*EDITED Combined NEW Caches of Inspiring GEMs of Wholeness in Oneness…
Monday, October 9th, 2023
*EDITED Combined NEW Caches of Inspiring GEMs of Wholeness in Oneness with God & All
GEMs = God Expressed Meekly/Mightily in you to sparkle brightly with insights from Cobbey Crisler & others as inspired by God and
The Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lesson on
“Doctrine of Atonement”
for Sunday, October 15, 2023
(Cobbey’s insights are shared with the blessing of Janet Crisler janetcrisler7@gmail.com)
by Warren Huff, CedarS Executive Director Emeritus, warren@cedarscamps• 314-378-2574
*PLEASE DISREGARD THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THESE GEMs
about the 4th & 5th Tenets (citation S21/497:13-23)
This version includes the following link to a wonderful article from The Mary Baker Eddy Library on “The Evolution of the Tenets of Christian Science”: https://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/research/the-evolution-of-christian-science-tenets/
Also Click the embedded link below for newly-shared, eye-opening application ideas on the Top 10 laws of freedom!
“…BEHOLD WONDROUS THINGS OUT OF THY LAW” (Ps. 119:18)
Fun footnotes from Warren’s decades+ of “AHAs!” that came from portraying Moses and from offering meaningful ways to help internalize (and pledge to “make your own”) The Ten Commandments mindsets. Speedy healings are guaranteed by
“the great Physician” when with our whole hearts and minds, we “Take these Two (unmedicated) Tablets each day!”)
FEEL the PRESENCE of God when you APPLY LOVE’s FREEING LAW
to your PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE–- “to infinity & beyond!”
(as referred to in several citations in this week’s Lesson, such as:
- “For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.”
(citation B1/Prov. 4:1, 2) - “I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.”
(cit. B2/Ps. 40:8) - “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;” (cit. B4/Hebrews 10:16)
- “… he gave me a commandment, what I should say…And I know his commandment is life everlasting.” (cit. B11/John 12:49,50)
- “If ye continue in my commandments, ye shall abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” (cit. B12/John 15:10)
[Warren:] AS I PROMISED to recent CedarS Bible Workshop attendees who requested this be sent, you can CLICK here for how to set up and play a new 10 Commandments Frisbee Golf game that was introduced in CedarS Bible Lands Park between sessions of Madelon Maupin’s deep-dive Bible Workshop on the 10 Commandments. It shares an inspiring look at the law as seen with a “spiritual spin” by Jesus as to how to practice the grace of joyously living our love for God and our fellow man. That love lived in our hearts and minds “inspires, designates, and leads the way.” (SH 454:17)
FIND ONENESS with God “AS A HUMBLE RAY OF SUNLIGHT THAT IS ONE WITH THE SUN”
from citation B7/John 10:30 and citations S1/333:26-30 and S7/26:10-14 which quote Jesus (See also SH 315:3+361:16 as sung in “I and My Father” Music Video on YouTube
Below is a YouTube link to an inspiring song by a CedarS mom and award-winning Country Music artist, Cherie Brennan. It emphasizes the “I and my Father are one” mindset of Christ Jesus and mentioned in this week’s Bible Lesson citation B7/John 10:30 and cit. S7/26:10-14.
Enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZMNlpZavkA
You can learn more about Cherie and buy her CD “You are Loved” (“I and My Father” is the 4th song) on her website through Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/album/3Ii5CBrdNs6f8Y3t4l5XHl
Or, on Watchfire Music by CedarS friend, Peter Link, — LISTEN TO A SAMPLE of “I and my Father are one” SUNG by Mindy Jostyn and BUY IT and the SHEET MUSIC for SOLOISTS at: https://watchfiremusic.com/shop/recordings/songs/i-and-my-father-are-one-2/
[Warren:] A 2021 Bible Lesson made a connection between the 2nd Beatitude and JESUS HEALING OF THE DAUGHTER OF A GENTILE MOTHER WHO LIVED NOT FAR NORTH OF GAZA AND WAS DESPERATE TO KEEP FROM LOSING HER (citation B9/Matthew 15:21-28) The second Beatitude promise from Jesus reads:
“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)
It seems that the promise of this comforting law is needed now more than ever because of recent brutal attacks, counter attacks and human-shield-bartering in the Mideast. Here are helpful ideas.
[Christie Hanzlik, CS, in her CedarS Met for Sept. 5, 2021 wrote:]
“SECTION 6: Blessed are they that mourn
The sixth section opens with the beatitude, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4) To me, this idea behind “blessed are they that mourn” is similar to Mary Baker Eddy’s poem and hymn, “Mother’s Evening Prayer,” which reads:
“O make me glad for every scalding tear,
For hope deferred, ingratitude, disdain!
