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2/27/2014 Anyone up for water-walking? Gotta love those sweet feet. The term Throwback Thursday has been cropping up lately on Facebook to encourage posts of old photos. For another twist, I am re-posting four titles that shook things up a bit in 2012. Anyone up for some water-walking with me as we transition into Spring? Just click a link and pick up some tips: Like? Please share. Let's spread the good.
Not a subscriber and want to be? It's easy! Just sign up in the sidebar. You may also wish to: VISIT MY WEBSITE HOME PAGE FIND LINKS TO MY OTHER PUBLISHED CONTENT LISTEN TO A COLLECTION OF MY "YOUR DAILY LIFT" 2-MINUTE PODCASTS  THE CREATION OF ADAM Michelangelo The ancient myth of Adam and his tribe gives definition to the term dysfunctional. It tells the story of a dust-made man who was placed in a lovely garden where it was assumed that he would thrive. But was he happy? No. He was lonely and bored. It’s not that there wasn’t a lot to do. There were fruit to pick and animals to name. But Adam didn’t like his job. It didn’t satisfy him. His solution? He got a mate. What a gift! You would think they would have been a perfect fit, but not so. Unfortunately, she inherited a bit of Adam’s attitude. After all, she was pulled directly from his side. Eve was unhappy in her garden with all those animals. One creature suggested that it would be smart to eat fruit from a forbidden tree. Bad idea. And Adam, the poor dolt, followed his wife into the same trap. Things slid downhill rapidly for the couple. Unhappy, dissatisfied, bored, disobedient, and now, exhausted… (Did I mention Adam was demoted from a fruit-picker and animal namer to a ground tiller?) … the couple decided it was the perfect moment to have kids.  CAIN AND ABEL Adriaen de Vries Along came two sons. And, yup. Cain and Able were two apples that didn't fall far from the tree. Dissatisfaction led to jealousy, and jealousy to infighting. Given their roots, it seems only natural that they would become predators and victims in their turn. The way the story goes, Adam’s tribe couldn’t really help themselves. They were born that way. It was the creator’s fault, of course - this miserable god who, out of mist and dirt, activated a storyline that was destined from the beginning to degenerate into dysfunction. In all, the Adam myth is a pretty good explanation of what the nightmare of mortal existence looks like when we reason from the false premise that man is the victim of material circumstance, and that gods, or God, made us this way. Some segments of the population take the Adam story as a literal truth. Certain others reject the general account while accepting the logic it emphasizes – material origins, dysfunctional comportment unavoidable – as generally correct. But a third point of view was first offered by a 5th century prophet, reiterated and demonstrated by Christ Jesus, carried forward by the apostles and early Christians, and later researched, proven and published in the works of Mary Baker Eddy. They give a better, accurate view of creation as spiritual, not material, and show us a way out of the chain reaction of dysfunction. A discontented, discordant mortal is no more a man than discord is music. EDDY, SCIENCE & HEALTH WITH KEY TO THE SCRIPTURES,, 305 Through false estimates of soul as dwelling in sense and of mind as dwelling in matter, belief strays into a temporary loss or absence of soul, spiritual truth. This state of error is the mortal dream of life and substance as existent in matter, and is directly opposite to the immortal reality of being. So long as we believe that soul can sin or that immortal Soul is in mortal body, we can never understand the Science of being. When humanity does understand this Science, it will become the law of Life to man, — even the higher law of Soul, which prevails over material sense through harmony and immortality. IBID. 311
The good news about dysfunction is, we aren't born that way. It is NOT a life sentence. We CAN do better, start from a better, correct view of who we are and where we come from. As we near the broader, spiritual interpretations of being, and gain clearer views of God and man, dysfunction will be - completely and finally - put off. Like? Please share. Let's spread the good.
