Wednesday, December 12, 2018

The Greatest Gift

                                 "For God so loved the world,
                                           that he gave his only begotten Son,        
                                                      that whosoever believeth in him
                                                                                     should not perish,    
                                                                                             but have everlasting life."

                                                                         (John 3:16)    
                                                             



Some of the Names for Jesus:

Messiah
Author of Eternal Salvation
Author and Finisher of our Faith
Prince of Peace
Deliverer
Saviour
Bread of Life
Redeemer
Beloved Son of God
Good Shepherd
Light of the World
Captain of Salvation
Counsellor
Heir of all Things
King of Kings
Lord of Lords
Lamb of God
Mediator
Morning Star
Rock
Resurrection and Life
True Light
Son of the Highest



How can we ever thank God enough for such an unspeakable gift!







Thursday, December 6, 2018

Free Through Christ

                       "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."

                                                                 (John 8:32)



It has happened time and again,

When desire to stand up for Jesus,

To be true to what He taught

Becomes paramount in our lives,

Things change for the better.

In so many wonderful ways.

We're removed from places

Where we no longer need to be,

And put in circumstances

Where we can more widely bless.

                    I do confess,

When Christ has been in charge

Of conditions needing adjusting

I have indeed become free.          


Saturday, December 1, 2018

For His Holy Child

"I receive not hour from men." 


"How can you believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?"


"All men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father."


(John 5: 23, 41, 44)


                                            CHRIST JESUS








Whatever our work


In life happens to be,


We should question


Ourselves regularly:






Am I doing what I'm doing,


For His Holy Child, or --


For personal homage?





Saturday, November 24, 2018

A Shining Light

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works,
and glorify your Father which is in heaven", Christ Jesus commanded.


The wisest people

I'm blessed to know

At the Master's feet

No matter what bend low.


And I have observed,

These humble stay that way.

It's the way they live,

Not the words they say.


This city set on a hill

This shedder of light

Though resident of Scotland

Reaches far with Christ's might.


Real Christians such as he

Live not for wealth and fame

But to follow in Jesus' steps

May all, dear God, do the same.



Monday, November 12, 2018

Thinking about Thanksgiving

                                                              By John Robert Howell



Does a famine of the spirit

        starve health and calm and ease?

Awake to the Master's promises

        and taste afresh the bread of Truth.

If of Love your loaf is made

        Life divine will fill emaciation's void.

But who's to grind and knead and bake

        before the grace and breaking?

If crust already cut and buttered you expect,

        turn rather to the garner first

                with gratitude.

Tuesday, November 6, 2018

How Does Christian Science Heal?

It heals by employing the divine truths of God and man that Christ Jesus taught and proved for us.  The teachings of Christian Science, which reiterate the words and works of our great Master make these healing truths available to every sincere seeker for God's help.


The purpose of Jesus' unequaled example was not merely to inspire mankind but to show us how to be free from every form of material bondage, physical suffering included.  He promised, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also" (John 1412).


This can be accomplished, however, only as one understands the spiritual laws underlying his words and deeds.  One would not expect to succeed in applying the laws of mathematics simply by admiring the professor's personality or even his instruction.  In like manner, the changeless Principle of Jesus' healing and teaching has to be learned.


This is explained fully and clearly in the textbook of Christian Science, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science.  The law of Spirit, God, is available for everyone to learn and use in his daily life.  When the spiritual truths are brought into contact with one's particular problem through prayer and purified living -- and it makes no difference whether the problem is physical, financial, emotional, or moral -- the result is the restoration of harmony, healing.


The first chapter of the Bible states that God created man in His own image and likeness.  In accordance with this original, true account of creation, students of Christian Science pray with the understanding that man and the universe are spiritual and perfect, here and now.


In the measure that one is able to see himself and others in this spiritual likeness, he is employing the Master's method, who healed sin, disease, and discord through spiritual means alone.  Mrs. Eddy writes:  "The physical healing of Christian Science results now, as in Jesus' time, from the operation of divine Principle, before which sin and disease lose their reality in human consciousness and disappear as naturally and as necessarily as darkness gives place to light and sin to reformation."  Then she continues, "now, as then, these mighty works are not supernatural, but supremely natural" (Science and Health, p. xi).


Spiritual understanding and application of the Christianly scientific, spiritual rules of Jesus' teachings have power to bring a return to normalcy.  As countless students of Christian Science have proved, well being is normal to man.



Thursday, November 1, 2018

What our life can be

When love for God

And for His beloved Son

Is what motivates one

To do the things he does,

Does faithfully and in a

Meek and loving spirit,

As our dear Jesus did,

Life becomes richer in every way.

We find lasting purpose, joy, fulfillment

Obtainable in no other way.

And above all,

What God does through us

Will be the very things

That bring Him the glory.








Friday, October 19, 2018

A Christian Science Healing

For my readers unacquainted with the teachings of Christian Science and the proven fact that it heals, following is an account of health restored from reading and pondering Mary Baker Eddy's book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures".  ("Miscellaneous Writings")

"I was sick six years, tried many physicians and remedies, but received no lasting benefit from any of them, and  concluded I must remain sick the rest of my life.  In this condition, I purchased the book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures", read it, was deeply interested, and noticed that my health began to improve; and the more I read the book, the better I became in health. This I can say truly: it did more for my health than all the physicians and remedies that I had ever tried."

Dr. S. G. Todd, Newburyport, Massachusetts


More next month on how Christian Science heals.

Friday, October 12, 2018

Christly Love -- Essential

We who follow Christ,

Who reverence the Name

Can't afford the shame

Of feeling unloving

Toward our fellowman.

I hope this traveler

Is learning when

Loving starts to slip,

It's more than a blip,

On the divine screen.

It's deadly serious

And needs to be

Corrected quickly.

Those times I haven't

Done this I regret.

                 And yet

There is always another day

When we can get ourselves

Safely back in the Way.

