by Dawn-Marie Cornett

I get asked a lot why I am usually so up, so happy. Well, I do have times when I let the stresses of life get to me, but most of the time, I really am happy, content, joyful. This comes from believing that joy is not a self-contained response to good things, but a fact of life from an infinite Source, God.

No matter how cloudy the day or dark the night, none of us are worried that the sun has burnt out. We trust that it is there. Most of us just take that fact for granted. When the sun shines, it shines on everything. It doesn’t play favorites or withhold its shining from anyone. It just shines. This is how I see joy, peace, contentment. I see my ability to be well and happy as intrinsically connected to how well I can stay in tune with infinite Joy (again, God).

If I believed that my happiness was a physical or chemical response to stimuli, then anything could disrupt my ability to be emotionally well. Any little thing in my day could rob from me a sense of good in my life. Yet, if joy, peace, emotional well-being have an eternal source not dependent on me personally, then they are always there to use, to put into action, to share. And, it would not be mine only, but everyone would have equal opportunity to do the same.

Mary Baker Eddy, an author from the turn of the twentieth century, wrote one of my favorite books, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. In it she writes, “Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love.” It is this statement, combined with the book’s general “eternal life” view of living, that has convinced me that joy is something I express, something I connect with, rather than something that has a fleeting and flimsy place in my emotional makeup.

“Truth and Love,” as Eddy explains, are names for God, synonyms. So, if I believe her statement about the source of happiness, I have to be in tune with Truth, in tune with Love as not human but divine, in order to be happy. As I look at human experience in general, I see evidence of this statement all around me. Are there good people, doing good, that are still unhappy? Yes, but not too many. The vast majority of unhappy people seem to be those looking for happiness to be given to them through relationships, possessions, careers, and even drugs and alcohol. It seems to me that unhappiness stems from feeling that things and experiences based entirely or even partly on materiality do not bring lasting happiness but tend to create a sense of emptiness, and loss of peace.

The sustainable peace and joy that I have found, comes from expressing joy for the sake of others, not for my own personal gain. It comes from deeply wanting my life to reflect graciousness, kindness, and openness. At the root of it all, it is my motives that sustain my consciousness of joy, my ability to honestly feel happy. It all goes back to Eddy’s statement. I have to align what I want with what is sustainably good—Truth and Love. If I am tempted to be dishonest, I am not living up to my motive of blessing others. If I am feeling unkind, grumpy, angry, or selfish, I am not living in line with my desire to bless others. So, I am not expressing joy, and therefore, I can’t feel it.

When we look for joy, love, fulfillment, or good to come to us, we are often disappointed. But we are always in control of how much kindness we give, how much gentleness we express, how much love and affection we help others have and be aware of. Because we are in control of the good we do, we are always in control of the good we feel. This is how I create an atmosphere of lasting happiness in my life. My “secret” is out.

by Dawn-Marie Cornett

I get asked a lot why I am usually so up, so happy. Well, I do have times when I let the stresses of life get to me, but most of the time, I really am happy, content, joyful. This comes from believing that joy is not a self-contained response to good things, but a fact of life from an infinite Source, God.

No matter how cloudy the day or dark the night, none of us are worried that the sun has burnt out. We trust that it is there. Most of us just take that fact for granted. When the sun shines, it shines on everything. It doesn’t play favorites or withhold its shining from anyone. It just shines. This is how I see joy, peace, contentment. I see my ability to be well and happy as intrinsically connected to how well I can stay in tune with infinite Joy (again, God).

If I believed that my happiness was a physical or chemical response to stimuli, then anything could disrupt my ability to be emotionally well. Any little thing in my day could rob from me a sense of good in my life. Yet, if joy, peace, emotional well-being have an eternal source not dependent on me personally, then they are always there to use, to put into action, to share. And, it would not be mine only, but everyone would have equal opportunity to do the same.

Mary Baker Eddy, an author from the turn of the twentieth century, wrote one of my favorite books, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. In it she writes, “Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love.” It is this statement, combined with the book’s general “eternal life” view of living, that has convinced me that joy is something I express, something I connect with, rather than something that has a fleeting and flimsy place in my emotional makeup.

“Truth and Love,” as Eddy explains, are names for God, synonyms. So, if I believe her statement about the source of happiness, I have to be in tune with Truth, in tune with Love as not human but divine, in order to be happy. As I look at human experience in general, I see evidence of this statement all around me. Are there good people, doing good, that are still unhappy? Yes, but not too many. The vast majority of unhappy people seem to be those looking for happiness to be given to them through relationships, possessions, careers, and even drugs and alcohol. It seems to me that unhappiness stems from feeling that things and experiences based entirely or even partly on materiality do not bring lasting happiness but tend to create a sense of emptiness, and loss of peace.

The sustainable peace and joy that I have found, comes from expressing joy for the sake of others, not for my own personal gain. It comes from deeply wanting my life to reflect graciousness, kindness, and openness. At the root of it all, it is my motives that sustain my consciousness of joy, my ability to honestly feel happy. It all goes back to Eddy’s statement. I have to align what I want with what is sustainably good—Truth and Love. If I am tempted to be dishonest, I am not living up to my motive of blessing others. If I am feeling unkind, grumpy, angry, or selfish, I am not living in line with my desire to bless others. So, I am not expressing joy, and therefore, I can’t feel it.

When we look for joy, love, fulfillment, or good to come to us, we are often disappointed. But we are always in control of how much kindness we give, how much gentleness we express, how much love and affection we help others have and be aware of. Because we are in control of the good we do, we are always in control of the good we feel. This is how I create an atmosphere of lasting happiness in my life. My “secret” is out.

by Dawn-Marie Cornett

I get asked a lot why I am usually so up, so happy. Well, I do have times when I let the stresses of life get to me, but most of the time, I really am happy, content, joyful. This comes from believing that joy is not a self-contained response to good things, but a fact of life from an infinite Source, God.

No matter how cloudy the day or dark the night, none of us are worried that the sun has burnt out. We trust that it is there. Most of us just take that fact for granted. When the sun shines, it shines on everything. It doesn’t play favorites or withhold its shining from anyone. It just shines. This is how I see joy, peace, contentment. I see my ability to be well and happy as intrinsically connected to how well I can stay in tune with infinite Joy (again, God).

If I believed that my happiness was a physical or chemical response to stimuli, then anything could disrupt my ability to be emotionally well. Any little thing in my day could rob from me a sense of good in my life. Yet, if joy, peace, emotional well-being have an eternal source not dependent on me personally, then they are always there to use, to put into action, to share. And, it would not be mine only, but everyone would have equal opportunity to do the same.

Mary Baker Eddy, an author from the turn of the twentieth century, wrote one of my favorite books, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures. In it she writes, “Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love.” It is this statement, combined with the book’s general “eternal life” view of living, that has convinced me that joy is something I express, something I connect with, rather than something that has a fleeting and flimsy place in my emotional makeup.

“Truth and Love,” as Eddy explains, are names for God, synonyms. So, if I believe her statement about the source of happiness, I have to be in tune with Truth, in tune with Love as not human but divine, in order to be happy. As I look at human experience in general, I see evidence of this statement all around me. Are there good people, doing good, that are still unhappy? Yes, but not too many. The vast majority of unhappy people seem to be those looking for happiness to be given to them through relationships, possessions, careers, and even drugs and alcohol. It seems to me that unhappiness stems from feeling that things and experiences based entirely or even partly on materiality do not bring lasting happiness but tend to create a sense of emptiness, and loss of peace.

The sustainable peace and joy that I have found, comes from expressing joy for the sake of others, not for my own personal gain. It comes from deeply wanting my life to reflect graciousness, kindness, and openness. At the root of it all, it is my motives that sustain my consciousness of joy, my ability to honestly feel happy. It all goes back to Eddy’s statement. I have to align what I want with what is sustainably good—Truth and Love. If I am tempted to be dishonest, I am not living up to my motive of blessing others. If I am feeling unkind, grumpy, angry, or selfish, I am not living in line with my desire to bless others. So, I am not expressing joy, and therefore, I can’t feel it.

When we look for joy, love, fulfillment, or good to come to us, we are often disappointed. But we are always in control of how much kindness we give, how much gentleness we express, how much love and affection we help others have and be aware of. Because we are in control of the good we do, we are always in control of the good we feel. This is how I create an atmosphere of lasting happiness in my life. My “secret” is out.

Nathaniel - Christian Science Sentinel, July 21 and 28, 2008

While touring Asia a couple of years ago, my brother, Forrest, and I embarked on a trek that would carry us to a mountain base camp high in the Annapurna Mountains of central Nepal.

The altitude gain, and particularly fears about altitude sickness, was something that had preoccupied my thought days before we’d begun the trek. And now, walking up smooth, stone stairways through the subtropical mountain landscape, I was tempted to carefully monitor our gain—even converting meters to feet to keep perspective.

Simultaneously, however, I was keeping track of a simple spiritual equation I’d learned in Christian Science: God is Spirit, and man (meaning all men and women) reflects God, so therefore man is spiritual. Most of the time I was successful in holding to this. I found praying with these ideas was more helpful than measuring my progress by counting my steps.

Turning to God as a daily habit proved enormously helpful to me while on the trail. I’ve found that trekking is a great time for prayer and provides opportunities to face challenges. And believe me, challenges did come up!

By the third night of our trip, my brother and I had settled down in a teahouse not far below the base camp (our highest destination), having accomplished quite a drastic elevation gain in a short time.

As we relaxed in an open-air lounge with a close-up view of the magnificent high Himalayas, cries carried up the hillside from the river below. We looked out and saw a man. As he reached the trail below the teahouse, he doubled over, out of breath. He explained that his friend was down in the river valley below, in great pain and unable (or unwilling) to move. The men had missed a turn on the way back down from a teahouse higher up the trail, and had scrambled along rocks beside the river, looking for a crossing. Their search ended when one of them fell and apparently dislocated his shoulder.

Would someone, asked the frantic man, be willing to run down with him to the next teahouse, located an hour or so below, and look for a doctor? The Nepali guides, porters, or cooks he’d already asked weren’t eager to leave their clients. And this man was worried that if a certain amount of time passed and his friend’s shoulder remained dislocated, there could be permanent damage. His fear was coming on so strong that it seemed almost tangible.

I offered to run down the mountain with this man. Since I’d done this kind of activity a lot during my summer camp job, I had experience with quick foot placement while navigating narrow, rocky trails. Besides, I’d often found great spiritual satisfaction and even peace in running down a trail after a day’s hike.

Quickly, the man and I were off. Within five minutes, my new friend had tired. "Go on," he gasped, "I’ll meet you below."

Down I went.

My solitude and the surrounding stillness quickly allowed me to recognize the presence of God. I turned my thoughts fully to my divine Father-Mother, wanting so very much to overcome the fears racing through my head and recognize the absolute harmony of the situation—that God’s spiritual union with His children is never compromised.

I was mentally battling a couple of things. One was the persistent fear of altitude sickness. I was concerned that with all the climbing I’d been doing, followed by this big and unexpected exertion of energy going down, I was bound to feel the effects of physical laws said to govern the body’s reaction to sudden changes in elevation. But from my study of Christian Science, I knew that there was a higher spiritual law that governed me—a law that defined me as spiritual, above the limitations of matter.

The other fear was for the injured man’s health—though this one I was able to conquer with efficiency. When concern for the man came to thought, I easily dismissed the idea that anyone could be separated from God, subject to injury and pain, for even a second. I could see that part of my purpose in this situation was to respond compassionately to his wish to find help—yet it was entirely clear to me that he was already safe under God’s care.

I didn’t know what the outcome would be of my search for assistance, but I just knew that I was there to serve God.

Quotes from that week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson on "Unreality" came to me in rapid succession. Among them, part of a passage from Science and Health: ". . . nor are the so-called laws of matter primary, and the law of Spirit secondary" (p. 207). Enjoying the influx of these ideas helped me clarify that the physical laws of the senses couldn’t hold a candle to the truth about anyone’s spiritual being.

My fears gradually gave way to the spiritual fact that God’s law of harmony overruled pain and fear. And I held fast to this while descending. The first teahouse I stopped at contained sympathetic people but no doctors, so I decided to continue on to the next one. This meant dropping another 1,000 feet in elevation.

But by this time, encouraged by my prayer, I felt exhilarated.

I kept thinking about how much I loved running down trails—and how I expressed the spiritual quality of joy as I did this. A familiar hymn began to surface in my thoughts: "I love Thy way of freedom, Lord, / To serve Thee is my choice" (Violet Hay, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 136).

Eventually, after startling a troop of wild monkeys along the path, I arrived at the final set of teahouses. By then, it was almost dark. Quickly, I found four nurses among a large group of European trekkers, and they rushed into action to get me a handful of medical supplies.

Up the mountain I went again, clinging to these truths: Harmony is God’s law, while fear is a mental suggestion saying God is not in power, which tries to throw us off course. And I only wanted to pay attention to what God was telling me about the events of that day.

When I arrived back at the teahouse located halfway from where I’d been with my brother, Forrest, I was tired and slightly nauseous. But I felt a calm serenity that I attributed to an understanding of God’s presence.

While resting and eating an energy bar, I heard some commotion, and then Forrest’s face appeared. "Nate!" he yelled. I rose to greet my brother, the man whom I’d begun the run down with, and our intrepid porter. They’d come to meet me.

And they delivered some wonderful news.

Apparently, after I’d begun my run down the trail, our porter had gone down to the river to help the injured man across. He picked him up and actually began carrying him across the fast-moving, glacial water. I was told that the man "feared for his life." He was in a lot of pain and felt that he might get dropped into the river and die. But in that moment, a "great peace" came over him, and his shoulder popped back into place. All this happened, I realized, about 20–30 minutes after I’d started my run down the mountainside. That would have been right about the time I’d been overcome with great joy for God’s healing power. Listening intently to what they were telling me, I silently praised God, because I just knew that my prayers had had far-reaching effects.

In a few moments, I felt ready to make the journey back to the highest teahouse, where we were camped. My three companions and I moved slowly. The higher we rose, the dizzier and weaker I felt, but I held strongly in prayer to two ideas. The first was my immense gratitude for the injured man’s recovery and freedom from pain. The second was from the final verse of the hymn I’d been singing to myself, which says, "I climb, with joy, the heights of Mind, / To soar o’er time and space." This meant to me that God’s spiritual laws soar high above any physical laws of distance or elevation.

When we arrived at our original teahouse, I lay down in the common room, my head spinning. All I wanted was to keep my thoughts focused on God’s law of harmony, but at that point I was having a tough time of it. Thoughts were passing in and out of my consciousness, and I felt half asleep. Then a passage from Science and Health pierced the mental fog and stayed with me: "Christian Science . . . sets free the imprisoned thought" (p. 114).

That was it! My need was to be freed from the imprisoned thought that I was material and vulnerable, subject to my body’s reaction to its environment.

There couldn’t have been a better message. In a few minutes, the dizziness and nausea disappeared, and I felt completely well. My appetite returned, and I asked for a bowl of soup.

The next morning, I felt refreshed, inspired, and ready to complete the trek. I basked in the beautiful landscape, which I saw as an expression of God as divine Soul. My brother and I ascended up into the snow and were treated to 360-degree views of the high Himalayas. During the following four days’ descent, I conquered any further challenges with a gratitude for and an increased understanding of God’s power. |css

Nathaniel - Christian Science Sentinel, July 21 and 28, 2008

While touring Asia a couple of years ago, my brother, Forrest, and I embarked on a trek that would carry us to a mountain base camp high in the Annapurna Mountains of central Nepal.

The altitude gain, and particularly fears about altitude sickness, was something that had preoccupied my thought days before we’d begun the trek. And now, walking up smooth, stone stairways through the subtropical mountain landscape, I was tempted to carefully monitor our gain—even converting meters to feet to keep perspective.

Simultaneously, however, I was keeping track of a simple spiritual equation I’d learned in Christian Science: God is Spirit, and man (meaning all men and women) reflects God, so therefore man is spiritual. Most of the time I was successful in holding to this. I found praying with these ideas was more helpful than measuring my progress by counting my steps.

