What Are You Creating? Rev. Teresa Stuefloten, M.Div. 1/25/2026

Good Morning! This is Rev. Teresa. My topic today is: “What Are You Creating?”

I’m going to read you the creation story from the Bible in the book of Genesis 1:1 to 2:3.

God created the heavens and the earth in the very beginning.

And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the water.

And God said, let there be light; and there was light.

And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.

And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

And God made the firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament from the waters that were above the firmament; and it was so.

And God called the firmament Sky. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

And God said, Let the waters that are under the sky be gathered together in one place, and let the dry land appear; and it was so.

And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas; and God saw that it was good.

And God said, Let the earth bring forth vegetation, the herb yielding seed after its kind, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, wherein is their seed upon the earth; and it was so.

And the earth brought forth vegetation, the herb yielding seed after its kind, and the tree bearing fruit, wherein is its seed, after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.

Then God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.

And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so.

And God made two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the smaller light to rule the night; and the stars also.

And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth.

And to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.

And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

And God said, Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let the fowl fly above the earth in the open firmament of the heaven.

And God created great sea monsters, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the fowl multiply on the earth.

And there was evening and there was morning on the fifth day.

Then God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth after their kind; and it was so.

And God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps upon the earth after their kind; and God said that it was good.

Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over the wild beasts of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.

And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

And God blessed them, and God said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild beasts that move upon the earth.

And God said, Behold I have given you every herb, yielding seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree which bears fruit yielding seed; to you it shall be for food.

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to everything which creeps upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for food; and it was so.

And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

And on the sixth day God finished his works which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all of his works which he had made.

So God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because he had rested from his works which God created and made.

Now I want to note several things before I move on. God has no gender, male or female. At the time this account was written, thousands of years ago, the Jewish culture was male dominated, so, of course God is portrayed as male. Some people like to refer to God as Holy Father, and some like Divine Mother. The use of Mother and Father may make some of us us feel closer to God. Some like to think of God, not in the image of a Divine being, but as the Divine Creative Force behind all of creation, God as the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe. You can think of God any way you like that feels good to you.

The second thing I want to note is that creation did not happen in seven literal days. Creation evolved over thousands of years. The use of the term “days” is just for the sake of the story. Whoever wrote the story had no idea how many years each part of creation took to evolve. But to make a better story it was told in terms of days. And early humans, in the time when most people were not literate, loved a good story. But we still love a good story, as is evidenced by the movies we love to go to, and the fictional books we love to read or listen to on audio. Story telling is part of the human psyche.

The third thing I want to note is that when the verses say that the humans have dominion, that means that we are caretakers of the animals and the earth. We are responsible for taking good care of our earth and the animals, not exploiting the earth for profit and harming the animals. We are caretakers and need to take this responsibility seriously before we destroy our environment and all that live in it.

The fourth thing I want to note is that we are made in the image and likeness of God. “And God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” We are Divine Beings with all of the attributes of our Creator.

Interesting to note is that this account says “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” Who is the “us” and “our”? I’ll let you ponder that.

Just as God has the power to create, so do we have the power to create. We are always creating, whether we realize it or not. We create consciously, and we create unconsciously. Every thought we have, every word we say, sets a creation in motion. What is it that we want to create? Are we creating what we want in our lives?

God looked at his creation and declared that it was good. God liked what was created. Now think about your own life, your own creation. How do you feel about what you have created? Do you consider the life you have created good? How do you feel about your life?

Do you ever say to yourself, “Nothing good ever happens to me.”? If you do, then you are right. Nothing good will ever happen for you because you are declaring it will not. You need to rid your consciousness of that thought. Get rid of it! Let it go!

Affirm that your life is blessed and it will be. As you think positive thoughts, that is what you manifest in your life. When you are optimistic about the future of your life and expect good things to manifest, you attract fortunate circumstances and events into your life.

