Oh cuddle divine
                        arms as big as outer space 
                             trigger sweet release

This haiku was written by Isobel Sally Davis, an artist and kindred spirit I met online. Doesn't it speak to the tender relationship that we all have with God?  It reminds me of the term Jesus used when praying to God: "Abba, Father." 

Browsing on the internet, I came across this explantion of the word "Abba" from a website called JesusWalk.com:

Jesus and his disciples read Hebrew in the synagogue, but in everyday speech and preaching used a closely related language, Aramaic. In Biblical Hebrew ab is "father." But in Aramaic abbā is a word derived
from  baby-language. As the Rabbis said, a small child "learns to say abbā (daddy) and immā (mummy)." In the pre-Christian era the usage of the word broadened so that "... Abbā as a form of address to one's father was no longer restricted to children, but also used by adult sons and daughters. The childish character of the word ("daddy") thus receded, and abbā acquired the warm, familiar ring which we may feel in such an expression as  "dear father."

 While nowhere in the entire devotional literature of ancient Judaism is abbā a way of addressing God, in
Jesus' teaching and  practice, such an expression was the norm. Abbā as a transliteration of  the Aramaic word into the Greek, appears three times in the New Testament:

     +"'Abba, Father,' he said, 'everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.'" (Mark 14:36)
      +"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, 'Abba, Father.'" (Romans 8:15)
      +"Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.'" (Galatians 4:6)

This explanation helps elevate the relationship we have with our human fathers and lets us see the tenderness, protection and guidance that are the spiritual basis of true fatherhood.  And we can take our understanding of God's tender intimacy to see that it applies to everything we do.  Because we know of God's love, we can see that love expressed in our relationships to one another.  Our relationship to God shows us that we have an intimate connection to what is infinite and that we are at home wherever we are in the universe.  The protective and loving embrace of Abba, our Father, can be experienced when we play, when we challenge ourselves or are in challenging situations.

Oh Cuddle Divine!  It makes me laugh to say it!  We are the loved of Love, wherever we are and whatever we do.  And we can experience the divine cuddle in:

Some say that it is instinctive.  Some say that it needs to be learned.  But either way, sharing is what brings the fabric of mankind together.
Recently, I got a facebook message from a classmate from high school.  She shared that a classmate and her family were going through a tragic situation and urgently asked us to pray for this family.  Even though I hadn't heard from these classmates for years, many of us did just that and prayed.

I knew I needed to write something to my old friend, but I deliberated and actually spent hours praying and then deciding what to share.  I finally wrote it, sharing a personal story that I thought related.  I just got a message from her today.  She was so grateful for the message.  It gave her comfort.
So why, oh why, oh why, I asked myself, did I feel the least bit hesitant to share?  Giving and receiving are profoundly satisfying and healing.

How did I get over myself enough to share?  When my sense of compassion overcame my sense of self. 

Here some of those stop signs that I found would try to halt one's sharing of good words and works on the highway to meaning.

Watch out for thoughts like:

Oh, they won't remember me.
They won't understand my message.
They are probably too busy and don't have time to read this.
What if they are offended by what I write?
I am not articulate.
Someone has probably already shared this same idea.
(These are rather lame, aren't they?)

And here are some of the green lights that let our love and compassion overflow, offering a healing balm to whatever situation we see is calling for healing:

"Whenever the heart speaks, however simple the words, its language is always acceptable to those who have hearts." (1)
"Giving does not impoverish us in the service of our Maker, neither does withholding enrich us." (2)
"Give them a cup of cold water in Christ's name and never fear the consequences. (3)
"Love enriches the nature, enlarging, purifying and elevating it." (4)
"...Love is the fulfilling of the law." (5)

And finally, "(Happiness, Truth and Love) cannot exist alone, but require all mankind to share it." (6)  So go ahead, and love your neighbor.  Share a cup of cold water, a simple idea, a healing story.  Gently ask if they would like you to pray for them.  "Love never fails." (7)  You simply can't go wrong.  And the good you do just keeps blessing.

1 - Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy p. 262
2 - Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Eddy p. 79
3 - Science and Health p. 570
4 - Science and Health p. 57
5 - Romans 13 verse 10
6 - Science and Health p. 57 
7 - I Corinthians 13 verse 8



 

A friend was not looking forward to her week.  Multiple projects were looming over her, each demanding more time and resources than she felt she had.

These kind of situations are ripe for healing. It requires us to let go of a false sense of responsibility and to be prepared to be surprised.

We've all been in tight situations before: having multiple projects; having to make major moves in little time; needing to prepare presentations with little direction, and so on. 

I have found the following ideas not only helpful in alleviating the pressure, but healing - lifting the whole activity higher and making it a bigger blessing than I could have imagined:

Whatever the situation is, know that God is bigger.
God, Creator of all that is, operates from an infinite basis.  God is the source of all intelligence, harmony and joy.  There is no problem too big for God.

Your responsibility is to respond to God's ability
Each task or project we are assigned to is not dependent on our personal achievement, but on an acknowledgement of God's efficiency, coordination, synchronicity and synergy.  These are divine ideas - qualities we reflect from God and resources we can draw on for any task.  Removing any sense of fear or doubt, we can respond to God's governance and let God's goodness be reflected in our actions and expect that each prayer-filled action we take will be fruitful.

