Friday, February 26, 2010

Who do you compare to?

I like the below quote because it reminds us that we don't have to compete with others for stature, recognition or triumph. We are all the children of God, equally bestowed with value and worth. We do not look better by putting ourselves above another but by living up to our spiritual individuality in the first place.


The truth is that there is nothing noble in being superior to somebody else. The only real nobility is in being superior to your former self.

~ Whitney Young

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Are you willing to make the sacrifice?

My favorite event in the Winter Olympics is the figure skating. The precision, discipline, incredible concentration, years of practice, inspiration, dedication and commitment required to be the best in the world are awe-inspiring. The same rule applies to success in the other sports as well, no doubt.


I love listening to their stories of how they became one of the best skaters in the world. Invariably huge sacrifices were made along the way. Invariably, success required thousands of hours of practice, time many kids spend playing, watching TV, on Facebook or gaming. Often their families make huge sacrifices financially, even moving to different parts of the world to be close to qualified trainers. One skater from Japan changed her citizenship to Russia so she could train with her dream-coach for pairs in that country.


Most of us will never know what it feels like to stand in front of tens of millions of viewers on TV with a gold medal in hand for a job well done. We can only fantasize about what kinds of thoughts and emotions rush through the minds of those few who achieve such grand Olympic success.


But that’s okay. We all have our own niche to fill and only a few can be an Olympic champion. We can be a champion in other ways, and most significantly, a spiritual way.


The ultimate success in life will never be a material accomplishment, such as a gold medal, a high paying position, a family raised, or social, political, economic achievement. It will be spiritual growth, discovering spiritual reality as the all and all of existence—entrance to heaven!


Compared to spiritual life, everything in this world pales, and rapidly.


Just as it takes sacrifice to win a gold medal in figure skating, though, downhill skiing, or snowboarding, are we willing to make the sacrifices necessary to garner spiritual success? Are we willing to put in the hours of practice, the days of study, the years of commitment to reach the worthy goal of spiritual understanding? Are we willing to drop activities in our life that are not contributing to our goal, that hold us back, distract us, scatter us and dilute our effectiveness? Are we willing to make the investment required to be successful? Are we willing to sacrifice to be successful?


Jesus was not evasive about the demands placed upon the student who desired spiritual achievement. To the young man wanting to know what more he needed to do to be saved, Jesus said, “If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me” (Matt. 19:21). “Sell what thou hast,” means more than just losing attachment to material goods. It means to give up and get rid of mental commitments that distract from total spiritual mindedness. To reach spirituality we have to give up all materiality, and this is where the sacrifice comes in.


It only seems like sacrifice to the mortal mind that wants to hold on to matter as substance and wealth. But to the spiritually inspired, thought quickly sees that the loves of the worldly minded are poverty with God. There is nothing to give up at all, except a false belief of what true happiness and riches really are.


Like the aspiring Olympians catching a glimpse of what success looks like and thus becoming willing to sacrifice anything that gets in their way to acheive it, once we catch a glimpse of what spiritual success looks like, it’s much easier to sacrifice attachment to the world that gets in the way.

So, you can "skate for the gold" today--live for God, not for temporal glory, position or status, and reap the reward of peace, health and harmony that come from devoted spiritual mindedness.



Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Live in a surplus not a deficit

There are reports of deficits, deficits, and more deficits everywhere you read or look in the news media these days. Have you noticed?


The US federal government deficit is so large and numbing, that one trillion dollars lost here, another trillion lost there, don’t seem to matter anymore. Pensions are underfunded. State governments stagger under debt. Countries around the world are on the brink of bankruptcy. Deficits seem to be the norm, a way of life, to be expected.


One lesson a student of Christian Science learns, is to not go along with crowd-thinking when the crowd accepts lack and suffering as normal or unavoidable. We live out what we accept as true, and deficit existence is not any fun.

I doubt few would argue that deficits are good or shouldn’t be reversed. But in the meantime, while politicians, business leaders and those in decision-making positions figure out how to eliminate deficits and get budgets back into the surplus, it’s important for the everyday individual to come out from deficit thinking and not be influenced by it's devouring suggestions.


The onslaught of bad news about growing and burdensome debt must be counteracted with spiritual truth to prevent that bad news from becoming our own way of thinking and expectation. We need to mentally dwell in the surplus of God's omnipresent goodness that meets all human needs.


