The power of being a friend

This email has been making the rounds again.  It's a story with a good message.

One day when I was a high school freshman, I saw a kid from one of my classes walking home from school.  His name was Kyle, and it looked like he was carrying every book he owned.

I asked myself, “Why would anyone bring home all his books on a Friday?  He must really be a nerd.”  I, on the other hand, had quite a weekend planned -- parties and a football game with my friends tomorrow afternoon -- so I shrugged and went on.

In a moment, a bunch of guys ran towards him, aggressively knocking the books out of his arms, then tripping him so he landed in the dirt, laughing as they moved on.

Kyle’s glassed went flying.  As I walked over, there was terrible sadness in his eyes.  Handing him his glasses I said, “Those guys are jerks.  They should get a life.”

A smile lit his face.  “Hey, thanks!”  Together we gathered his stuff, and it turned out he lived near me.  He’d just transferred from a private school, and that’s why I hadn’t seen him walking before.

As we talked, we hit it off real well.  He was a cool kid, thoughtful, bright, funny.  I invited him to play football with me and my buddies the next day.  And he accepted.

We hung out a lot over the next four years.  In fact we became best friends.

In our senior year we began talking colleges.  Kyle was headed to Georgetown and pre-med, and I was going to Duke for business on a football scholarship.  I felt we’d always be friends, and the miles would never be a problem

Kyle had really found himself, he had a good sense of who he was.  He’d filled out and actually looked good in glasses.  He almost had more dates than I did, and sometimes I was almost jealous. 

As valedictorian of our class, Kyle had an important speech to prepare.  I was so glad it wasn’t me having to go up there and speak to everybody. 

Graduation day I could see he was nervous.  “Hey big guy,” I said smacking him on the back, “You’ll be great!”

“Thanks,” he replied, looking me straight in the eyes with a warm smile.

On stage he cleared his throat and began. “Graduation is a time to thank those who helped you make it through the tough times.  Your parents, your teachers, your siblings, maybe a couch, and especially your friends.  I’m here to tell all of you that being a friend to someone is the best gift you can give them.  And I’m going to tell you a story.  My story.”

I stared in disbelief as he recounted the first day we met.  He had planned to kill himself that weekend.  He’d cleaned out his locker so his family wouldn’t have to do it later.  He was carrying home all his things.

Kyle looked at me and smiled.  “Thankfully, “he said, “I was saved by a friend.  He saved me from doing the unspeakable.”

In the silence that followed, this likable young man told us about the lowest point in his life.  Afterward his parents hugged me and shook my hand. 

So, what Kyle said, I would underscore.  Never underestimate the power of your actions.  There is no such thing as a small act of kindness.  One kind word or deed can change the course of another person’s life.

Trust the big picture

A mom told me this story about her daughter-in-law -- whom she dearly loves and admires.

Jill was grateful to find a job in her field at the local arboretum.  It was only part-time, but she worked hard, attended to details, made solid contributions, and looked for full-time openings within the organization. 

A great opportunity came along to be assistant to her boss, and Jill applied.  She was devastated when another less qualified person was selected.

What to do?  Was all her hard work for nothing?  Was she not appreciated?  She decided not to go the route of self-pity or hurt feelings.  After considerable prayer she felt it was right to continue expressing helpfulness, willingness, and co-operation and stay in her part-time job.

Unknown to Jill, a grant had been applied for.  When it came through a short time later, the funds allowed her boss to create a full-time position especially suited to Jill’s talents.  Jill was one happy woman!

Usually we can’t see the big picture.  We don’t know where we fit.  The small parts we see sometimes don’t make sense or seem fair.  It’s good to remember that God knows the big picture, She knows where we fit.  Our job is to listen for direction and to do our best.

For somebody else the direction might have been not to stay.  That's where the listening comes in.   It's always fun when the pieces come together in a way that  confirms a decision as a good one.

Children's program at the arboretum

Moral courage at the grocery store

Donna's a good friend, a devout Irish-Catholic with a strong sense of what's right and what's wrong, and a willingness to speak out against injustice.

At a post- Christmas gathering she was bemoaning racism.  It's all around, she said, and told this story.

