This Science is a law of divine Mind, . . . an ever-present help.
Its presence is felt, for it acts and acts wisely, always unfolding
the highway of hope, faith, understanding. – Mary Baker Eddy

It didn’t seem odd to me that no such opportunities existed at that time for my sister. Organized sports for girls were rare then. But that began to change in 1972, with the passage of Title Nine in the United States, a piece of Federal legislation designed to ensure that girls have equal access to all educational programs, including athletics. And since then a growing tidal wave of girls’ and women’s sports activity has flooded across the landscape, sparking tremendous interest and the highest levels of athletic accomplishment. Today’s playing fields are teeming with both girls and boys—challenging themselves, perfecting their abilities, and developing their talents.

Equal participation of women and men is key, and not just in sports. On August 18, an article in The New York Times titled, “A New Gender Agenda,” reported on an interview with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in which she touched on a wide variety of gender-related issues around the world today that need help. They include poor maternal healthcare, lack of education for girls, lack of economic opportunity for women, and a particularly brutal form of oppression, mass rape, occurring in war zones like the Congo. Every step toward resolving these issues is a step toward stability and progress in society. Clinton concluded that “the transformation of women’s roles is the last great impediment to universal progress.”

The world is slowly awakening to the fundamental fact that all the individual talents and abilities of both men and women, freed up and working in harmony, are required to fulfill life most richly. We should do everything we can to speed the dawning of this awareness.

More than 100 years ago the discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, wrote: “Civil law establishes very unfair differences between the rights of the two sexes. Christian Science furnishes no precedent for such injustice, and civilization mitigates it in some measure. Still, it is a marvel why usage should accord woman less rights than does either Christian Science or civilization” (Science and Health, p. 63).

I’ve always been puzzled about the attempt by societies to silence or marginalize women. To me it’s like going into life with one arm tied behind your back. It can literally mean using only half of humanity’s available intelligence, moral strength, enthusiasm, and talent. Just think how much more creativity and innovation we can all benefit from when the entire spectrum of potential is utilized.

Christian Science is based solidly on the fact that there is only one God and refers to God as Father-Mother. This God is Spirit, the Great “I AM,” including both masculine and feminine qualities. The first chapter of Genesis in the Bible clearly lays the spiritual foundation for equality of the sexes by pronouncing that God created man and woman “in his own image . . . male and female created he them.” Also that “God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:27, 31).

It is this flawless, spiritual concept—rather than the false picture of mortals competing with each other and dominating one another—that we need to look to for the lasting solution to gender-based discrimination. Each one of us is the reflection of God’s completeness. Both men and women can be seen to represent a union of male and female qualities that have their source in the Father-Mother God of all.

Fear holds people to outmoded, outgrown gender roles—fear of change, fear of upsetting the status quo, fear of sharing credit, fear of losing control. But the Bible says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear” (I John 4:18). God is perfect, fearless Love. Based on that fact, we have nothing to fear and everything to gain by encouraging, enabling, equipping, and equally valuing the right of each individual to fully express God.

Through a growing understanding of God as both Father and Mother, each man and woman will increasingly be able to express freedom and perfection as God’s very likeness. When we see ourselves and one another in this true light, the universal progress Mrs. Clinton called for will indeed be 
unstoppable.

Article originally appeared in the Christian Science Sentinel, September 28, 2009.
Republished with permission of The Christian Science Publishing Society.

Throughout my boyhood I saw the advantages of Christian Science in my life. After graduating from college I thought it wise to establish my post-college transition in line with God’s plan for me. So I called a Christian Science practitioner to help pray for me as I looked for a job and an apartment. Both fell into place pretty quickly.

But that was just the beginning. Over the next few years I continued to call on the practitioner, and with her support, I gradually “put away childish things” (1 Cor. 13:11). In other words, many aspects of my life—moral, physical, spiritual, financial, interpersonal—were uplifted, purified, “squared away.” The practitioner was busy, but always patient with me. Once, while waterskiing, I injured my ribs. When I called her to pray for me about this, her question was: “Were you showing off?” I answered, “I guess I was.” She’d immediately discerned the state of my thought, pointing out the importance of checking the quality of one’s thinking. Healing came quickly—and I learned something I’ve never forgotten about expressing God rather than trying to impress people.