It’s like a patient who called me with complaints about being unemployed. I told him that just because the rest of the world believed in unemployment, didn’t mean he had to believe in it and experience it. God was his employer, and God keeps His workers fully employed. He found a job quickly despite a high unemployment rate.


The same rule applies to avoiding deficits. Just because the rest of the world struggles with deficit thinking doesn’t mean an individual tuned into spiritual reality needs to suffer. We each can make a decision, as Paul instructed, “To come out and be separate,” from the way the rest of the world thinks.


We live in a divine economy where there are no deficits. The goodness of God does not shrink, disappear or evaporate. It is infinite, unending, constant, and continuous. It manifests itself in forms of ever-growing and increasing evidence of supply.


The goodness of God is not a sum of money we spend. It is the infinite wisdom, intelligence, understanding, patience, contentment, gratitude and love of divine Mind that is abundantly available at all times to everyone. Through spiritual mindedness and devotion to God, not to self, we discover the presence of this ever-present supply and benefit from it. It meets human needs.


When we look to God for supply, we find surplus. The goodness of God is so huge, so magnificent, so bounteous, and so present, that it exceeds any view the human mind has yet to fathom. It truly is grand, and in an acceptance of it, there is no possibility of a deficit.


Be a surplus thinker! Be one who lives out from surplus. Don’t accept deficits as normal, unavoidable or inevitable. They are not. Any suggestion of lack is pure illusion, an unwillingness or ignorance to accept the bounty God has at hand to care for us.


When teaching thousands in the desert, and then faced with thousands of hungry people to feed, Jesus Christ resorted to surplus thinking to meet the need of the moment. He did not see the need as monetary. He did not take a loan out to borrow money and buy food. He did not incur a deficit. He knew God had met the need. He quickly found ample bread to feed the crowd. There was a surplus of food leftover from his spiritual demonstration of supply.


With all the hype and fear in the media today about deficits and budget holes, this is an especially pertinent time to strengthen one’s mental footing in the truth about God’s economy. In God’s economy, there are only surpluses, never deficits.

Live in God’s surplus, and enjoy the bounty.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Do something about the problem

Obstacles? Deal with Them Now
By Brian Cavanaugh

An old farmer had plowed around a large rock in one of his fields for years. He had broken several plowshares and a cultivator on it and had grown rather morbid about the rock.

After breaking another plowshare one day, and remembering all the trouble the rock had caused him through the years, he finally decided to do something about it.

When he put the crowbar under the rock, he was surprised to discover that it was only about six inches thick and that he could break it up easily with a sledgehammer. As he was carting the pieces away he had to smile, remembering all the trouble that the rock had caused him over the years and how easy it would have been to get rid of it long ago.





Are there rocks in your life you’ve been plowing around, complaining and bemoaning each time you go by? Maybe it’s time to stop and do something about them. With the help of divine Love, there’s a solution that can crack that problem in pieces and make it removable from your field of labor.

Monday, February 22, 2010

What is a victory in sports?

I went to Principia College last weekend to watch Jenna, my daughter, swim in the Liberal Arts Swimming and Diving Championships. It was a large meet with 10 teams competing.

The Crafton Center where the meet was held on the Principia campus is an impressive facility, spacious, modern, and as nice as I’ve ever seen. It was a special joy to watch Jenna compete at the college level and in a sport she dearly loves. She did well.

Crafton Center


While watching three hundred or so swimmers compete, I couldn’t help but notice that only a handful would place first. Deep in their heart, every swimmer would have loved to win their event, I imagine, but only a small percentage of the total competing ever would. It’s just the way events are set up. Only one swimmer or team can come in first. Everyone else follows in their trail, point-wise.


But does that mean all those in second or lower place are losers? I think not.


While rooting for a men’s relay team that soon was trailing seven others in the same heat, my heart sunk a bit at first, and then I remembered that winning is not measured in time. It’s measured in spiritual qualities demonstrated and gained.


I put the meet into perspective.

College is about learning lessons for life, I reasoned, lessons that will turn aspiring young men and women into responsible and productive adults. I asked myself, what will benefit these swimmers the most in the long run? Is it a medal or is it the persistence, patience, discipline, determination, courage, confidence and unwillingness to give up that turn them into responsible mature men and women that will bless them the most?


For instance, say one is later married and the relationship gets tough and rocky. The individual who learned early in life not to give up easily, to dig in and work out one’s troubles, to have courage to face mountains and climb them, to persist and prevail, will not give up easily on that marriage and walk out the door early. They will hang in there and make it work. But to the individual whom all things come easily, and who hasn’t learned the lesson of not giving up under difficulty, they might cave easily and quit prematurely.


