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[Experience no fear in the “power & love … of a sound” Mind! 2 Tim. 1:7]
Metaphysical Application Ideas from the Cedars Camps:
from the Christian Science Bible Lesson on “Mind” for February 19, 2012
by Dan Carnesciali, CS of St. Louis, MO(314.374.5616/dancarne@gmail.com)
 
 [These application ideas from a past CedarS Camps' Resident Christian Science Practitioner are provided primarily to help CedarS campers and staff (as well as friends) see and demonstrate the great value of study and application of the Christian Science Bible lessons daily throughout the year, not just at camp! You can sign up to have them emailed to you free — by Monday each week in English; or by each Wednesday you can get a FREE TRANSLATION: in French, thanks to Pascal & Marie-Helene; in German, thanks to Helga and Manfred; or in Spanish, thanks to a team of Ana, Erick, Claudia and Patricio. YOU CAN ALSO SIGN UP for weekly emails from past CedarS staff of fun approaches & possible ways to teach lesson ideas to older and to younger Sunday School classes at www.cedarscamps.org/newsletters  Enjoy! Warren Huff, CedarS Director & editor of these notes.]
 
Think of your favorite place to be and how that makes you feel. For me, it's 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.
 
Golden Text: [“God is my strength and power:” (II Samuel 22:33)]
Strength. Power. You need them for sports. You also need them for academics and music. Sometimes it feels like you need them just to get through a tough day. When you feel out of strength, can you get more? Can you imagine running out of the number 14? Spiritual power is like that – it cannot run out. How could it? This Bible lesson is a reminder – do not put a limit on the power and resources of divine Mind.
 
Responsive Reading:
When the Bible uses the phrase the “arm of the Lord” or the “strong hand of the Lord”, do you know what is meant by that? Arm and hand of the Lord stand for divine strength and stability.  Usually, it is a reassurance that no matter how big the challenge, all is not lost; the arm of the Lord will save you. Listen to how The Message puts this first passage. “Look at him! God, the Master, comes in power, ready to go into action.” The next passage deals with whether we have sufficient wisdom and experience to advise God on what is best. Imagine meeting an Olympic athlete. Would you give her advice on how to improve in her sport? That is what prophet Isaiah is saying. Why do we keep telling God how things should work out? Shouldn't we humbly say, “God, I can't wait to see how You work this out.”
Section 1 – Oneness
“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone.” (NLT) This is one of the most sacred texts in Judaism. This ancient text rightly declares the oneness, the singleness of God, to the exclusion of all other gods, masters, powers. Jesus voiced, you cannot serve two masters.  It is not possible. You can only serve one master. Inspired by Jesus, American songwriter Bob Dylan wrote the following lyrics in 1979. “You might be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks. But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed … it may be the devil or it may be the Lord, but you're gonna have to serve somebody.” Mary Baker Eddy, wrote that Mind, another name for God, is “the only I, or Us.” (S1)  That is an amazing discovery. How are things like this discovered? Often it is through asking questions. Let's be careful that we don't want the answer to fit into our current belief system. Let's be open, really open to what the answer(s) could be. Sometimes when I ask God a question I get an immediate answer. And sometimes I hear a thought from God and I think, hey, that's the answer to my question two years ago. Keep asking questions. Is matter what controls the universe? Does your body control your thought? What is your essence? If you didn't have a material body, would you still exist?  Do you have a soul? Is God and man a unit of two? Or is it a unit of one?
 
Section 2 – Cave Dwellers
Even a great prophet can feel isolated. At one point, Elijah was the only prophet willing to step forward for God and Truth and stand up to Queen Jezebel and the followers of Baal. Many prophets of Israel had been murdered by Queen Jezebel. The remaining prophets had been reduced to state of inactivity by fear. They were hiding in caves. Yes, they were in the dark. Let's say that right now, you had the opportunity to share Christian Science. Search your own thoughts. How do you feel about sharing your faith? Do you look forward to sharing your love for Jesus, the Bible, and the Science of Christ? Or do you want the opportunity to please pass you by? Elijah was a courageous soul. He stood alone against the prophets of Baal. What if he hadn't taken a stand? What if he had hid in the cave with the other prophets? Let's talk about fear by using an analogy. Let's say that God is the sun and some people are sick. The sick want the light of Truth to bring healing. But, they are mad at God. How could God leave them in the dark to suffer, they ask. In the cave, sickness and loneliness make sense. The deeper the people move into the cave the more convincing the darkness becomes. What is the solution? Is it to keep heading deeper into the cave? Or is it to start walking out of the cave, even if no light is visible?   (This is the model of repentance (turning thought around) that Jesus spoke to us about.) The person in pain asks, why isn't God doing anything about my pain, my darkness. But God [has done and] is doing something. God is being absolute Truth, infinite intelligence, and love. The light from God is giving amazing warmth, yet cave dwellers don't feel warmth and think God doesn't want to help them. Or maybe they think it is hopeless, that they are beyond help. But, the solution is to walk towards the mouth of the cave, to keep walking and exit the cave. The cave dweller walks into the light and the confusion of the human mind is erased.  At that moment, healing is realized.  
 