Turning to God as a daily habit proved enormously helpful to me while on the trail. I’ve found that trekking is a great time for prayer and provides opportunities to face challenges. And believe me, challenges did come up!

By the third night of our trip, my brother and I had settled down in a teahouse not far below the base camp (our highest destination), having accomplished quite a drastic elevation gain in a short time.

As we relaxed in an open-air lounge with a close-up view of the magnificent high Himalayas, cries carried up the hillside from the river below. We looked out and saw a man. As he reached the trail below the teahouse, he doubled over, out of breath. He explained that his friend was down in the river valley below, in great pain and unable (or unwilling) to move. The men had missed a turn on the way back down from a teahouse higher up the trail, and had scrambled along rocks beside the river, looking for a crossing. Their search ended when one of them fell and apparently dislocated his shoulder.

Would someone, asked the frantic man, be willing to run down with him to the next teahouse, located an hour or so below, and look for a doctor? The Nepali guides, porters, or cooks he’d already asked weren’t eager to leave their clients. And this man was worried that if a certain amount of time passed and his friend’s shoulder remained dislocated, there could be permanent damage. His fear was coming on so strong that it seemed almost tangible.

I offered to run down the mountain with this man. Since I’d done this kind of activity a lot during my summer camp job, I had experience with quick foot placement while navigating narrow, rocky trails. Besides, I’d often found great spiritual satisfaction and even peace in running down a trail after a day’s hike.

Quickly, the man and I were off. Within five minutes, my new friend had tired. "Go on," he gasped, "I’ll meet you below."

Down I went.

My solitude and the surrounding stillness quickly allowed me to recognize the presence of God. I turned my thoughts fully to my divine Father-Mother, wanting so very much to overcome the fears racing through my head and recognize the absolute harmony of the situation—that God’s spiritual union with His children is never compromised.

I was mentally battling a couple of things. One was the persistent fear of altitude sickness. I was concerned that with all the climbing I’d been doing, followed by this big and unexpected exertion of energy going down, I was bound to feel the effects of physical laws said to govern the body’s reaction to sudden changes in elevation. But from my study of Christian Science, I knew that there was a higher spiritual law that governed me—a law that defined me as spiritual, above the limitations of matter.

The other fear was for the injured man’s health—though this one I was able to conquer with efficiency. When concern for the man came to thought, I easily dismissed the idea that anyone could be separated from God, subject to injury and pain, for even a second. I could see that part of my purpose in this situation was to respond compassionately to his wish to find help—yet it was entirely clear to me that he was already safe under God’s care.

I didn’t know what the outcome would be of my search for assistance, but I just knew that I was there to serve God.

Quotes from that week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson on "Unreality" came to me in rapid succession. Among them, part of a passage from Science and Health: ". . . nor are the so-called laws of matter primary, and the law of Spirit secondary" (p. 207). Enjoying the influx of these ideas helped me clarify that the physical laws of the senses couldn’t hold a candle to the truth about anyone’s spiritual being.

My fears gradually gave way to the spiritual fact that God’s law of harmony overruled pain and fear. And I held fast to this while descending. The first teahouse I stopped at contained sympathetic people but no doctors, so I decided to continue on to the next one. This meant dropping another 1,000 feet in elevation.

But by this time, encouraged by my prayer, I felt exhilarated.

I kept thinking about how much I loved running down trails—and how I expressed the spiritual quality of joy as I did this. A familiar hymn began to surface in my thoughts: "I love Thy way of freedom, Lord, / To serve Thee is my choice" (Violet Hay, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 136).

Eventually, after startling a troop of wild monkeys along the path, I arrived at the final set of teahouses. By then, it was almost dark. Quickly, I found four nurses among a large group of European trekkers, and they rushed into action to get me a handful of medical supplies.

Up the mountain I went again, clinging to these truths: Harmony is God’s law, while fear is a mental suggestion saying God is not in power, which tries to throw us off course. And I only wanted to pay attention to what God was telling me about the events of that day.

When I arrived back at the teahouse located halfway from where I’d been with my brother, Forrest, I was tired and slightly nauseous. But I felt a calm serenity that I attributed to an understanding of God’s presence.

While resting and eating an energy bar, I heard some commotion, and then Forrest’s face appeared. "Nate!" he yelled. I rose to greet my brother, the man whom I’d begun the run down with, and our intrepid porter. They’d come to meet me.

And they delivered some wonderful news.

Apparently, after I’d begun my run down the trail, our porter had gone down to the river to help the injured man across. He picked him up and actually began carrying him across the fast-moving, glacial water. I was told that the man "feared for his life." He was in a lot of pain and felt that he might get dropped into the river and die. But in that moment, a "great peace" came over him, and his shoulder popped back into place. All this happened, I realized, about 20–30 minutes after I’d started my run down the mountainside. That would have been right about the time I’d been overcome with great joy for God’s healing power. Listening intently to what they were telling me, I silently praised God, because I just knew that my prayers had had far-reaching effects.

In a few moments, I felt ready to make the journey back to the highest teahouse, where we were camped. My three companions and I moved slowly. The higher we rose, the dizzier and weaker I felt, but I held strongly in prayer to two ideas. The first was my immense gratitude for the injured man’s recovery and freedom from pain. The second was from the final verse of the hymn I’d been singing to myself, which says, "I climb, with joy, the heights of Mind, / To soar o’er time and space." This meant to me that God’s spiritual laws soar high above any physical laws of distance or elevation.

When we arrived at our original teahouse, I lay down in the common room, my head spinning. All I wanted was to keep my thoughts focused on God’s law of harmony, but at that point I was having a tough time of it. Thoughts were passing in and out of my consciousness, and I felt half asleep. Then a passage from Science and Health pierced the mental fog and stayed with me: "Christian Science . . . sets free the imprisoned thought" (p. 114).

That was it! My need was to be freed from the imprisoned thought that I was material and vulnerable, subject to my body’s reaction to its environment.

There couldn’t have been a better message. In a few minutes, the dizziness and nausea disappeared, and I felt completely well. My appetite returned, and I asked for a bowl of soup.

The next morning, I felt refreshed, inspired, and ready to complete the trek. I basked in the beautiful landscape, which I saw as an expression of God as divine Soul. My brother and I ascended up into the snow and were treated to 360-degree views of the high Himalayas. During the following four days’ descent, I conquered any further challenges with a gratitude for and an increased understanding of God’s power. |css

Nathaniel - Christian Science Sentinel, July 21 and 28, 2008

While touring Asia a couple of years ago, my brother, Forrest, and I embarked on a trek that would carry us to a mountain base camp high in the Annapurna Mountains of central Nepal.

The altitude gain, and particularly fears about altitude sickness, was something that had preoccupied my thought days before we’d begun the trek. And now, walking up smooth, stone stairways through the subtropical mountain landscape, I was tempted to carefully monitor our gain—even converting meters to feet to keep perspective.

Simultaneously, however, I was keeping track of a simple spiritual equation I’d learned in Christian Science: God is Spirit, and man (meaning all men and women) reflects God, so therefore man is spiritual. Most of the time I was successful in holding to this. I found praying with these ideas was more helpful than measuring my progress by counting my steps.

Turning to God as a daily habit proved enormously helpful to me while on the trail. I’ve found that trekking is a great time for prayer and provides opportunities to face challenges. And believe me, challenges did come up!

By the third night of our trip, my brother and I had settled down in a teahouse not far below the base camp (our highest destination), having accomplished quite a drastic elevation gain in a short time.

As we relaxed in an open-air lounge with a close-up view of the magnificent high Himalayas, cries carried up the hillside from the river below. We looked out and saw a man. As he reached the trail below the teahouse, he doubled over, out of breath. He explained that his friend was down in the river valley below, in great pain and unable (or unwilling) to move. The men had missed a turn on the way back down from a teahouse higher up the trail, and had scrambled along rocks beside the river, looking for a crossing. Their search ended when one of them fell and apparently dislocated his shoulder.

Would someone, asked the frantic man, be willing to run down with him to the next teahouse, located an hour or so below, and look for a doctor? The Nepali guides, porters, or cooks he’d already asked weren’t eager to leave their clients. And this man was worried that if a certain amount of time passed and his friend’s shoulder remained dislocated, there could be permanent damage. His fear was coming on so strong that it seemed almost tangible.

I offered to run down the mountain with this man. Since I’d done this kind of activity a lot during my summer camp job, I had experience with quick foot placement while navigating narrow, rocky trails. Besides, I’d often found great spiritual satisfaction and even peace in running down a trail after a day’s hike.

Quickly, the man and I were off. Within five minutes, my new friend had tired. "Go on," he gasped, "I’ll meet you below."

Down I went.

My solitude and the surrounding stillness quickly allowed me to recognize the presence of God. I turned my thoughts fully to my divine Father-Mother, wanting so very much to overcome the fears racing through my head and recognize the absolute harmony of the situation—that God’s spiritual union with His children is never compromised.

I was mentally battling a couple of things. One was the persistent fear of altitude sickness. I was concerned that with all the climbing I’d been doing, followed by this big and unexpected exertion of energy going down, I was bound to feel the effects of physical laws said to govern the body’s reaction to sudden changes in elevation. But from my study of Christian Science, I knew that there was a higher spiritual law that governed me—a law that defined me as spiritual, above the limitations of matter.

The other fear was for the injured man’s health—though this one I was able to conquer with efficiency. When concern for the man came to thought, I easily dismissed the idea that anyone could be separated from God, subject to injury and pain, for even a second. I could see that part of my purpose in this situation was to respond compassionately to his wish to find help—yet it was entirely clear to me that he was already safe under God’s care.

I didn’t know what the outcome would be of my search for assistance, but I just knew that I was there to serve God.

Quotes from that week’s Christian Science Bible Lesson on "Unreality" came to me in rapid succession. Among them, part of a passage from Science and Health: ". . . nor are the so-called laws of matter primary, and the law of Spirit secondary" (p. 207). Enjoying the influx of these ideas helped me clarify that the physical laws of the senses couldn’t hold a candle to the truth about anyone’s spiritual being.

My fears gradually gave way to the spiritual fact that God’s law of harmony overruled pain and fear. And I held fast to this while descending. The first teahouse I stopped at contained sympathetic people but no doctors, so I decided to continue on to the next one. This meant dropping another 1,000 feet in elevation.

But by this time, encouraged by my prayer, I felt exhilarated.

I kept thinking about how much I loved running down trails—and how I expressed the spiritual quality of joy as I did this. A familiar hymn began to surface in my thoughts: "I love Thy way of freedom, Lord, / To serve Thee is my choice" (Violet Hay, Christian Science Hymnal, No. 136).

Eventually, after startling a troop of wild monkeys along the path, I arrived at the final set of teahouses. By then, it was almost dark. Quickly, I found four nurses among a large group of European trekkers, and they rushed into action to get me a handful of medical supplies.

Up the mountain I went again, clinging to these truths: Harmony is God’s law, while fear is a mental suggestion saying God is not in power, which tries to throw us off course. And I only wanted to pay attention to what God was telling me about the events of that day.

When I arrived back at the teahouse located halfway from where I’d been with my brother, Forrest, I was tired and slightly nauseous. But I felt a calm serenity that I attributed to an understanding of God’s presence.

While resting and eating an energy bar, I heard some commotion, and then Forrest’s face appeared. "Nate!" he yelled. I rose to greet my brother, the man whom I’d begun the run down with, and our intrepid porter. They’d come to meet me.

And they delivered some wonderful news.

Apparently, after I’d begun my run down the trail, our porter had gone down to the river to help the injured man across. He picked him up and actually began carrying him across the fast-moving, glacial water. I was told that the man "feared for his life." He was in a lot of pain and felt that he might get dropped into the river and die. But in that moment, a "great peace" came over him, and his shoulder popped back into place. All this happened, I realized, about 20–30 minutes after I’d started my run down the mountainside. That would have been right about the time I’d been overcome with great joy for God’s healing power. Listening intently to what they were telling me, I silently praised God, because I just knew that my prayers had had far-reaching effects.

In a few moments, I felt ready to make the journey back to the highest teahouse, where we were camped. My three companions and I moved slowly. The higher we rose, the dizzier and weaker I felt, but I held strongly in prayer to two ideas. The first was my immense gratitude for the injured man’s recovery and freedom from pain. The second was from the final verse of the hymn I’d been singing to myself, which says, "I climb, with joy, the heights of Mind, / To soar o’er time and space." This meant to me that God’s spiritual laws soar high above any physical laws of distance or elevation.

When we arrived at our original teahouse, I lay down in the common room, my head spinning. All I wanted was to keep my thoughts focused on God’s law of harmony, but at that point I was having a tough time of it. Thoughts were passing in and out of my consciousness, and I felt half asleep. Then a passage from Science and Health pierced the mental fog and stayed with me: "Christian Science . . . sets free the imprisoned thought" (p. 114).

That was it! My need was to be freed from the imprisoned thought that I was material and vulnerable, subject to my body’s reaction to its environment.

There couldn’t have been a better message. In a few minutes, the dizziness and nausea disappeared, and I felt completely well. My appetite returned, and I asked for a bowl of soup.

The next morning, I felt refreshed, inspired, and ready to complete the trek. I basked in the beautiful landscape, which I saw as an expression of God as divine Soul. My brother and I ascended up into the snow and were treated to 360-degree views of the high Himalayas. During the following four days’ descent, I conquered any further challenges with a gratitude for and an increased understanding of God’s power. |css

by Kate Warner

I recently became an intern at The Mother Church. I’m going to be here in Boston all summer, and getting here was a little hectic. Since I didn’t know when I was going to be leaving until the day before I left, I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to most of my friends and even to some of my family. Now, I dearly love my friends and am very close with my family. And I felt I had finally learned how to truly express love to those I’d always been close to. To be ripped so abruptly away—well, it hurt.

So when I got to Boston I was scared and I was incredibly lonely. Here I was, more than an eight-hour drive away from everyone I knew and loved, in a city I was only vaguely familiar with, with few familiar comforts.

The first night, I cried. I wanted to go home and curl up on the couch next to my brothers and watch a movie. I wanted to take the next train back and never leave my family again.

I was desperately homesick, and needed to do something about it! So I prayed. Every night for the next few nights I went to bed with an ache in my heart, but I also kept a prayer on my lips.

Near the end of my first week of work, a coworker asked me to lunch. I hadn’t really been taking any lunch breaks that week, so I agreed. We went to a local shopping center, and as we walked to the food court, I noticed something interesting. There were a lot of people in costumes! And not just any costumes—anime costumes! This greatly excited me, as I’m an anime fan. We checked out the nearest convention center information sign, and, lo and behold, the anime convention would last all weekend!

The rest of the day passed quickly. As soon as I could, I rushed home, decked myself out in a random assortment of items from my room (aka a costume), and hurried off to the convention center. It felt like this was a wonderful opportunity to find other people who were like me.

For a while, I walked alone around the anime convention events. People, coming in groups, didn’t seem inspired to engage the random lone wanderer. I felt as though I could finally express myself again, but to whom? To what end? And then I was invited to join a LARP. A LARP is a Live Action Role Playing game—something I thought might be a little strange, even for me. But despite my inner reservations, something about it felt like a good idea, so I agreed.

At first it seemed a little hard to talk with the others; they all seemed to know what they were doing. However, after a while I found it easier to be myself and met a new friend who I shall dub Fred. Our “characters” interacted most of the game. Neither of us could solve anything about the plot, but both of us enjoyed adding odd commentary to every scene. If you’re familiar with D&D (Dungeons and Dragons,) you might label us as chaotic neutrals.

After the LARP, Fred and I grabbed something to drink at a convenience store and met his friend Jesus. Later that night I met a few more of Fred’s friends, and was invited on a trip to an all-night bakery. By this point the hour-hand was pointing to twelve. I agreed to go.

While normally I don’t recommend going anywhere with someone you don’t know well, I trusted these men—one dressed as Alucard, another dressed as Dante, and of course Jesus came with us as well. They were polite, considerate, and about as crazy as I am. I’d thought we’d take a car, but it seemed they intended to walk. How much harm could that be?

It took us two hours to walk to the bakery! By this time we’d acquired some new friends in the form of passersby who decided to tag along—one from a neighboring Harry Potter convention!

