A prayer...

Dear Lord,

Please give me

A few friends who understand me

And yet remain my friends.

A work to do which has real value,

Without which the world would feel the poorer.

A mind unafraid to travel,

Even though the trail be not blazed.

An understanding heart.

A sense of humor.

Time for quiet, silent meditation.

A feeling of the presence of God.

The patience to wait for the

Coming of these things,

With the wisdom to know them when

They come.

~ W. R. Hunt

Can you see the light?

"To be able to stand in the midst of darkness and live as though all about you was light is the final test of the human spirit."

~ Edward Griggs

In describing the new heaven and new earth that was revealed to him and he recorded in the book of Revelation, John wrote:

And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.


May the brilliant light of divine Love brighten your space wherever that may be and cast the dark dreary earth shadows aside.

More on the secret

I enjoyed reading the below excerpt on “the wonderful secret” from a Christian Science lecture by Irving Tomlinson sent in by a reader.


I have learned how to make Science a thing of life, not words, and I am going to tell you what the wonderful secret is, for it is wonderful. Now it is this: not to see or hear or repeat any kind of imperfection. It is seeing, hearing, and repeating only good at all times, under all circumstances, in spite of everything that appears to the contrary.

I make this resolution every morning when I wake up, when first I open my eyes, and I review it every hour of the day. I see perfection, a perfect cause and effect, perfect God and perfect man. And I refuse to admit the slightest imperfection in myself of my friends, and in my so-called enemies, in my affairs or in the affairs of the world. I take my radical stand every day for the perfection of God in everything and everybody He has made.

I look upon the world with God’s eyes and see it as He sees it. I refuse to see it any other way. I stop a dozen times a day to review this resolution and to make sure that I am not giving way to fear or criticism. I watch my thoughts about people – the lame, the old, the unlovely (to sense) that I meet – and stray animals. I have taken a radical stand for the perfection of all things, and I will not, absolutely will not, release the perfect standard.

The results have been marvelous. Try it, and you will forget to wear your glasses, as they will not be necessary. You will be seeing with God’s eyes. You will behold a perfect universe, since outward conditions are pictures of our inward thinking. To change the picture, we must change the thought that produces the picture….


Christian Science, as explained in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy, gives us the metaphysical tools we need to “change the picture.”

Christian Science teaches that we live in a universe of perfect Mind, that all sensations of evil are unrealities of physical sense, and in as much as evil looks and feels very real to the material sense of things, that picture of evil dissipates into its native nothingness as we genuinely accept and understand the perfection and allness of God’s harmonious creation.

It takes vigorous practice and effort to overcome belief in evil with an understanding of omnipresent good, but Christ is at work within each of us ensuring we reach the goal.

Victory is certain! and that is no secret.

No more drag-on healing

A friend told me that years ago he was working with a practitioner to be healed of a physical problem that went on and on and seemed never to improve.

After complaining to his practitioner on the phone one day about the lack of resolution, the practitioner replied, “Oh, John, that’s just the old drag—on belief, and you know what we think about the old Red Drag---on. There is none! It’s a myth.”

The mesmerism broke, my friend told me, and the physical ailment quickly disappeared.

So, if you’re laboring under any old drag…on belief, well, it’s time to prick the pretense and deflate its seeming presence.

The dragon is a Biblical symbol for error, evil and its nothingness. Whether it appears in the form of acute or chronic suffering, it’s always ripe for destruction, and losing our faith in it goes a long way to disempowering its seeming hold.

No material limits

Have you ever felt like you were living a small life? Too many limits on what you can do, perhaps?

Or at least you thought there were limits…

Many people throughout history have seen through the belief of limitation and launched into careers that changed the world and millions of lives.

I like to learn from their examples.

After watching a movie on how Gandhi changed the world, and reading my blog entry on Oprah living a mission driven life, a reader shared some thought-provoking observations.

She wrote:

• Mission driven people hold a number of traits in common that allow them to forge ahead without fearing limits.
• They appear able to live without worry about income. They are living examples of finding the coin in the fish’s mouth as Peter did after Jesus told him where to find needed tax money.
• They are not held back by what other people say they cannot do, or even government laws that would prevent them from accomplishing their mission.
• Their education and social standing does not hold them back.
• Gandhi was a terrific example that being placed in jail did not keep him from accomplishing his mission – in fact it often supported his efforts to help people in India.
• As documented in the film “Inn of the Sixth Happiness,” Gladys Aylward was turned down to be a missionary in China because she was a simple house maid. With very little money of her own, she found backers who believed in her. With the Japanese preparing to invade, she went anyway, helping villagers, and working in an orphanage eventually saving 100 children from perishing.
  

