I absolutely love how Spirit has aligned this week’s message with the installation of our four new Practitioners.

Ernest Holmes, the founder of Centers for Spiritual Living, reminded us that the difference between licensed Practitioners and the rest of us in the congregation is really one of degree. Anyone who learns and practices affirmative prayer is, in truth, a practitioner—someone actively engaging in this sacred art and science of the mind and heart. Our licensed Practitioners, however, have devoted themselves to years of study and practice so they can serve others through spiritual counseling and prayer.

I remember when I made the decision to become a Religious Science Practitioner. At that time, it required a year of prerequisite training (now two), followed by two years of Practitioner studies. For me, being a Licensed Practitioner is not just a role, it is a calling.

A calling is something you answer because it lights up your soul. It is filled with incredible gifts, but it also carries profound responsibility. Practitioners are called to live with an elevated awareness—to stay awake, to see beyond appearances, and to hold to the highest truth. Even when the world shows us conflict or suffering, we remember these are effects, born of causes in human thought. And in the midst of it all, we look deeper still, to the enduring Presence of Divine Love and Infinite Intelligence, knowing this higher Reality is always available to be revealed through us.

That, to me, is the essence of elevation of awareness. It is choosing not to be pulled under by appearances but instead to rise to a higher vantage point, where clarity, wisdom, and peace dwell. When we elevate our awareness, we begin to notice Spirit at work in the smallest details of our lives. We catch ourselves responding with more kindness, more patience, more courage. We shift from asking, “Why is this happening to me?” to “How is Spirit moving through me here?” This is the journey of every practitioner—licensed or not—and it is the path of spiritual growth for us all.

This Sunday, we come together to honor Heidi Schernthanner, Kelley Weston, Leslie Hollister, and Manon Gaudreau as they say “yes” to this sacred calling. In saying yes, they are not only committing themselves to Light on the Mountains, but to Spirit itself—to holding the consciousness of that Divine Essence which is in, through, and as all things, everywhere. Their “yes” uplifts all of us, because when one person elevates their awareness, it ripples out into the collective. Their courage strengthens our courage, their devotion reminds us of our own, and their light helps us to see more clearly the light within ourselves.

I hope you will join us for this sacred moment. Let’s surround Heidi, Kelley, Leslie, and Manon with our love, our gratitude, and our prayers as they step into their calling. Together, we celebrate their elevation of awareness—and perhaps, the awakening of our own. May this be a day that inspires each of us to listen for the call of our own soul, and to say “yes” in whatever way Spirit is guiding us.