About the cover:

From In Defense of Mary Baker Eddy, and the Remnant of Her Seed, by Paul R. Smillie:

In the Christian Science Sentinel of September 6, 1913 on page ten, Archibald McLellan stated three most important points about the cover of the Sentinel and a minor change made at that time on its cover. Speaking of this change he said, “Beyond this there can be neither desire nor occasion for change in the Sentinel, because,” he said, “Mrs. Eddy’s instructions forbid any change.” He explained this by saying, “Mrs. Eddy likewise gave instructions.” The word “instructions” is most important. Speaking then of the two women, the lamps and the inscriptions beneath them, he said they had been “preserved as expressive of our Leader’s thought. ...” Mrs. Eddy requested that the cover of the Sentinel be light blue in color.”

“The Watchful Shepherd”

Miscellany, pages 256-257

Again loved Christmas is here, full of divine benedictions and crowned with the dearest memories in human history — the earthly advent and nativity of our Lord and Master. At this happy season the veil of time springs aside at the touch of Love. We count our blessings and see whence they came and whither they tend. Parents call home their loved ones, the Yule-fires burn, the festive boards are spread, the gifts glow in the dark green branches of the Christmas-tree. But alas for the broken household band! God give to them more of His dear love that heals the wounded heart.

To-day the watchful shepherd shouts his welcome over the new cradle of an old truth. This truth has traversed night, through gloom to glory, from cradle to crown. To the awakened consciousness, the Bethlehem babe has left his swaddling-clothes (material environments) for the form and comeliness of the divine ideal, which has passed from a corporeal to the spiritual sense of Christ and is winning the heart of humanity with ineffable tenderness. The Christ is speaking for himself and for his mother, Christ’s heavenly origin and aim. To-day the Christ is, more than ever before, “the way, the truth, and the life,” — “which lighteth every man that cometh into the world,” healing all sorrow, sickness, and sin. To this auspicious Christmastide, which hallows the close of the nineteenth century, our hearts are kneeling humbly. We own his grace, reviving and healing. At this immortal hour, all human hate, pride, greed, lust should bow and declare Christ’s power, and the reign of Truth and Life divine should make man’s being pure and blest.

Christian Science Journal, October 1893

At midnight, while Jerusalem slept, while the mighty ones of earth slumbered in matter, the humble and watchful shepherds, on the plains of Bethlehem, heard the heavenly choristers heralding the presence of the Saviour of the world. None of the mighty and wise are called to hear the first song of peace and good-will, only heaven-inspired thoughts — only the shepherds who labor, love, and watch in the understanding of Christ-Truth.

While the people of the first century quoted the prophets and looked, with mortal concept, for the coming of the Messiah, Christ the Anointed was already come, in God’s own way, and stood in their midst; but they knew him not. “The Light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehendeth it not.” While sin-sick humanity, in that day, looked for the coming of the Prince of Peace, the Light was already shining in the darkness.

Upon a certain Sabbath day, while the Jews were assembled in the synagogue to search the Scriptures and claim God’s promise that He would some day send His only begotten son to redeem them from sin and its wages, death, — one among their number “stood up for to read; . . . and when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, and he began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

This was the voice of the Christ. Time and change material have not silenced this voice; but on the contrary, his words have gained momentum on their way down through the centuries; and now, though so long seemingly silenced by selfishness, corruption, and material dogmatism, this same voice, in new accents and louder tone, proclaims the same joyful message, “This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.”

Dwelling consciously in Truth, manifesting in thought, word, and deed, the Mind that was also in Christ Jesus, we, in even more glorious song than the midnight chant on the plains of Bethlehem, proclaim to humanity an everlasting Gospel, and wake a sleeping world to the fact that Christ is come.

Christian Science Sentinel, December 20, 1900.

Flushed with glory comes the dawn

Across the soft grey sky,

With roseate garments trailing wide

On soft wings sweeping by;

Boldly sweet she bears to earth

From heaven’s gentle fold.

“Peace on earth, good-will to men!”

The angel song of old.

Waiting shepherds heard it first,

That wondrous Christmas morn,

When on the sin-swept, sorrowing earth

The Prince of Peace was born, —

“Peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Oh child of Love Divine,

With hearts aglow this Christmas Dawn

We seek thy heavenly shrine.

Costlier gifts we cannot bring

Than sacrifice and tears,

And hopes and joys and child-like trust

For happier coming years.

“Peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Oh may the glad bells ring!

And waken every heart to hear

The song the angels sing.

Christian Science Journal, December 1925

The world at this time is thinking of Christmas; but largely along material lines. To the Christian Scientist, through his study of the Bible and of the textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, Christmas is revealed in its real meaning, not merely as a season or time of the year, but as a season of the heart, which may be lived continuously, for the spirit of Christmas is eternal, and lives always.

The history of the birth of Jesus is rich in truth to the consciousness perceiving Spirit. The Biblical record tells of the shepherds who listened to the voices of angels, and of the Wisemen who followed the star which led them to the cradle of the Bethlehem babe. In the second chapter of Luke it is recorded that the angel said to the shepherds, “Unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Mrs. Eddy says in the Preface to Science and Health (p. vii): “The wakeful shepherd beholds the first faint morning beams, ere cometh the full radiance of a risen day. So shone the pale star to the prophet-shepherds; yet it traversed the night, and came where, in cradled obscurity, lay the Bethlehem babe, the human herald of Christ, Truth, who would make plain to benighted understanding the way of salvation through Christ Jesus, till across a night of error should dawn the morning beams and shine the guiding star of being. The Wisemen were led to behold and to follow this daystar of divine Science, lighting the way to eternal harmony.” “First faint morning beams,” “pale star,” “Bethlehem babe,” all present to thought an appearing, a light dawning, yet the Wisemen were ready to follow this appearing, however pale the rays might be; and in this way were led to the feet of the babe who would become the Saviour of the world.

One practical lesson which this season brings is that it takes humility and appreciation to perceive the truth and follow it. This attitude of thought enables one to see the promise of the risen day in the first morning beams, the vision of perfect and harmonious being in the Bethlehem babe.

The Magi, the Bible says, came and laid at the feet of the Bethlehem babe their most precious gifts. Even the best of human reasoning or perception must admit its own inadequacy, being humanly and not divinely based, and must therefore bend the knee to Truth in love and adoration. Willingness to lay down cherished beliefs is a necessity, because Truth is the “pearl of great price,” for which all must be given.

The truth about God and His perfect creation has been revealed. It is only necessary to accept it and follow it. Jesus proved that he was willing to follow the leading of Truth. This leading of Truth had in it the promise of a risen day; and it expanded into completeness in the proof of Life eternal which he gave in his demonstrations over sin, sickness, and death. In this way he was able to leave to the world his rich heritage of healing.

Christian Science makes all truth practical; and so, Christmas cannot remain just a season of commemoration of the birth of the human Jesus. It must contain also the larger lesson of the birth of the Christ in consciousness, which birth is repeated each time the Christ, Truth, leads out of some belief of matter, in what is called a demonstration. And so the old truth becomes again the new-old truth, ever at work bringing “on earth peace, good will toward men.”

Drawing by Lil from NJ

Christian Science Sentinel, May 12, 1928

God’s watchful and tender care of His children is typified in the Bible by the shepherd watching over his sheep. The much-loved Twenty-third and Ninety-first Psalms are examples of Love’s care and protection.

The words “The Lord watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another” is a plea for divine help in maintaining harmonious relations. Similar prayers are being made today for peace between individuals and nations. There is no doubt that God is faithfully watching over His entire creation, and that peace will be established throughout the earth when mortals accept the government of God, the one Mind.

Sometimes our own watching is for our protection; at other times it signifies being mentally awake or watchful of our thoughts. This is quite the opposite of idleness; it is work — the work in which Christian Scientists are engaged continuously.

Mrs. Eddy has made plain in her writings that watching is one of the daily and hourly duties of all Christian Scientists. The Daily Duties on page 40 of the Manual state, “The members of this Church should daily watch and pray to be delivered from all evil, from prophesying, judging, condemning, counseling, influencing or being influenced erroneously.” And one of our tenets states, “We solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus” (p. 16).

Obeying the Manual gives us plenty of work to do; but there is no other way to attain the Mind of Christ than to keep constant guard over our thoughts and actions. Watching may be for the double purpose of defending ourselves against aggressive mental attacks, and also to keep open the mental doors for spiritual good to come in.

As Jesus sat with a few of his disciples on the Mount of Olives, it is recorded in the thirteenth chapter of Mark that he talked to them of the continued reign of error on earth; of deceivers and false Christs. Jesus’ repeated warning was to take heed and to watch. Surely, no enlightenment can come to those idly absorbed in self and sin. Jesus’ final and emphatic statement on the subject was, “What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”

Christian Science Journal, March 1888

It was the eve of Christmas,

the snow lay deep and white;

I sat beside my window,

and looked into the night;

I heard the church-bells ringing,

and saw the bright stars shine;

And childhood came again to me,

with all its dreams divine.

Then, as I listened to the bells,

and watched the skies afar,

Out of the east majestical,

there rose one radiant Star;

And every other star grew pale,

before that heavenly glow,

It seemed to bid me follow,

and I could not choose but go.

From street to street it led me,

by many a mansion fair,

It shone through dingy casements,

on many a garret bare;

From highway on to highway,

through alley dark and cold,

And where it shone,

the darkness was flooded all with gold.

Sad hearts forgot their sorrow,

rough hearts grew soft and mild,

And weary little children

turned in their sleep and smiled;

And many a homeless wanderer

uplifted patient eyes,

Seeming to see a home at last,

beyond those starry skies.

And then methought earth faded.

I rose, as borne on wings,

Beyond the waste of ruined lives,

the press of human things, —

Beyond the toil and shadow,

above the want and woe,

My old self, and its darkness,

seemed left on earth below.

And upward, onward shone the Star,

until, it seemed to me,

It flashed upon the Golden Gates,

and o’er the Crystal Sea;

And then the gates rolled backward,

I stood where angels trod!

It was the Star of Bethlehem,

that led me up to God.

