Thank you for that lovely letter and this year’s focus.
I spent some time this morning thinking about universal harmony, I admit, along more simple lines. I stuck with it when I suddenly remembered Strybing Arboretum in San Francisco (sorry, it’s now the Botanical Gardens). I went there as a little girl with my grandparents and later, while studying horticulture visited there, often with a professor.
Strybing has plants from all over the world, sometimes in special settings like the moon garden (all white blossoms and silvery leaves) or in geographical settings. It all works together in harmony, maintained by dedicated gardeners and volunteers.
Nearby, at the Academy of Sciences, there is also a seed library, dedicated to preserving all plant life. This seemed a wonderful paradigm for universal harmony–thought, open-mindedness, dedication, study, observation and appreciation of beauty and diversity that people with a common goal created over generations.
The Psalmist assures us, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” No discord can touch us,“ …. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; (Ps. 91:1, 2, 9) This prayer places us in God’s hands, God’s home.
I have found that praying consistently for home has brought healing and harmony to our lives. A few years ago a friend was visiting for a couple of weeks. On a previous visit he had left early because he felt the atmosphere of the house made him ill. For this visit, we did special cleaning to accommodate his perceived needs, but I knew that our home was innately pure because the love, peace, joy and health expressed in it were qualities communicated from God. God establishes the idea of home and everyone that enters it is under God’s loving government.
On the first evening the guest told us that he was feeling ill. He is not a Christian Scientist and did not ask for us to pray for him so I continued my prayer for home. I knew that the prayerful work acknowledging the location of our home in God’s kingdom was done. In actuality, we always resided in God’s domain and we just acknowledged that truth. I knew that peace and health were an inalterable fact. Truth, God, cannot have even a tiny bit of inharmony in it. Our home was a healing place. In the morning our guest was perfectly well and continued to express health for the rest of the visit.
This was a lesson for me. I learned to consistently establish a spiritual concept of home in my thought. Mary Baker Eddy says in her work Miscellany (127:7-11), “One thing I have greatly desired, and again earnestly request, namely, that Christian Scientists, here and elsewhere, pray daily for themselves: not verbally, nor on bended knee, but mentally, meekly, and importunately.” I include home in these daily prayers for myself.
We are also told in I Thessalonians (5:17) “Pray without ceasing.” With this in mind, whenever my thought rests on my home, I see it in its spiritual light. This could be an affirmation of Peter’s statement, “For in him we live, and move, and have our being;”(Acts 17:28). Or to restate, home, a concept of God’s thought, is never outside God’s awareness thus harmony and joy are always present.
One of my recent prayers about home went like this. –In my home, an aspect of God’s house, all is in order. Every “tool in the kitchen”, every creative thought, is placed exactly where it needs to be for harmonious establishment of joy, activity and nutritious being (being fed by God ideas). Comfort and peace are present without searching for them. Health is the law here and Principle guards the gates. No hint that man could ever be anything less than the perfect expression of the perfect Mind is allowed in. This is God’s home of Her design and arrangement. Its use is secured in Soul’s domain.
Rest, regeneration, growth, grace and the understanding of pure spiritual being are the food served at the table here. Harmony and healing are the planks in the walls and this home is roofed over with love. Eternal life is expressed here. Here we dance the dance of joy in God’s magnificent spiritual architecture. Here we sing the songs of exuberant praise to Love. I am at home in God’s home. This is where my family lives no matter where they may physically be. This is where my guests enter.– This is a healing prayer.
At another visit the guest mentioned above felt very ill with a cold. He had a fever and other symptoms and intended to get medicine in the morning. I knew that this suggestion of inharmony was no part of the sense of home that he had entered. I pondered how pillars of our dwelling, Life, Truth, Love, Soul, Spirit, Mind and Principle (synonyms for God) were actively holding us all in loving care. The guest was healthy in the morning.
We had invited an acquaintance, who knew nothing about Christian Science, to visit because she had expressed an interest in spirituality. When she arrived she told us that she was losing her hearing, and it was getting worse. She was quite fearful. Her voice came out in such low whisper that we could barely understand her. She expressed the need to go to a doctor for her hearing the next day. I said that we would certainly take her to whatever doctor she found. Then, because she had previously had a spiritual focus, I explained that we were Christian Scientist and how we rely on God for spiritual healing. I gave her some examples of healing from my families’ experience. I finished by saying that we would certainly follow her wish to take her to the doctor of her choice if that was what she needed. Nothing more was said.
