Our mission statement is:
“To guide America back to God through the teachings and Marriage Blessing of True Parents.”
We are a local branch in Durham, NC of FFWPU (Family Federation for World Peace and Unification).
We have Sunday service at 11:00am.
Triangle Family Church Sunday Service on Apr. 30, 2023
Musical Offering
Sermon
Summary: The sermon discusses the importance of the church evolving and adapting to the changing times to engage young people. It emphasizes the need for freedom of conscience and the role of tradition and modern perspectives in maintaining faith. The speaker also shares personal experiences and encourages the congregation to focus on bringing back the younger generation.
Key Insights:
The declining attendance in the church raises concerns about the future and the need to engage young people to inherit the faith.
Balancing tradition and modern perspectives is crucial in maintaining faith and attracting the younger generation.
Freedom of conscience, as advocated by James Madison, is an essential aspect of the church and individual spirituality.
The speaker's personal experiences with strict parenting and fear-based obedience shape their approach to raising children in the church.
Creating a welcoming and appealing environment for young people is necessary to reconnect them with the church and its mission.
The church should be open to different viewpoints and provide freedom of conscience while still upholding core values and beliefs.
Embracing change and focusing on bringing the younger generation back to the church is vital for the church's future and mission.
Sunday School: Story Based Character Education - Tom Thumb
Triangle Family Church Sunday Service on Mar. 19, 2023
Musical Offering
Sermon
Summary:
The sermon discusses the importance of self-concentration, purification, and creating a covenant with God. It shares the stories of Joshua and Solomon and emphasizes the need for repentance and commitment to God. The sermon also mentions Jesus' parable about God's unconditional love and forgiveness.
Key Insights:
The sermon highlights the importance of self-concentration and purification, drawing inspiration from Joshua's command to the people.
Circumcision is seen as both an external and internal act of purification and making a covenant with God.
Solomon's dedication of the temple symbolizes a new beginning and a commitment to follow God's commandments.
The sermon emphasizes the need for repentance and making a new dedication and commitment in order to experience God's forgiveness and guidance.
Jesus' parable about the wheat and weeds illustrates God's unconditional love and forgiveness, encouraging people to come to Him regardless of their sins or mistakes.
The pastor urges everyone to take off their own sins and consecrate themselves, emphasizing the need for personal repentance and commitment to God.
The sermon highlights the importance of creating a holy and dedicated space in one's heart and life, where God's presence can be felt.
Triangle Family Church Sunday Service on Mar. 19, 2023
Musical Offering
Sermon
Charles Finney had a powerful conversion experience after studying the Bible and feeling a restlessness in his soul. Despite initial concerns about being seen while praying, he surrendered his worries and had a transformative encounter with God. This experience led him to quit his job and become a prominent figure in the Second Great Awakening, impacting the lives of many. The author also shares their own similar experiences and emphasizes the importance of opening one's heart to God and being completely honest.
Key Insights:
Conversion experiences, such as Charles Finney's, can have a profound impact on individuals and lead to significant changes in their lives. These experiences often involve a deep sense of peace and contentment.
Surrendering concerns and opening one's heart completely to God is crucial in experiencing a transformative conversion. It requires being honest and vulnerable, even if it means admitting negative emotions.
The climax of a conversion experience can be a powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit, bringing waves of love and an overwhelming sense of God's presence.
Personal experiences with God can be unique and include feelings of love, conversations, and even written records. These encounters can deepen one's relationship with God and lead to a greater understanding of His love.
Honesty and humility are essential in experiencing healing and liberation during a conversion. Admitting negative emotions or doubts to God allows for clarification and a deeper connection with Him.
Conversion experiences are available to anyone who approaches them with an open heart and sincere effort. It is a personal journey that can lead to transformation and a closer relationship with God.
Reading autobiographies, like Charles Finney's, can provide valuable insights into conversion experiences and offer inspiration for one's own spiritual journey. They serve as a reminder that powerful encounters with God are possible and accessible.
Sharon Lund, who experienced extreme suffering in her life, had extraordinary encounters with God. From being protected by an angel during childhood abuse to receiving a message of healing and purpose, she overcame her struggles and became a healer and author. Having an open and honest heart is crucial in experiencing God's love. Her story is featured in the book "Experiences with God" by Ron Pappalardo.
