It’s okay to feel discouraged sometimes. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to feel your heart break. It’s okay to ask, “Why?” It’s okay to stand and it’s okay to kneel. It’s okay to just sit in it for a while. It’s okay to feel whatever you feel. You don’t have to feel guilty for feeling. You don’t have to fight it. You don’t have to run. Just know that the sun will rise again and show you all that you’ve won. -Karen Molenaar Terrell
“The sharp experiences of belief in the supposititious life of matter, as well as our disappointments and ceaseless woes, turn us like tired children to the arms of divine Love.” -Mary Baker Eddy
Our world doesn’t have lives to waste in war. No life is surpluse. No life is collateral.
Our world doesn’t have time to waste on war. We have too little time and every moment matters.
Our world doesn’t have land to waste on war. We need a healthy planet – not one that’s shattered. -Karen Molenaar Terrell
“They have attained to thermonuclear power, have they?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Well, that’s the criterion.” Naro chuckled, “And soon their ships will probe out and contact the Federation.”
“Actually, Great One,” said the messenger, reluctantly, “the Observers tell us they have not yet penetrated space.”
Naron was astonished. “Not at all? Not even a space station?”
“Not yet, sir.”
“But if they have thermonuclear power, where then do they conduct their tests and detonations?”
“On their own planet, sir.”
Naron rose to his full twenty feet of height and thundered, “On their own planet?”
“Yes, sir.”
Slowly, Naron drew out his stylus and passed a line through the latest addition in the smaller book. It was an unprecedented act, but, then, Naron was very wise and could see the inevitable as well as anyone in the Galaxy.
Your request for prayerful support was proof of God’s constant supply – proof of Love giving all of us what we need to soar and fly and celebrate Life together.
You couldn’t have given her a greater gift than to ask for her help. She had a choice – she could have said no; she could have said her plate was full; she could have told you she wasn’t ready; she could have told you she was scared. But instead she was just so glad you reached out – she was so glad you shared this opportunity with her.
And the moment she said, “Of course!” – the moment she opened herself up to the power of “The Force” – she felt her heart flood with joy and love and she knew without doubt or fear that you and she were in the middle of a healing together – right now, right here. -Karen Molenaar Terrell
A Christian Science treatment isn’t a one-way giving. It’s sharing a feast together. It’s Love’s children celebrating together on holy ground, unbound. -Karen Molenaar Terrell
“Divine Love always has met and always will meet every human need.” -Mary Baker Eddy
Trumpeter swans in flight over Skagit Valley, Washington. Photo by Karen Molenaar Terrell.
train of thought choo choos its way through dark tunnels, high mountains and spring fields -Karen Molenaar Terrell
(It is two in the morning here. Just woke up with this haiku in my head. I’m going back to bed now. We’ll see if this makes any sense when I wake up again in a few hours.)
I will not fear – I feel you near. Mozzy – I sit in the room where you passed on five years ago and I feel your presence here with me. Daddy – your old backpack hangs on the wall and your hat is on the mantel next to Moz’s shoes and I feel you smiling at me. The room is cozy and warm. The cat sleeps on the back of the chair. Outside the frogs are croaking a merry tune. I feel the power of Love and Truth pulsing around me – singing of hope. I live safe in Soul’s womb.
I will not fear – I feel You here. – Karen Molenaar Terrell
Symbols for the times – BLM posters in windows and fingers in the peace sign, banners of rainbows and cars in a COVID-testing line. Sunflowers and masks, and knitted pink hats, Taking a knee, and piles of requests to save the bees, Fans waving flags of yellow and blue. A world in labor, birthing a world that’s new. -Karen Molenaar Terrell
Rainbow Over Padilla Bay. Photo by Karen Molenaar Terrell.
“Each individual must fill his own niche in time and eternity.” -Mary Baker Eddy (Retrospection and Introspection, p. 70)
Father-Mother God – Thank you for expressing me in this time and this place – right here, right now. Thank you for the opportunity to manifest Love, Truth, and Soul in this niche in time and eternity. It is a privilege to be here with Your other children who are sharing the current hour and space with me. None of us would be here if we weren’t up to the tasks in front of us – if this wasn’t our own niche in time and eternity – if we weren’t made for exactly this moment. -Karen Molenaar Terrell
“Beloved children, the world has need of you…” -Mary Baker Eddy
“Whatever inspires with wisdom, Truth, or Love – be it song, sermon, or Science – blesses the human family with crumbs of comfort from Christ’s table, feeding the hungry and giving living waters to the thirsty.” – Mary Baker Eddy
And in the spirit of that quote –
Here’s a song: Here’s the first song I sang on “singsnap” – a song by Jason Mraz that feels like an anthem to the world – not just a love song between two people, but a promise to the planet: “I won’t give up on us…we’ve got a lot to learn, but God knows we’re worth it.” https://www.singsnap.com/#/d/listen/1020508
Here’s a sermon: We have just a tiny scrap of existence here – a miniscule piece of our eternity – to love and learn and live and leave something good behind. Let’s not waste it on nothings. – Karen Molenaar Terrell
In his sermon, The Greatest Thing in the World, Henry Drummond asks,“Why do we want to live to-morrow? Is it because there is some one who loves you, and whom you want to see tomorrow, and be with, and love back? There is no other reason why we should live on than that we love and are beloved.” Drummond writes, “There is a great deal in the world that is delightful and beautiful, there is a great deal that is great and engrossing, but it will not last. All that is in the world, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life, are but for a little while…You will give yourself to many things; give yourself first to love.”