I thought about business and the economy and how rough earning a living can be at times. The swimmer who had to work hard to get to the finish line whether he won or not, will have learned not to give up under challenging circumstances. He will work harder, swim harder, you might say, and keep on going until he makes it to the end. He will not give up easily just because others are complaining and the odds seem stacked against him.


Yes, it’s nice to win a medal. But, hey, let’s be honest, not everyone is going to be the top point getter in everything they do. We all have our talents and strengths, but likely enjoy a much wider array of activity that include activitives other than what we are best at. For instance, I like to play tennis, a lot. But I’ll never be a medal winner. It’s not my strength in life, but that doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy it just as much as those who win all the tournaments and get the media attention. I don’t need that kind of recognition to benefit from the sport and become a better person for it.


The Apostle Paul wrote, “Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.” Absolutely! I agree! We should run every race with the intent to win the prize. But the prize Paul is writing about is not a temporal social or material type of recognition. It’s a spiritual reward, a heavenly prize that can never diminish in significance or tarnish over time. It’s the prize of increased spirituality lived and expressed. It’s the prize of improved character that makes us a better person. And we can gain this whether we stand on the world’s winner’s podium or not.


The general higher purpose of healthy sports competition is to prepare youngsters for life lessons. If students come out of a competitive event better people, then they gained, they won. They defeated some belief of lack in their life that they’ll never have to face again.


It’s fun to win gold medals, but it’s not necessary to gain as much as those who do.


Back to the relay I was watching…with my team trailing seven others…


I no longer saw swimmers lagging other swimmers—winners and losers. I saw children of God in every lane expressing an activity of life the best way they knew. Some of them were especially gifted in swimming talent. Others weren’t. But that didn’t matter anymore. The material outcome of who got to the finish line was a shortsighted view of the benefits coming from competing in that event. It was the spiritual outcome that was significant.


I watched closer at the trailing swimmers for qualities being expressed. I saw determination, conviction, hard work, courage, and unwillingness to be discouraged even though everyone else was ahead. I thought to myself, now those are qualities that are going to benefit those youngsters immensely in later years. They may not have won this race, but they are going to win the race of life. They are gaining qualities that enable them to succeed in other endeavors in years to come.


In later years, when the chips are down, when everything in the world seems against them, when everyone else seems to be succeeding and they aren’t, when the world is screaming out that they will fail, that they’re not good enough, that they can’t do it, they will not give up. They will keep on swimming. They will work harder, and they will keep on swimming until they get all the way to the finish line. Those kinds of people, my friends, are ones who succeed in life.


I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Paul

Friday, February 19, 2010

Revenge not a good thing

This quote stimulates some sobering thoughts to consider if ever contemplating revenge...
Before you embark on a journey of revenge,
first dig two graves.
~ Confucius

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Are you out of the prison of self?

A human being is part of a whole, called by us the Universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

~ Albert Einstein

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

The most important understanding to gain

What is the most important knowledge you could ever have?

If you’re like me, you have certain jobs, skills, talents you like to hone and improve. I love to play piano and tennis, and go up to the mountains with my family. I love my work, which includes praying, helping and healing others spiritually. There are a lot of activities I enjoy doing, and can think of many more I’d like to do if I had the time. I can’t squeeze them all in!

But what is the one most important activity of all? I have to remind myself when sorting out priorities.

And I believe it's to gain an increased understanding of God.

It's tempting to be occupied with anything and everything but gaining a better understanding of God. Whether it’s taking care of a family, managing financial accounts, keeping a building clean, writing, speaking, or organizing other people and activities, the list of things to do can grow very long.

But without God, we're all washed up, one might argue.

God is the source of all good, wisdom, intelligence, understanding, love and everything else essential to living a healthy happy and progressive life to begin with.

Forgetting to grow spiritually is like a carpenter going to work without a hammer. It's not going to be helpful!

If we shove God to the side and neglect nurturing our spirituality, we’ll eventually suffer and have to play catch-up. It’s better to stay ahead of mortal mind by increasing our knowledge of God so as to constantly strengthen our moral and spiritual position to ward off the attacks of fear and doubt when they come. The stronger we are spiritually, the less mortal mind can affect us.