Section 3 – Awareness of Mind Brings Healing
‘God said this once and for all; how many times have I heard it repeated? “Strength comes straight from God.”' (The Message) Well, we apparently need to hear the truth over and over. But, when God speaks, once is enough. When God spoke in Genesis 1, the Earth was launched – everything was created and brought to light. “God said, let there be light and there was light.” (Gen. 1:3) “For when he spoke, the world began!  It appeared at his command.” (Ps 33:9, NLT)  When God speaks, it is “done”. (B8) In Acts (B9), we are reminded that Jesus Christ was anointed with the Holy Ghost, meaning God equipped him to resist evil, to know the truth, to preach the Gospel and to heal. He was anointed so he could carry out his ministry.  One time in the temple, Jesus spoke of his ministry by quoting the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor,” (NIV) What purpose have you been anointed for?  The Bible lists many different gifts.  People have identified about 30 different gifts in the Bible. There is hospitality, music, wisdom, leadership, teaching, healing, prophecy, etc. You may be anointed to pray (Rom 8:39) or to testify the truth (1 John 5:6), to understand the essence of real being (Eph 3:16) or to cultivate and share the fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-33). (B9) A paralyzed man was brought to Jesus for healing. Jesus healed the man, but there was a lot of opposition to clear away. It was as if some of the bystanders considered it natural that God would make this man paralyzed instead of saying it was natural to have and enjoy freedom from God. If we are the reflections of God then there isn't a period when we are going to have more health and peace.  (I am making this statement on the basis that our real nature is spiritual, good and loving.) The eternal Now is God's only sense of time. To God there is no mortal sense of pain or sickness to destroy. How do we get to that realization? Each of us is on an individual path of spiritual growth. Along this path, there are others to help you, and magazine articles to help you. I found this quote in a segment called “FAQ-On the Healing Practice by Gisela Manger” in the December 2009 Christian Science Journal. In response to a question about how to regard the state of someone's thought who asks for healing she said:  “Instead of making a reality of the error, I link the patient through Christian Science treatment to his or her innate goodness, innocence, and wholeness as an expression of God's being-to their Christliness. And I deny the error as being any part of their identity or history.” This standpoint sees right thinking, which brings healing, as entirely natural. God's nature is loving and good. As God's spiritual reflection that is your nature. Love and healing are your native soil, you might say.
 