"Just last week I was at the grocery store.  Two customers in front of me was an African-American woman.  The cashier was having a difficult time scanning the items.  The woman in front of me became irate that the check-out was taking so long, and began speaking abusively to customer in front of her.

"When she ranted on and on I stepped between them.  'Excuse me,' I said, 'It is the cashier who is having a hard time scanning the groceries.  It is not this woman's fault.'

"The abusive customer then attacked me with her foul language.  I said, 'Your language is offensive, you're way off base, and you need to shut up (and I don't usually use that term) and find another line.'  The abusive words continued. 

"'Would you like me to call the authorities?' I asked.  Finally she shut up and left.

"The African-American woman was in tears, and thanked me.  'Did you say that because I was colored?' she asked.  'Oh,' I replied, 'Are you colored?  No, what's wrong is wrong.'

"When I finished checking out, a security guard appeared and said, 'I will escort you to your car.'  I told him he didn't need to do that.  Very firmly he repeated, 'I will escort you to your car.'  I thanked him."

Listening to her story, I was grateful to see the completeness of her unselfish interference -- in the presence of the security guard who saw her safely to her car.

I wondered if I would have had that kind of moral courage.  I told Donna she was very courageous.  Her reply?  "Somebody had to do something."

I pray for all mankind daily.  I trust that my prayers support and inspire moral courage where it is needed.  And I respect my friend for hers.

Two outstanding teens

Greely High School in Cumberland, Maine, boasts two outstanding basketball players. For eight or nine years Patrick Thibodeau, a Greely senior with Downs Syndrome, has practiced with the basketball team in the summer, and managed the drills during the season. He has kept the water bottles full. Yet he had never played in a game.

Patrick is one hero, and he rose to the occasion magnificently with two three-pointers!

The other outstanding teen in this story was in the starting line-up. Sam Thompson stepped aside to offer Patrick his spot. Interviewed after the game he said simply that Patrick came to every practice, worked hard, and deserved this opportunity.

Would that the media would bring to the world the many other seventeen year-olds who are also caring and generous.

The families in the bleachers also illustrated Greely's team spirit. After Patrick’s first basket, he was back on the bench with his teammates when, in the final moments, the fans – on both sides! – began clapping and calling his name. The coach put him in, and Patrick managed to deliver his second 3-pointer – at the buzzer. The fans were wild with happiness.

It was so much more than winning. That evening people were celebrating courage and unselfish caring. The media picked up on Patrick’s faithful service to the team all those years and also on Sam’s generosity.

Patrick had reached for the stars and touched them; everyone rejoiced with him. Sam Thompson had found something equally precious and a little more private – the gold in his own character.

There is no limit to the good unselfishness can do because it originates in the Mind of the universe, the infinite Love that reveals mankind’s innate goodness.

Here's something to ponder about unselfishness:
“Whatever holds human thought in line with unselfed love, receives directly the divine power.” (Mary Baker Eddy)

If you are really into basketball, a YouTube of Patrick’s highlights follows. Patrick's baskets are at the 1:46 and 3:47 marks. Patrick is Number 3.

Dribble, pass, or shoot!

He tries for the basket

A diminutive second-grader in a green park district T-shirt, holds the basketball tightly for what seems an eternity, anxiously scanning the court for any green-shirted teammate available to take the ball.

“Dribble, pass, or shoot!” his coach calls.

Although park district basketball rules for second graders are very tolerant of the fact that children are just learning to handle the ball, the coaches also remind the youngsters of what they should be doing.

Dribble means to move while bouncing the ball. Pass means to get the ball to a teammate who might be in a better position to try for a basket. Shoot means to expose yourself to instant success or failure by aiming for that basket that seems so high.

In their own way, these action verbs describe life. Life requires us to be participants. Sometimes we dribble, looking for an opening, looking for what we are supposed to do next.

Other times we see clearly it is time to pass the ball to someone else, to give them an opportunity to go forward with something of value from us.

And still other times we realize we must leap up with hope, and maybe some skill and experience, and shoot for the basket.