So, don’t neglect the most important activity of all in your life—getting to know God better! Be sure to set enough time aside to for study and prayer, and enough devotion of mind to increase your living of what you learn.

When you know God, you know the best life has to offer, for the good you seek, ultimately, and always, comes from God.
Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” Matthew

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

The maturity of love

I like being married. It has been very good for me.

One of the lessons of love I’ve learned over the years in having to work all things out with my wife is that love doesn’t try to change the other person.

I wish I had better understood this when we first got married. In the early days, the “growing up years,” one might say, it was tempting at times to pin fault or blame on the other when something didn’t go my way. If she would only change, or adopt a better attitude, or quit doing something, or understand me better, or…and the list would go on that justified continued suffering.

Does this sound familiar to anyone out there…??



The maturity of love

I like being married. It has been very good for me.

One of the lessons of love I’ve learned over the years in having to work all things out with my wife is that love doesn’t try to change the other person.

I wish I had better understood this when we first got married. In the early days, the “growing up years,” one might say, it was tempting at times to pin fault or blame on the other when something didn’t go my way. If she would only change, or adopt a better attitude, or quit doing something, or understand me better, or…and the list would go on that justified continued suffering.


Does this sound familiar to anyone out there…??

Trials in marriage are healthy if we spiritually grow from them, and my goal was always to spiritually grow, to understand how to express love better, and be less selfish. I’ve had many opportunities, and am still learning!

But in recent years I’ve noticed a very profound and deepening peace in my marriage. It’s a peace that does not come overnight or by accident. It is the outcome of lessons learned well in the past, growing affection that is not conditional, and a lack of judgmentalism.

When we do not try to change each other, but honor what God has already put in place, things go much better.

Mortal mind often argues that we have to change our spouse before we can be happy in our marriage. This is such an illusion. It is misleading because it can be a relinquishment of responsibility for our own thinking and actions. It also puts our happiness at the mercy of another and can lead to a feeling of helplessness and even hopelessness. And not because it needs to be that way, but because we are ignorant, or unwilling to accept what we can do to improve the situation independent of what the other does or doesn't do.

Rather than place blame, the more constructive course of action is to improve one’s view of the other. It’s a demoralized and low view that is getting in the way of seeing the good God put in our spouse. When we look at him or her from God’s point of view, we find wonderful qualities present that were not obvious before. Where we saw indifference, we may find care. Where we saw close-mindedness, we may find an open door. Where we found meanness, we might find kindness. Where we find stubbornness, willingness may appear. Spiritualization of thought can cause these glorious types of transformations to occur.

Every spouse is a child of God filled with a full complement of divine Love’s qualities. These virtues are not always obvious on the surface, but they are in there. And a willingness to look for them often finds them.

When we put personal offense aside, kick ego out of the picture, not react in anger or with resentment, and cease to hold grudges, it’s a sign that we’re growing up in love. We’re leaving the selfish ways of mortal mind behind and reaching out to something much better, to a love that endures. It’s a maturing love, a love that finds the good in the other, brings it out of them through kindness and goodwill, and improves the overall relationship without a taint of judgmentalism, harmful criticism or harsh comment.

Marriage can be a wonderful experience, and it’s best when unconditional, nonjudgmental love rules the relationship.



Sunday, February 14, 2010

Valentine's Day

Aw, Valentine’s Day is upon us. It’s a day some people love because they have someone special in their lives to show that love to, and some people despise because they feel alone and it makes them feel even lonelier. But this need not be. Love is a universal presence that includes everyone, single or married.

I watched a movie this weekend titled, “I hate Valentine’s day,” which is about an attractive woman who will date a guy only 5 times and no more. She wants romance only, not relationships. Once the romance is gone, she figures there is nothing left to nurture, so off to the next guy she goes. She claims that no one is happy in relationships, only in romance.

As most of these seeking-love-in-all-the-wrong-places type of story lines go, she eventually figures out that her concept of love is grossly lacking and that she had a lot to learn about the subject. It does have a happy ending. I won’t spoil the story…

The point being, there is a lot of confusion in this world about how to find love.

We all probably have a lot to learn about the deepest care of all, married or not. There’s a reason so many hit songs fret, bemoan, agonize, rejoice and celebrate the subject.

Often people look for love in another person instead of to God, the source of all love in the first place, and this can lead to much disappointment and frustration. It’s like looking for home in a house. A house may give one a temporary sense of home, but if the spiritual qualities of brotherly love, genuine contentment, happiness and gratitude are not present, the house can become a very lonely place.

