Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic

Pandemic!  These are frightening times and people are struggling to cope.  How can an individual respond to the Coronavirus pandemic?  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian healer, spiritual thinker and discoverer of Christian Science has a unique explanation for world crises in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  She writes:

“This material world is even now becoming the arena for conflicting forces. On one side there will be discord and dismay; on the other side there will be Science and peace. The breaking up of material beliefs may seem to be famine and pestilence, want and woe, sin, sickness, and death, which assume new phases until their nothingness appears. ...”

Breaking up of material beliefs?  The nothingness of pestilence, want and woe?  These assertions might seem fantastic, except for one thing – Eddy proved them by hundreds of healings (See Mary Baker Eddy: Christian Healer by Yvonne Cache von Fettweis and Robert Warneck) and she was merely following the example of the all-time master-healer Christ Jesus (see The Bible).

So beyond providing practical care for those effected by the virus, what can an individual do in these times of turmoil?  In her book, Eddy advises:

“… those who discern Christian Science will hold crime in check. They will aid in the ejection of error. They will maintain law and order, and cheerfully await the certainty of ultimate perfection.”

You can learn more about Christian Science in Eddy’s book.  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures can be read online, bought at any major bookseller, or read, borrowed or purchased at a Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Mastery Over Matter

Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, a book written by Christian healer, Mary Baker Eddy, contains this remarkable statement:

"In proportion as matter loses to human sense all entity as man, in that proportion does man become its master."

Could this be true?  My experience has convinced me that it is!  To give one example:  One time while camping in the Trinity Alps of California, I was digging a latrine for our campsite and, foolishly, I was wearing only sandals.  In my carelessness, I struck one of my big toes with the spade I was digging with.  As you might think, the pain was extreme and the evidence of injury convincing.  But just previous to this incident, I had been contemplating the above statement by Eddy.  As I turned my thoughts to what Science and Health explains is the real entity of man - spiritual, made in God's image and likeness - the pain and bleeding completely ceased.  I found that I could walk freely and the next day I easily hiked several rugged miles to a beautiful, remote waterfall.

You can find out more about the real entity of man by reading Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  The book can be read online, purchased from major booksellers, or read, borrowed or purchased at a Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

"Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?"

We were backpacking in a wilderness in the Colorado mountains and were miles from a road.  Although it was late May, as it grew late in the day we found ourselves in an area covered by deep snow - and it was snowing!  However, I wasn't worried. The Bible contains many examples of God providing for man's needs and these examples are relevant to us today.  Referring to the Biblical experience of the Children of Israel in the wilderness, Mary Baker Eddy comments in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

"There is today danger of repeating the offense of the Jews by limiting the Holy One of Israel and asking: 'Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?'  What cannot God do?"

Through my study of the Bible and the spiritual insights about it's stories that I've gained from reading Eddy's book, I've come to trust that God can do anything - even furnish a table in the wilderness.  As we looked around for a suitable place to camp, we came across a sign that said "Shelter".  Walking a short distance in the direction the sign pointed, we found, not just a table in the wilderness, but an entire shelter with walls and a roof!  Thank you, God!

Do you want to find out more about how God provides for your needs?  You can read or listen to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from major booksellers.  The book can also be read, borrowed or purchased at any Christian Science Reading Room, including the one in Evergreen, Colorado at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Responding with Prayer When Help is Needed

I was sitting in an aisle seat on a cross-country plane flight, when the flight attendant knelt beside me and said “We need your help with a medical emergency”.  I almost jumped out of my seat, but then realized the attendant was talking to the person behind me, who apparently was a physician.  The two of them went forward in the plane.  I had no idea of what was happening, but I felt called upon to respond in my own way – with prayer.

How can one pray effectively for others?  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian healer, wrote in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

“... be thoroughly persuaded in your own mind concerning the truth which you think or speak, and you will be the victor.”

The thoughts that were coming to me at that moment to pray about were 1) that help was very far away and 2) that life was threatened.  The truths I countered these fears with were 1) that God is a very present help in trouble and 2) that, as the Bible says, God is Life.  God and God’s creation certainly couldn’t be threatened.  I contemplated these ideas until I felt “thoroughly persuaded in my own mind” of their truth and was at peace about the situation.

