When I got married, I became an instant dad to my wife’s two sons. One day just before we were married, Joanne and the boys came to visit me. Jarrod, the older, was four. He sat on my lap, and we played with his teddy bear. I would take his teddy and pretend he was talking to Jarrod. When it was Jarrod’s turn to make the bear “Talk,” he swung it and hit me hard across the face.

He didn’t mean to be violent, but got carried away with the game. However, when he saw the blow had shocked me, he quickly put both hands up in a defensive position, expecting me to hit back.

I was stunned more by his fear than by being hit. At that moment, I realized what it was going to take to be a father figure – forgiveness and love.

I slowly reached out, took both his shoulders, pulled him close, and kissed him on the cheek. I can still remember the amazed look on his face. He relaxed, and we started playing again.

It would’ve been easy to try to “teach him a lesson.” But both of us needed an instruction in love being lived. And we needed to learn, most of all, that love matters. Read More→

– Keith Wommack is a Syndicated Columnist, Christian Science practitioner and teacher, husband, and step-dad. He is a legislative liaison for spiritual healing & Christian Science in Texas. He has been described as a spiritual spur (since every horse needs a little nudge now and then). Keith’s syndicated columns/blogs originate at: http://texashealthblog.com/

In North Carolina’s Durham Highway Fire Department, a beloved firedog had to be put down recently. Angus the Dalmatian’s firefighting service was so legendary that mourners even from Pennsylvania sent donations toward a memorial and costs for the next firedog. Fans of Angus loved his dedication to the job and the fact that he would stay in front of the truck as firefighters boarded for the blaze, patiently waiting until he was allowed to mount and join them. Angus was more than a mascot; his steadying influence seemed much like the role of the original firedog Dalmatians, trained to run beside horse drawn fire wagons to calm the frightened horses. (See Raleigh’s News & Observer, May 16, 2012)

At my local Christian Science church there was a special Wednesday night meeting on the subject of pets and their spiritual qualities. Fourteen children and adult testifiers described their love for these animals, but also their prayers for them when they became sick or injured. Their prayers brought healing from even supposedly terminal conditions, and the pet owners rejoiced in the conviction that God surely loves and cares for all His creatures. Each individual identity, however small, is a marvel of creation.

Talent is one thing, but humility is another, and Josh is humble with the homers. Keenly aware of his rocky comeback from drug and alcohol addiction, a lifestyle that threatened to derail his promising career just when it started, this earnest athlete credits his successful fresh start to God and His generosity. It’s amazing, he admits with grace.

Christian Science, along with other faiths, teaches the need to overcome sins—errant behaviors or attitudes—that dishonor God, their sense of Good. Addictions that rob one of dignity, self-control, and the ability to treat others well must be wrestled with and abandoned. But unlike some faiths, Christian Science teaches that mankind was created inherently good, not sinful, and therefore has a right and an ability to overcome these mistaken ways. This healing process happens through God’s grace, a love that reaches us even when we feel we don’t deserve it.

The much loved old hymn speaks to all of us at some time:

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T’was Grace that taught…
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear…
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares…
we have already come.
T’was Grace that brought us safe thus far…
and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me…
His word my hope secures.
He will my shield and portion be…
as long as life endures.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years…
bright shining as the sun.
We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise…
then when we’ve first begun.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

Military Nurse, Small Patient by US Army Pfc .Andrya Hill

Are you in a caring relationship? I don’t mean with a spouse, parent, child, or friend. I mean with your health care provider. Does your doctor care–really care? And if not, does it matter? Who cares?

It turns out, lots of people do. According to an April 23 Newsweek magazine article patients report that when “their doctors focused more on their feelings and worries and listened to them carefully, they not only felt better but objective measures showed they had fewer symptoms of disease.” In other words, when physicians showed they cared, people felt cared for, and in fact, were.

But the same magazine warns that the end of the doctor patient relationship may be here, and that’s bad news for good health care. Well-meaning pressure to reduce costs in health care have forced doctors to see more patients, each for shorter periods of time, and now there are more changes in primary care physicians for each patient as employers switch insurance carriers. The result: little or no stability in the doctor-patient relationship. Add to this, the fact that surveys report doctors don’t listen enough (they interrupt within the first 23 seconds); patients don’t understand their instructions (fully half the time); and you have a perfect storm of disconnect between doctors and patient. A breach, hardly a bond.

But there’s good news, too. Medical students are now being taught more communication skills, and some doctors are working more in teams of other physicians, assistants, nurse practitioners and pharmacists, a model known as a medical home for the patient. Physicians care about improving the delivery system, and they’re showing it.

Many years ago I awoke one night in severe pain. My husband was away on business and I had a toddler asleep in the next room. I had to choose a reliable form of health care and I knew I had to act fast. As a Christian Scientist  accustomed to prayer as my first response for health needs, I called a friend, an experienced Christian Science practitioner, and he agreed to pray with me. He listened carefully, gave me reassuring words about God’s presence, touched me with his quick willingness to help, and made me feel in control and no longer helpless. I felt loved and cared for. I went back to sleep as the pain faded and awoke in the morning refreshed and well.

It turns out that all the elements of my experience: someone listening to the patient, making sense instead of increasing fear, reaching out to touch the patient, and giving a sense of control—these were the exact elements that the Newsweek article identified as necessary for better health through a better relationship with the provider–in this case, not a person but Love itself.

Prayer is care. You may find that adding this element to your health choices will answer the question who cares? to your satisfaction.

