UNITY ON MAUI – Jason Up Close with Rev. BLAINE TINSLEY 2025 Christmas Season

Wow, it’s getting to be the end of 2025. Today’s the 15th of December. Hello everyone. Welcome to the show. Hi, I’m Jason Schwartz, your host here at the neutral zone, mauineutralzone.com. We are hosted by KAku 888.5 FM, the voice of Maui. We’re simulcast on Akaku Maui Community Media, which is channel 55 on cable. All the shows can be found at mauineutralzone.com. This show and all the other ones by tomorrow, this one will be up there. Every show has a transcript and a summary and that means you can find

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exactly what you’d like and there’s a search engine at the top and not only does that search that show it searches the whole website. So let’s say we talk about affordable housing and you wonder I wonder if Hannibal Tavares was he ever on did he talk about housing? You know, 1997, Airielle and Jason did an interview with Hannibal and they talked about this and there’s Alan Arakawa in 2010. He talked about and he said this. You can find the transcript where it is time transcripts on the new age of how to use

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AI. But anyway, that is mauyneutralzone.com. You can also find everything. It lives on YouTube. I think we’re at Dream Maui one at Dream Maui. But none of that matters. Now you on television are saying there’s someone sitting there. Yeah. But on the radio you’re not even knowing he’s there. He’s our secret guest. >> But it’s a >> Many of you know this. Say something young man. >> I am here. >> Perfect. >> It is I with you Jason. Ah, this is Reverend Blaine Tinsley from

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Unity on Maui, Unity Church of Maui. It is such a pleasure to have you here. >> Thank you for having me. It’s an honor. >> I see you um most every week because maybe you guys already know, but Unity Church of Maui has been my home for a long time, 30 something years. >> Wow. A lot of changes. >> You’ve seen a lot of changes. >> There are a lot of people that come and go, but I’ve come and stayed. >> Wow. >> And Unity on Maui is sort of my, you

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know, we have a you we have a logo, the Maui Arts and Music Association. But then if you turn around, you see another one. It says >> people aligned in positive action. What’s that? Mama and Papa together. We’re the Dream Makers Foundation. three different ways that look the different perspective. I kind of think of the unity like that. Unity means >> I may have my perspective, you may have your perspective, they may have your their perspective, but >> together we make it all. We are all part

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of something greater. And that’s what unity means to me. >> What is unity? How is unity? People say to me, “Oh, uh, we’re Christians. We know that unity is not really a Christian church. It’s a >> what what are you you’ve been reverend what?” I’m kind of opening this sort of an open >> I want people to know who you are and realize you are. I’ll let them realize what they will. >> Well, you know, I like unity because it celebrates diversity. diversity of

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people, diversity of spirituality, and we bring in all spiritual teachings and don’t just focus on Christianity. When Unity first started, it it used Christian terminology and the founder Charles Fillmore and Myrtle Fillmore founded this philosophy, this movement and use Christian terminology, right? Because we we the the the goal really is to help people discover the truth of who they are. Discover what we call the Christ self or the Buddha self or the the love energy of who we are and help

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people to really um find their self when you say Christ words. When I when I go to unity, >> people that I think are Christian, there I’m I’m a Jewish kid, so I don’t know from nothing. >> But but Christians and stuff, everyone seems to be thinking it’s a Christian. They when you talk about Jesus and Jesus, talk about Jesus word, read a daily word and use a scripture that’s from the Bible. It’s not like it’s >> uh woo woo. And I’ve had another pastor

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who’s actually going to come on the air here. >> In fact, you might want to get on the air with him. Oh, I’d love to debate with him. I think to myself, >> debate about what? That Jesus was a great man >> and some people thought he was the son of God. Some don’t really, they’re not in touch with the son of God thing much. >> Well, that’s where we differ. Unity differs from Christianity. We don’t worship Jesus, the man. We see Jesus as a um an enlightened being a a spiritual

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person who developed his uh full potential his Christ self you know Christ was never Jesus’s name didn’t happen didn’t wasn’t he wasn’t called that in his lifetime >> the Christ right isn’t that what we >> we usually call him Jesus the Christ yeah but when he in his childhood or even in his adulthood he was probably called Jesus Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus son of Joseph. >> Well, that son of a >> son of Joseph. And so, you know, it’s interesting.

