A reader sent this to me today. I think you’ll enjoy it…
Hi Evan,
I was inspired to share this with you today....
I was watching the news this morning and feeling disturbed about the terrorist attacks in Mumbai and wondering how my prayers could possibly be a help against so great an evil. I turned off the TV and settled into the Christian Science Bible lesson. When I came to the last section I realized I should share this story.
My brother was in Vietnam early in the war and had served his tour of duty and was to leave the country that very day. My mother had prayed diligently for his protection the entire 13 months of deployment.
That night in the middle of the night she woke up and shot straight out of bed in complete fear for him. In reaching out to God the only thing that came to her thought was "No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper." She said she never remembered even reading it before and had to go look it up to find it in Isaiah. She clung single-mindedly to that thought for hours.
Later that morning, Army officials arrived at our door with a telegram from the War Department informing her that my brother had been very slightly injured in an attack on the airport.
Later she found out the rest of the story....
My brother had been at Tan Son Nhut airport in Saigon awaiting his flight out of the country. Someone had come in, laid a briefcase with a 30 lb. bomb in it on the counter, which exploded knocking people around and spraying broken glass. In the immediate security check that followed they found a 200 lb bomb set to go 30 seconds later--but the timing device had failed. The second bomb would have leveled the airport and killed everyone in it.
I was only about 9 at the time but that was the day I think I decided it was worth it to be a Christian Scientist. If prayer could save my brother's life half a world away with such exquisite precision there was something there that was worth making the struggle worthwhile to learn how to demonstrate its truth.
As soon as I saw that verse at the beginning of section 6 in the lesson, and remembered that day, I was so thankful to be reminded that terrorism is not an exception to God's rule and that my prayers, as well as others' prayers, are more than adequate to disarm this evil in our world.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Life is a journey not a destination
I spent this afternoon cooking with my wife in preparation for guests tomorrow for a family get-together on Thanksgiving Day. It was a very enjoyable time, a peaceful time of calm and relaxation while we cut and chopped and mixed and stirred.
Somewhere between the herb dinner rolls rising in the oven and the new Butter Pecan ice cream pumpkin pie recipe I was deciphering, I realized Thanksgiving Day had already begun. Preparing the feast was half the fun of having the feast.
Now I realize some people don’t have time to spend Wednesday afternoon cooking, and they are very grateful for someone else able to do the job. That’s quite understandable. But the larger lesson I dwelt on was seeing the event of Thanksgiving meal as much more than one hour spent at a table eating and talking with friends. It’s all the before, during and after that constitute the event. And each moment of the preparation, staging, happening, and clean up should be just as enjoyable as any other. There need be no strain or stress. It’s all about love, sharing love, participating in love and rejoicing in love. The preparation, the experience and the afterglow can all have equal goodness associated with them.
Life is not a destination, but a journey, I agreed. Jesus Christ was clear on living in the goodness of God now. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” he preached. How close is your hand? It’s attached. It can’t be any closer.
The goodness of Life is not something we work toward, like a goal we have to reach. It’s a present fact of our being.
I hope you enjoy your journey as you celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Whether celebrating at-one with God at a table with your thoughts, or with many people around too, may your every moment be filled with love and peace.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Somewhere between the herb dinner rolls rising in the oven and the new Butter Pecan ice cream pumpkin pie recipe I was deciphering, I realized Thanksgiving Day had already begun. Preparing the feast was half the fun of having the feast.
Now I realize some people don’t have time to spend Wednesday afternoon cooking, and they are very grateful for someone else able to do the job. That’s quite understandable. But the larger lesson I dwelt on was seeing the event of Thanksgiving meal as much more than one hour spent at a table eating and talking with friends. It’s all the before, during and after that constitute the event. And each moment of the preparation, staging, happening, and clean up should be just as enjoyable as any other. There need be no strain or stress. It’s all about love, sharing love, participating in love and rejoicing in love. The preparation, the experience and the afterglow can all have equal goodness associated with them.
Life is not a destination, but a journey, I agreed. Jesus Christ was clear on living in the goodness of God now. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand,” he preached. How close is your hand? It’s attached. It can’t be any closer.
The goodness of Life is not something we work toward, like a goal we have to reach. It’s a present fact of our being.
I hope you enjoy your journey as you celebrate Thanksgiving this year. Whether celebrating at-one with God at a table with your thoughts, or with many people around too, may your every moment be filled with love and peace.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
No time for spite
While skimming an interview of Reese Witherspoon written up in Parade magazine last Sunday, a quote of Reese’s caught my eye.
She said, “I don’t have time for hate or negativity in my life. There’s no room for it.”
I have always thought of Witherspoon as an upbeat positive woman with a smile on her face and delight in her attitude. If she refuses to engage with hate, as she claims, that may be part of the reason why.
It’s a powerful reminder to all of us. None of us should have room for hate or negativity in our lives. It’s not normal. Joy, gratitude and delight are the acceptable standard.
Many people grow up believing it’s normal to harbor ill-will, resentment and complaint on a regular basis. They go through their days feeling an underlying pull of negativity that puts a scowl on their face, an edge in their voice, and casts an aura about them of “I’m hard to deal with.” This ought not to be.
It's not normal to feel spite and heaviness. It's normal to feel good, upbeat and positive. Many people have demonstrated this, and enjoy life because of it.
God created us with a demeanor toward love, goodwill and generosity. It’s natural for us, as children of God, to be entertaining thoughts of charity, positive outlook, and expectancy of good. We should not accept anything less.
The Mind of God, the one Mind, the only true Mind, is a Mind of pure goodness, love and kindness.
It takes work and practice to demonstrate a Mind of joy and uplift for mortal mind seems to work overtime to push anger and irritation into our mental homes. But like keeping our physical house free of unwanted solicitors knocking at our front door, we can shut our mental home to negative impressions too by thinking on the joys of love. It’s a choice we make.
None of us have room for negativity or hate in our lives. They are not a part of life. They are enemies to peace, foreigners, not to be allowed entry.
Thanks Reese for reminding us...
She said, “I don’t have time for hate or negativity in my life. There’s no room for it.”
I have always thought of Witherspoon as an upbeat positive woman with a smile on her face and delight in her attitude. If she refuses to engage with hate, as she claims, that may be part of the reason why.
It’s a powerful reminder to all of us. None of us should have room for hate or negativity in our lives. It’s not normal. Joy, gratitude and delight are the acceptable standard.
Many people grow up believing it’s normal to harbor ill-will, resentment and complaint on a regular basis. They go through their days feeling an underlying pull of negativity that puts a scowl on their face, an edge in their voice, and casts an aura about them of “I’m hard to deal with.” This ought not to be.
It's not normal to feel spite and heaviness. It's normal to feel good, upbeat and positive. Many people have demonstrated this, and enjoy life because of it.
God created us with a demeanor toward love, goodwill and generosity. It’s natural for us, as children of God, to be entertaining thoughts of charity, positive outlook, and expectancy of good. We should not accept anything less.
The Mind of God, the one Mind, the only true Mind, is a Mind of pure goodness, love and kindness.
It takes work and practice to demonstrate a Mind of joy and uplift for mortal mind seems to work overtime to push anger and irritation into our mental homes. But like keeping our physical house free of unwanted solicitors knocking at our front door, we can shut our mental home to negative impressions too by thinking on the joys of love. It’s a choice we make.
None of us have room for negativity or hate in our lives. They are not a part of life. They are enemies to peace, foreigners, not to be allowed entry.
Thanks Reese for reminding us...
Friday, November 21, 2008
The better bailout
The news is filled with corporations and businesses flooding Washington D.C. with requests for bailouts. The automakers’ plea for $25 billion has been tabled by Congress until December. Congress wants to know what the industrialists would do with the money before opening their wallet, if they ever do.
With the government borrowing gargantuan sums of money to fund these bailout plans, I ask, who is going to bail out the government? When does it all stop, and planners start thinking in terms of paying off debt instead of incurring more?
