Comforting Boston

A Christian Science perspective: The bombings at the Boston Marathon Monday afternoon left a city seeking comfort. 

Marathons, including the one in Boston, celebrate courage, endurance, strength, freedom, and joy, and the bombings that took place at this year's event cannot be allowed to have the last word.

Freedom cannot be despoiled by fear, and love cannot be replaced by hate. Our prayers – wherever we are, whatever our religious beliefs – can prove this. And as we pray, we can embrace in our hearts and thoughts all who have been injured, the families who have lost loved ones, and those whose joyful participation may now seem shadowed by fear and sorrow.

To all those, and others, the comfort of divine Love is present, right now, and is a powerful redeemer. The word "comfort" derives from two Latin words (cum + fortis), which mean “with strength.” This is the kind of comfort that is present for those immediately affected, for the police and other officials who are striving to find solutions, for all who are in any way engaged by this event.

With strength, divine Love, God, is with all who mourn. The prophet Isaiah – who witnessed his own share of violence – spoke from experience when he said of God, “As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you” (Isaiah 66:13).

With strength, divine Love is speaking to all who are fearful, including visitors to the city who may feel at sea in an unfamiliar place. Love’s presence comforts, guards, and guides them to intelligent decisions, to safety and peace.

With strength, divine Truth, God, is with those who are seeking the answers to these events and are also trying to help bring peace and safety to the city.

With strength, each one of us can push back against the belief that the mental darkness behind these events can despoil good and fill people with anguish and fear. Our prayer can insist that God’s love is present and that this love can never be taken away from any of His children. In her book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy writes, “... Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy".

Given the many situations Jesus faced – including terrorism in his own time – his unshakable conviction of God’s power to heal even in the most hopeless circumstances gives hope and strength to all who love God and pray for His goodness to be seen right now, in these times. Jesus' conviction that God could meet every need can strengthen our prayers. He didn’t just hope that God’s goodness would prevail, he expected it to do so. Behind this conviction was his consciousness of Christ, which Christian Science explains as the spiritual relation between God and man, between infinite Love and its spiritual offspring.

The Christ-power behind Jesus' healing work is present with each man, woman, and child – in Boston and beyond. This is the power that "comforts those that mourn" – not only with an arm around the shoulders (tender as that may be) but with something more: It was and is comfort “with strength.”

This is our comfort, and the comfort our prayers can bring to all.

Source: Christian Science Monitor

What made Margaret Thatcher special in her time

What we can learn from Margaret Thatcher's leadership style, her triumphs and failings?

Of the few women who led a nation during the 20th century, Margaret Thatcher stood out more than most. Her leadership qualities were so remarkable at the time that, even though she resigned as Britain’s prime minister more than two decades ago, her actions and style are still debated well into this century.

Her passing on Monday comes as new concepts about what makes a good leader take hold in government and business. Many people still look for inspiring, towering figures, of course, to guide them through wars, recessions, and big changes. They admire people who speak of principle and act with certitude – and occasional humor – as “the Iron Lady” did. In that sense, she was much like her American counterpart of the 1980s, Ronald Reagan. Both are known as “transformative” figures in recent political history.

Her commanding presence and her spine of virtue helped Thatcher stand up to the powerful miners union, the Argentine military in the Falklands War, the Irish Republican Army (IRA), and the Soviet Union. She muscled through conservative economic changes in a hidebound Britain. And she began the long project to restore the morale of a country lost in post-empire malaise.

Her belief in her own moral certainty, however, was also the undoing of her long tenure. Like many leaders with so much success, she forgot to listen, especially to her closest supporters. She was challenged within her party over her insistence on imposing a highly unpopular tax.

Many politicians in a democracy must find a balance between leading and following. In the post-Thatcher era, management consultants now speak of the “servant-leader,” or someone who can form close bonds with followers, empower them, connect a vision to daily tasks, and avoid taking credit. Humility is now more honored than during Thatcher’s day.

