For Love of Christ Jesus and Christian Science

O Book Divine

2012-02-15T04:20:00.000-08:00

Whether close to home,
or travelling abroad,
how nice to see people
reading the Word of God.
Waiting in an airport,
patronising some cafe,
how inspiring to see
the Bible on display.
That one cares enough
to spend time this way,
clearly devoted to Him,
gives a lift to my days.
And who knows?
Seeing the Holy Word
being pored over, bold
may lead someone else to
The Greatest Story
Ever Told.

Whence Inspiration?

2012-02-11T05:58:00.000-08:00

It has been said,

I know I've read,

That poets live on

The light of nature.

Well, those who write to

Honour 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 takes ever greater

Staying close to God

To hear what to write,

Relying on His inspiration --

For thoughts worth sharing

Are all His own.

Gandhi and Jesus

2012-02-04T07:09:00.000-08:00

We happened to see an inspiring documentary last night on the life of Mahatma Gandhi, and although not a Christian himself, Jesus' teachings profoundly shaped his entire experience. And influenced his actions. And his reactions, or lack thereof, as was often the case.

One of the stirring things Gandhi said both surprised and delighted us. The narrator said that in an interview, this Indian "great soul" as he was named, would tell his fellow Hindus, "your life will be incomplete unless you reverentially study the teachings of Jesus." We found this beautiful, moving.

I couldn't help but reflect on the need for many Christians to take much more seriously the teachings of our Master. And not long ago, someone who had read one of my blog posts on getting rid of so much "me", asked: "But how do I go about doing this?" To which I replied: "One of the best ways to me, and a practical step, is getting the New Testament with Jesus' words marked in red. This is not hard to find, either to buy or perhaps borrow from your local library."

Reading, pondering wholeheartedly, everything Jesus said will have a powerful effect on one's thinking and living. In the measure one puts into daily practice what Jesus commanded us to do, a person will see his life radically transformed.

Yes sir, reverentially studying Jesus' words is a life-changer.

Truths that free us

2012-02-01T03:41:00.000-08:00

Thank God we don't have to be
without truths that set us free.
Why is this so?
Because of Christian Science,
with its teachings all may know.
They're set down in a book*
which a woman to mankind gave,
to uplift and heal, to save
from suffering that people
don't have to endure.
Why not take a look?
In this book you will read
statements about God and man
that will put you in touch
with God's mighty power --
wherever you happen to be,
whenever you need His help.
These truths Christ Jesus knew:
knowledge that does what he said it would;
truths that make us oh so free,
readily accessible in our day.
You obviously know how to get on-line;
so do some research into the
book I mentioned --
with its Christ-understanding divine,
it has blessed countless people,
and it can do this for you.
Pondering its healing truths,
your life may be forever
changed by what you find.

*Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures
by Mary Baker Eddy

Obedient

2012-01-28T04:41:00.000-08:00

If we do what God wants us to,
we get His help.
If we don't,
we don't.
Isn't this the way it ought to work?
We can't His wishes shirk
and expect all to go well.
Disobedience will tell --
in vexation, disappointment,
things not unfolding as they should.
And could be,
if one were only obedient.
Think about this:
if Jesus had to be (and was) l00%
subservient to His Father's will,
where is there any escape for us?
How could the rules be waived,
God's will set aside for you and me?
But if I don't do it as I want,
I'll lose out, someone may say.
Oh no, you won't.
Our ever loving Father
knows what is best,
and living to please and obey Him,
we gain in every conceivable way.
Not just airy words these.
I know what I'm talking about.
Try doing it the Master's way,
and good will flow into your life
such that you may want to shout,
Oh, why wasn't I doing this before!

God has for all His children
such infinite good in store.

The cure for too much "me"

2012-01-27T03:54:00.000-08:00

When Christ gains the ascendency,

self goes down to defeat,

at Jesus' feet,

where it deserves to be.

For this ugly customer

blocks the good we

otherwise might do.

So, don't go a day

without praying thus:

Dear Lord, let it be --

increasingly --

less of me,

and more of Thee.

Too much sermonizing,

do you think?

But this poem I have to do.

Saying any less,

would not to my God

be faithful, true.

In a Sea of Smut

2012-01-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

There I was one day in a national bookstore chain in our town, glancing through the poetry section when this title jumped out at me. What was it? you may want to ask. There on the shelf before me was this regrettable volume: "Talking dirty to God"! Shocked that a writer would think of putting out a book of poems with such a title, equally shocked that this bookstore would carry such a thing, is putting it mildly. But it did impel some action on my part. Stuff this foul needs to be countered, was my immediate thought, whereupon my first book, "For Love of Christ" - Collected Poems" was published. And eventually carried by this bookstore chain.

Pornographic material where my books appear bothers me not a little bit. Still, if just one thing in them throws a lifeline to some poor soul somewhere in the world struggling in a sea of smut, this is enough for me.

My Sunday School teacher who was also a Christian Science practitioner once told me that a businessman, a former pupil of hers, called her and said: "Just talk to me about wholesome things! This office I'm in is so polluted with filthy conversation, I need to hear something clean for a change." People do tire of dirty talk, don't you feel?

In addition to other writing, posting much on the Internet as I do, people will ask me, how can you send out such lofty things, given what cyberspace can display? I know what they mean. The trash is pervasive. And yet, what inspires me on is this: the motivation is to bless, to offer something clean and pure, something that encourages other writers to do their best -- not scale down to the lowest level so popular these days. Further, shouldn't any follower of Christ Jesus want to do all he or she can to clean up the mental atmosphere?

And speaking of Jesus, I love this promise: "Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you." (John 15:3) It never fails; it never will. Those who live what our Lord and Master taught, those who stand up for God's precepts, can't help but enjoy a more refined environment. And preaching it wherever they find an opening, be a force for good in this world of ours, which heaven knows is a crying need.

Service -- With More Than a Smile

2012-01-21T04:51:00.000-08:00

Service done with cold formality

Is service best not done at all.

For feel ye love for one another,

Is still Christ Jesus' call.

"A new commandment I give unto you,
That ye love one another; as I have loved you,
that ye also love one another."

(John 13:34)

Indebted

2012-01-16T14:42:00.000-08:00

When I think of all that Christian Science has done for me and mine, it's clear to me its source has to be divine -- God-given, without a doubt. The things I have seen, and felt, of His mighty power! It makes me want to share the Good News, to assure you, readers of my blog, of the world of good you have in store if you do this one thing (well, two things actually): obtain a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy and ponder the powerful truths therein.

You can see your life change for the better beyond all imagining.

Putting God First

2012-01-15T04:48:00.000-08:00

Not enough time in the day
To do the things you need to do?
Your priorities are out of whack.
Consider placing God's demands
Before other people's and your own.
Consider 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 something all can shoot for.
Even the willingness to pray,
May this day be lived the way,
Heavenly Father, You 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.

Perplexed? Mind Never is

2012-01-10T04:56:00.000-08:00

Can anything that can (and does) come up in our day to day baffle the Creator of all? The answer is obvious. He can clear it up -- whatever the conundrum seems to be.

God can bring to light solutions that we, unaided, just cannot see. The Old Testament says, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Besides doing what an obedient child of His should be doing, it makes sense to me to be turning ever more to the One divine Mind for help.

More than once lately when we've faced a serious problem and had no idea what to do, God showed us a way out that I'm sure we would never have thought of. So thorough was the resolution, it was like someone dotting the "i" and crossing the "t", so to speak.

I recall some years ago when a business situation had me in a tight corner, I happened to mention this to a Christian Science practitioner, a close and wise friend. "Whom can I take this problem to?", I asked him. "Why not take it to God?", my friend suggested. At that stage in my spiritual growth, this seemed a radical step. But, of course, he was on the right track. And in the intervening years, I've learned that superior -- and quicker -- answers come when we acknowledge God's wisdom and power. And trust in it.

The man I just spoke of, as have I, have gained from a study of Christian Science what its Founder and Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, brings out in her writings about God as the ever-present, all-knowing, all-loving, always available divine Mind. And I for one cannot imagine going through life without this supreme, governing Intelligence to turn to when feeling perplexed.

Our Wonderful Father

2012-01-07T07:11:00.000-08:00

When I think of all that

God can bring us through,

I can't help feeling awestruck

At the saving things He can do.

Do with such power and love,

Which helps me not fear or fret --

As Jesus commanded us not to do --

Finding that my every need is met.

What are some of the things

That I've been delivered from?

Illness, lack, worry, bodily harm,

Just to give an idea of some.

Whatever the problems we face,

It is Biblically-proved, undeniable fact

That our heavenly, loving Father

Can bring us through intact.

So, since I'm writing this to praise and honour You,
Thank You for all the wondrous things You do.

The Love and Comfort God Gives

2012-01-03T09:25:00.000-08:00

The prophet says of God's tender care, "As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you." (Isaiah 66:13) Who of us at times hasn't longed for the kind of loving support a wise parent gives his child? Even though carefree, happy days may be far behind, we don't have to forgo love and comfort.

Many passages throughout the Bible reveal God as the tender guardian of all. And Christ Jesus, who was ever conscious of God's unfailing care for His children said, "He thaht sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone." (John 8:29) The Father's constant, mothering love is still at hand for all who yearn for heavenly help in life's challenges.

Many of us who have felt overwhelmed in the face of daily challenges have found strength and healing through the study of Christian Science. Its Discoverer and Founder, Mary Baker Eddy, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: "Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation. As the apostle expressed it in words which he quoted with approbation from a classic poet: 'For we are also His offspring.'" (p. 332)

Since man is God's offspring, His image, as the Bible reveals, our actual being is spiritual and perfect, continuously reflecting the Father's love. This is true of us all. We're not, then, helpless before lack, sorrow, disease. These discords, which can seem so real to us at times, stem from ignorance of man's inseparable relationship to God, divine Love. (Or forgetting these things momentarily when problems arise.) And they're corrected by spiritual understanding.

As Jesus proved repeatedly in his healing work, suffering is no part of God's perfect creation. Rather, it is a phenomenon of the physical senses, much like the bad dream a child has at night--disturbing to him, yet not real to the loved one awake at his side. And what comfort the child feels when he wakes up and sees that he is not along and there is nothing to fear.

Acknowledging man's unity with God, who knows and imparts only good, awakens us to the truth of being. It brings our consciousness into line with the harmony of spiritual perfection, and this mental change brings freedom. Even bodily ills disappear before the recognition that God, good is always present and supreme.

No mother, however loving and devoted she may be, can be present with her child at all times and under every circumstnace. But the heavenly Father-Mother God, can be and is. As children of infinite, divine Love, you and I have continuous access to its unfailing, inexhaustible, exquisitely comforting care.

Some Thoughts on Retirement

2012-01-01T08:46:00.000-08:00

The woman sitting down the bench from me that day told me she had just retired. "I don't know what to do all day. There's not enough to fill the hours", she lamented. An air of boredom, almost dejection, hovered over her. How very sad, I thought.

Although decades away from so-called retirement myself, something about this woman made me think. "I'm never going to give up an active life", I vowed. And I haven't.

With so much to learn and see and do in life, why shut ourselves down? As Arthur Fiedler, the long-time conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra once said in an interview, "He who rests, rots." And Albert Schweitzer wrote: "The great secret of success is to go through life as a man who never gets used up." Both these pieces of advice from men who led a very productive life in their later years have stayed with me.

After all, age is so mental, don't you think? I've known individuals who were quite young in years who already had an aspect about them of being out to pasture, so to speak. And conversely, those inspiring men and women who not only acted youthful; they looked that way. How could they not, given their lives of meaningful activity and usefulness to their communities and often the whole world?

When it comes to the subject of retirement, one finds divided feelings--some for, some vehemently against. To one person, retirement conveys the picture of long-awaited leisure; to another, the dread of enforced idleness, unhappiness, and loss of purpose.

But whether one's personal preference is for a rest or for continued activity, he could scarcely look forward to experiencing what the dictionary says about "retire", which is, in part, to "retreat", "recede", or "withdraw."

It isn't only the person who is retiring from business after decades of service who faces the lurking foe of uselessness. This challenge also cuts into that segment of society composed of younger people. For example, veterans back from current engagements in the military can feel retired even though they have yet to begin their life's work.

And housewives who have not spent one day within the walls of business can feel a haunting emptiness. They may find that wanting to be a conscientious wife and mother does not along bring the total fulfillment they were educated to expect. And this can sometimes almost make them feel retired against their will. Some think the solution is to go out and get a job. But then they learn that just as many office workers experience the same discontent. No, something more is needed.

When the feeling of "What am I really living for?" overtakes one, this may be an indication that he is actually ready to think about helping others, doing more good in the world, forgetting about self so much. And goodness knows, the opportunities that lie down this road are vast, for a person who is mentally and physically able to be up and doing.

I'm so grateful to have learned in Christian Science that there is one activity that needs us permanently: reflecting God. Our employment is to bear witness to unending Life and Love, and this activity never terminates. God's perfect idea, man, is never for a moment kept from reflecting God.

We read in the New Testament, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."
(II Timothy 2:15)

One need look no further than this to find all the activity and purpose he can handle. The pursuit of spiritual understanding is, of itself, a full-time activity and it leads to increased harmony, supply, and satisfaction in our everyday experience. While human activities sometimes fluctuate, dwindle, and come to a close, spiritual ones constantly expand. Gaining and practicing spiritual truths bring opportunities to acquire still more discernment--and ways to put it to use. Can one, for instance, run out of others to bless?

It isn't uncommon for advanced thinkers who have grasped the importance of making a difference to mankind -- especially those who are students of Christian Science and are learning of man's spiritual, ageless, eternal selfhood -- to continue in a useful, satisfying enterprise for years. And they often find a completely new line of endeavor. Their lives prove that it is never too late for one who understands that he has God-given talents that could be being put to good use for the welfare of others.

God's idea, man, simply must be useful, for he reflects the endless activity of God, infinite Mind. Suggestions that he isn't--or will not be--are mere false beliefs, and therefore can be disproven. Christ Jesus said, "I must be about my Father's business." (Luke 2:49) And so must you and I.

Those men and women I admire, benefactors of mankind all--the Leader of my Church, Mary Baker Eddy, being foremost among them--did not find a cushy chair and put their feet up (figuratively speaking, that is.)

So, here's to greater usefulness in the world--maintaining one's sense of wonder, adventure, excitement, expectancy. With the knowledge of who we are as God's very reflection, we can look forward to ever-expanding horizons, to satisfying activity that never ends.

Being Mary, Not Martha

2012-01-01T05:06:00.000-08:00

There's much I want to get done today, and my work? to leave some things by the way, and accomplish the rest, so that more of His children may be blest. To help with this, I thought of this gentle reminder Jesus made to a follower one day:

"Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: but Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
(Luke 10:41, 42)

When I think of all the time that has been wasted that could have been devoted to better things! Well, I can see, I must deal firmly with mundane things that get in the way -- definitely with one thing: people who tie me up in long-winded conversations benefitting mostly themselves.

With my Master's pointed reminder before me, this day -- and year -- will be different.

And this from Mary Baker Eddy: "People with mental work before them have no time for gossip about false law or testimony." Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 238

And this bit from a friend in Scotland who shared this expression: "After all's said and done, there's a lot more said than there is done."

How Wonderful...

2012-01-01T03:24:00.000-08:00

...it is to get to blog on my favorite topics: Christ Jesus and Christian Science.

I can't wait to see what thoughts God will give to me, to give to you.

And here's to a truly new New Year for us all, filled with increased spiritual

understanding of Him, greater subservience to His will, and devotion to

Christ's work. And most important of all, much more love for our heavenly

Father and for His children.

