“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (II Timothy 1:7)
Greetings and blessings from the Christian Science Reading Room at the San Francisco International Airport. Enjoy the fruitage reported by our attendants:
I noticed a woman really studying the Czech translation of Science and Health, and I asked if she was interested in purchasing it. She was told it contained the mechanics or method of how Jesus healed mentally. The woman mentioned that she loved the two lan-guages on opposite pages, and she wanted it for her parents. She then told me that she had no money with her but that she might be back. We talked for a while, and since that translation has been in the window and has been here for several years (at least), I was contemplating giving her the book, but I restrained myself. A few minutes later she showed up with her purse and an adorable year-old cat, which her boyfriend decided that he did not want. She handed me a card and got her book and took a Christian Science Sentinel or two.
A French woman came in this morning and told me she had spoken to me over a year ago, and now asked if we could specifically pray for her fiancé. He had had lung surgery and was dying—and was in prison. She could only see him every six months and came to America to see him. She was introduced to Mary Baker Eddy and her book and shown the French translation of Science and Health. I offered it for sale but she declined. She said there was no way she could buy it. I asked her if I could buy it for her, and she declined. She said she had two visions of her fiancé. The one was the perfect man standing in front of her, dressed in a suit, healthy, handsome and free, and the other of the sickly inmate. I told her that the first vision was the truth, the Christ-like perfect man, and the second picture of poor mortal man was the illusion. I then asked her if she would accept the French translation of Science and Health as a gift. She said she would. I told her there was no doubt in my mind this man would be healed and free. She said that she felt like the hair on her arms was standing on end with a special energy in the room. I felt it too. And my heart sang like it always does when healing happens. I know that she has seen it. She gave us a Hershey bar to thank us. After she left I paid for the book. We have a very low cost in Science and Health translations because many are donated from other Reading Rooms.
A lovely woman came in and we talked for a long time. In our discussion, I kept coming back repeatedly to the basics of Christian Science: that God is good, that God is the only power, and that God’s creation is good and complete. She liked all that, but she kept coming back to Satan and the devil and, “Why does God allow bad things to happen?” I said, “I can certainly understand that it can be looked at that way, but the more we go to Genesis 1 and the teachings of Jesus, the more of God’s goodness will fill up our lives.” Then she was introduced to Science and Health. She readily purchased it, and also took an October full-text Bible Lesson.
A man came in and asked if we had any Bibles. I said, “Yes,” and showed him the $10 paperback we have. I told him we could sell it for $6 (cost), and he said he did not have $6, only $1. I replied, “I’ll take it!” And I gave him the paperback Bible. He later came back and said that someone gave him $5, and he wanted to donate in appreciation!
A woman came in and reached into the free literature basket of periodicals and said, “Whatever I select will be something to bless me. It always does!”
A lovely woman came in and was looking at the children’s books. She was looking for the Commandments and Beatitudes in the board books for babes, as she had a 1½ year-old grandson. She started looking at the My Little Book About God and My Little Book About Prayer, which I had brought to show her. We went through the first book identifying the qualities of God in all the seven synonyms, and she loved it. Then she asked about My Little Book About Prayer, and we went through some of that with the spiritual interpretation on the bottom of the page that is the same color as the verse. I told her that it would set her grandson up for life if he could learn about God, and she said to me, “And his mom!” She purchased both books.
A man came in who was so sad; he was going to a funeral. He had gotten a call from his sister-in-law that his brother had had a mild heart attack as a result of the sudden and unexpected passing of his nephew. I said what I could to comfort him: That there is no death, but that sometimes people have a short time on earth, and they go so unexpectedly and leave the rest of us stunned and deeply saddened. He told me how great this young nephew was, a real athlete, but that there was something fragile about his health. He got to spend six weeks every summer with this uncle in Montana every year, and he knew him well. I think we helped him as he opened up and worked through some of the sadness of all this, and we helped him see he can be a strength to his sister-in-law. He purchased the little pamphlet, “Overcoming Grief,” and gave us a nice donation of the change from $20.
