Reasoning together

Signing Off

2010-01-02T13:13:00.002-05:00

Hello,It's been almost exactly a year since my last post, so I think it's safe to say I won't be posting any longer on this blog. I have moved on to other activities, namely fiction writing. I still practice Christian Science and always will, yet my spiritual journey has shifted to being more private. While I am no longer available for spiritual consultation, I will leave the blog content up for

Book Review: Waldman's "Founding Faith"

2009-01-17T15:01:00.003-05:00

Just finished Steve Waldman's book Founding Faith, the first book I read all the way through on my new Kindle. (The cool thing about the Kindle is you can mark passages, and then upload what you've chosen to your computer, which means I can excerpt parts without having to type them in. It's the little things.) Waldman is editor-in-chief, president and co-founder of beliefnet.com, and his book is

Enough with the Bible?

2008-12-31T15:44:00.003-05:00

Time for a monster long post! I posted the below blog entry from another blogger on my Facebook page, and a very interesting discussion ensued.The Bible & Homosexuality: Enough with the Bible AlreadyHere's excerpts from discussion:Guest One wrote:Hi Laura! I did read the article you posted the link to and I have to say that this writer does not seem to understand that the foundation of Christian

The reason for the season

2008-12-24T07:39:00.004-05:00

This from The Universe (a daily email to which I subscribe):If it's not yet obvious to you, the real reason for this season is you. A more perfect child of the Universe has never lived. Until now, only a celebration cloaked in myth and mystery could hint at your sublime heritage and divine destiny. You are life's prayer of becoming and its answer. The first light at the dawn of eternity, drawn

Land of the freaky: The power of intention

2008-12-22T14:27:00.002-05:00

I don't journal very much anymore, but I will when prodded. A couple days ago, I went into my journal to record a dream I didn't want to forget, and my eyes traveled to the prior entry from some months ago.I feel so great that I got everything done. I was a fabulous script supervisor on my first feature length film, and I also did all the [book] editing that needed to be done. I earned the most

Book Review: "Do You Know Who Your Children Are?"

2008-12-18T13:12:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, I work as an editor of books by self-publishing authors. I've edited dozens over the last year, and some have stayed with me as benchmarks on my spiritual journey. Strangely, often the book I was editing mirrored my actual life in an uncanny way—like a book on childrearing when I was having trouble as a mom, or a book on relationships when I was feeling the fear of connecting

Happiness and the collective consciousness

2008-12-16T17:20:00.002-05:00

A lot of people have been talking about the new study about happiness. Here's a report from TIME magazine:The Happiness EffectI love this passage from the article:Harvard social scientist Dr. Nicholas Christakis and his political-science colleague James Fowler at the University of California at San Diego … created a sensation with their announcement earlier this month of a 20-year study showing

A new take on church

2008-12-11T15:31:00.002-05:00

I've started to attend Al-Anon meetings. Which, by saying that, I hope doesn’t betray the "anon" aspects of the meetings. I'll have to ask someone about that. You know me, I like to talk about things that help me.Al-Anon is for people whose lives have been affected by someone else's addiction. At this point, I fall in that category. Close friends and professionals have been recommending that I go

Newsweek takes a stand

2008-12-09T17:46:00.002-05:00

My friend Mario used to kvetch that it was all well and good for the news media to present both sides of an issue in the name of being fair, but there also comes a time when you just have to take sides for what is right and true. He always felt that some things are not subject to opinion, and the media should develop the backbone to say what's what.Mario had a great point. Working with him for

Conservative and liberal

2008-12-03T19:48:00.005-05:00

Now that we've all had a chance to catch our breath after that election, I thought I'd just share a couple insights that meant a lot to me.First, I read this lovely definition of conservative:"Contrary to caricature, to be conservative is not necessarily to be racist, or retrograde, or close-minded. It is, rather, to be driven by a fundamental human impulse to preserve what one has and loves." (

