Quick weight loss

Spiritual truth can have an amazingly rapid effect on our physical health and well being when correctly glimpsed.

Two days ago, a new friend told me how she lost a lot of weight when in elementary school.

While in 4th grade, she was the fattest kid in school, she said. To help remedy the problem, during summer break, her mom called a Christian Science practitioner and asked the practitioner to metaphysically treat her daughter everyday to be fit while the family went on a two week camping trip. The practitioner said little, and agreed to help.

During vacation, the youngster didn’t think much about food, her weight, or losing pounds. She laid out in the sun much of the day, swam, participated in the outdoor activities, and had a good time with her family.

When she got back home, none of her clothes fit. She weighed herself, and was astounded to see she had dropped from around 125 pounds to 75 pounds in two weeks.

Her playmates on the street didn’t recognize her. When she went to Sunday school, the others wondered who she was. The practitioner, who was a bit overweight herself, came to visit and see with her own eyes how much weight her patient had lost. The transformation seemed incredible, yet it happened.

Truth is powerful.

For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword… Hebrews

When I lost excess weight over twenty years ago, I had a similar experience. Once I got the spiritual view of myself correct, 20 pounds melted off in three weeks. I was so caught up into my fitness as a child of God that I wasn’t aware of what was happening to the body until my pants refused to stay on any longer. The spiritual reality had so overwhelmed my perspective that I wasn’t thinking about losing weight. I was thinking about my perfect spiritual self.

This is the ideal! Spiritual healing is not about changing matter. It’s about getting the right idea that God created in the first place.

God made each of us healthy, fit and under control. Hold to the truth about your spiritual identity, and Truth will reshape and re-form the body to conform.

And it might happen rapidly.

No loneliness in God's family

A friend shared with me her prayer in conquering loneliness years ago.

She was single, lived alone and craved some type of meaningful companionship.

She prayed for months, looking for relief from isolation until she finally glimpsed a view into God’s family that broke the mesmeric belief of loneliness.

In knowing God as her Father-Mother, she realized that God was everyone else’s Father-Mother too. All people were brothers and sisters under one parentage.

She saw clearly that she did have a family. It was God’s family. She was a member of it and could see herself that way.

As a part of God’s family, which included all men, women and children, companionship and company were built-into her experience. Her family was huge, and its members were everywhere.

In grasping the all-inclusiveness and immediacy of her true family--her spiritual family--a feeling of isolation became impossible. Fears and doubts about being loved and included lifted and a spiritual peace took over her perspective.

Two weeks later, she met another woman her age that shared an amazing number of common interests. They became very close friends and shared happy times together for years until family started taking a different form for both of them. You know…marriage, children, and that type of thing…. But the lesson has stuck with her ever since—everyone is a member of God’s family, and brothers and sisters abound wherever we go.

Her improved experience confirmed for her the benefits of spiritualizing one’s concept of family.

In God’s home, there’s room, love and opportunity for one and all.

Unchangeable Truth

Some people who practice Christian Science worry that hatred in world belief toward spiritual healing inhibits their healing progress. Christian Science teaches its students to not be naïve about malice toward spiritual healing, but it also teaches that hatred is powerless to stop Truth from having its rightful effect in our experience.

Truth is Truth, and can never be anything less.

If 50% of earth’s inhabitants, centuries ago, believed the world was flat, did their belief make the world flat? No. They lived a limited experience because of their belief, but their error did not change the truth, and it did not limit the possibilities of those who understood differently.


Discoverers and adventurers who knew the world was round ventured upon the ocean without fear. They were not limited by the ignorant thought. And they made glorious new discoveries as a result.

Prayer in Christian Science is based upon perfect God and perfect man. It doesn’t matter how many millions of people believe contrariwise, for Truth is true. Ignorance and hatred never weaken or alter the facts of being or the effect they have on our life.

So, if our prayers are based on fixed spiritual truth, and not on shifting personal opinion or human belief, they will be protected from the world’s antagonism. Contemporary malice will not affect our prayers or prevent our progress. We will march on to success regardless of what our neighbor approves of or disapproves of.

Truth is true and remains forever unchangeable. On this basis you can stand spiritually tall and fearless in the face of enemies and make your demonstrations of health and harmony with confidence and surety.

Gratitude and happiness

A number of recent studies confirm happiness doesn’t come from having lots of money or showy things. It comes from attitude, perspective and outlook—qualities of life rooted in Spirit, rather than materialism.

Malcolm Ritter for AP reported in part:

“As a motivational speaker and executive coach, Caroline Adams Miller knows a few things about using mental exercises to achieve goals. But last year, one exercise she was asked to try took her by surprise.

Every night, she was to think of three good things that happened that day and analyze why they occurred. That was supposed to increase her overall happiness.

"I thought it was too simple to be effective," said Miller, 44, of Bethesda. Md. "I went to Harvard. I'm used to things being complicated."

Miller was assigned the task as homework in a master's degree program. But as a chronic worrier, she knew she could use the kind of boost the exercise was supposed to deliver.

She got it.

"The quality of my dreams has changed, I never have trouble falling
asleep and I do feel happier," she said.

Results may vary, as they say in the weight-loss ads. But that exercise is one of several that have shown preliminary promise in recent research into how people can make themselves happier — not just for a day or two, but long-term….”

I haven’t done any scientific survey, but I’ve noticed that grateful people are generally happy people.

Have you ever noticed the same?

And this makes sense when you think about it. After all, is a grump and complainer going to be happy? I don't think so....

You've probably heard it a hundred times, if not more. Gratitude is healthy for what ails you.

I'ts also a sure route to happiness.

Exercise it abundantly!

Happiness is...

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things.

~ Jesus Christ


The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quiet, alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.

~ Anne Frank


You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.

~ Eric Hoffer


When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.

~ Helen Keller


That man is richest whose pleasures are cheapest.

~ Henry David Thoreau

Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others, cannot keep it from themselves.

~ James M. Barrie


The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet.

~ James Oppenheim


“Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love.”

~ Mary Baker Eddy

Scout Beatitudes

The Scout Beatitudes

Blessed are the Scouts who are taught to see beauty in all things around them...for their world will be a place of grace and wonder.

Blessed are the Scouts who are led with patience and understanding... for they will learn the strength of endurance and the gift of tolerance.

Blessed are the Scouts who are provided a home where family members dwell in harmony and close communion...for they shall become the peacemakers of the world.

Blessed are the Scouts who are taught the value and power of truth...for they shall search for knowledge and use it with wisdom and discernment.

Blessed are the Scouts who are guided by those with faith in a loving God...for they will find Him early and will walk with Him through life.

Blessed are the Scouts who are loved and know that they are loved...for they shall sow seeds of love in the world and reap joy for themselves and others.

We all can benefit from being a good Scout today!

Golden Rule is universal

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

~ Christianity

Blessed are those who prefer others before themselves.

~ Baha'i Faith

Hurt not others in ways that you would find hurtful.