Edward R. Murrow wrote about Gandhi’s funeral:

The object of this massive tribute died as he had always lived - a private man without wealth, without property, without official title or office. Mahatma Gandhi was not a commander of great armies nor ruler of vast lands. He could boast no scientific achievements or artistic gift. Yet men, governments and dignitaries from all over the world have joined hands today to pay homage to this little brown man in the loincloth who led his country to freedom. Pope Pius, the Archbishop of Canterbury, President Truman, Chiang Kai-shek, The Foreign Minister of Russia, the President of France... are among the millions here and abroad who have lamented his passing. In the words of General George C. Marshall, the American Secretary of State, "Mahatma Gandhi had
become the spokesman for the conscience of mankind, a man who made humility and simple truth more powerful than empires.

Gandhi is quoted as saying,

“Whenever I despair, I remember that the way of truth and love has always won. There may be tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they may seem invincible, but in the end, they always fail...always.”

As I think about how Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, and others have changed the world with moral and spiritual truths, I can’t help but think each of us have the same potential.

Wealth, position, political office or fame is not necessary to bless mankind. Spiritually progressive ideas are what break the bonds of suffering and set captives free.

There are no limits on hearing these ideas and acting on them.

You can hear them. I can hear them, and we’re all free to act on them.

God's law of attraction

With all the animated discussion my blog on “The Secret” generated, I decided to explore God’s law of attraction a bit more and ask for your thoughts on the topic.

One complication the word attraction brings into metaphysical reasoning is the tendency to think of the concept in terms of distance between demand and supply.

For example, a man looking for a mate may think in terms of grooming himself to attract a woman, or an advertiser creates ads to attract customers, or a would-be millionaire visualizing wealth and business opportunities to attract lucrative business deals.

But God’s law of attraction doesn’t work through material modes and means, or subservient to mortal limitations. God works spiritually in the realm of infinite Mind where there is no time or space separating supply from its beneficiary.

In Mind, all is one. There is no division between blessed and blessing.

When we understand the purpose of prayer is to yield to the divine reality which is already in place, and not outline what we materially want, we allow God’s law to work its wonders in our life.

How the divine plan manifests itself in our experience could take any number of different forms, and in ways we never thought of. So we need to trust the unfoldment of good to the plan of divine wisdom.

When my dad and I faced a severe crash crunch on the farm one year, back when I farmed, I prayed to have my mental eyes opened to supply ever at hand. As I accepted omnipresent supply, I knew there could be no lack. Soon, a novel approach to solving our cash needs presented itself, and we were able to stay on budget with ease.

When facing lack, we do not have to inform God’s law of what we need in order to progress. God’s law of omnipresent good has already implemented the supply that satisifies our demand.

Prayer opens our view to the divine blessing already at hand, as was the case with my father and me years ago.

In spiritual reality, we never lack. The picture of deprivation is a lie. The human need is to admit God’s unending good, and as we do, the picture of lack is displaced with appropriate supply.

We can trust God’s law of order to meet our need. Like the earth stays in its orbit by the laws of gravity and doesn’t veer from its course. God’s law of order maintains balance, abundance, overflowing love, joy, and peace in the orbit of Life. As we identify with the superabundant Life God has given us to live, supply happens in whatever way works best for our circumstances.

Supply is not money flowing into our pocket. Supply is spiritual enlightenment opening thought to the eternal riches of Love. Money may come as a result, but money is never the goal.

“There is but one real attraction, that of Spirit. The pointing of the needle to the pole symbolizes this all-embracing power or the attraction of God, divine Mind.” Mary Baker Eddy

Truth attracts thought to Spirit, and in Spirit, we find our supply. Provision displaces the lie of lack, and needs are found met.

What observations do you have to offer?

The Secret

Have you heard about the recently published book, “The Secret,” written by Rhonda Byrne?

I’ve had patients and friends ask me what I thought about the publication. I have not seen the volume, but from the reviews I’ve read, it appears to be standard New Age ideas packaged under a new cover.

Book reviewer Janet Boyer summarizes the book’s theme with these words:

So what's the secret? The law of attraction, which, as you probably know, is not new to anyone familiar with New Age/consciousness ideology. “The Secret” culls wise, practical insights from noted authors, teachers, and life-coaches that show readers how thoughts create reality. That is, what you think literally becomes your life. Every person, every disease, every relationship, every social situation--all are the result of the law of attraction. You cannot behold or experience *anything* that is not the result of your "vibration" magnetizing to a corresponding manifestation.

I agree, that from a relative point of view, there is merit to the proposal that we create the bed we lie in. Positive people generally have much better experiences then people with perpetually negative attitudes. But the belief that we can have anything we want if we think it hard enough, or get mentally “vibrating” in the right way, has its limits and eventual downfalls.

The selfish desires can get carried away.

What if vast monetary wealth, unbounded fame, and unbridled success are not in our best interest?

Does unlimited material acquisition get us to where we really want to be spiritually in the long run?

I look at the life and example of Jesus Christ who mapped the path to heaven. He never practiced a “What do I want?” strategy. His plea was always, “What does God want?”

What we want and what God wants can be vastly different at times. And what we want is not always in our best interest.