Key Insights:
Sharon Lund's story highlights the resilience and strength of the human spirit in overcoming unimaginable suffering and finding healing through a direct encounter with God's love.
The angelic presence in Sharon's life during her childhood abuse showcases the divine protection and guidance available to those in need, emphasizing the power of spirituality in times of darkness.
Sharon's experiences with abusive relationships and self-esteem issues shed light on the long-lasting impact of trauma, but also the potential for inner transformation and growth through God's intervention.
Sharon's journey from despair to becoming a healer and author exemplifies the transformative power of God's love and the ability to find purpose and joy even after experiencing immense pain.
Ron Pappalardo's choice to publish his book with Sharon's company, Sacred Life Publishers, reflects the admiration and trust he has in her abilities and character as a result of their shared spiritual connection.
Sharon's story emphasizes the importance of honesty, humility, and having an open heart in cultivating a direct relationship with God, highlighting the childlike faith and trust needed to experience divine encounters.
Sharon Lund's experiences serve as a reminder that anyone, regardless of their background or circumstances, can have a personal and direct encounter with God, showcasing the universality and accessibility of divine communication.
Triangle Family Church Sunday Service on Mar. 12, 2023
Musical Offering
Sermon
Summary:
This sermon explores the concept of "paying it forward" and the importance of love in overcoming the burdens of our ancestors. It emphasizes the need to treat enemies with love and sincerity and highlights the role of love in the restoration process.
Key Insights:
The Sistine Chapel of God reaching down and touching Earth symbolizes the beginning of creation and the start of humanity's journey.
Mrs. Sue, wife of President Yu, has been with True Father since 1955 and has faced persecution and rejection for her faith. Her testimony reflects the embodiment of God's word through True Parents.
The word is not simply something that flows by, but rather a record of the tradition that brought victory over Satan. It is the lifeblood and liberation for heaven and earth.
The analogy of repairing an old home and changing a doorknob reveals the challenges faced in restoring the original perfection of creation. Satan has had the opportunity to alter and corrupt the world over time.
The restoration process is the reverse of the fall, aiming to restore all things, physical health, and blessing. This process involves fundraising, witnessing, and blessing to overcome the consequences of the fall.
Good deeds are a measure of contraction and a way to repay the debts of ancestors. It is essential to understand the concept of debt and the need for indemnification to break the cycle of suffering.
Enemies are not to be hated, but seen as teachers and opportunities for indemnification. Treating them with sincerity and love helps to resolve the debts of ancestors and bring salvation to both parties.
Triangle Family Church Sunday Service on Feb. 19, 2023
Musical Offering
Sermon
Summary:
The sermon discusses the concept of true freedom and how rules and regulations can help us attain it. It explores the idea that freedom and responsibility go hand in hand, using examples like driving a car. The sermon also delves into the topic of freedom in love and marriage, highlighting the importance of sacrificial love and self-discipline. It concludes by emphasizing the need to connect with God's love to find true freedom.
Key Insights
- The sermon highlights the importance of understanding the true meaning of freedom, which is not just the absence of rules and regulations, but the ability to pursue mental and spiritual happiness.
- It emphasizes that freedom and responsibility are inseparable, and rules and regulations can actually help us be responsible and make the right choices.
- The sermon addresses the modern concept of free love and explores the idea that true freedom in love and marriage requires sacrificial love, self-discipline, and responsibility.
- It examines the teachings of Christianity, Buddhism, and True Parents, showing that love is an action, sacrificial, and requires self-discipline, and how these principles contribute to true freedom.
- The sermon uses the story of Scrooge to illustrate the human tendency to search for fulfillment in things other than God's love, highlighting the need to prioritize and connect with God's love for true freedom.
- It concludes by emphasizing the importance of seeking and connecting with God's love to find true freedom, and encourages guidance for young people in making choices that lead to true freedom.
- The sermon acknowledges the confusion in society regarding values and choices, particularly for young people, and calls for the teaching of the original mind and the pursuit of true freedom.