I made a lot of spiritual progress at that time, and the wisdom and example of that practitioner stayed with me. It was indelible. As the years passed, Christian Science remained central to my life and work. I had many challenges, and I learned gradually that I could apply Christian Science to a wide variety of situations and trust the results. Prior to attempting almost any step of progress, I tried to remember to pause and let God lead me. For instance, for five years I attended graduate school at night, and by trusting that the whole process was God’s, not mine, I was able to complete the program without a single scheduling conflict between my work and school.

Once in a while, people would call to ask me to pray for them. The Bible encourages us to be generous along these lines. Jesus gives us this imperative command: “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” (Matt. 10:8). I certainly had received freely. So when these occasional calls came, I did my best to provide the prayer. Once I even promised God that if He ever saw fit to send someone else to me, I would stop whatever I was doing and pray for them right away.

It wasn’t too long before I was tested on that. The phone rang late one night. I was tired, but I remembered my promise to God. I sat down at my desk, turned on the light, and prayed for a couple of hours, until I reached a point of understanding and peace about the situation. Then I turned in. The next the day I learned that a beautiful healing had occurred for that individual during the night.

I was never afraid of those calls, because I always knew that Christian Science was based on the law of God that never fails. But I was usually surprised when someone called me instead of a “real” practitioner.

Eventually it dawned on me that people were being prompted by their own prayers and obedience to the divine Mind to call me, and that I needed to be ready. Again I realized that my time and talents actually belonged to God, not me; and that helping His children find normalcy, strength, comfort, and meaning when they ask for it is really serving Him.

So I blocked out some hours in the evenings and weekends to be available for Christian Science practice. I established a phone line that only I answered and rented an office part-time to provide focused hours of prayer and a place to meet people in a professional setting when needed.

Jesus said, “for everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required” (Luke 12:48). As I have come to see that I am included in this statement and supported by it (after all, if God requires something of us, He also supplies the resources to accomplish it­­), other logical steps have unfolded. A few years ago I was able to leave my regular employment and become available to the healing practice full-time. A year after that I applied to be listed in The Christian Science Journal. And just recently I moved into my own office in the center of our town, where I now spend most days.

Maybe it required courage to take these steps, but really, I think it’s just a matter of listening and being willing to move at God’s pace. Divine Love “owns each waiting hour” (Mary Baker Eddy, Christian Science Hymnal, no. 207). The work of a healer is a privilege to perform–it’s challenging, rewarding, and the spiritual growth is amazing.

Article originally appeared in the Christian Science Sentinel, March 16, 2009.
Republished with permission of The Christian Science Publishing Society.

The effects of the recent global financial crisis reach into nearly every home and touch average citizens in ways they seem to have little influence on. One group particularly hard hit includes many retirees, and those close to retirement. Alarming front-page headlines tell about the destruction of $2 trillion of wealth held in individual retirement accounts that may have left 43 percent of households without sufficient future income (see Peter Grier, “Fallout of stock plunge-retirement woes,” The Christian Science Monitor, October 17, 2008).

Watching funds decline in huge increments is disconcerting and frustrating, and people feel understandably helpless in the face of losses that can affect them so profoundly. Some employees are delaying retirement to work longer. Some retirees are seeking reemployment to ensure that their basic daily expenses continue to be met.

In a situation like this-one that seems huge, unwieldy, and detrimental-a question arises: Can the average person do something to help stabilize the situation, and bring security and comfort to his or her own financial picture

The answer is yes. But it requires looking away from the chaos of markets into spiritual harmony-the reality of life. Rather than accepting want as inevitable, we can recognize the present and infinite blessings of God. Instead of letting dire predictions dictate the course of our lives, we can push back against them and place our trust on a strong, spiritual foundation.

