Why the Church of Truth?

The Writings hold many beautiful teachings about what it is to live a happy, useful, heavenly life. But we have to live those teachings in order to feel their impact. Mary shares about a church and a pastor who have helped her to see the Writings in a new light. -Editor.

So why do you keep visiting Kentucky? An experience with a new kind of New Church.

In the past year I have traveled to Louisville, Kentucky seven times and I am heading there again for a month this summer. No I have not found a new passion for fried chicken or horse racing. I keep going back because of the Church of Truth. If you have not heard about the Church of Truth, it is located in the inner city of Louisville and lead by Brother Edward Miller. It is New Church (i.e. following the Teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg) but it is not under any other New Church organization (i.e. it is not part of the General Church or the Convention etc. and no other organization is funding what they are doing).

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The Power Of Positive Thinking

God has equipped us with many tools to give us a happy life. This week Mary describes the difference it makes in everyday life when we use our mental tools to choose trust, to work to understand, and to choose to see the peace and beauty in each moment. -Editor

Have you ever noticed that doing the same action can be changed drastically by your own attitude and expectations? For example, let’s say you have to drive 50 miles to get somewhere today. If you are on your way to a job interview, you probably left early, gave yourself lots of extra time, planned your route and spent the drive rehearsing what you will say. If you are on your way to see a loved one that you haven’t seen in a long time, you might be singing happily to yourself, noticing the sunshine or bluebirds and wishing you could just get there faster. But if you are running late to get to a meeting that you are dreading because you don’t feel prepared and you don’t like the people who will be there, you might be feeling very differently. It might seem like everyone is cutting you off in traffic, it is taking a very long time to get there, the sun is glaring in your eyes and you just spilled your coffee on your new outfit.

The Lord has been showing me that often the most important thing I have a part in is my reaction to what is happening. He might still ask me to do something for which I feel terribly unprepared. He might show me some frightening giants that I need to conquer in my spiritual life. I might feel like I’ve been captured and taken away into captivity at times. And I do still have to take responsibility to do the next right thing each day. But what if I had choices that could make all of it better? What if it could actually work out more smoothly and with less suffering because of something that I have been given the power to do?

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Autism Perspective: Learning to Communicate

Reflecting on her years working with autistic children, Mary explores what it means to communicate on a natural and spiritual level. Just as autistic children struggle to communicate for basic needs, all of us struggle to open ourselves to communication with the Lord. -Editor.

I have spent much of the past seven years working with children who have autism. Through my work I have learned a great deal about what autism is and how it affects the people who have it and their families. One very interesting idea is how to teach a child the purpose of communication. Before we can learn to point, sign, use picture communication or talk – each person has to come to the conclusion that they are interested in something and that communicating about this with others will be useful and perhaps enjoyable. This happened for most of us long before we can remember. But for some of the children with autism with whom I work, that connection hasn’t formed. As therapists we set up the environment in a way that requires communication to get desired items. I know very well that Joe wants his lunch when he sits in his chair or begins to cry and yell. But he needs to communicate with me before I will give it to him. For a nonverbal child, who has no means of communication, we have a second therapist sit behind him, form his hand into a point or a sign and also model the words as he makes the gesture. We do this over and over again until he begins to do it independently. Sometimes he also begins to imitate the words and is then able to make verbal requests as well. Does this mean he understands the purpose of communication?

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