The worse thing about not loving

Is blatant disobedience to God,

Not that He ever stops loving us.

But our Father Who is all Love

Is not going to follow us

Out the door while we

Indulge in a little hate!

Do we want to lose the

Look of approval on His face?




As to Christly love being essential --

Our great Master puts it clearly:

"A new commanndment I give you,

That ye love one another,

As I have loved you.

That ye love one another."




               


Saturday, October 6, 2018

Living on the Light

It has been said that poets

Live on the light of nature.

Well, those who write poems

To extol God's dear Son

Have to have that Light divine

          (At least I do).

Having a small part in

Enlightening a world so dark,

             Is no lark.

For me, it take ever greater

Staying close to God

Relying on the one Author

To hear what to write.

Relying on His inspiration --

       Not my own.


I thank God

I can't do it alone.

Monday, October 1, 2018

Our Oneness with God

        Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy is filled with uplifting, healing statements.  Among them is this:  "Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man's oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage." 


        Many students of Christian Science have found this truth of our oneness with God to be of immense help in their daily lives.  A friend of ours from Australia shared with me something his Sunday School teacher told them, something that brought him through many challenges.  Especially harrowing escapes when he was serving in the military in a jungle.  The teacher said, "You and God are not two, but one.  And that one is God."  Our friend never forgot this, and not only this thought of being one with God was the difference in a life and death situation  -- "a close run thing" he told us -- but he was completely and permanently healed from the malaria he had contracted.  He and the Christian Science practitioner he turned to for metaphysical help proved what an understanding of man's inseparability from his Maker can do for a person, in health problems as well as in all else that one encounters in life.

Friday, September 21, 2018

Overcoming Through Christ

          "Behold, I give unto you power
                    to tread on serpents and scorpions,
                        and over all the power of the enemy:
                                   and nothing shall by any means hurt you,
                                                                   our Lord and Master said
                                                                            (Luke 10:19)


          Let us fix so firmly in thought that we will
                       never, ever
                                        forget it that --


                Without Christ, we're sure to fail --
                With Christ we shall prevail.


                 Heaven sent,
                     Lovingly meant
                              To comfort me and you.


Sunday, September 9, 2018

God's Help With Rain

Last evening, after too many days of very hot, dry weather, everything in need of rain, I felt frustrated with forecasts of none in sight for a long time.

Then two thoughts from Mary Baker Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures helped turn my thinking to God as an ever present help with all things:

God's work is done and it is our task to know this, to pray from the basis of His creation complete right now;

And she writes,  why do we ask for more abundance when the fountain is pouring forth more than we accept.

I of course have put these thoughts into my own words, but they brought such a sense of peace, and conviction that God knew nothing of drought or lack of any good thing, and that His work had been done perfectly (of course).

Then, when I took the dogs out for a walk this morning, was delighted to see the trees dripping!  We   obviously had a nice rain during the night.

Christian Science is such a help in our everyday life.


Wednesday, September 5, 2018

God's Mind, Our Mind

We are God's and have His Mind,
our thoughts from Him reflected.
Claiming and understanding this, we are
from all false beliefs protected.


There is no inharmony in God
nor in His image, you and me.
Accepting this as gospel truth,
we cannot help  but see
truth do what Jesus proved it would:


Expose mortal mimd's unreality,
                  Strike off mental chains,
                         Make us feel oh so free.


Christ-informed, spiritually enlightened,
we can have now rightful demonstration
of the dominion that belongs to all
as divine Mind's own manifestation.
For man is Mind-created and encompassed--
             held intact and dear--
and there is nothing in God's infinitude
for Mind's idea, man, to fear.

Saturday, September 1, 2018

Loving Jesus' Words

Loving Jesus' words

          As I do,

Can help wanting for them

What His Father wants --

        Respect

        Obedience

         Love
   



Do you want this

            for Jesus' words

                                  too?

Tuesday, August 21, 2018

Healed Through Christian Science

From time to time I may share with my readers testimonies contained in Mary Baker Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  These healings that came to those in need as they read and pondered the divine truths in this inspiring book can give hope of health regained in someone in need today:

From Madison, Wisconsin (pages 682, 683) -

"From the darkness of physical and weariness into the light of wholeness and joyousness in work and living,--from the darkness of a clouded sight into the light of clearer vision,--from the darkness of doubt and discord into the marvellous light of the reality of good,--this is what a reading of the Christian Science textbook has done for me.

At the time the book was lent to me, I was  teaching in the public schools of Chicago, and absences from my work on account of illness were of frequent occurrence  For five weeks I had been under the care of a specialist for an organic trouble, and he said I would have to come as many more months before a cure could be effected.  At this time, Science and Health was brought to my notice.  I never thought of such a thing as being healed by the reading of the book, but my thought was so changed that I was healed, not only of the organic trouble, but of blurred eyesight, fatigue, and a train of other discordant manifestations.  I did not go back to the physician until four months later to pay my bill (which, by the way was more than five times the price of Science and Health I had purchased.) From the time I read the book I taught steadily without losing any time from my work.


Wednesday, August 15, 2018

Clean Through Christ's Word

"Now ye are clean through the word
Which I have spoken unto you,"
Our Lord and Master said.
It never fails; it never will,
Living Jesus' words,
Putting Gods precepts out front
Changes things for us:
Mental trash gets left by the curb,
Gossip -- harmful to us and to others
Simply falls off.
Sickness-breeding states of thought
Give way to peace on earth, goodwill --
Relationships are transformed.
We feel oh so free,
Just the way our dear Father
Wants it to be.
The Word removes us
From the places
We no longer need to be,
Frees us from those things
We no longer need to do.


We can count on it --
Christ's Word unclutters.


      *John 15:3

Friday, August 3, 2018

Some Thoughts on Proving Truth

A few days ago a woman emailed me saying she had happened onto my blog and found it helpful.  Her problem seemed to be an inability to get healing results from her efforts to know the Truth as given in Christian Science.  As she left no way to get in touch with her, perhaps the following thoughts might be of benefit.