If you are on a team, that team will support your efforts. Yet there are times when we feel like we’re on our own, and clinging to the ball hasn't been productive; when we know we need to dribble, pass, or shoot.

That’s when feeling cared for and loved by a tender Father-Mother God means a lot to me. The great Coach is with us no matter what. He/She provides the players we need in this Life-game. In turn, our job is to value and support our teammates.

Although these teammates may change with the seasons, knowing we can lean on an unchanging infinite Love, a strength and wisdom beyond ourselves, inspires us to go forward in unfamiliar paths, to be willing to step outside our comfort zones, to persevere and find solutions where none are obvious, to go forward in the expectancy of doing our best.

Go Team!

Loving backward?

A friend recently commented, “I can love forward and I can love backward!”

To me this means not letting anger, fear, hate, hurt feelings, bitterness, resentment crowd into one's thinking. It means staying mentally aligned with God's goodness regardless of the circumstances.

If we think of God as Love and filling all space and time, then God or Love is the center of all being. To love forward is to commit to loving what is good and true no matter what. To love backward is to bathe every memory, good or bad, in Love’s warm and cleansing light.

When someone shares a neat idea, it’s useful to see how it relates to our own experience. So of course I had to ask, “Can I love forward? Can I commit to just love, no matter what comes down the pike?”

What about backward? Can I love backward? Can I regard with kind and forgiving eye every injustice, misunderstanding, willful word or act?

To choose to love backward is, amazingly, to live in the present moment. It is to courageously take charge of this moment in our life. It’s to decide to be in control of our thinking and to consciously choose a generous attitude. It is to refuse to let another decide whether we are going to be miserable or cheerful, unhappy or pleasant, guilty or innocent.

Loving forward is to send our good-will ahead of our footsteps, ahead of the clock as it were. Loving forward decides ahead of time to make the best of whatever comes. In fact it is to do more than that. Attitude makes all the difference. Loving forward is an expectancy of good and that expectancy often opens thought to recognize good that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.

Love, as God, really knows no time, no past no future. Love is now. And that's really all we need to know in order to participate in timeless goodness.

When the bricks fly

God whispers in your soul

This arrived in an email, and I had to chuckle.

“God whispers in your soul and speaks to your mind. Sometimes when you don't have time to listen, He has to throw a brick at you.”

Sometimes it does seem like that! I’ve had a few bricks lobbed my way.

Whether we feel we have a close relationship to God, or would like to, or are wondering whether that is possible, or even whether there is a God, sometimes it feels like circumstances smack us.

Whatever that event, it can be a “heads up!” – a kind of forceful invitation to listen through the hubbub of the day to another voice, another message, something more significant going on. A word or two from the Creator Him/Herself. An opportunity to turn discouragement around.

This comfort doesn’t come from the world. The world’s promises are fleeting. The other side of the world’s clamor a certain stillness speaks, a peace and clarity about what’s important in life.

And if we aren’t paying attention to what’s really important, we need to. And we need to want to.

The world’s great thinkers have come to the same conclusion over the centuries. Chirst Jesus, spokesperson for Christianity, says it this way, “Love one another.”

Love isn’t complicated, sophisticated, or accumulated. Love is complete, simple, and active. The love that springs from the Creator of the universe is dependable in a changeless way.

So when the world whacks us with injustice, or hate where we expected acceptance, listen up! Past the tumult there is a message of security, support, and progress. And often a new sense of direction.

The message that God loves us is what is worth listening to and pursuing. This hope can take us safely through injustice and hate. This promise brings us to the place of knowing good is supreme no matter what.

No limit to the good you can accomplish

One of the kids has a report to write on an American who has made a significant contribution to mankind. He knew his choice. So we went to the library today and checked out three books at his reading level -- on George Washington Carver.

As the boys played Legos nearby, I picked up one of the books and was reading it to myself.

Born probably during the American Civil War, infant George and his mother were snatched away by slave kidnappers, to be sold in another state. George was found and returned to his home, but his mother was never located. Despite overwhelming odds, and with the encouragement and faith of adult friends, this youngster was determined to learn, and his love was birds and plants.