Wait, and love more for every hate, and fear
No ill, — since God is good, and loss is gain.”
(CS Hymnal 208)
The idea that “loss is gain,” can seem hard to understand. But, basically, as we lose a limited view of something or someone, we gain an expanded and widened view. And it sometimes seems like it takes a loss to force us to accept an expanded understanding. Likewise, we are blessed when we mourn because we find the comfort of Christ and our loss is gain as we discover a higher and more satisfying sense of eternal joy.
This, “Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” (cit. 19, Matthew 5:4) Beatitude is illustrated with the story of the Gentile woman who lived begging for help because her daughter was “grievously vexed with a devil.” At first, Christ Jesus said he wouldn’t help her because he said that he was sent to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” and perhaps he said this because he was testing her receptivity and faith. But the mother pleaded with him and said that she, like a dog, would be willing to accept any crumbs of comfort “which fall from their masters’ table” and whatever he could offer her in her moment of needful mourning. Christ Jesus heard her humble willingness to accept healing, and to gain by her faith a wider and more expanded understanding. And of course, the daughter was healed at that very moment. (cit. B15, Mark 7:24-30 also in Matthew 15:21-28)
Her loss of human will that she gained during mourning and her willingness to receive the Comforter, blessed her for all times. Christ Jesus heard her willingness to accept healing, and gain a wider and more expanded understanding.
Mary Baker Eddy’s words help explain how this woman’s willingness to receive even crumbs of comfort transformed her loss turned into gain. She writes, “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.” (cit. S17, 234:4)
You can find the illustration above with insights on Jesus’ testing, and seemingly rude, words about it not being right “to take the children’s bread, and cast it to the dogs” (non-Jews) at https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zkrf8xs/revision/9
Note that in this account of healing, Christ Jesus does not interact with the woman’s daughter. The woman’s humility and willingness to accept healing resulted in the daughter’s being healed. Mary Baker Eddy explains about healing children that, “If the case is that of a young child or an infant, it needs to be met mainly through the parent’s thought, silently or audibly on the aforesaid basis of Christian Science.” (cit. S25, 412:13-31)
ELEVATE ALL YOU DO! MAKE DIVINELY-DIRECTED ADAPTATIONS and
RECEIVE HUMANLY-IMPOSSIBLE BESTOWALS! SEE *APPLICATION EXAMPLE*
[Warren & Geith Plimmer, CS on Science & Health 12:31 (citation S15)
[Warren Huff:] “I’ll always remember something that Geith Plimmer, a Christian Science Lecturer living in Great Britain, said about part of citation S5; “Love is impartial and universal in its adaptations and bestowals.” (SH 13:2-3) Geith commented that “one will be ready to receive divine bestowals only when ready to make divinely-directed adaptations.” Humility and love are the keys to open up a willingness to let “Thy will be done” and to make right changes and appropriate adaptations to humanly-willful or outlined plans.
We are blessed as students of the Bible to know that no mistakes can really be made when we love God with all our hearts and put all we do in his hands. As Saint Paul declares, “And we know that ALL things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28, caps & emphasis added)
*APPLICATION “TESTING-TIME” EXAMPLE* as written on page 6 of excerpts from AW_Warren-Huff-Talk_4.22.pdf (ardenwood.org) and in the last 20 minutes of this YouTube video of Warren’s inspirational talk for Arden Wood’s 2022 Annual Meeting:] “There was a time in CedarS past when it looked like a big mistake was made by CedarS to be maintaining a property in west St. Louis County and operating an after school and day care unsustainable program there when camp was not operating. It was in an old, high-maintenance stone house built in 1818 on 8-acres that adjoined Queeny Park and was bought during a high inflation period where interest rates could not he secured for more than 6 months and they had jumped to 20%. We were spending unsustainable funds to own and maintain that property and the anticipated demand was high on some days and very low on most other days. To make a long and detailed story shorter, our Board prayed with several ideas and adaptations to make this program and property sustainable and fitting with Mary Baker Eddy’s guidance in the Church Manual “God’s Requirement. Sect. 5. God requires wisdom, economy, and brotherly love to characterize all the proceedings of the members of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist.” (Man. 77:18)
With the perspective of the wisdom that “sees that past through wisdom’s eyes” it was a “blessing in disguise” as Desiree Goyette wrote in her solo “Let it Go.” What enables us to have the “grace to go forward wherever he guide thee” and gladly obey the call of his word” (that was from Hymn which was CedarS 2021 theme as it was for TMC and Principia.) Another comfort that gave us the grace, strength and courage to sell the house was thinking of the conversation between Jacob and the angel he wrestled with. Jacob’s provision for letting the angel go became ours for letting the property go (that we had registered as an historic landmark) “And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. …
And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed.”
