Spiritview

The value of stillness

2012-01-27T00:05:00.000-08:00

Below is a link to a well-written article on the value and necessity of stillness in our life.

With the constant noise and rush-rush of fast-paced living and mind-numbing, attention-sucking pull of the Internet, people need stillness and quiet to stay in touch with their spiritual sense.

Author Pico Iyer has shared some useful insights on the benefit of quietness in his piece,

“The Joy of Quiet”

Enjoy.

Who knows the future?

2012-01-26T00:05:00.000-08:00

I chuckled when I read the below predictions and observations by experts in their respective fields. Anyone trying to divine the future from current evidence of the senses is liable to miss the mark enormously.

With divine Mind, all things are possible.

It's safer to reason out from what is possible with God and then expectantly see what happens, than to draw a material conclusion that locks out greater possibilities.

"Man will never reach the Moon regardless of all future scientific advances."

~ Dr. Lee DeForest, "Father of Radio & Grandfather of Television."

"Computers in the future may weigh no more than 1.5 tons."

~ Popular Mechanics, forecasting the relentless march of science, 1949

"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."

~ Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM, 1943

"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a fad that won't last out the year."

~ The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957

"But what is it good for?"

~ Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.

"640K ought to be enough for anybody."

~ Bill Gates, 1981

"This 'telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us."

~ Western Union internal memo, 1876

The infinite resources of God

2012-01-25T00:05:00.000-08:00

People sometimes have difficulty understanding how the infinite resources of divine Love pay bills and meet human needs.

Christian Science explains that we live in a universe of Mind where things are thoughts and ideas are substance.

The human mind misinterprets God’s resources. The material mind says, “God’s resources are paychecks and currency, stocks and bonds, meat and bread. And then it strives to accumulate these material things in order to have supply. But the premise and the goal are misinformed.

God’s resources are spiritual. They are ideas, wisdom, inspired insight, and intelligent action, an attitude humble enough to listen and follow God’s direction, a willingness to admit mistakes and correct them, an unending expectancy of good, unwavering love. Everyone has equal and free access to these resources and the ability to put them to profitable use.

To understand that God’s resources are spiritual and available at all times makes fearing lack impossible.

It’s like having ten billion dollars in the bank and incurring modest expenses for daily living. You might have $100 in your wallet that you spend at the grocery store. But when the $100 is spent, you have no fear of lack in your wallet because you have ten billion dollars in your bank account to draw upon before your next trip to the market.

It’s the same with drawing upon God’s infinite resources. The resources of divine Love may look like a $100 bill one day, but they are not. The resources are always further inspiration, wisdom and love coming from God that causes you to make intelligent decisions in your everyday business transactions that in turn lead to daily supplies. The resources are always of divine Mind, never of matter, and they never run out. They are infinite, inexhaustible.

Draw upon the “ten billion dollars,” you have in the bank with God today. It’s not deposited down at the local Wells Fargo bank. It’s sitting in divine Mind, and it’s yours to use freely and abundantly.

Enjoy the wealth.

Where are you headed?

2012-01-24T00:08:00.000-08:00

Are you clear on the direction your life is taking? Do you know where you are headed and what the outcome will be?

One of the Peter Principles tells it well:

“If you don’t know where you’re going, you will probably end up somewhere else.” Laurence J. Peter

Where are you headed with your employment, your family, your personal life, your spiritual study …? If you are not clear on the spiritual outcome you expect to demonstrate, mortal mind may be the influence along the way making decisions for you. It’s like daydreaming. The daydreamer has no idea where thought may end up.

The better way is to get focused—focused on demonstrating Christ, Truth, in every activity. Christ leads the way to heaven here and now.

Put living and expressing Christ first in the workplace, at home, with the family, in your personal life and spiritual study. The rewards are eternal and the benefits unsurpassed.

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” NLT, Phil3:14

“No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” JesusChrist

Are your assumptions correct?

2012-01-24T00:03:00.000-08:00

Your assumptions are your

windows on the world.

Scrub them off once in a while,

or the light won't come in.

~ Alan Alda

Feats of the daring

2012-01-23T00:05:00.000-08:00

Here’s a four-minute video compilation of athletes performing daring feats that give the viewer pause.

There is not any direct spiritual message, but the eye-popping clips send an underlying message of what one can do when there is no fear to hamper or halt the action.

“Had Blondin believed it impossible to walk the rope over Niagara's abyss of waters, he could never have done it. His belief that he could do it gave his thought-forces, called muscles, their flexibility and power which the unscientific might attribute to a lubricating oil. His fear must have disappeared before his power of putting resolve into action could appear.” ~Mary Baker Eddy

Weather Prayers

2012-01-20T00:05:00.001-08:00

It seemed pretentious, even egotistical, to presume that any prayer uttered by me could impact an international weather condition. And I have no proof that it did. But I’ll tell you what happened…

Over the last month or so, there has been a serious shortfall of snow in the northwest part of the USA where I live. In years past, the Blue Mountains, near my home, had up to eight feet of snow by now. This year, it was around two feet and no new snow was falling.

I didn’t realize the severity of the situation until articles started popping up in the press around here warning residents of a water crisis in the making.

Then, about a week ago on the CBS Evening News, Scott Pelley had a sophisticated computer-graphic on screen to show the world why there was a major shortage of precipitation in Canada and the upper half of the US. Simply put, a monumental wind pressure system was creating a barrier south of the Arctic Circle that prevented moisture from moving further south and blessing North America.

As I watched the arrows swirling around on the TV screen outlining this formidable wall of so-called Mother Nature that kept rain from moving south, I thought, “I can pray about this. There is no law of God keeping that moisture locked up north where it is not needed. There is a law of God that removes that wall, allows the moisture to move south and drop where it’s needed.”

At first, I thought, “Your prayer isn’t going to make any difference. Why even pray?” But then I remembered what Christian Science had taught me about waking up to reality and improving the human condition around us.

We live in a universe of divine Mind where conditions and circumstances are determined by God, Spirit. Through spiritual sense, we find this control and experience more of it. What appears to be lack, chaos and disaster is ignorance of God’s harmonious control. I had learned over the years that as a better understanding of God’s control is gained, the discord disappears.

So, I realized, it didn’t make any difference how many millions of people believed in a water shortage, or how many laws the physical sciences argued were holding that harmful weather pattern in place. None of it had any effect in God’s universe where divine Mind determines all weather patterns and placement of resources. In truth, there was not a high pressure system preventing showers from moving south to North America.

I found great peace in my prayer, knowing that God’s laws supersede and overrule all physical laws and maintain balance and order. I didn’t outline what I expected to happen on earth, but felt assurance that the right thing would happen at the right time.

A few days later, guess what happened? Snow! In fact, lots of it in many parts of the region. Some would say too much. But what a nice change in such a short period of time.

I’d venture a guess that many of you have been praying about the weather too. It makes a difference!

I haven’t heard if the pressure system up north is gone, but I do know we’re getting needed precipitation. And that’s very good.

A picture from one of my office windows:

God's beautiful creation

2012-01-19T00:08:00.000-08:00

Let the beauty we love become the good we do.

~ Rumi

Beauty takes many different forms. It can be found in a work of art, in a cheerful child’s face, a well-managed activity, an uplifting melody, a culinary delight, a well written book, a still lake, a grand mountain. But it’s never the matter associated with the form that constitutes the beauty. It’s a quality of God—the inspiration behind the work, the innocence and purity, the order, the thoughtfulness and care, the intelligence and peace, the majesty and might, that awes perspective and transforms outlook. It changes us for the better when we behold and appreciate it.

Let the beauty you behold today become the beauty you express tomorrow…

Finding God's good in Spirit

2012-01-19T00:04:00.000-08:00

The best and most beautiful things in this world

cannot be seen or even heard,

but must be felt with the heart.

~ Helen Keller

Don't be a murderer

2012-01-18T00:05:00.000-08:00

“Anyone who hates another brother or sister

is really a murderer at heart.”

NLT, I John 3:15

I’ve never thought of myself as a murderer, but there has been a person or two over the decades who has brought less than kindly thoughts out of my thinking.

John, in the above verse, tells me that any thought of hatred toward another is much darker, evil, and more violent than probably assumed. It’s not innocent at all. It’s murder! That’s a very strong accusation.

But John is right.

When we hate a brother, we deny their God-given individuality. We refuse to acknowledge they have worth or value. We despise them. We dishonor them. We think evil of them. We are as a prison warden wanting to banish them into solitary confinement and leave them to suffer in endless misery with no hope of consolation or compassion from anyone anywhere. In essence, we want them removed, eliminated, taken away, or as John says, murdered.

This is not a healthy way to think for ourselves or for others…

I think Jesus had a better way…”Love one another,” even when there’s a cross to bear to keep on loving.

The sentence of justice on a murderer is severe. The sentence on one who loves is heavenly—eternal life.

What’s your choice?

Innocence... :-)

2012-01-17T00:05:00.000-08:00

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer of the church staring up at a large plaque. It was covered with names and small American flags mounted on either side of it. The 6-year-old had been staring at the plaque for some time, so the pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, "Good morning Alex."