In the meantime, while I was praying in this way, the plane was making an emergency landing.  When we got to the terminal, I saw the physician and a woman get up from seats about 8 rows in front of me and leave the plane.  Shortly thereafter, the physician returned to his original seat behind me and we took off.

After we were in the air again, the flight attendant returned and asked the physician, “What was the problem?”  “I don’t know”, he replied.  He then explained that when he got to her, the woman was unconscious, not breathing, and had no pulse or blood pressure.  “But then”, he said, “it was like a switch was flipped – she regained consciousness and all her signs were normal!  She will be fine!”

Do you want to add your prayerful support to situations?  Learn and be thoroughly persuaded of spiritual truths from Eddy’s book, Science and Health with key to the Scriptures.  You can read this book online or read, borrow, or purchase this book at any Christian Science Reading Room, including the one in Evergreen, Colorado.

God's Power and Willingness to Care for Us

 “Who dares to doubt this consummate test of the power and willingness of divine Mind to hold man forever intact in his perfect state, and to govern man’s entire action?”  

For several days, I had been contemplating the above statement by the Christian writer, Mary Baker Eddy in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  She made the statement in reference to the Bible account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John, Chapter 11), but her point is that the divine Mind (her name for God) forever maintains all of us under divine government and care.  Later that day, I experienced for myself the divine Mind’s power and willingness to hold us intact in our perfect state and govern our entire action.

My wife and I were driving on a 4-lane, undivided highway.  It was snowing and the road was covered with a thin layer of wet, heavy snow.  As I was passing a truck, our car suddenly started drifting to the right and it appeared that we would strike the side of the truck.  My wife shouted, “God is our Life!”  This was her way of reminding us of this idea that we are always under God's care.  I appreciated her immediately bringing this truth to focus in our thought.   I calmly steered to correct the car's movement, but then the car started sliding the other direction, to the left.  A truck was coming toward us in that lane!  I corrected the steering again.  We passed safely between the two trucks, regained control of the car, and proceeded on down the highway.  I have no doubt of the power and willingness of God to hold us forever intact and to govern our entire action!

You can learn more about God and how to experience God's care in your life.  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures can be read online or purchased from major booksellers.  You can also read, borrow, or purchase the book at any Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Prayerful Protection from Contagious Disease

There is a lot in the news right now about various contagious diseases and the need to take steps to protect ourselves and our families.  While many choose to protect themselves through vaccinations, eating certain foods, or simply avoiding contact with others, I have found prayer to be an effective defense against contagious disease.  Through prayer alone, I and my family have experienced quick healings of scarlet fever, measles, influenza and instantaneous healings of colds and sore throats, as well as numerous occasions of exposure to contagion with no ill effects whatsoever.

Is prayer a dependable form of protection?  It is if you pray correctly!  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian healer and author, wrote in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

“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."

“But”, you say, “How do I develop an absolute faith in God?”  Is it simply blind faith?  No! - look carefully at Eddy’s statement.  The long dash (also called an Em dash) after “God”, indicates that an amplification or explanation follows.  So an absolute faith in God isn’t a blind faith, it’s a faith based on two things: a spiritual understanding of God and an unselfed love.

You can learn more about a spiritual understanding God and unselfed love in Eddy’s book.  Read or listen to Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from any major bookseller.  You can also read, borrow, or purchase the book at any Christian Science Reading Room.  The Reading Room in Evergreen Colorado is located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Encounters with Angels

At Christmas time, we sing carols about angels, decorate our trees with them, see them depicted in movies, and, most importantly, read about them in the Christmas story in the Bible.  The Bible says that shepherds were keeping watch over their flocks at night when an angel appeared and told them about the birth of Jesus taking place in the nearby village of Bethlehem.

What exactly are angels?  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian leader and healer, wrote the following about angels in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

"Angels are not etherealized human beings, evolving animal qualities in their wings; but they are celestial visitants, flying on spiritual, not material pinions.  Angels are pure thoughts from God, winged with Truth and Love, no matter what their individualism may be."

Can we expect to encounter angels in our own experience?  Where and how?

I encountered an angel once when I was praying quietly before an ice hockey game.  A voice said to me "Wear your throat guard."  I was startled!  Looking around, I didn't see anyone! However, I had heard the voice so clearly that even though I had not worn my throat guard for many seasons of play, I dug deep into my equipment bag, found the guard and put it on.  Later, during that game, I was in a collision so violent that the face shield on my helmet was broken off and thrust into my throat.  Although shaken, I was unhurt... and grateful for the angel message that I had received before the game!

