the basic questions

Spiritual resource to share: your own inspired answer

I have often been asked about the practice of Christian Science and recently sat down to re-think and get re-charged with new inspiration. I answered these two freqently asked questions in this way:

What does a Christian Science practitioner do?

• A Christian Science practitioner gives Christian Science treatment and prays with his or her patients. The spirit of love characterizes the practitioners’ work in which healing is expected: physical ills are cured, relationships restored and discordant situations reversed.
• The basis of Christian Science is that God is Love. The theology of Christian Science explains that suffering is not God’s will, neither is shunning, shaming, abandoning one needing help, or dictating what another should do.
• If healing results do not come quickly, the individual is free to seek other practitioners or other means of healing. Results matter.

What is the difference between treatment and prayer?

• Christian Science prayer is general and can be shared under all conditions; some Christians might call this type of prayer a prayer of affirmation.
• Christian Science treatment is specific and is up to the individual patient and the practitioner as to how the case is taken up. It is a sacred trust between practitioner and patient, and may involve communion, confession as well as personal revelation and spiritual reasoning. Both patient and practitioner expect healing to be the result of Christian Science treatment.
• Christian Science treatment is purely spiritual and includes the work of a Christian Science practitioner. It may also include the work of a Christian Science nurse* and/or being cared for at a Christian Science nursing facility. It does not include any material methods of healing, neither is a Christian Science practitioner licensed to give medical care. If a patient decides to change to medical care, they need to go to one who is licensed to give that care.
• A Christian Scientist who elects medical care is still considered a child of God! (Nothing can take away that status!) In Christian Science, God’s love is constant and unconditional. A Christian Scientist strives to reflect that same love. Shunning or shaming is illegitimate and has no part in the practice of Christian Science.

For other responses to these questions, check out these links:

What is a Christian Science practitioner?

What is Christian Science treatment?

*a Christian Science nurse is one “who has a demonstrable knowledge of Christian Science practice, who thoroughly understands the practical wisdom necessary in the sick room and who can take proper care of the sick.” (The Church Manual by Mary Baker Eddy)









To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

your definition of God = your religion

Spiritual resource to share: infinite God

I have been sharing Godwords on my facebook page for months now. Godwords are a collection of 3 to 7 words that prompt thought into considering the multi-faceted nature of God.


So when I wrote the Godwords of today: brilliance, improvisation, order, calmness and music, a friend responded:

Hi friend. Why GODwords? Are brilliance, improvisation, order, calmness and
music dependent on religion? Love you.

I thought it was a good question because it makes you ask other questions. Like -- can a spiritual quality be dependent on a spiritual discipline? Hmmmm. Or -- can religion encompass universal qualities? Can religion be universal?

I can see the larger question here.

If one understands religion as being a restrictive way to govern behaviour, a system of beliefs passed down from generation to generation, or a formalized and traditional way of determining meaning in life, it is difficult to smoosh into that narrow definition qualities of thought that are expansive, eternal, infinite and universal. So if that is the case, then the answer to the above question must be no. Actually the question itself is hard to answer because there is no dependence here.

God is infinite and infinity is not something the limited human thought can easily grasp. Humility - that quality necessary for our spiritual growth - ushers in the idea that we are not the creator, but reflect all that our Creator, God is. Seeing that God is infinite, we are in awe!



What if one's understanding of religion went beyond a system of beliefs to a practice of infinite spiritual ideas that results in harmonious relationships, bodies and organizations? What if one's understanding of religion ran parallel to math or to music?

What about math? The principles are fixed, but its applications are infinite. Solutions are found.
What about music? The notes may be the same, but their infinite combinations create comfort, inspiration , unity, and joy.

SO what about religion? I see it as a way to understand God, as all that is infinite. It does not restrict, but releases and reveals the joy, order, peace and spontaneity of God's love! Its applications are infinite and the infinite interplay of spiritual qualities create all that is good.

MBEddy writes: "The infinite never began nor will it ever end." Neither will our understanding of God ever end, but grow increasingly more comprehensive, expansive and practical. As my understanding of God grows, so does my religion.






To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

God and dog

Spiritual resource to share: unconditional love

To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

Home - the dearest spot on earth

Spiritual resource to share: acceptance

Home. As my sons are off to their new schools and we are preparing to blend households with my parents, thoughts about the spiritual significance of home keep coming into thought.

Every so often, I volunteer to read to a conference call full of people who, after my readings, share inspiration and healings that have come to them through their study of Christian Science. So the topic of the readings tomorrow will be on home.

Feel free to join in! Wednesday Testimony Meeting begins: 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time

Here are the details:

• To participate, call 1-201-793-9022Participant access code: 7040344
• Or attend using Skype from anywhere in the world for free. Click on button (right): (add our conference number to your Skype contacts)
• In Europe? call in from your regular phone at national rates (no international long distance charges) Click here for a list of European call in numbers. [This call-in number is available 15 minutes before the service.]Click here for more instructions.

Hope to hear you there!

from the King James Bible:
Ps. 90:1
Ps. 91:1 -10
Ps. 23:6
Ps. 84:3
1 Kings 17: 8-16
Josh. 1:9
Prov. 3:5, 6
Prov 24: 3-5, 27
Prov 31: 10, 27
Matt 4: 17
Matt. 6: 25, 26, 28-33
Matt. 7:24-29
Rom. 8:28
Phil. 2:13
Acts 17:28 (to ;)
John 14:2
Heb. 3:4





from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy:
254: 31
58: 21
587: 25
454:5, 18
566: 1-9
60: 29
65:7-8, 11, 13
61: 4-11
205:22-32
206: 1-3
58:5
530: 5
62: 22
63: 5
66: 11
1:10
506:18
151: 23-24, 26
124: 20-31
494:10
578:16





from the Christian Science Hymnal




Hymn 213
Hymn 278
Hymn 3






To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.

beauty all around us

Spiritual resource to share: awareness

A quote from the book of Psalms starts my morning prayer work today: "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of Thy law."

The poet recognizes that the baseline is that wondrous things are the norm, and that we have only to open our eyes to see this.

Facebook friends have written:

"Copacabana beach early in the morning, sun sparkling on the sea, gentle waves rolling in, peace and calm..."
"Gorgeous evening on the Cisco Chain last night - beautiful sunset, incredible moon, wonderful company!"

The visual wonder of nature strikes a chord deep within us that says beauty is all around us. This is what is normal. Brilliance is everyday.

So this morning, I start my week with this idea in mind: Open my eyes, so that I can see what beauty (goodness, efficiency, responsiveness, companionship, nourishment) is already here.

Happy morning and happy beginning of the week everyone!





To share your thoughts on this or to explore this idea further, please feel free to be in contact with me, add your own comments below, email this article to a friend, or add to the healing finds and sites on the web to the right.