"Good morning Pastor," he replied, still focused on the plaque. "Pastor, what is this?"

The Pastor said, "Well son, it's a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service."

Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque.

Finally, little Alex's voice, barely audible and trembling with fear asked, "Which service, the 8:00 or the 10:30?"

How good can things get?

2012-01-16T00:05:00.000-08:00

On occasion, the economic news pouring over the media is depressing, disheartening and discouraging. Woes in Europe, gridlock in Washington D.C., a bloated real estate bubble in China, government budget cutbacks, and more, can paint a dismal picture.

“How bad can things get?” is a theme many doom and gloom peddlers love to pontificate on.

It’s important to defend our thinking from prolific negativity if we wish to stay successful and strong!

I prefer to ask, “How good can things get?,” rather than dwell on the contrary.

God is good. God is everywhere. God’s good is built into our being and destined to be expressed, lived, demonstrated and manifested fully by us.

To increase our demonstration of God’s goodness, thought needs to be focused on the direction we wish to take. It can’t be looking down in a hole of darkness and despair and take in the bright wholesome light that comes from above.

So, don’t be looking down. Look up! Look up to your Source, your Creator, your Maker.

God has only good in Mind for you! And it is unlimited, infinite, without end.

With God taking the lead in your life, things can get really really good!

How good? Totally good. That’s what life is—magnificently, completely, wholly and beautifully Good.

Life is Good. And it’s yours to live.

Expect spontaneous good

2012-01-13T00:08:00.000-08:00

I was reading a blog by editor John Yemma in The Christian Science Monitor, January 2, 2012, where he mentioned the difficulty of making predictions about the future.

“Experts” often get it wrong because they base their projections on what they know today. But along the way, totally unexpected events occur that change everything. New technology is discovered, leaders with visionary ideas appear on the scene, economies tank or rise. The point being, it’s very hard for the human mind to predict far ahead because the future is not necessarily the product of today. It’s the outcome of what happens tomorrow.

This made me think about individual expectations.

When you form expectations about the New Year, do you base predictions on what you expect to happen next month on what you are experiencing right now?

For instance, if you have little money in your pocket today, do you expect to struggle financially the rest of the year? If you are unemployed, do you expect to stay unemployed? If you feel overweight, do you expect to remain overweight?

If so, there’s a better way!

Instead of projecting your future based on material observations today, drop the matter-based conclusions and reason out from Spirit.

In Spirit, good happens spontaneously. There is no material lead-up to it. It just happens.

God is spontaneous good. God is causing good things to happen all the time. He knows our needs before we think we have a need. And the need is always supplied. The more we recognize this truth, the more we see it happen in our lives, and often in unexpected ways.

A man reported to me recently that he was unemployed and without money to pay his bills. He attended my “Living in Abundance,” lecture and readily took in my explanation of all supply coming from God and present here and now. He believed it and prayed with it. A few days later, a neighbor, without any warning whatsoever, took out her checkbook and wrote him a $2000 check. She explained to him that she felt compelled to do it and was able to do it. No strings attached.

The funds were sufficient to pay all the man’s bills and bring him current. Spontaneous good!

Expect it in your life. Don’t look for it materially. Know it is present spiritually, and trust the outward form it takes to be perfect for the moment in which it arrives.

God’s spontaneous good is a wonderful gift to welcome into your life.

With God now

2012-01-13T00:04:00.000-08:00

The lure of the distant and the difficult is deceptive.

The great opportunity is where you are.

~ John Burroughs

The richness of the 23rd Psalm

2012-01-12T00:05:00.000-08:00

TWENTY THIRD PSALM

The Lord is my shepherd;
THAT'S RELATIONSHIP

I shall not want.
THAT'S SUPPLY!

He maketh me to lie down
in green pastures:
THAT'S REST!

He leadeth me beside still waters.
THAT'S REFRESHMENT!

He restoreth my soul;
THAT'S HEALING!

He leadeth me in the paths
of righteousness
THAT'S GUIDANCE!

For His name sake.
THAT'S PURPOSE!

Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death,
THAT'S TESTING!

I will fear no evil;
THAT'S PROTECTION!

For Thou art with me:
THAT'S FAITHFULNESS!

Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.
THAT'S DISCIPLINE!

Thou preparest a table before me
in the presence of mine enemies:
THAT'S HOPE!

Thou anointest my head with oil;
THAT'S CONSECRATION!

My cup runneth over.
THAT'S ABUNDANCE!

Surely goodness and mercy shall
follow me all the days of my life:
THAT'S BLESSING!

And I will dwell in the house of the Lord
THAT'S SECURITY!

forever.
THAT'S ETERNITY!

~ Author unknown

Do you love the right things?

2012-01-11T00:05:00.000-08:00

Ever since I discovered the second edition of the New Living Translation of the Bible last summer, I’m falling in love with the Bible again. The NLT is so understandable and easy to read. Spiritual meaning and truths that get hidden in the old English of the King James Version jump off the page in practical, everyday relevant terms in this version.

For instance, I was studying I John last week, and I found a remedy for craving. Here it is:

“Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see…" I John 2:15, 16

John’s primary message in these verses is to direct the desires of his reader from seeking the things of a material world to seeking the riches and comforts of Spirit. One pursuit forsakes the other, he instructs. The pursuit of spiritual understanding and the pursuit of material gain is a direct trade-off. There is no in-between. It’s like black and white.

But he also casts light on how to resolve the troublesome issue for many of craving.

Have you ever been the victim of a craving? Perhaps a craving for chocolate, coffee, spending, attention, recognition, status, money, power, prestige…? If so, John is telling you how to conquer that out-of-control desire. It’s a call to love God more and the material thing you crave less. You can’t love both at the same time. One is a trade-off for the other. So, the question looms, “What is more important? Eating another candy bar for fleeting satisfaction, or welcoming Christ into your life for eternal and permanent peace? You can make the better choice.

A little is a lot

2012-01-10T00:05:00.000-08:00

It’s not how much money we have that makes the critical difference, but how well we use what we have.

Here’s a video that shows how a pittance can have life-transforming consequences…when used with purpose and unselfish intent.

It’s nine minutes long, but worth watching if you have the time.

Keep disease out of thought

2012-01-09T00:08:00.000-08:00

With the onslaught of depressing medical updates and reports of aggressive disease pouring into the population’s mind through the media, it is vital that one vigorously defend thought from any fear of disease ever getting lodged there.

The human body is human thought. Whatever is held in the human thought governing a particular body is prone to show up on that body, if not checked, because the body and thought are essentially one and the same.

So, if you don’t want to carry a disease around in your body, be sure to never let it take up residence in your thought. A consciousness of Truth and Love are your sure defense!

Success requires daily prayer and spiritual watchfulness. It takes metaphysical “work.” But the work is worth the reward and protection that result.

“One should never hold in mind the thought of disease,

but should efface from thought all forms and types of disease,

both for one’s own sake and for that of the patient.”

~Mary Baker Eddy

Cavity healed

2012-01-09T00:04:00.000-08:00

There is an inspiring testimony in the Christian Science Sentinel, December 12, 2011, for those interested in how to pray more effectively about teeth issues.

Russell Whittaker reported that while waiting to make a scheduled appointment to have a cavity filled, he prayed for healing. The angel thought came to him of, “Whole, not hole.” He laughed at the notion, but it broke the mesmerism.

When he went for his appointment the dentist couldn’t find a cavity any longer. The tooth was perfect. And Rusty hasn’t had another one in over 20 years since.

The best exercise program

2012-01-06T00:05:00.000-08:00

I’ve often had students of Christian Science who love to run, swim, workout or participate in vigorous sports, express guilt about their routines in light of the reality that in absolute Truth, man is a spiritual being expressing a spiritual God in a spiritual way. They fear that their workout programs are too materialistic and are holding them back in significant spiritual ways.

The first question I ask is, “What are you doing with your thought? Is your thought working out with Truth, or is it absorbed into the physical body?”

And that is the important issue, I believe.

I love to play tennis. But I don’t play for physical reasons. I play for spiritual reasons. I love the challenge, the demand to demonstrate more authority and dominion over the body, figuring out game strategy, the diversity and variety of activity it adds to my life, and the freedom I feel when making progress with my strokes and playing, coordination and flexibility on the court.

For the dedicated metaphysician who happens to love sports, running or working out also, it is crucial to be honest with motives and intents. If the intent is solely physical, focused on sculpting the body, diagnosing, measuring, weighing and recording flesh/mass statistics, then any sense of the spiritual man is going to feel distant, remote, and even absent. These aims are very materialistic.

Man is not in matter. Man is a spiritual idea of God, discovered in divine Mind, not in the flesh.

But if the intent is to glorify God in ways that make sense for you and feel right for your expression of individuality, your exercise routine can be spiritually profitable, for your thought will not be focused on flesh and muscles, but on God’s ideas and qualities and how to better express them.

The Bible commands, “Exercise thyself to godliness!” That’s the best exercise program I know of.

It’s not necessary to have weight-lifting equipment in your home to exercise yourself in a godly way. But everyone has a unique individuality that expresses God in different ways. Some people love to run. Some people love to throw a ball. Some people love to sit and compute. Some people enjoy lifting weights. Some people love to read.

