Good ever can be divided against itself. The idea of argument and criticism cannot enter into this family life. It certainly cannot upset the equilibrium of the spirit which indwells every member joining them together in a community of spirit. They have a partnership with each other and with the eternal. We must also know that there is no sense of jealousy or any other kindred thought which can operate in the family life. The household of God is a household of peace and happiness, and nothing enters it but love, joy, and understanding. The crucial issue over which science and religion were distend to break ranks was—and is—the question of exactly what kind of explanation we do have to posit in order to explain the present state of things. When a group of people come together with one accord and with one thought, a greater power is generated. The power of a group is much like bonding in carbon compounds. Carbon is unique among the elements in its ability to form strong bonds to itself as well as to other elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. The fact that carbon-carbon bonds are strong means that chains of carbon atoms can form and will be stable. The chains can be of varying length, leading to literally an infinite number of compounds differing in chain length. #RandolphHarris 1 of 8

Carbon bonds are similar to a family because there are unique types of people who make up a family, and generally large groups who love each other and bond tend to be strong and stable. Although the lengths of our life are different, through bloodlines and religion, we are bonded infinitely. Also, the creative principle responds to a number of people more than it does to one, and the combined faith of a group reaches a higher level of acceptance. Therefore, families should keep strong bonds with the purpose in mind at arriving at a deeper spiritual understanding. The best results are gained when all members of a family join together not for the purpose of acquiring any specific good but for the purpose of reaching a higher state of consciousness. There will be less confusion because of a greater degree of unity. Within a family, people will probably focus on such ideas as peace, joy, or general wholeness. They are taught the concept that there is one presence which is God, one perfect life which is right here, one divine intelligence guiding and governing, not for any particular or specific purpose in this case but just to imbibe the spirit of wholeness itself, to enter more largely into a complete acceptance of peace and poise and power. It is vital that we nourish those we teach and lead by focusing on the fundamental doctrines, principles, and applications emphasized in the scriptures. #RandolphHarris 2 of 8

Whatever laws of nature God has laid down must be worthy of their author, very simple and written in a mathematical language of love. The mental powers of human beings so far exceed anything that we could imagine as being within the capacity of a mechanical device, that we graciously allow that the human body must have a rational soul contingently associated with it. No body could ever have a soul by virtue of tis material constitution. While a person’s soul might indeed interact via a channel in one’s brain with one’s material body and so move it from its course, the soul as such would not be part of the material World and must belong to an entirely different realm. Most people do not come to church looking for a few new gospel facts nor to see old friends, though all of that is important. They come seeking a spiritual experience. They want peace. They want their faith fortified and their hope renewed. People want to be nourished by the good word of God, to be strengthened by the powers of Heaven. We live in a World that is rich with colour and sound, redolent with fragrance, filled with gladness, love and beauty, speaking everywhere of purposive harmony and creative ideals’. Our highest priority is an integrated effort to build faith in God and strengthen families and not simply a correlated calendar. #RandolphHarris 3 of 8

Divine intervention is necessary to keep the solar system stable. God is responsible for perfecting life on Earth, and human thought and consciousness involves non-mechanical spiritual powers. When we focus on God and harmony, the performance we see is a higher degree of consciousness is reached when there is a completely unified concept. For instance, a group of people could work together for an organization, or for the World purpose, or for their country, or for any public good; of they can work together for the purpose of acquiring a deeper consciousness of reality. Our ideas of our destiny, and the sphere of our activity must always desire to bring the spirit of the Lord into the hearts of the members in the room to produce faith and a determination to repent and to be clean. It is the spirit of God that is the most effective teacher in any given situation. The spirit of God speaking to the spirit of humans has power to impact with greater effect and understanding than the truth can be imparted by personal contact even with Heavenly beings. In fact so strong was the conviction in both classical and medieval Europe that everything that happens must have some sort of a deeper meaning, that accidental events could even be taken to the law courts to prove they were not really accidents at all but someone or something’s criminal responsibility. #RandolpHarris 4 of 8

