(edited 4-6) GEMs of spiritual sense and resilience allow the infinitude of Life to live you!

GEMs of spiritual sense and resilience allow the infinitude of Life to live you!
from Cobbey Crisler, Ken Cooper & others from The Christian Science Bible Lesson on

“Life”
for July 19, 2020

Listen to "INFINITY" a Ken Cooper GEM amid stars at https://youtu.be/M8yVpDmsKZ4

GEM#1: For dominion, treat fear, not the flesh! Cobbey Crisler on Ps. 56:4 (Resp. Reading)

“Speaking of fear, look at Psalm 56, Verse 4, “I will not fear what?” “What flesh can do unto me.” So, flesh isn’t the problem. But guess what is? Fear. It’s fearing what flesh can do unto me. Flesh is not the patient, then. One of the most radical discoveries in Biblical therapy: we’ve been treating the wrong patient. That’s not the problem in Biblical thought. [It] wants to be absent from the flesh, not even weigh it in, factor it in to Biblical healing. The flesh has naught to say, but completely submits to what the mental state dictates. That’s dominion.”
“Leaves of the Tree: Prescriptions from Psalms,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**

GEM#2: Anchor your heredity & goodly heritage in God! Cobbey Crisler on Ps 16:5-11(B2)

Psalm 16:5, heredity is being dealt with in this pharmacy of the Psalms. "The LORD" is what? "The portion of mine inheritance!" Sometimes we're proud of our inheritances. At other times, we're ashamed of them. To anchor inheritance, heritage, and heredity in God, is, first, a radically different concept of origin, where we came from. Secondly, it only allows for the expression of the nature from which it is flowing, and that's divine. The only inheritances, then, can be divine, if that logic prevails.

In Verse 6 you will note that [deep] concern the psalmist [has] about hereditary limitations on his ability. Apparently, he comes to the conclusion through accepting the divine fact, the prescriptions he’s had filled, "Yea, I have a goodly heritage.” ··

Kidneys are the problem in Verse 7. There's a very polite Elizabethan word used in the Bible, "reins.” That has nothing to do with what holds horses back; in some cases it's used that way. But it's also the translation of the word that literally means "kidneys." Calvin's talking about the anatomy of the soul, remember of every part of the soul that he finds being mirrored in the psalms. But we also are finding specific references to portions of the anatomy that give out, that fail, that act up, and on which we are dependent if the body is dominant; but biblical therapy, if we elect that method, we've got to be absent from.

We find that Verse 7, if it weren't quite as tragic for the psalmist, it would be slightly amusing, in the fact that it reminds us of ourselves. "I will bless the LORD, who hath given me advice,” but if that’s all it took to get our attention, that would be one thing. But, he says kidneys also instruct me in the night seasons. [Audience laughter] I get cornered·.. I'm desperate. Now I'm back to God again, in a way. So very often these anatomical reminders are warnings.

But remembering also that there are two levels that every biblical concept is expressing itself, the outer one and the inner one. That kidneys also is meant to refer to the mind as the interior self, even Webster under "kidney" talks about temperament and disposition. Almost all of the anatomical words have mental equivalents. It’s as if back when our vocabulary was being formulated or translated from previous vocabularies of earlier tongues that we've had this psychosomatic link: We've had the physical and the mental attached even to portions of the anatomy.

Why has there been almost an unobserved record being kept by those who have investigated or seen or lived through some of these physical conditions, that also the mental state that accompanied them has been remembered. What is the (nearest dispensary) as far as Bible therapy is concerned?

Verse 8, "I have set the LORD always before me: because [he is] at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Verse 9, "My heart is glad,” and guess what else happened; what follows? "My flesh also shall dwell confidently.” How does “flesh dwell confidently"? That's a mental state, but it’s been subdued by a mental state. "My heart is glad.” What medicine do we want more than anything else? What leads us to a glad heart?

Then the flesh simply subsides as the significant bellwether as far as health is concerned.

What is the dosage of gladness in Verse 11? "In thy presence [is] fullness of joy." That's the dosage, ‘fullness." There’s no room left for anything else.

