The ocean represents the infinite nature of God's infinitesimal wonder. I was thinking over the idea that is shared over a dozen times in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. "God is All-in-all." So I did what every good 21st century thinker would do. I googled it. "All in all" is used to express when we take everything into account, once we have considered all sides of an issue, or wrap things up with a final analysis. But it goes much deeper than that. I came across several essays searching for truth in Milton's Paradise Lost and his other writings. Milton's quote was the only other quote on my search that even came close to "All-in-all." Milton wrote "God shall be All in All." This means that God is the omnipotent, omnipresent Oneness. Unity, the essayist explained, need not involve a loss of uniqueness, but embraces individuality and diversity in an ultimate Oneness. Here are some of Eddy's ideas with God as All-in-all: The maximum of good is the infinite God and His idea, the All-in-all. The starting-point of divine Science is that God, Spirit, is All-in-all, and that there is no other might nor Mind,--that God is Love, and therefore He is divine Principle. The Scriptures imply that God is All-in-all. From this it follows that nothing possesses reality nor existence except the divine Mind and His ideas . Most notable is the use of All-in-all in the "Scientific Statement of Being," from Science and Health which reads in part: "There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all." All right then. This all jives. So why is it important that we know this? It takes some thought at times for me to consider just how large the idea of God is. That God is All, yes. But to understand that this Allness encompasses the most infinitesimal and intimate details as well as the grandest, most expansive and infinite ideas, is to understand God's supremacy. It follows then because God is infinite - the ultimate Oneness - God is the umbrella that maintains and sustains all individualities, and embraces all diversities of gifts. Does that mean that you and I are all the same? No - we are proof of infinite God. Like individual numbers proving the existence of a higher mathematics, we are God's reflection shown in infinite diversity. Once I can wrap my thoughts around this, I find it easier to heal. Why? Because it's been proved and reasoned out that the one Mind governs all. No one is left out of health, wholeness and abundance. It gives me a foundation for church and community - that I can expect and see unity amongst differing ideas and practices. It gives me hope. I can understand how God loves all the wide diversity called mankind. The tenderness with which I know God, is the same tenderness God pours out to all Her children. God is All-in-all. Diversity of ideas is unified under infinite Love.
0 Comments
John, one of my favorite disciples, is cool. He's cool in the way that confidence and calmness are cool. He knows God, he loves all, he is gentle and kind, visionary and confident. In the book of 1 John in the Bible, John writes about love that I will liberally paraphrase. He must have been thrilled to have had this idea about God. He must have felt a sense of relief in that recognition of what he always knew to be true. Everything he learned took on new and more profound meaning with this acknowledgement of God's love: the big "AHA" moment that transformed how he thought about God and how he thought about himself and others. I can see him talking to a group of people: Listen to this! Try to even imagine the love that God has given to us. Let's plumb the depths of the deepest love we can fathom. Yes! God is even now calling us His children.....We are precious, we are the beloved. Yes! Right at this very moment, we are the children of God....Will we take the time to really get what this means? Are we going to believe this? Think of it. God is Love. And the very fact that we are aware of love means that we are aware of God. We live in Love and Love in us. And that cements our relationship to Love. And because of our closeness to God, we don't ever have to be afraid." (Taken from parts of 1 John chapters 3: verses 1 to 3 and 4; verses 16, 18, 19.) King David also wrote songs and poetry about God's love for him. This King was known for his adventurous spirit and spiritual curiosity. He knew remorse and repentence, joy and peace. He made big mistakes, but he did glorious things. I love this song about his most intimate and loving relationship to God. This is from the Contemporary English Version of the Bible: Psalm 139 You have looked deep into my heart, LORD, and you know all about me. You know when I am resting or when I am working, and from heaven you discover my thoughts. You notice everything I do and everywhere I go. Before I even speak a word, you know what I will say, and with your powerful arm you protect me from every side. Where could I go to escape from your Spirit or from your sight? If I were to climb up to the highest heavens, you would be there. If I were to dig down to the world of the dead you would also be there. Suppose I had wings like the dawning day and flew across the ocean. Even then your powerful arm would guide and protect me. Your thoughts are far beyond my understanding, much more than I could ever imagine. I try to count your thoughts, but they outnumber the grains of sand on the beach. And when I awake, I will find you nearby. God's assurance and love