~ Buddhism

This is the sum of all duty: treat others as you yourself would be treated.

~ Hinduism

No one of you is a believer until you desire for another that which you desire for yourself.

~ Islam

In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, regard all creatures as you would regard your own self.

~ Jainism

What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.

~ Judaism

Be not estranged from another for God dwells in every heart.

~ Sikhism

Human nature is good only when it does not do unto another whatever is not good for its own self.

~ Zoroastrianism

Let the light within glow bright

"People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light from within."

~ Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

Scammers be gone

“I can’t believe I got scammed,” said John Niggeling, after being bilked of $108,000 in a Ponzi scheme.

“Hello Sucker: Think scams happen only to other people?” documents Niggeling’s error in judgment as a feature article in Money magazine this month.

The article claims that one in 10 Americans lost money in a scam last year, and “people with financial education and higher incomes are actually more likely than others to fall for investment scams.”

How do we prevent ourselves from being scammed? What are the signs to watch for and avoid?

Since con artists prey upon greed and lust, the surest way to prevent getting conned is to not lust after money or things. The more our goal in life is to grow spiritually, to live morally, and help others unselfishly, the less likely we are to get scammed.

I remember a retired woman I knew 20 years ago who got scammed of a major portion of her life savings because of a greed for more money. For decades she had made responsible financial decisions, but in a moment of weakness when she lusted after more funds for a pet project, she made a poor decision in hopes of rapidly multiplying her investment. Unfortunately, she learned the hard way that a pure desire for more money blinds reason and perspective to sound judgment.

We don’t have to learn the hard way! We can prevent getting scammed by not lusting after con artist’s wares in the first place.

Jesus Christ gave us the ultimate protection from scammers when he taught,

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal." Matthew

The greatest treasures we could ever have cannot be monetized or deposited in a bank account. They are spiritual riches from above that are garnered through consecrated spiritual growth and spiritual mindedness.

When our priority in life is to grow spiritually, we aren’t going to get sidetracked by vain promises of material gain that we aren’t interested in pursuing to begin with.

God meets all needs and in exactly the appropriate ways that bless us most at any given moment.

I love Paul’s promise:

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Phillippians

We are already rich with eternal Life and immortal Truth. No amount of money can augment or increase these gifts from above that truly complete and enrich us.

With an understanding of divine wealth already in hand, we can delcare with confidence, "Scammers, be gone! No greed to prey on in this disposition."

Treat people nicely to avoid lawsuits

Have you ever noticed that some people get sued a whole lot more than others? Ever wondered why?

In the popular book, “Blink,” the author, Malcolm Gladwell, explains why some doctors get sued and others don’t even though both make mistakes. He argues that the difference comes down to how the doctors treat their patients. Doctors that take time to converse with their clients, show care, concern and lend a listening ear, win over the patient’s affections, and if they make a mistake, the patients typically forgive them because they like them. Doctors who don’t take time to listen, care and address client fears become “the enemy” if a mistake is made, and they get sued.

Gladwell wrote:

What comes up again and again in malpractice cases is that patients say they were rushed or ignored or treated poorly. “People just don’t sue doctors they like,” is how Alice Burkin, a leading medical malpractice lawyer, puts it. “In all the years I’ve been in this business, I’ve never had a potential client walk in and say, ‘I really like this doctor, and I feel terrible about doing it, but I want to sue him.’

…“When a patient has a bad medical result, the doctor has to take the time to explain what happened, and to answer the patient’s questions—to treat him like a human being. The doctors who don’t are the ones who get sued,” Burkin continued. (pages 40-43)

Isn’t the above observation a moral lesson for life?

Jesus taught, “Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.” It’s true. When we are genuinely merciful to others as a rule, people are typically merciful back, even when we make a big mistake.

Mercy begets mercy.

God is the big Mercy of all, loving us no matter what we do--good or bad--without condition, without qualification, and without exception.

The more we love others unselfishly as God loves us unconditionally, the more love we see expressed in relationships we have with others. Forgiveness flows easier, understanding is built quicker and grudges have no chance to form.

No grudges equals no lawsuits. We can spend more time enjoying life that way, and a lot less time in court.

Don't feel guilty for saying no

Three days ago, I had a friend who is moving out of town, call and ask if I wanted any of the multitudes of religious and spiritual books she needed to get rid of. She didn’t want to throw them away, and wondered if I could take them off her hands.

I’ve had people make these requests before, and often I’ve obliged them, figuring somebody might want the books and I’d be happy to pass them along, and I wanted to be helpful anyway. But honestly, I have many books already sitting in my backroom, unused, and I didn’t need to add anymore! I needed to "clean house" myself!

In my efforts to be helpful, though, I have found it hard in the past to turn away people who are trying to be generous.

And what happens? I end up with someone else's junk...and thus the stacks of old books in my backroom!

But this time, I got a new view. I realized that if I accepted the volumes under the pretense that I could make good use of them, when I could not, I was being dishonest. I was being dishonest to myself and to the giver, and this was evil no matter how you look at it.

Aw…huge relief.

I did not have to accept the books. I did not have to let her feeling of burden become a burden for me. And I didn’t have to pretend like I was passing on a great opportunity. I could politely thank her for thinking about me, turn down the offer, and trust she would find a place for the books, or simply chuck them in the garbage and proceed with her move.

And that’s what I did.

In response, she thought a bit more, and realized she could donate the books to the local library annual book sale.

Perfect! I thought. No imposition on anyone there.

It's such a little revelation, but not feeling guilty about saying no to unwanted stuff was a minor breakthrough for me. The rule applies to mental junk mortal mind wants to load onto our thinking too. We need to say No! when we don't want it. It works, and it’s the honest way to live.

“Be honest, be true to thyself, and true to others; then it follows thou wilt be strong in God, the eternal good.” Mary Baker Eddy, Rudimental Divine Science, p. 8.

Getting it right yourself first

For all parents, teachers, mentors, counselors, leaders…

Mahatma Gandhi was one of the most influential men of the twentieth century. His integrity, philosophy of nonviolent resistance, and unflinching courage were an inspiration to millions.

One time, a poor mother and her son walked all day to reach Gandhi to seek his help. The mother had come to ask the great teacher to tell her son to stop eating sugar, which he ate in excess. The compassionate man was silent for a bit, and then replied, “Come back in a week.” Bewildered, but obedient, mother and son departed as requested.

They came back in a week and Gandhi helped the two with their problem. At the end of their meeting, the mother asked Gandhi why he didn’t speak to her boy the first time. Gandhi replied in essence “Up until last week, I too ate too much sugar.”

Mary Baker Eddy top 100

The Atlantic online just published “The Top 100: The most influential figures in American history.”

And guess who made the list? Yep. Mary Baker Eddy, at number 86.

Thanksgiving more than a holiday

Thanksgiving is more than an annual holiday. It’s a way of life practiced more frequently than we may realize.

