I enjoy sailing. When the wind is right and the sails are trimmed, the boat just carries you with it. But you need to constantly adjust those sails to the wind. I call it "listening to the wind." I'd like to share with you today some ideas, experiences and a bit of preaching that hopefully may help you with "listening to the wind" and "adjusting your sails" through some of life's experiences ahead.

How good of a listener are you? I've found listening to be an acquired art, requiring discipline and, more than anything else, selfless love. We are so busy talking or thinking about either what we want to say or what we think the other person is saying, or wish they were saying, that more often than not, we don't really hear what they are saying - the real message.

In my work as a mediator and arbitrator, I've found focused listening gives respect and confidence to speakers. They know you care. It requires humble prayer - not to force a result - only to listen and try to understand.

People are crying out for respect and to be treated with dignity, whether in the housing projects of America, in the millions of cubicles in high-rise office buildings around the world, or in refugee camps in the Middle East. I urge you to hone your listening skills.

As Christian Scientists, humbly seeking guidance from God, Divine Mind, is natural to our way of life; isn't it? However, do we respect and act on the inspired response that comes to us? Are we adjusting our sails to the wind?

Trial work and lawyering in general can produce tremendous human "egos." Those inflated egos are the source of endless lawyer jokes (there is even a website dedicated to them). I can honestly tell you that inspired listening has blessed me immeasurably in my profession. Unimagined insights come when we get self out of the way.

I'll share a few, as we lawyers say, illustrative but not necessarily exclusive, instances with you.

Once I was in the middle of a heated trial in Federal Court defending a corporation. I was at the helm of that sailboat - forget the need for the wind! I was in charge. Midway through the trial, our case was being devastated by fabricated testimony. I remember in the heat of battle, while the onslaught of testimony continued, feeling helpless and deflated. My boat was "in irons" - no power!

At that point I literally turned off the testimony and quietly turned totally to God - the all knowing - for wisdom and guidance. As I earnestly prayed, the words of Christ Jesus came to me: "Ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32). Confidence in God's power filled my thoughts. This was about Truth!

Within an instant (just a few seconds), the Judge called a totally unanticipated recess for no apparent reason. While I was out in the hall during that break, I listened to a casual conversation between two of my witnesses and heard important information for the first time that they had neglected to mention before. This was despite the many months, weeks, days, and hours (including pre-trial discovery) of intense preparation that preceded the actual trial.

The contents of that conversation I heard in the corridor became highly relevant and were the turning point in exposing the misrepresentations by the plaintiff. The truth came out. That the Judge ruled in our favor was secondary to the broader lesson I learned about humility and getting ego out of the way as part of the true listening process.

That type of thing has happened to me over and over again in the legal practice. Mary Baker Eddy says in No and Yes (p. 39), "Prayer begets an awakened desire to be and do good."

I served as a state administrative law judge at one time. I really prayed to be an instrument for good in that work. It was a trying time. The integrity of the system was being challenged. You would have to understand the legacy of Louisiana politics to fully appreciate what I mean. Through consistent reliance on God's direction and the desire to do the right thing, I was led to make some important principle-based rulings.

To say my rulings at the time were not very popular among a group politically connected to high state officials is an understatement. The pressures put on me were enormous. These decisions went against the monetary interests (big bucks) of many powerful people. But integrity is never without power. Those rulings have proven to be right, have withstood appeals and over the years have saved Louisiana taxpayers countless millions of dollars in wasteful costs. It's exciting to see how acting on God's guidance blesses all. You will be called upon to take stands for integrity, and your stands won't always be popular with everyone. Yet, be assured, you will be respected and protected.

As we truly listen with love and seek answers from a higher source, we find remarkable insight from spiritual discernment, which far exceeds our own human ability to discern.

Most of you will be looking for jobs either now or after graduate school. Some time ago, a well-established law firm in the area approached me to join it as a partner. After negotiations, the group was ultimately willing to meet the pre-requisites necessary for me to make this move: to merge my whole firm with theirs, to bring my key staff who are near and dear to me, and to meet the salary and bonus structure I wanted. It was picture perfect.

Every material road sign pointed in the direction of a go. In listening, however, the answer to my prayer did not. I declined the offer. Within a year that firm had total upheaval, it splintered and ultimately self-destructed. God's infinite love really protects the listening heart.