fills up the Bible in its messages and letters to God's children -- and that means all of us. The King James version of Jeremiah 31: 3 brings the point home: The Lord hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee withan everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. Take a deep deep breath. Open your arms out wide. God's love for us is infinite. All we need to do is accept it. The colors of the trees up north are at their bawdiest. Loud and luxurious, it is like riding through a rainbow. Driving down from the northwoods to St. Paul, the colors blurred and blared all the way into town. And once into town, I parked our car and walked to our condo on the corner, only to bump into the new daycare that has just opened up in our building. Giggling girls in colorful hijabs were walking with their teacher to the nearby park. They caught me by surprise. "You all look so beautiful!" I exclaimed. "Thank you" said a shy little girl flashing a wide grin. Color, wonder, joy -- they are everywhere. We recognize this because actually the color, wonder and joy are already within us. Just as we wouldn't understand someone speaking Mandarin Chinese, unless we knew Mandarin Chinese, so we would not recognize beauty and joy unless we already spoke that language. Think of it, we all speak the language of joy! The kingdom of God is known as the reign of harmony. Jesus said it succinctly in Luke 17:21 ".... behold, the kingdom of God is within you." Wherever we are, we take the kingdom of God with us and our open eyes enable us to see new forms of beauty and color and joy. "Beauty is a thing of life, which dwells forever in the eternal Mind and reflects the charms of His goodness in expression, form, outline, and color." (from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy 247:21) When Jesus instructs us to forgive 70 x 7 ( see Matt 18: 21, 22 ) I realized that forgiveness was not just required many times, but also in many dimensions. Let me explain. Recently, I gave myself time to really clean out my closet of thought. Over the years, there have been a number of instances that required forgiveness on my part, and yet these instances kept cropping up. It was time to be done with this! I needed to totally replace these subtle ruminations with whole-hearted communion with God. I listed all the grievances I had throughout the years, and then took a look at each one and saw how I could let go of each hurt. Christ Jesus' words were instructive: "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." As a list, I saw that all these grievances had to do with ignorance, apathy, helplessness and a distrust of God's justice. Each of these errors were replaced with the truth about God's children: each of us reflect Truth, Spirit, Love, Mind and Principle. But there was more. Christ Jesus' command "Love thy neighbor as thyself" (see Mark 12: 31) brought in another dimension. Forgiving my neighbor was important, but I saw I also needed to ask forgiveness for myself. Why? I needed to ask forgiveness that I could ever have been fooled into thinking God's children could be anything other than Godlike! I asked God to forgive me for ever indulging in self-pity, self-righteosness, self-will; for being angry or convinced that I was a victim. God created me in Her image and likeness. I was not created as a target or an empty vessel or as vulnerable. God created me in Her image and likeness: whole, complete, strong, fulfilled. I needed to ask forgiveness for ever having lost sight of that. And on the heels of that, I was so very VERY grateful to acknowledge that God had never EVER lost sight of who I was as Her beloved child. And finally, one more dimension. There is another story about Jesus' encounter with a man. The simple introduction has always moved me. It was prior to a response Jesus gave to a man who had asked him a
question: “And Jesus, beholding him, loved him.” (Matthew 10: 21) I can just imagine the look of compassion and calm confidence on Jesus' face. Beholding is a way of looking at someone. Mary Baker Eddy goes into this in depth: From Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, page 476:32-477:5 " Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man, who appeared to him where sinning mortal man appears to mortals. In this perfect man the Saviour saw God's own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick. Thus Jesus taught that the kingdom of God is intact, universal, and that man is pure and holy. " I gave myself over to accepting this "perfect man." My innocence, my purity, my strength have their roots in infinite and permanent Truth, an all-inclusive Love, and a tangible, invigorating Spirit. I am holy. And because I understood that dimension, it was easy to see that each one of God's children is holy. Discord is unreal. At that point of acceptance, I saw that there was nothing to forgive. In each and every incident, there was nothing to forgive.
The human is what fluctuates. It goes up, down, pauses, sometimes even seems to go backward. But the connection between the dog and the owner is always there. And so the destination is assured. LIkewise, whatever human drama may come our way (we go up, down, pause, sometimes even seem to go backward), we have our unbroken connection to God. And trusting in God, we can be assured that She directs our paths. We will get to where we need to be. Our mission in life will be fulfilled. Our purposeful life journey is uninterrupted.