With life in Christ, progress/newness/adventure are a sure thing.

A Christmas Card

2011-12-21T08:46:00.000-08:00

Just received a special card for this time of year, and its simple message stirred my heart. It was sent by a man of business we know, who is first and foremost a Christian. I feel it should be repeated on this blog:

"We celebrate Jesus, love's pure light."

And the Scriptural passage that accompanied it -- "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him."
(I John 4:9)

What better way to celebrate Christmas -- and Jesus --than reflecting more of God's dear love to all.

Power: His, Not Ours

2011-12-20T12:02:00.000-08:00

With Christ we shall prevail.

Without Christ we're sure to fail.

"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the

same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."

JESUS

A Heads-Up From Jesus

2011-12-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

In telling his disciples about things to come, Christ Jesus spoke of "men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth." (Luke 21:26, 28)

Many people may be ready to conclude that these days are upon us. They feel disillusioned, depressed. Many lose heart.

This, however, is the thing we shouldn't do when faced with disheartening circumstances, because Jesus not only warned us of eventual upheaval, but also said, "When these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads: for your redemption draweth nigh."

Our freedom from fear and hopelessness can come as we begin to understand something of God's government of man and the universe. Christian Science, in accord with the spirit of the Bible, shows one how to look up, through enlightened prayer, to find God's ever-present, redeeming help. In the Old Testament the prophet Jeremiah exclaims: "Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee." (Jeremiah 32:17)

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes in
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: "It is our ignorance of God, the divine Principle, which produces apparent discord, and the right understanding of Him restores harmony." (page 390) Challenges do seem hopeless to us if we believe God to be less than infinite, almighty good and if we think of man as separated from God, left to fend for himself in a haphazard, material universe. But there is great reason for hope when we come to see that God is indeed the supreme benevolent power the Bible teaches Him to be and that man is His expression, inseparable from Him, loved by Him, secure in Him. And so important to know, governed by divine law.

The basis of Jesus' unfailing ability to subdue difficulties of every description was his practical understanding of divine law, his consciousness of man's spiritual relationship to God. He saw beyond the faulty, fleshly sense of man as a sinful or sick mortal to the reality of man as God's spiritual likeness. When we come to realize through prayer that God is continously maintaining all in spiritual harmony and perfection we can begin to see there is no hopeless situation, no insoluble problem, no matter how bad things look.

"But I have every right to feel depressed, downhearted," one may say. "Personal problems are very challenging for me right now." But not even this places one in a hopeless situation, because prayer is being answered today through an understanding of what God and man really are, through an understanding that the actual status of man is spiritual perfection, transcending what the eye beholds. Christian Science shows any sincere, thoughtful seeker for freedom how he can find healing, and it doesn't matter whether the trouble is physical, emotional, moral, or financial.

What we think of as a physical condition is, in the most fundamental sense, the objectification of our thinking. And so as we purify--or spiritualize--our thoughts, it naturally follows that our life becomes more harmonious, more in line with God's law of good.

Because your daily experience, like mine, is an expression of thought, the great need is for a change of mental standpoint. Through prayer we need to gain a correct, spiritual view of man as the image of God. In other words, we need to realize that inharmony of whatever kind is not a parat of our real selfhood made in God's likeness.

Accepting the premise that God is perfect Spirit, as the Bible teaches, we realize that the creations of Spirit can only be spiritual, perfect. And this is the reality of our being, despite appearances to the contrary. No matter how real it appears to be, a hopeless condition has no true existence in God's sight. Why? Because God never made it.

Regardless of how joyless or desolate life may sometimes seem, there is no need for anyone to give up. God's love is in continuous operation, and it is sustaining each one of us. Our Saviour, Jesus, showed us this--conclusively.

God's Artistry

2011-12-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

Winter's here, for a time,

and I love its glitter:

shining streams,

brilliant tree trunks,

sparkling grass,

all look to me

like crushed diamonds.

And in a certain light,

on the ground,

rubies, emeralds,

and sapphires, too.

His priceless gifts

are all around.

And so is He.

The Greatest Gift

2011-12-04T05:21:00.000-08:00

With people scurrying around

Christmas gifts to find,

This comes to mind,

Something some time ago I read:

"Have I thanked You enough today

For Your unspeakable gift?"

A famous man more than once said,

Was heard by his men to pray --

American Civil War general

Robet E. Lee.

It was, of course, Jesus

He was referring to.

Think of the influence for good

On those who heard him say it,

And on those who have read

His stirring words since.

How grateful are we

For what God has given us?

Let us

Boldly, Humbly, say.

(Can't help thinking this morning about another gift to mankind, and that the Discovery of Christian Science by Mary Baker Eddy -- especially her great book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. The truths therein honour God's holy child in a sublime way in that it makes available to suffering humanity the truths that were the basis of Jesus' marvelous works.)

Mind Can Show Us How

2011-12-02T03:54:00.000-08:00

At exactly 5:50 the other night

(I could hardly wait!)

Turned on the tiny white lights

Around doorway, on bushes and trees,

And around the front of the house.

A lovely, magical sight.

Twice I almost called a neighbor

To help me connect the maze.

Instead, I turned to Mind,

And voila the job was a breeze.

(I can never be thankful enough for what Christian Science has taught me about God as the ever-present, all-knowing Mind that has an answer to every problem we encounter in daily life.)

Avoiding Destruction

2011-11-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

To avoid destruction worthy of the name,

Embrace the narrow path Jesus taught

His followers to take in life.

Why did our Master say this to us?

To take all the joy out of living?

Ridiculous thought.

It was to save us from the sorrow,

The disillusionment and lack

Of all things worth having

That inevitably comes from

Taking the world's way.

And the worst thing about

Disobeying Jesus' command?

It leads to a sense of

Living apart from God,

To absence of the lasting good

Our wonderful God alone can give.

So, no matter how far down the broad way

You may have gone -- even if almost to the end --

You can turn around now and adopt

The true, the only, way to live.

Your heavenly Father wants you safe with Him.

Our Reason for Being...

2011-11-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

...is to bless others. At least, I hope this is what many have awakened to as their purpose in life. Of course, there are a host of things that will try to prevent this divine activity. And what I'm thinking about right now is what discouragement and self-pity will do to block the good we might otherwise do.

Let's take self-pity. This is bad, really bad. If it were from our heavenly Father, we would do the best we could with it and grow stronger thereby. But of course it isn't. It's from the carnal mind, evil if you will, and while we're wallowing in such a state of thought, and wallowing is not too strong a word, (picture yourself doing this -- dignified, isn't it?) we're lost in self , and can't be about our business of loving and serving others.

Remember this: it isn't us the devil is after; it's to interfere with Christ working in us to bless others.

As the woman who founded Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, points out in her writings: "All power and happiness are spiritual, and proceed from goodness. Sacrifice self to bless one another, even as God has blessed you."
(Miscellaneous Writings, page 155.)

November Wind

2011-11-16T03:45:00.000-08:00

Ah, the wind is in the tree

And there are few sounds to me

As comforting in nature,

Yes, comforting --

Not mournful or forboding

As it seems to some.

The wind makes me feel

Enveloped, safe, protected.

And why not,

Since God is all around.

(When out and about on windy days, or evenings, I always think of something Mary Baker Eddy points out in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures where she says of wind: "That which indicates the might of omnipotence and the movements of God's spiritual government..."

What a treasure!

2011-11-10T04:59:00.000-08:00

A lady I know in New Zealand just emailed me her sentiments about free public libraries. She's with a library in one of her country's largest cities, and she said, in essence, "To me libraries are a wonder and a treasure, and I can't imagine my life without them." Needless to say, I agree with her completely.

But her comments about something being a treasure made me think of my religion, Christian Science. It is a God-given treasure to me (and to many others), and I can't imagine what my life would be, and would have been, without its teachings.

How often I've thought with gratitude what I owe my mother and the neighbor who spoke to her of Christian Science when there was such a need for better health. Battling a condition kind doctors had not been able to heal, for many years, this neighbor noticed my mother's suffering. She had two small children, and existence was not easy given her ill health. Mary Baker Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures was mentioned as having brought healing to many around the world, and this interested my mother greatly. She obtained a copy of this book, began reading and pondering the truths therein. And not all the way through her reading, a dramatic healing took place. Her joy was unbounded, as anyone can imagine. She became a devoted student of Christian Science and had many proofs of God's mighty power over the years, as did we children.

There are treasures in this life, and then there are treasures. And at the top of my list is the invaluable help Christian Science brings to my life every single day.

God is With You

2011-11-07T03:50:00.000-08:00

"God is with you in everything you do"* -- words so very true, words meant for me and you. They're on a bookmark a friend sent us from afar, and I see this little gift in a book I read every day.

Whether it's day or night, whether we're at home or far away, whether we're feeling up and cheery, or downhearted and weary, what a faith-lighted thought this is, that our loving Father is never apart from us.

Is this not glorious to think about? That His care does surround us. Not only us, but those we love--beside them always, above. And not only those we're close to, and friends we greet, but people on the other side of the world we may never meet.

What would mankind do if these words were not true? But oh they are -- something which circumstances we encounter cannot erase.

God with us -- what a treasure, a comforting presence without measure.

*See Genesis 21:22

The Radical Difference Christ Makes

2011-11-01T03:49:00.000-07:00

Am I suggesting that making

Christ the focus of one's life,

Looking to Him for all that

Makes life wonderful,

Living in obedience to what He taught,

That challenges will suddenly cease?

In no way.

As many of us already know,

there are going to be difficulties.

But our day-to-day experience

Becomes, because of Christ,

Much more alive --

Healthier, happier, free --

The way our Father wants it to be.

Life becomes a real adventure.

And in the situations that once

Would have defeated us,

We now find ourselves

Having the mastery.

(As only Paul could put it: "We give thanks to God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ...Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son" (Colossians 3 and 13)

When We're up Against it

2011-10-25T04:19:00.000-07:00

Not long ago we happened to see a program on World War II, on the Pacific campaign. The battle of Iwo Jima, to be exact. Although I knew about the fierce fighting that went on there due to a close friend of my mother's who served in the Marines and shared some of his experience, someting new came to light. The narrator said that 1out of 3 Marines was either killed or wounded. 1 out of 3!

I couldn't help thinking about Frank who came through that murderous conflict with not a scratch. Many pounds thinner, but this was all. And to what did this boy (which he was, only 18) owe his deliverance? To the conviction he had gained from studying Christian Science that God was always with him. He was in fact a student in the Sunday School at the time of his enlistment, and what he had learned there brought him through intact, he said.

And the WWII experience involved a friend of ours in Australia. Paul served in the Solomon Islands and was also a lifelong student of Christian Science. To what did he ower his safety through months of intense jungle fithting? It was this, he once told me. I knew that "God and I are not two, but one, and that one is God."

Where ddi this concept of God's ever presence come from? He said it was primarily this statement from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: "Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man's oneness with God, and for this we owe him endless homage." (page 18)

As these two friends proved, when we feel up against it and the situation appears dire, one who trusts in God's care who as the Bible assures us time and time again, is an ever-present, unfailing help in trouble, can come through unscathed.

It is obvious that Christ Jesus fully realized the inseparability of man from God. He taught that man is God's own child, safe in the care and love of his Creator, regardless of appearances. I've thought often of the time when our Master was in a crowd. Some of the people intended to throw him off a hill. And yet, we read that he passed through the midst of them, totally untouched.

The Psalmist sang, "Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations." (Ps 90:1) It is for this reason that in truth we are eternally exempt from harm of any kind. I like to think about this: we have actually never been apart from our divine source, God--not even for a moment. As His offspring, dwelling in Him, we are and have always been preserved by His unerring laws of order, safety and exemption from dangerous conditions. What a potent help this is in everyday life, I have found many times.

Frank, who was highly decorated but wouldn't own up to his heroism if placed before a firing squad, lives near us. In Oak Ridge, Tennesee whom we see from time to time. And Paul, who has passed on, has left us a lovely reminder of his friendship. Atop a bookcase is a platypushe he carved himself out of rare Tasmanian wood. And we have his poetry. I feel sure Paul is creating still, life for him and others made even more fruitful by that unseen felt Presence so many God-trusting individuals know.

Giving back to God

2011-10-14T06:07:00.000-07:00

We watched an interesting documentary last night on the remarkable building that Egyptians did a couple of centuries before Jesus appeared. And thinking about the monuments they raised to honor their Pharoahs, I couldn't help pondering this verse from the Old Testament: "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?" (Psalms 116:12) Is this not a sublime prayer!

When one thinks of all the blessings our loving heavenly Father daily pours out upon us, it is natural that we would want to give back in some way. One can well understand men's desire through the centuries to erect structures reaching up to the heavens. Contemplating all this on my early morning walk with one of our dogs, I concluded that the best way to acknowledge God's gifts is to take seriously what He gave His Son to give to us. As God says in the New Testament: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." (Matthew 17:5)

What higher monument could we build to show our gratitude than living what Jesus commanded? And being a student of the Christ Science, I followed out my thinking on this theme, that the way we honor our Father is staying true to what Mary Baker Eddy has revealed of the truths that were the basis of our Master's glorious teachings and healings.

A book that transforms lives

2011-10-12T04:36:00.000-07:00

Every so often I re-read the testimonies of healing at the conclusion of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy's masterwork, and just now came across something I must send into cyberspace. It's found on page 644 and describes so well what many of us have experienced through our encounter with this God-inspired volume.

The writer from Bloomfield, Nebraska says: "Like a prisoner who had been in chains for years, I was suddenly set free. I did not then know how the chain had been removed, but I had to acknowledge that it came through the reading of this book. I then felt an ardent desire to read more and to know what this power was that had freed in a few days of that which I had been trying for years to shake off and had failed. It then became clear to me that this was the truth which Jesus Christ taught and preached to free humanity almost two thousand years ago."

How many of us can say an Amen to this. This book the man refers to is available today, thank God, and is in most public libraries where you can check out a copy. Or it can be obtained on-line, or from a Christian Science Reading Room. What has done wonders for countless others, can transform your life. And God being in charge of this blog I'm doing, I know He can cause someone in need in any part of the globe to read this, be inspired to get Science and Health, and start on an amazing spiritual journey.

As to "The Broken Net"

2011-10-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

In an August blog post here, I mentioned a new website my husband had just started. Well, some readers noticed a similarity to another website on Christian Science which was widely read and discussed, and inquired if that one could have had the same author. My husband replied as follows:

Things without all remedy/Should be without regard: what's done is done. -
"Macbeth" (Shakespeare)

Let me say, of all the people I know who feel a deep love for the Cause of Christian Science, and respect for its Discoverer and Founder, Mary Baker Eddy, and have worked tirelessly to uphold the purity of the teachings of Divine Science, I'm married to one shining example.

Mind's Artistry

2011-10-08T06:34:00.000-07:00

I may not come in until December! Autumn being my favorite month -- especially October -- it's just too glorious outdoors to do much inside. Not the autumn we knew in New England, but close. Really close. Case in point: while sitting outside just now with one of our dogs reveling in the crisp, invigorating air, I happened to see something quite amazing. There above a shrub was the most perfect spider web I've ever seen. A perfect, large circle with the little artist sitting inside. How one tiny thing could create something so symmetrical and so beautiful with the sun hitting it! But being one of God's, Mind's creatures, it shouldn't be so surprising to me.

Couldn't help thinking of something Mary Baker Eddy writes in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (page 468): "All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all."

To think that from the smallest of His creations to man himself, we are what God has formed, a manifestation of Mind. What an eternal truth -- a truth Christ Jesus exemplified in dazzling demonstrations -- to take with me today and every day.

