Those metaphysical moments when stationed in Germany
April 26, 2009 at 2:19 am | In Mary Baker Eddy, system | Leave a CommentYears ago, when I was in the army, stationed in Augsburg, Germany, I met many good, dedicated metaphysicians, Christian Scientists. I walked inside many dried riverbeds, filled with rocks, and pebbles. I liked walking and exploring the many beautiful parks and forests along the rivers, and streams. It gave me time to reflect on the spiritual messages that I received from these followers of Jesus, and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered the laws of Life, Truth, and Love.
My love of metaphysics grew much during my almost two years of army duty in Germany. I had one on one metaphysical instruction from a Christian Science practitioner while stationed there. A Christian Science practitioner is someone dedicated to healing based on the teachings of Christ Jesus. The one important message of metaphysics that I was taught is that all is Mind, and all is good. Well, I learned this from my parents, but I was able to witness examples of this in actual healing demonstrations while in Germany.
This practitioner, this faithful follower of the spirituality in the Bible, had me think much about this passage on page 63 in Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures. This is Mary Baker Eddy’s book of Christian Science metaphysics, and a book that has healed and blessed countless thousands. The passage is as follows:
“In Science man is the offspring of Spirit. The beautiful, good, and pure constitute his ancestry. His origin is not, like that of mortals, in brute instinct, nor does he pass through material conditions prior to reaching intelligence. Spirit is his primitive and ultimate source of being; God is his Father, and Life is the law of his being.”
Mary Baker Eddy talks about man, the spiritual image in likeness, in that passage. All throughout her textbook, she discusses that man made by God, Mind, the all good. This passage has been very helpful to me in grasping the man of God’s creating, and not the limited mortal of the Adam race.
To read more about what Mary Baker Eddy says about man, read Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures. It is not always true what our eyes see, ears hear, and feelings feel. We have to look beyond the facade of the material senses to see the man described in Genesis as made in the image and likeness of God, good. Yes, this is a challenge in a materially embedded world, but “with God all things are possible.” All that is “beautiful, good, and pure” is possible with God, and his reflection, man.
My Garden is a Spiritual Adventure
March 17, 2009 at 10:24 am | In harmony | Leave a CommentWorking in a garden is a spiritual adventure. Harmony is at work there. Always something new in the garden, something that appears unexpected. New tasks, old tasks, maintaining and preparing the compost, moving the earth to allow oxygen to enter, pulling out grass and weeds that do not belong, cultivating, managing the plants as they grow, keeping the soil well contained with oxygen by periodically moving the soil around the plants, watering, eliminating plant pests, adding more compost, and reaping a well deserved harvest. All of these are activities in my garden that I am so grateful to participate in. A garden is a harmonious place to be in.
Then there is the surprise in the appearance of the vegetables, or fruits. Shapes, colors, and sizes do not always come as expected. This is all part of the adventure of gardening.
Gardening is a harmonious process. A garden reflects so much beauty, harmony, order, design, consistency, naturalness, simplicity, and for those of us who start the garden from scratch, and pick the produce during harvest, are filled with the joy and reward that comes with gardening. My wife, son, and I, have experienced this joy and reward for years now. We have picked our tomatos, peppers, herbs, onions, squash, and so much more.
The garden is a display of what is going on in a much bigger scale: the universe of Principle. Now Principle is one of the seven names for God, that Mary Baker Eddy explains in her textbook of scientific metaphysics, Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures. In it, she says that God is “Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love.” These seven terms are the seven characteristics of Deity. Each name or characteristic has qualities. Principle is harmony, harmonious, order, ordering, law, governing, government, consistency. A garden has these qualities. I contemplate the order and harmony of Principle when I am in my garden. I recognize the work of God’s hand always ordering, working, providing, sustaining, blessing, governing, harmoniously.
Maybe that is why we have always had a successful garden enriching us with so much produce. Enough to even share with friends, neighbors and family. We feel good out in our garden, and when bringing in the organic produce our garden yields up to us, harmoniously.
Mary Baker Eddy talks about gardening, beauty, nature, harmony, right activity, in Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures. That book is for me a garden of spiritual wealth. That garden I take with me everywhere I go. It even helps me in my backyard organic garden.
My Take on the Lord’s Prayer
January 16, 2009 at 5:26 pm | In Father-Mother, Lord's prayer, Principle, harmony, love | 1 CommentSo much harmony arises when the prayer of the Savior is understood.
Our Father-Mother Mind, ever-present good, the cause of all that is good, the infinite intelligence in the allness of harmony eternally expressing ideas.
Hallowed be thy name, thy characteristics of Mind, Spirit, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, Love. All is right here and right now in these characteristics since all qualities, conditions, actions, blessings, ideas originate here in each of them. I am so grateful to have these friends with me forever.
Thy kingdom is and always will be all-harmonious. I know no other kingdom with it all-harmonious king.
