Unity of Walnut Creek

2021-05-30 May 30, 2021 – Presence Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell explores the transformative power of living in the present moment through the parable of a young woman encountering a lion on her path - a metaphor for the unexpected events that shake us awake from our sleepwalking through life. Drawing on wisdom from Eckhart Tolle, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rumi, and Pema Chodron, Rev. Kristin Powell offers practical tools like conscious breathing, observing nature, and simple affirmations to help us access the divine presence that is always available right now. She reminds us that when we drop into the now, anxiety melts away, problems dissolve, and we rediscover the childlike wonder found in life's simplest gifts - to touch, to taste, to laugh, and to love.

2021-05-23 May 23, 2021 – What Is Essential? Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell explores how times of uncertainty - from the pandemic to social upheaval - offer profound spiritual opportunities to awaken and discover what truly matters. Drawing on the metaphor of decluttering, the wisdom of Marie Kondo, and the teachings of Jesus about the lilies of the field, Rev. Kristin Powell invites us to ask "What is essential?" as a tool for discernment, stripping away the excess in our minds, hearts, and lives so we can reconnect with our deepest values. She encourages us to embrace the "I don't know" as a doorway to spiritual growth, opening ourselves to new possibilities for joy, love, and connection.

2021-05-16 May 16, 2021 – Faith Rev. Kristin Powell In this opening message of her series "Mastering the Art of Uncertainty," Rev. Kristin Powell explores how the past 400 days of pandemic living have offered profound spiritual lessons about releasing our grip on certainty and embracing faith as a flotation device in the ever-changing sea of life. Rev. Kristin Powell draws on wisdom from Pema Chodron, Jesus, and the Tibetan story of the well frog to illustrate how fixed identities and false certainties keep us small, while openness and curiosity expand our dance floor. She invites us to find that underlying feeling of "all is well" - not by anchoring to rigid beliefs, but by relaxing into the spaciousness of spirit where true freedom and joy await.

2021-05-09 May 9, 2021 – Coming Home to Mother Rev. Kristin Powell In this heartfelt Mother's Day message, Rev. Kristin Powell explores the divine feminine as a homecoming - an invitation to return to the nurturing, unconditional love that resides within us all. Rev. Kristin Powell weaves together personal stories, the wisdom of children, and the sacred symbolism of Unity's labyrinth to illuminate how mother love transcends gender and form, offering rest, restoration, and joyous reunion. She invites us to consider how we can both receive and extend this embrace of ease and acceptance to ourselves and others, celebrating the divine Mother energy that welcomes us home exactly as we are.

2021-05-02 May 2, 2021 – Open Up To God Guest Speaker: Bob Hardy

2021-04-25 April 25, 2021 – Sustainable Abundance – (Part 2 of 2) Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell explores the concept of sustainable abundance through the lens of indigenous wisdom, drawing from Robin Wall Kimmerer's retelling of the Sky Woman creation story and the interconnected root systems of trees and plants. Rev. Kristin Powell invites us to expand our understanding of prosperity beyond personal gain toward a collective, reciprocal relationship with all life and Mother Earth. She highlights how reciprocity - giving back as we receive - is the key to lasting abundance, offering practical examples from regenerative farming to community reuse to joyful gardening as ways we can root ourselves in gratitude and care for our shared home.

2021-04-18 April 18, 2021 – Our Original Instructions – (Part 1 of 2) Rev. Kristin Powell & Chief Phillip Scott Rev. Kristin Powell shares a heartfelt exploration of what Native Americans call our "original instructions" - the innate responsibility to care for and protect the Earth. Through personal stories of her evolving relationship with litter - from righteous anger to sacred service - Rev. Kristin Powell illustrates how spiritual awareness transforms our actions and deepens our connection to all living beings. She invites us to become indigenous to place by developing intimate, heart-based relationships with the natural world around us, and features teachings from Chief Shukenwankasapa reminding us that as the youngest species on Earth, we have the most to learn from our elders in nature.