Not a subscriber and want to be? It's easy! Just sign up in the sidebar. You may also wish to: VISIT MY WEBSITE HOME PAGE FIND LINKS TO MY OTHER PUBLISHED CONTENT LISTEN TO A COLLECTION OF MY "YOUR DAILY LIFT" 2-MINUTE PODCASTS 2/21/2014 I remember Memory is a permanent faculty. Don't think of your memory as a temporary human depository for human knowledge. You can always know exactly what you need to know, precisely when you need to know it. The divine Mind's ideas flow freely and constantly. Memory is the faculty that gives focus to each right idea at the right time. Divine Mind maintains and retains all good ideas. There are nothing but good ideas in Mind! You are one of those good ideas. Don't underestimate what you know and can do. Remember who you are. I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; If delusion says, “I have lost my memory,” contradict it. No faculty of Mind is lost. In Science, all being is eternal, spiritual, perfect, harmonious in every action. Let the perfect model be present in your thoughts instead of its demoralized opposite. This spiritualization of thought lets in the light, and brings the divine Mind, Life not death, into your consciousness. Like it? Please share it. Let's work together to spread the love.
Also, if you aren't yet a subscriber and want to be, it's easy to sign up in the sidebar. You may also wish to: VISIT MY WEBSITE HOME PAGE FIND LINKS TO MY OTHER PUBLISHED CONTENT LISTEN TO A COLLECTION OF MY "YOUR DAILY LIFT" 2-MINUTE PODCASTS  There are no embryonic creations of the Soul that is God. Soul's creation is mature, complete and strong. And innocent. Innocence is an attribute of Soul. Entirely spiritual, innocence is a strength, a force of good, that we all include as part of our spiritual identity. Because innocence is inherent, it can't be lost. True innocence is tangible and spiritual and powerful. It is a state of purity that draws one naturally to appreciate - to love and to do - good. Innocence includes obedience to good - an intelligent , intuitive obedience that shouldn't be confused with naiveté. Innocence is never naive. Godfrey John, a beloved practitioner, teacher and lecturer of Christian Science once published a poem that was based on a true story of a little girl in South Africa. ("Nice Snake", October 23,1991, Christian Science Monitor) The child sat on her porch eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast when a boa constrictor coiled itself around the chair and the child. She innocently offered the snake a spoonful of her cereal and called him a nice snake.  He ate, and then patiently let her feed herself and the snake in turns. Suddenly, the snake shoved his face into the bowl. The girl tapped his head with the spoon, saying, "Naughty, naughty! Wait your turn." The snake pulled up and placed his face against her cheek. Then they continued to alternate sipping their cereal and milk until the bowl was empty. At last - satiated, content, loved - the boa uncoiled from the child and the chair and went on his way. (NB - Many years ago Mr. John gave me permission to share the story in my lecture work which I still do from time to time.) Innocence is strong. It carries the full weight and authority of goodness, of pure affection. Innocence is bravely brave. It is "eyes wide open" to the real and good. It protects from aggression, reforms the perpetrator, turns an enemy into a breakfast companion. Innocence is fearless and calm. It yields to good as the all, the only power. The child in this story was innocent, but not naive. Naiveté is the opposite of innocence. While innocence yields all control to good, and only good, naiveté gives up control to whatever influence may haphazardly pass by - good or bad. Innocence is stable, naiveté is unstable. Innocence is alert and aware, naiveté is blind. Naiveté is a type of ignorance of present good, while innocence is a force for good springing from natural intelligence. Christian Science discoverer Mary Baker Eddy wrote, "Honesty is spiritual power. Dishonesty is human weakness which forfeits divine help." (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, 416) We can equally say that innocence is spiritual power. Naiveté is human weakness which forfeits the divine help. Understanding the control which Love held over all, Daniel felt safe in the lions’ den, and Paul proved the viper to be harmless. All of God’s creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible. A realization of this grand verity was a source of strength to the ancient worthies. It supports Christian healing, and enables its possessor to emulate the example of Jesus. “And God saw that it was good.” EDDY, Science and Health, 514  Soul is the Father and Mother of the universe. We are never separated from the spiritual attributes of Soul that our Creator reflects in us. Not even for an instant. Soul's creation never loses his spirituality, his authority over evil - his innocence. Innocence is spiritual power. It is expressed by the conscious intelligence that will tap on the head of a serpent and demand that good, and only good, be represented in him. Innocence is invulnerable because he who is innocent understands that good, and only good, is in control. Reclaim your innocence and the innocence of those around you. Reject naiveté as an influence on you or the children of the world. There is no embryonic creation of the Soul that is God. Every one of God's children is mature, complete, strong and innocent. The nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra. And another child will put his hand in the hole of a snake whose bite is poison. They will not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain. For the earth will be as full of much learning from the Lord as the seas are full of water. ISAIAH 11 Like it? Please share it. Let's work together to spread the love.