Have you ever avoided a near miss accident on the highway, caught your breath, looked up to the sky and said “Thank you?” Have you ever feared rejection by another but received acceptance, and said “Thank you” to an unseen presence about you? Have you ever been stranded in such a perilous circumstance that you thought there was no way out, but found a way out, and then paused to say “Thank you” to an invisible guiding hand?

If you think about it, there are probably countless times over the last year when you stopped to say “Thank you” to a power above yourself.

I know there are many times I’ve felt grateful, and knew the blessings I was witnessing came through a power not my own.

When my son and I came out of a car accident completely untouched last summer, I was grateful beyond words, and I knew I owed the hand of divine Providence a debt for the protection.

Giving thanks is an expression of spirituality. It is our true spiritual self coming out for all to see, including ourselves.

Selfishness, indifference, apathy, ego, self-centeredness are evil and lack the grace of gratitude. But they are not spiritual either, and are alien to our God-given individuality. We want nothing to do with them. They shrink in upon themselves and wither into an ugly paltry miniscule whimper of error that vaporizes into nothingness.

It’s nice to have an annual holiday to remind us of the value and importance of giving thanks. It’s Thanksgiving Day in the USA today. And my family and I will talk about all the things we have to be grateful for this year. But above all, I find great peace in knowing thanksgiving is not a rite imposed upon us by a political government. Giving thanks has been bred into our being by God Himself, and is a natural and normal practice for us as divine offspring.

We give thanks because we want to, not because we have to.

Enjoy your opportunity to give thanks today. The good you see and acknowledge opens the door for more to come.

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10

Giving praise

Found an interesting web page on the value of praising children for work well done. This paragraph caught my eye on the importance of not qualifying your words of support, but ensuring they ring with sincerity:

Avoid giving praise with a sting in the tail. This sort of praise starts off well but ends with an implied criticism that wipes away the positive comment. For example, try not to say: “Rory, well done for making your bed - shame you don’t do it everyday” or “Lily, you shared your toy so nicely - what a pity you hit May with it yesterday".

Have you ever heard the rule, “It takes ten praises to outweigh the harm that comes from a single criticism?”

Children thrive on love and genuine affection. Love IS Life, after all, so why wouldn’t they!

We all thrive on love—giving it and receiving it. But love hedged about with qualification loses its appeal and doesn’t feel like love anymore.

We can do everyone a service, ourselves included, by offering praise that is genuine and sincere.

There is a freedom to be gained when we can drop the “only ifs…” and abundantly pour praise on acts and words worthy of commendation without feeling a need to stick a knife in somewhere and turn it a bit out of resentment.

From the Lord’s prayer, with it’s spiritual interpretation from Science and Health:

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And Love is reflected in love; Mary Baker Eddy

Thanksgiving Day is a timely reminder to give thanks for all of our blessings.

Children are a blessing. Friends are a blessing. Neighbors are a blessing. Life is a blessing. The ability to love unselfishly and unconditionally is a blessing.

Let us give thanks in abundance this holiday, pour it out freely to all those around us, and feel the joy that comes from praising other’s good deeds without issuing an accompanying qualification.

May our praise be praiseworthy!

Make a joyful noise

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.

Serve the Lord with gladness;
come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the Lord he is God;
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

Psalm 100

Small can be big

Ever worried about too much house debt? Too much stuff in storage? Wanted a simpler life?

I came across the cutest houses built by the Tumbleweed Tiny House Co, in Sebastopol, CA. They are sturdy structures with attractive styling, a warm friendly feel, an amazing number of amenities inside, and they are transportable. They sell for around $40,000.

The tiny homes caught my eye because I thought, “Wow! Now there’s a simple way to live!”

Housekeeping would be a minimum. There is little house to keep. Imagine how small the utility bills would be? And the cost so much less than a typical house. No staggering debt to labor under.

I thought of Thoreau in his tiny house next to Walden Pond. It was all he felt necessary, to thrive as a writer.

Our basic human needs are very minimal, honestly, when properly appraised. We are spiritual beings which thrive on love, intellectual engagement, thinking, and doing good.

We do not need a large house to live Life. We don’t have to take on a large debt to be happy. (Something sounds wrong here!!) We don’t need scads of consumer items to be content. We already have what we need to be fulfilled built into our being as children of God. It’s our spiritual completeness, our divine wholeness that satisfies. It’s spirituality understood and honored that makes life a joy.

A house of 150 square feet will not meet the needs of most families, but I love the idea it presents. It challenges conventional wisdom that says more is better.

Less is often better. Less debt, less worry, less matter thought-taking…sounds good to me…

"Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it."

Posting comments

Some of you have asked how to post comments. I expect others are wondering as well. Here’s how to do it.

Click on “comments” at bottom of posting.
Enter comment in text box.
Choose your identity, either “Google-Blogger, Other, or Anonymous” under comment box.
If you choose “Google-Blogger” you need to enter a Google account name and password.
If you choose “Other or Anonymous” you do not.
Click “Publish.”

Simple!

I look forward to reading thoughts you have to share! So do other readers.

Back home

I’m back home now and happy to get re-settled into my routine.

I was at a meeting of all fellow Christian Science teachers from around the world held in Boston this past weekend. It was the first meeting of this kind in 18 years, and the results were very positive.

To sit in the same room with dozens of other power-house metaphysical thinkers and pray together for the benefit of the Cause of Christian Science was exhilarating, inspiring, a privilege beyond words, and above all unifying. The outcome of the meeting was so successful I’m sure it will be a major turning point for our church.

Hesitancy, caution, fear, anger, and other built-up tension over the last two decades among some dissolved before our very eyes. Teachers realized its time to put aside the differences and work for the greater need—faithfully loving and healing mankind and demonstrating all that Christian Science is capable of proving.

When one teacher asked the group how many had seen the dead raised in their practice, dozens of hands flew toward the ceiling.

Christian Science is alive and well!

I came home feeling part of a larger family that I knew was out there but could never put my arms around. Now that I’ve met just about every other teacher around the planet, shook their hand and got to know them a bit, I feel truly like we are brothers and sisters working together for a common cause. I believe most others feel the same.

This is a much greater feeling of closeness between us than ever before. We know we each have a unique niche to fill in our respective fields, but we stand on the same platform of Truth together and are striving for the same goal—to prove the truth and validity of Christian Science. Our love of divine Science unites us in an unbreakable bond of spiritual oneness that no would-be destroyer in this world can penetrate or disturb.

This meeting is going to bear large fruit over the coming years. There is no doubt in my mind. Members of the movement are going to draw closer together. Workers are going to be more consecrated, and healing work become more effective.

It was a very good meeting.

Bathe in Love

From a short article titled “Pond and Purpose,” by Mary Baker Eddy:

“The real Christian Scientist is constantly accentuating harmony in word and deed, mentally and orally, perpetually repeating this diapason of heaven: "Good is my God, and my God is good. Love is my God, and my God is Love."