The Internet has spread ideas such as crowd-sourcing and the Wiki phenomenon of distributive power. Political uprisings like the tea party and the “Occupy” movement are nearly leaderless and almost nonhierarchical, showing the power of ideas more than the charisma of individual leaders. A rising distrust of institutions, from government to churches, has led to a whole study of how people can thrive in groups, or a community of followers.

In world history, Thatcher will no doubt be remembered for her results. She helped end the cold war, and stood up to tyrants like Saddam Hussein and terrorists like the IRA. She knew the principles that had sustained humanity’s progress up to then, spoke of them eloquently, and insisted on their practice.

Her record offers valuable lessons in leadership, some timeless and others to be avoided. That she was able to deftly maneuver through male-dominated British politics should be an inspiration for all women.

She had faith in unending progress for all, and that kind of faith can extend to knowing there is progress in what makes a good leader for each age.

Source: Christian Science Monitor

Cicadas to emerge on East coast after 17 years

Like clockwork, they're coming back — after 17 years.

"They" would be cicadas, the big, noisy bugs that climb out of the earth about every decade and a half to make everyone's life more exciting.

The Richmond area soon will be buzzing with a sound heard only once every 17 years.

Around mid-May, millions of 17-year cicadas will crawl out of the ground and mate. The females then will lay eggs and both adults will die shortly after mating. In the summer, the eggs will hatch and their offspring will burrow into the ground to begin the next cycle.

Experts tell Gannett News Service that the bugs live underground and feed off fluid that gathers near the roots of plants, then emerge from the soil when its temperature reaches 64 degrees.

"We have no idea how they know how much time has passed," Gene Kritsky, a cicada expert at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

He said it will be Richmond's day in the sun for cicadas.

"To me it's like having a David Attenborough special in your backyard," Kritsky told, "if you are lucky enough to have them emerging in your yard."

During their short time of the surface, the insects do a lot of good, he said. Their holes aerate the soil, and they return nutrients to the soil when they die. They also provide food for birds and other animals.

They're largely harmless, but their sheer numbers can cause headaches. Some areas could see as many as a billion of the cicadas per square mile. That can lead to a lot of dead bugs all over roadways and grassy surfaces. They can also disrupt outdoor events with their loud buzzing.

The big noise is made the males, who are trying to attract mates. The females flick their wings.

Each female makes punctures at the ends of tree twigs and lays 400 to 600 eggs. This can harm small trees but it is like a pruning for larger trees, Kritsky said.

"Next year, they'll come back with a better growth," he said.

He recommends that people get married when the cicadas appear.

"'Think about it. The only time you will have the same environmental conditions of your wedding day will be on your 17th anniversary, your 34th anniversary and your 51st anniversary," Kritsky said.

Peggy Singlemann, horticulture director at Maymont, has fond memories of the cicadas' last appearance in 1996. While they were noisy and "just everywhere," she said that they did not cause significant damage to trees.

"We are so used to our comfort," Singlemann said. "But just to know that for 17 years an insect has been underground waiting for its time to re-emerge. I think it's fascinating."

This year's brood of cicadas is Brood II, which lives in a stretch from north-central North Carolina through central Virginia to Connecticut.

Waiting on God

As a waitress at an inn in a resort town years ago, I would stand poised at the guests’ table, pencil and pad in hand. I was not idly passing time. I was preparing to be of service by “waiting on” the guests. When they were ready to order, I would record their meal choices on my pad and then convey what I had written to the chef in the kitchen.

Recently I was thinking of that experience in the light of what it means to wait on God. While I may not be standing poised with pencil and pad, I can, nevertheless, wait on God with that same readiness to serve Him. I can prayerfully listen for, and be receptive to, what He is asking of me.

Waiting on God involves maintaining an aura of expectancy and a readiness to follow through, knowing that He gives us only messages or ideas that we can fulfill. Every order from divine Mind, the Mind of God, has a purpose that can’t be thwarted or undermined.