Reading about his amazing life and brave decisions, I oohed and ahhed aloud. To the boys’ raised eyebrows, I explained George’s cleverness in securing his first job as a cook at the age of 13. They were hooked and settled in on the couch on either side of me. I continued reading aloud for the next couple of hours as they listened intently.

We heard the story of a child, a young man, and then an adult, who never gave up, who made the best of what he had, and often made the best even better. A man who loved nature. A man whose goal was to improve life first for his own people, and then for everyone else as well. His expertise became farming. And his practical contributions were hundreds and far-reaching.

We also heard the story of a man who was on intimate terms with his God. He had conversations with God, asked Him questions, listened carefully to the answers.

This God connection finally explained, for me, how he could accomplish so much good. Because I also believe that the source of all that is good is God. Yet this humble man teaches me that my questions to my Maker are mostly too small in scope. I need to ask more questions, broader questions, and to listen better for the answers.

To accomplish unlimited good, we must commune with an unlimited God. And not be afraid after asking the basic questions, to go forward with the answers we hear.

When you swerve to the right or left,
you hear a Voice behind you whispering,
"This is the way, walk here."
(Moffatt)

Women of courage find their voices

Two recent events stand out for me. One was a panel of women of faith. I walked two blocks to the event with the driver of the car parked ahead of me. She herself was an amazing woman. I was so glad to hear her voice.

Rose is writing a paper on the ordination of women in the Catholic church. We discovered we had both read “The Gospel of Mary Magdalene” by Karen King, which posits that Jesus’ real message was hijacked – by men – officially in 325 AD, and has been mostly buried ever since. What remains is what men have permitted, and what remains missing is the voices of women.

The women on the panel – a Jewish Rabbi, a Catholic sister, and the (woman) president of the Islamic Society of North America – made warm, yet serious, presentations about the roles of women in their faiths.

But what stuck with me most was Rose’s courage. Her heart tells her that Jesus’ ministry was very woman inclusive. Her church tells her women are excluded from giving sacraments. She follows her heart in an uphill struggle.

The other event was Friday morning’s 44th Annual Greater Chicago Leadership Prayer Breakfast, sponsored by the Chicago Sunday Evening Club. A wonderful Gospel choir sang throughout.

This choir with the descriptive name of “Harmony, Hope, and Healing,” functions to give back to marginalized women their voices. These women, primarily from shelters, are survivors – women who have recently escaped abusive situations. Violence had silenced their voices, and this joyous choir helps them find the songs their lives are intended to be.

Their final number, “This little light of mine,” strongly confirmed the choir’s success in achieving their goal. The showcased soloist proved that she had indeed found her voice, and used it to improv for her Lord – as she soared all over the treble staff and beyond. She followed her heart and found the courage to let her light and her voice shine.

Dealing decisively with impositions

Caryatids are female figures
taking the place of columns

Our last day in Athens. Yiannis (Yah’ nees, means John) our very capable guide, had brought us to the Acropolis (means high place, and every Greek city has one). Every few minutes he paused to share historical insights. We twenty-six crowded close to learn.

We heard how Lord Elgin in the early 1800s had been given permission by the ruling Turks to take one of the caryatids back to England – where it remains today. Athens wants it back, and has built a large new museum to prove it.

Yiannis was pointing out the nearby seaport of Pireas, which we could easily see from this height, when two other tourists attached themselves to our group. Yiannis finished his talk and the men followed us to the next spot. And the next.

It didn’t feel quite right. I wondered how this was going to play out. These fellows had latched on to an interesting and knowledgeable guide. Yet they were not part of our group.

As we gathered round, Yiannis made his move. Looking directly at the men he spoke loudly and firmly, “You two are not with this group. You must leave.” The men didn’t budge. “Yiannis continued, “These people have paid Euros to have this tour. There are other guides here. You must find your own.”

The men looked at each other for a long moment, before reluctantly walking away. Yiannis’ brief speech was to the point and effective. He did not tolerate the imposition.

Paul also dealt decisively with a disconcerting imposition. While in Philippi he had been harassed by a slave girl “who brought her masters much gain by soothsaying.” She had followed Paul and Silas day after day, chanting after them.