I had established my spiritual sense of home before she arrived, and since I was not asked to pray for her, I went back to the indestructible fact that God’s creation is good, completely good, and this is where our home and everyone in it resides. Perfection is a law of Principle, God. That is all I could see. That is all I could bear witness to. I continued to hold to this truth about home and all of God’s children living in it. In the morning, our guest did not ask to go to the doctor. In a few days her voice was at a normal tone and she could hear the TV at the same volume as the rest of us. She didn’t mention her hearing again after the first day but we all could see that she had been healed.
When I picked up another guest at the airport she didn’t let me give her a welcome hug, saying that she had a cold and that she didn’t want to make me sick. She is not a Christian Scientist either so I again simply knew that any sense of sickness or discomfort could not enter our home. Before she arrived I had prayed to understand that we were all God’s perfect children living in the kingdom of heaven, another way to say God’s home. I kept my prayers on the spiritual understanding of where we live. By morning, she too was fine. Later, I was able to discuss with this friend the concept I had of our home and I shared some of the other healings with her. She said, “Oh yes, I was feeling sick when I arrived and was well by the next morning.”
This prayer extends beyond the physical boundaries of our house. Harmonious activity is continual, evidence of God’s presence. Mary Baker Eddy states, “The understanding, even in a degree, of the divine All-power destroys fear, and plants the feet in the true path, — the path which leads to the house built without hands “eternal in the heavens.” (SH 454:7–9) This is OUR house because it is God’s house, the home of Her children, us. It is a healing home.
Sometimes it is amazing, “Oh wow, God was acting here and look how perfectly things went together.” Often, though, home is the awareness of peace, joy, and the presence of Love. God is here.
On Saturday, I spent time looking up the word “fellowship” in the Bible and in the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. I enjoyed doing this and also prayed about it. The next day after church, I was in a grocery store waiting to be checked out with my groceries when I heard the man in front of me say to the clerk that he forgot his bags. I asked him if would like one or two of mine as I had extras. He said yes and thanked me. As he left the check stand, he turned back to me and thanked me again and said to have a wonderful day.
Then, when I went to pay for my groceries, I found I didn’t have the right change. The lady in back of me said “Oh, I have lots of change” and offered it to me. As I was driving home, I thought those exchanges between strangers (which included me) were fellowship in action and it made me very happy. Mary Baker Eddy says in Miscellaneous Writings that unity among brethern and love to God and man demonstrates Christian Science. I’m very grateful to God for holding my hand on my spiritual journey, guiding me on making demonstrations with fellow man in my practice of Christian Science.
God, you are my strength…my leader Love, you are my thoughtfulness…my guidance Life, you are my vitality…my youthfulness (energy) Truth, you are my North Star…my compass Principle, you are my rock…my foundation (my roadmap) Mind, you are my wisdom…my drive (my way) Soul, you are illumination (radiance)… my creativity. Spirit, you are my provision…my lifeline
Being your likeness takes work
Dedication, Awareness, Fortitude
Being your expression takes understanding
Of your Variety, Infinity and Vastness
Being your reflection takes sight
Knowing you, seeing you in everyone, everywhere
Being your child is a gift
Which must be opened and received, tended to
Being your talent is a promise
To be cherished and kept sacred, honored
Being yours is a given
Every moment, everyday, for always
Of your love and care, I stand in awe I am aware Of your provision for my needs, I stand in awe You plant your seed Of your endless patience and wisdom, I stand in wonder As you rule the kingdom Of your integrity and couth, I stand in wonder You are the Truth.
I just moved into a beautiful new apartment. While I am grateful for the beauty of home expressed in my new pad, I am more grateful for my new understanding of God’s unfoldment. Here’s the story:
For two months, starting when I turned in my 60-days notice to my old apartment, I was searching for a new place every day. I was also praying to be led by God. The first month, I sent emails and made calls without getting responses. In the second month. I found a couple of promising options, but each fell through because of troubling red-flags I would find in the lease. Finally, I found a great option and I was back in the city to tour it. After the tour, I thought I would apply for it. It checked off most of the boxes and felt like something I could work with. Plus, the lease didn’t have any bad surprises.