And here’s some Science: “Whatever furnishes the semblance of an idea governed by its Principle, furnishes food for thought. Through astronomy, natural history, chemistry, music, mathematics, thought passes naturally from effect back to cause. Academics of the right sort are requisite. Observation, invention, study, and original thought are expansive and should promote the growth of mortal mind out of itself, out of all that is mortal.” – from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy
Here’s an example of the use of Science for a healing of a puffed-up hand: Observation: My right hand appears to be puffed-up like a balloon. Question: Can I use Christian Science to heal this puppy? Hypothesis: If I use my understanding of Christian Science, then I will experience healing. Predict: I predict my hand will be healed. Test: I’ll use my understanding of Christian Science to heal the “ballooned” hand. Analyze the data and draw a conclusion. Present the findings:
November, 2011: I woke up to find my hand inflated to twice its normal size, and really painful – I couldn’t bend my fingers or anything. My first thought was, “Well, this is interesting.”
I got myself dressed and drove to my workplace. I figured I’d just work around my inflated hand until it went back to normal. But when I showed my hand to my co-workers to see if they’d had any experience with something like this, they were all really scared for me. One of them told me about an allergic reaction that had nearly killed her son. Three or four other people mentioned that flesh-eating disease, or other serious infections, that had nearly killed them or their loved ones. Everyone advised me to see a doctor post haste.
Well, I really like my hand, you know – and the thought of losing it was pretty scary to me. So I called our family doctor right away and left work to see him. Normally he laughs with me about stuff, but this time he was not laughing. He was pretty serious, actually. He said he thought it was either a serious infection or rheumatoid arthritis – although my case wasn’t typical of either one of those because I didn’t have any open wounds and my joints weren’t inflamed. He wanted to start me on drugs right away – some to address the one thing, and some to address the other – and he wanted to run blood tests on me. I agreed to the blood tests, but I told him I didn’t want to start taking any drugs until I knew better what was going on with me. (The one or two times I’ve ever actually taken pharmaceuticals, I’ve always had a bad side effect from them. Also, when I’m working out a problem through Christian Science, part of the process for me is real-izing the “reality” of Spirit, and the nothingness of matter – and, in taking drugs, I’d, in essence, be giving power to matter, and working contrary to what I needed to do for a healing in Christian Science.)
So I didn’t take the drugs, I went in for the blood tests, and came home and called for prayerful support from a Christian Science practitioner.
Although there’s no template or anything for Christian Science healing – sometimes healing can come so quickly – instantly – with just a quick change of thought – that there’s really no process involved. But I usually start my treatments with an affirmation of God, Good, Love, as the only power, the only reality. My application of Christian Science to this problem probably went something like this:
I am the idea of Love and Truth and Life – eternally perfect and whole, healthy and active, unchanged, undimmed, loved, loving, intelligent, alert, aware of all good. The belief that I can ever be less than my perfect, ideal self, is a lie. The belief that I can ever be separated from Love, Good, God, is a lie. As an idea, I dwell forever within the consciousness of Love. I am the image and likeness of Love. I am the perfect child of perfect Love. I reflect nothing but Love, Spirit, Life, Truth, Principle, Mind, Soul. There’s nothing about me that is imperfect, for there’s nothing in my Father-Mother out of which imperfection could come.
And, for the treatment of my hand, I definitely handled the fear in my thought. As Mary Baker Eddy writes in the Christian Science textbook: “Fear, which is an element of all disease, must be cast out to readjust the balance for God… Take possession of your body, and govern its feeling and action. Rise in the strength of Spirit to resist all that is unlike good. God has made man capable of this, and nothing can vitiate the ability and power divinely bestowed on man… ”
The next morning my hand was even MORE puffed-up. But the fear in my thought was completely gone, and – even though my hand didn’t appear better – I knew I was healed. By the second morning my hand was completely back to normal.
When I called the doctor’s office to find out what the results of the blood test were, the receptionist said that one of the markers in the blood test indicated rheumatoid arthritis, and they wanted me to set up an appointment with a rheumatoid arthritis specialist. I told her my hand was completely fine now. She was really surprised by this, and called a nurse to the phone to talk to me. I told the nurse the hand was deflated, and there was nothing wrong with me at all. She didn’t say anything right away – I could imagine her trying to process what I was telling her. She finally said okay, that if anything changed to let them know, but she guessed they wouldn’t “go any further” with it right then.
That was ten years ago and there’s been no return of the condition.
Adventures of the Madcap Christian Scientist 