[Cobbey about a disease that attack breathing;] Someone asked me during intermission about a marauder of a disease called Tuberculosis [or CoVid-19?]. The fact that there was a great emotionalism in that because it's taking family members. In the spirit of our investigation of Scripture, going to it for the answers; perhaps this should apply to each and every one of us since we're the ones to search the Scriptures. The Bible will not dwell on the problems of tuberculosis [or covid], but it will dwell on the solutions. That's what you want as far as any one of the maxims of the Bible

The Holy Ghost, the Holy Spirit, the original meaning of both terms, ghost and spirit, being breath, you can tell it must mean that simply by studying all the references to the Holy Ghost. You'll find that people are filled with the Holy Ghost. The only thing like that we can relate to anatomically is [lungs) What are we being filled with? What does the pharmacy of the Bible indicate is the cure for improper breathing or lungs? If we can be filled, if we can take in, breathe in the atmosphere of God, we are getting pollutant-free air to just inhale. We must utilize that breath and send back out purity utilized. This is the sequence of breathing in its highest spiritual form when we run into it in the Bible. Perhaps, a good dose of searching the divine intent behind the term, the Holy Ghost, will translate that into our nature. The divine nature has no tubercular problems. The divine nature is the nature of solution to problems.”
“Leaves of the Tree: Prescriptions from Psalms” by B. Cobbey Crisler**

GEM#3: Face God to be changed into His likeness. Cobbey Crisler on II Cor. 3:18+ (B8)
[on open face vs. masked face:] “In Verse 13 it says that Moses had to “put a veil on his face,” because… they weren’t really ready to face the abolition of so much that we trust right now that doesn’t deserve our trust, so much that we depend upon, other than God.”

Instead of that veil, look what we must do in Verse 18, "We all, with," what? "Open face." Now here are the instructions; when in doubt, read the instructions. "We all, with open face," no veil, no mist. "Behold," how? "As in a glass." Immediately we're talking about what? Original and reflection. What are we supposed to look at? What's our model? "The glory of the Lord," and look what's going to happen.

Are we going to be changed into shame? No, the more we look at our Original, the more we will be "changed." It's passive again; we're not doing the changing. Our focus on God changes us. The more light we face, the more transparent we become for that light. We "are changed into the same image."

Does it happen overnight, all at once? No, "from glory to glory." Here we have the word glory expressing the very steps of our way, not from crisis to crisis, but from "glory," that's victory. There is an identity that is showing its supremacy over everything that the world has calculated to suppress it. It's "from glory to glory" that we go down the way, making visible spiritual progress, because it's happening from "the Spirit of the Lord."

This verse has caused the “Interpreter's Bible Dictionary” to say that glory to Paul is "a partly fulfilled reality, although it is also a future expectation into which we enter by degrees."

We know when we've progressed just as we know when we've been inspired. We have already found glory palpable to our spiritual senses right here. Here is the link the human has with the divine, the link that we can tug on in the midst of all kinds of bad news. This is why the gospel, or good news, elevates, uplifts our human experience because it is linked to facts that are quite applicable now, even though only partly fulfilled, perhaps some even tenuously based on what we think is hope rather than present fulfillment.”
“Glory: Divine Nature in The Bible,” by B. Cobbey Crisler**

GEM#4: If thrown down hard, don’t fall apart like an egg! Bounce back like a golf ball! Your resilience comes from a spiritual sense of your kingdom-of-God core! Jesus tells us clearly “the kingdom of God is within you!” (Luke 17:21) Mary Baker Eddy adds, “These clearer, higher views inspire the God-like man to reach the absolute centre and circumference of his being." (S&H 262: 15, citation S10).

A few decades ago when this citation was also in the Christian Science Bible Lesson, I decided to dissect a golf ball to explore its circumference and its center to see what made it thrive so resiliently in its “hard knock life.” I clamped one in a vise and hack-sawed it in half. I found it had an inner rubber ball wrapped tightly in a bunch of rubber-bands that snapped as they were cut. (My dissected golf ball is shown as the first Download in the upper right of this GEM online.)