Thy will be done, thy law of harmony be ever-present in the idea of heaven and the idea of earth, God’s ideas. The will, law, of the commander, divine Principle has dominion over all.
Love gives grace. The grace given is given to all. “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.” (Mary Baker Eddy) Trust the divine Ear, and take the blessing provided. “Freely ye have received…” (Bible)
Forgive us our debts as we forgive out debtors. Love is not waiting payment. Love is Love. No debts in Love. Love removes debts and corrects and adjusts the situation to reflect Love.
My Principle, Love is exalted high. In Him, will I trust. He is the all-governing Father-Mother good.
The best prayer ever given, called the Lord’s prayer, is a prayer of harmony. It guarantees harmony when spiritually understood and followed.
A Hymn Is a Prayer for Good
January 8, 2009 at 11:16 am | In Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, Spirit | Leave a CommentA hymn is a song of gratitude and devotion to God for all that God, Mind, Love does. A hymn can be a prayer and open the way to harmony. There are hymns that I have held on to for so many years and they continue to give my comfort, harmony, peace and healing.
Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer, Founder, and Leader of Christian Science wrote seven hymns which her students and the worldwide Christian Science community regularly use. They are in the Christian Science hymnal as well. Many have been healed by praying with these lovely words or divine Love’s all-comforting presence and power.
When you get into each hymn, there is a tone of one or more characteristics of the Divine presence. We feel the healing power of the tone, and become receptive to the Truth that disrobes and exterminates the clinging discord, error.
The seven main characteristics of God which are found in Mrs. Eddy’s teaching and in her book, Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures, are: Mind, Spiri, Soul, Principle, Life, Truth, and Love. From these names and characteristics of God, come innumerable ideas, qualities, aspects, ingredients, concepts, of each characteristic.
From Mind comes intelligence, creativity, knowledge, allness, light, awareness, cause, effect. From Spirit comes purity, all good, substance, reality, spirituality. From Soul comes joy, cheer, happiness, identity, spiritual sense, sinlessness, satisfaction, freedom. From Principle comes, harmony, logic, science, scientific thought, clarity, order, law, government, right governing, command, ruling. From Life comes eternity, activity, energy, movement, individuality, self-existence. From Truth comes truthfulness, healing, victory, affirmation, consciousness, the ideal, Christ, sonship, health, wholeness. From Love comes comfort, caring, care, perfection, loveliness, fulfillment, glory.
All these qualities are found in Christian Science hymns, songs, psalms, poems, prayers, if they are spiritually expressed, for only Spirit can express the nature of God, the all-good.
How many times have I been so filled with the loveliness and harmony of a hymn, and it would not leave me. David in the Bible knew the healing presence and harmony in his psalms he sang to his flock of sheep, giving them blessings, and to himself. Jesus gave us one prayer only, called the Lord’s Prayer. It is also like a hymn or a psalm. It is also set to music. I cannot help but think of Job praying with songs of gratitude and praise. He needed the comfort that a hymn as a divine tool, provides.
The Lords prayer has the tones of Mind, Spirit, Sole, Principle, Life, Truth, and Love. Jesus provides all his followers, in all era, even today, with a prayer, a psalm, that meets every need.
I will now close my eyes and get one with the divine tones of my favorite prayer, song, psalm: The Lord’s Prayer. ” Our Father which art ii heaven, Hollowed be thy name.”
Taking In the Scene Before Us
December 30, 2008 at 1:46 pm | In Mind, love | Leave a CommentWe see through the trees and testify to the perfection of the Creator’s work. All is harmony.
However, out there we see something else creeping into the harmonious scene. We see something smeering the lens through which we are viewing the scene. We see something muddying the waters of the tranquil pond.
Everything was right, until mortal mind, that ugly serpent of Genesis, turning into the great red dragon of Revelation, jumps into the picture and makes quite an upset. Discord appears where harmony most naturally fits in.
Since this is only a mind picture, only appearing in consciousness, the view can change with the right mind thought.
Everything has a cause. We can start seeing correctly from this premise. The first cause, must be Mind for only Mind can think and manifest. This first cause is intelligence, perfect intelligence. It is not logical that an all good, perfect Mind would make a flaw in its picture, and permit error of any kind to enter in.
The Mind I know, and grew up trusting in, is an ever-present Love, a presence always trustworthy and kind. It is all-powerful good. This good, the Mind that I love, is my God, my father-mother comforter. The comforter found throughout the Bible and human existence, beyond the agitation in the scene, but yet so present.
A statement by Mary Baker Eddy clarifies what is in the picture, and has a healing impact of removing the seeming appearance of discord. She states: “To infinite everpresent Love, all is Love, and there is no error, no sin, sickness, or death.” (Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures)
Let us take a few moments of rest, and ponder the depth of this statement.
She also says, “The depth, breadth, height, might and majesty of infinite Love fills all space. That is enough.”