“Beloved students, you have entered the path. Press patiently on; God is good, and good is the reward of all who diligently seek God. Your growth will be rapid, if you love good supremely, and understand and obey the Way-shower, who, going before you, has scaled the steep ascent of Christian Science, stands upon the mount of holiness, the dwelling-place of our God, and bathes in the baptismal font of eternal Love.”

Dance like no one is watching

Dance like no one is watching,
Love like you'll never be hurt,
Sing like no one is listening,
Live like it's heaven on earth.

~William Purkey

Come From the Heart
Written by Susanna Clark and Richard Leigh
Performed by Kathy Mattea on "Willow in the Wind"

When I was a young girl, my daddy told me
A lesson he learned; it was a long time ago:
If you want to have someone to hold onto
You're gonna have to learn to let go.

You got to sing like you don't need the money;
Love, like you'll never get hurt;
You got to dance like nobody's watchin'.
It's gotta come from the heart , If you want it to work.

Now here is the one thing I keep forgettin':
When everything is falling apart
In life, as in love, you know I need to remember
There's such a thing as trying too hard.

You got to sing like you don't need the money;
Love, like you'll never get hurt;
You got to dance, dance, dance like nobody's watchin'.
It's gotta come from the heart, If you want it to work.

You got to sing sometimes like you don't need the money,
Love sometimes like you'll never get hurt,
You got to dance, dance, dance like nobody's watchin'.
It's gotta come from the heart if you want it to work.

Your effect on others

Heard an interesting analogy yesterday of how our actions impact others…

Two men were out fishing in a small boat. One man reaches down to the bottom and starts cutting a hole. A bit terrified his partner says, “What are you doing? You’ll sink the boat!” The fisherman replies “Oh, don’t worry about me and what I’m doing. This is my part of the boat to do with as I please.”

Have you ever seen such an attitude expressed? People with a desire to be left alone and do as they please often forget that their actions have an impact on others.

For instance, a dad stays regularly late at the office and fails to grasp the deprivation his family is struggling with by having him always gone. The kids suffer, but no one notices. Or an employee comes to work in a bad mood and doesn’t care that everyone around her feels the negativity. Or someone mindlessly throws litter out of the window of their car and pollutes the scenery that everyone else observes. There are many more examples…

When someone “drills a hole” in North Korea it affects people in Europe…and everywhere else. We’re all in the same “boat” together.

There is one Mind and one family under God. The more we love each other as family members the more we’ll take into consideration the impact our actions have on others.

Maybe then there will be fewer “sinking boats” in the world!

Precious family

Yesterday I flew across North America for a meeting in Boston. While waiting in the airport I watched a young couple care for their newborn girl. Dad was trying to be as helpful as possible, cuddling the baby and relieving mom from the duty, but mom was a bit apprehensive about how dad was faring. Dad looked like the type who was more comfortable scoring a soccer goal or making a business deal than sitting in a rocking chair. How to handle the spit-up was amusing to watch, and coordinating a bottle, bouncy feet, and distractions all around proved a challenge. But his intentions were sincere and the outcome was a happy baby. There was a definite bonding action going on in that family.

The scene warmed my heart and reminded me of how precious my own family was to me. I would not trade anything for my wife and two children. The love we’ve grown to know over the years, the caring and the sharing, and deep affection, the company, and our home are the dearest spot on earth for me. There is nothing material that can even compare to having the opportunity to deal with the “spit-up” moments of raising the kids—someone to love and be loved by. I would not trade those moments for anything.

This is not to say everyone has to have a spouse and kids to have family. Not true.

Everyone has different families they are members of. Not everyone gets married and has children, and that is perfectly fine, because family is not a certain grouping of individuals. It’s people who love each other.

I know teachers who make their students their family. They live for their kids in the classroom. They love those children as their own, and the love they give and receive makes life worth living. I know business people who make their customers their family, loving their clients as if they were brothers and sisters, and receiving love in return. Family may be a mom, a neighbor, an associate, a foster child. Family does not have a material definition. It’s a spiritual experience—it’s loving and caring in action.

But whatever family you are a member of, really enjoy the moment. We get so busy, oftentimes, running around doing things, earning a wage, cleaning the house and keeping up with the Jones that we forget the most important things in life. The most important things are the spiritual, the love we feel, express, and give. It all comes from God and God gives it to us in infinite measure. But we need to make space in our life to let it flow and be experienced.

Love your family, whoever and whatever form it takes. Value the moments of caring and sharing life affords. Let their worth sink in. Don’t let life fly by until someday you sit down and wonder where the years went and what you have to show for them.

Life is Love, and family is a place to experience that Love to a greater degree, whatever family you happen to be a member of.

Enjoy your “spit-up” moments, and keep a good sense of humor. The bumps and disturbances along the way are no big deal compared to the greater love that brought you to that moment to begin with.

Conquering depression

Here’s a link to an inspiring article on overcoming depression spiritually by Curt Wahlberg, titled, “What got me going again.”

Don't stop now

If you're going through hell, keep going.

~ Sir Winston Churchill

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." Psalms 23

We may walk through the valley, but we don't get stuck there. We keep on walking until we exit on the other end.

And there is an end!

Deciding what to eat

It’s a common question for dieters to ask when praying for a spiritual solution to losing weight, “How do I know what to eat?”

The sound waves of mortal mind are filled with suggestions and decrees about what food is proper and what is dangerous. “Cut the fat, decrease the sugar, increase the protein…” and countless other verdicts are rendered on our behalf everyday. Many opinions contradict each other. Even scientific studies tout opposite conclusions.

How does one know what food to consume?

There’s a better way than trying to figure it all out humanly.

Jesus Christ, a spiritual thinker who exercised masterful control over the human body, instructed, “Take no thought for what you eat.” Sounds blasphemous, even heretical, doesn’t it?

How could it be? We wonder. “Take no thought for what we eat!” Isn’t that pure foolishness?

It's not foolish when understood properly.

Jesus was not advocating naiveté or an ignorant approach to eating. He was showing us a better way to make wise choices, a spiritual way.

Jesus always turned to God first for instruction and guidance. He listened to his Father first and then acted.

“Take no thought for what you eat,” is not an advocacy for neglect and bodily abuse, but for getting thought headed in the right direction, in a spiritual direction, before acting. We need to listen to God first, not human theory, when deciding what to eat.

God is an all-knowing, all-wise Mind that makes the best possible choices. When we listen to Mind for direction, we reflect Mind’s wisdom which always has a good outcome.

When walking down the grocery store aisles, we often make choices based upon personal feelings and unstable emotions. We make poor choices when our desires are guided by selfish want rather than divine wisdom.

Practice something.

Next time you go shopping, start your decision-making by asking God for guidance. Listen for divine direction before grabbing an item off the shelf. See what happens. Chances are you’ll make choices you feel better about.

God knows what’s best for us and He leads us to the best possible scenario when we let Him. It takes humility to walk the divine path for we have to put material reasoning, medical theory, and personal guessing aside. But the divine Mind never fails to lead aright.