(Gen. 32:26, 28)…
…. So we put this treasured, historic property “on the altar” and asked what was right for us to do. We filed for the house to be listed as a historic landmark, and we sold the property, got out of our indebtedness, and were able to build Crown Lake and to install our waterslide! It was a landmark for CedarS—a real testing time for us. It was the right thing to let that property go and to let the new plans unfold that have blessed thousands of kids and families.”
JESUS’ MODELS PRAYING FOR GOD TO BE GLORIFIED HAVING FINISHED HIS ASSIGNED MISSION—AND THEN HE PRAYS THAT WE MAY BE ONE, AND THIS PRAYER OF JESUS IS ONGOING TODAY!
. Cobbey Crisler on John 17: 1, 2, 20, 21 (cit. B16), + BONUS verses 2-4:
In Chapter 17 of John’s gospel, Jesus is praying audibly. If we’ve ever wanted to be present when Jesus is praying, it would be during this very moving prayer indeed. It’s divided into three sections. To whom does the prayer, represented in the first five verses, refer? Himself. It’s a prayer for himself Jesus did take time out for himself. This is just before Gethsemane. So you know what’s in his thoughts.
John 17:1. It’s in this prayer he says, “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee.”
John 17:2, “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. “
John 17:3, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”
John 17:4. Imagine being able to say at the end of an earthly career, ”I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” It would be wonderful if we could say that in any given day. But this is an entire career.”
… “Then John 17:20 begins the third section of the prayer. For whom? For us. That is, if we believe. “Those which shall believe on me through the disciples ‘word.”
Can you possibly envision the kind of character required to spend the very evening of Gethsemane praying for us? Is there a shepherd.motive? Its ultimate is being exemplified there— “Those that believe on me through their word. ”
Has that prayer terminated? Has any communication between God and man, ascending or descending angels, terminated? Does that prayer still rest on the Son of Man, on you and me?
John 17:21. The prayer is, “that they all may be one.” Look around and see
what the major target is. To keep “all men from being one.” If one can keep man from being at-one, then you’re stuck with a divided God as well. It wrecks and ruins basic theology, that is, for the ones participating. No fragmentation, no separation. Jesus’ prayer, as one of the hymns says, “For all his brethren, Father, that we may be one.” That prayer extends way down to our age. If that were Jesus’ prayer, it better be ours, especially if we claim to be his followers. The prayer “that we all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me.” There’s the standard of measurement. With that, Jesus ends his audible prayer.”
“Book of John, A Walk with the Beloved Disciple,” by B. Cobbey Crisler
REACH OUT WITH BIBLE-PROPHESIES-PROVED, JUST AS PETER DID IN HIS 1ST PUBLIC LECTURE
—which gained 3,000 new church members! Cobbey Crisler on Acts 2:22-24+bonus /cit. B17
[Cobbey:] “Now, in Acts 2, verse 22, Peter begins his lecture in earnest, and his sermon includes a definite documentation that “Jesus is the Messiah of scripture” and not just the Messiah who is the king and political leader, but “the one who would be forced to meet every obstacle the world put in his path and overcome every one of them, certainly a way-shower to whom all humanity could relate.” (See below)
Acts 2:22 Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
Here he says in Acts 2, Verse 23 that “Jesus was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.” Now, that’s just another way of saying what? Where do you find the “determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God”? (See below) In the scriptures, specifically – prophecy.
Acts 2:23 “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:”
“After the Master, What?—The Book of Acts,” by B. Cobbey Crisler
“In Acts 2:22-41 Peter was basically taking his first lecture audience of Gentiles on the walk to Emmaus that Jesus had taken him and the other disciples on in Luke 24:44….
Acts 2:23 says “Jesus was delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.” How come Peter knows that? Did that come to him by himself? He didn’t even know it. Remember, he was the fellow that rebuked Jesus in Matthew 16:22 saying “it’s not going to happen to you.” Now suddenly he saying “look what the Scriptures say.”
In fact, in Acts 2, verse 25 and for 10 verses that you can take home and study yourself, they were quotations from the Scriptures.… Remember Jesus’ religion is a religion of results. I don’t care how perfect or beautiful a theory this walk-to-Emmaus thing may sound like, it’s worthless unless it produces results. Let’s see if it has any results.”
Acts 2:41 tells us the result of the first walk to Emmaus taken by anyone after Jesus is gone results in what? 3000 new members. That’s not a bad result of a lecture. We can ask why isn’t it happening today? Is it important for hearts to burn within us first? Because that’s what’s going on as a far as the apostles are concerned. 3,000 new members.”