2021-04-11 April 11, 2021 – Why Ramadan Matters Rev. Kristin Powell and Imam Fatih Ates Rev. Kristin Powell welcomes Muslim imam and interfaith leader Fatih Atish for a rich dialogue exploring the significance of Ramadan as it begins during this holy season. Together they discuss the foundational beliefs and five pillars of Islam, the spiritual purposes of fasting - including cultivating empathy, self-discipline, and compassion - and how reading the Quran cover to cover each year offers fresh spiritual renewal. Rev. Kristin Powell creates a warm space for interfaith understanding, highlighting the shared Abrahamic roots that connect diverse faith traditions and inviting the Unity of Walnut Creek community to deepen relationships through an upcoming Ramadan interfaith gathering.

2021-04-04 April 4, 2021 – Crossing The Threshold Into Resurrected Life Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell delivers a powerful Easter message exploring the resurrection as a profound spiritual invitation to cross the threshold from limitation into our fullest divine potential. Drawing from the story of Mary at the tomb, she illuminates how we often fail to recognize the brilliance calling us forward - not because it isn't there, but because we lack the context to perceive it. Through a vivid personal story of skydiving after graduate school, Rev. Kristin Powell illustrates the exhilaration and surrender required when we say yes with our whole being to spiritual breakthrough. She reminds us that our liberation is bound together, and when one person steps into the light, everyone benefits from that courageous crossing.

2021-03-28 March 28, 2021 – What Trusting The Universe Really Means In this thought-provoking message, GreggnLevoy explores what it truly means to "trust the universe" - a spiritual adage that carries deep complexity beneath its simple surface. Drawing from his own experience of career upheaval that ultimately led to the creation of his book Callings, GreggnLevoy examines whether trusting the universe means trusting its benevolence, its mysterious ways, its support of growth, or simply our own resilience. He suggests that trusting the universe requires tolerating paradox - holding both its reliability and unpredictability - while staying in active conversation with life through practices like journaling, dream work, and concrete acts of trust.

2021-03-21 March 21, 2021 – Reimagine Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell invites us to reimagine humanity through the lens of spring - celebrating our beautiful diversity the way we celebrate nature's wildflowers swaying together in one field. Drawing from Valerie Kaur's "See No Stranger" and the powerful story of the Oak Creek Sikh community's response to tragedy with forgiveness and love, Rev. Kristin Powell reminds us that revolutionary love - wondering, grieving, listening, standing up, and reimagining - is our compass back to oneness. She encourages us to hold our spiritual vision while taking action, knowing that a thousand small acts of love can transform our collective consciousness into full bloom.

2021-03-14 March 14, 2021 – Stand Up Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell explores the spiritual call to "stand up" as part of Unity of Walnut Creek's Season for Nonviolence series, drawing from Valerie Carr's revolutionary love framework and the courageous legacy of Harriet Tubman. She reminds us that true reconciliation requires truth-telling, and that faith without action remains incomplete - just as Jesus demonstrated by speaking spiritual truth to worldly power and standing up for the marginalized. Rev. Kristin Powell encourages us to integrate contemplation with activism, pausing before causing harm and finding the courage to speak up on behalf of others, knowing that our liberation is bound up together.

2021-03-07 March 7, 2021 – Listen Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell explores the transformative spiritual practice of deep listening - particularly listening to those whose views oppose our own - drawing from Valerie Kaur's revolutionary love compass and the ancient vision of unity found in Isaiah. She reminds us that listening to our opponents is not about persuading them to our viewpoint but about tending wounds, deepening understanding, and healing the collective false belief that we are separate from one another. Rev. Kristin Powell encourages us to pause, pray, and proceed with curiosity and compassion, using story rather than debate to open hearts and bridge divides. This essential spiritual work, she affirms, requires both action and community as we move toward wholeness together.