You can learn more about the angel thoughts that God sends us in Eddy's book.  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures can be read, listened to, or purchased online.  You can also read, borrow or purchase the book at the Christian Science Reading Room, 4602 Plettner Lane in Evergreen, Colorado.

Ghosts and Our Health

Does Halloween, the season for ghosts and other imaginary beings, have something in common with our health?  Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian healer, wrote in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

“Disquisitions on disease have a mental effect similar to that produced on children by telling ghost-stories in the dark. … As frightened children look everywhere for the imaginary ghost, so sick humanity sees danger in every direction, and looks for relief in all ways except the right one.”

Halloween ghost-stories are all in fun, but fear of and suffering from sickness is no fun at all!  According to Eddy, public announcements about disease - such as news headlines about flu season appearing in local papers and grocery stores advertising free flu shots - may not be as helpful as intended.

Eddy discovered that the cause, occurrence, and spread of sickness have an overlooked mental component.  Ignorance of the mental cause of sickness and of the divine healing power our Heavenly Father bestows on us, causes us to fear becoming sick and to look solely to material remedies to regain and maintain our health.  According to Eddy, this fear of sickness and dependence on material means for health are just as misdirected as the belief in ghosts.  The last 100 pages of Eddy’s book contain accounts of people healed by looking for relief in the spiritual way she pointed out. 

Check out this “treat”ment for yourself.  Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures can be read online or purchased from Amazon.  You can also read, borrow or purchase the book at the Christian Science Reading Room located at 4602 Plettner Lane in Evergreen, Colorado

Responding to Package Bombs

The recent spate of package bombs in America is disconcerting to all.  Healthy debate is a good thing.  Attempting to harm those you disagree with is always wrong!

What can a thoughtful person do to defend themselves and their community from such evil?  Mary Baker Eddy, a woman who advocated the practicality of a spiritual approach to solving problems, advised in her book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures:

"At all times and under all circumstances, overcome evil with good.  Know thyself, and God will supply the wisdom and the occasion for a victory over evil.  Clad in the panoply of Love, human hatred cannot reach you.  The cement of a higher humanity will unite all interests in the one divinity."

To learn more about how to bring a spiritual approach to your safety and problem solving read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from major booksellers.  You can also read, borrow or purchase it at the Christian Science Reading Room located at 4602 Plettner Lane in Evergreen, Colorado.

Colorado Wild Flowers - Love Notes from God

My son and I were hiking in the mountains of Colorado.  The sky was clear and blue, the towering mountains were inspiring, and the colorful wild flowers were profuse and beautiful.  As we hiked along, I thought about a statement in the book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.  The author, Christian writer and healer Mary Baker Eddy, wrote:

"The floral apostles are hieroglyphs of Deity."

Hieroglyphs are a form of writing with symbols.  What could God be writing?  I like to think of flowers as love notes from God that say to us "I love you!"

For many people, such a note may seem unlikely or incomprehensible.  "God loves me?  How?  Why?", they may ask.  To recognize and feel God's love, it helps to know God.  For me that day, I was feeling God's love in my gratitude, not just for this beautiful day, but for the protection and care I'd felt the previous day.  Through my own carelessness, I had taken a hard fall from my mountain bike, but I had immediately felt the assurance that God was caring for me.  Although the initial symptoms were alarming, I had maintained a calm poise and rested confidently on this assurance of God's love.  Subsequent x-rays showed that there were no serious injuries and now, today, I was enjoying this wonderful hike with my son.

You can learn more about God's love for you in Eddy's book. Read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from Amazon or any major book retailer.  It is also available for sale or study at the Christian Science Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Fire Prevention and Mental Climate Change

Living in the mountains of Colorado, I am very aware of the need to prevent and protect against wild fire.  I've cleared brush away from my house and used fire-resistant building materials when ever possible.  The current prolonged, dry, hot weather, which has created dangerous fire conditions in much of the American west, is suspected to be at least partially due to climate change.  While thinking about these issues - fire protection and climate change - I came across a statement the writer Mary Baker Eddy made in her book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures".  Referring to Biblical accounts of people escaping harm from fire, she wrote:

"Holy inspiration has created states of mind which have been able to nullify the action of the flames, as in the Bible case of the three young Hebrew captives, cast into the Babylonian furnace; while an opposite mental state might produce spontaneous combustion."

