Vincere aut Mori – Latin for Conquer or Die was the motto in Mary Baker Eddy’s personal letterhead.
Author Archives: Gabriel Serafini
Practice Call
Got a practice call yesterday from a friend over instant messenger. I hope it helped.
D:
gah! argh! dude! pray for me!
I’m getting sick! I cannot get sick!
G:
ok
D:
I mean, no pressure
do you still do that?
G:
still pray? for myself, I usually pray one specific thing: what is it I should be doing… and I try to listen for the answer, and be committed to doing whatever it is that is the answer for that
D:
Gabriel…
this is God…
whatsup
G:
hehe
D:
you should be exorcizing the incorrections in my physical vessel
his
your buddy D’s
G:
yes, I recognize
🙂
you are perfect
not broken
not sick
you already have everything you need
God / the universe does love you, and created you to express goodness
and to be good
and anything that would try to get in the way of that
we can recognized that it is a lie, not real, and we don’t have to accept it
D:
thanks man
that was awesome
G:
you’re welcome, anytime.
Questions to ponder – Thinking about the Church Alive planning process
What do we have to offer the world that it actually wants?
How are we delivering on this opportunity?
Are we willing to actually commit to any tangible or measurable goals as a group?
Why are we organizing together? What does it accomplish? Who does it benefit?
Where do we hope to be as a group in 2 years? 5 years? 10 years? 20? 100?
What are the real demands of Christian Science?
What kind of people do we want to be perceived as? Innovative? Loving? Life-changing?
Is there value in organizing outside of the Boston / Mother Church / Publishing Society – centric view? Can Boston realistically evolve as an organization to join together Christian Scientists in a global team? Is that its job? If not, does that suggest another organization or group with that as its goal? Is that a good goal to have? If so, what would it take to bring that kind of change, innovation and leadership to Boston? Does that already actually exist?
Are we willing to measure our results? I.E. track successful prayer and efforts, and also unsuccessful prayer and efforts? How “scientific” are we willing to be? What experiments would we like to conduct? What is our basic hypothesis, and are we willing to actually test it (rather than assuming that we already have all the answers)?
Are we willing to put it all on the line?
Are we willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish our goals?
Are we willing to go toe-to-toe with other religions and see how we really compare?
What can we learn from others?
What kind of spiritual ecosystem are we going to actively nurture?
If NASA can send a robot science lab to Mars, what are we willing to sign up for?
What’s the hardest and most worthwhile thing we can imagine tackling as a group, and are we willing to commit to that?
What are the best ways to share ideas in this day and age?
When can we retire the archaic concept of a Reading Room? Think “Eight-Track” or “Wax Cylinder Recording” or “Buggy Whip”… The energy directed toward this idea could be redirected into FAR more effective activities. Same for Lectures.
Is there ever a time when the Manual will be revised or replaced? Mrs. Eddy revised it herself 89 times. Is this the guide for this human organization forever? If she were alive today, would we be operating like we are as a group?
If we were to think of ourselves as modern-day disciples of Jesus, what would he have us be doing in the world? What examples of his, what words of his can guide our actions?
Are we willing to tackle the issue of Mary Baker Eddy worship? Same for her books & publications? Has this become a false god for people?
Can we examine the relationship between the church and the business? If we leave aside for a moment how Mrs. Eddy envisioned the relationship between the two, what makes sense for today? If it’s all about the business, can we get better at creating products the world wants? If it’s all about church, can we take the business out of the equation and make it a more pure organization?
Can we envision a model of Give Everything Away For Free, Ask for Contributions / Donations? Do we have the courage to try this?
1/8/13 – Church Alive – Framework for Marketing notes
What is the mission of this event?
What are the outcomes we’re hoping to accomplish?
What is our goal for the organization of people we call Christian Scientists for 10 years from now?
What are we accomplishing?
***
What do we want to say? What is our message?
Content!
Revolution
Rethink
Reimagine
If Mary Baker Eddy were alive today, Reading Rooms would not exist. Lectures would not be our primary outreach opportunities.
What would she do?
What would Jesus to today?
What do we want to do?
What kind of organization do we want to be?
If we could start today, with a clean slate and no traditions, just 2 books and the knowledge of how to be healers, what would we do to effectively share our love for the world?
– Get rid of jargon
– Get rid of antiquated ideas
– Get rid of limitations
Do whatever it takes to accomplish our goals. Otherwise, we are just talking. More action, less talk.
