The last blog I wrote was in May titled “EMBRACED BY LOVE.” I thought that would be a wonderful way to conclude my blogging.

Yet today it was kindly pointed out that there is a somewhat glaring error in the Wide Horizon Herald (summer 2022 issue) – one that I surprisingly missed as editor, as I believe it’s the first such strike in nearly 20 years of doing this work. My bad.

If it were a minor typo or word choice error such as there, their, or they’re, or if the next newsletter weren’t months away from publication, I’d not be writing this blog.

But, regrettably with humble apologies, on page 8 of this Wide Horizon Herald (see 10. Idiom), the correction is in regard to a very familiar passage – the “Scientific Statement of Being” – from page 468 in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy.

The correct statement reads as follows:

“There is no life, truth, intelligence, nor substance in matter. All is infinite Mind and its infinite manifestation, for God is All-in-all. Spirit is immortal Truth; matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal; matter is the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness. Therefore man is not material; he is spiritual.”

To conclude, considering the article “Inspiration from Chickens,” it appears one or more of those idioms or “everyday sayings that refer to feathered friends” aka chickens, seems to have pecked this editor’s ankle. It must have been a rascally rooster!

D. BRIAN BOETTIGER

Earlier this month on the National Day of Prayer (May 5), a favorite hymn from the Christian Science Hymnal came to thought. Since I was a boy who attended Christian Science Sunday Schools throughout the world, I’ve called hymn 267 “the synonym hymn” because it includes some of the synonyms of God as taught in Christian Science. This hymn begins “Our God is All-in-all, His children cannot fear…”

On that day of prayer (coincidentally Cinco de Mayo), I had felt inspired by the concluding remarks given at the 2022 conference of the Association of Organizations for Christian Science Nursing (www.AOCSN.org). I felt grateful for this gathering of so many fine thinkers and doers of God’s Word, so many who are selfless stewards of Christian Science nursing ministries. I thought of a number of areas in my life, including Wide Horizon where I’ve served for nearly 20 years, the church I’ve been a member of for more than 40 years, the world on which I’ve lived and traveled. There was much to pray about.

Scripture states, “God is love.” (See I John 4:8.) The clause “GOD IS LOVE” appears on an interior wall of every Christian Science church and/or Sunday School I’ve seen. Three words that can have much power and give solace to honest seekers of truth.  The words which can comfort. I also thought about God being divine Love, and God’s children not separated from God’s perfect love.  (See Romans 8: 38-39.)

I thought too of words attributed to Apostle Paul, “For in Him [God] we live and move and have our being” (which appeared in a recent weekly Christian Science Bible Lesson). (See Acts 17:28 NKJV.) Admittedly for some time it’s been a struggle for me to consistently feel these words of promise. Yet I believe this declarative statement to be true, particularly when I see myself and others as made spiritually in the image and likeness of God, as stated in Genesis 1. (See Genesis 1:26-27.)

So, on that day of collective and individual prayer, I quietly composed an affirmation or prayer titled “Embraced by Love” which follows:

We (all God’s children, daughters and sons, divine ideas, creation, male and female made in Spirit’s image and likeness) are embraced by God’s allness. We live in God’s embrace. We move in God’s embrace. We have our being in God’s embrace.

Yes, God is All-in-all. I cannot be mesmerized to believe that any erroneous suggestion, any false evidence appearing real has any power, any reality, any influence.

Yes, Spirit is All-in-all. As Spirit’s ideas, Spirit’s children, I cannot believe in any false evidence appearing real. I am embraced by Spirit. I freely live in Spirit’s embrace. I freely move in Spirit’s embrace. I freely have my holy being in Spirit.

Yes, Love is All-in-all. Fear has no power, no presence. I am embraced by Love. I live in Love’s embrace. I move in Love’s embrace. I have my being in Love’s embrace. Yes, Love is All. Love is the Liberator!

Yes, Truth is All-in-all. Error has no reality. I am embraced in Truth. I live freely in Truth. I move harmoniously in Truth. I have my true being in Truth. I am made free in Truth.

Yes, Life is All-in-all. Death is NOT real. I am embraced in Life. I live freely in Life. I move harmoniously in Life. I have my only being in Life. For I know Life is God and “Love alone is Life” every moment.

Yes, Principle is All-in-all. Chaos is not reality. I am fully embraced by Principle. I live securely in Principle. I move freely with Principle. I have my perfect being in Principle, divine Love.

Yes, Soul is All-in-all. Material sense is not real; Spiritual sense is and reveals only Soul’s expression. I am embraced by Soul. I live fully in Soul. I move freely in Soul. I have only ageless, beautiful, full being in Soul.

Yes, Mind is All-in-all. There is only one Mind. I am embraced in Mind. I live eternally in Mind. I move spiritually in Mind – the Source of all movement. I have my perfect being in Mind, Love. I hear only Mind’s voice – the still, small voice within – the Christ.

Yes, God is All-in-all. Let us hear God’s voice. Let us listen and obediently follow. Let us be free and thankful. Let us feel the embrace of Love so that we may embrace all others with love.

Thank you, dear heavenly Father-Mother God for Your infinite embrace of healing Love.

I hope you who have read this far are feeling more embraced by God, ever-present Love. I hope this affirmation of Love helps you feel comforted, cared for, healed. I hope you share more, serve more, live more, move more, even be more.

More recently I read an article in the Christian Science Sentinel titled “You can’t get outside of God” by Charles Ferris (July 2, 2007 issue). The author wrote in part: “The Apostle Paul told the people in Athens, ‘For in him [God] we live, and move, and have our being’ (Acts 17:28, KJV). We are never outside of God. We live because God is immortal Life, and this eternal Life always retains form. …Wherever our life-journey takes us, we are always travelling in God and seeing the spiritual, indestructible nature of His creation opening up before us. There’s great healing comfort in knowing that we ‘live, and move, and have our being’ in God – never outside His presence and power!”