I discovered a lot about my new-found friends during that exceptionally long walk, and part of it was how intrinsically caring they all were. Over the next couple of days I spent most of my time at the convention, LARPing and hanging out with my new friends. When the convention was over, I knew I’d miss them, but I’d already learned something important. I’m not alone and friendless, no matter where I am.

When I had felt sad and lonely coming to Boston, my biggest struggle was feeling unable to express myself to others. It seemed as though I couldn’t express all of the wonderful qualities God endowed me with, and I was miserable. My situation then reminds me of the passage from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it” (57).

I had been convinced that I couldn’t express happiness because I was alone. Now I know that—while I certainly may miss my friends and family this summer—it’s not with whom you express love, joy, and beauty that counts; it’s that you express those qualities at all. And all mankind is ready to share them with you.

by Kate Warner

I recently became an intern at The Mother Church. I’m going to be here in Boston all summer, and getting here was a little hectic. Since I didn’t know when I was going to be leaving until the day before I left, I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to most of my friends and even to some of my family. Now, I dearly love my friends and am very close with my family. And I felt I had finally learned how to truly express love to those I’d always been close to. To be ripped so abruptly away—well, it hurt.

So when I got to Boston I was scared and I was incredibly lonely. Here I was, more than an eight-hour drive away from everyone I knew and loved, in a city I was only vaguely familiar with, with few familiar comforts.

The first night, I cried. I wanted to go home and curl up on the couch next to my brothers and watch a movie. I wanted to take the next train back and never leave my family again.

I was desperately homesick, and needed to do something about it! So I prayed. Every night for the next few nights I went to bed with an ache in my heart, but I also kept a prayer on my lips.

Near the end of my first week of work, a coworker asked me to lunch. I hadn’t really been taking any lunch breaks that week, so I agreed. We went to a local shopping center, and as we walked to the food court, I noticed something interesting. There were a lot of people in costumes! And not just any costumes—anime costumes! This greatly excited me, as I’m an anime fan. We checked out the nearest convention center information sign, and, lo and behold, the anime convention would last all weekend!

The rest of the day passed quickly. As soon as I could, I rushed home, decked myself out in a random assortment of items from my room (aka a costume), and hurried off to the convention center. It felt like this was a wonderful opportunity to find other people who were like me.

For a while, I walked alone around the anime convention events. People, coming in groups, didn’t seem inspired to engage the random lone wanderer. I felt as though I could finally express myself again, but to whom? To what end? And then I was invited to join a LARP. A LARP is a Live Action Role Playing game—something I thought might be a little strange, even for me. But despite my inner reservations, something about it felt like a good idea, so I agreed.

At first it seemed a little hard to talk with the others; they all seemed to know what they were doing. However, after a while I found it easier to be myself and met a new friend who I shall dub Fred. Our “characters” interacted most of the game. Neither of us could solve anything about the plot, but both of us enjoyed adding odd commentary to every scene. If you’re familiar with D&D (Dungeons and Dragons,) you might label us as chaotic neutrals.

After the LARP, Fred and I grabbed something to drink at a convenience store and met his friend Jesus. Later that night I met a few more of Fred’s friends, and was invited on a trip to an all-night bakery. By this point the hour-hand was pointing to twelve. I agreed to go.

While normally I don’t recommend going anywhere with someone you don’t know well, I trusted these men—one dressed as Alucard, another dressed as Dante, and of course Jesus came with us as well. They were polite, considerate, and about as crazy as I am. I’d thought we’d take a car, but it seemed they intended to walk. How much harm could that be?

It took us two hours to walk to the bakery! By this time we’d acquired some new friends in the form of passersby who decided to tag along—one from a neighboring Harry Potter convention!

I discovered a lot about my new-found friends during that exceptionally long walk, and part of it was how intrinsically caring they all were. Over the next couple of days I spent most of my time at the convention, LARPing and hanging out with my new friends. When the convention was over, I knew I’d miss them, but I’d already learned something important. I’m not alone and friendless, no matter where I am.

When I had felt sad and lonely coming to Boston, my biggest struggle was feeling unable to express myself to others. It seemed as though I couldn’t express all of the wonderful qualities God endowed me with, and I was miserable. My situation then reminds me of the passage from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it” (57).

I had been convinced that I couldn’t express happiness because I was alone. Now I know that—while I certainly may miss my friends and family this summer—it’s not with whom you express love, joy, and beauty that counts; it’s that you express those qualities at all. And all mankind is ready to share them with you.

by Kate Warner

I recently became an intern at The Mother Church. I’m going to be here in Boston all summer, and getting here was a little hectic. Since I didn’t know when I was going to be leaving until the day before I left, I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to most of my friends and even to some of my family. Now, I dearly love my friends and am very close with my family. And I felt I had finally learned how to truly express love to those I’d always been close to. To be ripped so abruptly away—well, it hurt.

So when I got to Boston I was scared and I was incredibly lonely. Here I was, more than an eight-hour drive away from everyone I knew and loved, in a city I was only vaguely familiar with, with few familiar comforts.

The first night, I cried. I wanted to go home and curl up on the couch next to my brothers and watch a movie. I wanted to take the next train back and never leave my family again.

I was desperately homesick, and needed to do something about it! So I prayed. Every night for the next few nights I went to bed with an ache in my heart, but I also kept a prayer on my lips.

Near the end of my first week of work, a coworker asked me to lunch. I hadn’t really been taking any lunch breaks that week, so I agreed. We went to a local shopping center, and as we walked to the food court, I noticed something interesting. There were a lot of people in costumes! And not just any costumes—anime costumes! This greatly excited me, as I’m an anime fan. We checked out the nearest convention center information sign, and, lo and behold, the anime convention would last all weekend!

The rest of the day passed quickly. As soon as I could, I rushed home, decked myself out in a random assortment of items from my room (aka a costume), and hurried off to the convention center. It felt like this was a wonderful opportunity to find other people who were like me.

For a while, I walked alone around the anime convention events. People, coming in groups, didn’t seem inspired to engage the random lone wanderer. I felt as though I could finally express myself again, but to whom? To what end? And then I was invited to join a LARP. A LARP is a Live Action Role Playing game—something I thought might be a little strange, even for me. But despite my inner reservations, something about it felt like a good idea, so I agreed.

At first it seemed a little hard to talk with the others; they all seemed to know what they were doing. However, after a while I found it easier to be myself and met a new friend who I shall dub Fred. Our “characters” interacted most of the game. Neither of us could solve anything about the plot, but both of us enjoyed adding odd commentary to every scene. If you’re familiar with D&D (Dungeons and Dragons,) you might label us as chaotic neutrals.

After the LARP, Fred and I grabbed something to drink at a convenience store and met his friend Jesus. Later that night I met a few more of Fred’s friends, and was invited on a trip to an all-night bakery. By this point the hour-hand was pointing to twelve. I agreed to go.

While normally I don’t recommend going anywhere with someone you don’t know well, I trusted these men—one dressed as Alucard, another dressed as Dante, and of course Jesus came with us as well. They were polite, considerate, and about as crazy as I am. I’d thought we’d take a car, but it seemed they intended to walk. How much harm could that be?

It took us two hours to walk to the bakery! By this time we’d acquired some new friends in the form of passersby who decided to tag along—one from a neighboring Harry Potter convention!

I discovered a lot about my new-found friends during that exceptionally long walk, and part of it was how intrinsically caring they all were. Over the next couple of days I spent most of my time at the convention, LARPing and hanging out with my new friends. When the convention was over, I knew I’d miss them, but I’d already learned something important. I’m not alone and friendless, no matter where I am.

When I had felt sad and lonely coming to Boston, my biggest struggle was feeling unable to express myself to others. It seemed as though I couldn’t express all of the wonderful qualities God endowed me with, and I was miserable. My situation then reminds me of the passage from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “Happiness is spiritual, born of Truth and Love. It is unselfish; therefore it cannot exist alone, but requires all mankind to share it” (57).

I had been convinced that I couldn’t express happiness because I was alone. Now I know that—while I certainly may miss my friends and family this summer—it’s not with whom you express love, joy, and beauty that counts; it’s that you express those qualities at all. And all mankind is ready to share them with you.

Have you ever approached your meditation time or spiritual study time feeling that this was getting old? Or read sacred writings and felt that you weren’t getting anything out of them?

I was talking over these kinds of questions with a friend of mine who, in my estimation, is a brilliant designer. We had just finished talking about home design (her specialty), and I was amazed at how quickly she could draw conclusions as to harmonizing color, balancing mass, determining a focal point, and incorporating green systems so that they would all synergistically come together in a development called home. The overall effect was not about window size or trim color (although those were components), but it was about creating a home in which people feel, well, at home.

What was it about this creative process that was so energizing, surprising, and satisfying? How can we apply these principles to our prayer? Prayer and art are synonymous to me. Good art always expands and stimulates thought and moves you forward, transforms the way you think to a degree. Likewise, prayer develops and transforms how we see reality.

So, back to the questions. Stay with me while I work out an answer.

Let’s take the word develop. “It’s a good word,” said my friend, and she cited Webster’s dictionary definition. Its etymology says it is from the Old French desveloper, desvoluper, which means to unwrap, expose. Some of the meanings of develop are:

• to make visible or manifest
• to work out the possibilities of
• to create or produce especially by deliberate effort over time
• to make active or promote the growth of
• to move (as a chess piece) from the original position to one providing more opportunity for effective use
• to cause to unfold gradually

Really, there is a lot to be said for this word and how it relates to prayer. Read through the definitions again and think of applying them to prayer.

We could say, then, that prayer is about unwrapping ourselves and growing into visible possibilities. It is dropping whatever isn’t working (isn’t Godlike) and seeing Life’s possibilities unfold. OK. That’s fresh!

There are times when I have set my schedule up so that I read one specific thing at this time and give myself room to read other inspirational literature at that time. But I need to remember that this study in and of itself is not what makes good things happen. God’s law (AKA good things) is always happening. My prayer and study time is only effective if I see that it brings me in line with what already is.

God is in control. It is our yielding to God’s love, it is our shutting out whatever is distracting, that brings us into transformative prayer.

I remember seeing my friend at work. She has a direct approach to her work. She goes into a room and is quiet. During this time, her thought is actively engaged in seeing what already is there. Using her love of geometry and color, she is able to see what needs changing to bring the room into line with the more desirable qualities needed in a home. The suggestions that follow are never about the material objects themselves, but are about the spiritual ideas behind them.

Likewise in the quiet sanctuary of prayer, we are actively engaged in listening and seeing the good that God has already created. Loving the purity of God’s love and the omnipotence of God’s laws, we see what needs to be changed to bring thought in line with the perfect principle of God and man. In dropping whatever is ungodlike, we reveal (unwrap or expose) who we are as a child of God—that unique combination of spiritual qualities that we reflect from God.

Prayer brings healing. Healing is a revealing of what already is. So it is not about walking or not walking‹it is about movement. It is not about a light bulb—it is about light. It is not about a material thing—it is about spiritual substance. The spiritual substance is what determines the outward and actual.

Prayer is transformational. It moves us from one position to “one providing more opportunity for effective use.” That means that we should no more accept our prayer time as dull than we should accept living in a boring beige room with undifferentiated cubes for furniture (even people who like a simple color scheme have accents!). This would be like accepting prayer as simply “stereotyped borrowed speeches.”

Prayer isn’t beige. Prayer is desire. And prayer in Christian Science is “aflame with divine Love.”

Just as an artist goes from a blank canvas to one full of movement and color, a blacksmith goes from a steel rod to a sculpture, an interior designer transforms a mediocre home into a home of color and grace, so can we give our consent to prayer and expect our prayer to transform our lives by bringing to light our inherently spiritual nature as God’s creation.

Have you ever approached your meditation time or spiritual study time feeling that this was getting old? Or read sacred writings and felt that you weren’t getting anything out of them?

I was talking over these kinds of questions with a friend of mine who, in my estimation, is a brilliant designer. We had just finished talking about home design (her specialty), and I was amazed at how quickly she could draw conclusions as to harmonizing color, balancing mass, determining a focal point, and incorporating green systems so that they would all synergistically come together in a development called home. The overall effect was not about window size or trim color (although those were components), but it was about creating a home in which people feel, well, at home.

What was it about this creative process that was so energizing, surprising, and satisfying? How can we apply these principles to our prayer? Prayer and art are synonymous to me. Good art always expands and stimulates thought and moves you forward, transforms the way you think to a degree. Likewise, prayer develops and transforms how we see reality.

So, back to the questions. Stay with me while I work out an answer.

Let’s take the word develop. “It’s a good word,” said my friend, and she cited Webster’s dictionary definition. Its etymology says it is from the Old French desveloper, desvoluper, which means to unwrap, expose. Some of the meanings of develop are:

• to make visible or manifest
• to work out the possibilities of
• to create or produce especially by deliberate effort over time
• to make active or promote the growth of
• to move (as a chess piece) from the original position to one providing more opportunity for effective use
• to cause to unfold gradually

Really, there is a lot to be said for this word and how it relates to prayer. Read through the definitions again and think of applying them to prayer.

We could say, then, that prayer is about unwrapping ourselves and growing into visible possibilities. It is dropping whatever isn’t working (isn’t Godlike) and seeing Life’s possibilities unfold. OK. That’s fresh!

There are times when I have set my schedule up so that I read one specific thing at this time and give myself room to read other inspirational literature at that time. But I need to remember that this study in and of itself is not what makes good things happen. God’s law (AKA good things) is always happening. My prayer and study time is only effective if I see that it brings me in line with what already is.

God is in control. It is our yielding to God’s love, it is our shutting out whatever is distracting, that brings us into transformative prayer.

I remember seeing my friend at work. She has a direct approach to her work. She goes into a room and is quiet. During this time, her thought is actively engaged in seeing what already is there. Using her love of geometry and color, she is able to see what needs changing to bring the room into line with the more desirable qualities needed in a home. The suggestions that follow are never about the material objects themselves, but are about the spiritual ideas behind them.

Likewise in the quiet sanctuary of prayer, we are actively engaged in listening and seeing the good that God has already created. Loving the purity of God’s love and the omnipotence of God’s laws, we see what needs to be changed to bring thought in line with the perfect principle of God and man. In dropping whatever is ungodlike, we reveal (unwrap or expose) who we are as a child of God—that unique combination of spiritual qualities that we reflect from God.

Prayer brings healing. Healing is a revealing of what already is. So it is not about walking or not walking‹it is about movement. It is not about a light bulb—it is about light. It is not about a material thing—it is about spiritual substance. The spiritual substance is what determines the outward and actual.

Prayer is transformational. It moves us from one position to “one providing more opportunity for effective use.” That means that we should no more accept our prayer time as dull than we should accept living in a boring beige room with undifferentiated cubes for furniture (even people who like a simple color scheme have accents!). This would be like accepting prayer as simply “stereotyped borrowed speeches.”

Prayer isn’t beige. Prayer is desire. And prayer in Christian Science is “aflame with divine Love.”

Just as an artist goes from a blank canvas to one full of movement and color, a blacksmith goes from a steel rod to a sculpture, an interior designer transforms a mediocre home into a home of color and grace, so can we give our consent to prayer and expect our prayer to transform our lives by bringing to light our inherently spiritual nature as God’s creation.

Have you ever approached your meditation time or spiritual study time feeling that this was getting old? Or read sacred writings and felt that you weren’t getting anything out of them?

I was talking over these kinds of questions with a friend of mine who, in my estimation, is a brilliant designer. We had just finished talking about home design (her specialty), and I was amazed at how quickly she could draw conclusions as to harmonizing color, balancing mass, determining a focal point, and incorporating green systems so that they would all synergistically come together in a development called home. The overall effect was not about window size or trim color (although those were components), but it was about creating a home in which people feel, well, at home.

What was it about this creative process that was so energizing, surprising, and satisfying? How can we apply these principles to our prayer? Prayer and art are synonymous to me. Good art always expands and stimulates thought and moves you forward, transforms the way you think to a degree. Likewise, prayer develops and transforms how we see reality.

