Revel in the Joy

It’s amazing how hanging out with children can mute mental and bodily complaints.

Sore muscles vanished yesterday when the five-year-old neighbor boy came over to play with our grandchildren, five and eight years old. At the lunch table, we all began a detailed, serious conversation about school. Teacher’s names, how old everyone was in kindergarten and third grade, the big class, how kindergarteners get to third grade, music, crafts, recess, rain days when recess was inside a big room where they eat also.

Our five-year old grandson left his chair and walked into the kitchen inquisitively.

“Is everything all right?” his mother asks.

“I ate a bad bite of food,” he said.

“Spit it in the garbage.”

But he dribbles the food into his hand and dissects it to find…

“I think it’s a tooth,” he turns to us and says.

“Smile,” said his mother.

We all broke out in smiles and celebration. His first lost tooth. Adorable. Hugs all around.

The neighbor boy, sitting next to me, turns and says with bright eyes that see a wonderful future, “Now, he goes to first grade.”

I nod, but don’t explain that losing a tooth is not quite the condition to getting to first grade. Because we all were happy to keep reveling in joy.

Matthew 6:33, “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”–The Message

What happens after covid?

Sammy moved back to New York City today.

The vocal, colorful, multifarious City was Sammy’s home before moving, to what is referred to as the cabin, March of 2020, when the covid epidemic began is protracted journey from a fearsome devil-power to a reminder that humanity gains insights from scientific and religious research that reveal new ways of thinking about ourselves and the cosmos.

Although Sammy had strange digs, she did not have it hard. She lived with her grandparents and parents and participated uniquely in Mom’s newly developed home-schooling curriculum for children.

Dad worked from home but quit his job in 2021.

Because the company Dad worked for in the past wanted his technological knowledge to become somewhat obsolete, they paid him, not to work for his new company, for an entire year. At that time, Sammy and Dad became more familiar with one another.

Everyone in the household became more familiar with, not so much, one another physically, but also spiritually. The presence of spirituality was treated as paramount to getting along as a team and the presence of divine Intelligence was treated as the Principle of not believing everything one was told and the ability to discern the Truth behind truths. The rewards were tangible. Everyone got along so well, it became a wonderful new normal.

But it’s back to work at the office for Dad, so goodbye cabin.

Grandma, who stays at the cabin with Grandpa, told Sammy, “We’ll miss you.”

Then Grandma smiled because she wondered if Sammy was thinking, “I won’t miss being more familiar with who left the bathroom stinkier!”

Grandma said, “We’ll keep familiar the good times and new ways of treating one another. We’ll remember to keep our hands clean, to keep our germs to our self, and to give people their mental and physical space, even if its respectful quiet time. We’ll remember that all creation is connected by and of God, Truth, Intelligence, and that it’s imperative to humanity’s wellbeing that we share gratitude, patience, honesty, and goodwill.”

Sammy said, “Meow,” and got in the car.

Beautiful Sammy

How About Christian Science Mental Treatment, II

Fine-tuning Prayer

Prayer is desire. Your desires are known by God, the divine all-knowing Mind. God knows your desires before you do. Trust God to formulate and develop your faithful desires before they become words and actions.

It’s generally accepted in the field of religion that the tradition of prayer or meditation may reduce stress, clear the mind, or bring about healing. In the field of science, studies on the effects of prayer have occurred for more than a century. Although today, technology is used to measure the brain’s reactions to prayer, test results generate more questions. How many people need to be praying? Can prayer be offered from a distance? Is prayer a form of manipulation? What kind of prayers are offered?

In divine Science, prayer is mental. It’s not a cause or effect, but images forth the cause and effect of the Divine, God. The misleading assumption that 2 happens after 1, then 2 must happen because of 1, is not to be overlooked. Healing doesn’t happen because of prayer even if healing occurred after prayer.

The test of prayer lies in the answer to these questions: Do we love our neighbor better? Do we pray and give no evidence by living consistently with the prayer?