I love the Bible’s admonition, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another.” I’ve used it many times in my adult life when tempted to go into debt for something I didn’t absolutely need. Obedience to its literal interpretation spares one from much worry about debt, it seems.
I’ve gone with less material things at times and made more modest purchases as a result of following this rule, but it’s a worthwhile trade-off. It’s much more enjoyable to live modestly and with contentment and genuine peace of mind, then to have things and torture over how to make the next payment.
The greater need in our economy is not for larger and bigger monetary bailouts, but for increased spiritual understanding of how to manage one’s economic affairs with wisdom, foresight, intelligence and wisdom. These qualities come from divine Mind and are freely available for anyone to utilize and express. Humility, receptivity to better ideas, and a willingness to listen avails the desiring mind of the knowledge needed to adjust, change course, and prosper.
This world is filled with talented business people and money managers who know how to run a business and keep it solvent.
We all express the one Mind, and as we humbly listen to each other, learn from one another, and pray to God for guidance and wisdom, divine Mind will bail us out of this crisis with spiritual resources that do no incur more monetary debt.
Divine Mind has the resources to do the job. These resources are not first more money, aka more debt, but wise ideas, inspired possibilities, improved ways of doing things, and more sound models to emulate.
Divine Mind’s pockets are infinitely deep, and loaded with the treasures of truth and love that meet economic needs.
Let’s dip into those pockets and find the spiritual insight we need to chart a healthier economic course for our country, our neighbors and the world at large.
With the government borrowing gargantuan sums of money to fund these bailout plans, I ask, who is going to bail out the government? When does it all stop, and planners start thinking in terms of paying off debt instead of incurring more?
I love the Bible’s admonition, “Owe no man any thing, but to love one another.” I’ve used it many times in my adult life when tempted to go into debt for something I didn’t absolutely need. Obedience to its literal interpretation spares one from much worry about debt, it seems.
I’ve gone with less material things at times and made more modest purchases as a result of following this rule, but it’s a worthwhile trade-off. It’s much more enjoyable to live modestly and with contentment and genuine peace of mind, then to have things and torture over how to make the next payment.
The greater need in our economy is not for larger and bigger monetary bailouts, but for increased spiritual understanding of how to manage one’s economic affairs with wisdom, foresight, intelligence and wisdom. These qualities come from divine Mind and are freely available for anyone to utilize and express. Humility, receptivity to better ideas, and a willingness to listen avails the desiring mind of the knowledge needed to adjust, change course, and prosper.
This world is filled with talented business people and money managers who know how to run a business and keep it solvent.
We all express the one Mind, and as we humbly listen to each other, learn from one another, and pray to God for guidance and wisdom, divine Mind will bail us out of this crisis with spiritual resources that do no incur more monetary debt.
Divine Mind has the resources to do the job. These resources are not first more money, aka more debt, but wise ideas, inspired possibilities, improved ways of doing things, and more sound models to emulate.
Divine Mind’s pockets are infinitely deep, and loaded with the treasures of truth and love that meet economic needs.
Let’s dip into those pockets and find the spiritual insight we need to chart a healthier economic course for our country, our neighbors and the world at large.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
A moral-based economy
One of the recent fears voiced by economists is over the drastic drop in consumer spending. This is a bad thing, they contend. Consumers are cutting way back on how many times they eat out. They are delaying major purchases for cars and appliances, and overall looking for ways to save cash so they can pay their bills and reduce debt.
When I read in the newspaper how evil reduced spending was for the economy, my inner moral voice rebelled. Something is wrong with the logic here, I protested.
When my family has too many bills to pay, we cut back on expenditures, save up and pay off our debt. It’s a sound way to manage one’s financial affairs. It keeps one out of hock to predatory creditors. Why would it be any different on a national level? I asked.
The economists reason that less spending, translates into fewer products purchased, which means less jobs to produce those products. That is bad for the economy. Granted, people need to work to earn money to pay their bills. But when spending more money than one has is advocated as a virtuous act, something is wrong with the reasoning. A fundamental change is needed from the ground up when morally unsound practices are preached as healthy for one's well being.
How to remedy this error? I wondered.
I look to Jesus for guidance.
Jesus lived in a Spirit-based economy. His primary motive was not to earn a monetary profit, but to live a spiritually productive life.
An economy motivated by pursuit of monetary profit above living moral and spiritually sound principles, is going to advocate unsound practices, like “It’s good to spend beyond one’s means.” Seeking the ends of earning a profit above all else, compromises morals to get there.
It seems that one way out of this financial conundrum is to make the pursuit of sound moral and spiritual living the number one goal above earning a monetary profit. Put seeking spiritual profit at the top of the list of desirable achievements. The money needed to pay bills will still come, per God's law of on-going provision, but vital principles will not be compromised on the way.
I don’t know how many years, decades, or centuries it will take for mankind to learn the value of putting spiritual goals above purely monetary goals, but the laws of God will get us there someday. It’s inevitable.
Won’t it be invigorating to wake up one morning, and read on the front page of the newspaper, “Morals at a record high today!” or, “People growing spiritually at record pace…” or “Time spent in prayer on the increase!” These are indicators I could get excited about…
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Jesus Christ
When I read in the newspaper how evil reduced spending was for the economy, my inner moral voice rebelled. Something is wrong with the logic here, I protested.
When my family has too many bills to pay, we cut back on expenditures, save up and pay off our debt. It’s a sound way to manage one’s financial affairs. It keeps one out of hock to predatory creditors. Why would it be any different on a national level? I asked.
The economists reason that less spending, translates into fewer products purchased, which means less jobs to produce those products. That is bad for the economy. Granted, people need to work to earn money to pay their bills. But when spending more money than one has is advocated as a virtuous act, something is wrong with the reasoning. A fundamental change is needed from the ground up when morally unsound practices are preached as healthy for one's well being.
How to remedy this error? I wondered.
I look to Jesus for guidance.
Jesus lived in a Spirit-based economy. His primary motive was not to earn a monetary profit, but to live a spiritually productive life.
An economy motivated by pursuit of monetary profit above living moral and spiritually sound principles, is going to advocate unsound practices, like “It’s good to spend beyond one’s means.” Seeking the ends of earning a profit above all else, compromises morals to get there.
It seems that one way out of this financial conundrum is to make the pursuit of sound moral and spiritual living the number one goal above earning a monetary profit. Put seeking spiritual profit at the top of the list of desirable achievements. The money needed to pay bills will still come, per God's law of on-going provision, but vital principles will not be compromised on the way.
I don’t know how many years, decades, or centuries it will take for mankind to learn the value of putting spiritual goals above purely monetary goals, but the laws of God will get us there someday. It’s inevitable.
Won’t it be invigorating to wake up one morning, and read on the front page of the newspaper, “Morals at a record high today!” or, “People growing spiritually at record pace…” or “Time spent in prayer on the increase!” These are indicators I could get excited about…
“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Jesus Christ
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Supply is freely given
Two days ago, while I was opening my mail, I came across a beautiful thank you card with an extraordinarily large check enclosed. The sender of the gift owed me no money, but was sharing “out of his abundance,” he wrote, for healing time we had spent together in years past working through a severe challenge he had faced at that time.
I have witnessed this type of unexpected and munificent beneficence many times over the course of my Christian Science practice. Each time it happens, I am increasingly humbled, for it wallops over the head any residual belief in my thinking that supply is something we have to go out and get. It is not. Supply is not a material commodity that is obtained through toil, strife and competition. It is a gift from above that comes to us through the grace of God as we sincerely serve the divine will and perform His work faithfully.
The more I pray about the economic turmoil the world faces today, the more it seems there is a crying need for a total revision in mankind’s belief-system as to what supply is and how to have it.
Conventional thought views supply as a material commodity, like money, that needs to be gotten, saved and doled out.
Jesus Christ taught a different concept of supply. He did not spend time counseling his disciples on how to earn money, manage debt and get rich. In fact, Jesus had little respect for money as an ideal to cherish and work for. “Seek treasures from above,” he instructed. Yet, all of Jesus’ human needs were met, monetary included.