Section 4 – Apostles
“Then Jesus made a circuit of all the towns and villages.  He taught in their meeting places, reported kingdom news, and healed their diseased bodies, healed their bruised and hurt lives.  When he looked out over the crowds, his heart broke.  So confused and aimless they were, like sheep with no shepherd. ‘What a huge harvest!' he said to his disciples.  ‘How few workers!  On your knees and pray for harvest hands!'” (B11, The Message) Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them understanding and courage to heal all kinds of sicknesses. If you keep reading, Jesus warns them of coming opposition, but tells them not to be afraid and go boldly forward. (B12) Paul healed a man instantaneously through prayer by raising him up to a level of thought called Christ consciousness. “There was a man in Lystra who couldn't walk. He sat there, crippled since the day of his birth. He heard Paul talking, and Paul, looking him in the eye, saw that he was ripe for God's work, ready to believe. So he said, loud enough for everyone to hear, “Up on your feet!” The man was up in a flash-jumped up and walked around as if he'd been walking all his life.” (B15, NIV)  The word apostle comes from the Greek word apostolos, which means “messenger” or “someone sent by God”.  Disciple is a translation of the Greek word mathetes, which means learner or student. (MyBibleLesson)
Section 5- Law and Love not Contradictory
Paul gives a speech and reminds his listeners of what Jesus had to say about the law in Matthew 22. Jesus was asked what was the greatest commandment in the Law (the Torah). Jesus quoted a passage from Deuteronomy 6:4, 5, that was in the 1st Section (B1). This passage would be quite familiar to all Jews.  “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” And then he added something beautiful, something that didn't take away anything from the Law at all. He said that, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” That puts the law in a new light. It isn't enough to love God. Loving God can be purely theoretical. It is much harder to truly love your neighbor. Then Jesus added more. He said to love your neighbor as yourself. There's a sense of completeness to that. God, God's family, and you. “With one Father, even God, the whole family of man would be brethren; and with one Mind and that God, or good, the brotherhood of man would consist of Love and Truth, and have unity of Principle and spiritual power which constitute divine Science.” (SH 469:30, S21) “When we realize that there is one Mind, the divine law of loving our neighbor as ourselves is unfolded, whereas a belief in many ruling minds hinders man's normal drift towards the one Mind, one God, and leads human thought into opposite channels where selfishness reigns.” (SH 205:22, S22) It can be tempting to leave some out of the divine family, but the effect is that it actually excludes you, not them. Although challenging, bless those who you feel most offended by.
Section 6 – Joy
“The LORD gives his people strength.  The LORD blesses them with peace.” (NLT, B20) “I pray that God, who gives hope, will bless you with complete happiness and peace because of your faith. And may the power of the Holy Spirit fill you with hope … God, who gives peace, will be with all of you. Amen.” (NLT, B23) ‘One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfills the Scripture, “Love they neighbor as thyself;”' (SH 340:23, S28)   “No power can withstand divine Love.” (SH 224:31, S25)  Evil is not a person, a place, a thing, a situation or experience.  It's a presentation of the confused human mind.  Let the light of divine Mind fill your consciousness. That spiritual light reveals what is true. It says, “Nothing can stop Love (Me, Mind) from bringing healing. Nothing.”

[P.S. Not even false fears can stop healing!  Click “No Tigers!” to hear and see a cute, illustrated “Daily Lift” by Maryl Walters, CSB, about overcoming fear.]
 
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[Help CedarS share the applicable principles of Christianity: Our Fall-season outreach led us to give tours of our new Bible Lands Park to show Bible-loving churches and youth groups of other denominations as well as our own how Christian Scientists love and “take the inspired Word of the Bible as our sufficient guide to eternal Life.” (S&H497:3)  As shown in video clips we are currently working in our Bible Lands Park to expand our ability to share applicable New Testament insights by building a trail with activity, learning stations that follow Paul's teachings and trips from Antioch to Ephesus, Corinth, Athens, Rome … We welcome gifts to help us make these inspiring “Home Improvements” as weather allows.]
 
[Lastly please help us by telling “un-camped” children and families about CedarS being a wise and happy place for them to glimpse and demonstrate more of their spiritual natures!  We'll gladly send anyone a DVD and info on CedarS financial aid formsprograms for all ages; 2012 session dates & rates; 2012 online enrollmenttransportation… to help get them or anyone in your extended church family to camp!]
 
 [Camp Director's Note: This sharing is the latest in an ongoing, 11-year series of CedarS Bible Lesson “Mets” (Metaphysical application ideas) contributed weekly by a rotation of CedarS Resident Practitioners and occasionally by other metaphysicians.  (Ask and look for “Possible Sunday School Topics “and “Possible Younger Class Lessons” in subsequent emails.) These weekly offerings are intended to encourage further study and application of ideas in the lesson and to invigorate Sunday School participation by students and by the budding teachers on our staff. Originally sent JUST to my Sunday School students and to campers, staff and CedarS families who wanted to continue at home and in their home Sunday Schools the same type of focused Lesson study, application and inspiration they had felt at camp, CedarS lesson “mets “and Sunday School ideas are in no way meant to be definitive or conclusive or in any way a substitute for daily study of the lesson. The thoughts presented are the inspiration of the moment and are offered to give a bit more dimension and background as well as new angles (and angels) on the daily applicability of some of the ideas and passages being studied. The weekly Bible Lessons are copyrighted by the Christian Science Publishing Society and are printed in the Christian Science Quarterly as available at Christian Science Reading Rooms or online at eBibleLesson.com or myBibleLesson.com. The citations referenced (i.e.B-1 and S-28) from this week's Bible Lesson in the “Met” (Metaphysical application ideas) are taken from the Bible (B-1 thru B-24) and the Christian Science textbook, Science and Health With Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy (S-1 thru S-30). The Bible and Science and Health are the ordained pastor of the Churches of Christ, Scientist. The Bible Lesson is the sermon read in Christian Science church services throughout the world. The Lesson-Sermon speaks individually through the Christ to everyone, providing unique insights and tailor-made applications for each one. We are glad you requested this metaphysical sharing and hope that you find some of the ideas helpful in your daily spiritual journey, in your deeper digging in the books and in closer bonding with your Comforter and Pastor.]
 