There was a trial that took place at the village of Hawarden in Wales in the year 946, which illustrates how dramatically folk wisdom assumed there had to be a reason behind everything. It reports that there was a terrible drought in the locality and all the villagers prayed for rain, addressing their prayers to a wooden statue of the Virgin Mary in the loft of the village church. One day, with still no sign of rain, the Lady of the castle was praying long and hard when tragedy befell: the statue toppled from its loft, landed on her head and killed her. When news of this unprovoked assault on the good Lady spread, there was uproar in the village. The authorities decided to bring the statue of the Virgin to trial before a jury on a double charge: for the willful murder of the Lady and for not answering the people’s prayers. Accordingly the statue was brought to court, and after evidence had been heard on both sides, the statue was declared guilty on both counts. It was condemned to be hanged. However, in consideration of the fact that it was indeed an image of the Virgin Mary, the jury agreed that this sentence should be commuted to a lighter one. They decided therefore to place the statue on the sandbanks of the river Dee, to see what would become of it. In the event, the tide came up and carried the said statue to some low land near the walls of the city of Chester where, to everyone’s satisfaction, it was found next day drowned and dead. #RandolphHarris 5 of 8

How could this kind of reasoning (which at one level or another still characterize many modern people’s thinking) fare under the scientific regime? In this World in which we live, things are not always what they appear to be. We sometimes are unaware of the powerful forces pulling on us. Appearances can be very deceptive. We must at last wake out of our millenary dream and discover the material World is also full of other energies. We must realize that, like a nomad, we live on the boundary of an alien World. Much of our World is still in the experimental stage, and we are likely to work out new techniques and perhaps better ways than have been discovered do far. If this were not true, our work would become static and heavy. We must depend upon a certain inspiration rising from our own soul, but always keep this inspiration controlled through purposiveness, because no matter how great a power is generated it will not produce results unless it is tied to a purpose. We are now talking about group purposes rather than individual desires. Both are important and should be worked out under the inspiration of our own inward awareness. In addition to receiving the counsel that has been given by those who had spoken or who are yet to speak, we should also carefully listen for and record the unspoken impressions given by the Holy Ghost. #RandolphHarris 6 of 8

We must get our teachers to speak out of their hearts rather than out of their books, to communicate their love for the Lord and this precious work, and somehow it will catch fire in the hearts of those they teach. Through the right use of Law we may become free, but through a wrong use of it we may again be entangled in bondage. No plainer statement of the law of cause and effect could be given than this. We may a Victorian mansion, turn on the electricity, and have light. However, if the wire is short-circuited something will go wrong and then we shall again be entangled with darkness. The darkness was never a thing of itself; it was merely a confused state. The source of our supply is not really cut off; it stopped at our place of confusion and no longer functioned for us. This is a perfect statement of the mental law of cause and effect and it again warns us that we must be aware of the use we are making of the law; we must keep our thought straight. It is not always easy to do this, but the Law of Cause and Effect, being no respecter of persons and always working automatically and mechanically and with mathematical precision, must flow through each one of us in the terms of our own acceptance. When we become confused and short-circuit this acceptance we are cutting ourselves off from its supply, but we do not destroy the supply; it is still there. #RandolphHarris 7 of 8

It is a wonderful thought to realize that the Eternal bounty can be short-circuited only as far as we are concerned; it cannot be either exhausted nor depleted. We shall never be disappointed, for the Law is always operating. Believe in yourselves. Believe that you are never alone. Believe that you will always be guided. “Trust in the Lord with all thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths,” reports Proverbs 3.5-6. We have some tight places to go before the Lord is through with us and the World in this dispensation. If we listen to and do these things that God has commanded us to do, we will not be deceived and great blessings will be ours. Obedience is part of the plan of eternal happiness. Sometimes it is necessary to be obedient even when we do not understand the reason for the Law. It takes faith. Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end therefor, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God. By patiently trusting in the eternal plan, we can experience daily happiness and have hope for ever-after happiness. Things will straighten out. There is great purpose in our struggle in life. We can experience a speedier and more sure course to our ever-after happiness by developing certain habits and attitudes that encourage happiness. Stop seeking out the storms and enjoy more fully the Sunlight. #RandolphHarris 8 of 8