Opportunity and Employment

2011-10-01T07:37:00.000-07:00

It was an unhappy friend who sat across from me the other day at lunch. This woman was feeling frustrated with a lack of employment, wishing she had the opportunity to make use of her training and expertise.

Many people have a desire, and downright need, to express their particular abilities in a satisfying and rewarding way. But you know what? We each can lead a fuller, more useful life, whatever our line of endeavor may be, no matter what challenges we may be facing.

Instead of wasting time waiting for opportunity to knock at the door of their lives, people can wake up the fact that bountiful good lies within their grasp now. Christ Jesus said, "The kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:21) And this is just where opportunity is, too.

This kingdom of good, this absolute reign of God, divine Principle, is not dependent on people, places, or the world economic situation. It is intact -- within the true consciousness of each of us, which is a reflection of God Himself, of the one perfect Mind. We can begin to discern this reality through prayer and through a spiritual understanding of God and man.

As we learn from the Bible, man is actually the spiritual image of God. He is the loved likeness of divine Love. This realization helps us to turn radically away from the discouraging view of inactivity or frustration. It encourages us to accept the spiritual fact that because God is infinite, ever-active good, man, His image, must be continuously expressing that good in satisfying activity.

In assuring mankind of God's tender relationship to each of His offspring, and of man's spiritual value, Jesus said: "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31) Each and every one of us is important, useful individual, because we are all God's beloved offspring, made in His image.

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: "If God, who is Life, were parted for a moment from His reflection, man, the Father would be childless, -- no Father." (p. 306)

As an individual grows in the understanding of man's unity with his Maker, he comes to realize that he can't be forgotten, lost in the crowd; he can't be deprived of God-given avenues for self-expression.

Nothing brings opportunity to one's door quicker than the desire to be useful to God and to one's fellow beings. With this holy aspiration even the most under-utilized person will find his life blossoming into activity that blesses more widely than he imagined. No matter how desolate one's circumstances may sometimes seem, they can be turned completely around as he begins to understand his actual, spiritual nature and strives wholeheartedly to reflect the divine will.

You and I exist to bear witness to God, to reflect Him in every thing we do. Our purpose or activity, then, is not actually at the disposal of individuals, places, or time. As we know ourselves to be God's prefect child, we see the opportunity to lead a meaningful life can never really be absent. As the Bible assures us, "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." (II Corinthians 9:8)

A Calming Influence

2011-09-26T04:51:00.000-07:00

It was one of those days we probably all experience at some point. Too many demands being made, everything needing attention at once. Chaos was at the door.

Then I recalled a phrase I had seen earlier when in an office downtown, waiting for the owner of the business to arrive. Looking at his plaques on the wall, this one caught my eye: "Be still, and know that I am God." It's from the Old Testament (Psalms 46:10), and when my friend came in, I pointed to it and said, "Definitely a good idea." He nodded and just smiled, being a quite religious man. We were on the same page we realized.

As I thought about this Biblical admonition, I called a time-out and just sat on the sofa, turning thoughts to God's everpresence. Also, the truths I've learned through years of studying and practicing Christian Science were a great help, primarily the thought that all is actually under the control of God, divine Mind. It wasn't long at all before I felt a calming influence come over me.

Another statement from the Bible came to mind and was a great help: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee." Also from the Old Testament, Isaiah 26:3 to be exact. "Stayed" on Him -- not on the surrounding distractions.

Turning to God in the upheaval around me, as our blessed Master habitually did, brought me a measure of that peace Christ Jesus promises us in these words: "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." (John 14:27) And the rest of the day went smoothly with everything getting accomplished without the stress and strain I was feeling earlier.

The Teachings of Jesus

2011-09-18T04:11:00.000-07:00

This starts off my 4th year of blogging for Christ Jesus and Christian Science, and words can't do justice to the privilege I feel in being able to do this work. And why so? Because of the blessings my religion has brought into my life and into the lives of people I know. To be involved in extending and perpetuating the teachings of Christ Jesus as given through the revelation of Christian Science by Mary Baker Eddy...what a joy.

Was saying just the other day to a friend in Wisconsin, "What would we do without Christian Science in our lives!" And she replied, "Fortunately, we don't have to think about that."

For the feedback I've gotten from around the world -- not all favorable to be expected, some comments rather hostile toward what Mary Baker Eddy discovered and founded (not to mention against her!), I thank you. It is heartwarming to learn that individuals have been led to investigate the writings of this God-inspired woman, and have begun studying Christian Science, with solid healing results. And those who are already faithful students of this religion have found encouragement through this website. This is enough to keep me blogging.

So, onward and upward in this endeavor -- all to the glory of God.

God Has Need of You

2011-09-10T12:56:00.000-07:00

(Written for someone
to Christ brand new)

If nothing else gets
accomplished this day,
this potentially life-changing
thing I'm going to say.
While you may never have
been told such a thing,
the title of this poem
should make your heart sing.
"Oh, that couldn't apply to me.
It sounds too good to be true."
Oh no it isn't, not at all.
God specifically needs you.
There is so much good
that needs to be done.
And many worthy deeds
can be by you -- just one.
Since I don't know
where this poem will go,
let me say again, my friend...
God not only loves you so,
He has need of YOU.

Staying healthy

2011-09-09T09:04:00.000-07:00

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, points out something we can do to maintain sound health. She writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures on page 392: "Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously. When the conditon is present which you say induces disease, whether it be air, exercise, heredity, contagion, or accident, then perform your office as porter and shut out these unhealthy thoughts and fears. Exclude from mortal mind the offending errors; then the body cannot suffer from them."

No, we certainly do not need to feel helpless when symptoms of disease appear, just doing nothing while they develop into bodily discomfort or incapacity. Christian Science, in accord with the Bible, teaches that God is the only genuine cause, the sole creator of the universe, including man, and that the true nature of creation is spiritual, wholly good, expressing God's nature. From the standpoint of absolute truth, all cause and effect are spiritual, and all is the perfect handiwork of God, divine Spirit.

Christ Jesus emphasized the effect of what we entertain in thought. He said: "Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man...Those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart." (Matthew 15:11)

When one learns that thought affects every aspect of his life, he sees the necessity of replacing fearful, sickly thoughts with spiritual truths that uplift, transform and keep one whole. He sees the importance of conforming to the Christly standard Jesus established for all mankind. No matter what others may be falsely believing about sickness and disease, we don't have to abjectly surrender our peace and harmony, but may instead exercise our God-given power over suffering.

Because you and I are actually the reflection of infinite, harmonious Spirit, and we include only those qualities Spirit imparts--peace, joy, health, dominion--the suffering and fear that may seem so real have no genuine power over us. They are misconceptions, false beliefs, not actual, God-created conditions. And being misconceptions, they can be corrected with the truth of man's inseparable relationship to God, of his uninterrupted well-being as God's reflection. This truth heals.

Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health, "Instruct the sick that they are not helpless victims, for if they will only accept Truth, they can resist disease and ward it off, as positively as they can the temptation to sin." She continues further along: "The fact that Truth overcomes both disease and sin reassures depressed hope. It imparts a healthy stimulus to the body, and regulates the system. It increases or diminishes the action, as the case may require, better than any drug, alterative, or tonic." (page 420)

Thousands of people today are experiencing regeneration and the healing power of Truth, of Almighty God. They are successfully warding off pain and disability--proving them to be untrue. Empowered with the Christly understanding of Truth, you, too, can keep yourself healthy.

A practical appreciation of Christ Jesus

2011-09-07T06:59:00.000-07:00

(These thoughts this morning are being shared primarily for you readers of this blog who are not yet acquainted with the teachings of Christian Science. Hope it brings you enlightenment. And divine healing, too.)

Many people gain inspiration and comfort from thinking about the man Jesus, for whom we could never, ever feel enough reverence and love. But perhaps even more important, we need to gain a practical understanding of the Christ-power he expressed.

The purpose of our Master's 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. And, as indicated above, 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 truly interfere with his harmony and well-being as the reflection of divine Love. The Master healed pain, impairment--apparently hopeless difficulties of every sort-- through the 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.

More times than I could tell you about in this posting, 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 has established health and normality in my life. And it can do the same for you.

In the book I quoted from above of Mrs. Eddy's, is this statement: "To be 'present with the Lord' is to have, not mere emotional ecstasy or faith, but the actual demonstration and understanding of Life as revealed in Christian Science." (Ibid., page 14)

My Husband's Website

2011-08-16T15:15:00.000-07:00

Just as any supportive wife would do, I'd like to recommend to my readers a

website just begun--one that should be enlightening and uplifting to viewers.

(Am I a wee bit prejudiced here? Of course!)

It will be written by John R. Howell, and given the scholarly and conscientious

attention he gives to whatever he writes, I feel it will be worth checking

out. Though this is done with his fellow Christian Scientists in mind, it should

prove of interest to any serious student of the King James Bible -- the Word of

God made available to mankind in majesty and beauty never equaled, in my

opinion.

You may access it this way:

http://biblenoteskjvcs.wordpress.com/

Or Google "biblenoteskjvcs" and you've got it.

The Limelight's for Christ

2011-08-12T10:10:00.000-07:00

It's been my privilege to know a few rare individuals whose lives just glow, whose devotion to God bless others far and wide. I used to wonder, what is it that this person has that attracts so? It isn't what they say or do so much, as something almost intangible. Why do they inspire such love in others they interact with? Then it became clear: why on the throne of their lives, so to speak, is not petty self but Christ. It is their humility, which draws others in.

There's no mistaking when we come across someone who has love for Christ in their hearts. It is as Jesus said, a city set on a hill that cannot be hid. It's as though, whether and probably through hard experience in life, they have settled this question once and for all: whose glory am I living for? my own or for His?

And obviously early on, they've come to grips with what Paul points out in these words: "Do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ". (Galatians 1:10)

To cater to others in order to fulfill personal ambitions, to gain preferment over others, is not why they are doing what they do. And worse still, they wouldn't dream of pushing Christ out of the limelight so that they may bask in it!

We each have two mental roads that confront us in this life -- the broad one leading to self, worldly honour, and destruction sure, and the narrow one that paradoxically leads to self-renunciation, expanding horizons -- real happiness. Thank God there have been given to us such sublime examples of those who chose the Master's path, whose lives are shedding light upon the rest of us.

For someone looking for work

2011-08-10T07:13:00.000-07:00

Being that people read my blog posts who are not adherents of my religion, thought these thoughts on someone who's out of a job and looking might be helpful.

Just yesterday as I was driving along, heard a reporter interviewing a lady in the London area about the rioting going on there. She said it was a lack of jobs for the young people fueling the unrest, that her own son went out every day to find a job and could not. There are opposite views of the cause of all this, some saying it's mere hooliganism. But it did start me thinking about those who need work and can't find any.

And closer to home, we have a friend who feels desperate about being unemployed. He's sent out hundreds of resumes, gone to other states for multiple interviews, and still no offers. Don is a self-sufficient individual, and feels too proud to ask God for help.

And this reluctance to seek divine help when we need it led me to think of something. We were at some neighbors' house recently. They have the cutest little girl, and she happened to be building a castle with wooden blocks. She stopped, however, when the pieces wouldn't fit, and without a moment's hesitation said, "Help me,Daddy". This brought her father's immediate help.

As I observed this simple display of childlike confidence, I thought, "If adults would only turn as wholeheartedly to their heavenly Father, how much more easily would complex, challening problems be resolved!"

Each of us, regardless of circumstances or problems we face, can turn immediately to God, divine Love, our ever-present help. Christ Jesus taught this. He said, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" (Matthew 7:11)

In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes, "Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need." (page 494) God is a tender, loving Father, One we can turn to for help with any problem -- and this covers unemployment as well. In fact, we can turn to Him nonstop, and still not exhaust His tenderly patient, unlimited care. It's so right to seek God's help. As Jesus counseled, "Ask, and it shall be given you." (Matthew 7:7)

How should we turn to Him? With half hopes that He will favor our request? Or should we approach Him with the prayer of heartfelt understanding -- that is, with a knowledge of and respect for His eternal laws? When one is equipped with what Christian Science reveals of God and man, seeking out God's solution to a problem is no hit-or-miss proposition.

Let me repeat, Christian Science shows one not only how to ask God to deliver him but how to do so in confident expectation of answers. Its teachings which are in accord with the inspired message of the Bible, reveal the Christianly scientific prayer that Jesus practiced so successfully.

Before our great Master raised his friend, Lazarus, from the grave, he spoke this prayer of spiritual affirmation: "Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always." (John ll:41, 42) The human picture portrayed hopelessness and grief. Yet Jesus thanked God for being all-powerful and ever present! This may have seemed startling. Jesus didn't turn to God in mere optimism, just hoping He would hear; he knew He would. His understanding of man's unity with God, divine Love, gave him absolute assurance that God answers every call.

Christian Science makes available to any seeker the understanding Christ Jesus had that man is actually the child, the spiritual reflection, of God, divine Love. This realization will help any man or woman to turn radically away from the discouraging human picture of inactivity or frustration. It will encourage him or her to accept the spiritual fact that God, divine Mind, is ever active, and that man, His image, must also be continuously and happily engaged in meaningful, worthwhile activity.

And do you know, opportunity can never really be absent. As the Bible assures us: "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work." (II Corinthians 9:8)

As we confidently claim our God-given right to satisfying purpose, joy, and achievement, you and I will find more and more occasions for being about our real business. And what is this business? Reflecting God, good. Because God has created His child as His own perfect expression, no matter how despairing or desolate any circumstance may seem, it can be turned completely around, and we can be restored to our normal state of activity, joy, and purpose.

Finding out who we really are, beginning to grasp the glorious fact that in our true, spiritual being we are now the beloved, constantly cared-for expression of our heavenly Father, gives us the confidence and intiative we need to express more of good, more of God, in everything we do. This is where successful activity lies.

Nothing brings opportunity to our door quicker than the desire to be useful to God and to our fellowmen. We don't even have to take a very long look about us today to see how desperately needed our efforts are. Endless opportunities abound! As we recognize and take advantage of the means God is continously providing us to show love to our fellow beings, we will not only be making a difference in this world; we'll find ourselves continuously employed in satisfying work that human conditions cannot touch.

"Got Jesus?"...

2011-08-04T06:51:00.000-07:00

...read the tee shirt
on someone at the mall,
something one sees
every now and then
here in Tennessee.
But what if displaying
our love for Christ
on our apparel is
not what we want to do?
How can the world tell
that we are to Jesus true?
Fortunately, our Master
gives us this gold standard:
"By this shall all men know
that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one for another."
(John 13:35)
No, we're not called upon
to walk barefoot on hot coals
to show our devotion,
nor wear it on our clothes,
to show we love Him best.
Something simpler, yet
more difficult is the test...
showing love for others.
How easy to read about--
how much less so to act out.
Is it this way for everyone?
Not for me to say, or judge.
But there are commands
one just cannot fudge.
Then if loving more is
what it's got to be,
may you and I do so --
enthusiastically.

Some Beautiful Words on Humility

2011-08-04T04:45:00.000-07:00

The first is something the Discoverer and Founder of my religion, Mary Baker Eddy, wrote. It's from her book, Retrospection and Introspection (pages 91 and 92) where she is speaking of Jesus:

"What has this hillside priest, this seaside teacher, done for the human race? Ask, rather, what has he not done. His holy humility, unworldliness, and self-abandonment wrought infinite results. The method of his religion was not too simple to be sublime, nor was his power so exalted as to be unavailable for the needs of suffering mortals, whose wounds he healed by Truth and Love."

"May we unloose the latchets of his Christliness, inherit his legacy of love, and reach the fruition of his promise: 'If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.'"