Jesus’ whole life was committed to waiting on God. His every act was a direct result of that expectant waiting. His waiting did not include lapses of time. One might even say that time had no place in a life lived in such intimate communion with the Father. What better model for waiting on God than Jesus’ life and works.

Servants stand ready to receive orders. They don’t delay in responding when summoned. To wait on God is to be alert to heed His summons. It’s not “hanging around” waiting for something to happen. Acknowledging His presence in our lives reveals new opportunities to serve Him, whether it’s a call to pray, even when we may not ever know the results of our prayers, or whether it’s a call to take action as the result of prayer. The prophet Hosea offers this direction: “Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually” (Hosea 12:6).

I recall writing to a cousin in a distant city upon hearing of her divorce. She had married without her parents’ blessing, and the marriage had foundered. It was at a time when divorce was generally shunned.

I paused before putting pen to paper, waiting on God for just the right words to express my support for her courage in taking this difficult step. Shortly thereafter, I received a letter of gratitude from her. Our long-distance friendship deepened as a result of that exchange of letters, and she recalls it gratefully to this day.

How many times do we each have the opportunity to wait on God for the right moment to speak, the right words to comfort, the appropriate time to encourage? Waiting on God is not passive; it’s a state of readiness to respond in a Christly manner.

Our status as sons and daughters of God assures us of His ever-presence in our lives. It is our privilege to wait on God – to be poised to accept His order knowing that He never asks of us more than we can fulfill. We honor His presence by waiting on Him, standing ready “with pencil and pad,” to make the moment at hand count for what He is requiring of us.

Girl Scout Cookie Upside-Down Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

½ cup unsalted butter

¼ cup unsweetened cocoa

¾ cup lightly packed premium unsweetened natural cocoa
1½ tablespoons canola oil

½ cup water
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ cup buttermilk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 sleeve Girl Scout cookies, chopped (I used Do-Si-Dos)

Frosting:

¼ cup unsalted butter
1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk
1½ cups powdered sugar

1 cookie for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan. 
2. Melt ½ cup the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa (¼ cup). Add the oil and water and bring to a rolling boil for 30 seconds. 
3. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly. 
4. Whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
5. Pour the warm cocoa mixture into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. 
6. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk (or soured milk), egg, and vanilla. 
7. With a rubber spatula, stir the buttermilk mixture into the batter. 
8. Spread chopped cookies evenly in the bottom of your prepared pan. Pour the batter over the top and place in the center of the oven. Bake until the top is firm and the cake starts to pull away from the sides of the pan – about 30 minutes. 
9. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. 

Make the frosting:

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cocoa and bring the mixture to a rolling boil; boil for 30 seconds. 
2. Remove from heat and whisk in the milk and vanilla. 
3. Add the confectioners’ sugar ½ cup at a time while whisking continuously.
4. Immediately pour the frosting over the cake (the cake should be bottom-side, i.e. flat-side, up), spreading with a spatula. The frosting will harden pretty quickly. Sprinkle an extra crumbled cookie on top.

Source: Mollie Zapata, Eat. Run. Read.

Joan Rivers and April Fools: Teach your kids the difference between funny and hurtful

Society encourages wicked little untruths to make fools of others on April Fools' Day for the sake of a laugh, but attacks comedian Joan Rivers for telling the unvarnished truth and hurting the feelings of wealthy public figures. Today is a good day to take a moment to examine the mixed messages we send children about truth, it’s temporary suspension, and when jokes go too far.

This is the day, April Fools' Day, when little kids try to pass off Cheerios as “Donut Seeds” and foolish employees lose their jobs because they thought it hilarious to advertise the boss’ job in the local newspaper. It’s what I like to call Judgment Day, as in good or bad, your judgment is put to the test. It’s also an important day to fine tune parenting on truth, lies, and what’s not funny and why.