The conclusion of this series was that some prestigious local hospitals are hugely profitable. They drive up the cost of health care in hidden, even alarming ways. (Reasonable rebuttals from the hospitals were also included. More on that.) The first article, Major Hospitals Pile Up the Cash, claimed that Duke University Health System and UNC Hospitals have earned record profits, with Duke’s increase a whopping 20.1 percent including investment income. Prices of drugs and procedures are reportedly from three to 10 times the actual cost. Inflated salaries for executives are common in these hospitals, with twenty-five executives of NC non-profit and public hospitals compensated by more than $1 million each in 2010 and 2011. (One earned over $4 million.)

But the hospitals have a say as well. Costs increase for the average patient because hospitals have to cover the difference when some patients don’t pay at all, they say, and when Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements from the government fall short of the true cost of the services. This cost shifting is one factor affecting one’s final bill, but another is the competition among hospitals to provide more sophisticated equipment and technology, all costly, a demand that is partly patient driven. Non-profit hospitals like Duke and UNC systems are not businesses, so they can’t return dividends to their investors, but instead must plow profits into new procedures, facilities and equipment to meet the coming onslaught of those needing care. Hospital representatives add that they are profitable because they operate efficiently.

There’s so much more. If you can’t wrap your head around it, let’s change the focus and offer some hope. In 1972 our third baby was about to be born, and the plan was a caesarean section because our previous child had been born that way. Just before the operation was to begin, however, our daughter made her appearance quickly and naturally. What had happened? I had spent this pregnancy in daily dedicated prayer, supported by the specific prayers of an experienced Christian Science practitioner. Together, we sought more calm, more expectancy of good, and more harmony from a higher source than mere human wisdom or expertise. The medical staff rejoiced with us over the outcome, having never witnessed a natural birth after an earlier caesarean. Ten years later, the New York Times published an article about the medical community’s acceptance of natural births as possible after caesareans.

The birth was wonderful for a healthy mother and baby. Without surgery or drugs, the hospital cost was far less. Most of all, the transformative nature of prayer could be felt in that operating room and after when nurses from across the hospital came to visit us, the “miracle” patients.

I don’t presume to judge others’ decisions in this kind of case, or any other. Reasons for surgery vary and are based on serving the needs of the patient. But prayer has a role to play in every health care decision, if one wants to rely on it.

Sanibel Shells by pmarkham

To say I felt blessed to be in Sanibel was an understatement. There was so much good pouring out to me on this vacation, would there be an opportunity to give back, to express my gratitude and “pay it forward” so to speak? There was indeed.

Sitting in a cozy restaurant/grocery having lunch, we became aware that a man at the counter a few feet away was having difficulty. A kind waitress was speaking softly to him, “Sir, are you all right? You seem to have fainted briefly—you weren’t all there for a moment.” He gazed blankly at her while another waitress discreetly dialed 911. A third waitress patted his shoulder and whispered, “I worked at a hospital for 10 years, and we’ll make sure you get proper help.” Miraculously, a fourth waitress appeared with a cool cloth, gently wiping his brow and neck.

A man in the booth in back of us said, “This is scary.” I nodded, but invited him to join us in a silent prayer of support for the man at the counter. He agreed and passed the prayer request along to his three companions. Soon it was time for us to pay our bill. We left quietly so as not to cause a stir, but after about 20 minutes we returned to pick up some juice. The man was not there, but an EMS professional was entering data into a laptop. I asked the waitress, one of the four “angels,” what had become of the man. Apparently, he was pronounced “just fine,” walked out of the restaurant and went home.

As a Christian Scientist, I’ve found prayer alone effective in meeting any health emergencies I’ve faced. But it is a privilege to be on prayer alert for opportunities to support my fellow man, no matter what their choices for health care happen to be. Praying with others—now there’s an opportunity to bless and be blessed. Even at the beach.

“Lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land;” Song of Solomon 2: 11,12

“Unity of spirit gives new pinions to joy…” Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (p.58)

I’ll be back soon with words about health, healing, spirituality and Christian Science. Meanwhile, make joyful noises of your own.

JOY #1: North Carolina’s Shirley Caesar

Kids, dignitaries and everyday folks came to gaze and gawk. They climbed into a modern submersible to study deep sea coral; they created and analyzed fingerprints with DNA as clues to a mystery; they were awed by the bones of a right whale and her unborn calf found floating off the NC coast in 2004. And they were refreshed by wonderful wraps and frappes at the Daily Planet outdoor café.

Is there a spiritual point here? Yes, because the wonder of this man-made creation, a mere building, reminds us of the wonder of creation itself. Surely only a benevolent Higher Power could have thought up this miracle we call Earth. To those of the Judeo-Christian heritage, mankind was given dominion over the earth from the very beginning of creation. (Genesis 1) Dominion means authority, jurisdiction, and responsibility for one’s home (Domus in Latin). Dominion, never domination, is a holy charge, and this charge includes all of God’s creatures.

My friend, a student of Christian Science, tells me he was a camp counselor when an unseen cricket’s chirping began to annoy everyone. One counselor said he wished the critter would come out into the open so he could “just kill’em!” With understanding humor, my friend then requested everyone first give him a few moments of prayer. He must have prayed to see how God saw His creation, how God created the cricket and loved him. As the founder of Christian Science puts it, “All God’s creatures, moving in the harmony of Science, are harmless, useful, indestructible.”* Shortly, the little creature appeared, and didn’t he just walk himself through the doorway and out to freedom!

In my family we’ve prayed successfully about dog bites, shrubbery diseases, poison ivy and hazardous weather. We haven’t faced the lions as Daniel did** without harm to himself; nor the viper’s bite as Paul did*** (same unharmed outcome), but what we’ve seen through prayer does indeed make us love and revere God’s Earth.

*(Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, p.514)
Daniel 6 (The Bible)
Acts of the Apostles 28 (The Bible)