My son occasionally wants to play with his friends instead of doing his homework. And if I let him, the homework doesn't get done.

Jesus’ statement “Seek and ye shall find,” has often been twisted to mean, “Seek whatever material riches you want, and you shall receive them.” Jesus did not advocate a life of selfish material pursuit, but of avid spiritual gain. He wanted his followers to seek Truth and Love, not dollars and position. He shunned the material ideals in his own ministry.

I also have great difficulty in accepting the “law of attraction” according to Byrne when it comes to explaining tragedy.

Did a crack baby “attract” its suffering? Did all residents of New Orleans “attract” hurricane Katrina to devastate their region? Did the obedient soldier sent to serve in Iraq and later slain in the line of duty “attract” his unfortunate death?

I believe there is a more compassionate way to reconcile the misfortunes of the world.

Christian Science explains that people are not gods to themselves creating their own universe and prospering or suffering accordingly. But each of us are children of God with a spiritual life that cannot be touched, hurt or harmed by anything evil that happens in the world.

When bad does happen, the demand is to not condemn and get down on oneself, but to go higher than the challenge of the moment to the spiritual good that is always present no matter how dire the material condition appears. The more we identify with our spiritual wholeness and God’s ever-sustaining Love, the sooner we can overcome adversity and leave it behind.

Every occasion of evil that happens to us is not our fault.

I suppose “The Secret” will sell millions of copies and make the author boatloads of money, but I’m not sure it’s spreading the right message in terms of living a life that brings genuine spiritual joy and balance.

The laws of the universe do work together to bless us bountifully with unlimited good and love, but they are not designed to fulfill selfish material desires. They are designed to keep us in harmony with the one infinite Love that sustains us eternally and in perpetual peace and life.

The book’s premise, “What you think becomes your life,” goes only so far. Our ultimate life is not anything we create here on earth. Our ultimate life is found in Spirit, God, the infinite Mind that exists forever. We do not create Mind, nor do we determine Mind’s plan. That’s God’s job. As we align with Mind and let Mind’s will be done through us, our life on earth becomes more heavenly. But we are not the creators of that heavenly existence. God is the creator, and we are the manifestation.

The outward manifestation of spiritual peace and life on earth may or may not include lots of money and things in our experience, but it doesn’t really matter to the seeker, because the goal of the spiritual seeker is not riches and status. The destination is spiritual understanding, eternal peace and life. And that’s a divine birthright that is manifested through each of us as children of God. Not by virtue of anything we do, but by virtue of what God has already done on our behalf.

Bike rides with Christ

Click on this link for a fun poem on letting Christ take the lead in your life:

Bike Ride with God

Age and youth

“You are as young as your faith,
As old as your doubt;
As young as your self-confidence,
As old as your fear;
As young as your hope,
As old as your despair.
In the central place of every heart, there is a recording
chamber; so long as it receives messages of beauty,
hope, cheer, and courage, so long are you young.”

~ General MacArthur

Sing with your heart

A reader sent in the below email with a message that touched my heart and may touch your’s too.

Evan, your blog, “Fling yourself free,” is delightful and reminds me of a time when the Spirit spoke to me clearly.

I had just made a non-stop 24 hour trip by bus in dead of winter from Cordoba to Mendoza, Argentina, and the bus heater was broken. When I arrived, I was sick with flu-like symptoms. I settled into the pension where I was to live. The mountains of the Andes loomed outside and I was miserable from the coldness of the winter.

In the back patio was a hanging birdcage, and in the bottom of the cage was a motley looking male canary. He hopped around the bottom of the cage covered with newspaper because his feet had frozen off. He seemed as miserable as I was. I could relate to his circumstances.

I had a blanket around my shoulders and was watching the early morning sun finally push up on the horizon.

As the day began, this little fluff of feathers began to warble and trill to greet the morning. I was so surprised at his joy.

I walked over to the cage and looked down at this really unattractive little bird on whom I had just moments before bestowed my pity and upon whom I felt we had a lot in common. With no one else around, I spoke aloud to the bird and asked, “How can you sing without feet?”

An answer came so quickly it caught me by surprise. And the response was, "He doesn’t sing with his feet, he sings with his heart!"

I was silenced and then realized that he was seeing something special and good during that cold winter morning that I was ignoring. Despite the cold and loneliness he still found a reason to be grateful.

I have since then held a special wish to one day own a male canary and see the day through his eyes and find joy in the moment no matter what my circumstances.

Again and again I keep learning the same lesson over and over—I am reminded by the Spirit, “I am not my feet. I am not my symptoms. I am something much more grand, wonderful and real. The joy of my life never dies, it never leaves. It is always here with me. I have only to stop and sense it's presence beyond the range of my five physical senses.”

"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world." Jesus Christ

What is true wealth?

One day, the father of a proud and very wealthy family took his son on a trip to the country with the express purpose of showing him how people with little money lived.