Jesus saw supply as ideas coming from God, pure and simple. Supply was not money. Supply was not things. Supply could not be measured materially. Supply was infinite Love loving, divine Mind inspiring, and Life living. Pursue these ideals and your human needs will be met, he taught.
Now, what would happen in society if everyone understood this ideal for supply and lived it? It would totally revolutionize people’s priorities and goals in life, and change what they pursued with their time and energy. It would keep us out of economic messes like the present one we're dealing with.
Instead of getting caught up into the trap of thinking the purchase of more things leads to happiness, and building up credit card debt as a consequence, thought would be focused on getting more spiritual understanding. Unnecessary debt would be avoided.
When buying a home, instead of thinking, “I need a bigger house than I can afford,” and extending one’s finances a bit too far, thought would be finding reasons to be grateful for whatever size space was affordable. And payments that were a stretch would be avoided.
When building a business, instead of trying to be the biggest and most impressive, and possibly expanding operations with debt faster than the company can reasonably pay off, management would be practicing contentment, humility, and gratitude while working to increase the business through sound economic principles. These “supply-qualities,” from God would keep the balance sheet well adjusted and in the black.
Supply is not money. Supply is ideas and understanding coming from God, that in turn, when lived out and expressed faithfully, translate into human needs met.
Going into the Christian Science practice forced me to accept supply on spiritual terms years ago. I had to let go of my old profit-pursuing ways that had been learned in class at Stanford University and then honed in the family business where I worked afterward.
In the practice, one has to demonstrate supply coming to you. You do not go out and get it like business people and employees are taught to do through their own effort. And what I learned is that supply comes to me first as love, understanding and ideas from God. As I act on this supply and share it with my fellowman through my practice, they in turn show gratitude by meeting my human needs. And to reason a bit further, it really isn’t them, personally, that supply me. It’s the divine Love they feel within that inspires them to give. So, supply really is always coming from divine Love no matter what human channel it appears through or from.
Around 1993, I was accepted for Normal class, to be taught in Boston, which was education that enabled me to become a CS teacher. Between lodging and airfare, the trip was going to cost several thousand dollars, money which I did not have. It never occurred to me that I would not have it. Supply was right ideas coming from God, I understood, and this education was a right idea to strengthen and progress my practice, I was confident.
One week before I was to leave for Boston, a man came into my office and handed me a $5000 check, saying he did not need it and wanted me to have it. I about fell out of my seat, yet, I did not, because I instantly knew what had happened. God had inspired this man to give me that money so that my expenses would be paid on this trip that God had planned for me to go on all along. It was the full circle of divine Love bearing fruit, and everyone was blessed in the giving and the receiving.
Another time in my practice, I started to worry about paying for major expenses in the future, like buying a car, having children, and putting them through college. I did not see humanly how that was ever going to happen from my very modest earnings. One Saturday morning, a woman came to my front door, shoved fistfuls of cash into my hands and said, “God told me to do this. Take this money, and I don’t want to hear anything about it.” She turned, and promptly left.
I was stunned. We had no debt and our bills were paid. We didn’t need the money. But it still happened. After I closed the door and asked God what lesson I was supposed to learn from this blessing, the little voice said, “Evan, never ever worry about money again. I will always meet your needs. Stay focused on being a good practitioner.”
I realized that God sent that woman to impress upon me in a concrete way that my fears about future monetary needs were groundless. And God was right. We’ve never lacked. We live abundantly. Looking back over the last twenty years, we've always had a car to drive, and now we're preparing to send our daughter to college next year.
Supply is not material. Supply is not money. Supply is not limited. Supply is infinite. It is ideas coming from God. It is divine Love loving us, and we have only to open up and receive the divine gift freely coming our way.
I could write much more on this, but I think I’m getting a bit lengthy here…more to come later!
Enjoy your supply coming from God today…
I have witnessed this type of unexpected and munificent beneficence many times over the course of my Christian Science practice. Each time it happens, I am increasingly humbled, for it wallops over the head any residual belief in my thinking that supply is something we have to go out and get. It is not. Supply is not a material commodity that is obtained through toil, strife and competition. It is a gift from above that comes to us through the grace of God as we sincerely serve the divine will and perform His work faithfully.
The more I pray about the economic turmoil the world faces today, the more it seems there is a crying need for a total revision in mankind’s belief-system as to what supply is and how to have it.
Conventional thought views supply as a material commodity, like money, that needs to be gotten, saved and doled out.
Jesus Christ taught a different concept of supply. He did not spend time counseling his disciples on how to earn money, manage debt and get rich. In fact, Jesus had little respect for money as an ideal to cherish and work for. “Seek treasures from above,” he instructed. Yet, all of Jesus’ human needs were met, monetary included.
Jesus saw supply as ideas coming from God, pure and simple. Supply was not money. Supply was not things. Supply could not be measured materially. Supply was infinite Love loving, divine Mind inspiring, and Life living. Pursue these ideals and your human needs will be met, he taught.
Now, what would happen in society if everyone understood this ideal for supply and lived it? It would totally revolutionize people’s priorities and goals in life, and change what they pursued with their time and energy. It would keep us out of economic messes like the present one we're dealing with.
Instead of getting caught up into the trap of thinking the purchase of more things leads to happiness, and building up credit card debt as a consequence, thought would be focused on getting more spiritual understanding. Unnecessary debt would be avoided.
When buying a home, instead of thinking, “I need a bigger house than I can afford,” and extending one’s finances a bit too far, thought would be finding reasons to be grateful for whatever size space was affordable. And payments that were a stretch would be avoided.
When building a business, instead of trying to be the biggest and most impressive, and possibly expanding operations with debt faster than the company can reasonably pay off, management would be practicing contentment, humility, and gratitude while working to increase the business through sound economic principles. These “supply-qualities,” from God would keep the balance sheet well adjusted and in the black.
Supply is not money. Supply is ideas and understanding coming from God, that in turn, when lived out and expressed faithfully, translate into human needs met.
Going into the Christian Science practice forced me to accept supply on spiritual terms years ago. I had to let go of my old profit-pursuing ways that had been learned in class at Stanford University and then honed in the family business where I worked afterward.
In the practice, one has to demonstrate supply coming to you. You do not go out and get it like business people and employees are taught to do through their own effort. And what I learned is that supply comes to me first as love, understanding and ideas from God. As I act on this supply and share it with my fellowman through my practice, they in turn show gratitude by meeting my human needs. And to reason a bit further, it really isn’t them, personally, that supply me. It’s the divine Love they feel within that inspires them to give. So, supply really is always coming from divine Love no matter what human channel it appears through or from.
Around 1993, I was accepted for Normal class, to be taught in Boston, which was education that enabled me to become a CS teacher. Between lodging and airfare, the trip was going to cost several thousand dollars, money which I did not have. It never occurred to me that I would not have it. Supply was right ideas coming from God, I understood, and this education was a right idea to strengthen and progress my practice, I was confident.
One week before I was to leave for Boston, a man came into my office and handed me a $5000 check, saying he did not need it and wanted me to have it. I about fell out of my seat, yet, I did not, because I instantly knew what had happened. God had inspired this man to give me that money so that my expenses would be paid on this trip that God had planned for me to go on all along. It was the full circle of divine Love bearing fruit, and everyone was blessed in the giving and the receiving.
Another time in my practice, I started to worry about paying for major expenses in the future, like buying a car, having children, and putting them through college. I did not see humanly how that was ever going to happen from my very modest earnings. One Saturday morning, a woman came to my front door, shoved fistfuls of cash into my hands and said, “God told me to do this. Take this money, and I don’t want to hear anything about it.” She turned, and promptly left.
I was stunned. We had no debt and our bills were paid. We didn’t need the money. But it still happened. After I closed the door and asked God what lesson I was supposed to learn from this blessing, the little voice said, “Evan, never ever worry about money again. I will always meet your needs. Stay focused on being a good practitioner.”
