Finding joy, health, hope for all

ABOUT THIS TALK

Sometimes we can feel that joy seems hard to find–--and seems even harder to keep! But what if joy is really fundamental to our nature? What if it is something all of us have permanently?

Christian Science lecturer Steve Salt, CSB, says, “What if we could find the good in life for which our hearts yearn is invulnerable to surrounding events, that it’s never ‘on the line’ for any reason, actually? If there was a way to trust that, and to prove it, that would give us a compelling reason to have hope. Even a reason for unshakeable joy. Christian Science explains the incredible good endowed on us by God–a good all of us deserve and can even expect–all the time.”

Mr. Salt will share how he was healed of mental darkness, and subsequently regained his sense of joy. Through praying with ideas from the Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy, he was transformed–uplifted by a better understanding of joy as a quality of an all-present, all loving God.

He will also share other healings, thoughts on identity, prayer, and what Jesus taught about joy. And he’ll describe Mary Baker Eddy’s life. She founded Christian Science, wrote Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, and modeled a prayerful approach to life, through good happenings and bad, health and sickness, security and poverty, safety and homelessness–prevailing over all of these obstacles, and helping many others along the way.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER, STEVEN SALT, CSB

Exploring how things work, discovering dynamic relationships, observing unapparent connections, and applying the knowledge gained to make sense of it all…this has been the impulse of my life.

As a youngster I designed, engineered, and built cities of cardboard, electrified them, and served as city manager to imaginary families and workers. This was followed by more complex projects that included a balsa wood suspension bridge and a working model of a three-story elevator. Oh…and model rockets. I launched lots of rockets into the sky. I like learning by doing.

Parallel to this education was a deeper plunge into the workings of life through attending Christian Science Sunday School, where I learned the fundamentals of my relationship to God and one another. I gained a broader, more spiritual and practical sense of the Bible. It also provided me the framework in which to understand and value the true nature of things.

After earning a degree in education at Ohio University, I went into the family hardware business helping people problem-solve the household challenges they were facing. My commitment to church continued to grow serving in various capacities. Most importantly, I was gaining a better conception of God's ever-presence through the Christian Science that brings this reality into focus.  

Eventually, I was led to the full-time, public practice of Christian Science where I could apply its teachings to daily experiences and secure a stable sense of well-being for those in need of prayerful support.  

I have enjoyed fulfilling the duties of Christian Science Committee on Publication for Ohio for 15 years. This has allowed me to connect with editors, reporters, and government officials at the local, state, and national levels, ensuring the availability of accurate information about Christian Science.  I have regularly met with ecumenical and interfaith leaders, given talks with interfaith groups and comparative religion classes. I have written for national websites, blogs, newspapers, and magazines in this capacity.  

I am married to Crystal, my high school sweetheart. We have two sons and three grandchildren. All bring me joy.