[Enjoy!    And, please contact us for more info about “all things CedarS”!]

[P.S.S.T.-O happy day! God's ever Mindful of u!-
Possible Sunday School Topics by Merrill Boudreaux
for the Christian Science Bible Lesson: “Mind” February 19, 2012
 
P.S.S.T. Golden Text: Begin with reading Hymn 77.
God is my strong salvation;
What foe have I to fear?
In darkness and temptation,
My light, my help is near:
Though hosts encamp around me,
Firm in the fight I stand;
What terror can confound me,
With God at my right hand?
 
Place on the Lord reliance;
My heart, with courage wait;
His truth be thine affiance,
When faint and desolate:
His might thy heart shall strengthen,
His love thy joy increase;
Thy day shall mercy lengthen:
The Lord will give thee peace.
 
Ask students to share examples where they have felt God's presence, providing strength, mental or bodily.
 
P.S.S.T. Responsive Reading: By what name(s) do you think God calls you? Students could write their responses on 3×5 cards and share, or give to the teacher to share.
 
P.S.S.T. Section 1: Consider the wondrous works of God. Ask students to list observable works of God in our known universe. Can God ever be turned from God's work? (B5)
 
P.S.S.T. Section 2: What's in a number? How many prophets of Baal were noted in this Bible story? How many prophets of God are there? (B7)
     Have the class read this Bible story. Was this a miracle? How did this story illustrate the triumph of God, Mind, in an almost unbelievable circumstance? Why do you think it was necessary to show God's power and attention to human circumstance in this way? (S8)
     Share the back story of King Ahab who worshipped God, and his wife Jezebel who worshipped Baal, in I Kings chapters 18 & 19.
 
P.S.S.T. Section 3: How did Jesus demonstrate the presence of God in the Bible story in citation B10? What did the multitudes do when they witnessed such a healing? This would be a good opportunity for students to write out their witnessing of a healing. This could be preparation for them to share on Wednesday evening or send to the Christian Science Sentinel for publication.
 
P.S.S.T. Section 4: How are you a laborer for God? What power was given to Jesus' disciples? (B12) Are you a disciple of Jesus? If so, then what power do you have? How does this make you feel? How did the disciples feel? (B14) How did Jesus instruct his disciples to heal the sick? (S16) Where did Mary Baker Eddy record her teaching notes that she used to instruct her students? See chapter Recapitulation, Science & Health, pages 465-497. What is metaphysics? Are you a metaphysician?
 
P.S.S.T. Section 5: Jesus gave us a new commandment. See John 13:34. What elements of this new commandment may be found in the Bible portion of this section?
     All the laws in the Old and New Testaments are summed up in citation B19 from Galatians. Ask students to memorize this statement. 
     What is the foundation of this new commandment as stated in S&H? (S21) What then is our job? (S22) 
     What was Mary Baker Eddy's desire for all mankind? (S24)
 
P.S.S.T. Section 6: If there is anything prohibiting you from pushing through any mental or physical barrier, look to this section for key ideas to give you aid, affirming that God will give you aid. Read aloud these affirming statements. Conclude with reading together Hymn 123.
 
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word.
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who to God for your refuge have fled:
 
Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand;
 
When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.

Make this your Happiest Valentine's Day yet!
     Get rid of E.G.O. (Edging God Out) by letting your
 Hungry
 Affections be
 Permanently
 Pleased as
 You
 
   Value
   All –especially your
   Loving,
    bEst
FrieNd, God enough
       To be
        Intimately included in the
   miNutia  of
        Every
        Single
 
Day and
Activity in
Your life!
 
From your ardent admirer, Warren Huff


[PYCL: Have a power-filled class of Mind-ful love!]
CedarS PYCL–Possible Younger Class Lessons for:  
 
Mind
The Christian Science Bible Lesson for February 19, 2012
by Kerry Jenkins, CS, House Springs, MO (314) 406-0041
[Bracketed titles & links by Warren Huff, PYCL Editor]
 
[PYCL: Acknowledge the power that Mind gives us as His children.]
This lesson to me revolves around the power that Mind gives us as His children. That is, in fact, the statement made in the Golden Text (G.T.). I will give a couple of specific suggestions for the youngest classes, and then the rest of the lesson can be adapted for whatever age or level you teach.
 