I realized that God sent that woman to impress upon me in a concrete way that my fears about future monetary needs were groundless. And God was right. We’ve never lacked. We live abundantly. Looking back over the last twenty years, we've always had a car to drive, and now we're preparing to send our daughter to college next year.
Supply is not material. Supply is not money. Supply is not limited. Supply is infinite. It is ideas coming from God. It is divine Love loving us, and we have only to open up and receive the divine gift freely coming our way.
I could write much more on this, but I think I’m getting a bit lengthy here…more to come later!
Enjoy your supply coming from God today…
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
You are a holy place
The Christian Science Bible Lesson on “Soul and Body,” this week begins with the Golden Text, “…the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” This verse always arrests my attention because it is a very sobering thought to think of myself as a temple of God.
A temple is a sacred place. It’s a space devoted to spiritual worship, prayerful effort, spiritual mindedness, peace and love. God’s temple is not an angry space, a riotous locale, nor permissive of selfish acts or deeds. It is a holy construct, designed to house activities that respect, honor, and express Godliness.
Writing to his fellow Christians, Paul said, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (NLT, I Cor 16, 17).
Who destroys the temple? I asked.
Evil thoughts, beliefs and sinful practices, I decided.
Any selfish, angry, spiteful, negative emotion is a would-be destroyer of God’s temple, and God will not allow it. God will cast those destroyers out of His sanctuary, and keep the premises clean for the purpose of holy activity.
This is a very good thing for us because at times we might feel helpless in the face of “destroyers” keeping us mentally and emotionally down. But we can take heart in being assured that Christ is at work in the human consciousness, wiping out enemy sensations and eliminating their negative impact.
God loves us, and Christ manifests that love in the form of healing and redemption in the human experience.
If we ever feel like an impure temple or threatened by someone else’s shortcomings, we can take heart. Christ is purging our mental environment with Truth and Love and leaving the premises clean. Success is inevitable.
We are the temple of God, and God’s temple is holy and pure. It’s absolutely guaranteed that we realize this truth completely, for it is the way we’re spiritually made.
We are the temple of God, not a temple for error, and that is a very holy place, indeed.
Enjoy worshipping in your "holy place."
A temple is a sacred place. It’s a space devoted to spiritual worship, prayerful effort, spiritual mindedness, peace and love. God’s temple is not an angry space, a riotous locale, nor permissive of selfish acts or deeds. It is a holy construct, designed to house activities that respect, honor, and express Godliness.
Writing to his fellow Christians, Paul said, “Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.” (NLT, I Cor 16, 17).
Who destroys the temple? I asked.
Evil thoughts, beliefs and sinful practices, I decided.
Any selfish, angry, spiteful, negative emotion is a would-be destroyer of God’s temple, and God will not allow it. God will cast those destroyers out of His sanctuary, and keep the premises clean for the purpose of holy activity.
This is a very good thing for us because at times we might feel helpless in the face of “destroyers” keeping us mentally and emotionally down. But we can take heart in being assured that Christ is at work in the human consciousness, wiping out enemy sensations and eliminating their negative impact.
God loves us, and Christ manifests that love in the form of healing and redemption in the human experience.
If we ever feel like an impure temple or threatened by someone else’s shortcomings, we can take heart. Christ is purging our mental environment with Truth and Love and leaving the premises clean. Success is inevitable.
We are the temple of God, and God’s temple is holy and pure. It’s absolutely guaranteed that we realize this truth completely, for it is the way we’re spiritually made.
We are the temple of God, not a temple for error, and that is a very holy place, indeed.
Enjoy worshipping in your "holy place."
Letter by Mrs. Eddy
On October 26, 2008, I posted a letter sent in by a reader that was supposedly written by Mary Baker Eddy to James Neal.
A reader asked if I had verified the writing with the Mary Baker Eddy Library, and I replied that I had not, but to let me know if she found out anything. The Library checked into the authenticity of the letter and said that they had no proof of it being written by her one way or the other. You can read the Library's comment in the comments for that post.
Just wanted you to know!
A reader asked if I had verified the writing with the Mary Baker Eddy Library, and I replied that I had not, but to let me know if she found out anything. The Library checked into the authenticity of the letter and said that they had no proof of it being written by her one way or the other. You can read the Library's comment in the comments for that post.
Just wanted you to know!
Monday, November 17, 2008
Losing fear of massive layoffs
Citigroup announced today that they will lay off 50,000 employees soon. That is a very large number of workers who will be looking for new jobs. Many other corporations are planning similar reductions in their workforce.
With unemployment growing rapidly this is a good time to know the truth about full employment in order to protect one's job, or to be ready to find new employment if the occasion arises.
I look to the Christian Science practice as the ultimate model for demonstrating successful full employment.
Why?
Because to succeed in the Christian Science practice, you have to demonstrate worth and value without any free rides.
In the practice, you cannot depend upon a company to pay you regardless of your performance. You cannot expect someone to keep you employed for performing tasks that are suddenly rendered obsolete. In general, society does not have sympathy for you or pity you even though you give heart and soul to better other people’s lives. There are a large number of detractors who want you unemployed and mentally work against you to that end. It takes a strong faith, deep understanding of spiritual supply, and firm conviction to succeed at staying fully employed in the CS practice.
Yet, as demanding as the demonstration is on one’s faith in God in the full-time practice of CS, thousands have succeeded. They have faced down the beasts of poverty and lack, seen through their lies, and demonstrated supply in their healing work. Not theoretical airy-fairy supply solely in one’s mind, but hard cash to pay the bills. And many have done very well at it.
A practitioner does not recruit clientele, flood the mail with resumes, or talk himself up to gain business. A practitioner follows the model Jesus Christ has given to let one's light shine. It's their light that attracts the clientele. Christly love helps and heals the patient. And results bring them back.
While praying about employment for several of my patients recently, it occurred to me that every worker, no matter what virtuous field occupied or job opportunity needed, is being asked to demonstrate the model of the CS practitioner to some degree.
With these massive layoff announcements, many of the people losing their jobs did nothing wrong. Their jobs became casualties of the larger economic calamity the world is grappling with. Yet, they still need a job, and the old field they worked in might not exist anymore.
Would this type of scenario phase the CS practitioner? Nope, because the practitioner does not look to the world for help or support. He or she looks directly to God for guidance, and relies upon the resources of Love to continue demosntrating worth and value that creates demand for his or her services.
For instance, a practitioner has to constantly adapt to the needs of the moment. One day, there may be a rash of heart cases to heal. Another day, it might be the flu. Another day marriage problems, or too many bills, or depression or...? A practitioner has to be mega-flexible, always adjusting to the demand of the moment. He is able to do this because he is not drawing upon personal abilities to aid his clients. He is drawing upon the infinite resources of divine Love, which work in any and every situation presented.
Anyone looking for a job, can rely upon these same unlimited resources.
Successful employment is about working for God, not for self.
God is the Head Employer over all, giving workers the talents, skills, ideas, and inspiration they need to demonstrate value and worth. The kind of “cases,” or work, one is called upon to do may change day by day, or year by year, as many workers are finding now with job phase-outs. But when one is drawing upon the Big Boss for help needed, its easier to adapt and meet the demands of the moment.
As an active practitioner discovers, there is never a shortage of people to help and needs to be met. The brighter one’s light, the more the need is apparent and the starker the opportunities staring one in the face.
With today’s economy there is no shortage of people in need of help and services. There is a demand for people to listen better for how they can help others in need. Those who discern the supply that meets the contemporary demand for help will find ample work awaiting them, and they will flourish.
They also will never fear being out of a job again, for unemployment is impossible when working for divine Love. EVERYONE needs Love....
With unemployment growing rapidly this is a good time to know the truth about full employment in order to protect one's job, or to be ready to find new employment if the occasion arises.
I look to the Christian Science practice as the ultimate model for demonstrating successful full employment.
Why?
Because to succeed in the Christian Science practice, you have to demonstrate worth and value without any free rides.