2021-02-28 February 28, 2021 – Grief Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell explores grief as a sacred pathway to joy and healing, drawing on Valerie Kaur's revolutionary love compass to illuminate how grieving with others is a profound act of love and solidarity. Through powerful stories - including the aftermath of 9-11 hate crimes and the healing that came when 3,000 people gathered at a Sikh man's memorial - Rev. Kristin Powell demonstrates that unresolved grief in a nation can be catastrophic, while shared grief can transform communities. She invites us to embrace the RAIN framework for compassion, release our pain in healthy ways, and remember that our liberation is bound together, making collective grieving an essential step toward wholeness and joy.

2021-02-21 February 21, 2021 – Wonder Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell explores wonder as the foundation of revolutionary love, drawing from Valerie Kaur's "See No Stranger" compass and her own dialogue with the divine feminine within. She invites us to consider how wonder - the simple act of being curious about others - can dissolve fear, rebuild broken relationships, and dismantle the institutional barriers that separate us. Through powerful stories, brain science, and the truth that we are all made of stardust, Rev. Kristin Powell reminds us that when we see no stranger, we return not only to one another but to our truest, most divine selves.

2021-02-14 February 14, 2021 – The Magnificent Power of Love Dr. Brenda Wade Guest explores the magnificent power of love as more than just an emotion - as one of the 12 powers of the heart that, when combined with wisdom and truth, becomes a transformative force in our lives. Drawing from personal experience of finding Unity during a time of deep depression, Guest shares how practicing love shifted everything in their life within weeks. Guest challenges the community to harness heart power during the pandemic, offering that COVID-19 may be an elder teaching us how to care for one another, and invites listeners to commit daily to unleashing love - especially where they feel most challenged to do so.

2021-02-07 February 7, 2021 – It’s All in the Follow Through Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell uses a Super Bowl Sunday sports metaphor to explore Unity's fifth principle - that knowing spiritual truths is not enough, we must live them through consistent follow-through. She walks through all five principles, showing how faith over fear, recognizing our innate divinity, co-creating through focused thoughts and feelings, and practicing prayer and meditation all come alive only when embodied in daily life. Rev. Kristin Powell reminds us that living these principles includes both doing and being - from acts of service to silently blessing others - and offers guiding questions to help us stay on track.

2021-01-31 January 31, 2021 – Accessing Deeper Realms Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell invites us into a deeper exploration of Unity's fourth principle - the transformative power of prayer and meditation. Drawing on the rich legacy of co-founders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, she illuminates how these practices connect us to divine wisdom and guidance, while honestly addressing the common blocks of disbelief, perceived lack, and fear that keep us from consistent practice. Rev. Kristin Powell explores the four intuitive pathways - inner seeing, hearing, feeling, and knowing - that become accessible when we commit to regular spiritual practice, encouraging us to simply begin and allow our lives to become a flowing dance with the divine.

2021-01-24 January 24, 2021 – Heart’s Desire and Pure Imagination Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell explores the transformative power of co-creation through Unity's third principle, showing how our thoughts and feelings work together to manifest our heart's desires into reality. Drawing on the wisdom of Unity co-founders Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, she illuminates how desire is not separate from God's will but rather the divine bubbling up from within us. Rev. Kristin Powell offers a memorable framework spelled LIFE - Longing, Imagination, Focus, and Engaging feelings - as a guide for conscious co-creation. Using the beloved story of The Little Engine That Could, she reminds us that our thoughts fuel our ability to climb any mountain and deliver good into the world.

2021-01-17 January 17, 2021 – Will The Real Self Stand? Rev. Kristin Powell Rev. Kristin Powell draws inspiration from the classic game show "To Tell the Truth" to explore the spiritual journey of discovering our authentic divine nature. Using a Hindu legend about Brahma hiding divinity within humans and teachings from the Gospel of Thomas, she reminds us that our true essence - our inherent goodness and wholeness - has been within us all along, waiting to be uncovered. Rev. Kristin Powell guides listeners through self-inquiry to identify the "imposter selves" we create through societal expectations and self-protection, inviting us to let those masks fall away so our real divine self can finally stand.

Unity of Walnut Creek - Messages