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Christianity kind of developed this idea that people have embraced that Jesus is the exception, right? We in unity, we see Jesus as the great example. Jesus was an example for us of how to achieve that that level of consciousness or that level of spirituality that helps us to discover who we are to to develop the the love aspects of who we are. >> So you probably I’m assuming grew up in some kind of con more conventional Christian church. You didn’t grow up as a kid with the unity. Yeah, I was in

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Disciples of Christ. >> Oh boy. When I got here years ago and joined Unity, you were probably out there in the world and >> I don’t know. So some people we had a guy here was Catholic last week, >> but he’s gay, Republican. >> Mhm. >> I I’m putting all these pieces together and liberal. You know, we all put labels on things. So, how did you I say how do you gravitate? Something must have been a real spark, >> you know. >> Well, you know what it was?

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>> No. Curious. >> I was looking for love, right? In my 40s. I was alone. Hadn’t been in a relationship for a long time. And, you know, I was raised in Disciples of Christ, which is a relatively liberal Christian denomination. And uh I remembered that there were always lots of ladies at church. And so I thought, “Okay, I’m going to I’m going to go and get me one, right? I’m going to go to all the churches.” And I did this in the Bay Area and looking, you know, I would walk in the door and look

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around and go, “H, you know, where’s all the hot chicks here?” You know, and is this a place where I can meet somebody? And then I walked into a unity church and it was different, right? It was spirituality. It wasn’t dogma or or um you know there’s there’s no hell and damnation in unity. We believe in that oneness of spirit that’s everywhere and that um so so anyway I hung out in unity center in Walnut Creek for 10 years, >> right? I I ended up teaching Sunday

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school to high school kids. I ended up being a platform person. I took classes and workshops. >> Did you find women there? >> I did not find love there. >> See, so you went there and you were looking for you were looking for to see what there were women there. But >> something else, >> you know what I found? You know what I found, Jason? I found that I could love myself, right? Cuz you know I I’ve experienced a lot of loss in my life. I lost my mom when I was eight, my dad

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when I was 12, >> and uh four out of my five siblings all died early. And so I had a tremendous amount of loss. And and what happened to me was I I took it all personally, >> right? And really at my core, I did not love myself, right? And so that lack of love that I experienced worked its way into how my life was working out for me. So in unity I learned really two basic principles, two ideas. Love and forgiveness. Love for myself, love for other people, love for um um for everyone you to love everyone. And I

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learned to forgive, you know, forgive my parents for leaving me, forgiving myself for hurting in the midst of the loss that I experienced. And so I didn’t find the love I was looking for, but I did find love. >> When you were at Unity, for those of you that haven’t been to Unity, 483 South High Street is uh easy to find in Wuku. 10 o’clock on Sundays. It’s really been beautiful for an hour. I’ve met so many people over the years there that come to the island from wherever they are. But

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Unity of Maui has a special flavor. I’ve been there all the time so I can tell you and that flavor is our openness is acceptance. >> It’s very very comfortable. You know, >> I’ve seen people in I didn’t know who they were and I interviewing them for a show and they’re uh Reverend Micah Murdoch and David Deerfeeder. >> Yes, I do them. I know them. >> See, they were on our show. >> Oh, were they? Yeah, >> they were sitting back in Maui or Yeah.

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people that are like really different than classical um >> reverends per se. >> Well, people, you know, I I hesitate even to call Unity on Maui a church because I don’t see us as a church in in the way that our mind perceives a church, right? We I think in general people think of a church as you know this kind of elite organization with a lot of dogma and a lot of rules right and and what I love about unity is there are no rules. There is no dogma right everyone every idea is accepted. You

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know what? I I love to study and to teach um different uh spiritual pathways and lately I’ve been getting into uh science and I’m really turned on by neuroscience because science is discovering that the spiritual principles that we practice prayer, meditation, holding our hand on our heart and and being in that love space actually affects our brains and rewires. We can actually rewire our brains for love. Well, I am um glad that we’re talking about that many years ago. I was running,

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you on Maui may remember, and if you’re not, you’re probably too young. I was running for mayor of Maui >> in uh 1994. And I met this woman at a birthday party in Whalo and that was Ariel who I’ve been with all this time. And I just when you talk about all this stuff, I realize how it set the tone of my life >> to be meeting someone that so impacted me on being in the now and focusing on the joy. And you know I it’s interesting. I met Ariel way back when in Unity Church. They were going to um

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there and other things. And >> we somehow were there at Unity Church long ago and gone through people in different ministers of all kinds over time. I don’t know ministers, reverends, pastors. Well, I don’t know what the best term is, but yeah, good. You’re a leader >> and you you really always come up with interesting subjects. It’s really nice that on Facebook, right? Isn’t it Facebook? >> We broadcast live on Facebook on Sunday morning >> on YouTube.