The human and the divine are connected. After watching this a couple of more times, it struck me that if the dog were obedience-trained, its trajectory would look more like the owner's. But even if it took the zig zag path, the connection between the owner and the dog is never severed. It reminds me of the story of the Prodigal Son in the Bible. There was an obedient son and the prodigal son. Both, even though having very different experiences, were always connected to the Father. "Step by step will those who trust Him find that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 444) Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need. (ibid. p. 494) As a Christian Science practitioner, I regularly work with people to overcome all kinds of discord with an understanding of God as Love. Every day I see the power of Love at work. Prayer, spirituality, optimism, love are the weapons of our warfare and the impulse behind our tools to build, repair and restore our world. This is what I have learned: Let me first say what prayer is not. Prayer is not a wish. Prayer is not a delusional quest. Prayer is not an empty hope that relies on a chance that a god may smile on us and give us what we want. Prayer is power. Prayer is an intimate communion with a power greater than ourselves. Optimism is hope and hope is part of the continuum that goes from intuition, to hope to faith, to understanding to fruition which determines a new reality based on Love. Love is not a coping mechanism. Love is the life force of all – it gives meaning and focus to all we do. We are all made of Love. Stay with me here. This is not fluff. Consider this: We respond to Love, yearn for it, without Love there would be a significant decrease in the number of songs sung throughout the ages – of Love celebrated, sought after and found. We long to be known and to know others. Why? What is the force behind this? Love. Why are we all impelled to get up in the morning and go about our business? To survive. But why survive? What makes it worthwhile to survive? An obligation to be there for others? A holy curiosity to find out more – to solve problems, provide for others, to explore new solutions, to stave away death? What is behind all of this? It is Love. Love is self-creative, attractive, it causes things to grow. Like sunshine, we need it, live by it and grow by it. Without it, we wither and die. So when we pray, we open ourselves to our connection to Love. Prayer quiets the chaotic noise and fear that says life is impossible and slows us down to recognize what already is. Like a fish in the ocean, wondering where the water is, prayer opens our eyes to a realization that Love is right where we are. Love is already working in our lives. It is seen in the harmony and order of the traffic, the technological genius of our communications, the compassionate smile of a stranger. It is everywhere. Isn't it instructive to see that what scares us the most are those things that are anti-Love? Hunger, lack, destruction, death, conflict, deterioration, isolation, envy. The seductive attraction of greed, personal power, perversion, self-serving material acquisition is at first not scary, but leads down a road to more conflict. Its antidote is Love. Did you ever wonder why we protest against hunger, lack, destruction, etc. If these were natural to us, we would love conflict, embrace destruction, and feel at home with deterioration. But the vast majority of us don't. And those who do, we recognize the healing that has to go on. We rise up against these things. Deep down, we know that they are wrong. Why? Because deep down, we are spiritual beings, at home and at peace with love. Health and well being, harmony and productivity, connection and expression, proliferation of good and creative innovation is what we are all about. Sages from ages teach and guide us in the ways of Love. Is this to be so nonchalantly dismissed? And today, we have convenient access to polls that tell us of the overwhelming majority of people who actually pray, who believe in a power of good that can and does operate in our lives. Is this all based on delusion? Those who point to prayer as a frivolous fancy may want to look again at what is meaningful in their lives. They will find the substance of their lives in their quest for and finding of, and expression of Love. Consider what may be delusional are those things that are not based on Love. Consider as superficial: hatred, divisiveness, and other things that melt in the humble and sincere acts of another. Prayer? It is the engine that moves life forward. Atheists, agnostics, clergy, and all are swimming in the same ocean. Prayer, as a type of communion with all that is productive and synergistic, opens our eyes to see what is glaringly obvious: we are all connected because that is the nature of Love, and that is the nature of us. So those optimistic remarks? They are a way out of the morass of discord. A little hope brings in a little light. And even the deepest most long-lived darkness is powerless against a little light. Now that may seem like a tidy ending. But I want to share something more. Read about how things have been healed in people's individual lives. Read about how war, pollution, dishonesty in politics have been overcome. These things happen on a regular basis. Love is the power behind these solutions. Love, in all its infinite expressions, is effective, continuous and lasting. Check out www.christianscience.com and www.csmonitor.com to see real life examples of this every day. Drop the religious stereotype that says all religions are harmful and only want to convert you to their way of thinking. Go down to the very primitive basis of spirituality: pure Love, pure Truth. Is it possible to act those out today? Yes. And you don't have to be a Christian Scientist to do this. You are already made of Love. Solutions to bring your life into harmony are right at hand. I'll end here. And I hope that you have a greater sense of the possibilities that lie within your grasp. Love and hope and optimism are power, and we are swimming in it. Feeling hopeless is like feeling there is no way out. That all paths have been tried and have dried up. Prompted by a friend's comment that she deserves to feel hope, I started thinking about hope in new ways. I even waxed poetic. Hope is part of that continuum of our spiritual sense that continuously cycles upward from intuition through hope. Hope opens the door to faith, then to understanding, fruition, which defines our reality. (1) We all have moments of reflection and moments of expression. When we feel what Mary Baker Eddy describes as times that are "low, sad and sweet" we can fully embrace the opportunity to feel a stillness and nourishing presence of God's love. (2) Go ahead, feel that deep calm. Silence the voices that say "I can't feel it," (as if omnipotent God was a limited emotional state). "I don't deserve it," (as if God could create something less vaulable than Herself). "God is too far from me," (as if God is only omnipresent for some). It is the opening of our eyes that lets us see beyond limitations to infinite possibilities It is our acceptance of God as pure, radical and radiant love. It is our right to claim our inheritance - that we are the beloved child of God. Beloved, NOW are we the children of God. Let this mature and season your consciousness, and grow and radiate into glorious expression -- into glorious, rowdy, spontaneous, surprising, satisfying and Olympic-triumph defining expression. (1) See Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, p. 298 (click here to go to chapter)