So, back to the questions. Stay with me while I work out an answer.

Let’s take the word develop. “It’s a good word,” said my friend, and she cited Webster’s dictionary definition. Its etymology says it is from the Old French desveloper, desvoluper, which means to unwrap, expose. Some of the meanings of develop are:

• to make visible or manifest
• to work out the possibilities of
• to create or produce especially by deliberate effort over time
• to make active or promote the growth of
• to move (as a chess piece) from the original position to one providing more opportunity for effective use
• to cause to unfold gradually

Really, there is a lot to be said for this word and how it relates to prayer. Read through the definitions again and think of applying them to prayer.

We could say, then, that prayer is about unwrapping ourselves and growing into visible possibilities. It is dropping whatever isn’t working (isn’t Godlike) and seeing Life’s possibilities unfold. OK. That’s fresh!

There are times when I have set my schedule up so that I read one specific thing at this time and give myself room to read other inspirational literature at that time. But I need to remember that this study in and of itself is not what makes good things happen. God’s law (AKA good things) is always happening. My prayer and study time is only effective if I see that it brings me in line with what already is.

God is in control. It is our yielding to God’s love, it is our shutting out whatever is distracting, that brings us into transformative prayer.

I remember seeing my friend at work. She has a direct approach to her work. She goes into a room and is quiet. During this time, her thought is actively engaged in seeing what already is there. Using her love of geometry and color, she is able to see what needs changing to bring the room into line with the more desirable qualities needed in a home. The suggestions that follow are never about the material objects themselves, but are about the spiritual ideas behind them.

Likewise in the quiet sanctuary of prayer, we are actively engaged in listening and seeing the good that God has already created. Loving the purity of God’s love and the omnipotence of God’s laws, we see what needs to be changed to bring thought in line with the perfect principle of God and man. In dropping whatever is ungodlike, we reveal (unwrap or expose) who we are as a child of God—that unique combination of spiritual qualities that we reflect from God.

Prayer brings healing. Healing is a revealing of what already is. So it is not about walking or not walking‹it is about movement. It is not about a light bulb—it is about light. It is not about a material thing—it is about spiritual substance. The spiritual substance is what determines the outward and actual.

Prayer is transformational. It moves us from one position to “one providing more opportunity for effective use.” That means that we should no more accept our prayer time as dull than we should accept living in a boring beige room with undifferentiated cubes for furniture (even people who like a simple color scheme have accents!). This would be like accepting prayer as simply “stereotyped borrowed speeches.”

Prayer isn’t beige. Prayer is desire. And prayer in Christian Science is “aflame with divine Love.”

Just as an artist goes from a blank canvas to one full of movement and color, a blacksmith goes from a steel rod to a sculpture, an interior designer transforms a mediocre home into a home of color and grace, so can we give our consent to prayer and expect our prayer to transform our lives by bringing to light our inherently spiritual nature as God’s creation.

Unity…it sometimes seems impossible. We’ve all got different likes, ideas, and goals, right?

When I was younger, I thought it was a given that you could get along at church. You agree on the fundamentals so the rest should be easy to navigate.

I was wrong.

But the problems I faced as a younger church member were pretty minor and mostly things I attributed to being from different generations. I could brush them off, even while sometimes feeling sorry for those who weren’t more enlightened.

Then I signed up to teach Sunday School. I was really excited. I got the youngest class—3 year olds—and I loved that age. I was sure I could connect to the kids and that we could learn together and have some fun along the way.

In preparation for my first class, I called a friend who was an experienced preschool teacher. She helped me map out my first lesson plan. I had a wide variety of activities and things to discuss, all based on that week’s Bible Lesson. I was all set and the class went well…or so I thought.

The Sunday School superintendent (the person who keeps things running every Sunday) was a coworker. On Monday she came to my office and asked me how my first class went. I confidently responded that it went great. She immediately said, “No, it didn’t.” Yikes.

She didn’t think the activity level of the class was appropriate. We’d been acting out Noah’s Ark and sometimes the kids were lying on the floor as I read to them or while we talked. She felt that I needed to have higher expectations for the kids and their ability to sit quietly and listen. She gave me specific examples of things she thought I should do. None of them seemed very inspired to me.

I was put off. This was a volunteer activity and I felt that even if I had messed up (and I didn’t think I had), there should be some gratitude for my efforts.

I was mad and wanted to quit. But I was at work and didn’t want to show that I was upset in a professional setting.

So the minute she left my office, I called a friend who was Christian Science practitioner. He said something that stopped me in my tracks, “Her expression of God can’t hinder your expression of God and yours can’t hinder hers.” The promise of that statement cleared away the anger.

I thought about it a lot over the next week. I didn’t know exactly how things would play out, but I felt like I should adjust my Sunday School activities out of respect. I dropped the activities that the superintendent had felt were problematic. I didn’t want to bring conflict into Sunday School. No more play acting, but the classes were still relaxed and fun and I continued to teach in a way that felt like me.

A couple of times, the superintendent joined our class and conducted it in the way she’d outlined to me during that chat in the office. I saw firsthand that she put her money where her mouth was. The things she did were not anything I’d ever do, but I appreciated that they were effective and the kids responded in a positive way. I was seeing firsthand how well she was expressing God.

A few weeks later she came to me and excitedly told me that she’d taken care of the small children during a Wednesday testimony service. They’d acted out Noah’s Ark and it was a big hit! That was my green light. I kind of surprised myself by not feeling like “I told you so.” In fact, I was really grateful that we were both learning and adjusting because God was moving us, not because we were ceding to someone else’s will.

The biggest lesson for me? That unity doesn’t necessarily mean sameness. It can mean harmonious differences. And that’s a lesson worth learning!

Unity…it sometimes seems impossible. We’ve all got different likes, ideas, and goals, right?

When I was younger, I thought it was a given that you could get along at church. You agree on the fundamentals so the rest should be easy to navigate.

I was wrong.

But the problems I faced as a younger church member were pretty minor and mostly things I attributed to being from different generations. I could brush them off, even while sometimes feeling sorry for those who weren’t more enlightened.

Then I signed up to teach Sunday School. I was really excited. I got the youngest class—3 year olds—and I loved that age. I was sure I could connect to the kids and that we could learn together and have some fun along the way.

In preparation for my first class, I called a friend who was an experienced preschool teacher. She helped me map out my first lesson plan. I had a wide variety of activities and things to discuss, all based on that week’s Bible Lesson. I was all set and the class went well…or so I thought.

The Sunday School superintendent (the person who keeps things running every Sunday) was a coworker. On Monday she came to my office and asked me how my first class went. I confidently responded that it went great. She immediately said, “No, it didn’t.” Yikes.

She didn’t think the activity level of the class was appropriate. We’d been acting out Noah’s Ark and sometimes the kids were lying on the floor as I read to them or while we talked. She felt that I needed to have higher expectations for the kids and their ability to sit quietly and listen. She gave me specific examples of things she thought I should do. None of them seemed very inspired to me.

I was put off. This was a volunteer activity and I felt that even if I had messed up (and I didn’t think I had), there should be some gratitude for my efforts.

I was mad and wanted to quit. But I was at work and didn’t want to show that I was upset in a professional setting.

So the minute she left my office, I called a friend who was Christian Science practitioner. He said something that stopped me in my tracks, “Her expression of God can’t hinder your expression of God and yours can’t hinder hers.” The promise of that statement cleared away the anger.

I thought about it a lot over the next week. I didn’t know exactly how things would play out, but I felt like I should adjust my Sunday School activities out of respect. I dropped the activities that the superintendent had felt were problematic. I didn’t want to bring conflict into Sunday School. No more play acting, but the classes were still relaxed and fun and I continued to teach in a way that felt like me.

A couple of times, the superintendent joined our class and conducted it in the way she’d outlined to me during that chat in the office. I saw firsthand that she put her money where her mouth was. The things she did were not anything I’d ever do, but I appreciated that they were effective and the kids responded in a positive way. I was seeing firsthand how well she was expressing God.

A few weeks later she came to me and excitedly told me that she’d taken care of the small children during a Wednesday testimony service. They’d acted out Noah’s Ark and it was a big hit! That was my green light. I kind of surprised myself by not feeling like “I told you so.” In fact, I was really grateful that we were both learning and adjusting because God was moving us, not because we were ceding to someone else’s will.

The biggest lesson for me? That unity doesn’t necessarily mean sameness. It can mean harmonious differences. And that’s a lesson worth learning!

Unity…it sometimes seems impossible. We’ve all got different likes, ideas, and goals, right?

When I was younger, I thought it was a given that you could get along at church. You agree on the fundamentals so the rest should be easy to navigate.

I was wrong.

But the problems I faced as a younger church member were pretty minor and mostly things I attributed to being from different generations. I could brush them off, even while sometimes feeling sorry for those who weren’t more enlightened.

Then I signed up to teach Sunday School. I was really excited. I got the youngest class—3 year olds—and I loved that age. I was sure I could connect to the kids and that we could learn together and have some fun along the way.

In preparation for my first class, I called a friend who was an experienced preschool teacher. She helped me map out my first lesson plan. I had a wide variety of activities and things to discuss, all based on that week’s Bible Lesson. I was all set and the class went well…or so I thought.

The Sunday School superintendent (the person who keeps things running every Sunday) was a coworker. On Monday she came to my office and asked me how my first class went. I confidently responded that it went great. She immediately said, “No, it didn’t.” Yikes.

She didn’t think the activity level of the class was appropriate. We’d been acting out Noah’s Ark and sometimes the kids were lying on the floor as I read to them or while we talked. She felt that I needed to have higher expectations for the kids and their ability to sit quietly and listen. She gave me specific examples of things she thought I should do. None of them seemed very inspired to me.

I was put off. This was a volunteer activity and I felt that even if I had messed up (and I didn’t think I had), there should be some gratitude for my efforts.

I was mad and wanted to quit. But I was at work and didn’t want to show that I was upset in a professional setting.

So the minute she left my office, I called a friend who was Christian Science practitioner. He said something that stopped me in my tracks, “Her expression of God can’t hinder your expression of God and yours can’t hinder hers.” The promise of that statement cleared away the anger.

I thought about it a lot over the next week. I didn’t know exactly how things would play out, but I felt like I should adjust my Sunday School activities out of respect. I dropped the activities that the superintendent had felt were problematic. I didn’t want to bring conflict into Sunday School. No more play acting, but the classes were still relaxed and fun and I continued to teach in a way that felt like me.

A couple of times, the superintendent joined our class and conducted it in the way she’d outlined to me during that chat in the office. I saw firsthand that she put her money where her mouth was. The things she did were not anything I’d ever do, but I appreciated that they were effective and the kids responded in a positive way. I was seeing firsthand how well she was expressing God.

A few weeks later she came to me and excitedly told me that she’d taken care of the small children during a Wednesday testimony service. They’d acted out Noah’s Ark and it was a big hit! That was my green light. I kind of surprised myself by not feeling like “I told you so.” In fact, I was really grateful that we were both learning and adjusting because God was moving us, not because we were ceding to someone else’s will.

The biggest lesson for me? That unity doesn’t necessarily mean sameness. It can mean harmonious differences. And that’s a lesson worth learning!

Listen to some of the lectures here:

Download the lectures here: (right-click to download)

• Plain talk about love, sexuality and relationships by Ginny Leudeman
• Relationships: friends and family by Ginny Leudeman
• Exploring the planet: what you need to know about prayer and the environment by Ron Ballard
• Does God really exist? by Christine Driessen
• Purposeful employment: choosing schools and careers by Evan Mehlenbacher
• The Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures - Deep Dive by Leigh Daugherty
• Body Conscious? by Christine Driessen
• What would you do if? by Ron Ballard

Listen to some of the lectures here:

Download the lectures here: (right-click to download)

• Plain talk about love, sexuality and relationships by Ginny Leudeman
• Relationships: friends and family by Ginny Leudeman
• Exploring the planet: what you need to know about prayer and the environment by Ron Ballard
• Does God really exist? by Christine Driessen
• Purposeful employment: choosing schools and careers by Evan Mehlenbacher
• The Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures - Deep Dive by Leigh Daugherty
• Body Conscious? by Christine Driessen
• What would you do if? by Ron Ballard

Listen to some of the lectures here:

Download the lectures here: (right-click to download)

• Plain talk about love, sexuality and relationships by Ginny Leudeman
• Relationships: friends and family by Ginny Leudeman
• Exploring the planet: what you need to know about prayer and the environment by Ron Ballard
• Does God really exist? by Christine Driessen
• Purposeful employment: choosing schools and careers by Evan Mehlenbacher
• The Bible and Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures - Deep Dive by Leigh Daugherty
• Body Conscious? by Christine Driessen
• What would you do if? by Ron Ballard

Also catch the short videos from each lecturer and then listen to the full versions of the talks you missed or favorites you want to hear again!

Listen to the complete lectures here:

Download the lectures here: (right-click to download)

• Purposeful Employment: Choosing Schools and Careers by Tom McElroy
• God and Romance by Lois Carlson
• Living Stress-free by Lois Carlson
• Listen, Trust, and Follow Without Fear by Lorenzo Rodgriguez
• Building Bridges, Sharing Christian Science by Christine Driesen
• Plain Talk About Love, Sexuality, and Relationships by Ginny Luedeman
• Where Does Error Come From? by Ginny Luedeman
• Where is God When You Need Him? by Lois Marquardt

Also catch the short videos from each lecturer and then listen to the full versions of the talks you missed or favorites you want to hear again!

Listen to the complete lectures here:

Download the lectures here: (right-click to download)

• Purposeful Employment: Choosing Schools and Careers by Tom McElroy
• God and Romance by Lois Carlson
• Living Stress-free by Lois Carlson
• Listen, Trust, and Follow Without Fear by Lorenzo Rodgriguez
• Building Bridges, Sharing Christian Science by Christine Driesen
• Plain Talk About Love, Sexuality, and Relationships by Ginny Luedeman
• Where Does Error Come From? by Ginny Luedeman
• Where is God When You Need Him? by Lois Marquardt

Also catch the short videos from each lecturer and then listen to the full versions of the talks you missed or favorites you want to hear again!

Listen to the complete lectures here:

Download the lectures here: (right-click to download)

• Purposeful Employment: Choosing Schools and Careers by Tom McElroy
• God and Romance by Lois Carlson
• Living Stress-free by Lois Carlson
• Listen, Trust, and Follow Without Fear by Lorenzo Rodgriguez
• Building Bridges, Sharing Christian Science by Christine Driesen
• Plain Talk About Love, Sexuality, and Relationships by Ginny Luedeman
• Where Does Error Come From? by Ginny Luedeman
• Where is God When You Need Him? by Lois Marquardt

In the Bible we find so many wonderful promises to us, God’s children. The prophet Jeremiah caught a sense of our divine Father-Mother’s love for each of us when God told him, “I will cause them to dwell safely: And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: . . . Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good.” (Jer 32:37, 38, 41)

Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is within us (see Luke 17:21). That, too, is a promise, a truth. The lie today that is being spread around—that God does not care for His children, that the kingdom of heaven does not dwell in us, that we are vulnerable to flu and other diseases—is the opposite of the truth that God is telling us. We have a choice to decide what to believe—the Word of God or the news reports.

One time I was at work and had some very strong flu symptoms come over me and almost overwhelm me physically. I remember sitting there in front of my computer with tons of work to do, and I thought something to the effect “No! You are a liar! I am the perfect child of God, cared for by God and completely spiritual.”

I immediately saw very clearly that nothing could attack me like that or make me feel separated from God, from His heavenly kingdom. I rebelled, and refused to believe either the news reports that it was flu season or the reports from my body that I was experiencing this disease!

I could see that this is what Mary Baker Eddy says to do in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Instead of blind and calm submission to the incipient or advanced stages of disease, rise in rebellion against them. Banish the belief that you can possibly entertain a single intruding pain which cannot be ruled out by the might of Mind, and in this way you can prevent the development of pain in the body.” (page 391)

I felt God’s angels very quickly—what Mrs. Eddy describes in Science and Health as “God’s thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality” (page 581) —lift me up—my thought about myself. They helped me perceive my spirituality rather than feeling so material and vulnerable.