[PYCL: Responsive Reading: God knows you and ALL by name!]
I think the littlest ones would be interested to think about the statement that “…he calleth them all by names…”  That God knows each of us by name (or by nature).  Talk about how well a mom or dad knows them.  Would a parent ever forget about them, or not remember their name (other than the usual mix up when we mistakenly call them by a sibling's name!).  Can they imagine an infinite God who knows them that well, and knows everyone that well?  Do they feel like they know their mom and dad?  Maybe they can think about how they can know their Father/Mother Mind that way.  This is why we have Sunday School, to help us on our life-long quest to really understand God through “…divine metaphysics…” (S21)  What are some ways we can understand God better?  Can they list some?  Get them started with some ideas of your own.  So much of our understanding comes through demonstration.  We understand more about Mind every time we take action that is based in what we already know about God!  So when we decide to be obedient, even when we don't want to be, we understand a little more about God and about our true nature!  This can be developed into a project of acting out different ways that we can “act” our understanding…and how this “action” leads us to know our Father/Mother, and ourselves as His children.
 
[PYCL:  Tell about God's matchless fire that nothing can dampen!]
Another idea is to look at the story of Elijah in the second section. [B7, 1 Kings 18:21 on]   Tell the story to them, with plenty of drama, and talk about all the details.  Have they ever tried to help mom or dad start a fire?  What do you need to start a fire?  What happens if you get paper, dry twigs, maybe even starter fluid (which they didn't exactly have in Elijah's day: )), dry wood and then pour a ton of water on it?  How many matches would you need to get it going?  Did Elijah have matches?  If you don't think it's too weird, you could bring in matches and demonstrate how a dry match starts right up, and then get one wet and strike it.  You have each kid dip the match in water to symbolize how Elijah poured four barrels full of water over the altar before he prayed to God to light it.  Then try to light the match.  (Make sure that you've tried this ahead, so you know it won't light up when wet! : )  That would kind of defeat the analogy!  Why do they think that Elijah doused the altar in water first?  Maybe it was a way of saying, “this is no accident or chance that it lit up”! Or just proving that God is so powerful that no amount of matter is an obstacle to Him.  Maybe it was “washing away” all the ugliness of the prophets of Baal.  At any rate, it would have seemed especially impossible to light a fire after the altar had been doused in four barrels full of water!
 
[PYCL: Turn all sense of sacrifice into “an offering pure of Love”(Hymn 253:7)]
Alternatively you could talk about altars and sacrifice and what that represented in its day.  Do we “sacrifice” today to God?    Talk about: how he built the altar up with twelve stones for the tribes of Israel and what those tribes represented; how he “…put the wood in order…”  Those tribes were named by Jacob/ Israel from last week's lesson, the man who was named by God.  They represented “God's people”.  Are we “God's people”?  How can we “build” an “altar” to God today?  I think this should definitely be a mental concept, no physical representations here.  What do we “sacrifice” or bring to the “altar” in our thought to worship and understand Mind better?  Give some examples from your own life?  Why don't we literally sacrifice to God anymore?  What is a better way for us to show our love for God?  What does it mean to “sacrifice” something?  [“Seek Truth, and pursue it. It should cost you something: you are willing to pay for error and receive nothing in return; but if you pay the price of Truth, you shall receive all.”. Mis. 342:24]  Are we willing to give up something we think that we want to do or have, to maybe get something better?  (Obedience is a good example here, lots of times we think we want to do our “own thing” more than listen to what is right, maybe what our parents or teachers tell us, but really sacrificing our own desire in some cases helps us be happier and know ourselves and God better.)  This last is more for our own thought, you can certainly talk about obedience but it may be a little lofty to talk about “sacrificing our desires”…think of kid-friendly ways to broach a bit of this subject.  You can also talk about moral courage here, even with the littlest, in terms of not following others if they are doing something that you know is wrong (for example).  Did Elijah show moral courage?  If so, how?  Think of all those prophets of Baal standing there while he seemed to have no one.  These above ideas are certainly useable by older kids as well of course!
 
[PYCL: Discuss the types of power bestowed on us thru divine Mind & knowledge of Mind.]
Talk about how Mind and knowledge of Mind is equated with power in this week's lesson.  What do we need power for?  Each section addresses a different type of power that is bestowed on us through divine Mind and knowledge of Mind.  The first section displays the power of Mind's creation in the Bible citations, and then we have the big “theories” in the Science and Health. The rest of the lesson illustrates: the powerlessness of these two theories through example: Elijah's demonstration; Jesus' healing and helping the disciples to see their own healing power; Jesus “Mind reading” and how we can become “Mind readers” for the right reasons; how to be powerful peacemakers; and those who understand Mind through our study of Christian Science! Now we can look in more detail at each “power” we are given through understanding Mind better!
 