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>> And then I take that video from Facebook and uh rework it. I have to take all the music out because of all the copyright laws. But then I post it on YouTube. So, Unity on Maui has his own YouTube page and there’s hundreds of Sunday services, talks, >> all kinds of stuff up there. Well, wait until I show Blaine how to use this software to take one of his shows, feed it in, and there’s a full transcript, time transcript. >> How’s that? >> That’s fantastic. While it read it, it

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decided it was going to summarize it and put points and >> make the what you said and conclusions and keywords and >> so like I have all these shows that are now part of a library. The comments that people make become part of the record and library. So a growing cooperative >> center. You can do that with your videos. I could I could I put I put the videos on YouTube. >> See how powerful that see the world we live in. That’s what he’s talking how science and spirituality and that

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spiritual principles and things we’ve learned. Science is saying oh >> that’s re it proves it. You mean really? That’s really >> Yeah. All these kind of woowoo ideas that we that people think for years have no uh substance or significance. Science is now proving that these things are true. That we can we can change our brains, right? We can change our brains by being loving. You know there there’s a a study done recently where they mapped somebody’s brain who was

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observing uh a couple in love and just the act of observing that couple actually transformed the person’s brain who was watching right he felt the same >> description I thought that sounds like voyerism telling me watching these people. Thank you. But yeah, isn’t that true? It’s like anything that we do and we see has an impact and it’s way deeper than let me see if I can measure it. >> Oh, and everything we say, right? Everything we do, >> it repatterns our brain. Our brains are

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constantly remaking themselves. And so that’s why it’s so important to watch what we say, watch what you think, you know, and and the what we’ve known forever that what you say creates your life, creates your reality. Thoughts held in mind, we say, produce after their kind, right? Because every thought, everything we say repatterns our brain to to draw more of what we focus on. If we focus on fear and doubt and lack, that’s what we’re going to experience in our life. And in the same

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way, when we focus on being loving, being giving, being generous, being thankful, right? Then we’re we’re saying to our consciousness, to our brain, to our body really, this is what I want more of. So you’ve been doing this now Walnut Creek. >> I discovered Unity in 1990 in Walnut Creek. >> 35. >> Goodness. 35 years. Yeah. Yeah. >> So I was here 37 years. So you were just their entrance of all this time >> at Unity on Maui. It’s grown and now you’ve brought your style and wisdom and

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I want to say style. >> You have a very open and and inviting style you know >> very inclusive. >> We have been really blessed with having >> we have kinds of visitors you know when I remember Michael and Ricky Buyers. >> Oh wow. Yeah. >> Michael Beckwith got married here. I don’t think they >> came for their gradu that came for their anniversary every year for a number of years. >> Das would come dy all kinds of people and we seem to attract people of

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different religions, different faiths and seems not to in any way have gotten in the way of just a beautiful experience from from a Jewish kid perspective. >> Yeah. >> I think I think of you as a Christian kind of at church. Well, you know, it’s interesting cuz many that I’ve spoken to that are Christian or Catholic have kind of really felt that they were doing something taboo >> somehow. And right, >> I just want to blow that right out of the water. And like you said, Unity

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Church in Maui really is a church of of something that isn’t um you know, in any way exclusive. If you want to believe this or that and want to be part of Maui and you don’t want to be a member, you know, >> this isn’t a forced >> thing, right? Some people come for 30 years and and aren’t members. They’re still belong or don’t even belong to whatever they’re doing >> and can and they can have all kinds of different spiritual practices, right? like like a lot of people. You may have

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gone to the to the Jewish um Hanukkah thing yesterday, right? >> I I didn’t cuz I was at Ariel’s Coral Arts. >> Oh, that’s right. Yeah. Okay. Yeah. >> They did a 85 90 people singing. It was beautiful at St. Anony’s. >> Yes. >> All kinds of people. Jews too and everybody there. But after the thing, we were tired and we ended >> Yeah. There’s a woman, you know, uh, that comes to unity who is Hindu, was raised Hindu, and we’ve had some interesting discussions about the

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similarities between Hinduism and what unity teaches >> and I I just love that. Right. >> She doesn’t find anything offensive about unity. >> Right. No, she feels like it’s home for her. >> Oh, that’s beautiful. >> Yeah. like we, you know, like I say, people come and go and I’m always excited because that good feeling, they’re adding to what we already have. We have really just a beautiful B. Every time I go, I just feel the same thing. Yeah. >> What a beautiful group of people just

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celebrating each other and God and Jesus. Like I say, the daily word, it it feels to me that someone that was Christian would feel >> honored in >> accepted. >> Accepted. And like the guy that wanted to debate you, I’m thinking, >> well, you weren’t there 2,000 years ago, were you, Blade? I don’t think so. >> Not in this manifestation. >> Right. So, and so, um, what you might argue, you’re not holding any dogma doctrine and saying, >> “But Jesus didn’t do this, he did that.”