Also, if you aren't yet a subscriber and want to be, it's easy to sign up in the sidebar. You may also wish to: VISIT MY WEBSITE HOME PAGE FIND LINKS TO MY OTHER PUBLISHED CONTENT LISTEN TO A COLLECTION OF MY "YOUR DAILY LIFT" 2-MINUTE PODCASTS  Hey, hey, hey! Look who has a Daily Lift for today. The title of this post gives you a sneak peak into the special message of this brief (2-minute) audio podcast. Want a thorough beauty treatment? Have a listen to "Your Majesty." Many of my Daily Lifts are shortened versions of earlier blog posts. You can read the full version of the original 6/25/12 post. Like it? Please share it. Let's work together to spread the love.
Also, if you aren't yet a subscriber and want to be, it's easy to sign up in the sidebar. You may also wish to: VISIT MY WEBSITE HOME PAGE FIND LINKS TO MY OTHER PUBLISHED CONTENT LISTEN TO A COLLECTION OF MY "YOUR DAILY LIFT" 2-MINUTE PODCASTS - 2/10/2014 When you need emergency back-up I once showed up at church in two different colored shoes. Another time, in the rush to get ready and out the door, I realized too late that I had made up one eye and had forgotten to do the other. It was '80s dark, dramatic make-up. THAT was an unforgettable look. Embarrassing, sure. Then you smile, you shrug, you get on with your day. But, when I was responsible for conducting services at my church, I had an occasional nightmare that I might find myself before the congregation with nothing to say. That was my form of the typical "standing naked when giving a speech" dream. I simply could NOT let that ever happen. So I made a back-up plan: If I would ever forget to prepare - or if some freak whirlwind would ever whip my perfectly prepared Bible readings out of my car window and promptly drop them into a river - I would read from Christ Jesus' Sermon on the Mount (Gospel of Matthew 5,6,7). Here, Jesus covered the basic elements of praying for yourself (Chapter 5), for others (Chapter 6) and for the world (Chapter 7). My emergency plan focused on Chapter 5.  Check it out:
Start with blessedness, end with perfection. Not bad in an emergency! Thank you for reading and sharing.
