Some of you may be familiar with the story of virtuoso Joshua Bell who played his Stradivarius violin incognito in a Washington subway. Few stopped to listen, with the notable exception being children who pulled at their parent's hands to stay and listen, but were pulled back and rushed off.  Two days earlier, Joshua Bell played to a sold out audience who paid an average of $100 a seat in a theatre in Boston. (For full story, click here.)

It made me think of the every day beauty and genius we may pass by every day.  The difference between the audience who paid $100 and the subway commuters makes all the difference, in life as in prayer.  In short, the audience was prepared to receive the blessing, and the rushed commuters were not. And we can learn something from this about our approach to prayer, and learn what makes prayer the enriching experience it can be. 

The audience who paid $100 gave value and expected value.  They already knew somewhat of the virtuoso they had paid to see.  They took the time.  They made sure they were not distracted.   They realized the value of immersing themselves in an experience that took them to a higher place.

A friend once gave me her ticket to hear the Minnesota Orchestra.  "This is my favorite place to pray," she said.  In an atmosphere of expectation of genius and  free of distractions, my friend found the perfect environment for her prayer.

It made me ask, how can I prepare myself for prayer?  In light of this lesson of the virtuoso going incognito, I see how I can come to prayer:
I greatly value this time by expecting to get startling new insight into God's operations.
I take time - put aside all else for this time of communion.
I allow myself the opportunity to feel saturated with Truth, overwhelmed by Love, and washed with the harmony and purity of Soul.
I expect to be taken to a higher place.  I expect that I will see more genius in my every day experience.
Like a child, I will tap into that spiritual sense that recognizes what is brilliant in the every day, where others may just walk by.
Nothing is perfunctory.  Each note of my prayer is original, live and relevant to each breath of my life.
Inspiration is the norm and miracles are divinely natural.
My prayer may be an affirmation of God's Love, a celebration of God's creation, an acknowledgement of the omnipotence of peace, a petition to know God better, or an agreement with the powerlessness of evil and the primal element of untarnished good.  I am open to go where my prayer leads me. 
And with this, I am ready to pray.

Here is a prayer for today:

Testimonies of healing are everywhere! And they are central to Christian Science. They are in The Christian Science Journal, Sentinel, and Herald magazines, at testimony meetings, in Sunday School lessons, in the last chapter of Science and Health, and online. The power of the testimony lies in the fact that Christian Scientists can prove what they’ve learned by healing. And no one  can take away or discredit what we have proved for ourselves.

 My family was introduced to Christian Science when my grandfather was healed of severe head injuries. His testimony and other healings my family had were the springboard for me to practice Christian Science. Although I broke away from it for about a year at one point, wanting to discover Truth for and by myself, I ultimately came back because I found Christian Science so compelling. I was seeing that the ideas of Christian Science, the law of Love, were  everywhere.

To read the rest, go to  http://bit.ly/ITJgiT.

The Northwoods is a spiritually rich area. The beauty of the natural surroundings may be what inspires so many people to visit and then make their homes up here. Nature and prayer go together like a hand in glove. So it is not surprising to know that there is an ongoing discussion about spirituality,  prayer and healing up here in the Northwoods, and which has been explored, discussed and quietly practiced with healing results for years.
 
As a Christian Science practitioner (a person who regularly practices healing  through prayer), I have met other healers in the area. This not only includes meeting dozens of people actively involved in their churches' healing ministries and professionals dedicated to healing, but also includes meeting a native American healer, a Reiki healer, a woman from Russia who is a healer, and others (religious and secular) who are interested in the topic. We have two vibrant Christian bookstores in the area: the Cornerstone Christian Bookstore which is managed by its well-read and inspiring owners, and the Christian Science Reading Room which is full of thousands of accounts of those who have been healed
through prayer.
 
Many years ago, Sister Marla Lang of the Marywood Spirituality Center was involved with a community of sisters in a prayer and health study being handled by a health care research firm in a large city. It was a study with over 100 multiple sclerosis patients in which some had a sister assigned to them for
daily prayer 15 minutes or more per day and some did not. (The patients did not know if someone was designated to pray for them or not.) It was a one year commitment. After a year, it was found that there was a significant statistical difference between those who had a prayer partner and those who did not. Those who had a prayer partner fared much better.
 
