Personal Testimonial – Susan Lyon

Wise Men Still Seek Him

Why Do We Do This?‍

A Personal Testimonial by Susan Lyon

It is a cold, snowy December day in northern Indiana (U.S.A.) and being close to the Great Lakes means more wind, more snow, and it's even colder for us than normal. Rick shivers, yet good-naturedly he humbly goes about his tasks from the moment he wakes until his head hits the pillow at night. He inspires me to try to do my best every day for our gracious heavenly Father.

And so dedication begets more dedication, and inspiration begets more inspiration. It was inspiration that led Gabriel Rymberg, in the company of Diane Labrecque's The United Urantia Family tour group in Israel, to plant a small concentric circles flag on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee back in 2014. Rick and our grandson, Ethan, were there with Gabriel on that day when the dream became real.

As we all well know, the dream evolved in Gabriel's mind and heart. He pursued the will of God and followed the leads that were presented to him in a prayerful and patient manner, yet with an urgent devotion to the ideal of making the dream come true. Others came along at crucial moments to offer support and the sage advice needed to refine the dream and light the path. Progress was being made, and it inspired Gabriel to create a video, "Introduction for the Jesus Museum and the Jesus Metaverse." This video likewise inspired Rick and I to become involved with The Center For Unity projects.

In viewing the video, we realized immediately that the dream was no longer just a dream, but a potential reality. Our chosen tasks keep us busy, and the months fly by so fast that every now and then Rick and I look at each other in disbelief, with our eyes wide open, and wonder where the time has gone; and as most people do near the end of the year, we also revisit the question: "What can we do to make the biggest difference?"

"During the psychologically unsettled times of the twentieth century, amid the economic upheavals, the moral crosscurrents, and the sociologic rip tides of the cyclonic transitions of a scientific era, thousands upon thousands of men and women have become humanly dislocated; they are anxious, restless, fearful, uncertain, and unsettled; as never before in the world's history they need the consolation and stabilization of sound religion. In the face of unprecedented scientific achievement and mechanical development there is spiritual stagnation and philosophic chaos." 99:4.6  

In the past year our priorities were completely rearranged to include The Center For Unity projects because we could see the value and potential for each of the projects to affect millions of lives at a time when many people are suffering in despair. We realized these projects must be at the top of our list of priorities until they see completion, a lifelong commitment if necessary. I must add that working for the Jesus Metaverse has been a blessing and a lifeline during one of the most difficult few years of my life – losing my parents. There were times I could not work, but Gabriel and our team were very understanding. Other times I would immerse myself into the work and it kept me going – one of the immediate benefits of our projects.

"But as religion becomes institutionalized, its power for good is curtailed, while the possibilities for evil are greatly multiplied... it fails to hold the interest of adventurous youth and gradually loses the saving message of the gospel of eternal salvation. 99:6.3 ...Any civilization is in jeopardy when three quarters of its youth enter materialistic professions and devote themselves to the pursuit of the sensory activities of the outer world. Civilization is in danger when youth neglect to interest themselves in ethics, sociology, eugenics, philosophy, the fine arts, religion, and cosmology." 111:4.4  

We've received some cautionary comments about "going too fast," "the world is not ready," and always the question: "Why are people devoting their lives and resources to The Center For Unity projects?" We might well answer with other questions: "Why are young people distancing themselves from religion?" and "What are young people substituting for God?"

"We shall never know what an aristocracy of benign leadership and matchless culture Urantia was thus deprived of." 77:2.2  

The Urantia Book states that the Life Carriers intentionally planned for us to look up to heroes in preparation for a future time when Adam and Eve would arrive and new leadership would emerge. That element of our DNA helps us to seek spiritual teachers and noble role models. Our young people of this materialistic generation naturally seek for heroes, mystery, entertainment, but they also seek meaning for their lives. It is even more important for us to find new ways to intrigue young people, indeed, people of all ages, with a new vision of Jesus as the role model for perfected spiritual living.

They have been disappointed in their search. Instead of finding moral and upright role models, our young people find vain celebrities, athletes, corrupt politicians, and greedy business magnates to look up to. They seem successful and take the roles of leadership. Even worse, our children find intrigue, magic and sorcery instead of faith and spiritual freedom. Fear is a key element responsible for rampant despair, and we find young people without the coping skills they need to survive. This alone presents a very good reason to be involved in anything honorable that lifts the hearts of these poor souls.We know the joy and confidence that comes along with faith and a powerful, personal religion. It is only natural to wish that blessing upon others. We can't change the past 2000 years, but we can become more artful in presenting the beauty of spiritual living by allowing the world to discover and experience the magnitude of Jesus' spiritual fragrance. We can pull back the veil of dogma and stand ready to be explored by users in a way that is non-invasive, convenient, and free of charge. This new tool is the app we are creating, Discover Jesus (formerly known as the Jesus Metaverse), where Jesus can be discovered and personally known.

"If the...church would only dare to espouse the Master's program, thousands of apparently indifferent youths would rush forward to enlist in such a spiritual undertaking, and they would not hesitate to go all the way through with this great adventure." 195:10.10

New insights into his teachings can lift up even the hopeless, and free them of their fear. As the other projects complete they will add additional ways to discover the Master in depth.

There is an urgent need, and the time is now. Wise men still seek Jesus, but we have the available technology to appeal to young people on their own terms. We have the ability to be the "lost silver coin" of truth, and to provide the mystery and intrigue of discovering the real Jesus as he emerges from the dusty shelves of history, where he was practically reduced to a myth and hidden within 2000 years of misunderstanding. Our team is working very hard to reach an early release date for the app.

Imagine a new generation finding liberation from fear, and confidence in Jesus, a true hero who holds Creator prerogatives – the power of eternal life! Jesus illuminates the path of life – a life of excellence, love and service that appeals to and serves as a leaven for all people and religions.

I discovered The Urantia Book in 1978 through a secondary work, The Day of Celestial Visitation by Ernest P. Moyer. I began with the Foreword and read the book straight through. It was a very profound experience for me, one truth building upon another, until I feel that I had a conversion experience and finally connected and engaged with the Spirit of Truth. I had waited for two months to receive the book through an inter-library loan so by the time I received the call to pick up the book I was primed with such great anticipation that I was determined to read it all before I was forced to return the book in two weeks. I had been told that I would not be able to check it out a second time since others were waiting for it. Of course, when I saw the size of the book laying there on the library checkout counter, I didn't know if it was even possible to read it all, but I couldn't imagine returning the book to the library before reading every single page – and I did not want to disappoint others who were on the waiting list after me by being late in returning it. I made up my mind to rise up early at 6 a.m. and not rest each day until I had read 14 Papers. Most days it was midnight before I could get through them and it would not have been possible at all if I had been working in those days.

I have been "all in" ever since those days of discovery. After many years of hosting study groups, I finally met my soul mate through the revelation, at a Jesus' Birthday Celebration Picnic. It has been quite an adventure. All we want to do is share the treasure we found, and we are working hard to make that happen. Those who find Jesus will also find a personal relationship with God through him; they will find the answers they are seeking to transform their lives, and they will gladly follow him just as Rick and I did when we both independently discovered the beautiful introduction to Jesus as presented in The Urantia Book back in 1978. We wouldn't change a thing!