But the bottom line is not what you’re doing with the body. It’s what are you doing with your thought?

Is your thought spiritually improving? Are you growing closer to God? Are you demonstrating more dominion over matter, over the body, over age beliefs? Are you expressing your spiritual individuality better? If the answer is yes, your exercise program is a success.

Stillpower versus willpower

2012-01-05T00:08:00.000-08:00

Do you know the difference and why it matters?

Here’s an interesting article that explains how willpower gets in the way higher achievements. It uses athletic analogies, but the rules can be applied to any aspect of life.

“Stillpower: The True Path to Flow, Clarity, and Responsiveness,” by Jake Cook.

Prepare for the blessing

2012-01-05T00:04:00.000-08:00

Mistakes are lessons that prepare us for greater blessings headed our way.

~ Evan

Are you aiming for the right goal?

2012-01-04T00:08:00.000-08:00

Have you ever gotten frustrated, discouraged or upset about a situation that is not changing for the better despite your best efforts? If so, it might be time to examine your motive. Are you working for a spiritual or a material outcome?

If working for a material outcome, human and physical ways and means will be employed, and results from those efforts can be very frustrating or even nonexistent because of their limited possibilities.

If working for a spiritual outcome, the infinite resources of divine Mind are relied upon, and hope and joy abounds, for there are no limits on what can be discovered and experienced in the realm of the infinite.

In Science we are not mortals trying to improve a

mortal condition.

We are immortals demonstrating the spiritual facts of being.

There is a big difference between the two approaches!

The blinking lights

2012-01-03T00:05:00.000-08:00

I read a story in the December 12, 2011, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel, that illustrates how a spiritually illuminated thought can see things the physical senses cannot see.

Steve Berrie, in the article, “Ocean Rescue—with a Psalm at the Helm,” reported that his brother and a friend got lost at sea. His boat motor was out of fuel, and his cell phone about dead.

Steve, his dad, and an experienced captain set out in another boat. It was nearing midnight when they got to sea. They could not make phone contact. They were supposed to look for blinking lights, but as Steve surveyed the ocean-scape, there were thousands of “blinking lights” everywhere from the moonlight, starlight, and boat lights glimmering off the water’s surface.

Steve prayed for guidance, and found spiritual peace in Psalm139 that reassured him that God was everywhere, and his brother was safe in God’s love and care. After a bit of quiet, he saw some blinking lights that appeared brighter than the rest. His dad and friend could not see them, so they trusted his direction as they headed that way. The lights took them right to his brother, who was curled up in a ball on the boat’s floor, shivering and barely able to speak. He had fallen into the water earlier.

Steve said to the other guy with his brother, “Good thing you were flashing your lights!” The guy responded, “I haven’t flashed the lights for hours, I was afraid it would kill the battery.”

After reading the article, I asked, “What lights did Steve see? They were not material lights. They were not seen by the physical eye. But Steve saw them.”

They were spiritual lights, created by God, and discerned by Steve’s spiritual sense to show him the way.

In light of this story, a question to ponder:

Are you aware of the “blinking lights” God is flashing for your direction and guidance today?

How I dealt with noisy neighbors

2012-01-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

During a short lecture trip to Roseburg, Oregon, recently, I stayed a night at a Courtyard Marriott up north near the Eugene airport.

After I unpacked and ironed my clothes for the lecture the next day, I set up my computer at the desk, and settled in for an evening of answering emails, returning phone calls and giving treatments for patients.

As the hours progressed, a father and young son moved into the room next door.

How did I know?

Well, the little boy had a very exuberant and loud voice!

“Hey dad, look at this! Hey dad, let’s bounce on the bed! Hey, dad let’s go swimming. Hey dad…” He was having a grand time in the hotel, and I could hear almost every word of the conversation.

I was so absorbed into my metaphysical work, that I didn’t pay much notice. I chuckled a bit to myself, rejoiced in the young one's joy and innocence, and was happy that dad could spend some time with his son.

Another hour or two passed…

As 10:00 p.m. approached, I finished my work, shut the computer down and sat a few minutes in silence planning next steps.

I noticed that the boy was as talkative and as loud as ever.

Suddenly, I started to feel annoyed. Critical and judgmental thoughts toward these neighbors dominated my point of view.

“It's almost bedtime,” an inner voice fumed. “They should be quieter. They should respect their neighbors. Don’t they realize this is a hotel? Maybe I should change rooms?....” And so on, were swelling to unpleasant mental heights.

“Wait a minute!” I protested. “These aren’t my feelings.”

And I went on to remember that for 2 or 3 hours the noise hadn’t bothered me one little bit. I was aware of it, but hadn’t let it become an issue in my mind. I had sent love their way, and continued in love in my own prayerful work. I had been very peaceful all evening, despite the bedroom playground operating at full bore next door.

Why the sudden change in sentiment? I asked.

It was malicious animal magnetism at large, I agreed.

Malicious animal magnetism is a term used in Christian Science to define all the evil in the world that would wipe out harmony, love and peace in people’s lives, if not resisted.

I needed to resist malicious animal magnetism, I could see.

So I prayed to see the opposite.

I remembered that there was one God in both of those hotel rooms. It was also managing the atmosphere and conditions of the whole complex. There was one Mind reflected by me and by my neighbors, I knew. And that meant that we all got along with each other, that we understood each other, that we respected each other, that we were thoughtful toward one another, that there was no competition between us, and that we all could sleep in harmony that night with no source of conflict to cause any type of discord, unrest, or obnoxious noise. All of God’s children live in harmony with each other, I accepted.

My thought got lost in these truths. I continued to pray, brush my teeth, and get ready for bed.

By the time my head hit the pillow, I realized the noise next door had totally stopped. They were in bed, too, and quietly so.

We had a very peaceful night.

Happy New Year

2011-12-30T00:05:00.000-08:00

It’s out with one year and in with another one. To the eternal life that God has given us to live, it doesn’t matter whether a moment is identified with 2011 or 2012. The goodness of God is always present to the fullest degree and available for us to experience at its very best.

May your New Year not be a mortal year -- measured in terms of days past, deadlines reached and met, and dollars earned -- but a God Year, measured in terms of spiritual growth attained, love reflected, wisdom shared, neighbors' lives touched with healing, and spirituality lived and expressed.

Enjoy your weekend, and have a Happy New Year.

Don't grow old

2011-12-29T00:05:00.000-08:00

When I was a teen or in my twenties, I didn’t think much about age. It seemed quite irrelevant and unnecessary. Now that a few decades have passed, the topic comes up more frequently in conversations with friends and neighbors, and in other ways, such as through advice columns in the media for financial and health planning for people at my age, and so on. I don’t ignore the topic anymore. I take it head on with truth and counteract the beliefs that are often attached with advancing years. I believe it’s the wise thing to do.

At a recent lecture, one woman told me I was much younger than I am. This happens to me frequently. But as I was driving back to my hotel for the evening, I prayed about her comments to be sure that I had the right perspective.

I reminded myself that God’s child is not an aging mortal. God’s child is an immortal ageless being who fully reflects all of Life’s qualities forever. Our strength, faculties, abilities, consciousness, memory, beauty, and everything else that constitute our individuality, are immortal, coming from God, fully and completely at all times. And not just in a remote place called heaven. But right here on earth! “Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven.”

And then I thought about the different kinds of experiences humans have with aging. Some people age gracefully, beautifully, retaining their health, vigor, and beauty. Others have opposite experiences. And the difference is the belief systems behind the experiences. Thinking that is illuminated with the spiritual reality of Life, consciously or unconsciously, is going to have a much better aging experience than thought immersed in beliefs that deny spiritual health and harmony, or is laden with fears about “growing old.”

Then it occurred to me, “You don’t have to grow older with time.”

I loved it!

I suddenly lost my fear of advancing years. Passing years do not sever our relationship to God, the source of our health, strength and well being. God gives us these things no matter what age we identify with. Years are not an enemy. Age is not an enemy.

What’s the big deal about ages and time? There is no “big deal.” Life is eternal. That’s the reality that never changes, and is the place thought needs to stay.

I don’t have to grow older with time…

You don’t either.

Progress requires change

2011-12-28T00:05:00.000-08:00

I was discussing progress and change with a fellow church member recently, and we noted how some people fear change.

These people typically have grown accustomed to a certain order and way of doing things over the years, and they feel threatened when plans are made to change that order.

For thinkers who are full of new ideas and fresh ways of doing things, the kind of resistance and opposition that surfaces from an entrenched perspective can feel maddening and highly discouraging at times.

But as I thought about this further, especially in the context of church work, I realized that if a group of people is praying for progress for their organization, there has to be change. There cannot be progress without change. If there is no change, everything is status quo. Nothing is different. Everything is exactly the same, and that equals no progress. It’s quite simple and straightforward.

Now this doesn’t mean change for the sake of change is healthy. Change that is progressive needs to be impelled by God. But aside from that, if there is a consensus that progress needs to happen to get an organization to a better place and experience, there is also automatically a consensus that something has to change. And if a lot of progress is needed, a whole lot of change is needed too!

Progress requires change. Understanding this fact can prepare collective thought better for necessary changes and make them more happily accepted when they come.