And from a sermon Albert Schweitzer preached in 1905:

"To content oneself with becoming small: that is the only salvation and liberation. To work in the world as such, asking nothing of it, or of men, not even recognition, that is true happiness. There are things which one cannot do without Jesus. Without Him one cannot attain to that higher innocence -- unless we look to Him in the disappointments of life, and seek in Him the strength to be childlike and small in that higher sense. Whoever has gone through the world of smallness has left the empire of this world to enter into the kingdom of God. He has gone over the border as one goes over the border in a dark forest -- without taking note of it. The way remains the same, the surrounding things the same, and only gradually does he realize that whilst everything is familiar, it is different, that life is the same and yet not the same because of the clarity which lights up in him, and because of the peace and strength which have taken possession of him because he is small and has finished with himself.

L'humilite est la gloire de toutes les vertues."

Second to None

2011-08-02T07:50:00.000-07:00

It is a holy day
when this becomes clear:
we aren't going to be
the smartest, the richest,
or the best-looking one around
but this one great thing
we all of us can do:
worship and serve that One
Who is second to none...
work to become second to none
when it comes to acknowledging
Him who gives us life
and breath and all things.
With Christ's example in full view --
such a faithful Son! --
there's no higher goal,
nothing with more bliss in it,
than making this our lifetime work...
to love and praise our God,
as Jesus did -- wholeheartedly.

So when it comes to adoring You,
dear loving Father,
I intend to be second to none.

Even now, You hear me say:
"You may have a daughter somewhere
who thanks You more than I do."

"But I doubt it,"
I always tell Him.

Dotting the "i", Crossing the "t"

2011-08-01T04:03:00.000-07:00

Can anything that can (and does) come up in our day to day baffle the Creator of all? No it can't, I truly believe. Our loving Father can clear the way--whatever the thicket appears to be.

God can bring to light solutions that we, unaided, just cannot see. The Old Testament says, "In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Besides doing what an obedient child of His should be doing, it makes sense to me to be turning ever more to Divine Love, the one Mind, for help.

More than once lately when we've faced a serious glitch and had no idea what to do, God showed us a solution that I'm sure we would never have thought of. So thorough was the resolution, it was like someone dotting the "i" and crossing the "t", so to speak.

I recall some years ago when a business situation had me in a tight corner. I happened to mention it to a close and wise friend. "Whom can I take this problem to?" I asked him. "Why not take it to God?" ,my friend suggested. The wisdom of doing this was not clear to me at that time, but later I could see that instead of turning to people so much, superior -- and quicker -- answers come when we acknowledge God's leadings. And trust in it.

So, while I'm writing this blog post primarily to praise and honour You, thank You for all the things that you do.

A Very Practical Religion

2011-07-26T03:48:00.000-07:00

(This was written by my dear friend, John Wellsman, and I love being able to share it with you.)

Many years ago as a new student of Christian Science, I had the privilege to meet personally with an experienced Christian Scientist whose name at that time would have been considered a household fixture to most Christian Scientists due to his lifelong dedication to and work for the Cause of Christian Science.

Although I had known this individual for several years, this particular conversation was our first on some of the deeper aspects of Christian Science. At one point this gentleman asked me how I worked to protect myself with regard to crime. After hemming and hawing for a moment, I admitted that I guessed I didn't have anything specific that I worked with. Undoubtedly this man had sensed a need on my part because he lovingly shared the fact that he often worked with this idea: "The same Mind that protects me prevents them." The same Mind.

That simple phrase has stayed with me over the years and I can't begin to express my gratitude for the individual's sharing it with me. It has provided much food for thought and proved applicable to a wide variety of situations in areas such as business and supply. It applies literally to "office politics." And it's been very helpful to know that "the same Mind that supplies me, directs potential clients to me."

Recently another application occurred with regards to the current political situation here in the United States Almost despairingy I yearned for some comforting truth to apply to the situation. Instantly this thought came to me: "The same Mind that inspired, illuminated, directed and governed the formation and establishment of the greatest Christian-based nation this world has ever seen will most certainly preserve, protect and prevent its' destruction." The same Mind.

It was so clear that the establishment of the United States of America was no accident. The Founding Fathers, and over the years the countless individuals who have served in so many capacities to preserve and protect the concept of individual self-government upon which this nation is based have been divinely inspired and guided whether they realized it or not. The same Mind that created this nation will prevent its destruction from without or within. All anyone needs to do is to see this truth, accept it and cherish its' power.

And angels smile

2011-07-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

My husband comes from the pet food store with tears in his eyes. "A pitiful little dog is at the adoption center, and desperately needs God's love", he tells me. Not thinking about getting another dog, his words hang in the air. But not too long after, I drive over to the store to take a look.

There the dog is, dirty, almost starved, shaking with fear -- the light of hope nearly gone from her eyes. (Folks at the Oak Ridge, Tennessee Humane Society rescued her, and they think her former owner or owners left her by the side of the road to die. Which she almost did.) I pick her up gently, cradle her in my lap, and begin filling out adoption forms.

And angels smile.

The young man who helped me with the paper work, asks with moist eyes, "May I carry her to your car?", so glad is he that someone was taking her home, as she probably had only a few more days to live.

This little trooper, so thin she can scarcely stand up, amazes us by actually climbing our back stairs to look around her new home. A careful, warm, soapy cleaning comes next, then a bit of food for her. That night, I decide to make her a little bed by my side of the bed, in case she needs comforting in the night. Several old blankets piled up, covered over with a soft, clean sheet does the job, for the best night's sleep this little girl has probably had. The glow of Love divine surrounds us all.

And angels smile.

Humble yet strong

2011-07-22T04:41:00.000-07:00

Sometimes daughters of the South are too sweet and light. They lack might, are reluctant to fight when the Cause is right.

Acting humble, while standing up for oneself -- what a challenge this can be. After centuries of half the race being put down, being told to be seen and not heard (with a few exceptions) can make one want to go overboard in expressing oneself. Sometimes it's tough keeping the rejoinders in and not commit the sin of being unloving.

But there's our Hero for all time, our Exemplar sublime, who though his rebuke was something one would not have wanted to be on the receiving end of, was the most loving man that ever walked the earth. And the most humble.

Somewhere I have read that the 3 most important things in the Christian life are humility, humility, and humility. There's no denying that this is a winsome quality. And I should think that emulating Jesus in this way makes us strong as well.

Being daughters (and sons) of the King, shouldn't we be able to express humlity and strength? This we followers of Christ will increasingly need to do, I do believe.

Why pay a practitioner?

2011-07-16T06:08:00.000-07:00

This question comes up in the work I do. And it might be helpful to my readers to address this.

As this blog reaches far and wide, I get requests for Christian Science treatment, from those who know next to thing about my religion. And in some cases, what the individual is looking for (not to put too fine a point on it) is something for nothing. It can come as a surprise to such a one that a practitioner expects some payment, and should receive something for the metaphysical work they do. It's almost as though a person is saying, I don't really respect what you do, but if you can throw a little prayer at my problem, fine and dandy. Meanwhile, I won't even crack the Christian Science textbook (which one who is serious about help should be more than willing to obtain and work with.)

The woman who founded and discovered Christian Science said that she had found that those who were willing to pay what they could afford, experienced better results from the treatment they were getting.

I, too, have found this. When I first began in the public practice of Christian Science, I wanted to help any and every one who wandered by. But experience and spiritual growth showed me this wasn't right--for the individual nor for me. Of course, what I'm engaged in is not to make money. Many are the individuals for whom I have reduced my charges, often halving them, more than once waiving them altogether. But I do expect someone on the other end to be serious about the treatment they are requesting.

In a book titled "Prose Works", Mrs. Eddy states: "Metaphysical healing, or Christian Science, is a demand of the times. Every man or woman would desire and demand it, if he or she knew its infinite value and firm basis." Miscellaneous Writings, page 232

Amen to this, from someone who knew whereof she spoke.

And the tree leafed out!

2011-07-16T04:48:00.000-07:00

In early spring, a prize ash tree over 40 years old (we didn't know it was so valuable until someone who knows trees said so) started dying. To this tree expert, the curling brown leaves looked like trouble. He told us this tree was on its way out, that it had some special disease. "You're going to have to cut it down", he predicted. Sure enough, the leaves came raining down over the next few days.

Another person who was fertilizing some shrubbery about this time said he knew of something he could try on the tree, to see if the condition could be arrested. He tried it; it didn't work at all.

Losing this tree was the last thing we wanted, as it provides such shade in our hot summers and is beautiful to look at. So, we set to work in Christian Science.

What do I mean by this? We began praying from the standpoint that there is no disease in God's universe, that His universe is the only one there is. Speaking for myself, I worked metaphysically to see that right where the material senses reported a hopeless condition, right there was a vibrant, healthy, un-diseased expression of divine Mind, God, the Creator of all things.

Something Mary Baker Eddy says in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, came to thought: "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man ,who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick." This is on pages 476 and 477.

Well, if the correct view of man removes things needing healing, then the same principle applies to this tree, I reasoned. My job is to see the opposite of what would appear to be going on, to hold to the spiritual fact governing the situation.

And do you know, it wasn't 2 weeks until the nearly bare branches began showing light green baby leaves! The tree began leafing out again, and this just doesn't happen we're told. Now it's full and lovely and just as it should be.

Just one more proof of what Christianly scientific understanding can do in our daily experience.

Healing of Broken Toe

2011-07-11T11:49:00.000-07:00

It's wonderful to hear of Christian Science healings from those who are new to what it teaches, and have taken hold in a big way. A friend who lives nearby just shared such an experience, and I know it will lift up many readers of this blog.

This girl began reading Mary Baker Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures about a year ago, and took to it like a duck to water, as the saying goes. She has just drunk in what it brings out about God, and man as His image and likeness, among many other spiritual truths

Well, last week she told me as they were carrying some things down from the attic in preparation for a move to a new place, she happened to drop a 10-lb. weight on her big toe. The pain was intense, and it looked like there was a broken bone. Her husband who doesn't study Christian Science wanted her to see a doctor. But having had other proofs of God's healing power, this friend chose to apply what she had learned in her study.

She prayed earnestly all that day. Then the next morning, as she was continuing to know what was true about herself as God's child, the thought came, because she was made in God's likeness, and He wasn't going through this mortal dream of accident and pain and disability, it had no power over her. It was no more real than a dream she might have at night.

And this is the best part. "It wasn't 15 minutes more before I knew the toe was healed", she told me. The pain stopped and all that is left is slight discoloration, which is disappearing". The look on people's faces when they experience Christ healing!

Listening to this wonderful experience, I couldn't help contrasting this with that of a neighbor whose foot was broken in a recent car accident. She won't be able to even put any weight on the foot for about 6 weeks.

What a difference it makes when someone challenges pain through spiritual knowledge that lifts it off. And what this girl experienced, an understanding of the divine truths that were the basis of Jesus' healings Science and Health makes possible for anyone else.

To readers of my blog

2011-07-06T11:38:00.000-07:00

To one and all, I say thanks for letting me know that what appears here is doing some good in your lives. Your feedback is so appreciated. Although my motivation in continuing to post on this site is not primarily to garner comments from you, and I would share my inspired thoughts because God leads me to, it is kind of you to take time out of your busy lives to contact me.

To pick up on a phrase from a much-loved hymn, "I love to tell the story of Jesus and his love" (think I have this right), what a joy it is for me to tell the story of what Christ Jesus and Christian Science can do for any one of us!

On being free

2011-07-03T06:44:00.000-07:00

With all the attention given in my country to Independence Day, July 4th, can't help thinking about freedom. While it's a blessing to live in the United States, for many reasons, what I'm most thankful for is the freedom that has come to me and mine (and many others) through the writings of Mary Baker Eddy.

Could not list all the ways Christian Science has brought freedom--from lack, from fear and worry, from the effects of accidents, from all kinds of physical challenges. But I think what means most is the sense of the unlimited good God has for us, the ever-expanding horizons of usefulness and joy that come from understanding and accepting this. Learning the divine truths that Christ Jesus obviously knew makes this inevitable in one's experience. There just isn't as aspect of daily life that our Master's teachings, as made even clearer to me by Mrs. Eddy's words, do not touch beneficially.

And one of the statement in Mrs.Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures I particularly love is this: "God's being is infinity, freedom, harmony, and boundless bliss." (p. 481)

And so is that of His reflection, man. You and me. Now.

The radical difference Christ makes

2011-07-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

Am I suggesting that making

Christ the focus of one's life,

Looking to God for all that

Makes life wonderful,

All challenges will suddenly cease?

In no way.

There will be sharp struggles

From time to time.

And how could there not be,

Given the monumental

Activity we're involved in?

But our day-to-day experience

Becomes, because of Christ,

Much more alive --

Happier, healthier, free.

Life becomes a real adventure,

And in the situations that once

Would have defeated us,

We now find ourselves

Having the mastery.

Nothing can equal that feeling

Which comes to us

When Christ sets us free.

To keep love flowing

2011-06-23T06:25:00.000-07:00

We who follow Christ, who reverence the Name, can't allow the shame of feeling indifferent to others wherever in this world they may be. I hope this fellow traveler is learning that when loving others starts to slip, it's more than a blip on the divine screen: it's deadly serious and needs to begotten at as quickly as possible.

The worst thing about such blatant disobedience to what our Master taught? A sense of estrangement from God--not that He ever stops caring about us. But our heavenly 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?

If nothing else, a concern for our own well-being should impel a return to Him before it's too late. (Not that it ever is, not divinely-speaking.) But how many diseases can be traced to a lack of love being felt and expressed, a Canadian friend said.

With the armour of the Word, and no fooling praying, this need not be the case. I John puts it clearly: "God is love; and he taht dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God and God in him."

There is no safe or healthier place we can be.

Why I'm a Christian Scientist

2011-06-16T07:16:00.000-07:00

I practice the teachings of Christian Science for this reason: it is clear to me that only the truth of spiritual being which Jesus demonstrated can open and bring freedom to human consciousness. This truth of spiritual being is now available to humanity in the religion Mary Baker Eddy discovered and founded. And my life has been infinitely blessed by what it brings out about God and man.

Once an individual has felt the transforming touch of Christ--that cleansing of consciousness indescribably priceless--he or she isn't content with anything less than God's healing power. This moment of spiritual quickening, of realizing the utter unreality of whatever is opposed to God's loving presence and power (whether it be sin, illness, lack, unhappiness), comes to everyone individually. But it does leave one wanting to understand more of what has brought such freedom into his experience. And this quest for more of the knowledge our Master had of God's allness leads one to deeper study, prayer, a fuller reliance on God when help is needed--a purer and more spiritually-minded thought and life. St. Paul writes: "For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

Actually, such all-out commitment to the demands of divine Spirit is the sine qua non of successful Christian Science pratice, for oneself and others. We don't begin to realize the results we should until we are pursuing Science for growth Godward first, and only second for relief from our own woes. Holding to the higher goal, we name the name of Christ. Indeed, an unhealed condition could well indicate a need to get ourselves right with God, to conform more to His laws.

Nothing has such a purifying, liberating effect on us as an understanding of vital spiritual facts. Regrding ourselves as mortals cut off from a God we have to struggle to reach would be working from an unreal basis. This would subject us to frustration, weariness, and worse--leave us vulnerable to unnecessary false beliefs and fears. On the other hand, putting on the scientifically accurate view of ourselves as evidencing Mind's conscousness of its own perfect self, enable us to feel Christ's transforming touch in divine healing.

There's nothing quite like it. And to continue experiencing this blessing, which I have not found available from any other source, is what keeps me practicing Christian Science.

You Want to Feel Close to God, Do You Not?