For Ms. Rivers, and comedians in general, Judgment Day is every day because they judge the world and their remarks either make us laugh, or want to throttle them. Dealing with very young kids isn’t so very different from working with comedians because kids are straight shooters and hilarity often is the result.

I recently stumbled across three vital questions, first asked by comedian Craig Ferguson, that I now ask myself regularly in order to keep out of trouble. I keep a printed copy taped beside my computer, by the phone, and on the white board in the kitchen. Yes, I need it that much and so do my kids.

It reads:

"Does this need to be said?"

"Does this need to be said by me?"

"Does this need to be said by me, right now?"

For comedians, the answer is always a resounding “Yes!” to all three questions. For kids, we need to tell them that the answer will generally be, “Nope.” Now I’ll tell you why that is.

Art Linkletter made his early career by asking children basic questions and getting funny, honest, politically incorrect answers on the show “Kids Say the Darndest Things.” Yet, we really don’t celebrate honesty when a child tells grandma on the phone, “I really don’t feel like talking to you right now because I’d rather play with the cat.”

I was raised in New York City under the code of, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.” However, I now live in the South where you can verbally kill someone with kindness and a smile. As author Isaac Goldberg once said, “Diplomacy is to do and say the nastiest things in the nicest way.”

Of course, the vital difference here is the intent of what’s said. Is it mean, or does it mean well? Rivers has always claimed her japes are well intentioned and that the celebrity victims aren’t bothered by the attacks. That seems unlikely. Maybe they’re just telling that socially correct little white lie and need to tell the truth about how celebrity bullying makes them feel.

It really does become a vicious social lie-cycle as people hide the truth about hurt feelings in order to avoid further conflict with the one inflicting the emotional pain. If you are a celebrity and someone says you’re “fat” and justifies it by adding that your wealth and celebrity make you “fair game,” perhaps it’s time to let the truth set you and others free. What is the real tangible difference between a kid in the school yard calling a girl “fatso” versus one wealthy celebrity doing so to another?

When my neighbor, also my doctor, sees me out jogging and says, “Good to see you finally addressing the weight issue. Good for you!” she gets points for honesty, but now I jog in the other direction, away from her house. That actually happened. Ultimately though, I know the doc means well and since I’m her sole audience, I take it in stride. In fact I stride a bit harder, and it makes it that much easier to avoid the next donut.

I love Adele and wince every time Rivers skewers her or anyone else on weight issues. I’m not laughing, but I must admit she’s telling the truth, even if it is with what feels like a malevolent spin.

Rivers is called “mean,” but when you take a closer look, she’s being just as shockingly, flatly rational, and straight in her observations as any child.

“Mom, that kid on TV told his mom she’s fat,” My son Quin, 9, said with indignation. “I would never tell you that even if you are fat now because it would hurt your feelings. That’s why I never tell you.” That little feel-good moment happened over a month ago, but it was both unforgettable and motivational.  

Quin, while unintentionally funny, is not seeking a career on the stage and needs the three question guide so people outside our home don’t think he’s being intentionally unpleasant.

On the one hand, I like it that comics don’t have a three-question axiom, because I think there's a place for honest people who annoy us with their candor, keep it real, and get us to lighten up. While we may dislike honesty about our body image, it is necessary in small doses.

Just watching Rivers and her daughter Melissa, on their We TV reality show “Joan & Melissa: Joan Knows best?” gives insight into a no-holds-barred approach to parenting, grand parenting, and life in general. Rivers is true to her own unvarnished style with her own family.

We get angry at Rivers and those like her because they tell us the Emperor has no clothes, or that the ones they’re wearing make them look like something the cat dragged in. And in doing so they remind us just how much we like to fool ourselves and others.

What Rivers really does is work toward freeing us of our lying addiction with a spoonful of lemon rather than sugar. Hearing the truth isn't always sweet, yet it does make others laugh when we make a face at the bitter taste.