Home is spiritual. Likewise, happy relationships are spiritual too. It’s about a lot more than two people getting together physically. It’s about God’s love freely shared and unconditionally expressed.

When we go to God first for love and bring it into our own lives, then we have something special to bring to our relationships with others. This love is infinite, unending, and universal. It’s always available to actively experience and share liberally.

Love is not a selfish thing, thinking about what it can get. Love is a giver. It finds completeness in the act of giving and blessing others without any strings attached.

So, whether you’re single, married, thinking about it, widowed or wondering this Valentine’s Day, don’t let mortal mind suggest you lack love in any way. You do not. God is the Big Love of your life and loves you and loves you without fail. And you are free to express that love without bounds.

Let the unconditional love of divine Love warm your heart and remind you of how precious you are whether there is another person around to remind you of it or not. Take this endearing love with you wherever you go, to whoever you care for and to whomever you see, and help their Valentine’s Day be special too.


Friday, February 12, 2010

If you feel stuck, maybe you need to move

I busted out laughing when I watched this video clip...

What's keeping you stuck in your life?

Too often we get so dependent on material support systems that we don't think we can live without them. When they fail, we feel stranded, stuck and unable to move.

In truth, we're never stuck. We have all the help we need coming from God, and we don't need to yell for it to have it. A willingness to leave the old habit and take a few brave steps forward prove we're not stuck at all.

Enjoy...

Thursday, February 11, 2010

Judge Rightly

Somewhere recently I read the story of a Christian Science nurse who was taught in her training to never judge another person's condition by what she saw, but by what she knew.

Now, that's useful counsel for all of us!


Putting a medical view into proper context

It came pointedly to my attention this week how a medical view can sometimes not see spiritual healing happening right under its nose.

I was reviewing a major healing that happened in my practice years ago. It involved a pregnant mother who was diagnosed with a toxic blood condition deemed potentially fatal to the baby. The woman’s doctor wanted to take major medical action to alleviate the condition, including blood transfusions. I don’t believe the doctors considered the condition curable, but saw it as manageable.

The mother chose to treat the condition through Christian Science, and together we worked for a spiritual healing, which did occur and magnificently so.

However, during the five months of the pregnancy we prayed together and demonstrated safety for the baby and mother, it seemed the doctors never could accept in their mind that a healing could or would happen. They had predetermined the outcome as not good, and all ensuing evaluations, predictions and prophesies were based on that opinion. They saw what they expected, yet they didn’t, because healing was happening all along. It was an ironic twist. It wasn’t until the baby was born, examined thoroughly and then seen to be in perfect health that their mind changed about the condition and all their fears disappeared.

One lesson to be learned from this is how important it is to not let medical views taint our perspective, for if they do, we see things medically, and it often is not good and can hinder our seeing things spiritually which is what brings healing.

But another lesson came out of this for me. It has to do with people who practice Christian Science and are married to a spouse, or related to someone close, who does not practice Christian Science and has strong medical views.

I’ve seen where the practicing Christian Scientist goes into agony about how to deal with the person who doesn’t understand the spiritual approach. They fret and worry, and maybe even feel under attack by the medical view.


It’s important for the practitioner of spiritual healing to find peace about this so thought can be wholeheartedly focused on the truth that heals and not on distraction that doesn’t heal.

In these situations, I find it helpful to accept that the medical view generally doesn’t understand how spiritual healing happens, and so, essentially, just doesn’t get it. I don’t mean this in a negative way, but in a matter-of-fact-way.

Even when healing is happening, the medical view often doesn’t see it, as if it isn’t even happening. It’s only when some outward evidence is so blatantly obvious that they can’t deny it anymore that a transformation in attitude may occur--or may not! Even when a healing happens they may still deny God’s hand at work and say “Oh it would have happened anyway.” My point here is not to argue or agitate about it, but to illuminate what is happening in the mental atmosphere so the metaphysician can more readily deal with it.

Jesus constantly dealt with people who didn’t understand what he was all about or teaching. He was patient with them though, continuing to explain truth over and over again, hoping and praying that eventually they would get it. But in the meantime, he did not let the ignorance and denial stop him from progressing. He knew the human mind was not an obstacle to his individual success in turning to God and finding the help he needed. He stayed in a pure consciousness of Love, stayed true to God, and prospered all the way.