[PYCL — 1st section: Appreciate Mind's power of creation.]
The first section speaks of Mind's power of creation.  Think about talking with the kids about the beautiful poetic way that His creation is described.  What does it mean that He “…makes a way in the wilderness…” or “…rivers in the desert…”?  (B2)  It is a real joy to talk about this symbolism.  Can they think of what that analogy is about?  Why is it hard to make a “way” (maybe a travel-able road, for example) in a wilderness?  Have any of the kids ever been in the wilderness, or maybe a dense forest or state or Federal Park that has wild places in them?  How easy would it be to put in a road?  Can you build a river in the desert where there is only rain fall once in a very long while?  What does this say about God and His creative abilities?  Feel free to look up what Mrs. Eddy says about wilderness in the glossary of S&H [597]  What does a desert symbolize?  Look up how Mrs. Eddy uses the word desert in her books.  Symbolism is a powerful, not to mention, often poetically beautiful, way to describe things, and I think it is wise not to assume that kids understand the depth of what many Biblical passages are getting at through such symbolism.
 
[PYCL – 2nd section: Admire Elijah's moral courage and showdown with the prophets of Baal]
In section two we have the wonderful story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal.  Discuss as previously mentioned the moral courage that Elijah displayed by challenging the 450 priests of Baal to this contest.  Look at citation S8 and talk about how “artifice and delusion” claim their reality.  It might be interesting to look at CedarS “Met” (Application ideas) by Dan Carnesciali and talk about his metaphor of the caves.  It is quite an interesting analogy and they would understand it well.  How does mortal mind claim its authority when we are feeling sick, sad, angry, afraid etc.?  How can we discern between the works of Wisdom and mortal mind?  You can certainly add to the discussion by giving some background information about the circumstances of Elijah's life at that time.  Include Jezebel, Ahab and the other prophets of God who were either executed by Jezebel or hiding in caves around the countryside.
 
[PYCL – 3rd section: Discover the link between mercy and divine power!]
In the third section I love the link between divine power and mercy. Always Jesus showed mercy.  What is mercy?  Jesus took the time to “know their thoughts” and even to address them (“certain of the scribes”).  Imagine their surprise when he addressed their thoughts when they hadn't said a word?  Talk about mind reading and Mind reading.  Is this important?  What do practitioners do when they pray?  In a sense they are Mind reading, right?  Listening for what Mind is telling them to address in the patient's thought, and in their own thought about the patient?  Can we all be Mind readers?  Look at the revolutionary statement in citation S14 and think about what that really means to us! “If God is admitted to be the only Mind and Life, there ceases to be any opportunity for sin and death.” [276] Why is this true do you think?
 
[PYCL – 4th section: Claim the power of Mind to bring healing.]
Section four deals with: the power of Mind to bring healing; Jesus sending us (and of course his disciples) out to heal; and Paul healing the lame man.  In what ways does Mind especially contribute to our activities as healers?
 
[PYCL – 5th section: Keep conversations Christ-like!]
The fifth section is one that should be very accessible to students.  I love that it includes the statement to “…recompense no man evil for evil” (B16) and then immediately after that in citation B17 “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit…” (italics added).  That is something that they can really apply to their interactions (Mind in action, contributing to our better understanding of Mind right?)  Are all their conversations Christ-like? Do they speak as if someone with authority were there to listen, a parent, teacher or someone else that they respect and love?  This is a powerful idea!  What does recompense mean?  Also you may want to ask about citation S22. How does thinking there is more than one mind (becoming involved in arguments or fights with others), lead to selfishness? I'm not sure if they will have thought about it from this angle.
 
[PYCL – 6th section: Share proofs that “no power can withstand divine Love.' (S25)]
Finally, and maybe you can add this to your discussion of Elijah, but citation S25 is a powerful statement of fact that we can put into our mental file.  [“No power can withstand divine Love.” (224)] When we express divine Mind well, clearly, there is no power that can withstand us either.  Do you have a personal example to illustrate this, a testimony of healing where a scary or seemingly powerful error was erased through the power of divine Love?  See if they have an example of their own.
 
Have a great Sunday!

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