Rivers forces us to recognize and deal with that truth through the lens of humor. Reality check: That’s what comedians do, but perhaps as society has evolved, we are outgrowing the pleasure we once took in meanness.

When the host of HLN’s Showbiz Tonight took her to task about making a Holocaust joke about an Oscar night dress worn by Heidi Klum, Rivers, who is of Jewish ancestry as was her late husband, answered, “That’s how we get through life. If you laugh you can deal with it. Done!”

In the final analysis we get the same conclusion that comedian Steve Martin came to in the movie "Cheaper by the Dozen" when his daughter pulls a nasty prank on Ashton Kutcher’s character by soaking his underwear in meat and then releasing the dog on him. “Funny, but wrong!”

Source: Christian Science Monitor

Rising above the fray

Sometimes you may feel you’re in a compromised position. Perhaps it’s a neighborhood disagreement or an upset in the workplace. Or it could be a family squabble. Although not directly involved, you may be tempted to take sides, adding your own opinions to an escalating confrontation. But isn’t there a better approach – one that doesn’t draw you into the fray?

Peaceful disagreement

Support given without words, either pro or con, can be very effective. Maintaining a balance when matters are spinning out of control can help contribute to an amicable solution.

I’ve found that this approach requires keeping my thought free to welcome in healing ideas that include a genuine love for both parties. Focusing on each one’s spiritually pure nature – and the God-like attributes making up that nature – helps elevate my thought above the controversy.

We can face down the dark thoughts that try to crowd out joy, and hold fast to the goodness inherent in each individual as a loved expression of a divine Parent. In doing this, we can avoid taking on personal responsibility for the outcome. Our efforts to rise to a healing atmosphere of thought are rewarded. In this love-filled space, where God reigns, there can be no support for feelings of antagonism or alienation. This approach brings with it a peaceful assurance that God is operating in the minutiae of our life – and removes the onus of taking sides.

I saw this proved recently. A disagreement between two members of opposite sides of the family was threatening the plans for a family gathering. As an onlooker to this squabble, I could take sides, or I could let prayer raise my thinking to a higher realm, a healing one.

I reasoned that taking sides would only widen the rift, but refusing to side with either party and supporting a right solution through prayer would help restore harmony.

This statement from the writings of Mary Baker Eddy inspired me to proceed in this direction: “Love enriches the nature, enlarging, purifying, and elevating it”. I knew my thinking about the situation needed elevating.

This was evident when one of the individuals attempted to win me over to her side. The idea of Love “enlarging, purifying, and [especially] elevating” my nature enabled me to lift my thought above the temptation to take sides, and still to remain loving, but neutral.

As I maintained this altitude, challenging the downward pull to dwell on the discord, I saw that I could remain impartial by refusing to indulge in criticism of either party.

I found support for this stance in this statement, also from Science and Health: “Nothing is real and eternal, – nothing is Spirit, – but God and His idea. Evil has no reality. It is neither person, place, nor thing, but is simply a belief, an illusion of material sense”.

When we witness disturbances that threaten to throw us off balance, we can be most effective by maintaining our spiritual poise.

The door to that “elevator” is always available as we seek a healing refuge in which to open our thought in prayer to God’s messages. In the quiet of elevated thought, we can rejoice in the promise of healing that lifts us into the atmosphere of Love’s ever-presence where there is no room for misunderstanding or hurt feelings.

The victory for me lay in not taking sides but in maintaining a spiritual altitude. Later I heard from one family member that peace between them had been restored.

Staying out of the fray, but not ignoring it, enabled me to contribute through prayer to its resolution. Siding with God, instead of persons, places us in a healing role. What better part to play!