Divinity Course and General Collectanea, page 128

My beloved Students: May this dear Christmas season be to you a risen Christ, a morn, the break of day. There is nothing jubilant attached to the birth of a mortal — that suffers and pays the penalty of his parents’ misconception of man and of God’s creation. But there is a joy unutterable in knowing that Christ had no birth, no death, and that we may find in Christ, in the true sense of being, life apart from birth, sorrow, sin and death. O may your eyes not be holden, but may you discern spiritually what is our Redeemer. ... May you watch and pray that you keep the Commandments, and live the Sermon in the Mount this coming year. Watch, too, that you keep the commandments that experience has compelled to be written for your guidance and the safety of Christian Science, in our Church Manual.

Drawing by Lil from NJ

Christian Science Journal, December 1894

To human sense, it was years ago; and from the open plains of Bethlehem arose the hillsides as if reaching up to touch the star-lit dome and woo the gentle glow across this midnight darkness, a herald of that light about to dawn upon a slumbering, sick, and dying world.

In this canopied stillness, in this quiet vale, some humble shepherds kept guard about their flocks with loving care. The watchful dog stood sentry against the wolf lest it might molest; and the whole atmosphere seemed full of expectant joy.

Suddenly a great light appeared about them in this hush and darkness, and an angel clothed in white stood before these simple men, and a sweet voice broke the silence and said: “Fear not, I bring you glad tidings of great joy. In the City of David a Holy Child is born this day. He is Christ, the Lord. He is born to you, and you will know Him by this sign: He is lying in a manger, and wrapped in swaddling clothes.”

With this surprise came also a grateful joy, touching them with Love’s music; — strains more beautiful than they had ever heard burst forth about them from a glad company of white-robed singers in their grand sweet chorus: “Glory to God in the highest, peace on earth and good will to men;” and as this angel picture receded from their external view and left the glad refrain ringing in their consciousness, it bade them go even to Bethlehem and see this which had come to pass, which the Lord had made known unto them, and going with haste, they found as they were told, the Babe lying in the manger, the Babe who was to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords, — “the Christ” who was to teach the power of spiritual might to dominate material belief, from the stable to the home.

Let us consider the meaning of this midnight picture, and see what these simple shepherds have to do with the morning’s dawn. How its glow was to lighten mortal darkness, until the “second coming” reveals the noon-tide glory?

These broad open acres and hillsides typify thought awaiting the light of Truth, ready to be aroused from the slumbering Adam-dream.

The shepherd is the guarding thought, tender and loving in this valley of humility, while the dog stands for faithfulness to his master’s thought. The sheep and lambs are obedience, submission, gentleness and purity, while the wolf is mortal error. These sheep know their shepherd, and are known of him, and called by name, they will respond for a gentle touch, and none other will they follow.

I dare say these pastoral watchers did not find many willing listeners to their simple tale. The wolf then, as now, seeks the lamb, that if possible, it may destroy it. But the great joy of spiritual birth led those happy men to praise God as they returned to the hillsides and their cottage homes; could anything rob them of these glad tidings, “Unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders, and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace"? Isaiah 9:6.

In this Bethlehem consciousness or spiritual understanding, the babe “Wonderful” is revealed in this hour, as Christian Science, “The Comforter.” Our Leader is the Shepherd revealing the glories of Immortality, and as she hears the overtures of angels and archangels, may the grand symphonies re-echo Love’s music until the Holy Child shall be a universal consciousness, an ever-present, all-abiding “Prince of Peace!”

Watch from November 24, 2022

As we begin the time known as the holy days, let us, like the shepherds of old, be awake and attuned to hear the heavenly sound, with a peace uncontaminated by materialism, a peace that worldliness cannot invade.

“To such shepherds appeared this angelic message. It did not come in confusion or discord. It came in the midnight hour, when the world was asleep in material darkness, and none but the shepherds were awake. It came in heavenly harmony, and was heard only by those whose minds were receptive to the heavenly chorus. The air was stirred with that wondrous song, as a multitude of the heavenly host swept down from the skies, to bless the earth with ‘glory to God in the highest, peace on earth and goodwill toward men.’ The theme belongs to Heaven. There is a ring in the words that is not of this world.”

Painting by Luanne from NY

Back to the top of the page

Items By and About Mary Baker Eddy

Essays and Other Footprints Left by Mary Baker Eddy, “The Red Book,” pages 17-18

The Millennium is here and now, even as the kingdom of heaven is here and every-where. God is infinite and God is good, therefore good is infinite, filling all space, time and eternity. There is but one God and there is none beside God, therefore there is no presence, no power apart from God, infinite good.

The millennium is not waiting for March, 1899. The glory of God is eternal harmony, and this is the millennial glory, and it is appearing eternally brighter and its advent in the human sense of this heaven or harmony on earth has long since appeared. And it will continue to appear in proportion to the human acceptance of the spiritual idea of God, man and the universe. The Jewish Sabbaths and new moons have hitherto helped hide the day-star of the eternal dawn. The Christian era ushered it into clearer view, and the Science of Christianity is bringing its full-orbed light, even the day that is not followed by night but liveth in light everlasting; and no night is there, for no matter is there to obscure the light, for Spirit is All and in its own allness, for if Spirit is God and is infinity, there is no matter wherein or whereby Spirit can be hidden or obscured.

Let us give up Jewish traditions, legends and old wives’ fables, ceremonies, rites and dogmas, and learn the light of Science, the Mind of God, and allow no human hypotheses to attempt to scale the heights of holiness, the secret of the most High, of the divine Principle that is light, Life, Truth, Love.

Christmas merriment is but the tinge of an eclipse, the relic of a tradition, for Christ was never born; the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are one in essence and in office. The Father, the divine Principle of being, the Son, the spiritual idea of this Principle, and the Holy Ghost, is Christian Science, the Comforter, leading into all Truth. These three are the triune God, ever-present, infinite, All. This is the monotheism of Christian Science. Let us adhere to it, abide by it, and let it abide in us in the spirit of eternal Truth. Then shall it make us free indeed, unchained to sense, attached to Soul and immortal.

Christian Science Sentinel, November 16, 1912

It seems that a neighbor and his family had been away from their home for several months, and returned on the day before Thanksgiving. Upon noticing that the house was open, Mrs. Eddy made inquiry as to whether the family had returned, or someone was in the house without authority. Upon being informed that the family had returned that day, she immediately became solicitous for their comfort and said, “They will not have anything for their Thanksgiving dinner! What can we do for them?” When someone remarked that in all probability the family had made provision for dinner, Mrs. Eddy said, “We do not dare take any chances upon that; it would never do for people not to have a good dinner on Thanksgiving day, and how could they have a Thanksgiving dinner when they have just returned to a house which has been closed up for months? I wonder what we have that we could give them.” She then gave instructions to send to these neighbors everything necessary for the preparation of an old-fashioned Thanksgiving dinner.

Such was Mrs. Eddy’s interpretation of the spirit of this old-time custom, her exemplification of the gratitude to God which is “much more than a verbal expression of thanks” (Science and Health, p. 3); and this simple, spontaneous act of neighborly kindness was typical of the love for her fellow men which ever found its greatest happiness in service to others, in meeting not alone their temporal needs, but lightening for them, whether rich or poor in this world’s goods, the burden of sorrow, sickness, and sin,

If as Christian Scientists we too faithfully do our part, each day and all the days, to throw off for ourselves and others the fetters with which error would bind us, soon there will dawn for mankind that glad Thanksgiving day when the listening ear shall hear that “louder song, sweeter than has ever before reached high heaven,” rising “clearer and nearer to the great heart of Christ; for the accuser is not there, and Love sends forth her primal and everlasting strain” (Science and Health, p. 568).

Miscellaneous Writings p. 159-160

Beloved Students: — My heart has many rooms: one of these is sacred to the memory of my students. Into this upper chamber, where all things are pure and of good report, — into this sanctuary of love, — I often retreat, sit silently, and ponder. In this chamber is memory’s wardrobe, where I deposit certain recollections and rare grand collections once in each year. This is my Christmas storehouse. Its goods commemorate, — not so much the Bethlehem babe, as the man of God, the risen Christ, and the adult Jesus. Here I deposit the gifts that my dear students offer at the shrine of Christian Science, and to their lone Leader. Here I talk once a year, — and this is a bit of what I said in 1890: “O glorious Truth! O Mother Love! how has the sense of Thy children grown to behold Thee! and how have many weary wings sprung upward! and how has our Model, Christ, been unveiled to us, and to the age!” …

Thus may our lives flow on in the same sweet rhythm of head and heart, till they meet and mingle in bliss supernal. There is a special joy in knowing that one is gaining constantly in the knowledge of Truth and divine Love. Your progress, the past year, has been marked. It satisfies my present hope. Of this we rest assured, that every trial of our faith in God makes us stronger and firmer in understanding and obedience.

Lovingly yours,

Mary Baker G. Eddy

Back to the top of the page

History Corner

Christian Science Journal, August 1885

An Outline of the Faith of the New Sect Called “Christian Scientists.”

Hotel Vendome, July 2, 1885. — It is easy to live so near to any subject of interest that practically one knows nothing about it. It ceases to be objective to one and that which may be done any day is apt to be done on no day at all. Here in Boston, for instance, we are so accustomed to hearing of the marvels of the “mind cure” that we fail to really learn as much of its mysteries as people often do from a distance, and pondering all these things in my heart one day I resolved to go and see Mrs. Eddy, or Rev. Mary B. G. Eddy, as she is known, president of the Metaphysical College, and the originator, as she claims, and as I have no reason to doubt, of “Christian Science,” popularly known as “mind cure.” Now of this I am neither a disciple nor a scoffer. My mental attitude toward the phenomena is, per se, of no importance or interest, but in view of what I am about to relate I beg to preface that I went to Mrs. Eddy with no positive feeling either way of either conviction or skepticism. In a general way, most persons of average thought in this day and age are quite willing to admit, I fancy, that there “are more things in heaven and earth than we have dreamed in our philosophy,” and I quite share that feeling. But it has happened that I had never even seen a “mind curer,” never heard one of their lectures, and had not read extensively of their special literature, when I suddenly resolved to call upon Mrs. Eddy, if she would permit me to do so. My note of inquiry was met by a very courteous invitation to come to her at an hour named in it, and accordingly at 8 o’clock on that evening I rang the bell of the large and handsome residence on Columbus Avenue, near West Chester Park, known as the Metaphysical College. A maid ushered me into a daintily furnished reception room, where pictures and bric-a-brac indicated refinement and taste. Presently Mrs. Eddy came in and greeted me with a manner that, while cordial and graceful, was also something more, and had in it an indefinable element of harmony and a peace that was not mere repose, but more like exaltation. It was subtle and indefinable, however, and I did not think of it especially at the time, although I felt it. The conversation touched lightly on current topics, and finally recurred to the subject of metaphysical cure. Mrs. Eddy preaches every Sunday at three o’clock in the “Hawthorne Rooms,” on Park Street, and draws a crowded house weekly. I have intended going to hear her for many weeks, but failed to materialize these intentions, nor do I happen to have met anyone who has been there, but I know from current reports that the hall is always filled, and with a quiet and orderly and presumably more or less intelligent audience. From Mrs. Eddy’s classes in the college the noted “mind curers” of this city have gone out, after a course of many months’ study with her, the instructions taking the form of lectures.

