“There is one possible moment, when those living on the earth and those called dead, can commune together, and that is the moment previous to the transition – the moment when the link between their opposite beliefs is being surrendered.  In the vestibule through which we pass from one dream to another dream, or when we wake from earth’s sleep to the grand varieties of Life, the departing may hear the glad welcome of those who have gone on before.  The ones departing may whisper this vision, name the face that smiles on them and the hand which beckons them, as one at Niagara, with eyes open only to that wonder, forgets all else and breathes aloud his rapture.”

Mary Baker Eddy

(Science and Health 75:25)

 13:09

OUR Father.

When we have that respect and realize God loves each one of us unconditionally and impartially we have a great basis to build on for future generations that are counting on our spirituality today.

Virginia Harris, C.S.B.

The Inclusiveness of Spirituality

Posted: 22 May 2013 03:56 PM PDT

* Photo – Sunset on Sanibel Island, Florida – Courtesy of allposters.com

In a wide-ranging interactive live audio chat focused on spirituality for the Christian Science Sentinel on May 21, I had the opportunity to share ideas from my own daily spiritual practice on experiencing just what is practical spirituality – and what it isn’t.

The Apostle Paul wrote frequently about how important it is to live a spiritual life. To the Romans he wrote:

“Those who live on the level of our lower nature have their outlook formed by it, and that spells death; but those who live on the level of the spirit have the spiritual outlook, and that is life and peace. You are on the spiritual level, if only God’s Spirit dwells within you;…It follows, my friends, that our lower nature has no claim upon us; we are not obliged to live on that level.” (Romans 8; New Revised Standard)

Each of us is inherently spiritual and so we each have the natural ability to live in accord with the ‘spiritual outlook’ as Paul described it, which is life and peace.

In today’s world, the practice of our ‘spiritual outlook’ has expanded to include multiple paths. All paths are worthy when they lead to meaning and the power that is above and greater than the human. Each one’s desire to get closer to an understanding of his inseparable connection to the one Spirit is cause for deep gratitude and respect.

To never feel outside of Spirit, but always in the embrace of divine Spirit, begins with moments and can have a transformative healing effect on relationships, finances, work, health. I hope you enjoy the chat – I certainly did!

Click here for a link to the complete audio chat.

Separate, we are all vulnerable. Together we are unbeatable.

Harvey called this his “coalition of the us’s” — not only gays but blacks, Asians, seniors, the disabled. He understood the interconnectedness of our common struggles.

1:39

What Would Harvey Milk Think If He Were Alive Today?

Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from HuffPost’s signature lineup of contributors

Posted: 05/22/2013 12:12 pm

By Dustin Lance Black

Founding board member, American Foundation for Equal Rights (AFER); Academy Award-winning screenwriter, ‘Milk’

Today is Harvey Milk Day in California.

And I’m left to wonder what Harvey would say if he were here.

I imagine he’d start by saying that this day isn’t about him. For Harvey, it was always about the movement, never about ego.

He’d likely say that this day is for the kids out there in Altoona, Pa., who still feel that what makes them different makes them “less than” and are feeling hopeless. He’d tell anyone who would listen that they must come out and stand up — and send that young person a much-needed message of hope.

But I’m afraid that the next thing Harvey might ask is, “What has happened to the coalitions we started building?”

Because as proud as I am of the work that so many brave people have done to come out and share their stories, I’m afraid that we have neglected one of the most critical pieces of Harvey Milk’s successful political philosophy.

Harvey Milk was not myopic when it came to his equality. If he had been, he never would have been elected. Harvey was a pure populist. He worked hard for all people who have been made to feel “less than,” and all minorities whom the system wasn’t working for.

Early on, he backed the unions in the Coors beer boycott in the ’70s, forging an unexpected alliance between gays and union truck drivers. He went into Chinese communities and made sure that the ballots were written in Mandarin instead of in English. He fought for seniors and the homeless.

It seems that the message we too often miss from Milk’s work is that all Americans have an interest in equality because soon we will all be minorities in some way or another; it just depends on how we slice the pie.

Separate, we are all vulnerable. Together we are unbeatable.

Harvey called this his “coalition of the us’s” — not only gays but blacks, Asians, seniors, the disabled. He understood the interconnectedness of our common struggles.