The Bible is teeming with examples of people who did just that. Faced with insurmountable obstacles and limitations, people have turned to God and, by doing so, have found rich spiritual resources sufficient to completely negate human dearth, famine, scarcity, drought, lean years, etc. Think of Gideon whose impressive army of 32,000 was reduced to just 300 before he went forward to capture a city. His reduced material strength actually encouraged him to think spiritually and to trust God-the infinite source of strength and all good. He developed a brilliant superior strategy by which his tiny, intrepid force saved Israel (see Judges 7).

A moment of extremity is an opportunity to stick to the fundamentals of prayer-to remind ourselves that God is the only power in the universe and that we exist within the divine economy as spiritual ideas of God. Accordingly, we are not subject to declining resources; divine resources are unlimited, where supply equals demand exactly. The eternal benefits of intelligence, efficiency, and abundance are constant. God’s economy is impelled by His very nature-by love, principled action, and intelligent ideas. And it’s a perfectly balanced system that can never lose anything of substance or value.

Someone recently reminded me that worry is ingratitude in advance. We have no time to waste on it. Holding our gaze on eternal facts, keeps us open to the harmonious truth that heals the situation. Conversely, looking at symptoms-declining balances for instance, or a calendar of approaching due dates, or stock market results that thrash wildly day to day-can foster within us the thought that our substance is somehow controlled by material forces. Allowing ourselves to be hypnotized by material evidence is like watching a clock when we should be working. It is unproductive. Turning away from material evidence, looking and listening for what God knows about His economy, readies thought to perceive and accept the elegant solution that is probably already waiting for us.

Right ideas are constantly flowing to us from God, providing daily supplies. We can confidently affirm this for ourselves, and pray for receptivity and humility. As the image and likeness of God, we are intelligent, receptive, clear-thinking. God is the source of ideas, and we receive and employ them. Good, honest, practical ideas coalesce into powerful, effective solutions that bless all. Sentinel founder Mary Baker Eddy perceived this clearly when she said: “Good thoughts are an impervious armor; clad therewith you are completely shielded from the attacks of error of every sort. And not only yourselves are safe, but all whom your thoughts rest upon are thereby benefited” (see Mary Baker Eddy, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 210).

Now, as always, God is the sole power and intelligence of the universe, and He remains present and immediately available every moment. This conviction shines through in the Psalmist’s firm declaration of freedom from lack in this single verse in the Bible: “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” (Ps. 23:1). It voices an eternal truth that is practical wisdom today. Retirees and all of us can remain confident in the smooth operation of the divine economy in which our present and future stability is assured.

Article originally appeared in the Christian Science Sentinel, November 17, 2008.  Republished with permission of The Christian Science Publishing Society.

An individual’s relationship with God is just that: individual, primary, and private. So when restrictions on individual worship occur, it’s only right to question them. But history has proven that the struggle for religious freedom isn’t exactly an easy road.

A case in point is found in a recent news article detailing Russian President Vladimir V. Putin’s sanction of the Russian Orthodox Church as Russia’s nationalchurch (see Clifford J. Levy, “At Expense of All Others, Putin Picks a Church,” The New York Times, April 24, 2008). The article notes that other denominations are routinely harassed by police, their activities limited or prohibited—essentially forcing them out of existence—while the Orthodox Church enjoys almost total acceptance.

It might be argued that recognizing a single denomination and its beliefs is an improvement over an atheistic state. Yet shouldn’t the fundamental argument be in support of each individual’s unique and direct relationship with God? And shouldn’t each person be free to pursue—or not to pursue—this relationship according to the dictates of his or her own conscience?

A government may be inclined to attempt to control worship out of fear of insurgent activity. But an individual’s intelligent acquaintance with God—with good—can only benefit the state and society in general. When citizens are able to pursue an understanding of God on their own terms, they become a rich resource for all society.

Two hundred years ago the United States recognized the value of religious freedom by securing it in the First Amendment to its Constitution: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.” And in 1994 the US Supreme Court interpreted this amendment to mean that “government should not prefer one religion to another, or religion to irreligion” (Board of Education of Kiryas Joel Village School District v. Grumet, 512 US 687 (1994), Justice David Souter).

