The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
Until last year Reggie was a member of our family. He was an elderly rescue dog. We loved him dearly and he lived with us long past his expected ‘use by’ date.
Gradually last year I noticed that he was slowing down and sleeping much of the time. I understand that animals don’t stay with us forever. They come and they bless us, and we them, and they move on. It was starting to feel like Reggie might be about to move on.
One Saturday morning he seemed to be in a long deep sleep. By lunch time it seemed that he was going. He couldn’t be roused and he had lost control of his bodily functions. I sat on the floor beside his bed and turned to God. “Tell me how to think about this,” I asked. Then the question came: “Is it the body that you love?” The answer was, of course, “No!” “Then what? What is it that you love?” I could see so clearly in that moment that this body was an irrelevance. Reggie was very real but he was not just this body.
I sat quietly and the inspirations came. I saw more clearly than I had ever done before, the immortality of life – life that was spiritual, eternal, untouched by matter and material claims. I was so absorbed in these thoughts and what God was teaching me that I forgot to notice the body lying beside me. My husband came to the door to see how he was going and Reggie lifted his head a little and opened his eyes. I offered him some water and he drank it. Within a few minutes he was sitting up. I offered him food which he ate and shortly after that he was up and around. The next day he was quiet but well and happy. By Monday he was urging us to take him for a walk and when we put him on the lead he was first out the door at a run.
Reggie did leave us later that year. Until he went he was well and active and lost none of his faculties. This time when it seemed that he was going I asked God: “What do I need to know about this?” The answer was different. “You know who Reggie is. You have seen this. Trust it. Now is the time to let him go. You don’t need to hang onto the body because you know that it is not the real him!” When he left there were times when I missed him, but I can honestly say I was never sad about his absence. I knew so well that nothing had changed. He was still Reggie – the same gentle, loving giant he had always been. I knew that God was still caring for him just as tenderly.
I look to thee in every need, and never look in vain;
I feel Thy touch, eternal Love, and all is well again: …
Thy hand in all things I behold, And all things in Thy hand.
Thou leadest me by unsought ways, Thou turn’st my mourning into praise.
A young high school student tells how he overcame relentless bullying at his new school. He explains:
For the first two terms in my first year as a high school student, I was bullied relentlessly. Other boys my age experienced the same difficulties. Students in the upper classes would force us to wash their uniforms, make their beds, tie their shoelaces, and so on. Failure to do this led to a beating. In order to avoid that, I would always do whatever the big boys told me to do. When I enrolled in the school, my mum had told me to keep out of trouble, and I wanted to be obedient.
Jimmy goes on to explain how he prayed his way through this situation which resulted in long-term excellent outcomes for the school. He concludes with:
We have become friends, and after winning the position of school president, he (the original bully) has focused on eliminating the culture of bullying in our school.
This article by Jimmy Alfonce Owino was originally published in the Christian Science Journal. Click here to read or listen to his full explanation of how he handled this situation.
In this 3minute podcast Tony challenges us to think about how we identify ourselves … are we right-wing, left-wing, moderate? Or do we identify ourselves in more spiritual terms. How we see ourselves has an impact on the quality of our lives.
A new 3 minute inspirational talk is shared each day Monday-Friday. To listen to more click on the Daily Lift tab in the menu above.
This recording is of readings on the topic: Life That is Spiritual
Never record ages. Chronological data are no part of the vast forever. Time-tables of birth and death are so many conspiracies against manhood and womanhood. Except for the error of measuring and limiting all that is good and beautiful, man would enjoy more than threescore years and ten and still maintain his vigor, freshness, and promise. Man, governed by immortal Mind, is always beautiful and grand. Each succeeding year unfolds wisdom, beauty, and holiness.
Every Wednesday at 6.15pm a Testimony Meeting is held at the Christian Science church in Canberra (corner of Macquarie and Bligh Streets, Barton). At these meetings short readings on a particular topic are followed by time for members of the congregation to share how they have been helped and healed through prayer.
In this 3 minute podcast Andrea talks about how she learned to shift thought away from negative ‘What if …’ thinking and start to ask ‘What is the spiritual truth about this situation?’ She recounts how this kind of change in thinking brought about a quick healing.
An article by Lindsey Biggs from the Christian Science Monitor.
Where does our worth come from? A particular job? How much praise we get from a job well done? Many of us have had to wrestle with such questions.
Lindsey writes:
There was a point when I desired additional employment. I felt there were greater ways that my skill set could be used than in what my role at the time offered.
I regularly turn to prayer when I need help or guidance. Prayer gives me a clearer sense of my (and everyone’s) relation to God. I’ve found that getting a clearer view of what God sees and knows helps me experience more harmony.
In this instance, my prayers led me to write a “spiritual resume” – not to share with prospective employers, but to help me think more deeply about where our true worth lies. What I mean by this is I compiled a list of spiritual qualities I felt I expressed, such as patience, creativity, compassion, timeliness, order, self-discipline, etc.
Click here to read, or listen to, this short article where Lindsey explains how a change of thinking from a material to a spiritual basis brought about long-term, satisfying employment.
In this 3 minute podcast John talks about how people are often identified by their lineage. Nowadays information from DNA tests is frequently used to find out more about an individual’s identity and health prospects. John refers us to the Bible which tells us that God is our creator, our Father-Mother, and he gives an example of how he was healed of a condition, that was supposed to be inherited, by claiming this divine heritage.
Christian Science Canberra 