In the practice, you cannot depend upon a company to pay you regardless of your performance. You cannot expect someone to keep you employed for performing tasks that are suddenly rendered obsolete. In general, society does not have sympathy for you or pity you even though you give heart and soul to better other people’s lives. There are a large number of detractors who want you unemployed and mentally work against you to that end. It takes a strong faith, deep understanding of spiritual supply, and firm conviction to succeed at staying fully employed in the CS practice.
Yet, as demanding as the demonstration is on one’s faith in God in the full-time practice of CS, thousands have succeeded. They have faced down the beasts of poverty and lack, seen through their lies, and demonstrated supply in their healing work. Not theoretical airy-fairy supply solely in one’s mind, but hard cash to pay the bills. And many have done very well at it.
A practitioner does not recruit clientele, flood the mail with resumes, or talk himself up to gain business. A practitioner follows the model Jesus Christ has given to let one's light shine. It's their light that attracts the clientele. Christly love helps and heals the patient. And results bring them back.
While praying about employment for several of my patients recently, it occurred to me that every worker, no matter what virtuous field occupied or job opportunity needed, is being asked to demonstrate the model of the CS practitioner to some degree.
With these massive layoff announcements, many of the people losing their jobs did nothing wrong. Their jobs became casualties of the larger economic calamity the world is grappling with. Yet, they still need a job, and the old field they worked in might not exist anymore.
Would this type of scenario phase the CS practitioner? Nope, because the practitioner does not look to the world for help or support. He or she looks directly to God for guidance, and relies upon the resources of Love to continue demosntrating worth and value that creates demand for his or her services.
For instance, a practitioner has to constantly adapt to the needs of the moment. One day, there may be a rash of heart cases to heal. Another day, it might be the flu. Another day marriage problems, or too many bills, or depression or...? A practitioner has to be mega-flexible, always adjusting to the demand of the moment. He is able to do this because he is not drawing upon personal abilities to aid his clients. He is drawing upon the infinite resources of divine Love, which work in any and every situation presented.
Anyone looking for a job, can rely upon these same unlimited resources.
Successful employment is about working for God, not for self.
God is the Head Employer over all, giving workers the talents, skills, ideas, and inspiration they need to demonstrate value and worth. The kind of “cases,” or work, one is called upon to do may change day by day, or year by year, as many workers are finding now with job phase-outs. But when one is drawing upon the Big Boss for help needed, its easier to adapt and meet the demands of the moment.
As an active practitioner discovers, there is never a shortage of people to help and needs to be met. The brighter one’s light, the more the need is apparent and the starker the opportunities staring one in the face.
With today’s economy there is no shortage of people in need of help and services. There is a demand for people to listen better for how they can help others in need. Those who discern the supply that meets the contemporary demand for help will find ample work awaiting them, and they will flourish.
They also will never fear being out of a job again, for unemployment is impossible when working for divine Love. EVERYONE needs Love....
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Small can be big
The below short video clip caught my attention because the artist interviewed shares a thought-provoking motive behind his awe-inspiring work.
He said that when he was a youth, his teacher’s made him feel very small. As he grew up, he rebelled against the notion that he was of no worth or value, and found a way to prove that what others might consider small is incredibly large with beauty, form and individuality worth noting--when one looks close enough!
Click here to see his amazing art:
In the eye of a needle
He said that when he was a youth, his teacher’s made him feel very small. As he grew up, he rebelled against the notion that he was of no worth or value, and found a way to prove that what others might consider small is incredibly large with beauty, form and individuality worth noting--when one looks close enough!
Click here to see his amazing art:
In the eye of a needle
Friday, November 14, 2008
The preponderance of medical thought
Yesterday, I received a glossy, professionally produced booklet in the mail from one of three hospitals in my community. No expense was spared in the production of this brochure.
As I glanced through the stories and figures included, I was stricken by how deeply embedded into my community fabric the activities of this hospital had become.
On top of the $245,000,000 in assets they own, and the large facilities and sponsored clinics being built near and far, they claim to serve 175,000 patients annually and have 1500 workers on their payroll. Many of these employees are highly paid professionals, hundreds being doctors and nurses.
My community is not very large! Richland has around 50,000 residents. The region boasts 175,000 residents or so, but there are two other hospitals nearly as large as this one in the area.
I am grateful for the care, love and interest the hospitals have in alleviating suffering and helping people find better health. My family certainly was blessed to use their services in the delivery of our children.
What alarmed me was the huge quantity and preponderance of community thought and attention being focused on seeking medical relief, as opposed to finding help through spiritual means.
Christian Science is all about finding strength, health and well being in Spirit. Faith in matter works against faith in Spirit. The student of Christian Science has to actively guard his or her thought from the influence of matter-based thinking to succeed in spiritual healing.
Mary Baker Eddy understood the downward pull of matter-based thinking and its detrimental effect on spiritual healing when she wrote,
The universal belief in physics weighs against the high and mighty truths of Christian metaphysics. This erroneous general belief, which sustains medicine and produces all medical results, works against Christian Science; and the percentage of power on the side of this Science must mightily outweigh the power of popular belief in order to heal a single case of disease.
With 1500 doctors, nurses, aides, and administrators daily working in my little city to promote and advocate medical procedures, prescriptions and methods for my neighbors, a student of Spirit-based healing may feel a bit out numbered!
But numbers mean nothing in Science. The number One is all that counts, and that means one God, one Mind, one power.
One with God is the majority. But to experience the spiritual benefits of being at-one with God, one must fervently and vigilantly defend his mental space from antagonistic intrusion and not be unwittingly or unconsciously pulled in the opposite faith-sapping direction. It can be a very subtle temptation to lose faith in Spirit because of feeling other people's faith in medicine all around.
"Come out and be separate," Paul counseled.
Christian Science is the best healthcare system on planet earth today!
As I glanced through the stories and figures included, I was stricken by how deeply embedded into my community fabric the activities of this hospital had become.
On top of the $245,000,000 in assets they own, and the large facilities and sponsored clinics being built near and far, they claim to serve 175,000 patients annually and have 1500 workers on their payroll. Many of these employees are highly paid professionals, hundreds being doctors and nurses.
My community is not very large! Richland has around 50,000 residents. The region boasts 175,000 residents or so, but there are two other hospitals nearly as large as this one in the area.
I am grateful for the care, love and interest the hospitals have in alleviating suffering and helping people find better health. My family certainly was blessed to use their services in the delivery of our children.
What alarmed me was the huge quantity and preponderance of community thought and attention being focused on seeking medical relief, as opposed to finding help through spiritual means.
Christian Science is all about finding strength, health and well being in Spirit. Faith in matter works against faith in Spirit. The student of Christian Science has to actively guard his or her thought from the influence of matter-based thinking to succeed in spiritual healing.
Mary Baker Eddy understood the downward pull of matter-based thinking and its detrimental effect on spiritual healing when she wrote,
The universal belief in physics weighs against the high and mighty truths of Christian metaphysics. This erroneous general belief, which sustains medicine and produces all medical results, works against Christian Science; and the percentage of power on the side of this Science must mightily outweigh the power of popular belief in order to heal a single case of disease.
With 1500 doctors, nurses, aides, and administrators daily working in my little city to promote and advocate medical procedures, prescriptions and methods for my neighbors, a student of Spirit-based healing may feel a bit out numbered!
But numbers mean nothing in Science. The number One is all that counts, and that means one God, one Mind, one power.
One with God is the majority. But to experience the spiritual benefits of being at-one with God, one must fervently and vigilantly defend his mental space from antagonistic intrusion and not be unwittingly or unconsciously pulled in the opposite faith-sapping direction. It can be a very subtle temptation to lose faith in Spirit because of feeling other people's faith in medicine all around.
"Come out and be separate," Paul counseled.
Christian Science is the best healthcare system on planet earth today!
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Let the light shine
Last week I visited a Christian Scientist who is staying at a nursing home in my home town. When I was checking into the facility, the manager of the complex asked me if I would come to their next in-service meeting to introduce Christian Science to her staff. I agreed, not knowing what she wanted me to say or for how long.