I learned from her that she is daughter of a deeply religious and devout mother, that her grandmother was a Scotch Covenanter, and second-cousin to Mrs. Hannah More, of England. Mrs. Eddy had been an invalid from her childhood until — I pass over details — the day came when she was believed to be dying. It was Sunday morning. The pastor came in on his way to church, and she asked him to come again after he had concluded service. “But you will not be here,” he replied. As what seemed the last moments came she begged her friends to leave her alone. With great reluctance they at last complied. The instant she was alone in the room she felt a CONVICTION THAT SHE WAS TO LIVE, and she said she suddenly felt a new comprehension of the wonderful significance of the words, “I am the way and the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” She began to grow strong. She arose from her bed, and walked into the adjoining room, and her affrighted friends were terror-stricken, believing they saw her apparition, and not until they had looked at the bed and seen that it was empty could they believe it was her natural self. From that hour the power was revealed to her.

Mrs. Eddy impressed me as a woman who is — in the language of our Methodist friends — "filled with the spirit.” It seems to be a merely natural gift with her. She is, by nature, a harmonizer. My own personal experience in that call was so singular that I will venture to relate it. I went, as I have already said, in a journalistic spirit. I had no belief, or disbelief, and the idea of getting any personal benefit from the call, save matter for press use, never occurred to me. But I remembered afterward how extremely tired I was as I walked rather wearily and languidly up the steps to Mrs. Eddy’s door. I came away, as a little child friend of mine expressively says, “skipping.” I was at least a mile from the Vendome, and I walked home feeling as if I were treading on air. My sleep that night was the rest of elysium. If I had been caught up into paradise it could hardly have been a more wonderful renewal. All the next day this exalted state continued. I can hardly describe it; it was simply the most marvelous elasticity of mind and body. All this time — it was Saturday evening I called on Mrs. Eddy, and the ensuing day being Sunday, and not attending service that day, I was not out to meet any one — all this Sunday I merely thought a trifle wonderingly, “How well I feel.” In the evening I had callers, and I told of my visit to Mrs. Eddy, and later, in an entirely different connection, I chanced to allude to the unusual, and indeed, utterly unprecedented buoyancy and energy I was feeling. “Why that’s the result of your going to Mrs. Eddy,” exclaimed a friend who had heard of her powers. I had not thought of it before, because you see I went to have my mind stored, not cured, and, in the journalistic sense, I forgot I was with the most famous “mind-curer” of the day. Whether my half hour’s talk with her produced this result I do not know. At least, here are the facts.

The healing of his seamless dress

Is by our beds of pain;

We touch him in life’s throng and press,

And we are whole again.

Still struggles in the Age’s breast

With deepening agony of quest,

The old entreaty: Art thou He;

Or look we for the Christ to be?

Back to the top of the page

Interesting Squibs

How many observe Christ’s birthday! How few, His precepts!

God is as ready to answer prayer today, as He was in Bible times.

Man is wonderfully made, not of atoms and cells, but of thoughts and ideas.

We must reach for fresh duties hourly, as God directs, every moment asking, “God what would you have me do?”

Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight.

Stay tuned to God, and receive the angel messages that are continually coming forth from the great heart of Love.

When everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.

He who does not get fun and enjoyment out of every day needs to reorganize his life.

Accidents and diseases cannot invade a world governed by Principle, or jeopardize incorporeal man.

Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes.

The right doer is under the protection of God, safely guarded and guided by the power of divine Love.

Time is too slow for those who wait, too swift for those who fear, too long for those who grieve, too short for those who rejoice, but for those who love, time is eternity.

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

Never bend your head. Hold it high. Look the world straight in the eye.

Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips, and supple knees; it is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions. It is the freshness of the deep springs of Life.

Put your life in the spirit, and not in the body, and you will find it as young and fresh a century hence as it is to-day.

Be willing to cross swords with error and win your way to heaven.

Happy are those who have Christ with them in the morning, for they shall walk with Him all day, and sweetly rest with Him at even tide.

Back to the top of the page

From the Early Workers

Christian Science Sentinel, January 7, 1911

At the Christmas season I am reminded of an experience that happened two years ago. Christmas morning had dawned cold and stormy, with heavy rain falling. A keen sense of loneliness depressed me, for I was thinking of the dear ones who had gathered at the old homestead two thousand miles away, and longed to be with them. With a heavy heart I took up Science and Health, opening it at the chapter called “The Apocalypse.” As I read, a sense of peace and quietness began to steal over me; the description of the holy city had never before seemed so beautiful, and the last sentence of the 23rd Psalm, which closes this wonderful chapter, “‘I will dwell in the house [the consciousness of Love] for ever’” (Science and Health, p. 578), brought to me a complete overcoming of the loneliness and depression.

Surely to dwell in the consciousness of Love is indeed to dwell “in the secret place of the most High,” and to continue in this consciousness is to “abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Then it suddenly dawned upon me that this consciousness is home, the only real, permanent home I could ever have, and that I could not be separated from it.

Error immediately argued that this realization did not bring me any nearer to my family; but the thought that “this spiritual, holy habitation has no boundary nor limit,” that it was for them and for all mankind, silenced this argument.

Being very happy in this new understanding of home, I thought for a moment that I would rather stay here in my own rooms than go to dinner with a friend who had so kindly invited me to her home. But on second thought, I decided to go, feeling sure that I could not be separated from the joy of knowing I had found a new home, or rather that I could take my home with me.

During the afternoon I overheard my friend say to her mother, “I invited Miss Smith to spend the day with us because I was afraid she would be lonely, living all alone as she does, and so far from her family. But really she is the most joyous individual I ever saw. I wonder what makes her so happy.” I was happy to know I had been able to keep my new sense of home with me throughout the day.

Now Christmas means more to me, because its real significance as the appearing of the Christ-idea to human consciousness has become clearly understood, and I am more grateful than ever for our textbook, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, which is showing us how to follow the Master’s teachings.

Christian Science Journal, October 1922

After Jesus had been talking to his disciples of the necessity of their abiding in him — living close to his teachings and keeping the commandments he had given them, even as he had kept the Father’s commandments — he went on to say, “These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.”

When he referred to joy, he touched upon one of the most important factors in successful work of any kind. Without the element of joy, any work would finally become spiritless, wearisome, and unsuccessful. A wise writer once said, “When we speak of joy it is not something we are after, but something that will come to us when we are after God and duty.” So joy is always a reward. It never comes unearned.

Isaiah tells us that “with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.” Our beloved Leader talks much of joy in her writings, but nowhere has she placed it in holier company than when she gave us that wonderful line in her poem, “O gentle presence, peace and joy and power.” How often have we found those few words a veritable well of salvation!

But there is another place where we are not so quick to encourage the presence of joy. When James tells us, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations,” ah, then we say, How can I be joyful? When temptations seem to cluster thickly around, it seems like mockery even to consider the possibility of joy. Still James goes on to tell us why we should be joyful under temptation. He says: “The trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”

Surely the reward is worth the effort. Surely we can rejoice “with exceeding joy,” however deep may seem the experiences, since we know that to be joyful in the midst of them, — by praising God that we are going through them, — this is what will encourage and sustain us until perfection is attained.

It is under temptation that joy becomes our great helper; for it carries us over every obstacle, leads us triumphantly through every quagmire, and encourages us to press steadily forward in spite of every hindrance until victory is won.

We must stand without wavering. There need not be much mental work done, “Be still and know that I am God” is all that is really necessary. The harder you “work” mentally, sometimes, the more real the claim appears. So do as Jesus did, expect the “WORD” to heal instantly.

Now the next step is to hold fast to this — let this Christ rise in you. How? First practice Peace. Jesus said, “My peace I give unto you.” We do not recognize the importance of these words, nor of what Paul said, “None of these things move me.” Speak peace to the turmoil within, hundreds of times a day. Learn what the word means. Speak it to all things and persons, either verbally or mentally and especially to yourself.

When you acquire quietness of heart, when knowing that you are one with ALL THE POWER THERE IS, when you consciously feel peace because there is nothing else but that peace for God’s likeness, then you take the next step — possession. A sense of possession is as much a law of your being as the distinct eternal sense of health or the distinct sense of activity. Practice having this sense of all things, and men having dominion over all things. Doesn’t Mrs. Eddy say, “God giving all, man having all that God gives?” Doesn’t that mean anything to you? I believe that this possession of what God gives — and He gives all — is the step leading to the understanding of dominion — or that which gives us what seems to be lacking.

Christian Science Journal, October 1916

Science and Health defines sword as “the idea of Truth; justice” and “Revenge; anger.”

The sword which Jesus continually used was this “idea of Truth; justice.” With “the word of God" — the powerful weapon of spiritual thinking — he stilled the tempest, rebuked and cast out the devils of insanity, lust, malice, and hate, uprooted pride and self-righteousness, healed the sick, raised the dead.

Not once did Jesus utilize the carnal weapon of “revenge; anger.” In the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus imparted the divine law of loving your enemies, he explained the supreme wisdom of withdrawing as a combatant from every conflict. Interestingly, in the Greek “Agree with thine adversary quickly” reads “Know how to be (of a peaceful spirit with) thine adversary quickly.” It is possible to hold a diametrically opposite viewpoint from his and yet be “well disposed toward” him in a scientific sense.

Jesus did not argue with his antagonists; he never engaged in a contentious dispute with those who opposed his mission. He realized, perhaps better than anyone before or since, the utter futility of trying to convince the carnal mind of spiritual facts. Jesus answered his opponents’ inquiries by stating his position authoritatively, framing his replies so that his hearers were silenced, baffled for the moment. It is frequently said that before they could collect their thoughts for an answering attack he left them, — withdrew from the strife, thus leaving error to destroy itself.