Spiritual sense and resilience are especially valuable in changeable and tough times, because we and the team we’re on can ill afford to have us “go all to pieces” like a broken egg—or to have others have to handle us with kid gloves because if they don’t, we’ll fall apart or “fly off the handle.” Golf Ball versus Egg analogy relates to the testing & proving of one's spiritual resilience "to reach the absolute centre and circumference of his being." (S&H 262: 15, citation S10. Also, to spiritually perceive that “God is at once the centre and circumference of being.” (S&H 203:32-1, S24)

I have reasoned many times since then with myself and with Sunday School students, campers and counselors (all who got to handle the cut-up ball), that, like rubber bands, we, as spiritual ideas, are made to be stretched. And, I usually remind them (and myself), "whatever stretches you, blesses you."

These “clearer, higher views inspire the God-like man" (you!) to resiliently bounce back from all kinds of hard knocks and throw-downs. In fact, like a golf ball, you as a spiritual idea knowing God’s kingdom reigns over and within you and all, will bounce back higher the harder you are thrown down. (The best higher-bounce-back example is Jesus’ hardest throw-down of the crucifixion followed by his highest bounce back of the resurrection and ascension!)

On Easter I usually illustrate the contrast between the resilient characteristics of a bouncy, vinyl-shell golf ball with a fragile, raw egg and its easily broken shell (circumference) and its squishy yoke (centre). The harder an egg is thrown down, the more it splatters! On Easter (egg) Sunday, we always discuss how the Bible and Mary Baker Eddy tell us of our Genesis 1 spiritual origin instead of an egg origin or dust origin. I usually quip that "If you think that you started out as an egg, you're very likely to end up scrambled."

Then, to turn things into thoughts and to "strengthen our shells" so as to not crack easily, we often read together "Taking Offense" where Mary Baker Eddy counsels against having a fragile, easily-ruffled or touchy disposition. (Miscellaneous Writings, page 223:24.)
To live love resiliently, Paul tells us, "Love is not easily provoked"… or splattered (I Corinthians 13). When you are easily provoked, one might say, "the yoke's on you."

GEM#5: Claim Spiritual Sense and Resilience as perfect Life-gifts for all!
I plan to make an audio recording of this GEM of a Dem(onstration) for CedarS history.
Click to requeat that a link be sent to you.
When we give a spiritual sense YES! to all good and a resilient NO! to all bad, we can expect to “love into view” perfect solutions to every problem that comes up. And God’s answers will come about in ways that God alone could give, so that we can humbly give all credit and all glory to God! This humble mindset to happily expect the best is something I learned to cherish–not only from the words and works of Moses, Jesus and many Bible characters and Mary Baker Eddy, but also from many experiences at CedarS and from everyday examples and coaching from my mom.

1. Whenever a problem came up, instead of getting flustered, angry or worried, my mom, Ruth E. Huff, the Founder of CedarS Camps, would confidently say with a smiling twinkle in her eyes: “It will be such fun to see how God will work this one out!” This was her way to show that she was already giving God “gratitude in advance” for perfectly solving every issue. To remind herself and us of this, Mom kept a 7-word, Bible-based poster on her wall:
PRAY.
LISTEN.
ACT.
RELAX.
— GOD’S GOT THIS.

A classic example of how Ruth demonstrated her spiritual sense of this occurred on the day before CedarS first Opening Day in 1962. Because there were no phone lines to CedarS yet, and certainly no internet, it was by telegram that my mom got this bad news delivered – in all caps: “SO SORRY, RUTH. (stop)
EMERGENCY HERE. (stop)
CANNOT BE YOUR COOK THIS SUMMER. (stop)”

When Ruth opened and read this bombshell aloud to our first, small (but “finest of the wheat”) staff of counselors and workers, Ruth didn’t “miss a beat.” (Ps. 147:14) Like a great leader, she didn’t “freak out” or show a bit of worry. She simply smiled and expectantly said: “It sure will be fun to see how God will work this one out!”

Mom always exuded such an unburdened confidence and optimistic air about everything— but especially about this special place that we call CedarS. Ruth always humbly said “CedarS is God’s idea and camp!” She fully expected to see CedarS rightly supplied with top-notch staff and all that was needed to achieve its holy mission. Ruth defined CedarS mission as “to give each camper an appreciation of (and the resilience of) spiritual sense and an abundance of wholesome, joyous activity.”