Many times as I've been re-reading the testimonies of healing at the back of Mary Baker Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures I've been struck by this awareness:  since disease is not real, and there is actually no such thing, what all those people who were healed simply by reading and pondering the textbook were experiencing was a false belief.  Laid on them by family or in most cases, by doctors who told them they had this or that disease.  They were impressed by a mortal mind name and description which as Truth dawned on their thought, replaced their fears and misconceptions with divine facts of being--the divine facts which Jesus taught and demonstrated for mankind and which Christian Science makes available to us.

And, a post my husband among last month's entries on July 5th, might also prove helpful to readers -- "Absolute Faith".

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Truth Makes Free

        I have no doubt that many who are tuning into my blog might be interested to learn that there is a way to combat sickness and recover health without having to depend on medication.  That way is the healing power of Christianity that Christ Jesus practiced.  His words "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32) point to the naturalness of healing from a purely metaphysical standpoint as he did.  They point to unchanging divine law, which we can turn to with certainty.


        Through the study of Christian Science, we're helped to see what that healing truth is, the truth found in the Bible's pages. There we learn that God is omnipotent and entirely good and that man is the image of God.  As the likeness of his creator, man forever expresses these God is Spirit, man is spiritual.  To be sure, we appear to be merely flesh and bones and subject to suffering.  But physicality isn't the actual or ultimate substance of our being.  Life in the flesh is a misconception of man, whose real identity as the image of God is incorporeal, untouched by debilitating physical conditions.


        The growing understanding of man's spiritual nature has a purifying effect on the body.  It awakens us to the everpresence of Christ, Truth--of the divine healing influence--and the body responds to this uplifting influence.  Health is restored.


        Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:  "To ignore God as of little use in sickness is a mistake.  Instead of thrusting Him aside in times of bodily trouble, and waiting for the hour of strength in which to acknowledge Him, we should learn that He can do all things for us in sickness as in health."  (page 166)


        Spiritual healing in Christian Science is more than a recover of health; it includes moral strengthening.  Turning to God in prayer and relying on Him for healing constitute the genuine Christian way of salvation.  This holy activity regenerates and purifies one's thought and life.


        We have a God-give right not only to enjoy sound health but to recover it through spiritual means when it is threatened.  Jesus has furnished us with a precedent, indicating that as we follow his example we can learn what God is and how to avail ourselves of His power.


        The Bible is full of assurances of God's healing help.  These are not empty promises.  They come to life for us in clear-but healing when we are equipped with practical knowledge of God's eternal law of harmony and of our relationship to Him. understanding that a study of Christian Science brings, we can turn to God for every aspect of our well-being, including health, proving to our own satisfaction and joy, "The Lord will take way from thee all sickness." (Deuteronomy 7:15)

Saturday, July 21, 2018

Newness of Life

Getting to the end of life's rope

Will drive some heavenward, it's true.

But why should one go that way to God?

If things for you are looking grim,

There is a better road for you.

It's the path the Master trod.

Above all else, this one thing do --

Resolve to follow in Jesus' steps,

It will do wonderful things for you.

Take to heart what Jesus said,

As sure as God loves you dearly,

You will to hopes fulfiled be led.


For freedom, joy and salvation,

      Now, and everlasting,

             It is the one --

                    The sure--

                           The royal way.
       





Sunday, July 15, 2018

Sustained

Feeling worn down by too much to do?

Consider Jesus' words in John 14:10 -

"The Father that dwelleth in me,

      He doth the works."

Being God's reflection,

These words are true

For me and you.

Humility and reliance on his Father

Shines through all that Jesus said.

Looking to God for action and ability

As our blessed Master did

Will do wonders for our stamina,

And keep joy and enthusiasm

Going in the process.


Thursday, July 5, 2018

Absolute Faith

By John Robert Howell






        To those wandering in the wilderness of sickness, disease, financial woes, joblessness, immorality, or despair Christian Science is the "true Light" which can lead out of this miasma of materiality and fleshly woes.  It has done so for tens of thousands worldwide for over a century.


        Some may immediately counter by saying that they have tried Christian Science and it just didn't or doesn't work for them.  It is safe to say that somewhere within the root of such withered hopes is a halting, fearful, timid, and half-hearted commitment to the Truth Jesus taught.


        Christian Science cannot be admixed with any other system and certainly not with any medical belief or solution.  If one has in thought even the subtlest belief that if Science doesn't work,  he can always go to a doctor or take medicine to correct the problem, he is then already trusting in and committed to matter for a solution and shouldn't be surprised at his failure to find healing through purely spiritual means in Christian Science.


        Jesus made it clear that anyone who put his hand to the plow (of Truth) and then looked back (to matter) was unfit for the Kingdom of Heaven.  One simply cannot put one tentative foot in the  boat of Divine Science as it launches forth and yet keep for security's sake, one foot on the dock of belief in material reality.  The embarrassing and disheartening result of such an attempt to give power to both Spirit and matter should be evident.


        The principles of mathematics are generally accepted without demur. We know the rules of addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division have to be obediently and exactly applied to get the correct result.  The rules of Divine Science, Christian Science, can only be applied in the same unquestioning and undeviating manner. It must be clear beyond the slightest doubt or equivocation that the laws, so-called, of matter and medicine cannot be applied in conjunction with Christian Science.  To do that would be very little different from professing at the same time adherence to atheism and Christianity.


        The very first sentence of the first chapter of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, states:  "The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God,--a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love." (S&H, p.1)
The term "absolute faith" should not be read over hastily.  The prayer that reforms and heals cannot be based on vacillation or timorousness, but on complete and resolute faith in God and belief in His capability to heal and save.