“The Walk to Emmaus,” by B. Cobbey Crisler
PLEASE DISREGARD THE PREVIOUS VERSION OF THESE GEMs
about the 4th & 5th Tenets (cit. S21/497:13-23)
This version includes the following link to a wonderful article from The Mary Baker Eddy Library on “The Evolution of the Tenets of Christian Science”: https://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/research/the-evolution-of-christian-science-tenets/
TO BE AS STRESS-FREE AS A REFLECTION THAT FEELS NO PRESSURE TO ORIGINATE ANYTHING,
“USE” D.I.A.L. (“Christ, … the Divine Image And Likeness…” (SH 332:11-13)
IT WILL SET YOU FREE!
[Warren:] “From the first Science and Health citation (cit. S1) in this week’s lesson to its last citation S30, Mary Baker Eddy declares the Christ man and us to be “The divine image, idea, or Christ…” (cit. S1/333:9-10) and that “God… and man in God’s likeness are inseparable, harmonious, and eternal.” (cit. S30/336:25-26).
Other D.I.A.L. reference this week include:
- “Jesus taught but one God, one Spirit, who makes man in the image and likeness of Himself, — of Spirit, not matter.” (cit. S12/94:1-3)
- “Jesus beheld in Science the perfect man…In this perfect man the Saviour saw God’s own likeness, and this correct view of man healed the sick.” (cit. S13/476:28-4)
[Warren:] Fun application ideas for D.I.A.L. citations like those that follow from this week’s Bible Lesson first came to me many years ago. “USING” D.I.A.L. as an acrostic for Divine Image And Likeness (SH 332:11-13) shed new and freeing meaning for me on the old advertising message below. I put this graphic riddle on hundreds of ‘90s CedarS metaphysical theme t-shirts:
🍊 U 🙂 = (Orange) “AREN’T YOU GLAD
U uuu = YOU USE
D.I.A.L.? = D.I.A.L.?
(P.S. The tag line for this commercial was: “DON’T YOU WISH EVERYONE DID?”)
Connecting this D.I.A.L. acrostic and graphic riddle has helped me moment by moment to mindfully keep the 4th Commandment to “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy” (Exodus 20:8). Instead of breaking this commandment by forgetting that on the last day before the first Sabbath day, God declared that the dominion man and woman that he made “in our image, after our likeness” was “very good,” (Genesis 1:26, 27, 31) I strive to keep that idea very holy by sticking with “perfect God and perfect man, — as the basis of thought and demonstration.” (SH 259:11) This admission (acknowledgement, declaration) is very meaningful and more inspiring to me as a dominion man, thanks to these sentences:
- “The admission to one’s self that man is God’s own likeness sets man free to master the infinite idea.” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy, p. 90:24–25)
- “The Scriptures inform us that man is made in the image and likeness of God. Matter is not that likeness. The likeness of Spirit cannot be so unlike Spirit.” (SH 475:7-11, bold added)
[A bit more history on D.I.A.L. from Warren:]
- I have bought and given several hundred bars of Dial soap to Sunday School students, campers and counselors over many years. (See a Downloadable online picture of “a D.I.A.L. soap mindset for (a stress-free baptism)” When I gave a bar of Dial to Madelon Maupin after her recent CedarS Bible Conference on The Ten Commandments, she said she would try to show it to Dial soap executives in the Phoenix area and get me a wholesale distributor discount for my continuing marketing efforts. 🙂
- [Corde Hanzlik, C.S. a founding Met contributor of past decades and mother of Christie Hanzlik, C.S., a current regular Met contributor commented in a 2007 CedarS Met:]
- [Corde:] “In reference to CedarS D.I.A.L. t-shirt we’re not advocating the use of Dial soap, but the use our spiritual status – walking in the Spirit – in all we do! (See Science and Health citation S16/332:9 that was also in a March 2007 Bible Lesson, along with other D.I.A.L.-related citations from Galatians 5:25 and SH p. 94:1.)
- [Corde:] “Using D.I.A.L. as an acrostic for Divine Image And Likeness sheds new light on this old advertising message. It was adapted as a CedarS metaphysical theme message with a T-shirt version. Since this week’s lesson defines us as “the image and likeness of God,” we have divine authority to feel the stress-free worth of being the very image and likeness – the reflection – of God! We must be very worthy with God as our constant source who is always taking knowledge of us! Do we always remember this point? It is always the spiritual man – the “D.I.A.L.” — that we must know. We have dominion, as cornerstones, and are happy! We “shew forth all” and are God’s marvelous works – moment by moment – by reflection! Thank you, God!”