Source: Christian Science Monitor

Nutella-stuffed Chocolate Chip Lava Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon slices
2-1/2 cups bread flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1-1/4 cups light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 tablespoons milk
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups milk chocolate chunks
Nutella

Directions

Step 1:

In a small pot melt the butter over medium heat, whisking occasionally. Once melted, the butter will foam up, and then subside. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until light brown specks form at the bottom of the pot and the butter has a nutty aroma. Careful not to let it burn. Remove from heat and pour into a glass bowl. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, sift together the bread flour, salt and baking soda. Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together the milk, egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract, and set aside.

Using an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, on medium speed cream together the cooled browned butter and sugars for 2 minutes.

On low speed, add in the egg mixture, mixing until well combined, about 30 seconds.

Slowly stir in the flour mixture, mixing until well combined, scraping down the sides as needed.

Stir in the chocolate chunks. Form into dough balls, dropping a spoonful of Nutella in the middle and wrapping the dough around to cover the filling completely. Alternatively you can drop a spoonful of dough in a ramekin, drop a dollop of Nutella over it then cover with another spoonful of dough, filling the ramekin 2/3 full.

Chill the dough balls (or ramekins) in the fridge overnight or up to 48 hours.

Step 2:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Line two cookie sheets parchment paper.

Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on each pan.

Flatten balls slightly. If using ramekins, place on unlined baking sheet.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans half way through for evening browning.

Cool slightly before moving to a wire rack to cool completely. Serve warm.

Source: Christian Science Monitor

'Buy Shoes on Wednesday': 10 tips on when best to accomplish everyday tasks

Is there a best month to buy stocks? Does it matter which day of the week you buy your bread? Writer Mark Di Vincenzo researched the best times of year, week, or day to complete all kinds of household tasks and personal purchases. In 'Buy Shoes on Wednesday and Tweet at 4:00,' he offers advice on everything from travel to grocery-store shopping. Here are 10 tips from Di Vincenzo's book

1. When should you buy a cell phone?

Di Vincenzo says there are two months to choose from when deciding to purchase a cell phone: June or December. Both are now popular months to make such a purchase because June is high school graduation month and December means the holidays. High demand during either of these months, says Di Vincenzo, will lead to cheaper cell phones.

2. When should you post something on Facebook?

If you want something you're posting on Facebook to be read by the maximum amount of people, Di Vincenzo recommends three times: 7 a.m., 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Most people leave for work later than 7 a.m., head out of the office shortly after 5 p.m., and go to bed sometime after 10 p.m.

3. When is the best day to go golfing?

Wednesday, says Di Vincenzo. There are fewer people playing in the middle of the week, so golf courses often give discounts on those days to try to lure customers. But, Di Vincenzo says, the discounts usually don't bring the price down enough to lure people away from work, so you'll get a discount and it'll still be less crowded.

4. When should you get your car washed?

When you're looking to spruce up your vehicle, Di Vincenzo says to head over as soon as possible in the morning. The car wash itself is cleaner and the employees aren't tired from a day of work, so they'll be alert when washing your car.

5. When should you get your hair cut?

Di Vincenzo says it's best to get your hair trimmed on Tuesday. It's usually a slow day, so less waiting time, and your stylist won't feel rushed. He suggests avoiding Saturday, which is often the busiest time for a shop.

6. When should you go to an ATM in a dangerous neighborhood?

Di Vincenzo says the safest time is between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m., when statistically the least amount of crimes occur. Most people who would commit crimes, he says, have been out late and would probably be asleep.

7. When should you go for a quick doctor's appointment?

The best month to go to the doctor is May, Di Vincenzo says, because the flu is gone and parents haven't booked appointments for exams for camp yet, or for physicals for school in the autumn.

8. What's the best day for getting something done at work?

Tuesday is the most productive day of work during the week, says Di Vincenzo. A survey of workers chose that day overwhelmingly as the day they would be most productive, with Monday trailing far behind to come in second, Wednesday and Thursday tying for third and Friday placing last.