A man came in who was locked out of his car in long term parking and needed a cell phone charge. He was invited into our study room with its wall USB port and he charged his phone for a long time. We talked and he was offered a lot of suggestions, but he had tried many and was very frustrated. I was sort of stuck in the story, aware of the Bible Lesson for the next day’s church service, “Ancient and Modern Necromancy, Alias Mesmerism, and Hypnotism, Denounced.” The man stayed in the Reading Room until almost 10pm, spent the night in the airport, and met the locksmith the next day with a key. He came in again the next day. I was surprised he had not worked it out yet. Apparently, the key he got would not start the car. Well, today I was on my game, just having prayed for someone trying to make her printer work from her phone. I told him, “Let me pray about that for you!” And, as earlier that day, I reached out to divine Mind and asked that the man be shown exactly who to call to get a new key, which would permit him to start the car. Within 10 minutes the manufacturer was sending a new key to the Kia dealer in Sacramento where he lives, and he is headed home to get it and will come back tomorrow to pick up the car. I told him I had prayed about it, and he said he got goosebumps when he heard that, because it worked!
A man came in and asked what we were, and if we were a store or just a Reading Room. I said, “Both; we sell Bibles and Christian Science literature.” He said that he was religious, but that his mother was on a whole other level. I laughed and explained that Mary Baker Eddy had figured out how Jesus healed and wrote a great book about it. I pointed to it and told him I had it for $13. He was told Science and Health would light up the Scriptures for whomever reads it. He said, “I will just get that. My mom will love it.” He purchased the marble paperback. It is so rewarding to put Science and Health in the hands of a new recipient of this great Truth on the first shift of the month!
A man came in and was genuinely curious about what a Christian Science Reading Room was. I began to tell him a little of Christian Science and Mary Baker Eddy and about how she came to write her book. As I told him more, he said, “Do you have that book for sale? Can I buy it?” I said of course, and I pulled it off the back wall. He readily purchased the marble paperback. He asked about the church services and our Pastor and I showed him the December Journal and the full-text Bible Lesson, and explained how we study Christian Science and listen and study the lesson sermon. He purchased a December full-text at a discount since it was late in the month. I couldn’t help thinking as he left that the book would bless him and he would bless others with it.
A man came in who might have been homeless. He mentioned some of our churches he had attended, and mentioned that he had been in a number of shelters. I felt sympathy for him because as he talked, it was clear that he was sabotaging himself whenever he sought or got help. I eventually pointed it out to him, and shared that a lot of people do that and that he should really ask God to help him not to do that. He asked if I had any Bibles. I gave him a $10 paperback and told him I paid $6 for it. He said, “I have a little money,” and handed me $6. I thought that was so nice. And it will have more value to him if he buys it. I pray to know that he knows he has all the help he needs—to stop the self-sabotage.
A man with a thick French accent was rearranging some luggage near the entrance to the door and noticed me watching and said good morning. I smiled and said, “Good morning.” He came in and said, “What do you do here in this place?” I told him we sold Bibles and Christian Science literature. Then he asked if I had anything for children, aged 5 and 6. I showed him the new book of Jesus’ Little Parables of the Kingdom. Then he asked if I had anything in French. I said no, but then I looked at the stack of Heralds, “Le Heraut.” I pulled out half the stack and began showing him the titles. He picked three. Then I decided to talk a little about Science and Health and Christian Science to him. I showed him the French/English Science and Health, and he readily purchased it. I told him I thought it would bless him and he would bless others with it. He was so receptive to it. I am grateful I was here.