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Right? You’re right. >> Those don’t seem like they’d sort of fall like Superman. That’s not your >> bullets don’t hurt you because they we’re in a different world. I’ve never felt any I never felt any religion really being put down or kind of people being >> no I try to be really careful because I see it all you know all of us on a spiritual path I really think are explorers right we’re we’re exploring the universe we’re exploring ourselves

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we’re exploring our beliefs really trying I think everyone on a spiritual path wants to be the highest version of themselves Right. And I think that’s one reason people go to a spiritual center besides the community. I think what we have to offer and community people find in other traditions is often why people go you know and uh you know we do have a community of really loving accepting people >> really beautiful and >> I think that sounds like a warm invitation. I think that’s

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>> a lot to be said. You have a show coming up this year pretty soon, I think, isn’t it? >> Yeah, Christmas Eve. We’re doing Christmas Eve and the Pro Arts and K Pro Arts and Kihei at 7:00. Yeah, >> it’s not a big place. People got to come and have fun. I hope it’s going to be taped for later, but I know it’s going to be SRO. Hope people get there. What time does it start? >> It starts at 7. It’ll be on Facebook. Um, and I’ll put the message up. Uh, you

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know, >> and they you guys spread the word. Plus, you can send them this show and tell them they should go to maui neutral zone.com cuz then if they want to me this is like a new toy. >> They heard Blaine say something about something and it was when he was talking about this. They can search in the search engine, find those things, find out where it was in the script. Come on. see about different shows. That’s just my vision. But what an amazing Isn’t that an amazing tool? >> It’s incredible.

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>> So, if you were a student and you’re listening to a lecture and then you could hear that lecture again in your notes and see it and reference it. >> See that? A nice way to use an AI. >> I’d love to be in college now. But let me tell you about what we’re doing on Christmas Eve, right? Um my talk is titled um the light that becomes us a new vision for Christmas. >> Okay. >> Right. And and so I’m looking at the you know certainly it’s about the birth of

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Jesus. Right. Christmas is always about that. Right. But I’m taking it a step deeper right because when Jesus was born he brought this light into the world. He brought these new ideas into the world about love and forgiveness and peace and joy and how to experience that. And that was really what he what he taught, you know. And I in my personal opinion, people tend to idolize him for the teachings he taught where in truth I don’t believe he ever wanted to be put on a pedestal. I think if if he could if

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he did come back, I think he would say, you know, you guys have it all wrong, right? It wasn’t about me. His teachings were never about him. So, but my Christmas Eve talk is the light that becomes us, a new vision for Christmas. And then what I’m really going to focus on is the vibration of that light. Uh the vibration of the truth that he brought into manifestation in his birth and in his life. And I’m going to talk about h how we have this manger within us, right? This this place that seems

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kind of remote, seems kind of private, seems intimate. And that’s where the Christ is born in us. And so I’m actually going to take people through a process of discovering that Christ within themselves, that light, that peace, that joy and and great >> show a process of letting that light become who you are. Because I believe that’s really what Jesus message was. It’s really what all spiritual teachers were here to teach us was to find that truth within us, that essence within us

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and live from that place. You know, it’s not about memorizing scripture. It’s not about trying to emulate anybody else. It’s really just trying to really discover who am I? Who is this me? Who is this soul within me? And and how does that soul want to experience life, impress life, be with people, you know, on in this three-dimensional world that we live in Christmas Eve at Pro Arts, Blaine Tinsley, and I know that not only are you going to be there, but you have a really you’ve had a history of having amazing

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music and musicians and loving people right now. Maryanne and Ames Anderson are incredibly beautiful people. >> They’re phenomenal. Yes. And they have a band, Simple Pleasures, who plays around. Just played a couple weeks ago at Coffee Attic and Wuku. >> I got a chance and I saw you were singing. >> That was that was amazing. Yeah, that was my debut singing in public. >> I had the opportunity to be background. Gracias Seenor is a song that >> James wrote with Maryanne then and put