How being yourself guarantees infinite supply

2008-11-25T08:09:00.001-05:00

I thought I'd post a little index of the parts of my recent talk for Emergence International, so people could find them all in one place.Part I: IntroductionPart II: What we are fightingPart III: Know GodPart IV: Be obedientPart V: Be yourselfPart VI: Refuting old theologyPart VII: Let it flowPart VIII: What you can doYour ideas and inspiration are welcome! Please comment below or submit a

What I learned on the film set

2008-11-18T07:41:00.003-05:00

I took some film jobs this summer.As part of the self-discovery over the last year with the life coach, my love for film as a career has been reignited. So now I'm pursuing it in earnest even as I continue to edit books freelance and write my own stuff.Interestingly, and great timing for me, there's a growing film industry here in Massachusetts. Something to do with tax laws and the construction

Part VIII: What you can do

2008-11-07T11:01:00.001-05:00

(eighth and final installment of talk entitled, "How being yourself guarantees infinite supply")There are some specific things you can consider as you move ahead toward full-tilt abundance. [Some of this is more written out in full here than I had time for in the presentation.]Enrich your purchasesWhen you purchase an item, be it a work of art, an appliance, computer equipment, a car, or even

Part VII: Let It Flow

2008-11-06T07:13:00.003-05:00

(seventh installment of talk entitled, "How being yourself guarantees infinite supply")I've taken a long time to build the case for knowing God, being obedient, and being yourself, yet I haven't quite covered how this is a guarantee of non-stop supply.A concept I picked up from some books I've edited on spirituality is the idea that if you're truly being yourself, infinite supply is assured

Part VI: Refuting old theology

2008-11-04T08:08:00.003-05:00

SPECIAL ELECTION NOTE: Please vote today! Even if your guy or your issue doesn't win, it's still important to know how many *wanted* the vote to go the other way. Each vote matters toward giving us an aggregate picture of who we are as a people. See you at the polls! Refuting Old Theology (Sixth installment of talk entitled, "How being yourself guarantees infinite supply." This section of the

Part V: Be Yourself

2008-11-03T06:43:00.003-05:00

(fifth installment of talk entitled, "How being yourself guarantees infinite supply")The "being yourself" part of this crystallized for me about a year ago when I began working with a life coach friend of mine. I had met her through the business networking group, and we'd become close. She needed some writing done, so we agreed to trade services for a while. It was one of the best damn things

A brief political aside

2008-11-01T08:29:00.008-04:00

As a little break from the talk blog entries, I wanted to post this exchange I had yesterday with a blog reader. It's related to the election, so now's the time to discuss. I hope everyone will weigh in with comments! This is a "reasoning together" blog, after all. (But, as always, be sure to keep the commentary respectful.)With one of the Presidential candidates so openly pro-abortion, should

Part IV: Be Obedient

2008-10-31T10:44:00.002-04:00

(fourth installment of talk entitled, "How being yourself guarantees infinite supply")When you start opening thought to the Divine in that way [as discussed in Part III], strange things might start occurring to you. Like, maybe you should call that person you haven't talked to in twelve years. Or maybe you should go down to the magazine stand and leaf through some trade publications. Or maybe you

Part III: Know God

2008-10-30T13:27:00.002-04:00

(third installment of talk entitled, "How being yourself guarantees infinite supply")Knowing God is the foundation to all that we demonstrate in our spiritual practice. Christian Science of course is predicated on an understanding of God as all good, all Love, filling all space. This is quite literal—it's not theoretical.So, to get specific, what spiritual truth was I relying on with that

Part II: What are we fighting?

