Cell phone or Bible?

Forwarded by a reader...


I wonder what would happen if we treated our Bibles like we treat our cell phone?

What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?


What if we flipped through it several times a day?

What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?

What if we used it to receive messages from the text?

What if we treated it like we couldn't live without it?

What if we gave it to kids as gifts?

What if we used it when we traveled?

What if we used it in case of emergency?

What if questions you needed answered made you go....hmm....where is my Bible?

Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don't have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because it's word comes straight from God.

Makes you stop and think 'Where are my priorities?'

And no dropped calls!

Quote of the day

I had to laugh when a reader sent me this picture after reading the quote I posted yesterday...

What's biggest?

Don't tell God how big your trouble is.
Tell the trouble how big your God is.

You are a ray of light

I like to think of myself as a ray of light. How about you?

“Let your light shine,” Jesus Christ urged.

As a ray of light shines out from the sun, each of us is a ray of light radiating out from the sun of Soul. As we let our light shine, our God-given goodness radiates and permeates the thought-atmospheres we work in. People around us feel that light and are benefited from it. We are benefited too, because we are living true to our spiritual identity as a reflection of divine Light, and it feels really good!

Oftentimes, people don’t live like they are a ray of light, though, but more like a sponge. Rather than being proactive with good thoughts, they soak in negative feelings from undesirable sources.

Rather than warding off depressing emotions, for instance, they get depressed too. Or rather than defending their loving disposition from anger, they become angry too. And so on down the list of negative emotions. Like a dry sponge soaking in any liquid nearby, they become a reservoir for negativity spewed around them.

But this need not be.

Spiritually considered, we are not sponges. We are whole and complete rays of spiritual goodness radiating the brilliance of the divine Light!

Sooooo, don’t be a sponge for error. Be a light for Truth! The experience is better, and the effect much healthier.

Shine away!

You are melody

I am a musician and love to use musical analogies to bring out spiritual points.

Today, I was thinking about how each of us is a great musical melody being discovered.

Some great composers of music, such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Bach have been quoted as saying that they “heard the music.” They did not create the melodies they wrote down. They heard them in mind and then did their best to jot down in notation what flowed through their consciousness. The better they listened, the more beautiful and complete the final musical piece was to share with the world.

I find it fascinating to realize that the music they wrote down had been complete in Mind long before they heard a single note. They heard what divine Mind had been playing for ad infinitum.

Christian Science explains that each of us is a complete whole individual offspring of the divine Mind. The human senses barely glimpse the profound, intricate and fabulously beautiful individuality each of us possess as children of God, but nonetheless, as every musical melody exists in Mind, our complete self exists in Mind too, whether we've fully realized it yet or not.

When I learn a new piece of piano music and hit a sour note, I stop. I look at the music closer to see where I erred in interpretation. I fix my mistake, and play the piece correctly. With enough practice, I eventually play the piece beautifully as it was originally heard by the composer.

I find the same rule applies to daily living.

If I ever hit a “wrong note,” (for instance, say the wrong thing, err, misjudge, feel ill, etc.) it’s a sign that I need to go back to the “musical score” and see where I misinterpreted.

The musical score for me is the moral and spiritual guidelines for living and thinking found in the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Mary Baker Eddy. What Jesus Christ and Mary Baker Eddy heard in Mind, and shared with others, tells me about my true self. And what I read in those books, is, that I am a healthy well whole complete child of God!

My true selfhood is a melody of Mind flowing through spiritually inspired consciousness, and unerringly so.

My daily prayer is to discover more of this “melody of Mind,” that composes my individuality as a reflection of Soul.

You are a melody of Mind too, a beautiful piece of music filled with harmony and richness, without a single mistake or error in the composition.

Enjoy the music!

Keeping out the dust and cobwebs

I’ve been out of my office for two weeks while teaching a class on Christian Science elsewhere in town. During this time, I stopped by to pick up my mail and check on the premises, but otherwise, had no time for regular housekeeping.