I talked to my mom and a friend and they both brought up red flags. My initial response was indignation — I wanted to ignore the red flags and push through. This apartment was so much better than the hundreds I had combed through for months!
But a small and quiet voice stopped me. And I listened, even though it seemed counterintuitive to do so. The impatience and pressure were quieted in me. I called my mom and said I was going to go for a walk around the neighborhood and drop into some apartments instead of filling out the application.
And for the next few of hours I did. I called a few numbers on some signs, dropped into some complexes, talked to a few people, and toured a couple of apartments.
I had fun! And by the end of the day I felt like I had a better idea of the neighborhood and more confidence in God’s perfect guidance — right place and right time. I had nothing to fear.
I went home that night and scrolled through some apartment listings. Quickly, I found an apartment that looked capacious and light that was in a great neighborhood for a great price. I emailed the contact and got an email back that same night. I would tour the next day.
The rest is history. It just unfolded. The tour went well. The lease was generous. And the landlord was kind. All of my boxes were really checked off, but only God could have unfolded that for me when I had completely humbled myself to his power and ability.
This was a significant lesson for me in trusting God’s unfoldment of being. I understand now, better than ever, that there is no better way than waiting patiently on God.
A four-year-old boy from Tyler, Texas is an Internet sensation after his video recitation of the alphabet using Bible verses went viral. Here’s the full story as recounted by his father, Taylor Hemness (@taylorhemness) :
Last spring, our youth minister at Glenwood Church of Christ in Tyler, Texas, challenged families to learn a Bible verse for every letter of the alphabet. At the time, Tanner was 3-and-a-half, so I started to tune out.
But the minister encouraged parents of young children to try it too, because “we’d be amazed by what they’re able to retain.”
I thought it was worth a try, but honestly didn’t believe that he’d be able to do it. That thought was only strengthened when I saw the list of verses the church provided to us. “Jesus wept” isn’t on the list! I wasn’t even sure they were all from the same translation.
So, that Monday, we wrote the first verse on a chalkboard in our kitchen, and started practicing with him. I’d run through it every day, and by Thursday, he had it.
The following Monday, we did it again with “B,” but we also still made him recite A. So, by week five, he was doing A, B, C, D, and E every day. There were a few verses that took two weeks, thanks to difficulty, or things like family travel. Altogether, it took about six months.
He’s wearing a tuxedo in the video because we were at a wedding. He was a ring bearer in a co-worker’s wedding, he was all dressed up, and he’d just learned “Z” the week prior. We had a few minutes, and a quiet room, so I took the opportunity to film him, which I’d always planned to do when he was done.
I posted the video, and immediately, it got lots of response. But friends were telling me they were trying to send it to friends, but those friends couldn’t see it because my account was private. I’m a local TV anchor here in Tyler, so I’m pretty private with my family. But, I decided to go ahead and make that post public.
One week later, it had 3 million views on my personal FB page. I was shocked.
I gave it to my station to share on their page, and as of today, between those two pages, it’s been seen more than 30 million times.
When the Steve Harvey show producers reached out back in October, I never thought it’d become what it has become. My wife and I couldn’t be prouder of our little fella.
As you might imagine, some of the comments from people (which have poured in from around the world) have been less than positive. “Brainwashing” gets thrown around a lot. But in my original post, I said that my prayer is to be the kind of Dad who helps him learn what those verses mean. I understand right now, many of these words don’t resonate with him the way they would with an adult. But I have faith that God will turn them into much more, and his mother and I pray that we can help that along.
Here’s the List of ABC Bible Verses Tanner Used
Each Bible reference is linked to its location on Bible Gateway and displayed in 5 versions in parallel:
New International Version (NIV)
English Standard Version (ESV)
New International Reader’s Version (NIrV)
International Children’s Bible (ICB) and
New Century Version (NCV).