        When Lot, his wife, and two daughters were told by angels to flee from Sodom and Gomorrah before the impending destruction of those cities, they were also told not to look back.  Lot's wife could not resist doing so and was changed into a pillar of salt.  We can't trust God for our welfare and at the same time look back longingly or fearfully to matter for comfort and support as well.


        For those who are inclined to temporize on the issue of absolute fidelity to Science, but who are unwilling to capitulate completely by getting medical treatment, there may still be the irresistible temptation to get a medical diagnosis to a problem, particularly one which has not been readily met in Christian Science, as some sort of aid to metaphysical treatment.  The real result of this approach will probably be, however, to find oneself to be obliged to dance wit the one he invited to the party.


        Medical diagnosis invariably succeeds in fixing a problem even more firmly in thought by giving it a name, attaching consequences, and vividly outlining a material picture in mortal mind.  No matter how practical or informative a physical diagnosis may seem to be, it only adds to the errors to be overcome if the case is to be treated metaphysically in Christian Science.  No medical pronouncement is ever going to assist in spiritual treatment.  When seeking a material solution one pays his money, but it will be a sort of Hobson's Choice, not God's will, which will determine the outcome.


        We live today in a  highly materialistic age, one where the great god is medicine, not our heavenly Father-Mother God.  The arrogant dogmatism of this medical religion confronts, indeed assaults, us at every turn:  television (news and commercials), newspapers, magazines, conversations, billboards, radio, and so on.  One can't even stand in line at the grocery store without getting a thorough dose of it.  It take daily work just to refute and counteract all that we encounter in the course of  normal lives.  To find oneself attentive to any of the medical claims or pictures is only to raise the spiritual portcullis of our consciousness and invite the invasion and destruction of our confidence in God's willingness and ability to govern our lives.


        "Only through radical reliance on Truth can scientific healing power be realized" (S&H, p. 167) This unequivocal and unambiguous statement is not even a gossamer endorsement of any medical diagnosis or treatment.  If one truly believes that God is omnipotent and omnipresent then where is any possible need or requirement for supplementing His care?


        To be a Christian Scientist one must choose whom he will serve. As Jesus said, we cannot serve God and materiality at the same time.  Giving up as fast as practical even material pleasures may seem about as appealing as wearing a hair shirt, but the sooner it is done and to the degree it is done, we win the spiritual freedom, health, completeness, and joy which can never decline, fade away, or be taken from us.


        In her article "Truth-Healing", Mrs. Eddy states:  "It is impossible to be a Christian Scientist without apprehending the moral law so clearly that, for conscience' sake, one will either abandon his claim to even a knowledge of the Science, or else make the claim valid." (Mis. p. 261)  This is quite a challenge to our commitment, but what an opportunity to prove our worthiness to be called Christian Scientists.











Sunday, July 1, 2018

Keeping Our Priorities Straight

Not enough time in the day

To do all the things you need to do?

Your priorities are out of whack.

Consider placing God's demands

Before other people's, and your own.

Think of Christ Jesus, someone

Who was never flurried or worried,

Who was always on time for healing

Why was this, do you think?

Could one reason have been

"I do always those things that please him"?

                      John 8:29

A holy example, this.

But one we can all shoot for.

Even the willingness to pray,

May this day be lived the way

You heavenly Father, know is best

Will begin adjusting circumstances

As only God can do.

There will then be enough time

For Him -- first don't forget --

And time enough for you.




Wednesday, June 20, 2018

The Way Out

When life has you feeling stressed,

And things look downright grim,

And you find yourself wondering

"Whom can I take this problem to?"

Heed the angel that says,

"Why not take your worries to Him?"

You will be eternally glad you did.

Turning to our loving Father

Never fails to lift us up,

To bestow a feeling of peace,

To bring a comforting sense

That He is indeed in charge

Of all that concerns our well-being.

Our heavenly Father is with us always,

And always gives us a way out.




Friday, June 8, 2018

Words That Pass Not Away

"Heaven and earth shall pass away,

But my words shall not pass away, "

Our blessed Master said.

   (Matthew 24:35)

Those who love what Jesus said

Naturally want others to feel the same.

And some through what they write

Do so to honor Him

In the hope that any of what

He said and taught

Shall reach the hearts

Of those now living

And those lives yet to be,

And so lodged within a person

Shall lead to obedience of God's Word,

To peace and joy and feedom

Obtainable in no other way.

Friday, June 1, 2018

What God Requires

Doing what God requires

Is of course no lark.

Jesus never even hinted

It'd be a walk in the park.



In fact, Jesus left no doubt

Just what could lie ahead

In these words to those

God-called men He led.



"...Whosoever killeth you will
Think that he doeth God service."

           (John 16:2)



Doesn't need to be put

Plainer than this for me,

Nor I suspect for you who

Love Christ unconditionally.



But becoming more like our Savior,

The most obedient man on earth,

Shouldn't this be some all out,

Go-for-broke commitment worth?



For we know, disobeying the God

We are taught to adore,

Is sooner or later sure to

Cost us so much more.

Monday, May 21, 2018

Butterfly Exquisite

Sittng on a bench


In the garden just now


Watching a butterfly


Perched at the edge of


A birdbath getting a drink,


                  Made me think.


I couldn't help but marvel


At God's love and care


For something so fragile.


That He does take account


Of all that He has made


We know from Jesus' words


In the Sermon on the Mount,


Where he speaks of even


Of the birds of the air


Being provided for


By our Father's tender love.


I feel His care surrounding all.









Tuesday, May 15, 2018

Jesus' Words on Light

Candy pink roses blow in cool breeze,


Care-free birds dart in and out of hedges,


Someone mows his lawn in the distance.


Of all the May delights that confront me


As I sit here on stone garden bench,


It's setting-sunrays that get me most --


Light plays on trunks of trees,


Light glints off rusting wire fence


A farmer put up long before we moved in.


But there's a thought much higher


Than enchanting light of earth --


It's something Christ Jesus said:


"I am the light of the world:  he that


Followeth after me shall not walk in darkness,


But shall have the light of life."