2011-06-15T03:59:00.000-07:00

There is a way open to you: --

To take Christ Jesus at his word.

Jesus did not go around saying things

Because he had nothing better to do!

It's a fatal mistake for one to doubt

That what our Master said is true.

You must take the Son of God

Seriously and believe what he said

Applies specifically to you.

"Son, thou art ever with me,"

(Words so reassuring, words so true)

"And all that I have is thine"*

Ought to make you rejoice.

These wondrous words,

Among so many others,

Are meant just for you.

For you are God's, His very own,

And all the good to be found

Within the Father's house --

Just think about it! --

Now belongs to you.

*Luke 15:31

A Poet Still

2011-06-09T04:47:00.000-07:00

(c) By: Sharon Slaton Howell

Carved platypus sits atop bookcase

Made from rare Tasmanian wood

By our dear Aussie friend --

WWII veteran of the Pacific campaign,

Devoted husband and father,

Generous friend to many,

And a follower of Jesus Christ.

What "puts me on another plane"

He used to say to us, is poetry

On eternal themes;

Reading, writing, and encouraging

Others to pursue this joyful

And heavenly occupation.

I feel he is writing still,

Life made even more fruitful

By that unseen felt Presence

So many poets know.

This poem refers to Paul Jones of whom a close friend and I were speaking this week. It's from one of my books, "And Angels Smile".

But what has prompted me to share this, and do this blog post this morning is gratitude for the religion Paul and I and my friend have been fortunate enough to practice--Christian Science. I recall two memorable things this Australian told me along the lines of the help he got during the war years. He was engaged in jungle warfare in the Solomon Islands and said what brought him through ferocious fighting was realizing that he was one with God, that he and God were not two, but one and that one was God.

This is brought out in something Mary Baker Eddy writes in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 18: "Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man's oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage."

Paul also told us of an outstanding healing he had when he returned from the fighting. Recurrent malaria was a challenge. He was dramatically healed with the help of a dedicated Christian Science practitioner in the Melbourne, Australia branch church. This instance of Christ-healing, along with those which thousands of others have experienced through the years, validate what Christian Science claims: that a practical knowledge of the truths underlying the Master's healing works gets results.

Standing Fast for Christ

2011-06-06T04:28:00.000-07:00

This being a soldier of Jesus Christ is not all charging up the hill, I have found. At times, there is nothing that one can do but be still, hold the ground gained, until incoming fire has waned...be like trees in their majestic-ness who just stand there and take it.

Does not the Bible command us to "Hold fast that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown"?
(Revelation 3:11)

And I'm also thinking this morning of this, from the Discoverer and Founder of my religion, Christian Science. Mary Baker Eddy says: "When the smoke of battle clears away, you will discern the good you have done, and receive according to your deserving."
Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 22

It is a great thing to be willing to stand fast for Christ. Given the crying need of mankind for what the teachings of Jesus alone can give, can you and I think of doing less?

The Patience of Jesus

2011-06-03T08:11:00.000-07:00

Just read the following statement from something Mary Baker Eddy wrote in Miscellaneous Writings (page 7), that "the loving patience of Jesus we must strive to emulate". And immediately, couldn't help thinking of a Christian Science friend know who is such a shining example of this virtue.

Her family concerns at the moment, and the extraordinary demands being made on her by a couple of relatives who require more care than most people can imagine, is patience exemplified. Not only does she remain calm and longsuffering, she stays sweet through it all.

Were someone to mention what an inspiration she is to many who know her, she would probably reply in humility (another Christly attribute): "Oh no, you can't be talking about me!" And she would mean it.

In addition to the Holy Bible where patience is enjoined upon the follower of Christ, a book that has helped Christians through the years, The Greatest Thing in the World by Henry Drummond, lists patience at the head of the list of 9 qualities one must embody.

So, long and short of my blog post this morning: I am thankful that we have among us those who are doers of what walking in Jesus' steps demands.

Wild Weather and God's Help

2011-06-01T04:27:00.000-07:00

We had never experienced anything like the storms that hit Farragut, Tennessee about a month ago. There was one announcement after another from the weatherman to "take cover now!" Tornado warnings kept rolling along, hour after hour, far into the night. One particularly bad barrage of hail came through, but a really bad one was to follow. Golf ball size hail rained down on us, with baseball size hail being reported just down the road.

At a time like this, when all one can do is get in a basement (if one has a basement) and get through the night, was I grateful for what I've learned in Christian Science. And that is to pray, pray, pray--know that no matter how frightening things look, God is always in control. I was affirming that we can never be in a place or a situation where God is not watching over and caring for us. I thought of this verse from the book of Jeremiah: "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord" (23:24).

The next morning presented an almost unbelievable sight. But no neighbors were injured or killed, no houses made uninhabitable. Some windows broken down the street, and most roofs damaged. But as one friend said, "My loved ones are safe, and we have shelter. What more do we need?"

At one point, another Bible verse came to thought and gave me much comfort. It's where Paul powerfully states: "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38, 39)

I reasoned,"Well, if all that can't separate man from his Maker, then fierce storms certainly can't." Of course,we can't be blase about potentially destructive forces, Still, there is no more reliable help than God. There is actually no other power. And realizing this, is a wonderful companion when we're going through a situation like we experienced.

As the man of God's creating, each of us is governed by God, the divine Mind, the only real source of power and activity. Mary Baker Eddy points out in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (page 387): The history of Christianity furnishes sublime proofs of the supporting influence and protecting power bestowed on man by His heavenly Father, omnipotent Mind, who gives man faith and understanding whereby to defend himself, not only from temptation, but from bodily suffering."

When anyone realizes God's all-power and everpresence with the conviction that comes of spiritual understanding, he or she can come through dangerous storms without fear or harm, with calmness and confidence that God is always in control.

Sordid, Senseless, Self-indulgence

2011-05-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

One doesn't have to be a reader of the tabloids to know what has been happening in the world with respect to certain individuals and their travails. When even the Wall Street Journal covers the wrongdoing of the 2 men whose lives have been up-ended, people are aware of what such mindless self-indulgence can lead to.

Thinking about what walking the broad way of worldliness can do to someone, not to mention their family, couldn't help but reflect on the teachings of Christ Jesus vis-a-vis the 2 paths open to us in this life: the one that leads to destruction (amen to this) and the other that seems difficult and un-appetizing to take, but that leads to all worth having--now and eternally.

In the words of our Master, "Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat;
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." This is from the Sermon on the Mount, as many will recognize.

Jesus isn't saying that one is doomed if he has chosen unwisely, just that there seem to be few who are willing to exercise the self-denial it takes to choose the better way. One should make every effort to ensure that he's among the "few". God be thanked for His infinite love and mercy, that now is not to soon to start getting one's heart right with God, if following Christ is something one has not contemplated. Nor is it too late to retrace one's steps, if he (or she) has wandered off the path through deplorable living for one's own self-gratification.

Be serious about doing what Jesus commanded. Your heavenly Father wants you to be safe with Him. It is the one sure, the royal, the only way.

It's in His Hand

2011-05-19T09:44:00.000-07:00

When God tells me to do a thing...I do.

I trust...that this is true as well of you.

And the best part...when we're working for Him?

(And this truth will bring assurance to any heart)...

Instead of thinking...but what will be the outcome?

what will the end result be?...let God Almighty

take care of all aspects of what we do

for His beloved Son...not just some.

To want to not only scatter seed...

but see the harvest...confirm that others

have been reached...blessed...is not our need...

this we do not have to know.

Cannot He who sent His Word...

take care of it...see to it...

that it does what it needs to do?

Of course our dear Father can.

Two passages to underscore...

(of course, there are many more)...

From the Old Testament (Isaiah 55:11)

"So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it."

And from the New (1 Corinthians 3:6

"I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase", said Paul.

Truly is it all in His Hand.

In Praise of Public Libraries

2011-05-19T06:43:00.000-07:00

I love to visit public libraries;

They're full of such treasures.

Chief among them to me,

Are books about heroes of the faith --

Intrepid followers of Jesus Christ,

Who, rather than be remiss

In their duty to God and man

Endured often unspeakable hardship.

For the years of uplift I have found

In these public institutions free,

I say, may God prosper them every one.

Dealing with Life's Glitches -- Jesus' Way

2011-05-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

When a household item stopped operating, we were not concerned as we had a service contract for just such a contingency. The store was called, a technician scheduled to come take a look. Then all along the line, the wheels seemed to come off (in a manner of speaking). Day after day of frustrating phone calls followed, with much time spent holding on the phone and being shunted from one person to another. The household item we needed was still broken.

Then this morning all appeared at its worst. Misunderstanding reined, with the store manager/the repairman/the supplier and us at odds. When it looked as though the problem was just going to go on and on with no satisfactory conclusion, it dawned on me what I needed to do. If the item in question never got fixed, and we had to go out and purchase a new one, this was not the overriding consideration, I realized.

Re-establishing peace of mind, clearing up the misunderstanding that had taken hold, was paramount, I could see. Dealing with this situation in a Christly and loving manner was what was being required.

I sat quietly and began getting hold of my thinking about just who was in charge here, to-wit God. And what He requires of everyone--that Jesus' guidelines for living be observed. I felt better very soon. "If this apparatus never gets repaired, who cares? There are more important things than this."

And this phrase from something Mary Baker Eddy points out in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p. 207) came to thought while I was praying. "...the opposite discord, which bears no resemblance to spirituality, is not real." This helped me see that under God's law, there was only harmony being experienced by us all, that inharmony had no divine law to support it, that the whole sense of frustration and delay was not going on in His kingdom--the only place we truly dwell.

Not surprisingly, the technician we hadn't been able to reach, drove up. After trying to repair the item, he realized one more part would be needed which he proceeded to order. But, and this is neat part, he offered to get us a loaner to use in the meantime--something he did not have to do. Not only this, he will have to drive 40 minutes out of his way, going down to another town, and 40 minutes back. But we will be back in business by 6pm today.

There's just nothing like dealing with life's little glitches -- Jesus' way.

Life-altering Words

2011-05-14T14:03:00.000-07:00

Someone has said, if you want
to feel a life-altering force,
put into practice what
Christ Jesus said to do.
This I have found to be true,
as have many of you.
These sayings, merely read,
are sublimely glorious.
But the power that comes to one,
when they are literally done!
Not that our Master's commands
are always easy to do,
as no one knows perhaps
better than I and you,
who may have walked the floor
and shed a tear or two, thinking
"This thing I just cannot do."
Yet, keeping on in the fight,
realizing if we put things off,
we'd delay with Him being right;
so we persevered and won our way.

As encouragement to one reading this:
Begin living as a child of God ought --
actually doing what Jesus taught --
and you'll need to hold on tight;
changes for the better you will see.
Such is the power that comes
from taking Jesus' words seriously.

Thinking About Light

2011-05-14T06:23:00.000-07:00

(Composed one evening in May)

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-sun rays that get me most --
Light shines on forest floor,
Light plays on trunks of trees,
Light glints off rusting-wire fench
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 once said:
"I am the light of the world; he that
Followeth 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.

To Hold Our Ground

2011-05-14T04:21:00.000-07:00

This being a soldier of Christ

Is not all charging up the hill,

I have often found.

At times there is nothing

One can do but be still,

Hold the ground gained,

Until incoming fire has waned --

Be like the trees in their majestic-ness

Who just stand there and take it.

Does not the Bible say,

"Hold that fast which thou hast,
That no man take thy crown?"

(Revelation 3:11)

And as Christian Science brings out,

"'Work out your own salvation,' is the demand of Life and Love, for to this end God workerth with you. 'Occupy till I come!' Wait for your reward, and 'be not weary in well doing.' If your endeavors are beset by fearful odds, and you receive no present reward, go not back to error, nor become a sluggard in therace.

When the smoke of battle clears away, you will discern the good you have done, and receive according to your deserving."

(Science and Health with Key to the Scritpures by Mary Baker Eddy,
p. 22)

The Trees Lift Up Their Leafy Arms

2011-05-13T14:04:00.000-07:00

After too many days of ground-cracking hot weather and lack of rain, thirsty trees in our woods are lifting up their leafy arms in what must be thanks to their Creator. How silly, you may think. But I do believe that they are. For God is doing right now what no human agency can -- send heaven-sized buckets of cool, refreshing rain.

I can almost hear them saying, "Praise be to God on high!" And so am I.

As a student of Christian Science, which is a practical way of life and encourages its adherents to turn to God in prayer in all the challenges of daily life, I have prayed about extremes in weather before, making sincere efforts to carry out what the following words from the Old Testament point out:

"I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:
Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number:
Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields."
(Job 5:8-10)

Keeping Our Joy Intact

2011-05-13T13:41:00.000-07:00

Does someone wish he knew

The way to go through life

Without feeling all used up?

Jesus' "Your joy no man

Taketh from you (see Luke 16:22)

Holds a vital clue.

The Master's promise here

Can seem too much to believe

Given the things that

Humankind can sometimes do.

But it is nonetheless spiritual fact,

Within the reach of me and you.

Inharmony never really touches

Man's true, like-God selfhood --

Ours and theirs. What's more,

Understanding this truth divine

Will lingering bitterness relieve,

One's joy and faith in good restore.

The Power of Gratitude

2011-05-12T08:43:00.000-07:00

When the latest catastrophe,
Or the news, or who-knows-what
Begins to get me down,
I thank God and my joy
Starts to rebound.

Nothing cures depression,
Nothing lifts me back up
I have often found
Like thanking Him
For everything around.

Such is the power of gratitude.
And before I know it,
By expressing gratitude,
I find very soon,
A whole new attitude.

Giving way to thanks giving
Makes the day feel right;
This makes the day much brighter;
Lifts at once mental darkness,
Makes my step much lighter.

And more -- expressing gratitude
Is naturally infectious,
Reaches others I have found;
Helps and gets someone
Else's chin up off the ground.

No wonder Jesus commended
That leper of the ten he healed--
That obviously thankful one
Who came back to give God thanks
For all that He had done.

So, whenever I feel tempted
To let life get me down;
Whenever I feel a trifle blue,
I'll thank our loving Father,
Which is only His due.

Why We Exist

2011-05-12T08:34:00.000-07:00

While driving along just now, I recalled some words of Mary Baker Eddy's which tie right in with the blog post I did earlier, and thought I'd share it with you readers.

In a letter to the First Church of Christ, Scientist, New York, she wrote: "Goodness never fails to receive its reward, for goodness makes life a blessing. As an active portion of one stupendous whole, goodness identifies man with universal good. Thus may each member of this church rise above the oft-repeated inquiry, What am I? to the scientific response: I am able to impart truth, health, and happiness, and this is my rock of salvation and my reason for existing." (First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 165)

This statement applies to not just church members, in my view, but to all who would like to adopt a noble reason for existing. And our dear Master, Christ Jesus, left no doubt what was expected of his followers, in his time and in ours. That is, of course, to love God supremely and to show our love for Him in our love for others. In sum, to do all the good we can do in this world.

On Being More Useful

2011-05-12T05:54:00.000-07:00

While chatting with a neighbor this week who was lamenting the boredom she experiences with a husband working long hours and her children off to college, I couldn't help thinking about this idea of usefulness and satisfaction in life.

There is no doubt many today long to feel needed, to have a satifying purpose, to express their own particular abilities, hopes and ideas, independent of what their family is doing. In short, to feel that they matter.

In assuring mankind of God's tender care for each of His children, and man's spiritual value, Jesus said: "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than manuy sparrows." (Matthew 10:29, 31)

Each of us is important, useful, unique. Why? Because man is God's beloved child, made in His image and likeness, as we read in the first chapter of the Bible. In full accord with this revelation, Christian Science shows that man is the spiritual reflection of God, divine Love, and as such is perfect and immortal.