Yesterday was my first full day back, and man-o, did I have cleaning to do! It’s amazing how dusty and dirty a place can get in two weeks. Especially in the desert climate I live in.

Do you know what I’m talking about??

I had to pick up fallen leaves from my Fichus plant, vacuum the floor, sweep cobwebs off the outside of my windows, pick up strewn litter on the lawn, dust furniture, and more. I’ll spare telling you about the “more…”

As I cleaned, I thought about how persistent we must be to keep our physical homes clean from gathering dust and cobwebs. We cannot leave a place for an extended period of time and come back expecting to find the premises as sparkling clean as we left them if no attention was given to the place in the meantime. Dust accumulates. Bugs move in and make a home. Plants need to be watered.

And then I thought about how equally persistent we must be to keep our mental home free of gathering dust and cobwebs! It’s a different kind of dust that moves into thought, but equally as offensive. Dusty thinking like apathy, indifference, forgetfulness, lack of spiritual growth, energy and vigor, contribute to an environment of thought that is unpleasant to occupy. A few days of spiritual neglect, and bam-o, we have a mess to clean up!

This summer, with countless people taking vacations, I considered how important it is to not take a mental vacation from proper mental housekeeping while traveling. If we’re tempted to leave prayer behind and stop growing spiritually while sunning on the beach or walking through shops, we might have a mess to clean up when we return home. Mental dust gathers, subtle fears mount, latent worries increase, unless checked by truth.

It might be a whole lot easier to keep the broom of truth sweeping through consciousness moment by moment, even if it requires some spiritual time-outs between tanning sessions, than have to deal with an accumulated mess later on. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” an old proverb states.

That’s what I’m thinking anyway…

Are you having fun?

“If you aren’t having fun practicing Christian Science, you aren’t practicing Christian Science!”

Peace Pilgrim

Have you ever heard of Peace Pilgrim? I hadn’t until a reader sent me to a web site dedicated to her life and teachings.

Peace Pilgrim is the name of a woman who traveled throughout the United States, mostly on foot, for 28 years on a personal quest to find and spread peace.

The web site states:

From 1953 until 1981 this silver-haired woman, with cheerful obedience to her calling, was a server in the world. As she approached each country hamlet or sprawling city she carried to all she met a message of peace expressed so simply: When enough of us find inner peace, our institutions will become more peaceful and there will be no more occasion for war.

The chapter on the site titled, “Living the Simple Life,” caught my attention. Peace Pilgrim clearly understood that things don’t bring happiness. She explains how to keep only what one absolutely needs and how to discard the rest, and then exults in the freedom and happiness that come from simple living.

If you’ve ever felt burdened by things, or weighted by too many daily responsibilities, you’ll find some illuminating thoughts to ponder in her writing.

Genes controlled by belief

I came across one of my favorite news clippings today, lifted from the Christian Science Sentinel of January 6, 2003, which reprinted a newswire from the Canadian Press, titled “Perceptions, thoughts, beliefs more important than genes.”

It is a fascinating read...

Researcher says genes controlled by beliefs

“Forget the hype surrounding the Human Genome Project and start realizing that perceptions, thoughts, and beliefs have a bigger impact on people’s health than their genes, says a cellular biologist.

“Bruce Lipton is among a small but growing number of researchers who say people need to take responsibility for their environment instead of believing they are victims of their genes. Lipton, a former researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine, now disagrees with the conventional belief that people are born with a set of genes that control their lives.

“Instead, he says genes adapt on an ongoing basis depending on the needs of cells as they respond to the environment. ‘Our perceptions turn on our genes and turn off our genes and our perceptions can rewrite our genes,’ he said….

“’As you change your perception, as you change your beliefs, you actually will change the biological activation in your own biology,’ Lipton said….”

You can read more about Lipton’s beliefs in his blog, “Uncovering the biology of belief.”

Mary Baker Eddy had the above figured out over one hundred years ago when she wrote, “Take possession of your body, and govern its feeling and action…God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man.”