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out to honor some beautiful songs that we got a chance to sing. >> So you sound like a singing star now. >> Well, I don’t know. I don’t It’s It’s a new thing, right? I do play ukulele. So maybe the ukulele and my voice will come out at some point. >> Oh, you can play it on ukulele. >> Yeah. But I want to say to to put a shout out to their video which is on YouTube um um gracia seenor by Maryanne and Ames Anderson. >> Well I looked up there someone said they

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couldn’t find it. >> Oh it’s so you put in Google gracias senor as you don’t have to put anything more up it comes >> because Ames is not a typical gracia senor kind of names. Ames Anderson. Right up it comes. Or you can just go to my page, go to the search engine, put a See, that’s what I’m saying. >> Yeah. >> This is going to be a tool that as we’re learning how to use these tools in our world. >> Maybe you think when they compare religions, I I was speaking to someone,

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I forgot the word, where religions, apologetics, I think he called it. You ever heard that word? where different religions get together and they talk about how they’re the same and how they’re different together. >> Sort of a neutral zone >> echminical sort of thing, right? >> Say, hey, we’re uni. It’s a unity. >> See, there’s a concept. >> Yeah, I love that. You look that up, you’ll see apologetics. Okay. >> And this guy that was talking to me was

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talking was a Christian. I meet a lot of people that are >> that are um >> I guess I’ve been here all this time, so I I don’t really look to see what someone is, but there are a lot of people that quote um different things of the Bible and are looking to see >> where they’re different than others. And >> you doesn’t feel that, >> you know, I do just the opposite. That’s what I mean, right? I I look at it to say, “What is it? >> Where do we have

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>> what do we have in common?” Right? >> How can we make things better because we agree on so many things? >> How can we think that we’re going to be in a war when >> see what I mean? It’s like what if the Russians and the Ukrainians kids >> right >> and the moms all work together, >> you know, and hey dad, it’ be like Lissa Strada and the Greeks. No sex till you guys stop fighting. >> Wow. That would have a powerful impact, right?

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>> Well, not to get too personal, but personal over the years at Unity, just the way life is, you met a beautiful woman and had a really >> beautiful relationship with uh uh Emily for years who >> and this is the this is the love I was looking for. And I have to say after my search began back in Walnut Creek, it took me 25 years >> Wow. >> to find that love. >> Right. >> Right. >> I had to find this love. Well, so you you’re you’ve gone through so much

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>> and you then lost your partner and I know that uh that is still a personal grieving thing, but I know that >> the the love that happened through the years was only lifted by the joy that you and Emily created >> there. And you still you see this whole group. >> We are such a great Aren’t we a really a great group? >> Great community. Man, we we all live on in in all kinds of good ways. You had Kurt Lee there. Kurt Lee for all these years. >> 10 years. >> Goodness. In music, he was something.

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>> Oh, he was amazing. He had a >> and a beautiful guy. >> A beautiful voice. >> And Louise Lambert was there. And then you had Robin Fiser, right? >> You had probably before I guess you had Kurt when you first got here, right? >> Yeah. Kurt and Ken were here when I got here and had them for 10 years. And then when when Kurt left and died, uh then Kin left also because it was just they were such a team. >> So then I so then I branched out and Robin showed up. In fact, Robin showed

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up I think Kurt’s last day and as an observer and kind of was like, “Whoa, look, this place is pretty cool.” Robin was the music director um in Washington uh at a Unity church in Washington State. And so she stepped into the role. She came with her minister. She uh she was visiting and >> Yeah. And since and then moved into that position as >> Wow. >> music director >> and she was there for a while. Now she’s off again somewhere in the world. >> Yeah. She’s back in Washington. She’s

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got family. >> Some people, but we we have a lot of people that come through and develop their lives in different places. We’ve had a really interesting cross mix. I’m sure as uh the reverend there at the Unity, you’ve seen people from all over the world. >> Well, yeah. Are people often come here and go to Unity on Maui because they go to Unity someplace else and they know that they’ll be welcomed. Uh they know that that they know that the teaching is open-minded and inclusive and they’re

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going to find something different, you know. And we do, you know, we do unity spirituality Maui style, right? We have hoola once a month. We uh do some regular songs that have uh basis in Hawaii in the Hawaiian culture and and try and hold on to that >> inclusive group. We have a little of everyone in our congregation that I see there. Yeah. >> And it’s always growing and changing. There’s a core of folks, but there’s also a growing bunch of people that come and come and go. It’s such a beautiful

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setting. >> Yes. >> Hospitality afterwards at the >> at the uh uh patio. Well, you’ve had people that I’m I remember projects of fixing up the church over the years. Very inspirational. People really just get in. I guess all kinds of churches must be that way. >> Yeah. So >> I grew up as a Jewish kid and I was >> I was sort of a wanderer. My father was a manager and district manager for a retail shop. So we’d move into a community and then he’d get transferred.