Mary Baker Eddy saw humanity’s access to God as no more the property of a single denomination than the night sky is the property of a single telescope. She wrote: “God is universal; confined to no spot, defined by no dogma, appropriated by no sect. Not more to one than to all . . . and His people are they that reflect Him—that reflect Love.” She continued: “. . . their ears are attuned to His call. In the words of the loving disciple, ‘My sheep hear my voice, . . . and they follow me; . . . neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand’ ” (see Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1886, pp. 150–151). The truth of this statement has been evident to me in my work as chairman of my local clergy association, which brings me into regular contact with religious leaders in my home town—each representing his or her tradition, while respecting one another.

I’ve been struck by the quality of these individuals and the value of their presence in the community. Together they provide a spiritual resource for thousands of local families. But if they didn’t have the freedom to express themselves openly—or if one religion were favored at the expense of others—the unique contributions of these leaders would be limited. 

About a year ago a religious center in town invited me, along with another member of my Church of Christ, Scientist, to answer some questions about our religion. At first I was apprehensive, thinking we might encounter sophisticated intellectual arguments. But as we prayed together, we determined that we’d been invited by our neighbors in good faith, and that we could respond in good faith, and with love. We couldn’t have been more warmly welcomed. We spent an hour answering questions that were both earnest and respectful. The experience was enlightening for everyone present.

What if we’d allowed fear to keep us away? Or what if such a discussion had been forbidden?

Attempting to force others to conform to a particular belief system lacks brotherly/sisterly love, and is likely to be unsuccessful. But honest attempts to understand one another and to share from the heart can result in understanding. Misconceptions drop away, common ground emerges, and goodwill is established among neighbors.

Hopefully the days of religious intolerance are coming to a close worldwide. The idea that “my God is better than your God” becomes irrelevant as everyone sees that there really is just one God—Love itself, the all-intelligent, omnipotent God. Jesus addressed God as “our Father,” confirming that we are all brothers and sisters.

Freedom to worship edifies the individual and benefits the community. It should be cherished and promoted throughout the world as primary among human rights. Nothing is gained by attempting to limit it, and untold good can come from honoring and respecting it.

Article originally appeared in the Christian Science Sentinel, June 9, 2008.  Republished with permission of The Christian Science Publishing Society.

I was changing planes when I saw the first television images on the airport monitor.  Even without sound it was clear that something dramatic and unfortunate was unfolding somewhere in the world.  Every few minutes the graphic on the screen updated a tally next to the words, “Confirmed Dead.”

That was a year ago, April 16, 2007, the day a student gunman killed 33, including himself, at Virginia Tech University, the worst school shooting in US history.  Now, a year later, we might ask if there has been any progress.  Are school populations any safer?  Sadly, the frequency of campus shootings has increased since then.  There have already been five incidents in 2008, the most deadly of those being the Valentine’s Day shooting spree at Northern Illinois University.

What is the solution to this escalating trend of violence?

Many argue that gun control laws need to be strengthened in the US; that the time has finally come to close the loophole through which undocumented weapons are easily purchased by anyone with cash, without even showing identification or proof of mental stability.

Others point to flaws in the education system that can marginalize, alienate, and persecute some students to the point where they lash out violently at the community at large.

And a growing number of individuals, despite the general reluctance of law-enforcement agencies and school administrators, believe that the answer lies in allowing students and teachers to carry concealed weapons for their own protection.  Several states are currently considering such legislation, and one state, Utah, has already adopted it into law.  The idea is that an alert and well-trained citizen can stop a deranged shooter before he can inflict much damage.

But is this really the answer? Throughout her writings, the Discoverer of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy, suggested that real solutions are based in something deeper—in Spirit, and in Love, which is to say in God.  She once wrote: “Love is the fulfilling of the law: it is grace, mercy, and justice.  I used to think it sufficiently just to abide by our State statutes; that if a man should aim a ball at my heart, and I by firing first could kill him and save my own life, that this was right” (see Miscellaneous Writings 1883–1896, p. 11).  The clear implication is that a higher right exists that doesn’t involve a preemptive gunshot. It may not be easy to see or find the higher right in an already untenable situation.  Nor may it seem even possible to do without being physically armed.  But what does it really mean to be an alert and well-trained citizen?

