Archive for September, 2010
Spiritual response to UT shooting
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Yesterday, a 19-year-old student sprayed several rounds from an AK-47 at the University of Texas. Several minutes later, the young man turned the gun on himself as police officers closed in.
As sad as this incident is, there is much to be grateful for. Thankfully, no one else was struck by the bullets nor did the young man ever take aim at anyone. The coordinated effort of all police organizations was wisely and swiftly carried out. All classes will be resuming this morning.
Although there is much to be grateful for, there are questions. There are always questions when needless violent acts occur.
I’m finding that spiritual solutions will answer these questions. Yes, our communities need to be protected. Individuals with emotional problems need to be helped and healed. And, I believe, it is our collective spiritual growth and maturity that will answer our questions and make all the difference we yearn for.
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, prayed constantly to find spiritual solutions to daily problems. In 1881, Eddy visited the prison cell of the man who assassinated President Garfield. The assassin had no sense of his crime. He thought he was a victim and his act of killing the President was simple justice. However, her few words had an immediate impact on the man. Apparently, sensing for the first time that he had done something wrong, the man sank back in his chair, limp and pale; his flippancy was gone. The jailer thanked Eddy, and said. “Other visitors have brought to him flowers, but you have brought what will do him good.”
I’ve found that spirituality not only helps me express more love and common sense, it keeps me safe. It enables me to see that evil’s temptations are not others’ thoughts or my own, and they can be prayerfully and mentally resisted.
Years ago, while I was performing with a band, just after a performance, I walked out the backstage door of an auditorium, headed to a parking area, and found myself right in the middle of a race riot. I was immediately surrounded by a group of men, and their anger turned on me. Everything happened fast. But, what came to my thought was one powerful idea, “Love has no opposite sides.”
Love, I’d learned, is a name for the supreme being, God; so when the angel message, “Love has no opposite sides” came to my thought, my fear just drained away and I felt a deep spiritual peace. This sudden peace in the middle of a riot was surprising.
I was then poked in the back. When I turned around, a large man hit me in the face with his fist as hard as he could. But, it only felt as if I had been tapped with a balloon. My head didn’t move at all. The man who hit me looked me in the eye, looked at the others, and then walked away. Every one of them followed after him.
If I had tried to fight back, the situation would have turned out quite differently. However, my non-reaction was an act of love. I’d learned that I could trust God. And by trusting God and listening to the angel message, “Love has no opposite sides,” the anger and danger disappeared.
I pray that the family and friends of the young man who took his life feel the peace and grace of God. God, give them the strength to move past sorrow and fear and find the Love that knows no opposite sides.
Love, our Father-Mother, God, is satisfied with how She has made all of us to be. We can be satisfied with Her. I pray we all learn to know this.Find Keith on Twitter:@TexasCS
Related post: 5 Simple things to make you a better healer
The prayer that heals us (dogs & cats too)
Posted by: | CommentsThe prayer that heals us (dogs and cats too) is not a matter of wishing and hoping for the best. It is based on spiritual laws. It is reliable and responsible. It makes us see more clearly how God has spiritually made us. It teaches us how loved and safe we are. Just ask Lee and Sambo.
You see, Lee loves her 12 year old dog, Sambo. Lee and Sambo live on a ranch in east Texas. The ranch is about an hour away from town. One evening, when her husband was out of town, Lee saw a five foot Timberback Rattlesnake in front of her in the yard. Lee grabbed her twenty-two rifle and started shooting. Sambo saw what was happening and rushed to protect Lee. He caught the rattler in his mouth but the snake bit him.
After lots of excitement, Lee called her neighbors (who live two miles away). They came and took care of the snake. But already Sambo showed the violent symptoms of a deadly snake bite. He quickly became stiff. Lee then called a veterinarian. The vet told Lee she was too far away. Sambo needed instant help.
Lee then remembered that a friend had given her a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, written by Mary Baker Eddy. Christian Science is the Bible-based method of spiritual healing discovered by Eddy. Lee had used the ideas from this spiritual guidebook along with the Bible several times when she needed comfort. So, while Sambo lay in her arms, she prayed, using what she was learning.
For a solid hour she prayed. Then her neighbors suggested Lee call the vet again. Since Sambo was still alive, the vet said to come immediately. She prayed all the way to town. About five minutes before they reached the vets office, Sambo sat up in Lee’s lap and acted normal.
The vet couldn’t believe it. He said in all his years he’d only seen one dog survive a snake bite from a snake that big. However, the vet told Lee that Sambo would be lethargic for several days. And the next day Sambo was lethargic. He lay in one spot. He didn’t move.