If you wish to subscribe, simply scroll up and submit your email in the box shown in the sidebar. You may also wish to: VISIT MY WEBSITE HOME PAGE FIND LINKS TO MY OTHER PUBLISHED CONTENT LISTEN TO A COLLECTION OF MY "YOUR DAILY LIFT" 2-MINUTE PODCASTS  I must admit, I really enjoy Pilates. Not that I am a big exerciser. But if I were to get into a regular routine Pilates would probably be one of my first choices. I love the gentleness (not to be confused with ease - I find it quite challenging) and the pacing of the movements. And the concentration. I am also intrigued by the vocabulary of Pilates, most especially the term "powerhouse," which I have appropriated to use in my work to describe one's spiritual core. For background, the Pilates method incorporates six key principles: centering, concentration, control, precision, breath, and flow of movement. Joseph Pilates, founder of the method, taught that all movements of the human body emanate from the center or core which he called the powerhouse of the body. The Pilates method endeavors to strengthen the powerhouse as one of its primary goals. According to Joseph Pilates, the powerhouse is muscular. But I use the term to refer to the spiritual core, or true facts of man's divine being. To me, it's what Christ Jesus taught when he said, “The kingdom of God is within you.” (see Luke 17:20-21) I believe that to access and utilize our spiritual powerhouse, we have to understand what the kingdom of God is and what purpose it serves for us. To translate "kingdom of God" into simple terms, we might call it the seat of the divine in us. Please don't confuse "in" to mean "confined to a material body." I am talking about spiritual consciousness - the unlimited, unconfined essence of true being as spiritual. Everyone of us has this powerhouse - the wholeness of God - expressed in us in an individual way.  We aren't the compilation of strengths/weaknesses that a material view of man suggests. We also don't have to create or develop the kingdom of God within. God expresses His own divinity and that expression is reflected in you and me. The divine is already here, whether we acknowledge it or not. And through prayer we can gain full access to the divine powerhouse - the kingdom of God within us. Referring to God as divine Principle, the Christian Science textbook Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy explains, "Principle and its idea is one, and this one is God, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent Being, and His reflection is man and the universe." (p.465) It isn’t that you reflect some of God’s being, and I reflect some, and it takes all of us to reflect all of God’s being. Divinity isn't like cake. It isn't divided up and dished out in a variety of shapes and sizes. It isn't just occasionally available, or saved for something/someone/sometime special, like a dessert. As the full individual reflection of God, we EACH reflect divine omnipotence (ALL-power), divine omniscience (ALL-knowing), and divine omnipresence (ALL-presence). The kingdom of God as ALL is with us, in us, all the time. Prayer that explores the infinite nature of God and the full potential and power of man as God's reflection leads to knowing and experiencing one's spiritual powerhouse of divinity. Prayer can radically redirect the reality-view to include only what God, infinite Good, sees and knows about His creation. You (and I do mean YOU) express the fullness of God who is the divine Mind. In an individual way, we each express omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. By individual, I don’t mean small. I mean each of us reflects uniquely the All-intelligence, All-power and Everywhere-presence of God. This is no small thing. The human mind, imbued with this spiritual understanding, becomes more elastic, Is not man metaphysically and mathematically number one, a unit, and therefore a whole number, governed and protected by his divine Principle, God? You have simply to preserve a scientific, positive sense of unity with your divine source and daily demonstrate this. So, do you want to "preserve a scientific, positive sense of unity with your divine source" and see the effects today? Let's work on your powerhouse:  OMNIPOTENCE. You are strong. Nothing can withstand the powerful God of Love you reflect. Anger, hatred, malice, sickness, sin, any weakness, have no power to stop, interrupt or disturb the harmonious flow of your life. You reflect the omnipotent Life that is God. Mrs. Eddy wrote, “Wait patiently on illimitable Life.” (ibid, p.4) Wait patiently - to me, that is patiently serve Life as it’s full unlimited expression. “Reflect this Life and with it cometh the full power of being.” (ibid, p.4) And remember, you reflect that full power of omnipotence in an individual way. Science and Health reinforces this thought. “A knowledge of the Science of being develops the latent abilities and