9. When is the best time to call a lawyer?

Di Vincenzo suggests calling lawyers in the afternoon – they often arrange sit-downs with clients or are in court during the morning. However, if you get in there early, Di Vincenzo says, 9 a.m. can also be a good time because even if the lawyer isn't there, they may start calling people back in the order in which they called, so you'll be at the top of the list.

10. When is the best time to vacuum?

Try vacuuming in the late afternoon, suggests Di Vincenzo – around, say, 4 p.m. Humans experience a boost of energy and an increase in their mood in the late afternoon, so you'll be happier when you start the task and be more inclined to do it.

Source: Christian Science Monitor

Use what you have

In an interior design magazine, an advertisement caught my eye: “USE WHAT YOU HAVE. No big deal. Take the terror out of decorating. Talented professional can help you. No job too small or too large. References. Immediate results.” 

It was designer Lauri Ward’s ad about using what people already have as a foundation to renew their home décor. For many people, her good idea revolutionized the interior design business. Rearranging for immediate and improved use what is already ours made such good sense, and I thought, That’s an essential principle that Jesus taught.

Speaking of what is already ours through God’s law of abundance, Jesus said, “Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24, New International Version [NIV]).

Believe that God’s gift of infinite good (abundant supply, perfect health, eternal life) is already ours, and we can make immediate use of it? That’s what Jesus was saying. But it wasn’t until I studied the Christian Science textbook by Mary Baker Eddy that I began to see something of the real meaning of our Master’s message. When I did, it immediately upgraded the way I pray.

In keeping with Jesus’ teaching about divine provision, one of the many statements Mrs. Eddy makes in that textbook, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” is sweet and succinct, and specifically makes the divine and human connection clear: “Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need” (p. 494).

This power of divine Love was what Jesus relied upon when he did all that he did to meet human needs. Even today they are often called miracles, but they were actually the natural expression of his absolute faith in God’s unlimited and ever-present provision (see John 14:12). It could be said about Jesus’ works that they were “no big deal” for him. He could take the terror out of any sense of need – lack of health, sustenance, order, or even lack of life. Jesus could help renew anything and anyone. No problem was too small or too large. He could produce immediate results. And he had references!

I know, some say: Really? Is affirming God’s abundant and ready provision really all it takes to be sure prayer will be answered? The Bible says that if not, then we have “asked amiss” (James 4:3).

That stipulation made sense after I paid closer attention to the first lines of Science and Health: “The prayer that reforms the sinner and heals the sick is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God, – a spiritual understanding of Him, an unselfed love.” It was that last little phrase, “an unselfed love,” that was mighty thought-provoking.

Instead of self-reliance, unselfed love identifies with divine power and provision. It holds thought in line with God and consciously makes the connection. It is at that sweet spot of spiritual sense where self-assertion is unnecessary. It is trusting God instead of oneself and not because we have to, out of need (Please, Father, I need this and that), but because we want to out of love, and know that we can (Dear Father, I thank You for always meeting my every need). Here, being is unselfed – effortless and complete.

Jesus acted out of a sense of being fully equipped, never out of a sense of lack. We know this because he expressed gratitude out loud, up front. He changed water into wine and raised Lazarus from the dead, effortlessly. He didn’t have to “create” wine, life, or anything, and he consciously knew it.

Another Bible story tells about Jesus feeding 5,000 followers. After a full day of teaching and healing, his disciples suggested the crowd be sent to surrounding villages to buy food. Shocked when Jesus responded, “You give them something to eat,” they reacted: “That would take more than half a year's wages! Are we to go and spend that much?” (Mark 6:37, NIV).

Thinking the source of food was somewhere outside themselves and God, Spirit, the disciples’ view was material. As they grew to understand the Master’s works, they ultimately saw – and we, too, will see – that harmonious life is not about asking for, getting, or getting rid of anything. It is about acknowledging and using what we already have and know as our ever-available, divine provision.