Good morning brothers and sisters. Today I'd like to talk about true freedom; freedom of original mind. Everybody seeks freedom and fortunately we are living in a free country. Freedom is guaranteed in America. We can have freedom easier here than any other countries. But we need to find true freedom which gives us the opportunity to pursue happiness including mental happiness. Divine Principle says Adam and Eve lost freedom of original mind after fall. First, let us read Bible verses regarding to Freedom
John chapter 8:32 The truth will set you free.
Galatians 5:1 Christ has set us free for freedom.
Galatians 5:13 Don’t let this freedom be an opportunity to indulge your selfish impulses, but serve each other through love.
2 Corinthians 3:17 The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom.
The Bible tells us that the truth, Christ, serving others, and God are the keys to find freedom.
Are rules and regulations for or against freedom? What comes in your mind at first when you hear the words rules and regulations? No freedom? Definition of freedom is power or or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.
From the definition of freedom, rules and regulations seem to be against freedom.
Home and church normally tell children what to do or what not to do. Home and church give rules and regulations.
Japanese media is recently spotlighting religions and religious parents are controlling children and violating their freedom. Is it true?
It may be true if the definition of freedom is to do whatever I want to do. Young people may feel they are free when they are away from home and church. Young children who go to college feel free. Two-thirds of American young adults who attended a Protestant church regularly for at least a year as a teenager say they also dropped out for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22, according to a new study from Nashville-based Lifeway Research in 2019.
It is before Covid. This percentage may be higher after Covid.
Let us think what is true freedom and how rules and regulations can help us to reach for true freedom.
Where did true freedom come from? God endowed human beings with freedom.
Meaning of true freedom from Divine principle
Freedom is accompanied by the responsibility laid out in the Principle.
Purpose of True Freedom
Freedom allows us to inherit creative nature of God and participate in God’s great work of creation.
Freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. This term "freedom and responsibility go hand in hand" is not just religious concept but it's common concept. Rules and regulations normally help us to be responsible or prevent us to take irresponsible actions. Driving car is a good example to explain that freedom and responsibility go hand in hand. Following rules is crucial to keep the freedom of driving. Driving a car gives freedom to move around. I see high schoolers in America are eager to get driver’s license and gain the freedom to move anywhere and to meet friends. But to get the driver's license the applicants must successfully complete many things. There are many ways to lose driver's license and they all involve some level of responsibility. Freedom to drive and responsibility to drive safely go hand in hand.
Next, let us move to the topic of freedom and responsibility for love. It is our church’s main concern for youth.
Free Love & Love Marriage vs. Absolute Love & God centered Marriage
Free Love & Love Marriage sound good and seem to allow you to have free, natural, spontaneous relationships. What comes in your mind when you hear Absolute Love & God centered Marriage? Not natural, forced?
Traditionally marriages are more like God's centered marriage. "Free Love" and "Love Marriage" concept came recently. Free love is a social movement that accepts all forms of love. The movement's initial goal was to separate the state from sexual and romantic matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery. It stated that such issues were the concern of the people involved and no one else. The movement began around the 19th century, and was advanced by hippies during the Sixties.
A love marriage is one which is driven solely by the couple, with or without consent of their parents, as opposed to arranged marriage.
People seek freedom to love and marry. But did Free Love & Love Marriage give people freedom of love and marriage?
Statics in Japan shows the number of people who never marry increased as arranged marriage decreased.
25 percent of men will never marry and little less than 20 percent of women will never marry in their life.
Japanese people may not like too many choices. When I came to America I had difficulties at restaurants. Do you know why? When you go to a restaurant, the waiter and waitress comes to you and ask many questions how to cook, what kind of food, what kind of side dishes. They give many choices. When I came to America, I don't know or I never eat some food. The chefs are professional. They know food more than me. I said don't ask me in my mind.
Absolute Love & God centered Marriage make perfect sense if we understand what requires to enjoy freedom of love and marry.
Let us check what Christianity, Buddhism, and True Parents teach what is love.
Love in Christianity
Number one, love is an action not a feeling
Due to God's love for us, God made choices and committed actions for us.
For example,
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life.
God's commitment to love all humankind even if he needed to sacrifice his beloved Son
Second, love is sacrificial. Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.
Jesus showed love is sacrificial.