The idea was simple but brilliant. Harvey believed that people who are very different deserve equal protection. And he knew that if we were ever going to win that freedom and keep it, we had to stick together.

When I wrote the movie Milk, I focused mostly on Harvey’s call to send a message of hope to the young LGBT people who were suffering, likely because I had grown up feeling a lot like that isolated kid from Altoona.

But here’s the thing: I grew up gay, but I also grew up Mormon and in Texas. I grew up with a single mother who walked with crutches because of polio. And we had no money. I was a free-lunch kid. We were different in so many ways beyond just the gay thing. So why didn’t I shine a brighter light on Harvey’s “coalition of the us’s”? It’s one of my few regrets with the portrayal.

Because the bottom line is this: We in the LGBT movement have a long way to go when it comes to joining together with other groups who are seeking equal opportunity and equal protections. Too often I witness a myopia that I fear may keep us from crossing the finish line of full equality and leave any gains we make feeling impermanent.

Never has this been clearer to me than in these weeks leading up to the Supreme Court’s ruling on full marriage equality. With a true coalition, every citizen, regardless of sexual orientation, would understand that this isn’t simply a gay and lesbian fight but a fight for justice and equality for anyone who has ever been singled out as second-class.

When the Supreme Court does get it right, it should be clear that this is a victory for everyone who has ever felt different in some way, which increasingly means every single one of us. But if it continues to leave gay and lesbian families vulnerable, it is making all families vulnerable.

Now more than ever, we need organizations and individuals to do the hard work to rebuild, build out and strengthen our coalitions and reach out and find commonality with unexpected new allies.

We need the “us’s” to stand together publicly with our voices raised to remind the world that this nation is strong because of our differences, not despite them.

Because when the day comes that the U.S. Supreme Court rules for full equality for gays and lesbians, it should not send a message of hope solely to LGBT young people. It should be clear that the court has sent a message of hope to every young person who has ever felt “less than” for being different.

I am with you always.

Matthew 28:20

Stand Unafraid

JEAN M. SNYDER

From the August 2, 1947 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel

* Photo – Courtesy of allposters.com

Once a sapling grew from a small outcropping rock in the rapids of the Niagara River, just above its plunge over the falls. In the spring floods driftwood washed around it, logs and ice beat against it, yet there the sapling stood, its roots secured in rocks hidden under the waters. One marveled at the frail tree standing against the fierce current of onrushing waters, It seemed to typify the spiritual poise and peace of one who knows that man is forever established as God’s idea, and hence can stand amid the tumult of human discords unafraid.

A tree is frequently used as a symbol of life, strength, beauty, or inspiration. In the first Psalm the righteous man is typified as a tree planted by a river, sustained and nourished by its waters, fruitful and fresh of leaf. Isaiah speaks of those who in place of grief, depression, and hopelessness express joy, praise, and beauty as “trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord” ( Isa. 61:3). And in the Poems of Mary Baker Eddy (p. 20) glows her tribute to the oak tree, the mighty sentinel atop a mountain, as

“A lesson grave, of life, that teacheth me
To love the Hebrew figure of a tree.”

Christian Scientists who through Mrs. Eddy’s teachings gain a spiritual understanding of God as infinite good, and of the unreality and powerlessness of evil in any form as a necessary consequence, may be likened to “trees of righteousness.” They find man’s identity and permanency established in eternal Love, embosomed in Spirit, and rooted in divinity; and so they are enabled to stand against the currents of world beliefs and prosper under what may seem adverse circumstances. Thus they prove by their attitude and their acts that they are “the planting of the Lord.” This way of victory and dominion is open to all.

Christian Science offers mankind not only an anchorage and a protection, but salvation from all error. This is gained through the certitude that God, Love, is omnipotence. Therefore there is no power in evil or its false beliefs. God being omnipresence, evil has no real presence; God being omniscience, nothing can be known other than that which this Mind knows; God being omniaction, there is no action apart from Him who controls all things harmoniously; and God being the everliving One, man is ever living in Life, according to “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.”