My Mind is God, Love, the all good Creator. The scene before me is harmonious. My Creator makes no error.
A Christian Scientist is a scientist.
November 13, 2008 at 2:50 am | In Christian Science | Leave a CommentTags: Christian Scientist, science and health
I recently read where someone stated that he is a christian and a scientist, but did not want to be confused as being a Christian Scientist. I knew that was not logical thinking on the part of that individual.
Everyone would be a Christian Scientist if they understood the Science of Mind and man. If they knew the healing word that comes forth from the teachings of the Bible and the writings of Mary Baker Eddy, who helps us understand the Bible, spiritually, they would want to be associated with the admirable and dedicated group of followers of Christ, called Christian Scientists. Then, who are Christian Scientists.
A Christian Scientist begins the day reading and praying with Bible verses. There is deep love and reverence for both the spirituality of the old and new Bible testaments and the teaching of Jesus. A Christian Scientist loves to find opportunities to practice the Golden Rule of Jesus, and to “love thy brother as thyself.” It is not hard to do. Chistian Scientists are loving people and not prone to criticIzE or react to criticisms. Mary Baker Eddy wrote, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which explains the Christ Love, how Love spiritually blesses, and the metaphysics behind the Bible stories and messages.
A Christian Scientist is like you and me: a hard worker, a family man or woman, a student, a laborer, an office worker, an athlete, an artist. However, regardless of the career or position in life, A Christian Scientist is a scientist, because a system of logic is followed in all the Christian Scientist’s activities. A Christian is truly a Christian if he or she is spiritually scientific as well as kindly natured.
A Christian Scientis daily endeavors to find the science of Jesus teaching andi the biblical stories. The science was found and discovered by Ma3y Baker Eddy, and presented in the above textbook. Reading and understanding bits and pieces of this book will make you want to be a Christian Scientist, too.
First Church of Christ, Scientist celebrates its 100 years
September 23, 2008 at 10:51 pm | In Uncategorized | Leave a CommentTags: 100th anniversary, Christian Science, First Church of Christ, healing, healings, Scientist, Tallahassee
I am blessed, really blessed, to be a member of Tallahassee’s, First Church of Christ, Scientist. It has been a healing church during its 100 years, and still is.
Many have come and gone, have healed through God’s perfect light, and have been the blessed benefactors of all kinds of healings. This church continues to offer prayerful support to Tallahassee and the world. I have seen so much fruitage coming forth from this church, one of many in the worldwide Christian Science movement to bring back the lost healing power demonstrated by Jesus.
On October 18, in celebration of this Tallahassee’s church’s 100th anniversary, a free one hour public lecture and a free organ recital will be given at this church, which sits on the corner of Adam and Call streets in downtown Tallahassee, across from the city bus station and new federal courthouse. All are invited to listen to how Christian Science so successfully heals. There is so much documented evidence of this religion’s healings.
Kenneth in Tallahassee
What is Scientific in Life
September 23, 2008 at 10:32 pm | In Uncategorized | Leave a CommentTags: genesis, Mary Baker Eddy, Mind, scientific statement of being
Something you find at the closing of every Christian Science church service the world over, is the reading of Mary Baker Eddy’s, Scientific Statement of Being. I grew up listening to this, repeating it, and praying with it. It is just lovely. This is how it goes:
“There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind, and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth. Matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal. Matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore, man is not material, he is spiritual.” (page 468 in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures).
This statement attacks any claim that matter can be anything to fear. That matter can harm, hurt, destroy, create or express. Spirit is the opposite of matter, and Spirit is God, the All-in-all. Therefore, matter is nothing. Mary Baker Eddy’s textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, unfolds throughout, the meaning and relevance of the Scientific Statement of Being. It is the summary of that entire textbook of over 600 pages.
Although, I was healed on various occasions through praying using this passage by the discoverer, founder, demonstrator, and leader of Christian Science, I went through periods in which I felt that the Scientific Statement of Being was just nice words. This was until not too many years ago, I found how important it is, and how so many others were healed by this statement. Of all that Mrs. Eddy said, her divinely revealed Scientific Statement of Being is at the highest of her thinking. It is reality summed up in a few simple words, but wors that have to be seen from a spiritual starting-point in order for the message to be understood. That is why Mrs Eddy wrote so many pages. All these pages in her writings explain the Science of being and how it is expressed and demonstrated.
Every page of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures explains away matter, and sheds light on Spirit, good, God. The mortal senses would be offended by the statement of true being, and would attack anything opposing the supremacy of a material nature and kingdom. However, Genesis 1 in the Bible supports the claim in the Scientific Statement of Being that says, “All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation.” In Genesis first chapter, Mind, the Creator, made all and made all good. No evil or matter appears. All appears as an idea of God, an expression of infinite intelligence, or Mind. My two companions are the first chapter of Genesis and the Scientific Statement of Being. Genesis can only be understood spiritually, not materially.
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