Listen to the divine voice within, and see what it puts into your mouth.

The qualities of honesty, obedience, balance, temperance and moderation and God at work within, and they translate into wiser human actions.

Mental scrim

One of the leading points of Christian Science is that matter is not the reality it appears to be. “All is Mind and Mind’s idea,” Mary Baker Eddy wrote.

I loved the below analogy Jules Cern used in a Christian Science lecture he gave decades ago titled, “The Truth that heals,” to illustrate the illusory nature of matter.

About 19 paragraphs into the text it states,

“At a recent musical show all of the
action took place in front of a plain, solid screen. While everyone could hear the music very plainly, never­theless the orchestra was nowhere in sight. The stage had been extended to cover the orchestra pit, and the music obviously was not coming from under­neath. At the opening of the second act some lights went on behind what had appeared to be the solid screen. Then the orchestra could be seen through the screen as plainly as if the screen were not even there. This particular type of screen is called a scrim. A scrim hides what is going on behind it, except when light is brought to bear on what it is hiding. When the light is applied, the scrim no longer conceals what is going on.

Light of Truth reveals reality
In like manner, the thought that matter exists is nothing more than a mental scrim. It seems to hide the true view of existence until the light of Truth is applied to our thought. Then we are able to see through the mental scrim of material thought….”

What are some everyday scrims we need to see through in order to catch the right spiritual idea?

A few examples:

Money vs. supply
House vs. home
Sex vs. love
Food vs. inspiration
Medicine vs. truth

Can you think of any others?

Enlightened hospitality

For all you business owners…and workers in the service industries…

I haven’t read the book “Setting the Table," by Danny Meyer, a successful restaurateur in New York City, but I like his ideas on hospitality.

From: All Things Considered, October 17, 2006

Restaurants in cutthroat New York City come and go like the seasons. Given those odds, restaurateur Danny Meyer's track record is amazing. He has built an empire of 10 dining spots, from Gramercy Tavern and a burger joint called Shake Shack to his original eatery, Union Square Cafe.

People certainly come for the food. But Meyer says that what sets his restaurants apart is something that's in the air, not on the plate.

Each diner "needs to believe that they're the only one in the world that matters," he says. Good service is important but will only get you so far, Meyer says. Hospitality -- the quality that makes customers feel good and want to come back -- is what counts.

Meyer shares the secret of his success in a new book, Setting the Table. More than just the tale of a profitable restaurateur, it's a guide for any business that deals with the public.

Another book review by “Leading Blog” says,

“…Danny Meyer believes that business, like life, is all about how you make people feel…The first and most important application of hospitality is to the people who work for you, and then, in descending order of priority, to the guests, the community, the suppliers, and the investors…”

From a Barnes & Noble book review:

Some of Danny's other insights:

• Hospitality is present when something happens for you. It is absent when something happens to you. These two simple concepts-for and to- express it all.
• Context, context, context, trumps the outdated location, location, location.
• Shared ownership develops when guests talk about a restaurant as if it's theirs. That sense of affiliation builds trust and invariably leads to repeat business.
• Err on the side of generosity: You get more by first giving more.
• Wherever your center lies, know it, name it, believe in it. When you cede your core values to someone else, it's time to quit.
  

From an interview by Star Chefs with the human resources manager of Meyer’s business:

We have a set of 5 core values that we call “Enlightened Hospitality.”

The tenets are:

1. We care for each other.
2. We care for our guests.
3. We care for our community.
4. We care for our vendors.
5. We care for our shareholders.

What’s different is that the caring is universal and reciprocal. Most people first notice that the guest doesn’t come first and profit is number 5. We believe if we take care of each other we’ll do a great job in taking care of our guests, vendors, and community. We are constantly pushing the envelope in both hospitality and excellence. We want people who are willing to be challenged to do their best work while caring simultaneously. So if you’re someone who throws temper tantrums to achieve excellence or is all about yourself, this isn’t the place for you.

It all sounds like loving your neighbor as yourself to me!

Echo location

Here’s a mind-bending story about a young boy with no eyes who can see better than many people who have eyes.

A short video clip.

Don't fear rumors

A woman was disconcerted about rumors circulating in her workplace about her that were not true. She was distraught over the gossip.

She prayed for relief.

In prayer, she was able to clearly separate the lies from herself and see her innocence. She was not guilty of the claims, she knew. She was living a morally and spiritually responsible life and had nothing to hide.

In a flash of inspiration she realized, “They’re not talking about me!” The gossip was not about her, for she had done nothing wrong.

She did not have to fear a lie.

The rumors were like someone saying a circle was a square. They can repeat the error all they want, but it doesn’t change the truth. A circle is always a circle and will never be a square.

She was a “circle,” and not a square, she smiled.

Knowing she was innocent and no error of belief could change that truth or have an adverse impact on her as if it were the truth brought peace of mind.

A wave of relief swept over her perspective. She lost her fear of the false accusations, the rumor mill died down, and life at the office became pleasurable once again.

A new day coming

I love this poem sent to me yesterday.

There’s A New Day Coming!

When the sun announces the dawning day
Just flex your muscles and start on your way.
Go over, or under, around, or through
Any obstacles or hurdles that challenge you.
There’s a new day coming.

Cast aside the failures of yesterday.
Forget the peaks and valleys that have paved your way.
Wipe the sweat from your brow and the dust from your shoe.
Take a breath and relax so that you may begin anew.
There’s a new day coming.

Forget the burdens and obstacles that have held you back.
Focus on your dreams and prepare a plan of attack.
There are battles awaiting to challenge your success.
Daring you to stand tall and to give it your best.
There’s a new day coming.

No matter how great the journey, or how heavy the load
How steep the mountain, or how rough the road.
When your arms grow weary and legs give way
Stop and rest for a moment, it will be okay.
There’s a new day coming.

As shadows spring forth from the setting sun.
Take a moment and savor the battles you’ve won.
Sleep peacefully tonight and enjoy your rest.
Awaken tomorrow and continue your quest.
There’s always, a new day coming.

~Mychal Wynn

God vs. science

When I saw the recent issue of Time magazine with the cover “God vs. Science,” I thought, “Oh, no, not another God-science debate!”

I’ve grown tired of reading these types of articles, which have appeared frequently in leading periodicals over recent years, because they almost always start from the same erroneous premise—that the universe is material and all logical reasoning, so the argument goes, has to start with what appears to be materially real.

This article indeed is a debate between Richard Dawkins, an Oxford professor and staunch materialist, and Francis Collins, the genome pioneer who believes in God, but holds a very materialistic view of creation. Collins tries to reason with Dawkins that a God exists, but reasoning out from matter, has little proof of God to offer other than “I believe…even though I can’t prove it in the lab.” Faith is essential to worshipping God, but sound scientific conclusions can derived too from a spiritual basis of reasoning.