What states of mind are able to nullify the action of flames?  A clue is found in the Glossary section of Eddy's book, where she gives spiritual definitions of material things.  Spiritually viewed, Eddy saw fire as an expression of man's mental climate.  Her definition of fire reads:

"Fire.  Fear; remorse; lust; hatred; destruction; affliction purifying and elevating man."

Eddy's spiritual insight has led me to extend fire prevention efforts to my mental realm.  I'm working to trim away fear and remorse and dig up and remove lust and hatred from my thinking.  I'm purifying and elevating thoughts about myself and others without waiting for mental or physical fire to promote this spiritual growth.  The results?  I can't claim that my physical fire protection is improved by these steps (though perhaps it is), but I definitely see a change in my mental climate!

You can learn more about spiritual fire protection and mental climate change in Eddy's book.  Read "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" online or purchase it at major booksellers such as Amazon.  You can also read, borrow, or purchase the book at the Christian Science Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado located at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Protecting Our Security and Freedom in a World of 3-d Printing

The current controversy over an individual’s right to publish blue prints online for producing a gun with a 3-d printer raises important questions about issues everyone cherishes – safety and freedom.  While courts, legislatures, and voters all have a role to play in deciding this issue, it’s worth considering the larger question of what ultimately insures our security and freedom.  Can we find real security if changes in technology give anyone ready access to instructions and capabilities for manufacturing guns, bombs, or other destructive devices?  Can we permanently protect our freedom if laws can swing back and forth with each change in political control?  Can we trust our government and our fellow citizens to know and do what is best for our country?

Mary Baker Eddy, in her book "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures", points out that we can trust in the forces that will ultimately shape our society.  She writes:

“The history of our country, like all history, illustrates the might of Mind, and shows human power to be proportionate to its embodiment of right thinking.”  

In the statement above, Eddy uses the term “Mind” with a capital “M” to refer to the divine Mind – God.  In her writings she explains that although security and freedom can seem precarious or threatened by the swings and extremes of the human mind, these desirable conditions are protected and promoted by God, the divine Mind.  She writes:

“One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfills the Scripture, "Love thy neighbor as thyself"; annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry, - whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed.” 

You can learn more about the divine Mind and how it protects your security and freedom.  Read "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" online or purchase it at bookstores such as Amazon.  You can also read, borrow or purchase this book at the Christian Science Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado at 4602 Plettner Lane.

Divine Love's Control Over Wildlife

Are you going hiking or camping in the great outdoors this summer?  If this is the case, you're probably giving some thought to what to take to handle the wild critters you may encounter on your adventure - insect repellent, snake bite kit, even bear spray!

I spend a lot of time outdoors every year and one thing that I always take with me for wildlife encounters is this idea from the book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy:

"Understanding the control which Love held over all, Daniel felt safe in the lions' den, and Paul proved the viper to be harmless.  All of God's creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible.  A realization of this grand verity was a source of strength to the ancient worthies.  It supports Christian healing, and enables its possessor to emulate the example of Jesus."

This statement was a source of reassurance to me one summer when I was doing geology work in Wyoming.  I had heard that ticks were common in the area and that they were carriers of disease.  My very first day in the field I encountered a lot of ticks.  They appeared to be everywhere!

At lunch time, I did some prayerful thinking about the above statement and reviewed my understanding of the control which Love held over all.  The word "Love", when capitalized by Eddy, is one of the names she uses for God.  I had learned a great deal about Love's control from reading Eddy's book.  With the assurance that God's creatures are harmless, my fear departed.  Because of my new found love for these little creatures of God, I decided to try not to harm them.

Interestingly, for the remaining three weeks that I was working in that area, I found only two ticks on me and they had not bitten me, but were simply walking around.  I can't prove that this was the result of my "understanding the control which Love held over all", but I can say that understanding this control relieved my concerns and gave me the freedom to enjoy many wildlife encounters, not just on this trip, but ever after.

