Christmas day is coming and the year is almost over. Every December, the subject of the Bible Lesson about atomic force asks us to ponder whether the universe has progressed from mindless dust into a beautiful, complex, and varied expression of life, and if the power behind this is due to some inherent power of matter. The words that are in the subject of the lesson need definition. The word evolved means changed, developed, progressed. Force equals power. Universe seems easy, but this is going to be kind of long. Universe means all known creation, which is beyond what the human mind can imagine. Traveling at the speed of light, it would take over 12 billion years to cross the [visible] universe. There is an average of a billion stars in each galaxy. [Our own] Milky Way galaxy has 200 billion stars [that spin in a large spiral pattern]. One galaxy has 100 trillion stars in it. The number of stars in the observed universe is believed to be about one septillion, which is 1024, or 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 stars. (http://www.universetoday.com) Put another way that is one billion trillion stars. What an enormous number. According to some sources, that number is greater than the number of drops of water on earth. Back to definitions. The word man means humanity. The word including means containing or involving. This week, each section features one of the days of the creation story from Genesis.

Every day your identity and your understanding of your destiny unfolds. This is where Soul comes in. Your true identity is an expression of God, Soul. Uniqueness, understanding, wholeness, creativity spring from Soul. If you wonder, Who am I, what am I supposed to do? listen with your heart. On issues like this, head-thinking can get very confused with questions like this. Heart-thinking will guide you more truly. This Bible lesson is about our connection to God.
I have a list of qualities for the seven different names for God that was published by MyBibleLesson.com. In the morning I like to look at the list and see what quality of God jumps out. I try to embody that quality during the day. Some qualities of Soul are: poise, color, stillness, joy, hope, identity, spiritual sense, elasticity, good timing, rhythm, courage, morality, boldness, agility, humor. Friend, you have all the qualities of Soul within you. You have them already.

When we are in a prayerful space, where our thoughts are quiet, we can commune with God. You can do this by quieting your thought, by letting go of thoughts about what you need to do, what you should have done, what someone else has done or should have done. In that calm mental space, feel connected with God. Connect with the eternal divine moment. In that space, stress falls away and answers come to questions that have not been asked. A few weeks ago, in this prayerful space I heard, “God’s intelligence, God’s love, God’s health is flowing through you.” Before I begin a new activity, I pause and feel that connection with God. It doesn’t take long to do this. Try it and see.

Change is all around us. So we shouldnt resist it, we should embrace it. For example, vacation time is over. School has started back up. The heat of summer is yielding to fall. It wouldnt make any sense to resist these changes, would it? This week lets be willing to adopt change by letting go of our preconceptions. Lets let Christ, the divine influence in human consciousness, change us as much as needed. Examine how Mind is seeing the world, including you. Ask yourself, Am I seeing myself the way God is seeing me? Am I seeing the world the way God is seeing it? If not, pause and be willing to change your thinking to be like Gods.
This weekend there was a wonderful Bible conference at CedarS Camps. One of the things featured at the Bible Conference [as well as at the College Summit at CedarS the weekend before] was TMCYouth’s ecumenical project, Radical Acts. Because Radical Acts is so cool, I am going to quote what John Biggs met from July said about it. Based on exploring and really, really living some of Christ Jesus’ most radical teachings, this online gathering point offers a space to share stories of our living, our struggles and triumphs, as we dive in. It also offers original music which goes along with one or more Radical Acts, podcasts from folks living in outrageously loving ways, and book and movie reviews that illustrate just how broad the tent of Love is. Go ahead and give it a look – and share with your friends. You’re already living these, I bet – this is just an opportunity to really consciously dive a little deeper. The beautiful pictures and quotes now available from the TMCYouth’s new free app, GoVerse, are like individualized angel messages that you can carry in your pocket all day long.

The athletes at the Olympics taught us a lot of wonderful lessons the last two weeks. They have inspired us with great performances. Some of amazing performances were never recognized on the medal podium. Consider the inspirational story of Oscar Pastorius, a runner from South Africa. He competed in the Olympics even though he is a double-amputee below the knees. Amazingly, he made it to the semi-finals. He earned the admiration and respect of his competitors. He said he doesnt see a difference between ability and disability. Disabled people in general are tired of being looked down upon. A lot of people underestimate disabled people. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3yZxCMoIf4
That made me wonder, how are we seeing ourselves? What is our perception of ourselves? Do we focus on a limitation we have, ignoring our thousand abilities? When we look at others, are we seeing limitations, or are we full of wonder seeing (perceiving) all their abilities? What if you let go and really got that Mind, Creator, I AM, is unlimited and has unlimited abilities. What if you got that as Mary Baker Eddy said, you are a spiritual reflection of God? Well, if you perceived that, if personal ego took a holiday, then resistance would fade and then amazing peace and freedom would open up. Mind is unlimited, all-seeing, all-hearing, all-active, all-intelligent Spirit. Seen rightly, God is having an experience and its you!

Think of this weeks Bible lesson and of CedarS metaphysical article like a big, fresh breath [of Life at its best, or a thirst-quenching drink of the same.] Were going to get to know Life better and live more freely.

Spring is a wonderful time of renewal. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, its that time of year. For many of us, its time to dust off the running shoes, the tennis racket, or bicycle. Its also a season for spiritual renewal [–that Happy New Year time within us as Christians.] What is the essence of Easter [– and of our :Easter gladness that rejoices every day Hymn 171]? Unconditional love, forgiveness, strengthening our relationship with God, and understanding and honoring Jesus sacrifice. I asked myself how well I was honoring his sacrifice. Thats tough – I am still thinking about that one. What I want for you as you study the Bible lesson is a sense of Soul-full oneness.

Mans understanding of matter has been evolving. The idea that matter is built from little building blocks was first proposed by Greek philosophers about 480 BCE. So, what is matter? Here is the simple definition of matter from McGraw-Hill’s Access Science: Encyclopedia of Science and Technology Online: Matter may be defined as anything that occupies space, possesses mass, offers resistance and can be felt by one or more of our senses. It is a general term for the substance of which all physical objects consist. This Bible Lesson explores what is, what seems to be and what is not. Will you treat that which is not as substance?

Think of your favorite place to be and how that makes you feel. For me, its a series of challenging hiking trails through a forest in a nearby state park. I get wonderful spiritual insights running trails through those woods. Last week, as I aggressively ran up hills I was breathing hard. I realized that breath was inspiration and that I was one with it. Some of the trails run along bluffs that have majestic views of a river valley. I can picture that scene right now. Thinking about this sacred space, I feel a great sense of connection to God. Hopefully our time exploring the Bible lesson together will be a sacred space for you.