They spent a couple of days and nights on the farm of what would be considered a very poor family.

On the return from their trip, the father asked his son, "How was the trip?"

"It was great, Dad."

"So, tell me, what did you learn from our visit?" asked the father.

The son answered: "I saw that we have one dog and they had four.

We have a pool that reaches to the middle of our garden and they have a creek that has no end.

We have imported lanterns in our garden and they have the stars at night.

Our patio reaches to the front yard and they have the whole horizon.

We have a small piece of land to live on and they have fields that go beyond our sight.

We have servants who serve us, but they serve others.

We buy our food, but they grow theirs.

We have walls around our property to protect us. They have friends to protect them."

The boy's father was speechless.

Then his son added, "I always thought that we were the wealthy ones, but I think they might be far richer."

Who needs to change?

We must become the change we want to see.

~ Mahatma Gandhi

Prayer in public

Have you ever wanted to pray while in a public setting, but hesitated to show any signs that you were praying for fear of drawing attention to yourself?

A couple of weeks ago, I was sitting in a tennis club lounge waiting for my match to be called. Dozens of players were milling around, talking and having a grand time. I was having a grand time too, but I also craved a few silent moments with God. So I sat down, closed my eyes, mentally blocked out all the sounds and distractions around me, and went directly to divine Love. I became oblivious to material surroundings and let the heavenly inspiration flow freely. The effect was exhilarating and liberating.

When I ended my prayer and opened my eyes, I turned to my coach who had sat next to me, and was greeted with, “Are you alright? Are you feeling okay?” Surprised by his observation, I assured him I felt better than ever, and that he had no reason to be concerned.

I pondered his reaction, wondering why he drew a conclusion opposite to the truth.

One reason, I decided, was that it was unusual to see someone totally “check out” from engagement with the senses while participating in otherwise very physically engaged environments. Another reason, I thought, was the common perception that if one is very quiet and unengaged physically, there is something wrong with him. He’s probably sick or has mental problems, many might conclude.

Do these common perceptions about what constitutes “normal” behavior prevent many people from praying in public settings when they may need God more than ever? I asked myself.

Yes, I understand the concept of praying on the run, praying while grocery shopping, and praying in the middle of intense business negotiations. But there is no substitute for totally shutting down the material senses and receiving God’s full blessing of Truth.

Yesterday, I took my 13 year old son to the Hot Shots Lazer Tag fun center in town for a father/son activity.

If you can imagine the setting, with dozens of 5-15 year olds bouncing off each other in the waiting area like popcorn popping in a kettle quickly eating up the limited available space and with no where to go until released, and with a few parents standing around wondering, “What am I doing here?” you have an idea of the environment I was in.

After the first 15 minute match, I craved a few quiet moments with God. So I found a remote corner with a couch, sat down, closed my eyes, shut down the material senses and went directly to heaven. It was a quiet place to be, and it brought immense peace.

When it was time to enter the arena, I stood in line with my son and a woman next to me commented, with a very supportive and perhaps a bit of an envious tone, “You’re the guy who was sleeping on the sofa!”

I thought, “There it is again. The expectation in active public settings is that one is to be physically engaged. A prayerful state of thought is not recognized. If I had been sitting in a church building, people would have known I was praying.

I’ve wondered since, does this expectation that you should stay physically engaged prevent many of us from praying when we ought to be praying?

Have you ever been in a busy public place where you would have loved to stop everything, sit down, shut your eyes and commune solely with God?

Why didn’t you? What prevented you from doing the one thing that would have accomplished the most good, and the fastest?

Did you not stop and pray for fear of being seen by someone else? For fear of being judged as unusual or weird?

Maybe it’s time to change our priorities. We might be better off in the long run to put the maintenance of spiritual mindedness above worrying about what other people think.

In the middle of a noisy party, wouldn’t it be neat if you could sit down a few minutes, mentally check out of the commotion, pray in solitude and have everyone around you observe, “They are taking a few moments out with God. That is cool. I will let them be.”

I hope that day is coming! Keeping our thought spiritually inspired is the most constructive thing we can do under all circumstances, and it’s for everyone’s benefit.

Prayer in public: it should not be an odd event, but a common occurrence.

I hope you’ll join me if you’re not already.

Happy day!

Do you hear the singing?

When the Trees Sing

When the trees sing,
It doesn't really matter
If you know the song,
Or if you know the words,
Or even if you know the tune.
What really matters is knowing
That the trees are singing at all.

~ Mattie J.T. Stepanek

Live what you pray

Living What We Pray For

I knelt to pray when day was done

And prayed, “O Lord, bless everyone;

Lift from each saddened heart the pain,

And let the sick be well again.”

And then I woke another day

And carelessly went on my way;

The whole day long, I did not try

To wipe a tear from any eye.

I did not try to share the load

Of any brother on the road;

I did not even go to see

The sick man, just next door to me.