            (John 8:12)




The beauty of this Light


Can never fade to black.


Its presence and its power


Followers of His can never lack.

Monday, May 7, 2018

Using Our Talents for Christ

Writers who use their talents

In the service of their King

Have so little say

In whether they write or not;

Thoughts begin to flow,

Words are set to go,

And inspiration must be attended to

With singleness of heart.

Those who do this gathering

Of ideas from above

Inhabit a universe they're in,

But all too often not of --

Men and women who dwell apart.



You, world, are richer far

      That these beings

              Are as they are.


Tuesday, May 1, 2018

"Feed My Lambs"

It wasn't a little lamb
Looking back at me
Toward sunset
As I opened the garage door
To put trash out,
But a little masked creature,
Very, very hungry
It (a young mother
with mouths to feed?)
Had been drawn in
By the bag of dog food
We put out by the woods
For any stray animals.
Soon this dear thing came back,
And fell upon the food.
With ever shrinking habitat,
This happens with woodland
Creatures more and more.
As satisfying this was, in a way,
To feed an animal in need,
I thought of food of another kind --
The spiritual nourishment
So many are starved for
(Though they may know it not) --
The life-giving Word of God.
What a privilege it is
For you and me to be doing
What we can to feed His lambs,
To  be carrying out Jesus'
Solemn charge to Peter.
And pure joy!

Saturday, April 28, 2018

Life Made New

        "If any man be in Christ, he is new creature:  old things are passed away;  behold, all things are  become new."

        I can never read these words without thinking of a dear friend of ours, who incidentally was just here mowing our lawn.

        Gaspar first came to Tennessee several years ago from Guatemala, and apparently was quite a rowdy individual.  Drank a lot, got into brawls in pubs, was arrested more than once  Well, this one time while sitting there in jail, he picked up a copy of a Spanish New Testament someone had left,which he looked through.  And there something Jesus had said so captured his attention, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

        We heard about this experience when he and his wife were having Christmas dinner with us and at the finish of the meal, he said:  "I'm not the man I once was."  We were not prepared for what he shared with us of his earlier life.  We had known Gaspar for several years, and you couldn't find a sweeter, harder working, more meek, reliable individual than he.

        That night in jail, he told us, he vowed to become the kind of man he felt Jesus would approve of.  He stopped drinking, got a job, led a totally different life from then on.  And inspiring to us, when he's not doing the yard work he needs to do to pay his bills, he devotes his time to preaching the words of Christ.

        So powerful are the words of our great Master, anyone who takes to heart what he said and taught, and  begins living the Truth, will see  life made new.

Sunday, April 15, 2018

A Practical Appreciation of Christ Jesus

        We were showing some out-of-town friends the stained-glass windows in a famous church when we came to one depicting an event in the life of Christ Jesus. As we stood there in reverent appreciation of the Founder of Christianity, I couldn't help thinking about what an enlightened, practical understanding the teachings of Christian Science bring to the words and works of our Master.


        Many people gain inspiration and comfort from thinking about the man Jesus.  Rightly so.  But perhaps even more important, we need to gain a practical understanding of the Christ-power he expressed.


        The purpose of Jesus' unequaled example was not merely to inspire mankind but to show us how to be free from every form of bondage, physical suffering included.  He promised, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also.":  (John 14:12)


        Underlying Jesus' words and deeds was eternal divine law, which we all can apply.  Through prayer that springs from an understanding of God as the perfect, totally good, Principle of the universe, and of man's actual nature as His image, we can experience a restoration of harmony.  And it makes no difference whether our problem is physical, financial, emotional, or moral.


        Christian Science teaches the eternal Biblical truth of man's indestructible relationship to God.   Many have found freedom from sickness and other ills through the study and application of this truth.  Perceiving something of man's actual nature as spiritual and whole, reflecting the perfection of Spirit, they have proved by healing that no one need be subject to such debilitating conditions as sin, disease, lack.


        On the basis of man's eternal likeness to God, Jesus healed all types of troubles.  His works vividly illustrated the fact that man, as God created him, has never fallen from his original, spiritual state of being; that nothing can really interfere with his harmony and well-being as the reflection of divine Love.  Our Master healed pain, impairment--apparently hopeless difficulties of every sort--through this Christly understanding of divine law.


        Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, points out, "The Christlike understanding of scientific being and divine healing includes a perfect Principle and idea,--perfect God and perfect man,--as the basis of thought and demonstration."  (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 259)


        Not mere admiration or reverence for Christ Jesus' teachings, but a correct understanding and application of the scientific, spiritual rules of these teachings, is what establishes genuine well-being.


        And this understanding is available to every one of us.




Thursday, April 5, 2018

The Epitome of Humility

            "Are you going to watch the re-do of "Jesus Christ, Superstar" a friend of ours asked me the other day.  I didn't because the concept of Jesus acting like a star is the very opposite of the way he lived his life. Whether this was the intent of the producer or not, it didn't appeal to me in the slightest.


         Jesus seemed to me to be always hiding himself, never trying to be a star.  And his words, "I can do nothing of myself" says it all.  Someone said to me years ago, this statement of Jesus is the epitome of humility.  I've thought of this many times and realized, if our Exemplar couldn't do anything of himself, then the rest of us certainly cannot.


        And Mary Baker Eddy has in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures this statement I've found very instructive, something to strive to live by.  Referring to Jesus, she wrote: "He claimed no intelligence, action, nor life separate from God."  (page 136) To acknowledge our heavenly Father as the source of all we do, to realize that God is actually the doer leads to more productivity in our daily lives I am finding, more actions that bless others.


        And on the subject of humility, Albert Schweitzer has a beautiful essay which he ends by saying:  "L'humilite est la gloire de toutes les vertus.  Humility is the glory of all the virtues, in English.


