Rev. Deidre Ashmore: Spreading love and light

COEUR d'ALENE — A colorful office filled with uplifting energy is the epicenter of Rev. Deidre Ashmore's spiritual work.

At her desk she reads books, studies and performs other reverend duties. She might sit on her comfy couch while visiting with someone who needs counseling or someone who needs a friend to talk to. Her arms are open, as is her heart.

Being open comes naturally to Ashmore, who has been minister at Unity Spiritual Center of North Idaho in Coeur d'Alene since 2008. Unity practices a positive approach to Christianity based on the teachings of Jesus Christ and the power of prayer; the center and its members honor the universal truths in all religions while respecting the different paths people take on their spiritual journeys.

"I admire people who are courageous and stand for justice," Ashmore said. "There’s a strength of character and a strength of what is right, doing the right thing for the good of all. Nobody’s left out."

Her mission statement reflects her never-ending quest for love and equality.

"I have come here to stand and be a voice and live my life for the betterment of humanity," she said.

Born and raised in Kellogg, Ashmore is a North Idaho girl through and through. Her own spiritual journey and discovery happened when she went away to college and found herself in San Francisco, then Seattle where she discovered Unity Spiritual Center in 1982. She embraced her calling at Unity and was ordained as a minister 16 years ago, a career that has allowed her to build relationships in her community, serve others and share her passion for peace and divine love.

"I love it," she said. "I do love it."

But even spiritual leaders need time to unwind.

"I have to have good self care on my days off. I take my vacation time and unplug. I try not to go online on my days off,” she said. "That’s why I’m taking cello lessons, learning to play the cello. I can’t be thinking about something else. And I meditate. I meditate in the practice of Qigong: it quiets the mind and the body so it’s a moving meditation. And I also do a sitting meditation."

What motivated you to become a reverend? “When I was a little girl in Kellogg, my mom was a church lady. She was of service, she sang in the choir, she was a Sunday school teacher, she was in the women’s group that fixed lunch for Rotary and I followed her around, so I learned altruism at an early age, and I learned my love of Jesus. I loved to sing, and the Bible stories. Eventually though, I needed a bigger God, so I went away to college and when I lived in San Francisco, I just explored. I explored transcendental meditation, chanting and finally I somehow came across Unity. I was taken with the Daily Word, the devotional prayer booklet … I was reading it and my husband — we were newly married, maybe a year into it — was a mountain climber and he was going (to climb) Mt. McKinley. I needed some spiritual fortification so I walked myself down to the Unity Church in Seattle, and there I felt like I’d come home. There I found a bigger God, a loving God, and I could still have Jesus. I took the classes and then I really got the calling and I wanted to pursue and go deeper into my faith and prove it. Unity Seminary is a private school outside of Kansas City, Mo., Unity Village, so we moved there and Andrew helped support me. I worked as well, for two years, going to school there.”

What does your job entail? “Sunday mornings, that’s always a big one. Also, working with our staff. We have a full-time office manager, part-time youth education director and part-time music director, all of our volunteers, volunteer programs are of service to the community and then also outreach. We have some specific outreach programs — we support Family Promise, we used to work with the teen drop-in center, I’m so sad that they closed. We helped with Jingle Books this year. I write a weekly Constant Contact article of what Sunday’s going to be about. I counsel people, I marry, I just did a wedding this week, and funerals. And teach classes and facilitate programs. I also visit the homebound and those in hospital. So full time, actually."

Is it difficult to be a woman in the role of reverend? “It hasn’t been because Unity ordains women. It’s not an issue. They also ordain gays and lesbians and men, so it’s everybody. In Unity it’s pretty accepted. But I think I’m naïve, I think it’s an unconscious thing, and I think in this community, especially, that some traditions teach that it’s not the woman’s role. So I don’t even think about it. It’s an accepted thing in our denomination.”

What is the hardest part of your job? “Encouraging people that things are going to work out — to live from faith and not in fear. That can get really hard when the appearances look like it’s not working, whether it’s finances or anything else. But the truth is it can always change. So it’s looking for ways to make things work, whether it’s generate more income or something else. Here’s the thing — move from ‘either-or’ thinking to ‘both-and’ thinking. That is an evolutionary in consciousness thinking, ‘both-and.’ But we can create a world that works for everyone. We have to be able to. If it wasn’t possible, we wouldn’t have it as an idea. ‘Both-and’ thinking, so whenever you see anyone, or even yourself, if you think it has to be ‘either-or,’ wait a second, it’s the questions we ask: ‘What if it were possible?’ and that opens up a whole other thought. If it were possible, then we start getting ideas.”

What is the most rewarding part of your job? “Seeing other people apply spiritual principles and spiritual truths and have their lives improve, their relationships get better and they love themselves more and therefore love others.”

What do you think a church's role is in society today? Your church in particular?

“The church’s role is to create kinder, better humans, to really practice those teachings of whatever your spiritual teachings are. They are designed to make us better people, that’s what the church’s role is — to grow better people, more loving and kind. For our church, I believe the church’s role is to provide a place, a community to support individuals in deepening their relationship with God and to teach principles such as the Golden Rule which assist people in being better human beings, living happier, healthier lives, thus contributing to making the world a better place."

Any comments about what is happening in the world today — the attacks on Paris, the refugees in Syria, the mass shootings? "My heart goes out to those affected by acts of violence. We see and hear daily examples of man’s inhumanity to man. However I believe there are enough people of good will around the planet and together we can find peaceful solutions to these seemingly difficult situations."

Do you have any advice for how we can change things for the better? "Change begins personally in our own homes. When our hearts and minds are filled with loving and peaceful thoughts, they’re reflected in our families, out into our communities and in the world. For some this may sound simplistic, however I believe that peace must start from within ourselves. Ultimately I can only be responsible for my own thoughts, behaviors and actions. I like (this quote): 'Watch your thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions, they become habits. Watch your habits; they become character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.' We as humans can do better and we do better by being better."