Number three, love requires self-discipline. Love is patient, love is kind, it isn’t jealous, it doesn’t brag, it isn’t arrogant, it isn’t rude, it doesn’t seek its own advantage, it isn’t irritable, it doesn’t keep a record of complaints, it isn’t happy with injustice, but it is happy with the truth. Love puts up with all things, trusts in all things, hopes for all things, endures all things.
Next love in Buddhism
Buddhism teaches there are four elements for true love.
1. Capacity to offer happiness
2. Compassion (Energy that can transform suffering in yourself and the other person)
3. Joy
4. Nonattachment, nondiscrimination, or letting go
It is difficult concept. We have to put ourselves “into the other’s shoes” and become one with him or her if we want to understand and truly love him or her. When that happens, there is no “self’ and no “other.”
I like this quote. What is the difference between I like you and I love you. Beautifully answered by Buddha
When you like a flower you just pluck it but when you love flower you water it daily. Once you understand this, understands life. Love is deep and complicated. It requires full maturity. It is incomparable to driving a car. But yet many young people just jump in and fall in.
Love in True Parents' Word
It's from the speech; "The Providential History of Salvation from the Viewpoint of the Principle”
According to the ideal of love, all love relationships in the animal and plant kingdoms are for reproduction only. Human beings are the sole exception. Humankind enjoys freedom in the conjugal relationship of love, which is humanity’s special privilege as the lord of all creation.
God gave the blessing and infinite joy of love to His sons and daughters.
However, the true freedom that God allowed requires human responsibility.
Achieving the highest ideal of human love is possible only when one takes responsibility for love.
Freedom of love and responsibility for love go hand in hand.
God can only exist where freedom and responsibility are operating. Love, freedom, and responsibility are inseparable. God had no choice but to give Adam and Eve free will and responsibility to keep a commandment and be fully mature to enjoy freedom of love because of His love toward Adam and Eve. We need to remember this. Rules and regulations from God came out of God’s love.
Absolute Faith, Absolute Love, and Absolute Obedience
Jesus taught that the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
True Parents taught us to have Absolute Faith, Absolute Love, and Absolute Obedience.
Who practiced Absolute Faith, Absolute Love, and Absolute Obedience?
God did.
God knew Adam and Eve would face temptations and challenges when He gave a commandment to keep their purity.
God had absolute faith that Adam and Eve would make a right choice with their free will because of His absolute love toward Adam and Eve.
Adam and Eve had heartistic disconnection with God, fell, and lost true freedom of original mind. We will find true freedom in God’s love by reconnecting with God’s heart.
Lastly, let us listen to a song “Later Never Comes” from Netflix’s Scrooge. I felt God’s heart towards people who seek something else than God even though all we need is God. It is like a Book of Hosea in old testament, in which God expresses His suffering because Israel has been unfaithful to God by following other gods and breaking the commandments.
Later Never Comes - YouTube
Later Never Comes
When we first met Your heart was free Your hopeful eyes Saw only me
Now you're looking for something Something I can never be When you are really All I need
You keep on telling me "later" But "later" never comes around Please stop telling me "later" As you search for what just can't be found
Take my hand Come with me now and we'll fly free No more "later", we both know that's a lie Don't let be this the day I say Goodbyе Goodbye
When you met hеr You were set free Her love for you Was plain to see
You kept looking for something A measure of security But she was really All you'd need
You kept on telling her "later" But "later" never comes around Please stop telling her "later" Stop searching for what can't be found
Take her hand Go with her now and you'll fly free No more "later", we both know that's a lie This will be the day she says Goodbye
Off course, God will never say goodbye to us. But we should remember all we need is God. All we need is God's love. We will find true freedom in God's love.
Let us pray. Thank you for this day and thank you for this opportunity to gather here and worship Heavenly Parent. Heavenly Parent, this world will tell us so many freedom, so many choices. These days even society gave us freedom not to fulfill our responsibility, not to fulfill the the purpose of creation, and become one with Heavenly Parent. The value system is confusing. When young people are confused, schools are teaching so many choices, so many freedom. But schools are not teaching the original mind which is the source of our happiness, ultimate happiness. What we need is to reach Heavenly Parent, connect with Heavenly Parent's heart, and one with your love. That's the way to gain true freedom through freedom of our original mind. Please especially guide young people, help them to choose true freedom in their life and connect with Heavenly Parent's love. Thank you for this time with precious brothers and sisters. True Parents gave us truth and set us free giving us the way to find true freedom. I report everything in the name of brothers and sisters gathered here.
