Army Chaplain Michael Beach discovered the Unity movement several years ago. At the time Beach was the pastor of a Baptist church, so he didn't openly embrace all of Unity's principles, but he was so attracted to the positive nature of Unity's messages that they began to influence his own theological views. Currently deployed in Iraq, Beach recently found Unity.FM while searching for Unity church podcasts. He says the network and Unity principles help him remain centered while serving.

Broad Spiritual Thinking
Beach first learned about Unity while researching Unitarianism online. The word Unity popped up in his search, and he began to read and learn about Unity principles. Discovering Unity changed Beach's perspective on religion. “I began to talk about religion in terms of making people better in this world—not somewhere in the next,” he says. “I learned that my religious beliefs were my own and did not line up with everyone else's. Surprisingly, I was okay with that. I no longer feared what God might do to me if I didn't believe certain things in certain ways.”

Beach also serves as a hospice chaplain. After embracing broader spiritual thinking like that of Unity, his hospice experiences changed. “When I stood beside the bed of a dying person, I stopped questioning the ‘rightness' of their beliefs. I started working to view people with openness all the time.”

Beach says he felt that if dying people received the courtesy of not being judged by him, he should offer that same courtesy to everyone. “Spirit was moving me to accept others and to encourage their good, no matter what their stage of life, creed, sexual orientation, etc.” Beach says he felt such a sense of relief when he started approaching all people in this way.

Unity Principles at Work
Through acceptance, love and a willingness to help others, Beach's openness about religion positively affects his work. He enjoys talking with soldiers and learning about their religious views. “I love so much to sit down one-on-one with a soldier and talk along [spiritual] lines and just share in their issues.”

 Beach often shares his awareness that everyone can have a relationship with God in their own way. “That light came on [for me] a while back and really transformed my view of God, service, ministry,” he notes. He adds that people begin to think about spirituality from a completely different perspective when he approaches them with acceptance.

Although not every soldier Beach counsels is a spiritual person, he believes that sharing his own revelations about God make a difference. He enjoys being a person who can bridge the divide between God and mankind.

“So many lines have been drawn [around faith], and people have been painted into corners and pushed aside. It's just a wonderful place to be … to reach out to all of those people [who feel cast aside], and to facilitate their spiritual development as best I can,” he says.

A Connection With Unity.FM
“Unity.FM helps me every day by reminding me about the rich community of faith of which I am a part,” Beach says. “I regularly listen to Hooked on Classics, Let's Talk About It, Unity Happy Hour, Spirituality Today and Biblical Power for Your Life.”

In February, Beach was interviewed from Iraq on the Unity.FM program Hooked on Classics by host Rev. Lora Beth Gilbreath. During the interview, Beach shared his thoughts on military ministries.

“My job as a chaplain in the Army is to ensure religious freedom,” he says. “But if they [soldiers] will … imagine with me and start looking at spirituality [differently] … they begin to realize that the presence of God, the peace of God, the power of God, is there. I find most soldiers are receptive to these ideas.”

Staying Centered in Spirituality
Today Beach says he lives in the joy that comes from spiritual freedom. “Some days I meditate. Some days I breathe simple prayers, and other days I'm just taken with the idea of grace and love,” he explains. “I stopped judging myself for not keeping a certain standard of faith and practice. I noticed that my love for God and joy in life multiplied exponentially. So even though I'm in Iraq and not a member of any Unity congregation, I am a ‘Unitic' for sure!”
 

Unity.FM is an online spiritual radio network serving a global audience. The network now offers more than 25 programs each week with podcasts available for download. Programs are hosted by Unity ministers, licensed teachers and other leaders from the New Thought movement. Produced from Unity Village, the headquarters for Unity worldwide, Unity.FM is “the voice of an awakening world.”

Listen to Beach's Unity.FM interview.