Finally after many days, Paul had had enough. He healed her on the spot of her capacity to “sooth-say.”

When impositions faced him, Christ Jesus took control. He dealt swfitly with whatever opposed his sense of God as Love. He encouraged others to follow his example. So, what would that mean today?

For me it means to take charge. Recognize the imposition as an imposition, whatever it is. Size it up – determine what’s going on. Be clear about the solution. Then speak with authority.

Impositions can take many forms. Sickness and pain are impositions on God’s creation. As I see it, God didn’t create them, so they don’t belong.

Hate, anger, resentment, confusion, and anxiety are also impositions. As I see it, God didn’t create them either, so they don’t belong.

So when any of these things come knocking at my thought door for acceptance and identity, I can choose to refuse to let them be part of my thought group. As I see it, they have no place in God’s infinite goodness, and I can with God-given authority stand up to the intruders as suggestions that can be turned away.

It’s amazing how often and how quickly standing up to such impositions has good results.

For other posts on Paul's travels, click here

By the way, for those who may be interested, this tour was hosted and led by http://www.biblicaltravels.com/

Traveling with Paul

Ships in Bible times

Paul, as in the Apostle, is my theme today. I’m traveling with him mentally, perhaps spiritually.

What I’m loving about Paul right now is the fact that his many trials increased his conviction that he could never be separated from the love of God.

Never.

Shipwrecked, three times, he says. Beaten, stoned, often in danger from those who hated his words, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness, at sea, and among those who pretended to be his friends but were not. He adds that he was often hungry and thirsty and cold.

But never separated from God’s great love.

Fearlessly he forged ahead.

I think, “I’m not Paul. I don’t have to be brave. I’m not a threat to anyone, so far as I know. People don’t hate me - well, so far as I know.”

Yet each day requires some bravery on our part. The events of any given day are unknown when we awake each morning. We assume a certain routine, but that could be interrupted any time – a colleague is promoted, or fired; a treasured friend moves away. Someone who loved us is no longer around.

We can lean on that same great Love that sustained and inspired Paul through much scarier days and nights. Life does go on and, if we’re holding back, we need to shift gears and participate in Life’s fullness. The world needs our caring, our prayers, our peace, our laughter, our involvement.

Paul felt he was a conqueror. He conquered his fears, his insecurities, his doubts, his short-comings - because he knew he had a purpose.

We can do the same. God intends us to be conquerors too. You too have a God-given purpose to bless.

Sometimes life is step by step

“Umm. Guess what? We’ve been following a goat path.”

We peered over the edge of a small precipice. Three of us gals were hiking down from the serene alpine lake that had provided a magnificent setting for enjoying our sandwiches. Somewhere, though, on the way back, we had missed our turn, and now faced the prospect of backtracking up the mountain.

While we considered what to do, a sudden storm caught us. Happily we all had rain gear, but the downpour rendered the rocky terrain very slippery. We decided to backtrack slightly to see whether there was more grass another way. There was.

Mary Baker Eddy writes in her book, Science and Health, “Step by step will those who trust Him find that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." This was exactly how we came down the mountain. One footstep at a time. We could see where to take a few steps forward. Stop. A few steps down. Stop. A few steps to the right. Stop. Slide a few feet down this rock.

And so it went. Ruth voiced gratitude for each tuft of grass that gave firmer footing. We proceeded on the basis of that gratitude as we found our steps, literally, one-by-one.

A waterfall-fed lake below became the focus of our descent. As long as that lake stayed in front of us, we knew we were headed in the right direction.

Eventually the rain stopped, and the rocks dried almost instantly, providing firm footing again. We discovered our path – the one used by human hikers – and descended into the cool of the forest below tree line. We reached the trailhead and our vehicle, and were warmly hugged and welcomed by friends who had been waiting and supporting us with their own prayers.

A man, not of our group, who had been watching our descent marveled that we had gotten down so quickly. What to us seemed to take forever, seemed quick to him.

Looking back on our hike that day, we were not perfect, we made mistakes, we corrected mistakes. But we were an excellent group. Our collective trust in a loving God guiding us resulted in the mutual cheer, caring and good-will that lightened the struggle of finding our way.