Triangle Family Church Sunday Service on Feb. 12, 2023
Musical Offering
Sermon
Summary:
The sermon discusses the importance of unity and the individual responsibility to achieve it. It highlights the need to give first and take initiative in order to create unity. It also emphasizes the role of emotions in unity and the importance of spreading the message to the Christian foundation for world peace.
Key Insights:
The sermon highlights the individual's role in achieving unity and emphasizes the need to take initiative and invest effort to accomplish it. This goes beyond expecting unity to happen magically.
Personal experiences of not being completely united serve as lessons and reminders of the importance of being centered and focused on the purpose of unity.
Emotions play a crucial role in unity, and true unity is not just about actions or words but is based on genuine feelings of love, friendship, and patriotism.
Historical events, such as World War I and II, served as conditions for unity and the birth of true parents. It brings attention to the potential impact of current turbulent times and the need for unity to curtail conflicts.
Spreading the message of unity to the Christian foundation is emphasized as a crucial task for achieving world peace. It calls for efforts to reach out to Christian ministers and help them understand the mysteries of the Bible and the significance of unity.
Greater unity is needed within the community to effectively spread the message and fulfill the mission of true parents. This includes actively engaging with Christian ministers and making necessary efforts to accomplish unity.
The sermon concludes with a prayer for unity and a realization that now is the time to open our eyes and work towards curbing conflicts in the world. It reaffirms the importance of unity in achieving world peace.
Triangle Family Church Sunday Service on Feb. 5, 2023
Musical Offering
Sermon
Summary: The sermon discusses the importance of renewing the mind daily and connecting with the mind of God. It emphasizes the power of the mind in shaping our actions, emotions, and thoughts, and encourages individuals to focus on personal growth and spiritual development.
Key Insights:
Renewing the mind is essential for personal growth and connection with God. The speaker emphasizes the importance of renewing the mind daily to align oneself with God's will. This process involves letting go of worldly patterns and transforming the mind to understand God's perfect will. By renewing the mind, individuals can develop a personal connection with God and experience spiritual growth.
The mind plays a significant role in controlling the body and guiding actions. The speaker highlights the connection between the mind and body, stating that the mind is the first thing that wakes up in the morning. The mind's awakening is crucial as it directs the body and influences actions. By understanding the power of the mind, individuals can strive for mind-body unity and live in accordance with God's principles.
Creativity, growth, and motivation stem from a desire to renew the mind. The speaker emphasizes the importance of having a desire to be motivated, creative, and grow. By renewing the mind, individuals can tap into their potential and pursue personal and spiritual development. This desire serves as a catalyst for growth in various aspects of life.
Each person's journey towards perfection is unique. The speaker acknowledges that everyone's journey towards perfection is different, as each individual has a personal relationship with God. Renewing the mind allows individuals to establish a personal connection with God and strive for their own version of perfection. By understanding and embracing this uniqueness, individuals can find their purpose and fulfill God's will in their lives.
Understanding the life of Jesus and the teachings of the Apostles is crucial for spiritual growth. The speaker emphasizes the necessity of studying and revisiting the life of Jesus and the teachings of the Apostles. These teachings provide valuable insights and guidance for practical application in daily life. By deepening their understanding of these teachings, individuals can align their thoughts and actions with God's principles.
Taking care of the mind is essential for overall well-being. The speaker emphasizes the importance of nurturing and taking care of the mind, just like any other organ in the body. By being mindful of what we put into our minds, such as positive thoughts, spiritual enlightenment, and avoiding negative influences, individuals can maintain a healthy and strong mind. This, in turn, positively impacts their overall well-being.
The power to renew the mind lies within each individual. The speaker highlights that the power to renew the mind and transform one's life is a personal responsibility. Each individual has the ability to connect with the higher mind, the mind of God, and tap into their full potential. By taking ownership of their mind and actively renewing it, individuals can become powerful beings and make a positive impact in their lives and the lives of others.