Yet, once again, when day was done,

I prayed, “O Lord, bless everyone.”

But as I prayed, into my ear

There came a voice that whispered clear:

“Pause now, my son, before you pray;

Whom have you tried to bless today?

God’s sweetest blessings always go

By hands that serve Him here below.”

And then I hid my face and cried,

“Forgive me, God, I have not tried.

Let me but live another day,

And I will live the way I pray.”

~ Author unknown

Where does supply come from?

I have many patients who call for spiritual help to meet their financial needs. Mountain high debt, unpaid credit card bills, unemployment, low paying jobs, and slow business are common complaints that cause people to fear for their fiscal future.

Can you sympathize with any of these economic concerns?? Many people do…

Adequate supply was a metaphysical concept I had to find peace with early in my healing ministry.

I left a good paying job to become a full-time Christian Science practitioner, which is a self-employed position. When I began this career I saw little opportunity to earn money.

However, the purpose of a Christian Science practice is to solve problems spiritually, so I sought a heavenly perspective to solve the dilemma of how to serve God and pay the bills at the same time.

Hope started to dawn when I gradually saw that supply is not something we get, but godliness we give. And the substance of supply doesn’t come from a human source. It comes from God.

For example, in my healing practice the provision that would meet my need, I decided, was not incoming dollars to my bank account, but outgoing love for my patients.

Money comes and goes…and mostly goes. Can you relate??...

But the love that heals is from God and it flows without end.

As I truly turned to God for my supply of healing love, my practice would prosper, I reasoned, and my financial needs would be met in turn by patients who were grateful for my help. And so it has been.

Once I understood clearly that supply is the unending love of divine Love, and not a quantity of currency, I lost my fear of ever having enough. It is a very peaceful and untroubled mental place to be, I can assure you. And you can find the same quiet place too.

The supply you’re looking for is not in another’s pocketbook. It’s in God, and comes to you in the form of wisdom, intelligence, insight, creativity, contentment, gratitude and love that enable you to do your work well.

Supply is the infinite omnipresence of good that never vanishes, depletes or falls short.

As objects of divine Love, we are the beneficiaries of God’s endless inexhaustible blessings.

God has already provided for every need we could ever possibly have, and as we truly accept the divine gifts constantly bestowed upon us, and express them faithfully, we lose fear of lack.

Supply doesn’t come from a client, a customer, a bank, a corporation, a company, a trust fund or a government.

Supply is spiritual. It is of God. It is the infinite superabundance of divine Love,--the ever-presence of good,--and its yours now. Accept it as your own and reap the benefits.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work. Paul

You are blessed

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rain fall gently in your fields,
And now and forever may God hold you
Lovingly in the hollow of His hand.

From an old Irish poem

The healing power of forgiveness

There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness.
~ Josh Billings

We cannot change the past, but we can change our attitude toward it. Uproot guilt and plant forgiveness. Tear out arrogance and seed humility. Exchange love for hate --- thereby, making the present comfortable and the future promising.
~ Maya Angelou

Our capacity to make peace with another person and with the world depends very much on our capacity to make peace with ourselves.
~ Thich Nhat Hanh

For every minute you remain angry, you give up sixty seconds of peace of mind.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Our anger and annoyance are more detrimental to us than the things themselves which anger or annoy us.
~ Marcus Aurelius


Forgiveness does not equal forgetting. It is about healing the memory of the harm, not erasing it.
~ Ken Hart

Love is an act of endless forgiveness.
~ Peter Ustinov

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
~ Jesus Christ
And Love is reflected in love;
~ Mary Baker Eddy

Life never shuts down

A subtle trap of mortal mind became apparent to me recently that we need to avoid if we wish to stay healthy and vital as the years tick by.

There’s a tendency for too many people to slow down in thought and become mentally inactive with advancing years. The inclination is to cease engaging with life, retract to one’s house, and lose a strong sense of purpose. In essence, thought starts to shut down and prepare for an end.

But this is not healthy!

Let’s reason about it together.

At surface appearance it might not appear to be any big deal. Common belief accepts that people age, slow down, and retire from the active life of younger years. So when seniors slow down, most people don’t question the symptoms.

But I ask the question, “If we let our thinking slow down, what is going to happen to the functions and activities of the body which is governed and controlled by the very same thinking?”

If we let our thinking slow down, aren’t the functions and organs of the body going to slow down too? Do we see the symptoms in diminished vision, less hearing, weaker hearts, feeble muscles and more?

Now this doesn’t mean a 70 year old has to bounce around the tennis court like a 20 year old, although this is not impossible! But a 70 year old can be as mentally active as a 20 year old, if not more productively so for increased wisdom and culture over the decades.

And this is the rub.

If thought is preparing to shut down at some indeterminate date, then that very same thought that is governing the body, is preparing the body to shut down too. It’s a trap we want to avoid. We don’t want the body to shut down in stages over the years. It leads to many health ailments.