        When my husband was serving in the Army in Seoul, Korea, I did secretarial work for a Ph.D from Penn State who was in Seoul doing research for the Department of Defense.  I happened to mention a book by Schweitzer I found inspiring.  Dr. Clauser asked me one day, "How is it you admire someone like Schweitzer when you're a Christian Scientist?"  Of course, as I told him, I am not against doctors in any way, do not look down on those who rely on the medical profession and find it meets their needs.  It's just that Christian Science does for me all I could wish, and more.


        But back to humility, to think we have in Christ Jesus someone totally selfless, totally devoted to seeing that God was glorified.  A shining example of this virtue--the epitome of humility.


       

Sunday, April 1, 2018

To Carry on Christ's Work

                            (This written for Someone to Christ Brand New)   




 "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature",
                                  our beloved Master said. 






Since I don't know
Where this poem will go
Let me say, my friend,
God not only loves you so,
He needs you, yes, you
To carry on His Son's work.
You may never have been
Told such a thing,
But it should make
Your heart sing,
Give you a life purpose,
Peace and joy unimagined,
You can't find any other way.
"Help carry on Christ's work?
This could not apply to me!"
You may be thinking.
Oh, but it does.
To all of us every one.
Let me say again,
God specially needs you
There is so much good
That needs to be done,
So many who need
To hear the Word.
And this can be done,
Just think, by just one,
It can be done by you.


                    

Saturday, March 24, 2018

Why Suffer Needlessly?

        Why, when we all have a God-given right to be well and free. 


        Proof of this is found in the healing work Christ Jesus did and promised that his followers would do.  Our Master healed countless individuals who were being deprived of their physical well-being, showing that sickness is a violation of our inherent right as children of God to experience harmony in every aspect of our lives.


        An example of this is given in the thirteenth chapter of Luke, which tells of a woman so infirm she couldn't even lift herself up.  (See Luke 13:11-13)  Even though she had been in this condition for eighteen years, Jesus restored her to complete freedom through his understanding of God's law.  Would Jesus have used his knowledge of divine law to remove physical ills if we had no God-derived right o be free from them?


        You and I can avail ourselves of the healing power Jesus employed.  What we need is a demonstrable grasp of what he knew about God and man, and here the teachings of Christian Science are invaluable.  Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of this Science, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p. 227):  "Christian Science raises the standard of liberty and cries:  'Follow me!  Escape from the bondage of sickness, sin, and death!' Jesus marked out the way.  Citizens of the world, accept the 'glorious liberty of the children of God,' and be free!  This is your divine right."


        Underlying Jesus' words and deeds was eternal divine law, which we all can learn to apply.  Through prayer that springs from an understanding of God as the perfect, totally good Principle of the universe, and of man's actual nature as His spiritual image, we can experience genuine health.


        The concept of man as spiritual and indestructible is contrary to what the five material senses would have us believe is true of ourselves and others.  Man's spiritual status may seem far-fetched and unattainable.  But the fact remains that the true selfhood of us all is incorporeal, diseaseless, never helpless.  Our real being is the offspring of God, infinite Spirit.  We live in Spirit and are eternally above and apart from physicality and suffering.  Wholeness is the very essence of God's nature, and it is individualized in His image man.  We demonstrate sound health as we progressively give up through prayer and purification f thought the materialistic, mortal concept of man and awake to spiritual reality. It becomes clear to us that suffering couldn't have been created by an all-loving God, and that His law of only good for His children doesn't support it.


        Even when a physical condition is severe and has gone on for many years, freedom can come, as Jesus' healing of the infirm woman showed.  Healings like this (and they are taking place today) encourage us to claim and prove our God-given right to be well.


       


       

Sunday, March 11, 2018

The Unreality of Inharmony

       The teachings of Christian Science have helped me in so many ways, certainly as to health.  But showing me the unreality of inharmony in daily life is right up there in blessings  In a minute I'll relate one such experience that showed me what Mary Baker Eddy points out in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:  "The opposite discord which bears no resemblance to spirituality is not real."

        When past discordant situations, whether they seemed to occur last week or years ago, tend to flood thought, knowing that God is the only cause, that He doesn't cause evil to befall us, that He indeed knows nothing about it and doesn't see His child going through disturbing experiences, these divine facts always restore a sense of harmony. Such experiences are no more than events going on in the waking dream of life in matter, and they have only the power over us we give them.  They fade from thought when we see that they never were real.

        Someone reading this might say, "But that bad thing did happen to me, and I just can't get past it."  No it didn't, and yes you can.

        When we were living in Boston, I was in my practitioner's office downtown one day when a friend I had often helped in Christian Science called to ask if she could come for a visit.  This very nice lady came in and almost at once began acting, shall we say, in a very alarming manner.  She was upset over something and began taking it out on me.  Angry words followed.  To say I was shocked puts it mildly.  This went on for a time and I began to get worried being alone with  her in my office. She seemed about out of control.  I was quietly knowing God was with us both and soon she left.  I sat there really denying that any of this inharmony had touched her or me.  

        It wasn't long before she telephoned, apologized and asked if I could stop  by her condo in Wellesley which was on my way home.  I did and all was made up as though it had never happened. 

        Science and Health has these words which have helped me in my daily comings and goings :  "Harmony is produced by its Principle, is controlled by it, and abides with it". And in the same paragraph on page 304:  "Man's happiness is not, therefore, at the disposal of physical sense."

        They can help you, too, see the unreality of inharmony.




Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Staying Out of That Valley

Life for all at times can be rough,


But if we go down into depression


We just have to lift ourselves up.


I say ourselves because


No one can do this for us --


No one, that is, but Christ.


As Jesus said, our joy


Can't be taken from us.


This is divine law.


And being so, it can be counted on


To save us from a descent


We do not have to make.


When mental clouds gather


We can rely on Jesus' promise,


And not go miserably down


Into that darkness at all.