Hundreds of such studies have been conducted over the years. And it is true. According to the University of Minnesota's Spirituality and Healing Center “ The body of research on health and health outcomes related to religion and spirituality is growing in volume and in rigor.” And why? Researchers have
documented “... that the vast majority of cross-sectional and prospective cohort studies found better health outcomes over time for those who have a religious or spiritual practice. The clinical trials using spiritual interventions  demonstrated superior health outcomes compared with controls.” (See http://www.csh.umn.edu/for more details.) The discussion on healing and prayer has grown nation-wide.
 
But, in this area I am most familiar with the local Christian Science church in Woodruff, tucked under the pines, and sharing the corner of two medical health care institutions: Marshfield Clinic and Howard Young Health Center. Every week the church hosts public Wednesday evening Testimony Meetings, where individuals share their inspiration and healings that have come about from their
practice and study of Christian Science.

Last year they hosted a Christian Science practitioner and teacher, Brian Talcott, of Berkeley, California, who came to Steven's Point to give a presentation about prayer and healing in Christian Science, exclusively to to the director and representatives of the hospital and home care/hospice ethics
committees of the 15 hospitals run by Ministry Health Care. An inspiring and thoughtful question and answer period followed that explained how spirituality and prayer can be practiced responsibly and effectively and with respect to all those who are involved in healing practices.
  
This May, Brian is coming back to give two lectures explaining how healing prayer works, as it is practiced in Christian Science. And this time it is open to the public. As a Biblical scholar, a former Protestant Chaplain in the Air Force, and one who has thirty years experience in healing domestic
issues of abuse, alcoholism, and other sicknesses and diseases, Brian's experience covers a lot of ground. 
 
Christian Science has been my family's main health care for generations. The prayerful affirmation of God's goodness and of our inseparability to God has regularly helped us overcome a number of health problems and also financial and relationship problems. In one case, our young son was healed through prayer of an ear infection within hours. In another case, my husband was healed through
prayer within a few days of a debilitating back problem. Years ago, my husband and I overcame some financial difficulties when starting up two businesses, all through the power of prayer which helped us to see creative and sustainable solutions.
 
The more I learn, the more I meet others who are seeing practical results from healing prayer. Many already know what more and more health care studies are finding, that prayer can be a very present help and can be a reliable source for healing.

(This article will be running in our local paper to announce our upcoming lecture given by Brian Talcott, CSB, on May 8th at the Minocqua Public Library - 6:30pm and on May 10th at Merrill's AmericInn - 7pm.)

"I love Christian Science nursing! One of my college jobs was working as a  Christian Science nurse’s aide, and many years later, I worked as the  administrator for a Christian Science nursing facility.

 Over the years, I often thought that because the Christian Science Nurse By-Law is a part of the chapter in the Church Manual on “Discipline” and is part of the Article “Guidance of Members,” (and because I am a member) it must relate to the discipline and guidance of how I practice Christian Science. But how?" 

So begins the Christian Science Nursing blog from the new online Christian Science Journal.  Click here to read more!

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In the midst of the shock of a friend's suicide or suicide attempt, there is a law of Love that brings comfort, order, and even peace to those who remain.

It is understandable that people are greatly affected by a suicide. It might not be clear why a suicide has happened.  Feelings of guilt in the form of arguments "If only I would have done more ...." or anger, helplessness, sadness or exhaustion may come up, and sometimes it might even e frequent and aggressive.  Whereas denial or perfunctory prayer may be the route we fall into, it is important that these feelings be recognized and dealt with square on.  

A relationship with a friend starts with Love and this Love is what persists and heals.  Througout your friendship, and even now, the love for your friend persists.

 "Divine Love is never so near as when all earthly joys seem most afar." (1) You are never alone.  Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but a sign of strength and an insistence to make sense out of what seems senseless.  Whereas it may seem the situation is out of control, divine Love asserts its supremacy, helping to lift a false sense of responsibility.