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I moved. So I was like a wandering Jew like >> Yeah. Yeah. >> Did you Were you prepared to share the song that I wrote? Were you able to >> You have it with you? >> I put I sent it to you in an email yesterday. >> Oh, you did? I didn’t know that. Let’s see if we can find it. While we’re sitting here and talking, I’ll go looking. >> And I’ll just want to just talk about you. Oh, I think um >> see if I find it >> what I’ve discovered. You know, my my

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partner of 10 years or 12 years left on uh August 12th and so I’ve been experiencing uh going through grief, right? And it’s it’s been an interesting process and I think it’s it’s something that um is valuable for people to hear about. Um cuz what I’ve discovered about grief is that grief is an expression of or really an evolution of love. Right? When we and when I have been experiencing the grief that I have been experiencing for 4 months since Emily left, um it it when I’m in that grief, I feel so much

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love, right? It’s it’s almost like I’m right there with her in that grief. And it’s and it’s interesting because, you know, I’ve been part of my process has been um to actually take the time to experience the grief consciously every day to set down look at a picture of her. Uh I light a candle. Um and I say an affirmation. I I say some things. I’m grateful for Le Emily bringing into my life and how she affected me. Um, and what I’ve discovered is it’s helped me to move

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through the grief by paying attention to it. It’s almost like I’ve learned to be with it, right? So that even in this moment, I can talk about it without having to go there because I spend time with it every day. And the loss that you feel I don’t want to say is a replaced because it can’t replace a physical person >> but the you feel so much strength and joy and focus by every day revisiting and visiting different aspects of that beautiful relationship. >> Yeah. >> It’s a good thing to remember for all of

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us that are alive too, >> you know. And all of us are going to be on one side of grief or the other. Yeah. >> Right. All all of us are going to lose people in our lives that are valuable to us and meaningful to us. Um and I I think it’s it’s important to recognize that and to be with that, right? And you know it’s like for years and years people wouldn’t talk about death. We used to take people away and you know put them in a hospital and let them die in the hospital. Now the trend is more

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like be with the person. You know, we had I had Emily home at home when she was in hospice >> and got to be with her every day and and experience the beauty and the pain of that, you know. Uh and it was, you know, this has been the toughest thing I’ve had to deal with as an adult. Um, but I I feel like I’m um I have a message to tell about it, to share with people about it, like not to hide it, to be with it, and uh to be with the grief. Well, you know, as a spectator looking in, um, uh, we love you and we’ve watched,

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we around have watched you go through this process and loving you up every minute and we’re a real support community. Emily was a part of community of all of us, you know. >> Yeah. She was there every morning. >> Yeah. setting up the chairs, replenishing the flowers, doing whatever. >> She made you look good. >> People, you know, she’s she was always there. A good partner. >> Yeah. >> You um are also a writer and a poet and a this and that. And >> I know I couldn’t find the email, but

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>> I happened to people said to me, “How do I hear Blaine’s song again? And so I went to and took a recording from the air off your presentation that you did at church before it went away in the >> ethers. So >> and so I have it misses the first word maybe. >> So it’s right here. >> See your headphones? Pick up that headphones and see where it connects. See where So let’s just find the No, not that one. That you know how to do. >> Where does the wire go to? Let’s just

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see which one. Let’s just find out where it goes to. I’ll give you some volume. >> All right, >> let’s see where that is. And I got mine. And I’m going to You guys are going to already have the easy part. You’re plugged in. This is how real DJs do it. They’re plugged in with the board. I have this use this space in such a nice way. So, is that you, Blaine? >> I don’t hear anything. >> Is that you? >> No. >> No. Uh, is that that’s me?