You graduates may not remember (but your parents should), the old E. F. Hutton ad - "When E. F. Hutton speaks, everyone listens!" Well, God is always speaking to us. We just need to tune in. And that's the object of prayer - to tune in to God and tune out the static!

Watch your thinking. Or, in other words, watch what you're listening to. Books, the media, movies, T.V. shows and ads, the Internet, are sources of endless information and suggestions. Be careful about filtering what information you take in. Ask yourself whether it's worthwhile. I call it quality control. Your thought process is what controls your experience. Don't let outside sources distort this process. Remember to refuse the refuse. Be cautious. Vulgarity, gross profanity, graphic portrayals of gratuitous violence and torrid sex are hardly helpful imagery. It distorts the good and beautiful. Be alert to outside influences tempting you!

I've never talked to an adulterer who was happier for the action (and I have had occasion to talk with many in confidence). Nor have I seen a drug addict who doesn't rue the day of the first marijuana cigarette that led to the cocaine or worse (and I've heard testimonials from numerous former drug addicts in quite a variety of different rehab programs). The term recreational drugs is somewhat of an oxymoron. There is nothing recreational about drugs. I've seen too many fine young people fall into that trap. It has affected their grades, their self-esteem, and in two recent instances, their desire to live.

Remember to turn on the mental garbage disposal when needed. The daily Bible lesson is an excellent tool in this regard.

In the practice of law as elsewhere, there is too often the substitution of form over substance. Don't fall for this "power" generation and "power" image stuff. It's pseudo. It lacks substance. As a former TV ad for Wendy's hamburgers used to ask, "Where's the beef?" Ask that same question. It is really a protection. What is alleged is not necessarily true. Some trial lawyers can charm juries with the skills of actors on stage while their cases lack real substance. What about some unscrupulous brokers and business-people? Beware of bravado! The best salesman isn't necessarily selling the best product. Remember to ask yourself, "Where's the beef?"

Seek insight about with whom you spend your time and share yourselves. Make sure they add value to your experience in some measure. Associate with people who have like-minded morals, ethics, and quality of thought when you have the option. I'm referring to the basis of good relationships. Also, acknowledge that we are each unique, and glory in that individuality. Be wary of the subtle cloning tendency of the media, pollsters, and advertisers trying to lump us all together. Who would want everyone to be alike - how boring! It's enlightening to listen to others' views and perspectives. So, don't be fooled by the wave of thought out there suggesting some kind of homogenization is beneficial. How absurd to look at a group and predict uniformity of thoughts, beliefs, or actions by them. Such as, all women acting in a predictable way, or men being interested only in sports, or all Christian Scientists thinking alike, or all Muslims, or Jews, or Hispanics, or Priests, or Blacks, or Whites each acting alike. What an imposition on our freedom to be the individual expressions of our Creator!

If there are no rules, you may not want to play the game. Love for our fellow man (the Golden Rule) and reasonable tolerance of differences are needed to heal societal ills. But, turning our backs on or ignoring aberrant, destructive, or violent behavior, and thereby unwittingly condoning it, creates a social scene that blurs the distinction between right and wrong. That blurring leads to social and civil irresponsibility - where chaos reigns. Again, listen for the rules. Anarchy ignores rules. Reasonable rules and the rule of law (just like the 10 Commandments) are protections for an orderly society. We need to know the fundamental guidelines within which to operate - whether we're driving on a highway, playing a sport, or living in a college setting.

Finally, with apologies to [physics professor] Dr. Cornell, beware of the second law of thermodynamics - the law of laziness. Be an active thinker and listener. Participate! We cannot afford to be passive or laissez-faire. Please don't accept things at face value. It's critical to seek that spiritual insight and perspicacity Mary Baker Eddy refers to. When you are inspired, you are able to think in fresh, original ways - without limits. The boat just carries you. Sometimes, when you are striving and trying to soar above the day-to-day demands of work, school, family, or relationships, there will be times when you will think: "It is hard to soar like an eagle when I'm surrounded by so many turkeys." That is an indicator to lovingly listen more with the heart and respect what others are saying. It is likely that there are more eagles in view than you recognized. So, graduates, remember to constantly adjust your sails as you listen to the wind, and you will be propelled forward. God carries us over the waves, even through raging storms, when we are listening. The world desperately needs good listeners. Be one!