Science and Health explains that the ability Jesus had is ours to claim as well: “It is not well to imagine that Jesus demonstrated the divine power to heal only for a select number or for a limited period of time, since to all mankind and in every hour, divine Love supplies all good” (p. 494). Prayer in line with unselfed love is asking aright and is instantaneously answered. “Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power”

Source: Christian Science Monitor

Beyond debate and dialogue

When I reach for the “off” button on my media device, it’s sometimes because I’ve heard and seen enough. We’re in an election cycle where the airwaves are heated with rancor and partisan bickering. We’re also witnessing a dynamic change in the way people communicate, with the advent of Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube enabling individuals to become their own public broadcaster. This has led to the start-up of social movements around the world and the ability to quickly influence public opinion at home and abroad.

It’s easy to get caught up in this tidal flow of information. How can we navigate our way through it, and think clearly enough, so that our contribution to the dialogue promotes progress and healing? 

Ignoring the media is not the answer, because I’d like to contribute to the resolution of the world’s problems. But I’m finding that this demands lifting thought above the attention-grabbing headlines and being receptive to the spiritual facts about God’s creation. These facts are found in an inspired reading of the Bible, which reveals man as spiritual and good (see Genesis, Chap. 1), and as naturally drawn to God, man’s source of light. The Bible says, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness” (I Thessalonians 5:5). As children of light we can be attracted only to the light – to goodness, to whatever uplifts and inspires thought.

Yet the world tells us something different: that the more sensational or controversial a story, the more appealing it is and the more likely it is to draw an audience. Challenging such assumptions can be the starting point in healing impositions like this which attempt to bring down the level of discourse and thought. Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered Christian Science, made this arresting statement: “In a world of sin and sensuality hastening to a greater development of power, it is wise earnestly to consider whether it is the human mind or the divine Mind which is influencing one” (“Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” pp. 82-83). Rather than allow opinions to influence thought, or media headlines to darken our outlook and become the story line to our day, I’ve found it helpful to affirm that God, divine Mind, is the only influence in our lives.

Each day brings opportunities to prove this and to discern the spiritual innocence of every man, woman, and child. God-derived qualities such as integrity, love, health, artistry, and intelligence manifest themselves day-in and day-out, and this is certainly worthy of our attention.

There have been periods in my life when a growing understanding of contemporary issues made me more critical of people and events in the news. Also, I would chafe at the opinions and commentary of certain media personalities and their political ideologies, found at both ends of the political spectrum. Sometimes my anger stemmed from the fear of their harmful influence on society. I would be drawn into arguments over various social and political issues, feeling justified in my remarks and ready to score a point. However, very seldom did I leave a conversation feeling satisfied or at peace.

When I realized that contentious discourse – being audience to it or engaging in it – didn’t contribute to the healing of individual or collective thought, I decided to change course. I tried to use the day’s headlines as a springboard for affirming what is spiritually true about government and economy, the environment and the health and safety of humanity. Debate and dialogue can be useful in the exchange of ideas when done with respect and a willingness to move conversation forward. However, finding solutions through civil and progressive discourse, rather than friction or incivility, meant spending more time in prayer, yielding to a deeper understanding of God and His creation.

I was ready to move beyond the battlefield of political opinion and mentally engage not with the media pundits but with spiritual ideas – the word of God, the healing message of Christ, Truth. Exercising my God-given spiritual sense in seeing the world through God’s eyes, rather than making judgments about people and organizations or drawing conclusions that furthered a certain political ideology, was a way I could lovingly and figuratively put my arms around my family, my friends, and the world.

The example of Jesus has been instructive. He conducted his healing ministry in the midst of political and religious struggle, and allowed himself to be influenced only divinely. He blessed and healed others with a fresh sense of God’s mercy.

We can contribute to the public weal by following Jesus’ example. Whether the day’s headlines or heated political commentary comes to us through high definition or stereo, a tweet, or a web page, we have an opportunity – even a duty – to offer a prayer-based response that will carry us, and our community, forward.

Source: Christian Science Monitor