Resolving conflict with love

2011-12-27T00:05:00.000-08:00

Here’s a great story with a powerful message on peaceful ways to resolve violent attitudes.

An Old Japanese Love Warrior

License to Fly

2011-12-26T00:05:00.000-08:00

“Orville Wright didn’t have a pilot’s license.”

~ Richard Tate

Have you ever felt like a pilot ready to fly a plane, but couldn’t get your idea off the ground because of fears, worries and concerns that others wouldn’t approve of your plan or course of action?

I have.

When I farmed after graduating from college and grew to know that I belonged in the Christian Science practice, I felt hindered all around by economic, social and familial factors that were telling me to give up on my hope. I eventually realized that I was never going to get permission from these sectors of the world to proceed. In essence, a “license to fly,” would never come. I just had to do it anyway. And that’s what I did, and wisely so.

Orville Wright didn’t wait for permission from others to pursue his advanced vision. He just did it. It was the right thing to do. And his undeterred courage blessed the world.

There certainly are times when we need to follow the rules, obey the law, and rise to expectations around us. But there are other times, when progress demands it, that the desired permission never comes and we have to move anyway. Time-honored tradition, ignorance, custom, constrictive cultural mores, out-grown norms, and other people’s selfish ambitions get in the way and seek to halt steps forward. Don’t let them limit you.

Go to God. Understand what God approves of, and let that understanding propel you forward. God will support every right idea and prosper its cause.

God’s approval is your “license to fly.

A Musical Treat

2011-12-24T00:05:00.000-08:00

Enjoy!

Christ is here

2011-12-23T00:05:00.000-08:00

May the peace and love of Christ

fill your hearts and homes with happiness,

health and joy this Christmas holiday!

Thank you for all you’ve shared

with your neighbor through this site

over the last year.

Merry Christmas!

- Evan

Stay in Church

2011-12-22T00:05:00.000-08:00

While praying for a better understanding of church recently, I pondered Eddy’s definition of Church, in part, as “The structure of Truth and Love…”

This “structure of Truth and Love,” is very large! I concluded. It’s so large, that there isn’t anything that exists outside of it, I could see.

Truth and Love is God, all-inclusive, everywhere present, all the time. And that’s what church is, in its broader sense.

Church is not a human institution, a material building or a worldly government. It’s not even a human way of life. It’s the house divine Love built for God’s children to live in. It is the biggest house of all—the whole universe.

Church is the presence of God. Church is divine Mind. Church is Love. Church is where you find health, strength, joy, freedom, and life. Church includes all of God’s goodness. Church is a very good place to be, indeed!

In the middle of the above prayer, my attention got diverted to some pressing issues that needed to be resolved that day.

When I felt a sinking feeling of, “There is so much to do; so much healing to accomplish,” I halted the plummet in outlook and abruptly declared, “I’m going to stay in Church today!” I committed to staying in a consciousness of God’s omnipresent Love and refused to let error take me elsewhere. I wasn’t going to leave my Church. Church was the safest place to be. It was peaceful, full of health and harmony, peace and joy, hope and inspiration. God’s presence was easy to find in Church. The sinking feeling lifted instantly.

So, if you want to be in a healing place today, stay in Church! There is no better place to be.

Find the peace of Christmas

2011-12-21T00:05:00.000-08:00

It was as if my Father stood in front of me giving me wise instruction. The voice declared resolutely, “If you’re not feeling more peaceful, comforted and rested than ever this year, you aren’t celebrating Christmas.”

Whoa…I had to think about this.

Christmas is too often associated with shopping, merry-making, spending and consuming, giving and getting things. These activities do not always leave us feeling rested and calm. Whereas the true spirit of Christmas is found in the peace that comes from Christ dawning in our thought, inspiring our perspective and healing our lives.

The Christmas story tells us what to expect.

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Are you receiving the “peace” of Christ? Are you finding and feeling the “good will toward men?” If so, you are catching the true spirit of Christmas and experiencing its healing power. And the effect is more peace, health and healing in your life.

I love to observe Christmas in quietude, humility, benevolence,

charity, letting good will towards man, eloquent silence,

prayer, and praise express my conception

of Truth's appearing.

Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellany, page 262:27

Emmanuel Kelly

2011-12-20T00:05:00.000-08:00

Emmanuel Kelly has faced more than his share of hardships over his lifetime. He dreams of being a singer and made it to the stage of The X Factor Australia to share his talent with others. Others in similar situations often give up. Not Emmanuel…

What struck me more than anything about him was his complete lack of self-pity. He does not feel sorry for himself. He is a grateful man, a humble person, and thus an inspiration to watch.

A Christmas Message

2011-12-19T00:05:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what to write in your Christmas cards or season greetings to others?

Here’s a card Mary Baker Eddy wrote to her household staff one Christmas day that arrested my attention and gave me much to ponder.

Mrs. Eddy's Christmas Message

MY HOUSEHOLD

Beloved: — A word to the wise is sufficient. Mother wishes you all a happy Christmas, a feast of Soul and a famine of sense.

Lovingly thine,

Mary Baker Eddy

Box G, Brookline

Massachusetts

December 25, 1909

After I read this card’s message, I asked myself, “Am I one of the ‘wise’? Am I celebrating a ‘feast of Soul and a famine of sense’?”

How about you?

(Above quote from Miscellany, p. 263.)

Mary Baker Eddy's home in Brookline, MA

Christ throughout the Bible

2011-12-16T00:05:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago, on October 25, I posted a video clip of a youngster narrating the continuity of the Bible.

One of you mentioned that Oral Roberts had a similar sermon. So I Googled his talk and found a Godtube video with his voice and the sermon points he makes appearing in print, which I found very helpful.

This vision of Christ throughout the Scriptures sure pulls the Bible together into one tight story.

Here it is... "Who is this 4th man?"

Have you given unselfishly today?

2011-12-15T00:10:00.000-08:00

You have not lived a perfect day,

even though you have earned your money,

unless you have done something for someone

who will never be able to repay you

~ Ruth Smeltzer

The ultimate “payment” for the good we do in life, comes not from checks deposited into the bank, but from the joy and inspiration we receive from seeing other people’s lives changed for the better because of the blessings we’ve shared.

Unexpected kindness

2011-12-15T00:05:00.000-08:00

Unexpected kindness is the most powerful, least costly,

and most underrated agent of human change.

Kindness that catches us by surprise

brings out the best in our natures.

~ Bob Kerrey

Has anyone ever gone the “second mile,” for you? Maybe you were at a low point and they stopped what they were doing to extend you a helping hand. Maybe a customer service agent was much more helpful than you expected. Maybe an unexpected gift or bonus came your way. When it happens, doesn’t it make you feel good? Isn’t there a special warmth and comfort that wells within that says, “That was really nice, and so unexpected.”

The same good feeling that comes to us when someone is unexpectedly kind to us happens to other people when we are unexpectedly kind to them! And it brings out the best in everyone.

Are you a disrupter?

2011-12-14T00:05:00.000-08:00

Whitney Johnson recently wrote an interesting piece for the Harvard Business Review titled, “Disrupt yourself.”

Whitney Johnson

She tells about leaving a seven figure salary on Wall Street to pursue more fulfilling personal goals, and the occasional scary thoughts that dogged her esteem as she grappled with earning far less money.

In her story, she muses,

“Perhaps earlier in your career the metric was money or fame, but now you want more autonomy, flexibility, authority, or to make a positive dent in the world. These require different metrics of success.”

She deftly compares upturning one’s life in a productive way to the disruptive technologies that upturn whole industries. She advises her readers to not fear disrupting their old ideals and measurements of success, to step out into a brave new world where others have not gone before you and do something new and progressive.

She wrote,

“Perhaps you too are ready to disrupt yourself. Maybe your hand is forced by downsizing, or new technologies are automating you right out of relevance. For most of you, however, I suspect the decision to make a dramatic disruption runs deeper than that. Like me, you may be looking to do more with your life. As you walk away from a future you easily foresee toward a more obscure trajectory, there will be times when you will feel lonely, scared, and even impoverished. But as you face your personal innovator's dilemma, both the probability and magnitudes of success will improve greatly.”

She explains that your chances of success actually improve dramatically when you enter a disruptive mode. If you try to fit into old-world models that are firmly established, your chances for success greatly diminish because you’re fighting entrenched belief systems that limit your aspirations.

“We give a lot of airtime to building disruptive products and services, to buying and/or investing in disruptive companies, and we should. Both are vital engines of economic growth. But, the most overlooked engine of growth is the individual. If you are really looking to move the world forward, begin by innovating on the inside, and disrupt yourself.”

As I read the article, I thought in the context of living Christian Science. A Christian Scientist, who truly lives the teachings, is the largest disrupter of all. His is a major force for disruption in the material world because his ideals go against all that mortal mind teaches and espouses. Like Jesus upturning the moneychangers’ tables in the temple, a spiritually focused idealist is going to be constantly upturning tables of material mindedness wherever he goes. It is expected, and if it is not happening, something is wrong.

I especially valued this quote from social media expert Liz Strauss, who Johnson quotes in her article, "It's not possible for the world to hold a meeting to decide your value. That decision is all yours."