This is when Lee called me. Lee was calling because she knew I was learning how Christian Science heals. I agreed to pray with Lee for Sambo. And I did. Sambo then got up, ate, wagged his tail, and was fine. Sambo was Sambo again. Lee knows that without prayer she would have lost Sambo. And Sambo is again running around the ranch in east Texas.
Again, the prayer that heals us (dogs and cats too) is not a matter of wishing and hoping for the best. It is based on spiritual laws. It is reliable and responsible. Just ask Lee and Samdo.
Have you experienced or seen prayer heal? Please comment on what you are learning.
Find Keith on Twitter:@TexasCS
Related post: 5 Simple things to make you a better healer
In time of loss: Caring for children w/ truth telling
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In a September 8 blog post, How Much Truth Can Children Handle? Withholding information increases the pain of loss, at Psychology Today, Elizabeth Wagele writes, “Children appreciate adults being honest with them. Withholding, however, can feel like rejection and deliver a blow to their dignity.” Wagele then gives four heart-wrenching examples of emotional distress children experienced when not being told of a family member’s passing.
I appreciate Wagele’s desire to protect children from confusion and pain. It is of utmost importance that children’s emotional and physical natures be nurtured and cared for. However, Wagele, in one of the examples, relates that a six year old girl overheard her mother talking on the phone with a Christian Science practitioner the night her father was murdered. In the morning, all of her father’s photographs were gone and nothing was ever said about him. This reference to Christian Science in the post, I believe, was unnecessary.
After reading Wagele’s piece and the comments that followed, I felt the need to add my own comment:
– You write about the experiences of Marvin, Samantha, Terry, and Irene. All sad experiences. No child should ever be left without a tender arm to lean on, an ear to listen, and words of explanation and comfort when there is a loss.
However, only in one of the experiences described was there any mention of religion (Christian Science). This mention and some readers’ comments on the post, I believe, unfairly suggested that Christian Science had something to do with how Samantha’s mother acted.
Unless we know for certain what the Christian Science practitioner was saying to the mother, one cannot jump to the conclusion that her actions had anything to do with Christian Science. If a patient takes his own life after speaking with a psychologist, no one, I believe, would condemn the psychologist. Wouldn’t it be assumed that the patient had been troubled and had been reaching out for help?
I have been a Christian Scientist all my life and am a Christian Science practitioner, as well. Never have I heard anyone of this faith advise others to ignore or hide from children or anyone the loss of a loved one.
It is sad that some quickly jump to condemn a religious faith that for over 140 years has helped so many to overcome sorrow, pain, and anguish. Christian Science is a Bible and prayer-based method of spiritual healing. It heals mental and physical problems by recognizing the troubles and then removing them by utilizing spiritual laws. –
I have always felt a responsibility to tell my children what is happening in the lives of those they know and love. Of course, I have taken into account their ages and comprehension abilities. Yet, I have chosen not to bombard them, to some degree, with graphic details they were not able to comprehend and assimilate. However, I feel nothing should be withheld from a child that could possibly make them feel left in the dark and unable to cope.
Again, it is of the utmost importance that children’s emotional and physical natures be nurtured and cared for. I appreciate Wagele’s desire to help others through her blog posts. But, there is more to truth telling than what has been mentioned. I’ve found in my healing practice of Christian Science that to neglect a child’s spiritual education and development leaves them even more vulnerable to fear and to the inability to cope. This omission can lead to emotional and physical problems.
Because I love my children, I teach them about spiritual facts which help them deal with traumatic losses as well as everyday problems. This truth telling will strengthen and heal them. Jesus told his followers, “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
Find Keith on Twitter:@TexasCS
Related post: 5 Simple things to make you a better healer
The Media & Taking Notice of Christian Science
Posted by: | CommentsGot a treat for you. Our friend in the west, Eric Nelson (media spokesperson and legislative advocate for Christian Science in Northern California) has composed a post at his blog I thought you needed to see. His post is all about, well…The Media & Taking Notice of Christian Science. I know you will find it enlightening as I did. Enjoy:
I had an interesting chat today with a reporter from the Santa Rosa Press Democrat – an experienced newspaper guy and one of three reporters writing a year-long series of articles about religion in Sonoma County. They’ll be writing about Pentecostals, Muslims, Catholics, Buddhists, and many others. But not Christian Scientists, even though there’s an active congregation not more than half a mile from their offices.
The reporter couldn’t recall if Christian Science was even brought up when they were deciding which religions to cover. Perhaps, he thought, it was because it’s not a very well known religion and doesn’t have a particularly large following. While this seems perfectly reasonable, I think there may be another explanation. After all, there aren’t that many mathematicians in the world – few, if any of them, are well known – and yet, there’s not a single person on the face of the earth who hasn’t felt the impact of their work.