2008-10-29T07:57:00.002-04:00

[second installment of talk entitled, "How being yourself guarantees infinite supply"]We came here this weekend to talk about abundance. We're doing this of course because there's an issue that we all have to face every day when we make purchases, every month when we pay bills, every year when we pay taxes, long-term when we plan for our retirement or for our loved ones, and on and on. Every

Emergence Conference in Philly—Abundanza

2008-10-28T11:21:00.002-04:00

Just back from the annual Emergence International conference, this year in Philadelphia. Such a weekend of love and support.I was the keynote speaker, on the topic of Abundanza. My talk was titled, "How being yourself guarantees infinite supply." It was a perfect storm of their interest in abundance (which came up a year ago), my own life over the last year of increasing income, and the world

Love your body

2008-10-15T11:37:00.005-04:00

I've been beating myself up for the last week and a half. And I mean in the physical sense, not the mental one.You see, I'm always doing something. My mom told me the other day that even as a small child, I was always busy. I was always on to the next thing, wildly curious, making things happen.Lately, though, most of my activity has been in the cerebral realm. I sit at my desk, typing away on

Embrace the debate

2008-10-07T19:14:00.003-04:00

Another debate tonight, which I'm looking forward to watching. But in another forum, a friend asked me about the concept of debating itself. He was concerned that there's so much emotionalism and propaganda swirling around, especially in video form, that the issues are being lost. What's the role of legitimate disagreement, and how can we express it? To me, there is a place for persuasion.

Both sides are thinking the same thing

2008-09-30T08:57:00.001-04:00

I loved this piece from the satirical Website The Onion: Report: 60 Million People You'd Never Talk To Voting For Other Guy It points out something I realized a couple weeks ago although I can hardly believe it—the "other side" of this political fracas probably thinks of me the same way I think of them. And it occurred to me that since they're wrong about me, I'm probably wrong

Getting up to date

2008-09-29T17:01:00.002-04:00

So it's been six months. Thought you might want to know where my head is at! (And how badly my grammar has devolved from not writing every day!) In the spring, I had put my house on the market. And it didn't sell, and it didn't sell. I was feeling in limbo, and simply lost my will to write. It's hard to write a piece about what you're demonstrating spiritually when nothing that's happening in

Back in the blogosphere

2008-09-28T20:30:00.003-04:00

Hello! It's been just about six months, so that little break of mine extended a bit longer than originally anticipated. I thought I'd be blogging again once I sold my house and moved to LA, but things don't always go as planned! I did sell my house, but moved to another part of Framingham, Mass., for the time being. Between March and now a whole bunch of stuff has happened, which I'll be

Stuff that inspired me this week

2008-03-27T06:40:00.004-04:00

Found a lot of cool stuff lately I wanted to share: rubber bands, JK Rowling, and re-Judaizing Jesus. First, a YouTube video I saw on Guy Kawasaki's blog, How to Change the World, of kids at Stanford raising money for a project with rubber bands. How to change the world, indeed!***** And this little snippet on CNN caught my eye. It's about how before she became

Happy Easter

2008-03-24T07:57:00.002-04:00

Hello! Yes, it's been a while since you've heard from me. The time since my recent trip to L.A. has been minute-to-minute, filled to the brim with work and planning. (It seems like if you go away for one week, it takes three to catch up.) This weekend I finally had a chance to catch my breath, so now I have something to write about. I do expect my blogging will still be more occasional than

The only constant is change

2008-03-10T16:44:00.005-04:00

Pic is from the meditation center on Sunset near the PCH.Inscription is the verse from Luke:"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heartand with all thy soul and with all they strengthand with all thy mind, and thy neighbor as thyself." I'm back from my trip to Los Angeles. Did everything I set out to do, and then some. Upshot: I was myself. I was at home. I'm going back.

"The best-laid plans of mice and men...