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>> That’s okay. There you are. And there I am. So, >> tell us the name of this song. >> The the name of the song is The Thunder in the Quiet. And it actually is a description of my grieving process. I would write, as I mentioned earlier, I would light a candle. I had pictures of Emily and um so this encompasses the actual experience of me sitting in front of the candle and talking. Um and in my grief, I actually had a moment where I went into her closet with all where all of her clothes are, which is still a

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sacred place for me. >> Um and hugged one of her sweaters. >> Yeah. So that’s that’s something that’s that’s in the song. And I I wrote this song as a po as a poem >> and then I went to our friend Chachi PT and I said, “Hey, can you make this into a song with choruses, verses, and all that?” >> And so Chachi PT created a song out of this. And then I went to an app called Sunno, S U N O. And I download the lyrics into this app, told it the kind of voice that I wanted. I wanted to uh

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have a voice similar to Darius Rucker. And you might remember Darius Rucker. >> Hoodie and the Blowfish. >> Hoody and the Blowfish. >> And Darius Rucker has his own songs. >> Oh yeah. He’s he’s very popular and amaz he’s his songs are beautiful. So I wanted that voice and I wanted um something uh memorable and deep. So I told that to Sunno and Sunno came up with this amazing song >> and and I s thought this sounds like Trace Atkins who’s a country singer and

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I thought how did they do that? Well in this time of AI it’s very important to say and I think we’re saying it right now. You input your input. You were the creator of this and you directed this tool and it gave you its input. But >> you know just people use AI and think that they wrote it because they just tell it to do something. >> I took memorable lines and created the poetry. >> So when when people will hear this, you can come back in the replay. Go to the website mau neutralzone.com. You go to

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this spot and you can hear the song again and you’ll see the lyrics. Isn’t that an amazing >> It’s amazing. Yeah. >> Watch this. So get ready guys. We’re set to go. Blaine, here we are. Thunder in the quiet like a summer storm. I feel it in my bones before it falls. The sky goes quiet, the light turns gray, and suddenly you’re here, though you went away. I stand in your closet. Your sweater in my hand still smells like lavender and late night plants. I close my eyes and I’m holding you

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near, but it’s just the wind whispering that you’re not here. Oh, thunder in the quiet, rain on the floor, green don’t knock, it just walks through the door. But I love playing and softly I say my love this honors our yesterday. I carry you forward. I live what we knew. 12 years of grace now caring true. And I whisper each day with tears and with pride. I honor my green love still alive. >> That’s not you playing, is it? Playing your shoes by the door. That dance in the chair.

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The way you’d hum your song like a breath in the air. Every corner of this home still speaks your name. And yet somehow I love it just the same. I press my palms together and bow to the past. Feel your fingers in mine. How they held me fast. You believed in folks, saw the light in their eyes. You lit up this world and taught me to rise. Thunder in the quiet rain on the floor don’t knock. It just walks through the door. But I flame and I say my love is fire honors our yesterday. I carry you forward.

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I live what we knew. 12 years of grace now carried in truth. And I whisper each day with tears and with pride. I honor my grief. Love still alive. Some days I stumble. Some nights I fall. But your love like a l still shines through it all. So I breathe through the sorrow. I walk through the air and I thank the stars for every memory we made. Oh thunder in the quiet. I welcome the rain. Let it wash my heart. Let it speak your name. I light one more candle. Softly I say, “My love, this flame keeps your spirit

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in play. I carry you forward. I live what we knew. 12 years of forever in every I do. And I whisper each day with tears and with pride. I honor my grief as love still alive. When I place my hands together, I feel you again. You’re the peace in the storm. You’re the love in the rain. Isn’t that something? That is just one hot song. I mean, uh, you know, it’s very moving. Thank you for letting me play such a >> personal thing. Yeah. Well, I guess, you know, that’s a that’s a

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personal uh thank you to you and Emily for creating a beautiful environment and honoring Emily. You know, it’ll be different going forward just like our lives are, huh? >> Right. >> We’re all moving forward. We know we’re all going in that direction. So my personal thing, I think you hear it in the quality of the conversation here today. If we learn that we can love each other, we don’t have to be at odds. There is no odds. Forgiveness of things that no, why is there any reason to see any barriers?

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I don’t see it. And that’s why I’m so thankful and really happy to have you on the show because thank you. You know, you’re you’re more than a symbol of Bla. And you’ve been, you know, a leader here now for 10 years. You’ve truly taken reigns of the the church of unity and helped people there embrace that loving concept. >> That’s my passion. And that’s why I do this work is to help people find what I found, the place in themselves where they can love themselves and they can

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love each other. I really think that this is a message, as you alluded to, that our world needs today is to move past the prejudice and the separation and and realize that we are all one. We’re all one live. I like to think that we’re spiritual bodies, spiritual >> spiritual beings >> beings having a physical experience, right? And we’re all tied into that similarity and we’re all trying to do the best that we can. >> We’ve had some really interesting speakers there at Unity that have

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>> given us insights into that kind of a perspective. I >> I remember um there were a series of I think it was called I am. Is that what it I ams about people that were coming and sharing their near-death experiences, >> right? >> The temple there, the the places used for different kinds of events. >> And I remember when Wayne Dyer was there and and Ramdass and discussions and all kinds of things and >> was such a loving it’s always been a really great loving place. You know, I

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know there’s a space. They even have a practitioner spot in the back. Maybe someone someone needs a space. I happen to know of a spot that’s available. >> Yeah, we’re looking for we we had a therapist that was there for 5 years >> and she’s left and moved back to the mainland. And so, we have a really nice space available for a massage therapist, a psychotherapist, a hypnotherapist, somebody who wants a real beautiful space in a nice environment. Do you have a direction?