I am so grateful for Christian Science when it comes to explaining the origin and substance of the universe.

For me, answering the question, “Where did the universe come from?” starts the debate correctly.

Matter is mindless. Particles, electrons, energy-fields and dirt have no intelligence. There is no mind in them. They cannot think, plan, reason or devise. They are void of mind-power.

Believing the universe evolved from a big bang, from primordial chaos, or some similar matter-theory is like believing a tornado could rip through a junkyard and produce an IBM supercomputer on the other side. It isn’t going to happen. Chaos doesn’t produce order. Mindlessness does not create mindfulness. There has to be an intelligent power behind all creation, and it cannot be material. It is spiritual!

God is Spirit, and Spirit evolves spiritual ideas.

We live in a universe of Mind where all is idea. Things are thoughts and ideas are substance. Understanding the cosmos is a matter of perspective.

Mary Baker Eddy wrote,

"To mortal mind, the universe is liquid, solid, and aeriform. Spiritually interpreted, rocks and mountains stand for solid and grand ideas." Science and Health

"What is the thought behind the thing," is perhaps a more constructive question to ask when trying to understand reality.

To understand the universe, we have to reason out from Spirit.

"The true theory of the universe, including man, is not in material history but in spiritual development. Inspired thought relinquishes a material, sensual, and mortal theory of the universe, and adopts the spiritual and immortal." Science and Health

The God-science debate will continue until humanity understands the allness of God, the infinitude of Spirit, and the might and majesty of Mind. This understanding is destined to come more fully over time for it is the truth.

Until then, I will simply continue to demonstrate the presence and power of God in my own life, and let my example speak for itself.

I look forward to the day when Time magazine has a cover feature titled, "God vs. science debate ended. God is All!"

Or perhaps, you can think of an even better title??...

Swim meet finals

We made it back home last night, driving through torrents of rain and blankets of snow pouring from the sky over Snoqualmie Pass. It was a dynamic weekend at the Washington State swimming championships.

Jenna’s 4A 200 yard medley freestyle relay team placed 4th in the State. A grand showing for the Richland high school group. Their time was 1:41:36.



Better yet, the team was awarded top honors for academic excellence in the State. The combined team, around 25 swimmers, averaged the highest GPA of all teams in the 4A category, a 3.69 GPA average for the whole team.

I guess swimmers are smart! I had no idea how smart…

The #1 team swam only .37 seconds shorter than Jenna's team-time of 1:41:36. .37 seconds! What a micro difference. Goes to show every effort counts…

I was amazed during the meet at how much work and practice these swimmers put into their sport to swim for a brief minute or two during these meets. They practice hundreds of hours, and swim 1-2 minutes during competition. They have to get it right when they have a chance. They have to be ready for the moment when they’re up.

From one point of view, it seems the pressure is really on. What if they flub? What if they jump too early? What if they miss their turn? What if...???

But they don’t get stymied by the “What ifs...” They work to do their best, and after they race, they keep on working more to do even better. It’s non-stop.

If they get DQd. Oh well, we’ll do better next time, they agree. They do not stop practicing. They do not quit striving to improve. They keep on keeping on. It’s the joy of improvement and love of the activity that keeps them motivated.

Isn’t there a lesson for life here?

Don’t we all have our “What if…” moments?

Too many people let the fear of “What if...” stop their progress. They spend all their time thinking about the worst rather than focusing on improvement and performance that enables them to do better.

Winning is not getting the top award the world has to offer. Winning is moving forward no matter what. It’s not giving up. It’s making progress. It’s doing what you love to do because you love to do it.

We make many split-second decisions in life that have monumental consequences, and we usually get them right. Driving down the highway requires constant decision-making, much of it spontaneous. Important conversations with people require constant split-second decision-making. We learn to say the right words and do the right thing by practice and more practice. We succeed by improving, and increasing in moral and spiritual character day by day.

Practice, practice, practice…is the way to success in any worthy endeavor.

We can’t get stymied by the “What ifs…” We must strive to do better and let by-gones be by-gones.

The Apostle Paul wrote,

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this
one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

The ultimate prize is understanding Life at-one with God in which there is no more death, no more sorrow, no more pain, and no more suffering. Heaven!

We have no time for “What ifs…” Each moment is for running the race of Life and getting closer to that ultimate prize of understanding Life in God which is destined to be gained by each of us. And it’s guaranteed as we run (or swim!) the race faithfully.

So...keep on swimming!

(In the 2nd picture, Jenna is first on the left.)

No DQs in Spirit

This has been an exciting week for my daughter. A member of her high school swim team, she made it all the way to the State competition this year, which is very significant, I’m told, for a tenth grader to achieve.

Yesterday, the family and I drove up to Seattle to watch her in the prelims, and during one of the two relays they competetd in, her team got DQd. No I’m not talking about getting a gift certificate to a Dairy Queen restaurant. In swimming parlance, it stands for "disqualified." If a swimmer doesn’t touch the end of the pool, jumps into the water too soon, or fails to follow some other rule, they get DQd. They are bumped from the race.

After the DQ was announced, everyone in the stands was in a dither about what had happened. All the work the girls had put into preparing for the race, and in one millisecond of a slip-up by one of the team members, the whole race was forfeited. In many ways, it seemed unfair. I wasn’t sure how Jenna was taking the news.

After the meet was finished I went down to the edge of the stands and hollered down to Jenna who was in the swimmers section and asked her what had happened. She smiled, cheerful as can be to just be there, shrugged her shoulders and said in a light-hearted way, “One of the members got DQd.”

Well, I knew that.

“Why?” I asked.

She said one of the girls jumped too soon, didn’t know who, knew it wasn’t her, and it didn’t really matter anyway.” She was filled with joy, cheer and love to just be there.

I mentally stepped back to absorb the freedom from concern I saw in her.

The biggest time meet ever she had been in, a DQ which can be a heartbreak for many, and she wasn’t the least bit bothered. All was well as far as she was concerned. She ticked off all the progress the team had made that day and did not dwell on anything negative.

I was impressed! Of course, she’s my daughter, and it’s hard not to be. But honestly, I was so grateful she had her spiritual perspective intact.

There are no DQs in Spirit, I concluded. Jenna was in the true spirit of competition, which is one of selfless giving, not selfish getting, and the presence of Spirit was reflected through her. She was not bummed, upset, or even slightly irritated. She was happy as could be.

My wife and I have many times impressed upon our kids, or at least tried to, what constitutes real winning. It’s not trophies, awards, and medals that signify success. It’s a right attitude, a spiritual attitude that is always grateful, looking for the good, striving to improve and rejoicing in the progress. When one has the right spiritual perspective, winning and losing materially is not the important thing. Winning is increased spiritual mindedness. I saw these qualities in Jenna yesterday, and I was grateful.

The girls got DQd on the 400 freestyle relay, but did well on their 200 freestlye, placing 5th out of 24 teams. Today they compete in the finals, the grand finale of the State meet. And I will be there mid-day to watch.