Jesus said, “Let it be done to you according to your belief.” Matthew 8:13 There is a saying that “Thoughts held in mind create after their kind.” Energy flows where attention goes. What we give our attention to shapes how we feel and what we manifest. If we are giving our attention to things that irritate us, we will attract more things that irritate us. If we are giving our attention to things that delight us, we will attract more things that will delight us. Which would you rather experience?

My late husband, Rev. Mark’s motto was “Positive Thinking = Positive Results!” He was a positive thinker and he studied the writings of others who were positive thinkers. He worked every day on thinking positively and catching his thoughts when he was thinking negatively. He always endeavored to turn any negative thinking around.

One of the people that Rev. Mark studied extensively was Roy Eugene Davis, a spiritual teacher who wrote many books and lectured around the world, in the US, Europe, India and Japan. One of Roy’s consistent teachings is “An enlivening Power is nurturing the Universe, and we can learn to cooperate with it.” Our Divine Creator is that enlivening power, and we can learn to cooperate and bring good into our life by learning to see the good in life and create good in our own life. We cooperate by expecting good in our life and believing we are worthy of good.

When you catch yourself thinking negatively, you can ask yourself, “How else can I think of this?” What is a positive thought that I can substitute for this negative thought? What is it that I want to create? What will be the result of this negative thought if I choose to continue to hold this thought? It requires vigilance, keeping watch constantly on our thoughts. We can turn our negative thinking around by turning negative thoughts into positive thoughts. We have the power to do this. Remember, we are creators. What is it that we want to create?

“Life is conspiring for us.” (Dr. Rajiv Joshi) God, the source of Life itself, wants good for us. Do you believe that you are worthy of good things in your life, good fortune? Do you have a positive view of yourself? In truth we are Spirit, a Soul having a temporary experience in a human body in the earth realm. We are here to learn and grow for our Soul’s development. Look at the course of your life. What do you think you have learned so far in this incarnation as a soul in a human body?

In my last sermon I talked about how we create illness with our emotions. We can create heart disease from anger. Studies show that cancer can also be created through suppressing emotions. But in expressing emotions we need to learn to release them in a healthy way, not through explosions. We can talk to a therapist or someone we trust to keep our disclosures private. Remember that emotions are always changing. Emotions are not Truth, they are just how we feel about things at a certain point in time. The next day, the next week, or the next month the emotions may be completely different.

An article on cancer is titled: “Bad Moods Raise Cancer Risk – After Reading This, I’ll Think Twice Before Getting Angry!”

The article says:

“1. “Type C” Personality and a Threefold Cancer Risk

Type “C” behavior (where “C” stands for Cancer) is a psychological profile linked to an increased risk of cancer. People with Type C behavior tend to suppress emotions like anger and sadness instead of expressing them healthily. Studies have found that those who regularly suppress emotions have three times the cancer risk of those who don’t.

Since the 1970s, researchers have recognized that suppressing negative emotions weakens lymphocyte function, lowers immunity, and increases cancer susceptibility. Today, it’s well-known that factors like social stress, negative emotions, and psychological strain can impact brain and endocrine functions, disrupting immune activity and contributing to cancer. Studies show that 40-80% of common cancer patients (e.g., stomach, cervical, liver, breast, and lung cancers) have Type C traits, such as bottling up emotions and anger.

Science has even linked stress hormones to cancer progression. When people are stressed, their bodies release adrenaline, which can actually make cancer cells more resistant to treatment. Persistent stress or depression keeps adrenaline levels high, creating an environment where cancer can thrive and even spread.

2. The Real Effects of Bad Moods on Your Body

Psychologists classify anxiety, anger, sadness, frustration, and grief as negative emotions, each of which has tangible effects on the body:

Heart and Blood Vessels: Frequent anger or anxiety raises the risk of high blood pressure and coronary heart disease.

Digestive Issues: Stress affects stomach function, leading to indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, gastritis, and intestinal issues.

Thyroid Problems: People with chronic stress and anxiety have a higher risk of thyroid disease; studies show that 70% of thyroid conditions are linked to prior emotional stress.

Skin Issues: Urticaria, psoriasis, eczema, and itching are often triggered or worsened by stress and negative emotions.