We are sometimes tempted to forget that the command is: “Work out your own salvation," — not your opponent’s salvation, or that of any other individual. If our opponent differs from us, let us first of all “war not against” his point of view; let us not waste precious moments that should be spent in working for God in trying to convince him that our way is the right one, or in listening to his arguments that only his way is correct. Principle alone is infallible; therefore let us be “of a peaceful spirit” with our opponent, and display skillful, scientific handling of the sword of the Spirit by withdrawing silently and absolutely from contention, by impersonalizing the evil suggestion, and by prayerfully leaving the demonstration to be worked out in God’s time and in God’s way. Thus only can error be disarmed and eradicated.

Grasping the sword of the Spirit, — using the word of God to promote harmony, Christ likeness, and healing among men, — we may patiently await the increase of good. Entrenched in the stronghold of divine Love, “having done all,” we can fearlessly “stand.”

Christian Science Sentinel, July 25, 1901

Hundreds of years ago, in the dawning of the fourteenth century, a great painter, Giotto the Glorious, took up his brushes one day and painted a portrait on the wall of one of the rooms of the Bargello in Florence. For many months that fair Italian city had been plunged in civil war, and the hearts of her true children had been heavy within them as every day they heard the clash of swords in the streets.

But now, in 1302, peace was once more established, the volatile Florentines had forgotten their feud and chattered like friendly sparrows in the Old Market. It was in commemoration of this happy peace that Giotto painted his picture on the walls of the Bargello, — a group of the leading minds of the hour, among them, Dante, — painted it as only Giotto could paint, in glowing splashes of color that time, with all its vaunted power, can scarcely dim.

Years passed. The peace was broken, and Giotto and Dante and the singing flower-girls no longer walked by the Arno. The room in the Bargello gradually filled with rubbish. The walls grew dingy with dirt and dust until only dimly could any eye discern the faces in Giotto’s picture. Then came a day when somebody whitewashed the wall, and after that, the years did their worst. Dante’s pictured face was lost to every eye on earth.

Five long centuries, and more, kept the secret, until in 1851 a certain student of art found, in legend or history, a hint that somewhere in Florence was hidden a precious masterpiece. He studied and he searched, — found first the building, then the room, then the wall. Careful hands went to work, delicately, daintily, and now Giotto’s picture is revealed once more, almost as fresh and bright as in those far-away days when it was painted.

And the story of Giotto’s picture points, like all things else, to Truth!

“In the beginning,” a noble picture was conceived by the Master-Mind — even the idea of a creation that should mirror and express all that was in that Mind. For Mind to conceive was to create. Man, made in the image and likeness of God, expressed the perfection of God, a perfection in which was no evil, no blemish or defect, neither indeed could be. Since God, Good, was the All-Power, in all that fair universe, there was no power that could hurt, or destroy, or make afraid. In all the universe was no evil presence, since all that was, was God, Good, and His manifestation.

But presently a mist seemed to rise, — a mist of misunderstanding, of ignorance and fear, — and it grew and thickened until to mortal thought this perfect creation of God became dim. In the mist mankind began to fancy that phantoms moved, creatures not of God’s creation. Little by little, as the misunderstanding grew, the perfect creation was hidden from sight, and mortal eyes saw only the sick, tired, discouraged, and men turned to the most mysterious vision of all, and named it “our friend, Death, who somehow will set us free"!

And yet, not all men, for here and there some seer still dimly discerned the Truth of creation. Here and there pure eyes pierced the mist and caught the glow of a great Light. But just what the Light should reveal, they knew not, until at last, in the fulness of time, came a Guide to them. Straightway he led to where God’s work lay hidden — revealing “in thought and deed” the Father. Before his feet the mist melted, at his voice the darkness grew light, and those who cared to see, beheld again God’s world and His child made in His image and likeness.

Those who cared to see! They are only a little band, all told, and after a while the Master went his way. Some of those who had followed him and caught a glimpse of the hidden glory, made a record of his words and deeds, so that in all the ages those who would, might find the way too. Many men, good and true, longing for the Light, read and pondered and started on their quest, hoping, yearning, despairing, for in the darkness they had misread the words of the Way-shower, and how could they find the Way?

Then one day it was learned in Christian Science, which was discovered and founded by Mary Baker G. Eddy, that the mist rose no higher than men’s thoughts and that it could no more change and make imperfect God’s perfect creation than the whitewash on the walls of the Bargello in Florence could change the picture that it hid; that fear and ignorance and misunderstanding can only, at the most, hide for a little time what can never be destroyed, even the harmony and perfection and glory of God’s work.

What does one do when the heart is full,

Full of God’s goodness and love and care?

Does he sing of a joy ineffable?

Does he pour out his love in fragrance of prayer?

All of this, yes, and more; but the heart will not rest

Till it has discovered the way of release:

To take to some suffering, hopeless breast

The message of freedom, of joy, and of peace.

Back to the top of the page

Current Articles

“Testimonies Matter!”

Small words of assurance can have a giant impact on potential outcomes, and sharing a testimony of healing, or simply offering a positive thought or blessing, can inspire someone over a thousand miles away.

I am a Biochemist by education and a Food Scientist by trade, heading up the New Product Development, Innovation, and Quality Control efforts at a food manufacturing company in southern Mississippi. A few weeks ago my company was audited by a third-party certification group. Without positive endorsement from this third party, greater than one-third of the company’s customer base would be lost, resulting in a devastating business failure. The burden for a successful outcome of this audit fell squarely on my shoulders. It is hard to describe the crushing psychological pressure created when the future of an entire business is at stake, and failure is not an option.

In the weeks leading to the audit, I felt uneasy, concerned, and apprehensive about the likelihood of a successful outcome. On the day of the audit, within the first 15 minutes the auditor called a supervisor to discuss an apparent “critical nonconformance.” At that point, I had a strong feeling that the company failed the audit. The final decision was to be made in ten days, after a further executive review of the findings. In other words, the company was left in a unique 10-day purgatory, existing somewhere between success and failure. I drove home from work that night imagining that we would receive a failing score, and that the next ten days would be a torturous period of anxious waiting. These feelings of panic and fear would soon end.

That Wednesday, my wife Mara and I listened together to the Plainfield testimony meeting. Bruce gave a testimony about helping a friend with his construction business and dealing with an aggressive and threatening building inspector. The circumstances he described were amazingly similar to the situation I was right in the middle of. I knew that Bruce’s testimony was meant for me to hear, delivered to me from Plainfield, New Jersey, sent at the speed of light through the evening darkness, directly to a tiny Mississippi town over 1100 miles away.

Bruce’s testimony resonated in my mind and my heart, and gave me peace. He stated that during his situation, he just knew that God has the answer, and God is always here with us and in control, and that God is amazingly good and can do great things. The moment I heard those words, something so comforting came over me, a sense of solace, a realization that it was going to be alright.

During the days waiting for the final result, any time I had a negative thought about the outcome, I immediately thought about Bruce’s testimony and switched my thoughts of worrying and concern, to a certainty that God would do something great. Only good, glorious outcomes come from God, and I do not need to have any fear or concern, because God is with me.

Several days later we received the result of the audit; a passing score! The answer was a pure and perfect God-given, glorious outcome.

Without question, God is always with you, especially in time of need or despair, and can, and will, defeat the looming presence of a seemingly unconquerable threat. I express my deepest thanks and appreciation to the Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent for broadcasting testimonials of healing, hope, and comfort for all to hear.

I’ve been learning in this independent church to let go of false guilt. Over the decades since leaving my abusive childhood home, I have sometimes doubted myself, but it has been a grand relief to learn here that I am responsible to God for myself, for my own thinking, for my own behavior, and that anything else is a false sense of guilt that should not be listened to. This teaching has slowly but surely released me from what malicious mortal mind would suggest.

Christmastime has been particularly difficult. In the past, each and every time I have felt it was my duty to reach out to my family under that false sense of guilt, I have been abused, used, and sorely hurt, limping off to recover in the love of God, and then only to be tricked into the same cycle a year or so later.

Last Christmas I was completely and wonderfully healed by the prayers of my Plainfield practitioner, who taught me that my heritage is of God — that I am joint-heir with Christ, that God is my Father-Mother, and that only the good stays with me from any human experience I seem to have had — the rest was just a bad dream that I am awake to and not under. And also very wonderfully, that every single one of us is God’s child and that He cares for each of my family members also.

Recently I was grateful for this teaching, as a specific thought was presenting itself to me along the lines of: “you ought to be helping your childhood family with money.” In this church we are taught to take such matters to God. So I prayed about it, and I left it with Him, as I really wasn’t sure how to proceed. One morning I received a message from an estranged family member who I have not seen in over 10 years and who, without any preamble, asked me for a huge amount of money. I felt the drag and weight of malicious mortal mind trying to make me sad, trying to impose this false guilt. Mrs. Eddy’s Church Manual states, under “Alertness to Duty,” “It shall be the duty of every member of this Church to defend himself daily against aggressive mental suggestion, and not be made to forget nor to neglect his duty to God, to his Leader, and to mankind. By his works he shall be judged, — and justified or condemned.”

So I knew not to jump to this suggestion and to leave the matter with God. Without any doing on my part, it later transpired that the one petitioning us had lied in order to pressure us into giving them money. The next morning any lingering sadness was healed when I came across a recording of the Plainfield Bible lesson on “Man” from March 2021, and I heard the account of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers. All through this trying time, he continued to do great good for God. The reading of this lesson was so filled with God’s holy healing power that I had not even a trace of sadness and I even had a bit of a laugh, as at least I had not been sold!

I am extremely grateful to God for bringing me to this beautiful Church and for the pure teaching we receive here.

It always pays to listen for God’s direction! I work as a musician, and one day I had to travel for a job. Surprisingly, I was ready to leave the house 15 minutes early. On that day, I felt a particular closeness to God. So I asked Him if I should leave early. I stayed quiet, listening for an answer. Then a thought came to feed my chickens. I said out loud, but I already fed them. And I heard again, go feed the chickens. So that’s what I did. As I finished and was about to go to my car, out of the corner of my eye I saw, in the corner of the fenced-in run, a small mass of black. I couldn’t figure out what it was, so I went over and got a closer look. What in the world IS this thing? It didn’t move so I touched it and it was soft. — I moved even closer and saw it was the belly of my rooster. My dear Mr. Bubbles was hanging upside down, his beak hanging from his body. Six of his long, curved talons were caught and tangled in the double fencing.

