Dear friends,
When I first discovered my spiritual path I was reading tons of spiritual books, practicing meditation and seeking to heal my mind and heart.
A year into my journey I really craved something more, I had done all my spiritual studies solo and wanted to connect with people reading the same books, having similar experiences and struggling to apply what they were learning just like I was.
I didn’t think there were any places like that.
And then a Google search led me to a spiritual center in Phoenix, AZ where I met hundreds of like minded individuals, normal people just like me who saw power and purpose in meditation, metaphysics, spiritual classes and treating others with love and kindness.
When I walked into their sanctuary, beautiful meditation music played and I witnessed one of the most inspirational, motivational and spiritually TRUE Sunday services.
I instantly felt at home.
My life changed that day.
Over the next several years I took every class they offered and studied every spiritual source material I could get my hands on.
I studied meditation, prayer, the power of the mind, the metaphysics of Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam and the mysticism at the heart of all things spiritual.
This community accepted me with loving arms and guided me through some very challenging times in my life and provided a space for me to really shine, grow and become the man I was meant to be.
At the heart of it all, I learned that love and only love can heal.
This is why I’ve decided to bring into being The LOVE>FEAR Spiritual Center.
I want to give back to the world the love, teachings and spiritual practices that have helped me overcome so much in my life.
I think it’s fair to assume that you’ve faced your own crises in your life, you’ve likely experienced the same anxiety, depression and hopelessness that I’ve experienced.
As well as grief, poverty, illness, financial failures, breakups, divorces and personal mistakes.
In addition, we’ve collectively seen the insanity of this world manifesting as:
Racism
Homophobia
Transphobia
War
Tyranny
Starving Children
Climate Change
Mental Health
Poverty
Economic Hardships
Child trafficking
Even more, the institutions that should provide and protect us have failed.
People of color are not safe and they are not protected.
The agriculture industry is allowed and even encouraged to put toxic, cancer causing “ingredients” in our food.
Pharmaceutical companies place short term profit over our physical health and many of them have been found guilty of bribing doctors to over prescribe unnecessary drugs.
Children in the wealthiest country starve every day and go to schools without adequate supplies for learning to read.
Our democracy is unstable and regardless of what side you’re on, I think we can all agree this is not the millenium we were dreaming of in the 80s and 90s.
My friends.
Fear’s time is up.
It is time for love to have it’s moment to heal our individual and collective lives. It’s time for the people of the world to stand up and say no to fear and it’s many faces.
It’s time for us to stand in love with strength and conviction and save the world.
It’s time for us to become the men and women God meant for us to be.
This is an invitation to join me in living a life that will inspire, transform and ultimately save the world.
This is an invitation to join me and be the change you wish to see.
The LOVE>FEAR Spiritual Center will be more than a place to talk about love, it will be a place to learn how to apply the teachings of love to our collectivized hatred and bring peace, joy and equality to all.
Free of dogma.
Free of doctrine.
Welcome to all.
-Rev. Derek Marmon
Prayer for the World:
Dear God,
We call to you in this moment. We invite you into our hearts and minds and ask that your love pour over this planet and every man, woman, child and creature inhabiting it.
We ask that your love awakens something within us that remembers who we are and heals us of our suffering.
We ask that your love become our own and that one by one we are kinder to one another. We ask to be the men and women you would have us be.
Dear God, enter into where you already exist! Help us to see one another more clearly and help us to create miracles where we see war, violence, cruelty and injustice.
Dear God, make of us miracle workers. Guide us, guard us, direct us and lead us into a world build on peace, love and kindness.
Amen