Sometimes life is like that – step-by-step. The struggle becomes our opportunity to trust the gentle and gradual unfoldment of how it is that God would have us glorify Him/Her next.

Even if it rains on our carefully made plans; even when there is no clear path; even when the way seems slippery and treacherous, even when we have to keep figuring out what to do next, God is there for us. And we hear Him/Her best when calm trust uproots fear and discouragement.

King David, one-time outlaw, understood well perilous mountain paths, as well as the need for staying close to the safety and comfort of his God. He wrote, "Hold up my goings in your paths, that my footsteps slip not."

Joyeux Noël, Merry Christmas

Christmas eve truce 1914

I know, it's July, and it's hot. But this is a happening with heart, and it cannot wait.

Joyeux Noël. Merry Christmas. True story.

A miracle works its way gently into the hearts and minds of troops shooting at each other from WW I trenches in France.

Three lieutenants – Scottish, German, and French – agree to a Christmas eve truce. Some 600 soldiers leave their rifles behind and tentatively cross the war-scarred frozen earth to exchange pieces of chocolate, share photos of loved ones, play soccer, and –- discover they do not hate each other.

By mutual agreement, they extend the truce to Christmas day -- so that each side can bury their dead.

When the Germans get word that the Scottish and French lines will be shelled in ten minutes, they invite their former enemies to take shelter in the German trenches. The allied troops reciprocate, and the Germans shelter in the allied trenches when the bombardment is returned.

The big brass arrive at the front and order firing to resume, but the soldiers will not fire at one another. Their Christmas truce is exposed, and they are all punished for fraternizing with the enemy by being sent to different and more dangerous fronts.

This story strikes home because my maternal grandfather was there. My mom’s father, Walter, was with those Scottish troops on December 24, 1914, and he told his children about that amazing Christmas Eve truce.

It’s hard to relate that war to Iraq and Afghanistan today – where there is no front, and the enemy is not obvious; where the danger is unseen ambushes and hidden Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Yet the constant is universal humanity. The constant is one universal God who is Love. The constant is Christ, the divine goodness expressed in each of us. The constant is a universal yearning for peace and good-will.

Peace begins in the hearts and minds of individuals – you and me. We have it within our ability to bring peace to our own sphere – our families, friends, neighbors, colleagues. It's a place to start.

The Christian apostle Paul wrote, “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”

The more our lives are defined by our relationship to this God of Love, the more stable and grounded will be our inner peace, the more others will feel this calm. Inner peace allows intelligent, thoughtful, out-of-the-box solutions to emerge and influence the world scene.

One review of the DVD

The power of love and unity - in the wild

Tourists on a safari were taking movies across a lake as a herd of African buffalo plodded down the dusty path for a drink. The camera captured greater drama than the observers could have imagined. The conversation between the guide and the tourists serves as narration for the episode.

The lead buffalo are ambushed by a pride of five or six lionesses. They turn and run for their lives. The lions quickly cut a youngster off from the parents and bring it down.

Within moments we witness the strength of unity. The whole buffalo herd -- perhaps 50 strong -- has rallied and challenges the lions. The determined herd approach the lions cautiously (after all, they are meat on the hoof). Yet they are clearly on a mission.

The urgency for a quick rescue replaces caution as individual adult buffalos chase the lions off, one by one. One large bull even gets close enough to catch a lion on his massive horns and toss it into the air – the lion lands on its feet, running. After all but two of the predators had been run off, to everyone’s amazement, the baby buffalo struggles to its feet and rejoins the herd. The herd does not leave until the remaining two lions have been routed.

The age-old question arises: where is God in such a crisis? If we look, we see an amazing momentum taking over, strong elements of intelligence acting to right a wrong.

• Communication. The entire herd understood one of their babies was in a life-and-death struggle. Instantly they responded as one.


• Intelligence. Somehow these animals that look dull and slow to us, became quick, strong, agile, and brave. They acted as one. Their unanimous purpose to rescue the baby was greater than their fear of becoming the next victim.


• Mother love. One of life's examples of mothers ready to lay down their lives for their offspring – both human and animal.


