When you think about a large project you need to complete, what comes to thought? Do you picture yourself pushing a boulder up a steep hill? Or can you see yourself steering a graceful boat with sails full of wind?
Extraordinary breakthroughs are possible when we get glimpses of God, divine Mind, in operation, and commit to better understanding our relation to Mind.
I was faced with a huge writing project… So extensive would be the research, so comprehensive the interviews, ….that the whole project seemed overwhelming, and I had no idea where to start. I reached out for help from a Christian Science practitioner, who basically told me that the project was already complete.
At first, that seemed like the most bizarre thing anyone had ever told me! Of course, the practitioner had a great deal more of substance to say about God and my relation to Him. And as I began to grasp what she was saying, I realized that her bold opening comments would later come to represent a paradigm-shifting idea she was sharing.
Several years ago, I placed my house on the market to sell with the brave intent of moving clear across the country. However, months went by and there was no sale. I lowered the price twice, and made some minor cosmetic changes to make the property more appealing. Still there was no sale. Then I wondered if maybe this failure to sell was a “sign” from God that I wasn’t supposed to move after all. But then I thought more deeply about it.
If a student of mathematics has trouble solving an equation, that wouldn’t be a “sign” that the problem isn’t solvable. The student knows that because the principles of mathematics are already established, the solution has already been established. She also knows that she is fully capable of understanding and applying those principles correctly in order to find the right answer.
I realized that the fact that my house had failed to sell just meant that my house had not sold, and that believing that circumstance was a “sign” was superstition. To conclude that each event in our human experience – both good and bad – must have divine authority, is as unscientific as believing that the roll of the dice or the numbers on a lottery ticket are sanctioned by heaven.
It was my deep and earnest desire to understand God differently – not as another name for “fate,” but as the divine Principle at work in my life.
When something hoped for doesn’t happen, have you wondered if it’s because of human fault, fate, or a sign from God? This writer reasoned through to an understanding of underlying cause that gave her peace. Read the full article here:
My group of friends and I really didn’t like the way this one girl was acting. She was rude, and she put others down to make herself look good. She’d also singled me out for particularly bad treatment. …
Even though Christ Jesus lived two thousand years ago, I still think of him as my go-to expert on relationships. So in considering how I could think more constructively about this girl, maybe even learn to love her, I took a look at the New Testament in the Bible to see how Jesus treated people who weren’t behaving their best. What I noticed was that Jesus willingly spent time with these individuals whom the Bible calls “sinners.” He even had dinner with them!
Are we willing to sit down, really take the time, and be witnesses to the God-created, good, spiritual nature in those we feel we dislike, even despise? I’ve taken to inviting one person each day to dinner—metaphorically speaking—be it an authority figure I’m unhappy with, or someone I feel hasn’t treated me very nicely. Then, in that quiet place of prayer, I sit with my concept of them until it’s polished,transformed….
In order to read this article “Dinner” with the enemyin it’s entirety please click on the link to JSH-online and find out about one of the best dinner experiences.
Health – Readings from the Bible and the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, … It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones. (The Bible – Proverbs 3: 5, 6, 8)
Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously. (Science and Health p392)
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Every Wednesday at 6.00 pm a Testimony Meeting is held at the Christian Science Church in Canberra. Each meeting begins with readings selected from the two books designated as the Pastor of Christian Science: The Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. A new topic for the readings is selected each week.
At the conclusion of the short readings the congregation is invited to share thoughts on this topic and relate how they have used the principles of Christian Science to solve life’s problems and bring physical healing.
If you are in Canberra on any Wednesday please join us. Everyone is welcome.
This recording represents the readings on the topic: Health
Hate is like sediment in water. It builds up layer upon layer to “clog” the natural flow of relations between individuals or groups till situations explode. There is, however, a way to permanently remove hate. It is to dissolve it with another element—to break it down to the point that, first, it can no longer resist, and then isn’t there anymore. This hate-dissolving element is the love that accompanies the recognition of God’s presence even in desperate situations.
I have seen it work over and over again.
At one point I worked as a delegate of the International Red Cross in countries where internal troubles existed. My main work was to visit political prisoners and to ensure protection to civilian populations according to the Fourth Geneva Convention.*
It’s not easy to cope with the stress of this kind of job. When potential danger and fighting become your daily bread, you can get caught in the circle of hatred.
How do you keep safe, sane, and helpful in such conditions?
Even though Christ Jesus lived two thousand years ago, I still think of him as my go-to expert on relationships. So in considering how I could think more constructively about this girl, maybe even learn to love her, I took a look at the New Testament in the Bible to see how Jesus treated people who weren’t behaving their best. What I noticed was that Jesus willingly spent time with these individuals whom the Bible calls “sinners.” He even had dinner with them!