I spoke to Bubbles in a calm voice telling him I was going to help. I didn’t want to injure him, or cut wires, making a hole for predators to come in at night, I turned again to God, and He guided me every step to free him. All the while, Mr. Bubbles stayed calm. When he was loosened, he went off, but limping, so I told him out loud, “God is right here with you, you are perfectly made.” The next morning, he was up and protecting the flock, walking just fine. And he paused when he saw me, giving me a steady gaze.

In the Bible it says to “pray without ceasing.” It’s very important to stay diligent in prayer and listen, because God has the solution to any problem that may arise. I give thanks to Plainfield Church for putting so many good articles and recordings online so we all can turn to them for help in maintaining closeness to God.

Recently I have been thinking of John chapter 6 verses 28 and 29 since it was in a Lesson a few weeks ago. Jesus was asked the question: “What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?” and he “answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

Certainly I know he meant that we are to believe in and understand what Christ Jesus himself said and did; but lately I also feel that he is saying that in order for us to do this work well, we are to believe in our own God-given ability to do this work that God is specifically giving each of us to do.

Having doubt at any stage of the process is ultimately doubting God, and I definitely do not want to ever do that. So I am working to really take all this in, and never doubt that God sent me here and gives me my own work to do, and gives me the ability to do that work. My practitioner has told me before to work to see that I am a child of God, made in His image and likeness — and I have to admit I had a hard time seeing that for a long time. But lately I feel closer to seeing this, prompted further by not wanting to doubt God, and it is giving me much comfort and joy.

Everything I am learning in Plainfield is helping me to live Christian Science and do this work better each day. I am very grateful for this Church, for practitioner support, and for everything I have learned here that has helped me to find my joy, my place, and my purpose.

I’m so grateful to learn through Christian Science that the best way to love anyone, is not to see them as a mortal personality. I must say, over the years, this has not been easy, but it is a worthwhile practice. When I look at everything that comes to us that we are able to overcome, it is because of some understanding of our spirituality, our oneness with God, our true being as God’s image and likeness. That is how we are able to separate the lies of the negative suggestions we are bombarded with about ourselves and others, about places and circumstances that are far from what God knows.

Mrs. Eddy writes, “In some way, sooner or later, all must rise superior to materiality, and suffering is oft the divine agent in this elevation. ‘All things work together for good to them that love God,’ is the dictum of Scripture.” I don’t think I really paid attention to that before; but, the essence of this is so appropriate at this time.

It is wonderful to hear people say that we must all love each other and learn to love more. Jesus tells us to “love one another.” It is that daily practice of kindness toward one another. I have learned now that the most we can do is to try to pray for others with this understanding.

I’m so grateful that Mrs. Eddy never gives us instruction without telling us how to do it. I so much more appreciate the Scientific Statement of Being, that clearly tells us how we can love ourselves and love everybody else in the right way, uplifting everyone from this sense of material being and all the false beliefs that we can be subject to when we see ourselves incorrectly. It states, “Question. — What is the scientific statement of being? Answer. — There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.” (Science and Health, page 468.) I’m so grateful to Mary Baker Eddy for this, because this is really what helps us love our neighbor as ourselves. She gave this to us, so we can see ourselves correctly and love others the same way, the way God sees us. This is the perfect way of loving ourselves and the whole of mankind.

I was greatly touched recently by a song that I wasn’t familiar with, called, “Make Room for God in your Heart.” One of the verses was, “Is there room in your heart for God to write His story, and trade your dreams for His glory?” The song kept asking that question, is there room in your heart?

I thought that any growth I’ve had in Science has been because I needed to make room in my heart for Christ to come. We all need to change our dreams, our willful planning, or our sense of what life is, to God’s will in our lives, and the true divine spiritual sense of what life is.

Even in the beginning, if you only think you have maybe just a little room in your heart, as you grow and take in those truths, you find that your heart just expands more and more, and soon that Love of God is just flooding through you, and you have made room in your heart for Him. All those past material dreams are now all for His Glory.

I read something so lovely recently about Handel, who wrote the beautiful Messiah, that so many of us listen to at this time of year. He wrote it in a very short time, and it was absolutely divine inspiration. He said it just came through him. He was given these beautiful verses to write music to. He said he wept when he wrote the “Hallelujah” Chorus, because he felt as if he’d seen the face of God, and then had experienced a touch of heaven with that beautiful music. Handel’s Messiah has gone out to reach so many people. Even people who have never believed in God and when they hear that holy music and those sacred words, find it is so uplifting and powerful. When Handel was praised for what he did, he said, “to God I give all the glory.” It is such a beautiful story.

We are all here to make room for God in our hearts. There couldn’t be a more glorious purpose!

Back to the top of the page

Plainfield Church Roundtable Discussions

In this week’s lesson is the statement from Science and Health, “This task God demands us to accept lovingly to-day.” I looked at it and realized that I don’t always lovingly accept today. One of the definitions for “accept” is value or esteem. How often have I dreaded or reacted negatively to events, weather, people, or words that came or are to come on a day?

To value or esteem lovingly this day requires me to love God supremely and to continually see all as He made it and as the Bible states, He made all and it was good. Therefore there is or will be nothing to dread or react to negatively. This is a demand and one I know I have to work on.

A recent lesson included this verse from Isaiah, “Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?” I looked up the verse in Spurgeon’s Commentary to see what he said:

“Sever yourselves from such a man: Because the days of idols and human pride are coming to an end, it is not wise to associate with those who cling to what will certainly be defeated. We should see that such men are of no account, and walk in the light of the LORD instead.”

i. “What strange sin in us, to make us give more account to men who can only hold as much breath as their nostrils will contain — who depend on every breath for life — than to the LORD God who will shake the earth mightily! It simply makes sense for us to honor and obey God rather than to follow men into sin.”

“For of what account is he? If men are only men, why do we give so much attention to the opinions of men? Why rise so high on the praise of men, and get so low at their disapproval? We have something — Someone – better to live for.”

ii. “Brethren in Christ, let us think more of God and less of man. Come, let the Lord our God fill the whole horizon of our thoughts. Let our love go forth to him; Iet us delight ourselves in him. Let us trust in him that liveth forever, in him whose promise never faileth, in him who will be with us in life, and in death, and through eternity. Oh that we lived more in the society of Jesus, more in the sight of God! Let man go behind our back, and Satan too. We cannot spend our lives in seeking the smiles of men, for pleasing God is the one object we pursue. Our hands, and our heads, and our hearts, and all that we have and are, find full occupation for the Lord, and therefore we must ‘Cease from man.’”

It is very clear that to rely on, or seek help through man, trusting human opinions or medical opinions, to define us, is the path of destruction. I’m so grateful that Christian Science teaches us to look away from the false material sense or belief in matter, and to “cease” to believe in the Adam dream. We must turn wholeheartedly to God, the only cause and creator, the only life, trusting in Him “whose promise NEVER faileth.”

Trying to please people, instead of pleasing God, is an affliction. You go here, there, and everywhere, trying to please this one and that one. It never works, and it usually ends up with everyone mad at you.

That is why we must seek time alone in the quiet of the morning, afternoon, evening, or all of them, to just get quiet and ask, what is God saying to me? What does God want of me? It says in the Bible in the lesson “For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ.”

If we’re pleasing men, that’s being unreliable. In one instance you say this, in another instance you say something else, so how can you be relied on? You can’t be until you heal yourself of that affliction. But God works with us to overcome!

First, I just want to say how truly inspiring the Roundtables have been for me. Thank you, so much!

I am reading a biography of Bliss Knapp. It is terrific. I thought to share this letter written by Bliss Knapp to his young sister from his lecture tour in Europe. It is so beautiful and has lessons for us all. It says:

“My dear Daphne,

“I am glad that you are taking a real interest in how birds look and peas grow. It is a real relaxation just to fill yourself with the sweet atmosphere of the day, and get a real interest in how other things grow and develop, until you get out of yourself, out of doors with the birds and peas and the beauties all about us. And we begin to love these little ideas when we take an interest in them. We love to watch their development in their own way. We can look up through the gentleness of this fascinating growth and development to causes. This inspires original thought and investigation as to the myriad ways that interlock in harmony, like the countless combinations of mathematical notations.

“Yes, and when we have looked on in silent admiration like one peering through a rent in the curtain to behold the wonder of our own unfoldment in the same plan: that we are not a distant spectator, but a necessary part to complete the harmony of God’s plan: that others may observe us in our unfoldment as we watch the raiment of the lilies. So I am glad for you that you are getting into a serene atmosphere.

“I just do my work and let things grow — that’s all. Then I simply adjust myself to the outgrowth of the work accomplished. That is why I can be happy wherever I am. And, if I’m not, then I can sit down in a corner and realize the peace and power of divine guidance until I feel its presence. Then, I am happy, because this power is mental and everywhere.

“Lovingly,

Bliss”

Many thanks again for all that you all do in Plainfield. It has added to my growth tremendously.

“The manifestation of God through mortals is as light passing through the window-pane. The light and the glass never mingle, but as matter, the glass is less opaque than the walls. The mortal mind through which Truth appears most vividly is that one which has lost much materiality — much error — in order to become a better transparency for Truth. Then, like a cloud melting into thin vapor, it no longer hides the sun.” (Science and Health by Mary Baker Eddy, page 295:16-24.)

I came across the following line by Mrs. Eddy where she writes, “A Christian Scientist knows that, in Science, disease is unreal; that Mind is not in matter; that Life is God, good; hence Life is not functional, and is neither matter nor mortal mind; knows that pantheism and theosophy are not Science. Whatever saps, with human belief, this basis of Christian Science, renders it impossible to demonstrate the Principle of this Science, even in the smallest degree.” (Rudimental Divine Science, pages 12-13.)

“Sap: To undermine; to subvert by removing the foundation.”

Pantheism and theosophy have been around since the old Testament. They have resurfaced under terms like “communion with the natural world,” a form of worship of nature. Theosophy was rampant during Mrs. Eddy’s time. Students used her wording and mixed it with “beliefs (such as reincarnation, holism, pantheism, and occultism) outside the mainstream, and that advance alternative approaches to spirituality.” (1828 Webster’s Dictionary.)

It is a good reminder to watch what we are taking in or reading. Mrs. Eddy is very clear that we cannot mix with this material thinking, error. That will sap the ability to practice the Science of the Christ, and render it “impossible to demonstrate.”

