An article from the Christian Science Monitor by Laura Clayton
Recently a relative said she had been feeling concerned about the future. She had been thinking about a possible move, wondering where and when she and her husband might settle next. We talked about the idea of living in God’s “now” – staying grounded in gratitude for today’s many blessings, joyfully being where we are right at the present moment. After our discussion, she said she immediately felt better, lighter, and more peaceful.
Christ Jesus assured his followers, “Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself” (Matthew 6:34). The type of living in the present now that brings lasting peace and inspired solutions is not just some clever mental game. It’s a spiritual awakening based on the timeless spiritual fact of our unity with God, good.
In this article Laura goes on to explain the spiritual reasoning she used to find a perfect solution to a family member’s accommodation problem. She concludes: Each of us can wake up to the spiritual reality of today that helps bring a more harmonious tomorrow.
An article by Sharon Morash Brooks from the July 6 2020 Christian Science Sentinel
As the COVID-19 crisis deepened, I turned to Mary Baker Eddy’s short article titled “Contagion” (see Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896,pp. 228–229) for insight and inspiration. A number of years ago I read that article almost every day for over a year. I share this testimony in the hope that it will help others.
When my daughter started preschool, she and my husband brought home every contagious ailment that was going around and unwittingly shared them with her little brother and me. We toppled like dominoes. I was dismayed at what seemed an enormous challenge.
Click hereto read or listen to the full article in which Sharon describes the spiritual reasoning she employed to quickly dismiss this and other episodes of contagion that seemed to threaten the well-being of her family.
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.
In this 3 minute podcast Robert talks about how listening to love songs reminded him of the love that is God, and helped him to see God who is love expressed throughout his day.
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A new Daily Lift is released each week day. To listen to current Lifts click on the Daily Lift tab in the menu bar above.
Take away wealth, fame, and social organizations, which weigh not one jot in the balance of God, and we get clearer views of Principle. Break up cliques, level wealth with honesty, let worth be judged according to wisdom, and we get better views of humanity.
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
Two years ago on a Monday afternoon Canberra was struck by a hailstorm of such ferocity that thousands of cars were destroyed and buildings severely damaged. I was working on this day and had to deliver meeting documents to Government House in Canberra.
On my way out of the grounds of Government House the security guard at the gate let me know there was a big storm brewing and asked if I would be all right driving. I assured him I would be fine.
Before I got to the turn-off, the storm broke and hail came pelting down. My first thought was perhaps I should turn around but I decided to carry on. When I reached the road which leads onto the main road, I noticed both sides were packed with parked cars, even on the nature strip and there was no place for my car. I thought I might carry on slowly to the main road.
Suddenly there was a loud bang against the car door and I thought I might have run into another car. When I looked towards my mirror there was only an object which I did not recognise for a moment but then I realised it was the mirror holder without a mirror. A strong gust of wind must have blown it against the door which caused the bang.
I was becoming a little rattled, when a thought from the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scripturesby Mary Baker Eddy came to mind, page 469: “We bury the sense of infinitude, when we admit that, although God is infinite, evil has a place in this infinity, for evil can have no place where all space is filled with God”. I am God’s protected child, and I am surrounded by God within this perfect space where evil and inharmony cannot enter.
Another thought came to me from the Christian Science Hymnal, hymn 148, “In heavenly Love abiding, no change my heart shall fear; and safe is such confiding for nothing changes here. The storm may roar about me, my heart may low be laid; but God is round about me, and can I be dismayed?”
With these thoughts I headed onto the main road; there was no other traffic but lots of hail, tree branches and twigs. I drove slowly to my place of work thinking on these wonderful God thoughts which calmed me and brought a sense of peace. I reached work unharmed and with no further damage to my car. I thanked God for His protection and guidance.
I feel privileged to be a member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Canberra, and for duties I have been able to perform such as Second Reader, board membership, ushering and Reading Room attendant.
“To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever.”
This recording is of readings on the topic: Reality – Found in Matter or Mind?
Metaphysics is above physics, and matter does not enter into metaphysical premises or conclusions. The categories of metaphysics rest on one basis, the divine Mind. Metaphysics resolves things into thoughts, and exchanges the objects of sense for the ideas of Soul. …
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 Brian comments that a manger is perhaps the most humble resting place for the child that was heralded as the Messiah that could be imagined. This, he says, is an example to us that if we are to draw close to God we too must be humble – humble enough to put aside our own wishes and listen to the divine message.
Click here to read or listen to the full article, Why a Manger?, by Brian published in the December 13 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel.
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.
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
Christmas in Canberra is typically hot and dry, and this day—two days after the holiday—was a particularly hot one. Our son, 13 years old at the time, asked if we could drop him and his friend at the public swimming pool in town. My husband and I needed to do some grocery shopping, so we agreed to drop the boys off and pick them up in a couple of hours when we had finished. Both boys were confident swimmers, and we knew the pool was well supervised.
When we returned my husband ran in to collect the boys. I watched them walk across the carpark towards the car. The friend was dressed and carrying his sports bag. Our son wore only his swimmers; he did not have his bag, and he looked particularly dejected. He explained that he had rented a locker for his gear, but when he returned, he’d found his locker empty. Each locker has a separate code that is created afresh each time it is rented, which seemed a particularly safe system. I asked him what he’d had in his bag.