With this sudden need, the only thing that Ruth was sure of was "God's disposal of events" ,and that "all things work together for good to them that love God," (My. 281:6, Romans 8:28) As Ruth confidently Prayed and receptively Listened (the 1st two of the 7 words on her poster)—she was led to take the last steps—to Act and Relax knowing God’s got this! She drove into Lebanon to shop for fresh food so as to become the cook herself if need be. Then, on her way back, she felt impelled to stop and introduce herself to a neighbor who just “happened” to be in her yard putting her wet sheets on the clothesline to dry.

[The following story is how the CedarS tradition started of honoring our neighbors by the way we drive:] In our part of the country, our neighbors on gravel roads tend to judge our Christianity by how much dust we stir up and leave on them or on their clotheslines when we drive by. So, it’s been a CedarS tradition to act up to what God requires of us according to Micah— “to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God” (Micah 6:8). CedarS modernized version of it is “to drive humbly and show mercy” on whoever we pass by— not leaving them literally in our dust or in a “dust-man” view of us. (as in the Adam-man myth of Genesis 2)

So, Mom drove slowly up to the farmhouse (about midway on the gravel roads) where Irene Wedge was in her yard hanging out her sheets for “fresh-air, solar drying.” Ruth stopped to introduce herself. She told Irene that we were starting a small summer camp on the original 200 acres that our family had just bought from her dad, “Buck Buchanan” who Irene knew. Mom then said that in the morning our first twelve camp families would be driving past her house to drop off our first-ever campers.

Mom went on to small talk about the beautiful weather. She ask Irene about her family and whether she worked at home or had a job in town. Irene said: “Yesterday was the last day of this year's work as a cook for the Lebanon Public Schools. So, I’m looking for a job!” Irene Wedge was a perfect answer for our emergency — or “emerge and see” — need for a wonderful cook.

When you exercise the resilience of spiritual sense and confidently PRAY. LISTEN. ACT, AND RELAX—all the time knowing that God’s Got This! — similar and even more fun answers to prayer await you! You too will see, step-by-confident-step, how God will guide you to a perfect solution for every problem that presents itself. While none of us are likely to get bad news by telegram these days, we all are likely to get a daily flood of bad news from many sources, near and far. But, REMEMBER! “The only effect that the flood had on the Ark was to elevate it!”

Just as God told Noah timely, inspired actions to take to save his family as well as many endangered species and the ecosystem, God needs and will use you. You and your spiritual sense and your undisturbed resilience will make you a significant difference-maker wherever you are.

2) I love Moses’ example of nothing-is-impossible prayer that historian Flavius Josephus recorded when Moses’ and all the escaping Hebrew slaves and their unarmed families were trapped by the pursuing Egyptian chariots at the Red Sea. Exodus 14 (in last week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson) tells of this Red Sea emergency— and of God’s “Emerge-and-See” solution after “Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not [emerge from “the dark, ebbing and flowing tides of human fear”], stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will show you today.” (566:3 and Exodus 14:13)

Here's “the rest of the story” as recorded by Josephus along with Moses’ remarkable “Red Sea Plea” to God. May it help invigorates your imagination and hope (as it does mine) whenever “your endeavors are beset by fearful odds…” (Science & Health, 22:16)

HOW THE SEA WAS DIVIDED ASUNDER FOR THE HEBREWS, WHEN THEY WERE PURSUED BY THE EGYPTIANS, AND SO GAVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY OF ESCAPING FROM THEM.

WHEN Moses had said this [“Fear ye not, stand still and see…”], he led them to the sea, while the Egyptians looked on; for they were within sight. Now these were so distressed by the toil of their pursuit, that they thought proper to put off fighting till the next day. But when Moses was come to the sea-shore, he took his rod, and made supplication to God, and called upon him to be their helper and assistant; and said "You are thou art not ignorant, O Lord, that it is beyond human strength and human contrivance to avoid the difficulties we are now under; but it must be your thy work altogether to procure deliverance to this army, which has left Egypt at your thy appointment. We despair of any other assistance or contrivance, and have recourse only to that hope we have in you thee; and if there be any method that can promise us an escape by your thy providence, we look up to you thee for it. And let it come quickly, and manifest your thy power to us; and do thou raise up this people unto good courage and hope of deliverance, who are deeply sunk into a disconsolate state of mind. We are in a helpless place, but still it is a place that you thou possessest; still the sea is yours thine, the mountains also that enclose us are yours thine; so that these mountains will open themselves if you thou commandest them, and the sea also, if you thou commandest it, will become dry land. Nay, we might escape by a flight through the air, if you thou shouldst determine we should have that way of salvation."