To prevent organs from dminishing in strength and the body from manifesting a belief of deterioration, it helps to stay mentally and spiritually alive to Life.

Life is God, eternal, on-going, unstoppable, and ever-active. Life never shuts down and the men and women who express it will not be shutting down either.

A patient called from an emergency room. The doctors said one of his vital organs had stopped functioning and they wanted to put him on artificial support. As I prayed for his spiritual recovery, the reality of “Life and its manifestations never shut down” opened my mental eyes to the impossibility of the doctor’s verdict. I knew every aspect of this patient’s true being expressed Life fully. There could be no death in Life, I was sure. Soon, the organ started functioning again, and the patient was sent home.

Lesson to learn? Don’t unwittingly slide into the “life shuts down” trap with advancing years. We each need to be vigorous in our affirmation and demonstration of Life ever-active.

Life is God, and Life does not close up shop anymore than God slows down and stops. It’s impossible.

Life is forever. Life is eternal. And its manifestations are perpetually on-going too.

Enjoy living the Life that is ever increasing in health, strength and well being! It's the healthier way.

Life is eternal. We should find this out, and begin the demonstration thereof. Life and goodness are immortal. Let us then shape our views of existence into loveliness, freshness, and continuity, rather than into age and blight. Mary Baker Eddy

Look for the good

It is easy enough to be pleasant,
When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is one who will smile,
When everything goes dead wrong.

~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Unlimited Love

Love, having no geography, knows no boundaries.

~ Truman Capote

How does God know your need?

A woman asked me, “How does God know my need?”

I answered, “How does the principle of mathematics know your need when you work out a math problem?”

Understanding how the divine hand doles out blessings has everything to do with properly understanding what God is in the first place.

God is not a mortal in the sky monitoring every human activity on the globe and acting capriciously. God is a divine Principle that produces all right action.

When a musician writes a melody, he or she relies upon the principle of harmony to compose their piece. The laws of harmony, when properly followed, produce beautiful music.

Jesus said, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

How?

By knowing ahead of time every possible need you could ever have, and by building into the design of Life a supply that meets those needs when and if they ever arise. Our job is to follow the laws of life that enable the supply to manifest itself, just like following the laws of mathematics when working out a math problem.

Anytime we see lack, we’re not seeing a fixed fact. We’re entertaining a limited finite view of the superabundant life God has given us to experience. As we see beyond the limited view to the unlimited reality, the provision we thought was missing becomes apparent.

The most important pursuit

What is the most important goal in your life?

Is it the pursuit of fame, riches, position, title, companionship, family, or spiritual knowledge? There is nothing wrong with having any of these accomplishments, but the most desirable achievement of all is love. For without love one can have headline fame, billions of dollars, the CEO position, a faithful partner, kin galore and reams of spiritual knowledge, but still feel empty and lacking.

Love is Life.

Love is content. Love is comfort. Love is power. Love is might. Love is fearless. Love is confident. Love is happy. Love is ever-faithful, ever-present and always satisfied. Love does not fail, does not waver, does not wane or disappear. Love is a constant. It defines our value and worth. Love is the sum total of supreme goodness, and it belongs to us all.

Without love, wealth is emptiness. Without love, popularity is a fraud. Without love, status is lonely. Without love, family and marriage ring hollow. Without love, there is no companionship. Without love, truth is a flat-footed intellectual exercise. Without love, there is no life.

Love is the most important thing.

God is Love. When you have God, you have Love, and you have all worth having.

Riches are spent, titles are relinquished, fame fades, people come and go, truth is argued and debated, but Love lasts through it all.

Love is what makes life worth living. Love is the living. Love is the Life.

Live Love. It’s the one thing most worth pursuing.

“God is love.” John

More on love...

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking.
It is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.

I Corinthians 13:4-8


That Love is all there is,
Is all we know of Love.

~ Emily Dickinson


Have you ever been at sea in a dense fog, when it seemed as if a tangible white darkness shut you in and the great ship, tense and anxious, groped her way toward the shore with plummet and sounding-line, and you waited with beating heart for something to happen? I was like that ship before my education began, only I was without compass or sounding line, and no way of knowing how near the harbor was. "Light! Give me light!" was the wordless cry of my soul, and the light of love shone on me in that very hour.

~ Helen Keller

When the power of love overcomes the love of power the world will know peace.

~ Jimi Hendrix

Where there is great love, there are always miracles.

~ Willa Cather

No death

Here's a poem that lifts thought to the heights of Life that knows no death.

Sent in by a reader…

LIFE OF LOVE

I do not believe in death;
I could not lose my life of Love.
If you should cease to see me here
Know that I laugh and love somewhere
Near to you, as near to Him.

Like brown turf that greens again
or sleeping tulips that rise once more to bloom
I too have shed the dormant thought
And with clearer view
See Him, myself…and you.

Mark my leaving with no sadness
or ceremony to record a lie,
Just love the best you saw in me
And let all else between us die.