This spoke to me at this point in my life-journey, particularly in my longtime service within the field of Christian Science nursing and practice. For I believe all of God’s beloved children are loved and can feel the embrace of Love! So many people or souls need to feel the comfort and care of the Love that heals.

I believe our individual and collective prayers will and do make a difference. For as the New Testament proclaims, “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16, NLT)

Furthermore, I believe all children on earth need the daily prayers of all adults who have faith – especially those who sincerely believe in and strive to follow the Master Christian, the Way-shower, Christ Jesus, who showed mankind how to love through active compassion and divine understanding.

May you feel the Christ within you, embraced by Love!

D. BRIAN BOETTIGER

I’m writing this on April 22, 2022. This ties into last month’s blog ‘Renewal,’ particularly as it relates to regeneration and restoration, as well as last year’s Earth Day blog. Then I shared how much caring for the earth by cleaning up – neighborhoods, beaches, parks, trails – means to me, at least in the communities I’ve lived and the places I’ve traveled. I also pointed out how Wide Horizon, a Christian Science nursing care organization, does its part in having adopted and implemented more sustainable practices, which partly reflects its caring mission for the past 75 years, especially as these practices have been updated more recently. In rereading last year’s blog, it remains one of my favorites. (Go to https://www.widehorizon.org/?s=earth+day)

This year’s theme is ‘Invest in Our Planet’ which calls for “businesses to shift towards sustainable practices. This movement is expected to change the business climate, the political climate, and how to take action regarding the climate” in general. This is definitely a very good investment which will garner great returns. (See www.ndtv.com)

Earth Day, which falls on April 22 every year and is a growing movement since 1970, is the most widely observed secular holiday around the globe. It’s not recognized as a federal holiday in the United States, but Americans across the country have observed it for 52 years. It is also a Student Conservation Association (SCA) day of service. (See www.usatoday.com)

And every year, April 22 is celebrated as International Mother Earth Day. The day is observed to create awareness about the rampant increase in pollution and other practices which directly or indirectly harm the environment and which result in the continuing destruction of our planet. Many countries throughout the planet have taken steps to help bring solutions to our Mother Earth.(See www.news18.com)

In my lifetime, I’ve moved many times, although Colorado has been home for a few decades. I’ve also moved figuratively having been a member of several political parties. In more recent years, I’ve become apolitical or independent because of the increase in discord and disfunction in the United States political arena. My values, influenced strongly by my faith rather than politics and news, are what drive my decisions in what I support. For I simply care about what’s best for our planet, including particularly the children, animals, nature and hopefully the majority of people on earth. (Obviously, all man-made wars and all houses continually divided against themselves cannot stand and do not improve conditions on earth.) It is sincere compassion, empathy, understanding, love and care lived and practiced which will bring about true change and improvement for all.

Today I read: “Now is the time for the unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, and our livelihoods. We need to act boldly, innovate broadly, and implement equitably. It’s going to take all of us. Businesses, governments, and citizens – everyone accounted for, and everyone accountable. A global partnership for the planet. The Great Global Cleanup is a worldwide campaign to remove billions of pieces of trash from neighborhoods, beaches, rivers, lakes, trails, and parks – reducing waste and plastic pollution, improving habitats, and preventing harm to wildlife.” (I absolutely love it, for I’ve been doing this cleanup campaign for decades as I shared last year.) (Go to www.earthday.org)

Did you know that “the fashion industry is responsible for over 8% of total greenhouse gas emissions on earth” and, “Sustainable Fashion refers to a clothing supply chain that is ecologically and socially responsible”? This is only one of many steps that must be taken because “we need to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century to keep the global temperature below 1.5 degrees C.” Although for years I’ve given a lot of clothes and shoes away to charities and families, I still have too many, so to do my small part, future purchases will be fewer. (See www.earthday.org)

In the past I have owned a lot of gas-powered cars, including two BMWs that I enthusiastically enjoyed as they were really a joy to drive. For Earth Day 2022, BMW announced “The Future Finds Us” as its initiative. Indeed, the present circumstances partly caused by gas and diesel emissions has found the earth in dire straits. On a brighter note, I see and count many more electric and hybrid vehicles while commuting than even two years ago. Thankfully, auto manufacturers have finally seen the light and are taking serious steps to offset their carbon footprints, and more consumers are doing the same.

I love reading and studying the Bible (which mentions the earth numerous times but does not refer to BMWs). I own different Bibles and have studied many English translations. In Genesis 1, one reads an account of creation that is entirely good. Verses 26 and 28 thereof refer to dominion and replenish, respectively. In a spiritual context, dominion refers to care of or stewardship of creation, including all creatures (as contrasted to only sovereignty or control). Therefore, compassionate care and selfless stewardship are key to caring for the earth and all upon it. In a like context, the meaning of the word replenish includes “to fill with inspiration; to nourish; to fill or build up again; to make good; to become full.” I hope to feel more replenished and inspired so that I may better help to nourish the earth and make our global environment better for future generations and creatures who populate our planet.

When one devotes many years to an organization called Wide Horizon, whose mission is to provide care for others, one’s perspective is only broadened. The ministry and even name lends itself to looking away from self to practice greater good. It is with this in mind which influences my hope for more focus on harmoniously correcting the issues, challenges and problems of the present, so the future will be a healthy environment that nurtures all children and blesses all individuals on earth.

So, remember our Mother Earth deserves our best efforts every day. Will you join in doing whatever you can to leave the earth better than you found it?

D. Brian Boettiger