In my own experience I have come to see that prayer promotes alertness and provides solutions—prayer that is based on the spiritual fact that there is one Mind, another name for God, governing all.  That every being in the universe is subject to this Mind and responsive to it.  That Mind can bring healing to every problem, regardless of how complicated or random or unpredictable it seems.  That the properties of Mind—wisdom and intelligence—can bring forward right combinations of ideas to produce right actions.

When confronted by a tragic breaking news story, such as a school shooting, we may be shocked at first, trying even to grasp what’s occurred.  We may feel helpless, with no attachment to the situation and no way to influence it.  We may even get caught up in the unthinkable horror of the scene and spend time in fear and awe of it.  But with prayer, we will not remain helpless bystanders.  We can confront the confronter by refusing to admit any thought that is frustrated, hateful, or bent on destruction, and be alert to those who need help and support.  We can engage mentally, in prayer, to know that evil is powerless because God indeed is the only true power.  The immediate and unlimited resources of good that God provides are available right now to bring any crisis to a swift close and comfort those affected by it.

We have the solemn right today to claim our own safety from evil, as well as that of everyone else.  As we grow in our conviction of the present power of good, we see this power in our lives.  This can also mean greater alertness on our part to know that any attempt of evil to inflict harm and result in chaos can be seen, and progressively thwarted, before any damage is done.  

Article originally appeared in the Christian Science Sentinel, June 9, 2008.  Republished with permission of The Christian Science Publishing Society.

Without forward thrust, an airplane has no lift. But with sufficient forward thrust, the plane – which can weigh hundreds of tons – moves gracefully aloft. The same is true with us. Thought must continue to move forward, to be progressive, to meet and master the challenges confronting us, and to be borne aloft in the process.

Hiking along a stream one day, a friend and I came upon a park ranger leading a horse over a low, narrow bridge. The ranger crossed, but the horse lost its footing and jumped into the rushing water. Finding itself standing in the silt, the horse wouldn’t move despite the efforts of the ranger to pull and coax it to shore. My friend dropped his backpack, walked into the waist-deep water, and stepped under the horse’s neck. Reaching down with his hands, he pulled the horse’s front legs out of the water one at a time. Within a few seconds, the horse moved forward and leaped out of the stream. My friend told me later that horses occasionally come to believe that they can’t move, even when they can. He hadn’t moved the horse; he simply demonstrated to the animal its own freedom.

This incident illustrates the fact that it’s thought that needs to move. And when a right idea dawns in thought, actions follow freely and naturally and almost without effort. This is why forward, progressive thinking—inspired vision–is so important in leadership. A God-sourced, shared vision can inspire an organization or a country to marshal its resources to great advancement. And this is why such expansive thinking is necessary in healing.

So what might limit thought from progressing, from moving forward? I recently read a brief definition of the word Pharisee. These Hebrew scholars concentrated on strict obedience to written and unwritten religious law. That doesn’t sound so bad. What’s wrong with a life of purity and obedience, I wondered? So why did Jesus often challenge these scholars?

Perhaps Jesus saw their mental inflexibility, their unwillingness to think freshly or to depart from the strict letter of their lawbooks long enough to recognize and embrace a new concept of a higher law—the law of Spirit. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus characterized these Pharisees as having “…omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith” (23:23).

The Pharisees argued from the safety of the sidelines, but their attempts to thwart progress were futile. Progress was then, and remains, irresistible. We operate in a dynamic, progressive spiritual framework. Intelligence is not static. It is constantly being expressed in new forms of useful invention. Ideas are discovered, applied, improved, and reapplied in ever-changing combinations. Yesterday’s applications lead to today’s enhancements and to tomorrow’s cutting edge innovations. We can choose to resist progress as a threat to the status quo, or we can embrace progress and move with it.

