Unity of Tampa Courtyard Sales AND a garage overflowing with accumulated goods, Sheila Hensley has opened a consignment store to call her own: Reruns.

Located in Tampa at 3302 W. Cypress in the Oakford Plaza, the shop is a trove of gently used treasures, from Lenox china and obscure collectables to Disney video tapes and small furniture pieces. And because Sheila really wants her treasures to be your treasures, everything is priced very affordably!

Even before she officially opened on May 25, the early birds were stopping by to browse and take advantage of the bargain pricing. Store hours are now Monday through Friday from 10 am to 6 pm and Saturday from 10 am to 4 pm.

Sheila will consider gently used items to be offered on consignment by appointment, so be sure and contact her if you have items to sell. She also hopes to open a craft section soon to accommodate hobbyists who would like to sell their creations. Be sure to stop by in the upcoming weeks to congratulate Sheila and check out her new store. Just be warned: it's hard to leave empty- handed!

EVER BEEN A MEMBER OF A GREAT FOOD COOP?

If you haven't taken advantage of the SHARE food co- op yet, you haven't learned how you can save 40% or more on a monthly array of delicious food (from frozen meats and seafood to fresh fruits and vegetables to gourmet coffee). You don't pay anything to join SHARE; all you pay for is the great food you choose from the monthly menus.

And be sure to share the savings with your friends, family, and neighbors; let them know how they can benefit from free membership, too. All we ask is that everyone volunteers in some small way each month at church or in the community.

If you haven't checked out the latest monthly offerings, stop by the SHARE table in Fellowship Hall on Sundays, pick up a brochure, and talk with one of our SHARE Team members. You can check out each month's menu on the Unity of Tampa website (www.Unitytampa.org), or contact Carol at UnityVolunteers@aol.com for more information.

Here's to your (cost-saving) good eats!

by Carol Ferguson

I RECENTLY SPENT THE WEEKEND IN ORLANDO WITH MY SISTER. One of our favorite things is going to bookstores. When we travel together, we love to find those out-of the-way "Mom & Pop" stores. It's great fun to find one of your favorite author's books you may have missed or an obscure volume that just yells, "Take me!"

Later, while at the mall, we went to Barnes & Nobles and looked around, but found nothing new or unavailable in the Unity of Tampa Bookstore.

I enjoy reading a good novel or biography, but I always return to the books that speak to my spirit and mind. It's great to go back and read again one of the Unity classics or a spiritual book I read before and highlighted or wrote in the margins. That's when Spirit shows me how I'm growing every day. When I read the book for the second or third time, I see new thoughts, and the notes I wrote previously take on a whole new meaning.

Books are good friends; they take you places you've never been and raise your consciousness to a new level. You can pick up a book any time of the day or night and find comfort or strength in it. Books are always where you left them and happy to be of service to you.

Managing the Bookstore is a test to me - I want to read everything that comes in! But I know that is not possible, so I usually make sure I read my favorites or check out the one someone has said is the newest and greatest write in a long time. Sometimes I agree and sometimes I wonder what they read and I didn't see.

Books talk to each of us in a different voice. Don't stop reading; books are your forever friends.

by Clara McLaughlin

WHEN I WAS DECORATING THE NURSERY, before my daughter was born, I was captivated by a beautiful wallpaper border. It was blue and yellow, water and sky. Smiling whales blew the sun and stars from their spouts, happy dolphins frolicked in their wake. I hung it against a buttery yellow background and it was perfect.

But I had made a tactical error when I chose the downstairs bedroom for the baby's room. After she arrived, there was no way I could sleep upstairs with her downstairs. I decided to claim the study across the foyer from the master bedroom as hers.

Determined to recreate my sweet downstairs nursery, I painted the walls the same buttery yellow, but when it was time to hang the border, I found my lovely whales had been discontinued. No matter how much I phoned and Googled and searched the Babies R Us clearance bin, there was nary a roll to be had. Not to be defeated, I found I was able to steam the border off the wall and salvage enough for the smaller upstairs room. When I was done, I felt at peace in that room with my child sleeping near, as the whales and dolphins swam endlessly around.

Baby girls grow into bigger girls, and there came a time when the whales had to make way for a new design: a princess theme. I could not bear to take them down forever, so I covered them instead with a storybook Cinderella scene.

Now the little girl is nine. Racing towards her tweens, she is need of a boudoir and bath of her own. So she returns to the larger downstairs room. Her theme is butterflies, polka dots, and - because she is not too grown to forgo the fairy world - mushrooms!

Upstairs, I cover Cinderella with a translucent coat of primer, in preparation for the room's return to a study. I have chosen an extra-wide design of scenic palm trees.

As I work, I am reminded of a 1920s bungalow my husband and I renovated years ago in Atlanta. The walls were papered in layer after layer of aging wallpaper, some of it beautiful, some of it a study in period decor gone bad, all of it a fascination.

I wonder if someday, when I leave this house, someone will remove these borders, these layers, and think about the people who once lived here. I hope they appreciate the whales.

by Janet Stanley