Listen. Listen. Listen.
I was once on a task where I needed to buy a number of things in a short time with limited funds. I challenged the seemingly implausible and replaced it with the promise of God's abundant good.  I claimed efficiency as my standard, expected that all that I needed would coordinate with what we already had, and was convinced that the final product would bless more than I could then imagine.  Each step I took, I listened.  I wasn't sure where I was going, but I was listening.  As I was driving I saw a warehouse and got a nudge to turn in.  I did, and  found this warehouse had a major clearance on all the items I needed.  I was able to get what I needed that day under budget, on time, and beautifully coordinated.

Listening every step of the way - this is a blessing to every task that we do!  Whether we are setting up a new home, directing a corporate initiative, working for the resolution of a national crisis, God is guiding us all to a greater and more permanent sense of peace, productivity and progress.

I just wanted to share this gorgeous love song with you all today.  Happy Valentine's Day!
Click here  to get there. Enjoy!

K.d. Lang -
  "Simple" Lyrics  (K.D. Lang/David Pitch)


Flawless
light in a darkening  air
Alone...and
  shining there
Love
will
not elude you
Love is  simple
I worship
this  tenacity
And
  the
beautiful  struggle we're in
Love will
not  elude us
Love is  simple
Be
sure
to know that
All in love
Is ours
And love,
as a  philosophy
Is
simple
I am calm
in  oblivion
Calm,  as I ever have been
Love will not
elude me
Love is simple
Be sure to
  know that
All in  love
Is
ours...
Is ours...
That all in
love
Is ours

And love,
  as
philosophy
Is simple...
And ours...

This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.

Recently I had requests from two pet owners for prayerful treatment for their pets.  Throughout the day, I noticed that Mocha, my lovable Rottweiler, stayed uncommonly close to me. She has always been close by when I do my morning prayer work, and that day, I named her my assistant.  Later on, I got the happy news from both pet owners that all was well.

I thought about the deep and uncluttered spirituality of animals.  They have much to teach us!  The lessons from animals is an old, old story.  In the Bible, the book of Job has this to say:

But ask the  animals what they think—let them teach you;
let the birds tell you what's  going on.
Put your ear to the earth—learn the basics.
Listen—the fish in the ocean will tell you their stories.
Isn't it clear that they all  know and  agree that God is sovereign,
that he holds all things in his hand--
Every living soul, yes, every breathing  creature?
Isn't this all just common sense?

 Job 12 from The Message
(click here for other translations of these verses) 
 
Each animal lover I know has a bond with their furry and feathered friends that can only be explained in spiritual qualities.  Mocha has been the furry representative of joy, forgiveness, present-mindedness, patience, contentment, spontaneity, obedience and stability.  She is a reminder that these qualities are reflections of God.  When I have been sad, or jumping for joy, or simply quiet and praying, she responds with those healing qualities of God.   Mocha simply teaches me that God's tender loving care is right here and tangible.

What spiritual lessons have your pets taught you?
   

Thank God, literally, thank God for God!  For me, learning about God's ever-present love has been the baseline for parenting.  From the very first idea of having children to seeing them launch into their own school careers, I have learned more about our relationship to God and to Love than I have from any one single endeavor.  And understanding my self as a child of God has helped me see all of us as guided and loved by the same Father-Mother God.

Here are some of my posts that track how we can all apply our understanding of God to the full spectrum of parenting!

Here is yet another welcome through another medium.  Enjoy!

A new day!  A new post!  And a new way of blogging!

Welcome to my new website. After over six years of blogging and having my own website, I  thought it was time for a fresh look. Undoubtedly, the features on websites have grown exponentially, so it is timely and right that I get on with it!

The commitment to write and to supply a steady stream of practical and healing ideas and send them out to cyberspace is just as strong as ever.  As I continue adding to this blog, I'll be focusing on these
categories:

CURRENTS: these post will explore the thought currents of the day and how they relate to the spiritual progress of mankind; of developments in science, theology and medicine as well as in technology,
entertainment and design.

RELATIONSHIPS: these posts go to the core of our connections with one another - parenting and partnering, friends and family, strangers and heroes and colleagues.

WELL-BEING: these posts will talk about our own individual path toward peace, productivity, place, identity, wealth, laughter and our capacity to be a blessing in the world.

HEALING: the posts in this category will relate a specific healing as brought about by the study and practice of Christian Science; it will also include ideas on what it means to be a Christian Science practitioner.

COMMUNITY: this category is so big, I am breaking it into COMMUNITY-global and COMMUNITY-local; these posts will look at ideas elevating and transforming political, social, economic and health issues on both global and local scales. For this reason, issues about Church, as a healing change agent, will be included.

INSPIRATION: these posts will draw from holy scriptures and inspired authors, past and present; it will also include selections of readings on current topics from Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy and the Bible.

TRANSLATIONS - GOOGLE TRANSLATE is an ambitious tool that will translate any of these blog posts into one of many languages, but I have chosen these twelve languages, simply because of the people I know!  Those languages are: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Korean, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish and Thai.  Simply pull the desired language from the menu bar on the right and select your chosen language.  And if you are choosing to have these posts translated in your native language, I would love to know how well it works!

That should cover it! From time to time, I'll have a guest blogger, I'll pull from my old, trusty “ad infinitum” blog and I'll keep adding special features. I'll continue to post one or more times a week, links will be everywhere and I look forward to reading your comments!