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Lesson of the Gnarled Tree
A Student of Christian Science was reminded of how Jesus frequently withdrew from the multitude to the solitude of the desert or mountains to commune with God. He had gone to the mountains for a period of much-needed spiritual refreshment and was slowly ascending a trail. His thoughts were so filled with self-pity, as he compared his apparently difficult mental journey with his laborious climb up the slope, that he failed to enjoy the invigorating freshness of the balsam-scented breeze and the picturesque beauty of the panorama around him.
Suddenly he stopped and raised his eyes. A short distance ahead a solitary pine tree stood on the crest of a ridge. Its top was torn and twisted by the buffeting of many storms. It looked almost grotesque. Wearily he turned and looked down the mountainside to the protected valley far below. There all was serene. Did this symbolize the security, affluence, and peace for which he yearned? Perhaps!
Then, returning his gaze to the lone tree, he noticed that the gnarled trunk was sturdy, and that the roots clung tenaciously to the rocky ridge. It seemed to symbolize the security of spiritual strength, and illustrated the truth of Mrs. Eddy's statement in Science and Health (p. 410): "Every trial of our faith in God makes us stronger. The more difficult seems the material condition to be overcome by Spirit, the stronger should be our faith and the purer our love." The more severe the storms of mortal mind, the more firmly should our faith cling to the rock of Truth. Thus each trial faced with Truth brings us added strength and a purer love for God and man.
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November 2, 1935 issue
View Issue-
On Exploring the Present
ALBERT F. GILMORE
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"Beloved Christian Scientists"
ALMA SCHIERBAUM
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Lesson of the Gnarled Tree
GLENN E. DOUGLAS
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Applying Christian Science
HAZEL A. WESTON
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Our Part in the Church Service
VINTON A. HOLBROOK
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"Study to be quiet"
MURIEL NELSON
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Maintaining Our Identity
JESSIE LOUISE SALLS
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Love Meets Our Need
ELLA A. STONE
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Your issue of August 17 contains a short article on "The...
Charles W. J. Tennant, District Manager of Committees on Publication for Great Britain and Ireland,
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The Record of February 24 quotes a member of the...
Aaron E. Brandt, Committee on Publication for the State of Pennsylvania,
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The station announcer said: "Good afternoon, ladies and...
"Church of the Air" talk over Columbia Broadcasting System by William Wallace Porter,
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Putting Our Trust in God
Duncan Sinclair
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Adequacy and Abundance
George Shaw Cook
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The Lectures
with contributions from Alice T. Edwards, Mildred Coshun
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The truth as revealed in Christian Science has been a...
John Edmund Pearson
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I wish to express my sincere gratitude for Christian Science...
Mayme L. Clopton
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Early in my experience in Christian Science, in fact before...
Juanita R. Jordan with contributions from Donald S. Jordan
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I did not come into Christian Science because of any...
Kate Holland Patton
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When I first began to attend the Christian Science...
Fritz Bauer with contributions from Johanna Duss, Frida Bührer
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When I began the study of Christian Science, in 1900, I...
Ellen S. Johnson
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I feel immense gratitude for Christian Science
Ivy E. Gandy
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In February, 1928, the doctors told me that nothing could...
Minnie Beckwith
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The Awakening!
SUSAN F. CAMPBELL
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Signs of the Times
with contributions from Stephen C. Clark, George M. Anderson, A Correspondent, Bruce Brown, J. V. Tinnin, John Snape