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find. Matthew 7:7
Be kind one to another. Ephesians 4:32
Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you. Psalm 55:22
…Do not be anxious about anything…. Philippians 4:6
Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith…. Ephesians 2:8
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1
He alone is my rock and my salvation. Psalm 62:2
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8
Know that the Lord is God. It is He who made us. Psalm 100:3
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul…. Mark 12:30
My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. Psalm 62:1
Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1
O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you. Psalm 63:1
Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being praise his Holy name. Psalm 103:1
A Quiet spirit….is of great worth in God’s sight. 1 Peter 3:4
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: rejoice! Philippians 4:4
Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne. Revelation 7:10
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
…Under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield…. Psalm 91:4
Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. John 6:47
…We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. Romans 8:37
…May I never boast, eXcept in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Galatians 6:14
“Jesus saw the perfect man where sinning mortal man appeared to mortals.” He saw Jairus” daughter as beautiful, whole, and lively where everyone around him saw her as dead. How I long to see that way consistently! Today, as I was contemplating the Jairus story, a gentle “morning moment” illuminated my thought. Jesus saw the idea, complete within itself as God’s reflection and not in the material form that appeared to be real.
The “illuminated thought” even gave me an example!
I bought an amaryllis bulb that was on sale from last year. I followed the instructions for growing it, but nothing happened. I kept a little water on it, and still nothing happened…. for months! In fact, it looked dead….shriveled, brown, lifeless. I was tempted to think it wasn’t going to grow because it was an old bulb. Perhaps it hadn’t been treated right…maybe it was just rotten. But something made me keep it and give it water. Another month went by with nothing.
Then, one day, a green nub appeared. After that, growth was quick and two huge stalks with glorious red flowers emerged. I noticed they always pointed to the light.
Then, the “illuminated thought” dawned on me. This bulb always had everything in it to bloom. It was designed to be a red amaryllis. Even if it appeared dead, it was living and ready to bloom. Jesus saw the whole idea and not just what material sense presented. Mary Baker Eddy says, “We must look deep into realism, instead of accepting only the outward sense of things.” Jesus looked deep and saw Life, God.
A friend called the other day, asking for prayer for some pain that was going on in her body. She mentioned that she had checked the dictionary for this particular problem, and it wasn’t in the dictionary. So we both laughed and said “Well, if it’s not in the dictionary, it must not be real!”
Afterwards, we both decided that maybe the best thing to do is to check first to see if it’s in God’s Dictionary. We concluded that checking in a regular dictionary for a problem gives emphasis to the suggestion that it’s real and identifiable, and gets us looking in the wrong direction for information. Then we find questions follow like, “Where did this come from? What started it? Does anyone else have this problem?” And the rabbit hole just got a lot deeper (And we should mention that tv or the internet are not defined as God’s Dictionary either!)
And so our conclusion was if we had to check a dictionary, we would check first in God’s dictionary and that would give us the real information. Obviously no mortal limiting discordant condition, or problem, was going to find identification by God. Divine Mind, the only true information center, doesn’t know error or evil in any form. This is really good news! We can start with what God, Divine Mind, Truth, knows to begin our reasoning from a strong, clear spiritual basis.
OK, maybe God doesn’t actually have a dictionary. At least not one that we know about. But if a dictionary is that which defines words and explains concepts and identifies what is real, and gives the truth, the opposite of what is not real, this makes ideas practical and usable; then actually a dictionary gives us real, true information. Maybe we could consider that turning to the Bible and Mrs. Eddy’s writings for accurate information, could be called God’s Dictionaries.
The point that is made pretty wonderfully clear here is that an alert student of Christian Science is not a student of matter or material sense, but a disciple, or student always desiring a greater understanding of God. The student will be looking for a reason to learn more about what’s real instead of searching for a reason for pursuing what is unreal.
And the quicker we take whatever the suggestion is which denies the allness and ever-presence of God, and recognize it as impotent, we understand it is powerless to influence or harm. We have, in a manner of speaking, distanced ourself from being influenced or educated incorrectly. We have focused on the true, and put the false information “across the room,” in essence knowing it has no connection with us or power over us. thereby distancing it from any connection to an individual‘s experience.
We realize we really can and must choose very consciously what we allow to govern our thought and experience. We can decide whether or not it has reality, any true and worthwhile value at all.
If it’s not in God’s dictionary, then we have eliminated its impression or influence on our thought by realizing its impotence or power to alarm us or make us afraid. We will find it to be unreal for everyone, ever, anywhere. What’s left to handle? Nothing.
This past week in our small, quiet community, where many leave their doors unlocked and folks help each other out, there were 4 murders of more senior people. They were attacked in their homes and killed, all within the space of 5 days.