These mighty facts were known to the seer and prophet Elijah as he stood upon the mount and viewed with equanimity the phenomena of the forces of nature in their vain display of material power. The incident is related in I Kings ( 19:11, 12) as follows: “And a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” Through his physical senses Elijah heard the wind, felt the tremor of the earth, and saw the fire; but through his spiritual sense he heard the still, small voice of Truth whisper to him of God’s omnipotence. The prophet may have glimpsed the fact that since there was no good in material phenomena there was no truth in them; therefore, they were harmless and powerless, because substanceless. Material sense testimony must thus be subdued and finally disappear before a realization of the presence of the true idea of God and His creation.

On pages 286 and 287 of our textbook, “Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures,” Mrs. Eddy vigorously refutes the claims of material sense or animal magnetism, expressed in sin, disease, and death. She says: “They are without a real origin or existence. They have neither Principle nor permanence, but belong, with all that is material and temporal, to the nothingness of error, which simulates the creations of Truth.” Farther on she says of error, “It is illusion, without spiritual identity or foundation, and it has no real existence.” In line with these statements, students of her writings learn to regard the specious suggestions of evil as nothingness counterfeiting the valid creations of Mind. This scientific knowledge enables them to stand calmly against the universal mesmerism of countless forms of error.

The carnal mind instinctively fears, and most of the time knows not why. It is afraid of God, of death, disease, and sin; it dreads the future; it fears heredity; it is even afraid of fear itself. In primitive times attempts were made to conquer fear by magic spells directed against the object of dread, and this practice is not unknown today among savage races and superstitious folk. Myriad ineffective attempts to conquer fear have been made, but Christian Science alone shows that this may be successfully accomplished by pure, confidence in the ever-presence of God, good.

The acceptance and realization of the presence of God, Love, is mankind’s deliverer from the seeming presence of fear. How reassuring and strengthening are the words of the Psalmist ( Ps. 56:3): “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee,” and again his comment upon its utter pretense (Ps. 53:5), “There were they in great fear, where no fear was.” One may be besieged with fear concerning a moral or a financial problem, or cruel beliefs about life which conjure up hopeless pictures. One may be indulging in futile self-pity or despair upon finding himself alone or forlorn. In such moments human sense may indeed cry out, as did even Jesus ( Matt. 27:46), “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” But the floods of grief and loneliness cannot overwhelm him who resolutely clings to his oneness with ever-present Love. One remembers how the Master overcame his bitter tribulation and conquered every material error that assailed him. His knowledge of the all-power and all-presence of God, which he reflected, released him from the tomb, so that he could hasten to the friends who had been unable to succor him and share with them his glorious triumph.

The period of perplexity, despair, or loneliness becomes an hour of development and growth Spirit-ward when one. stands, like Jesus, upon the truths which he has made his own. Though one may for a time cling to personal views and joys, yet he will be gently drawn to God and led to accept that which will purge, purify, and exalt him. Mrs. Eddy could never have written for us as she did unless she her self had conquered the arguments of material sense in this very way. Whatever of divine and immortal being one has glimpsed will anchor him in testing times more firmly in true consciousness. The unchanging Principle that forever upholds and forever loves its idea, man, provides the Christ-presence to companion. us in the shadow and in the struggle, to comfort us and bring to all the peace of Love.

As the mesmerism of fear recedes, one looks out from the secret place of Spirit more than ever grateful for the eternal Love that has enabled him to be the victor over discordant circumstance. God’s ideas are not uprooted, erased, changed, moved, or affected by any seeming power or force, for, as Mrs. Eddy writes on page 487 of Science and Health, “The understanding that Life is God, Spirit, lengthens our clays by strengthening our trust in the deathless reality of Life, its al-mightiness and immortality.”

“It’s taken me a long time to figure out exactly where I fit. During that journey, I realized that everyone has a unique place in this world.”
– Brittney Griner, The New York Times, 5/6/13

Just because you’re different, it doesn’t mean you’re abnormal. Being gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender is not wrong in any which way, shape or form, you’re all perfect, never let anyone tell you different!

—Heather R. (Worksop, UK)

Be Yourself

HEWITT TOLAND

From the July 1, 1950 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel

The expression, “Be yourself,” is often humorously used when someone makes a statement or does something which is not natural for that individual to do. In the light of Christian Science this is a challenging admonition and, if heeded, brings rich blessings. Throughout our experience we can say to ourselves, “Be yourself,” knowing that actually as God’s children we can never be anything else than our perfect selves, manifesting health, joy, poise, and dominion.