2008-02-28T17:01:00.005-05:00

...often go awry."Clearly, even with all my best intentions, I was not able to blog today or yesterday. I did, however, get a large pile of various and sundry other things done, and am *this close* to being able to get on the plane tomorrow morning at 8am.So, have a great week until the 10th, when I'll get on here and tell you all about it!Subscribe to the daily reminder in the right column if

Soak up the sun

2008-02-26T16:17:00.009-05:00

Weather where I am:Weather where I'm going:This just brings to mind one of my favorite Sheryl Crow songs, Soak up the Sun, which includes the immortal lines,It's not having what you wantIt's wanting what you've got.So she's saying she wants to soak up the sun, but then she's telling me to be grateful for what I have. Ha! A little difficult when the snow is coming down in big, white, clumps.As you

$25 venture capitalist

2008-02-25T09:11:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, with only a few clicks of my mouse and a PayPal account, I turned into an international financier. I've been entranced with the micro-lending industry since I first heard of it, and Kiva.org just allowed me to get directly involved. After looking through their site pages and seeing how easy the whole thing is, I was able to specify gender, continent and industry to

The answer is always to be myself

2008-02-21T12:58:00.004-05:00

I've got a lot on my mind this week, what with my trip out West coming up next week. It always seems like there's a lot to get done before you can even think about leaving town! Not to mention doing double the freelance work so you can make up for the lost income. And arranging for the health and feeding of the other life forms that depend on you, like canines and teens. But all that

She got in!

2008-02-20T07:38:00.002-05:00

Got some great news yesterday. When I met with my mentee from the Mazie Foundation, she handed me her acceptance letter for a local community college. I'm stunned, she's in! It was the school of her choice, and she'll be studying what she wants. Now we just have to file her taxes, apply for FAFSA, mail in her acceptance confirmation, finish some essays for another scholarship—oh, and

Take it easy

2008-02-19T12:04:00.001-05:00

Something that's come up in several conversations lately is the belief that it's more virtuous to pursue the things that are harder for us than the things that come easily to us. An example from my own life was the choice to be a stay-at-home-mother. It was absolutely harder for me to run a home myself than it would have been to have a job and a housekeeper, but I had accepted the

A Valentine to share

2008-02-14T07:36:00.001-05:00

I received this inspired message from a dear female friend for Valentine's Day, and wanted to extend it to everyone. Please enjoy! May your Valentine's Day be bright and beautiful with the consciousness of God's husbanding presence. May you rejoice in His adoration of you, care for you, delight in you. May you pay special attention to His heart-decorated cards—angel messages from

Speak gently

2008-02-13T07:58:00.001-05:00

This hymn is speaking to me today, for a lot of reasons. It's probably the one thing I most often mess up. Speak gently, it is better farTo rule by love than fear;Speak gently, let no harsh word marThe good we may do here. Speak gently to the erring ones,They must have toiled in vain;Perchance unkindness made them so;O win them back again. Speak gently, 'tis

Practical practice

2008-02-12T10:32:00.000-05:00

I've reached the chapter Christian Science Practice in my read through of Science and Health, and as usual, new things are popping out at me. Early in the chapter, Mary Baker Eddy discusses the proper mental attitude of the healer. She says, in part, "…if the unselfish affections be lacking, and common sense and common humanity are disregarded, what mental quality remains,

Bible and Science and Health: right and left brain?

2008-02-11T12:07:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went with my friend (who's working on that project about churches) to the local Christian Science branch church. It was intriguing to hear her thoughts afterward. The lesson was Spirit. I showed her around the books and the Quarterly, so she could see the Lord's Prayer, the Tenets, the Scientific Statement of Being in context. I showed her the definition of God and Christ in

Little Rock Nine

2008-02-07T08:07:00.000-05:00

Last night I attended a talk with my mentee at the local college by Minnejean Brown Trickey, one of the Little Rock Nine, the teenagers who integrated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, amidst rioting and the National Guard. Fascinating! Elie Wiesel's statement "...to remain silent and indifferent is the greatest sin of all..." was a theme of Trickey's talk. She

"The curse of man is that he forgets"

2008-02-06T07:10:00.000-05:00

I haven't done this in a while, but today's Dear Abby made me want to share it. I do still read it every day! TOLERANCE FOR OTHERS' BELIEFSCOULD HELP HEAL WORLD WOES "Abby" asked her readers what the real problem with the world today is. Yesterday they gave a lot of answers of the complaining variety, but today is a continuation with even more substantive responses. Kim

Vote early, vote often

2008-02-05T07:53:00.000-05:00

Haha, the title of this entry is a reference to politics in my native Chicago in the years of the original Mayor Richard J. Daley. He was quite a character, and that seemed to be the motto of his political machine. But do vote early. In honor of today's primary vote, I offer a few choice quotes from Mayor Daley himself. The police are not here to create disorder, they're

A Christian nation?