As we grow in the understanding of man's unity with his Maker, each of us is assured our secure place and purposeful activity. We cannot be forgotten, lost in the crowd, swallowed up in our rapidly-changing world. Our life is governed by God, directed and sustained by His unchanging divine law. Any individual can begin to glimpse his or her importance to God.

The woman who discovered and founded my religion, Mary Baker Eddy, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p.306): "If God, who is Life, were parted for a moment from His reflection, man, during that moment there would be no divinity reflected. The Ego would be unexpressed, and the Father would be childless, -- no Father."

Beyond living a worthwhile life ourselves, yours and my contribution toward world problems is vitally needed. It's challenging at times not to feel overwhelmed by the enormity of the difficulties confronting mankind. Don't we all know this. And we may think, "But what can just one person do?" When we feel this way, we can find encouragement and inspiration in the life of the Master.

Christ Jesus' earthly mission proved what can be accomplished by just one God-directed individual. It was Jesus' understanding of man's true selfhood and oneness with God that empowered his far-reaching acts. This same understanding of man's real being and spiritual vaue will enable anyone to have a more meaningful, satisfying life.

The impressions that one person cannot achieve very much, that he is limited, ineffective, and unimportant, is the result of false education, the material belief that one is a solitary mortal, helpless and separated from God, good. But this is not the true concept of man. One finds freedom from such a misconception as he appplies his understanding of this spiritual fact.

As the perfect child of our loving, heavenly Father, you and I are needed--whatever our human circumstances happen to be. This is divine, provable fact and it pertains to my neighbor down the street, and to any one who comes across this blog.

Letting Our Light Shine

2011-05-10T04:47:00.000-07:00

One doesn't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows (to borrow Bob Dylan's words); when he comes across someone who has Christ at the center, who has Christ alive, he knows. Oh, how he knows.

And tell me it isn't a thrill to find those who are like-minded. But still, the object of what we're doing, we who write and speak for Christ is not solely to reach those who already feel as we do--though getting to proclaim the Truth is wonderful wherever we happen to be doing it--but to so live our lives that others may wonder, what causes that person to radiate such joy and health and lovingkindness?

And when they ask, being able to say what is blessing us so very grateful, to be able to give credit to God, to Christ Jesus, and to Christian Science. Oh the privilege of being this very day a reflector of that light our blessed Master commands*, a light that cannot be hid, and just may cause one to seek things higher, ending up with a heart on fire for our great King.

Can you think of anything more glorious?

("Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:16)

Soldiers of Christ

2011-05-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago I wrote a poem titled "No Walk in the Park" to help others gain a mature grasp of what following in Jesus' steps requires of us.

In fact, let me share the poem here, then comment on something from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy that has been of inestimable help to me in the Christian warfare, and could just be what someone else needs today:

"No Walk in the Park"

(c) By: Sharon Slaton Howell

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 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 Saviour,
The most obedient-to-God man on earth,
Shouldn't this some all out,
Go-for-broke commitment be worth?

For we know, disobeying the God
We are taught to adore,
Is sooner or later sure to
Cost us so much more.

Now for a statement that has sustained me in the challenges that confront every soldier of Christ Jesus. This is from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 48: "Remembering the sweat of agony which fell in holy benediction on the grass of Gethsemane, shall the humblest or mightiest disciple murmur when he drinks from the same cup, and think, or even wish, to escape the exalting ordeal of sin's revenge on its destroyer?"

The words that jumped out at me the first time I looked this statement in the face was "exalting ordeal". Especially that word she used, "exalting". And as so many others can attest, the challenges God's own face in their daily lives of living Jesus' words, do leave us much stronger, blessed. May you, reader of this blog, take comfort in this divine fact.

Where Our Safety Lies

2011-05-02T04:38:00.000-07:00

With the news that Osama Bin Laden has been finally been taken out, some people are warning of possible retaliation against us here in the USA, and against Americans and its allies abroad.

I, of course, am thinking about staying out of harm's way, about where our safety lies. And the religion I practice, Christian Science, is of great help in this. Whatever our circumstances may be, we can gain peace of mind and safety through an understanding of our unity with God.

Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: "The history of Christianity furnishes sublime proofs of the supporting influence and protecting power bestowed on man by his heavenly Father, omnipotent Mind, who gives man faith and understanding whereby to defend himself, not only from temptation, but from bodily suffering." (p.387)

This spiritual and practical understanding of man's indissoluble relationship to God is accessible to all. We can all begin to discern and practice those spiritual truths that will enable us to carry on our day-to-day activities with perfect confidence in our safety.

The physical senses tell us we're subject to the material conditions surrounding us; that despite the precautions we may take for personal security, we still remain potential victims of others' actions. While this may seem to be the case, and we certainly can't naively ignore danger, still there is no more reliable help than God. There is actually no other power.

The teachings of Christian Science stress the truth of God's supremacy. And, in accord with the Bible, they show us that man is the beloved child of his Maker, never for an instant separated from God's all-encompassing care. In truth, man is neither a victim nor the perpetrator of violent acts. He is governed by the divine Mind, the only genuine Mind. And when we realize this truth with the conviction that comes of spiritual understanding, we can live without fear.

For centuries people have been turning to the book of Psalms for reassuring promises of God's protecting care. This is just one of the books of the Old Testament that show us God's mighty help and deliverance. And our great Master left no doubt of God's powerful love and care for His children. It was Christ Jesus' absolute conviction of being inseparable from his Father that empowered him to demonstrate dominion, whatever the circumstances. Jesus said, "He that sent me is with me; the Father hath not left me alone." (John8:29) Nor does the Father ever leave us alone and unprotected; rather, He keeps each and every one of us continuously secure in His omnipotent care. You and I can prove this.

The Christian Science textbook states, "Jesus of Nazareth taught and demonstrated man's oneness with the Father, and for this we owe him endless homage." (Science and Health, p. 18) To really comprehend the fact of man's perfect unity with God, good, is to enjoy His protecting care 24/7. How reassuring it is to know that we can never for a moment be outside the sphere of divine Love's protecting, saving influence!

"Feed My Lambs"

2011-04-25T04:37:00.000-07:00

It wasn't a little lamb looking back at me just now as I opened the door to the garage to put out trash--but a little creature, very, very hungry. It (a mother with young to feed?) had been drawn in by the bag of dog food, some of which we pile near our woods for the woodland creatures that visit each night--foxes, skunks, possums, coyotes now and then, and of course raccoons. The night's supply had all been eaten obviously, or this animal was especially hungy. Soon this darling thing came back and fell on the food I put out. With an ever-shrinking habitat, wild creatures have to find food wherever they can.

As satisfying as it was to, in its way, to help an animal in need, I couldn't help thinking of another kind of nourishment millions of people are hungry for, though they know it not. Not yet. And what is this life-giving nourishment? The teachings of Jesus Christ. What a privilege, what joy it is for you and me to be doing what we can to feed His lambs, to be carrying out something dear to our Master's heart--Jesus' solemn charge to Peter: "So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs." (John 21)

Help Always With Us

2011-04-17T07:24:00.000-07:00

The other day driving back from North Carolina, I happened to see a billboard with this message: "In an emergency, experience counts." What it referred to was a health care group. But the phrase stuck with me, and being a student of Christian Science, very naturally led to thoughts of God's help that is always with us.

Sometimes people, when learning that I'm a Christian Scientist and rely on God for deliverance, will ask, "But could you trust God's help in an emergency?"My answer to that is always "yes," because I've experienced God's everpresent intervention in many and varied ways in my life. Who can imagine One more experienced than God Almighty?

One of the many passages throughout the Bible that reveal God as the tender, watchful guardian of all is, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.. (Psalm 46:1) This has divine truth has come to my aid many times over the years. It can come to yours, too. One doesn't have to panic in emergencies, or accept as final the evidence of accident, injury, or illness. Instead, he or she can rely on God's help with confidence and success.

And Christ Jesus who was ever conscious of God's unfailing care for His children, said: "He that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone." (John 8:29) God's constant love and support are still at hand for all who yearn for heavenly help.

Many who have felt alone and afraid before the challenges that come up in everyday life have found solace, support, and healing through the study of Christian Science. Mary Baker Eddy,the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, writes in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p.332): "Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation. As the apostle expressed it: "For we are also His offspring.'"

I've often marveled that the creator of the universe, the Father of all things, is our Father who not only loves us unconditionally, but is always with us in every circumstance. It is due to the teachings of Christian Science that I have this spiritual conviction, it must be said.

My religion shows that since man is God's offspring, His image and likeness, as the Bible reveals, man is spiritual and perfect, continuously reflecting the Father's love and care. This spiritual identity, the true selfhood of us all, is not helpless before the mortal claims of accident, injury, illness. These erroneous beliefs, which seem so real to the unenlightened thought, stem from ignorance of man's inseparable relationship to God, divine Love, and are corrected by spiritual understanding.

Mortal suffering is an illusion of the physical senses, a lie about God's perfect creation. It is like the bad dream a child has at night--frightening to him, yet not real to the loved one awake at his side. And what comfort the child feels when he wakes and sees that he is not alone, and there is nothing to fear.

When, through spiritual understanding, one arouses himself from the mortal dream of life in matter to the reality of the truth of spiritual being, he experiences the sense of security that comes to one who has a knowledge of spiritual reality.

This knowledge our great Master obviously had. It is encouraging to note that when Jesus was himself confronted with an emergency situation (an angry crowd had led him to the top of a hill to throw him off), "he passing through the midst of them went his way." (This is from Luke 4:30)

As we gain an approximation of that rocklike spiritual recognition Jesus had that the loving Parent of us all is always caring for His children, we're empowered to demonstrate dominion in emergencies. It is divine fact that no situation which arises, whether it concerns the well-being of ourselves or those we love, is beyond God's omnipotent help.

Uncluttering

2011-04-16T04:43:00.000-07:00

"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 God's precepts out front,

Changes things for us.

Mental trash gets left by the curb;

Gossip -- harmful to ourselves and others --

Simply falls off.

Sickness-breeding states of thought

Give way to peace on earth, good will.

Relationships are transformed.

We can count on it --

Christ-following empowers.

Life becomes simpler,

Happier, healthy, free --

Just the way our heavenly Father

Wants it to be.

(*John 15:3)

The Way Out

2011-04-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

When life has you at an impasse,

And things look downright grim,

And not knowing which way to turn,

You find yourself wondering,

"Whom can I take this problem to?"

Why not heed the angel who says,

"Take all your worries to Him."

You'll be eternally glad that you did.

Keep in mind, His help divine,

Is at our service--in every circumstance.

Innocence

2011-04-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

(The following poem was just published in the Oak Ridge, Tennessee Humane Society newsletter, also that of a humane society in Scotland. Why am I posting it on a religious website? Because little, and big, creatures are God's creation and need all the love you and I can give.)

Who could look at a sleeping dog

And not feel his or her heart tug?

Someone who needs to feel love more,

A person whose soul has

Yet to be awakened, that's who.

Is there anything more disarming

Than one's bloved pet in repose?

I suppose.

Perhaps to a parent gaving at their child.

About this I wouldn't know.

I say to our doggie,

You are sometimes challenging when awake;

(Especially when it thunders).

You were as a puppy sometimes wild.

But when asleep on floor/bed or rug,

Your innocence moves me to the core.

How Do I Apply Christian Science?

2011-04-03T07:12:00.000-07:00

When someone asks me this important question, I always say, the place to begin understanding Christian Science better is Mary Baker Eddy's major work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures -- reading, studying, pondering the truths therein. And using what you are learning. Yes, starting right off applying divine facts to human challenges, which many newcomers have done with spectacular results.

And of course, the chapter titled "Christian Science Practice" gives many specific statements of divine fact that aid one in actually using what Christian Science brings out about God and man.

For the many readers of this blog who are curious about my religion, and who do not have this book at hand, the following may be of help. First, let me say that Christian Science is science applied to Christianity, and with any science, how would you begin making it practical? How would you start using what you have learned about music, or chemistry, or math? By simply using that knowledge as the occasion presents itself. There is nothing mysterious about this process, is there? You apply the rules, laws, principles of the discipline in question, do you not? And applying metaphysical truths to one's problems is no different than applying one's knowledge of the multiplication table, for example.

As its name implies, Christian Science is the demonstrable knowledge of Christ as a divine Principle, as the saving Truth, the Redeemer and "great Physician" of mankind. For the lack of this knowledge, for the lack of knowing what Jesus knew, people have submitted to the despotism of a supposed evil power with its attendant miseries. Christian Science, as many of us have found, supplies truths that free one from unnecessary limitation and suffering. It brings the freedom of knowing God as always present, all-powerful, ever available to lift one out of human fears and false beliefs.

As Christian Science makes clear, matter is but the sense of not knowing God, Spirit, and this negative sense is, therefore, to be reckoned with only as error, as untrue, unreal, therefore non-existent. Divine Science inspires one to look to and rely upon God as including all real causation, all real consciousness, law, substance, and power.

And a key point in understanding Christian Science more clearly and demonstrating what it teaches is recognizing that all which comes within the range of human consciousness is a mental state. What we think, or what is contained in our thoughts, make up individual experience. Things go wrong in one's life because human thought is first wrong, and things will continue to go wrong until this thought is set right, that is to say, brought into alignment with the divine facts about God and His man and universe.

If one's thought is scientifically Christian, it is based on the absolute allness of God, good and the consequent powerlessness and nothingness of aught besides Him. This is a Christian Science treatment, and from an unbiased study of the Gospels one must conclude that this was the Christ way.

Christian Science being based on Truth alone, on the absolute perfection of God and His creation, it follows that we cannot admit the opposite of this perfect Principle and the perfect idea, and at the same time practice Christian Science, any more than we could believe that one and one are both two and three and expect to do correct work in mathematics. Man is not both matter and spirit, both evil and good.

Although material sense pictures man as discordant and imperfect, as poor or miserable or sick or helpless, what will this testimony weigh with one who knows material sense to be a lie? What did it weigh with Jesus? How far will the claim of evil deceive one who is convinced in his heart that God is infinite, All? That God never made material conditions to afflict His offspring, that such are unreal?

Obviously the way we are thinking is the way we are treating ourselves; that is, we are mentally applying to ourselves what we hold to be true, and the result will be according to the truth or the error which makes up our thoughts. It is plain that it isn't difficult to think that one and one are two. In reality all that the student of Christian Science does is to remove from his thought whatever obstructs his realization of the allness of God. Whatever would make him believe that there is any other power or entity. As this is accomplished, his thought naturally takes in only the right view of things and shuts out the evil as unreal.

Christian Science does not create health, supply, opportunity, strength and so on. It reveals these conditions as belonging to man as the very image of his Maker, God. As the first chapter of the Holy Bible states: And God said, let us make man in our image and likeness, and let them have dominion...over all the earth."

I've had people say to me," I could rely on God's healing power, if I just had the will-power you apparently have." Will-power has nothing to do with Christ healing. Nor it is the human mind over matter. It is truth over error. When you apply mathematical truths to a problem, do you will the equations to work? No, it is your understanding that corrects the mistake and brings the right answer. "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free", Jesus taught and proved for all time and for all mankind. (John8:32) Focusing on the error does not liberate.

I could give many examples of how I have dealt with a particular human problem. But how I would pray, work metaphysically, will differ from what you are inspired to do. But anytime we truly understand the divine fact about a given situation, anytime consciousness lights up with the truth of God's presence and power, and the lie fades from our thinking, does freedom and normality and healing come.

Mrs. Eddy points out in "Science and Health" on pages 476, 477 that "Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick. Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy."