Individual demonstration appears collectively

2011-12-13T00:05:00.000-08:00

In the November 7, 2011, Christian Science Sentinel, Louise White wrote a short “Church Alive” piece that ended with a revealing thought.

She explained that she was ready to quit as a member of the lecture committee at her branch church because no one came prepared to the meetings except for her. Catching her less than inspired view of her fellow committee members, she prayed to see them in their correct light, and to her delight they all came prepared to the next meeting.

She ended her article with the words, “It…taught me that church is individual. We cannot wait for someone else to change. Each of us includes all the qualities of church. As we each live those qualities, they are shown collectively.”

That is a very empowering truth!

We never need to wait for someone else to change before we can change the world around us.

Think on that one…

How often do you believe progress is at the mercy of someone else’s actions?

Do you wait for a family member to change before your family relations can improve? Do you wait for another at work to change before the office atmosphere can be more pleasant? Do you grumble and complain about members at church?

If so, why? Progress is always individual. As an individual advances, others advance. Collective progress begins with individual progress.

Be the first individual to make the progress! And in this way, you exercise much more dominion over your life and experiences.

What you demonstrate individually will manifest itself collectively. And God is your helper every step of the way.

The illusion of diagnosis

2011-12-12T00:10:00.000-08:00

A metaphysician learns in spiritual healing that mind governs the body, not vice versa.

So, as I mentioned to a friend recently, “Don’t bother examining the body to see how healthy you are, because you’ve already determined what you’re going to find before you look.”

“The ordinary practitioner, examining bodily symptoms, telling the patient that he is sick, and treating the case according to his physical diagnosis, would naturally induce the very disease he is trying to cure, even if it were not already determined by mortal mind. Such unconscious mistakes would not occur, if this old class of philanthropists looked as deeply for cause and effect into mind as into matter.” Mary Baker Eddy

The indestructible you

2011-12-12T00:05:00.000-08:00

"Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are."

~Arthur Golden

A mortal clings to his belongings, status and emotions, thinking they constitute his life, his happiness, his future. But they do not. The things of the Spirit are all that have significance in the long run, and they are the things that can never be taken from us, even by the worst of adversity.

Be a hummingbird

2011-12-09T00:05:00.000-08:00

An inspiring short video: "I will be a hummingbird," by Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai

Who serves what?

2011-12-08T00:10:00.000-08:00

One of the major contentions the Pharisees had with Jesus is that Jesus broke long-established Jewish customs and rules.

For instance, when Jesus and his disciples walked through some grain fields on the Sabbath and picked some wheat to eat, the Pharisees jumped on him for breaking the Jewish law of no harvest on the Sabbath. Jesus rebuked their narrow-mindedness on the subject, but went even further and redefined the whole purpose of the Sabbath.

He said, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.”

Whoa! I love that viewpoint. It arrested my attention.

The purpose of the Sabbath was not to outline in man-made terms how people were supposed to live their lives in every little detail, but to meet the needs of the people.

I thought about church in the same context. Just like the Pharisees had outlined over the centuries rules upon rules that people were supposed to observe per the Sabbath, rules upon rules have been heaped upon humanity about how people are supposed to serve church over the centuries too.

I replaced the word Sabbath with church…

“The church was made to meet the needs of the people, and not people to meet the requirements of the church.”

If you’re a church member, or have dealt with church administration, think about the implications of that statement for a few moments!

I can think of times in church work when decisions were made because of “the rules,” instead of what best met the needs of the congregation. “We have to follow the rules!” someone would protest, and totally miss the spirit of the rules to begin with.

Jesus rebuked such material mindedness. The purpose of church is to meet the needs of the people, and human policy must change, adapt, reshape and reform according to the spiritual demand of the moment.

God’s rules of “Love thy neighbor as thyself,” and “Have one God,” are permanent forever. Anything of the human mind is in flux.

Jesus telling his disciples they can pick corn on the Sabbath. Engraving by Gustave Dore

Break out

2011-12-08T00:04:00.000-08:00

Are you under the power of frustration's dark spell?

Then remember this truth and ponder it well...
The tiniest chick must break its own shell.

~ Author unknown

Each and every one of us has the shell-breaking power of Christ within:

“…I am in my Father, and [you] in me, and I in you.” John 14:20

~ Christ Jesus

Don’t blame others for your frustrations. Rise to the spiritual demand of the moment, and see what God sees. Break out of the shell of a limited mortal view.

It's natural to think spiritually

2011-12-07T00:05:00.000-08:00

Do you realize that it is natural for you to think in a spiritual way? Yep, it is. That’s the way God made you,--to be spiritually minded.

Some people are tempted to think to the contrary, that it’s natural to harbor anger, resentment, envy, jealousy and other dark images. But this is not true. These foreigners to intelligent consciousness are not native residents to the divine Mind, your mind, as a child of God. They are aliens. They should not be welcomed in, let alone consoled. So, don’t identify with them!

Jesus Christ demonstrated a correct consciousness better than anyone. He taught the Sermon on the Mount, which fully advocates a consciousness of pure love.

He taught us to love not hate, forgive not resent, be merciful not cruel, be unselfish not selfish, to be peaceful not combative, The apostle Paul instructed his followers to put on the mind of Christ, which is a mind of divine Love, the Mind of God, which is pure spiritual consciousness.

This pure spiritual consciousness is the natural and normal state of consciousness for you. It’s the gold standard, the only standard, the spiritual standard to embrace and accept.

So, next time you feel sorry for yourself or rehearse grudges toward a neighbor, stop the drama, end the show and remember that it is not normal or natural to harbor ill-will. Evil thoughts are not home grown. They are imposters worthy of one greeting—“You’re out of here!” God alone has a right to influence and determine your attitude and perspective.

Enjoy staying in your right state of mind today, a consciousness filled with truth and love. It’s natural for you to think that way, and it feels a whole lot better.

“To be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

~Paul

Woodpeckers and boats

2011-12-06T00:05:00.000-08:00

The drawing in this short video clip is funny…

I thought, “How many woodpeckers are in my life right now pecking holes in my ship? They need to go…or at least be caged!”

Don't be intimidated by scorn

2011-12-05T00:10:00.000-08:00

In a Bible story about Jesus raising a ruler’s dead daughter to life, Matthew wrote,

“And when Jesus came into the ruler’s house, and saw the minstrels and the people making a noise, He said unto them, Give place: for the maid is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn…”

“They laughed him to scorn!” I could relate to that feeling as one who has stated truth beyond what neighbors could physically see at the moment. The scorn comes from stating truth that others cannot yet see.

Jesus saw life in the ruler’s daughter where everyone else saw death. The observers were so convinced of their false belief, that when Jesus stated to the contrary, they belittled him, made fun of him, derided him, and “laughed him to scorn.” This reaction could have been quite a blow to Jesus’ pride and ego!

But Jesus did not have any pride or ego issues to burden him. He took action, swift action, and instructed the scorners to leave the room. They left, and Jesus proceeded to raise the girl to life. Truth had the final say.

Anyone who practices Christian Science will experience similar reactions from neighbors and strangers who do not understand spiritual reality.

Christian Science requires its students to see beyond the evidence of the physical senses. Seeing beyond matter to Spirit is the dominant activity in the mind of a Christian Scientist. And because so many people in the world at large believe what they see physically is the reality, when a student of Christian Science states a spiritual truth that contradicts the physical evidence, they likely may be “laughed to scorn.”

A student picks his battles, as the old proverb wisely instructs, but there will be times when truth needs to be stated whether anyone else believes it or not. And the reaction may not be pleasant to receive. But like Jesus, when one’s viewpoint is firmly planted in Spirit, it will not matter what reaction comes in return. Jesus acted upon what he knew was spiritually real and true, and his position triumphed in the end. The scorners were put to shame, not Truth.

So, if you are a student of Truth, constantly seeing beyond the evidence of matter to the realm of Spirit, and occasionally meet scorn for your position, don’t be dismayed, concerned or bothered by it. It comes with the territory! It means you are a world-thought shaker and mover. Keep on moving in the right direction. Christ will back you up every step of the way, and Truth will have the final verdict. The scorners will be sent in the other direction with their tails between their legs and you will be rewarded for your faithfulness and trust in what is real and true.

Jesus raising Jairus' daughter. 1870 engraving by Gustave Dore.

What is a treatment?

2011-12-05T00:05:00.001-08:00

Here’s a profound definition given by Mary Baker Eddy* of a Christian Science treatment.

Judy Huenneke, archivist and researcher at The Mary Baker Eddy Library, shared it on page 39 of The Christian Science Journal, November 2011.

“…a Christian Science treatment is an absolute acknowledgement of the ever presence of Infinite Perfection.”

Wow! Think on that statement for a while….

* From a reminiscence by Elisa Marie Morton in The Mary Baker Eddy Library collections.

A quick healing

2011-12-02T00:06:00.000-08:00

When the family boarded the plane for Hilo on our way back to the mainland, I was sitting next to Tyler. He was extremely restless, could hardly contain himself, and acted like he needed to get up and leave.