The fear of the disease that seemed to be quickly taking over vanished and so did all the symptoms of flu. I went on with my work—grateful and inspired by what just happened.

My healings are not always this immediate. Sometimes I have to pray much longer to get ride of the fear, and consequently the disease. But the healing always comes when I don’t give up, even if gradually. So don’t ever give up or think that something is wrong with you or your prayer because change doesn’t happen instantly. Every victory, fast or slow, is an important step in our spiritual growth and our immunity to disease.

These spiritual healings are the reason I know that we are loved and cared for by God every minute of every day, and nothing can invade our harmony when we choose to trust God’s care and not let anything else have a place in our consciousness. We do have a say in this and can side with our all-loving, all-powerful God, who is Love.

In the Bible we find so many wonderful promises to us, God’s children. The prophet Jeremiah caught a sense of our divine Father-Mother’s love for each of us when God told him, “I will cause them to dwell safely: And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: . . . Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good.” (Jer 32:37, 38, 41)

Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is within us (see Luke 17:21). That, too, is a promise, a truth. The lie today that is being spread around—that God does not care for His children, that the kingdom of heaven does not dwell in us, that we are vulnerable to flu and other diseases—is the opposite of the truth that God is telling us. We have a choice to decide what to believe—the Word of God or the news reports.

One time I was at work and had some very strong flu symptoms come over me and almost overwhelm me physically. I remember sitting there in front of my computer with tons of work to do, and I thought something to the effect “No! You are a liar! I am the perfect child of God, cared for by God and completely spiritual.”

I immediately saw very clearly that nothing could attack me like that or make me feel separated from God, from His heavenly kingdom. I rebelled, and refused to believe either the news reports that it was flu season or the reports from my body that I was experiencing this disease!

I could see that this is what Mary Baker Eddy says to do in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Instead of blind and calm submission to the incipient or advanced stages of disease, rise in rebellion against them. Banish the belief that you can possibly entertain a single intruding pain which cannot be ruled out by the might of Mind, and in this way you can prevent the development of pain in the body.” (page 391)

I felt God’s angels very quickly—what Mrs. Eddy describes in Science and Health as “God’s thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality” (page 581) —lift me up—my thought about myself. They helped me perceive my spirituality rather than feeling so material and vulnerable.

The fear of the disease that seemed to be quickly taking over vanished and so did all the symptoms of flu. I went on with my work—grateful and inspired by what just happened.

My healings are not always this immediate. Sometimes I have to pray much longer to get ride of the fear, and consequently the disease. But the healing always comes when I don’t give up, even if gradually. So don’t ever give up or think that something is wrong with you or your prayer because change doesn’t happen instantly. Every victory, fast or slow, is an important step in our spiritual growth and our immunity to disease.

These spiritual healings are the reason I know that we are loved and cared for by God every minute of every day, and nothing can invade our harmony when we choose to trust God’s care and not let anything else have a place in our consciousness. We do have a say in this and can side with our all-loving, all-powerful God, who is Love.

In the Bible we find so many wonderful promises to us, God’s children. The prophet Jeremiah caught a sense of our divine Father-Mother’s love for each of us when God told him, “I will cause them to dwell safely: And they shall be my people, and I will be their God: . . . Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good.” (Jer 32:37, 38, 41)

Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is within us (see Luke 17:21). That, too, is a promise, a truth. The lie today that is being spread around—that God does not care for His children, that the kingdom of heaven does not dwell in us, that we are vulnerable to flu and other diseases—is the opposite of the truth that God is telling us. We have a choice to decide what to believe—the Word of God or the news reports.

One time I was at work and had some very strong flu symptoms come over me and almost overwhelm me physically. I remember sitting there in front of my computer with tons of work to do, and I thought something to the effect “No! You are a liar! I am the perfect child of God, cared for by God and completely spiritual.”

I immediately saw very clearly that nothing could attack me like that or make me feel separated from God, from His heavenly kingdom. I rebelled, and refused to believe either the news reports that it was flu season or the reports from my body that I was experiencing this disease!

I could see that this is what Mary Baker Eddy says to do in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, “Instead of blind and calm submission to the incipient or advanced stages of disease, rise in rebellion against them. Banish the belief that you can possibly entertain a single intruding pain which cannot be ruled out by the might of Mind, and in this way you can prevent the development of pain in the body.” (page 391)

I felt God’s angels very quickly—what Mrs. Eddy describes in Science and Health as “God’s thoughts passing to man; spiritual intuitions, pure and perfect; the inspiration of goodness, purity, and immortality, counteracting all evil, sensuality, and mortality” (page 581) —lift me up—my thought about myself. They helped me perceive my spirituality rather than feeling so material and vulnerable.

The fear of the disease that seemed to be quickly taking over vanished and so did all the symptoms of flu. I went on with my work—grateful and inspired by what just happened.

My healings are not always this immediate. Sometimes I have to pray much longer to get ride of the fear, and consequently the disease. But the healing always comes when I don’t give up, even if gradually. So don’t ever give up or think that something is wrong with you or your prayer because change doesn’t happen instantly. Every victory, fast or slow, is an important step in our spiritual growth and our immunity to disease.

These spiritual healings are the reason I know that we are loved and cared for by God every minute of every day, and nothing can invade our harmony when we choose to trust God’s care and not let anything else have a place in our consciousness. We do have a say in this and can side with our all-loving, all-powerful God, who is Love.

by Clementine Lue Clark

Along with many other parents of young children, I’ve been thinking about my baby, Alma, sleeping through the night.

One of the practical things we’ve tried to do is to stick to a nightly bedtime routine. We give her a bath, read her a story, sing a song, swaddle her, and say a prayer. Often the prayer is “A Verse for the Little Children” (Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellaneous Writings, p. 400):

Father-Mother God,
Loving me,—
Guard me when I sleep;
Guide my little feet
Up to Thee.

This prayer tells me that Alma has a direct relationship to God, who loves her—not through her human father or mother, but directly. God is protecting her every moment of the day and night, and her innocent childlike nature has the capacity to grasp this and demonstrate it.
I remember ending each night’s prayers with that verse when I was a child. My brothers and I even made up actions to go along with each line to help us remember it.

My husband and I say this prayer to help Alma—and ourselves—see that God is caring for her every moment of every day and night. When she was tiny and eating every few hours, I prayed to know she has all the spiritual nourishment she needs and that it’s sufficient to sustain her throughout the night. Alma is a crucial part of the family and fits harmoniously into it; this includes sleeping through the night.

At first, we kept strictly to Alma’s bedtime and her routine. As the weeks have gone on, we’ve traveled to visit family members, and her routine has been varied. The one thing that hasn’t changed, however, is her nighttime prayer.

If Alma does wake up a little earlier than normal, before running to her, I take a moment to say a prayer silently to myself. Often I say “the scientific statement of being” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 468). Last night, it was these verses from Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Prov 3:5, 6)

I pray to know exactly what to do at that very moment. Often different things come to me, and I have to be open and humble to listen to them and act on them.

One of the things I’m learning from being a new parent is that things change all the time. Once I feel like I’ve learned what to do under certain circumstances, it changes! I’m so humbled to know that, as so many young mothers have before me, I can rely on scientific prayer to guide me through each decision that has to be made.

Today I’m grateful to know that Alma is indeed an active member of our family and playing her part in harmoniously demonstrating God’s love for each of us—night and day. And we can all sleep peacefully at the right times.

by Clementine Lue Clark

Along with many other parents of young children, I’ve been thinking about my baby, Alma, sleeping through the night.

One of the practical things we’ve tried to do is to stick to a nightly bedtime routine. We give her a bath, read her a story, sing a song, swaddle her, and say a prayer. Often the prayer is “A Verse for the Little Children” (Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellaneous Writings, p. 400):

Father-Mother God,
Loving me,—
Guard me when I sleep;
Guide my little feet
Up to Thee.

This prayer tells me that Alma has a direct relationship to God, who loves her—not through her human father or mother, but directly. God is protecting her every moment of the day and night, and her innocent childlike nature has the capacity to grasp this and demonstrate it.
I remember ending each night’s prayers with that verse when I was a child. My brothers and I even made up actions to go along with each line to help us remember it.

My husband and I say this prayer to help Alma—and ourselves—see that God is caring for her every moment of every day and night. When she was tiny and eating every few hours, I prayed to know she has all the spiritual nourishment she needs and that it’s sufficient to sustain her throughout the night. Alma is a crucial part of the family and fits harmoniously into it; this includes sleeping through the night.

At first, we kept strictly to Alma’s bedtime and her routine. As the weeks have gone on, we’ve traveled to visit family members, and her routine has been varied. The one thing that hasn’t changed, however, is her nighttime prayer.

If Alma does wake up a little earlier than normal, before running to her, I take a moment to say a prayer silently to myself. Often I say “the scientific statement of being” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 468). Last night, it was these verses from Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Prov 3:5, 6)

I pray to know exactly what to do at that very moment. Often different things come to me, and I have to be open and humble to listen to them and act on them.

One of the things I’m learning from being a new parent is that things change all the time. Once I feel like I’ve learned what to do under certain circumstances, it changes! I’m so humbled to know that, as so many young mothers have before me, I can rely on scientific prayer to guide me through each decision that has to be made.

Today I’m grateful to know that Alma is indeed an active member of our family and playing her part in harmoniously demonstrating God’s love for each of us—night and day. And we can all sleep peacefully at the right times.

by Clementine Lue Clark

Along with many other parents of young children, I’ve been thinking about my baby, Alma, sleeping through the night.

One of the practical things we’ve tried to do is to stick to a nightly bedtime routine. We give her a bath, read her a story, sing a song, swaddle her, and say a prayer. Often the prayer is “A Verse for the Little Children” (Mary Baker Eddy, Miscellaneous Writings, p. 400):

Father-Mother God,
Loving me,—
Guard me when I sleep;
Guide my little feet
Up to Thee.

This prayer tells me that Alma has a direct relationship to God, who loves her—not through her human father or mother, but directly. God is protecting her every moment of the day and night, and her innocent childlike nature has the capacity to grasp this and demonstrate it.
I remember ending each night’s prayers with that verse when I was a child. My brothers and I even made up actions to go along with each line to help us remember it.

My husband and I say this prayer to help Alma—and ourselves—see that God is caring for her every moment of every day and night. When she was tiny and eating every few hours, I prayed to know she has all the spiritual nourishment she needs and that it’s sufficient to sustain her throughout the night. Alma is a crucial part of the family and fits harmoniously into it; this includes sleeping through the night.

At first, we kept strictly to Alma’s bedtime and her routine. As the weeks have gone on, we’ve traveled to visit family members, and her routine has been varied. The one thing that hasn’t changed, however, is her nighttime prayer.

If Alma does wake up a little earlier than normal, before running to her, I take a moment to say a prayer silently to myself. Often I say “the scientific statement of being” (Mary Baker Eddy, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 468). Last night, it was these verses from Proverbs: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Prov 3:5, 6)

I pray to know exactly what to do at that very moment. Often different things come to me, and I have to be open and humble to listen to them and act on them.

One of the things I’m learning from being a new parent is that things change all the time. Once I feel like I’ve learned what to do under certain circumstances, it changes! I’m so humbled to know that, as so many young mothers have before me, I can rely on scientific prayer to guide me through each decision that has to be made.

Today I’m grateful to know that Alma is indeed an active member of our family and playing her part in harmoniously demonstrating God’s love for each of us—night and day. And we can all sleep peacefully at the right times.

by Emily - Christian Science Sentinel, June. 30, 2008

There I was, watching all my friends climb up and walk across the ropes with no problem.

I’d never enjoyed being in high places very much. So when I was at camp two summers ago, I wasn’t planning to get too far on the ropes course. (This course involves all kinds of challenges and team-building exercises in the woods. Campers put on harnesses as they complete challenges high off the ground.)

The part of the course our group was doing was between two trees, with three ropes attached to each tree. There was one rope to walk across, kind of like a tightrope, and then two on either side you could hold on to. The ropes were high up, and there were staples (footholds and handholds) on each of the trees which you could use to climb up to them.

I remembered the year before, when I’d decided to try the same part of the course, and I’d only gotten halfway up the tree before deciding to come down. This time, even though I was reluctant, my friends convinced me to go again. So I let the counselors harness me in. Starting up the ladder was easy, and the lower staples were really close together, so I climbed up that part pretty quickly. But soon the staples started to get farther and farther apart, and it was harder for me to reach them. I got to a point where I couldn’t reach the next one. Then I looked down.

I was really high up, and all my friends and counselors looked very small. That’s when I started to get pretty nervous. So I decided to give up. Just like that. I called down to my counselors and told them I was ready to come down. But they said, “Reach farther. You’re almost there!” and told me how to shift my weight and reach with one of my hands. I moved up a step. But I was holding on so tight that my hands were hurting, and I was starting to get really scared of being so high up. I yelled down to the counselors again. Then they told me I was safe and could pray, right there up in the tree. So I did—even though all I could think was, “God is Love, God is Love.” I kept on saying those words to myself, letting them calm me down.

My counselors began to tell me that God was protecting me wherever I was, and I thought about how that truth applied to my situation. Soon, I reached as high as I could and grasped the next staple, praying to myself and listening to my counselors’ instructions and advice. I remember calling down to them a couple of more times, telling them, “I can’t do it!” But they kept encouraging me.

Finally, I was able to pull myself onto the rope and started to walk across. It was difficult to do, since the rope was hard to balance on, and I was all shaky. But I remembered a hymn from the Christian Science Hymnal. I said the first verse to myself:

In heavenly Love abiding,
No change my heart shall fear;
And safe is such confiding,
For nothing changes here.
The storm may roar without me,
My heart may low be laid;
But God is round about me,
And can I be dismayed?
(Anna L. Waring, No. 148)

In that moment, I felt confident that God was all around me, protecting me, and I began to feel very calm.

Over the next few minutes, I made it all the way across the rope to the other tree and then walked all the way back, backwards, before climbing down. My friends and counselors greeted me, telling me how proud they were of me. But I was mostly proud of myself for believing in God and learning how close He is not just to me but to everyone around me.

Up in the tree, I really felt God’s protection, and I realized that I never could be separated from Him for an instant—not even by fear. After that experience, I completely lost any fear of heights, and have done many really exciting things way up high without any hesitation since then.

A few days after this experience, I completed a different ropes course, and even went hot air ballooning with all my cousins, thousands of feet in the air. It was one of the most fun adventures I’d ever had, and I wasn’t afraid in any way. That’s because I’d learned that God is always protecting me, even when my feet leave the ground.

by Emily - Christian Science Sentinel, June. 30, 2008

There I was, watching all my friends climb up and walk across the ropes with no problem.

I’d never enjoyed being in high places very much. So when I was at camp two summers ago, I wasn’t planning to get too far on the ropes course. (This course involves all kinds of challenges and team-building exercises in the woods. Campers put on harnesses as they complete challenges high off the ground.)

The part of the course our group was doing was between two trees, with three ropes attached to each tree. There was one rope to walk across, kind of like a tightrope, and then two on either side you could hold on to. The ropes were high up, and there were staples (footholds and handholds) on each of the trees which you could use to climb up to them.

I remembered the year before, when I’d decided to try the same part of the course, and I’d only gotten halfway up the tree before deciding to come down. This time, even though I was reluctant, my friends convinced me to go again. So I let the counselors harness me in. Starting up the ladder was easy, and the lower staples were really close together, so I climbed up that part pretty quickly. But soon the staples started to get farther and farther apart, and it was harder for me to reach them. I got to a point where I couldn’t reach the next one. Then I looked down.

I was really high up, and all my friends and counselors looked very small. That’s when I started to get pretty nervous. So I decided to give up. Just like that. I called down to my counselors and told them I was ready to come down. But they said, “Reach farther. You’re almost there!” and told me how to shift my weight and reach with one of my hands. I moved up a step. But I was holding on so tight that my hands were hurting, and I was starting to get really scared of being so high up. I yelled down to the counselors again. Then they told me I was safe and could pray, right there up in the tree. So I did—even though all I could think was, “God is Love, God is Love.” I kept on saying those words to myself, letting them calm me down.