Back to the top of the page

Letters of Gratitude

At a Roundtable a few months ago, Ann from England mentioned she had been reading a book on Christian Science in wartime. It reminded me that I had bought a book called Christian Science Wartime Activities a few years earlier but had not read it. I finally began to read it.

This book has been absolutely fascinating, humbling, inspiring, and also quite poignant. It tells of a time when Christian Science was widely practised, and was being recognised as a powerful force, an important movement that was being taken seriously by governments. It was also a movement united in love and in wanting only to help others, whether they were the young men fighting, or the families affected both at home and overseas. It is written by various people and covers a wide range of activities that can only be described as love in action.

Through the War Relief Committee, there was a huge mobilisation of women across America who knitted and sewed clothing. This was for the soldiers, and also for civilians they didn’t know, especially those living in the devastated areas of fighting in France and Belgium. Large sums of money were collected by congregations and distributed to people and groups in need. There were Christian Science Camp Officers who were stationed at camps in the U.S. and overseas, who did everything from being the camp chaplains, to visiting hospitals and mess rooms, sharing literature, acting as practitioners and giving treatments. Christian Scientists travelled on the ships clearing the waters, there was even an amendment made to the Revised Statutes of the U.S. authorising the President to commission chaplains who came from four new denominations, including Christian Science.

Reading this wonderful, heartfelt and just purely loving activity has brought it home to me just how Christian Science was in the early part of the 20th Century. And it’s made me incredibly grateful for the small number of people who have kept with Mrs. Eddy’s pure Christian Science, obviously including the Plainfield Church. A huge thank you to Plainfield for everything that you do and for holding on to this standard. It is truly an honour to be a small part of what you are doing.

I am grateful to God for the existing opportunity to gain more patience and more compassion. Thank you, Plainfield, for your dedication to the Science discovered by Mrs. Eddy, whose love demanded that her discovery be made available to all mankind.

Thank you for continuing her outreach to the world to help, heal, and save from the mortal dream that awaits otherwise all who have yet to awaken from the uncertainties of the human experience. May that awakening continue to bless me and all.

The Liberator, just received, is so welcome! Thanks to all who worked to put it together. The pictures of the Monument to the Founding Fathers in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and its explanation, along with the accompanied articles is so inspiring!

Many thanks for the Roundtable and church service on Sunday, September 17, 2023. So much to inspire and work with, and ending with the account of Louisa May Alcott and Frances Hodgson Burnett’s meeting with “The Healer,” Mary Baker Eddy. The description of Mrs. Eddy, and the effects she had on those who met with her, brought tears of love, joy, and grateful thanks for this precious truth, and our precious Leader! The harmony and peace Mrs. Eddy conveyed sets an example for us to emulate, and strive to follow her example, as she followed Christ. The crowning, holy touch of the two hours was the beautifully inspiring singing of “Breathe on Us Again” — thank you for so many blessings!

I am very grateful for all the blessings that have come to me from Christian Science, and especially the last fifteen years or so from the Plainfield Church. The blessings from this church are too many to share really, but to mention a few, all the free books and articles from the early workers, the readings on YouTube, especially from Bicknell Young and Martha Wilcox to name a few. This church is a living, loving, blessing to the world, not stationary solidity, but like a strong light beaming all around, sharing the warmth of divine Love, unselfishly, and free to enjoy in several languages. If it were not for the Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent, most of the healing, saving material from the early workers and the history of our movement would remain hidden. I know of one other place where they can be obtained, which is the Bookmark. I want to give my warm thanks to all the people who make this possible. I could go on and on mentioning all the wonderful things that emanate from our wonderful church, but I guess you all get the idea. The power and presence of God is shared with the world and is working within this church. Amen.

Last week in our Lesson on Reality, there was a citation from Colossians 3:16. Each day I studied the Lesson and read the words, “teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord,” I couldn’t help but think of the Plainfield Church, especially the Wednesday evening services, where singing praises to God with grace in our hearts abounds. A recent call from a friend, who contacted me for the name of my practitioner because she was in need and I was the only practicing Christian Scientist she knew, brought great sadness in thinking about the closing of so many branch churches and the Christian Scientists out there who no longer have a church to attend or practitioner support. I was soon reminded with an outpouring of gratitude that God had led me here, and if He led me here, He would lead other seekers. Jesus said, “For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”

Thank you, Plainfield, for making this seeker a part of your church family and lifting my heart with song and joy every day.

Thank you, Plainfield, for the inspiration and support you give, which is very palpable when one is aware of the need for the uplift that serves and saves.

I really appreciate the weekly Bible lessons, the Wednesday night meeting readings, the Sunday morning Roundtables, and the wonderful website as well.

I am grateful to God for you, your practitioners, and all who serve in support of your work. Most grateful as well for the watches. Thank you all.

I’ve never heard testimonies that all express love and gratitude for their church! That is, in and of itself, a great testimony to the good you are doing. I, too, am grateful to have found this inspiring church.

Thank you so much for the latest Love is the Liberator magazine, which I spent some time gratefully reading yesterday. So many blessings sent out to the world.

The September Love Is the Liberator is a brilliant issue; thrilling information, blessed and inspiring truths, beautiful and superb photos! Many, many thanks to all!

I am so grateful for Plainfield Church and for practitioner support. I am grateful that this church doesn’t give up on anybody, and it is a privilege and an honor to be a member. There is so much to be grateful for when we open our dull eyes. It’s always been here, and the illusion is being dispelled. I wanted to share this for the dear Lord inspired me to reach out and share it. Thank you.

Thank you, God, for this church and its supporters, for wonderful Roundtables, Bible lessons, Bible Studies, Wednesday night Readers and readings, and for inspired musician support as well. I am grateful, too, for your Christian Science practitioners.

It is with love that we enclose this month’s contribution in Plainfield’s phenomenal outreach of Mary Baker Eddy’s pure Christian Science.

Through work over many years now, our church has created an extensive, user-friendly website which is, in essence, a 24/7 Reading Room — and Listening Room! What a beautiful thing it is to be able to look up a text and listen to it and drink it in, which is a wonderful addition to reading the written word.

To all the volunteers who spend the time to record the Bible Lessons and all the articles and books that can be found on the PlainfieldCS.com website, thank you so much for your blessed work.

Each Sunday morning at 7 a.m. West Coast time, I’m listening to the Plainfield Christian Science Church, Independent Roundtable discussion. These sessions always teach me something, and last Sunday was no exception. Pride, and the example of it given in the statement that one can be proud of their children or grandchildren, hit home. Earlier this week I told someone that I was very proud of my grandson for all that he had accomplished; and after saying it, I was bothered that I had used the word proud but didn’t spend time to figure out why. After the Roundtable discussion and church service, I went to work looking at the definition of the word to uncover what needed to be corrected. I found that not only did I not like the definition of proud, which conveyed an egotistical personal sense attachment to unfolding events, but that the word didn’t characterize what I meant to say.

So, the lesson was learned. In future I’ll be more careful with the words I use and, instead of misusing the word proud, I will say how happy I am to see the good results of the work well done, and congratulations. Thank you, Plainfield, for giving me food for thought and helping me to correct what needs to be corrected. I am here because I want to be more effective in my understanding and practice of Christian Science. I am so grateful for all the support provided by this church.

From the Saturday, September 30, Bible Study on the topic: “The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,” with readings from Revelation, to the Sunday, October 1, 2023 Roundtable with instruction to put on the whole armour of God, this Independent Christian Science Church has provided study and instruction to see our way through the times we find ourselves in; to find joy in tribulation, opportunities to find God, grow closer to Him, and “be quiet, listen, and be still.”

My gratitude is unbounded as I spend time with the many notes I have taken from these very valuable and joyful sessions; the many calls to action, when taken, certainly will bless not only ourselves but others, including the whole world!

Enclosed is my monthly contribution, sent with love and gratitude.

The song sung at a recent service was so beautiful, such a beautiful way to pray for country and church, focused on renewal, as I remember it.

We listened again to this beautiful prayer in song. Some of what most caught our attention was, “O, Spirit, send a revival to this nation, restore the church that bears your name,” and so much more. It truly is a beautiful prayer. Thank you.

I so agree! Many thanks to Bruce, Jared, Jon, and Faith for this timely, holy, and beautiful song of prayer. It brought more than a tear, and I have listened to it again and again. It’s a prayer in song for individual and collective meditation.

O Lord hear, O Lord forgive us

We have lost the awe of you

Have mercy, have mercy

O Lord, cleanse

Our hearts which are divided

Stir the faith that we once knew

We’re thirsty, we’re thirsty

O Lord restore

The church that bears your name

O spirit send

A revival to this nation

Breathe on us again

Breathe on us again

O Lord restore

The church that bears your name

O spirit send

A revival to this nation

Dearest Plainfield Independent, it is impossible to convey our profound gratitude to you all for all the magnificent work that you have done to bring pure Christian Science to the world, at a time when the world needs it the most! To my vision, each one of you, yes, each one, has done the work of a thousand. And Plainfield’s holy practitioners have each done the work of a thousand practitioners. Surely not since Mrs. Eddy’s time on earth has there been a more clarified, dedicated, wise and holy group of workers! We will be visiting you next year to thank you, each, in person, for the remarkable impact you have had on our lives. No doubt, without you all we would not have fared well during this era. The early workers’ instruction, which has been pivotal to our growth in understanding and applying the pure Christian Science of Mrs. Eddy, has been priceless! None of these precious teachings by our early workers were available to us here — but for you! You have each worked so hard and long and you most surely are the depiction of “well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “The Christian Scientist has enlisted to lessen evil, disease, and death; and he will overcome them by understanding their nothingness and the allness of God, or good.” The thousands of recorded hours of pure Christian Science teaching and instruction offer a complete divine tutorial for any “honest seeker” to understand the nothingness of error, not to mention the holy meetings, lessons, and articles, and the sublime singing and music. All these precious learning artefacts are available to anyone free of charge, just by searching on a computer! Any honest seeker can find the pure Gold of Christian Science that you have made available! What group could do more? This is God’s proof of Mrs. Eddy’s words, “We are all capable of more than we do.” In the case of Plainfield Independent, your work proves you have done more than could ever be imagined to the human thought. I truly pray that all Christian Scientists the world over will learn from you, will see your example, and will emulate it. We are Christian soldiers — all of us, not just a few, but ALL as we have “enlisted” as our dear forever Leader wrote! May God bless you, each one, for your selfless holy work in pure Christian Science! So much love to you all!

