Chet Manchester - The Christian Science Journal Dec. 2006
As a college student, I traveled to Kenya for a study-abroad program that took me and about 20 other students to some of the most beautiful game parks in the world. Afterward, a friend and I set out on our own to meet the extraordinary African people themselves. We eventually found ourselves in a nearly deserted village by the shoreline of Lake Victoria. It was a gorgeous setting, and I was puzzled why so few people lived there. We soon learned that this region had been plagued by malaria, and many people had been forced to move away.
We’d been traveling through the general area for a few days, and I hadn’t given a second thought to the mosquitoes, but suddenly I felt in real danger. Many people who live or travel to Africa take malaria pills to protect themselves from the disease. These drugs are not totally effective, and because I’ve always relied on Christian Science for my health, I hadn’t considered using them. Prayer, as I’ve come to understand its depth and practicality through my study of the Bible and Mary Baker Eddy’s writings, has proved to be not just a wishing game, but a power that is immediately at hand and 100 percent effective. So, when I began to experience the symptoms of malaria during the next few days, it was natural for me to pray. (more…)
Photo and story by John Hunter - The Christian Science Journal Sept. 2006
This summer, I enrolled in an introductory photography course with a focus on infrared and high speed films. I was hesitant at first, since I’d struggled with mechanics and process during my last photo class back in my sophomore year in high school. But this university class was much different. It gave me a fresh perspective on photography. I was excited and involved, turning inspiration and experience into unique and interesting art.
The photo class had me crawling through sewers, climbing buildings, meeting all types of people, and experimenting with all sorts of subject matter. I would often experiment at night, using flashlights or even fireworks as my subjects. I would hop fences or crawl through mud to get to a specific location if it fascinated me. I loved going on these excursions, searching for different perspectives on the typical or mundane. (more…)
Johanna - The Christian Science Journal Feb. 2006
I live in Germany and my friends at school call me “Jojo.” I enjoy horseback riding, playing the guitar, listening to my CDs, and recently I’ve gotten pretty interested in studying the ancient Maya Indians. Someday, I think I’d even like to be a research explorer.
I also like to spend some time each day praying. Usually, I read something from the Bible and Science and Health, or sometimes I just think quietly about God. Since I was little, I’ve had a lot of healings through prayer and learning more about my relationship with God. (more…)
Rebecca Holzworth - The Christian Science Sentinel Oct. 9, 2006
This past spring, a friend and I went to Mexico City, primarily to study its art and architecture. I enjoy traveling and was really excited about the trip, although at the same time several things concerned me. My friend and I hadn’t spent much time together, and I hoped that we’d get along really well. I’d also been warned we’d be in areas with a high crime rate, and I wasn’t accustomed to the altitude, native food, or water. (more…)
Max Polatin - The Christian Science Journal, Aug. 2006
“No fear.” I once heard a skateboarder say that about me to another skater. I wanted to say to him, “Hey-I am afraid sometimes, but trusting God helps me overcome the fear.”
What I know about God is really essential in my skateboarding. I often do tricks that involve big jumps. This can be kinda scary. So while I set up for a trick I think, I know I can’t fall out of the arms of God. The Bible talks about God’s “outstretched arm” and “outstretched hand,” and I think of being in His hands at the spot where I’ll land. Then I just go for it. I really believe God is taking care of me. Sometimes everyone in the skate park stops to watch. I’ve been skateboarding since I was five, and I’ve become pretty good at it. (more…)
Spencer Keel - Christian Science Sentinel, Aug. 21, 2006
For as long as I can remember, since first joining a running club when I was 11, this is what a Christian Science practitioner has been telling me. Now I’m 16, and to me relaxing and running on the wings of angels means the run will be easy, fast, free of pain or obstacles-that I’ll be free to express God’s goodness and power. And with the wings of God’s angels holding me up, I cannot possibly fall.
Last year, right after my freshman year in high school, I competed in an 800-meter race at the state meet for Junior Olympics Track and Field in Georgia. During track season, just a month before, I’d run the 800 in two minutes and 23 seconds. That wasn’t a bad time for a freshman, but I’d hoped to do better this time and maybe shave off two or three seconds. It felt like another opportunity to prove the all-power of God. (more…)
By Patricia Myers - Christian Science Sentinel, June 12, 2006
My parents joke that our home is a kind of United Nations/Holiday Inn. That’s because since I was four years old, my family has hosted exchange students. You might say it’s become a way of life for me—and it hasn’t just been about sharing my house, my parents, and two older sisters (not to mention my snakes, geckos, tarantula, two dogs, and two cats), but seeing the world as an extension of my family. We’ve been home to exchange students from countries like Spain, Italy, Thailand, Argentina, Denmark, Belarus, and Azerbaijan over the past 14 years.
One of the really cool advantages of this is that I feel as if I have brothers and sisters all over the world now. Even my really good friends at school here in Tennessee are all foreigners—one of my best friends, Sonja, is from Bosnia; and another good friend, Meng Meng, came here from China.
Last year, I finally had the opportunity to be an exchange student myself. I spent my junior year of high school in the small town of Anton, Panama. I have to be honest; my Spanish was pretty much a joke before I went on this trip. I mean, I’d taken two unserious years of Spanish in high school, but the extent of my vocabulary was limited to hola and si. That had to change—and fast!
Recently the members of The Christian Science Board of Directors—Tom Black, Walter Jones, Nate Talbot, Mary Trammell, and Vic Westberg—spoke with Sentinel Radio. They shared their individual insights into the healing truth that Mary Baker Eddy discovered. Here is a transcription of what they said, first broadcast June 3 on Sentinel Radio.
Mary Trammell: What is healing? Well, really, it’s the restoring of health to the body, heart, the mind. Or maybe, on a broader basis, the body of one’s finances, one’s economy, one’s community, one’s whole world. And healing is just absolutely central to the theology of Christian Science. We have to have it. Mary Baker Eddy, who discovered and founded Christian Science, wrote this in her book Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “The theology of Christian Science includes healing the sick” (p. 145). And to me, healing is important because it’s the tangible evidence that God loves us, that God is with us, and that He cares about us.
by Lauren Garcia - The Christian Science Journal, May 2006
THUD.
It was the sound of our tackle football game. Me hitting the ground. The guy who took me down was big—a lot bigger than I am. And when I tried to get up, well, it wasn’t really happening.
Although I didn’t end up having it X-rayed or anything, from the looks of it, I’m pretty sure that my ankle was severely injured. It wasn’t a pretty sight, but the worst part was that I had a soccer tournament to go to in four days. And in that first moment after getting tackled, I did wonder if I’d be walking in four days—let alone playing in an intense, two-games-a-day tournament.
Jamie Ranson
Reprinted from the March 14, 2005, issue of the CS Sentinel.
Swim practice is going badly for this student — until he takes a deeper spiritual dive and finds buoyancy in God’s care.
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