And this is the way one applies Christian Science.

Arcade Thrill Shows and Christian Science

2011-04-01T04:06:00.000-07:00

(This was written by a longtime and loved friend, John Wellsman)

Have you ever gone to one of those multi-sensory"thrill" shows? The ones with incredible audiovisual effects combined with bumping and jiggling seats to make the effects seem even more realistic? My wife and I went to one some years ago and it has continued to provide me much food for thought regarding the practice of Christian Science.

Here's what happened: We heard the sound effects--an obviously high performance automobile being raced--from a good distance away. The floor and walls were actually shaking from it by the time we arrived! It aroused our interest to attend the show so we waited in the fairly long line. The show promised a "thrilling" ride through the Swiss Alps in a speeding sports car. However almost immediately we began seeing signs announcing that this was a "really realistic" experience and if you suffered from any of the following...insert here a long list of both common and uncommon ailments, you probably shouldn't go any further. Obviously "frightening" was intended to replace "really realistic" experience. As we approached the door the sounds got more thunderous and the warnings more frequent. When we got into the medium-sized theatre room we found not only the gigantic walls of speakers and large screen but a gallery of molded seating mounted independently of the room itself so it could zig and zag as well as bump and thump for the suggestion of added realism. There were even "safety bars" that "held" us into our seats. An attractive young woman even gave us a stern "safety" lecture about remaining in our seats and what to do if we felt ourselves becoming physically overcome by the experience; simply look away from the screen to the plain walls of the room and keep our gaze there until the show was over.

At one point with all this buildup I actually found myself starting to be taken in by all the wanmings with a sudden sense of fear rising. Then the thought came very clearly: Just remember this is ONLY A MOVIE! And I thought, of course, it IS only a movie and isn't real at all! Immediately I relaxed and began to appreciate the mechanical details of the room and to marvel at the obvious extent someone had gone to to make the experience SEEM real.

Then we were off! The roaring motor noises, the movie itself being run at two or three times normal speed to make it appear we were hurtling through the narrow roads and around impossible hairpin turns. When we came to a turn, the seats bumped us sideways and when the movie showed a bump in the road, the seats thrust us up and down in unison with screen image. At each new danger or impossible situation on the screen, the room was filled with shrieks and screams from terrified viewers. Yet I was simply noting the mechanical details and calmly reminding myself, "This is ONLY A MOVIE." When the show was over it was apparent some individuals' idea of "thrilling" was actually "terrifiying." Many individuals exiting the theatre appeared a tad green around the gills or had looks of obvious fright on their faces. But of course all were saying how "wonderful" or "thrilling" it was. In between exclamations of how frightened they had been.

Lest anyone think only wimps were fooled into being frightened, I had the opportunity to attend the same show some months later on a business trip. An associate who had been a combat-trained United States Marine Corps Drill Instructor was with me on that visit. Not too far into the show I felt an iron grip on my forearm and looked over to see my friend the Marine facing the screen in wide-eyed panic. I calmly assured him it was ONLY A MOVIE. Fortunately be quickly released my arm and began to relax.

While I did enjoy the show both times--as a young person I participated in club races, time trials and sports car rallies and have been involved professionally in photography and multimedia productions since--I found myself beginning to contemplate why I had been able to enjoy the show without being terrified. And I began to see the parallels in the practice of Christian Scienc healing. In the face of tremendous pressure to accept the show as "realistic" or something that was actually happening to me I had held steadfastly to the truth: This was ONLY A MOVIE! I clearly understood both who I was and where I was. I simply didn't accept the fearful suggestions being presented. Thus fear and panic couldn't enter my consciousness.

Interestingly this experience has helped me both to enjoy many other movies over the years without becoming fearfully involved and also gain a better sense of Christian Science practice and how healing is accomplished in Christian Science. I contine to plumb the nuances of this experience relating to Christian Science when viewing a movie. It's increasingly helpful to clearly establish the fact that no matter how realistic the movie seems to be, whatever action is appearing on the screen has nothing to do with the actor's true identity. Then to contemplate how that fact applies to any other situation that appears to present itself in my own life. No matter what mortal mind presents through the physical senses, sights, sounds, thumps or bumps, those image are not true and thus not happening to me. They are only suggestive illusions just like the preludes to that thrill show. As Mary Baker Eddy states in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p.418:5) "Stick to the truth of being in contradistinction to the error that life, substance, or intelligence can be in matter."

As that is done, one is freed from involvement in any inharmonious situation be it age, accident, disease or emotional entanglement. And one can say with Paul, "None ofthese things move me." (Acts 20:24)

The works of Martha Wilcox, an early worker for the cause of Christian Science provide much amplification on this subject as well. Particularly her Association Address of 1937 entitled, "The Word Made Flesh."

A Heavenly Generosity

2011-03-31T04:58:00.000-07:00

Sitting here thinking about the attribute of generosity, essential for any of us who are committed to following in Jesus' steps. Also, of a business associate who is one of the most giving people I deal with. He heads a large company, and his employees, down to the most humble worker, all attest to what he does for them. In fact, I just wrote a card thanking him for something extra he did for me with these words: "You express such generosity. One could almost say, a heavenly generosity." Which it is.

Years ago when I was just starting out in the practice of Christian Science, with a regular paycheck in the rear window, I came across something its Discoverer and Founder writes. Mary Baker Eddy says in "First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany" (page 165): "Goodness and benevolence never tire. They maintain themselves and others and never stop from exhaustion. He who is afraid of being too generous has lost the power of being magnanimous. The best man or woman is the most unselfed."

I would read this and at that point in my experience, feel "Why, I can't be generous. The supply just isn't there." Yet, over time I began to understand better that divine Love does give us all we need. And enough left over to help others. I credit the teachings of the Bible, Christ Jesus' assurances of God's love and care, and the truths of Christian Science for helping me overcome the false beliefs of lack and limitation.

And speaking of generosity, a lovely thing happened just this week. A pet store owner was clearing out cans of dog food that weren't selling, and he happened to tell my husband he could have all 180, and all very high quality food, for 50 cents a can! Well, given there is a wonderful humane society here in Tennessee that does heroic work in rescuing and helping animals--men and woman all volunteers--he bought them up and handed them off yesterday to a woman who drove many miles up here to Farragut. She happened to say, "Sometimes I think we've undertaken more than we can handle." Whereupon my husband told her, "But you're laying up treasure in heaven by all the giving you do on behalf of God's creatures."

How the generosity of one has blessed and will bless so many others. This is indeed a heavenly quality for all to cultivate.

Warmth of Heart

2011-03-31T04:17:00.000-07:00

Service done with cold formality

Is service best not done at all.

For feel ye love for one another

Is still Christ Jesus' call.

Never Baffling to Him

2011-03-28T08:43:00.000-07:00

Only yesterday had another proof of what our heavenly Father does for His children, when they turn to Him for answers. Facing a situation which called for a solution, and not seeing at all a way through the thicket, I turned to God as a little child would who can't see which steps to take.

It surprised me almost, how quickly the solution presented itself. It shouldn't have, after experiencing many times in my life what an understanding of God as all-knowing Mind can do, and of ourselves as the reflection of the One Mind in fact. (This I have learned in my study of Christian Science.) But it did, and I was so relieved. Where I felt baffled, He did not. And He never does.

Several years ago when confronted with a situation at work that needed a resolution, I made an appointment to go see a Christian Science practitioner for help. As I related my conundrum, then said, "Who can I take this problem to?", he immediately answered, "Why not take it to God?" Where I was thinking of relying on some person, this friend was thinking of going to the highest source possible for answers. This I endeavored to do, and very soon, the whole thing was cleared up.

Often in the intervening years, what this devoted worker asked me has come to thought, and I can wholeheartedly recommend this step to anyone who doesn't know what to do with life's complexities.

Nothing is too hard for our loving Father to figure out (as the Old Testament and Jesus' example point up). God is everpresent, His help always available. And when we take our problems to Him, He will figure out for us the right path to take. And so often, do it amazingly fast!

Writing for Jesus Christ

2011-03-22T04:09:00.000-07:00

What motivates one in so doing,

If not to honor God's dear Son? --

If not the hope that any of

What the Master said and taught

Shall become dwellers

In the hearts of men,

And so lodged,

Lead an individual to obey,

And obeying God's Word,

Find the joy and purpose in life

Obtainable in no other way?

Jesus said of his words that

They would not pass away

Though everything else perish.

And they have not.

And we adoring souls who do

What we can to pass along

Jesus' sublime teachings

Can see what we write --

If we listen well to divine direction --

Reach the hearts of those now living,

And those lives yet to be.

And the little bird flew right off

2011-03-15T09:37:00.001-07:00

Had another instance of what Christian Science can do in our lives just this morning, and I'm sure those who love God's creatures will rejoice with me.

Earlier this morning, I happened to notice a tiny little bird, a goldfinch, lying listless on the walk beside some of our bird feeders. It may have flown into a window and been knocked nearly senseless. I picked it up to see if it was still breathing and one wing seemed not operative. I placed it high up on a ledge so as to keep it safe, then began praying. It just wasn't right for this bird to pass away from shock and injury.

The truth that came instantly to thought which provided the basis for my metaphysical work was this: "Life is real, and death is the illusion." It's from Mary Baker Eddy's book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 428. Another reaffirmation that life is spiritual, not at the mercy of material happenings, is this statement also from her book where she defines "Death. An illusion, the lie of life in matter; the unreal and untrue; the opposite of Life." (page 584)

Until about noon, I prayed with these divine truths and just now when I went outside to check on the little bird, it was sitting up and instantly flew away, completely free. Can you imagine the joy I feel at seeing God's power in operation once again and my gratitude to Him for the teachings of Christian Science.

What Love Can Do

2011-03-10T04:50:00.000-08:00

(Just got an email from a Christian Science friend in Texas, Susan, who is one lover of God's creatures. And it has inspired me to post the following one of my poems for other such benefactors of animals who read my blog)

Faithful Companions

(c) By: Sharon Slaton Howell

I believe nothing one can do
Can repay a dog's devotion,
Nor bring that emotion
Of being uniquely cared for.
There was this one day
When feeling quite ill,
I was flopped across the bed.
At once our dog came up beside,
Placed a big paw on my arm
And stayed with me for some time,
As if to say, "I understand what
You're going through."
Words, as any dog-lover knows,
Can't convey the peculiar comfort
And peace this brought me.
I actually felt better physically,
The love being shown so pure--
The love being shown,
A reflection of that love
God feels for all His creation.
It left me feeling quite sure
This aided in my recovering.
How could I not with
Such a companion hovering?

And some people say animals are dumb.
Yeah, right!

A Testimony (Cynthia)

2011-03-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

I'm so grateful for Christian Science, which is helping me in so many ways. I first heard of the Eddy book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" about a year ago through reading this blog.

I've had many physical healings from studying this book and using the truths I am learning from it. But what I'm thinking about now is how Christian Science has helped me the past few months deal with a stressful relationship. My husband began seeing a fall off in his store customers some months ago, and things became so bad his disposition changed dramatically. He would get so irritated with me and the girls, we were almost afraid to speak to him. Our home was not very happy.

He is not a student of Christian Science, but I tried to see him as God's perfect child, as the way God had made him, when things would get their worse. I do believe that this is what has turned things around. He is now more like himself than in many months. And just Saturday he said to me, "I need to get back to God"! This means more to me than anything else, and I know without Christian Science in my life now, our marriage might have been permanently harmed because of the severe challenges he was facing in his business.

All I can say is, praise God for all He has done for us.

(Note to my readers: the way this girl has taken to Christian Science is wonderful, and the way she turns to God for everything is a continuing inspiration.)

The Christian Science Remedy for Fatigue

2011-03-05T04:11:00.000-08:00

Just read in the weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal an interesting piece on the chronic fatigue that challenges so many people. I couldn't help thinking of the answer my religion gives to this problem.

For those who read my blog who are not practicing Christian Scientists, and for those who will come across these postings, the following may be informative and helpful.

To begin at a sublime level, Christ Jesus' life of service--his example of giving God the glory in everything he did and the reliance on God that characterized all he said and did and taught--can lift one's thought about his or her endeavors to a higher, more spiritual level.

To follow Jesus, we need to see God as the source and purpose of whatever it is we're doing. The Bible invites us to learn of God as inexhaustible Spirit, which is never limited or depleted. In Isaiah the prophet asks, "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?" (Isaiah 40:28)

When one comes to realize that man is God's child, the very expression of Spirit, we begin to see a spiritual basis for overcoming fatigue. We begin to see that our real identity is not material; it is spiritual, because our creator is Spirit. The spiritual selfhood is characterized by such God-derived qualities as inspiration, energy, strength, and vitality. It is refreshing to realize that our real nature already includes all these qualities. And knowing how natural it is for man to express the strength and dominion God imparts can take the strain out of everyday living. It can lift the sense of burden and heaviness from our day-to-day responsbilities. We don't have to be tired all the time.

Mrs. Eddy refers to the true source of energy in the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. She writes, "...when we realize that immortal Mind is ever active, and that spiritual energies can neither wear out nor can so-called material law trespass upon God-given powers and resources, we are able to rest in Truth, refreshed by the assurances of immortality, oposed to mortality." (page 387)

I and so many others have learned that God, divine Mind, unfailing Love, does sustain His child in every right activity. And this fact, when understood and applied in one's daily life, is energizing, uplifting. It can wipe out fatigue in the best way, through our humble dependence on our heavenly Father God, the source of all stamina and productivity. Our recognition of the everpresence of this divine power overrules mortal suggestions of weariness, unfinished work, or penalty for overexertion.

As the book mentioned above states: "Let us feel the divine energy of Spirit, bringing us into newness of life and recognizing no mortal nor material power as able to destroy. Let us rejoice that we are subject to the divine 'powers that be.'" (page 249)

The import of Paul's striking statement "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13) can be felt right here and now. If anyone put these words to the test, it was this servant of Jesus Christ. Acknowledging God as the sole cause of action/ability/get up and go glorifies Him, and it does wonders for our whole life. We'll not only find ourselves demonstrating the staying power we need in order to fulfill a demanding schedule; we'll keep our joy and vitality in the process!

Only One Cause

2011-03-01T05:48:00.000-08:00

Sometimes we mistakenly consider the occurrence of illness, accident, or misfortune to be synonymous with adverse aftereffects, such as a slow or only partial recovery. This, however, does not have to be the case. By discovering the true, or spiritual nature of cause and effect, we can cope with the situation.

Christian Science, in accord with the inspired Word of the Bible, teaches that God is the only cause, the sole creator of the universe, including man, and that this creation is spiritual, wholly good. As the Bible declares in the very first chapter, "God saw every thing that he had made, and behold, it was very good". Accepting this revelation of the divinely spiritual nature of all being, Christian Science reasons that all cause and effect are spiritual and that all is the perfect handiwork of God, divine Mind.

What of the evil, sickness, accident, and lack that appear so real? Christian Science shows these are manifestations of the misconception that there is a power opposed to God, infinite Truth. But because God's all-encompassing good neither creates erroneous conditions nor recognizes them, they cannot affect His perfect reflection man. These illusions of material thinking are powerless, unreal, without substance. They have no power over the one who spiritually understands and claims this.

Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, says in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures on page 207: "There is but one primal cause. Therefore there can be no effect from any other cause, and there can be no reality in aught which does not proceed from this great and only cause."

My own experience bears this out, and has done so many times. I remember one instance when we were living and working in Seoul, Korea. As I was leaving the office one day on the way to meet friends for lunch, I walked through two large plate-glass doors just as one door came partially unhinged. The door struck me on the side of my head, and knocked me backwards. At first I was too stunned to do anything. But as soon as my thought cleared, I began declaring some of the spiritual truths learned in my study of Christian Science. People gathered around and offered help, but they were asured I was all right.