Have you ever watched and appreciated the kindly host or hostess who has made all the guests feel at home, who has been unruffled and serene, and who has been gentle and good-humored to all? Surely you have! We all love to be around those who express poise, patience, and consideration. Friendship must include these qualities if it is to bear witness to God’s man. Everyone is at ease when they are manifested. The human sense of personality fades in the light of that individual spiritual consciousness which gives our Father the whole credit and reflects true qualities. Thus, as we understand our real individuality, which reflects the divine nature, we find it easy to be our true selves.

Everyone loves the parable of the prodigal son in the Bible. It will be remembered that after the younger son had spent his inheritance in wasteful living, when he came to himself he said ( Luke 15:17, 18): “How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee.” It is very evident that the young man had had a healing, and he lost no time in returning to his father. What a welcome he received! It could not have been otherwise, because his father had always given him the best of everything and had always rejoiced with him and for him.

To truly be yourself is to acknowledge God in all your ways and know that you are actually His very expression. It follows then that you cannot be self-conscious, wondering what others are thinking of you, because your Father and all of His children know you as you really are—spiritual, perfect, complete. Neither can you be self-glorified, because God is the glorified—”to whom be glory for ever.”

As we know these truths, we are poised, relaxed, unhurried, unfettered, and free; we are patient and kind, expecting only good and receiving only good; we have no false sense of either superiority or inferiority; and we do not judge our fellow men erroneously.

When we speak of Christian Science, we shall not use a complex vocabulary, but let our ideas naturally unfold in simple language that our listener can understand. With utmost love we shall make those around us comfortable, doing the little things that bring joy to others, and thus to ourselves, and we shall find happy reciprocation from those we serve. It has been said, “The best way to have a friend is to be one.” Mary Baker Eddy states in her spiritual interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer, “And Love is reflected in love” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 17). There is no other way to be oneself and to attain the kingdom of heaven than by reflecting Love. In the measure we understand that God’s children express His love there is no unnatural, stilted conduct, no embarrassment, no “better than thou” attitude, and no self-condemnation.

Therefore when others seem to fear or worry; when error would mock you or make you doubt the truth; when you are in church and giving a testimony; when you are among friends or dealing with strangers, be yourself. There is no time, place, circumstance, person, or thing that can possibly prevent you from being your true self. On the contrary, our heavenly Father is constantly seeing and maintaining our true selves, and divine Truth, when understood, eradicates and eliminates all sense of obstruction. Be yourself!

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee.”

 Isaiah 41:10.

King James Version

Limitation Overcome

LEWIS R. STOY.

From the June 27, 1908 issue of the Christian Science Sentinel

* Photo – “And Moses Stretched Forth His Hand over the Sea” by: Ivan Aivazovsky - Courtesy of  allposters.com

There are many at the present day who are saying, as did Job, “The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me,” but few realize that the trouble came because of fear; in other words, lack of trust in God. Many seem to lose confidence, not only in their own ability to accomplish anything, but in their power to impress their capability on others. All this is the result of our losing sight of the allness of God, and thinking that we can of ourselves do something. Having separated ourselves, in belief, from God, we are unable to wield the true power or to cope with the thoughts that oppose us. We come to believe that we have not only made a failure of life, but that God, also, has made one through us. This is however, the decision of mortal mind and not of divine Mind, for God says, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: . . . for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee.” He will not only help our neighbor, but He will help us, if we put our dependence on Him.

God can do all things, for He is all-power, all-presence, all-intelligence to every one of His ideas, and is willing to help all. He has made man in His own image and likeness, and has given him dominion. As God is divine Principle, He must have an equal and impartial interest in every one, and bestow on all alike the same loving-kindness, guidance, and protection. God is “not far from every one of us,” and the promise of divine Love is, “I will guide thee with mine eye.” “Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way.” The universality and impartiality of Love is shown in the case of the manna, when the command was, “Gather of it every man.” But it is necessary that we seek “first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;” then, instead of limiting God or ourselves in belief, we must accept the many beautiful invitations given us in God’s Word.