possibilities of man." (p.128) Through your powerhouse - the kingdom of omnipotence within you - you have completely unrestricted access to divine good and to God's all-power in your life. OMNIPRESENCE. God is everywhere. Reflecting omnipresence, you are never in transit to your right place. You are not heading to a better "somewhere else." Place - call it home, job, new career, fresh opportunity - is in you. You are always present and safe in God, sheltered in Love, active in the full sunshine of Mind. You are where you need to be. You include all you ever need to be happy and complete. Your expression of omnipresence reveals the right idea of activity and movement - which is always at hand. You are right where you should be, so you are always on time. The kingdom of omnipresence is within you. It's your powerhouse. Mrs. Eddy puts it this way, “Who lives in good, lives also in God, - lives in all Life, through all space." (ibid, p.4) OMNISCIENCE. You are the reflection, the manifestation, of omniscient Mind. As the unique, one-of-a-kind expression of God's omniscience, you reflect complete, divine intelligence. This means that you know exactly what you need to know, in the right place, at the right time, all the time. Because Mind is not dependent on educational processes to know, as Mind's reflection, neither are you. You include and express the all-seeing, all-knowing, all-hearing Mind that is God. God is your Mind. You don't have intelligence, ego, or creative capacity through a personal and separate mind. Therefore, you don't tumble under self-condemnation, doubt, or fear. You can't be made to believe that you are ignorant. Through your powerhouse - the kingdom of omniscience within you - you know and embrace God, the true and only Mind, as the source of your intelligence. Your reflection of Mind always reveals what you need to know. There is no limit to your intelligence. Science and Health reminds us that understanding the Science of man's true being “raises the thinker into his native air of insight and perspicacity.” (p.128) Perspicacity refers to an acute mental vision or precise discernment. You are the focused reflection of omniscient Mind. Nothing worth knowing or seeing can be hidden from you. Through your powerhouse of omniscience, you are open to and ready for the special delights that your Mind is reflecting in you. These are a few thought-starters for your consideration. What are your prayers showing you about your powerhouse? Thank you for reading and sharing.
If you wish to subscribe, simply scroll up and submit your email in the box shown in the sidebar. You may also wish to: VISIT MY WEBSITE HOME PAGE FIND LINKS TO MY OTHER PUBLISHED CONTENT LISTEN TO A COLLECTION OF MY "YOUR DAILY LIFT" 2-MINUTE PODCASTS 2/6/2014 Are you a virgin? Are you a virgin? I am not asking about your sex life. I am asking about your thought life. Are you receptive and ready for something new? One definition of virgin is "up to this time unused, unexplored, unworked, undiscovered." How ripe and ready are you to explore new thoughts and to discover new experiences? Isaiah said, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; a virgin shall conceive and bear a son.” And sure enough one did. Mary's pure openness to the infinite possibilities of good, and her consciousness of God as the true creator, brought world rocking, life-saving, problem-solving, death-mastering new experiences to the world through her child, Jesus. This was the sign then. Could it still be the sign now? “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;  Have you ever considered that you may have a place in that prophecy? That you may be a present day expression of that virgin thought? Now stay with me here. I am not talking about birthing babies or second Christs. I am suggesting that we can be more - in fact, we must be more - open to the possibilities of the amazing and wonderful in our lives. Humanity is ripe and ready for more and more amazing proofs of God. Mary was completely open to God. Her pure conception of God as the source and originator of good ushered the Messiah into the world. Christ Jesus healed the sick and dying, and brought the dead back to life. His teaching redirected the world away from the dogma of a far-off salvation and pointed to the vibrant, practical spirituality that is here and now, to be lived today. Through her discovery of the Christ Science, Mary Baker Eddy perceived and proved the possibilities of healing through a better understanding of God as divine Love. She founded a movement on the healing power of the Christ - a movement that is reinstating primitive Christian healing in the world. What now? Who now? Could it be that we, too, have thoughts to think and work to do that is uniquely our own? Perchance some one of you may say,  There are no limits to the good that your virgin thought can accomplish. Thank you for reading and sharing.