(John 16:22)




Friday, March 2, 2018

From Chaos to Calm

          When nothing seems to be going right and things are about to get out of hand, a sense of calm may be the last thing we're feeling.  We can do something about this.


        These words from the Old Testament always help me get on top of the situation."Be still, and know that I am God."  Calm is always restored when we take to heart the Scriptural promises of God's presence.  And His love for us.  We can trust Him and actually feel His command of our lives in place of the upheaval.


        God knows you and me not as buffeted material beings but as His spiritual reflection, in possession right now of His dominion and peace--the same peace that Christ Jesus manifested and said was ours.  Christ is always at hand to calm any turbulence we may be going through.




        Everything our Saviour said and did is worthy of the most careful study.  An incident recorded in the Gospel of Luke, which tells about the time Jesus and the disciples encountered a storm on the Sea of Galilee, offers great comfort.  When his frightened followers woke him with "Master, master, we perish," the winds and waves instantly ceased.  Whatever personal storm we may be going through, Christ is always in the "boat" with us.


        It is this heartfelt acknowledgement of God's allness that will always take us from chaos to calm.  Praying from the standpoint of His control of our lives will replace our materially distracted thoughts with the conviction that our loving Father--the all-directing, supremely governing intelligence of man and the universe--is indeed in charge of everything that concerns us.  Down to the tiniest detail, I have learned. What could be more comforting to us?


       
       



Saturday, February 17, 2018

In God's Care, Always

Some cats stay in,
Some go in and out.
When our Russian Blue
Is outdoors, out of sight,
I like to keep in mind,
These 3 facts divine:


God looks out for her,
Being her Mind,
He thinks for her,
And He will bring
Her safely home.


So for those we love,
Wherever they go,
Whatever they do,
They're in God's care
        Always.


  



Saturday, February 3, 2018

Testimonies of Healing

         While re-reading the testimonies of  healing in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, I was impressed with the expressions of gratitude for Christian Science, expressions which seemed to me eloquent in their simplicity and sincerity.  Here are excerpts from some of them which may interest those of you unacquainted with Christian Science and this book.






        I wish to add my testimony to those of others, and hope that it may be the means of bringing some poor sufferer to health, to happiness, and to God.  I was healed through simply reading this wonderful book Science and Health.
        Liverpool, England




        When I learned that Jesus' mission of healing sickness as well as sin did not end with his short  stay upon earth, but is practical in all ages, my joy was unbounded.  Having spent thousands in the old way, it seemed wonderful to be  healed at such small cost as the price of the "little book" and a few weeks' study.
        Memphis, Tenn.




        I was healed of a disease with which I had been afflicted since childhood, and for which there was no known remedy.  I believe Science and Health reveals the Word referred to by David."
        Kansas City, Mo.




        I have found a God whom I can love and worship with my whole heart and now I read my Bible with interest and understanding.  I was healed of very bad rheumatism simply by reading Science and Health.
        Edinburgh, Scotland




        For a long time I have been impelled to contribute a testimony of the healing power of Truth.  I was healed by reading Science and Health.  By applying it I found it to be the truth that Jesus' taught -- the truth that sets free.
        Kansas City, Mo.




        I am a willing witness to the healing power of Christian Science, having had a lifetime's battle with disease and medical experiments.
        Manatee, Fla.




        In a few weeks' study of Science and Health together with the Bible, I was healed of a desire for liquor of years' standing, and of the use of tobacco.
        Boston, Mass.




        Through a careful and prayerful study of Science and Health I have been lifted from sickness to health, from sorrow to peace, from lack to plenty, and the most beautiful of all, from darkness to light.
        Seattle, Wash.




         The Bible has become a new revelation to me and I can read it much more understandingly by the light received through the reading of Science and Health.
        Fairmont, Minn.




        The Bible, which I regarded with suspicion, has become my guide, and Christianity has become a sweet reality, because the Christian Science textbook has indeed been a "Key to the Scriptures" and has breathed through the Gospel pages a sweet sense of harmony.
        Sioux City, Iowa




        My husband was  healed of the tobacco habit of fifty years' standing, also of kidney trouble, by reading Science and Health.
       Seattle, Wash.




        I have been benefited in every way by Christian Science, physically, mentally, and spiritually and would not be without my understanding of it for anything.
        Billings, Mont.




        I was healed through reading "Science and Health" by Mrs. Eddy.  It was a clear case of transformation of the body by the renewal of the mind.
        Omaha, Neb.




        I was healed of stomach trouble of many years' standing by reading Science and Health.  I was a travelling salesman, and it was a common occurrence for me to have to call a physician to my hotel to administer morphine.  Finally, as a last resort, I decided to try Christian Science, and was healed by reading "Science and Health".
        St. Johnsbury, VT




        Paul said "Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind."  In my own case deafness has been overcome by an enlarged understanding of God's word, as explained by Mrs. Eddy in Science and Health."
        Brooklyn, Nova Scotia


        Just before I commenced reading Science and Health I spent a half day in having my eyes examined by one of the leading oculists in Boston  His verdict was that my eyes were in a dreadful condition, and that I would always need to wear glasses  In the meantime I commenced to read Science and Health, and when I thought of my eyes I had no need for glasses  The years that I have been in Science I have used my eyes incessantly, night as well as day, doing all kinds of trying work, and without the aid of glasses.
        Los Angeles, Cal.


        I have often had a desire to make public what Christian Science has done for me, but  I could never tell of all my blessings, they are so many.  My ailments were many, it seemed, all that flesh is heir to, and were called incurable by the doctors.  My case was known among physicians, many of whom were prominent specialists, as a most extreme one.  Many, upon looking at me, would turn away with a shake of the head and say "What keeps her alive?"  My physicians, who were exceedingly kind and did all that lay within their power for me, gave me up and the death sentence was pronounced on me by all who attended me.
        The "little book" was handed me at this great hour of need.  I read it, not thinking it would heal me, but, like a drowning man, I grasped at it.  I read it, read it again, and soon found myself growing stronger; then I kept on reading it and was perfectly healed of all the supposedly incurable diseases.
       Austin, Minn.




