Articles

As a means of self-improvement, I have been doing a refreshing exercise lately: Throughout my day, I am simply noting every single instance when I mistakenly think or say something that would suggest evil is a real and acting power. I was prompted to begin this exercise when I read of Christ Jesus’ response to Pilate after he declared that he had the power to bring about Jesus’ death.

Christ Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” ( John 5:19 ).   Jesus didn’t say that he could do nothing, but that without his heavenly Father he had no power.

In the days before you could snap a photo with your cellphone and send it off immediately or post it for all the world to see, I left my home on Long Island, New York, and headed off to college in Oregon.   One of the first things I did was take a day trip to the beautiful Oregon coast with its magnificent cliffs, so different from the beaches that I was used to.

Over the past eight and a half years, the members of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Newport Beach, California, have had the inspiring opportunity of witnessing God’s plan unfold in ways mere human planning could not foresee or accomplish.   Knowing our church building of seventy years would be sold in December 2012, we began holding “spiritual cultivation” workshops to deepen our understanding of the concept of Church.

At the end of a lengthy walk I decided to get a late lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. The place was quiet, and during my meal I could not help but overhear part of a conversation between two ladies who were sitting close by.

Over many decades and through many life chapters, I have witnessed and experienced the power of gratitude. Feeling grateful is an essential aspect of prayer in Christian Science.

Q: What can I do when I feel like everything’s falling apart ? A: Just before I graduated from high school, my mom passed away. My sadness was still deep that fall when I went away to college.

Most of us would benefit from having our eyes opened to seeing things in a better light than we may be seeing them.   I had a memorable taste of this as a teenager when I went on a streetcar ride with my mother’s best friend.

The phone rang , and it was a good friend. She wanted to tell me that she had been healed.

The first time it occurred to me that I might be able to write an article for one of the Christian Science periodicals was back in the 1960s. Over the next few weeks I wrote three articles and submitted them, one right after another.