And more than anything, I’ll be on watch for the same Spirit I saw yesterday. It’s always win-win with Spirit, and there is no better way to compete.

Dominion over food

Four years ago, I received a letter from a Christian Scientist who brought a friend to a lecture I gave on Christian Science healing. She wrote that after the lecture, she took her friend out to eat and during dinner the guest have been wolfing down a plate of pasta and sauce. At one point, mid-sentence, the guest dropped her fork and wailed, “Oh my gosh. I’m not supposed to be eating this food. I have a severe case of acid reflux.” She thought for a moment and then exclaimed, “But I’m feeling fine!”

The Christian Scientist assured her guest that she was healed from the truths voiced at the lecture and she didn’t need to worry about eating certain foods any longer. The friend wasn’t so sure, but after a moment of silence agreed. She felt healthy, which was a first after many months of terrible suffering, and something within her affirmed things were different now. Time proved her to have been instantaneously cured of that illness. She no longer stuck to a stripped down diet of simple bread and water. She ate a full-fledged menu once again.

In thinking about this healing I can’t help but see the so-called impact of food on the stomach and body to be an illusion. This person had lived for months in fear of food. She had been taught by mortal mind that something was wrong with her internally, there was a penalty to pay, and eating food was one of those penalties.

The Bible tells us that God gave man dominion over the earth and everything upon it, including food. Food does not have power over man. Man has God-given power over food.

I asked myself, “What changed in the two hour period this woman was transformed from being victimized by acid reflux to being able to eat anything?”

Nothing material was done to her body. It was her thinking that changed. In some way, she glimpsed her spiritual individuality to a greater degree than ever before that assured her she had dominion over matter, including food, and matter did not have dominion over her.

We are taught from all directions today that food has power over us…power to make us fat, to make us sick, to make us well, to make us hyper…and on and on. This is an unfortunate course of reasoning, for the better way to health and freedom is to understand God’s power over us that results in dominion over food and diet.

We are not fundamentally organic material beings controlled by what we put in our mouth. We are spiritual beings, reflecting the glory of God, and it helps to know that the glory of God is not subject to meat and potatoes. The glory of God exists independently of matter and is sustained by Spirit.

I rejoice in knowing that we don't have to bow down to food. God is our creator and maintainer, not sugar, carbohydrates and protein.

It's better to stick to a diet of Truth then worship and fear fiber and fat. It’s healthier and happier that way.

Credit where credit is due

A voyaging ship was wrecked during a storm at sea and only two of the men on it were able to swim to a small, desert like island. The two survivors, not knowing what else to do, agreed that they had no other recourse but to pray to God. However, in a pride-filled moment, they wanted to find out whose prayer was more powerful and thus agreed to divide the territory between them and stay on opposite sides of the island.

The first man prayed for food. The next morning, he found a fruit-bearing tree on his side of the land, and he was able to eat its fruit. The other man's parcel of land remained barren.

After a week, the first man was lonely and he decided to pray for a wife. The next day, another ship was wrecked, and the only survivor was a woman who swam to his side of the land. On the other side of the island, there was nothing.

Soon the first man prayed for a house, clothes, more food. The next day, like magic, all of these were given to him. However, the second man still had nothing.

Finally, the first man prayed for a ship, so that his wife and he could leave the island. In the morning, he found a ship docked at his side of the island. The first man boarded the ship with his wife and decided to leave the second man on the island. He considered the other man unworthy to receive God's blessings, since none of his prayers had been answered.

As the ship was about to leave, the first man heard a voice from Heaven booming,

"Why are you leaving your companion on the island?"

"My blessings are mine alone, since I was the one who prayed for them," the first man answered.

"His prayers were all unanswered, and so he does not deserve anything."

"You are mistaken!" the voice rebuked him. "He had only one prayer, which I answered. If not for that, you wouldn’t have received any blessings."

"Tell me," the first man asked the voice, "what did he pray for that I should owe him anything?"

"He prayed that all your prayers be answered."


In thinking about this story, I’m reminded of Jesus’ words:

I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

Jesus Christ sacrificed all material wants and loves to devote himself exclusively to blessing humanity spiritually. Many people think God answers prayers through money and things, but this is not necessarily true. Jesus did not promise us large amounts of consumer items. He promised us eternal life. But when outward trappings of success do come our way, how vital it is we don’t let the thieves of ingratitude, selfishness and self-righteousness turn our back on the spiritual source that frees us from lack in the first place.

We owe our all to God no matter what form it takes, never to ourselves.

Conquering grief

I was notified this week of the passing of a close friend. Her death was a surprise and left me feeling an empty hole inside. She lived to a ripe old age and there was nothing unusual about her passing, but none-the-less, I struggled with adjusting to the unwelcome news.

I remembered back to when my dad passed. I fought then to fill the empty space in my life that seemed unfillable. Sitting at my desk two days later, trying to write a short talk to give at his funeral, my pen failed to ink any words. My mind drew a blank.

Dad was gone. I would not be visiting him anymore. He would not be calling on me. I would not hear his voice, ask for his advice, or have dinner with him again.
What now?

As I groped for an anchor to stabilize my emotions, and making no progress with my talk, I heard a distinct voice within saying, “What are you waiting for? Get busy and write. You have a job to do.”

I bolted upright in my chair. It was dad! It was not an audible voice like a person talking to me in the room, but it was a divine impression giving me direction. It was a “dad direction.”

Dad was always a very industrious person. He never wasted a minute with inactivity or idle wondering. He was always an up and doing kind of guy, and very successful in his work.

The command to get busy and write is exactly what dad would have told me to do if he were standing over my shoulder.

Dad was with me. Dad was not gone. He had never left. I suddenly realized.

I would never see him again as a bodily form, but his real individuality as an idea of God was always present in consciousness. Dad had not gone away. I needed to start looking for him in a different place and in a different way—in Mind, not in matter, and as idea, not as physicality.

The belief of death is an awful imposition on humanity, for no one ever dies. The temporal body disappears, but each of us has a spiritual individuality that lives forever in Spirit. And Spirit is here and now, discernible in the present through spiritual sense.

We “stay in touch” with our loved ones through spiritual sense.

And this is what I started to do. I stopped grieving over the loss of a physical form and started rejoicing in understanding dad’s true spiritual form. Dad was an idea in Mind, and I was just as at-one with that idea now as ever—in Mind, not in matter.

From a spiritual point of view, nothing had changed between us.

My belief of loss vanished and the grieving stopped for I had nothing to grieve over.

As I can see clearly today that my dad is alive and well in Spirit, I have done the same with the announcement of the passing of my friend. She is alive and well in Spirit, as idea. She never was a physical body. She was a spiritual idea all along. Grief is the effect of holding a mistaken identity. Once we drop the mistaken identity and adopt the true, we see there has been no loss, and grieving is replaced by rejoicing.