We can do the same. No one ever stands in our way of making a spiritual demonstration. Success depends upon what God is doing for us, not upon what someone who doesn’t understand is not doing for us.

Keep moving ahead with your prayers and demonstrations despite antagonism you may feel from certain quarters. It’s just an opportunity to love more and let your example of spirituality shine forth brighter than ever.




Wednesday, February 10, 2010

Judge rightly

Somewhere recently I read the story of a Christian Science nurse who was taught in her training to never judge another person's condition by what she saw, but by what she knew.

Now, that's useful counsel for all of us!

Tuesday, February 9, 2010

Inspiring Young Singer

God's huge gifts often come in small packages.

Watch and listen to this short video and let a 7 year old wonder lift your spirits today.

Inspiring young singer

God's huge gifts often come in small packages.

Watch and listen to this short video and let a 7 year old wonder lift your spirits today.

7 years old sings the National Anthem

Monday, February 8, 2010

Health From Stopping Meds

A reader sent in the below story.

It was found in the middle of a long article titled, “The Compassion Theory of Healing and Health,” which has some interesting points about the correlation between love and health.

A DOCTOR'S STORY

I am reminded of a story I heard a doctor tell.
He ran into an old friend who looked very sick. He asked her how she was and she said she had so many things wrong with her and was taking so many different medicines she did not know if she were coming and going.

A few months later he saw her and she looked wonderful so he asked her how she recovered. She told him she got so depressed she decided to take her own life by stopping all medication. Soon after that she realized she was better and knew it was the toxins in all the meds that were the cause of her lack of health.

She smiled and said she swore off all meds and has never felt better.

Health from stopping meds

A reader sent in the below story.

It was found in the middle of a long article titled, “The Compassion Theory of Healing and Health,” which has some interesting points about the correlation between love and health.


A DOCTOR'S STORY


I am reminded of a story I heard a doctor tell.

He ran into an old friend who looked very sick. He asked her how she was and she said she had so many things wrong with her and was taking so many different medicines she did not know if she were coming and going.

A few months later he saw her and she looked wonderful so he asked her how she recovered.

She told him she got so depressed she decided to take her own life by stopping all medication. Soon after that she realized she was better and knew it was the toxins in all the meds that were the cause of her lack of health.

She smiled and said she swore off all meds and has never felt better.

Friday, February 5, 2010

Do You Quack or Soar?


The following story is widely circulated on the web, and it's a good one to be reminded of in these times of high unemployment and people striving to hold on to their job.

It emphasizes the merits of offering top-notch service and the rewards that come for giving above and beyond.

Here's a link:
Are you soaring or quacking today?

Do you quack or soar?

The following story is widely circulated on the web, and it's a good one to be reminded of in these times of high unemployment and people striving to hold on to their job.

It emphasizes the merits of offering top-notch service and the rewards that come for giving above and beyond.

Here's a link:

Ducks quack, eagles soar

Are you soaring or quacking today?

Thursday, February 4, 2010

It takes work to raise a family


For those of you who don’t know me personally, I’d like to introduce you to my family.
Above are Tyler, Jenna, Kathy my wife, and me.

When I first saw this photo, I thought, “I like this picture.” It captures much of the joy, unity and love we have for each other.

As I studied it more, though, I realized that my initial impression didn’t do it justice. Eighteen years of memories, experiences, trials, tears and triumphs began to flood thought. There was so much more to be seen than was apparent on the surface.

It takes work to raise a family! I concluded. That picture didn’t appear out of nowhere. It took twenty plus years of dedication, unselfishness, devotion, commitment, faithfulness, sacrifice, perseverance, a never-give-up attitude, a deepening love of God and each other, and heartfelt prayer along the way for that picture to be possible.

I wasn’t complaining, mind you. I’m beyond grateful beyond words for what I have to show. But as I recounted the commitment of mind, soul and body required to keep a family happily together, I gained a greater appreciation than ever for all successful outcomes.

It isn’t easy to raise a family! Any of you doing it know what I’m talking about.

In this age of short term gratification and instant fulfillment of selfish desire, good intentions often start the venture, but give up too early. Personal wants get in the way. Pride interferes. Anger poisons it. Neglect and apathy sap it. Jealousy and envy ruin it. Criticism and accusation strike a stake through its heart. Laziness ignores it. Impatience stresses it. Self-interest divides it. Ego polarizes it.