(2) See Christian Science Hymnal, Hymn # 253 See explanation of bracelet below. It has not even been a month and another story hits the headlines of a shooting. This time it is in a place of worship. The jarring impact of the shooting of innocents who were attending worship services in their Sikh Temple is still rippling out. (See story from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.) I listen. Messages come in via facebook and twitter. We are all feeling this. And I think that there is a growing feeling that this has happened to all of us. The internet has fleshed out and made tangible a metaphysical principle uttered by many of faith and of no faith: We are all connected. I look up Sikhism on belief.net to learn more find out how to share and feel comfort. "Known as the "religion of the householder," Sikhism emphasizes the family and advocates living in the world without being worldly. Moral purity is considered the chief basis of religion. There is no priesthood per se, but there are official readers of scripture." Christian Science and Sikhism share that common bond in that our "pastor" or "priest" are books. Moral purity, compassion, uniting with God. These are all familiar practices. (See belief.net's explanation of Sikhism.) These make up the fabric of our lives, our daily living, striving, helping, loving. So when there is a tear in this fabric, there is the natural and primitive response to mend it. The scriptures that I study include Jesus' cry to his disciples "Father that they all may be one" (from John 17: 21). I read Mary Baker Eddy's words: " The divine Science of man is woven into one web of consistency without seam or rent." (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p 242) There's comfort in knowing that it isn't the tear that has the substance to define us, it is the fabric - the intertwining of our lives and our highest ideals and our daily rhythm of continuing good - this defines us. The outpouring of love, the seeking out of the motive, the resolve to forgive, and the strength to go forward are the active agents in healing. We will find more ways to heal. There are five Sikh symbols worn every day. One is the Kara •A steel bracelet, symbolizing strength and integrity. From http://www.sikhismguide.org/fiveks.aspx: "Steel is symbolic of strength yet resilient under stress. In the same way, the human soul must become as strong and unbreakable as steel which has been tempered in the furnace." We can all move together in strength and integrity on this. In the news this morning, headlines shared the recent shooting in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Thousands of prayers are being shared via internet. I quickly reviewed other posts I and others have shared and am re-sending them via facebook, blog and twitter. Here is my contribution to the wave of healing going on.
We have all had these experiences when the surprise of an abrupt ending lands in our laps: it can be personal – death of a loved one, a divorce, a job is cut, an injustice done, and so on, or it can be larger – a tragedy in the community, a national threat, or devastating weather or political conditions. How have you dealt with this prayerfully? Here is what I have found helpful. First - healing the shock When the abrupt change happens, there is a likely to be a feeling of betrayal, anger and in some cases, distrust of what can sometimes seem to be a premeditated attack. Overcoming this can be done by prayer – a still and quiet holding to the fact that good is not helpless. Even though this initial action may have caused one's world to be turned upside down, we have a more active faculty of order and reason. We can stand on the fact that we have the spiritual substance to overcome what may seem to be an abrupt or an unjust end. The material and the personal may have taken a major hit, but we have the spiritual ability to be calm and confident of good. Second - determining where you stand In the aftermath of an ending, there may be confusion, disorientation. Sometimes there is a search to blame or shame another person for this disruption. Other times despair would tempt us to give in to hopelessness. Anything unethical, unjust, confusing, violent or ignorant can be considered evil - but it is important to know that evil is never a person, place or thing. Hatred cannot happen if we don't agree to it. So we don't have to agree to confusion or blame. These things only have the power we give it. It can be countered by understanding that we are spiritual beings, not vulnerable to fluctuating conditions, but thinking, loving, and generous people with the ability to move forward. Third - determining where others stand We are made to love. That is our nature. Those who have been most impacted by this abrupt event are still embraced in Love, God's Love. Love's very nature is pure, permanent and active. Love continues to operate in everyone's lives. Everyone involved are impacted and influenced by Love. Those who have generated the abrupt ending are also spiritual. Those who have engaged in evil need the purging power of forgiveness in order to feel their freedom. Those who have felt the brunt of the event are fundamentally spiritual. We can pray and affirm their spiritual grounding is firm. God's love is always present – comforting, assuring, nurturing and calming. We can appeal to man's higher nature - to reason, order, generosity, lovingkindness and thoughtfulness – all reflections of God's love. Fourth – Trust and healing Heartbreak, sadness, anger, depression and anxiety about what has happened and about the future are all things that will change. None of those aspects of life are forever. They are the absence of the somethingness of what is spiritual. Love is a force so strong, that in the Bible, Love is synonymous with God. God is pure good "with no variableness neither shadow of turning." Love transforms, renews and invigorates our lives. Love is the true north and is all that we are - infinitely, forever. We can never be separate from this love because it is what we are made of and what guides us to fulfill our purpose, and to do good to others. This is where we find healing and this is what we accept. We will never be the same. Our sense of justice is strengthened, our commitment to help others is deepened, and our alertness to others' needs is heightened. And there is much more to be done. The world needs the poise, breadth, confidence and vision of our prayers. It needs our seasoned experience in fighting battles and weathering storms. It needs our grace to move forward with compassion