We can’t stare at a mathematical problem on the screen and pray for the principle of mathematics to work out the solution. Shall we ask the divine Principle of all goodness to do what’s already been done? Only one thing can be done. Benefit yourself of God’s rule to receive Love’s blessing, which allows you to resolve life’s issues.

We have Jesus as an example of a living prayer. Following Jesus isn’t easy but is doable, despite the devilish self and world. We can model the divine nature. We can experience divine approval even if our peers disapprove. We can experience the divine faith that all good is possible to God.

Christian Science and Evil

In today’s world of digital images, Cheryl Petersen considers a new reality, the reality of Good.

http://anchor.fm/cheryl-petersen
https://21stcenturyscience.wordpress.com/

Sometimes I cry for relief

My nephew was born about the time I got married. What’s it been, 38 years?

We watched him grow up and were part of each other’s lives. He was a sturdy youngster, quick moving, quite often moving before thinking.

As I write this, I see his smiling, gung-ho attitude.

Years of farm work, swimming, family dinners together. Until his late teen years. When he started abusing drugs. Fear, police, thefts, some good times but in his twenties, he grew stronger, scarier. Interventions, professional help, prayer, medications, ultimatums, seemed to be of no avail.

He threatened and hurt his mother, our sister, and the option to separate was tearfully accepted. He moved one state away and random phone calls to his parents were short.

So many questions. What a horrible mystery. I pondered the Psalms: “I cry to you, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.'”

And today, our sister called and said, “We just got a call, to learn that someone found Sean dead.”

I cried, simply cried. Not to God, for a living refuge. Not to Sean, for living such a hard life. Not to all the parents/people who struggle because of drug abuse and mental disorders. Not to myself.

I just cried. With no desire to blame, analyze, or get angry. I cry out my hope in a merciful life and relief in this life that never stops.

And then I saw the image of Sean when he was about ten. It’s a good image.

It reminded me that two days ago, I had the privilege of attending a church and listening gratefully to the guest speaker, a recovering heroin addict and alcoholic, sober, six years now. His message of fighting the good fight and keeping at the fight for good, remains alive.

I Timothy 6:12:  Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

Divine Life Remains

It’s difficult to fathom. Nearly impossible to see or feel. But divine Life is cause and effect.

Life isn’t divided. Life isn’t half of anything. Life isn’t a causing spirit, eventually up against its effects of manifest truth or love.

If divine Life were divisible, we could believe that the spirit of Life caused the effect of creation, with infinite effects/beings that can evolve, devolve, or do everything in their power to submit to divine Life and live forever in heaven.

But divine Life remains cause and effect.

I am not cause or effect.

I am, you are, inclusive to, the one cause and effect of divine Life. As much as we don’t want to admit it sometimes, the spirit of life goes on, despite the happiness and horrors of human life, of birth, growth, decay, death.

Humility, perhaps humiliation, allows us to recognize this pattern of life as cause and effect, even when we want to insist on that which we can’t, human life as either cause or effect.

Creation remains, intelligence remains, love remains without human life or knowledge because it existed before human life.

It’s difficult to fathom one cause and effect when I’m giving power to causes other than divine Life. It’s nearly impossible to see or feel the effects of divine Life when I’m expecting effects that can’t possibly come from an indivisible divine Life.

I think it’s logically consistent, emotionally prudent, and spiritually sound to get to know and acknowledge one cause and effect. The cause and effect of divine Life, inclusive of us and all.

“Though the way is dark in mortal sense, divine Life and Love enlighten the way, and destroy the restless human thinking, the fear of death, and the supposed reality of [hopeless irrationality].”–21st Century Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: A modern version of Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health

Review of “from science & religion to God”

Review of book, from science & religion to God: A narrative of Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, by Cheryl Petersen

Webb Telescope, Audubon, Creation

A stunning, poignant picture can say a thousand words.

But ONLY a thousand. Pretty much.

Let’s compare photographs from the James Webb Space Telescope and the winning 2022 Audubon photography winners.

The first image from the James Webb Space Telescope speaks to a galaxy cluster as it appeared 4.6 billion years ago. Who knows what that cluster looks like today? The cluster could contain a dinosaur roaming planet.