Men and women in growing numbers decide to stay single these days for many different reasons. And that’s great. Everyone is individual and finds their way to Truth in a way that suits them. But for the individual that decides to start a family, it’s very helpful to know up front, that it will require sacrifice, unwavering commitment, sincerity, faithfulness and a genuine desire to grow in love to succeed.

Raising a family is about raising thought to divine Love. Trials and challenges are opportunities to grow spiritually, to reflect more of our divine nature made in the image of Love and unselfishly bring blessing into another person’s life. Sincere motives are essential to be successful.

So, on one hand, it’s not easy to raise a family. But on the other, when I look at this picture, I’m reminded that the effort is sure worth the reward. I love my family, and it’s been rewarding beyond any treasure in the world to make it this far. It gets more and more fun everyday. I expect to keep going, by the way, and have another picture to show in years to come!

Lots of love to yours.

Matrimony should never be entered into without a full recognition of its enduring obligations on both sides. There should be the most tender solicitude for each other's happiness, and mutual attention and approbation should wait on all the years of married life.” Mary Baker Eddy




Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Are you grateful for the simple things

We never know the worth of water
till the well is dry.

~ Thomas Fuller
How true, how true. This quote reminds me of the faithful mother who labors diligently for the care of her family, never with complaint, yet also without praise, and keeps on loving and loving anyway. Her love and presence are often taken for granted because they are so reliable and ever-present. But if gone, they are sorely missed.
Or the humble worker in the office place that adds a special cheer and smile to the meetings she attends and the co-workers she passes in the hall. The smile and joy are taken for granted because they're always there. But one day, the worker moves on, and...suddenly, where's that bright smile we had come to expect!
It's right and well to acknowledge these niceties of life while we're experiencing them. They are gifts from above. We shouldn't wait until "the well runs dry" to notice their presence and appreciate the blessings they bring.
Perhaps, the more we notice now, the more we'll see and continue to see from now on!
Gratitude keeps the well full.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

How to prevent getting mad

How often do you get mad or upset because your sense of order has been violated?

Maybe you come home and the kitchen is a mess. No one thought to clean it up because they expected you to do it. Without missing a beat, anger starts to well up within.

Maybe you told your son to take out the garbage and he didn’t…and for the tenth time. You get upset.

Maybe you voted for a politician you expected to fulfill your wishes, and he didn’t. You get disillusioned…and upset.

Maybe a rude driver cuts in front of you without warning. An unpleasant word or two is unleashed.

And the list could go on and on…

Does any of this sound familiar?

There’s a way to prevent this kind of anger from germinating and erupting. It’s to realize that it’s much more important to keep thought in love than to get our way, even when we are convicted it’s the right way. We have to let the offense go and rise in love.

In the long run, it’s not a clean kitchen, garbage placed timely on the curb, political decisions, and keeping the right-of-way on the highway that secures harmony in life. It’s the love we live, reflect and express.

It requires a spiritualizing of motives to obtain this freedom and peace. It requires a spiritual sense of order to replace a lesser material sense of order.


Jesus had this higher sense of order. It was unjust and cruel for him to be condemned and crucified. But he did not return anger and hate. He returned love. He knew that love is what would keep him alive, and for all of eternity. He let the human injustice go and found refuge and peace of mind in sticking to his theme for life—live Love.

We can do the same.

It is error even to murmur or to be angry over sin.” Mary Baker Eddy

Monday, February 1, 2010

Live true to yourself

Always be yourself because the people who matter don't mind,
and the ones who mind, don't matter.
~ Unknown
Well, sometimes it does matter what others think, especially a spouse, a boss or other significant presence in our lives. But there certainly is truth in this saying to be appreciated. We have to live true to our high ideals and not let other's lesser view of them cause us to diminish into someone we are not.

Church growth

A paraphrase of some ideas Rick Warren has on how to grow a church that I found in a column written by Rich Karlgaard in Forbes magazine (2/16/04).
Don't try to make your church grow. Instead, work to make your church healthy. Because if it's healthy, it will grow.

Church is designed to grow, Warren contends. Water it well, nourish it properly, provide a safe environment for it to exist in, and it will flourish just like a plant grows healthily when provided the same. You don't have to make the plant grow. It grows naturally when surrounded by the right conditions.

Providing the "safe environment" to grow in is often the greatest need when preaching radical truth. In Christian Science, it's done through vigilant watchfulness and prayer to keep out the aggressive elements of the carnal mind that want to stop the advance of Love's message of peace and spirituality to humanity. Prayer-warriors--on guard!!






 

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