and our insistence that greater good come from any disturbance – no matter how great or small. (This is a re-write of another one of my posts about dealing with tragedy written in 2009.) The finish line to Wausau, WI's kayak races It was almost 30 years ago that my husband and I met and starting paddling and racing whitewater boats. It was a full and exciting time. But then it came to an end. A glorious end, as it marked our beginning as parents. What is left is more than just a box full of trophies and ribbons. Those get put on a shelf. It is the lessons learned about overcoming fear, being bold, facing seeming limitations and dedicating oneself to excellence. Those lessons are enduring. It is no surprise that rivers are heavy with the symbolism of the cycle of renewal. Rivers start in some high country, rains and tributaries add to it as the river continues to replenish the earth, as they make their way to the sea. The water is evaporated into the sky which falls again replenishing the rivers. And the cycle continues. The kayakers and spectators left for the day So what happens when something you have loved and dedicated just about your whole life to comes to an end? Just like the river, you have your own cycle of renewal. You enter a new time of beginnings. Life is about life. Obvious as that may sound, it tells us that Life (as another name for God) continues to be expressed and reflected in our lives. Good ( another name for God) is a natural, compelling and always growing component of our lives. One experience makes us stronger, better, wiser for our next experience. As our lives have been deepened by this experience, we are ready to go on to new experiences that are more engaging, more beautiful, and more peaceful. Life demonstrates life. And we continue to grow. This hymn sings it well! (from Christian Science Hymnal, No. 182): Make channels for the streams of Love, Where they may broadly run; And Love has overflowing streams, To fill them every one. Ironically enough, this last weekend, an international kayak race was held in my part of the country. I heard about it while visiting a friend and had time to get to the race site just as people were leaving. This race was just one of the many national and international races my husband and I did for so many years. Everything looked familiar but the faces. I walked the sidewalk that paralleled the race course with a huge smile on my face. I traced how I would have paddled through each of the gates. I felt echoes of the thrill and exhilaration of the race. Little did I know then what I know now, of how my life continued to grow and even now, I continue to grow and experience new horizon opening things. Every finish to one great lesson is the start to another. Euphrates (river). Divine Science encompassing the universe and man; the true idea of God; a type of the glory which is to come; metaphysics taking the place of physics; the reign of righteousness. The atmosphere of human belief before it accepts sin, sickness, or death; a state of mortal thought, the only error of which is limitation; finity; the opposite of infinity. (from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy p. 586) A lot of the lessons learned while kayaking on whitewater rivers were about facing down fear, overcoming limitations, and gaining a pure and joyful sense of dominion and grace with others equally willing to take on new challenges. Here are a couple of Euphrates type lessons about universal truth and being alert to a limiting mentality - learned when racing a national race on the Nantahala River in Tennessee. A formal complaint was going to be made to the race course architect. Some of the best whitewater paddlers in the world were doing their trial runs on the race course set over a sretch of whitewater river, with the main team starting first. Each paddler struggled to make the seemingly impossible moves over a certain set of gates placed over one of the river's drops. People got angry. These top paddlers had a lot of clout, and it would have been an embarrassment if the course had to be changed. Then, the junior team had its turn. And when one of the first paddlers went through the whole sequence of gates - fast and clean, mouths dropped. After it was seen that one person could do it, others found that they could as well. The race course was not changed and the race went on. Those on the main team were now going through each of the gates clean - no touches. In looking back on this experience, it was obvious that in the first, and ironically more experienced group, there was an atmosphere of thought that accepted failure, and it was justified and played out by all those who would agree. No one could do the gate sequence right. But, the junior team was never a part of the conversation. They didn't know any better! So when their turn came to do their trial runs, nothing was stopping them. They claimed the "glory" so to speak, and taught us all a lesson to challenge limitations, and not accept them under any conditions. What they proved for themselves, they proved for us all. This little scenario on the river taught me to be alert to my own mental environment, to question what I am accepting in my thought. When I challenge limitations, I grow. But even more important, I learned that my victory in overcoming limitations becomes everyone's victory. The first part of the definition of the Euphrates talks about divine Science encompassing the universe and man. How glorious it is to know that every healing we have, every insight into God's love, every inspired prayer, is an expression of divine Science - and this encompasses the universe and each of us. And that is just a tip of the iceberg "of the glory which is to come." On page 588 of Science and Health, the river Hiddekel is described as " Divine Science understood and acknowledged." What impact has understanding and acknowledging Divine Science (aka Christian Science) had in my life? Understanding God, Love, as always present, I have been able to shed degrees of pride, doubt and shame. This leads me to a point of accepting or acknowledging the grand possibilities of a life based on infinite God. I fully accept and am eternally grateful to know that Love is real. It is full and satisfying and always new. This was brought out - over and over again - in my times on the river.
Rivers continue to teach us about God and our inseparable relationship to God. In light of this week's Bible Lesson on Life, I 've picked out a number of my past blog posts where the river taught me what the Pison, Gihon, Euphrates and Hiddekel can teach us all. Gihon (river). The rights of woman acknowledged morally, civilly, and socially. from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (p. 586) Progress is a law of God.* And when we stand on Principle, we can expect to see our lives transform to a higher platform of human rights. It is heartening to know of the increase of awareness of and increase of actions to assure women's rights worldwide (click here), but it is also important to see this awareness spread to all human rights, everywhere.