Leaving home after having experienced the fear that I had made a failure of life, it required a fuller understanding of Christian Science to show me that this seeming failure was only forcing me to seek a higher realization of the truth. I was striving against the thought that I had reached an age where it is considered difficult to begin life again, and this belief was ever present as a factor in my mental battle against discouragement, as from day to day I sought to find an opening in a strange city. This discouraging thought held me down with a sense of self-limitation, in which my years of business training and experience were accounted of little value. This fear was so continually and persistently present, that when I entered a business house and talked with men, with some of whom I had formerly been connected in business, I could not conceal my fear of being unable to fill the requirements of the place. Without realizing it, I had separated myself from God, and yet I was trying to work as He would have me.

One day I heard of an opening in my line of business, and while I felt that I was well qualified to fill it, doubts at once began coming to me. Realizing the uselessness of making an application with my dependence placed on mortal mind, I sought help from the Father, and was alone with God for many hours, trying to understand and overcome the “holding” thought; to eradicate from my consciousness anything that was not at one with divine Mind. Then there came to me the thought of Moses—how God had promised to be with him, to be his tongue and talk for him, and I saw that if He was willing to do this for Moses, He would do it also for me, if I went with a full reliance on the one Mind. I felt that God was with me when I started for this business house; there was a sense of His presence, and as I went into the office I realized His power. His strength and support were a reality to me and when I spoke I felt as if Moses’ experience was mine,—that God talked for me. Besides feeling the assurance of His presence, things were said which I had not previously thought of, and with a force and in a manner I had never before used, and I realized that this firm needed my help and my experience. Although I had letters of introduction and recommendation with me, they were not needed, the place being offered me without any one’s asking for them.

Notwithstanding these manifestations of help from divine Mind, the old sense of fear began to present itself,—fear that I would not be successful, fear of my ability to meet all the demands of the position. This fear was small at first, but with thought once started in the wrong direction, it increased rapidly and almost incapacitated me for doing my work, so that I knew the error must be destroyed. Fear is evil, and Mrs. Eddy says, “Evil is a quality, not an individual” (No and Yes, p. 32). She says further, “There was never a moment in which evil was real…. As there is none besides Him, and He is all good, there can be no evil. Simply uttering this great thought is not enough! We must live it, until God becomes the All and Only of our being” (Ibid., p. 33). I asked myself, Have I been relying upon mortal mind, instead of divine Mind, to do my work? God is Mind and intelligence, and makes no mistakes, and I have a right to reflect all the intelligence necessary. While still struggling with a sense of fear, the thought came to me with unusual force that “with God all things are possible;” that while I was seemingly controlled by fear, and it was apparently impossible for me to put it away, it was possible for God to destroy it. It must be destroyed, for it was worse than useless. Then I questioned, How would I set to work to destroy a pile of rubbish? And the words seemed to stand out before me: “God is a consuming fire.” “He is like a refiner’s fire.” Instantly all fear was gone. It was burned up and destroyed. I saw the nothingness of the error; for where God is there is no evil, no error, there is no place, no room for it! I have since then continued undisturbed in the positive reliance on divine Mind. I was able to do my work quickly and accurately, also to do other special work, and I retained this position until I had demonstrated a better one.

Mrs. Eddy says, “If mortals could grasp these two words all and nothing, this mystery of a God who has no knowledge of sin would disappear, and the eternal, infinite harmony would be fathomed” (No and Yes, p. 26).

The thing which I greatly feared is come upon me.

Job

Finding God

MARY BEACH

From the August 1966 issue of The Christian Science Journal

* Photo – Job Meets With His Friends – Courtesy of allposters.com

Burdened in one way or another, humanity longs to rest in the assurance of a sustaining power beyond the limits of its own inadequate efforts. Many are willing to turn to God but are uncertain about the correct mental path to His presence. How often the heavy heart reechoes the cry of Job, voiced in the midst of his suffering, “Oh that I knew where I might find him!” 1

Further on in the same chapter we find this statement of Job’s: “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him.”2 How true it is that we cannot find God by rambling in the mist of finite human opinions. Christian Science explains that material concepts, which present man as a mortal bounded by physicality and struggling to gain some sense of God’s loving support and guidance, have no more substance than a dream. Spiritual perception, however, reveals the truth of being, the truth of what God is and of what the real man’s coexistence with his Maker is.