My counselors began to tell me that God was protecting me wherever I was, and I thought about how that truth applied to my situation. Soon, I reached as high as I could and grasped the next staple, praying to myself and listening to my counselors’ instructions and advice. I remember calling down to them a couple of more times, telling them, “I can’t do it!” But they kept encouraging me.

Finally, I was able to pull myself onto the rope and started to walk across. It was difficult to do, since the rope was hard to balance on, and I was all shaky. But I remembered a hymn from the Christian Science Hymnal. I said the first verse to myself:

In heavenly Love abiding,
No change my heart shall fear;
And safe is such confiding,
For nothing changes here.
The storm may roar without me,
My heart may low be laid;
But God is round about me,
And can I be dismayed?
(Anna L. Waring, No. 148)

In that moment, I felt confident that God was all around me, protecting me, and I began to feel very calm.

Over the next few minutes, I made it all the way across the rope to the other tree and then walked all the way back, backwards, before climbing down. My friends and counselors greeted me, telling me how proud they were of me. But I was mostly proud of myself for believing in God and learning how close He is not just to me but to everyone around me.

Up in the tree, I really felt God’s protection, and I realized that I never could be separated from Him for an instant—not even by fear. After that experience, I completely lost any fear of heights, and have done many really exciting things way up high without any hesitation since then.

A few days after this experience, I completed a different ropes course, and even went hot air ballooning with all my cousins, thousands of feet in the air. It was one of the most fun adventures I’d ever had, and I wasn’t afraid in any way. That’s because I’d learned that God is always protecting me, even when my feet leave the ground.

by Emily - Christian Science Sentinel, June. 30, 2008

There I was, watching all my friends climb up and walk across the ropes with no problem.

I’d never enjoyed being in high places very much. So when I was at camp two summers ago, I wasn’t planning to get too far on the ropes course. (This course involves all kinds of challenges and team-building exercises in the woods. Campers put on harnesses as they complete challenges high off the ground.)

The part of the course our group was doing was between two trees, with three ropes attached to each tree. There was one rope to walk across, kind of like a tightrope, and then two on either side you could hold on to. The ropes were high up, and there were staples (footholds and handholds) on each of the trees which you could use to climb up to them.

I remembered the year before, when I’d decided to try the same part of the course, and I’d only gotten halfway up the tree before deciding to come down. This time, even though I was reluctant, my friends convinced me to go again. So I let the counselors harness me in. Starting up the ladder was easy, and the lower staples were really close together, so I climbed up that part pretty quickly. But soon the staples started to get farther and farther apart, and it was harder for me to reach them. I got to a point where I couldn’t reach the next one. Then I looked down.

I was really high up, and all my friends and counselors looked very small. That’s when I started to get pretty nervous. So I decided to give up. Just like that. I called down to my counselors and told them I was ready to come down. But they said, “Reach farther. You’re almost there!” and told me how to shift my weight and reach with one of my hands. I moved up a step. But I was holding on so tight that my hands were hurting, and I was starting to get really scared of being so high up. I yelled down to the counselors again. Then they told me I was safe and could pray, right there up in the tree. So I did—even though all I could think was, “God is Love, God is Love.” I kept on saying those words to myself, letting them calm me down.

My counselors began to tell me that God was protecting me wherever I was, and I thought about how that truth applied to my situation. Soon, I reached as high as I could and grasped the next staple, praying to myself and listening to my counselors’ instructions and advice. I remember calling down to them a couple of more times, telling them, “I can’t do it!” But they kept encouraging me.

Finally, I was able to pull myself onto the rope and started to walk across. It was difficult to do, since the rope was hard to balance on, and I was all shaky. But I remembered a hymn from the Christian Science Hymnal. I said the first verse to myself:

In heavenly Love abiding,
No change my heart shall fear;
And safe is such confiding,
For nothing changes here.
The storm may roar without me,
My heart may low be laid;
But God is round about me,
And can I be dismayed?
(Anna L. Waring, No. 148)

In that moment, I felt confident that God was all around me, protecting me, and I began to feel very calm.

Over the next few minutes, I made it all the way across the rope to the other tree and then walked all the way back, backwards, before climbing down. My friends and counselors greeted me, telling me how proud they were of me. But I was mostly proud of myself for believing in God and learning how close He is not just to me but to everyone around me.

Up in the tree, I really felt God’s protection, and I realized that I never could be separated from Him for an instant—not even by fear. After that experience, I completely lost any fear of heights, and have done many really exciting things way up high without any hesitation since then.

A few days after this experience, I completed a different ropes course, and even went hot air ballooning with all my cousins, thousands of feet in the air. It was one of the most fun adventures I’d ever had, and I wasn’t afraid in any way. That’s because I’d learned that God is always protecting me, even when my feet leave the ground.

by Avery Sander

I’m about halfway through my three-year law program. But I remember wondering if I could even get into law school.

I really wanted to go to law school; I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was eight. But my college grades were nothing terrific, and my LSAT (Law School Admission Test) score left something to be desired. I was told that I would have to pull up my LSAT score substantially in order to be accepted into any law school.

This task seemed daunting, almost impossible. I had tried to score well before; I had not been slacking off. For a while I even questioned whether this law school thing was for me.

But as I prayed, I couldn’t shake the notion that God had created me in His image and likeness. It didn’t seem right that some academic limitation would prohibit me from doing the work I felt compelled to do.

With that in mind, I began to study for retaking the LSAT and enrolled in a commercial course to help me prepare. Throughout my studying, I took all of the recommended steps. I carved out time in my day for focused study of the material, I made sure I was present at every class meeting (even when they conflicted with other activities), and I was sure to make time for normal activities such as exercising regularly and eating properly.

I knew that the best thing I could do, though, was to make this study incidental to my Christian Science study and prayer. Each day I studied the Christian Science Bible Lesson and made regular visits to the local Christian Science Reading Room. I also read Christian Science periodicals intensively each day.

Through this study, it became very clear to me that if God wanted me to express Him by studying law, then that is what I would do. No test score or application process could get in the way. This fact did not exempt me from doing any of the work I mentioned earlier, but it did allow me to keep my thought free and clear of any distraction, fear, worry, or pressure.

Part of the studying process was taking practice LSAT tests. While I knew that taking these tests were an important part of gauging my progress, the scores that came back were much lower than I had hoped. I was averaging scores near my previous test score, which I had been told was not “good enough.”

I decided it was time to call a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me through this important time. I knew I was going to learn something big.

The practitioner reaffirmed what I had been learning from my own prayer and study—that God would lead me all the way. I could trust that if law school was right for me, I would have all that I need to get there.

I really had to let go of the fixation on making a certain score on this test so that I could get into law school. I had to put my trust in God’s care and know that I was taking the right steps. The practitioner continued to pray with me for about two weeks, during which I took the test.

During the test I felt compelled to pray not just for myself, but for all the people that were also taking the test that day—in the room with me or somewhere else. I had a calm sense of peace that each of us had our place and that no test score would keep us from getting there. We were already there.

With this perspective, taking the test didn’t feel like a hurdle, it felt like my purpose in that moment. While we were waiting for the test results, however, many people I was in contact with were feeling a lot of anxiety about receiving their scores. Predictions were made that did not sound great.

On the day the scores were released, I was excited about hearing my score, but I kept praying because I knew that overcoming any anxiety and or fear was the real victory I needed. I cherished the enthusiasm I had for doing whatever it was that God had for me to do.

I checked my email throughout the day, but the score had not been sent when I got a phone call to my cell phone from an unrecognized number. It was the dean of admissions at my top choice law school. He was calling to let me know that I had been accepted for the spring admission period.

I thanked him for the call and asked him if he had been notified of my test score. He said that he had, and told me what it was. It was only four points higher than my previous test score—the one that hadn’t been “good enough.” This highlighted for me the fact that the score was not what needed the raising. It was my thought—of myself, of the system, and of the law school experience—that had needed lifting from being focused on the obstacles that would keep me from being admitted to a spiritual perspective where there are none.

That spiritual perspective has shown me that limits don’t exist. If we are earnestly listening and willing to do God’s work, nothing can keep us from serving Him. I am so grateful that I was able to understand that before entering law school, as I have had many opportunities to apply what I learned over this past year and a half.

by Avery Sander

I’m about halfway through my three-year law program. But I remember wondering if I could even get into law school.

I really wanted to go to law school; I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was eight. But my college grades were nothing terrific, and my LSAT (Law School Admission Test) score left something to be desired. I was told that I would have to pull up my LSAT score substantially in order to be accepted into any law school.

This task seemed daunting, almost impossible. I had tried to score well before; I had not been slacking off. For a while I even questioned whether this law school thing was for me.

But as I prayed, I couldn’t shake the notion that God had created me in His image and likeness. It didn’t seem right that some academic limitation would prohibit me from doing the work I felt compelled to do.

With that in mind, I began to study for retaking the LSAT and enrolled in a commercial course to help me prepare. Throughout my studying, I took all of the recommended steps. I carved out time in my day for focused study of the material, I made sure I was present at every class meeting (even when they conflicted with other activities), and I was sure to make time for normal activities such as exercising regularly and eating properly.

I knew that the best thing I could do, though, was to make this study incidental to my Christian Science study and prayer. Each day I studied the Christian Science Bible Lesson and made regular visits to the local Christian Science Reading Room. I also read Christian Science periodicals intensively each day.

Through this study, it became very clear to me that if God wanted me to express Him by studying law, then that is what I would do. No test score or application process could get in the way. This fact did not exempt me from doing any of the work I mentioned earlier, but it did allow me to keep my thought free and clear of any distraction, fear, worry, or pressure.

Part of the studying process was taking practice LSAT tests. While I knew that taking these tests were an important part of gauging my progress, the scores that came back were much lower than I had hoped. I was averaging scores near my previous test score, which I had been told was not “good enough.”

I decided it was time to call a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me through this important time. I knew I was going to learn something big.

The practitioner reaffirmed what I had been learning from my own prayer and study—that God would lead me all the way. I could trust that if law school was right for me, I would have all that I need to get there.

I really had to let go of the fixation on making a certain score on this test so that I could get into law school. I had to put my trust in God’s care and know that I was taking the right steps. The practitioner continued to pray with me for about two weeks, during which I took the test.

During the test I felt compelled to pray not just for myself, but for all the people that were also taking the test that day—in the room with me or somewhere else. I had a calm sense of peace that each of us had our place and that no test score would keep us from getting there. We were already there.

With this perspective, taking the test didn’t feel like a hurdle, it felt like my purpose in that moment. While we were waiting for the test results, however, many people I was in contact with were feeling a lot of anxiety about receiving their scores. Predictions were made that did not sound great.

On the day the scores were released, I was excited about hearing my score, but I kept praying because I knew that overcoming any anxiety and or fear was the real victory I needed. I cherished the enthusiasm I had for doing whatever it was that God had for me to do.

I checked my email throughout the day, but the score had not been sent when I got a phone call to my cell phone from an unrecognized number. It was the dean of admissions at my top choice law school. He was calling to let me know that I had been accepted for the spring admission period.

I thanked him for the call and asked him if he had been notified of my test score. He said that he had, and told me what it was. It was only four points higher than my previous test score—the one that hadn’t been “good enough.” This highlighted for me the fact that the score was not what needed the raising. It was my thought—of myself, of the system, and of the law school experience—that had needed lifting from being focused on the obstacles that would keep me from being admitted to a spiritual perspective where there are none.

That spiritual perspective has shown me that limits don’t exist. If we are earnestly listening and willing to do God’s work, nothing can keep us from serving Him. I am so grateful that I was able to understand that before entering law school, as I have had many opportunities to apply what I learned over this past year and a half.

by Avery Sander

I’m about halfway through my three-year law program. But I remember wondering if I could even get into law school.

I really wanted to go to law school; I have wanted to be a lawyer since I was eight. But my college grades were nothing terrific, and my LSAT (Law School Admission Test) score left something to be desired. I was told that I would have to pull up my LSAT score substantially in order to be accepted into any law school.

This task seemed daunting, almost impossible. I had tried to score well before; I had not been slacking off. For a while I even questioned whether this law school thing was for me.

But as I prayed, I couldn’t shake the notion that God had created me in His image and likeness. It didn’t seem right that some academic limitation would prohibit me from doing the work I felt compelled to do.

With that in mind, I began to study for retaking the LSAT and enrolled in a commercial course to help me prepare. Throughout my studying, I took all of the recommended steps. I carved out time in my day for focused study of the material, I made sure I was present at every class meeting (even when they conflicted with other activities), and I was sure to make time for normal activities such as exercising regularly and eating properly.

I knew that the best thing I could do, though, was to make this study incidental to my Christian Science study and prayer. Each day I studied the Christian Science Bible Lesson and made regular visits to the local Christian Science Reading Room. I also read Christian Science periodicals intensively each day.

Through this study, it became very clear to me that if God wanted me to express Him by studying law, then that is what I would do. No test score or application process could get in the way. This fact did not exempt me from doing any of the work I mentioned earlier, but it did allow me to keep my thought free and clear of any distraction, fear, worry, or pressure.

Part of the studying process was taking practice LSAT tests. While I knew that taking these tests were an important part of gauging my progress, the scores that came back were much lower than I had hoped. I was averaging scores near my previous test score, which I had been told was not “good enough.”

I decided it was time to call a Christian Science practitioner to pray with me through this important time. I knew I was going to learn something big.

The practitioner reaffirmed what I had been learning from my own prayer and study—that God would lead me all the way. I could trust that if law school was right for me, I would have all that I need to get there.

I really had to let go of the fixation on making a certain score on this test so that I could get into law school. I had to put my trust in God’s care and know that I was taking the right steps. The practitioner continued to pray with me for about two weeks, during which I took the test.

During the test I felt compelled to pray not just for myself, but for all the people that were also taking the test that day—in the room with me or somewhere else. I had a calm sense of peace that each of us had our place and that no test score would keep us from getting there. We were already there.

With this perspective, taking the test didn’t feel like a hurdle, it felt like my purpose in that moment. While we were waiting for the test results, however, many people I was in contact with were feeling a lot of anxiety about receiving their scores. Predictions were made that did not sound great.

On the day the scores were released, I was excited about hearing my score, but I kept praying because I knew that overcoming any anxiety and or fear was the real victory I needed. I cherished the enthusiasm I had for doing whatever it was that God had for me to do.

I checked my email throughout the day, but the score had not been sent when I got a phone call to my cell phone from an unrecognized number. It was the dean of admissions at my top choice law school. He was calling to let me know that I had been accepted for the spring admission period.

I thanked him for the call and asked him if he had been notified of my test score. He said that he had, and told me what it was. It was only four points higher than my previous test score—the one that hadn’t been “good enough.” This highlighted for me the fact that the score was not what needed the raising. It was my thought—of myself, of the system, and of the law school experience—that had needed lifting from being focused on the obstacles that would keep me from being admitted to a spiritual perspective where there are none.

That spiritual perspective has shown me that limits don’t exist. If we are earnestly listening and willing to do God’s work, nothing can keep us from serving Him. I am so grateful that I was able to understand that before entering law school, as I have had many opportunities to apply what I learned over this past year and a half.

by Michael Morgan

Fifteen minutes after the Pakistani pilot prays in Urdu over the intercom system for a safe flight, signifying my plane has taken off from Islamabad, we are flying above the mystical Karakoram mountains. Cumulus and crevice are indistinguishable at this height.

After landing at Skardu airport, one of two airports in what is widely perceived as a dangerous region, I spot my driver, a young, gangly boy. Outside of my window as we drive I see trees a color green I’ve never seen before—it almost glows somehow.

After fifteen kilometers we arrive at my hotel: the Shangri-La. Meadows, streams, lakes, mountains, all seem directly taken from a fairytale. But this paradise is walled in with barbed wire and guarded by Pakistani special forces.

The view spellbinds you so that you lose track of time and the sun slowly slinks behind the crag and you sit, gazing at the luminescent green beauty around until some distant howl—of a wolf perhaps—reminds you of all of the terrors about the Taliban and anti-Americanism that were pumped into you before you got on that bus to Islamabad; reminds you of the quick slip of paper with the Urdu words for “there is only one God and that is Allah and Muhammad is His last messenger” and “Praise be to Allah” written on it, given to you with encouragement to memorize them and speak anything, anything, but English.

