A Sentinel Watch interview with Mark Swinney
Click here to listen.
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Mark has good news: There is no hopeless case! Mark shares what he’s learned—and experienced—that proves that God’s love truly can bring hope and healing to apparently hopeless situations.
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The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
(KJV Bible – Psalm 27: 1)
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Speak gently to the erring ones,
They must have toiled in vain;
Perchance unkindness made them so;
O win them back again.
Speak gently, ’tis a little thing,
Dropped in the heart’s deep well;
The good, the joy that it may bring,
Eternity shall tell.
(Hymn 315 – verses 2 & 3 from the Christian Science Hymnal)
Readings from the Bible (KJV) and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.
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Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved: for thou art my praise.
(The Bible -Jeremiah 17:14)
God will heal the sick through man, whenever man is governed by God. Truth casts out error now as surely as it did nineteen centuries ago.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p495: 1-3)
“God is Love.” More than this we cannot ask, higher we cannot look, farther we cannot go.
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p6: 17-18)
Love is impartial and universal in its adaptation and bestowals. It is the open fount which cries, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters.”
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p13: 2)
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… I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.
(NKJV Bible – Jeremiah 29: 11)
This article by Mark Swinney was first published in the 8 May 2009 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel. In it Mark talks about how he found confidence in parenting by understanding the nature of God as the Father-Mother of us all. Here is a small sample of what he writes. To read the full article click here.
… If there’s one thing I’ve learned as a parent, it’s this: Truly effective prayer for children results from a conscious acknowledgment of their oneness with God. Just seeing a child as near God, or extremely close to God, is not good enough. Oneness—that’s the true model of God and His offspring. Good parenting holds to the beautiful oneness of God as cause, and child as God’s effect—divine Parent and offspring. I’ve found that if I have even the slightest notion of a separation between God and my child, I become afraid. Yet, as soon as I behold God and my child as one, everything falls into place. Fear dissolves and everything is right. …
1 O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
5 Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me.
7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence.
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me.
14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them!
18 If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.
The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
(The Bible KJV – Job 33: 4)
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He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:
(The Bible KJV – Ecclesiastes 3: 11)
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Father-Mother is the name for Deity, which indicates His tender relationship to His spiritual creation. … “For we are also His offspring.”
(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p332)
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall,
But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
“I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight.These things I will do for them, and not forsake them.”
(The New King James Version Bible – Isaiah 40: 28-31; 41: 10; 42: 16; 65: 21, 23, 25)
Already it’s 2025! Sometimes a new year will cause us to reflect on the year just gone and consider whether we made the most of the opportunities it presented; whether we learned from the challenges; whether we progressed in some way. More likely we will be thinking ahead. Will this be the year I lose weight, exercise more, find a better job? We may even set goals for ourselves.
If we are honest, we must admit that most of our goals are personal ones aren’t they? There is nothing wrong with wanting to be a better version of ourselves in some way, but what if our goals were larger? What would the world be like if we all decided to contribute to making the world a better, more peaceful place? Traditional Christmas carols express hope for ‘peace on earth, good will toward men’. What if this desire was not just a line in a song but our personal goal?
You might ask: How can I make a difference? The world is in such a difficult state – there is poverty, and there are wars, and terrible injustices. How can I help with that, you ask? Every thought and every action contribute to the mental atmosphere of our environment. Are we contributing to a more peaceful environment in our daily interactions? Are we patient and supportive when the person behind the counter is new at their job? Are we gracious in traffic when someone inadvertently cuts us off? Are we forgiving when a waiter makes an error in our order? Are we generous to those less fortunate than ourselves? Every one of these actions contributes to your own and others’ feeling of being loved and valued. Isn’t that what we all need? Isn’t this what really makes life work right?
The Golden Rule: ‘ Treat others as you would want to be treated’, isn’t just a Christian saying. A quick Google search reveals that it is a core demand of every major religion and school of thought. The world knows that it is love that makes things work right. This time next year when we look back on 2025, let’s hope we can all say that we contributed to the peace of the world. Starting right here with our everyday actions we can do our part in building peace.
This article was contributed by Deborah Packer, a member of the Canberra Christian Science community.
Christian Science Canberra 