       


       




  







Thursday, February 1, 2018

Childlike

Puppy jumping all over


Delighted little  boy --


Heartwarming scene,


Vividly impressive.


The warmth and affection


Of dog and child


Reaching right across


The street to me.


No worry resting heavily,


No jaded view of life there,


Just sheer joy in the moment.






No wonder Jesus called for us


To be like a little child.




(Matthew 18:3)+

Sunday, January 21, 2018

The Opioid Epidemic

        Was just talking to a neighbor who was also enjoying the almost summerlike weather after so many frigid days. We got into a discussion about today's front-page article in The New York Times on opioids.  This focused on the problem in New Hampshire where it like many states in the US have aa crisis on their hands.  This lady, who confessedly is not religious, who doesn't even believe in God she told me, said something so interesting.  "My doctor keeps trying to make me take opioids, but I refuse.  I don't want to become addicted. I blame the current epidemic on the doctors and the pharmaceutical companies."


        As I walked back in the house, couldn't stop thinking about being healthy and staying that way without dependence on drugs.  Being a student of Christian Science with its focus on turning to God for health and well-being, I felt so grateful no one has to go the way of possible addiction to pain-killers.


        It is a source of comfort to many men and women that there is a way disease can be healed through a deepening understanding of God, Spirit.  The Bible speaks of God's all-power, and it tells of people through the ages who have proved His uplifting and healing power.  One of the many passages in the Scriptures that convey the confidence inspired by spiritual understanding is this one from Psalms:  "In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me."


        To overcome illness does not mean ignoring it but rather involves undermining its very foundation.  Many people are doing through applying the liberating and strengthening spiritual truths found in Christ Jesus' teachings.  The Master understood fully the inseparability of man from God.  He knew that man is God's child, spiritual, whole, and eternally perfect in Him.  Discerning something of our real being as God's spiritual image, and expressing the purity that characterizes that being, we can come to feel the assurance of God's healing help.  It is experienced to the degree that we are aware of God's omnipresence and perfect upholding of His creation, of you and me and everyone else.


        Jesus' healings illustrate that man is not truly a fleshly mortal at the mercy of whatever disease happens to be prevalent; that man is not helpless when confronting disease.  Moreover, Jesus promised his followers, ,"If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."


        Everyone can learn the truth that God is omnipotent, and that man is the likeness of God.  As the image of his creator, man forever expresses the divine nature.  And because God is Spirit, man is spiritual.  To be sure, we appear to be merely flesh and bones and subject to suffering.  But physicality isn't the actual or ultimate substance of our being.  Life in the flesh is a misconception of man, whose real identity as the image of God is incorporeal, untouched by debilitating physical conditions.


        In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, the woman who discovered and founded Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy writes:  "The physical healing of Christian Science results now, as in Jesus' time, from the operation of divine Principle, before which sin and disease lose their reality in human consciousness and disappear as naturally and as necessarily as darkness gives place to light and sin to reformation.  Now, as then, these mighty works are not supernatural, but supremely natural.  They are the sign of Immanuel, or 'God with us,' -- a divine influence ever present in human consciousness and repeating itself, coming now as was promised aforetime,


                                  To preach deliverance to the captives [of sense],
                                  And recovering of sight to the blind,
                                  To set at liberty that are bruised."


        With the Christly understanding that a study of Christian Science brings, anyone can turn to God for every aspect of his health and well-being, proving to his own satisfaction that joy that "the Lord will take away from thee all sickness."


         


       


       









Friday, January 12, 2018

Heavenly Counsel

When life has you up against it,
and you don't know what to do
and bewildered, you wonder
who can I take this problem to?
Heed the angel that says
"Why not take it to God"
You will be oh so glad
 that you did.



"Look unto me and be ye saved,
for I am God and there is
         none else."

       Holy Bible

Saturday, January 6, 2018

A Remarkable Woman

The secret of her influence on my life,
This woman I admire"
I think it was Christ's impact on her health
And life, her heart set afire
To reach people all over the world
With God's divine method of healing.


This remarkable woman, Mary Baker Eddy,*
Loved many things I have read.
Little children, people in need.
But she loved Christ more, she said.
"...more than all the world"**
She lived her life wholly self-forgoing.


This lady yearned to know
The things that Jesus knew.
She prayed and toiled and leaned on God,
And He always brought her through.
And because she wrote what God revealed
My life is blessed beyond telling.


And not my life alone,
But lives all over the earth.
For what this Christ follower did
Is showing mankind their present worth
As God's perfect-right-now creation --
His healing power extending.


*The Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science
**Message to The Mother Church for 1901, page 28



Monday, January 1, 2018

Strength

Need more strength to do
all the things you need to do?
Think of this fact divine:
As God's reflection,
His image and likeness,
held intact in original perfection.
unlimited energy is yours and mine,
a God-bestowed quality forever ours.
We need only realize this,
claim it as present right now.







Some revitalizing spiritual truths --


From the Bible:




"I can do all things through Christ
which strengthenth me (Phil 4:13)


"God is our refuge and strength..."
(Ps. 46:1)


"The Lord is my strength and song"


"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength; they shall mount up with wings
as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk
and not faint"
(Isaiah 40:31)
(Ps. 118:14)








And from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy,
(Science and Health with Key to the
                 Scriptures)




"Anatomy declares man to be structural.  Physiology continues this explanation, measuring human strength by bones and sinews, and human life by material law.  Man is spiritual, individual, and eternal:  material structure is mortal."


"Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good.  God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man."  (Pg. 393)


"God pours the riches of His love into the understanding, and gives us strength according to our day."

"All that God imparts moves in accord with Him reflecting goodness and power,"  (Pg. 515)
(Pg. 5)