To those who would be impressed, reply,
“But she did not believe in death—
Nor do I.”

~ Mary Ellen Knoblock

Benefits of trust

Speed happens when people...truly trust each other.

~ Edward Marshall

Who wants what?

What does God want me to do?

Is this a question you ask frequently?

How often do we ponder, “What do I want?” instead. It’s a common refrain.

Public educators, motivational speakers, counselors often start with the question “What do you want?”

It sounds so legitimate. After all, who wouldn’t want their own personal dreams, wants and desires fulfilled? And pronto, of course.

But does pursuit of personal desires bring genuine happiness in the long run?

I’m not so sure.

I’ve seen many people caught up in the rat mill of seeking only what they wanted, but never finding it. I’ve done it myself. They might spend years, even decades, pursuing the elusive wealth, or spouse, or promotion at work. And all for what? Nothing to show for the effort.

When this happens, does this mean God has forsaken us? No. It usually means there’s a different plan to pursue, a more spiritually inspired design.

When I was young, I was absolutely certain, beyond a doubt that my future was to be rich. I focused my energies on reaching that goal, but along the way, found no genuine joy. My life was missing something important. After sufficient suffering, I decided that my plan was not God’s plan, and that’s why I suffered. He had a different design for me to follow.

It took a few years of growth in humility and understanding, but eventually I dropped my goal of accumulating wealth and focused on perfecting my practice of spiritual healing. It was one of the wisest decisions I ever made. I finally found true happiness, and it was because I followed God’s plan, not mine.

Jesus Christ never started with asking, ”What do I want?” He began with “What does God want?” And he was richly rewarded for faithfully following God’s will. We will be too.

So, when the question pops up, “What do you want?” or “What do I want?” don’t get caught in the dead end trap of serving-self first. It’s not what you want that matters. It’s what God wills that brings the large rewards.

I want more money…I want my boss to change…I want a bigger car…I want recognition…I want a skinnier waist…I want a nicer husband…I want…I want…I want…it’s all the mortal self entwined within itself, and it can get very dark in those human ego-centered corridors.

Break out of the “I want” syndrome, and get into what God wants. God always wants the best, and He provides it. The sooner you get onto His plan, the better life’s events are going to unfold.

“What do I want?” can be answered with, “What does God want?” That’s the more productive path to walk.

“Not my will, but Thine be done.” Jesus Christ

Finding your calling

Oprah Winfrey has a strong sense of calling.

In an after-the-show segment she shared what motivates and determines her life purpose. It’s an interesting listen and a powerful message from a woman who has inspired millions of viewers around the world to achieve better results with their efforts.

The first 3 minutes of the video clip are the best. Be patient with the brief ad at the beginning.

Finding your calling video clip, by Oprah.

Listening with understanding

(This is a chuckle, chuckle...)

Are you a married woman who ever felt like your husband listened to you but didn’t hear you?

Or, are you a husband who once thought you heard your wife correctly, but didn't?

If so, you both can probably relate to this story…


TO BE 6 AGAIN

A man was sitting on the edge of the bed, observing his wife turning back and forth, looking at herself in the mirror. Since her birthday was not far off, he asked what she’d like to have for her birthday. I’d like to be six again, she replied, still looking in the mirror.

On the morning of her birthday, he arose early, made her a nice big bowl of Lucky Charms, and then took her to the Six Flags theme park.

What a day!

He put her on every ride in the park; the Death Slide, the Wall of Fear, the Screaming Monster Roller Coaster…everything there was. Five hours later they staggered out of the theme park. Her head was reeling and her stomach felt upside down.

He then took her to a McDonald’s where he ordered her a Happy Meal with extra fries and a chocolate shake. Then it was off to a movie, popcorn, a soda pop, and her favorite candy, M&Ms.

What a fabulous adventure!

Finally she wobbled home with her husband and collapsed into bed exhausted.

He leaned over his wife with a big smile and lovingly asked, “Well dear, what was it like being six again?”

Her eyes slowly opened and her expression suddenly changed.

I meant my dress size, not my age!


Uh-oh...

Listening and hearing can be two different activities. In the glossary to her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy defines common day terms from a metaphysical point of view. For the definition of ears she wrote, “Not organs of the so-called corporeal senses, but spiritual understanding.”

Ears are for more than listening. They were created for understanding. As we seek to better understand what we hear, we’ll act with greater wisdom and discernment.

And that could be a good tip for us husbands who sometimes think we heard correctly, but really didn't!

Never again,...right!??

Do you really need to snack?

At 10:35 this morning I felt hungry and ready for a little snack. I headed for the backroom where I had a jar of dry roasted peanuts stashed in the cupboard. But midway I stopped and asked myself, “Will those 6-8 peanuts you’re going to eat cure this hunger?”

I went back to my chair, sat down, and replied, “No. I’ll only want more peanuts.” I that knew from experience!