https://www.biblestudytools.com/history/flavius-josephus/antiquities-jews/book-2/chapter-16.html [Click or paste URL above to see more in the rest of CHAPTER 16]

I plan to make an audio recording of this GEM of a Dem(onstration). Click to requeat a link.

GEM#6: Jesus taught the spiritual sense message of “with God all things are possible!” (citation B17, Mark 10:27) He demonstrated as no one else has that “spiritual perception brings out the possibilities of being…” (S24, 203:13) The amazing possibilities that he spiritually perceived as possible he did. And, they hold great promise for today's students of his scientific methods, since Mary Baker Eddy says “Impossibilities never occur.” (S&H 245:27)

Can you imagine how wonderful it would be if we could heal a sense of systemic shortages and hoarding like Jesus did by multiplying a few loaves and fishes to feed thousands. (Mark 8:19-20) Think what an environmental impact we could make if, without using a drop of fossil fuel, we could teleport ourselves and others at the speed of thought like Jesus did with a wooden boatload of disciples across the Sea of Galilee. (John 6:21). Imagine how secure you would feel, even in the middle of an angry mob that wanted to kill you, if you like Jesus, could walk right through them unharmed. (Luke 4:28-30)— or even walk through walls and instantly appear and disappear. (John 20:19-26, Luke 24:13-31)

Imagine having enough spiritual sense to pray at a great distance from someone who was dying and revive them. (Luke 7:2-10; John 4:46-54) Picture the possibilities of manifesting right supply whenever and wherever it was needed as Jesus did when he paid his own taxes (and Peter's) with money he prophesied to be in the mouth of the fish caught by Peter's first cast. (Matthew 17:24-27) [Note that was to be compliant with a "suffer-it-to-be-so-now" government regulation.]

Couldn’t we and our governments and businesses use “beings under the control of supreme wisdom” who could predict future events like Jesus could. (SH 91:3, Mark 11:13-21, Mark 14:13-16, Matthew 21:2, John 4:1-42)— and who could read the minds of those around them (Matthew 12:25, Luke 6:8)— who could cast out demonic spirits (Luke 8:26-34)— and who could even control the weather and still a storm? (Luke 8:22-25)

As we stretch our spiritual sense with infinite possibilities by "bringing all things (done and said by Jesus) to our remembrance to teach us all truth," we can share the Comforter, or "the Spirit of truth," with a receptive world to help solve the global economic, social and health issues of today. (John 15:26; John 16:7-14; John 21:26; John 14:12) Without using drugs of any kind, Christ Jesus quickly healed those who from birth were blind, deaf, dumb and lame, as well as the leprous, deformed, epileptic, chronically hemorrhaging and sick of every kind of disease. Several times Jesus raised the dead (Luke 7:11-15, Luke 8:52-55) and, at Lazarus' tomb, he purposefully conveyed to disciples in every age His gratitude-in-advance technique. (John 11:1-44) Jesus even fulfilled ancient prophecies by letting himself be crucified so he could resurrect and demonstrate for us that Life is eternal.

Christian Science Sunday Schools with branches throughout the world (as well as the six Christian Science camps) are among are among the best places to "bring all things (done and said by Jesus) to our remembrance to teach us all truth." Therefore, let’s learn all we can there as well as from the weekly Christian Science Quarterly Bible Lessons at our disposal. Let’s take full advantage of the “pearl of great price” that we've been given! (Matthew 13:45,SH 646:11, 694:22)

GEM#7: Grow Priceless “*Pearls*” from Grit! — Turn Trash into Beautiful Treasures of Truth and Love!
CedarS 2020 Theme from citation S18 in Science & Health, by Mary Baker Eddy, 265:3:
"Man understands spiritual existence in proportion as his treasures of Truth and Love are enlarged. Mortals must gravitate Godward, their affections and aims grow spiritual, – they must near the broader interpretations of being, and gain some proper sense of the infinite, – in order that sin and mortality may be put off. This scientific sense of being, forsaking matter for Spirit, by no means suggest man's absorption into Deity and the loss of his identity, but confers upon man enlarged individuality, a wider sphere of thought and action, a more expansive love, a higher and more permanent peace."