Not DNA, genes, or chromosomes, have more control than the divine Maker.

Much research is happening today by scientists striving to trace troubles in people’s lives back to a DNA cause. Alcoholism, diseases, character traits, and more, many believe have a root cause in the genetic makeup of an individual. But eventually they will discover this is not true. What microscopes see in genes reflect what thought governing those genes believe. Change belief, and gene makeup changes. Lipton has confirmed this in his own studies, and others are discovering the same.

The better place to focus attention is on the spiritual truth about creation according to divine design. As we discover ourselves in God’s image, created with a perfect blueprint, that discovery will improve the human mind, which in turn improves the human body which is governed by that mind.

We are not helpless victims of mindless genes. We are spiritual creations of an intelligent creator. Through spiritual sense we discover this to be true.

Salmonella outbreak

Salmonella outbreak fears are growing in the US as the FDA searches for a cause and source of the problem.

Certain types of tomatoes were thought to be the culprit. But now serrano, jalapeno peppers and cilantro are under investigation. A huge fog of confusion surrounds the investigation.

What do we do in the meantime to protect ourselves from poisoning?

When I went grocery shopping a couple of days ago, I walked through the produce department wondering what was safe to buy. Tomatoes were on my list of items.

As I looked across the several produce stands there were 3 different displays, and various sizes and shapes of tomatoes to choose from.

I had no fears whatsoever of salmonella poisoning. However, I know from experience that one should not be naïve about suggestions floating around in thought concerning public safety. They need to be addressed and treated metaphysically to prevent harm.

One choice was to not buy any tomatoes and avoid threat altogether. I rebelled against this suggestion. For one, no one knew what the trouble was for sure. A lot of guessing was going on. Two, I wasn’t going to be governed and controlled by fear.

So, what to do?

I prayed.

In my prayers, I remembered that there is one all-knowing, all-wise Mind governing my every action. The one Mind never gets into trouble, never leads to trouble and always stays out of trouble, I knew. The one Mind makes intelligent, wise and safe decisions. And under the influence of the one Mind, I would make wise decisions too that promoted safety and protection for me and my family, I decided.

I chose to listen to divine Mind, and not to the voice of fear.

As I stood in the middle of the produce department, I felt a great peace sweep over me that assured me I could trust divine Mind to make any purchasing decision.

I looked up, and was drawn to one display in particular. I chose my tomatoes, and headed for the cash register.

I did not feel any danger while I was listening for Mind’s direction, but I did feel very secure in knowing that I could trust divine Mind to know for me whatever I needed to know to stay safe. Divine Mind, which is synonymous with infinite Love, would not let me make an unsafe or poor choice.

We ate the tomatoes later that evening, and we’re all happy and healthy to this minute! And this is no surprise. All is well under God’s harmonious control.

And it’s my prayer to see the whole country under God’s harmonious control so that the fears swirling around in public thought about this outbreak can be properly addressed, allayed, dissolved and removed.

I expect you are praying as such too…

A chuckle for God

I picked this bit of humor up at tonight's testimony meeting at church.

A woman was telling about how her plans often didn't work out, but sometimes a better plan would appear that she hadn't envisoned. In jest, she said...

"If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans."

I can relate. Can you?

Do you mind being a caterpillar?

Have you ever chafed at making the most of who you are, or contrariwise, wished you were someone else?

Here’s a humorous and delightful article titled, “A Path to Butterflyness,” by Dalton Roberts, that a reader put me onto.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the piece, and I think you may also.

Always prepared

Yesterday, we stopped at the local fire station to borrow a life jacket for a river outing my family was taking that afternoon. The fire department loans out jackets to community members as a public service and promotion of safety.

After a very successful and happy time on the river with my wife and teenagers, I stopped at the station on the way home to return the preserver. As I walked through the station to find a fireman, I was impressed at the ready state of their equipment.