Through prayer, some realization of God as infinite Spirit must have dawned on Job’s consciousness, for human misconceptions were replaced with spiritual facts in a degree sufficient to free him from his suffering. This healing brought God close to Job in his human experience. The story of Job holds a comforting message for all men everywhere.

To awake in a measure from the dream of matter as real and substantial to the awareness of Spirit as All is the correct mental means for finding God. This awakening is gradual because mankind have been duped by universal false beliefs, which suggest that there are life and intelligence in matter. But the fact is that God is Spirit and creates all in and of Himself. Neither God nor the man of God’s creating can be found in illusory material beliefs.

The physical body is not the image and likeness of divine Spirit; therefore physicality is not the condition of true selfhood. As we begin to understand even in a degree that God is Spirit and that our real, spiritual identity is immediately related to God, we find that the false sense of separation from His loving care lessens.

It was the mission of Christ Jesus to help mankind find God by lifting their thought above the darkness of material beliefs to the light of spiritual truths. The Master beheld the perfect man of God’s creating and proved by his works that spiritual man is coexistent with God. Mrs. Eddy perceived the Science of Jesus’ teachings and works. In referring to his mission she states in Science and Health: “The belief that man has existence or mind separate from God is a dying error. This error Jesus met with divine Science and proved its nothingness.” 3

Mrs. Eddy realized that if one is to find God, he must become increasingly aware of God’s nature. As an important means to this end the Christian Scientist daily devotes time to the prayerful study of the Bible and Science and Health. Throughout the textbook, Mrs. Eddy employs with Biblical authority seven synonymous terms in referring to God. These terms are Mind, Spirit, Principle, Soul, Life, Truth, Love. As the brilliance of a diamond comes from the many facets of the one jewel, so the glory of the nature and essence of the one God appears through these seven synonyms. The divine nature is expressed in God’s man, the only man there really is. Therefore in finding God, one also gains the correct concept of real selfhood.

Let us consider in detail some of the synonyms for God. This procedure will lead us to see how an understanding of these helps us to find God.

God is Mind, the only Mind. Man is Mind’s spiritual idea, reflecting the divine intelligence. The false sense of a personal mind embedded in brain is merely the supposition of intelligence in matter. Such a supposition seems to separate us from God and subject us to a sense of personal problems beyond our ability to solve. In our distress we long to find God, to feel the comfort of a sustaining power.

Truly to seek God entails a willingness to give up self-will, human outlining, a belief of a limited capacity, or false pride in personal intellect. Prayerful study carried on in the spirit of humility brings an awareness that the man of God’s creating is never separated from the source of all intelligence. In the degree that we demonstrate real selfhood, clarity of thought replaces confusion and human footsteps are guided in the right direction. This evidences Mind made manifest through its own idea, spiritual man. Mrs. Eddy says, “God is not separate from the wisdom He bestows.” 4

The ideas of divine Mind are wholly spiritual, for God is Spirit. The physical body is the subjective condition of material-mindedness or a so-called mortal mind. This false concept, unchecked, may come to include suggestions of exhaustion, sickness, deformity, and injury. As we deny reality to matter and turn completely to God, spiritual thoughts illumine our consciousness. False beliefs are replaced with a sense of vigor, health, and perfection. Thus is the presence of God realized in human experience, for spiritualized thought is the direct manifestation of Spirit.

In the proportion that human thought is regenerated, the understanding of God as Truth brings to light the reality and substance of Spirit. In this light, what has paraded as the solidity and tangibility of matter begins to fade into its native nothingness. As a result there is a great stirring of thought in response to the leaven of Truth. This transforms thought from a sense of separation from the heavenly Father to the understanding that where man is, God is.

God is Love, and since God is All-in-all, Love embraces all being. Weighted down with numerous woes, humanity longs for the assured safety of a loving, protective power. In reality man is the idea of Love and never has been and never can be torn from the bosom of the heavenly Father. There is no life outside the realm of Love. As we grow in the understanding of this spiritual truth, we find divine Love at hand to meet our present needs.

There was a troubled time in my experience when God seemed far away. My prayers appeared to reach no farther than the walls of my room and to return to me void. My heart cried out as had Job’s. I did not doubt that God was, but I could not find my way to Him.

