Spiritual Living Podcast Archive · Centre for Spiritual Living, Edmonton

Belief, Faith, and Prayer

·45 min·4 clips

A woman living in her car borrowed a practitioner's consciousness and received a $100,000 bonus within a year.

This episode features a talk from the Center for Spiritual Living, focusing on foundational concepts from Ernest Holmes's book *Living the Science of Mind*. The speaker explores the chapter titled "Belief, Faith, and Prayer," blending personal anecdotes with spiritual teaching. He frames the discussion around practical application, emphasizing how thought shapes reality. The talk defines belief as an activity of consciousness that can be changed, citing Holmes's view that "it is done unto us as we believe." It references Jesus's Sermon on the Mount, interpreting "meek" as "power under control" and peacemaking as an act of courage. The speaker shares a story of a woman who, after living in her car, engaged in affirmative prayer with a practitioner and later received a $100,000 bonus. He introduces the "Q process" as a method to examine personal triggers for healing rather than avoidance. Holmes's teachings state that faith is an "affirmative mode of thought," and the law of cause and effect is impersonal and always says "yes." The speaker leads the audience in a repeated affirmation: "All the power there is is devoted to my good... God provides me with every good thing." He notes that traditional church models are declining, citing a prediction that the Lutheran church may have only "23 Easters left." Prayer is described not as petition but as "communion of the soul with the over-soul," an alignment with divine presence. The historical teacher Emma Curtis Hopkins is highlighted as a key influence on Holmes and the Unity movement after a disagreement with Mary Baker Eddy. A surprising claim is that humans can only consciously process about 2,000 bits of information at a time out of 400 billion available. The speaker suggests that "spiritual bypass"—using practice to avoid issues—is a common pitfall, illustrated by a joke about a Religious Scientist in hell denying his reality. He argues that "opposites attract" because unowned parts of ourselves seek wholeness through others. The concept of "fasting" is redefined as a determined refusal to contemplate negative thoughts. A memorable moment involves the speaker admitting he sometimes feels like a "prayer cabana boy" for a persistent client. The talk concludes with a communal candle-lighting ritual to honor transitions, release limitations, and invite vibrancy. The tone is conversational, instructional, and warmly pastoral, with frequent personal stories and humorous asides. Its style is motivational, blending scriptural references, metaphysical philosophy, and direct audience engagement. Listeners interested in New Thought philosophy, affirmative prayer, and practical spirituality would appreciate this episode. Those seeking a structured, academic theological discourse or who are uncomfortable with metaphysical interpretations of Christianity might choose to skip it.

As heard by us

A warm case for practice, prayer, and refusing the story that you are stuck.

Belief, prayer, and spiritual practice anchor this teaching, which begins with a welcoming tone and some light comic misfires before settling into its main argument.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want prayer that feels practical, personal, and unhurried, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Spiritual Living Podcast Archive