This Christmas had promised to be quite a lean one for us. My husband was between jobs, and although we usually don’t make a big deal of Christmas presents, this year all our son’s presents were of a practical nature since he would start high school in February. His grandparents had given him cash so he would have spending money for the summer break and outings at school; someone else had given him a new watch; someone else a wallet. A swimming towel, new joggers, sports bag, new summer clothes—all came as presents from the family. All his needs had been met, and he was thrilled with the generosity that had been shown. In his enthusiasm, our son had put all his gifts into his new sports bag and had even worn his new shorts and T-shirt to the pool. All now appeared to be gone.
My husband explained that he had had a conversation with the pool manager. The manager had concluded that the only way someone could have gained access to the locker was if they deliberately stood behind him and watched when he entered the code. My husband had offered to come back in the morning to see if the bag had been handed in, but the manager insisted that my husband should consider it gone.
It was a quiet trip home, but this gave me plenty of praying time.
My first thought was that it was too late to pray; that the bag was gone. Immediately, I realized that this line of thinking contained a number of errors. I reasoned that God never made a human timeline; with God there is only ever the infinite now. It was my duty to deal with whatever thoughts were being presented to me now. And, in fact, that is all I can ever do! Right now if the thought is coming that an injustice has been done to my family or me, then now is the time to deal with it. It is never too late to pray.
The next thought that came was one of indignation that someone could do this unkind thing to our son. Again I was alert and challenged this negative thought. I stood firm with the conviction that God’s man is honest, principled, kind.
A third and subtler suggestion intruded on my thought. I found I was beginning to add up the dollar value of the goods in the bag and feeling great concern about how we would be able to replace them before school started in a few weeks. But then I recognised that God is our source of supply—in fact, our source of all good. His abundance never runs out. I left off adding up the cost, knowing that with God, “My cup runneth over” (Psalms 23:5).
With these thoughts I felt peaceful. I relaxed in God’s love, knowing that He was in control. The next morning, my husband announced that he was going back to the pool to check whether the bag had turned up. Our son went with him.
An hour later, two smiling faces arrived home. They explained that the manager had found the bag—to his great surprise—at the end of the day in one of the cubicles in the girls’ change room. On checking they found that nothing was missing. The wallet still contained all the Christmas gift money! Our son said that the manager kept saying that it was a mystery that someone would steal the bag and then just leave it intact.
This experience helped me to see more clearly that we are only ever dealing with thought. Our thoughts and our beliefs determine our experience. Mary Baker Eddy cautions us in the textbook of Christian Science to “Stand porter at the door of thought” (Science and HealthwithKey to the Scriptures p. 392).
She also writes, “Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts” (Science and Health, p. 261). This experience allowed me to demonstrate the eternal truth of this statement. I am infinitely grateful for all that I am learning through Christian Science.
The members of the Christian Science community in Canberra share their experiences and thoughts on Christian Science:
One of my roles in the years just before I retired was to organise the annual regional conference for the large state government department I worked for. These events were attended by over 300 participants and included one main keynote speaker and approximately 48 breakout sessions. Planning took many months. In order to secure an exceptional keynote speaker, it was necessary to book at least twelve months in advance.
This particular year I managed to secure a booking with someone I knew to be not only at the forefront of his specialist area, but an excellent and engaging speaker. He was pleased to be asked and at the initial interview we discussed a timeline for when he would give me details of his talk and materials for hand outs etc. During the year we touched base a couple of times and all seemed to be going to plan. However, when we were about a month out from the event he still hadn’t given me the material I was expecting and wasn’t answering my calls or emails.
Eventually I managed to make contact with his support staff. They said that he had been in hospital with a very severe case of pneumonia and even after a couple of months he was not well enough to be back at work. I said I would make contact again in a week or so to see how he was progressing. This time I managed to talk to the speaker himself. He said that although he was still very ill and weak he felt sure he would improve enough to be able to do the talk. We touched base several times over the next couple of weeks but his health was not improving. He seemed keen not to let me down and said that he would bring his wife to support him and possibly do the talk sitting down. He thought then he might possibly manage. This was still the situation, the day before the conference and it was extremely tempting to be very worried. I did not want this dear man to jeopardise his health but I also knew that the opening address was a very important part of the conference.
I have been raised in Christian Science and I’ve learnt over many years that there are spiritual laws that can be relied upon when challenges arise. So I prayed to see things from a spiritual, rather than a human perspective. I knew that this conference was a right idea. Among other things it was an opportunity for participants and presenters to share ideas that worked and to collectively rise to higher levels of performance. I knew that all right ideas are God’s because I have come to know God as infinite Mind and the source of all good. I have also come to know God as Love and that Love is not just a feeling but a divine law. This law ensured the safety of all; this law held everyone in their right place and maintained harmony. I thought on these and similar ideas until I felt a sense of calm – a strong sense that all was well. The night before the conference I slept peacefully expectant of good unfolding.
The following evening was the meet and greet and the conference opening dinner. When I arrived the hall was already abuzz with excited participants. Quickly I noticed that there was quite a gathering of people over near the bar. In the centre of this someone was holding the floor and entertaining a small crowd. As I moved closer I realised that was my keynote speaker. He greeted me with a huge grin. ‘You wouldn’t believe what happened’, he said. ‘You know how I’ve been so sick for the last few months. Well last night, it was like a switch flicked and instantly I was completely well. I haven’t felt this well in years. Look at me now!’ His excitement and enthusiasm spilled over into the group and he continued to entertain them. Needless to say his talk was a great success, as was the rest of the conference.
Every day I am grateful for what I am learning in Christian Science. It teaches me to be calm in the face of challenges; it teaches me to turn away from the human scenario and to acknowledge the spiritual truths; it teaches me that there are spiritual laws that apply to all life and if understood and trusted these laws will adjust any discordant situation.
Christian Science Canberra 