Mary Baker Eddy saw the power of thought to advance or retard, and on one occasion she spoke on the importance of getting thought to move. “In teaching a class I tell some joke to start the thought moving; God tells me to. There must be action; I get the thought started…I speak sharply sometimes, but the thought must move” (The Notebooks Lida Fitzpatrick, The Mary Baker Eddy Library for the Betterment of Humanity, pp.3-4). 

Qualities such as humility, flexibility, and expectancy of good help us stay ready for progress and to recognize it when it comes. However, complacency, resistance, and routine thinking tend in the opposite direction. Christian Science ensures the safety of our moving prayerfully forward with what seems most right in each situation rather than leaving us to spin in uncertainty. It reveals that progress rests on a fixed Principle. Progress is impelled by God; it’s the natural result of our reflection of Him.

By remaining alert and open we can be immediately responsive to divine Mind’s direction, without hesitation or delay. This mental state keeps us prepared to welcome the unfolding present rather than to fear the future, doubt our decisions, resist change, or cling to the past. And the results of letting thought move in harmony with Mind’s direction include effective accomplishments, unexpected efficiencies, clarity and confidence in our assessment of situations, and harmonious, rewarding relationships. Our willingness to let Mind continuously guide us forward helps us make ever more valuable and meaningful contributions to healing the world.

Article originally appeared in The Christian Science Journal, February 2008.  Republished with permission of The Christian Science Publishing Society.

In the months following Hurricane Katrina, the levees around New Orleans were speedily reconstructed. But recent aerial photos of these levees show evidence of serious flaws. Several studies, including a National Science Foundation report as well as a $20-million investigation commissioned by the Department of Defense, suggest the risks are still high.

Reports of compromised public works projects are not particularly infrequent. Construction problems uncovered in Boston’s $15-billion “Big Dig” project-the most expensive construction project in US history-shut down part of the city’s new tunnel system for several months last summer, amidst allegations that substandard materials and workmanship had led to a ceiling collapse and the unfortunate death of a passenger.

Not everything seems to go according to plan. Cost overruns are common. Wasted time and materials are regular occurrences. But why should so much work need redoing? It’s inefficient and expensive-and the costs can far exceed the simply financial ones.

Most of us strive for a job well done. But models of success, based on the conclusion that we’re inherently imperfect and material, inevitably include flaws-impatience, dishonesty, lack of expertise, poor follow-through, and scarcity of resources can at any moment threaten to creep in and contribute to substandard work. On the other hand, adopting a spiritual model of who we are, built on the expression of our God-given qualities such as honesty, integrity, and principled behavior, enables us to complete our work beautifully and on schedule. Then we find true success and the results we seek.

Mary Baker Eddy addressed the issue of following appropriate life-models. In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, she asked: “Do you not hear from all mankind of the imperfect model? The world is holding it before your gaze continually. The result is that you are liable to follow those lower patterns, limit your life-work, and adopt into your experience the angular outline and deformity of matter models.” The conclusion: “We must form perfect models in thought and look at them continually, or we shall never carve them out in grand and noble lives” (p. 248).

What are these perfect models? In essence, they are patterns of thought, built onideas of honesty, integrity, unselfishness, responsibility, persistence, thoroughness, precision, alertness, and love, to name just a few. As these qualities permeate consciousness, our work will be well done, effective, and lasting. And as we eliminate substandard considerations such as greed, corruption, undeserved enrichment, insufficiency, the work will increasingly prosper.

What about unexpected complications? They seem almost unavoidable, and yet not insurmountable. I once heard a statement that still rings true for me-something along the lines of “in the life of every problem, there is a moment when it is large enough to be seen and small enough to be dealt with.” If we remain alert and honest, we will detect complications early and address them completely. Encountering a problem is normal; refusing to deal with it, or seeking to hide it under words or beneath tons of concrete, is not.