• Father love. One of life's examples of fathers as protectors making things right when their offspring get into trouble.


• Strenth to walk away. When the baby arose to leave the lions, they didn't stop him.

God is found in these qualities of courage, decisiveness, and unity expressed -- resulting in the rescue of the little buffalo.

--------------------------------------------------
A mother's affection cannot
be weaned from her child, because
the mother-love includes purity
and constancy, both of which are immortal.
Therefore maternal affection lives
on under whatever difficulties.

Mary Baker Eddy
--------------------------------------------------

Graphic violence makes this a difficult video to watch, and I am not recommending it .

But for those who wish to see the courage of the buffalos, click on the photo below.

Choosing our own thoughts

“The Silver Chair,” one of the classic Narnia books, sends the children on a quest to find a kidnapped prince. After many adventures they finally discover him imprisoned in an underground world. They are about to escape when the wicked queen returns. She uses her evil magic to lull them into a stupor where they dreamily repeat “There is no Narnia, there is no sun, there is no blue sky.”

Even in this stupor Puddleglum, the gloomiest of the rescuers, recognizes this as thought manipulation and refuses to submit. He rouses the children and the prince to claim their mental freedom. When the desperate queen assumes the form of a giant cobra, the prince destroys the snake, and they make good their escape.

We have a right to choose our own thoughts. Like these fictional heroes, we too are faced with manipulative suggestions. Every day. Such as:

• Aggressive drug company ads creating markets for their newest products.
• Media reporting the worst and most outrageous headlines
• Entertainment. Sigh. Well there is quality stuff out there, and if you’re willing to do a little research, you can find it.

These manipulations distort our views of reality. And like the wicked queen in the story, would almost convince us that there is nothing good, no sun, no blue sky.

The most insistent manipulation may be simply what the material senses report – that matter gives, governs, controls, and destroys life.

But what if matter itself is a distortion of reality, a corruption of God’s true creation? What if God’s laws are friendly, dependable, supportive, and good? And what if these laws are supreme – in spite of so much evidence to the contrary? What if we can tap into these laws by getting to know our Maker better?

A friend called and mentioned how she leaned on God’s laws. She had been ironing fusible interface onto a piece of fabric, but it turned out to be double-sided and unexpectedly stuck to her iron. In the confusion she tipped the steam iron and poured boiling water onto her hand.

She chose to turn immediately from the evidence of a burned hand to God’s law of harmony allowing no room for an accident. With that law sustaining her, she continued with her projects for the evening.

Every time her mental media wanted a report on the hand, she refused to go there, and turned back to God’s restorative law being the only one governing. By the time we were talking, 24 hours later, her hand was clean and clear. (She thought it was cool to share this in a post.)

-----------------------------------------
“As vapor melts before the sun,
so evil would vanish before the reality of good.
One must hide the other.
How important, then,
to choose good as the reality!”

Mary Baker Eddy
-----------------------------------------

Virginia Tech and the man who understood love

He understood love

I know I wasn't going to blog until May 1, but then Virigina Tech happened. I am so awed by the sacrifice of a single person for those he loved, that I cannot not write. So this is about love.

Liviu Librescu gave his life for his students. According to The Christian Science Monitor, at the first sounds of gunfire, he headed for the door and placed himself protectively in the doorway. He prevented the gunman from entering his classroom, saving the lives of his students by offering them valuable seconds to escape out the windows. They survived. He did not.

What do we say of such a man?

He was in fact a Jew who understood love as defined by another Jew 2000 years ago. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Christ Jesus.

The news reports talk about bravery and courage. But it was more than that. It was love -- the kind of love that transcends mere affection. His son says Liviu considered his students his family, and was generous, kind, and supportive outside the classroom.

Where is God in this terrible tragedy? For me God is found not in the madness or the hate (these are, alas, manmade), but in the lives of people like Liviu Librescu who loved so much he didn’t hesitate to give his life for his friends.

"I make strong demands on love,
call for active witnesses to prove it,
and noble sacrifices and grand achievements as its results."
Mary Baker Eddy

See also Virginia Tech Aftermath April 19 post
and Virginia Tech Prayers