Posts tagged ‘philosophy’
National Day of prayer, or “every day is a prayer”?
By John D. Clague, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon
Since today is the National Day of Prayer I thought it fitting to reflect on how prayer works in my life.
As a child I behaved like most kids. I cried when I was sad. I ran away from anything that frightened me. If I was happy I would laugh or get excited and do all kinds of crazy kid things. All of this was pretty normal, given how I grew up.
When I reached young adulthood my responses became less impulsive. I was more inclined to think about things. I reflected on what I was feeling and tried to figure out why. I would respond in a more thoughtful way to what I encountered from day to day. I have to admit, though, that not all my responses were as mature as I would like. I struggled with emotions, as I suppose we all do, pushing rationality out the window. Then my response was not so reasoned.
In my teens I started becoming aware of this entity we call God. I thought a lot about this. I went to a Sunday School (voluntarily I might add) and learned about the Bible as a source to help me understand Him.
I wanted to know how to pray in “response” to my life. I remember some of those long lonely nights in my room praying about something that was bothering me deeply. I can even remember feeling that praying was my only option because all human actions seemed out of the realm of possibility. I was praying as a last resort in response to what I was feeling.
Then I read Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, a book written by Mary Baker Eddy, and my understanding of prayer changed radically. The first chapter in that book is about prayer. Eddy writes, “God is not moved by the breath of praise to do more than He has already done, nor can the infinite do less than bestow all good, since He is unchanging wisdom and Love. We can do more for ourselves by humble fervent petitions, but the All-loving does not grant them simply on the ground of lip service, for He already knows all. Prayer cannot change the Science of being, but it tends to bring us into harmony with it.”1
My prayers began to transform. The first thing that I noticed was that I wasn’t asking God for stuff or to do something for me. Before, my prayer was a last option in response to events and feelings that troubled me. I began to understand, however, that God didn’t need to do anything he hadn’t already done. Being an omnipotent Creator, His creation was complete and perfect. This I learned from Chapter one of Genesis in the Bible. What, then, was left to ask for?
I soon learned that my most effective prayer was not to ask, but to celebrate. To acknowledge what I understand God and his creation to be: complete and perfect, including me! When I focused my prayers on God and not my troubles I found that I was at peace. And what was troubling me, even illness, was resolved.
I also noticed that I was listening during my prayers. Just filtering out the static so that an inspired thought could be recognized. Finally, gratitude became a common theme, going hand-in-hand with listening and acknowledging.
My spiritual growth and learning to pray didn’t end here, though. As I continued to develop a prayer life, I came to realize that prayer is more than a response to life.
I now understand that my every thought is a prayer. I spend many moments in my day affirming and celebrating God’s constant presence in my life. I affirm divine Love’s goodness. I acknowledge that anything unlike God doesn’t possess the reality of the ever present God Creator. Prayer is woven all through my life, and I strive to make my life a prayer!
I was once asked “what does prayer mean to you?”
Here is my response in part: “prayer is lifting my thought out of ‘me’. It is my vital function, like breathing, or my heart beating. I couldn’t function without constant daily prayer.
On this “National Day of Prayer”, I thank God that somewhere along the way I learned that my every thought is a prayer, every hour of every day.
1. pg 2
If I get more, you don’t get less.
By John D. Clague, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon
I’ve been thinking about events in Wisconsin and Ohio lately: large demonstrations at the capitol, anger over moves to limit collective bargaining, political maneuverings in the legislature, and demonstrations right here in Oregon supporting the unions in Wisconsin. There’s a lot of energy and emotion around unions and collective bargaining right now.
Collective bargaining is not unfamiliar to me. I was a member of a union once when I worked in a plant making roof trusses. I wasn’t in that job very long, though, so my union membership was short-lived. Not too long into my career in the sheriff’s office, though, I became involved with unions, this time on the side of management. I guess I had an interest in how organizations work, and how people work together to achieve a common goal for the benefit of others. Since I worked in a public organization, our efforts were to benefit the public. Not unlike my job now as the Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon. I think my boss also liked the way I approached people coming together to resolve differences, or define their relationship.
I represented the sheriff’s office many times at the bargaining table to negotiate benefits, pay, working conditions and to hear grievances by
employees who felt they had been treated unfairly by management. Through all of these opportunities for conflict and discord I was able to maintain respectful, professional, and downright friendly relationships with the union. They even gave me a plaque of appreciation when I was reassigned and no longer participated in labor relations. (more…)
“She does not have that permission from me.”
By John D. Clague, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon
What a powerful statement! I’ve been thinking about it since I first read it in The Globe and Mail two weeks ago. How often do we unwittingly give, or withhold, permission for so many things in our lives? In this instance, it was Gabrielle Gifford’s doctor guaranteeing that she wouldn’t die because he didn’t give her permission to do so.
Congresswoman Gifford was shot in the head point blank by a deranged gunman on January 8th, three days before Dr. Rhee’s statement was made. This senseless act of violence resulted in injury to others, and deaths. As a law enforcement officer, I encountered similar instances of senseless violence before I retired. You may remember Kip Kinkle. He was a 15 year old high school kid who murdered his parents in Springfield, Oregon. Then he went to his high school cafeteria and (more…)
Prayer is…..
- Prayer is an absolute faith that all things are possible to God.
- Prayer is a spiritual understanding of Him.
- Prayer is an unselfed love.
- Prayer is desire.
- Prayer is the fervent desire for growth in grace, expressed in patience, meekness, love, and good deeds.
- Prayer is the longing to be better and holier.
- Prayer is a deep and conscientious protest of Truth — of man’s likeness to God and man’s unity with Truth and Love.
- Prayer is learning to love, and to include all mankind in one affection.
- Prayer is the utilization of the love wherewith He loves us.
- Prayer shows us more clearly than we saw before, what we already have and are, and what God is.
These statements have helped me in my spiritual healing practice of Christian Science. I thought you might find them helpful as well.
Each is either a direct quote from or a close approximation to the writings of the founder of Christian Science, Mary Baker Eddy.
Eddy’s was a prayer filled life. Her Christian upbringing supplied her with a great love of God and Christ. She found prayer to be a way to talk with God and see His power in daily life. Prayer was more than words. She found that prayer led to healing.
Most of these statements are found in Eddy’s book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
Does God really exist?
By John D. Clague, Christian Science Committee on Publication for Oregon
According to a poll from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life… “more than nine-in-ten Americans (92%) believe in the existence of God or a universal spirit, [but] there is considerable variation in the nature and certainty of this belief. Six-in-ten adults believe that God is a person with whom people can have a relationship; but one-in-four – including about half of Jews and Hindus – see God as an impersonal force. And while roughly seven-in-ten Americans say they are absolutely certain of God’s existence, more than one-in-five (22%) are less certain in their belief.”
So why am I so sure God exists? (more…)