At 1 p.m. last Monday, I showed up at their meeting expecting to speak with 3 to 5 people. The living room was filled with over 20 nurses and staff! I was so surprised, but delighted for the opportunity to share my faith.
The first question I asked was, “How many of you have ever heard of Christian Science?” Two people timidly raised their hands. The rest were clueless. And one of the women who raised her hand asked if we were Tom Cruises’ religion—Scientology! I assured her we were not.
Wow…no one, for the most part, had even an inkling that a religion called Christian Science existed. This was good from the point of view that there were no negative views I had to deal with. But it was a crime, from the perspective of how obscure Christian Science has become to a large part of our society. This needs to change…
I explained some basic teachings of Christian Science along with its emphasis on the power of prayer to heal not only emotional and mental troubles, but physical ailments too.
There were many “What if…” questions that needed to be addressed.
“What if he falls and breaks his head open, and bleeds all over…?” types of concerns were voiced. I encouraged them to trust their judgments and do whatever seemed wisest under the circumstances they were facing. Their fears rapidly melted on that score.
In the middle of the “What if...?” questions, I took a moment to reassure them of the power of prayer to heal and to trust this man’s prayers. I even prompted them, depending upon where their comfort zone was in discussing spirituality, to encourage this resident in a prayerful direction when there were issues that needed to be worked out.
One nurse asked what I would do if I had a cold. Would I take medicines, or change my diet, or drink lots of water,...or do a number of other material options she listed. I told her I would do none of those things, for prayer brings a much faster and better result. Her eyes got big. She was surprised to hear such an answer, and looked a bit incredulous that prayer was a viable possibility. She was very courteous and not disrespectful at all. In fact, the whole group was very sincere, very respectful and thoughtful during the 20 minutes or so I was able to speak with them.
I left feeling good about the meeting and grateful for the opportunity to share.
Today, the daughter of the resident at this facility visited her dad. During her time there, a couple of nurses came into the room where she was sitting, and mentioned how helpful the talk on Christian Science had been, which was nice for her to hear. But even more interesting was what followed.
During the visit, one of the nurses was working with her dad, and at one point he got a bit difficult to converse with on a subject that was bothering him. The nurse tried all the human options she could think of to settle his problem, but to no avail. Finally she piped up, “You could pray to God for a solution!” He acted a bit startled, but immediately responded, and that was the end of the trouble.
I was so happy to hear about the willingness of this nurse to step out of her comfort zone, perhaps, and encourage this man in his spiritual path.
People warm up to Christian Science when they learn the truth about it. It is such a pure teaching full of incredible hope and promise. It might take baby step after baby step to reach its full potential, but the journey is worth the travel and the effort is worth the reward.
I’m grateful for the opportunity that arose to share what I believe in this week with those nurses.
Jesus told us to let our light shine. As I learned at that meeting, though, it needs to shine brighter and with fewer “bushels” placed over the flame, for there are way too many people out there who have never heard about Christian Science. That empty void of knowledge needs to be filled.
At 1 p.m. last Monday, I showed up at their meeting expecting to speak with 3 to 5 people. The living room was filled with over 20 nurses and staff! I was so surprised, but delighted for the opportunity to share my faith.
The first question I asked was, “How many of you have ever heard of Christian Science?” Two people timidly raised their hands. The rest were clueless. And one of the women who raised her hand asked if we were Tom Cruises’ religion—Scientology! I assured her we were not.
Wow…no one, for the most part, had even an inkling that a religion called Christian Science existed. This was good from the point of view that there were no negative views I had to deal with. But it was a crime, from the perspective of how obscure Christian Science has become to a large part of our society. This needs to change…
I explained some basic teachings of Christian Science along with its emphasis on the power of prayer to heal not only emotional and mental troubles, but physical ailments too.
There were many “What if…” questions that needed to be addressed.
“What if he falls and breaks his head open, and bleeds all over…?” types of concerns were voiced. I encouraged them to trust their judgments and do whatever seemed wisest under the circumstances they were facing. Their fears rapidly melted on that score.
In the middle of the “What if...?” questions, I took a moment to reassure them of the power of prayer to heal and to trust this man’s prayers. I even prompted them, depending upon where their comfort zone was in discussing spirituality, to encourage this resident in a prayerful direction when there were issues that needed to be worked out.
One nurse asked what I would do if I had a cold. Would I take medicines, or change my diet, or drink lots of water,...or do a number of other material options she listed. I told her I would do none of those things, for prayer brings a much faster and better result. Her eyes got big. She was surprised to hear such an answer, and looked a bit incredulous that prayer was a viable possibility. She was very courteous and not disrespectful at all. In fact, the whole group was very sincere, very respectful and thoughtful during the 20 minutes or so I was able to speak with them.
I left feeling good about the meeting and grateful for the opportunity to share.
Today, the daughter of the resident at this facility visited her dad. During her time there, a couple of nurses came into the room where she was sitting, and mentioned how helpful the talk on Christian Science had been, which was nice for her to hear. But even more interesting was what followed.
During the visit, one of the nurses was working with her dad, and at one point he got a bit difficult to converse with on a subject that was bothering him. The nurse tried all the human options she could think of to settle his problem, but to no avail. Finally she piped up, “You could pray to God for a solution!” He acted a bit startled, but immediately responded, and that was the end of the trouble.
I was so happy to hear about the willingness of this nurse to step out of her comfort zone, perhaps, and encourage this man in his spiritual path.
People warm up to Christian Science when they learn the truth about it. It is such a pure teaching full of incredible hope and promise. It might take baby step after baby step to reach its full potential, but the journey is worth the travel and the effort is worth the reward.
I’m grateful for the opportunity that arose to share what I believe in this week with those nurses.
Jesus told us to let our light shine. As I learned at that meeting, though, it needs to shine brighter and with fewer “bushels” placed over the flame, for there are way too many people out there who have never heard about Christian Science. That empty void of knowledge needs to be filled.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Exit the noisy room of financial fear
While traveling, I’ve spent long periods of time in airports waiting for the next flight to depart. Airports are often very noisy with thousands of people hustling about. I look for a quiet corner somewhere to sit down and pray or read. It makes for a more peaceful stay.
While reading the newspaper and listening to the news these days about the financial calamity encircling the globe, I hear a lot of “noise.” Fears abound, forecasts deteriorate, pundits holler and scream at each other, doomsayers heighten their pitch, and black clouds thicken overhead.
The chaotic state of mind created by these “noisemakers” is an unpleasant place to be.
I look for an exit door to escape the distraction.
Not reading the paper or avoiding news is not an option for me. I work with people who are seeking relief from pressures of worldly living. I need to know about the issues they are dealing with and consider ahead of time healing solutions.
A wise metaphysician does not stick his head into the sand of ignorance and neglect his neighbor’s plight. He takes the problems head on and addresses them spiritually.
It helps to have some knowledge of what people's troubles are to be effective.
So where is the exit door that keeps one from being overwhelmed by the fears and doubts of millions?
The exit door is spiritual truth. It’s a mental place that reasons the subject of supply out from a spiritual point of view, rather than from a limited financial perspective.
God is the source of all supply. It doesn’t matter if supply takes the form of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, debt relief, or funds for college. God is the source of it, and there is no lack or shortage in God to fear.
Knowing and understanding that all supply originates in Spirit and is spiritually supplied, is the “quiet room,” that exists free of the fears and terrors currently circulated in society today about the economy.
When you read the news and listen to your neighbor, stay in the “quiet room” of spiritual truth about supply. It will support your efforts to demonstrate abundant supply, and their’s too.
While reading the newspaper and listening to the news these days about the financial calamity encircling the globe, I hear a lot of “noise.” Fears abound, forecasts deteriorate, pundits holler and scream at each other, doomsayers heighten their pitch, and black clouds thicken overhead.
The chaotic state of mind created by these “noisemakers” is an unpleasant place to be.