Hormonal Imbalance in Women: High anxiety or anger increases the risk of hormonal imbalances, breast cancer, and ovarian cancer.

3. Simple Ways to Chase Away Bad Moods and Protect Your Health

To reduce the impact of negative emotions on your health, try these easy steps:

Distance Yourself from “Toxic” People

Whether it's a partner, friend, relative, or coworker, if someone consistently makes you feel belittled or stressed, take steps to limit your interaction.

Don’t Be Afraid to Say No

Always saying “yes” to others can pile up stress and obligations. Give yourself time to consider before agreeing to things, and remember, it’s okay to say no.

Learn to Let Go

Failed dreams, resentment, heartbreak—learning to release these burdens can boost your immune system, lower blood pressure, and even reduce the risk of disease.

Laugh Often, Even If It’s a Fake Smile

Laughter really is the best medicine! It increases blood flow, reduces stress hormones, and strengthens immunity. Even a “fake” smile can improve your mood and benefit your health.

Negative emotions are part of life, but we don’t have to let them take over. By finding healthier ways to handle stress, anger, and sadness, we can protect our health and lower our cancer risk. Take a deep breath, relax, and remember—it’s not worth risking your health over stress and anger.”

(https://www.royalleecancercenter.com/news/17.html)

One of the things Rev. Mark practiced was laughter yoga, which involves laughing regularly and a lot. He had a great sense of humor and was able to see the humor in life. He would often just burst out laughing at some humorous memory that would come to his mind. And he was always looking for the positive. When we look for the positive in life, we find it because we draw it to us.

Research shows that the body does not know the difference between laugher prompted by something happening and laughter just for the sake of laughter. There are actually laughter groups that get together just to laugh. But you can watch a funny movie or show and laugh. One of my favorites is the Golden Girls, the beloved show which is still going in reruns, even though all of the women in the show have passed from this physical realm. The laughter they created lives on!

Do you tend to worry, thinking that negative things may be just around the corner, or that the result of something you are concerned about is likely to be negative? The Bible says, “Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?” Luke 12:25

Why not trust that God is always creating all that we need? Why not assume that what is coming forth in your life will be positive? The truth Is that God is always creating all that we need and it is up to us to share what we are given with others. We are God’s heart and hands in this world. Those who reach out and help others feel happier, more empowered, and have higher self-esteem, and better health.

A page on Facebook that I like is called “Daily Dose of Happy.” One of their posts says, “Train your mind to see the good in everything. Positivity is a choice. The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” I love that!

I invite you to close your eyes and do a short exercise with me now: (read slowly) Think about what is currently in your life. What have you created in your life up to this point? What do you want to continue? What would you like to change? What would your ideal life look like? What is it that you want to create going forward?

First, forgive yourself for any past creations in your life that you regret. Bless the past and let it go. If you could have done better in the past you would have. You did not have the same knowledge in the past. Now you know that you are creating your life with your thoughts and actions. So what do you now want to consciously create for your future? You have the power!

Now I invite you to open your eyes. You may want to make notes to yourself about anything you want to remember. You can repeat this process on your own if you want to do more reflection on your life and what you want to create going forward.

Remember that we are always creating, consciously or unconsciously. Don’t you want to consciously create the life you desire?

Start by loving your life, just as it is. Start by appreciating what is in your life. Love the people in your life. Be a source of love for others. Be a source of blessings for others. Ask God’s help in creating the life you want. Pray and meditate daily, tuning in to the Source of all Good. See the good in your life and you will create more good in your life. Take your lemons and make lemonade, as the saying goes. Envision the life you want and see it manifest through your positive thoughts and emotions.

Be what you want to see in the world. Contribute positivity to the collective consciousness. As Rev Christine said in her talk last Sunday, we create a better world by our high vision of the world we want to create, a world that works for everyone, where everyone feels loved and valued, and everyone has all they need to thrive. God is a creator and we, made in God’s image and likeness, are creators, too. Let’s do our part to manifest a transformed world, full of Divine Love and Divine Light, manifesting everywhere. And so, it is!