As the Psalmist wrote:

“I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord.”

This rule applies to all of us, without exception, including our loved ones. Understanding it is a choice of looking in the right place for life and identity—in God! Not into matter. And in this understanding there are no more empty holes.

For a better way of life

I enjoyed reading Og Mandino’s seventeen rules for a better way of life.

Two favorites that jumped off the page:

Rule Six

Let your actions always speak for you, but be forever on guard against the terrible traps of false pride and conceit that can halt your progress. The next time you are tempted to boast, just place your fist in a full pail of water, and when you remove it, the hole remaining will give you a correct measure of your importance.

Rule Eight

Never again clutter your days or nights with so many menial and unimportant things that you have no time to accept a real challenge when it comes along. This applies to play as well as work. A day merely survived is no cause for celebration. You are not here to fritter away your precious hours when you have the ability to accomplish so much by making a slight change in your routine. No more busy work. No more hiding from success. Leave time, leave space, to grow. Now. Now! Not tomorrow!

I read rule eight as a friendly reminder to make space for spiritual progress in our schedule. We must not let opportunity to grow and expand as individual expressions of God get crowded out by the menial and mundane demands of materialism.

Life is not a to-do list. Life should be a spiritual experience that has us soaring through the heights of Mind bouncing from one glorious revelation of Truth to the next.

In the long run, it’s not how much money we make that counts or the people we impress. It’s our spirituality that matters. Spirituality is the one thing that stays with us as we trek down the road of Life, and it is the only thing we’ll have to show for our efforts when held accountable for our time. Everything else is as a shadow in the night.

You may enjoy reading Mandino’s 15 other rules for a better way of life.

Nothing lost in Mind

A friend was swimming in a very large pool when she realized she had lost a contact lens from one of her eyes.

“Oh, no! How will I ever find it?” surged doubt and fear.

Putting her Christian Science into practice, she remembered that all is Mind and Mind’s idea. Nothing is ever lost in Mind, she affirmed, because Mind knows the location of every one of its ideas, whether it is called a memory, a song, a bit of information or a contact lens.

She found peace in accepting that divine Mind knew exactly where her contact lens was. She reflected this Mind, and as Mind’s reflection it was natural for her to know where the lens was too.

Putting all doubt and fear aside, and trusting the one Mind’s direction, she looked for her lens. Ten minutes later she found it at the bottom of the pool.

Such a discovery sounds incredible to the human mind, but it's not hard to believe for the divine.

In Mind, there is no space, no distance, no past, no future...only the now. And what is true in the spiritual now is always true.

As we discard a limited material view of the universe and adopt the all-knowing, all comprehending, all-seeing Mind as our model, what seemed absent to human sense is suddenly discovered in the spiritual.

Nothing is ever lost in Mind.

Don't quit

Don't Quit!

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,when he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow,
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worse, that...

You Must Not Quit.

~ C. W. Longenecker

The Divine Payroll

Whose payroll are you on?

Jobs come and go. Salaries fluctuate. Paychecks get spent. But there’s one income that never fails. It’s your divine income from God.

It was a great leap of faith for me when I went into the full-time practice of Christian Science 20 years ago. I had little money in the bank, and prospects of earning much in the healing ministry looked dim. Yet, my heart was committed to the helping others spiritually and forward I went.

Our income was meager the first few years of my practice, but my family’s needs were met more than adequately. Money came in unexpected ways and from unexpected places. My wife and I lived modestly, but were happy as could be in our respective activities. And that is true wealth, in my estimation.

After reading Alan Cohen’s article on “You heal, life supports you,” I was reminded how money comes through human channels, but the source of all income is inspired by God and can appear in any number of different ways. Even as "manna from heaven."

My motto in the practice has always been “Attend to God’s business, and God’s business will attend to you.” Our monetary needs have always been met, without fail, and in abundance over time.

As Cohen points out, we were on the Divine Payroll.

For all of you engaged in selfless deeds and charitable giving, you might enjoy his article, and easily relate to his point.

The Divine payroll is big enough to include everyone. Even you!

Enjoy.

Grateful today?

I don’t know who said it, but I picked it up on a slide show a while ago:

“We seldom think of what we have, but often think on what we miss.”

~Author unknown

In response, I’m reminded of a favorite from Science and Health:

“Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more.”

~Mary Baker Eddy

Your Source

Have you ever considered that health and wealth come from the same place?

As I mentioned above under “Divine payroll,” my early years in the practice brought in modest income. I had lessons to learn about true supply and one of them was discovering health and wealth to have the same origin.

It occurred to me one day as I was praying for better health in my patients, that every good thing we could ever have comes from God, whether it is humanly identified as strength, ability, love or wealth. God is the source of all good. No exceptions.

Relief!

It became clear that if I trusted God to give me sound health, I could just as easily trust God to give me abundant wealth. The Source of all supply does not discriminate in the forms of good He provides. One type of supply is just as readily available and freely bestowed as any other.

The sun pours light on the tree to grow healthy limbs and leaves. The sun floods through our window to brighten our home. The sun shines upon the frozen river and melts the ice for springtime flow. The sun accomplishes many different tasks, but all in the same way. By being the sun.

God too, accomplishes many different tasks that meet human needs, but all through the same way and means—by being infinite omnipresent all-providing Love.

Whether your need is health related or financial, God’s unfailing love is up to the task. He is the source of any supply you could ever possibly need.

Your source of health is your source of wealth.

Romantic influence

A wife confided that she had become very short with her husband over time and didn’t understand why. Upset by the tension she was feeling, she prayed for relief.

While listening spiritually, it occurred to her that she had been reading a number of romantic novels and had started to expect her husband to act like the suave, always tender and thoughtful guys in her books. The leading men of the stories always knew what their love wanted, when to give it to them, how to treat them just right, and how to say the right thing at the right time.

“Why shouldn’t my husband always be like these perfectly romantic guys?” she started to unconsciously argue.

But he wasn’t.

He didn’t always say the right thing. He didn’t always know what she was thinking. He didn’t always anticipate her every desire and want ahead of time. She was getting very bothered by this shortcoming on his part--at least in her eyes!

After substantial agony, she realized the men she read about in her novels were fairytale creatures. It was unfair to superimpose on her husband, who loved her very much and was faithful beyond reproach, the character of fantasy imagination.

She needed to simply love him for the wonderful person he was, she concluded, and no try to make him into something else.

The anger she had felt toward her husband evaporated. The edginess dissolved and it was easy to love him once again without qualification.

Mary Baker Eddy wisely wrote, over a hundred years ago,

"Novels, remarkable only for their exaggerated pictures, impossible ideals, and specimens of depravity, fill our young readers with wrong tastes and sentiments." Science and Health

We all can do a better job of living up to the ideal man of God’s creating. But we all have a lot to learn along the way too. The more we love the good that is obvious, and not get detoured by the strengths we have yet to master, the better we’ll all get along with each other, and stay a peaceful family in the meantime.