Fear is a funny thing. It is sleek and subtle and thick as bricks of smoke around us all the time. It spirits into us from our televisions, from our newspapers, from our computers, and, sometimes, from our friends and family too. And it takes different forms, depending on what we’re supposed to be afraid of.

However, if we have our trust rooted in God, then we will be able to rise above these fears, know their unreality, and move on to the greater work that needs to be done: love. In the Bible, John tells us “Perfect love casteth out fear,” (I John 4:18) and in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures Mary Baker Eddy defines fear as “… ignorance; error.”

My trip to Pakistan was not originally about conquering fear. But as I entered what is considered by many to be a very dangerous region, at least part of my mission became to see how I could overcome the fear that stalked me at every turn.

I was told not to come to Pakistan by multiple Americans for the exact same reasons that I was told not to travel north by Pakistanis: the people who would surround me are dangerous and not to be trusted. During my trip I had to overcome fears of sickness, fears of terrorism, fears of strange culture, fears of the poor, fears of others close to me: the fears of mankind.

Overcoming these fears was not a solo mission, just as my traveling is never really solo because I know that God is always with me. Here’s one example of how God was with me. While I was traveling on the midnight bus from Lahore to Islamabad, I was frightened by statements I’d heard earlier in the day about my safety and the instability of the region I was traveling to.

I was tempted to put on my iPod, turn it up full blast, and isolate myself through bass and snare drums. However, I knew that submerging myself in ignorance was not the way to overcome my fear. When I first came on the bus, I had sat in the back, at least three rows from the closest Muslim.

When I checked my ticket, however, I saw that I had been assigned a seat in the middle of the bus. I scanned the seats and saw only turbans and great big beards (bigger than mine) and steely eyes. Despite my supposed cultural progressiveness, something I’ve touted my whole life, I was afraid to move. I scrunched up in my seat and turned my head to the window.

Not long after I noticed the man next to me was reading a book. Since I am a nosy little literature worm, curiosity emboldened me, and I inched my way into his business and asked him what he was reading.

That was the beginning of a three-hour conversation that spanned nutrition, computers, Pakistani politics, conspiracy theories, Vietnam, God, and the solution to all of Pakistan’s current problems. As if to emphasize the groundlessness of my fears, it turned out that this man was also going to the airport, and he helped me get to the next bus and into a taxi to the airport. A wonderful, and what I would find to be typical, Muslim angel.

Over and over my fears have proved unfounded. Where I’d been told everyone was dangerous, instead, everyone waves to me. I am not prevented from doing anything. And as I overcome the fear of traveling here, I am finding myself totally free. Free to live; free to explore; free to make a change. That is what I came to do; that is what I did while visiting, teaching, and working with several girl’s schools.

In order to overcome fear, however, I needed to be awake and aware of my surroundings—spiritually awake and aware. This is very similar to what Mrs. Eddy says about healing. “In order to heal by Science, you must not be ignorant of the moral and spiritual demands of Science nor disobey them.”

Rather than remain ignorant of Pakistan and Islam, I took it upon myself to replace my ignorance with experience, which opened up the door for Love to enter. Think deeply about what causes fear. What are you afraid of and why? How ridiculous fear is when we think of fear in relation to God as defined by Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health!

“The great I am; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance; intelligence.”

Fear only exists when we are ignorant, when we are ignoring the facts about God. Once we realign ourselves with these facts, then fear has no foundation, it becomes unreal.

No matter where in the world I travel, if I truly understand this definition of God there can be no ignorance, but only love for my fellowman—and woman.

by Michael Morgan

Fifteen minutes after the Pakistani pilot prays in Urdu over the intercom system for a safe flight, signifying my plane has taken off from Islamabad, we are flying above the mystical Karakoram mountains. Cumulus and crevice are indistinguishable at this height.

After landing at Skardu airport, one of two airports in what is widely perceived as a dangerous region, I spot my driver, a young, gangly boy. Outside of my window as we drive I see trees a color green I’ve never seen before—it almost glows somehow.

After fifteen kilometers we arrive at my hotel: the Shangri-La. Meadows, streams, lakes, mountains, all seem directly taken from a fairytale. But this paradise is walled in with barbed wire and guarded by Pakistani special forces.

The view spellbinds you so that you lose track of time and the sun slowly slinks behind the crag and you sit, gazing at the luminescent green beauty around until some distant howl—of a wolf perhaps—reminds you of all of the terrors about the Taliban and anti-Americanism that were pumped into you before you got on that bus to Islamabad; reminds you of the quick slip of paper with the Urdu words for “there is only one God and that is Allah and Muhammad is His last messenger” and “Praise be to Allah” written on it, given to you with encouragement to memorize them and speak anything, anything, but English.

Fear is a funny thing. It is sleek and subtle and thick as bricks of smoke around us all the time. It spirits into us from our televisions, from our newspapers, from our computers, and, sometimes, from our friends and family too. And it takes different forms, depending on what we’re supposed to be afraid of.

However, if we have our trust rooted in God, then we will be able to rise above these fears, know their unreality, and move on to the greater work that needs to be done: love. In the Bible, John tells us “Perfect love casteth out fear,” (I John 4:18) and in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures Mary Baker Eddy defines fear as “… ignorance; error.”

My trip to Pakistan was not originally about conquering fear. But as I entered what is considered by many to be a very dangerous region, at least part of my mission became to see how I could overcome the fear that stalked me at every turn.

I was told not to come to Pakistan by multiple Americans for the exact same reasons that I was told not to travel north by Pakistanis: the people who would surround me are dangerous and not to be trusted. During my trip I had to overcome fears of sickness, fears of terrorism, fears of strange culture, fears of the poor, fears of others close to me: the fears of mankind.

Overcoming these fears was not a solo mission, just as my traveling is never really solo because I know that God is always with me. Here’s one example of how God was with me. While I was traveling on the midnight bus from Lahore to Islamabad, I was frightened by statements I’d heard earlier in the day about my safety and the instability of the region I was traveling to.

I was tempted to put on my iPod, turn it up full blast, and isolate myself through bass and snare drums. However, I knew that submerging myself in ignorance was not the way to overcome my fear. When I first came on the bus, I had sat in the back, at least three rows from the closest Muslim.

When I checked my ticket, however, I saw that I had been assigned a seat in the middle of the bus. I scanned the seats and saw only turbans and great big beards (bigger than mine) and steely eyes. Despite my supposed cultural progressiveness, something I’ve touted my whole life, I was afraid to move. I scrunched up in my seat and turned my head to the window.

Not long after I noticed the man next to me was reading a book. Since I am a nosy little literature worm, curiosity emboldened me, and I inched my way into his business and asked him what he was reading.

That was the beginning of a three-hour conversation that spanned nutrition, computers, Pakistani politics, conspiracy theories, Vietnam, God, and the solution to all of Pakistan’s current problems. As if to emphasize the groundlessness of my fears, it turned out that this man was also going to the airport, and he helped me get to the next bus and into a taxi to the airport. A wonderful, and what I would find to be typical, Muslim angel.

Over and over my fears have proved unfounded. Where I’d been told everyone was dangerous, instead, everyone waves to me. I am not prevented from doing anything. And as I overcome the fear of traveling here, I am finding myself totally free. Free to live; free to explore; free to make a change. That is what I came to do; that is what I did while visiting, teaching, and working with several girl’s schools.

In order to overcome fear, however, I needed to be awake and aware of my surroundings—spiritually awake and aware. This is very similar to what Mrs. Eddy says about healing. “In order to heal by Science, you must not be ignorant of the moral and spiritual demands of Science nor disobey them.”

Rather than remain ignorant of Pakistan and Islam, I took it upon myself to replace my ignorance with experience, which opened up the door for Love to enter. Think deeply about what causes fear. What are you afraid of and why? How ridiculous fear is when we think of fear in relation to God as defined by Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health!

“The great I am; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance; intelligence.”

Fear only exists when we are ignorant, when we are ignoring the facts about God. Once we realign ourselves with these facts, then fear has no foundation, it becomes unreal.

No matter where in the world I travel, if I truly understand this definition of God there can be no ignorance, but only love for my fellowman—and woman.

by Michael Morgan

Fifteen minutes after the Pakistani pilot prays in Urdu over the intercom system for a safe flight, signifying my plane has taken off from Islamabad, we are flying above the mystical Karakoram mountains. Cumulus and crevice are indistinguishable at this height.

After landing at Skardu airport, one of two airports in what is widely perceived as a dangerous region, I spot my driver, a young, gangly boy. Outside of my window as we drive I see trees a color green I’ve never seen before—it almost glows somehow.

After fifteen kilometers we arrive at my hotel: the Shangri-La. Meadows, streams, lakes, mountains, all seem directly taken from a fairytale. But this paradise is walled in with barbed wire and guarded by Pakistani special forces.

The view spellbinds you so that you lose track of time and the sun slowly slinks behind the crag and you sit, gazing at the luminescent green beauty around until some distant howl—of a wolf perhaps—reminds you of all of the terrors about the Taliban and anti-Americanism that were pumped into you before you got on that bus to Islamabad; reminds you of the quick slip of paper with the Urdu words for “there is only one God and that is Allah and Muhammad is His last messenger” and “Praise be to Allah” written on it, given to you with encouragement to memorize them and speak anything, anything, but English.

Fear is a funny thing. It is sleek and subtle and thick as bricks of smoke around us all the time. It spirits into us from our televisions, from our newspapers, from our computers, and, sometimes, from our friends and family too. And it takes different forms, depending on what we’re supposed to be afraid of.

However, if we have our trust rooted in God, then we will be able to rise above these fears, know their unreality, and move on to the greater work that needs to be done: love. In the Bible, John tells us “Perfect love casteth out fear,” (I John 4:18) and in Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures Mary Baker Eddy defines fear as “… ignorance; error.”

My trip to Pakistan was not originally about conquering fear. But as I entered what is considered by many to be a very dangerous region, at least part of my mission became to see how I could overcome the fear that stalked me at every turn.

I was told not to come to Pakistan by multiple Americans for the exact same reasons that I was told not to travel north by Pakistanis: the people who would surround me are dangerous and not to be trusted. During my trip I had to overcome fears of sickness, fears of terrorism, fears of strange culture, fears of the poor, fears of others close to me: the fears of mankind.

Overcoming these fears was not a solo mission, just as my traveling is never really solo because I know that God is always with me. Here’s one example of how God was with me. While I was traveling on the midnight bus from Lahore to Islamabad, I was frightened by statements I’d heard earlier in the day about my safety and the instability of the region I was traveling to.

I was tempted to put on my iPod, turn it up full blast, and isolate myself through bass and snare drums. However, I knew that submerging myself in ignorance was not the way to overcome my fear. When I first came on the bus, I had sat in the back, at least three rows from the closest Muslim.

When I checked my ticket, however, I saw that I had been assigned a seat in the middle of the bus. I scanned the seats and saw only turbans and great big beards (bigger than mine) and steely eyes. Despite my supposed cultural progressiveness, something I’ve touted my whole life, I was afraid to move. I scrunched up in my seat and turned my head to the window.

Not long after I noticed the man next to me was reading a book. Since I am a nosy little literature worm, curiosity emboldened me, and I inched my way into his business and asked him what he was reading.

That was the beginning of a three-hour conversation that spanned nutrition, computers, Pakistani politics, conspiracy theories, Vietnam, God, and the solution to all of Pakistan’s current problems. As if to emphasize the groundlessness of my fears, it turned out that this man was also going to the airport, and he helped me get to the next bus and into a taxi to the airport. A wonderful, and what I would find to be typical, Muslim angel.

Over and over my fears have proved unfounded. Where I’d been told everyone was dangerous, instead, everyone waves to me. I am not prevented from doing anything. And as I overcome the fear of traveling here, I am finding myself totally free. Free to live; free to explore; free to make a change. That is what I came to do; that is what I did while visiting, teaching, and working with several girl’s schools.

In order to overcome fear, however, I needed to be awake and aware of my surroundings—spiritually awake and aware. This is very similar to what Mrs. Eddy says about healing. “In order to heal by Science, you must not be ignorant of the moral and spiritual demands of Science nor disobey them.”

Rather than remain ignorant of Pakistan and Islam, I took it upon myself to replace my ignorance with experience, which opened up the door for Love to enter. Think deeply about what causes fear. What are you afraid of and why? How ridiculous fear is when we think of fear in relation to God as defined by Mary Baker Eddy in Science and Health!

“The great I am; the all-knowing, all-seeing, all-acting, all-wise, all-loving, and eternal; Principle; Mind; Soul; Spirit; Life; Truth; Love; all substance; intelligence.”

Fear only exists when we are ignorant, when we are ignoring the facts about God. Once we realign ourselves with these facts, then fear has no foundation, it becomes unreal.

No matter where in the world I travel, if I truly understand this definition of God there can be no ignorance, but only love for my fellowman—and woman.

A new series of live Web chats sponsored by TMC Youth

Part 8: Teaching the First Lessons

With Susie Jostyn, Matthew Hoffman, the Solo Committee, and Jill Gooding, C. S. B.

Monday, May 11, 2009, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EDT

Please join us for our continuing series of live chats with Sunday School teachers and superintendents around the world. This month, we’ll continue our new multimedia approach—incorporating video, graphics, audio, and more—as we explore this central topic.

In Sunday School, children are taught about the Scriptures. What a huge topic!! Where should we start as teachers? The Church Manual provision for the Christian Science Sunday School identifies strategic “first lessons,” including the “Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17), the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), and its Spiritual Interpretation by Mary Baker Eddy, Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:3-12).” But are these lessons only for the littlest children? What about a 19-year-old attending Sunday School for the first time? If these are universal lessons, how can we dig deep into their meaning and customize the way we teach them to individual students and classes?

Susie Jostyn will host Matthew Hoffman, an experienced Sunday School teacher and community volunteer; members of the Christian folk trio, The Solo Committee, who write songs to help kids learn about God; andJill Gooding C. S. B., Christian Science practitioner and teacher. They’ll all provide answers to the above questions and those submitted live by listeners, based on the Church Manual, as well as their collective experience.

The chat will be hosted and questions can be sent in live online in English on http://tmcyouth.com/media/part-8-teaching-the-first-lessons/. The Reading Room at 194 Massachusetts Ave. in Boston, MA will be open to the public and local Sunday School teachers to participate via computer.

If you can’t join the chat, you can post questions beforehand in the Sunday School Discussion Forum on the website and listen to the recorded chat afterwards.

Download the replay and other media files:

• iPod Video: View the full video version replay (right-click to save)
• Audio: Listen to the full audio version replay (right-click to save)
• iPod Video: View the 2nd commmandment animation (right-click to save)
• Audio: Listen to the 2nd commmandment animation (right-click to save)
• Song: G is for God by the Solo Committee (right-click to save)

A new series of live Web chats sponsored by TMC Youth

Part 8: Teaching the First Lessons

With Susie Jostyn, Matthew Hoffman, the Solo Committee, and Jill Gooding, C. S. B.

Monday, May 11, 2009, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EDT

Please join us for our continuing series of live chats with Sunday School teachers and superintendents around the world. This month, we’ll continue our new multimedia approach—incorporating video, graphics, audio, and more—as we explore this central topic.

In Sunday School, children are taught about the Scriptures. What a huge topic!! Where should we start as teachers? The Church Manual provision for the Christian Science Sunday School identifies strategic “first lessons,” including the “Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17), the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), and its Spiritual Interpretation by Mary Baker Eddy, Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:3-12).” But are these lessons only for the littlest children? What about a 19-year-old attending Sunday School for the first time? If these are universal lessons, how can we dig deep into their meaning and customize the way we teach them to individual students and classes?

Susie Jostyn will host Matthew Hoffman, an experienced Sunday School teacher and community volunteer; members of the Christian folk trio, The Solo Committee, who write songs to help kids learn about God; andJill Gooding C. S. B., Christian Science practitioner and teacher. They’ll all provide answers to the above questions and those submitted live by listeners, based on the Church Manual, as well as their collective experience.