Once in my career, I became aware of something questionable that had occurred within the scope of my work. I felt it was serious enough that it might be necessary to resign. Over that weekend I prayed about what to do. I decided it was not too late to bring God’s sustaining, supporting qualities to the situation-qualities such as honesty, clarity, forthrightness, and candor. I determined to pursue the truthful facts surrounding the situation regardless of where they led. When I went to work that Monday morning, things came to light very naturally and effortlessly, and the entire issue was thoroughly resolved. As stressful as this situation was at the moment, I saw that my response to it, the willingness to bring it to light and not hide it, actually led me into a position of greater responsibility and trust. By allowing integrity to gain its proper control-even a little late-things were set right, with no loss, and only gain.

Each of us has work to do, and we’re responsible for doing it correctly and completely. The projects we undertake, though they may seem insignificant, actually reach far and wide. As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” Similarly, anytime we allow God to sustain our work, welcoming His model of goodness to support us, we strengthen the fabric of life everywhere.

Article originally appeared in the Christian Science Sentinel, June 11, 2007.  Republished with permission of The Christian Science Publishing Society.

But perhaps the report’s value does not lie in its content alone. Maybe it has value simply as an example of an intelligent, honest, earnest attempt to comprehend and chronicle the complex issues — geopolitical, social, economic and religious — that today bring so much hardship and inharmony to that entire region in Middle East.

In fact, the Study Group itself may provide a kind of model for the type of agreement and cooperation that helps bring healing. In just eight short months, its ten distinguished members managed to get beyond political and ideological differences to produce a substantial assessment and 79 recommendations. On top of that, they delivered their report without a dissenting opinion. All of which suggests an extraordinary level of unity.

In 1904 Mary Baker Eddy made this observation about the power of God inspired unity to bless the world: “A great sanity, a mighty something buried in the depths of the unseen, has wrought a resurrection among you, and has leaped into living love. What is this something, this phoenix fire, this pillar by day, kindling, guiding, and guarding your way? It is unity, the bond of perfectness, the thousandfold expansion that will engirdle the world, — unity, which unfolds the thought most within us into the greater and better, the sum of all reality and good.”

I’ve seen the effect of unity at work. Some years ago I found myself responsible for managing a project that had many interested stake-holders with just as many conflicting points of view. It was a complicated project to begin with, made all the more difficult by the many positions the participants were holding and defending. Initially we spent a lot of energy arguing and hearing reasons why it couldn’t be accomplished.

As I worked to move the project forward I made it my business to be completely honest with everyone involved, whether the information I had to tell them was what they might want to hear or not. I felt that if I wanted to gain participants’complete involvement and cooperation I needed respect them enough to trust them with the truth based on unequivocal facts.

I also tried to approach each meeting from the standpoint that we were actually working together toward progress on a single shared endeavor rather than a mismatched and uncoordinated bunch of factions representing different human wills and points of view. My attitude was supported by the Christianly Scientific prayer to see that we had a unified vision and purpose, directed by God, the one Mind, moving our work forward to a timely, effective, and useful conclusion.

As I approached the project in this prayerful way, trusting in the uniting, guiding power of God with us, I noticed participants began to embrace the whole, rather than just their piece of the project. The dynamics changed from adversarial to collegial. And each stage of the work began to move forward more quickly than anticipated so that we were able to complete the job and deliver it several days early.

Every acknowledgement of God’s power to replace chaos in human life with unity and progress, hints at the possibility of achieving this on a worldwide scale. And each one of us can contribute to this effort by living what we understand of God in our present circumstances. Whether praying about a distant world situation, or dealing with an issue close to home, individual prayers can help show that because God is All, there is no insurmountable problem. That because God is Truth, honesty will help establish unity and order. That equitable solutions can properly emerge because God is Principle. That the actions of all participants can express intelligence because God is the Mind governing all.

Instead of being shocked at the relentless pace and complexity of situations, or frustrated at the tricky combination of elements that provoke them, we can confidently, purposefully, and prayerfully acknowledge together that God is present. He is able to supply the right ideas to ameliorate and heal — to promote a “greater and better” world.

