“The Sugar Plum Fairy is supposed to be kind and giving,” my ballet teacher said to me.

Those words stung as I realized I wasn’t exactly acting kind or giving. I was in a rehearsal for The Nutcracker ballet at my school, and my teacher was talking about staying in character on stage.

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Prayer and action go hand-in-hand.  Over the past three days I have dedicated myself to a prayer marathon. It was a time for me, and others, to prayerfully support the Ngochoni Petals of Africa School in Kenya, East Africa.

When I traveled and volunteered at the school last March, I discovered that it had overwhelming needs. At first I had no idea where to start. After a spontaneous inspiration, I got approval from my church to hold a prayer marathon in the church’s Christian Science Reading Room to support the Petals School in prayer, awareness, networking, and new ideas that came along the way.

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by Mari Riera

I was a serious flute player in high school, and it was my deepest desire to have a chair in the Oklahoma All-State Orchestra. This orchestra was comprised of the best musicians in Oklahoma, and there were only four flute spots available. This meant that I had to perform better than 700 other flute players to earn this incredible opportunity. (more…)

The Christian Science Sentinel, Sept. 24, 2007

I remember spending afternoons sitting on the floor beside my bedroom window with a sketchpad and a box of colored pencils. I would ardently draw things that I was inspired to reflect on, from the tree just outside, to the house across the street. Sometimes I’d even work on a sketch or painting that would end up as an entry in a local fair. (more…)

by Amy Farnsworth

Hi, my name is Amy Farnsworth and I’m interning at The Christian Science Monitor this summer. For the next two months, I’ll be helping out on the business side of the Monitor as an online marketing intern. It’s something new for me and I’m excited to learn more since I’m usually on the editorial side. I’m not a stranger to Boston (I’ve been here for 3 years studying journalism at Emerson College), but working at the Monitor has been a dream of mine since I started attending Sunday School.

Journalism is my passion, and being a part of the Monitor’s journalistic mission is thrilling for me as an aspiring journalist and a Christian Scientist. (more…)

Ingrid Peschke - the Christian Science Sentinel, Feb. 19, 2007

You’ve undoubtedly sat on one in your life. Ultra compact, lightweight, sleek, and economical, David Rowland’s “40/4” stackable chair put the exclamation point on his career as a designer. His chair can be found in New York’s Museum of Modern Art and Metropolitan Museum of Art, in the permanent collection of the Palais du Louvre in Paris, at the Bauhaus School in Dessau, Germany, and countless other public locations worldwide.

After studying at the Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan—which famous American architects/designers Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen also attended—David moved to a closet-sized room in New York City in the early 1950s. There he spent every free moment honing his chair design, while working two other jobs. (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…)