The Testimonials of Lives Transformed by coming
to the Center

I have found a place where my spiritual path is nurtured. It is where I sing with God! It is where I can "Be still and Know" through prayer and meditation. It is a place for just BEING. It is a place for like-minded travelers on their spiritual journey. We all feel uplifted every time we come together. "a Center of Freedom" has beautiful grounds that are open for walking and reflecting in quietude. I am so grateful that we have such a place.

Fourteen years ago I met a lady named Linda in a room in Pleasant Hill. I had been in recovery for a long time before that happened and thought I had done it all, heard it all, and seen it all. But I had never met anyone quite like her before. I started going to prayer and meditation meetings at her home and then later I went on spiritual retreats.

We are coming up on a 26-year anniversary of "a Center of Freedom" being at its present location. The property was barren fields with a smattering of fruit trees when the Center moved here.

You need only to walk the grounds now to see the incredible transformation that has taken place because of the vision of one and the hard work of the few. This transformation as incredible as it is would seem inconsequential if you could behold the changes in those who have availed themselves of this spiritual oasis.

I personally held a deep and abiding resentment against the God of my childhood. Linda and all the others at this Center have helped me in laying the old hateful resentment aside and in establishing conscious contact with a loving Higher Power.

The Center has helped me in my 11th Step and has helped me to become happy, joyous, and free. My activities at the Center with my dear friends have only increased my usefulness in all aspects of my life and have helped my broken heart to heal.

"A Center of Freedom" is a peaceful, serene, secret sanctuary where I go to seek the realization of God. When I originally started to attend a Center of Freedom, I was looking for a place where I could meet others who were also searching for God.

I wanted to find a place where 2 or more gathered in His Name. I wanted a safe place where I could be free to talk about the God of my understanding without feeling judged or criticized. I found so much more here at A Center of Freedom.

I found a place to come where the music and the Truth spoken lights up my very soul. The energy and the gardens at a Center of Freedom spiritually fill me so that I once again remember who I really AM.

I have been coming to the Center for 20 years and my experience here is life-changing. I AM truly a different person. My FAITH IN GOD is strong and it is real now. I have a greater understanding of why I AM here.

In thinking about what "a Center of Freedom" means to me the first thing that comes to mind is the word "sanctuary". Orange tree The Center is my sanctuary from the external world.

When I set foot in the Center I leave behind that world and all of its troubles and I am given the opportunity to begin anew; to make a fresh start. The Center is where I go to be in the company of like-minded persons.

It is where I can freely share things that I would hesitate to share in most other places. It is where I can go to listen to others express truths that I may already know but need to hear in order to gain an inner confirmation of those truths. It is a place where I can be one of the 2 or more that gather together in His Name.

The Center is where I have been given the opportunity to practice selfless service and have, in return, received more than what I have given.

"A Center of Freedom" is where I go for "one-on-one" guidance and direction when the way becomes uncertain or unclear. There I can regain my lost balance and become spiritually rejuvenated. There I can rest and relax in an atmosphere of Spirit… free of the past and the future and with a greater awareness of the present moment.

I met Linda when she gave a short talk that included the phrase "Joy is the infallible sign of the presence of God". As soon as I heard that phrase I knew I had to speak with her one-on-one and find out more about who she was, her path, her learning/teaching, and what she meant by that phrase. Interestingly, I knew in my heart, I knew... and wanted to know more.

Ever since attending my first meditation at a Center of Freedom in 2003, I have truly been touched and transformed by all of the teachings and time spent in meditation at the Center.

Linda and everyone that visits the Center has a unique perspective on life that resonated and still resonates with me in learning who and what I truly Am and how to be Truly Free.

I have experienced more peace and joy at the Center and have learned to embrace and be what I have been taught. Thank you, Linda and aCOF Ladies, as I affectionately call them, who give so much so that I can receive, and in turn, give to others, to the Center, and in my own life.

"A Center of Freedom" has been a space that allows and supports me in the practice of living in spiritual awareness, a constant Truth-reminder in its expression of the abundant love and care that is pouring through all of those living as the transparency for Omnipresence.

The devotional music and meditation uplift the soul and expands and transform my life. Living an impeccable life in love and service is what the Center is all about. Being surrounded by other Truth seekers is such a wonderful gift.

The retreats and study circles create an atmosphere of continuous search and unfoldment as I travel this wonderful journey of BEING. I am grateful for all of those involved and for supporting the Center as it continues expressing and expanding the Center of Freedom within.

Orchard View Nine years ago I found myself searching for a new home. On weekend excursions my son and I would travel through the neighborhoods of Martinez scoping out the farms.

I felt drawn to the open space, nature, and land. I thought it was a farm I was seeking to call home. Within months plans quickly shifted in another spiritual direction to stay put in the home I was already living.

My dream farm would have to be put on hold, so I thought. Within that same time I met Linda G. and others from "a Center of Freedom". A quick tour of the vast, lush and serene property and the cheerful and peaceful meditation and worship Center told me that I had found my farm or the "ashfarma", as they affectionately call it.

Coming home was the lesson during that time in my life as it is every day…coming home to a spiritual Center with the heart. The mission, people, activity and the energy of a Center of Freedom calls me, draws me and commands that I enter the Center of my being (the Great Space) to rest, learn, listen and go forth renewed.

The Center provides the place and evokes the Presence within and among us to seek and live in Truth. At a Center of Freedom I have come home to the Truth of my being and for that I am humbled and grateful.

I came to "a Center of Freedom" by way of a messenger from God. I was spiritually bankrupt, heartbroken and hopeless. First I would listen but I didn't understand the Truth teachings.

The old lies were hard to uproot in order to plant the Truth. It was difficult for me to open my heart and let everyone at the Center love me for I did not know who my True Self was and I certainly did not love who I thought I was.

To learn a new faith in a loving God was a relief and I slowly became hopeful. By taking in what was being taught, learning meditation as a conscious contact with God, frequent attendance and going to the retreats at the Center, a new joy and happiness started to be given to me through God's Grace. I can now take with me what I have absorbed no matter where I go and share it with others.

Today I live in Texas and return when I can to renew myself at a Center of Freedom. I am very grateful that God sent these workers at the Center as messengers. I have received His Love, Life, Acceptance and a new faith in His Teaching that come through spiritual impartations given at the Center.

Thank you, God, for this love-filled peace and serenity. Your Presence is very large at "a Center of Freedom".

Orange and red flowers when I came to the Center 14 years ago I was not a meditator nor was I operating from a conscious connection with God with me. I was working in San Francisco and on the run, caught up in the world of work and of generally being "in charge" of my life.

A lot has happened since that first experience with the music and with the Center in general. The music opened my heart to tears (in the beginning) and then to joy and a quiet awareness of peace as well as an identification with the Spirit within.

The Center brings peace to my heart the moment I drive in the driveway. It lifts me up, whether it is singing on Monday nights, working on the land, attending a Thursday night group, or in the stillness of Sunday morning meditation.

I always feel filled up when I leave. I share this path, towards the awareness of who I really am, with other wonderful souls that nurture me in so many ways.

I feel a great sense of gratitude for being drawn to the Center and for its continued contribution to my life and to my Spirit.