I look for an exit door to escape the distraction.
Not reading the paper or avoiding news is not an option for me. I work with people who are seeking relief from pressures of worldly living. I need to know about the issues they are dealing with and consider ahead of time healing solutions.
A wise metaphysician does not stick his head into the sand of ignorance and neglect his neighbor’s plight. He takes the problems head on and addresses them spiritually.
It helps to have some knowledge of what people's troubles are to be effective.
So where is the exit door that keeps one from being overwhelmed by the fears and doubts of millions?
The exit door is spiritual truth. It’s a mental place that reasons the subject of supply out from a spiritual point of view, rather than from a limited financial perspective.
God is the source of all supply. It doesn’t matter if supply takes the form of food, clothing, shelter, transportation, debt relief, or funds for college. God is the source of it, and there is no lack or shortage in God to fear.
Knowing and understanding that all supply originates in Spirit and is spiritually supplied, is the “quiet room,” that exists free of the fears and terrors currently circulated in society today about the economy.
When you read the news and listen to your neighbor, stay in the “quiet room” of spiritual truth about supply. It will support your efforts to demonstrate abundant supply, and their’s too.
“And 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.” Apostle Paul
Saturday, November 8, 2008
What label are you wearing?
A woman walked by the front of my office yesterday wearing a t-shirt that read, “Just plain grumpy.” I took the message to mean she was generally a very grumpy person, and people had better keep their distance lest they get a dose of her unpleasantness.
I was partially amazed that she wanted to broadcast such a negative attitude about herself to the whole world.
“Here comes Miss Grumpy. You’d better watch out!” she seemed to be saying.
Then I chuckled because I realized labels can be worn in many different ways. Some prefer to print a statement on their clothes, but others wear messages on their face, in the way they sit, how they treat others, and in the words they choose to speak.
Labels are indicators of thinking going on behind the scenes, and those activities behind the scenes do not require a t-shirt logo to be seen. They surface whether we try or not. The human body is the human thought in action governing that body.
So, what labels was I wearing? I asked.
Was I projecting a picture of pleasantness, joy, cheer, gratitude, and love?
Was I feeling these qualities within so they would appear without?
Was there any grumpiness or complaint that needed to be eliminated from thought so it didn’t appear in my word or action toward others?
There is always congruency in our lives. What we project is congruent with what we believe to be true in the moment we’re in.
Even in the times when we don’t agree with what we project, there is congruency. The outer projects the inner. If things are not right outwardly, that’s a sign that the inner needs to be corrected with spiritual truth. As the inner is reformed, the outer improves.
And the spiritual truth includes the fact that each of us has a wonderful individuality made in the likeness of Love where there is only room for joy, cheer, gratitude, compassion, love, thoughtfulness and care. These qualities, lived and expressed, label us a child of God, and that’s a “t-shirt” message any of us should be happy to put on.
What label are you wearing today?
I was partially amazed that she wanted to broadcast such a negative attitude about herself to the whole world.
“Here comes Miss Grumpy. You’d better watch out!” she seemed to be saying.
Then I chuckled because I realized labels can be worn in many different ways. Some prefer to print a statement on their clothes, but others wear messages on their face, in the way they sit, how they treat others, and in the words they choose to speak.
Labels are indicators of thinking going on behind the scenes, and those activities behind the scenes do not require a t-shirt logo to be seen. They surface whether we try or not. The human body is the human thought in action governing that body.
So, what labels was I wearing? I asked.
Was I projecting a picture of pleasantness, joy, cheer, gratitude, and love?
Was I feeling these qualities within so they would appear without?
Was there any grumpiness or complaint that needed to be eliminated from thought so it didn’t appear in my word or action toward others?
There is always congruency in our lives. What we project is congruent with what we believe to be true in the moment we’re in.
Even in the times when we don’t agree with what we project, there is congruency. The outer projects the inner. If things are not right outwardly, that’s a sign that the inner needs to be corrected with spiritual truth. As the inner is reformed, the outer improves.
And the spiritual truth includes the fact that each of us has a wonderful individuality made in the likeness of Love where there is only room for joy, cheer, gratitude, compassion, love, thoughtfulness and care. These qualities, lived and expressed, label us a child of God, and that’s a “t-shirt” message any of us should be happy to put on.
What label are you wearing today?
Thursday, November 6, 2008
My Fichus tree and the economy
A week ago, the Fichus tree in my office was shedding leaves by the hundreds every day. It’s a little tree, about 5 feet high, and I started to worry that it was dying.
“There weren’t going to be any leaves left,” I feared.
When I arrived at the office in the morning, leaves were on the floor to be swept up. I’d shake the limbs to separate any loose foliage so I wasn’t picking up a parade of dropping leaflets all day long.
One day, when the refuse was especially large, I noticed a third of the remaining leaves were yellow and ready to depart soon.
Why was my tree a goner? I wondered.
Then one afternoon, as I sat at my desk and stared at my sad looking tree, I noticed that there were a lot of leaves still on the branches. Maybe too many, I exclaimed. Could it be that the tree was shedding excess leaves from heavy summer growth, and preparing for a fresh new year? I pondered.
The next day, after several hundred more leaves fell, I noticed there were still a lot leaves on the tree. The plant appeared better balanced without the extra foliage. I decided that maybe the shedding was a yearly ritual to bring the upper structure into line with the supporting root system.
After hundreds more leaves fell, and still the limbs looked adequately clothed, I finally decided that the tree was in fine health, was not dying at all, and I had nothing to be concerned about.
Today, the tree looks beautiful, fit, and healthy. See below picture!
I saw an analogy between the falling leaves and the failing economy many fear today.
Terrified investors and worried business people are seeing signs of financial death all over the world. The media reports economical symptoms of demise everyday with increased layoffs, unpaid debt, shortage of credit, failing banks and more.
Like my falling leaves, if one watches only the failures, pretty soon, they might conclude that all is hopeless and lost, just like I thought my tree was lost.
But this need not be.
Just as my tree was not dying, the economy is not dying. It is rejuvenating, preparing for tomorrow, getting healthier and stronger for a better future.
The same law of balance that adjusted the foliage on my tree is adjusting our economy, eliminating what led to suffering and making way for the new and improved.
In the divine economy, supply and demand are in perfect balance, always. Human consciousness has yet to realize this truth and fully understand it, so, in its efforts to conduct business, it sometimes gets out of balance and takes on extreme forms like we’ve witnessed in our world economy over the last couple of decades.
But no matter what extreme the human is pushed to, God’s law of balance is constantly at work requiring conformity. The Christ is ever-present in human consciousness bringing extremes back into line with what more nearly represents the divine economy. The law of balance wipes out the extremes, and restores order.
Motives and desires have gotten out of whack with divine expectations in some corners of our economic structure. Too much greed, dishonesty, lust and impatience have governed decision-making, and caused distortions that led to gross loss and suffering. God’s law will not allow it to continue. Truth requires error to be seen and rectified.
While the “leaves are falling,” out of the economy, it’s important that we not get overwhelmed with dismay and discouragement. We have to step back from the carnage, and look for the good that remains, and be grateful for it. It is abundant! We can protect ourselves from the fallout by living God’s law of balance faithfully, and not letting our decision-making be influenced by any of the extremes that are undergoing correction.
The underlying structure of our economy is immortal. It is spiritual, governed and controlled by the divine Mind. It will prevail and prosper.
As we all acknowledge the one Mind in control, and live in harmony with it, the divine economy will become more evident in everyday human transactions, and the extremes will be eliminated. Balance will prevail, and harmony restored.
These are not times to sit by and observe. We need to jump in with prayer and help all people overwhelmed by fear, be freed of their fears.
My Fichus tree was going to live whether I prayed or not. The law of balance was at work ensuring its survival. But I did need to pray to figure that out for myself.
The same rule applies to the economy. It is going to survive and be fine, but prayer is needed to help ourselves and our neighbor see all is well, so we can make sound decisions accordingly.