2008-02-04T07:12:00.000-05:00

Ran across this guest commentary on the Episcopal Life Website over the weekend and found it very interesting: How would Jesus vote? Here's an excerpt: [T]he Christian character of the United States is comparable to the "Christian character" of the Roman Empire following Constantine, or the "Christian character" of the Holy Roman Empire in the 16th century. Christian trappings

An example of openmindedness

2008-01-31T07:33:00.000-05:00

Today I want to celebrate openmindedness. I found a breathtaking example of it last night when trolling my friends on Facebook. Not that the person isn't touching on a hot-button issue—she is. But her reporting of some information she found is so matter-of-fact it took my breath away. What it indicates to me is a person who is so comfortable entertaining new ideas that they don't

Follow the angels

2008-01-30T08:45:00.000-05:00

I haven't written about angels in a while, but I think about them all the time. To me, angels are the step-by-step guides that bring you a little further along the path. You don’t always know where they're leading you, but if you trust them, it will add up. They come in the form of ideas. Call this friend, clear out your wardrobe, email this colleague, get a haircut, introduce

"...enlarged individuality..."

2008-01-29T08:45:00.000-05:00

Last week my read-through of Science and Health brought me to the Creation chapter, one of my favorites. This time, perhaps because of my recent emphasis on self-expression, I was struck by how frequently in this fourteen-page chapter Mary Baker Eddy was led to clarify who we are—our identity. Infinite Mind is the creator, and creation is the infinite image or idea emanating from this

Honor, not become

2008-01-28T08:51:00.000-05:00

Went to a parenting seminar over the weekend, with a speaker who was full of wisdom and good humor. She spoke to an audience of mostly parents of teens. There was a lot of knowing laughter and good natured head shaking. She talked about adolescence being very similar to when children are toddlers—full of curiosity, widening their boundaries, trying to gain control, etc. If we can

More on romance

2008-01-24T10:39:00.000-05:00

I liked the discussion that ensued after the romance entry this week, so thought I'd put it up so everyone would see it. At 1/22/2008 10:28:00 AM, Anonymous said... Dear Laura,Be careful not to shut the door to a future relationship because you feel like you are "done" now that you realize

Undefeated promise

2008-01-23T07:43:00.000-05:00

I feel really bad about Heath Ledger. He was just plain too young. And this ties in with the section of Science and Health I was reading yesterday. It was the section in Footsteps of Truth about age, especially page 246. Here are some sentences from that page: Life and its faculties are not measured by calendars. … The measurement of life by solar years robs youth and gives

Romance: Is it necessary?

2008-01-22T07:12:00.000-05:00

Note: No, I didn't blog yesterday! What's happening to me? Actually, if you read the fine print on the entry where I talked about not-on-Fridays, I also included holidays (unless the occasion especially moved me). So I'm a slacker. Happy Tuesday! TIME tells us this week that romance is essential to human existence. "Why we need love to survive" is the sub-head. I found a lot of what

Am I going to hell?

