Reverend Phil's Autobiography

I am Rev. Philip Strom, the Spiritual Director for Church of the One God. I am an Ordained, Trans-denominational, Interfaith, Non-Congregational Minister and a State of New Mexico Licensed Alcohol Drug Abuse Counselor. I received my ordination on September 15, 1997. With God’s blessing and my own continued involvement in my recovery, I have not found the need to take any mood and/or mind-altering substances since August 17, 1987.  During my 20 plus years as a counselor I have seen how the spiritual principles that the 12 Steps embody changed not only my life but the lives of countless other individuals who engaged in the program. Over the course of my recovery I have worked with adolescents, adults and families, both as a volunteer and a salaried employee, in a variety of treatment facilities, shelters and in private practice. This experience has furthered my belief that the spiritual principles built in to all 12 Step programs help people deal with all their life problems effectively.

The back of my business card sums it all up, “Without a Spiritual component we do not heal.” Whether the healing needed be mental, emotional, or physical in order to experience true healing, we must address it from our highest, greatest aspect; Spirit. It is my belief that each and every human being is a Spiritual being walking their own unique path, called Karma. The ultimate lesson of Karma is to teach us to choose Spirit over Ego/Self Will/Shadow as our guide on this journey. When we call upon Spirit to be our guide we elevate our Soul, the Spiritual entity that carries our Karma, to a higher plane of existence where a more powerful set of laws govern our being. We, in essence, tap into our own inherent Divinity.

My embracing of the spiritual guidance provided by the 12 Steps was deeply enhanced by my experience as both the host of a local spiritual talk radio show for ten years, and then the host of a local spiritual talk television show for four years. Both the radio and television show were titled “Words of the Prophets”. I defined the word “Prophets” as any individual who carries a spiritual message of oneness with an unconditionally loving deity. The more people I interviewed the more their similarities became apparent. The Sufi mystic Rumi said, “There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground.” The name “Church of the One God” reinforces that belief.

As documented in my Spiritual autobiography “God Is: And I Thought It Was All About Me: The Gospel of Rev. Phil”, my life experiences have shown me, there being a preponderance of evidence supporting my conclusions, that regardless of my beliefs and/or behaviors, there was something looking out for my being. Something capable of the simplest, most subtle intervention to an intervention so forceful that I was powerless to resist. What I’ve come to believe, what these experiences have informed me of is that Grace is my birthright, it doesn’t have to be earned, I must get out of the way of blocking it. I block it by choosing Ego/Self Will/Shadow over God’s will as my guide.

Therefore, my ministry, Church of The One God, is dedicated to the mission of carrying the message that God is a power greater than humans and is unconditionally loving, caring and non-judgmental and that everyone can better their lives by spiritual practice and the application of spiritual principles in their lives.  My ministry also believes that devotion is a private matter. We all define the Divine Presence differently and therefore meditate and/or pray differently.  Membership in a group or organization is desirable but isn’t what’s important.  Connection to a Power Greater Than Ourselves is. Therefore, my ministry isn’t looking for congregants nor will I ever ask you to contribute to or follow any person or entity in any form of ritual or campaign. I do this because all too often in our history, the messenger has become more important than the message.

May you always walk with dignity and grace and be bathe in LOVE and LIGHT.