He started rifling through the magazine pocket in front of him looking for the little white bag for you know what, and that’s when I knew something was wrong. He was very sick and nauseated.

The door had been shut, so he couldn’t get up and go to the bathroom. We were stuck! And the future was looking very bleak…

But we weren’t stuck. This is the fabulous truth about Christian Science. That no matter where you are or what kind of a situation you are in, your help is immediately at hand. You don’t have to go somewhere to find it. You don’t need a medicine you might not have. Your help is already with you—and it’s the healing power of Truth!

I turned to God in prayer for Tyler reaching out to the Mind of Christ which would quickly see through this whole lie and bring harmony.

I put the impression of nausea out of thought and disassociated Tyler from it. I knew Tyler was a healthy harmonious child of God right there right then. He couldn’t be anything less. That’s the way God made him, and that’s the way God kept him. God’s image stays healthy all the time. So, Tyler had to be healthy. He had to be at peace. He couldn’t help but feel the calm and love of God ensuring him that all was well.

Tyler calmed down quickly, enough to sit still and pray too. His head bowed, his eyes closed, his thoughts focused on Truth.

I knew progress was happening.

I stayed in prayer and the next thing I knew we were in the air. Tyler had his headphones on and was watching TV. That was another good sign, I decided.

I figured the healing had come, so started reading a book.

After a bit, Tyler remembered that I was there. He briefly interrupted his TV show enough to cock his headphones off to one side of his head, turn and happily inform me in a very confident tone, “Oh dad, I’m alright now!” And he was free.

The next two hours of flight were bumpy, but it made no difference. He was healed and stayed in fine shape all the way home.

It was a nice and appropriate ending for a very special week.

Mahalo

Final pictures from Hawaii

2011-12-02T00:05:00.001-08:00

Often on my travels I think, “The world is so big and I’ve seen so little!”

There is so frequently some new scene to be dazzled by or an unexpected magnificent view that you never dreamed existed to awe your sense of possibility. And each leaves you wondering, “What’s next? What could possibly trump this?” And there is always something more if you keep looking.

Waipi’o Valley is one of those places. The view from the overlook is absolutely sumptuous.

Waipi'o Valley beach

The road down into the over 1,000 foot deep valley is the steepest public road (up to 27% grade) in the United States, so we took a shuttle into its inner sanctum. At the end of the six-mile long valley is a 1,200 foot waterfall. Stunning! Unfortunately, we didn’t capture a very good picture to share with you.

Here’s a shot up a stream flowing down the valley into the ocean.

Stream in Waipi'o Valley

The foliage on the rainy side of the island, over near Hilo, is the lushest of lush. The metaphors to describe its beauty and diversity could easily gush forward without end.

Bamboo

If you ever visit the Island, be sure to stop at Akaka Falls.

Walking to Akaka Falls

The hike through the rich forest surround alone is worth the visit. But the falls are even more thrilling. You are able to see the 400-foot fall of water from a fairly close distance, and hear the powerful pounding of water hitting the bottom of the canyon. I find it inspiring to just stand quietly and soak in the natural music and beauty of it all. I like to look for the divine rhythm of it all and learn from its lessons.

Akaka Falls

And to remember the most important reason for the trip in the first place, to spend precious and close moments with my dear wife and two children who are behind the scenes here taking this picture.

Evan and Kathy by the falls

More pictures from Hawaii

2011-12-01T00:05:00.001-08:00

Our first big hike was around half the upper rim and through the crater of Kilauea Iki. We hiked the four-mile loop and oohed and ahed all the way at how large an imprint Mother Nature can make when in a heated mood.

Kilauea Iki Crater

It was easy to walk down into the 400 foot deep crater. Took a bit more effort to get out! The eruption of 1959 was massive, filling a caldera that used to be 800 feet down up to its present 400 foot depth.

We then drove the 17-mile Crater Rim Road down to the ocean, a 4,000 plus foot descent. There were spectacular scenes of massive lava fields and views of the ocean from on high to absorb all the way down. As you can see, it’s difficult to find many sandy beaches on the Big Island. They are few and far between!

Coastline at end of Crater Road

The black sand beach of Punalu’u on our drive from Volcanoes Park to Kona was a fun stop. Sea turtles everywhere. You could dive into the ocean and swim with them, if you so desired.

Black sand beach

Sea turtle

There was the cutest little church perched on the bank of the ocean off of Ali’I Drive in Kailua-Kona. I couldn’t help but notice the scene of Jesus saving Peter from that “sinking feeling,” as etched out in this beautiful window design.

St. Peter's Church window

Catch the wave

2011-11-30T00:05:00.001-08:00

I was watching my two children take surf lessons with a group of beginners last week off the coast of Kailua-Kona, in Hawaii. The waves were minimal, but enough to teach one how to stand upright on a board and hold a balance long enough to ride a cresting wave in to shore.

From my perch atop a lava rock on the bank, I noticed how students often struggled to paddle fast enough in front of a wave to dip into the trough and find their position. “Catch the wave,” took on significant meaning to me as I saw them countless times miss a wave and have to start over and wait for another.

“Catch the wave!” It’s a popular and well known maxim full of instructive meaning. I pondered spiritual lessons I could learn from it.

For a surfer, catching a wave is a good thing. It means success, exhilaration, triumph, and a feeling of bound for glory! Missing the wave, especially a good one, is a bummer because it’s an opportunity missed, potential unrealized, a destination not reached, a glory not found.

In life, “waves” to experience God’s goodness come our way all the time. But do we “catch them?”

For instance, a “wave” may take the form of a co-worker feeling down and depressed. It’s an opportunity to extend a word of good cheer, or an act of love to brighten their day. But if we walk by not taking notice and ignore the opportunity, we just missed a wave. We missed the joy that would come to us for expressing love unselfishly.

A “wave” could come in the form of a sick family member. If we fail to pray sufficiently for them because we believe we’re too busy doing other things, or that they should figure it out by themselves, we just missed a wave. We missed the blessing that comes to us when we unselfishly pray for another and see them healed.

The good part about missing a wave is that another follows right behind the one that got by. The waves never stop! And that’s good news for a surfer.

What waves are coming your way today?

Surf coach showing them how it's done

The position you take is important

2011-11-29T00:05:00.000-08:00

I viewed a most fascinating mural at the Jaggar Museum in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park.

Take a look.

Here’s the same mural from two different vantage points.

Notice anything different?

From the right side

From the left side

The canoe is headed in opposite directions depending upon which side of the mural you view the boat from. Nothing changes in the mural. The direction you see the boat head is all a matter of your standpoint.

The spiritual lesson is significant.

Have you ever believed a relationship was improving, only to discover the contrary?

Have you ever thought your financial position was strengthening, only to learn it was falling apart?

Have you ever thought your career was in a safe place, only to find danger of job loss looming in the shadows?

A lesson I learned from studying the mural is that when “our ship” appears to be heading in the wrong direction, for instance, into the fire, we need to change our point of view. We need to “walk over to the other side of the mural,” so-to-speak.

When events are looking bad, the “other side of the mural,” is the spiritual point of view. From God’s point of view, the picture never changes. It’s always one of safety and security. But if it doesn’t look that way from our point of view, we need to change where we mentally stand. We’ll see our boat heading in the right direction once again.

Detecting the temblors

2011-11-28T00:05:00.000-08:00

During Thanksgiving break, I took my family to the big island of Hawaii. We usually go somewhere together in the summer, but that didn’t work this year because both children had summer jobs they needed to stay in town for. So we postponed the trip to November.

One of our first stops was the Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park. Don’t miss it if you go to the island!

As usual, spiritual lessons were easy to find everywhere.

The ranger at the visitor’s station caught my attention right off when he was talking about volcanic eruptions, lava flows and the history of earthquakes in the park.

A visitor asked him if he ever worried about getting caught in a lava flow by a surprise volcanic eruption. He told us that the park’s detection methods were so advanced and prolific, that their equipment could register the temblors preceding eruptions to give them adequate warning. So there was no need to worry.

I immediately embraced his metaphor of “…early warning systems for impending eruptions…”

Wouldn’t that be nice to have in everyday life?

Wouldn’t you like to know ahead of time when someone is going to get mad at you? Wouldn’t you like to know ahead of time when your spouse tells you he or she doesn’t love you anymore, or your children are failing in school, or your neighbor is about to sue you? Wouldn’t it be nice to foresee any impending trouble or danger before it happens so you can take action to prevent hurt or harm?

You can! Jesus Christ taught us how. Jesus did it all the time.

When about to be pushed over the edge of the cliff by an angry mob, Jesus saw that trouble was brewing. He discreetly and quietly left without anyone noticing. When his disciples wanted him to go into Jerusalem and proclaim God’s glory, he told them his time had not yet come. He stayed away. He could see ahead and he acted according to what purpose he wanted to see worked out.

He told his followers to “Watch!” In Science, this means to watch for the good, to behold God’s presence at all times.

In everyday experience, when you watch for God’s presence, any type of impending danger about to encroach on your goodness becomes apparent. There are always warning signs that the wise and attentive notice.

Later in the trip, we saw the seismographs monitoring local volcanoes. They were “tuned-in” to the conditions of the ground around the calderas. Any deviation from calm, any abnormal movement of the ground, was registered on the rotating paper scrolls for all to see.