The doors to the fire trucks were wide open. Jackets, helmets, boots, bags of equipment and more, were in well placed positions for the men and women to grab on the run and not waste a second thinking about how to prepare for a call.

I thought, “Wow!” What if we were all as mentally prepared to respond to calls for spiritual help as these firemen were ready to respond to fires?

For instance, have you ever noticed a problem in your family that needed healing, but said, “I’ll get to it later?” For a fireman, that delay is not good enough. It could mean the difference between a house burning down or a little damage in the kitchen. In serious circumstances, it could mean the difference between saving a life or not.

Have you ever walked by a suffering invalid and not thought much about their pain because you were preoccupied with something else? As I write this, I ask, isn’t the person’s suffering the equivalent of a burning fire in your local community that needs to be put out to prevent further suffering?

Hmmm...I found much to think about after my short stroll by the fire engine with the open doors...

Again, I asked, have I ever procrastinated praying about problems in my life that needed healing now? Yes, to be honest. Isn't that similar to letting a spark grow into a flame, into a fire, and then into a full blown blaze? I pondered. A ready fireman would not approve of any type of delay, ever! He wants the fire out as soon as possible, because he knows what happens when a flame is allowed to find more fuel.

It’s amazing how many lessons one can learn from walking 50 feet through a fire station.

I resolved to work on “keeping my doors” open like the firemen had their truck doors open this afternoon—ready for them to take their seat and respond to the calls for help without delay.

It sounds like a safe way to protect a community—and in reference to our discussion above—any community of thought that we circulate in.

Hope you had a happy 4th...

Independence Day

Two Scottish men served in WW I together, a professor and a chaplain. During the fighting they were captured and sent to a prison camp that housed American and British soldiers. The professor was put on the American side, and the chaplain in with the Brits.

Between the two camps was a high wire fence that allowed the professor and chaplain to communicate with each other and keep up with news. They would casually walk alongside the barrier and talk together in Gaelic, a language the German guards did not understand.

Unknown to the Germans, the Americans had a little homemade radio they could listen to and hear news from the outside world. Whatever the professor learned from listening to this radio with the Americans, he would share with his chaplain friend on the other side of the fence.

One day, news came in that the German high command had surrendered and the war was over. The professor raced to the fence to tell the chaplain. The chaplain immediately disappeared into the barracks to tell his comrades. Suddenly a huge roar of celebration erupted within the housing complex. The Brits came out dancing and singing, waving at the guards, and full of glee and joy. They knew it was only a matter of time before they were set free.

Three nights later, the German guards heard the news. In the dark, they fled camp and left the gates unlocked behind them. The next morning the Brits and Americans walked out free.


I learn many lessons from studying this story.

For one, even though we may not be locked up in a prison-of-war-camp, there might be another type of detention center we feel entrapped by. The prison-house of mortality, with its confinement cells of disease, sin, fear of death or lack, seem real and threatening to many people. But the good news of Christian Science has come over the airwaves of divine Mind. And the message is, God made us free!

We are not prisoners of mortality. We are not under the thumb of mortal mind. As children of the Most HIgh, we are immortal, under the government of God.

In the spirit of Independence Day, which is being celebrated today in the United States, let each of us declare our independence from mortality.

Whether you feel like you’re being held in solitary confinement by error of some kind, or have hope of imminent freedom but are still dancing in the prison yard waiting for the gates to swing open, it’s time to embrace the truth of your being. You are not a captured mortal. You are a free immortal!

True being is never stuck in matter, bound by physicality, sensuality or at the mercy of disease. We are immortal, living in the boundless freedom of divine Mind.

We do not live in a matter-confine, even if it seems like it to material sense. We live in a universe of Mind where there are no limits, no physical boundaries or constraining beliefs. In divine Mind, there is no prison, no prison walls, and no locked gates.

We don’t have to wait for the gates to swing open before we can walk out free. They are already open. We're already free!

The wide-open expanse of Truth beckons, “Come on in. The universe of unending goodness is yours to experience.”