The winning images of birds, honored by Audubon, speaks to a creation in existence now.  Who knows what those birds will look like tomorrow?

To be frank, even though I read history, I don’t know what the past was like or the future will bring. But in general, I keep up on the theories and speculations and evidence showing that yesterday resembles today and probably will resemble tomorrow in that creation exists and isn’t totally understood by human mind; not understood by even eight billion human minds put together.

Based on history, the questions arise. What happens if the James Webb telescope discovers a planet habitable by human beings? Will the same thing happen when we discovered any new territory on Earth? Take overs, rule making, regeneration, fighting, fence building, compromises, forgiveness?

What happens if, by the use of pictures, scientists are able to postulate and experiment with theories that combine and manipulate matter/energy into something useful to human beings? More inventions, mining, mass production, exploitation, restoration? Extinction? All possible because it’s happening now.

Human intents and habits are one and the same, repetitive and unable to resolve itself, while creation continues alive and infinite, self-sustained. Somehow, human beings and human knowledge are not in control.

The lesson to take from the cosmos and birds is that creation continues with the substantial and identifiable ideas of justice, mercy, peacemaking, divine righteousness, wisdom, beauty, self-control, joy, perseverance, living the now.

Now is the time to nurture family, Earth, lawfulness, our gifts to soar.

Jesus said, “Take a lesson from the fig tree. From the moment you notice its buds form, the merest hint of green, you know summer’s just around the corner. And so it is with you. When you see all these things, you know he is at the door. Don’t take this lightly. I’m not just saying this for some future generation, but for this one, too—these things will happen. Sky and earth will wear out; my words won’t wear out.”–Mark

“Think about it: we can detach from the body to a degree, unconsciously, when we become so absorbed in a movie or activity that we forget out body. So, detach instead from the body–as a form of human belief–and learn the meaning of God and creation.”–from science & religion to God: A narrative of Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health

Giving credit where credit is due

Ask:

 Does the human mind consciously or unconsciously counteract these thoughts?
“Eat only what you need.”
“Forgive this person.”
“Exercise more.”
“Return their smile.”
“You can keep discovering the reality of divine Spirit.”

Does the human mind’s refusal to follow through on those thoughts mirror these bodily conditions?
Excessive blood pressure.
Persistent pain.
Lethargic digestion.
Unresponsive brain.
Depression.

Matthew 22:37
“And [Jesus] said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’”

21^st Century Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: A modern version of Mary Baker Eddy’s Science and Health:
“Citizens of the world, accept the “glorious freedom of the children of God,”[1] and be free! This is your divine right. The self-deluded idolatrous views, not divine law, has captivated you, made you arthritic, made you a procrastinator, weakened your body, and ruined your reputation.

“Sickness, sin, and destruction must at length recoil before the divine rights of intelligence, and then the power of Mind over the entire functions and organs of the human system will be acknowledged. It is proverbial that Mother Teresa,[2] and other philanthropists engaged in humanitarian work have been able to undergo, without weariness and danger, that which ordinary people could not endure. The explanation lies in the support which they derived from the divine law, supreme to the human law. The spiritual demand crushes the material demand and supplies not only energy but also endurance.

“We learn that divine Mind is the master of the human mind and physical senses and can vanquish sickness, sin, and loss. Exercise this God-given power. Take possession of your body and direct its feelings and actions. Advance in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made you capable of this and nothing can stop the ability and power divinely bestowed on your spirituality.

“We can never treat human mind and matter separately because they combine as one.

“Scientifically speaking, there is no human mind out of which to make incomplete beliefs proceeding from illusion. This misnamed mind is not an entity. What we call matter is only a false sense of substance, since its substance has no sensitivity. The one Mind contains no human opinions. All that is real is included in spiritual Mind.”

Isaiah 12:4
“And you will say in that day: “Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted.’”

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[1] Rom. 8:21

[2] Mother Teresa (1910–1997) Albanian Roman Catholic nun.