Jesusonian Loving Service
(Self-Directed)
Instructor:
Arlene Weimer
Start Date:
Tuesday, September 19, 2023
End Date:
Not set: This course is self-directed.
Times:
This is a Self-Directed Study course and can be taken at any time. There is no orientation session.
If you have any questions, email admin@urantiauniversity.org.
Course Description
Our personal interactions can be elevated to the level of loving service when we practice in the manner that Jesus did—with faith in God and in others, and selflessly as a unified balanced personality. Service might be done out of duty, but it is enhanced by a sincere intention to have empathy, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, and to affirm “It is my will that God’s will be done.” When we strive to love and serve as Jesus did there is a sense of joy and peace that truly passes understanding.
This course begins at the foundation—one’s attitude toward self—and then brings students around to a study of Jesus’ unified and balanced personality before taking a look at the example that Jesus set for the most effective loving service to others. Along the way, students will practice intentionally following Jesus’ example. There will be exercises that bring about greater personality balance and opportunities for practicing loving service in everyday life.
This course is designed to be taken slowly. It does not just teach the theory of loving service but provides opportunities for the real-life application of what is taught. Improving how one serves does not happen overnight. Throughout the course, there are recommended places to pause the lesson and practice integrating loving service so that you can more fully embrace this holistic approach.
This is a Self-Directed Study course and can be taken at any time. There is no orientation session. Click on "Register Now" to view the instructions for accessing this course online.
If you have any questions, email admin@urantiauniversity.org.
Format: Self-Directed Study
How do I access the materials?
Course materials will be accessed using UUI's Online Campus.
Level: For everyone
Weekly Outline
Part 1. Qualities of Jesus’ Unified and Balanced Personality
Living Faith
Faith in People
Trustworthiness and Loyalty
Moderation and Mindfulness
Self-Mastery
Part 2. Jesus’ Approach to Loving Service in Personal Ministry
Four Principles of Loving Service
Being an understanding, sympathetic, and compassionate listener
Asking questions to open people up
Offering practical advice
And always bringing forth, in some form, the gospel message–that they are children of a loving Father God, and will be saved by faith which manifests in loving service to all humankind.
Learning Outcomes
During this course you will…
Consider the elements that elevate dutiful service to the level of loving service.
Explore your own self-compassion and identify what affects your attitudes toward others.
Learn about the qualities of Jesus’ personality that led to effective service and develop those qualities in yourself.
Practice incorporating the Four Principles of Loving Service as illustrated by Jesus in your everyday life.
I was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1943 into an orthodox Jewish family. My parents emigrated from Poland and Ukraine in the early 1920s while fleeing the pograms (large, anti-Jewish massacres) that took place in those countries. I grew up with the value of doing mitzvahs (good deeds). I was drawn to visiting people who were sick and comforting them physically as well as emotionally. Around age five, I began listening as my mother expressed her grief over having lost her first child (a daughter) to polio 15 years prior to my birth. My mother’s well-being came first and I became overly altruistic, denying many of my own needs and unique identity.
When I was 17 years old, I rejected Judaism because of the fear and guilt perpetuated by a belief system that espoused a wrathful and strict God. I threw out God with religion. For 10 years I believed I could live a good life through education and humanitarian work.
In 1970 I received a PhD in Psychology and Gerontology, but despite my education, I was still struggling to know the truth about what contributes to well-being and happiness, and constitutes a well-lived life that all people share regardless of culture. So my husband (Buck) and I went on a three-year travel adventure that brought us to a personal experience of a loving God who was guiding and guarding us. In 1973 I was introduced to The Urantia Book by one of my students in a psychology class on Personality when teaching at Florida Technological University now Florida Institute of Technology. I immediately shared the book with Buck and both of us became lifelong students of its teachings.
Through the book, I found Jesus who showed me for the first time how to have a personal relationship with God. I began to feel the true joy of selfless service when I turned to God asking for guidance on who and when to serve others which allowed me to achieve a better balance between self-care and selfless service.
In 1974, we moved to Colorado where I worked at the Colorado State Hospital as Chief Psychologist of the Geriatric Division and taught psychology at the University of Southern Colorado. In 1975 we began hosting a weekly Urantia Book study group which we continue to the present. In 1978, while beginning to raise our three sons, I went into private practice as a licensed clinical psychologist to the present.
Buck and I have been involved in Urantian service organizations over the years and was on the International Fellowship Committee. Our service work has taken us to several foreign countries in Asia, India, Nepal, Africa, Croatia, and South America. I also serve on Urantia University’s Board and as a UUI Instructor, teaching several online classes including “Jesus the Human Father” and “Spiritual Living,” and I have been one of the facilitators for the UUI Café.