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Look at that. >> The direction >> there has been there has been in the last while. In fact, we hope to have as a guest in the next few weeks. We’ll see where it is. Tom LeNoble. >> Oh, Tom would be great. >> Tom LeNoble is a new input to me. Yes. But I guess you know him because he’s involved in Unity somewhere else as well. >> Yeah, he’s uh he’s on the board for uh Unity in San Francisco. >> Oh. Um, and oh, he’s a phenomenal guy. Oh, >> well, you guys are going to get to meet

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him up close, but he is. >> And they’ll tell you about his book, My Life in uh uh Suits, Hospital Gown, and High Heels, >> San Francisco. >> Right. >> Right. >> He’s a really nice guy, very accomplished man. >> Yeah. Yeah. He’s >> I think he has a number one bestseller right now. >> It is. >> Isn’t that incredible? >> Yeah. >> You don’t even have to ask the title. Just look at the time the number one bestseller for the day and there it is.

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Tom LeNoble. >> That guy has lived quite a life >> and and been very successful in the corporate world. Um he has overcome cancer twice >> and he has um some adventures in high heels that you really have to listen to him tell you about. uh what he does in his book that his book had me laughing and crying uh and going within and really being introspective about the teachings and the life that he’s lived. Phenomenal. Yeah, you should I’m sure you’ll have him as a guest.

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>> Yeah. And uh well, you now will check on that. And I hope that people will really I think hope a lot of people will put their door into Unity their head into Unity Church cuz it’s it’s been a great experience for me and you do a a terrific job and you bring people together and >> it’s just a loving supportive community that is uh out in the community doing more public things than I’ve seen in a lot of years and that’s good. >> Yeah. and I know we’re going to do

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things and I’m going to commandeer your space and also bring you out into some stuff. I hope you don’t mind. >> Great. Thank you. I’m I I believe that that we’re kind of the diamond in the rough on on Unity is on Maui. You know, a lot of people uh I think a lot of people are looking for what we have but don’t quite know what it is, right? people have, you know, been to a traditional church and and found that that didn’t work for them. And I think what Unity does is offer people an

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opportunity to discover a spiritual path that is loving, non-judgmental, non-dogmatic, and really connects them with the truth of who they are. >> And you know, I’ve never felt preached to. >> Yeah. Yeah, >> I always felt that loving attitude just comes through. I guess it’s your it’s more than your style. It’s you. >> Thank you. >> You know that we only have 2 minutes left. >> Wow. What are we going to do in the last 2 minutes? >> How long do you think we’ve been on?

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>> An hour. >> An hour. >> A half hour. >> I think an hour. But >> when I sit I always am like amazed when I start. It’s like, okay, I haven’t planned this. Am I going to have enough questions to ask? You know, you ask. Let’s see. Do you have any questions? I always start. Maybe we’ll end the show. Are there any things that you’d like to say that I didn’t segue to where you’d like to anything that’s important that you want to say to people? M

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H Well, it’s kind of been said, I think, but I I think that we’re in a really valuable time right now, right? There is so much going on in the world. There is um such this is such a ripe time for people to discover the truth of who they are and to make an effort to express love wherever they are to love everyone. The world needs it now to love each other, accept each other, listen to each other and just open our hearts >> and be there. >> Yeah. Louise Lambert song, peace in our

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hearts. That always comes. If we want peace in our house, we have it all starts with peace in our hearts, >> right? >> Yeah. >> Well, thank you all for joining us. Bla Tinsley from Unity Church of Maui, thank you for joining me. >> Thank you. >> Hope you all come and visit again at maui neutralzone.com. Enjoy this show and others. And know that we wish you a happy holiday season. Yeah. >> And if you come back in the next Monday, you’ll see us and you can check up there

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anytime you want. >> We love you. We’re happy to have you. And we’re going to play our extra credits. >> Blessings everyone. >> Blessings. Aloha.