These heinous acts sent the area into a fear frenzy with gun shops selling out of firearms and ammunition, hardware stores selling out of home security devices, and rumors running rampant. People literally didn’t leave their houses, and kept their weapons close by….in case. .
I must admit to getting the willies at first because it was so close, but knew undoubtedly that my safety was not in any kind of weaponry or devices. My safety was in God’s omnipotent Love.
In talking with Pam about “arresting evil” and stopping evil in its tracks, I understood that my job as a Christian Scientist is much bigger than stopping “my” fear. It is demonstrating for the world that evil is powerless. Along with Pam, and I am sure many others, I began to work to really see the omnipotence of Divine Love everywhere. I arrested every thought that was not loving, not productive, judgmental, angry, doubtful, etc., and replaced it with the truth of God’s pure good.
At first my prayers were “at” the evil. But then I realized with God’s gentle nudging that “at” meant outside of God, and there is no outside to ever-presence. One day during my morning moment, the thought came to go back to the Lord’s Prayer…. a prayer that meets all our needs.
In listening to each line and its spiritual interpretation, it dawned so clearly that God, good, is creating, governing, loving all. That God’s kingdom IS come here and now, that God’s will, Mind, Love, Truth IS all power and all present. That each of us is given grace and satisfied so there was no person that had to get something from someone else or could exert his will over another. That Love is reflected in love so no one (those who passed, the perpetrator, nor anyone else) had ever experienced anything but love. That no one is tempted to see, do or experience evil because God, Love has already delivered us. That the only power there is IS God.
Such peace and protection in knowing our and everyone’s immunity from evil!!!
After understanding this immunity, I made a study of what Mrs. Eddy said of evil and it really helped to understand that we must not give an easy answer of “God is Love”, but must truly see the evil, detect it and see its nothingness.
I’m so grateful that today, three days after our concerted prayer began, a man was arrested, and the fear subsided in the community. But, I am more grateful to be awakened to the duty to see the claim of evil in its many guises and really understand the power, authority, and order of Truth, Love. We have such a gift in knowing our reality is of God, and we must be alert to arrest evil in all its forms.
“Let’s get this done!”
From Pam ♥️
Three days ago, when Cindy called with the news that there have been two more murders in her area and the close community around her, I was completely incensed! This was wrong on every level! And with absolute conviction, we agreed we needed to get this done, and the evil from this community need to be arrested and eradicated.
I recalled an experience a Christian Science teacher shared with me when anthrax scare was threatening innocent individuals in our country, with this poison being placed in envelopes in people‘s mailboxes. They couldn’t catch the perpetrators of this and the country was flummoxed.
This very dedicated teacher said she sent an email to her pupils and said, in essence, “Enough. This is how to handle it, and we’re going to handle it.” That was on a Sunday and on Wednesday the men were arrested at a rest stop off the freeway.
I have often thought of that experience because the teacher said “We did it.” And she knew, absolutely knew with completely conviction, that the strong prayer that was going on in this country, – people had been praying about this for many many weeks – was effective and would bring a right and just conclusion.
The final resolve was the complete conviction of the power of God as all good, and as the divine law that eliminates any claims of evil. It was evidenced in the understanding and work of her pupils in her Christian Science Association that had been faithful and dedicated to resolving the situation. I have always loved her certain conviction of the power of right!
So when Cindy told me of this challenge, my response was. Let’s get this done. Enough! That was three days ago that Cindy and I talked, and yesterday, with amazing and dedicated resolve of two different county sheriff departments, the individual was arrested. The communities are relieved, and fear has been removed from those citizens.
Thank God for our ability to effectively know the truth that Mrs. Eddy discovered, her absolute conviction of the allness of God, good, and the certainty that evil can be proved unreal. So grateful for Cindy’s alert concern, and the opportunity to pray together for her community.
As students of Christian Science, we have the ability and the willingness and conviction to deal with these challenges that seem so daunting. We pray with our understanding, and we are united with those who trust God in their lives.
One of the members of the families of those who lost loved ones related, “We continue to keep our eyes on God, trusting in Him as we walk through the aftermath of this tragedy.” He then thanked the officers for the arrest. We, too, with much gratitude, will continue to keep our eyes on God.