There is a weekly Bible Lesson that I read regularly. The Bible Lesson is made up of citations from the Bible and from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. This week's lesson highlights LIFE and the lesson goes on to define and explain God as Life and God' relationship to each of us. The use of the imagery of water and rivers run throughout this lesson. Four rivers - and their spiritual interpretation - anchor the lesson: the Pison, Gihon, Euphrates and Hiddekel. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures defines each of the four rivers. On page 593:1, The river Pison is described as: "The love of the good and beautiful, and their immortality." Rivers have taught me so much about God. So I was thrilled with this week's lesson. I went through almost 600 of my blog posts and picked out a number of them where the river taught me what the Pison, Gihon, Euphrates and Hiddekel can teach us all. I'll do a compilation of posts for each river, each day. Enjoy!
This blog post is one I wrote a few years ago. It speaks of one of those landmark lessons in my life that continues to teach me the power of our own purity, the cleansing action of forgiveness and the redeeming progress of Love. I included it in a remarkable collection of stories gathered together by the site time4thinkers.com. and centered on the radical acts of Jesus and how we can live them today. (Check it out here!) Here is the post: I learned a profound and lasting lesson about forgiveness because of an incredible friendship I had with a friend who was going through therapy due to incest. The 70 x 7 to me speaks of a total cleansing of a sin. During our friendship, I learned more about the power and fixity of purity and how forgiveness clears away the fog that would try to obscure it. That lesson has stayed with me ever since. When I first heard of the situations my friend had endured, I was shocked and furious. She was getting help through the therapy and was a determined young woman. I so wanted to help her. I remember researching what I could do legally to help her. I got acquainted with many of the local resources dealing with women, sexuality and abuse. I worked in the school system at the time and even produced a cable television program on this issue that included interviews with area social service agencies, call-ins and production staff. The issue exhausted me, angered me, while at the same time I wanted to be strong for my friend. I knew that all of these human footsteps were important and helpful. But what I needed, and my friend needed, was something much more deeply spiritual. We must have talked and walked around a nearby lake dozens of times. I prayed throughout our friendship and our discussions helped me articulate what was becoming clearer and clearer to me about the nature of God and our pure and loving relationship to God. I started sharing some of the spiritual ideas that I was learning: 1. Our very being is spiritual – it is the spiritual elements in life that move us, give us our identity, cause us to grow. 2. Our very being is pure – undefiled, untouched. This is a fixed fact and is unalterable. 3. Nobody can touch our spiritual being – our spiritual identity. Just as no one can change the idea of the numeral nine, no one can change the idea or spiritual being that is you and me. 4. Our identity is not that of a victim, of a vulnerable person who lacks strength, intelligence, courage. These suggestions are shadows that fluctuate and flee in light of the purity that is ours. 5. Violence, perversion, coercion — these are not our fault. It is not brought about by some perceived lack in ourselves. It is born of ignorance and dies of ignorance. It has no power, presence, influence or reason unless we give it to them. 6. The most loving thing we can do for one another is to not believe in the shadows, but affirm one another’s light — one’s primitive purity. I also relied heavily on some tried and proven foundation stones for my life. We are safe. We are loved. We are pure. The battle between good and evil is not ours, but God’s. God is good and good is ALL-powerful, and we are His loved children, Her cherished offspring. My friend and I exchanged many spiritual ideas for months. She remained strong, and significant and healthy changes were made in her life. But key to the healing and the cleansing of one’s thought was forgiveness – the ability to see the power of Love and the powerlessness of errant actions to take anything of substance away from what God has given us. Later, we both went on to separate graduate schools and lost touch with one another. But what remained is that unshakeable truth that I can now come home to – Forgiveness clears the way so that we can see that our purity is a fixed fact and that can never be tainted. "All things are become new."* That's a great way to start the week! When the old stereotypical view of Monday morning started creeping in this morning, I recognized it, stomped on it, and realized I had the authority to totally reverse the claim that Monday mornings are sluggish and that there is an inevitable dread with nothing to look forward to the rest of the week. An idea from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures (p. 60) came to thought: “Soul has infinite resources with which to bless all mankind and happiness would be more readily attained and would be more secure in our keeping if sought in Soul.” So, right here, while getting out of bed on a Monday morning, I can claim those “infinite resources” – of insightful love, intelligent care, effective solutions, and abundant supply for this morning. God’s work is done and it is good. So I can go forward, knowing that God’s work is NEVER undone. That God has the authority to fulfill His purpose and supplies us with whatever is needed to do so. God furnishes all good and we can drop all of our own planning, scheming, speculating and dreaming and fully lean on God. Another inspiring idea from Proverbs in the Bible (ch. 3 verse 5) flew into thought: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart.” What a full breath of fresh air that is! “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.” What a relief! We know what we are supposed to do this week: acknowledge God, Love, Truth in everything we see and do. And