To me, Christian Scientists are a bit like these few but influential mathematicians. Over the past 140 or so years, the individual discoveries they’ve made – about the mental origin of disease, man’s relationship to God, and the fallibility of evil – have had a tremendous impact on human thought. While everyone might not agree with the Christian Scientists’ “take” on things, there’s no denying the influence these discoveries have had on the world’s view of science, theology, and medicine.
For the religiously minded reading this post, it’s important to note that these discoveries are based squarely on the many healings we read about in the Bible, as well as the explanations provided by Mary Baker Eddy, the woman who founded Christian Science back in the late 19th century. As for the more scientifically minded, I would be remiss were I not to mention the over 80,000 verified cases of Christian Science healing that have taken place over the years, many of which were medically diagnosed.
So – getting back to the original question – why is it that Christian Science sometimes goes unnoticed? Perhaps it’s because, as a society, we’re not paying close enough attention to what’s going on around us. Or maybe it’s because those who have experienced a healing in Christian Science – that mental and physical transformation that takes place through reliance on spiritual means alone – aren’t doing a good enough job of sharing their healings with others.
Whatever the reason, clearly there’s still work to be done. The good news is that, in the meantime, these healings will continue. Just like the laws of mathematics, even before Christian Science is completely understood, fully explained, or adequately noticed by those working in the news media, the healing work will go on and its impact will be felt.
Read all of Eric’s posts here.
Find Keith on Twitter:@TexasCS
Related post: 5 Simple Things to Help You be a Healer
9/11 & Enriching the affections of mankind
Posted by: | Comments9/11. Its a simple symbol made of four quick touches of the keyboard. Yet, what this simple symbol represents weighs heavy on sad hearts and minds. To some it means courage. To others, vulnerability, fear, uncertainty, and sorrow. Yet, there is another symbol. A symbol, I’ve found, that can help. It can help heal the pain and anguish caused by the misguided actions of a few.
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The Cross and Crown, I’ve learned, is a symbol of meekness and might. These qualities combined heal long lasting wounds.
The cross symbolizes sacrifice, selfless acts, tender and powerful love. First responders at the World Trade Center assuredly expressed these qualities. These qualities lived enable us to utilize innate spiritual power. The crown symbolizes this power and dominion. People around the world are discovering their God-given authority and their power to mentally rule out evil, thereby banishing anguish, hate, and fear.
Jesus sacrificed himself. He carried the cross to his own crucifixion. Then he thoroughly overcame evil when he rose from the tomb. It could be said that he wore a crown of victory. And yes, because of Jesus’ actions, the Cross and Crown used together are considered a symbol of Christianity. However, unselfed love and moral and spiritual might are a part of most belief systems. Christ, I’ve learned in Christian Science, is God’s healing power. Jesus completely embodied the Christ. The Christ is within each of us. The Christ enables us to be and do good.
9/11, as a symbol of a confused few who refused to love, live unselfishly, and use dominion over carnal temptations, can yield to love and might symolized by the Cross and Crown. Therefore, on September 11, 2010, and every day, I will attempt to exchange one for the other. I will love more, and to some degree, embrace the spiritual authority of Christ. I will stop being afraid. I will stop hating. Yes, I will try. I hope you will too.
Mary Baker Eddy, the founder of Christian Science, has written, ”It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to pray each day: “Thy kingdom come;” let the reign of divine Truth, Life, and Love be established in me, and rule out of me all sin; and may Thy Word enrich the affections of all mankind, and govern them!”
Find Keith on Twitter:@TexasCS
Related post: 5 Simple things to make you a better healer
Spiritual shock & awe: inspiration from a Bible Lesson
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I was reading the Christian Science Bible Lesson and bam! That’s why I read it. Spiritual inspiration. I’ve found that when thought moves spiritually, healing happens.
Here’s what I was reading from the King James Bible (Matthew 14:14-21):
“And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was move with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals. But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.”
Then bam. I don’t know about you but plenty of times when something big needs to be done, I accept, “They’ve got to depart because I can’t do it.”
But, in effect, wasn’t Jesus saying, “They need not depart” because you can do it and let me show you how its done? Then he took a meager 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish and thanked God for the immeasurable possibilities, opportunities, and abilities He gives each of us. The people didn’t need to leave to get what they needed. It was already there. “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.”
As I read this, I was filled with the thought that whatever I face today, God has supplied me with the ability and wisdom to take care of it. ”They need not depart.” I can do it. I am God’s dynamic spiritual child. You are too.
How does this Bible passage inspire you?
Find Keith on Twitter:@TexasCS
Related post: When a child is sick? – Spiritual treatment & healing!