Article originally appeared in the Christian Science Sentinel, January 29, 2007.  Republished with permission of The Christian Science Publishing Society.

It was a great opportunity. A friend had flown up to Boston on his private plane, and offered me a seat for his return to Florida. I had wanted to see my sister and brother-in-law in their new home, and this would give me a chance to spend time on the beach with them and their new puppy. And I had a way to get back home, as my brother-in-law offered me the use of his motorcycle for my return trip.

Because it was a small plane and weight was an issue, I had to pack light. I took almost no clothes, and concentrated on the camping and riding gear I’d need for the ride home.

The flight was great and I enjoyed some warm Florida days before I mounted the motorcycle and began the return trip north.

On the second day, I was in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. It was mid-April, and at that altitude, it got cold at night. I realized—too late—that packing light had left me with a sleeping bag that wasn’t heavy enough for the conditions. I struggled to stay warm.

In the morning, my throat was so sore I couldn’t swallow.

I couldn’t believe I had allowed this to happen. But as I began to ride that morning, I remembered a sentence I’d read the previous evening. It meant little to me then, but in the morning I remembered it clearly. It’s from Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy: “If your patient believes in taking cold, mentally convince him that matter cannot take cold, and that thought governs this liability.”

As I rode, that sentence reverberated in my thought. For many years I’ve been aware of the mental nature of reality. I’ve caught unmistakable glimpses of the fact that God is all good, and that my relationship to Him is eternal and unbreakable. I knew that every bodily ailment can be permanently and quickly healed through prayer. So, heading into the wind that morning, I thought about how this was another opportunity to prove it.

I started by asking myself what it would take to “convince the patient.” I thought, well, it’s more than words. You can say all the words you want, but to be convinced, I have to actually believe it.

Then I thought, okay, why is it that “… matter cannot take cold?” The whole world thinks it can, but Mrs. Eddy revealed that the physical body is actually a mental concept. Matter is not in charge.

She wrote, “Take possession of your body, and govern its feeling and action. Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man.”

The more I thought about it, the more I realized the reason matter can’t take cold is that matter can’t do anything by itself. It has no intelligence. It can’t talk. It has no ability to think or to dictate terms. Mind, God, calls the shots. The body can only follow.

So I continued to reason that matter can’t take cold. And Spirit wouldn’t. Why not? Because Spirit is only good, healthy, and perfect. And if I’m spiritual, I’m perfect. Because if Spirit is God and perfect, and I reflect God spiritually, then I’m perfect. And no cold is possible.

I asked myself again, if matter can’t take cold, and Spirit wouldn’t, where is this cold coming from?

It occurred to me that it was just a lie presenting itself to me for acceptance. It was a lie attempting to make me feel separate from God. I determined that I could choose to reject a lie about myself and God.

Now about this time, just as I was getting somewhere metaphysically, a feeling of futility swept over me. I thought, “You have a cold. Get used to it. Talk to yourself all you want. It doesn’t change the fact.”

But it wasn’t a spiritual fact—and that’s why I immediately knew, despite everything, that I could still choose to disagree with the lie and agree with spiritual truth. I made a decision not to accept the suggestion that I had a cold.

Finally—and this flowed naturally from the reasoning I’d been doing—I realized that for me to have a cold, I must have been frozen out, or chilled out, or shut out of God’s care for a few minutes, or a few hours, or overnight. And I knew this was not possible. I can never be outside of God’s protection. At this point, I was convinced.

Not long after this, I noticed that my throat was normal and I could swallow naturally. I’d been praying for an hour or so, but I continued to affirm my perfection for another hour or two.

That afternoon I bought a new sleeping bag. For the next five or six days, I rode and camped with no problem. The weather remained cool, but created no hardship for me.

That experience has encouraged me to challenge and refute other suggestions that have come to me for acceptance.

Shakespeare once wrote, “Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer, The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, Or to take arms against a sea of troubles, And by opposing end them” (Hamlet, III, i). I recommend opposition.

Article originally appeared on www.spirituality.com, October 31, 2006.  Republished with permission of The Christian Science Publishing Society.