2008-01-17T11:21:00.000-05:00

Just finished that book about Billy Graham, The Preacher and the Presidents (wrote about it before here). Quite revealing, and to be honest, it creeped me out a little. Not that I have anything against Billy Graham as a person. He came across in the book as genuinely sincere, truly striving to be a servant and to witness to whomever he could. And who wouldn't witness to presidents

Well, okay, Mom noticed

2008-01-17T11:04:00.000-05:00

My mom just called and said, "I can accept that you don't blog on Fridays anymore, but when it starts encroaching into the week, I have to put my foot down." So, yeah, I didn't blog yesterday. I didn't do it first thing, and the day just got away from me. I remembered at a meeting yesterday evening. Shocker! But now I'm back. A real blog entry for today to come shortly. Your

Not much going on, except clothes

2008-01-15T16:41:00.000-05:00

What is up with me and how late I am today? I blame it on the snow. And I have to say there's not much going on. Didn't have to leave the house today, yay! Things on my mind: ElectionNew writer I'm trainingNovelDogVisiting LA in early MarchNetworking groupTeenagerGlobal warmingClothes You know, it runs the range. That last one is about re-tooling my

The real story

2008-01-14T12:47:00.000-05:00

Here's a story that moved me last week, about the parents of both victims and perpetrator in the shooting at the church several weeks ago: Killer's parents hug, cry with parents of two slain teensThe killer's parents toured the church, saw where their son had died, thanked the security guard for acting quickly, and asked for forgiveness from the parents of the girls who were killed.

"…what Father's smiles are thine…"

2008-01-10T10:58:00.000-05:00

Here's my thought for today, a hymn I know from the Christian Science Hymnal. (I wish I could share the tune with you, but the one I'm familiar with is adapted from a Lutheran hymn and the recordings of that hymn do not match these lyrics. If anyone can find the tune online, let me know and I'll add a link.) Know, O child, thy full salvation;Rise o'er sin and fear and care;Joy

Campaign 2008: Finding your voice

2008-01-09T08:01:00.000-05:00

"I listened to you and, in the process, I found my own voice."You know, I don't often think of long-time politicos as having a problem with voice just like the rest of us, but there it is. Clinton's summary of the last week for her on the campaign trail expresses that same effort we all have to make in coming into our own. I hope, too, that everyone will remember that voting and getting

Communicating Love: my first stint as grandma

2008-01-08T08:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday marked the ending of my first three days as a grandmother. True, it involved a kittie and not a child (see picture below), but I still found myself feeling very "prior generation." Maybe it was the way my daughter left instructions for feeding and the removal of the, um, waste products. And the way she taught me to cuddle and smooch the kittie. These instructions were reminiscent

Taking a chance on friendship

2008-01-07T11:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went to a Friends (Quaker) meeting again, with a writer friend of mine who is sampling various houses of worship for a project. (We'll be attending the Christian Science church in a few weeks.) We had the unique experience of being included in the meeting's "threshing" session afterward. There was an issue before the meeting (their word for membership) about gambling, and

Goals for 2008

2008-01-03T13:02:00.000-05:00

The holidays have wound down now, with both kids back to their own activities and my house to myself (at least during the day)—with the exception of the dog, of course, and the addition of my daughter's kitty, who I'm boarding until Sunday. Both species are quietly napping right now. I can hardly believe it's 2008. Does anyone else feel like 2007 barely happened? To me, it blipped

The state of the world

2008-01-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

This morning as I pick up blogging again, the news seems overwhelming. I'm focused on Kenya and Pakistan especially, along with Uganda because of a DVD about Invisible Children that my niece gave me for Christmas. There's a lot of violence both chronic and explosive. I gained some hope from my friend Chris's blog entry last week: The cause and the reformerShe says that reformers meet

Think I'm taking a week off...

2007-12-27T06:54:00.001-05:00

Just a quick post to let anyone who's interested know that it looks like I'm taking this week off from blogging. (I just figured that out.) Hope you all are enjoying some time off as well!Happy New Year,Laura@}-->--Your ideas and inspiration are welcome! Please comment below or Contact Laura.Email this posting to a friend with the envelope icon below.