We invite you to join us in "gravitat[ing] Godward." Camp is the perfect place to discover and enlarge your treasures of Truth. Every "met" (inspirational sharing before activities), every breakfast Christian Science practitioner talk, every Bible Lesson study, every Hymn Sing, every Sunday School class, and testimony meeting offer campers nuggets of Truth to make their own. And each activity offers opportunities to apply these Truths and prove their value – to really turn them into treasures for life!

The list in this passage is such a beautiful promise of the blessings realized through spiritual growth:

-Enlarged individuality

-A wider sphere of thought and action

-A more expansive love

-A higher and more permanent peace

We see this list as so contemporary, as so on-target, and as so timeless. This is as exactly what today's youth needs – and exactly what today's world needs.

*Pearls and the way they grow are wonderful examples of the “treasures of Truth.” A pearl grows in an oyster only because an irritant has entered its shell first. Only then, does the oyster responds by secreting on it layer after layer of an irritant–soother (the way that spiritual sense and love heal whatever irritates us and others). Let’s take that as a challenge to be like the oyster and turn everything that looks negative and ugly into a string of beautiful pearls by applying layer upon layer of love and spiritual sense to grow our treasures of Truth and Love!

Enlarging our treasures of Truth and Love will soon cancel our debts and make us “debt-free.” St. Paul simply describes Love’s ultimate “debt-forgiveness program” that freed him—as it will free each of us. It is to: “Owe no man anything, but to love one another” (Romans 13:8). Saul wrote this as one who “owed” Christ and all Christians BIG-time by being known as their most enthusiastic enemy and persecutor. He made up for it by becoming Christianity’s most missionary advocate and most eloquent friend after he was converted by a “virtual” meeting with Jesus. (So, don’t underestimate the power of "virtual camp" sessions, hymn sings or church services when the Christ is welcomed in!)

If you gwt to visit Saul’s road to Damascus in CedarS Bible Lands Park, you will be reminded to be like Ananias of the Damascus Christians. Like Ananias, you will be asked to stop “owing” any former persecutors and to stop “bearing false witness against” any of the "Saul characters" in your life. You'll be invited instead to see them as if they’ve been on their “road to Damascus” and been changed for good by the Christ.

As Christ Jesus' forgiveness demand was put by a young Sunday School student “Forgive us our “trash-passes” as we forgive those who “trash-pass” to us.” Had Ananias held Saul in the position that he’d outgrown after his “virtual encounter” with Jesus – had he NOT obeyed God’s command to forgive Saul’s trash-passing and to restore his sight, the born-again Paul would not have become the most productive, TREASURE-passer of Christianity that the world has known. “Those unpretentious, yet colossal characters, Paul and Jesus” both did all they could to pass along the rich treasures of their resilient spiritual sense of being at one with God. May we each do the same with all the treasures of Truth that spiritual sense constantly gives us!

GEM#8: Listen to Ken Cooper’s GEM “Infinity” to let Life’s infinitude be shown as yours!
Ken Cooper writes of this:
“The infinity of God is the completeness of man. The everywhere of God, Spirit, is by reflection, the activity of man, who has to express God in all he does. The Word is Life, independent of time and matter, constantly voicing all that God is. Man hears what God voices and is naturally obedient to all that God knows. In this obedience to an infinite God, there is no greater freedom. The seeing eye and listening ear understand the Allness of God. We can be no less than what infinite God is, for we represent the abundance that is our infinite source. God does not give Life, He is Life, our life.

The Word knows all, and that is all we can know, all we need. There is nothing else. Perfection is always complete and Life is always perfect! Look up and see!

Listen to the uplifting, expansive poem, "INFINITY," at https://youtu.be/M8yVpDmsKZ4

Pdf versions of the poem are attached to CedarS online Met as upper right Downloads.