And this is the way our thinking should be. Any deviation from pure harmony and love in our mental atmosphere should not be ignored. It is a “temblor,” of sorts, perhaps an “earthquake,” about to happen that needs to be noted and dealt with before a full-blown heated eruption occurs.

For instance, if our children are easily irritated or bothered without justifiable cause, those signs could be “temblors” of eruptions to come. Seething trouble can be headed off ahead of time with understanding and love.

If our spouse is disgruntled, that could be a “temblor,” or predictor of an eruption to come if not dissolved with love and compassion promptly.

Don’t ignore the temblors! They can be dealt with metaphysically, and when successfully handled, avert unwanted and unpleasant surprises in the future.

Here are a couple of pictures of steam spewing from a huge lava pool that can be seen from the Jaggar Museum. The first picture is during the day and looks like steam only. But it is filled with fire that can be seen once nightfall descends. A very impressive sight at sunset.

Halema’uma’u in the Kilauea Caldera during the day

Halema’uma’u at night

Black Friday

2011-11-25T00:05:00.000-08:00

It’s Black Friday in the United States! Sounds ominous. But the word “Black” actually refers to the bottom line of retail stores, the day their business is supposed to start registering a profit for the year from the hordes of customers that flock to their stores seeking Christmas presents.

In fact, to “support” the whole retail shopping frenzy on Black Friday, many stores opened last evening. Wal-Mart reportedly opened at 10 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day so eager shoppers could get a head start on their Black Friday shopping. Wasn’t that nice! LOL. I stayed home and enjoyed my family’s company…

With Christmas a month away, and commercial interests eager to capitalize on consumers' penchant to spend more freely this time of year, I find it helpful to remember at the beginning of the season what the holiday is designated to celebrate in the first place.

Christmas is about Christ.

Christmas is not about strain and stress, over-spending, overeating, over indulging, and over-worrying. It’s about the birth of Jesus Christ, the appearing of the Messiah, the unfolding of God’s idea, in the life and teachings of a teacher, that has brought untold blessings to a world struggling with sin.

So, rather than getting too focused on the “coming of the next advertised special,” this season, I encourage you to focus on the “coming of our Lord!” The benefits are greater, and the after-effects easier to live with.

Gratitude is important

2011-11-24T00:05:00.000-08:00

It’s Thanksgiving Day in the United States.

I love this day. It reminds me to be extra grateful for all the blessings God has bestowed on my family, my community, my church, and on the world.

With daily headlines of economic strain and strife around the globe, budgets slashed hither and yon, and people struggling to find work, it can be tempting to think, “There is nothing to be grateful for.” But this is never true. There is always something to be grateful for, and it is crucial to success and prosperity that those blessings are remembered, recounted, acknowledged, and rejoiced over.

No matter how humble our social or economic status is, we can always find something to be grateful for.

As Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “Are we really grateful for the good already received? Then we shall avail ourselves of the blessings we have, and thus be fitted to receive more.”

And near the top of my gratitude list today is gratitude for you, my blog readers! It’s been a genuine privilege to share with you, benefit from your feedback, and grow together in life’s spiritual lessons.

Happy Thanksgiving!

- Evan

Money is not the issue

2011-11-23T00:05:00.000-08:00

I chuckled when a woman shared a story with me at a recent lecture.

She reported that her daughter’s tennis team had advanced to National play-offs. She and her husband wanted to attend the play-offs, but the matches were 2000 miles away, and they didn’t have the funds to make the trip.

One Sunday, at church, a local Christian Science practitioner quizzed her about the trip and asked, “Why aren’t you going to watch your daughter?” The woman replied, “We don’t have the funds.” The practitioner rebuked her with the reply, “No, what is the REAL reason you’re not making the trip?” It was as much as to say, “Money is not the reason. Understand the significance of the opportunity and tell me why you’re not going on a trip you should be going on!”

The response startled the woman enough to go back and talk with her husband further as to why they weren’t making the trip. The two decided they should make the trip, even though they didn’t see how to pay for it, but they loved their daughter, wanted to support her, and felt it was the morally right thing to do.

Shortly, her husband received a letter from the Social Security Administration advising him that they had underpaid him. A check was enclosed that was sufficient to cover the expenses of the trip.

The practitioner’s spiritual sense was vindicated. Money never was the reason they weren’t making the trip.

Making the trip was a matter of understanding the moral and spiritual issues at stake. Once those were resolved, the money appeared to make follow-through possible.

The issue was never about money.

Just for fun...

2011-11-22T00:05:00.000-08:00

My eye caught this query on a tee-shirt while walking through the Minneapolis airport. I couldn’t help but stop and chuckle…

If a man speaks in a forest

where no woman can hear,

is he still wrong?

The different disguises of malice

2011-11-21T00:05:00.000-08:00

I’ve been thinking about the different forms malicious animal magnetism can take.

Some forms are obvious, for instance, if a murderer points a gun at you and says he is going to shoot, his evil intention is clear. If a competitor at work says he is going to subvert a proposal you submitted to a common boss, his desire to harm your position is apparent. If an enemy sticks his foot out in front of you while you are running down a path, his intent, or malice, to trip you up, is plain.

But what about forms of malice that look attractive?

Remember the story of Snow White, the seven dwarfs, and the wicked witch who poisoned an apple for Snow White to consume? The evil doer disguised her malicious intent as an attractive piece of fruit injected with poison, and presented it to the unwary hoping she would “bite” the gift. She bit…and you know the rest of the story.

What are some contemporary “apples,” we need to be alert to? I asked.

Malice is the intent to hurt or harm, to injure, even to kill and destroy.

In the world at large, from a human point of view, evil and good seem to be constantly at war with each other. Jesus Christ faced the claims of evil constantly in his ministry. Some were obviously malicious. Others were malicious, but not apparently so.

For example, consider the three temptations.

Satan promised great fame, wealth and worldly power to Jesus if Jesus would bow down to Satan’s demands. From an outward analysis, one might argue that Satan’s “gift” of power and fame was a really nice gesture. “Wow, what a nice guy Satan is, giving me all that material wealth and fame!” But Jesus was wiser. He knew the intent was malicious, not benevolent at all. He could see the “poisoned apple.” It was a roundabout way for Satan to thwart God’s plan and prevent monumental good happening for Jesus and all mankind. The devious plan did not succeed, thankfully.

Today, we too, must be as wise as Jesus in seeing the “poisoned apples” of the carnal mind before we’re tempted to take a bite.

They come in many different forms.

Pills—the promise of enduring health through countless and growing numbers of medical prescriptions is one of the most prolific. Sacrificing a marriage or healthy home life for larger paychecks and promotions is another. Slipping in one’s spiritual studies and growth to pursue selfish wants is too prevalent. These, and more, appear innocent to the ignorant, but they are malicious. They would destroy one’s experience of higher good, pull one away from God, and in the end, sink thought into a dark and lonely place.

So, Jesus meant it when he instructed, “Be wise as serpents!” We must be wise to all the deceitful and subtle approaches malicious animal magnetism would take to distract the unwary.

“Animal magnetism, in its ascending steps of evil, entices its victim by unseen, silent arguments. Reversing the modes of good, in their silent allurements to health and holiness, it impels mortal mind into error of thought, and tempts into the committal of acts foreign to the natural inclinations. The victims lose their individuality, and lend themselves as willing tools to carry out the designs of their worst enemies, even those who would induce their self-destruction. Animal magnetism fosters suspicious distrust where honor is due, fear where courage should be strongest, reliance where there should be avoidance, a belief in safety where there is most danger; and these miserable lies, poured constantly into his mind, fret and confuse it, spoiling that individual's disposition, undermining his health, and sealing his doom, unless the cause of the mischief is found out and destroyed.” Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellany p. 211:12

My run-in with a paper cutter

2011-11-18T00:08:00.000-08:00

What I’m about to tell you rarely happens to my thought, but it happened recently, and I learned a valuable lesson from it. So here goes…

I had a stack of flyers to cut in half. Kathy had a paper cutter stored in her backroom closet that she picked up at a garage sale years ago. It’s not a very good one, a bit dull on the blade, but it seemed the quickest way to get the job done.

As I jaunted down to the closet to retrieve the cutter, I mumbled, “I hope it works better than last time. That dull blade sure can mess up your papers. I bet it’s going to mess up my flyers. I hate that cutter.”

Set-up!! :-)

I carried the tool back to my office, placed a book under one of the wobbly legs, and proceeded to cut 3 flyers at once. Success! “Oh good, we’re on a roll.”

I put in 5 flyers next time. Disaster!

“Oh geez, that stupid blade did it again,” I thought. It mangled my flyers, wrecking them to smithereens.

I suddenly got really upset. Anger flooded through my thought.

“I knew this cutter would mess up! I just knew it!” I declared.

Then, while filling with resentment, I tried to manhandle the blade a bit to straighten out the messed-up flyers, and I knocked my thumb on a sharp edge of the cutter.

“Oh criminy,” I cried. A huge chunk of flesh was gouged out of my left thumb leaving it in a seriously sad state.