Happy happy joy joy

2007-12-24T10:00:00.000-05:00

Wasn't sure I was going to blog today, but then got the idea from a friend's blog to post a picture of our family Nativity scene.Can you sort of see the starlight shining from above?I grew up with a creche like this, although it was ceramic. It was the most beautiful thing I ever saw, and I spent time with it every year. This year, my kids and I were playing a twenty-questions game about

The world without us

2007-12-20T13:13:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned this book before, and hope everyone reads it: The World without Us by Alan Weisman. It was so thought-provoking to me on many levels, and has given me a new passion—this planet Earth. The book posits how long it would take Earth to reclaim itself if humans no longer existed. I found much of the research troubling, because apparently we've been altering the planet

Me? You mean me?

2007-12-19T07:02:00.000-05:00

The journey lately has taken a surprising turn down a highway that is bringing me unexpected vistas. You know, the scenic route. I feel like I've been given permission to do something I've never dared before. It crystallized for me when I was studying about Jesus in Atonement and Eucharist a few weeks ago, and it was a big enough idea that I couldn't write about it right away. So

Political compass

2007-12-18T07:22:00.000-05:00

A blog I read Transylvania Dutch had an interesting feature today: the Political Compass.With this compass, you indicate whether you agree or disagree with a bunch of statements, and find out where you fall on a quadrant of left / right, authoritarian / libertarian. Here are a few samples of the statements: If economic globalisation is inevitable, it should primarily serve humanity rather

Winter storm

2007-12-17T08:02:00.000-05:00

Picture driving along at your usual fast clip after visiting your daughter in Brooklyn, New York, headed back to New England, when just ahead you start seeing grey clouds and precipitation right around Hartford, Connecticut. Picture everything grinding to a slow crawl as snow accumulates on the road surface, with no plows in sight, nor any salt, nor any sand. Picture frequent flashing lights

The "be yourself" hymn

2007-12-12T07:12:00.000-05:00

I'm traveling today and tomorrow, so won't be posting again until Monday. Thought I'd leave you with this poem, kind of an interesting counterbalance to the mortals/immortals conversation and the last poem I featured (they share facing pages in the words only hymnal I have). Hymn 20, Christian Science Hymnalby Kate Colby Be true and list the voice within,Be true unto thy

Greed's hypnotism

2007-12-11T05:35:00.000-05:00

I'm reading a deeply sobering, on the verge of depressing book, The World without Us by Alan Weisman. You'll hear more about it later. For now, its challenging outlook has been something I've been taking to my Science and Health reading. Basically, Weisman's book demonstrates that man has been altering his environment since before he could stand on two feet. It's just what we do. I'd

Q: Mortals vs. immortals

2007-12-10T08:32:00.000-05:00

This query came in from Jayne: We are taught that everyone is a child of God.. yet… we frequently read that mortals are not the children of God..... sounds a little confusing... are good people immortals... and bad people mortals.... who are these mortals who are NOT the children of God????? I am looking for some answers and hope you can explain... Thanks Jayne Thanks for the

"Mawwage"

2007-12-06T11:01:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else get that reference to The Princess Bride? It's a funny scene where the main character, the Princess, is being forced to marry the evil Prince, and the Impressive Clergyman who stands up to perform the ceremony has a speech impediment. So he starts off his comments with, "Mawwage. Mawwage is what bwings us togethew today. Mawwage, that bwessed awwangement, that dweam within a

Q: Comma power and evaluating the media

2007-12-05T07:04:00.000-05:00

Dennis sent in this intriguing question: "Novels, remarkable only for their exaggerated pictures, impossible ideals, and specimens of depravity, fill our young readers with wrong tastes and sentiments" (Science and Health, p. 195). Was Mrs. Eddy against all literature, or was she speaking of just trashy novels? I noticed that you have Wuthering Heights in your library so I

Take your time and think for yourself

2007-12-04T10:29:00.000-05:00

My daughter recently sent me this passage from Mary Baker Eddy's Unity of Good, so I thought I'd pass it along: …[A]t the present crude hour, no wise men or women will rudely or prematurely agitate a theme involving the All of infinity. Rather will they rejoice in the small understanding they have already gained of the wholeness of Deity, and work gradually and gently up toward the