Celebrate your freedom in Spirit today.

Declare your independence from matter.

Know your immortality.

The prison of mortal mind belief is no prison at all. It’s illusion.

You live in the allness of Good.

You are free!

Happy day...

You are spiritual

One of the most liberating truths Christian Science teaches is that we are spiritual right now.

People are commonly taught that they are mortal, fallible, and inevitably held hostage to sin, disease and death. Human experience confirms this belief with suffering, trial and evidence of lack. But Jesus Christ taught an opposite truth. He said the “Kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

How close is your hand?

It’s closer than close. It’s attached! It’s here and now. It’s a part of your body.

And the same rule applies to heaven’s blessings.

Spirituality is here and now. It’s not afar off. It’s not remote to us. It’s not something gained in the future. Spirituality is the reality of our individuality in this instant.

We are who we are. And who we are, is spiritual! It has to be. How could it be otherwise?

Matter does not evolve into Spirit. A mortal does not somehow transform into an immortal. That is impossible. There is nothing in matter to identify with Spirit. And there is nothing in mortality that has even a hint of immortality.

The mortal is the finite, temporal and non-intelligent. The immortal is the infinite, the eternal and the intelligent. Mortality and immortality have nothing in common.

If we’re mortal, we are indeed in a hopeless situation. All would seem lost.

But there is always hope. There is always a place for healing. There is a beautiful wholesome reality about life to embrace, accept and experience. And it’s called immortal Life!

We are not mortal. We are immortal.

Life, spiritual Life, is here and now. It’s not in the future. We’re living it at this very moment.

To the human mind, spiritual reality seems remote and distant. But that’s because the human mind tries to sum up existence in physical terms. And it’s all wrong and upside down in it’s conclusions.

The physical sense of things must be tossed aside and replaced with the spiritual truth. Then we experience spiritual truth in concrete tangible ways everyday.

We are spiritual now. We aren’t going to be anymore spiritual tomorrow.

It is divine Life that sustains us, gives us breath, strength, power, ability, wisdom, insight, stature, wealth and substance. Life is ever-present, sustaining our being. Life goes on no matter how many times mortal mind believes death happens.

In the big picture scheme of things, death doesn’t happen. No one ever dies. What appears to be death is but a moment of fear, Mary Baker Eddy explains. Life continues. It never stops.

We’re living our eternal spiritual life right now.

And this is such a wonderful truth to accept and live!

It takes all the fears and worries away that lead to suffering.

Rather than living in fear of mortality, we spend our time, thought and energy rejoicing in our spirituality. This is a much happier and healthier way to live.

You are spiritual—today! You are the offspring of Spirit, the inspiration of divine Mind, the vitality and strength of Life, the beauty and health of Soul. You have all of the goodness of God you could ever have, right at this moment, built into your being.

What are you waiting for? Your life is not on hold. Your health is not in the future. It’s present and now, in your spirituality, in God, which is where you truly live and move and have your being.

Enjoy being spiritual today. It’s the most fun and liberating way to live.

Hugs…

Does money make you happy?

Now here’s a new angle on what makes us happy that I hadn’t read before.

An opinion piece in The Christian Science Monitor titled, “Does money make you happy?” by Arthur Brooks, claims that feeling successful is more closely related to happiness than having lots of money.

One can have a wad of cash, but if they don’t feel successful in their work, they’re less likely to be happy than someone who has little wealth but feels very successful in what they do, Brooks contends.

Of course, I thought, this explains why so many people who have modest wealth, still live a very happy satisfied life.

It’s not about the money. It’s about a feeling of completeness, wholeness, spiritual worth and value lived and demonstrated. We feel good when we are successful at our work, assuming the work is something we love to do in the first place.

Brooks points out that we should not compromise the work we do for money, because we’re probably sacrificing happiness too. Money gained cannot measure the success we feel when we build a strong family, grow spiritually, and nurture friendships. Money is a poor measure of true success, and should not be confused as such.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed the article. You might too.