It really wouldn’t have mattered much in the big picture of my life if I ate a few peanuts, but occasionally I like to check mortal mind’s reasoning and say no when appetite wants me to say yes.

I didn’t need those peanuts. Yes, I felt hungry. But so what? What are a few hunger pangs between meals? No big deal… I could wait until lunch time to eat.

It makes us stronger to put down temptation when excess bids us to overindulge, I remembered. Every success builds on the last and gives us more dominion over the body, over appetite, over everyday thoughts and actions. God gave us dominion over the earth and this means we have dominion over the body, the stomach, over appetite. I declared with emphasis! They do not have dominion over us, I concluded.

I prayed to know I had all I needed spiritually to be happy and content. I didn’t need a snack to feel any better than God had already made me to feel. I was a spiritually fulfilled child of God, not a forever hungry mortal.

After a few moments of prayer, the hunger went away, and I felt perfectly normal. No talking from the gut, and no desire for a snack.

“That was easy” I rejoiced. And I happily went about my work until the clock struck twelve and it was proper time for lunch.

“Godliness with contentment is great gain.” I Timothy

Worry less, trust more

I don't know who said this, but it carries a thought-provoking message:

Worry doesn't help tomorrow's troubles, but it does ruin today's happiness.

The best way to conquer worry is to trust God.

Worry often comes from trying to figure life's events out ourselves. But God always has a plan at work on our behalf, and it's designed for success. The less we worry, and the more we trust God, the sooner we see the divine plan unfolding before our eyes, and life's events make more sense.

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." Proverbs

Judge not

Have you ever stopped and considered how much mental time you spend judging other people?

I was reading a short book yesterday on perfecting your mental game in the sport of tennis. One of the core lessons was to never judge shots. The instructor said it was vitally important that a player not get upset over misplaced balls, shots hit long or into the net, but to keep one’s thinking clean of all negative emotion in order to concentrate on doing well with every play. I could see much room for improvement in my own “mental game” on that score, and will work to not judge shots from now on, since I miss many, :) , but focus on doing my very best every time.

But I couldn’t help taking the lesson to a wider platform. How often do I judge "shots” in everyday life, I asked myself.

For example, mentally voicing disapproval of someone’s actions and wondering why they act in such-and-such a way, resentment, rehashing events long past, forming a personal opinion, getting agitated over another’s actions, are a few examples of judging others. You might think of several more.

It can happen so subtly. I consider myself to be very easy on others, making it a goal to love them no matter what, and that’s what I strive to practice. But I could see how tricky mortal mind is at times, slipping in questionable judgments of other’s actions and rehearsing them without realizing it.

To see what would happen, I worked to void my consciousness of all personal judgments. In particular, I focused on releasing concern about an acquaintance who had acted in, what I thought was a very selfish way last week. The objectionable action kept re-playing in my mind like a broken record. I realized I was rendering judgment on this person, and I needed to stop it. It was not my job to judge his actions. My job was to love him as a child of God. God was the judge, not me. And I was foolish to try to peform God’s responsibility.

The uplifting effect of consecrating my attention on not judging anyone was amazing. I was already in a buoyant attitude, but I found even more cheer and buoyancy after this little exercise of releasing all condemnatory judgment.

Negative judgments are evil, I knew. They are totally unnecessary. If someone errs, God will rectify the error. I can see the error for what it is and know it’s wrong, but I don’t have to form a negative opinion against the person who erred. I can separate the error from that person and know Truth will destroy the problem and save the individual. And I can save myself grief by not empowering the error in my thought by giving it tenterhooks into my consciousness through a belief that the evil was real and powerful. Evil seems real and powerful to the degree we believe it or fear it. Rendering dark judgment and holding to it makes evil a bigger reality in our thinking and gives us more to handle and deal with.

Judge not. It’s a route to healing, and incredibly liberating from unnecessary mental baggage we don’t have to carry around.

Judge not. Go ahead. Do it! Let go of those personal opinions, offended emotions, and dark grudges.

Judge not. Love more and rise into the ebullient freedom that comes from living in a consciousness of Love that looks for the good, beholds the good, and empowers only the good.

Judge not. Criticize not, condemn not, resent not, begrudge not, and envy not. Love instead and be free.

Your “shots” in the game of life will improve!

Miniature works of art

God’s universe is filled with infinite wonders. Occasionally we stumble across one of those wonders that is so out of the ordinary that it drops your jaw in awe. Willard Wigan’s works of art is one of those occasions.

Willard Wigan was born in Birmingham, England in 1957 and is the creator of the smallest works of art on earth…he is now emerging as the most globally celebrated micro-miniaturist of all time and is literally capable of turning a spec of dust into a vision of true beauty…

Here are a couple of examples.

Peter Pan, Tinkerbell and friends on a fishhook

The Statue of Liberty in the eye of a needle

Check out his web site for many more.

Let your light shine

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people the permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

~ Marianne Williamson