There is much to be grateful for as I consider past experiences, and I am humbly grateful for my stronger awareness of God’s presence in my life and all lives. Thank you, Plainfield, for your dedication to the Science of the Christ. Thank you, Mary Baker Eddy, for discovering and founding Christian Science.

My aunt brought Christian Science to an orphaned young lady, who in working her way through school became Aunt Mary’s household support for a time. Thus Christian Science was introduced to a young girl who later became my mom.

A significant early healing experience for Aunt Mary was one night when she was awakened with an awareness that she needed to pray for her paratrooper son. He was part of a wartime training exercise that was deemed so important that, despite warnings, the commanding officers demanded the exercise take place even though there were problems of darkness and extreme wind conditions. Lionel’s parachute failed to open and, given the situation, his comrades were tended to first. Later they were amazed to find Lionel was conscious and that the only injury was a broken leg. A day or so later due to a swelling condition of the leg that had been placed in a cast, they removed the cast so as to redo it. Before that took place an x-ray revealed that the break was entirely healed!

Thank you, Plainfield, for revitalizing my commitment to this Science and for the peace that is mine. I ponder God’s nearness in my thought and have become more aware of His presence and power. 

Recently my practitioner spoke to me about the need to express more gratitude. I hadn’t fully realized that I had lost sight of my gratitude for all God’s blessings, what the Father has done for me, and all the good He’s doing in this church. After hanging up the phone, I assimilated my thought more to God and eventually I felt grateful again. I have remembered this and have kept myself more grateful. And if gratitude wanes I get it back.

I’m very grateful for this reminder and to be kept on my toes and always on guard.&&&

I just wanted to share how I use hymn 81 when watching for the innocent. I changed the words ‘me’ to ‘them’ and ‘my’ to ‘their’ for this prayer.

“God is with me (them), gently o’er me (them)

Are His wings of mercy spread;

All His way made plain before me (them),

And His glory round me (them) shed.

Safely onward

Shall my (their) pilgrim feet be led.”

Back to the top of the page

Testimonies of Healing

from S. P. in South Dakota

I am grateful. Thank you, God, for Plainfield and the workers who provide their inspiration and dedication to the meetings, services, website support, and thank you too for the loving practitioner support provided here.

The watches, Bible lessons, Roundtables, all develop a deeper sense of seeing God’s child in oneself and in others as the Science of the Christ is emphasized.

Such has provided the support I needed to see past or right through the angry façade of one who had been caught up in past family grievances, once so real to her that she was allowing the past to define her being as having no worth. Thus she maintained a sense of hurt, despair, and bitterness so deep that she did not love herself or others. I see the resultant change as the pathway from sense to Soul is being unfolded.

Hallelujah that God’s love does not allow us to see a hurt, bitter or reactant child as the reality of their or our being.

Thank you, Plainfield, for the inspiration you provide to all as we go on our way learning, realizing, acknowledging and demonstrating that God is Love. Mary Baker Eddy tells us that “conscious worth satisfies the hungry heart and nothing else can.” Thank you, God, for her dedicated life.

from T. D. in Iowa

Some years ago, I was diagnosed with diabetes. I had to test my blood sugar and I took medication to manage it. I mentioned this to the practitioner, and I was healed quickly, though I didn’t feel it. The doctor had me test my blood sugars for a week and they were consistently normal. Since then, I haven’t had to deal with that anymore.

I’m grateful for the practitioner’s work and to God first. I’m grateful for Christian Science in this church for I couldn’t have been healed in any other way.

from D. A. in Virginia

Last week I found myself in extreme pain in my upper chest and neck, it was all red and inflamed. I couldn’t even touch it. At first, I tried applying burn sprays and creams, but nothing helped. I started doing my own prayerful work, but still no progress. As soon as I picked up the phone to call my practitioner at Plainfield Independent Christian Science Church, I felt the beginning of healing. The practitioner suggested reading from Science and Health, pages 390-393 that contains such powerful statements as: “Take possession of your body and govern its feeling and action,” “Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good,” and studying the 91st Psalm with its messages of protection.

Shortly after our conversation the healing was well underway, and I texted my practitioner with the good news. Hours later, however, it was back with a vengeance and more work was needed. My practitioner and I got to work, and by the next day the pain was gone.

I sincerely thank this church and my practitioner for helping me to see through this ugly picture to the truth of man’s perfection.

from S. B. in Australia

I had an experience that testifies to the almighty and all-active presence of divine Mind and its superiority over the human circumstances, which still has me in awe to this day.

I had just been on the phone to a practitioner — the details of which I cannot remember. I then got into my car and drove down the lane towards an arterial road and decided to cross the two lanes of traffic coming towards me and join the other two lanes on the other side. Usually this would be too hard, and I would just turn left and go to a roundabout way to get to the other side. This time, however, I thought I saw a gap and went forward. I looked to my right and the cars seemed to be coming towards me very fast. Then all of a sudden it seemed as though all the cars around me had frozen and time stood still. While the cars were frozen in time, mine kept going until it safely reached the other side of the road, and then time resumed back to normal, almost like a switch had been turned back on. This experience made me understand I had not judged the gap well and my beloved Father had protected me.

I am so blessed to be learning about Christian Science and am grateful to have found Plainfield Independent, where my understanding of Christian Science is deepening. I am grateful for the office of practitioner.

from D. W. in Virginia

In the book, The Life of Mary Baker Eddy, by Sibyl Wilbur, there is an account of Mrs. Eddy’s first demonstration of Mind-science. A boy had a very painful bone felon, and Mrs. Eddy asked if he would allow her to heal it. After readily agreeing, he was asked not to look at it, or do anything to it. The pain was soon gone; then he forgot about it and was found to be well.

This reminded me of an incident when our daughter was in the third grade and cut her finger deeply with a pair of shears. Initially there was a great deal of pain, but through prayer, that subsided and disappeared. The finger was cleaned and bandaged each day; but after several days it didn’t appear to be knitting together. The finger was dark and cold, and she said she had no feeling at the end of her finger. I re-bandaged it, she went off to school; and I immediately went to God for an answer. It came clearly that this was no part of her. I turned to the definition of God and acknowledged that, as God’s reflection, she could only express the qualities of God: warmth, love, cooperation, wholeness, perfection. I spent time in prayer until I felt free from all concern, and knew that she was fine.

That afternoon when she came home from school she showed me her finger, which was now pink, warm, with normal feeling. The wound quickly healed from the inside out, and was quickly forgotten.

I will be eternally grateful to have known about Christian Science from an early age, to know about a Father-Mother God, Who can be turned to at any time, any where, and in any situation.

I’m very grateful for Christ Jesus’ example of perfect love, Mary Baker Eddy’s selfless dedication to share the Science of the Christ with all of humanity, and to God’s remnant in this Independent Christian Science Church, sending Truth out to the world.

from M. S. in Florida

Several weeks ago, I began to suffer from severe back pain, as I evidently strained my back lifting two heavy bags of garden soil.

I contacted a practitioner at the Plainfield church and there was so much improvement after one day of treatment that there was no need for a second day. I have had several instances of back pain over the years, usually by lifting something the wrong way and I know full well that the quick recovery was due to the practitioner’s prayer.

I’m so grateful for the dedication that our practitioners have to the mission of healing which helps to bring new life to the Bible, making it applicable to today’s many challenges.

from L. S. in New Jersey

I am grateful for a healing that demonstrated to me the lesson we are taught here at Plainfield, “Be so instant in Truth that error is always too late.”

Leaving church one evening I tripped on the sidewalk and landed on my knees, grass and mud on one side and cement on the other. A member walking next to me immediately declared with vigor, “God good! You can never fall out of God’s love.” She made sure I didn’t need anything before heading home. It was painful walking at first but the whole ride home I held firmly to the truth, shutting out immediately any negative suggestions. I could feel the uplift of the prayerful thought. By the time I got home about 5 minutes later the pain had greatly diminished. I freely walked up my stairs. I cleaned the scrape. By bed time the pain was gone. The next day the scrape on the knee was clear, there was no bruising, and I had a physically active morning. Not only that but the pants did not stain from the mud and grass nor tear from the sidewalk. It is such a blessing to be learning how to live this Science practically everyday so we can share with the world.

from L. S. in Missouri

This past Sunday afternoon when I was out by the pool, I tripped over the cord for the pool vacuum, and fell down hard on the concrete, attempting to break the fall with the palm of one hand. My knee hit hard, and both my knee and the palm of my hand had substantial scrapes. Right away I remembered a healing shared by a Plainfield Church member. As I recall, she fell on a sidewalk, and a fellow member immediately and assertively said “God good.” I immediately did the same — declaring aloud over and over: “God, good is all that there is!” “God, good is all that there is!” I didn’t let a moment go by in which I was not declaring this truth, while I went inside to cover the wounds. I kept asserting aloud just those 7 simple, but powerful words, and this kept my thought off the pain that was trying to get my attention.

I was determined not to allow this apparent accident to prevent me from enjoying my time outside — just as the little girl in Science and Health, page 237, confidently declared to her mother after wounding her finger badly — “There is no sensation in matter . . . my finger is not a bit sore.” I was not hampered and completed my normal exercise routine undeterred. With each lap I kept my thought focused on the little girl’s demonstration and the fact that I can never fall out of our ever-present Father-Mother, God’s tender, loving care. It was a very peaceful and joyous swim. There was very little swelling, pain, limping, or loss of use of either my leg or my hand.

I am so grateful for the Plainfield Church and its weekly “training sessions” during the Sunday Roundtables, the many shared testimonies on the website, and the extremely helpful testimonies shared each week, during which the testifiers make it clear that the practical application of the truths that our beloved Leader, Mary Baker Eddy, wrote down for us to learn and use, are consistently and effectively utilized by the members of this Independent Christian Science Church. Thank you all!

from L. M. in North Carolina

I am very grateful for some lessons learned recently. I had called my practitioner to talk about a few things we’d been working on for a while and during the call she could tell how inwardly focused I was about everything – very self-mesmerized – and she asked me where my gratitude was. She reminded me that my attitude of gratitude had been really strong and apparent to her several months ago, but it felt pretty non-existent at this point. She also pointed out that my general focus was quite material rather than God-ward.

I realized, if I was being totally honest with myself, I was in a bad place mentally. As we talked about this, one of the remedies she suggested for breaking out of this “mental miasma,” as Mrs. Eddy calls it, was for me to write down everything I was grateful for, no matter how small, and focus outward, looking for everything that was good around me. Then I needed to really spend time to recognize that it comes from God.