we know what to expect: God will direct our paths. God is infinite, all-intelligent, all-wise, all-knowing. God is Love. This is what is directing our paths this week. Wow. What a week is in store for us all. * 1 Cor 5: 17 A tag team of herons kept pace with us throughout the trip. I had paddled an incredibly beautiful stretch of the Wisconsin River recently. The day was gorgeous, the wildlife abundant, and my new boat (my friend's) was light and responsive. But that night, my arms hurt.....alot. So much so that I couldn't even move without feeling pain. What happened next was simple and effective. And I hope to explain it so that it helps others pray in a way that not ony helps alleviate the pain, but gives a sense of the dominion that God has given us over these kinds of situations. As I paced the floor, I felt I couldn't even think to pray. But then I thought of something a Sunday School teacher once shared with me: "God is closer to you than your very breath." That's pretty close. In fact, God and I are inseparable, indivisible. This intrigued me. I kept on with this reasoning. Right where the pain seemed so very real, there was the thought of God. It was as if God wedged into my thought. I listened for ideas from God. As I listened, I quieted my own preoccupation with the pain. I realized that there was a new conversation going on and this conversation spoke about harmony. It reminded me that I was God's own child, made in Her image and likeness. I was able to separate myself mentally from the pain as I thought about God. Then it made sense to me that this pain was not about me at all. Gone was the blaming that I had been doing for not working out more, or for agreeing to do the more difficult stretches on a windy day. I was made in God's image and likeness, and God was larger than any pain. I was gaining an image of how God must know me: whole, strong, capable - in Her image and likeness. I could see that pain was no part of me. I understood what is said in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: "God, the divine Principle of man, and man in God's likeness are inseparable, harmonious, and eternal." (p. 336) First there was the pain, but when I let the thought about God wedge into my thinking, I got some traction. I kept listening until the only thing I really heard was God. I could feel the muscles relax. And although I still felt the pain, I was no longer afraid. Going further, I saw myself as not being governed under material law, but under divine law. Within moments, I was able to go to sleep. The next day, I was able to use my arms normally, until all pain was gone. I really experienced what a special hymn* sings: I feel Thy touch, eternal Love, And all is well again: The thought of Thee is mightier far Than sin and pain and sorrow are. I was so grateful - not just because the pain had gone, but because I was able to see that pain has no place or permanence. How grateful I am to know that we don't need to be manacled by pain, but that there is an answer through prayer! *Hymn 134 of the Christian Science Hymnal we are all prayer warriors I have a new post up on jsh-online.com and just learned how to get you there! I'll be posting other jsh-online.com that I write as well. It starts: "I just finished another call from a patient, and I am in awe. It is evident that God is leading both of us to a greater understanding of our relationship to Her—and this understanding is conquering every sort of sin, every sort of chaos, discomfort, and disease. "My practice is like being involved in an army of good. I see that each patient self-enlists when she or he calls. There’s some challenge that needs addressing. It’s the patient’s spiritual sense, their own “conscious, constant capacity to understand God” (Science and Health,p. 209) that leads them to seek healing of the issue. Although the challenge may seem to be something that is intimately theirs, it’s really only an iteration of the belief that God is not all powerful. The problem may exist at a micro-level and seem to be personal, but it also exists at a macro-level and is a world belief—the belief that any of God’s children can be separated from Him. "When we pray together, we open ourselves up to Truth, God." (To read the rest, go to http://bit.ly/KXpzN3) It's election day in Wisconsin, and news reports from all over the country have picked up on how divisive the election campaigns have been, not to mention all the events leading up to this election. I can feel the demand for strong and confident protests of Truth and Love and of peace and progress in this case. Time for prayer. I've always turned to prayer to heal all types of discord, and this time was no exception. This time I went back to the basics: The Lord's Prayer. The first two words to the Lord's Prayer start out "Our Father." "Our" The very word is inclusive and unconditional. "Father" immediately establishes the basis for all our relationships. We are all interrelated. We are all brethren. A recent experience brought this to light. I was called and then chosen to be on a jury. The case we were to hear dealt with the emotional fallout of an internal political situation resulting in criminal charges. As the jury deliberated, emotions ran high, and no unanimous vote was in reach. As I silently prayed, it was a simple acknowledgment of one Mind, one God governing us all. Jesus prayer that all brethren may be one (see John 17: 21-23) was my prayer. As the afternoon turned to evening, the atmosphere in the jury room became calm. Late evening, the jury gave its final statement. It was done in a way that was professional and fair, as everyone's voice was heard. Each person felt confident in their opinion and was respectful of others. It was a surprising result, but it also seemed the right one. When I go to the polls today, I'll keep in mind this prayer "Father that they may be one." And I'll know, that we are all brethren, moving forward with one hope of progress. Love is bigger than anger, more effective and more lasting. And love for one another ensures success. Why do you think this picture was chosen for this post? God is all. There is no room for anything else but God. God is Love. There is no room for anything else but Love. This may seem counter-intuitive when looking at mankind today. We