You can read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from Amazon or any major book retailer.  It is also available for sale or study at the Christian Science Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado at 4602 Plettner Lane.

A Prayer Response for "When an Accident Happens..."

What do we do when we're involved in an accident?  If we've simply stubbed a toe, we might just be angry, upset, and hop around in pain.  In a more serious situation we might call 911, apply first aid, and look to family and friends for comfort and support.

The book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy says something very thought-provoking about accidents:

"When an accident happens, you think or exclaim, 'I am hurt!'  Your thought is more powerful than your words, more powerful than the accident itself, to make the injury real."

Thought is more powerful than the accident itself?  That's hard to believe.  But supposing that is true, what should one do about it?  The book goes on to explain:

"Now reverse the process. Declare that you are not hurt and understand the reason why, and you will find the ensuing good effects to be in exact proportion to your disbelief in physics, and your fidelity to divine metaphysics, confidence in God as All, which the Scriptures declare Him to be."

I experienced the effectiveness of this advice one summer when I was with a group of teen-aged campers a few miles up a rocky, wooded canyon.  We were playing a game that involved running, when one of the campers fell on some stones and cried out that he had injured his knee.  As he lay on the ground with the others gathering around, I reminded him about the statements above.

I told this young man some things the Bible says that could help him "understand the reason why" he could not be hurt - about how God made us, loves us, and sends His angels to protect and care for us.  At this point, I ran out of inspiring ideas to share with this young man.  The thought came to me, "God, not you or your words, is what has power and is healing this situation.  Be quiet and watch."  Obediently, I was still and quiet.  So were the other campers.  It was not an anxious or restless quiet, but a peaceful anticipation.

I don't know what my young friend lying on the ground was feeling or thinking, but after a minute or so a smile spread across his face, his eyes opened, and jumping to his feet he said cheerfully, "Thank you, I'm alright!" - and he was!  The rest of our day was filled with activity and he participated freely.

You can read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from Amazon or any major book retailer.  It is also available for sale or study at the Christian Science Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado at 4602 Plettner Lane.

The Christ - An Answer for Opiod Drug Addiction?

The drug crisis in our country has been the topic of much discussion in the news.  Rehabilitation and treatment programs, caring and supportive families, medical experts, and law enforcement are all working to free people from the enslaving and often fatal scourge of drug addition.  In many cases these efforts don't seem to be enough.  My experience suggests that something else that can be effective is the Christ.

What is the Christ?  Jesus demonstrated the Christ-power to us in his brief ministry long ago.  He healed physical and mental sicknesses, freed people from their involvement in sinful activities, and even raised the dead.  Although Jesus is no longer with us in the flesh, many Christians believe that the Christ-power he represented is still with us today and appeal to it for help in their prayers.  Can these prayers help?

Mary Baker Eddy, a Christian teacher and healer, in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures describes the Christ as "a divine influence ever present in human consciousness and repeating itself, coming now as was promised aforetime, to preach deliverance to the captives [of sense], ... to set at liberty them that are bruised."  In my experience coaching youth soccer, handling business dealings and personal relationships, and even driving in traffic, I have found that understanding the Christ and silently acknowledging that the Christ is present, powerful, and speaking to my consciousness as well as the consciousness of all others, brings the power of this divine influence into the immediate human experience.  Not only does this divine influence come to me and give me the strength and wisdom to speak and do the right things, I find that those around me are also touched and respond outwardly in positive ways.

But does the Christ influence entering and altering the mundane experiences of my life mean that it can also alter serious issues like drug addiction, and on a nationwide scale?  In her book, Eddy says that because of the scientific nature of God's laws the lesser demonstration proves the greater "as the product of three multiplied by three, equalling nine, proves conclusively that three times three duodecillians must be nine duodecillions, - not a fraction more, not a unit less."  In fact, over the years, more than 30 testimonies have been published in the Christian Science Journal and Christian Science Sentinel of people healed of drug addiction through the power of the Christ!

So I am praying about the drug crisis in our country by turning my thought to the Christ and acknowledging that this divine influence is ever present in everyone's consciousness.  I am certain that this has a healing effect!

You can read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures online or purchase it from Amazon or any major book retailer.  It is also available for sale or study at the Christian Science Reading Room in Evergreen, Colorado at 4602 Plettner Lane.