Sure enough! Just when tidy-mindedness seems ready to set in, something'll come along to disrupt our usual format. In this case it was the arrival of a newcomer needing some help with his coming-out process. Since our chairperson was delayed, we threw readings and topic to the winds and concentrated on the problem at hand. (Our scribe collected the readings brought in by members, however, and they are recorded under Readings as usual, since they generally do represent the thoughts members worked with during the week). It was only late in the meeting and at dinner that we were finally able consciously to address our topic.

It was a glorious evening. As one member pointed out, if we as students of Christian Science see all as consciousness, then having a week devoted to studying, praying and observing our motives and acts crowned by such a meeting only confirmed that something had shifted in mortal mind's usual, dare we say, stale way of running things.

Our newcomer, from another country and another faith, chose our group for his first venture into the LGBT religious community because he'd heard we were a small gathering with time to discuss individual issues.

In his home country and among his compatriots living here, homosexuality induces much shame and religious intolerance. It's dangerous to be openly Gay. His attempts to find comfort and companionship in our LGBT community have run into the buzz saw of the bar-drug-backroom scene that leaves him feeling lonely and at risk for unhealthy behaviors.

Our members concentrated on spiritual answers for the problems: man in Science is spiritual, complete. "His make-up is divinely authorized," brought a laugh, so it was changed to, "His source and condition is God." We went through the relationships of David and Jonathan, Jesus and John in the Bible. A member read us Matthew 19:10-12, where Jesus appears to embrace same-sex relationships. One of our members had information on cultural and religious groups which might be helpful to our new friend. We also made sure he had our telephone numbers if he wants to talk with us further.

When we got into our topic "Motives and Acts" we realized that our newcomer, by turning to God instead of mammon for answers, was setting an example for all of us. By now our chairperson was in place and asked a rather stark question, "What motivates our actions?"

All sorts of answers were possible and some were offered — for example, instincts, past history, archetypes, fantasies about the future. Several members felt we were just kidding ourselves to imagine we could have anything more than a hint as to what made us do things. Most motivations are buried in the unconscious and it's vast. Only a committed and careful investigation of what's lurking there beyond conscious awareness would give us some real insight. That involves time and dedication, perhaps the help of a trained professional. The problem here is there are few if any psychologists who understand Christian Science well enough to allow the material turned up in the process then to be transmuted from lead to gold in Science.

Of the various depth psychologists (e.g., Freud, Adler, Jung, Klein) one member said he particularly likes Alfred Adler (1870-1937) who focuses on using our physical and mental detriments to promote a "great upward drive" to better functioning. He and now his followers work to find a patient's unique "lifestyle" where neurotic trends towards power, self-aggrandizement and — are you ready for this? — even self-esteem are laid aside for authentic selfhood, which includes altruism.

Our chairperson said this system seems to resonate with Christian Science, but in reality everyone will eventually have to contact and live his God-self. Lesser motives cannot be left to become troublesome through the materialistic (or mortal mind) law of dualism. Thus, today's kindly motive can become tomorrow's murderous impulse if the God-base is not found and lived.

Here are some individual experiences from the week.

1) One member runs an open mic where amateur and semi-professional singers appear, do their stuff and support each other as members of the audience. This week a demi-star dropped in and dominated the scene, singing with gusto and then talking loudly while others performed. Our member, after praying, decided to address this outburst of unprofessionalism by setting an example of listening carefully as the others performed. Eventually the demi-star got the idea and became a true member of the group. Our member normally loves to cross swords and get into rancorous battles in this type of situation, but this time — maybe in view of our topic — he went straight for healing through prayerful example.

2) A member has felt the pressure of some problems on the job, at school and in his attempts at intimacy. He worked to uncover his motives during the week and came to the conclusion in all areas that the bottom line is to help and be of service to others. He showed us a novel way he's been praying, using the "Rule for Motives and Acts" and the "Daily Prayer" — by intercutting lines and phrases from the two passages to illuminate them both and of course enrich his thought. Readers can give it a try themselves — see the Readings from the Church Manual.

3) Another member is becoming involved in a deeply affectionate relationship with another man. There are major differences in age and cultural background. He's proceeding slowly and cautiously, but cannot deny his and apparently the other's strong feelings. Members of the group noted that in Science — the only Truth of being — they are the same age, i.e., eternal; and from the same place, spiritual perfection. "Let the facts direct the action!" said one.

4) Our group received a troubled e-mail this week from a Christian Scientist concerned with the homosexuality of a family member. We were able to bring this dear one up to date on current trends in the Christian Science movement to accept LGBT folk as members and candidates for class instruction. We recommended study and prayerful reflection as well as conversations with the family member.

For next week, we'll explore Friendship.