Now I was really mad!

“I just knew I shouldn’t have used this cutter. It is a piece of worthless junk!” I stated out loud to no one listening.

By now, I was seriously not in my metaphysical spiritual zone! I was waaaaaay out from practicing the Sermon on the Mount. That poor cutter was severely malpracticed. And I was suffering…

Finally, I started to realize what was happening. I caught the error. My thought had gotten completely out of control.

I started to wonder, “Where did all that furious anger come from?” It was like the floodgates of negativity swooned into my thinking for a few split seconds.

On one hand, an observer might state, “You cut your finger, are in severe pain; no wonder you’re angry.”

But that would not be a correct diagnosis.

I thought back to the “setup.”

By consenting to a possible misfortune before I even picked up the cutter, I opened my thought to being abused by evil. It was an open door for malcontent to flood into my consciousness during a moment of moral weakness. I had set myself up for the accident.

My thumb was a horrible mess, and it took me a while to calm down and get spiritually squared away, but with my wife’s help we got the bleeding under control and my sane state of mind restored.

I am a much better person for this experience. We always are, if we learn the spiritual lesson any trouble offers for acceptance. But I will do much better next time to not set myself up for suffering!

Some rules I learned:

Don’t let your guard down!

Don’t consent to failure ahead of time.

Don’t act with any tinge of resentment or anger. (You’ll bum your thumb)

And spare yourself suffering later on by not agreeing to it in the first place.

Whew. My thumb is rapidly healing. Yay! Love binds up the wounds…

Now, not later

2011-11-17T00:05:00.000-08:00

Do you ever sit around waiting for a healing to happen? No need for that. God is not the great I WILL BE. God is the great I AM.

God is the I. You are the AM. The good you long for humanly is already present spiritually. Accept and enjoy…

The "healing light" mural

2011-11-16T00:05:00.001-08:00

I’m a member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Pasco, Washington, and our Sunday school has a new look!

Alex Cook, a professional muralist from Boston, MA, came to town last week and painted some beautiful murals for us. And we are so happy with the results!

I wanted to show you some pictures.

Our church built a new edifice around seven years ago, and the walls in the Sunday school have been office-white bare ever since. The Sunday school staff had been listening for ways to brighten up the room, and this is where our prayers took us.

When we considered scene options, the Biblical images of Noah and the Ark, David and Goliath, Jesus and the children that are found in countless Sunday schools around the world came to mind. But as we prayed further, we decided to seek an original option and to focus on a message rather than on an image.

In remembering that our Sunday School was designed to educate children to be healers of the world, our thought shifted to thinking of ways to represent the healing power of God in action through our children.

God is the Light, the healing power, that empowers children to heal others, we knew. So we asked Alex to send us sketches of the Light blessing the children. He followed through with some terrific possibilities, but we felt something was still lacking.

The Bible teaches that God is the Light, certainly, but it also teaches that we reflect the Light. As Christian Science explains, children don’t just receive God’s goodness, they exist to reflect and manifest it in thought, word and action. So Alex put the two ideas together and came up with a colorful, youthful, fresh, and unified picture that captured both elements of Light and light in the lives of children.

Do you see the Light reflected as light in each child? We call it “The Sparkle.”

As we listened further, we decided the mural theme needed even more. Not only do we receive God’s light, and not only do we reflect God’s light, but that Light has an effect in everyday experience.

Christian Science is all about works. It’s not an intellectual, “God is Light, isn’t that nice,” exercise. Or “Man reflects God’s light, isn’t that nice too?” It’s about prayer in action having a healing impact in the communities we circulate in.

So, another mural painted on a side wall of the Sunday school was inspired into form.

It’s an image of one child helping another. And both of them have “The Sparkle!”

After Alex finished painting, (it took four days), the whole church and many friends and neighbors packed into the Sunday School room for a Friday evening “Meet the Artist,” event that turned out to be a huge success.

We had pizza at 6 p.m. Alex then talked about his murals, and followed up with a concert. Yes, Alex is a very talented guitarist and singer as well!

Wow! What a week! It was grand fun for all and a fresh step forward for our branch church.

BTW, if you’re looking for an experienced, talented and skilled muralist, Alex Cook has it all. You can contact him through his web site at Stonebalancer.

New phone number

2011-11-15T00:15:00.000-08:00

Because of an office move, I have new phone number:

509-374-3800

and a new mailing address:

72812 E 279 PR NE
Richland, WA 99352

I'll tell you more about the office move later...getting adjusted in my new space right now!

Smiles,

What shapes your world?

2011-11-15T00:09:00.000-08:00

What kind of world are you living in today? And by “world,” I’m talking about the experience you expect to have as you go about your daily business.

Are you consciously aware of God shaping your day, forming your expectations, determining your attitude, outlook, success and health? Or do you ignorantly acquiesce into believing factors supposedly outside of God’s control are outlining your future?

It’s important to know…

We act according to what we believe. For the best experience, we must act on God’s guidance and direction.

God is constantly upholding us with divine laws of goodness that give us strength, wisdom, intelligence, ability, capacity, direction and health. The purpose of prayer is to honor and acknowledge the presence of this goodness and live out from its basis.

To feel God’s presence, we must not let mortal mind get us distracted, for instance, through other people silently or verbally outlining our course of action, soaking in dismal reports about the economy, believing the body controls our health, that disease is real, or that evil has any power over us.

God is good, and God reigns supreme. There is no lesser god to honor or fear, including mortal personalities, predictions of doom and gloom, or disease.

Live consciously in “God’s world” today, and enjoy the blessings.

Value what you have

2011-11-15T00:04:00.000-08:00

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs

and returns home to find it.”

~ George Moore

Have you ever spent your days “travelling the world over” looking for something more, only to discover you had what you needed right at home with God all along?

You don't have to consume it

2011-11-14T00:05:00.000-08:00

Since I travel frequently because of my lecture schedule, I eat in many restaurants, and if you haven’t noticed, restaurants often serve large helpings of food! At least this is the case in the United States.

I’m not sure what the commercial thinking is behind such huge quantities of lasagna, spaghetti, and various mega-salads that get served as single entrees, but nonetheless, each time they come, I have to remind myself that just because it’s served up, doesn’t mean I have to eat it!

When at home, we serve modest helpings of food, and no thought is required about eating too much. The temptation is typically not there: start out right and you end right. But when it’s put down in front of you by someone else, and you really like what is offered, it can be awfully tempting to keep on eating beyond what you would normally consume.

“Just one more bite,” the little voice within urges, and into the mouth another mindless forkful goes, if one is not alert to the mesmerism at work.

As we need to demonstrate dominion over what we put in our mouth, we also need to demonstrate dominion over what we accept into our thinking.

Just as some restaurants practice serving oversized helpings of food, many media outlets practice spreading oversized helpings of fear—in particular on the topic of disease.

Health reports are common fare on newscasts. Reports on disease, threats of contagion, and graphic descriptions of symptoms do little to alleviate fear, and often do much to increase it. They are served up regularly to a public that seems to have an insatiable hunger for news that casts a future of doubt and uncertainty.

And so the same rule that applies to demonstrating dominion over appetite applies for those who want to maintain their health: “Just because it’s served, doesn’t mean you have to consume it!”

Worry about the economy is another place that over-sized fears are served up regularly for the public to consume.

We need to remember that we live in a divine economy where opportunity and possibility for productive and progressive activity abound. To see our way clearly out of a dark place, we must not let mortal mind keep us in that dark place by enticing and succeeding in getting us to consume false beliefs that overload us with a feeling of burden.

Just because someone serves it, doesn’t mean you have to consume it!

Sounds like spiritual consumer rights to me… LOL

Look to the light

2011-11-11T00:05:00.000-08:00

Turn your face toward the sun and the shadows will fall behind you.

~ Maori Proverb

Keep thought zoomed in on God, and the shadows of struggle and burden will fall behind…

What's your goal?

2011-11-10T00:05:00.000-08:00

So, what’s your goal today? No, honestly, why did you get out of bed this morning?

Is it to get through another day? That’s not very inspiring…

Is it to earn more money? There has to be a loftier reason than that…

Is it because you got out of bed yesterday and you’re in a mindless routine? That’s not very thoughtful…

People have different reasons for doing different things, but there is always a reason, even if it’s not a very good one.

What’s your reason for welcoming another day?

I look forward to helping people. I love receiving their requests for spiritual help, turning to God in prayer for a solution, and blessing the requester with what I see.

I love supporting my family. It brings me great joy to see them prosper and flourish.

I love being with my wife and sharing life’s joys with her.

I love watching my children grow up and discover more of God’s goodness to express and experience.

I love life, basically. I love to be, to express the joy I find in knowing God, to feel the love of God in everything I do, and hopefully add a bit more light to the lives of people around me.

And this is my goal, to keep the momentum going. To live in the now of God’s good, to accept more of it, and to live true to it.

Spiritual goals get me inspired and keep me that way.

I still have to earn a living, pay the bills, run errands, cook meals, do the dishes, and get the oil changed in my car, but it’s a whole lot easier and more enjoyable to do when I have overriding spiritual aspirations to keep my thought up high along the way.

What’s your goal today?