We had been trying to sell our house and decide on a new location. It had taken longer than expected, and I had been preoccupied with the move. So the first thing I did each day was to give God thanks for our current home that He had provided. I realized I had been so focused and worried about the future, that I neglected to pray for my local community.

Each night I began to go through my gratitude list. What’s been really amazing is that the effect of this new focus was almost immediate. I soon found myself feeling lighter in heart, and I started to notice more things every day to be grateful for and family relations improved. I was much more focused at work. I was thinking the other day how I’ve always loved that passage in the Bible that says “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psalm 51: 10) It speaks of a spiritual refreshment and rejuvenation – the turning of a page – but I realized this time that in the past I’ve always prayed and asked God to do that to me and then sat back and waited for something to happen, rather than taking the steps and making the effort. It’s that effort that I feel is helping create in me this cleaner heart and is renewing a right spirit within me. I’m very grateful to my practitioner for helping me to see and acknowledge God’s blessings and his love that’s all around when we look for it.

from P. C. in Canada

Several years ago, the mother of one of my young Sunday School students approached me to ask me to pray for her daughter. She explained that the girl was very seriously accident prone, and that over the past six months had been injuring herself so frequently that the school nurse had called to express extreme concern. There seemed to be fear that, although the child was intellectually quite bright, there might be an emotional, mental, or physical disorder. The youngster’s friends were also very worried for her. The mother said that she had been praying without any apparent improvement.

Each evening I prayed vehemently. I dismissed the idea that accidents could occur since God, the one divine Mind, would never cause them. Rather, man is prone to freedom, integrity, and purity, which cannot be hypnotized. God is the great physician and there could be no influence from any source but God good. God’s infinite child has never been observed by finite medical studies and reports, never been categorized, or viewed as a statistic, because false belief has no sense of the true spiritual child as God’s very own reflection. False beliefs cannot possibly measure infinity. Each step of God’s children is ordered by divine Mind and Love. This eliminates any possibility of mental malpractice, whether well meaning or aggressive. In Principle there’s just no such thing as disorder.

By the third day I happily knew that God’s child, like God, was never born into matter and so has no age. There’s no such thing as seven-year-old truth. There are no stages or states of awkwardness in God. There is only His grace expressing Himself. By the following Sunday before class, the mother said that I could stop praying because everything was quite normal and no one seemed to be thinking about it anymore.

All praise be to God for this. Thank God for the Plainfield Church’s energetic teaching of Christian Science and its vibrant spiritual example.

from S. M. in North Carolina

I’m very grateful for the Plainfield Christian Science Independent Church, and for all the material you have on your website.

I’ve been working in the Midwest and found myself in a situation where I made a contract with a company and then participated in many meetings. The contractor said that he would deliver compensation to all the people that participated. Weeks passed by and no money was deposited in my account.

One day, when listening to the Plainfield website, I heard someone say that what you seek is seeking you. I know that nothing can be missed in divine Mind, and while listening to one of the Roundtables someone spoke very beautifully about how the divine Mind will take care of all things.

I was anxious about not receiving the money, and about all the other people who did the job and did not get paid. One of the things that impressed me was when someone said you have to do the work, and you have to do the praying. I started working with items on the website, along with Psalm 91. As I started doing this I stopped worrying about the money.

The next day when I got home, the money was there. The beautiful thing is, what blesses one blesses everyone. Everyone who participated got paid.

I’m so grateful to the practitioners in this church, they are so wonderful. They guide us in Christ. As Christian Scientists, we have the right to know that we have protection, and God will supply in His abundance for every one of His children. I’m so grateful for the beautiful teachings of Mary Baker Eddy that are the breath of life. Thank you!

For many years I have believed that my siblings and I suffered from high blood pressure, a condition which we believe we have inherited from our mother. I was referred to several specialists and prescribed several drugs. But I was told they all have side effects. Therefore, when I was told I have contracted what is called gout by the medical profession as a side effect, I believed it. The pain was excruciating and unbearable. I was at the end of my tether. It was at this point that I seriously started studying Christian Science. If God is Love and I am His image and likeness, then this suffering cannot be true or real.

A friend advised me to get in touch with Plainfield Church, which I did eventually. At first, I was skeptical, as I had tried other practitioners before. After a long consideration, I did call, and she lovingly agreed to pray with me. She gave me passages to read and study.

For the first time I was able to really study with meaning. I understand that God is Love and Good, He knows no suffering and that I am His precious child. As the Bible says He is of a purer eye than to behold evil. After a couple of hours, the pain subsided. But the fear was still there. I therefore kept studying the Bible and Science and Health. After a couple of weeks or so the pain started again and I called the practitioner again. From my end of the telephone, I heard her say, “whoever heard of error moving from one leg to the other!” Then she chuckled. It took a few minutes, but then I realized that was the truth — that was my “aha!” moment. The truth has awakened me from my dreams.

YES, yes I am free, not only from the belief of pain and the lie of suffering from high blood pressure and that I live in matter, but there is hunger in me to learn more of my everlasting, harmonious relationship with my Father who formed me in His likeness. Thank you, our Father-Mother God. I am grateful to God for His love, the teachings of Christian Science, Mrs. Eddy and the practitioner.&

Photo taken at Mary Baker Eddy’s Original Church in Boston, MA

Blest Christmas morn, though murky clouds

 Pursue thy way,

Thy light was born where storm enshrouds

 Nor dawn nor day!

Dear Christ, forever here and near,

 No cradle song,

No natal hour and mother’s tear,

 To thee belong.

Thou God-idea, Life-encrowned,

 The Bethlehem babe—

Beloved, replete, by flesh embound—

 Was but thy shade!

Thou gentle beam of living Love,

 And deathless Life!

Truth infinite,—so far above

 All mortal strife,

Or cruel creed, or earth-born taint:

 Fill us today

With all thou art—be thou our saint

 Our stay, alway.

Back to the top of the page

Announcements

When Plainfield Church first became independent, we were asked, “How will you survive? What will you read?” As you can see below, through the grace of God, we have survived very well, thank you — and flourished!

We began by writing our own Bible Lessons, and then Independent Christian Scientists from all over the world began sending us writings by early Christian Science workers that were not available anywhere else. And we grew from there — and continue to grow.

Our Website

Our church website, plainfieldcs.com, has a wealth of inspiring and healing items to read and listen to, including recordings of past services, Bible Studies, and Roundtable discussions.

You will also find a treasure trove of articles and other literature by early workers in Christian Science, including Bicknell Young, Martha Wilcox, Herbert W. Eustace, and many others. There are also audio recordings of many of these articles and books. Audio recordings of the current week’s Bible Lesson, and a Forum to post comments relating to the Lesson are available, and also a Bulletin Board where you can post comments of a more general nature.

YouTube Channel

Our YouTube channel has over 3,000 videos of church services, classes, readings of books and articles, hymns, and music from our services, which are visited regularly by people from all over the world.

Check out all that we have to offer by going to:

YouTube.com/PlainfieldCS

Our Church Publications

Our church publications are available free on our church website, but sometimes it’s nice to have a copy in your hand to refer back to at your leisure, or during the night when there might be a need for comfort. Descriptions and subscription prices are included below.

Newsletter

In alternate months, our church publishes our church Newsletter, “Plainfield Independent.” This publication contains news about church activities, miscellaneous writings, and other fun things that will make you smile, laugh — and think.

Books by Early Workers in Christian Science

Plainfield Church is the source for many books and writings by early workers in the Christian Science movement, many of whom worked in Mrs. Eddy’s home and were taught by Mrs. Eddy herself. These priceless writings are available for purchase at very reasonable prices, and are listed, along with ordering information, on our church website, plainfieldcs.com. Many articles on our church website are excerpts taken from these books, so to have the complete works is a real privilege!

You can find a list of books we have available for purchase by clicking “Store” on the top menu of our website.

Church Membership

“When one sees that Christian Science is the only way, he is ready for church membership, and there is no other requirement.” — Mary Baker Eddy

This is the only requirement for membership in Plainfield Church. We welcome everyone who wishes to become a member and work for God to send in an application, which you can find under the “Members” tab on our website. Or send an email to our clerk at: clerk@plainfieldcs.com.

Websites in Other Languages

Our missionary work is expanding. We have recently launched websites in the languages of Hungarian, Ukrainian, Russian, Marathi, Nepali, Pashto, Persian, Sindhi, and Tamil, which join with our existing Spanish, French, German, Dutch, Chinese, Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu — that makes seventeen languages other than English!

Much gratitude to all of our translators for their individual demonstrations which are working to bless every corner of the world!

We recently received the following email from someone new in Pakistan:

Accept my greetings and salute for the lovely way to produce your unchallenged true teachings about God, as our Mind, we as His ideal creation and making it clear what the Christian Science Church is giving to the spiritual-thirsty like me. The great work you and your Church is dealing regarding foreign languages is amazing and fruitful. I am having great blessings since I have started learning the Word of God through your website and YouTube channels. Especially Pashto, Sindhi, Urdu, Punjabi, Tamil and Marathi languages are doing great things spiritually in my life when I read and listen to the YouTube lessons.

I greatly appreciate it and ask my Lord for the unstoppable blessings for the whole church worldwide. May you always please my heart and soul by producing these lessons and other great material in all the languages of the world especially for my Pakistani and Indian people. Amen.

I thank you and the whole church again for all of this.

Our goal was, and still is, to get the Word of God out to people all over the world who need this pure, unadulterated Science, as we did, and still do. So you will see that much of what we provide on our website, plainfieldcs.com, is free. Please feel free to browse through all that we have there. You don’t even have to tell us who you are — we warmly welcome everyone!

But there are expenses involved in maintaining a website, and in maintaining our church home and our church services. So if you are helped by what you find here, and you wish to show your gratitude, please use the “donate” button on the website. It would be greatly appreciated!

Back to the top of the page

Tenets of Christian Science

A note about the lighthouse sketch by Luanne:

Boston Light — little Brewster Island (outer Boston Harbor), Massachusetts

Boston Light was the first light station in North America and is the country’s oldest continuously used lighthouse site. The original structure, built in 1716, was destroyed during the Revolutionary War. Rebuilt in 1783, it has been called “the ideal American lighthouse.” Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1964, it is the only manned lighthouse in the United States.

“Publish the Word”

Broadcast the Truth

“Freely ye have received, freely give”