There is no shame in struggling.  We need to remember Mary Baker Eddy's life included trauma and personal, physical, financial and social struggles.  Each challenge brought new views of God's goodness and love, deepened her resolve, expanded her sense of the infinite nature of God's Truth and Love. Out of that life, came the full revelation of Christian Science, and with that, a more permanent peace, abundant good, and satisfying love.

It is important to realize your connection to God and your connection to others, as well as to your friend.  It is as impossible to be separate from God as it is to separate a number from the numeric system.  There is one Father, God, and in Him we are forever at one.

You may ask, But what can I do?

Ask yourself - did I love?  Your love for your friend is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10) and is a direct reflection of God.  Your expression of love is like a light.  It cannot be hid.  It removes darkness.  Be assured that your love for your friend had an impact.  It brought light. You have done what you should when you love.

The most loving thing you can do for your friend is to see them as God sees them, as made in God's image and light.  It is the affirmation of their spiritual qualities that grows and develops the strength for you to move forward with your life. It is a reminder of the meaning that this friendship has.  The spiritual qualities you see in your friend are qualities that always stay with you.  Humor, intelligence, joy, perseverance and other such qualities - are all ideas that never die, and can never be taken away.

Each of you have a direct relationship to God.  Each of you have your own salvation to work out. And we can respect that. We are blessed to have each other on our journeys.  But we are not God to our friends.  We can rest assured that God is Father -Mother to us all.  It is God that guards and guides and directs us.  And God is continuing to love, direct, guide and protect your friend in the way that is the most meaningful to your friend.  

And finally, love yourself.  The aggressive suggestion that this was your fault needs to be put to rest.  No false sense of responsibility can blind you to Love's gentle presence now.  You can feel this now.  And if you can feel this, you know your friend can feel this as well.  You can remember how delightful life is.  You can remember what gives life meaning and what gave meaning to your friendship.  It is allright to cry, to wash away all that which doesn't come from God.  And it is allright to feel joy again, to feel happiness and delight.  Letting in the joy restores our lives and makes us remember the very essence of friendship.

Your life has been touched by your friend, and will not be the same.  You have grown more deeply in compassion, more wise about what matters in life, and more confident in the unchanging nature of Love.

We are never alone.  That is the nature of Love and is the great gift of friendship.






1 Miscellany, p. 290

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When I think of God's tenderness and the satisfying feeling I get when feeling God's protection, I think about the times when I have prayed with my sons.  I have a mental picture of times when they were both around three years old. 

My older son, as a toddler, would gather all his stuffed toys and place them in a circle in the stair's sunny landing.  He'd invite me to come and join  them and talk about God.  I'd find a spot, usually between Rilla the  gorilla and the as-yet-to-be-named orangutan, and we would riff on all the many  qualities of God...Love, Truth, Spirit.  We talked about how good God is,  and how God loved everyone.  In his little world, he was full of knowing God's safety and Love's ever present joy.  In my prayer, I knew exactly the same thing.

In another recurring event, my youngest would sit with me while I did my morning prayer work.  He would gather his legos, and plop down on a sunny spot on the carpet, next to me, sitting in the oversized family chair.  Feeling peaceful, my toddler son would create and discover new forms with his legos, actively engaged in his work, wordlessly confident that as is well.  And I would be praying as he would be playing and I realized that we were both discovering new dimensions of God's creativity and love, actively engaged in knowing that all is well.

A friend once said that there was nothing more satisfying than being in a house of sleeping children.  I knew she meant more than just having some quiet.  (Although that was always welcome.)  But it was more about a reminder that we are all God's children, "cared for, watched over, beloved and protected". (See Christian Science Hymnal, No. 278).  Sometimes, it takes a little child to remember what is so naturally known to children, and that persistently applies to all of us.








A song for all of us children:

Pilgrim on earth, home and heaven are within thee,
Heir of the ages and child of the day.
Cared for, watched over, beloved and protected,
Walk thou with courage each step of the way.

Truthful and steadfast though trials betide thee,
Ever one thing do thou ask of thy Lord,
Grace to go forward, wherever He guide thee, 
Gladly obeying the call of His word.

Healed is thy hardness, His love hath dissolved it,
Full is the promise, the blessing how kind;
So shall His tenderness teach thee compassion,
So all the merciful, mercy shall find.