see conflict on the global and personal scale. So how does submitting to and yielding to an all-powerful God help us to heal disease and conflict and to feel satisfaction and peace? Funny you should ask. I'm reading a book a friend recommended. The book had clearly defined dominant and submissive characters in it which made for intriguing developments, conflict, and reasons to feel empathy. My emotions were being tugged in all directions. It made me ask about the pull of dominion and submission. What is it about that that seems so compelling? Submission to God who is all, yields gentleness, strength, confidence. It yields to a release of human will and increased satisfaction in doing God's will. But when dealing with a material basis, dominion and submission are limited, harmful and empty. I needed to see how this type of thinking can be uplifted to a point of healing. On a material basis, dominion becomes dominating and can only be successful when another is depleted. Submission becomes the ultimate in apathy and results in a loss of individuality. Matter can only offer limitation and fear as a belief in separation or lack. So-called power is limited and manipulated by a belief in many minds scrambling to take whatever limited good is available. After an appetite has been sated at this level, it only leaves with a deeper hunger. Taking this higher to a humanitarian basis, dominion has a stage where honesty, goodness, compassion and affection come into play. Submission is a kind of humility and receptivity to good. Our better selves have expression in our choices to do good, to be honest, to be kind. Issues of personal control soften with loving hearts willing to share and to be receptive to new higher ideas. But the ultimate understanding of dominion and submission from a spiritual standpoint is what brings healing to all conflict and discord. It is that spiritual basis where dominion and submission become one. Because God is All, there can be no other consciousness than Love. When we yield to or submit to God as Love, we reflect Love thus, we reflect God's dominion. "Joy and dominion; Love reflecting Love" sings out a favorite hymn. Here are some familiar sayings of Jesus and others from the Bible that help illustrate this point: "I can of mine own self do nothing." (John 5: 30) "...the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works." (John 14: 10) "Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, 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) "...wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" (Luke 2: 49) "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." (Matt 5: 5) "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (Gen 1: 26) Mary Baker Eddy's writings help to define dominion and submission and to articulate its highest impact: When yielding to God, we are not giving up our individuality. "Man is not absorbed in Deity, and man cannot lose his individuality, for he reflects eternal Life; nor is he an isolated, solitary idea, for he represents infinite Mind, the sum of all substance." (Science and Health p. 258) When we submit ourselves to God, good, we are not losing out on anything good, but gaining a mastery over sin, disease and even death. "This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for Spirit, by no means suggests man's absorption into Deity and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent peace." (Science and Health, p. 265) But when thought is fixated on the material, it becomes an unsustainable repetitive hunger, whose mesmeric pull is broken by the attraction of pure, enduring Love (God). "Absorbed in material selfhood we discern and reflect but faintly the substance of Life or Mind. The denial of material selfhood aids the discernment of man's spiritual and eternal individuality, and destroys the erroneous knowledge gained from matter or through what are termed the material senses." (Science and Health p. 91) God is Love, and there is no other power. Yielding to this Truth, we lean on it. We see ourselves as God sees us and the material pull has no power. "Matter disappears under the microscope of Spirit. Sin is unsustained by Truth, and sickness and death were overcome by Jesus, who proved them to be forms of error." (Science and Health p. 264) Submitting to God, we come home to a place that is familiar. We are satisfied. Our identity is clearer. Our purpose is revealed and sealed by God. Health is a natural consequence of this understanding. Wholeness replaces dependence, and our relationships, careers, homes adjust and align with God's law of harmony. "Spiritual living and blessedness are the only evidences, by which we can recognize true existence and feel the unspeakable peace which comes from an all-absorbing spiritual love." (Science and Health p. 264) I remember two instances in which I experienced this unspeakable peace. One, while dancing in a performance when all elements of the dance came together and it seemed effortless. Another, while skiing on powder in the mountains, I felt at peace, and at one - with God and Her majesty. I knew that I was an irreplaceable part of God's creation. Submission to good and dominion became one and I understood better what it means to be at one with God. Submission and dominion on a material level never satisfies. On a humanitarian level, we submit our thoughts to a higher basis, which transitions us to the understanding of Love. We can freely submit ourselves to God. We then reflect God's dominion over all things. (For more study on this topic, look at the impact of dominion and submission in the context of the SCIENTIFIC TRANSLATION OF MORTAL MIND on p. 115 of Science and Health) 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. A prayer stop on one of my favorite hiking trails. 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.) photo from http://csncommission.org/christian-science-nursing/ "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! This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
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 This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
|
Kim C Korinek, CSBPhone: Translate here!
Archives
June 2018
banner photo (c) Micah Korinek; other photos by Gabe Korinek, Kim Korinek, Brad Crooks. Leslie Larsen (c) 2016
|