I continued silently knowing different truths that helped me realize man's unity with God, divine Mind. These divine facts lifted my thinking to the recognition that in reality, nothing had happened to separate me from God's omnipresent care. I knew that in His kingdom, where man always abides, there could be no accidents, and therefore no painful effects.
During lunch, I kept pondering spiritual truths, and by the time I returned to work, the pain had stopped, and there were never any aftereffects.

Christ Jesus knew God as the source or originator o fall things, the loving creator of the universe , including man. In healing the sick, stilling the tempest, feeding the multitudes, and raising the dead, our great Master demonstrated that cause and effect are spiritual.

Any person tuning into this blog can gain a demonstrable understanding of God as the only cause and creator, and succesffully apply this knowledge to his every human need. Such knowledge is not only powerful; it is practical. It enables anyone to prove that man is subject only to God's beneficent laws, that in reality, there can be "no effect from any other cause."

Meek -- But Mighty

2011-02-26T06:48:00.002-08:00

Sometimes daughters
of the South,
are too sweet and light;
individuals who are weak,
lacking in might,
reluctant to fight
when the Cause is right.
Acting meek, while
standing up for oneself--
what a challenge.
After centuries of
half the race being
put down, told to
be seen and not heard,
(with a few exceptions)
can make one want
to go overboard
to oneself express.
Thank God for the Word--
which helps many
of us to keep words in,
and not commit the sin
of not being loving enough.
Sometimes this is tough.
But there is our Hero
for all time,
our Exemplar sublime,
who though his rebuke
was something one could
not have wanted to be
on the receiving end of,
was the most loving man
that ever walked the earth.

Being daughters (and sons)
of the King,
shouldn't we be able
to express meekness and might?
This we followers of Christ
will increasingly need to do.

The Mind that was in Christ

2011-02-22T04:48:00.000-08:00

On my way back this morning from breakfast, I was thinking about something I had just read. Quite an interesting piece on developing one's mental processes, on memorizing mainly. And it seems this person practiced by associating certain things he wanted to recall, with unwholesome images. And this puts in mildly! Some tricks involved downright gross mental pictures.

The contrast with this, and what my religion stresses--namely developing the Mind that was in Christ Jesus--stood out clearly. In fact, one of the tenets of Christian Science states in part: "And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus;" This is from Mary Baker Eddy's masterwork, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 497. (The rest of this tenet reads, "to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure.")

To be involved daily with understanding, claiming one's identification with the one Mind, God is an exercise that couldn't be more important for one to engage in. It is challenging to be sure. It takes humility. It takes discipline. But oh the rewards--in peace of mind, in health, in harmony, in expanded usefulness to humanity. I could go on and on with the benefits from acknowledging God as our Mind--which Jesus indisputably did. But thank God, the teachings of divine Science enable any one of us to do this holy work.

Cultivating Wisdom

2011-02-19T04:42:00.001-08:00

I used to wonder why our dear Master placed the need for wisdom before harmlessness in this statement: "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves." (Matthew 10:16)

Then one day I came across something the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science says on this topic: "...be wise and harmless, for without the former the latter were impracticable. A lack of wisdom betrays Truth into the hands of evil as effectually as does a subtle conspirator; the motive is not as wicked, but the result is as injurious." This is from "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, page 128

Of the many blessings I've gained from a study of the Bible and the teachings of Christian Science, acquiring more wisdom in my day-to-day dealings is right up there. Doing our best to obey God, to live in accord with what Jesus taught and practiced, listening for divine direction in the seemingly trivial aspects of daily life, we find ourselves manifesting greater wisdom and becoming more judicious. Gaining more Christly clearsightedness, we experience the right distance, balance, freedom in ourinteractions with others. Nothing can have so dynamic and healing an impact on our own experience and the world as the spiritual knowledge we're gaining and applying in Christin Science. Therefore, we learn to keep human opinion and influence at arm's length and entrust our unfolding spiritual understanding to God alone.

How rewarding it is to cultivate the consciousness that we are inseparable from God--to feel our oneness with the all-powerful forces of good and our consequent dissociation from circumstances we no longer need to be involved with. We more and more enjoy what the Old Testament promises: "And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left."

One cannot be following more closely what God gave His Son to give to the world without experiencing a more discriminating consciousness, without becoming wiser in what he says and does. And this is all to the good, as Mary Baker Eddy pointed out in the words above.

Serving God -- Not Money

2011-02-14T04:48:00.000-08:00

To the follower of Christ,

Jesus' words offer such comfort.

To the selfish materialist however,

They're disturbing, and actually

Impossible to obey --

Until priorities are straightened out.

Take Matthew 6:24 for instance

Where our Master warns:

"Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

Coming into right relation

To the Christian requirement

To serve God, not selfish interests,

Brings the supply one needs.

And it even ensures enough

Left over to help others.

Best of all, it replaces fear

With joy and trust in God's dear love --

The greatest treasure there is.

Four Points to Consider (John Wellsman)

2011-02-07T04:08:00.000-08:00

Those contemplating Christian Science and its applicability to their own circumstances or lives might be helped by pondering the following four points:

First, consider the definition of the word "Science." Although current usage has largely pictured science as relating to the goings on in sterile laboratories filled with glass beakers, test tubes, Petrie dishes and white-coated staff with safety glasses and clipboards. That image is far from the original meaning of the word.

For example the 1828 Webster's (the edition which was current when Mary Baker Eddy the Discoverer and Founder of the Christian Science religion was writing her seminal work Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, includes this as the primary definition of the word "Science": "1...knowledge, or certain knowledge; the comprehension or understanding of truth or facts by the mind." And then gives this example of usage: "The science of God must be exact." Nothing about test tubes or white coats there.

The 1913 Webster's gives this definition of Science:

"Accumulated and established knowledge, whic has been systematized and formulated with reference to the discovery of general truths or the operation of general laws; knowledge classified and made available in work, life, or the search for truth;"

Webster's eleventh edition collegiate dictionary gives this primary definition of Science:

"the state of knowing: knowledge as distinguished from ignorance or misunderstanding:

Slightly different, but still no test tubes.

We can therefore consider that the key factors in Science are mental, not physical.

Second, consider the fact that has apparently largely escaped the consciousness of the world today, including even a large percentage of devout Christians: although the healing work of Jesus is considered miraculous it is largely identified with the personal Jesus. However in fact, Jesus TAUGHT his followers how to "perform" those miracles on their own. His disciples were after all just what the word "disciple" really means, learners or students. (1828 Webster's again):

"Disciple: A learner; a scholar; one who receives or professes to receive instruction from another; as the disciples of Plato"

The disciples LEARNED from Jesus. And they were generally successful when Jesus sent them forth to practice what he had taught them. "And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name." Luke 10:17

Besides the twelve disciples, Jesus is generally credited with approximately 300 other students of varying degrees of diligence and accomplishment including those seventy he sent forth at once. One point is important to consider here: Jesus' disciples were not educated intellectuals. They were generally common fishermen and laborers without any paraticularly advanced level of education. Thus apparently worldly learning was not necessary for the understanding and practice of what Jesus taught.

Therefore we can deduce there was a basic body of knowledge or truth behind Jesus' works which he himself could teach his disciples. The Science of Christianity. And this truth or Science would be discovered in his words and works by anyone who sincerely sought it out. Mary Baker Eddy was such a person. After her discovery of the Science of Christianity in 1866, Mrs. Eddy devoted the final forty-five years of her life to the study, practice and dissemination of that body of knowledge and truth to the world. Over a period of seven years she taught over four thousand students the rudiments of primitive Christian healing at her Massachusetts Metaphysical College.

Third, consider the degrees of achievement covered by the word student. For example, an inspired or gifted teacher will have some students who easily grasp the materials he is imparting to them. Some may go on to excel in the field themselves, perhaps even furthering the field of knowledge itself. The majority of the students, however will simply absorb the rudiments and even if they understand its practicality will do little or nothing with that knowledge. A few may even challenge or deny the truth or practicality of what is being taught. However Science can only be affirmed. Being truth, Science cannot actually be denied. Therefore these non- practitioners or deniers have no effect on the essence of Science or truth. Sometimes they can actually highlight or demonstrate its truth.

Consider Jesus' experience. Peter, James and John were exemplary students. Despite his denial of Jesus before the crucifixion, Peter went on to do and accomplish much good in the early Christian era. Even the dull and doubting Thomas was able to accomplish some healing once he understood better what Jesus was imparting.

Then of course there was Judas Iscariot whose denial of Jesus' teachings led him to betray the Master leading to his crucifixion. However Judas' denial and betrayal only enabled the Master's final and complete demonstration of the Science he taught in what we call the ascension.

Mary Baker Eddy also had different degrees of students over the years. A few accomplished much, some little and some turned on her and worked diligently to destroy her and her lifework. The key point here is this: However few students actually grasp an instructor's teaching and despite students' lack of accomplishment or denials of the teachings, the non-practice and denials cannot alter the actual truth of what the instructor imparts. Science, if it is Science cannot actually be denied, it can only be affirmed, practiced and demonstrated. Or not. Your choice. But you cannot deny what is Science.

Fourth, and finally, considering that Science is truth or true knowledge that can be organized, preserved and taught or transferred, there is actually a practical Science of the primitive Christianity which Jesus taught and practiced. It is that Science which Mary Baker Eddy sought out, discovered, recorded and preserved in her work, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. Because of Mrs. Eddy's selfless dedication, that Science is available to anyone today. Thus the Science of Christianity can be learned and practiced with healing results to a greater or lesser degree by any sincere seeker who is willing to earnestly strive for its acquistion. Even you!

On Blogging for Christian Science

2011-02-05T04:19:00.000-08:00

What motivates one in so doing

If not to honor God's dear Son --

In the hope that the truths

Christ Jesus said and taught

May serve to set another free,

As Science divine has done,

God be prasied, for you and me.

Life-saving, eternal truths, when

Lighting up another's thought

Can and do lead to joy and

Health, peace and freedom

Obtainable in no other way.

Our Master said of his words

That they shall not pass away

Though everything else perish.

And those grateful ones

Who blog on behalf of Christian Science,

Which makes clear these words and works,

Can see what they post in cyberspace --

If they listen for God's direction --

Reach the hearts of those in need,

Inspire them to want to learn more

Of what will surely set them free.

May God bless and prosper us,

Each and every one.

To Love God More

2011-02-01T02:52:00.001-08:00

There comes a point in our lives when something that Jesus commanded takes on special importance, something we feel must be obeyed more. "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment", our Master said. (Mark 12:30)

How can I repay some of the good God has given? How can I show my love for Him more?" takes hold of our thinking, we have arrived at an unusually holy place in spiritual development. We and our neighbors are in for unimagined blessings--once you and I learn the answer to this crucial question and start to act on it.

"Heavy topic!" some of you might be thinking. Not really! After all, our relationship to our Creator eclipses all others. And the sooner we begin thinking of how we can more fully express our love and gratitude to Him, the happier and healthier life is going to be for us and for those whom our lives will increasingly touch.

The Psalmist's question, "What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me?" is a lofty one. (116:12) And it deserves sublime counsel on how best to achieve such giving--counsel that the above command of Christ, together with the one immediately following provides us. "And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself", Jesus said.

These two commandments are as one, for to obey the first ensures obedience to the second. Love of our fellow beings has to be active; it must take form. It is an expression, not merely a feeling. It is an active service, as Jesus' life showed. Actually, we can't love God without this unselfed activity. As a New Testament writer points out, "He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" (I John 4:20)

As most of us can attest, the human mind is not inclined to do this, not for any length of time that is. Obviously something more than good intent is needed for one to carry out Jesus' command successfully. And speaking for myself, my religion has provided this help by giving me a spiritual, scientific basis for developing enriched affections, a greater love for others.

As the teachings of Christian Science reveal, man is one with God, divine Love; he is the expression, or idea, of the only Mind there actually is. And so, love for God includes love for His idea, man. God's love for man is expressed in our love for others. Looking at ourselves in this spiritually enlightened way, claiming our divinely derived ability to manifest warmth, compassion, kindness, unselfishness, we feel lifted up, spiritually strengthened to reach the high goal of loving our neighbor as ourselves. Instead of striving in a merely human way for something we may not feel qualified to do and which may not seem attainable, we see that God is actually our Mind--that we have the Mind which spontaneously loves and is Love. We awake to a a capacity to love that is already spiritually natural for us since it is our God-given right and present endowment as divine Love's reflection. Learning to love as Jesus did--consciously reflecting the Mind that is Love--moves us beyond the human mind's inhibitions, its frustrations and failures. Our caring becomes more effective and healing, more rewarding for all concerned. And best of all, we experience the special joy that comes from doing what is pleasing to our heavenly Father.

"But still, I wouldn't know where to begin expressing the love Jesus is talking about," someone might be thinking right now. Let's not forget that our fellow beings aren't a species different from us! The hopes and fears and struggle and the consequent need for warmth and support that we feel at times, they feel too. The emotions that stir our hearts, stir others' as well.

The Old Testament offers some help in seeing how we can begin to love more. Proverbs enjoins us, "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it." (3:27) What a world of difference a sincere thank-you or just a smile that indicates we appreciate what another is doing can make! Most of us, every single day, fail to take advantage of opportunities to reach out to our neighbor in simple but highly effective ways. Yet whenever we take the time to let others know we recognize the contribution they are making and really care about their well-being, this magnifies the good they are doing and it honors them as sons and daughers of God.

Many people have a genuinely warm nature and could be reaching out much more than they do to bless others. But affections are being bottled up for what they consider valid reasons. Perhaps they fear looking foolish if they show concern. It is true that all who express love need to have courage and resolve. But even if their efforts to love are misunderstood and elicit no response (and this happens to all of us at times) Christ's followers will go right on expressing divine Love as much as they can.

Some might be holding back on living Christly love because their conscience won't allow them to heap what they feel is unearned praise on people just to be nice to them. We don't have to compromise our integrity to help others. Nor do we have to resort to flattery. But if we are seeing others as God knows and loves them, we can in all good conscience rejoice in the goodness of the man God created and love even when it may humanly be undeserved.

The good we can do through a God-inspired kindness is many time greater than the time and effort it costs us. The right sentiment expressed at the right moment ahs been known to positively light up another's life with joy, even transform it forever. And loving is always timely when God impels it. When we align ourselves with the source of all uplift and comfort and healing and are willing to be used by God, divine Love, there is no limit to the blessings He will bestow through us.

Loving and blessing those that come into our experience are an answer to one of society's more pervasive problems, and that problem is the terrible loneliness so many are feeling today. Christlike interest in others is an unfailing antidote for too much self. Even if one has spent a lifetime being self-centered, now is not too late to start being God-centered. When the thought comes, "What am I really living for?", this could be an indication that one is beginning to reach out for a higher, more spiritual sense of purpose, a more selfless, truly satisfying way of life than absorption in self can ever bring. The ways we can live Love are endless. Living Love will give anyone all the purpose he or she can handle.

Mary Baker Eddy points out: "As an active portion of one stupendous whole, goodness identifies man with universal good. Thus may each member of this church rise above the oft-repeated inquiry, What am I? to the scientific response: I am able to impart truth, health, and happiness, and this is my rock of salvation and my reason for existing." (The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 165)

You and I are in the world to bless the world, as our Master showed. Jesus went all out for God in a life filled with the loving and healing others. As we follow his example, we see with out own eyes how many today need all the Christly warmth and compassion they can get. How can we not do this for our infinitely loving God?