If you wish to subscribe, simply scroll up and submit your email in the box shown in the sidebar. You may also wish to: VISIT MY WEBSITE HOME PAGE FIND LINKS TO MY OTHER PUBLISHED CONTENT LISTEN TO A COLLECTION OF MY "YOUR DAILY LIFT" 2-MINUTE PODCASTS  Most of the time we probably aren't even aware of what we're thinking. When asked about his thoughts, a comic responded, "Not a whole lot going on there." But that is not really true. It has been noted that we think anywhere from 2500 to 30,000 thoughts each day. There is a lot going on there and what we think must matter. In a beautiful garden in Paris sits one of the most famous sculptures in the world, Rodin's Le Penseur (The Thinker). The Thinker depicts a man sitting, arms on his knees, in obvious deep thought. The statue often prompts observers to stop for a moment to contemplate their own thoughts. Rodin's original idea was to symbolize Man contemplating "The Gates of Hell. " How often do we find ourselves mulling over the day's events or ruminating about the ones to come? I am not so sure that contemplating hell will bring the happiness and progress that most are looking for. Might we be better occupied to think about and listen for God's guidance when worries seem to take over? Mary Baker Eddy, discoverer of the Christian Science system of healing prayer, pointed out that thoughts wrongly directed tend to produce the very hell we probably wish to avoid. Under the heading "Thoughts are things", she wrote, " If we look to the body for pleasure, we find pain; for Life, we find death; for Truth, we find error; for Spirit, we find its opposite, matter. Now reverse this action. Look away from the body into Truth and Love, the Principle of all happiness, harmony, and immortality. Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts." (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, 260) I learned one of my first lessons in Christian Science one morning when I found myself in pain. I was alone and praying for release. I had been learning that what one entertains in thought has everything to do with the quality of one' s life and health. I made a quick assessment of what had been going on in my thought that week. I had to admit that I had indulged in critical thoughts of my neighbor. I knew it was wrong.  Quite suddenly the words of Psalm 46 came to me, "Be still, and know that I am God". I was startled at first. The redirection of thought seemed to come out of nowhere. But then I knew it was God's message for me. It had to be because I hadn't originated the thought. It was revealed. And as soon as it came to me the pain I was wrestling with vanished. One simple thought of God - in fact, one simple thought from God - completely canceled out a week's worth of critical thoughts and the pain that followed them. Some people find themselves praying during a morning run or an afternoon walk. Some pray for peace of mind before drifting off to sleep at night. Others find that holding thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true - to messages from the Principle, or God, of happiness, health, and immortality - completely buoys their day with prayer. Thoughts do matter. And, as we seek God-sent thoughts, they heal. NOTE: My dear friend and colleague, Kay Olson, has passed beyond the horizon where we can see or hear her. But her powerful healing insights and love for us remain to bless. This post was Kay's last. Her clear perspective on God as the unending source of life and good always blessed her, and it assuredly continues to open her to wonderful experiences and progress. I will be thrilled to sit down and chat with her one day about all the great adventures we have had since our last conversation. In the meantime, we have a whole lot of joyful living to do in our own corners of the divine universe. If you would like to read more of Kay's invaluable contributions to the blog, simply write her name and click on SEARCH in the bar at the top of the page. You will find even more by searching www.jsh.christianscience.com, a subscription site that offers full access to many items published by The Christian Science Publishing Society. I know how much you have loved Kay's posts. Her wisdom, wit and rich experience have helped us all. Whatever she is up to now, you know it has got to be good! Did you enjoy this post? Did you find it helpful?
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I have practiced Christian Science professionally in some form since 1979. But my journey with Christian Science started in a Sunday school where as a young child I was taught the Scriptures and some simple basics of Jesus' method of scientific Christian healing. A significant experience at the age of twelve opened my eyes to the great potential of this practice. After impaling my foot on a nail, I prayed the way I had learned in Sunday school. Within moments the pain stopped and healing began. By the next morning the wound had disappeared completely. Having experienced the great potential of Christian Science, there would be no turning back. |
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© 2011-2025 Michelle Boccanfuso Nanouche, CSB. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy. Site updated May 16, 2025.
© 2011-2025 Michelle Boccanfuso Nanouche, CSB. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy. Site updated May 16, 2025.