If I hadn’t prayed about my tree, I might have cut it down prematurely, and that wouldn’t have been wise! I needed to pray to keep myself from injuring the plant and making things worse.
My, oh my, what lessons can be learned from a Fichus…
My Fichus tree today!
“There weren’t going to be any leaves left,” I feared.
When I arrived at the office in the morning, leaves were on the floor to be swept up. I’d shake the limbs to separate any loose foliage so I wasn’t picking up a parade of dropping leaflets all day long.
One day, when the refuse was especially large, I noticed a third of the remaining leaves were yellow and ready to depart soon.
Why was my tree a goner? I wondered.
Then one afternoon, as I sat at my desk and stared at my sad looking tree, I noticed that there were a lot of leaves still on the branches. Maybe too many, I exclaimed. Could it be that the tree was shedding excess leaves from heavy summer growth, and preparing for a fresh new year? I pondered.
The next day, after several hundred more leaves fell, I noticed there were still a lot leaves on the tree. The plant appeared better balanced without the extra foliage. I decided that maybe the shedding was a yearly ritual to bring the upper structure into line with the supporting root system.
After hundreds more leaves fell, and still the limbs looked adequately clothed, I finally decided that the tree was in fine health, was not dying at all, and I had nothing to be concerned about.
Today, the tree looks beautiful, fit, and healthy. See below picture!
I saw an analogy between the falling leaves and the failing economy many fear today.
Terrified investors and worried business people are seeing signs of financial death all over the world. The media reports economical symptoms of demise everyday with increased layoffs, unpaid debt, shortage of credit, failing banks and more.
Like my falling leaves, if one watches only the failures, pretty soon, they might conclude that all is hopeless and lost, just like I thought my tree was lost.
But this need not be.
Just as my tree was not dying, the economy is not dying. It is rejuvenating, preparing for tomorrow, getting healthier and stronger for a better future.
The same law of balance that adjusted the foliage on my tree is adjusting our economy, eliminating what led to suffering and making way for the new and improved.
In the divine economy, supply and demand are in perfect balance, always. Human consciousness has yet to realize this truth and fully understand it, so, in its efforts to conduct business, it sometimes gets out of balance and takes on extreme forms like we’ve witnessed in our world economy over the last couple of decades.
But no matter what extreme the human is pushed to, God’s law of balance is constantly at work requiring conformity. The Christ is ever-present in human consciousness bringing extremes back into line with what more nearly represents the divine economy. The law of balance wipes out the extremes, and restores order.
Motives and desires have gotten out of whack with divine expectations in some corners of our economic structure. Too much greed, dishonesty, lust and impatience have governed decision-making, and caused distortions that led to gross loss and suffering. God’s law will not allow it to continue. Truth requires error to be seen and rectified.
While the “leaves are falling,” out of the economy, it’s important that we not get overwhelmed with dismay and discouragement. We have to step back from the carnage, and look for the good that remains, and be grateful for it. It is abundant! We can protect ourselves from the fallout by living God’s law of balance faithfully, and not letting our decision-making be influenced by any of the extremes that are undergoing correction.
The underlying structure of our economy is immortal. It is spiritual, governed and controlled by the divine Mind. It will prevail and prosper.
As we all acknowledge the one Mind in control, and live in harmony with it, the divine economy will become more evident in everyday human transactions, and the extremes will be eliminated. Balance will prevail, and harmony restored.
These are not times to sit by and observe. We need to jump in with prayer and help all people overwhelmed by fear, be freed of their fears.
My Fichus tree was going to live whether I prayed or not. The law of balance was at work ensuring its survival. But I did need to pray to figure that out for myself.
The same rule applies to the economy. It is going to survive and be fine, but prayer is needed to help ourselves and our neighbor see all is well, so we can make sound decisions accordingly.
If I hadn’t prayed about my tree, I might have cut it down prematurely, and that wouldn’t have been wise! I needed to pray to keep myself from injuring the plant and making things worse.
My, oh my, what lessons can be learned from a Fichus…
My Fichus tree today!Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Do you have happy thoughts?
"A happy face does not come by chance.
It comes by happy thoughts."
It comes by happy thoughts."
~ Unknown
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Facing election results tonight
At the end of today we’ll probably know who the next President of the US is going to be. From watching past elections, we might expect that many people will be elated with the winner, and others will be depressed and discouraged.
But there’s a middle road we can take whether our candidate wins or not.
Presidents, kings and ministers come and go, but an underlying divine Principle continues to govern the activities of life that no temporal ruler can override or thwart.
The future of humanity is in the hands of God, not in the hands of man.
If our candidate wins, we can certainly rejoice, but need not gloat. And if our candidate loses, we can learn lessons, but need not slump into depression and discouragement.
We all can rejoice in divine Principle, Truth and Love, which continue to steer the vehicle of destiny no matter what politician is in office.
All right ideas and causes triumph eventually. They are bigger than the supporters who espouse them or the enemies that oppose them.
Whoever wins the election needs everyone’s support.
The election is about building a stronger future for the country and its neighbors. Only one person can occupy the office of president, and that person may be our candidate, and may not be. But the country is bigger than the office, and the need of the hour is bigger than what you or I want.
We all win when we pray together, work together and love together. With an attitude of brotherly love and forgiveness, we’ll know the outcome of the election before we hear any ballot results this evening. And it will be good whether our favorite gets the most votes or not.
But there’s a middle road we can take whether our candidate wins or not.
Presidents, kings and ministers come and go, but an underlying divine Principle continues to govern the activities of life that no temporal ruler can override or thwart.
The future of humanity is in the hands of God, not in the hands of man.
If our candidate wins, we can certainly rejoice, but need not gloat. And if our candidate loses, we can learn lessons, but need not slump into depression and discouragement.
We all can rejoice in divine Principle, Truth and Love, which continue to steer the vehicle of destiny no matter what politician is in office.
All right ideas and causes triumph eventually. They are bigger than the supporters who espouse them or the enemies that oppose them.
Whoever wins the election needs everyone’s support.
The election is about building a stronger future for the country and its neighbors. Only one person can occupy the office of president, and that person may be our candidate, and may not be. But the country is bigger than the office, and the need of the hour is bigger than what you or I want.
We all win when we pray together, work together and love together. With an attitude of brotherly love and forgiveness, we’ll know the outcome of the election before we hear any ballot results this evening. And it will be good whether our favorite gets the most votes or not.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Think for yourself
I read in the newspaper this morning that the combined Obama/McCain campaigns are spending $8 per vote in this election campaign. Around $1 billion have been donated and spent to affect the outcome on November 4th.
One billion dollars! Oh, my goodness, I agitated. That is a huge amount of money targeted toward swaying public opinion.
It also symbolizes a monstrous bulk of human will at work in the mental atmosphere of this country tugging at people’s minds to get their vote.
Madison Avenue has been working overtime with advertisements intended to turn voters toward chosen candidates and away from others.
In many ways, there is a mass hypnotism at work utilizing opinion, emotion, negative campaigning and statement of partial truths to influence ballot results. It is wise that we protect our mental home from being invaded by these undesirables. If let in, they mislead reasoning, muddy the view from seeing truth accurately, and deprive us of dominion over our own decision-making.
We must think for ourselves! Or better yet, turn to God for direction, and let the divine Mind guide our voting decisions.
How to do this?
One way, is to keep thought clear of negative emotions. The clear mind is the spiritually inspired consciousness that is filled with love, goodwill, patience, understanding and wisdom. When overrun by these qualities, we have dominion over decision-making, and think clearly about the options before us.
Advertising has a role to play when it informs the public of truth, but so often that is not the case at all. So, we have to be wise, come out and be separate from the noise and din blaring over the media-waves, and find our help from above.
God knows and understands what this country needs to prosper and advance. As we collectively listen for God’s guidance, we’ll vote for candidates who most nearly embody the need of the moment and move the country forward.
We can listen to God as we cast our ballot this election season, and ignore the push and pull of human will angling for our attention.
Happy voting!