The chat will be hosted and questions can be sent in live online in English on http://tmcyouth.com/media/part-8-teaching-the-first-lessons/. The Reading Room at 194 Massachusetts Ave. in Boston, MA will be open to the public and local Sunday School teachers to participate via computer.

If you can’t join the chat, you can post questions beforehand in the Sunday School Discussion Forum on the website and listen to the recorded chat afterwards.

Download the replay and other media files:

• iPod Video: View the full video version replay (right-click to save)
• Audio: Listen to the full audio version replay (right-click to save)
• iPod Video: View the 2nd commmandment animation (right-click to save)
• Audio: Listen to the 2nd commmandment animation (right-click to save)
• Song: G is for God by the Solo Committee (right-click to save)

A new series of live Web chats sponsored by TMC Youth

Part 8: Teaching the First Lessons

With Susie Jostyn, Matthew Hoffman, the Solo Committee, and Jill Gooding, C. S. B.

Monday, May 11, 2009, 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. EDT

Please join us for our continuing series of live chats with Sunday School teachers and superintendents around the world. This month, we’ll continue our new multimedia approach—incorporating video, graphics, audio, and more—as we explore this central topic.

In Sunday School, children are taught about the Scriptures. What a huge topic!! Where should we start as teachers? The Church Manual provision for the Christian Science Sunday School identifies strategic “first lessons,” including the “Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3-17), the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13), and its Spiritual Interpretation by Mary Baker Eddy, Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:3-12).” But are these lessons only for the littlest children? What about a 19-year-old attending Sunday School for the first time? If these are universal lessons, how can we dig deep into their meaning and customize the way we teach them to individual students and classes?

Susie Jostyn will host Matthew Hoffman, an experienced Sunday School teacher and community volunteer; members of the Christian folk trio, The Solo Committee, who write songs to help kids learn about God; andJill Gooding C. S. B., Christian Science practitioner and teacher. They’ll all provide answers to the above questions and those submitted live by listeners, based on the Church Manual, as well as their collective experience.

The chat will be hosted and questions can be sent in live online in English on http://tmcyouth.com/media/part-8-teaching-the-first-lessons/. The Reading Room at 194 Massachusetts Ave. in Boston, MA will be open to the public and local Sunday School teachers to participate via computer.

If you can’t join the chat, you can post questions beforehand in the Sunday School Discussion Forum on the website and listen to the recorded chat afterwards.

Download the replay and other media files:

• iPod Video: View the full video version replay (right-click to save)
• Audio: Listen to the full audio version replay (right-click to save)
• iPod Video: View the 2nd commmandment animation (right-click to save)
• Audio: Listen to the 2nd commmandment animation (right-click to save)
• Song: G is for God by the Solo Committee (right-click to save)

Download to your computer or iPod / iPhone:

Conquering fear about the Swine flu (right-click to download)

Download to your computer or iPod / iPhone:

Conquering fear about the Swine flu (right-click to download)

Download to your computer or iPod / iPhone:

Conquering fear about the Swine flu (right-click to download)

Ideas not only have the power to change the world, they also have the power to heal. To me, Outspoken’s poem “Miss Homegrown” is almost an affirmation of true womanhood. So often, as women, we are told to conform to a mortal, physical model. But he talks about our essence—our soul, true beauty. Throughout our “Spread the Word” tour, people—men and women—have responded to this poem, so I wanted to share it with the TMC Youth community.

Stay tuned for a few more updates from our busy, inspiration-filled tour of the east coast! Thanks again for your patience between Episode 2 and 3 Verity xxx

Ideas not only have the power to change the world, they also have the power to heal. To me, Outspoken’s poem “Miss Homegrown” is almost an affirmation of true womanhood. So often, as women, we are told to conform to a mortal, physical model. But he talks about our essence—our soul, true beauty. Throughout our “Spread the Word” tour, people—men and women—have responded to this poem, so I wanted to share it with the TMC Youth community.

Stay tuned for a few more updates from our busy, inspiration-filled tour of the east coast! Thanks again for your patience between Episode 2 and 3 Verity xxx

Ideas not only have the power to change the world, they also have the power to heal. To me, Outspoken’s poem “Miss Homegrown” is almost an affirmation of true womanhood. So often, as women, we are told to conform to a mortal, physical model. But he talks about our essence—our soul, true beauty. Throughout our “Spread the Word” tour, people—men and women—have responded to this poem, so I wanted to share it with the TMC Youth community.

Stay tuned for a few more updates from our busy, inspiration-filled tour of the east coast! Thanks again for your patience between Episode 2 and 3 Verity xxx

To Download:
If you use iTunes, you can subscribe to this podcast

To Download:
If you use iTunes, you can subscribe to this podcast

To Download:
If you use iTunes, you can subscribe to this podcast

» Listen to podcast episode 71

» Listen to podcast episode 71

» Listen to podcast episode 71

Have you ever doubted whether God exists? Robin Hoagland did at a time when she was thinking about suicide. Now a Christian Science lecturer, Robin tours the country to give her talk, “Wanted: A God I can believe in.” Find out how she discovered that God is real.

To Subscribe (Free):
If you use iTunes, you can subscribe to this podcast

The Word, the word, the word, the word. Wow, the power of the word!

This past weekend has been filled with many words—some good, some not so good! If you haven’t seen my previous clip please click here for background on the Zimbabwean “Spread the Word” tour: http://tmcyouth.com/media/spread-the-word-tour-ep1/

The guys arrived on Thursday and on Friday we traveled to Trinity College International Hip Hop Festival, where we kicked off our “Spread the Word” tour. We performed there Friday night, and Saturday we performed at the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, MA.

I’m straddling two worlds: performer and band manager, with very different responsibilities. It can be difficult not to get swept up in the drama of the event. With 7 band members there are lots of conflicting feelings and emotions, and I have to remind myself that there really is only one Mind and that we are all living in the harmony that God created. That fact is already established, and isn’t something I have to somehow recreate. What a relief!

What is the band’s philosophy? I would say we are about making a noise about what is right. We are about using music as a form of non-violent protest. In the song on this video you hear about the revolution for freedom. Sound like a contradiction? We think not. We have to stand tall. We have to fight strong for freedom and peace. This is a mental battle, and it is up to each of us, wherever we are in the world, to take a stand for freedom. God made us free. God made us harmonious. So why don’t we see more of that in our world? Let’s start a spiritual revolution—right here, right now!

Some of you asked about performances. Here are some shows we are doing this week in Massachusetts:

Wednesday, 7:30@ Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, Wellfleet, Cape Cod
Thursday, 6:00pm-9:30 Wellesley College Chapel, Wellesley, MA
Saturday, 7:30p.m.@ First Parish Unitarian Church, 23 Dedham Ave. Needham, MA
Sunday, 7:30p.m.@Sander’s Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge MA (part of HASA’s Africa Night)

If you need more info look for me on Facebook

The Word, the word, the word, the word. Wow, the power of the word!

This past weekend has been filled with many words—some good, some not so good! If you haven’t seen my previous clip please click here for background on the Zimbabwean “Spread the Word” tour: http://tmcyouth.com/media/spread-the-word-tour-ep1/

The guys arrived on Thursday and on Friday we traveled to Trinity College International Hip Hop Festival, where we kicked off our “Spread the Word” tour. We performed there Friday night, and Saturday we performed at the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, MA.

I’m straddling two worlds: performer and band manager, with very different responsibilities. It can be difficult not to get swept up in the drama of the event. With 7 band members there are lots of conflicting feelings and emotions, and I have to remind myself that there really is only one Mind and that we are all living in the harmony that God created. That fact is already established, and isn’t something I have to somehow recreate. What a relief!

What is the band’s philosophy? I would say we are about making a noise about what is right. We are about using music as a form of non-violent protest. In the song on this video you hear about the revolution for freedom. Sound like a contradiction? We think not. We have to stand tall. We have to fight strong for freedom and peace. This is a mental battle, and it is up to each of us, wherever we are in the world, to take a stand for freedom. God made us free. God made us harmonious. So why don’t we see more of that in our world? Let’s start a spiritual revolution—right here, right now!

Some of you asked about performances. Here are some shows we are doing this week in Massachusetts:

Wednesday, 7:30@ Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, Wellfleet, Cape Cod
Thursday, 6:00pm-9:30 Wellesley College Chapel, Wellesley, MA
Saturday, 7:30p.m.@ First Parish Unitarian Church, 23 Dedham Ave. Needham, MA
Sunday, 7:30p.m.@Sander’s Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge MA (part of HASA’s Africa Night)

If you need more info look for me on Facebook

The Word, the word, the word, the word. Wow, the power of the word!

This past weekend has been filled with many words—some good, some not so good! If you haven’t seen my previous clip please click here for background on the Zimbabwean “Spread the Word” tour: http://tmcyouth.com/media/spread-the-word-tour-ep1/

The guys arrived on Thursday and on Friday we traveled to Trinity College International Hip Hop Festival, where we kicked off our “Spread the Word” tour. We performed there Friday night, and Saturday we performed at the Peace Abbey in Sherborn, MA.

I’m straddling two worlds: performer and band manager, with very different responsibilities. It can be difficult not to get swept up in the drama of the event. With 7 band members there are lots of conflicting feelings and emotions, and I have to remind myself that there really is only one Mind and that we are all living in the harmony that God created. That fact is already established, and isn’t something I have to somehow recreate. What a relief!

What is the band’s philosophy? I would say we are about making a noise about what is right. We are about using music as a form of non-violent protest. In the song on this video you hear about the revolution for freedom. Sound like a contradiction? We think not. We have to stand tall. We have to fight strong for freedom and peace. This is a mental battle, and it is up to each of us, wherever we are in the world, to take a stand for freedom. God made us free. God made us harmonious. So why don’t we see more of that in our world? Let’s start a spiritual revolution—right here, right now!

Some of you asked about performances. Here are some shows we are doing this week in Massachusetts:

Wednesday, 7:30@ Wellfleet Harbor Actors Theatre, Wellfleet, Cape Cod
Thursday, 6:00pm-9:30 Wellesley College Chapel, Wellesley, MA
Saturday, 7:30p.m.@ First Parish Unitarian Church, 23 Dedham Ave. Needham, MA
Sunday, 7:30p.m.@Sander’s Theatre, Harvard University, Cambridge MA (part of HASA’s Africa Night)

If you need more info look for me on Facebook

The "Spread the Word" tour started as an idea; a seed of hope; such an ambitious goal that we all wondered if it would ever come alive. For the past two years I’ve been playing the violin with Zimbabwean hip hop group, Outspoken and The Essence. This group speaks out against the current oppression in Zimbabwe and is a non-violent means of protest. I’ve loved working with them because of their commitment to truth, to integrity, to principle.

I believe ideas have power. I believe words can change the way we think and live our lives. Christian Science has taught me so many things, but one of these things is the power of prayer; the power of thought. My prayer for Zimbabwe is that things will change. For the better. And that is what this band tour is about: a prayer of hope. A prayer for peace. A musical tribute to all the people who live there and keep smiling despite tremendous difficulties and struggles.

Normally I work fulltime for TMC Youth, but they’ve been kind enough to give me 3 weeks off (or work from the road!) during this tour. Feel free to check in as I pray about our daily needs, and rely on prayer and God, Love to get us through the next three weeks of performances in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Washington DC. A week ago the band members did not have visas, we didn’t have plane tickets, we weren’t even sure if our tour funding would materialize! But through letting God lead us through every decision—and some incredible guardian angels!—all these problems have disappeared and the band arrives today.

The "Spread the Word" tour started as an idea; a seed of hope; such an ambitious goal that we all wondered if it would ever come alive. For the past two years I’ve been playing the violin with Zimbabwean hip hop group, Outspoken and The Essence. This group speaks out against the current oppression in Zimbabwe and is a non-violent means of protest. I’ve loved working with them because of their commitment to truth, to integrity, to principle.

I believe ideas have power. I believe words can change the way we think and live our lives. Christian Science has taught me so many things, but one of these things is the power of prayer; the power of thought. My prayer for Zimbabwe is that things will change. For the better. And that is what this band tour is about: a prayer of hope. A prayer for peace. A musical tribute to all the people who live there and keep smiling despite tremendous difficulties and struggles.

Normally I work fulltime for TMC Youth, but they’ve been kind enough to give me 3 weeks off (or work from the road!) during this tour. Feel free to check in as I pray about our daily needs, and rely on prayer and God, Love to get us through the next three weeks of performances in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Washington DC. A week ago the band members did not have visas, we didn’t have plane tickets, we weren’t even sure if our tour funding would materialize! But through letting God lead us through every decision—and some incredible guardian angels!—all these problems have disappeared and the band arrives today.

The "Spread the Word" tour started as an idea; a seed of hope; such an ambitious goal that we all wondered if it would ever come alive. For the past two years I’ve been playing the violin with Zimbabwean hip hop group, Outspoken and The Essence. This group speaks out against the current oppression in Zimbabwe and is a non-violent means of protest. I’ve loved working with them because of their commitment to truth, to integrity, to principle.

I believe ideas have power. I believe words can change the way we think and live our lives. Christian Science has taught me so many things, but one of these things is the power of prayer; the power of thought. My prayer for Zimbabwe is that things will change. For the better. And that is what this band tour is about: a prayer of hope. A prayer for peace. A musical tribute to all the people who live there and keep smiling despite tremendous difficulties and struggles.

Normally I work fulltime for TMC Youth, but they’ve been kind enough to give me 3 weeks off (or work from the road!) during this tour. Feel free to check in as I pray about our daily needs, and rely on prayer and God, Love to get us through the next three weeks of performances in Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, and Washington DC. A week ago the band members did not have visas, we didn’t have plane tickets, we weren’t even sure if our tour funding would materialize! But through letting God lead us through every decision—and some incredible guardian angels!—all these problems have disappeared and the band arrives today.

The global financial picture doesn’t look too good right with mounting job losses and falling markets. We talked with Christian Science lecturer Bosede Bakarey who picked herself up out of a tough financial situation after her husband passed away and she was left alone with her three sons. Find out how she claimed her right to financial freedom, and how you can, too.

To Subscribe (Free):
If you use iTunes, you can subscribe to this podcast

by Lois Carlson

You, the tmcyouth.com audience, have spoken! In a recent web poll, we asked what topic you would like covered in the next podcast. You voted to hear something about health.

So, what is it that makes us healthy? Is it muscle mass? Body type? Good nutrition or genes? Well, we asked Christian Science lecturer Lois Carlson who said it’s not any of those things. Real health comes from our goodness as the children of God. TMC Youth’s David Bates sits down with Lois and they exchange stories and ideas that explain how they’ve proven a sense of health in times of sickness. Listen in to see how you can, too.

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If God is all good, then why do bad things happen? That’s one of the questions Christian Science lecturer Daniel Scott takes up in his talk, “God: reality or delusion?” Through his work as a mathematical physicist, he says he’s seen how spiritual healing is scientific and proves God’s existence. Take a listen for yourself.

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What are you good at? Do you have a sense of what you should do with your gifts? Christian Science lecturer Chet Manchester talks about how finding out what God is asking you to do with your talents makes it possible to make a real impact on the world.

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What does it take to forgive someone who wronged you? Christian Science lecturer Marta Greenwood sits down with TMC Youth’s David Bates to toss around some ideas about how to heal anger and actually revitalize the affected relationship.

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Do God and romance have anything to do with one another? It’s probably never really occurred to you that there’s a connection, but our right relationship to God actually puts us into right relationship with everyone else. Listen to Christian Science lecturer Lois Carlson to see how.

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Natural scientists are saying weather patterns have become so intense over the years-dumping rain in already-saturated regions and causing severe droughts in others. If you want to help the environment, listen in. Christian Science lecturer Ron Ballard has seen the effects of prayer on the environment and offers some ways to pray that will get results.

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To Subscribe (Free):
If you use iTunes, you can subscribe to this podcast

What are your thoughts on vegetarianism? What about homosexuality? Organ donation? Listen to this special question and answer session from the Christian Science Board of Directors as they address those issues and others from young people attending the 2008 Spiritual Activist Summit in Australia.

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