Bonding with the team

2007-12-03T06:42:00.001-05:00

Spent most of the weekend at a retreat for a new position as assistant director of my networking organization. I'm now over four chapters, and at the retreat had to develop goals for the year. There was also a lot of bonding and inspiration with the AD team of about 25. The first night, we had to break up into teams of six and perform an intense wellness relay. The team as a whole

Jesus was himself

2007-11-29T09:03:00.000-05:00

I'm on the chapter Atonement and Eucharist in Science and Health, and, as I've mentioned, I'm bringing my questions about self-discovery to the reading. So, here I am facing this chapter about Jesus and his mission. And it occurred to me: Jesus was always himself. Here are some Mary Baker Eddy insights from my reading so far: Jesus acted boldly, against the accredited evidence

Eat pray love

2007-11-28T08:03:00.000-05:00

Just finished the book Eat pray love by Elizabeth Gilbert, which was recommended to me by my life coach, and it turns out almost every important woman in my life has read it already (not sure about you, Mom?). Loved it, loved it, loved it. If you have read the book, you'll love the 10 Frequently Asked Questions on her Website. First, for fun, I want to quote my favorite funny

Encouragement from the Universe

2007-11-27T06:10:00.000-05:00

Today I wanted to share some great notes I got from "The Universe," that daily encouraging email I've subscribed to. These thoughts meant a lot to me. For every fork in the road, there are often two paths to choose from... the one you "should" take and the one you want to take. Take the second. Always take the second. I did, The Universe The choice is always simple enough,

How to find companionship

2007-11-26T09:03:00.000-05:00

My read-through of Science and Health continues illuminating. One of the issues I'm bringing to the reading is the desire for companionship. This passage jumped off the page at me with new meaning: If my friends are going to Europe, while I am en route for California, we are not journeying together. We have separate time-tables to consult, different routes to pursue. Our paths have

Q: Couple questions and Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T08:50:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd answer a couple quick questions before the long weekend. Dennis R. asked if my Science and Health reading includes the Bible lesson or is in addition to it. It's in addition to it. I'm reading Science and Health straight through just for the purpose I've described in posts earlier this week. The Bible lesson is a different study for me. Obidon asked about Monday's

It's a book about me

2007-11-20T09:38:00.000-05:00

I've read Science and Health my whole life. It's always helped me through every tough situation, and it's encouraged me in the good times as well. I've thought of it as a book *for* me. Now, on this read through, I'm seeing it for the first time as a book *about* me. Check this out: We should examine ourselves and learn what is the affection and purpose of the heart, for in this

Time for a read-through

2007-11-19T07:29:00.000-05:00

It's funny how spiritual messages come. I've told you I'm working with a life coach, which is a truly great experience that I'd recommend to anyone trying to figure out how to be more happy, empowered and fulfilled. One of the key points is articulating and then living in line with your own values. Not the values of your family or friends or church or job, but your own internal, authentic

Love, hate; light, dark; life, death

2007-11-15T11:31:00.000-05:00

Another recommendation from last Saturday's talk was to re-read I John in its entirety. Always a worthy study. This time when reading all five chapters I was struck by the juxtapositions of opposites. Light, dark; love, hate; life, death. This would bother me, I suppose, if I didn't also have Mary Baker Eddy's take on real, unreal. If something is genuinely real, its opposite (I mean

Never alone

2007-11-14T09:01:00.000-05:00

I'm taking a page from my friend Kate's blog, and sharing a favorite song—Never Alone, from the soundtrack of the 1980 movie, Fame: I've seen the lightning flashing and heard the thunder rollI've felt sin's breakers dashing, trying to conquer my soulI've heard the voice of Jesus when telling me to fight onHe promised never to leave me, no, never alone