In the midst of my despair, through no direct or specific planning on my part, a circumstance arose which resulted in my meeting a Christian Science practitioner. I realize now that this meeting was not by chance; it was God’s loving guidance in response to my cry. The simple statement that God is Love which I had heard all my life suddenly became an active force in my consciousness.

The Sunday following this meeting I began to attend a Christian Science church. I went to a practitioner for help, and in the months that followed I spent hours in a Christian Science Reading Room, studying the Bible, together with Science and Health and the other writings by Mrs. Eddy, and reading the Christian Science periodicals. I contemplated with newfound joy the irrefutable fact that anything that seems to oppose God’s goodness is not real. Torments that had put up a pretense of presence and power in my consciousness lost their hold as my thought opened to spiritual truths. Adjustments took place, restoring harmony and peace in my human experience.

To every heart that cries, “Oh that I knew where I might find him!” there is a clear, direct answer. It is not found in the paradox of supposed material laws or in a sense of self as a struggling mortal. The answer lies in the truth of man’s relation to God as given in the Bible and elucidated in the study of Christian Science. Through prayer, which acknowledges the allness of Spirit and the nothingness of matter, spiritual sense gains ascendency over false material concepts. The Bible promises us that if we keep this true fast, “Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am.” 5

1 Job 23:3↑

2 v. 8↑

3 Science and Health, p. 42↑

4 p. 6↑

5 Isa. 58:9↑

“Circumstances are different in every country, but the message and intention or our Project remain the same: our goal is to make sure LGBT youth worldwide know that there are other people like them, a community waiting to accept them, and people who’ve overcome incredible challenges to live amazing lives – and no matter what it does get better.”

 Elliot Rozenberg
Director, International Program
It Gets Better Project

Today is International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

Worldwide, individuals and organizations are working to raise awareness and to advocate for ways that we can make it better for LGBT people. We’re proud to take part in IDAHO and encourage you to get involved today:

As we continue to expand our international efforts, we’re also excited to announce our first affiliate in Eastern Europe – It Gets Better Moldova, known locally as Egali.

Our Italian affiliate, Le Cose Cambiano, has also recently launched. Be sure to check out both of their websites and follow them, as well as our twelve other international affiliates, on social media! To learn more about all of our international affiliates, go to:http://www.itgetsbetter.org/international.

AUSTRALIA	CHILE (LATIN AMERICA)	DENMARK	ITALY
JAMAICA (COMING SOON)	MOLDOVA	MONTERREY, MEXICO (COMING SOON)	PARAGUAY
PORTUGAL	PUERTO RICO	SPAIN	SWEDEN
SWITZERLAND

Working with Egali and Le Cose Cambiano are just the latest in our work to share messages of hope in regions of the world where LGBT youth lack support, resources and acceptance.

Speaking about our growing global network, the It Gets Better Project’s Board Chairman, Seth Levy, was recently interviewed by Radio Free Europe about our efforts to help LGBT youth worldwide.

Circumstances are different in every country, but the message and intention or our Project remain the same: our goal is to make sure LGBT youth worldwide know that there are other people like them, a community waiting to accept them, and people who’ve overcome incredible challenges to live amazing lives – and no matter what it does get better.

We look forward to sharing more exciting updates with you and appreciate your continued support of the It Gets Better Project and our growing International Program.

Sincerely,

Elliot Rozenberg
Director, International Program
It Gets Better Project

I Look Within

by Rev. Paul Lachlan Peck

I look within to know my Life

As perfect, whole and pure;

Within the everlasting Arms

My way is steadfast, sure.

When error would present itself

As Truth to claim my sight,

I wholly look to God alone

To set my vision right.

When sickness, sin, or death would claim

My joy, and make me fear,

I turn my thoughts to Christ

And feel Love’s presence here.

When envy, greed or strife would turn

My thoughts to lack or pain,

I turn to Mind, my Consciousness,

And balance comes again.

I follow the Great Ones along

The Path to future bright;

These labored long on earth below

To conquer darkened night.

Forever free to learn and grow,

In oneness, Life, with Thee,

The earth my classroom,

Heaven my Home—My peace, a surety.

From: Inherit the Kingdom, p. 171

Rev. Paul Lachlan Peck, iUnivesre 2005

Blessings and Hugs!

Paul