A young man in the psychiatric profession came into the Reading Room and asked who we were and what we had. He was told briefly about Mary Baker Eddy and her wonderful discovery of Christian healing in the Scriptures. We had a splendid chat. He asked about my own healings and I told him a couple of big ones, and something very recent. He understood more than most about the power of the human mind to make a person well or sick. He asked how you yield to divine Mind while the human mind wants to be in charge. I told him that that is the hardest thing for anyone, even Christian Scientists, and some people are never able to do it. I quoted Mary Baker Eddy, “Stand porter at the door of thought. Admitting only such conclusions as you wish realized in bodily results, you will control yourself harmoniously.” (S&H 392:25–27) Thus, admit nothing into your consciousness that you do not want manifest in your experience! And from that week’s lesson on Sacrament, Psalm 51:17: “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou will not despise.” One reading of this verse can be that we have set aside the mortal thinking and turned whole-heartedly to God to help us. We get self out of the way and then can easily see the help that is already there. Another verse that came to mind was: “For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.” (Matt. 12:37) On this one, our words condemning ourselves to some illness or condition we do not want, will condemn us to suffer. We talked more about this and he was shown several quotations about that very topic. He was so happy to purchase a paperback copy of Science and Health and used our study room to do some reading. He came out very surprised at what he was reading. I admitted that it is radical compared to what we are taught to believe, but it is the truth of God.
A young man came in today and asked about Christian Science/ As I began to tell him that Mary Baker Eddy had figured out how Jesus healed and she herself began to heal, he recalled that he had heard of it in Michigan. As I continued to tell him more, he asked me if we had any testimonies of Mrs. Eddy’s. I showed him in Science and Health the Fruitage chapter and read him the first several paragraphs. He readily purchased a copy of Science and Health.
A man came in and asked about our store and what we sold. He was introduced to Christian Science and Mary Baker Eddy and her discovery of Christian healing in the Scriptures. As I told this to him, he became more and more interested and asked if I had Science and Health for sale. He was shown the two paperback editions, as he was travelling. He readily purchased the marble paperback copy of Science and Health.
A wonderful man came in and said, “The last time I was here I saw this place and want to know what it is.” I began to tell him a little of Christian Science and he said, “Can I tell you why I am here?” He told me that he learned about meditation, and it was teaching him that our bodies are capable of any kind of healing. Meeting him where he was, I told him he was right. Then he said, “I don’t want to be the kind of Christian who does it on faith alone. I want to understand it.” I said, “You need this book. There are two chapters in here on Physiology and on Science, Theology and Medicine, that will blow you away.” I showed him two editions and he readily purchased a copy of Science and Health. I thanked him for the sale and mentioned that this was the first I have sold in a while. He asked why, and I told him that the thoughts of the visitors have not been open to it. He said, “What if I read this book and it changes my life?” I said, “Oh, it will. It will light up those Scriptures for you and you will achieve a much higher level of understanding!” He then asked if we could pray together, and I readily agreed. He prayed that receptive people would come into the Reading Room and receive this great Truth of God which Mrs. Eddy has set before us. What a beautiful prayer!
A visitor came in and said that he had been passing our Reading Room in his travels and finally made some time to come in and find out about what this is. I closed my computer, invited him to sit down, and told him that Mary Baker Eddy had figured out how Jesus healed. I asked if he had five minutes and he said yes, so he was given an introduction to Mary Baker Eddy and how she discovered Christian healing in the Scriptures and came to write her book. He asked some insightful questions, and I had the answers, and he told me he thought that we were capable of healing ourselves. I suggested he purchase Science and Health, and he did.
A gentleman came in and asked what we were, and I essentially told him what I had told the previous visitor. He said that he was upset with all Christians because he found out his Christian wife was cheating on him and that his pastor told him he had to forgive her, even though she had not stopped. He just walked away two years ago. Then he comes into the Reading Room. I just loved him as best I could, like Mrs. Eddy told us to “Just love, just be love!” And of course, I told him he had to forgive her. The conversation was brought back to Christian Science and I told him that he shouldn’t hold a grudge, but just brush that chip off his shoulder like a piece of lint. God did not do this to him; his wife did, and she is human. People do things and break our hearts from time to time. I invited him to purchase Science and Health. He was told it would really light up the Bible for him, but he just wasn’t ready. At least he came in and learned a little of Christian Science, and I pray he learns how loved he really is.
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